In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
They have existed for more than 50 million years , but now Africa's rhino population is on the verge of disappearing. The biggest threat is poaching fuelled by huge demand for the animal's horn in traditional Asian medicine. In South Africa, home to the largest remaining population of rhinos, more …
An Indonesian court threw out a government suit against a pulpwood plantation company for alleged damage from illegal burning, another setback for President Joko Widodo as he seeks a permanent solution to annual forest fires that have caused dangerous haze across Southeast Asia. A district court in southern Sumatra rejected …
A joint team of the mining, forest and pollution control departments today conducted an inspection in Panchnota and Musnota villages of Mahendragarh and dismantled six mineral grinding units being run in the Aravalli plantation zone. All non-forestry activities in the Aravalli plantation zone have been banned by the Supreme Court. …
The Gwollu Traditional Council in the Upper West Region has appealed to government to act as a matter of urgency to stop the logging rosewood by illegal companies operating in the Region. The Council said the massive and wanton felling of rose trees was being carried out in the Sissala …
Residents in the Wa East District have expressed unease about the activities of some lumber companies who are indiscriminately felling valuable trees in the District. They said the destruction of trees in the area could cause deforestation and affect agriculture production and the economic livelihoods of the people. The residents …
District administration cracks down on offenders; as many as 48 FIRs filed, 995 vehicles seized. HIGHLIGHTING the spread of one of the most brazen rackets — illegal sand mining — in Pune, the district administration has registered 2,248 cases against illegal extraction of sand from river beds and illegal quarry …
Elephants may be keeping up with their social networks despite being hunted. Scientists have found that while these animals are under pressure, they still have rich social networks among groups. Poachers killed about 100,000 Africa's elephants for their ivory between 2010 and 2012. Older and more experienced individuals were at …
KAWASOTI: Smuggling of timber in the forests of Nawalpur in Nawalparasi district has gone massively in the recent days. Generally, smuggling of the timber takes place during winter as the smugglers take advantage of the foggy morning. It is said that timber smuggling is rife in the national and community …
The extinction of large animals from tropical forests could lead to potentially stronger impacts of climate change, a new study warns. A decline in the number of fruit-eating animals could lead to lower number of large hardwood trees, reducing the capacity of tropical forests to store carbon and prevent climate …
The revised draft of Law on Protection of Wildlife was presented to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation on Monday. The revised draft tightens regulation on illegal purchase and consumption of wildlife. It said buying and eating wildlife and related products should follow laws and regulations …
A new scanner could help Thai law enforcement tell right away whether an object for sale is sourced illegally. It has long been illegal to trade internationally in ivory from Asian elephants. Only about 43,000 are left in the wild, and they face threats from habitat loss and conflicts with …
Land, Forestry and Rural Development Minister Celso Correia says Mozambique is losing more than 219,000 hectares of forest annually due to illegal logging, a reality that particularly affects the provinces of Tete, Manica, Zambézia, Nampula and Cabo Delgado.According to state-controlled daily Noticias, Correia revealed that the situation had been aggravating …
Mining conglomerate Vedanta on Thursday said its arm Sesa Goa may suspend iron ore mining in Goa due to the ongoing dispute between the firm and truck operators. "A section of truck owners' association is demanding a rate of Rs 17.63 per km while the mining firms, already reeling under …
Singapore authorities have impounded half a tonne of elephant tusks in one of the largest ivory seizures made in the city-state in over a decade. The tusks, weighing 505 kg (1,100 pounds), were found along with 324 kg of pangolin scales in an air shipment on its way to Laos …
Report on Guatemalan mine accuses the government and company running it, Tahoe Resources, of a military response to opposition A Guatemalan investigative journalist named Luis Solano was in Canada last month to launch a report about a Canadian-owned silver mine in south-east Guatemala. The mine, Escobal, began operating last year …
Viet Nam is facing a critical reduction in forest areas five years after it implemented the national forest protection and development programme, forest authority officials said. Deputy Director of Viet Nam Forestry Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Ba Ngai said nearly 1.2 million hectares of new …
Japan is fuelling the trade in illegal ivory and undermining international efforts to protect Africa’s elephants by failing to crack down on illegal registration practices, according to a report released today. Although Japan signed a 1989 convention banning the global trade in ivory, traders are registering tusks that are of …
Legislation follows a string of U.S. actions to combat the illegal wildlife trade. In 2014, U.S. marines traveled to the West African country of Gabon to train rangers to fight ivory trafficking. In September 2015, the U.S. embassy in Costa Rica supported training of customs and border inspectors on how …
Contrary to claims of the district authorities, the mining mafia has been carrying out its activities in the hillock of Musnota village under Nangal Choudhary region for more than 10 months. This came to fore when a team of district authorities, comprising officials of the road transport, mining, police and …
Nagpur: Revenue minister Eknath Khadse informed the lower house on Wednesday that state government would impose Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act, 1981, on those involved in illegal sand mining. He was replying to a query during question hour accusing the government of protecting sand mafia. The minister added …
