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ondon firefighters who have spent weeks tackling grass fires - followed by hundreds of calls to flash flooding on Wednesday - are urging vigilance with more dry weather on the way.

The incredibly busy time has led London Fire Brigades (LFB) assistant commissioner to issue an appeal, urging people to take care with barbecues and cigarettes.

Firefighters saw a huge spike in call-outs after prolonged dry weather led to drought and tinder-dry conditions.

In the first week of August alone, London crews tackled 340 grass and open land fires - more than eight times as many as the same week last year.

In July, on the UKs hottest day on record, LFB saw its busiest 24 hours since the Second World War.

But heavy rain this week didnt improve things for the busy service.

Two women dip their heads into the fountain to cool off in Trafalgar Square

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A police officer givers water to a British soldier wearing a traditional bearskin hat, on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace

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People take pictures of the sunset from Greenwich Park view point

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Empty shelves in the water aisle of Sainsbury Nine Elms in London

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A man cools off in a fountain during the hot weather in London

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People sit and lie in the sun and shade backdropped by Tower Bridge

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Children cool off in the Southbank Centre fountain

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A man uses a newspaper as a fan whilst travelling on the Bakerloo line

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Two people under an umbrella in Londons Regents Park

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Sunrise over London

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Swimmers soak up the sun at Charlton Lido in south east London

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A sign warning passengers of traveling in the heat on the Bakerloo line

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A police officer poring water water on a police horse on Whitehall i

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Western lowland gorilla enjoys an ice lolly at London Zoo

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Commuters on London Bridge feel the heat at 8.30am

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A young family of Tufted ducks run past a soldier from the Queens Guard on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace during warm weather

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Commuters in London

Jeremy Selwyn

LFB typically takes about 450 calls a day but, on Wednesday, as thunderstorms hit London causing flash flooding, it received 1,290 calls - 40 per cent of which were related to floods.

The intense period of call-outs has sparked a plea from LFB Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne, who said: Its been an incredibly busy time for firefighters and control officers who have been working around the clock with our partners to keep Londoners safe, whether that be from the intense grass fires weve seen or flooding.

When the ground is incredibly dry its harder for water to be absorbed, which is why weve seen flash flooding as the water pools on the surface, but it also means that grasslands are still parched.

In the coming days were expecting more dry weather, so please continue to help us prevent grass fires by not barbecuing on open land, clearing away rubbish and glass and safely disposing of cigarettes.

Read more here:
From fire to floods to fire: London Fire Brigade warning as more dry weather due - Evening Standard

FDR Park will add a 33-acre wetland area to address regular flooding and pursue a path to a climate-resilient future.

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, along with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia International Airport, announced the beginning of construction on Aug. 18, which will create a native forested wetland in the southwest corner of the 348-acre park. Officials say the $30 million project will reclaim high-quality habitat in the park and reintroduce native ecosystems to the land for the first time since the park was completed in 1914.

FDR Park is a home to so many rich Philadelphia communities, from birders and hikers, to youth athletes, cultural institutions and naturalists, said Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell. The wetland project and Nature Phase of the Park Plan will deliver for those who love FDR Park today, while building a sustainable, resilient foundation that will allow future generations of South Philadelphia families to enjoy FDR Park for years to come.

The new wetland area will occupy an area that was previously inaccessible to the public. A coastal forested wetland is native to the FDR Park site. It was once the primary landscape along the Delaware River watershed in South and Southwest Philadelphia.

Returning part of FDR Park to wetland is an important step toward creating and maintaining a world-class public park that is built on the Delaware River watershed, said Maura McCarthy, executive director, Fairmount Park Conservancy. The wetland and creek project will make FDR Park a paradise for birds and local birdwatchers, and open up a section of the park that has been inaccessible for decades.

The project will take about 12-18 months. It will rebuild and enhance the riverbank areas adjacent to Shedbrook Creek, reduce flooding, and provide new opportunities to explore both creek and marshland in the park. The wetland will expand habitat for native flora and fauna and will include boardwalks for public access to view the scenic nature.

