Guest guest Posted December 15, 2007 Report Share Posted December 15, 2007 Today for you 33 new articles about earth's trees! (268th edition) Subscribe / send blank email to: earthtreenews- Weblog: http://olyecology.livejournal.com --British Columbia: 1) Pulp to China increases 5X, 2) EBM a sham? Wait till 2009? 3) SC wants forest regulation enforcement, 4) Loggers want Queen Charlotte back, --Washington: 5) Storm hits town trees hard as loggers, 6) 27 old inland cedars stolen, --Oregon: 7) Trading one forest for another? 8) Storm, 9) Clearcuts and landslides, --California: 10) Los Padres salvage plan appealed --Montana: 11) 6k acres of Flathead NF salvage, 12) Cow Fly Sale court challenge lost, --Virginia: 13) 5k acres lost to gypy moth --Tennessee: 14) Copper mine now gone lets trees and people return, --Florida: 15) Girdling for diversity, 16) Fire as forest management, --Canada: 17) First he guts Bali agreement then he complains about the lack of guts --UK: 18) Cool Earth leader speaks about rise to power, where he's going --Scotland: 19) Comprehensive study of Scotland's native woods --Ireland: 20) 10% forest cover is set to increase? --Portugal: 21) 590 thousand of Eucalyptus --Namibia: 22) Acacia cancer --Congo: 23) Renewable energy is better investment than forestry --Nigeria: 24) protesting the cutting down of over 2000 trees --Mozambique: 25) Cut and run is the problem --Dominican Republic: 26) 7k lost along North Yaque river's banks --Pakistan: 27) illegal cutting still goes unchecked --India: 28) Government to control deforestation immediately --Kashmir: 29) forestry standard declined to who can get the booty --Korea: 30) Conference of trees --Philippines: 31) Strengthening Community Property Rights over Forests --Indonesia: 32) Reframing the question within the local context, 33) Indigenous, British Columbia: 1) Canada's merchandise trade with China soared five-fold over the past decade with pulp exports from British Columbia leading the way. Over the same period Canada's trade deficit with China expanded more than six-fold but that was offset by a growing trade surplus with the U.S. And the Canada-China trade deficit will likely be mitigated as the consumer economy develops in China, following the same pattern as post-war Japan, said Peter Hall, deputy chief economist the Export Development Canada. " Right now you can't argue against Canada's wonderful natural endowment of things that the rest of the world wants, " Hall said in an interview. " We in Canada are utilizing what we have been given and that's our advantage in the market. " Wood pulp accounted for $1.136 billion, almost 15 per cent of Canada's $42.1 billion exports to China in 2006, Statistics Canada said Friday. That's up from $262 million in 1997 when Canada's total merchandise trade with China totalled $8.7 billion. B.C. product accounted for $746 million or 65 per cent of last year's pulp exports, according to BC Stats. Despite the sector's struggle with profitability over the past 20 years, pulp accounted for half of the province's merchandise exports to China last year. That's good news for the provincial economy at a time when forest sector prices have slumped in the face of the U.S. housing slowdown, said Craig Campbell, a partner with the Vancouver-based global forest and paper group at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Pulp prices are at a 12-year high in U.S. dollars, although the meteoric ascent of the Canadian dollar has eroded much of the benefit for B.C. producers. This week the B.C. Pulp and Paper Task Force issued a report showing the sector provides $4 billion in economic benefits to the province and contributes more than $600 million in revenues each year to three levels of government. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=2afd7aaa-5145-4c6\ 4-b916-498bd4 bc59dc & k=21932 2) In September the new regulation will be complemented with a map showing Grizzly Bear habitat that has to be managed according to the new regulation. The legal changes and a map that shows the portion of the Great Bear Rainforest where these changes will become effective can be found here: http://ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/lup/lrmp/coast/cencoast/objectives/index.html Similar regulation guiding logging practices for the remaining portion of the Great Bear Rainforest is still outstanding and not expected until the fall 2007. This first suite of new regulation puts us on the path to achieving full Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009 (sic). The test of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement will be the conservation effect that changes to logging practices and new economic development initiatives have on the ground. The BC Government and First Nations are also working on a plan to achieve full Ecosystem Based Management by March 2009 in the Land and Resource Forum that has yet to be completed. A map that identifies the high, medium and low risk management zones and determines allowable logging operations remains also outstanding. http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2006ENV0028-000477-Attachment\ 1.htm 3) The BC government must initiate a more comprehensive investigation of forest regulation enforcement, the Sierra Club BC said today. In response to a Sierra Club BC complaint, the Forest Practices Board found that the use of a " due diligence " defence is quite widespread but in many cases key witnesses aren't even interviewed. " A due diligence defence is akin to saying 'oops, we tried not to', " said Sierra Club BC Forestry Specialist Rob Duncan. " Companies try to claim that policies and procedures they have in place should absolve them of responsibility for mistakes made on the ground. We warned government when it was considering its move to a 'results-based code' that strict accountability for on-the-ground results is the only way to make this regime work. A due diligence defence can severely undermine a company's expectation that they will actually be held accountable. " The Forest Practices Board's report, " Government Enforcement and the Due Diligence Defence " examined enforcement cases from June 2005 to May 2007 in which due diligence was used as a defence. The board determined that, in 10 of 15 cases investigated, the individual with first-hand knowledge of the incident was not interviewed. The Board recommended that these people be interviewed as soon as possible after the incident. In 2003, as part of the shift to a 'results-based code', the BC government changed the law to allow companies to use the defence of due diligence – a defence that allows a company to escape liability for its actions if the accused has taken all reasonable care to avoid breaching the Forest and Range Practices Act. However, in two Forest Appeals Commission cases, University of Victoria Environmental Law Clinic students (acting on behalf of Sierra Club BC) discovered government had either not interviewed the person