Delegates from around the world have gathered in Morocco to determine the fate of a fish. It’s a strange thing – men and women in suits locked behind closed doors, poring over statistics and spreadsheets, jockeying for position and power – all to decide how many bluefin tuna may be legally hauled out of the […]
Green roofs have become a widespread phenomenon over the last few years but very little research has been focused on perfecting the practice in the Middle East, where high temperatures and dwindling water resources have prevented widespread uptake. But that is all set to change as a new center dedicated to researching the efficacy, ecology […]
Seed money up to $1 million to protect your local birds. Apply today. Sick of reading about Cyprus songbirds killed and pickled for snacks? Weary of wild killing sprees like Egypt’s sanctioned bird hunt ? Or maybe the downed flamingos in Kuwait ruffled your feathers? BirdLife International has created a fund to underwrite environmental preservation projects in one of the […]
Egypt’s first ever seed bombing event will highlight the importance of preserving Egyptian seeds and promoting local biodiversity Environmental groups across Egypt have come together to launch a unique event that involves two things you wouldn’t normally put together: seeds and bombing. Campaigners from Nawaya, Nabta, Greenpeace Egypt and 350.org have been busy training activists […]
Find out how Middle Eastern and North African nations fared in the recent global Ocean Health Index (I’ll give you a clue – not very well) With a recent Greenpeace report urging action to tackle the toxicity of Lebanon’s waters due to trash, now seems the perfect time to look into the health of the […]
This Arabian sand gazelle in the United Arab Emirates is now six days old! While some zoos in the Middle East and North Africa have a terrible track record when it comes to their treatment of animals, Al Ain Zoo in the United Arab Emirates functions as a leading wildlife conservation center that specializes in […]
If you need another reason to support the Barcelona soccer team, this might help: in order to expand their fan base in the Middle East and Asia, Real Madrid is joining forces with the United Arab Emirates to build a giant soccer resort complete with a stadium, fancy villas, two high rise hotels, and a […]
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault locked safe away in Norway has once again opened its steel doors welcoming 25,000 new seed samples including varieties of chickpeas, fava beans and other seeds from Syria. Around 110,000 Syrian duplicate seed samples out of 750,000 samples stored in Syria have been safely consigned, should the conflict in Syria […]
America joins Jordan in a celebration of green, but we are not sold on the deal. The USA and Jordan recently entered into environmental partnership, cosigning a plan to promote four distinct Jordanian initiatives: ecosystem conservation; increased education; improved private sector performance; and stronger environmental law. This agreement wrapped up a one-day forum on Environmental Technical Cooperation […]
Internet filters against evolution: Evolutionary biologists find it increasingly harder to work in Turkey
Frankincense burners such as those depicted above could eventually become unnecessary as frankincense supplies dwindle. We all know the story. The Three Wise Men (Magi) traveled to Bethlehem upon the birth of baby Jesus and laid gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh at his feet. The story is so engrained in the consciousness of Christians […]
We climbed aboard the Ocean Adventurer over the weekend to learn more about the prolific upwelling system that supports such extraordinary biodiversity. It is a strikingly adapted high-performance sailing catamaran hull chosen by owner David de Villiers for its super efficient design, which uses 70% less fuel than its counterparts.
The Shouf Cedar Reserve is working tirelessly to protect Lebanon’s cedar forests from climate change. Fifteen years ago, civil war posed the greatest threat to Lebanon’s majestic cedar forests, but today climate change is their most prominent foe. The largest of Lebanon’s natural reserves and home to one quarter of the nation’s almost mythological cedar […]
Science journalist Mike Shanahan took these pictures of dyed chicks while attending a conference in Qatar. He questions how antics like this impact children’s understanding of nature. Sometimes we come across a story and think “this can only happen in the Middle East.” Renowned science journalist Mike Shanahan, who previously inspired us to consider the […]
It’s hard to believe that Jordan -thought worldwide to be nothing more than a sliver of desert – would have rushing waterfalls to protect. At the end of June, 2011, UNESCO is expected to name Jordan’s Mujib Nature Reserve a protected biosphere reserve. The second such site in this small sliver of country, the Mujib […]