According to officials, the area will be cleared of current growth to remove invasive species. Then, 7,000 new adapted trees and 1,700 bushes and woody shrubs will be planted. Two new tide gates will be installed to prevent tidal flow to the parks creeks and lagoons. Excavated soil will be preserved on 10.6 acres of the former golf course for future use in elevating the park above sea level. The soil will be planted with natural grasses and wildflowers.

A lot of work has already gone on behind the scenes to get this project to the groundbreaking stage, said Philadelphia International Airport Division of Aviation Interim CEO Keith Brune. We are excited for the work at FDR Park to be underway. When completed, this project will improve the park for the entire community, by removing years of debris, planting thousands of trees and shrubs, improving drainage and clearing clogged pipes.

The wetland creation is the first of 12 projects for the $45 million Nature Phase of FDR Park. Other upcoming projects include the restoration of Shedbrook Creek stream and riparian buffers, 23 acres of Sedge Meadow with boardwalks and overlooks, a kayak and canoe launch, Wildflower Hill, Nature Playground, Two Treehouse Woods projects including a high-quality forest and canopy structure for explorations, 5 miles of soft surface trail network with signage, a plant nursery and land care facility, a trailhead comfort station and meadow and forest restoration.

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Wetland area coming to FDR Park - South Philly Review

In the same way as climate-related performance is material to share price and asset valuations, that is exactly what is going to happen in the nature space, said Will Symons, the Asia-Pacific climate and sustainability leader at Deloitte, which last week issued a report titled Banking on Natural Capital.

The report will help financial institutions focus on quantifying the value of nature, both the hidden risks associated with nature loss and opportunities associated with its replenishment.

The World Economic Forum has estimated more than half of the worlds economic output, or $US44 trillion ($61.7 trillion), is moderately or highly dependent on nature. It is an issue melding into Australias consciousness given bushfires, floods and the degradation of coral reefs.

TNFD obligations will push banks towards being nature positive, requiring them to invest more into nature to offset the impact on biodiversity loss or land clearance from activities within their lending portfolios; the nature equivalent of scope 3 in the emissions space.

This is coming fast. Many organisations will have to start disclosing in a year and many organisations are really early wrapping heads around this, Mr Symons said.

Deloittes Banking on Natural Capital report points out that the destruction of natural ecosystems is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and that nature plays an essential role in combatting climate change. It also shows that climate change and nature loss are linked and should be tackled concurrently.

We are moving from a state of understanding climate credit risk to actually doing something about it, and for many organisations, some decarbonising will be through nature-based solutions, which can provide a most cost-effective way of taking action now, Mr Symons said.

As well as de-risking existing investments and assets, the TNFD will also help banks create new green lending products and activate new markets, including a push towards trade credits attached to nature.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia, in its inaugural climate report issued last week, cited natural capital as a core focus area for next year.

There is increased interest from customers, regulators, government and investors on the banks approach to climate change, biodiversity and natural capital, the report said.

CBA joined the TNFD this year and said it had designed a high-level road map to guide our approach to natural capital.

In the coming year we aim to set our priorities related to natural capital and explore metrics to measure our progress, the bank said.

For banks, a key challenge is working out where loaned funds are being spent. This will be necessary to determine if customer activity is happening in areas where biodiversity may be impacted. However, many banks dont record the geolocation of lending activity.

Another issue is understanding the precise nature of the activity being conducted with money lent, which may require banks to ask more questions about the purpose of loans. For example, borrowing to buy tree felling machinery could point to land clearing, which may support an agricultural industry but be nature negative from a deforestation perspective.

Deloitte says banks need to begin mapping, measuring and monitoring risks, impacts and dependencies of lending with established risk assessment and disclosure frameworks. It suggests conducting nature-related stress tests of current and projected balance sheets, and integrating biodiversity into sustainable finance policies.

Opportunities will emerge in trading credit attached to protecting and improving the natural environment. Many of these markets, such as those for biodiversity credits in NSW, are fragmented. But Deloitte predicts a coherent, regional market will emerge based around natural capital assets. These could include co-benefits attached to carbon credits.

