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Meet the Cheakamus, the only community forest to develop carbon offsets in B.C.

Stephanie Wood

August 14, 2021 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Whistler, British Columbia

The Cheakamus forest, which spans 33,000 hectares, is a community run forest, managed by the two First Nations and the city of Whistler, in British Colombia, Canada. By not logging massive amounts of wood, the forest keeps 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per year, the equivalent of the total emissions produced by 773 Canadians. The partners then sell those carbon offsets, generating about $100,000 in annual revenue a year. The move is one being done by community forests around the country and can provide an example of climate-based solutions that are economically beneficial.

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Many mangrove restorations fail. Is there a better way?

Katarina Zimmer

July 22, 2021 |

Knowable Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Guinea-Bissau

Mangrove forests are known to be excellent storers of carbon and hosts of biodiversity, but they are also able to protect communities on coastlines from storm surge. However, many of the projects to restore these forests fail because they are rushed or planted in the wrong places. Scientists argue that organizers should focus on natural regrowth or “ecological mangrove restoration,” a science-based approach, which has been used in Indonesia and Guinea-Bissau.

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Could miniature forests help air-condition cities?

The Economist

July 03, 2021 |

The Economist |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

The Miyawaki method of planting miniature natural forests in cities as a way to reduce air pollution and cool down temperatures is gaining ground throughout the world. The process involves planting a variety of trees in a particular way that allows for them to grow rapidly. While this method is very labor intensive and can be difficult to scale, there are more than 1,500 of these types of forests in Japan, India, and Pakistan.

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The people racing to replant Africa

Laura Joffre

July 02, 2021 |

Pioneers Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Senegal

The Gambia river which rests in Sahel, the region between the Sahara desert and the African rainforest, used to be extremely fertile, farmers could live of the land. Yet, climate change and years of deforestation have made the land uncultivable. One NGO, with help from other organizations and international funders, is trying to rebuild the land by creating, "The Great Green Wall,” an effort to build an 8,000-km mural of plants and trees along the southern border of the Sahara desert. So far, 18 million hectares of land have been restored.

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Why ‘tiny forests' are popping up in big cities

Elizabeth Hewitt

June 22, 2021 |

National Geographic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

In Europe, India, and other countries like the Netherlands tiny forests are being deployed to fight the effects of climate change. The small forests, some about the size of a parking lot or a basketball court, can help cities mitigate rising temperatures and sequester carbon. In the Netherlands, 144 tiny forests have been planted. A study that analyzed 11 tiny forests showed these forests hosted more than 600 animal species and close to 300 plant species.

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How mangrove forests helped stall environmental crime

Kagondu David Njagi

April 27, 2021 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Gazi

A blue carbon credit scheme in Kenya is not only restoring mangrove forests, but it’s also reducing environmental crimes and providing a way for residents to make money. The Mikoko Pamoja carbon project is a partnership that encourages the protection of mangroves in exchange for selling carbon credits. Since the project launched 2013, each year it traps the equivalent carbon emissions of about 650 cars. While it’s not a perfect system, it has inspired other blue carbon programs in other villages.

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Conservation initiative helps nature heal itself for Sierra Madre reforestation

Gaea Katreena Cabico

March 09, 2021 |

The Philippine Star |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Baras, Rizal

The government of the Philippines is working with the Masungi Georeserve Foundation to restore wildlife and forests in a 2,700 hectares area of degraded land. They use a technique that focuses on the nurturing of native trees through natural practices. While the method takes longer to reforest an area than traditional ways, the initiative has planted 60,000 trees and employed 100 park rangers from the local communities that help protect the reserve.

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A Bold Plan to Save the Last Whitebark Pines

Jim Morrison

December 24, 2020 |

Wired |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

After a fungus has nearly wiped out the whitebark pine species in North America, scientists and conservationists are coming together to restore the species. The trees offer food to various animal species and are important to drinking and agricultural water supplies. A pilot project in Montana has planted up to 125 acres each year of whitebark pines, but the restoration process is expensive and time consuming. By combining traditional seed collecting efforts with gene sequencing, scientists hope to make these trees resistant to the fungus.

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A grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees forces change in Germany

Bridget Huber

December 03, 2020 |

National Geographic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Bavaria

Environmental advocates got 1.75 million signatures to change Bavarian farming laws to protect biodiversity. The Save the Bees Campaign calls for using subsidies to nearly triple the amount of organic farming, creating a network of wildlife corridors, and other actions to protect bird and insect life. Initial results show that, since the law took effect, the share of organic farmland increased and thousands of more acres of forest have been protected. Farmers have also adjusted their view of productivity, including protecting nature as a way to be productive. Similar efforts are happening across Europe.

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The Sudbury model: How one of the world's major polluters went green

Sara Miller Llana

September 24, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Sudbury, Ontario

After being known as a polluted mining town, politicians, scientists, industry officials, and residents of Sudbury, Ontario, were able to come together to restore its land. After 40 years and $33.5 million, they are about halfway through recovering about 200,000 acres of land. So far, they’ve been successful at restoring air quality, neutralizing soil to allow for replanting, and restocking lakes with fish. While some locals think the mining companies should have done more, the collaborative spirit could be a model for other communities looking to improve the environment.

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