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A prayer for trees: For Kenyan tribes, saving forests is a sacred duty

Dominic Kirui

May 29, 2019 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Forole

Communities around Kenya address national deforestation by relying on individuals to make changes in the way they use timber as well as to plant trees to repopulate suffering forests. Many towns set strict guidelines about timber sourcing, requiring residents to source from specific groves outside community boundaries; others teach children from a young age that trees are sacred and not to be cut down.

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‘If we don't burn it, nature will': Georgia blazes old fears, leads nation in prescribed fire

Maya Miller Samantha Max

May 28, 2019 |

Southerly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Macon, Georgia

Prescribed fire is a way to protect forest ecosystems by starting fires in a controlled and sustainable way. The practice limits out of control forest fires and promotes the growth of important species. In Georgia, a leader of prescribed fire in the Southeast and the country, successful fire management is hoping to tip forest services nationally in favor of prescribed burn treatment and away from mostly focusing on fire suppression.

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Message scent: Douglas fir beetles detoured from Ouray forest by pheromone packets

Erin McIntyre

May 27, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ouray, Colorado

By combining biomimicry with biodiversity, Colorado’s forests have kept damaging fir beetles at bay. The city of Ouray, Colorado, and the Colorado State Forest Service have been working with the help of volunteers to apply chemical pheromones to protect Douglas firs from the damaging beetles. The pheromones mimic a warning produced by the beetles, discouraging them from settling on the tree. The pheromones are applied by hand, requiring teams of trained volunteers.

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An (Even More) Inconvenient Truth: Why Carbon Credits For Forest Preservation May Be Worse Than Nothing

Lisa Song

May 22, 2019 |

ProPublica |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Rio Branco, Acre

This story examines the well-publicized climate-change strategy of carbon credits: the idea that a CO₂-emitting company could offset its emissions by funding anti-logging efforts, effectively "saving" the equivalent amount of carbon. However, as it turns out, despite its popularity, most carbon credit programs do not actually work or, worse, may do more harm than good. This article details the shortcomings of this attempted solution to the effects of global warming.

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Cash for trees: Homegrown carbon offset program bears fruit

Ryan Lenora Brown Christopher Bendana

May 21, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Rubirizi District

Trees for Global Benefits is a carbon offset program that aims to partner with, rather than displace, locals in countries that have space to plant forests. For instance, in the Rubirizi District in Uganda, locals are getting paid to plant trees on their land. This hopes to eliminate the negative ramifications of other carbon offset programs that have displaced native people. Still, companies should be looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions beyond bringing their problems to other countries.

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To Control Forest Fires, Western States Light More of Their Own

Sophie Quinton

May 16, 2019 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rustic, Colorado

Prescribed burns help prevent the devastating impact of uncontrolled forest fires in Western states. In states like Colorado, the US Forest Service, local governments, and nonprofits, are working to improve forest habitat and protect communities from wildfires by increasing the acreage of forest exposed to controlled fires. After years of policy that aimed to reduce fires, agencies are now working to restore ecological balance and prevent future natural disasters.

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On the island of Java, a social forestry scheme creates jobs at home

Nuswantoro Nusawantoro

May 15, 2019 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Indonesia, Kalibiru

In Indonesia, transferring land management rights to local residents is slow-going, but one community is setting an example for what can happen when the residents are in charge. Mandiri farmers formed a cooperative and began replacing hillsides; now, tourism to the area has increased and attitudes towards the land and community have changed.

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The roar of military jets triggers a crusade for quiet

Chris Berdik

May 13, 2019 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Forks, Washington

In an effort to decrease noise pollution in natural spaces across the country, Quiet Parks International is seeking to certify wildlife places that are noise-free. Using data collection, the organization is able to measure the noise level in places like the Hoh Rainforest in Washington, and if it falls within a certain parameter, give it the official certification. Doing so not only raises awareness of the effects of noise pollution, but attracts tourists with similar values.

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The Indigenous Guardians of the Amazon Rainforest

Max Baring Karla Mendes

May 13, 2019 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Video |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Brazil

The Guardians of the Forest is an indigenous volunteer group who patrols protected areas of the Amazon rainforest being destroyed by illegal logging. Volunteers seek out and destroy logging camps, chase loggers off the land, educate locals about the harms, and advocate for government resources. The loggers use violence, but the Guardians use non-violent techniques to protect uncontacted tribes, stop deforestation and species extinction, and protect indigenous culture. Despite federal obstacles, some local officials express a desire to integrate the work of the Guardians into official conservation efforts.

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In Uganda, Threatened Chimps Find Protection in Former Poachers

Michele Catanzaro

May 01, 2019 |

Undark |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Budongo forest

In Western Uganda’s Budongo forest, the Budongo Conservation Field Station is saving chimpanzees by giving poachers the opportunity to do something different. The organization operates on two levels: First, employing former poachers to help scour the forest in search of traps, and second, by giving poachers goats in an effort to provide them with enough livelihood to stop poaching.

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