Article published by leilani Deforestation, Endangered Environmentalists, Environment, Environmental Crime, Forests, Illegal Logging, Logging, Rainforest Logging, Threats To Rainforests Days after participating in a raid on illegal loggers, government environmental officer Ronaldo Corpuz was shot and killed by unknown assailants.Corpuz is the fifth environmental worker killed this year, with all the deaths linked to illegal logging, in a country that eco watchdog Global Witness has named the deadliest for environmental defenders.The killings come amid a largely successful government crackdown on illegal logging activities across the country.Environment department secretary Roy Cimatu has condemned the latest killing and renewed calls for lawmakers to approve additional funding to support the department’s enforcement bureau, which aims to arm rangers, among other measures. MANILA — The Philippine government has condemned the killing of an environmental official by unknown assailants last month — the fifth such incident this year, all of them related to illegal logging, in a country rated as the most dangerous for environmental defenders.The perpetrators shot Ronaldo Corpuz, a community environment and natural resources officer with the environment department, on Oct. 25 in the province of Nueva Ecija, on the main island of Luzon. Corpuz died two days later from the multiple gunshot wounds, his death adding to the growing list of government workers slain due to illegal logging activities in the country.The killings come as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) carries out a massive crackdown on illegal logging activities in the country. The crackdown has contributed to a significant decrease in logging hotspots, from 25 in 2016 to 15 by December 2018, according to DENR data.“These senseless attacks against forest defenders must come to an end,” DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said in a statement. He vowed to do everything in his powers “to protect DENR workers from fearless, cunning and greedy individuals who destroy the environment for their own selfish interests.”Cimatu also renewed calls for the swift passage of a bill that would create an enforcement bureau under his department, aimed at arming rangers, among other measures. Currently, the task of enforcement falls under the special operations unit of the department; the DENR has asked Congress for a 1.2 billion peso ($24 million) additional budget for 2020 to strengthen its operations.Days before the shooting incident, Corpuz had accompanied a Bantay Gubat (Forest Watch) team of rangers in a surveillance operation in Rizal, Nueva Ecija, which resulted in the arrest of three suspected illegal loggers and the seizure of yemane (Gmelina arborea) logs, an exotic timber species that’s protected by law in the Philippines. It’s not clear whether the attack against him was in reprisal for the arrests and seizure.Corpuz is the second DENR worker gunned down in the province this year. In September, department informant Gaudencio Arana, 55, was shot and killed in the town of Pantabangan, weeks after his pivotal role in dismantling an alleged illegal chainsaw operation in his coverage area.Forest ranger Bienvinido Veguilla Jr was killed last September in Palawan by alleged illegal loggers. Image from Veguilla Jr’s social media accountEarlier this year, two forest rangers were killed for their involvement in tackling illegal logging. On Feb. 21, Kandatu Bansil, 51, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in the town of Lambayog in the province of Sultan Kudarat in Central Mindanao province, while Bienvinido Veguilla Jr., 52, was hacked to death in El Nido, Palawan, on Sept. 4.Zenon Teofilo Granada, 51, a municipal environment and resources officer in the town of Albuera in the province of Leyte, was gunned down at his home on Oct. 21. Granada’s case differed from the others, however; his attackers left behind a written note warning government official against allowing quarrying, sand and gravel operations, and illegal logging in the province. Police have linked the death to the outlawed New People’s Army.In a report published in July, the eco watchdog Global Witness called the Philippines “one of the deadliest countries in the world for people protecting their land or the environment.”“In 2018, the Philippines was the worst-affected country in sheer numbers, with 30 deaths,” it said in the report “Enemies of the State?”Nilo B. Tamoria, the DENR director for the region covering Sultan Kudarat, where Bansil’s killing occurred, said. “The work of a forester is not an easy task.” He added in a statement, “It is somehow associated with risk especially when they are assigned in the field and armed only with their desire of combatting illegal logging activities.”Banner image of a primary forest on the island of Mindanao. Image by Bram DemeulemeesterFEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored read more