directly involved in the infraction, or called them as witnesses. " It's been almost five years since the Forest and Range Practices Act was passed and we would like to see a thorough evaluation done to determine whether due diligence is being overused as a defence, leading to poorer practices on the ground, " said Duncan. " It's time to find out if the " results " in the results based code are actually being enforced. " Rob Duncan, Forestry Specialist, Sierra Club BC: office (250) 386-5255 4) The Company is not able to determine the nature or extent of the eventual harvest levels either within our tenure areas or on the Queen Charlotte Islands generally due to the requirement for the government to complete the detailed strategic and forestry planning, although the terms of the agreement provide for an initial total harvest level of at least 800,000 cubic meters through the implementation of the SLUA. The total harvest level has most recently been in the 1.2 million cubic metre range annually by all license holders. Western has accounted for approximately 45% of the recent annual harvest on the Queen Charlotte Islands. Western will be seeking appropriate compensation should there be any deletions from Western's tenures. As previously disclosed, Western currently has an Allowable Annual Cut in the Queen Charlotte Islands of approximately 510,000 cubic metres, representing about 7% of the Company's harvest from Crown lands from all of our timber licenses. The 510,000 cubic meters had been temporarily reduced previously from 803,000 cubic metres by the provincial Chief Forester to account for areas which had been designated by Cabinet under Part 13 of the Forest Act as a result of earlier land use discussions. Logs harvested from the Queen Charlotte Islands by the Company provide a portion of the log supply for several of the Company's mills on Vancouver Island. Consequently, to the extent they cannot be replaced through log purchases, any reductions in the log supply as a result of the SLUA may adversely affect lumber and wood chip manufacturing and sales. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,242335.shtml Washington: 5) Montesano - Damage to its revenue-producing municipal forest will likely cost the city $1.5 million to $2 million in upcoming years because about half the trees targeted in the city's 10-year harvest plan were blown down by hurricane-force winds, according to City Forester Loren Hiner. Those trees will have to be salvage logged and sold now, under dismal market conditions. In his report to the City Council on Tuesday night, Hiner estimated that severely damaged areas in the forest amounted to about 250 acres containing somewhere between 7.5 million and 10 million board feet of timber. Here's where things get dicey for the city. According to Hiner, the city typically averages about $400 per thousand board feet in stumpage receipts. Under today's market, the city will get about half that, costing the city up to $2 million in revenue for what amounts to about five years worth of harvest volume. In one small silver lining, Hiner said that the units containing the timber sale planned for 2008 were not severely damaged, so that area will be set aside for later sale and the city will instead concentrate on the salvage next year. " Our biggest issue is the low timber market, " Hiner said. " It's so low, you just don't want to take out any more timber than you have to. " Hiner also said the younger stands of trees came through the storm fine, which bodes well for the forest's long-term health. " In this storm, it was a warm wind with no ice, so the young stands are OK, " he said. Hiner said most of the damage came on the ridgetops of the forest and its southwest-exposed slopes. While Hiner must deal with the logistics of the blowdown, it is mayor-elect Ron Schillinger, the recently retired former city forester, who must deal with the financial fallout of reduced revenue in upcoming years. Schillinger says the city normally harvests about 50 acres per year. With about 250 acres of salvage to do, the city will be logging about five years worth of timber next year in very poor market conditions. http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/12/13/local_news/03news.txt 6) The crime seems so audacious: chopping down 27 old growth cedars on public land. The trees measured up to five feet in diameter. They were between 400-700 years old. Camano Islander Kevin John Moran pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property for the felling of the trees from national forest land near Lake Wenatchee, according to a press release issued this week. The trees were cut and hauled away in the spring and summer of 2004 from what's described by Anne Minden, a U.S. Forest Service criminal investigator, as " an isolated piece of national forest near the north end of Lake Wenatchee. " In an interview Thursday Minden said the trees were a significant loss. " It's very unusual for the east side of the mountains to have this large of a cedar tree... You're talking about something that is essentially irreplaceable. " A guilty plea was entered in Spokane District Court and sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 12, 2008. What does Moran face for killing trees that would take hundreds of years to replace, if they were to return at all? Theft of government property is a Class C felony, which means a maximum sentence of 10 years or less, and a fine not to exceed $250,000. In some cases Minden said they go after ecological damages as well, but that they weren't in this situation. She said the reason why was complicated. The logging was reported by a concerned citizen a year after the theft occurred. Moran was identified because he had a vehicle on the property and also owned nearby land. The old growth trees went to mills in Western Washington. Investigators put their market value at $37,688. While old growth cedars are rare in Eastern Washington, Minden said she gets weekly reports of cedar thefts on the west side. Olympic, Mount Baker and Gifford Pinchot national parks are all favorite targets. In many cases -- though apparently not Moran's -- the thieves are often associated with meth addicts, she said. