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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY

Review Urges Stricter Checks on IPCC

An independent committee said last week that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change needs stricter oversight to ensure that its leaders were not seen as advocating specific climate policies. The committee also urged transparency and suggested changes to the panel's management.

In other environmental news, ecologists warned that the overfishing of Antarctic krill is adding to the pressure of environmental changes threatening the creatures. They called for better monitoring and management of krill fisheries.

Elsewhere, a successful Chesapeake oyster restoration project, a report showing that fewer oysters are dying from disease and the growth of oyster farming all give cause for optimism. But experts caution that they still have a long way to go.

China and Russia announced a plan to set up the first cross-border protection zone for the Siberian tiger. The effort will attempt to protect the remaining tigers from poaching and habitat loss.

And the world's third biggest hydroelectric dam got the go-ahead from Brazil's government. It is to be built on a tributary of the Amazon. Critics say it will damage the local ecosystem, but the government says it's crucial for development and will create jobs.