Police in South Sulawesi province have arrested a resident of the island of Wawonii in connection to his opposition to plans to mine the island for nickel.The arrest comes just over a week after police detained and charged three university students over a protest against iron ore mining operations in Bima district, West Nusa Tenggara province.Environmental activists have called the recent arrests part of a pattern of systematic efforts to silence community-led opposition to destructive mining activities.Activists have called on the government and police to release the four protesters and investigate their allegations of violations by the mining companies in question. JAKARTA — Police in Indonesia have arrested four people in two separate cases over their opposition to mining activity, prompting accusations of criminalization from an environmental watchdog.On Nov. 24, police in Southeast Sulawesi province arrested Jasmin, a resident of the island of Wawonii, where opposition to planned mining operations has long simmered. PT Gema Kreasi Perdana, one of the mining firms involved, which stands accused of lacking an environmental permit, had filed a police report on Aug. 24 against Jasmin and 20 others who had protested against its activities in Wawonii. Jasmin was the only one arrested by police.The company is part of the Harita Group, a conglomerate owned by Indonesia’s wealthy Lim family, a major player in the country’s fast-growing nickel sector.Mining companies in Wawonii have reported a total of 27 people to the police, three of whom have subsequently been arrested, according to reports.Jasmin has actively opposed mining operations in his homeland of Wawonii Island. Image courtesy of the Front of Southeast Sulawesi People Defending Wawonii.Jasmin’s arrest comes on the heels of police in Bima district, West Nusa Tenggara province, detaining and charging three university students — M. Natsir, Hasbul Fizai, and Gendra — on Nov. 16 in connection with a protest on July 22. The protest — one of several that locals have held in recent years to demand the closure of iron ore mines run by PT Jagat Mahesa Karya and PT Intan Lianda Mandiri — turned violent, with the protesters breaking windows at a local government office.Many residents there say the mining activities threaten their livelihoods and that some of the operations are illegal.The arrest of the students followed a police report filed by the Bima district government against the protesters, local media reported. The arrest also prompted a new wave of protest against the government that took place on Nov. 25, with demonstrators demanding the release of the students. The government office damaged in the earlier protest has reportedly been torn down and completely renovated.The three university students, in blue T-shirts, were arrested in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, in connection with a protest that turned violent against iron ore mining in the region. Image courtesy of the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam).Anti-mining activists in Indonesia have long faced a backlash for their advocacy. Earlier this year, Murdani, the head of the West Nusa Tenggara chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), survived an arson attack. Assailants barricaded him inside his house and set it on fire, but he managed to escape to safety.Murdani said he suspected the attack was related to his work against sand mining. His group has fought against illegal sand mines and called on the local government to issue a moratorium on issuing permits for new mines.The arrests this month have prompted environmental and human rights activists to call on the police and government to release the protestors and stop the violence against them. There were 171 recorded cases of violence against activists from 2010 to 2018, with most of the victims environmental activists, according to the Indonesian Human Protection Foundation (YPII).“Protests are actually a verbal form of lodging a report by the people to the police, but why is it the protesters who end up being arrested by the police?” Muhammad Jamil, who heads the legal division at the Indonesian mining watchdog group Jatam, told Mongabay.Jamil said imprisoning protesters or activists was typically done in a bid to silence their cause. “This appears to be happening in a systematic fashion,” he said.The island of Wawonii in Southeast Sulawesi province. Image by Alzena2nd via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).A view of the sea in Wawonii. Image by Ian Morse for Mongabay.Jamil said the arrests also demonstrated the police’s tendency to act on complaints filed by companies and governments, while ignoring complaints put forward by community members and activists.