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Industrial agriculture terrorizes Borneo: Palm oil plantations are responsible for deforestation, fires, habitat loss, air pollution

October 25, 2017 -

In an article published on DailyMail.co.uk, researcher Joshua P. Twining explains that he and his colleagues uncovered this disturbing fact while conducting a study on Borneo's scavenger communities. “Scavengers are an important but often overlooked group in understanding how ecosystems function. They provide vital services including the removal of carrion, which is a crucial component in recycling nutrients and preventing disease. And disruption of these groups has ...

Orangutan defends forest home from giant excavator ripping down trees

June 11, 2018 -

Unfortunately, as the video footage shows, the animal fell short; he attempted to grab onto the excavator's bucket, but fell from the tree before getting a good grip. The footage was reportedly filmed back in 2013, but was only released recently online.

A person from the Orangutan Protection Unit for the International Animal Rescue, a nonprofit group for animal welfare, was creeping under the animal with a dart gun. It's reported that the animal was captured safely and ...

We only THINK we’re smarter: Scientists shocked when orangutans were filmed making their OWN MEDICINE for sore limbs

July 19, 2018 -

Video footage from the Borneo Nature Foundation shows a female orangutan in the Sabangau Forest chewing on the leaves of a plant and working them into a soapy lather. She can then be seen carefully rubbing it onto her arms and elbows for seven minutes. “Indy,” as she is called, doesn't swallow the leaves and eventually spits out the chewed-up pulp.

The Borneo Nature Foundation collaborated with a team of scientists to look into this astounding phenomenon....

One more reason “high carbon levels” are a good thing: CO2 protects rainforests and at-risk wildlife species

December 27, 2017 -

Scientists are also aware that trees are reservoirs of stored carbon and that when trees are cut down they release this carbon into the air. They, therefore, recognize that preventing deforestation will reduce the amount of carbon released into the air, which they believe will help curb global warming.

With this in mind, there has been renewed focus worldwide on protecting what are known as “high carbon” rainforests.

Large-scale and extractive industries like ...

Beneficial pests? Study shows that termites can alleviate the damage that droughts cause in tropical rainforests

September 13, 2019 -

Termites thrive in tropical regions with plenty of cellulose-rich plants that they can digest. The "sheeting" structures they construct above ground let them travel through the rainforest in safety even during dry spells. They also make tasty meals in an emergency.

Many researchers believe that termites make positive contributions to decomposition, soil moisture, and other essential activities in the soil. However, the part that these "white ants" play in those processes ...

The connection between humans and salt

April 30, 2018 -

In his recent book, Dr. DiNicolantonio claims humans evolved eating a diet with plenty of sodium chloride, not the other way around. He points out how prevalent salt is in nature, even when you travel away from the sea.

Salt is found in practically everything: Rainwater, the ground, mountains, animals, and plants. It comprises 90 percent of the minerals found in the ocean, as well as the ones in human blood.

One of our primary perceptions of taste is saltiness. This ...

Orangutans discovered to be herbal medicine geniuses who manufacture their own healing ointments using forest plants

January 17, 2018 -

Orangutans have been observed in the wild creating their own ointment and using it to treat aching limbs in what is believed to be the first time humans have witnessed animals self-treating with anti-inflammatory agents.

In the study, more than 20,000 hours of animals in the wild were filmed by the Borneo Nature Foundation. Apes were seen in the clips making their own herbal medicines and using them in Indonesian Borneo’s Sabangau Forest, which is situated ...

Scientists spot rare owl species not seen since 1892

June 18, 2021 -

Now, scientists have shot the first-ever photograph of the Bornean Rajah scops owl. It was included in a study published on April 28 in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.Rare owl species spotted for the second time since 1892

In May 2016, Andy Boyce, then a doctoral candidate at the University of Montana, worked at Sabah, Malaysia, to understand how different bird species behave across various elevations. Boyce was capturing and measuring songbirds when he received a text ...

Study: Demand for biodiesel in Europe has caused huge areas of forest land to disappear

July 13, 2021 -

The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) was behind the June 2021 study penned by Suren Rangaraju, an energy analyst at the organization. It said that the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), first introduced in 2010, set a 10 percent renewable energy target for transport by 2020 for each EU member state. This inadvertently drove up demand for cheaper crop-based biodiesel mainly sourced from Asia and South America.

Since 2010, Europe has burned around 39 ...