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Now Playing | Loss of more than half the central African forest elephant population to poaching in the last decade has led to a concerted effort to save those that remain. These efforts are explored through one of Cameroon’s first female eco-guards, a grassroots wildlife law enforcement group, a Congolese biologist studying elephant behavior, a reformed elephant poacher, and anti-poaching sniffer dogs led by a Czech conservationist, all fighting corruption despite a lack of funding that threatens to derail their work to save the elephants.

Now Playing | Hidden in the far fringes of Britain is a world lost to time. Once a muse for romantic writers and passionate poets, these forgotten temperate rainforests, covered in an emerald sheen of evergreen are home to alien plants and elusive creatures. Join us on a magical journey to reacquaint ourselves with the precious remnants of these enchanting places.

Past Presentation | 12 people. In the woods. Telling their stories... I hiked out into the forests of the Southeast to listen. What I found in the power of story and in our connections to the forests is more important now than ever. Forests hold our stories. Our history. Our dreams. Our strength. Our future. Humanity happens in forests. Stories happen in forests.

People understand how saving tropical forests is good for the planet, but temperate forests are equally indispensable in fighting climate change

Two states have banned native forest logging, but it’s still happening in the others.

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. What is the value of a tree? It can provide a cool place to rest in the shade, a snack in the form of fruit, lumber to build a home, and cleaner air. But trees are increasingly being prized for one thing: […]

The first commercial timber sales of the Penn Butte and Late Mungers wildlands are scheduled to begin May 15. Thousands of acres of land have already been logged under these Oregon projects, inspiring protests in the community.

Democratic institutions are reeling in India. Meet the environmental lawyer who is still using them to protect nature.

Past Presentation | The world’s forests are responsible for removing a quarter of all human carbon emissions from the atmosphere and are essential for cooling the planet. But that fraction is shrinking as the three major forests of the world—tropical, boreal, and temperate—succumb to the effects of climate feedback loops. The resulting tree dieback threatens to tip forests from net carbon absorbers to net carbon emitters, heating rather than cooling the planet. Subtitled in 23 languages and narrated by Richard Gere, Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops is a series of five short films, featuring twelve leading climate scientists, that explores how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We submit the five shorts to your festival (total 57:44) for screening of any or all of the films. The film series had its official launch with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists in a webcast, “The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops.” While scientists stay up worrying about this most dangerous aspect of climate change, the public has little awareness or understanding of feedback loops. Climate change discussion at all levels of society largely leaves out the most critical dynamic of climate change itself. It is urgent we remedy this. The first film in the series, Introduction (13:09), provides an overview of the feedback loop problem. The four other short films explore important climate feedback mechanisms: Forests (14:10), Permafrost (10:55), Atmosphere (8:45) and Albedo (10:35).Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion dozens of feedback mechanisms, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control. These processes are rapidly accelerating climate change. An example of a climate feedback loop is the melting of the permafrost. In the Northern Hemisphere, permafrost makes up nearly 25% of the landmass. As heat-trapping emissions warm the Earth, this frozen tundra is melting. As it does, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are released, which further warm the planet, melting more permafrost in a self-perpetuating loop. Human activity kicks off these feedback loops, but once set in motion, they become self-sustaining. The danger is that this process reaches a tipping point beyond which it is extremely difficult to recover. This is why it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so we can slow, halt and even reverse these feedbacks and cool the planet.

A study that looks back more than 100 years shows that where the animals have thrived, underwater forests have, too

Intense heat and no rain in southwest Western Australia are causing widespread tree and shrub die-offs.

According to new research, reforestation in the eastern U.S. helped counter rising temperatures in the 20th century. Learn more here. The post Reforestation in US East helped keep it cool first appeared on EarthSky.

The climate benefits of trees storing carbon dioxide is partially offset by dark forests’ absorption of more heat from the sun, and compounds they release that slow the destruction of methane in the atmosphere, the research shows.

Bulldozed tracks and informal byways in tropical forests and palm-oil plantations ‘almost always’ an indicator of future deforestation, say researchersA vast network of undocumented “ghost roads” is pushing into the world’s untouched rainforests and driving their destruction in the Asia-Pacific region, a new study has found.By using Google Earth to map tropical forests on Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea islands, researchers from James Cook University in Australia documented 1.37 m kilometres (850,000 miles) of roads across 1.4m sq kilometres of rainforest on the islands – between three and seven times what is officially recorded on road databases. Continue reading...

