CABI Blogs: hand picked... and carefully sorted

Brazilian soap operas and birth control - a strong link

A bit of CNN news on how Brazil's soap opera are linked to a dramatic drop in birth rates in Brazil, was brought to my attention by fellow ‘handpicked’ blogger Mark Palmer, as I’m the Brazilian blogger at CABI. Although the CNN news is reporting a new study result on the subject, this is actually quite old news. I remember attending a seminar in the late 1980s, delivered by a Brazilian sociologist, on how the population census had greatly over-estimated the population increase in various South American countries, especially Brazil, because the census hadn’t allowed for the effect soap operas would have on influencing people’s behaviour with regard to birth control. Read on to find out the results of recent research on the subject.

Lost Land of the Volcano

Last night on BBC television in the UK was the first of three programmes of the BBC’s jungle expedition, natural history discovery programmes “Lost Land of the ….” in this Volcano. This time the series, was filmed in the forests of the remote tropical island of New Guinea, primarily exploring the area around the giant extinct volcano - Mount Bosavi. (Pictured Steve Backsall - copyright BBC).

The aims of this programme were to explore and catalogue the species of this seldom studied region, ultimately with the hope to have the forest designated as protected to save it from logging.

From old to new: the story of National Parks

South Downs, West Sussex - Image courtesy of Tourism South East

My favourite television viewing over the last few weeks has been a three-part series on the environment and wildlife of Yellowstone National Park. Established in 1872 by a bill signed by the then U.S. President Grant, the Yellowstone region became the world's first National Park and set a major conservation precedent. Thousands more parks and protected areas have since been set up all over the world, becoming a focus for both conservation and tourism. The latest one here in England was announced just this week, with the news that the South Downs in southern England will become the ninth national park in England. But what exactly will designation mean?