Ascending forests

The majority of the world’s forests are now found on steep slopes, as lowland areas become increasing developed, farmed and urbanized. This trend is consistent with Hong Kong’s forests where the country parks system protects much of the greenery on hillsides, leaving some of the biodiverse flatlands unprotected and vulnerable to human threats. An upside of this ascending trend of forests worldwide is that these steep mountainous habitats are actually more resilient to climate change, less disturbed and can maintain its microclimate much better than low-lying forests which are increasingly small and fragmented.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112956361/forests-increasingly-found-on-steep-slopes-092413/

New partnerships to advance conservation of threatened species

Tim Flannery suggests the future of biodiversity protection should see greater use of public-private collaborations in addressing the dire species decline of Australia’s native mammals. He highlights the ineffectiveness of our national parks in having to divide a limited budget between tourist management and conservation, and points to NGOs like the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, a trust organisation with a strong focus and expertise on species and habitat recovery, as potential collaborators with government conservation authorities.

https://theconversation.com/the-future-for-biodiversity-conservation-isnt-more-national-parks-11027

Pangolin population in crisis

All 8 species of pangolins are in critical decline, according to the first meeting of the IUCN’s Pangolin Specialist Group. The scaly anteaters are been driven to extinction by their popularity in East Asia, used in traditional Chinese medicine and eaten as a soup delicacy. 2 species are currently listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, while they might be extinct altogether in China, hence creating an illegal trading market from South East Asia and Africa.

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0723-hance-pangolin-conference.html

Value of MPAs in the UK

UK Marine Protected Areas are estimated to be worth 1-2 billion pounds, according a new study for designating key marine hotspots for recreational users. As well as looking at the economic value of marine conservation for divers and anglers, the study also examined non-monetary value such as health, therapeutic, spiritual and social benefits, finding that all of these were important at all studied sites.

http://phys.org/news/2013-07-uk-marine-areas-worth-billions.html

Changing the mold of new town development

Local residents have previously requested the government draw up a revised plan for farms to remain and co-exist with new developments within the new town proposed for Hong Kong's north east region. Not surprisingly, this request was deftly ignored in the plan's most recent iteration.
http://www.cleanbiz.asia/blogs/reap-whats-sown-changing-mold-new-town-development?page=show#.Ue-Cq41mjTo

New UN Forum to unite sustainable development advocates

The UN General Assembly has established a new Political Forum, replacing the existing UN Commission on Sustainable Development after recommendations from Rio+20 document “The Future We Want” suggesting that a high-level and dynamic platform should be developed. The forum brings together countries and civil society to provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations, aimed at generating the momentum for change. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45376&Cr=sustainable+development&Cr1=#.Ud4mG_lmjTp

Severely underfunded for biodiversity conservation

China ranks in a group of 40 countries that is severely underfunded in conservation but should be prioritised due to its rich biodiversity, according to a new academic paper. It suggests that very modest increases in these key areas would achieve a large improvement, representing the best value of money for conservation funding. http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/07/02/biodiversity_spending_study_finds_40_countries_most_underfunded_to_properly_protect_species.html