Stefan Thuilot has been documenting a very big picture view of how forests are changing. The post He Set Out to Photograph All of California’s Forests. Then They Began to Burn. appeared first on Bay Nature.

In recent years, Indonesia has slashed the rate of deforestation. That’s why this new crackdown on researchers is so surprising.

Cocaine traffickers have put two-thirds of Central America’s key habitats for threatened birds under threat, study findsCocaine consumption is threatening rare tropical birds as narco-traffickers move into some of the planet’s most remote forests to evade drug crackdowns, a study has warned.Two-thirds of key forest habitats for birds in Central America are at risk of being destroyed by “narco-driven” deforestation, according to the paper, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Sustainability. Continue reading...

Past Presentation | In the forests of Borneo, a native community struggles to protect its ancestral homeland from palm oil plantations–an industry poised to destroy one of the Earth’s oldest and most biodiverse rainforests. This film offers a glimpse into the lives of those who are most at risk, the Dayak—"people of the forest," who have relied on the forests for thousands of years.

Vital forest is cleared every day, with major climate effects. Satellites have revolutionized measurement of the problem, but what can we do about it?

Another campaigner says state environment minister ‘refuses to do anything’ ahead of koala protection summit in SydneyGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastLongtime forest advocates have expressed disgust at the ongoing logging of koala habitat in northern New South Wales despite promises the state government would protect the species, with one seasoned campaigner calling the destruction a “profound tragedy”.In September last year, the Minns government ordered a halt to logging operations in certain high value koala habitat – known as “koala hubs” – in the proposed Great Koala national park.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Now Playing | For more than fifteen years, Max Hurdebourcq, a solitary and passionate observer of gorillas, has been committed to the defence of the tropical forests of Central Africa. In particular, he is trying to find solutions to ensure a sustainable coexistence between forestry operators and the extraordinary wildlife that populates the forest concessions, veritable islands of biodiversity. At the CEB Precious Woods concession in southeast Gabon, Max is preparing for his latest exploration mission. His goal: to set up a refuge area for gorillas and local fauna within this area of nearly 6,000 km2. This is a first in Gabon, which has been imposing sustainable forest certification on operators active on its territory since 2018. This project, if it becomes a reality, could serve as an example throughout the Congo Basin. For Max, this would be the recognition and the outcome of his struggle. Anything but silent forests!

Past Presentation | Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s journey explores our profound biological and spiritual connection to trees. From Japan to California and Ireland to Germany, to Vancouver Island and across to the great Boreal Forest, Diana meets people who are taking the lead to replant, restore and protect the last of these great ancient species forests. As the journey progresses the film explores the science, folklore, and history of this essential, and often overlooked, eco-system. Beresford-Kroeger reminds us that when we improve our profound human connection to woodlands we can, not only, restore our health - we can restore our planet.

Cinema Verde presents an interview with director Amanda Rodriguez about her film "Stories Happen in Forests." The film is about 12 people. In the woods. Telling their stories... I hiked out into the forests of the Southeast to listen. What I found in the power of story and in our connections to the forests is more important now than ever. Forests hold our stories. Our history. Our dreams. Our strength. Our future. Humanity happens in forests. Stories happen in forests. Our full catalog of video interviews and streaming films is available to members at cinemaverde.org.

Past Presentation | <p>After traveling the world alongside migrating birds and diving the oceans with whales and manta rays, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud return to more familiar ground, the lush green forests and megafauna that emerged across Europe following the last Ice Age. Winter had gone on for 80,000 years when, in a relatively short period of time the ice retreated, the landscape metamorphosed, the cycle of seasons was established and the beasts occupied their new kingdom. It was only later than man arrived to share this habitat, first tentatively as migratory hunter/gatherers, then making inroads in the forest as settled agriculturalists, and later more dramatically via industry and warfare. SEASONS, with its exceptional footage of animals in the wild, is the awe-inspiring and thought-provoking tale of the long and tumultuous shared history that inextricably binds humankind with the natural world.

Despite major progress in Brazil and Colombia, deforestation led by farming still cleared an area nearly equal to Switzerland The destruction of the world’s most pristine rainforests continued at a relentless rate in 2023, despite dramatic falls in forest loss in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon, new figures show.An area nearly the size of Switzerland was cleared from previously undisturbed rainforests last year, totalling 37,000 sq km (14,200 sq miles), according to figures compiled by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. This is a rate of 10 football pitches a minute, often driven by more land being brought under agricultural cultivation around the world. Continue reading...