It suggests banks and other financial institutions collaborate on creating a nature-based equity exchange.

We are inviting the financial services industry to take a role designing and driving that marketplace, The scale of opportunity, and potentially the wave of risk for the sector, is too great to be handled on an institution-by-institution basis, said Guy Williams, Deloittes Asia-Pacific and global nature lead.

Deloitte acknowledges governments play a key role in catalysing and scaling private sector investment in natural capital. But pressure to adopt TNFD will not only come from consultants and regulators, but also financial sector investors.

Deloitte quotes Jessica McDougall, the director of BlackRock Investment Stewardship, in its report, who said careful management of natural capital would become a core component of a resilient, long-term corporate strategy for companies that rely on the benefits that nature provides.

She said investors were increasingly interested in contributing capital to companies that not only mitigate nature-related risks, but consider natural capital opportunities aligned with their strategy.

Mr Williams said recent conversations with European sovereign wealth funds suggest TNFD disclosure is going to move quickly.

Read more here:
Big banks CBA, NAB, Westpac, ANZ and Macquarie in push to disclose the impact of lending on nature - The Australian Financial Review

Wednesday, August 17, 2022 4:10PM

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Coast Guard and Texas General Land Office (GLO) are responding to a pollution incident in Tabbs Bay near Baytown.

The Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a report at 10:30 a.m. Monday of oil spilling from a flow line in Tabbs Bay. Pollution responders were sent to the site, where they estimated up to 420 gallons of crude oil entered the water.

More than 2,000 feet of hard boom and sorbent boom were placed around the affected areas to help contain and recover oil product.

Officials say they haven't found any impacted wildlife at this time. They add that the cause of the pollution has been identified and the source is secure.

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story you think we should cover? Send it to ABC13 using the form below. If you have a video or photo to send, terms of use apply. If you don't, just hit 'skip upload' and send the details.

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Coast Guard helping to clean up oil spill in Tabbs Bay near Baytown - KTRK-TV

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. The 26th annual Tahoe Summit brought together local government, public agencies, activism groups and local residents to discuss the progress and challenges that are happening in the Lake Tahoe Basin and the surrounding forests.

The event was hosted Tuesday, Aug. 16, at Sand Harbor by Nevada Sen.Jackie Rosen. The event was put together by a multitude of agencies and featured booths throughout the Sand Harbor parking lot with representatives ready to share their knowledge and promote their organizations, providing informational handouts and freebies aimed at reducing waste in the basin.

I just want to take a moment to thank the many organizations, agencies, and advocates who work tirelessly to make sure that Lake Tahoe remains the beautiful and spectacular place that it is, Rosen said.

The event was started with an address from Rosen, followed by an invocation from Washoe Tribal Elder Dina Pete and a welcome from Washoe Chairman Smokey.

I want to acknowledge Tahoes first community, Rosen said. Those who have been protecting and preserving and honoring the beauty of this area longer than anyone else; the Washoe Tribe. Theyve been the stewards of Tahoes land and water for thousands of generations and the Washoe Tribe has been invaluable partners in our efforts to protect and preserve this national treasure, our national treasure.

Throughout the event, representatives that were in attendance included White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, representatives from the forest service, and elected officials from both California and Nevada, including Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, California Sen. Alex Padilla and US representatives Mark Amodei and Tom McClintock.

This years summit theme was Protecting Lake Tahoes Future and much of the remarks made by public officials revolved around the effects of climate change and lack of adequate forest management in the basin.

Climate change is an existential threat not only for Tahoe, but for all of our communities, Padilla said. That is why I am proud of the work being done by the Tahoe Conservation Coalition, which has set the standard for interstate environmental improvement and drawn hundreds of millions of dollars to the region. Whether it be through the appropriations process or with the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, we are renewing Americas commitment to protecting our planet and its special ecological places, like the Lake Tahoe basin, for our children and future generations.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden during the summit in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, was mentioned by multiple speakers throughout the event, given its massive impacts it should have on climate change not only in the basin, but the entire country.

