Pages tagged with “resources”

• Exotic Species

  The introduction - intentional or otherwise – of exotic species into freshwater ecosystems can result in localized species extinctions, altering the make-up of the ecosystem and in turn affecting other species.

• Freshwater

  Although they cover less than one per cent of the world’s surface, freshwater ecosystems are proportionately richer in biodiversity and more threatened than either terrestrial or marine habitats, harbouring approximately 40% of all fish species. Despite this, freshwater biodiversity receives significantly less conservation attention than most other ecosystems. In addition to the 126,000 identified species that directly depend on freshwater,…

• SCALE

  Many of the threats facing wildlife and natural ecosystems are simply too large and entrenched to be tackled by any one organisation. Powerful vested interests often stand in the way of environmental progress, and conservation groups are unable to compete directly in terms of resources and influence. The response of conservationists can be described as tactical rather than strategic –…

• Habitat Loss

  Coastal habitats – including coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves – are home to 90% of known marine wildlife. They also provide us with the majority of fish catches and play vital roles as buffers against storms and sea level rise, and as stores of carbon.

• Global Canopy Programme: Forests and Finance Programme

  Synchronicity Earth is supporting GCP in a project that seeks to create a bridge between finance and forests. The outcome will be clear evidence to policymakers and the financial sector of the conditions necessary to leverage public/private sector finance into large-scale projects that protect forests and enhance livelihoods in developing countries.

• Pollution

  There are a great number of substances polluting freshwater systems, many of which come from industrial practices, methods of sanitation and waste management, direct use of water for transportation and sedimentation due to logging.

• Global Witness: Critical intervention to tackle Industrial Forest Use

  Global Witness seeks to change the mindset, policies and practices of actors involved in industrial forest use to permanently accept that natural forests must be excluded from their activities, and to achieve the reallocation of financial and policy support to sustainable locally-controlled forestry.

• Industrial Logging

  Logging for commercially valuable timber has been a major driver of forest loss and degradation across the tropics. Traditional logging techniques involve clear-cutting, which is attractive in tropical forests because of its high profitability, but devastating for wildlife and forest communities. Southeast Asian forests were decimated from the 1950s onwards by large-scale logging operations to produce timber for export around…

• Pollution

  Although they make up over 70% of the planet’s surface, there is no part of the oceans that is untouched by humans in some form. One of the most visible effects of this anthropogenic domination is pollution. This can take many forms; for example, agricultural fertilisers travel down rivers and spill out into estuaries, along with sediment and chemical waste.…