http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Cinta, a baby orangutan found lost and alone in a vast Borneo palm oil plantation, now clings to a tree at a sanctuary for the great apes, staring intently at dozens of tourists. http://www.physorg.com/news175433385.html Biology Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:50:01 EST news175433385 The first experiences with exotic species in the Basque Country, and alternative to Pinus radiata, were undertaken in 1957, concretely in Laukiz, Lezama and Alonsotegui (Muro, 1975) where the eucalyptus, amongst other forest species, was introduced. The expansion of rapid growth plantations such as those of eucalyptus came about in order to meet the needs of the growing paper pulp industry. Blights and diseases arose as one of the main threats to the plantations based on non-native species (Wingfield, 2003; Old et al., 2003). http://www.physorg.com/news173354886.html Biology Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:30:03 EST news173354886 The expansion of rubber plantations in southeast Asia could have a "devastating" environmental impact, scientists warned Thursday as they pressed for a substantial increase in forest preserves. http://www.physorg.com/news162135227.html Space & Earth Thu, 21 May 2009 14:34:18 EST news162135227 Desert environments are characterized by poor vegetative cover, strong winds, dry, non-cohesive sandy soils, and hyper-arid conditions. In this context, the land resources of Abu Dhabi Emirate in the United Arab Emirates are subjected to various land degradation stresses, including wind erosion, salinization, waterlogging, landfilling, and overgrazing. To sustain the land resources of Abu Dhabi Emirate, land degradation is a matter of urgency and must be accorded greater significance on the environmental agenda. http://www.physorg.com/news160832398.html Space & Earth Wed, 06 May 2009 12:40:31 EST news160832398 Oil palm cultivation is a significant driver of tropical forest destruction across Southeast Asia. It could easily become a threat to the Amazon rainforest because of a proposed change in Brazil's legislation, new infrastructure and the influence of foreign agro-industrial firms in the region, according to William F. Laurance, senior scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. http://www.physorg.com/news157115219.html Space & Earth Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:07:29 EST news157115219 (PhysOrg.com) -- Keeping tropical rain forests intact is a better way to combat climate change than replacing them with biofuel plantations, according to a new in-depth study by an international team of scientists, including Matt Struebig from Queen Mary, University of London. http://www.physorg.com/news147362397.html Biology Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:59:57 EST news147362397 Rising demand for palm oil will decimate biodiversity unless producers and politicians can work together to preserve as much remaining natural forest as possible, ecologists have warned. A new study of the potential ecological impact of various management strategies published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology found that very little can be done to make palm oil plantations more hospitable for local birds and butterflies. The findings have major implications for the booming market in biofuels and its impact on biodiversity. http://www.physorg.com/news134820341.html Space & Earth Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:05:41 EST news134820341