Climate change is impacting the Tahoe Basin, and we need to take action to protect these treasures for our residents, our future generations, our tourists, and our economy, Sisolak said. We need to take action now; not in 10 years, not in five years, but today. Nevada remains committed to protecting the long term sustainable health of Lake Tahoe and counties to deliver strong results.

Sisolak praised Nevada workers and officials for their extensive work to clean up the forests for fire prevention, along with focusing on the quality and clarity of the lake water and creating healthy and resilient forests with sustainable recreation.

The work is more critical now and more important than ever as the impacts of climate change continue, said Sisolak. Were excited to see the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden will sign in just a few minutes.

While many of the public officials attribute much of the environmental issues, including increased amount of fires and low air quality due to smoke to climate change, others like U.S. Representative Tom McClintock believes that lack of proper forest management and properly allocated funds to forest management projects is what creates fire danger in the basin.

The climate didnt change, the laws changed, McClintock said. So whatever else we do, we have to protect Tahoes forests if were going to protect Tahoe. Fifty years of experience with these laws should warn us that theyve not only failed to improve the forest environment; theyve drastically harmed it. The modifications that we were able to make in those laws have made a real difference here in the Tahoe basin among other things.

The firefighters who have served in the Tahoe Basin, many during the Caldor Fire in 2021, were honored during the event for their efforts to protect the national forest land and prevent future fires multiple times by speakers, and were given a copy of remarks made by McClintock to thank them and honor them in the House of Representatives.

The event was attended by local agencies from all around the Tahoe/Reno area, including The Tahoe Fund, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Sierra Nevada Alliance and their volunteers, and members of the new University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe campus including UNR President Brian Sandavol.

Sierra Nevada Alliance Executive Director Jenny Hatch and her team were excited to attend the event and spread awareness on ways to promote conservation in Lake Tahoe.

The Summit is a really great gathering place to reconvene every year, said Hatch.

The SNA team brought Lake Tahoe Ambassador Program participants to the event, where they helped as needed, along with AmeriCorp members that helped run the event.

Its great to have conservation with conservation leaders from both states, federal agencies, and the nonprofit community, and just remember what were all working for, Hatch said.

To watch the full Lake Tahoe Summit, visit tahoefund.org/2022-lake-tahoe-summit.

Go here to read the rest:
Tahoe Summit explores highs, lows of progress on the lake - Tahoe Daily Tribune

Members of the Gannett Glacier Fire Crew takes notes during a fire training scenario near Palmer on Thursday, April 29, 2018. (Casey Grove/Alaska Public Media)

Alaskas wildland firefighters have been completing annual training and now with help from a state grant strategically cutting and removing trees, many of them standing, dry and dead, killed by spruce beetles.

That hazardous fuels reduction comes as long-term forecasts signal a normal fire season ahead, with about a million acres expected to burn total somewhere between the sizes of Rhode Island and Delaware.

Norm McDonald, the state Division of Forestrys Chief of Fire and Aviation, said the prep work cutting fire breaks is helpful and likely to save money in the long run.

But McDonald said all it would take to go from an average fire season to a huge one is some hot, dry weather and a lightning strike, or the careless burning of some brush or a campfire.

Listen here:

[Sign up for Alaska Public Medias daily newsletter to get our top stories delivered to your inbox.]

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Norm McDonald: If you look historically at our most devastating fires, they are in the urban interface, and they have been human caused. So these are all fires and, in theory, should be preventable. So I think just the awareness that anytime you do an activity that includes either burning or open flame in the wildland setting, just use extreme caution, especially this time of year, May, as we have that dry grass and these windy conditions. It does not take much of a start for a fire to get out of control, past where a homeowner can suppress it on their own. And those are our most expensive fires. Those take the most resources, the most firefighters and aircraft. So we really ask people to use extreme caution, whether thats their typical Alaskan, you know, outdoor activities like camping and hunting, or when youre doing your land clearing, look at other options. Instead of burning in May and June when its dry and windy, save that burning for fall when we get our wetter conditions or that first snow in October. That is something that we really try to encourage people to do.

