Cattle collagen production fuels a $4 billion-a-year industry and promotes deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Photo: Kate Evans/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Kate Evans/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Collagen industry drives deforestation in the Amazon

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A media investigation points the finger at livestock companies in the Amazon that supply the cosmetics industry fueling a $4 billion industry
Soils grazed by wild herbivores have greater carbon sequestration capacity than those pastured by livestock animals. Photo: Pixabay Content license Attribution not requiredPixabay Content license Attribution not required

Antibiotics and livestock farming reduce carbon sequestration in grasslands

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Livestock herbivores impact soil microbial fauna by reducing carbon uptake capacity, an Indian research says. Antibiotics' effect on soil is crucial
Il mercato dei crediti di carbonio può favorire l’afflusso di investimenti garantendo un sostegno decisivo ai coltivatori. Foto: Trevor Littlewood Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)Trevor Littlewood Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

“Clear requirements are needed for carbon storage”

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A report released in the UK highlights the importance of minimum requirements in carbon sequestration activities. The study aims to bring clarity to the marketplace and ensure the element's long-term permanence in the soil
The numbers showed that there was a clear connection between the unusual temperatures recorded in the Amazon and the Tibet Plateau over the past 40 years. Photo: Vinay Nair Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)Photo: Vinay Nair Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Amazon devastation is also altering Tibet’s climate

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A connection made up of interconnected climate alterations exists between the Amazon, Tibet Plateau and Antarctica, a Chinese study says. Once a so-called tipping point is reached in one region, the phenomenon is triggered in another area of the Planet
Without living roots, the abundance of soil organisms decreased by 42 percent in rainforest and 30 percent in plantations. Photo: Anton Potapov, University of Göttingen, press releaseAnton Potapov, University of Göttingen, press release

Plant roots are crucial for soil animals

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In tropical soils plant roots affect biodiversity no less than leaf litter, a German research explains. A significant finding for the development of sustainable solutions capable of balancing agriculture and land conservation
A causa dell'agricoltura moderna i tassi di erosione nelle praterie in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska e Kansas sono cresciuti di mille volte. FOTO: Austin Goode su Unsplash

USA, erosion runs 1000 times faster than normal

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The discovery is contained in a thesis of master at Umass Amherst University. To calculate the rate of erosion, a team of researchers quantified the presence of a rare element - Beryllium 10 - in cultivated prairies in 5 US states, comparing them with virgin soils
A corn field devastated by drought. Land degradation is estimated to cost the United States $67 billion a year. Photo: Bob Nichols, USDA Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Bob Nichols, USDA Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Researchers in the U.S. launch five-year soil health survey

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Four U.S. universities are launching a massive soil analysis project. The initiative aims to counter land degradation which is estimated to cost $67 bn a year in America
In one year, the Planet's soils absorbed 109 million tons of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Photo: P177 Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)P177 Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

A new project will monitor global nitrogen emissions from fertilizers

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The Global Research Alliance initiative aims to increase the availability of data on the impact of fertilizers on the Planet. And to better assess the effectiveness of mitigation practices
From 2009 to 2020, sales of pesticides in Germany decreased only slightly, from about 30,000 to 28,000 tons per year. Photo: Jakob Huber/Campact Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)Jakob Huber/Campact Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Germany, the reduction in the use of pesticides is still too slow

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The use of pesticides in Germany decreased by less than 10 percent between 2009 and 2020. The figure raises many concerns about the spread of integrated pest management, a technique designed to reduce the use of the most dangerous chemicals
By 2022, the Brazilian Amazon suffered its worst deforestation in 15 years, losing the equivalent of nearly 3,000 soccer fields a day. Photo: Neil Palmer/CIAT Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Neil Palmer/CIAT Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Record monthly deforestation in the Amazon is alarming for Lula

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In February, the Amazon lost more than 300 km2 of forest. Brazil's new government promised a turnaround after the woes suffered under President Bolsonaro. Between 2004 and 2012 Brazil recorded its best results in land protection

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