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/environment/archives/127692.asp Oregon: 7) Two environmental groups have dropped a lawsuit over a trio of timber sales near Baker City in exchange for canceling U.S. Forest Service plans to cut trees on 651 acres of old-growth forest. The deal was reached during a daylong meeting Dec. 4 with U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin in Eugene. The settlement between the Forest Service and the two groups — the Hells Canyon Preservation Council of La Grande and Oregon Wild of Portland — allows Dodge Logging of Maupin to cut about 9.6 million board-feet of timber in two sales which the company bought earlier this year. Those two sales include 564 acres of old-growth forest that are part of the Bald Angel project on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest between Medical Springs and Eagle Creek. The conservation groups will not contest logging on those acres, said Greg Dyson, executive director of the Hells Canyon Preservation Council. But the old-growth area of the third timber sale has been removed as part of the agreement. Steve Ellis, Wallowa-Whitman supervisor, said the Forest Service was pleased with the deal. Dyson said it will avoid a long legal battle. " For us this is strictly a compromise, " he said. http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-22/11976977471\ 33200.xml & sto rylist=orlocal 8) Federal, state and corporate foresters are still assessing the damage. Early estimates show significant blowdown -- 10,000 acres of fallen trees on state and private lands in Clatsop County and at least 500 acres in the Tillamook State Forest. The Siuslaw National Forest reported widespread damage in the Hebo District, but had not yet compiled acreage estimates. Overall, the damage measured in acres or millions of board feet may not set records. But, the unique character of the blowdown, with swaths of splintered and fractured trunks, will likely memorialize the event. " You just went 'wow,' " said Savage, who began surveying the damage around his Astoria offices that Monday and Tuesday. " It took out trees as small as 15 to 20 years old; trees that are normally really flexible just snapped right off. " Recent logging in the area may have added to the devastation by exposing previously sheltered stands of trees to the wind blasts. " Likely harvesting played a role in the wind-throw, " said Wolf Read, a consulting meteorologist for Oregon Climate Service, who reviewed photos of blowdown areas in western Clatsop County. Clatsop County lies in the northwest corner of the state, taking in the towns of Cannon Beach, Seaside and Astoria. The worst damage occurred close to the Pacific coastline, widening as the storm moved north. Because the 145,000-acre Clatsop State Forest stretches along the county's eastern border, it escaped some of the most intense winds and some of the worst blowdown. Instead, private timber owner Weyerhaeuser Co. " bore the brunt of it, " Savage said. Weyerhaeuser is the county's largest private landowner. Others with timber holdings in the area include Longview Fibre and Hampton Affiliates. Foresters estimate 7,000 acres of blowdown on private forest lands, compared with 3,000 acres in the Clatsop State Forest. Weyerhaeuser owns 1.1 million acres of forests in Oregon and another 1.1 million acres in Washington. Much of the company's timberland lies in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. " We've seen a fair amount of damage " in both states, said Weyerhaeuser spokesman Frank Mendizabal. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1197602780112100.x\ ml & coll=7 9) As the mud and water continued to surge across the highway, everyone wanted to know why. If you go out past Clatskanie, to where the highway has been closed down, the answer to that question is painfully obvious. The mountainside above the mudslide was clear cut. Those who live along this highway say they have seen this coming for some time. As they watched private " investors " and the US Forest Service strip the steep, once-forested hills down to bare mud, people out here openly talked about the possibility of watching their homes wash away in the next rains. But the US Forest Service turned a deaf ear. Long time residents report that they had been concerned for some time about the possibility of landslides resulting from the careless logging. " You only have to look, " said one resident, who asked not to be identified. " These mountains have had forests on them for ten thousand years. And these guys come along, and strip them away. Look how steep these cuts are, " she says, gesturing to the precipitous slopes. " This didn't come out of the blue. This is what happens when people just don't give a shit. All they want is to make a fast buck, and they don't care what they leave behind. This is what they leave behind. " The Forest Service acknowledges that both public and private lands had been clear cut directly above the slides, but so far they have not taken any responsibility for this, or any other logging-induced landslide in recent history. Workers attempting to stabilize the bank alerted the people in the community when they realized that a slide was imminent, probably saving lives. A massive cleanup is underway now. But who will pay for the damages? Will it be the timber companies who profited from the clear cuts? Or will this just be yet another " externalized cost " that gets passed on to the people who have to live with what is left. The really terrifying part of this story is that everyone involved concedes that the mountainside remains unstable. http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/12/369929.shtml California: 10) Los Padres ForestWatch — a Santa Barbara-based organization dedicated to preservation of the Los Padres Forest, which blankets much of Ventura County — filed an official challenge Nov. 29 of a plan by local U.S. Forest Service officials to cut trees scorched by the 2006 Day Fire. As discussed in a previous Reporter article (see " Zaca blaze overshadows forest plan, " News, 8/16/07), the forest service plans to authorize the first commercial logging operation in the Los Padres in decades as part of its effort to clear so-called " hazard " trees from land burnt by the Day fire. The trees are in locations near hiking trails and campgrounds and could endanger visitors to the forest. Under the plan, which was finalized Oct. 11 by forest supervisor Peggy Hernandez, 1,430 trees more than 16 inches in diameter and considered to be the most commercially valuable will be harvested by private logging companies along a series of roadways and could net more than 700,000 board feet of lumber. The forest service's own crews will clear hazard trees not considered to be commercially viable. Although the forest service will not allow logging more than one and a half tree-lengths from the roads, Los Padres ForestWatch Executive Director Jeff Kuyper said the final decision didn't adequately address dozens of public comments made about the decision and could cause lasting environmental damage just as the forest recovers from the Day Fire. " Obviously no one wants a situation out there where trees are creating a safety hazard for people, " Kuyper said. " We recognize that, but our main concern is to make sure the forest service achieves that safety goal, but without hindering the recovery. " The appeal to regional forester Randy Moore is the last step before ForestWatch takes challenges to the courts. Kuyper said his organization believes a full environmental impact report should have been made before a decision was issued, but the forest service contends that one is not necessary because it classifies