Category: RT Newswire

USE ME! Essentially, this is a catch all for everything. This is probably the ONLY category where things that are not directly related to Rising Tide affiliates/allies should go. For example if a coal company goes out of business (and we didn’t directly cause it) it should probably only go here.

Abstract: Restoring Forests and Ecosystem Services on Degraded Lands

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” Plantations and restored forests can improve ecosystem services and
enhance biodiversity conservation, but will not match the composition and structure of the
original forest cover. ”
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Science 13 June 2008:
Vol. 320. no. 5882, pp. 1458 – 1460

Beyond Deforestation: Restoring Forests and
Ecosystem Services on Degraded Lands
Robin L. Chazdon

Abstract of article :
Despite continued forest conversion and degradation, forest cover is
increasing in countries across the globe. New forests are
regenerating on former agricultural land, and forest plantations are
being established for commercial and restoration purposes.
Plantations and restored forests can improve ecosystem services and
enhance biodiversity conservation, but will not match the composition
and structure of the original forest cover. Approaches to restoring
forest ecosystems depend strongly on levels of forest and soil
degradation, residual vegetation, and desired restoration outcomes.
Opportunities abound to combine ambitious forest restoration and
regeneration goals with sustainable rural livelihoods and community
participation. New forests will require adaptive management as
dynamic, resilient systems that can withstand stresses of climate
change, habitat fragmentation, and other anthropogenic effects.

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3043, USA. E-mail: chazdon@uconn.edu

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Climate Policy: Too Little, Too Late?

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A reviewer at Real Climate (briefly) pooh-poohed
Six Degrees, the recent book by Mark Lynas,
author of the op-ed  below.  Lynas  emailed the
reviewer with questions.  The reviewer then read
(or re-read?)  Lynas’ book, and retracted the
dismissal in a subsequent Real Climate posting,
saying that Lynas’ Six Degrees is actually very
well-based on the available science.

Unfortunately, most climate policy under current
consideration still isn’t. Below, Lynas looks at
the still-popular Kyoto-based model as one of 3
policy options that merit examination, and
question.
Lance

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” … conventional wisdom from governments and
environmental groups alike insists that ‘Kyoto is
the only game in town’, and that proposing any
alternative is dangerous heresy.”

“If current policy continues to fail – along the
lines of the “agree and ignore” scenario – then
50% to 80% of all species on earth could be
driven to extinction by the magnitude and
rapidity of warming, and much of the planet’s
surface leftuninhabitable to humans. Billions,
not millions, of people would be displaced.”
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The End of Cheap Water: Case Study

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The Economist
Jun 5th 2008

Israel

Don’t make the desert bloom

Milk and honey is all very well. But what about the water?

THIS is the fourth consecutive year of drought in
Israel. Last winter it rained only about 65% of
the long-term average. The water level in the Sea
of Galilee, the source of nearly 30% of Israel’s
fresh water, is close to the danger line and
hardly rose during the winter even though the
pipeline that takes water from it was closed for
part of the year. This week the government
reacted with an emergency plan.

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