Vietnam: Those who committed ecocide must pay up
Serious environmental restoration and reforestation projects, such as the Ma Da Forest Farm project, are thankfully being carried out. After cleaning the areas invaded by the pernicious grass ("the American grass") left behind by Agent Orange, one has to establish a cover of fast growing trees underneath which indigenous species can be replanted after a few years.  Within a century or two, one can hope to see again the slow-growing precious trees that provide the beautiful dark red wood columns to temples and pagodas. Restoration of the war-ravaged environment is an enormous task that requires substantial resources and long term commitment. Vietnamese have the know-how, they need the funding. Monsanto, Dow and other Agent Orange producers made an enormous profit selling poison to the US army. They must give back the money to this wounded country.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/Pages/20110716170252.aspx
 

Sustainable Development, Not 'Green Economy'
With less than a year to go for the Rio+20 Summit, civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean is mustering its strength to defend the principles of sustainable development, as opposed to the model of a "green economy", which it views as only benefiting the business interests of big companies.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=56506

Canada: National parks combine conservation, agriculture
Once elbowed off the land by ecologists bent on locking up massive tracts for the restoration of waterways, woodlands and wildlife habitats, farmers are now being invited back by conservation agencies that have come to view growing food as key to their sustainability. Momentum is particularly strong among parks near urban regions with strong local-food economies.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/national-parks-combine-conservation-agriculture/article2099463/ 

Forests absorb one-third of global fossil fuel emissions
The world's established forests remove 8.8bn tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere - equivalent to nearly a third of annual fossil fuel emissions - according to new research published in Science. In addition, regrowth of trees on previously deforested lands in the tropics mopped up a further 6 billion tonnes of CO2 annually between 1990 and 2007(1). However, deforestation across the tropics released a huge 10.8 billion tonnes of CO2 annually during this period, off-setting much of the uptake of CO2 by the world's forests. For comparison, global fossil fuel emissions average 28 billion tonnes of CO2 annually.
http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/News/Feeds/2011/07/sections-academia-news-forests-absorb-one-third-of-global-fossil-fuel-emi/
 

US: Climate Change Disrupts Great Lakes National Parks
Five Great Lakes national parks and lakeshores are feeling the impacts of climate change, finds a new report by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council. Lake Michigan may have some winters with no ice cover within 10 years, and Lake Superior may be ice-free in about three decades, the report warns.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2011/2011-07-18-02.html

New Zealand: Wetland Issues Tackled
The reserve is New Zealand's biggest urban wetland restoration project and its principal function is a huge stormwater treatment system that removes pollutants from the waterways. Long-time resident Les Galler says he and his wife have walked around the reserve most mornings for more than 20 years but in recent years the area has turned into a "smelly, waterlogged bog". http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier/5288695/Wetland-issues-tackled

US: Budget Excursions for Volunteers
A deluxe room at the luxurious Snake River Lodge & Spa in Jackson, Wyo., typically goes for $385 a night, but it can be reserved for as low as $192 this fall. The catch: In order to qualify for the discount, travelers must agree to spend a portion of their vacation taking down barbed wire fences so local wildlife can roam more freely. http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/travel/volunteer-tourism-for-travelers-on-a-budget.html