Kwesia grew up on one of South London’s roughest estates. She had barely any experience of nature as a child, except for a private love of Sir David Attenborough's nature documentaries. 

When she was 15, Kwesia’s uncle killed his wife and badly injured his three daughters in what was described as an honour killing. The tragedy had a huge impact on Kwesia – and only two years later, when she was 17, her best friend was stabbed to death. Kwesia was broken. Her mental health deteriorated, and she ended up homeless. 

At her lowest point, Kwesia was offered the chance to be part of an expedition to the Amazon rainforest.

She spent three weeks in one of the remotest parts of the jungle with a group of strangers from very different backgrounds to her - they knew how to put up a tent for a start.

At first, the isolation frightened her, but after a while, the forest began to weave its magic. The distance she’d felt between herself and the others seemed to melt away. 

“It was just amazing to just come across that appreciation for our natural world and understand that we are coexisting and we're not actually separate. We are one and nature is within us,” Kwesia says.

Gradually, she felt herself healing. She began to appreciate that everything around her had a purpose - the trees, the monkeys, the rare pink dolphins, even the leafcutter ants. She began to feel fully present. 

“When we connect with our senses, it kind of brings us back into connecting and coexisting directly with our natural world,” Kwesia explains. 

On returning to London, she created City Girl in Nature – a project to inspire young people from inner city backgrounds to connect with nature. 

“It's something that really has an impact on our mental well-being, noticing the natural world around us… It’s so magical to see that childlike innocence come back.”

🎧 Hear Kwesia’s story on Outlook: https://bbc.in/41Q8wXv

Baliem Valley, West Papua. Photograph: Reinhard Dirscherl/Alamy

Damien Gayle

Thu 20 Mar 2025 18.14 GMT

West Papua’s Indigenous people have called for a boycott of KitKat, Smarties and Aero chocolate, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers, and the cosmetics brands Pantene and Herbal Essences, over alleged ecocide in their territory.

All are products that contain palm oil and are made, say the campaigners, by companies that source the ingredient directly from West Papua, which has been under Indonesian control since 1963 and where thousands of acres of rainforest are being cleared for agriculture.

More than 90 West Papuan tribes, political organisations and religious groups have endorsed the call for a boycott, which they say should continue until the people of West Papua are given the right to self-determination.

Raki Ap, a spokesperson for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, which is overseeing the call, said: “These products are linked to human rights violations, in the first place, because West Papuans are being forced, with violence, to get off the land where they’ve lived for thousands of years, which has now resulted in ecocide.

“This is a signal to the countries who are dealing with Indonesia, especially those in the Pacific region, to take notice of who they’re dealing with and how they are basically allowing Indonesia to continue the colonial project in West Papua, the human rights violations, and also ecocide.”

West Papua is the western half of the island of New Guinea, home to the world’s third-largest rainforest. It is rich in natural resources, including the world’s largest gold and copper mine as well as extensive reserves of natural gas, minerals and timber.

It was part of the Dutch East Indies for a couple of centuries, but in 1963, in controversial circumstances, the territory was handed over to Indonesian control. As a result, say the campaigners, West Papua’s Indigenous Melanesians have not benefited from this wealth. They have been under occupation by Indonesia since 1963, facing repression the ULMWP describes as a “hidden genocide”.

West Papuans say more than 500,000 of their people have been killed by the occupation in the past six decades, while millions of acres of their ancestral lands have been destroyed for corporate profit. Indonesia, already the world’s largest palm oil exporter, is now breaking ground in West Papua on the world’s biggest single palm oil plantation, as well as a sugar cane and biofuel plantation that will be the largest deforestation project ever launched.

According to reports, companies behind the Tanah Merah project plan to establish palm oil plantations in the country’s east across more than 140,000 hectares (346,000 acres) – an area twice the size of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. At the same time, Indonesian authorities have plans to turn Merauke, in the south, into a 2m-hectare site for the production of 2.6m tons of sugar and 244m litres of bioethanol each year.

“West Papuans’, especially the ULMWP, position is very clear: we are a modern-day colony,” said Ap, speaking from the Netherlands.

The research aims to understand this keystone species' genetic health and adaptability, help reconstruct its demographic history, and assess the long-term impacts of human interaction on forest ecosystems. The findings emphasize the need for conservation strategies to consider both ecological and anthropogenic factors.

The significant decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, following historical events such as European colonization, deforestation and the extinction of megafauna such as the sloth—the main seed dispersal agents, is of particular concern for the genetic health of Brazil Nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa).

As one of the most impacted keystone species in rainforests, Brazil Nut trees are essential for biodiversity and a vital income source for local economies.

A crucial study led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen unveils critical insights into the species' genetic diversity and population dynamics, providing valuable anthropocentric and biological information for this threatened forest ecosystem.

The research is published in the journal Current Biology.

"This research provides an amazing opportunity to study how human actions, even in the distant past, have affected genetic makeup in a wild species over short time scales," stated Detlef Weigel, Director of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen.

Using advanced genomic techniques, the researchers comprehensively analyzed total sequence variants of 270 Brazil Nut tree samples with known archaeological evidence at different locations to reveal insights into genetic structure and gene flow.

The study provides detailed genomic data, including identifying over 126,000 genetic variants in Brazil Nut, providing valuable insights into the genetic health and adaptability of the species in the face of environmental changes.

Home

Nanotechnology

Physics

Earth

Astronomy & Space

Chemistry

Biology

Other Sciences

 1

Jan 24, 2025

Biology Ecology

Biology Molecular & Computational biology

 The GIST

 Editors' notes

Genomic analyses reveal human activity's vital role in Amazonian species' genetic makeup

by Max Planck Society

How human activity has shaped Brazil Nut forests' past and future

An example of a Brazil nut tree in the Amazon Basin. Credit: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology/ Victor Caetano-Andrade

Researchers from the German Max Planck Institutes of Geoanthropology and Biology Tübingen use genomic data to study the decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, particularly in Brazil Nut trees.

