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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing 13 NGOs and CSOs, wrote to the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Mines to defend a request made to the Minister of Mineral Resources. The CER argues that existing statutory tools are insufficient to protect areas of critical biodiversity and hydrological value from mining, and therefore urges the Minister to use her discretion under Section 49 of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to declare certain 'no-go areas'.

This report by Friends of the Earth International documents various community-led struggles and successes in maintaining biodiversity and food sovereignty across different global territories. It highlights the conflict between industrial agricultural models—characterized by monocultures, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and land grabbing—and traditional, agroecological practices that respect natural cycles and ancestral knowledge.

This WRI fact sheet provides a regional analysis of coral reefs in Australia, detailing their scale, the low impact of local human threats compared to the severe projected impacts of climate change, and the extent of marine protected areas.

This report analyzes the practice and quality of Natura 2000 impact assessments in Estonia as of 2010. It evaluates the compliance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports with European Union directives and surveys experts on the availability of baseline data and the effectiveness of current procedures.

This report evaluates Integrated Place-based Management (IPM) initiatives, focusing on how goals are defined and how monitoring and evaluation frameworks measure long-term environmental and governance impacts. It analyzes Canadian and international case studies to identify trends in the transition from short-term project reporting to long-term, adaptive monitoring that combines outcome-based environmental indicators with process-based governance indicators.

This report analyzes the implementation of the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RES) and Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Sweden, specifically focusing on the hydropower sector. It examines how the Swedish judicial concession system, which governs hydropower operations, creates conflicts between renewable energy production goals and aquatic biodiversity requirements. The author argues that the current system's lack of incentives and high level of distrust between operators and authorities hinder both the efficiency gains from hydropower refurbishments and the timely implementation of water quality improvements.

This research paper evaluates how tiered conservation strategies—combining protected areas, restrictive zoning, and incentive payments—represent four ecosystem services in England compared to single conservation strategies.

This executive summary by Friends of the Earth International argues that large-scale jatropha plantations are neither economically viable nor sustainable, contradicting claims by investment companies that the crop is a solution for the energy crisis, climate change, and poverty.

This report by Friends of the Earth International evaluates the production of jatropha for biofuels in Mozambique, concluding that the industry is based on false premises regarding the crop's suitability for marginal lands and its impact on food security. The study finds that jatropha often displaces food crops, requires significant water and nutrients, and is highly susceptible to pests, posing risks to both small-scale farmers and the environment.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Accountability Counsel submitted comments on the World Bank Group's draft Framework for Engagement in the Palm Oil Sector, arguing that the proposed strategy is insufficient to prevent systemic harm to people and the environment. The organizations call for a continued moratorium on palm oil lending and the closure of loopholes regarding Financial Intermediaries (FIs) and Advisory Services.

This report examines the tension between trade liberalization and environmental sustainability in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), highlighting how infrastructure development and illegal trade undermine ecological protections and proposing regional coordination mechanisms to address wildlife trafficking and climate change.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) outlines its activities plan for July 2010 to June 2011, focusing on training institutes, science programs, and a specific MacArthur project regarding Andean biodiversity.

This fact sheet examines the challenges of balancing trade liberalization and environmental protection in the Mekong Subregion. It highlights the gap between regional policy rhetoric and actual implementation, the impact of illegal trade on biodiversity, and the dominant role of foreign donors in driving environmental agendas within trade policy.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents its core budget request for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, totaling US$1,279,000. The budget supports the Directorate's operations, including the management of scientific programs like CRN II and SGP-HD, capacity building through training institutes, and administrative functions. The request reflects a roughly 10% increase over the previous year, primarily driven by rising salary and benefit costs, while facing challenges from depleted reserves due to shortfalls in member country contributions.

The DIVERSUS Collaborative Research Network is developing an interdisciplinary framework to analyze how land cover change (LCC) affects functional biodiversity, ecosystem properties, and the resulting ecosystem services that support human livelihoods across diverse environments from the tropics to the tundra.

This executive summary evaluates the current scientific knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the tropical Andes. It identifies the region as a global biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism, particularly in cloud forests and high-altitude ecosystems. The document details how rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and habitat fragmentation threaten species' survival and the ecosystem services—such as water regulation and food security—upon which over 40 million people depend. It advocates for adaptive management, the creation of connected conservation corridors, and increased inter-institutional coordination to mitigate these risks.

This 2010 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines how trade facilitation measures at multilateral, regional, and subregional levels impact the illegal wildlife and timber trade in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). It analyzes the tension between economic growth driven by infrastructure and trade ease and the resulting depletion of biodiversity, providing recommendations for policymakers to mitigate environmental risks.

This research paper argues for a fundamental shift in how ecosystems are valued and managed to address the combined threats of climate change and unsustainable resource demands. The authors contend that current economic models treat ecosystems as undervalued commodities, leading to market failures and degradation. They propose an 'ecosystems approach' that integrates ecosystem-based mitigation and adaptation into the heart of political and economic decision-making to ensure climate stability and the continued delivery of essential services.

This research paper describes Alcoa's 'Sustainable Juruti Program' for its bauxite mine in the Brazilian Amazon, which aims to establish a sustainability benchmark for mining in ecologically sensitive regions through a combination of environmental respect, social responsibility, and economic success.

This report by Friends of the Earth Europe examines the impact of jatropha biofuel cultivation in India, specifically focusing on the state of Chhattisgarh. It argues that the drive to replace 20% of diesel consumption by 2017 has led to the forced displacement of tribal and lower-caste communities from common lands, often without consultation, while the crop itself has frequently failed to thrive due to poor understanding of growing conditions.