“We condemn this cherry-picking by the police in responding to opposition against mining,” he said.Mining activities in Indonesia often face resistance from residents concerned about the attendant environmental damage, including air and water pollution. Many mining companies are also embroiled in land conflicts with local residents, several of which have resulted in unresolved deaths. And their impact continues to be felt even after they’ve ended their operations: abandoned and rain-filled mining pits, which the operators are legally required to remediate, have claimed the lives of several people, mostly children.Some of the high-profile conflicts that have erupted over opposition to mining operations include the 2015 murder of Salim Kancil, a farmer who organized protests against a sand mine in East Java; and an attack in November 2018 on Jatam’s office in East Kalimantan province.Environmental activists have called on the government, police and the national human rights commission, known as Komnas HAM, to investigate the mining concessions at the center of these disputes. They also urged the police in particular to look into allegations of violations in the arrest of protesters and activists.“If the people can’t rely on the authorities to voice their complaint without fear of being arrested, then who else can they turn to? Nobody would want to report to the police,” Jamil said.Many residents in Bima district, West Nusa Tenggara province, are opposed to the iron ore mining operations on the northeastern coast. Image courtesy of the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam).Banner image of one of the three university students arrested in November after a July protest against iron ore mining operations in their area, courtesy of the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam).FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. Article published by Basten Gokkon Activism, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Activism, Governance, Human Rights, Islands, Land Conflict, Land Grabbing, Land Rights, Land Use Change, Mining, Pollution, Protests Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored read more

Animals, Apes, Borneo Orangutan, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Fires, Forest Fires, Forests, Great Apes, Haze, Orangutans, Peatlands, Protected Areas, Rainforest Animals, Rainforests, Threats To Rainforests, Tropical Forests, wildfires, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Wildlife Rescues Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored JAKARTA — The fires that raze vast swaths of Indonesian Borneo every year are having a lasting health impact on the region’s critically endangered orangutans that threatens them with extinction, a preliminary study has found.The fires, which in nearly all cases are started to clear land for plantations, such as oil palm, reduce the availability of food for the orangutans, pushing them into what researchers say is starvation mode. Meanwhile, the smoke from the fires weakens their immune system and damages their DNA.The researchers, from Rutgers University–New Brunswick and the National University in Jakarta, have for years been studying Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) from the Tuanan research station, inside the Mawas conservation area that’s home to an estimated 3,500 of the great apes. In 2015, 90 hectares (220 acres) of peat forest in the area was burned; in 2019, 160 ha (395 acres) was burned.“What we can do is take advantage of this situation and see how these forest fires are affecting the behavior and the health of the orangutans,” Erin Vogel, a professor of anthropology at Rutgers and co-director of the Tuanan research station, said at a presentation of the new study in Jakarta.After a painstaking process of collecting thousands of urine samples using a bag at the end of a stick and comparing the orangutans’ behaviors before, during and after the fires, the researchers concluded that the apes were negatively affected by the burning and smoke.For one, the orangutans were found to travel less as they tried to conserve their energy.“So after the fires, they’re using an energy-conserving strategy and did not move as much,” Vogel said.She added this might be caused by the declining availability of fruit during the fire season. This fruit shortage forces the orangutans to resort to eating bark.“And bark is very low in energy and it takes a lot of time to eat the bark,” Vogel said. “So we’re finding that they’re feeding on much lower-quality resources in terms of nutritional intake after the fires.”This means that even if they don’t move as much, they’re still expending more energy than they can take in, Vogel said, and thus entering a state of negative energy balance where they’re drawing on their body fat for energy.