The research aims to understand this keystone species' genetic health and adaptability, help reconstruct its demographic history, and assess the long-term impacts of human interaction on forest ecosystems. The findings emphasize the need for conservation strategies to consider both ecological and anthropogenic factors.

The significant decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, following historical events such as European colonization, deforestation and the extinction of megafauna such as the sloth—the main seed dispersal agents, is of particular concern for the genetic health of Brazil Nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa).

As one of the most impacted keystone species in rainforests, Brazil Nut trees are essential for biodiversity and a vital income source for local economies.

A crucial study led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen unveils critical insights into the species' genetic diversity and population dynamics, providing valuable anthropocentric and biological information for this threatened forest ecosystem.

The research is published in the journal Current Biology.

"This research provides an amazing opportunity to study how human actions, even in the distant past, have affected genetic makeup in a wild species over short time scales," stated Detlef Weigel, Director of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen.

Genomic analyses reveal the importance of Indigenous management practices

Using advanced genomic techniques, the researchers comprehensively analyzed total sequence variants of 270 Brazil Nut tree samples with known archaeological evidence at different locations to reveal insights into genetic structure and gene flow.

The study provides detailed genomic data, including identifying over 126,000 genetic variants in Brazil Nut, providing valuable insights into the genetic health and adaptability of the species in the face of environmental changes.

How human activity has shaped Brazil Nut forests' past and future

Sale of Brazil nuts at a local market. Credit: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology/ Victor Caetano-Andrade

The findings indicate that while the genetic diversity of Brazil Nut has drastically declined compared to other species over the last 20,000 years, the areas with a history of Indigenous management show more complex genetic backgrounds. The study reveals the connection between the plants and Indigenous land stewardship.

In particular, younger trees in the protected Tefé National Forest (TEF), estimated to be under 200 years old, exhibit complex genetic backgrounds compared to other studied groups, likely due to natural disturbances and local communities' management.

This genetic diversity is crucial for the species' resilience and adaptability in the face of environmental changes. Traditional ecological practices may promote the species' genetic diversity and health, providing a model for sustainable management.

Victor Caetano-Andrade, Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanization at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, explains, "We aimed to bridge gaps in our understanding of the long-term anthropogenic influences on forest ecosystems. Our findings demonstrate how Indigenous land management practices play a significant role in maintaining the genetic diversity of Brazil nut populations."

Promoting collaboration between scientists and local Indigenous land stewards and their historical ecological knowledge has the potential to create more effective and inclusive conservation policies.

Looking ahead, the researchers plan to expand their studies to include more regions and additional species within the Amazon rainforest. The goal is to develop comprehensive conservation frameworks that protect Brazil Nut trees and enhance the ecosystem's resilience.

Source: HERE

The European Union Green Diplomacy Week was officially launched yesterday at the Port Moresby Arts Theatre by European Union Ambassador to PNG, His Excellency Jacques Fradin, alongside National Capital District Governor, Hon. Powes Parkop.

This annual global campaign, led by the European Union and its Member States, aims to foster international cooperation on climate change and inspire meaningful action toward environmental sustainability.

His Excellency Jacques Fradin emphasized that the campaign actively engages youth from across Papua New Guinea in panel discussions over two days, focusing on leadership in climate action, biodiversity, forestry, and sustainability.

“These discussions will provide an opportunity for young people to ask critical questions and explore solutions to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainability challenges as our nation faces these pressing issues,” said Ambassador Fradin.

Governor Parkop, a well-known advocate for climate action, expressed gratitude to the European Union for its commitment to addressing global environmental challenges and for supporting PNG’s efforts at both the local and international levels.

“As the leader of our capital city, I have been vocal on climate change not only at the national level but also as part of a global community. I am ready to partner with all our international friends to address the challenges that threaten our planet,” said Governor Parkop.

Papua New Guinea is home to some of the world’s most ecologically significant tropical rainforests, covering over 70% of the nation’s land area. These forests form part of the third-largest contiguous rainforest on Earth, serving as a vital biodiversity hotspot with species unique to PNG.

Governor Parkop stressed the need for partnerships with developed nations to ensure PNG progresses economically while preserving its natural environment.

“As a carbon-neutral nation, we face many challenges in achieving economic growth. However, through collaboration with nations that have advanced technologies and experience, we can develop sustainably without destroying our environment,” he said.

Governor Parkop also called for continued global support to protect PNG’s rainforests, which are not only crucial for our nation’s future but also for the planet’s environmental balance.

“Together, we must safeguard what we have and learn from global best practices to ensure economic progress aligns with environmental protection. This partnership is essential for creating a cleaner, greener, and more resilient Port Moresby and Papua New Guinea,” he added.

The Green Diplomacy Week launch aligns with Governor Parkop’s broader vision of transforming Port Moresby into a sustainable, eco-friendly, and thriving city where development goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship.

Here are some key aspects of conservation:

 * Protection of natural resources: This includes protecting forests, wetlands, oceans, and other ecosystems from destruction or degradation.

 * Preservation of biodiversity: Conserving diverse species of plants and animals and their habitats.

 * Sustainable use of resources: Using natural resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.

 * Restoration of damaged ecosystems: Repairing ecosystems that have been damaged or degraded.

Conservation efforts are crucial for maintaining a healthy planet and ensuring the well-being of both humans and wildlife.

 * https://www.kariega.co.za/blog/world-conservation-day-bring-back-biodiversity