the tree removals as routine road maintenance. The forest service did accede to some of the concerns expressed in the public comment period. It scrapped a plan to burn " slash, " or debris such as branches and leaves left by logging, in a giant pile. " That's a step in the right direction, " Kuyper said. He added that he remains optimistic that his group's other concerns will be addressed in the appeal process. http://www.vcreporter.com/article.php?id=5512 & IssueNum=154 Montana: 11) Flathead National Forest has unveiled a proposal for salvage logging on about 6,485 acres of forest burned by last summer's 30,000-acre Brush Creek Fire west of Whitefish. The Tally Lake Ranger District will take public comment on the Sheppard Creek Post-Fire Project proposal through Jan. 15. Public comments will be used to develop a draft environmental impact study for release next spring, outlining a variety of management alternatives for the burned area. While some management projects have goals such as forest health or fuel reduction, this project has a practical economic objective: " The purpose of the Sheppard Creek Post-Fire Project is to salvage harvest burned trees and recover merchantable wood fiber while it is economically feasible to do so, " according to the proposal released this week. " Timely recovery of wood fiber would support the economies of local and regional communities. " The 6,485 acres identified for salvage harvesting are considered the maximum available within the burn perimeter. That acreage accounts for about 30 percent of an overall project area of 18,000 acres, most of it centered in the Sheppard Creek drainage. The fire burned 24,700 acres of national forest lands and just over 5,000 acres of Plum Creek Timber Co. lands and other private land. The district proposal calls for most logging to be carried out with tractor, skyline and cable systems, because of an extensive road system in the Sheppard Creek drainage. Only 712 acres are proposed for helicopter logging. " It is a roaded landscape, there is no doubt about that, " said Bryan Donner, lead planner on the Tally Lake District. " There's been a considerable amount of previous harvest activity that has taken place since the 1950s. Many of the roads that we propose for the salvage harvest have been closed for a while. " About 16 miles of old, closed roads are proposed to be used. These are available largely because the fire opened them up by burning off heavy brush, Donner said. Those roads are relics from harvests that have occurred on about 56 percent of the project area over the last six decades. Most logging occurred in the 1980s in response to a heavy infestation of mountain pine beetles. http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2007/12/15/news/news02.txt 12) A logging project in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in southwestern Montana can continue after a federal judge rejected a request by environmental groups to bring it to a halt. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy on Monday denied a request to halt the Cow Fly Timber Sale on 242 acres in the Gravely Mountains. He said the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council had little chance of winning its case against the project. The alliance filed the lawsuit in November, saying the project violates a forest plan's requirements for protection of elk habitat and old-growth trees. Michael Garrity of the alliance said the group plans to appeal because the pending lawsuit raises questions about the Forest Service following its own rules and federal law. He also said the suit would set a precedent for future cases. http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=7496366 & nav=menu227_7 Virginia: 13) About 5,200 acres of Craig County land suffered defoliation from gypsy moths in 2007, and next year a similar amount of acreage could suffer the same fate, Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Andy Allen told the Board of Supervisors during its Dec. 6 meeting. Areas around Paint Bank experienced significant damage, he said. Other areas of defoliation included Potts Mountain, Back Valley and Sinking Creek Valley. Allen said about 31,000 acres just across the county line in West Virginia experienced significant defoliation because of the gypsy moth. Giles County also experienced damage. Landowners in affected areas are asking to participate in a spraying program again this year, Allen told the supervisors. He said so far about 22 landowners expressed interest in the program, which can cost as much as $30 an acre. The county does not pay for spraying, but last year received a grant that paid for the effort. Allen said grant money may be available next year also. A number of areas in the county have been identified as problematic in 2008 because of large egg masses in the vicinity. Some areas not yet identified also may see defoliation. " Sometimes you don't know there is a problem until you see trees without leaves, " Allen told the supervisors. Craig County is part of a federal quarantine which regulates nursery stock, Christmas trees, logs, pulpwood and wood chips, among other things, because of gypsy moths. Articles being moved from county to county require inspection. http://ourvalley.org/news.php?viewStory=1985 Tennessee: 14) The land around the mining town, in the southeast corner of Tennessee overlooking Georgia and North Carolina, was literally stripped bare for 40 square miles. " In Georgia and Tennessee, all you could see was the red hills, " she said. " But then you could look way over to North Carolina and see the greenery. They were far enough away that they didn't get what we called 'the gas.' " " The gas " was an acidic vapor generated by hellish ore smelters and sulfuric acid plants fed by the mines that gave the Copper Basin its name. It wafted unchecked for better than a generation, poisoning air and water and obliterating vegetation. " My mother and daddy would grow tomato plants, and that gas would come through, " Ms. Beaver, 70, continued. " The next day they'd just be wilted and hailed over like someone went through them with a fire. " But today, that's all changed. " It doesn't look like that anymore, " she said. " It's like daylight and dark. Yesterday it was all red hills, and then you wake up the next day and it's all turned to green. " Nearly 45 years ago, Ms. Beaver fled 100 miles south to Atlanta in search of opportunity. But over the last several years she has joined a trickle of other retirees, second-home buyers and entrepreneurs who are renovating inexpensive old homes, restaurants and shops. Nearby, a remarkable cleanup of the mine site is nearing completion, ushering in what is hoped will be a far greener future for what was once one of the most devastated places in North America. The basin's most optimistic newcomers include artists, outdoor enthusiasts and a small cadre of Atlanta real estate developers who have specialized in revitalizing