Casey Grove: Gotcha, yeah. Nobody wants something getting away from them like that and causing damage to their neighborhood or anybody else.

NM: No, and people are always surprised at how quickly they have a burn barrel or a small fire or a barbecue in the grass how quickly a fire starts to something that they cant control with what they have on site. And then the fire department shows up and the helicopter show up, and its just every person that we go through with that always says the same thing, I had no idea how quickly that fire could spread. And so just something to be aware of, for anybody doing that type of activity this summer.

CG: Theres a lot there that you cant really control, like the weather or where lightning strikes, and things like that. And you can get the word out about how residents should be behaving to be fire safe. But I guess there are a few things that you can do ahead of time to prepare. And one of those things is what you call hazardous fuels reduction, right? And I guess thats a big push this year, it sounds like.

NM: Yeah, and its nothing new to the division. Weve been doing fuel brakes and the hazardous fuels reduction, you know, going back to the mid 90s. And that really started with the first beetle epidemic we had going back to 95, 96, that timeframe. And so its something weve used and have had success with. Whats changed this year is we have, for the first time, last year we received state dollars. Weve relied entirely on federal grants up until last year, for fuels reduction. And with this administration, public safety is a big part of their push. And we received a $10 million capital improvement project, just earmarked for fuels reduction. And so that gives us state funds to leverage more federal funds, which this year come to us through the infrastructure bill. So we are really in a good place when it comes to actually funding for this work. And now building capacity to meet the requirements of that work is really where were at now. Yeah, its a really exciting time as far as opportunities to provide a better service and public safety and develop these fuel breaks around some of our critical infrastructure and communities.

CG: Well, what are fire crews doing right now, other than reducing fuels and cutting fire breaks? What are they doing to get ready for the coming fire season?

NM: So our Division of Forestry crews, they come back starting about mid-April, and they do what we call our 80 hours or two weeks of training. And thats their physical fitness, thats their fire readiness. Theyre getting their gear up and ready. Theyre ready to go May 1, so our crews are staffed. Theyre ready to respond. We have them pre-positioned around the state, including Kenai and the Mat-Su Valley. The Fairbanks crew is down in Kenai, because snow still on the ground means fire season is a couple weeks behind. So we have them pre-positioned to where theyre available to do the most good and in a short order. But while theyre not assigned to fires, theyre doing this fuels reduction work. So this is really good preseason work and that kind of crossover training for a lot of the similar work they do when theres a wildland fire. And thats running chainsaws and, you know, clearing those fire breaks is very similar to what it looks like on the fire line, as it is when theyre building a fuel break ahead of the fire. So theyre engaged with that work and theyre ready and theyre pre-positioned and ready to go, should they be needed anyplace in the state.

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Alaska wildland fire crews ready for action, with state funding to reduce hazardous fuels - Alaska Public Media News

For Immediate Release -- 13 May 2022 -- Geneva. The on-going armed conflict in Ukraine has sparked widespread humanitarian crises, with reports of thousands of civilian causalities, the use of landmines and other explosive ordnance, and the fastest-growing refugee situation since World War II. Anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, as well as other unexploded or abandoned ammunition left behind in Ukraine, threaten the lives of millions of people. They will take years to remove, hindering reconstruction efforts and making it unsafe for people to return to their previous daily lives.

While full-scale humanitarian demining efforts are impossible during the conflict, coordination to support Ukrainian authorities to locate, identify and, when possible, remove explosive ordnance is already underway.

Urgently mapping landmine risks for coordinated action

Ukrainian national authorities report that they have already located, recorded, and removed nearly 80,000 mines and explosive devices. This massive undertaking is closely supported by the Mine Action Information Management (IM) cell, coordinated by the GICHD, where national authorities are joined by UN agencies, and international and local mine action organisations. Responding to the surge of reports of explosive ordnance, the IM cell is acting as a mine action information hub, gathering data from a variety of national and international sources, including social media.

