SHOCK: Increased Export of Brazilian Beef Indirectly Leads to Deforestation in Amazon

From Science Daily: Increased export of Brazilian beef indirectly leads to deforestation in the Amazon. New research from Chalmers and SIK in Sweden that was recently published in Environmental Science & Technology shows that impact on the climate is much greater than current estimates indicate. The researchers are now demanding that indirect effect on land be included when determining a product's carbon footprint.

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Fanged Frogs, Giant Woolly Rat Found in Crater on Papua New Guinea's Mount Bosavi

A team of scientists from Great Britain, the United States, Hawaii and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into a crater of Mount Bosavi on the island of Papua New Guinea. This pristine jungle habitat teemed with life that evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago. The biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never been recorded before by science, three new fish, a new bat and a giant woolly rat, which may very well turn out to be the world's largest.

The team of biologists included experts from Oxford University, the London Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution and are believed to be the first scientists to enter the mountainous Bosavi crater. They were joined by members of the BBC Natural History Unit which filmed the expedition for a three-part documentary. They also found a camouflaged gecko, a fanged frog and a fish called the Henamo grunter, named because it makes grunting noises from its swim bladder.

According to the UK Guardian, the discoveries are being seen as fresh evidence of the richness of the world's rainforests and the explorers hope their finds will add weight to calls for international action to prevent the demise of similar ecosystems. They said Papua New Guinea's rainforest is currently being destroyed at the rate of 3.5% a year.

Photo credit:  The Guardian

Nike Inc. To Stop Using Leather From Cattle Raised in Brazil's Amazon Rainforest

Cattle grazing in the Amazon rainforest - © Mikadx/Istockphoto

Nike Inc. has announced that it will stop using leather from cattle raised in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, due to its commitment to curbing the region's deforestation. Nike said its Brazilian leather suppliers have until July 1, 2010 to "create an ongoing, traceable and transparent system to provide credible assurances that leather used for Nike products is from cattle raised outside of the Amazon Biome." The statement also said, "We understand how important rainforests are to the health of the planet and the implications deforestation has on climate change and global warming."

Kudos to Greenpeace, which said Nike's decision was prompted by a recent report from the environmental group showing that leather and meat produced from cattle in the Amazon are major contributors to the region's deforestation. According to the Greenpeace report, "Slaughtering the Amazon," which was released in June, "every eight seconds, an acre of Amazon rainforest is destroyed for Brazilian cattle ranching, which is the biggest single driver of deforestation in the world." The three-year investigation "tracked beef, leather and other cattle products from ranches involved in deforestation at the heart of the Amazon rainforest."