neighborhoods around the Cabbagetown district of Atlanta. " As the scars and memories of the copper mining and chemical company fade further into memory, people will once again see this area for the natural beauty it has, " Mr. Nichols said. " The mountains are there, the rivers are there, the outdoor adventure is there, and 4.5 million stressed-out Atlantans are just two hours south. " http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/travel/escapes/14copperhill.html Florida: 15) HIGH SPRINGS - It might seem counterintuitive to kill trees for the sake of the forest. But Florida Park Service biologists say killing hardwoods in River Rise Preserve and other state parks helps restore forests to a condition not seen for hundreds of years. As she stood beside a dying laurel oak at River Rise, district biologist Anne Barkdoll said the method opens up habitat for longleaf pines and a diverse array of plants on the forest floor. " When we remove the dense shade, then the ground cover comes back without having to plant anything, " she said. The killing of hardwoods, using a method called girdling, has caused an uproar among some members of the public. Workers have used a " hack and squirt " technique to kill the largest trees, slashing them with machetes and spraying herbicide to ensure their death. Girdling has been part of restoration projects throughout the region. But perhaps no reaction has been more heated than at River Rise, where the work along horse trails led equestrians to protest. " In an already hot state in the South, in a globally warming world . . .. it's lunacy to eradicate the shade trees, " said Sondra Smith, an equestrian who lives near River Rise. Florida park officials say their mission involves both recreation and restoration. They say killing laurel oaks and other hardwoods, then using controlled burns, helps preserve disappearing upland pine habitat. Gopher tortoises and other threatened species need such habitat to survive. " We're seeing an entire ecosystem going down the tubes, " said Dan Pearson, a district biologist for the park service. Before European settlement, Florida was covered with longleaf pines. Lightning strikes caused fires that left the pines unscathed, but allowed wire grass and other plants to thrive below. Forestry, farming and development destroyed more than 95 percent of the longleaf habitat in the Southeast, according to experts. The " Smokey Bear " campaign against forest fires and lack of controlled burns continued to alter habitat, allowing hardwood species to crowd the forest. http://www.gainesville.com/article/20071215/NEWS/712150323/1002/NEWS 16) One of the most important forest management and wildfire prevention tools used by the Florida Division of Forestry (DOF) is prescribed, or controlled, burning. Our late summer and early fall precipitation amounts have provided all of us with a much overdue respite to our dry land and forest conditions. We, here at the Withlacoochee Forestry Center, are more comfortable with commencing our fall/winter prescribed burn program. Many private contractors who are certified by the Division of Forestry as prescribe burn managers also increase their land clearing operations during this same seasonal time period. We recognize the importance of keeping our citizens aware of this program and providing them with adequate information on why and how we conduct these controlled burn operations. With that in mind, we hope the following information will help you better understand the why's and how's of the prescribe burn program and the disciplines we put in place to ensure the safety of both our county citizens and our state forest wildlife. As a forest land management tool, prescribed fire is used to restore and maintain fire-dependent ecosystems, enhance forest health, improve wildlife habitat and prevent wildfire by reducing hazardous fuels. It is a closely controlled burning of vegetation based on a prescription that takes into consideration fuel type, fuel moisture, relative humidity, air temperature, wind speed, wind direction and other atmospheric conditions to ensure a safe and successful burn that minimizes any adverse impact upon our citizens. All prescribed fires must meet set criteria to be authorized by the Florida Division of Forestry. These criteria include: acquiring daily authorization by the local DOF office, establishing fire breaks around the burn area and ensuring that sufficient personnel and fire suppression equipment are on site for controlling the fire. The fire must be controlled within the boundary of the authorized area, and responsible persons must remain at the burn site to contain the fire. Daytime controlled burn operations commence after 9 a.m., with fire spread contained within one hour after sunset. http://www.hernandotoday.com/columnists/MGB4NY287AF.html Canada: 17) Canada helped gut some of the substance from a world climate-change deal and then expressed regret Saturday when the final agreement was ultimately watered down even more than it had hoped. Environment Minister John Baird hailed as a positive step a United Nations agreement to seek a new global climate-change treaty by 2012. But he expressed regret that the agreement was almost completely stripped of any reference to numbers and targets which would have been the starting point for the discussion. Canada sided with the U.S. and Japan in a small group of wealthy non-European countries that successfully removed references to emissions targets for developed countries by 2020. The treaty was also stripped of references to longer-term targets - which Baird said he had been prepared to accept. Baird said the Bali conference achieved its primary goals of launching negotiations, getting all countries to agree to basic parameters, and setting a 2009 deadline date. " We were naturally disappointed in the language that weakened and watered down the agreement, " Baird said. " But it's better than no agreement. " http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSIPHFtqSzFk7ZCDG9dZKmdlHAMQ UK: 18) Johan Eliasch has served as Chairman of the Management Board of Head N.V. and Group Chief Executive Officer since September 1995. He is the UK Prime Minister's Special Representative on Deforestation and Clean Energy, and is the Deputy Party Treasurer of the British opposition party, the Conservatives. He is also a board member of the Centre for Social Justice, a member of the Advisory Boards of Brasilinvest, Societe du Louvre and the British Olympic Association, Chairman of Starr Underwriting Agents, President of the Global Strategy Forum and a Patron of Stockholm University. Along with Labour politician Frank Field, Eliasch co-founded the Cool Earth foundation, which seeks to buy areas of Amazon rainforest to save them from logging, and so reduce the world's carbon emissions. Outside of work he is a keen sports enthusiast, taking part in world class skiing events at super giant and giant slalom levels. Q: Basically, as