A cornerstone of this has been Ukraine's Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA), used in country since 2012. The GICHD-developed IMSMA has transitioned to an emergency coordination platform, allowing the IM cell to aggregate, interpret, and share the flood of data across partners and sources, in order to map areas where threats exist and define possible actions. During this emergency phase, coordinated access to up-to-date data helps national authorities target resources and take action strategically.

In the longer term, data-driven mapping of areas where landmines and other explosive ordnance are reported builds the foundation for effective and efficient humanitarian demining operations. Identifying the areas and extent of contamination helps speed the recovery process so that people can return to their homes and use their land safely.

Helping civilians in mine-contaminated areas reduce risks

While mine action efforts are underway, Ukrainian civilians have an urgent need to understand how to recognise explosive ordnance in their communities, what to do if EO is found, and how to reduce their risks.

"10 to 30% of the explosive weapons used, dropped, fired or launched do not explode as intended and many other explosive ordnance are abandoned in various locations," estimates the Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) Advisory Group, an international group of experts from the GICHD, UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs, in the recently published Questions and Answers on EORE for Ukraine. This means that a large portion of mines and other EO used during the conflict will remain a threat to civilians after the fighting is over, especially for children.

Actors working on the ground in Ukraine play a crucial role in promoting awareness on risks faced by local communities. Through the UNICEF-led EORE working group in Ukraine, the GICHD is contributing to the information on risk education and good practices available there. This support is important to help to align with up-to-date good practices and identify evolving EO threats in real time.

Identifying explosive ordnance items

In addition to the sheer quantity of explosive ordnance in Ukraine, the variety of the types of EO adds an additional challenge for mine action operators on the ground. Correctly identifying explosive ordnance is the first step in dealing with it as safely as possible.

Drafted over three weeks to provide urgent guidance to operators conducting mine action activities in Ukraine, the first edition of GICHD's Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraineidentifies over 100 separate items of explosive ordnance, such as anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, explosive submunitions, and grenades, found in Ukraine since the conflict began. The GICHD will continue to update the guide as more explosive ordnance is identified, aiming to assist mine action operators to manage the risks they face in their work.

Planning for long-term response toward recovery

As Ukraine approaches three months since the escalation of the armed conflict in February, increased technical and financial support is needed to sustain current efforts and prepare for longer-term response.

"Humanitarian demining in Ukraine needs to focus on national capacity and nationally-led programmes," explained GICHD Director, Ambassador Stefano Toscano. Current efforts in country build on solid national foundations that have existed in Ukraine for decades, dating back to the end of the second World War. These capacities need to be strengthened further to respond to the scale of explosive ordnance contamination now present, in support of wider recovery efforts.

The GICHD will continue to work alongside national authorities and international organisations over the long-term to address the impact of explosive ordnance in Ukraine. Today the focus is placed on targeted support to save lives and prevent losses and injuries. Tomorrow our joint efforts will be a prerequisite for reconstruction and sustainable development.

###

The GICHD is grateful for the generous support of our donors and would like to recognise the contributions of the U.S. Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, as well as the Governments of Switzerland and the Netherlands, which make our work in Ukraine possible.

See the rest here:
Clearing landmines from Ukraine may take decades; Work to find, map, and remove them has already begun - Ukraine - ReliefWeb

Satellites have detected forest clearing within Triunfo do Xingu this year, an area thats supposed to be a legally protected swath of Amazon rainforest in Brazils northern state of Par.

Home to jaguars, howler monkeys, rare margays, and a wellspring of other diversity, the protected area was created in 2006 as a sustainable use reserve, meaning that within its bounds (an area more than half the size of Belgium) landowners are legally required to keep 80% of their forests intact.

However, despite this requirement, 35%of the primary (or old-growth) forest within the Triunfo do Xingu Environmental Protection Area (APA) was lost between 2006 and 2021 more than 533,000hectares (1.32 million acres), according to satellite data from the University of Maryland (UMD), visualized on the Global Forest Watch platform.

That makes the Triunfo do Xingu APA one of the most deforested slices of the Brazilian Amazon in recent years, putting it in the top three of Brazilslist of most deforested protected reserves.

