Maps From Space Show World's Disappearing ForestsNovember 15, 2013 – Satellite data show that from 2001 to 2012, the world lost forest cover, with increasing rates of decline seen in the tropics.
The Rebirth of GorongosaJune 01, 2013 – Biologist E. O. Wilson takes a close look at a famed park in Mozambique. Recovering from civil war, it faces a new challenge: Settlers are deforesting its sacred mountain.
Fueling Agricultural Change in Western KenyaAugust 21, 2012 – In recent years, the people of western Kenya have been feeling the painful effects of climate change and deforestation. As the practice of chopping down trees for fuel wood continued, “deforestation was getting worse,” says resident Salim Shaban. Removing trees compromises nutrient and water retention in soils, and nutrients lost in the runoff can pollute…
OrangutanMarch 01, 2014 – As nighttime approaches in a tropical rain forest in parts of Sumatra and Borneo in Asia, orangutans prepare for sleep. In forks of trees high off the ground, shaggy, red-haired apes bend branches down to form comfortable mattresses of leaves and twigs. They sometimes add a roof built from more branches, so that if it rains they will stay dry. Though an adult male orangutan can weigh up to 220 pounds (100 kilograms)—females weigh about half what males do—orangutans spend most of their time up in the trees. They are the largest of all arboreal animals. Equipped with very long, powerful arms and hook-shaped hands and feet, these apes climb and swing from tree to tree with ease. They reach from one tree to the next with their long arms, grasping the next branch with long hands or feet, and swing their bodies across the gap. If a baby following its mother reaches a gap between trees that is too wide for it to navigate, its mother makes a living bridge for the baby to scamper across. Sometimes heavier males can't find branches strong enough to hold their weight, so they climb down to get to the next suitable tree. On the ground, orangutans walk on all fours. Orangutans find their food in the trees where they live. More than half their diet consists of fruit. They also eat nuts, bark, and other parts of plants and trees. Every once in a while they eat insects such as ants and termites, as well as bird eggs. Orangutans find the water they need for drinking up in the trees—in hollows, on leaves, or even on their own fur after a rain. Trees are essential to every aspect of the orangutans' world. The cutting down of trees—deforestation—has landed this species on the endangered species list.
Harvesting Energy in Eastern UgandaSeptember 11, 2012 – In recent years, farmers in eastern Uganda have had to endure dire conditions that have caused them to lose three to four harvesting seasons in a row. Severe drought in 2007 was followed by several periods of flooding. Large swaths of their land were deforested for political reasons and for providing cooking fuel to sustain…
Rain Forest GalleryJune 08, 2011 – See tropical rain forest pictures in this gallery, from National Geographic
5 Ideas for Biofuels That Will Change the Energy ConversationJuly 13, 2011 – Some Girl Scouts say palm oil in their cookies are leading to deforestation. Cookies, schmookies, the real question is: should we could we put palm oil in our gas tanks? What about algae-based oil? Or the old standby, corn? (Related: “A Rain Forest Advocate Taps the Energy of the Sugar Palm“) Planet Forward brings you…
Tropical Rain Forest MapOctober 09, 2009 – Explore our Rainforests Map with National Geographic.
Temperate Rain ForestsOctober 09, 2009 – Visit the world's temperate rain forests, cooler cousins of tropical rain forests.
Panda "Rent" Too High, U.S. Zoos SayMarch 13, 2006 – Four facilities nationwide may have to send their bears back to China if new annual loan fees can't be brokered before the zoos' contracts expire.
NatureAir: The Zero Emissions AirlineJanuary 01, 2008 – NatureAir dubs itself as the world’s first and only zero emissions airline. Carbon neutral since 2004, the Costa Rican airline combats deforestation by paying local landowners to preserve threatened portions of the jungle. In the past four years, the company says they’ve offset 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide by saving about 500 acres in the…
