The World Resources Institute and partners recently previewed Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the UN Forum on Forests 10 (UNFF) in Istanbul. This powerful new initiative aims to improve forest monitoring and management globally.

Speakers at the event included Zulkifli Hasan (Minister of Forestry, Indonesia), Kerri-Ann Jones (Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State), Wu Hongbo (Under-Secretary-General, United Nations), Naoko Ishii (CEO, Global Environment Facility), Tim Christophersen (Senior Program Officer, UNEP), and Nigel Sizer (Director, WRI).

Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack lent their voices to a cause against the sale of Irish public forests. This video captures Jeremy Irons reading at the Avondale Forest Walk on April 28, 2013.

Cathy Fitzgerald, Green Party Forest policy spokesperson, filmed this event. The Green Party's comprehensive 2012 Forest Policy advocates for continuous cover, permanent, non-clearfell forestry.

In Irish mythology, trees symbolize wealth. The Irish Government plans to sell over 1 million acres of public forests, managed by Coillte, to private investors. This vast area, equivalent to two counties, includes valuable native woodlands and vital refuges for Ireland's flora and fauna, which will be lost forever. Sign the petition here.

Swiss finance company Helvetia Wealth, owners of the International Forestry Fund (IFF) chaired by former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, has expressed interest, as has The China Investment Corporation.

The Surui Cultural Map showcases the Amazonian Surui tribe's vision of their forest, territory, and traditional history. Surui youth documented ancestral sites, including their 1969 first contact and 1970s battles with colonists, along with places of interest like jaguar sightings. To preserve their forest and livelihood, the Surui utilize Open Data Kit software on Android smartphones to measure carbon and monitor illegal logging, engaging with the Carbon Credit marketplace.

Google Earth Outreach provides nonprofits and public benefit organizations with resources to visualize their causes and share their stories with a global audience through Google Earth & Maps.

Patricia Gualinga of Ecuador's Kichwa community criticizes the lack of economic analysis on the Amazon's true value, asserting that oil extraction is prioritized for "easy money" to repay China's debt, without considering "what is lost by destroying the Amazon." This concern arose as an oil round in southeastern Ecuador offered 3 million hectares of tropical forest, home to seven indigenous nationalities, to companies, with contracts anticipated by October 2013.

This report was published on March 9, 2013, and produced by Pacha Producciones in Quito, Ecuador.

WWF's Global Marine Programme works to increase international attention for ocean conservation and protect the high seas.

These international waters, comprising 64% of the oceans (half the planet), lie beyond national jurisdiction and are open-access common areas. For more information, visit panda.org/highseas.

From 60 feet beneath the sea, Dr. Sylvia Earle delivered a powerful wake-up call about the ocean's critical state and its necessity for human survival. This message originated from Aquarius' final mission as a research base, recorded during a live event on July 17, 2012.

The ocean is our lifeline, supplying over half our oxygen, 97% of Earth's water, and countless species. Our very existence depends on it. Watch this compelling clip featuring "Her Deepness" Sylvia Earle, a renowned ocean advocate, to understand why.

In Dana Point, California, Melissa McGinnis spoke with eco expert Anthony Zolezzi, fresh from the Fortune Green conference. Zolezzi shared a profound takeaway: 50% of our oxygen comes from the ocean. He noted that the ocean's vital importance is often overshadowed by concerns for rainforests or carbon emissions.

Consequently, Zolezzi emphasized the critical need for extreme sensitivity in how we view and manage water resources moving forward. He urged a shift in perspective to prioritize the ocean's role in global ecosystems.

Hundreds have joined to demonstrate their support for ocean conservation, proving that actions speak louder than words.

You can also show your support by asking President Obama to represent our oceans' needs at Rio+20. Click here.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand was appointed by the United Nations to produce the official film for the International Year of Forests. This commission followed the significant success of his previous work, "Home," which garnered 400 million viewers.

In February 2011, Arthus-Bertrand began creating a concise 7-minute film on forests. It features aerial images compiled from both "Home" and his "Vu du Ciel" television programs.

Despite California's global warming legislation, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, potentially leading to a four-degree annual temperature increase. This highlights an urgent environmental challenge.

Randy Hayes, founder of the Rainforest Action Network and described by the Wall Street Journal as “an environmental pit bull,” is addressing this. From Washington D.C., he leads Foundation Earth, a new organization dedicated to rethinking human systems to align with the planet’s life support capabilities.

This visualization displays global ocean surface currents from June 2005 to December 2007. It provides a simple, visceral experience using ocean flow data, without narration or annotations.

The visualization was produced using NASA/JPL's computational model, Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II (ECCO2).

Hermit crabs, which scavenge shells for homes, are facing a critical housing shortage due to declining worldwide supplies. This vulnerable species needs community support.

The MakerBot community can utilize digital design and 3D printing to create alternative homes: 3D printed shells. This "Project Shellter" initiative offers a vital solution. For more details, see this Txchnologist magazine article.

At the TBN National Conference 2011, Greg Spencer presented the Paradigm Project. This for-profit business supplies healthy, efficient stoves to Africa, significantly reducing families' wood consumption and smoke inhalation, while improving their economic stability.

The project not only aids the poor but also leverages billions in carbon markets, combats deforestation, and challenges the notion that profiting from the poor cannot benefit them.

Explore other presentations, videos, and audio recordings from the conference here: http://www.tbnetwork.org/uknc11/media

After teaching Geoscience, Marine Science, and Environmental Horticulture, Matt became concerned about modern agriculture's impact on ocean health. This led him to reconnect with his old Peace Corps friend, Nathan.

In 1999, Matt and Bobbie Brown met Nathan McFall in Togo, West Africa, where they collaborated with local communities on environmental education, soil conservation, and animal husbandry. You can learn more about Nathan's work here.

In summer 2010, the Brown family moved to Milwaukie, Oregon. There, they partnered with Nathan to establish the non-profit Food|Waves. Matt was interviewed by EarthSayers.tv in July 2011.

This award-winning documentary chronicles the remarkable story of a woman who spent two years living 200 feet up in a redwood tree.

Her extraordinary journey was undertaken to protect the thousand-year-old tree from destruction.

Environmental and social justice activist Julia Butterfly Hill argues that our perception of being separate from the natural world has cultivated a "disposability consciousness."

This mindset, she explains, leads to the exploitation of resources and people, contributing to both environmental degradation and social injustice. Hill advocates for a shift towards interconnectedness to foster a more sustainable and equitable future.

Michael Fishbach recounts his encounter with a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net.

He and Gershon Cohen co-founded The Great Whale Conservancy to protect these magnificent marine animals.

Support their mission to save whales and become a Facebook fan.

Recent polling shows New Zealanders want over a third of their oceans protected in marine reserves, a 100-fold increase from current levels.

WWF-NZ is dedicated to safeguarding these vital marine environments.

Support their conservation efforts: http://www.wwf.org.nz/

Ocean explorer Robert Ballard unveils hidden underwater worlds, revealing unexpected life, resources, and new mountains. His expeditions highlight the vast, unexplored depths of our planet.

Ballard advocates for serious exploration and mapping of these crucial environments. He implicitly asks if tools like Google Ocean (now part of Google Earth) could further this vital research.