Excess salt in the soil destroy terrains the size of Manhattan every week

A new study of the United Nations (UN) reveals that the excess salt in the soil, destroyed over the past 20 years, about 20% of all global irrigated land â€" an area equivalent to the size of France. This corresponds to the average daily destruction of 2,000 acres of irrigated plantations in arid or semi-arid areas spread across 75 countries over the last two decades.

In 2050, the world population is expected to reach 10 billion people and, as such, human civilization cannot afford to lose agricultural land fertile and arable. The amount of land destroyed by excess salt increased from 45 million hectares in 1990 to 62 million at present.

The destruction of land by salt happens in areas where rainfall is too low to generate a regular flow of rainwater through the soil and where irrigation is practised without a natural or artificial drainage system. The salt then begins to accumulate in the soil, even if irrigation is done with the cooler water as possible, and as the water evaporates, the salt particles are piling up in the grounds. Additionally, the crops selectively filter the salt water through its root system, further concentrating the load of salt in the soil, referred to Inhabitat.

The study, "Economics of salt-induced land degradation and restoration" was published in Natural Resources Forum. Additionally, the document reveals the extensive costs of salinisation, including €21,9 billion in agricultural losses per year.

Foto: BITS_flux/Creative Commons

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The most beautiful train stations in the world

There's something particularly beautiful, enigmatic and even nostalgic train stations. They resemble the departure and arrival, and that connects us, invariably, to our most intimate emotions.

Maybe that's why we all like lists of the most beautiful stations in the world. And they appear to an incredible pace, sponsored by newspapers and media from around the world.

This time the list was developed by the Daily Mail and puts the Eastern Station, in Lisbon, in the ranking of the most beautiful in the world.

The British newspaper says we love train stations because, for the most part, they are made and practices. That's why the station of Santiago Calatrava and other few, around the globe, are viewed with awe and admiration.

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1. Gare do Oriente, Lisboa (Portugal)

2. Chhatrapati Shivaji, Bombay (India)

3. Kings Cross, London (England)

4. St. Pancras, London (England)

5. Liege-Guillemins, Liège (Belgium)

6. Antwerpen-Centraal Station, Antwerp (Belgium)

7. Royal Botanic Gardens, Madrid (Spain)

8. Gare de Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France)

9. KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur (Malásia)

10. Grand Central Terminal, New York (USA)

11. CFM Station, Maputo (Mozambique)

12. Kanazawa Station, Kanazawa (Japan)

13. Southern Cross, Melbourne (Australia)

14.Hundertwasser-Bahnhof, Huelzen (Alemanha)

15. World Trade Centre Transport Hub, New York (USA)



Photo: Feliciano Guimaraes/Creative Commons

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Reforestation program will restore one-sixth of the territory of Ethiopia

For 15 years, the villages near Abrha Weatsbha, in northern Ethiopia were close to being abandoned. The slopes of the mountains were naked and communities, devastated by drought and floods, needed constant food aid.

Currently, Weatsbha, Western Abrha Tigray, is unrecognizable and an environmental disaster was avoided by planting millions of trees and shrubs. The wells were dry have water again, the soil is more nutritious and the valleys and slopes of the mountains are green again.

The reforestation of the area, achieved in a few years and with low cost, resulting from the joint work of the communities, they spared water, have created unique and pastures were replanted trees, will be now replicated in about one-sixth of the territory of Ethiopia, an area equivalent to the size of England and Wales. The more ambitious targets of this plan of afforestation is to reduce soil erosion and increase food security.

"Large areas of Ethiopia and the Sahel have been devastated by successive droughts and excessive grazing of animals during the years 1960 and 1970", indicates Chris Reij, investigator of the World Resources Institute in Washington, cites the Guardian. "There was a significant decrease of rainfall and the people had to increase the cultivated areas, which caused destruction of land and an environmental crisis throughout the region of the Sahel. But the experience in Tigray, where more than 224,000 hectares of land have been restored reveals that the recovery of the vegetation of dry zones can be a quick process, "adds the researcher.

Rather than plant only trees, which is impractical and expensive in dry areas, farmers have adopted ecological forms of agriculture, too, which combine crops and trees in the same parts of Earth.

In the region of Tigray, the recovery of the land involved the construction of miles of walls and levees for retain water from heavy rains on the slopes of the mountains, the closure of bare land to allow natural regeneration of trees and vegetation and planting millions of seeds.

Now, until 2030, Ethiopia wants to restore 15 million hectares of land.

Foto: Rod Waddington/Creative Commons

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Malaysia: rare outbreak of malaria may be linked to deforestation

In Malaysia, a rare form of malaria caused by Plasmodium knowlesi parasite is causing more patients the remaining parasites Plasmodium family, accounting for 68% of malaria cases identified in 2013 in the country.