“[T]hey’re not getting enough nutrients, and they’re starting to use any source of energy that they have to survive,” Vogel said.Drone view of fire in Mawas conservation area, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Image courtesy of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF).‘Hollowed out’The researchers confirmed the orangutans’ altered metabolic state by detecting significantly higher levels of the compound ketone in the animals’ urine — a sign that their bodies are experiencing low glucose intake and hence having to burn fat.“They’re very energetically stressed,” Vogel said.In some cases, they starve so much that they start losing muscle mass.“We’ve seen this in Tuanan, when food availability was extremely low and lasted for a long stretch of time, over six months,” Vogel said.She recalled a particularly bad fire episode, in 2015, when some of the orangutans that lived near Tuanan fled from their burning habitat.“The orangutans that lived along that forest edge were pushed to the edge of the river and had very little to eat,” Vogel said. “And they started to go into starvation and had to be rescued by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.”When they were rescued, she said, it was apparent that they had suffered from the lack of nutrition.“It was very clear that they were hollowed out, kind of like when humans are starving,” she said. “You can see their limbs get much thinner. They have big bellies because they eat leaves and they need big guts to digest those leaves. But when they go into starvation mode, they lose those big bellies.”A Bornean Orangutan in Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.Vicious cycleExtreme cases like this could happen again if fire seasons grow more intense and more frequent, Vogel warned. This is already happening due to the combination of a changing climate and sustained deforestation and drying of peatlands.“This repeated burning creates more and more fuel, so every year we get more and more fires,” Vogel said. That cycle perpetuates another: More frequent fires lead to less food availability and smaller windows of opportunity for orangutans to build up their body fat.“During high fruit season, they are building body fat and they can more than quadruple the caloric consumption,” Vogel said. “But if the fires happen more and more, there’s going to be lower and lower fruit availability and they might not be able to have that period where they put on fat. And that can become a very dangerous situation where they start to break down skeletal muscle.”The smoke might also affect the orangutans’ immune system, the researchers found. When one of Vogel’s students looked at nitrous oxide emissions during the 2015 fires, they detected a slight increase in a substance that serves as marker of oxidative stress.“Oxidative stress is what results in DNA damage,” Vogel said. “So what’s happening during these smog periods, these animals are affected. Their immune systems are likely affected and they’re experiencing damage to their DNA. We haven’t tested it fully yet but it’s likely.”Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, blanketed in haze. Image courtesy of Tuanan Orangutan Research Station.Increased aggressionThe smoke also seems to affect male and female orangutans differently. The females tend to stay in the area where they’re born because they need to stay close to their families, as opposed to their male counterparts.When their habitat is burned, the females are pushed even closer to the other orangutans because they don’t tend to flee far from their habitat. As a result, their living space gets more crowded, resulting in the females becoming more aggressive.“We have much higher level of aggression among females which is really rare in orangutans, up to 10 times more aggression than we see before fires in these animals,” Vogel said.This heightened aggression risks sparking clashes among the orangutans, according to Rutgers doctoral student Didik Prasetyo, who chairs the Indonesian Primatological Society.“Orangutans fight and many of them die maybe because there’s too many of them in one place,” he said. “That’s an impact of the fires.”The reduced food availability as a result of the fires might also affect the reproduction cycle of female orangutans. Bornean orangutans usually reproduce every six to eight years; over the course of a lifetime, a female will give birth to no more than four or five offspring.