Past Presentation | Since the 1970s Majuli islander Jadav Payeng has been planting trees in order to save his island. To date, he has single-handedly planted a forest larger than Central Park NYC. His forest has transformed what was once a barren wasteland into a lush oasis.

Past Presentation | British Columbia is one of the last places on earth logging old growth forests. In the face of climate change, old growth forestry isn’t just a threat to species living in the area–it’s a threat to the world itself.

Questions about environmental safety and community health loom over the greenwashed industry and proposed export scheme.

Past Presentation | This film transforms how the Finnish identify with nature into pictures spoken by different voices; both the famous Finnish environmentalist, Pentti Linkola, and the Finnish writer, Juha Hurme, are featured in the film as well as the director. Set entirely in forest, the protagonists sleep under spruce trees, make art, hunt with their dogs, hold techno raves in the summer night, and earn a living as forest owners. As the film progresses, we gain a view of the forest as a biological organism, as a spiritual retreat for humans, as a source of inspiration, and as a complete living environment supporting us all.

Now Playing | Some teenagers kidnap a kid in the forest and take him to their boss in a cottage.

Past Presentation | No classroom for these kindergarteners. In Switzerland's Langnau am Albis, a suburb of Zurich, children 4 to 7 years of age go to kindergarten in the woods every day, no matter what the weatherman says. The filmmakers follow the forest kindergarten through the seasons of one school year. This eye-opening film examines the important question of what it is that children need at that age. There is laughter, beauty, and amazement in the process of finding out.

"Over time, though, every serving of avocado toast takes a toll on Michoacán's land, forests and water supply"

Past Presentation | A journey among old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and the indigenous people that live among them. Many of the areas in this film have been logged, and this footage is some of the last to see them in their full glory.

Now Playing | Dipsas Speaks is a poetic reflection on the human-wildlife conflict in the Andean Amazon cloud forest of Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Dipsas klebbai, a snake, observes changes in her world. 100% wildlife cast.

Past Presentation | The kelp forests of the Puget Sound have long played an essential role in the local ecosystem as a habitat and food source. Today, this foundational species is in decline, but resource managers, scientists, tribal citizens, and advocates are working together to solve the mysteries of conserving and restoring kelp forests.

Past Presentation | From the heart of the Amazon rainforest to our European laboratories, climatologists, biologists and chemists are exploring and are starting to understand a mystery: the central role of forests in cloud formation. Spectacular images will illustrate a strong ecological message and increase awareness of the danger that deforestation represents for our planet.

Past Presentation | Reynaldo lives in the Rainforest region of Manu in Peru. Early on in his life he was a farmer and cleared the forest for his crops, moving to new land when the soil turned barren. After many years he realised he needed to change the way he lived, to live a more sustainable life. He taught himself agroforestry, a method of farming which works alongside nature; the crops feed the soil and trees provide shade and protection from the wind. Now he helps farmers all across the region to work in this way, also helping families to grow their own food, battling malnutrition. Reynaldo reveres the forest and has a passion to help keep it alive. By helping people to change the way they live and work he is helping build a future for people and forest alike.

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Past Presentation | Eligio Eloy Vargas, alias Melaneo, a Dominican Park Ranger in the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park was found brutally murdered by machete. At the time, he was believed to have been on patrol investigating an illegal charcoal production site often run by Haitians coming across the border into protected Dominican forests. This murder becomes the metaphor for the larger story of increasing tension between Haiti and the Dominican Republic over illicit charcoal exploitation and mass deforestation.

Now Playing | Juskatla weaves together perspectives of the people who live on the islands of Haida Gwaii—an archipelago on Canada’s Northwest coast, and the ancestral territories of the Haida Nation. From industrial loggers who harvest trees from ancient forests, to Sphenia Jones, a Haida matriarch who bears an intimate knowledge of her People’s territories, Juskatla meditates on the divergent ways of being that shape the islands and its people.

West Coast sea otters are turning to tool use to exploit richer prey and get a leg up on the competition, a new study has found. In Monterey Bay, an incredible rebound in sea otter populations has made their favorite prey scarce — and pushed them to pursue tougher options, according to findings published Thursday in Science....

