CIHEAM Press Review

The Por­tuguese gov­ern­ment has con­firmed that noc­tur­nal suc­tion olive har­vest­ing will be banned dur­ing the upcom­ing crop year after a national study con­cluded that the prac­tice resulted in sig­nif­i­cant bird mor­tal­ity.
Portugal’s Insti­tute for Nature Con­ser­va­tion and Forests (INCF) have pledged to inten­sify olive farm inspec­tions between Octo­ber 2020 and March 2021 to ensure grow­ers com­ply with the national ban on the use of mechan­i­cal har­vesters at night.

Since humanity arrived, we have cut down trees for timber, agriculture and development. Our impact is a matter of scale. When humanity was a mere 300 million in pre-medieval times, forest ecosystems remained intact. We are now over 7 billion, doing essentially the same thing we did thousands of years ago. What may have been sustainable then is now extirpating entire complex ecosystems, along with species we may never know existed. Deforestation releases a massive carbon sink into the atmosphere, driving global warming.

nvironmental groups welcomed an initiative by global tire manufacturers to stop the destruction of forests to make way for rubber plantations, but warned that the industry-backed organization must act independently to be effective.
The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) - which includes Michelin and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co – will begin operations in March at its headquarters in Singapore, according to a statement from the organization.

Palm oil has become quite controversial over the past few years, as more and more people have learned about the industry, how it impacts the environment, and how it hurts primates.
Read on for answers to some of the Internet's most-asked questions about palm oil, which should help you make an informed decision about whether it's something you want to continue consuming.

Researchers say an area the size of the US is available for planting trees around the world, and this could have a dramatic impact on climate change.The study shows that the space available for trees is far greater than previously thought, and would reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by 25%. The authors say that this is the most effective climate change solution available to the world right now. But other researchers say the new study is "too good to be true".