New Facebook game helps save gorillas

Following on from our previous blog about how 'The Rise of the Planet of the Apes' could be a huge benefit to the conservation of endangered primates, here is a bit of a follow up, which looks to promote how a game on Facebook is looking to protect gorillas. It will be really interesting to see how conservation groups develop social media to help with their work in the future.
The trend for social networking games with positive real world environmental impacts continues with the recently released gorilla saving game My Conservation Park.

Despite being released by developer Good World Games in early June, the new Facebook game only began attracting media buzz in early August after blog post by the developers.

The real world benefits of the game come in game purchases, 15 percent of which the developers pledge to donate to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, WildAid and three more undisclosed conservation organizations to help preserve a variety of wildlife - principally gorillas.

The game revolves around players trying to protect an endangered animal from environmental and human threats while at the same time adding native flora and fauna to the area in an effort to create a sustainable habitat.

The development of social networking games with positive real world environmental benefits is a growing trend, other examples of which include eMission, in which players have to maintain a costal habitat, gaining in-game rewards for real world environmental actions, and Ecotopia, the developers of which recently pledged to plant 25,000 trees in Brazil if players did the same in the game.

Conservation Park - http://www.facebook.com/myconservationparkfans

eMission - http://apps.facebook.com/emissiongame/

ecotopia - http://www.facebook.com/ecotopia.beta

Top Environmental News Stories...

This is the first of a regular feature on the Ibex Earth blog where we look to find some of the most interesting environmental news stories throughout the week. Today's stories include the threat to the world's oceans and how Brazilian authorities are looking to establish their very own Wikipedia for species found in the Amazon...

Wildlife warning over EU Funding

Funding from Europe worth more than £400m to promote wildlife on farmland in the UK could be about to be stopped, conservationists warn.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13852053

Trees help stem Desertification

A UN led pilot scheme highlights how trees can help protect people in drylands and stem the spread of desertification.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13767255

World's oceans move into 'extinction phase'

The next generation may lose the opportunity to swim over coral reefs or eat certain species of fish, scientists have warned, as the world's oceans move into a 'phase of extinction' due to human impacts such as over-fishing and climate change.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8587354/Worlds-oceans-move-into-extinction-phase.html 

Brazil to create 'botanical Wikipedia' to catalogue the Amazon

Brazil is to create a ‘botanical Wikipedia' in attempt to catalogue thousands of plant species in the Amazon for future generations.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/8588013/Brazil-to-create-botanical-Wikipedia-to-catalogue-the-Amazon.html

Price of solar panels to drop to $1 by 2013, report forecasts

Ernst & Young analysis suggests that falling solar and rising fossil fuel prices could make large-scale installations cost-competitive without government support within a decade

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/20/solar-panel-price-drop

Nature is not just about living things – it's mountains and minerals too

An article by the Guardian’s Murray Gray about why our management of the environment should not focus entirely on species and habitats.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/16/price-nature-oil-gold-wind-power

Rural poor should not be excluded from REDD Projects

Global study finds forests provide one-fifth of household income in rural communities and says access for them should be prioritised in REDD-type conservation projects.

Read more: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/939007/warning_over_redd_projects_excluding_rural_poor_from_forests.html