Latest news with #GeologicalSocietyofLondon
The Sun
01-08-2025
- General
- The Sun
Chimp sanctuary shuts to protest Sierra Leone deforestation
FREETOWN: The eco-lodges and tree-covered footpaths of West Africa's largest chimpanzee refuge have been devoid of tourists for more than two months as its founder stages a protest about rampant deforestation in Sierra Leone. Authorities acknowledge that the country's rich wildlife is threatened by land seizures and illegal logging, but the founder of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Bala Amarasekaran, says they have not yet done enough about it to convince him to reopen to visitors. 'A few months back, we could see the land grabbing and the encroachment coming closer to the sanctuary,' Amarasekaran told Reuters at the refuge, which is home to more than 100 mainly orphaned chimps and normally lets guests stay in its lodges. '(Deforestation) is really threatening the sanctuary's existence, because it's too dangerous when people come close to a wildlife preserve like this,' said Amarasekaran, who founded the refuge 30 years ago and has led it through crises including civil war and the 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic. Sierra Leone lost approximately 2.17 million hectares (5.36 million acres) of tree cover between 2001 and 2024, representing about 39% of the total in 2000, according to online tracker Global Forest Watch. The Western Area Peninsula, home to the capital Freetown and Tacugama, lost more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of tree cover during that same period. Amarasekaran said deforestation in the area was fuelled by 'land grabbing' for development. The consequences of rapid deforestation were highlighted by a mudslide on the slopes of Mount Sugar Loaf in 2017 that killed an estimated 1,000 people. A 2019 paper published by the Geological Society of London blamed the incident on a mix of heavy rain, deforested slopes and unchecked construction. It said tree loss had weakened the soil's ability to absorb water and hold together, worsening the mudflow. 'It's a serious problem, an existential problem,' Sierra Leone's Information Minister Chernor Bah told Reuters. 'We regret that the Tacugama authorities have taken the step that they have taken to shut down here, but it's one that we understand.' Amarasekaran said President Julius Maada Bio's government had dispatched a task force to conduct some raids on illegal logging operations, but complained about a lack of follow-up operations. Bah said the government was committed to protecting the peninsula's forests. - Reuters
AsiaOne
01-08-2025
- General
- AsiaOne
Sierra Leone chimp refuge shuts doors to tourists to protest deforestation, Lifestyle News
FREETOWN — The eco-lodges and tree-covered footpaths of West Africa's largest chimpanzee refuge have been devoid of tourists for more than two months as its founder stages a protest about rampant deforestation in Sierra Leone. Authorities acknowledge that the country's rich wildlife is threatened by land seizures and illegal logging, but the founder of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Bala Amarasekaran, says they have not yet done enough about it to convince him to reopen to visitors. "A few months back, we could see the land grabbing and the encroachment coming closer to the sanctuary," Amarasekaran told Reuters at the refuge, which is home to more than 100 mainly orphaned chimps and normally lets guests stay in its lodges. "(Deforestation) is really threatening the sanctuary's existence, because it's too dangerous when people come close to a wildlife preserve like this," said Amarasekaran, who founded the refuge 30 years ago and has led it through crises including civil war and the 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic. Sierra Leone lost approximately 2.17 million hectares (5.36 million acres) of tree cover between 2001 and 2024, representing about 39 per cent of the total in 2000, according to online tracker Global Forest Watch. The Western Area Peninsula, home to the capital Freetown and Tacugama, lost more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of tree cover during that same period. Amarasekaran said deforestation in the area was fuelled by "land grabbing" for development. The consequences of rapid deforestation were highlighted by a mudslide on the slopes of Mount Sugar Loaf in 2017 that killed an estimated 1,000 people. A 2019 paper published by the Geological Society of London blamed the incident on a mix of heavy rain, deforested slopes and unchecked construction. It said tree loss had weakened the soil's ability to absorb water and hold together, worsening the mudflow. "It's a serious problem, an existential problem," Sierra Leone's Information Minister Chernor Bah told Reuters. "We regret that the Tacugama authorities have taken the step that they have taken to shut down here, but it's one that we understand." Amarasekaran said President Julius Maada Bio's government had dispatched a task force to conduct some raids on illegal logging operations, but complained about a lack of follow-up operations. Bah said the government was committed to protecting the peninsula's forests. [[nid:720722]]
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mount Roraima: The 'lost world' isolated for millions of years that Indigenous people call the 'house of the gods'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. QUICK FACTS Name: Mount Roraima Location: Tripoint between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana Coordinates: 5.131793939771963, -60.758709443048986 Why it's incredible: The mountain looks like a floating island from the sky. Mount Roraima is a plateau with near-vertical sides that sits on the triple border point between Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana. The plateau is often encircled by a ring of clouds, which makes the summit look like an island floating in the sky. The mountain towers 9,219 feet (2,810 meters) above the surrounding savanna, jutting out like a giant tabletop. Geologists call this kind of formation a "tepui," which means "house of the gods" in the language of the Pemon, the local Indigenous people. The Pemon believe tepuis to be sacred, and that Mount Roraima is the stump of a supernatural tree that held all the fruit and vegetables of the world until a mythical figure named Makunaima felled it, according to the International Business Times. But scientists have another explanation for how Mount Roraima came to be. Tepuis are exclusively found in South America, and specifically in Venezuela and western Guyana, where they number more than 100. According to the Geological Society of London, tepuis are the remnants of a huge block of sandstone that formed in this region around 1.8 billion years ago as large sand dunes slowly solidified into rock. Over the next 1.5 billion years, other types of rock accumulated on top of the sandstone, but these layers were eroded away roughly 180 million years ago, according to the Geological Society. Wind and water then went to work on the sandstone, carving out the giant, steep-sided plateaus we see today, according to Geology Science. Finally, geologic uplift raised the plateaus to their current height, according to Geology Science. Related: Snake Island: The isle writhing with vipers where only Brazilian military and scientists are allowed Like other tepuis, Mount Roraima's summit harbors a "lost world" ecosystem that has been sheltered from the surrounding region for about 70 million to 90 million years, according to a 2012 study. Much remains unknown about the way that tepui ecosystems have assembled and evolved, but researchers estimate that a high proportion of the flora and fauna on the summits are endemic, meaning that they aren't found elsewhere. For example, about one-third of the vegetation found at the top of all tepuis, including carnivorous plants and orchids, is endemic, according to the World Wildlife Fund. MORE INCREDIBLE PLACES —The Bungle Bungles: Towering domes in the Australian outback that contain traces of the earliest life-forms on Earth —El Ojo: The mysterious floating island in Argentina's swampland that looks like a perfectly round eye —Upheaval Dome: Utah's 'belly button' that has divided scientists since its discovery However, the 2012 study found that these ecosystems aren't completely isolated. The researchers analyzed the DNA of four tree frog species living on separate tepuis to determine whether these species have had any contact with each other in the past 70 million years. The scientists discovered that the frogs shared a common ancestor as recently as 5.3 million years ago, suggesting that tree frogs — and perhaps other creatures as well — can migrate up and down the cliffs of tepui formations. Rare nectar-sucking birds and other unusual creatures, such as the Roraima black frog (Oreophrynella quelchii), thrive at the top of Mount Roraima thanks to pools of crystal-clear water and streams that feed waterfalls down the tepui's sides. These cascades are fed by rainwater and include the Crystal Valley Falls and Triple Point Falls. Mount Roraima's summit and its incredible views are accessible to tourists, but ascending to the top requires a multi-day trek through challenging terrain, according to Geology Science. Discover more incredible places, where we highlight the fantastic history and science behind some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth.