“We don’t see clear effect during low fruit period, but from 19 conceptions that we’ve documented, only one conception is during a low fruit period,” Vogel said. “So it seems that females are conceiving less during low fruit period.”A Bornean orangutan in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. The endangered species, the ape is threatened by the unbridled expansion of oil palm plantations into their forest homes. Photo by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.Falling populationWith Bornean orangutans already listed as critically endangered due to habitat loss from logging and large-scale farming — their population has plunged by 60% since 1950 — the health impacts from forest fires could push the apes further toward the brink of extinction.New projections anticipate their numbers will fall by another 20% by the year 2025, to an estimated 47,000 apes across the island.“[T]he area where we work has 3,500 orangutans in the region and these animals are affected by fires that keep popping up,” Vogel said. “So these fires are really threatening the world’s remaining orangutans and they are really vulnerable to fires.”Clarification 1/27/2020:  This story has been updated to further reflect Erin Vogel’s view.Banner image: A Bornean Orangutan in Indonesia. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. Article published by Hans Nicholas Jong read more

Le F91, qui a décroché son quinzième sacre en DN le 12 mai dernier, réalise le doublé après avoir remporté la Coupe de Luxembourg dimanche au Josy-Barthel, en dominant nettement Etzella (5-0).Cette finale vient couronner une saison du F91 jugée tout simplement exceptionnelle par tous. Tous ou presque. “La saison sera uniquement exceptionnelle en cas de victoire en Coupe de Luxembourg. On fera les comptes à la fin”, avait tempéré Flavio Becca à l’issue du match compliqué face à Hostert (4-3).Du coup, cette fois, les comptes sont plutôt bons semble-t-il : huit Coupes, dont trois en quatre ans, 15 titres de champion et un sacré beau parcours en Europa League. Les hommes de Dino Toppmöller ont tout de même dû batailler presque une heure pour débloquer le compteur et verrouiller la partie : inspirés par Couturier (55e), Turpel (59e), Jordanov (66e), Stolz (69e) et Perez (87e) ont ainsi emballé cette finale d’un superbe 5-0. En face, des Ettelbruckois chaudement et massivement supportés n’auront pas réussi à enrayer la mécanique dudelangeoise parfaite.La victoire de Dudelange fait un autre heureux : le Progrès Niederkorn qui, en ayant arraché la quatrième place au classement, obtient lui aussi un billet pour l’Europa League.LQ Partager read more

LQ Partager Le contre la montre junior se déroule ce lundi à Harrogate (Yorkshire), dans le cadre des championnats du monde sur route.Les juniors femmes se sont lancées en fin de matinée. La Luxembourgeoise Nina Berton, seule nationale engagée, termine à la 38e place sur 50 à +2: 18,82 de la gagnante, la Russe Aigul Gareeva, vice-championne d’Europe dans sa catégorie. La Néerlandaise Shirin van Arooij termine en deuxième place, la Britannique Elynor Backstedt ferme le podium.Les championnats se poursuivent avec le contre la montre junior, et deux Luxembourgeois sur la ligne de départ : Loic Bettendorff et Joe Michotte. read more

Car Luc Holtz et ses gars, qui bouclent aujourd’hui une campagne éliminatoire qui restera belle quoi qu’il arrive, ont beaucoup de choses auxquelles penser. Évacuer la variable hooligans n’est pas un luxe. Cela recentre les préoccupations. La récupération déjà. Le staff technique lui a consacré la moitié de son stage. La recomposition tactique née de l’incapacité d’aligner ce qui ressemble désormais furieusement à la paire de récupérateurs des dix prochaines années : «Kiki» Martins (convalescent) et Leo Barreiro (suspendu). «Ce sont deux pions essentiels de notre milieu, a consenti Holtz, visiblement embêté. Et à cause de ça, je ne peux pas vous répondre sur notre organisation mais une chose est sûre, il faudra changer certaines choses.»Dernier souci majeur de ce déplacement serbe : Aleksandar Mitrovic, qui avait signé un doublé à l’aller. «On va le prendre dans notre équipe, avec lui, on aurait gagné le match aller», a ironisé Holtz quand il lui a été demandé la meilleure manière de mettre l’attaquant de Fulham sous l’éteignoir. «Avec ses capacités physiques, c’est très dur de parvenir à le maîtriser. Ses déplacements sont intelligents, il sait se servir de son corps.» Et le Luxembourg a pris au moins un but à chacune de ses sorties depuis octobre 2018…Ce groupe B les a «très mal payés»C’est pourtant sa quatrième place et son bilan d’une année de compétition que le Grand-Duché commence à venir défendre, ici, dans les Balkans. «Ça nous tient à cœur», a reconnu le sélectionneur. Forcément, lui qui n’a de cesse de répéter qu’avec un arbitrage plus clément, les Roud Léiwen compteraient bien plus que 4 points, qu’ils sont globalement «très mal payés» de leurs performances et qu’il n’est pas inconvenant de s’imaginer un destin d’arbitre pour la qualification entre Serbes et Portugais, dans cette ultime semaine de compétition.Suffirait d’un exploit. C’est ce que redoute son homologue, Ljubisa Tumbakovic : «Le Luxembourg est