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Cool Green Science: The Conservation Blog of The Nature Conservancy - A blog on conservation, from migratory birds to coral reefs, from rainforests to climate change to personal green technology.

Sinar Mas Group, the notorious international palm oil pariah, recently made a remarkable announcement: The company's subsidiary, Golden Agri Resouces (GAR), intends to implement a forest conservation policy. Among other things, GAR's Forest Conservation Policy commits it to a goal of "no new development" on peat lands, High Conservation Value Forest areas or High Carbon Landscapes, respecting Indigenous and local communities, and achievement of RSPO certification for all its holdings by 2015.

Maps in the new Atlas of Global Conservation show the diversity of bird, animal and plant species populations, which are among 80 that scientists have produced for a comprehensive look at the planet's eco-regions. The maps crosses three types of habitats that exist: terrestrial, freshwater, and marine.

Community Inspiring Conservation

Conservationists called the 13-nation agreement an important step in protecting the wild cats, whose numbers have plummeted in recent decades as human encroachment has eliminated more than nine-tenths of their habitat. Experts say there are fewer than 3,500 wild tigers today, compared to an estimated 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. Hailing the agreement, Michael Baltzer, head of the WWF Tiger Initiative, said "There never has been a high-level government commitment to take forward tiger conservation."

11 rare and endangered Siberian Tigers starved to death while confined to 'cold, cramped metal cages' at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo in China's North-East. This treatment raises questions about China's conservation efforts, suggesting that "zoos and wildlife parts may be deliberately breeding more animals than they can afford, hoping to sell off the carcasses onto a black market where tiger parts fetch a high price for use in traditional medicines and liquor."

Current conservation list criticised for being biased towards vertebrates and neglecting most plants, fungi and invertebrates.

"10:10 Campaign Director Eugenie Harvey responded to the news by saying, 'Today's announcement from the Tories is truly remarkable. This would mean that all central Government buildings, from Big Ben to Belmarsh Prison will follow the inspiring example set by families, businesses, schools, and faith groups across the country in making an ambitious 10% emissions reduction in 2010.'"

It's said that information is power but could information mean less power, when it comes to electricity use? Environmentalists and makers of so-called smart meters are convinced that's the case. They say if consumers could see in real time how much power they're using, they'd conserve more. But some behavioral economists say no way. They say electricity is so cheap that real-time information might lead people to run their lights and gadgets even more.

"WWF Philippines works in Sablayan to explain the difficult concept of climate change - what it means to have rising sea water levels; stronger and extreme weathers in the rainy season and drought in the summer season. The term now in use for conservation here is ADAPTATION - what to anticipate and how to proactively react in these trying times."

Here is the list: Cuban crocodile, Grenada dove, Florida bonneted bat, Green-eyed frog, Hirola, Ploughshare tortoise, Island gray fox, Sumatran orangutan, Vanquita, White-headed langur.

Today the biggest, most ambitious forest conservation deal ever has been announced: The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. After more than seven years of hard-fought campaigning to end the on-going destruction of Canada's Boreal Forest, Greenpeace and eight other non-governmental organisations have agreed to a truce with the logging industry: we will suspend the battle for the Boreal."

"Research has shown that marine protected areas (MPAs)-areas where fishing and other potentially destructive activities are regulated-are benefitting, not just the fish habitats they are known to aid, but nearby coral reefs as well. "That is, while coral cover initially continued to decrease in the MPA's first few years, decline slowed and then eventually stabilized after several years of MPA establishment."

"The Indonesian government has announced plans to sell tigers as pets for £67,000 a pair in what it claims is a move to protect the critically endangered species."

"It is an irony not lost on the Chinese that the Year of the Tiger has not been good for the big cats. Back-to-back tragedies have spurred calls for greater legal protections for animals."

""The declines of species were so dramatic, widespread and so recent. I wish I could have seen what the country was like in 1800s with all this wildlife," Karanth says"