Invasive alien species harm ecosystems, economies and human health across the globe. In Africa, alien trees reduce water yield in regions that are severely water stressed. Fishes introduced for aquaculture reduce native biodiversity and alien whiteflies spread diseases in cassava that can lead to famine. Many of these species were introduced intentionally for use as pets, … [Read more...]
Join the West Coast reforesting pilgrimage this Arbor Month
Join this exciting Arbor Month pilgrimage and reforest project. We will leave from Woodbridge Island, Milnerton Cape Town on Arbor day 1st September and walk for two days (42km) along our magnificent shore line, spending a night together at accommodation in Melbosstrand. The next day we walk through Koeberg Nature Reserve to Camphill Farm, where we sleep and eat communally … [Read more...]
Palm oil plantations wreaking havoc on Africa’s forests
Its lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa. The sheer scale of land required is having an impact in Gabon, Cameroon and the Congo Basin, environmentalists say. With financing coming from American, European and Asian agri-businesses, palm … [Read more...]
Vergelegen shares seeds from ancient yellowwood tree
South Africa celebrated Arbor Week during the first week of September, and Vergelegen Estate in Somerset West continued its tradition of offering visitors free seeds from its ancient Outeniqua Yellowwood. Vergelegen’s arboreal specimen of Podocarpaceae, the country’s national tree, is estimated to be 150-400 years old. Some 500 packets of seeds are sourced from it every … [Read more...]
Tree Talk Part 1: A tree in an instant
That planting trees is a good idea is not disputed by many. But which trees and when? We are happy to start a tree series by arborist Caroline de Villiers from Themba Trees to help us all along: Trees are not known for their speed and they sometimes seem out of place in this modern, bustling world of instant gratification. They like to take their time, gradually easing … [Read more...]
World leaders to sign Paris climate agreement on Earth Day
This year, over one billion people in 192 countries will take action to protect our shared environment. All across the globe, in big cities to small villages and everything in-between, people are organizing, demanding climate action, cleaning up their local communities, meeting with their elected officials, planting trees, and teaching their children to protect our … [Read more...]
Pakistan needs 20% more forest for healthy environment
Pakistan needs to raise its forest cover from 5% to 25% to meet its economic, employment and green environment needs. So says Preston Institute of Management Science and Technology’s (PIMSAT) final year students of MBA Syeda Bushra Hasan, Mehwish Saqib and Dinsha Vania. Forests are the source of economic support, employment, oxygen generation, livestock grazing, furniture … [Read more...]
Indigenous people: the guardians of our forests
Indigenous groups from Indonesia, Malaysia, and China were among the 21 global communities to receive a US$10,000 award and recognition for their conservation efforts in Paris. A group of four forest communities from Indonesia and Malaysia who have developed sustainable agricultural methods to support local livelihoods, a climate research project by villagers in Papua New … [Read more...]
Sri Lanka to be first nation in the world to protect all its mangroves
More than half the world’s mangroves have been lost over the last century but all of those surviving in Sri Lanka, one of their most important havens, are now to be protected in an unprecedented operation. The organiser of the project, the biggest of its kind, see the role of women as the key to its success. Mangroves are an important protection against climate change as … [Read more...]
Climate change spurs raging wildfires from Indonesia to Brazil
There is “no way human intervention can put out the fires,” Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, to the Australian Broadcasting Company on the issue of Indonesian wildfires in a recent Weather Channel Report. Outbreaks of Equatorial wildfires. It’s something that can happen during strong El Ninos. These periods of warming in the … [Read more...]
Community collaboration and con-TREE-bution for the next River Rehab
The next Green Beings River Rehab action day will take place at the Klein Jukskei Spruit on 24 October and volunteers are being called to come and help. Green Beings’ on-going River Rehab project positively transforms our waterways. Through collaboration with community and local businesses, our river is cleaned and biodiversity is increased. The event will focus on planting … [Read more...]
Big trees first to die in severe droughts
National forests whose names come from their large, majestic trees—such as Redwood National Park and Sequoia National Park in California—may need to rethink their brands as droughts increase in frequency and severity in many regions around the world due to climate change. New research published this week in the journal Nature Plants finds it’s the large trees that suffer most … [Read more...]
Creating awareness begins with you
It is that time of year again when Green Beings conducts an annual campaign called Ethoma ka wena (Sepedi for: begins with you) in celebration of Arbour Week and National Clean up Week. The Campaign is hosted in eight Cosmo City schools, North of Johannesburg. The aim of the campaign is to create awareness of the importance of trees and a clean community. This year Green … [Read more...]