une équipe qui a un niveau de jeu enviable et nous l’avions vu lors du match aller et sur bien d’autres dans cette poule.» Voyez, il n’y a plus assez de temps de cerveau disponible, dans ce contexte, pour songer à l’atmosphère qui aurait pu être celle d’un match aussi important. La Serbie espère encore se qualifier, le Luxembourg veut l’en empêcher et il faudrait en plus introduire au milieu de tout ça la variable d’un environnement totalement incontrôlable ?Non, on sera finalement bien, ce soir, les yeux dans les yeux, football contre football. Si Holtz veut pouvoir «un jour rivaliser pour les places donnant accès aux grandes compétitions», il faut commencer à apprendre à ne pas perdre ce genre de match, profiter des circonstances quand elles sont favorables. Même quand l’entrejeu est décimé, même quand les joueurs sont fatigués, même quand l’avant-centre adverse marque but sur but depuis le début de saison…À Belgrade, Julien Mollereau Partager Le Luxembourg a encore peut-être un rôle d’arbitre à jouer dans ce groupe B des éliminatoires à l’Euro-2020. Et il veut le jouer à fond, ce jeudi soir à Belgrade (20h45), dans un stade vide ou presque.En football, il arrive souvent que les légendes aient la peau dure et que les efforts de l’UEFA pour les ripoliner ne fonctionnent qu’à moitié. Hier, les Roud Léiwen sont allés s’entraîner en soirée et ont pu vérifier que ce fameux couloir qui serpente sous la Delije Sever, la tribune qui concentre les supporters les plus chauds du Marakana, a en effet été refait mais qu’il reste chargé d’histoires à se pisser dessus. Les murs ont été repeints pour devenir moins oppressants et le vieux sol en bitume craquelé a été recouvert d’une moquette imitation gazon dérisoire qui n’ôte pas au lieu tout son caractère inquiétant.Car en amont de ce long tube, les tags se multiplient dans la zone des vestiaires et en aval trône encore une gigantesque tête de mort qui en dit long sur le sens de l’hospitalité tel qu’on le conçoit dans les stades serbes et celui-ci en particulier. En un mot comme en cent, le huis clos peut faire rager tant il faut avoir vécu une ambiance de ce genre au moins une fois dans sa vie, mais cela ne fera de mal à personne d’être débarrassé de ce genre de pression. read more

Partager Un vrai marathon qui a nécessité pas moins de 35 joueurs. Un nombre astronomique! «Je ne me souviens pas d’avoir déjà connu pareil cas dans les équipes que j’ai fréquentées», souriait d’ailleurs hier en prenant connaissance de ce chiffre un Bertrand Crasson qui a côtoyé le haut niveau avec Anderlecht ou Naples.Si les hommes de base de ce dernier, les habituels titulaires en Europa League comme en championnat, sont forcément ceux qui ont passé le plus de temps sur le terrain, beaucoup d’autres ont dépanné de temps en temps. Surtout en début de campagne, lorsque les essais étaient encore légion et qu’Emilio Ferrera cherchait la meilleure solution parmi les près de 30 nouveaux arrivants. Avant que les statuts de chacun ne commencent véritablement à s’instaurer dans le cadre.Le «marathonien» Sinani absent jeudi Sans grande surprise, l’homme qui a le plus joué depuis début juillet et le 1er tour de la Ligue des champions face aux Maltais du Valletta FC, c’est un certain Danel Sinani. L’international luxembourgeois est le seul membre du groupe dudelangeois à avoir pris part à toutes les rencontres de championnat et de Coupe d’Europe. Il a juste été économisé lors des deux premiers tours de la Coupe et en Coupe de la Ligue. Tout en prenant aussi part aux derniers rendez-vous des Roud Léiwen.En tout, Sinani en est à 33 matches cette saison. Soit le même nombre qu’au moment d’aborder la trêve la saison dernière. Mais il a su se montrer encore bien plus efficace lors de cette campagne, marquant pratiquement autant de buts sur la scène européenne (9 réalisations en 13 matches) que dans une compétition domestique dont il est le meilleur buteur (11 buts en 13 matches). Des chiffres qu’il ne pourra plus améliorer cette année, vu son absence en Azerbaïdjan en raison de son exclusion en fin de match face l’APOEL Nicosie lors du dernier rendez-vous européen.Un groupe plus réduit pour la suite La saison dernière, Dino Toppmöller avait décidé à l’issue de la phase de poules de l’Europa League de réduire un cadre qui avait été dessiné au départ afin de pouvoir disputer de concert l’Europe et la BGL Ligue.Les choses ne devraient pas être très différentes cette fois. «Il va falloir retomber à un nombre plus réduit. Cela facilitera les choses. Et puis, c’est la meilleure façon de garder la qualité aux entraînements», confiait ainsi Bertrand Crasson. Jusqu’à présent, les séances étaient toujours données à un groupe d’une grosse trentaine de joueurs, ce dernier étant tout de même parfois scindé en deux afin de faciliter les choses.Une manière pour l’entraîneur belge d’éviter «une cassure psychologique chez ceux qui ne jouent pas. Qu’ils ne se sentent pas dénigrés et restent en éveil, motivés. Souvent, le plus embarrassé, cela a été moi. Mais je ne peux pas œuvrer dans le social, je dois effectuer des choix et j’essaie que mon message soit clair».