Neotropical Eco Foundation

...for the environment

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home Downloads

Neotropical Eco Foundation Blogs

E-mail Print
User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

We are reorganizing the web site to open up a place for our thoughts (blogs) and to create an opportunity for our registered users to post comments and replies. We are starting off with two blog categories: Backyard Birding and the Mantiqueira Journal, which we are republishing in this new format.

In the Backyard Birding blog we will be talking about the various species of birds we see in our backyard (over a hundred so far!) and some of the ideas and tips we have on how to enrich your Backyard Birding experience. Since our backyard is in the Neotropics most of the species we observe are fruit and nectar eaters, like Tanagers and Hummingbirds, most of which can not be seen in North America. I hope that you enjoy this new section.

The Mantiqueira Journal was started last year and we are going to pick it up again, when we are in the region. Due to this there will not be continuous entries, only when we are there. This region is a part of the "Mata Atlantica", a tropical and sub-tropical rain forest area that once stretched over two thousand miles along the Brazilian coast. By some estimates only 2% to 5% of this forest still exists, making it the most endangered eco-system in the neotropics - much more so that the Amazon forest.

 

Last Updated on Sunday, 19 April 2009 12:14  
l-barred_antshrike-p7071239.jpg

User Login


r-silver-beaked_tanager-p33.jpg

Polls

Who's Online

We have 3 guests online

Flash

Are we ready for "Certified Green" lumber?

There is a movement afoot to "solve" the deforestation problem in the tropical areas of the globe. The idea is to create a centralized certification process, at least in Europe, and to force the purchasers of tropical hardwoods to verify that the wood that they use is certified "green". Sounds like a good idea, and probably the US will jump on the bandwagon soon as well. But, we ask, will this resolve the problem?

We do not think so!

This idea, like so many well intentioned ones that are thought up in ivory towers, far from where the chain saw meets the tree, is not workable. It's just another conscience salving effort on the part of consumers to feel good about something that they WANT to do, even when they know that it is wrong. It is akin to the much touted "solution" to the illegal drug problem of spraying the coca or poppy fields with a chemical defoliant. Reducing supply has never eliminated demand, it just raises prices, and in the case of drugs makes the user go to even greater lengths to feed his habit.

Now, let's look at some of the drawbacks to the solutions for deforestation being proposed:

Read more...