a result of you buying this acreage some people were without jobs, about a thousand people were involved in the timber industry and you have been accused of " green colonialism; " how do you respond to those charges? A: Let me answer that in two parts because that is a core issue in all this. First of all, yes, it is true that I laid off one thousand people in a saw mill, when I stopped the logging activity which was obviously essential to my objective. But, what I also did, and that is the most important thing here, was to explore a model whereby I let the local indigenous population go and harvest my lands free of charge. And through that program I have actually created fifteen hundred jobs, so that means a net increase of five hundred jobs. That is something that is very important here and that gets to the core issue which is the only way to save the rainforest is you have to make it more valuable standing than logged. Q: So you see a different business model? A: It's not really a business model -- this is a sustainable protection model. That model makes it essential that you change the economic paradigm away from logging or clear-cutting, to plant soy beans, whatever, for methadone production or otherwise, away from that, to making it more profitable to keep those trees where they are and not touching them. http://www.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/12/14/eliasch.profile/ http://www.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/12/14/boardroom.eliasch/ Scotland: 19) Woods and forests in Kintyre and Gigha will be the next to be surveyed in the most comprehensive study of Scotland's native woods and forests ever to be undertaken. The study - the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) is a six-year project being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland and Forest Research. Findings from the project will form a database of information about Scotland's native woodlands and will include key information such as; how much native woodland Scotland has; what types of native woodland they are; what condition they are in; and where they are. The Argyll and Bute survey began this month and over the next year will cover Gigha and Kintyre south of Portachoillan. A survey team, from Forest Research, will be scouring brae, field and village to discover exactly how much native woodland there is in the identified area. The team will only be looking at areas of woodland that are greater than 0.5 hectares in size and will be using state-of-the-art technology to record information. They will be clearly identifiable and landowners are encouraged to enable access to their land to assist them during their investigations. Dr Zoé Laird is heading the pioneering project. She said: 'The survey team has recently completed similar data collection in other parts of the country and while it is too early to say what the results have revealed, it is feasible that we might find alder, ash, rowan, birch and aspen. 'I am delighted that the team has received positive support from local landowners while conducting their research. 'The main reason for this part of Argyll and Bute being the next area covered in the survey is that we have successfully mapped this area using aerial photography. We need this to help us map woodland areas on the land. The research team relies on these maps for implementing their data gathering activity. The latest technology is being used both to create the maps as well as record information on the ground. 'Protecting and expanding our native woodlands is important to Scotland, not just because of its nature conservation and heritage value, but for sound economic reasons as well. http://www.campbeltowncourier.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4399/Native_Woodland_\ Survey_.html Ireland: 20) EU average forest cover is 35 per cent, Ireland has just over ten per cent, and Northern Ireland six per cent. Irish State forests and private forests comprise 47 per cent of the total. Yearly target of afforestation is 20,000 hectares; 8,000 hectares were planted in 2006; 2007 figures might reach 7,500 hectares. A Farm Forestry Chairman John Jackson welcomed the recent budget allocation of €121 million in State funding to the forestry sector. He said the Government commitment to this vibrant rural-based industry, at a time of budgetary constraints, is a very positive endorsement. Mr Jackson said: " Timber and wood products are now worth €1.7 billion annually to the Irish economy and the new wood to energy market is emerging strongly. The timber industry is achieving major growth and added value potential in rural areas. A shortage of raw material has kept timber prices buoyant, even as the construction industry slows. Our woodlands also give added value in recreation and environmental benefits in water and bio-diversity protection. It is estimated that the young farm forestry sector has over 5,000,000 tonnes of logs annually available from first thinning, which are ideal for board, pulp, stake and the energy market. Farm forestry owners with suitable timber should enter the market now. " Mr Jackson has called on the Forestry Service to immediately roll out all the remaining forestry schemes. As farm forestry has moved onto higher-yield class land, forest owners must be prepared to thin high-yielding organic woodlands early and often, some only 14 years after planting. http://www.mayoadvertiser.com/index.php?aid=4350 Portugal: 21) The Portuguese hardwood area is composed of various eucalyptus species, of which Eucalyptus globules and clearly predominates, and covers about 590 thousand ha of pure and mixed stands (CEI,PA 1996). Most of this area is located in the coastal area due to its favorable edapho-climatic growth conditions. About 30 of the eucalyptus area is owned or managed by the pulp industry; the rest belongs to mostly small private forest owners. According to the Eucalyptus Forest Inventory of 1997, the current annual wood production in 1996 was estimated to be 4.8 million m3 inside bark. However, the harvestable volume inside the bark in 1997 was estimated to be be 3.5 million m3 due to the unbalanced age distribution of the stands; thereforc standing volume is assumed to increase during the coming years. To support the management of the Portuguese eucalyptus lbrest, the Association of Portuguese Pulp and Paper Industries (CELPA) decided to develop a Eucalyptus Forest Information System (EFIS). The specific goals ofthc EFIS are: characterization and development of the eucalyptus forest over time; planning of successive national eucalyptus forest inventories; estimation of sustainable eucalyptus pulpwood yield; development of growth and yield models; and monitoring of mean and current annual increment. This paper gives a concise image of the Portuguese eucalyptus forest and explains the structure of the system and the expected results. http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/other/gtr_nc212/gtr_nc212bi.pdf