«Des solutions plus humaines»S’il y aura forcément deux mouvements dans le sens des arrivées en janvier, certains vont bientôt se voir signifier qu’ils peuvent partir cet hiver. Sauf surprise, il faut les chercher chez ceux qui n’ont pas ou peu joué ces trois derniers mois. «Il faudra leur trouver des solutions plus humaines», sous la forme de prêts ou de départs. «Enfin, il faudra surtout voir ce qu’il est possible avec ce règlement qui est spécifique au Luxembourg…», glissait un Crasson qui possède désormais une ossature dans son équipe.Pour ceux qui resteront, un stage en stage en Espagne est dans les cartons pour le mois de janvier. «Histoire de pouvoir remettre tout le monde à niveau. Car on a déjà pu voir que l’un ou l’autre qui avaient été mis de côté un temps avaient réussi à inverser la tendance», concluait l’ancien international belge, en pensant certainement à Edvin Muratovic ou au jeune Joël Rodrigues qui a effectué ses débuts en équipe première ces dernières semaines.Julien Carette«On veut savourer jusqu’au bout»À l’image de son milieu de terrain belge Charles Morren, Dudelange ne se rend pas en touriste en Azerbaïdjan.Comment aborde-t-on ce dernier rendez-vous de 2019 au sein de l’équipe dudelangeoise?Charles Morren : C’est forcément un peu spécial. On sait qu’on n’a plus rien à jouer dans cette compétition. Mais cela reste un match de phase de poules d’Europa League, une compétition qu’on n’a pas l’habitude de disputer. Et on veut savourer jusqu’au bout, en montrant le meilleur côté de Dudelange. Et pourquoi pas accrocher une très jolie troisième place dans cette poule.Demain soir, vous serez en vacances. Cela doit être dans un coin de la tête quand même?Oui, bien sûr. Vu qu’il n’y a plus d’enjeu, les vacances sont forcément là derrière. Mais on a tous à cœur de ne pas se déplacer là-bas pour faire de la figuration. Et de terminer cette demi-saison sur une bonne note.La déception n’est pas trop grande du fait qu’il n’y ait justement plus d’enjeu?Honnêtement, si! Car on aurait pu mieux négocier le match retour face à Nicosie. Il y avait la place pour réussir quelque chose dans cette rencontre-là et venir ensuite à Bakou pour y jouer la qualif. Après le match, on était vraiment tous très abattus. On a manqué un peu de réalisme. Quand on voit les buts qu’on prend… Notamment le premier sur ce penalty pour une faute de main litigieuse. Une phase où on ne sait même pas si la balle n’est pas sortie avant… Le genre de but qui fait toujours mal. Et quand on est menés, on sait qu’on a toujours beaucoup de mal mentalement à renverser la vapeur. Même si on avait réussi à le faire dans les tours préliminaires.Sur le plan individuel, vous avez pris part à 23 matches officiels depuis juillet. C’est plus que ce que vous connaissiez en D2 belge à l’Union Saint-Gilloise. Vous êtes un peu sur les rotules?Le chiffre que vous me donnez m’étonne un peu. Je n’avais pas fait le calcul… Je me sens bien, sans doute parce que je prends beaucoup de plaisir sur le terrain. J’avais peu joué la saison dernière. Et retrouver un tel rythme, enchaîner les rencontres, cela m’a fait beaucoup de bien. Mais on sera contents d’avoir cette trêve. Mine de rien, les voyages, cela épuise quand même pas mal. Tout comme le fait d’avoir trois matches par semaine.Vous avez parfois fait le grand écart en enchaînant un match face à Séville avec un autre en Coupe contre, par exemple, Mertert/Wasserbillig…L’écart est grand, oui. Mais il faut rester vigilant. On a su battre Nicosie dans cette phase de poules, tout en étant nous-mêmes parfois battus en BGL Ligue. Beaucoup de choses se jouent dans la tête. Ce n’est pas toujours simple de revenir à ce championnat un peu plus “faible” après des joutes européennes. Ne pas tomber dans ce genre de piège, cela fait partie de la vie du joueur de foot. Malheureusement, à quelques reprises, on n’a pas su l’éviter.Propos recueillis par J. C. Dudelange clôturera jeudi à Bakou une première partie de saison qui l’a vu faire appel à… 35 joueurs. Il devrait en être autrement à la reprise en 2020. Comme la saison dernière, Dudelange disputera à l’occasion de son dernier match de la phase de poules de l’Europa League déjà le 31e match de sa saison.35 joueurs ont été utilisés Treize matches de championnat, 3 de Coupe de Luxembourg, 5 de poules d’Europa League, 8 de tours préliminaires de Coupe d’Europe et la «Supercoupe» du Luxembourg, la fameuse Coupe de la Ligue, perdue face à Etzella en juillet dernier. En tout, Dudelange en est à 30 matches officiels. Et disputera donc jeudi à Bakou face à Qarabag son 31e. En cinq mois et demi. Soit le même nombre que l’année dernière la même époque. Mais aussi 9 de plus qu’un Progrès Niederkorn, son poursuivant le plus proche en la matière au pays, qui joue ce soir en championnat à Pétange sa 22e rencontre. read more