The highest amount of forest loss since the creation of the protected area occurred in 2020, at almost 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) an area nearly the size of New York City. Although deforestation decreased in 2021, loss that year was still nearly twice the average rate between 2002 and 2021.

Deforestation in the region is largely driven by cattle ranching, according to previous reporting in 2020. In the Amazon, farmers and ranchers use slash-and-burn techniques to clear forest for pasture. In So Flix do Xingu municipality, where the protected area lies, there are nearly 20 times more cattle than people.

The Triunfo do Xingu APA was created to allow some kind of human activity in a sustainable way, Larissa Amorim, a researcher at Imazon, an NGO monitoring the forest clearing, told Mongabay in 2021. But we see that it is not sustainable at all. And the illegal activities that are taking place there end up spilling beyond it.

The Triunfo do Xingu APA was intended to protect wildlife and serves as a buffer for vulnerable surrounding areas, such as the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory and the massive Terra do Meio Ecological Station, but deforestation has spilled over.

[The Terra do Meio Ecological Station] should be completely preserved, Rmulo Batista, a campaigner with Greenpeace Brazil, told Mongabay in 2021. There should be zero deforestation there. But instead, we are seeing rampant forest destruction, which is really worrying.

Forest loss has also encroached into the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory to the northeast, local sources told Mongabay. And to the southeast, forest is being cleared in the Kayapo Indigenous Territory, something we had never seen before, Francisco Fonseca of The Nature Conservancy told Mongabay in 2020.

With this weakening of [Triunfo do Xingu], it has become easier to reach conservation parks, Indigenous territories beyond. It ultimately didnt end up becoming the buffer it was supposed to become.

Though cattle ranching remains the main culprit behind forest loss, the region has also emerged as a center of land grabbing and illegal mining by invaders who are betting on the continued loosening of environmental regulations and enforcement.

We have seen a wave of land grabbing, Fonseca said. The pattern has changed many of these openings are now for speculation only, not for planting or pastures.

Experts say that land grabbers, those who move into an area and clear forest to stake their claim, have been emboldened by the rhetoric and policies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. In recent years, the government has issued amnesties to land speculators who have invaded conservation units and often then use fire to clear forests on public lands for private agricultural lands.

Protecting Triunfo do Xingu from illegal deforestation and fires has proven extra challenging because it is remote and accessible primarily by boat from the town of So Flix do Xingu. On-the-ground monitoring, control, and the capacity to prosecute those who deforest and set illegal fires has been limited across Brazil, as government agencies and law enforcement that once operated inthe Amazonhave been largely defunded under the current administration. Bolsonaro has also blamed fires on Indigenous and traditional peoples.

In 2021, 3.75 million hectares (9.27 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest were lost across the planet, a rate of about 10 football fields per minute. More than 40% of that primary forest loss last year occurred in Brazil, according to Global Forest Watch.

The main driver is the total lack of environmental policy from this government, said Batista, the Greenpeace Brazil campaigner.People who are disposed to invading are feeling emboldened.

These are regions that have the greatest ecological importance and that must be protected to ensure the integrity of the rainforest as a whole, Batista added. And this is what we are ultimately losing with this surge in deforestation.

Liz Kimbroughis a staff writer for Mongabay. Find her on Twitter@lizkimbrough_

Editors note:This story was powered byPlaces to Watch, a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas. Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time satellite data, automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis. In partnership with Mongabay, GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch. Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data.

FEEDBACK:Use this formto send a message to the author of this post.

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Pasture replaces large tract of intact primary forest in Brazilian protected area - Mongabay.com

Seattle - What a beautiful close to Saturday. Skies clearing for a gorgeous sunset after highs hit 66! That is exactly where we are supposed to land for this time of year.

The next system moves in late Saturday into early Sunday. Lows will remain warmer overnight in the upper 40s to just over 50 for most areas except for the NW WA Coast where lows land in the mid 40s.

Sunday starts our showery with heavy downpours by late morning up and down the I-5 corridor. Winds will be breezy at times too.