Past Presentation | As a young man, American Louis Sarno heard a song on the radio that gripped his imagination. He followed the mysterious sounds all the way to the Central African rainforest and found their source – the Bayaka Pygmies, a tribe of hunters and gatherers. Louis did not return home until 25 years later. Carried by the contrasts between rainforest and urban America, the stories of Louis and his son, Samedi, are interwoven to form a touching portrait of an extraordinary man and his son.

Past Presentation | Towering stands of old ­growth longleaf pine (pinus palustris) once covered over 90 million acres while stretching from southern Virginia to eastern Texas. Today, the total acreage is about two million, with only about two thousand of that considered old growth. As the South was settled and Northern timber supplies were exhausted, this incredible natural resource was very nearly extirpated from the South's landscape and collective consciousness. LONGLEAF: THE HEART OF PINE is a cultural and natural history of the South's ancient primeval forest and how it might still be saved.

Now Playing | In 2004, a generation of activists arose in South Florida, carrying the passion of direct action groups like Earth First. and the deep analysis of the global justice movement that had swept the country in the preceding years. These activists sought local issues that exemplified the threats of corporate globalization. They stumbled upon a plan from biotech industry giants acting in collusion with the administration of then-Governor Jeb Bush to clear a vast swath of land in the Northeast Everglades of Florida to accommodate The Scripps Biotech Research Institute - And it was on. Over the next ten years, endless county zoning meetings were counter-balanced by dozens of civil disobedience arrests and a near-constant flow of news headlines about the battle: lawsuits, scandal, corruption, tree sits, endangered species, pranks, blockades, and a roller coaster of incremental victories followed by devastating losses for years on end. THE STORY OF A FOREST captures it all in a 1/2 hour documentary about the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) and Everglades Earth First!'s (EEF!) ten-plus year campaign to stop the Scripps Biotech development, with a focus on protecting biodiversity in the Briger forest and the Florida wetlands.

Canada announced that it will support Costa Rica and other countries in the region with a $15 million donation through the Conserve Birds program. The initiative seeks to protect several key ecosystems and the bird species that inhabit them. Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced the donation at an event organized by Birds Canada […] The post Canada Donates $15M to Protect Birds in Costa Rica appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Now Playing | Among Giants begins three years into the McKay tree-sit- a response to Green Diamond Resource Company’s clearcutting of redwood forests. Atop his tiny platform a hundred feet up in the ancient redwood canopy, Farmer must battle the elements and avoid isolation as he fights for a sustainable future. The film uses a restrained verite style that reflects the pace of life in the tree village. As Farmer outlasts a vicious storm, counts the rings on a felled tree, and trumps through a recent clear cut, the film asks questions about what it means to follow one’s beliefs and make a difference in the world.

The Association for the Integral Development of the Indigenous Territory of Kéköldi (ADITIK), the Cahuita United Movement, COVIRENAS South Caribbean, the Talamanca Ecotourism and Conservation Association (ATEC), and Talamanca Always Green: Community Collective in Defense of the South Caribbean raised their voices against the illegal logging taking place in the Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge. The environmental […] The post Costa Rican Activists Unite Against Illegal Logging in Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

State officials unveiled 81 targets to transform millions of acres in the Golden State into landscapes that can absorb more carbon than they release by 2045.

A government proposal to cull half a million owls, in order to save a related species, has raised complicated questionsIt sounds like a setup for an ecological horror film – to save one species of owl, US wildlife officials want to shoot down half a million of its cousins.The federal government’s latest proposal to save the endangered spotted owls has raised complicated questions about the ethics of killing one species to save another, and the role of humans to intervene in the cascading ecological conundrums that they have caused. Continue reading...

The expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesian Papua has led to increased flooding and water contamination, affecting Indigenous communities downstream.Hans Nicholas Jong reports for Mongabay.In short:Oil palm plantations have replaced forests, causing a 21% increase in surface water runoff and nearly fivefold increase in flooding probability.Agrochemicals used in plantations have raised nitrogen and phosphorous levels in water, exceeding safe standards for human consumption.Indigenous communities face higher environmental and health risks due to lack of transparency and effective mitigation measures by plantation operators.Key quote: “The downstream Indigenous people who rely on the rivers and the streams in the watershed are highly vulnerable."— Timothy Randhir, professor at the University of Massachusetts AmherstWhy this matters: The health of downstream communities is jeopardized by contaminated water and increased flooding, indicating a pressing need for stricter regulations and better management practices to protect both the environment and public health. Read more: Balancing palm oil and protected forests to conserve orangutans.

