INDIA: Animals Nearing Extinction Need Urgent Attention – Experts

With threats looming large on the survival of several wildlife species in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India, experts warn that these species could go extinct in the coming years unless immediate steps are taken to prevent their extinction.

AFRICA: Cautionary Notes Sounded as South-South Trade Booms

An Indian textile engineer and entrepreneur called Raj Rajendran visited Rwanda in 1999. He was tasked to close down an unviable textile factory following the civil war. But he discovered propitious agro-climatic conditions, particularly volcanic soil -- ideal for the rearing of silk worms to produce raw silk.

MEDIA: Mobile Journalism on the Rise in Asia

What do the protests in Burma, bombings in Jakarta, the recent earthquake in Haiti and the massive devastation left by typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines have in common?

Polar Heat Bringing Harder Winters

Last winter's big snowfall and cold temperatures in the eastern United States and Europe were likely caused by the loss of Arctic sea ice, researchers concluded at the International Polar Year Oslo Science Conference in Norway last week.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Maldives Inches Closer to HCFC Phase-out

The Maldives Islands, fast gaining a reputation for ‘walking the talk’ as it raises its tiny island voice in the climate change discourse, has launched an action plan to phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by 2020, or 10 years ahead of other countries and the target set by an international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

CLIMATE CHANGE: As Humans Advance, Andean Glaciers Recede

The spectacular glacier Number 15 of Antisana, one of the Ecuadorean capitals' sources of potable water, lost at least 36 percent of its original mass in the last 50 years.

INDIA: Experts Rue Untold Damage to Marine, Coastal Ecosystems

In mid-April this year, MV Malavika, a cargo ship of the Essar Shipping Corporation, a major sea logistics firm in India, leaked an estimated eight tonnes of furnace oil after being struck by a barge near the Gopalpur port on the eastern Indian coast of Orissa.

HEALTH-ASIA: New Infectious Diseases a Challenge to MDG Success

While successful immunisation programmes worldwide have saved millions of lives, the threat of new infectious diseases and drug-resistant strains of existing diseases is posing a major challenge to governments, especially in developing regions like Asia, in meeting their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

THAILAND: Scientists Race to Find Microspecies Useful for Medicine

She spends so much time immersed in water that she may soon turn into a mermaid. But Jariya Sakayaroj looks like she does not mind even if she ends up developing scales.

ENVIRONMENT: Australia Stands Firm on Anti-Whaling Move vs. Japan

Deep rift continues between pro and anti-whaling members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as Australia Tuesday lodged legal action in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Japanese ‘scientific’ whaling, calling for a permanent end to all whaling in the Southern Ocean, an established whale sanctuary and a critical feeding ground for the mighty mammals.

ITALY: Building a Sustainable Future With Straw and Wood

Pescomaggiore village, destroyed by the earthquake that hit the mountain region of L'Aquila in central Italy on Apr. 6, 2009, is now being rebuilt by its 40-odd inhabitants with straw and wood.

INDONESIA: Natural Fertiliser from Microbes Boosts Crop Yields

Ten years after an Indonesian agriculturist discovered microbes capable of producing natural fertilisers, farmers attest that they have boosted agricultural production.

AFRICA: Small Scale Farmers Vulnerable to New Wheat Fungus

Smallholder wheat farmers are at risk as new mutations of a wheat-killing fungus have recently been discovered.

GULF: Search On for Green Options to Forestall Water Shortage

Realising that achieving water security in the future is not an option but a necessity, oil-rich Gulf countries are striving to find new environment-friendly and more economical ways of producing freshwater.

U.N. Body Urges Caution on Synthetic Bacteria, Geoengineering

Scientists announced the creation of first self-replicating synthetic life form last Friday, and a few hours later, a United Nations science advisory body meeting here urged countries to take a strong precautionary approach to avoid release of such entities into the environment.

Seeds of Hope Take Root in Kenya

Countries have paid too little attention to the importance of biodiversity, and as result, species and ecosystems are in sharp decline and the public does not understand the concept.

Agrobiodiversity Key to Adaptation

Mechanisation, increased use of fertilisers, and the planting of hybrid seeds have underpinned huge increases in the world's agricultural output over the past 40 years.

BIODIVERSITY: Oil Spill Will Devastate the North Sea Warn Experts

If an oil spill similar to that in the Gulf of Mexico were to happen in the North Sea, it would devastate the Wattenmeer, one of the most fragile and important biodiversity hotspots in northern Europe.

UNESCO Catches Heat Over Prize Named for “Dictator”

Human rights groups are expressing outrage over a decision to proceed with the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, named after and funded by the controversial president of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

MALAYSIA: Gov’t Urged to Explore Alternative Energy Sources

Instead of going nuclear, the Malaysian government should be harnessing alternative energy resources, which are adequate in supply, says the country’s anti-nuclear lobby.

BIODIVERSITY: We Can Live Without Oil, But Not Without Flora and Fauna

The policies and deals that contributed to the massive oil spill under way in the Gulf of Mexico are also jeopardising the Earth's vital biological infrastructure, according to the Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, published Monday.