WildEarth Guardians News Release Beloved Joshua Trees Move Toward Endangered Species Act Protection Washington, DC— In response to a petition by WildEarth Guardians, today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced it will review the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Multiple climate models predict severe range contractions in the next […]
via Joshua Trees Move Toward Endangered Species Protection — Natural History Wanderings
NPR reports It was a lifesaving mission as dramatic as any in the months-long battle against the wildfires that have torn through the Australian bush. But instead of a race to save humans or animals, a specialized team of Australian firefighters was bent on saving invaluable plant life: hidden groves of the Wollemi pine, a […]
Figures released by the Woodland Trust show 1,064 ancient woodlands to be at risk of damage or destruction – the highest number since it started compiling the data in 1999. It is thought that this is just tip of the iceberg, as there may well be others it has not been notified of. Of these […]
via 1,064 ancient woodlands face damage or destruction — James Common
“The baobab is the national tree of Madagascar. Of the nine genera in the Word, six are found only in Madagascar [two are in Arabia and one in Australia]. However due to deforestation, three of these baobab species are endangered and facing a serious threat of extinction,” says photographer Emiline. “This photo was taken at […]
Jian Zhong Wang’s home in the southern Chinese city of Nanning is an inviting place. Light spills in through large bay windows, which offer a stunning view of the garden of thick-stemmed banana plants and chest-high cacti. The room is packed with intricately carved furniture: a dining table flanked by eight straight-backed chairs, a coffee […]
The BBC reports The earliest fossilised trees, dating back 386 million years, have been found at an abandoned quarry in New York. Scientists believe the forest they belonged to was so vast it originally stretched beyond Pennsylvania. This discovery in Cairo, New York, is thought to be two or three million years older than what was […]
via World’s oldest fossil trees uncovered in New York — Natural History Wanderings
Combat Desertification and Drought One of the biggest and least understood environmental challenges facing the globe, desertification refers to the irreversible degradation of soil through human activities such as deforestation, unsustainable farming, mining and overgrazing. It occurs when trees and root systems that bind the soil are removed, exposing topsoil to erosion, and when unsustainable […]