Now Playing | As a child, Julian and his mother, Sylvie, could spend hours out in nature admiring the soundtrack of the plentiful insects. One day, a grown Julian is out on a run in those same woods and when he takes off his ear buds, realizes he cannot hear anything at all. A trip to the audiologist assures him there is nothing wrong with his ears, but he is still left shaken. Back in the forest, he comes to the realization that the insects themselves have gone silent in a mass die off. Also known as the "Windshield Phenomenon" that documents how bugs no longer splatter on windshields as we drive as insect populations are down more than 45% over the last 4 decades.

Campaigners accuse Forest Fire Management Victoria of ‘knowingly’ killing endangered wildlife after greater glider found deadGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian government has been accused by conservationists and a leading ecologist of allowing a de facto native logging industry to emerge under the guise of fire management just months after closing down the industry.Environmental lawyers said the state government agency, Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), was acting “with impunity”, and conservationists and the Victorian Greens called on state and federal ministers to step in.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Now Playing | Ser Manguezal, created by Eliseu Cavalcante, was inspired by Josué de Castro's book "Of Men and Crabs" from 1967. De Castro was a Brazilian geographer, physician, writer and activist against world hunger. In his book, Castro envisions men as crabs, learning to walk in the mangroves. This relationship between them seems to unify and blend all together making the human being part of that specific biome. This film is part of an ongoing project that examines those who depend on the mangrove ecosystem to survive, and the delicate relationship between humans and this particular ecosystem. It seeks to recognize the hard-working crab hunters of the mangroves and make their work more visible, and to bring awareness about the importance of mangroves to the environment. Worldwide, 3,400 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) of mangrove forests were lost between 2000 and 2016, or about 2% of the global mangrove area (NASA). About 62% of the losses were due to direct human causes such as agriculture and aquaculture. Mangrove degradation is greater than the average for tropical and subtropical forest loss.

"Large-scale production of this chocolate could reduce land use and global warming potential"

Now Playing | An academic woman in Texas becomes concerned when a massive red oak in her backyard seems to be ailing, though she isn’t sure why it bothers her so much. At the same time, in her small cottage, her attention to her work is distracted by news reports she sees and hears. They tell in graphic terms of the out-of-control forest fires up and down the West Coast. Her attention is further pulled in the direction of other stories about the worsening conditions of the world’s rainforests which she discovers are disappearing at the astounding rate of 200,000 acres a day. Suddenly such stories are all she seems to hear and see on the radio or television or on her computer. But when she hears/sees a science report about how trees actually communicate with each other, she begins to realize there may be a connection between her tree and what she is learning from the news. She begins to recall a strong connection she herself has with that tree and allows that connection to regrow…..

In the Solomon Islands, Indigenous tribes are leveraging the lucrative carbon credit market to sustainably protect their ancient rainforests from logging while funneling vital income to their communities.Jo Chandler reports for Yale E360.In short:Several Solomon Islands tribes have united to form the Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project, preserving their forests and selling carbon credits internationally.The project includes verified protected areas and employs local tribespeople as rangers, enhancing biodiversity and environmental stewardship.The initiative provides significant economic benefits to the tribes, supporting community developments like education and infrastructure.Key quote:"If we misuse or destroy this land, we will not have any other,"— Linford Pitatamae, leader of the Sirebe tribeWhy this matters:Natural habitats play a significant role in the carbon market because of their ability to sequester carbon naturally. By valuing the carbon stored in these ecosystems, the market incentivizes their preservation. For example, a forest that might otherwise be cleared for agriculture could be maintained as a carbon sink. The revenue from selling carbon credits can make conservation financially viable for landowners and communities, providing an economic alternative to destructive practices like deforestation.Researchers say "proforestation" policies are the fastest and most effective way to draw excess CO2 out of the atmosphere.

Our byways are an unnatural incursion into the natural world, especially when they’re allowed to fall into disuse. Meet a roadkill scientist and a journalist tracking how roads mess with nature—and what we can do about it

Now Playing | Yes, trees can talk. They communicate through their roots. Please listen to what they have to say in this short film.

The ecosystem is a weapon against climate change—and huge swaths of it have long been ignored.