Research Scientific

The latest IUCN Red List update, which includes assessments of 105,732 species, lists more than 28,000 species as threatened with extinction. The declines of many of these species can be attributed to human overexploitation, according to the IUCN. The red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), for example, has moved from vulnerable to endangered in 2019, largely because of threats from illegal hunting for bushmeat and conversion of much of the …

After colonization, China has now taken over Africa by using loans as bait to impress African leaders. Until 2010, the taking of Africa by China was quiet, but everything changed in 2012, when the Beijing Conference took place, since then China has become the new colonial masters in Africa. Using money as a bait to entice the weak and inefficient African leaders, despite how rich Africa is, China had lent a total of 143 billion dollars to 56 …

Chinese businessmen are looting the hardwood forests in countries like Mozambique, Congo and Russia. As a result, these countries have lost millions of dollars in tax revenue and their tropical hardwood forests might disappear within just a few years. Nito Silva wipes the wood shavings from his sweaty face while his chainsaw still growls. “I log about 40 trees per day,” he says, leaning on a tree he has just cut. The 45-year-old Mozambican, …

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Large-scale land transactions in which nations sell huge, publicly owned parcels to foreign and domestic corporations negatively affect local women more than men, a new study by Oregon State University shows. The findings are important because the transactions, also known as land grabs, are occurring at a pace and scale that are unprecedented – at least 45 million hectares, and possibly as many as 200 million, have changed …

Washington, DC – A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) – Toxic Trade: Forest Crime in Gabon and the Republic of Congo and the Contamination of the US Market  – documents how illegally extracted African timber emerges as “eco-friendly”-marketed products in America, deceiving unsuspecting US consumers. During a 4-year undercover investigation, EIA uncovered the inner workings of one of Africa’s most influential timber …