American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s Post

A new study by over 40 scientists has raised concerns over the potential degradation of the Pantanal - the world's largest wetland and an important biome - if Brazil proceed with a proposed commercial waterway project. Dredging for the waterway would cause “severe degradation” to the Pantanal’s unique biodiversity and cultural heritage, the researchers warn. Notably, the geographic areas requiring the most dredging are protected as National Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Indigenous reserves. The Pantanal’s unique socio-ecosystem depends on the natural flood pulse, which provides a habitat for a diverse array of species and sustains traditional ways of life for indigenous, African, and European cultures. Modification of the river’s flow would not only threaten the existence of numerous plant and animal species but also erode the cultural diversity that has flourished alongside the river for centuries. https://lnkd.in/eXvh2Gby

Immerse is highlighting the need to dive into the ocean and take action to address its challenges. It represents the depth of the ocean and the importance of seeking to inspire individual and collective action for conservation. ✅ MAReS main results: 🌊 More than 10,000 km2 of the sea monitored with remote sensing technology to detect possible red tides in the Pacific Ocean of Costa Rica. 🌊 More than 100 km2 of the sea sampled to detect possible red tides in the Gulf of Papagayo, Guanacaste. 🌊 Installation and operation of an optical monitoring station to monitor the occurrence of red tides in Culebra Bay, Guanacaste. 🌊 Development of business model based on annual subscriptions. 🏆 Success stories: https://lnkd.in/dz5A6M4A #MaresProject #Immersed #EnvironmentalCollaboration #ResearchInnovation #MarineProtection #SustainableScience #EcoPartners #CostaRicaConservation #RedTideDetection #PacificCoastGuardians #AlgaeBloomMonitoring #ScienceForSustainability #OceanHealthMatters #PreservingEcosystems #GlobalEnvironmentalEfforts #HealthyOceans #EcologicalBalance #InnovativeResearch #EnvironmentalResponsibility #costarica #redtide #innovation #oceans

"“Lough Neagh fly” can refer to various non-biting midges, but these crucial insects support fish and wildfowl that are endemic to the lough system, as well as frogs and predatory insects. The loss of these keystone species, alongside sharp reductions of others, the spread of invasive species like zebra mussels, and a long-term deterioration in water quality, indicates deep trouble across the lough’s entire ecology. It also raises the prospect that this shallow body of water and its surrounding wetlands may have shifted beyond a state of decline into cascading ecosystem collapse." #aquaticecology #ecosystem #freshwater #lakes #loughneagh #ireland #uk #algaebloom #keystonespecies

***Global Threats of Extractive Industries to Vertebrate Biodiversity*** In this study, Lamb and coworkers conducted a comprehensive assessment of the impact of extractive industries such as mining and quarrying on vertebrate biodiversity. They analyzed IUCN Red List threat assessments for all vertebrate species and found that approximately 8% (4,642 species) are threatened by mineral extraction. The risk is particularly pronounced in pan-tropical regions, with additional hotspots in northern South America, West Africa, and the Arctic. Freshwater species are disproportionately affected.

Exploring the Geological and Ecological Wonders of Lacustrine Plains: A Scientific Journey Introduction The world is filled with stunning landscapes and natural wonders,... Read More - https://lnkd.in/d64CK-tA

The Asia-Pacific region's rainforests are under a severe threat from a vast network of undocumented roads known as "ghost roads." A new study shows that these roads are driving the destruction of the rainforests. The researchers used Google Earth to map tropical forests on Borneo, Sumatra, and New Guinea islands and found 1.37 million kilometers (850,000 miles) of roads across 1.4 million square kilometers of rainforest - three to seven times more than what's officially recorded on road databases. These ghost roads, which include bulldozed tracks through natural rainforests and informal roads on palm oil plantations, are an indication of future destruction of nearby rainforests and are among the gravest direct threats to tropical rainforests, says the paper. They are being constructed by a range of people, including legal or illegal agriculturalists, miners, loggers, land grabbers, land speculators, and drug traffickers. The unregulated road development is triggering a dramatic increase in environmental disruption due to activities such as logging, mining, and land-clearing, sharply increasing access to formerly remote natural areas, the paper notes. The authors warn that action is needed now to regulate and monitor this illicit activity to prevent further destruction of the Asia-Pacific region's ecological heritage. https://lnkd.in/dea2PET4

***Global Threats of Extractive Industries to Vertebrate Biodiversity*** In this study, Lamb and coworkers conducted a comprehensive assessment of the impact of extractive industries such as mining and quarrying on vertebrate biodiversity. They analyzed IUCN Red List threat assessments for all vertebrate species and found that approximately 8% (4,642 species) are threatened by mineral extraction. The risk is particularly pronounced in pan-tropical regions, with additional hotspots in northern South America, West Africa, and the Arctic. Freshwater species are disproportionately affected.

People keep bashing REDD+ and our efforts to thwart deforestation in the global south with no real knowledge of the situation. Speaking from Colombia here. The fact remains that the areas with higher deforestation like the Serranía de San Lucas, Caquetá, Mapiripán etc. cannot develop REDD projects because the deforestation agents are armed to the teeth, politically connected to hinder any effort against their illegal drug crops, cattle-ranching and mining enterprises. In such scenarios you can't really expect to have any meaningful impact unless the government steps in and reins the bad guys in, as the communities and forestry technicians (like me) are powerless to do anything there. No sane person from an European or Indian VVB for instance can go to those areas, as they will be quickly singled out as foreigners and kidnapped for ransom or simply killed and thrown in a ditch or under a palm grove. Under such circumstances, inevitably REDD projects with less (but not zero) deforestation threats in more remote areas are what we can do in the meantime. As we keep saying: perfect is the enemy of good. And speaking of Matavén, I go to that area frequently and I would not say that defo risk is low there, as there is a lot of pressure for illegal crops and cattle ranching land grabbing: Check what CTrees LUCA data shows for the last two years for Matavén (image in comments):

Fascinating endeavor of mapping a large piece of the Earth's eDNA, drop by drop. https://lnkd.in/exYJa_Y6

Deep Connection: How Dream Leaves Transform Our View of Ecosystems https://lnkd.in/g2BQd8yS