Valuing Ecosystem Services Makes Economic Sense, Experts Report

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2009-11-17 14:21
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Valuing Ecosystem Services Makes Economic Sense, Experts Report

BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 17, 2009 (ENS) - Decision makers who factor the planet's multi-trillion dollar ecosystem services into their national and international investment strategies are likely to see far higher rates of return and stronger economic growth in the 21st century, finds a new United Nations-backed report.

Disney Spends $7 Million to Conserve Forests in Peru, Congo, USA

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2009-11-03 17:04
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Disney Spends $7 Million to Conserve Forests in Peru, Congo, USA

BURBANK, California, November 3, 2009 (ENS) - The Walt Disney Company, which for 60 years has portrayed the glories of nature in film, Monday announced a $7 million investment to protect forests in the United States, in the Peruvian Amazon and in the Congo Basin.

The company said the projects it will support "safeguard ecosystems that benefit climate and quality of life on the planet" by avoiding deforestation, reforesting logged and burned-over areas and improving forest management.

Rapid Pace of Species Extinctions Mounts to a 'Crisis'

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2009-11-03 17:03
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Rapid Pace of Species Extinctions Mounts to a 'Crisis'

GLAND, Switzerland, November 3, 2009 (ENS) - Nearly one-third of all known species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction, finds the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, in the most recent update of its authoritative Red List of Threatened Species™ issued today.

The updated assessment shows that 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed species are threatened with extinction.

Petition Seeks Protection for 83 Coral Species in U.S. Waters

Submitted by ecofactory on Wed, 2009-10-21 12:35
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Petition Seeks Protection for 83 Coral Species in U.S. Waters

SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 21, 2009 (ENS) - The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a formal petition asking the federal government to protect 83 imperiled coral species under the Endangered Species Act and to designate critical habitat to ensure their survival and recovery.

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Saves 10% of World's Wild Plants

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2009-10-19 14:24
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Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Saves 10% of World's Wild Plants

LONDON, UK, October 19, 2009 (ENS) - The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is celebrating a milestone in plant conservation, the collection and banking of 10 percent of the world's wild plant species. The 10 percent target was set in 2000 when Kew's Millennium Seed Bank partnership was formed.

Biodiversity Loss Accelerating, UN Target Will Be Missed

Submitted by ecofactory on Wed, 2009-10-14 10:55
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Biodiversity Loss Accelerating, UN Target Will Be Missed

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 14, 2009 (ENS) - The world will not achieve its agreed target to stem biodiversity loss by next year, the International Year of Biodiversity, say experts in Cape Town at a science conference on the variety, abundance and conservation of plants and animals.

Adirondack Council Rates Officials on Treatment of Largest U.S. Park

Submitted by ecofactory on Wed, 2009-10-07 12:38
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Adirondack Council Rates Officials on Treatment of Largest U.S. Park

ELIZABETHTOWN, New York, October 7, 2009 (ENS) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo earned a perfect rating from the nonprofit Adirondack Council's State of the Park Report today, winning praise for his work striking down weak Bush administration air pollution standards that could have clouded the air over the park.

'Show Me' State Governor Showcases State Parks

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2009-10-06 12:24
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'Show Me' State Governor Showcases State Parks

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, October 6, 2009 (ENS) - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has a new project in the works - to restart the state's declining tourism industry by promoting Missouri's state parks. He is eager to reverse the falling numbers of visitors at state parks, down 18.6 percent from 1999 to 2008.

The governor's goal is to boost attendance at Missouri's 83 state parks and historic sites by encouraging families to spend more of their tourism dollars in the 'Show Me' state.

U.S. Forest Service Plans for California National Forests Ruled Illegal

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2009-10-05 11:55
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U.S. Forest Service Plans for California National Forests Ruled Illegal

SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 5, 2009 (ENS) - U.S. Forest Service management plans for four Southern California national forests do not adequately protect those forests' wildest landscapes, a federal district court judge has ruled.

U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel sided with seven environmental groups, ruling that the Forest Service failed to assess cumulative damage to those national forests that would be caused by road building and other development in most of the forests' roadless areas, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.

U.S. National Parks Vulnerable as Planet Heats Up

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2009-10-05 11:53
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U.S. National Parks Vulnerable as Planet Heats Up

DENVER, Colorado, October 5, 2009 (ENS) - "Climate disruption is the greatest threat ever to America's national parks," warns Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and principal author of a new report released Thursday that identifies the 25 U.S. national parks, lakeshores, seashores and monuments most at risk of global warming.