Namibia: 22) Scientists in Namibia are considering an extensive national and regional investigation following observations of a threat to the life and survival of the most abundant species of the Acacia tree. The scientists have observed cancerous outgrowths on Acacia pods which they say are interfering with the reproductive mechanism of the tree, a development they fear can lead to the tree's extinction in the long term if it is not contained. The infection has been detected in Acacia karroo, one of approximately 1 300 Acacia species worldwide but the most abundant in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the first report of unsightly pod malformation on Acacia karroo in Namibia in particular, and in peer-reviewed scientific literature in general. Studies over several months have shown that the bizarre outgrowths are caused by a highly infectious fungus called Alternaria tenuissima. The fungus is cosmopolitan and occurs in many hosts including humans, on which it has been known to cause cornea (eye) infections and asthmatic attacks. The fungus has affected other plant species elsewhere in the world, with disastrous consequences. In the 1970s in India, it wreaked havoc on pigeon peas and several other crops and recently it affected the egg plant - a delicacy eaten as a vegetable throughout the world. Acacia is a term loosely applied to all thorny, pod-bearing trees in a family called Fabaceae, especially those that are found in Africa. The word Acacia is derived from the Greek akis, which means " a sharp point " . It was first described from an African specimen (of Acacia nilotica) from Egypt. The Australian sub-genus is Phyllodineae. In Acacia karroo, the fungus causes pod malformation and stops seed production, thus interfering with the reproductive system of the trees. " It would appear that in Acacia karroo, the infection sets in during flowering. Once the fungus has entered the flower, it triggers non-stop, uncoordinated cell division, just like in a cancerous cell, leading to formation of weird structures, thereby disrupting the proper formation of pods, " plant-microbe biologist Dr Percy Chimwamurombe, who is leading the study, said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712130315.html Congo: 23) Forests in Africa will continue to be decimated unless money is invested in renewable energy resources, warned officials at a UN meeting on climate change being hailed as a " forest conference " . " It is pointless to throw money on forestry projects in Africa, " remarked Ogunlade Davidson, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. " You would rather spend money on renewable energy projects in Africa, " he told IRIN. The meeting in Bali, to launch negotiations for a new agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions after 2012, has recognised the need to deal with deforestation to stem global warming. The agreement will replace the first commitment phase of the Kyoto Protocol, under which industrialised countries have to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least five percent against a 1990 baseline. " People often do not take into account the main driver of deforestation, which is very different in Africa, where it is the need for fuel wood, " said Kevin Conrad, director of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations at the Earth Institute of Columbia University. " Unless we address the driver of the problem first, I agree it is pointless throwing money into forestry projects. " Deforestation is responsible for 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon emissions every year, amounting to one-fifth of the global total, and to more than the combined total contributed by the world's energy-intensive transport sectors, according to the Indonesia-based Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). " Deforestation contributes almost as much to climate change as does US fossil fuel use, " said Conrad. " Yet deforestation was specifically excluded from the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which failed to address this significant source of carbon emissions. " The Congo Basin, covering around 241 million hectares, is the world's second largest tropical forest, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). " It spans across eleven Central African countries, namely Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe. " http://allafrica.com/stories/200712140680.html Nigeria: 24) Various residents of Ikoyi, Lagos State have staged a protest against moves by a construction giant, Julius Berger Plc to cut down over 2000 trees in the area, in a bid to complete a Lagos State Government road dualisation project. The protest, which occurred during a world carnival/conference organised by environmentalist and founder of Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE) Dr. Newton Jibunoh, took place at the grounds opposite Abebe Court, Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, as part of his efforts to draw national attention to the climatic change posed by desertification, drought and desert encroachment. Jibunor, who spoke to THISDAY at the weekend, said the protest was organised to pass a message across to the government to desist from doing so because it will destroy lives, shade, water and rainfall. Jibunor who has crossed the desert twice and is preparing for the third expedition said he has been trying in the last 40 years to find solution to building and making trees in Sahara Desert, and that he was surprised to hear that trees in his area has been marked for destruction. The FADE crusader also insisted that trees should not be cut because half of the species of plants and animals in the world live in the rain forests which provides habitat, food chain as well as helping to stabilise the ecosystem. " When the forest is removed, heavy rainfalls which usually occur in the tropics land directly on the ground and wash away the soil. These cause flooding and landslides and make surrounding areas unsafe for people to live in, " he said. Also, popular Nigerian musician, Lagbaja (real names Bisade Ologunde) who made a surprise appearance at the venue said it was important for him to come and identify with FADE even though he is not living in the area, but because he believes in their cause. He added that the problem, which is very common, is that until something concerns the people personally, they always think it is not their problem. " But really, it is our problem and the environment. Even if I will die one day and go but the generations of Nigerians yet unborn will feel the impart of how we destroyed the earth so, it is of direct importance to me, " he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712120669.html Mozambique: 25) The governor of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, Francisco Itai Meque, on Tuesday warned that the province runs serious risks of deforestation. " Foreigners come from