Although the theory is not yet proven, Balbir Singh, director of the malaria research centre at the University Malaysia Sarawak, believes that deforestation is putting the primates of the genus Macaca-common hosts of parasite-in greater contact with humans, resulting in increased parasite transmission between species.

According to a study published in 2013 on Science, the Malaysia lost about 14 percent of its forests between 2000 and 2012. Deforestation occurred mainly due to logging and conversion of forests into plantations of palm oil.

"This is a form of malaria that in the past was rarely seen in people, but today, in some of the remotest areas of the country, all cases of malaria in contact with indigenous are caused by the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi. If the number of cases continue to increase, the transmission between humans through mosquitoes will be a possibility, "indicates Singh, cites the Inhabitat.

Although it is not considered the deadliest parasite Plasmodium family, the Plasmodium knowlesi has a great speed of replication, only 12:0 am â€" while other parasites from the same family takes 48 or 72 hours to make more of themselves. The rapid replication of the parasite makes enough testing and diagnosis of patients before the disease if install in the body. The great speed of multiplication allow the disease to spread more quickly.

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New system promises to purify water with sunlight

DeShawn Henry, a Civil Engineering student at the University of Buffalo, in the United States, created a solar lens capable of filtering water. The system is cheap and, according to the young, has the potential to help communities with less access to drinking water.

According to the sustainable planet, Henry will have used cheap materials from a hardware store to get your invention: the result was a device capable of filtering 99.9% of the impurities of a liter of water in about an hour.

The lens increases the sunlight and heats one litre of water at a temperature enough to filter it. As the Sun moves in the sky, the water container needs to be adjusted in order to be at the focal point of the lens. The heating process eliminates the pathogens present in the water, leaving it clean and drinkable.

The idea of Henry may have the potential to help the population of the least developed countries, especially in Africa and Asia, since the water treatments are expensive. More than one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water, which leads to the death of a child under the age of 5 years by the minute.

The next step of the young American is to create a larger lens, you can clean a greater amount of water, and make the equipment more efficient: is to filter one litre of water per hour is not enough to give vent looking for a family of five.

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Portugal GPA promotes debate on agricultural, marine and forestry resources

"Portugal, Natural Capital â€" agriculture, sea and forests" is the theme of the Fifth Conference of Green Project Awards (GPA) which will be chaired by the Minister of agriculture and the sea, Assumption Crests. The event is scheduled for the next day December 1, by 09:00, in the large auditorium of the ISCTE-UNL, in Lisbon.

The Conference will address topics such as the natural capital of Portugal, the natural capital as a competitive advantage, innovation and economic growth, aiming to promote the debate on the sustainable management of natural capital in Portugal, disseminate good practices and their contribution to the competitiveness of the national economy.

During the event will be presented the prize EDIA/Green Project Awards. The initiative is carried out in partnership with the Development company and the Alqueva infrastructure and the Business Council for sustainable development.

Entries are free and can be made here.

The Conference "Portugal, Natural Capital â€" agriculture, sea and forests" will have the following software:

09:30-opening session

10h00 â€" Keynote Speaker

10h30 â€" Coffee Break

10:45-Natural Capital, innovation and economic growth â€" the value of water in Alqueva "

2:30 pm â€" presentation Prize EDIA

03:00 pm â€" "Natural Capital in Portugal"

3:30 pm â€" "the Natural Capital as a competitive advantage for Portugal-SEA"

17h00-Coffee Break

5:30 pm-the Natural Capital as a competitive advantage for Portugal â€" valuation of forest resources and economic growth

07:00 pm-closing

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Continent and Solinca combine with to promote a healthier life for the Portuguese

The Continent the Solinca Gymnasiums joined to launch the card Gives Fitness, wellness and health solution, with the possibility to enjoy a pack of ten access to spaces of 25% with Solinca discount on Mainland Card.

The card Gives Fitness is a product directed to all people who seek to have access to training without compulsory loyalty plans, allowing you to acquire or offer training from €49,90 and receive discount on Mainland Card, which can be converted to shopping.

After the first use the remaining access to the clubs have a validity of Solinca three months, "which represents the ideal solution for anyone who wants to attend a Club and have exercise habits with less regularity and with minimal impact, familial", indicates the director-general of Health Fitness & Solinca, Bernardo Again, in a statement.

"This partnership seeks to meet the expectations of our customers, by broadening the base of loyalty program offer Mainland card, being the perfect savings ally in various situations of life of Portuguese families, like a trip to the gym," says marketing manager from mainland, Paulo Veiga.

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