If you plan to head to the Sounders match at Lumen Field dress for showers with some clearing through the match. Look for 1pm kick off temps in the mid 50s as the Rave Green host the Minnesota Loons. #GoSoundersFC

Highs will drop cooler than Saturday, peaking in the low to mid 60s Sunday, with the warmest temps in the foothills of the Cascades. Mountain snow levels rise to near 7,500' too. The Summit at Snoqualmie warms to near 60 under cloudy, rainy skies.

By the time we close out Sunday Seattle could end up with nearly an inch of rain in the bucket between the last three days.

The Pacific will remain active offshore, but at this point we aren't forecasting any systems to move inland Monday and Tuesday. Highs hang in the low 60s, cooler than normal.

The next front moves hits Wednesday, spreading rain and breezy winds across the region yet again. Highs will cool about 10 degrees below average with this system.

The rest of the week looks mostly dry with showers returning late Saturday.

Have a great night! ~ Erin Mayovsky, FOX 13 Forecaster

*Beach Forecast

*Mountain Forecast

*Central WA Forecast

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Sunday sees rain with the return of drier conditions to start the work week. - FOX 13 Seattle

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The government says Victoria needs a ready supply of raw materials as the state grows and embarks on its unprecedented big build of new infrastructure. Victorias population is forecast to reach 10 million before 2050.

After the application was lodged with the council in 2020, Planning Minister Richard Wynne removed the decision from the councils hands and referred it to an independent planning panel. There were about 80 objections on the grounds the plan was inconsistent with the councils biodiversity strategy and its impact on threatened species.

This approval sends a strong signal that the government is putting mining ahead of the environment, and ahead of the people who live near the sand mine, said Catherine Watson, a spokesperson for the Save Western Port Woodlands group, which has 350 members.

The group had presented a petition to parliament with 4000 signatures. Ultimately, it wants the woodlands to be turned into a national park, to be co-managed by the Bunurong Land Council and Parks Victoria.

The planning panel found the native vegetation corridor was likely to be irreversibly damaged by clearing, saying it was critical that ongoing habitat connectivity was provided between the nearby Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve and Grantville Bushland Reserve.

The issue of policy balance has been challenging for the panel, and there is a direct tension particularly between policies relating to extractive industries and native vegetation, the panels report said.

The Westernport Woodlands are home to a number of species like this lace monitor, which is listed as endangered in Victoria.

But the panel also noted the sand resource had been identified as a priority project on the states extractive industry list. Globally, demand for sand is growing because of urbanisation and extraction locations are shifting to fragile environments, such as rivers, coastlines and oceans, which is severely impacting these ecosystems.

Jordan Crook, a nature campaigner with the Victorian National Parks Association, said the decision to sever the Western Port Woodlands with sand mining showed the government did not value Victorias natural resources.

Its death by a thousand cuts for the Western Port Woodlands and the amazing array of plant, animal and fungi species that call it home, he said.

The panel found the company should integrate a biodiversity and vegetation management plan into the site, saying these aspects be resolved before vegetation removal begins.

Proportionately, Victoria is the state with the most cleared native vegetation, according to a report this week from the states auditor -general. Two thirds of Victoria is private land, and 80 per cent of this has been cleared. Illegal land clearing continues to take place across the state, and this undermines the investments in protecting the quality and cover of Victorian native vegetation, the report found.

In a statement, Dandy Premix Quarries said the new permit contained a raft of conditions that comprehensively address all environmental risks associated with the quarry. The business has been in operation since 2013 and is expected to employ 20 people under expanded operations.

In total, Dandy Premix has committed to protecting more than 117 hectares of private, uncleared land that abuts two existing public nature conservation reserves, it said.

An aerial image of the Dandy Premix sand mine, from its application to government. The red lines show where the mine would be extended.

The final approval was shaped by the community feedback, with protections in place to ensure we can maintain access to the these vital resources without compromising the environment, a government spokesperson said.

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Minister backs Western Port woodland clearance to expand sand mine - Sydney Morning Herald