DAWSON CREEK – The Fort St. John Flyers have had a successful start to the North Peace Hockey League season but prior to last night the team had yet to beat the Dawson Creek Canucks in two tries. That came to an end last night as the Flyers came away with a 9-5 win.The Flyers wasted no time getting the scoring started as they potted their first of the game just 24 seconds in. Dawson Creek responded with two quick ones of their own to temporarily take the lead, but Fort St. John came back with three unanswered goals to lead 4-2 after 20 minutes.As play resumed the high scoring action continued with three goals in the first 2:32 of the second with Dawson Creek netting two of them. At the end of the frame the Flyers were still out in front however 7-5.- Advertisement -The Flyers would allow the Canucks to get no closer as scored their final two tallies of the evening in the third to round out the scoring.Scoring for Fort St. John were Joey Massingham (2), Ryan Carter (2), Adam Horst (2), Rick Cleaver, Jeff Shipton, and John Apsassin.The Flyers next game will be after the New Year on January 2 in Spirit River.Advertisement read more

AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORERose Parade grand marshal Rita Moreno talks New Year’s Day outfit and ‘West Side Story’ remake The district also beefed up counseling and monitoring student performances, reducing the dropout rate from 33.1 percent in 2003-04 to 24.6 percent, officials said. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! Elementary schools in Los Angeles Unified again led the pack in overall performance on the year’s Academic Performance Index – the benchmark measure of accountability in California public schools – with 90 percent of them meeting their goals. Middle and high schools showed the most dramatic progress, with the majority of them reaching their targets. But while minority and low-income students met or exceeded state progress goals, they failed to narrow the achievement gap with white and Asian students. District officials attributed the gains to ongoing reforms, including a core focus on reading and math, an aggressive literacy program for sixth- through ninth-graders, and hiring literacy and math coaches. read more

Brand South Africa congratulates all the Class of 2018 for successfully concluding their formal school careers. We wish the matriculants well as they pursue opportunities beyond schools, and urge them to play their part to positively contribute towards building our country.South Africa has produced sterling examples of how dynamic, tenacious and inspiring young people can play their part to fly our national flag beyond our shores including, amongst others, Phiwayinkosi Mhlongo from Bona Comprehensive School in Gauteng obtained the highest marks nationwide in Technical Mathematics, followed by Lungiswa Sibisi from Tetelo Comprehensive School, also in Gauteng. Mihlali Fipaza, from Bashee Senior Secondary School in the Western Cape, came in third.These young South Africans show us why it is critical that the National Development Plan (NDP) be implemented with haste, since all young people in our country must be empowered to achieve their full potential which will contribute to our country’s global competitiveness and reputation. The NDP has adopted a “youth lens” in preparing its proposals to ensure young people become active, contributing citizens and will see young people receiving quality education – particularly around maths and science programmes, skills transfer and training.South Africa’s matric class of 2018 achieved a total of 156,885 distinctions – a slight decline compared to the 161,081 distinctions obtained in 2017. The main provinces which contributed towards the distinctions obtained were KwaZulu-Natal with 41,734, Gauteng with 36,113, Western Cape with 24,822, Eastern Cape with 16,109 and Limpopo with 15,748. The three “rural” provinces – the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo – produced a combined total of 75,591 distinctions, equivalent to 46.9% of the total distinctions for the country.The number of distinctions attained specifically in the gateway subjects were:5,169 distinctions in Accounting, compared to 5,040 in 2017;5,828 distinctions in Mathematics, compared to 6 726 in 2017; and8,135 distinctions in Physical Science, compared to 7,861 in 2017.To the class of 2019, Brand South Africa encourages you to take up the challenge to improve upon the 2018 matric results and to grow our national skills base. We wish you luck in the year ahead and urge to seize all the opportunities this county has to offer. read more