The latest round of UN climate change negotiations came to an end in Accra, Ghana, this week. How to encourage countries to stop deforestation was one of the most important topics of debate.

The international community met in Accra to continue their work on a Kyoto follow up protocol as well as on emission reduction rules and tools under the Protocol as it’s currently in place. How to reduce deforestation globally was one of the most important topics of debate at the Accra summit.

Deforestation and degradation account for around 20% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Interest in reducing this is high. Most proposals for mechanisms to ‘Reduce Emissions for Deforestation and Degradation’ (REDD) are still on the drawing board but they are all based on the idea that developed countries would pay developing countries to keep their forests intact by implementing a range of policies and projects.

So far, neither the UN Climate Change Convention nor its Protocol have had any provisions for limiting tropical deforestation. Attending the summit in Accra was David Huberman from the conservation group IUCN. Living Planet talks to him about the progress that's been made in the setting up of mechanisms that help reduce tropical deforestation.

Interview: Nina Haase

Forest aren’t only disappearing in developing countries. Many European countries have a poor record on forest protection. Have the Greek learned their lesson from last year's forest fires? Experts believe a different attitude towards the environment could have saved the lives of many.

The Peloponnese is a peninsula in Greece that was devastated by forest fires around this time last year. The fires claimed the lives of 67 people. With air temperatures higher than 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds blowing across a drought-stricken landscape, the fires spread at an alarming pace.

There are those who say the disaster could have been prevented, not least through different attitudes towards the environment. So has Greece learnt anything in the year gone by?

Report: Cheryl Northey/ Petra Wilhelm

With soaring petrol prices and increased concern about the impacts of car exhausts on our atmosphere, the scientific community is developing alternatives. In Sweden, the latest invention are cars that come with their own wind turbine.

Electric cars are becoming more and more common, at least with drivers concerned about the environment. But there's a downside to them all - the electricity they use is often produced through using fossil fuels which pollute the air and contribute to global warming. Coal-fired power stations, for example.

Now, engineering students in Sweden say they've come up with a solution- an electric vehicle which comes with its own wind turbine. And the first to benefit from this technology will be farmers in South America. Living Planet hops in for a test ride in Sweden.

Report: Lars Bevanger

Wildlife smuggle is a booming industry. Customs at Frankfurt Airport have thought up a new method of catching smugglers red-handed: they train dogs to sniff out live animals and plants in passengers' luggage. Living Planet visits them at their workplace.

Every year, millions of threatened species of animals and plants are smuggled around the world. It’s an industry that’s estimated to be worth billions of dollars and that varies from trading live animals and plants to foods, leather goods, souvenirs and medicines.

Frankfurt Airport is one of Europe’s largest airports, and the gateway to the European Union -- one of the biggest and most diverse markets for illegal wildlife products. Last year alone customs at Frankfurt made 561 seizures.

Now, customs have come up with a new method of increasing pressure on wildlife smugglers: they’ve trained two dogs to sniff out live animals and plants. Living Planet watches them at Frankfurt Airport, their working environment.

Report: Catherine Graue