Quoted: Outcomes and benefits of a global informational system will include: disaster reduction, integrated water resource management, ocean and marine resource monitoring and management, weather and air quality monitoring, forecasting and advisories, biodiversity conservation, sustainable land use and management, public understanding of environmental factors affecting human health and well being, better development of energy resources, adaptation to climate variability and change.

I'm so interested in these floating islands in Loktak Lake.

Quoted: THE sangai, or Manipur brow-antlered deer (Cervus eldi eldi), a delicately beautiful animal found only in the hilly north-east Indian state of Manipur, has already had one let-off. In 1951 it was ruled extinct. Happily, a half-dozen were found two years later living on a vast island of floating biomass on Loktak lake, the second-biggest lake in India, to the south-east of Manipur's state capital, Imphal.

Looking forward to reading this. The title definitely grabbed my attention.

Quoted: Bringing together some of the leading researchers in development, the book discusses the theory, growth, and impact of political ecology. In-depth case material drawn from across the developing world is used to explore the realities and impact of sustainability, while emphasizing both the environment and social theory as areas of contention and struggle.

Includes a list of UNESCO WH forests, with introductory information on each.

Quoted: Ranging in size from 18 hectares (Vallée de Mai, Seychelles), to 8.8 million hectares (Lake Baikal, Russia), World Heritage forest sites now have a total surface area of over 76 million hectares...Given these figures, it is clear that the World Heritage Convention is uniquely positioned amongst international conventions, programmes and agencies to play a leading role for in-situ conservation of forest biodiversity.

Quoted: Within the fence area, scientists have observed a strange phenomenon: above the native vegetation, the sky is rich in rain-producing clouds. But the sky on the farmland side is clear.

This is fascinating. A team of researchers led by Udaysankar Nair and Tom Lyons have proposed three possible explanations.

Quoted: Well-managed landscapes and seascapes are at the basis of sustainable development and human security. They are critical to addressing underlying causes of biodiversity loss, and an essential requirement for meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

Quoted: The UN and other international organisations collect large amounts of statistics each year from all over the world...With Globalis, we have made these statistics available in a simpler and more visual format. The tool contains a large database where we have explained and categorised new UN statistics...

Excellent article on urbanization in the developing world.

Quoted: ...urbanisation has stabilised in Europe and the Americas with about 75 percent of the population living in urban areas. By comparison, only 35 percent of Africa and Asia's current population is urban. But the developing world is projected to absorb 95 percent of the world's urban growth over the next 20 years...

Happy birthday Jacques Cousteau. You'll always be l'Homme!

Quoted: Cousteau Society : Educating people to understand, to love and to protect the waters systems of the planet, marin and fresh water, for the well-being of future generations.