thousands of miles away to work in our forests " , he said. " If the forests here all disappear, they will just move on to other countries. But where will we go ? " This year 112 forestry operators were granted licences in Inhambane out of the 138 requests, and authorization was granted for logging 22,745 cubic metres of wood. The state gained 11.9 million meticais (slightly less than half a million US dollars) in licence fees, and a further 2.7 million meticais from the sale of wood illegally logged, and seized by inspectors. Fines of 1.5 million meticais were imposed on businesses caught in illegal acts. But many of these fines have not been paid. Itai Meque warned that anyone who had not paid the fines by 31 December would not have their licences renewed for 2008. Several species of precious hardwoods are no longer exploited in Inhambane, because they are commercially extinct in the province. Itai Meque called for urgent measures of reforestation and for a rational and sustainable approach to the use of natural resources. He demanded that forestry officials revise the way their sector operates in order to restore legality speedily. " You should get a move on, otherwise you will be moved " , he told Esmaraldina Cuco, the head.of the Inhambane forestry and wild life services. " We are prepared to take severe measures against state officials who violate the norms, and against illegal timber operators " , warned Itai Meque. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712120819.html Dominican Republic: 26) Losses to the forest cover along the North Yaque river's banks include more than 7,000 trees of different varieties swept away are among the casualties to nature Tropical Storm Olga inflicted on the country, according to an Environment Ministry (Semarena) report released yesterday. Semarena's preliminary report on 12 provinces says 6,000 banana plants were lost, as well as hundreds of javilla, almond and the coconut trees were downed in Samaná. It says 15 electrical power line posts and several houses were affected. In Santiago the report says the North Yaque river's banks were devastated as the wooded cover was totally lost, whereas in nearby Jánico the swelled Jánico, Jagua and Bao rivers set off landslides, mainly from the draining of the Bao dam. In the Santiago-Janico highway span trees along the road were damaged and in the mountain town Juncalito pine trees uprooted. It reports 165 coconut trees down and extensive damages to agriculture in Nagua and Salcedo, especially in banana, papaya and vegetable crops. http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2007/12/14/26393/Olga-also-takes-a-toll-o\ n-Dominican-fo rests Pakistan: 27) Despite tall claims of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) about environment protection, the excessive and illegal cutting of trees is going on unchecked in the forest connected to the Pakistan Sport Complex (PSC) and other parts of the capital. Sources told Daily Times that the timber mafia was cutting these trees with the connivance of CDA officials. The timber mafia had chopped a huge number of trees in the area near the PSC, Embassy Road, G-6, G-8 and H-8 sectors recently, they said. They said the illegal practice had been going on for two years. The wood is sold in Bani Gala, Bara Kahu and other areas adjacent to Islamabad and Rawalpindi, they added. The sources said that officials of the CDA Environment Directorate knew that the authority's staff was involved in the cutting of trees but had taken no action against them. " The CDA has chopped 28,000 Paper Mulberry and 7,000 other trees during the last three years to build roads. The timber mafia has added to the problem and it will affect the city's future badly, " they added. They said, " Ruthless cutting of trees and removal of grass has resulted in land erosion and multiplied flood risks. Due to the fast growing construction activities in the capital, the price of timber has gone up tremendously. " http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C15%5Cstory_15-12-2007_\ pg11_8 India: 28) Kathmandu: In today's meeting of Natural Resources and Means Committee of Legislature - Parliament, discussions were held with the officers at Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Freed Kamaiya Rehabilitation Central Committee and Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal on rapid deforestation in districts including Kailali and the meeting decided to give different directions to concerned entities. The meeting also decided to direct the government to control deforestation immediately by forging coordination among local political parties, government machineries and civil societies. The meeting also decided to draw attention of the government to the directives that the Committee had given by carrying out field visit in the month of Asar. The Meeting also decided to urge Ministry of Home Affairs for the arrangement discussions in districts under the coordination of Chief District Officers. The meeting also decided to carryout field study by forming a team for drawing attention of the concerned parties to immediate and long-term measures in resolving the problems of deforestation by identifying its causes. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=32232 Kashmir: 29) I was moved after reading your editorial 'Criminals or Collaborators' (GK 10th Dec, 2007) as I have been associated with the forest department for more than 30 years. J & K was one of the pioneer states to organise the forest department and has produced many eminent foresters. Their professional excellence and administrative skills in forestry and allied sectors are next to none. As a result of their dedication, the forest department has remained one of the most efficient government departments in delivering goods and services to the public. Much has changed in the department because of the overall change in social and political set up. Now the only qualification that matters for Forest officers is how much political patronage they enjoy for getting booty. They loot the resources they are supposed to protect. Unfortunately forest officers who tried to check damages, illegal extraction, encroachment of forest land were soon rendered ineffective. They tried to serve and they paid the price In the recent times service conditions of foresters have changed a lot and the postings which used to be made on the basis of capability and experience is now done on the proximity of the relation with the concerned minister and big bosses of the dept leaving behind eligible and competent officers to rot. It is shameful that a trend of making frequent transfers after bidding and getting hefty offers was put in place thereby giving birth to transfer industry. This has encouraged another source of corruption. We have the manpower and resources. But willpower , sincerity, honesty and dedication is lacking. The State Forest Service who served the department with their blood have of late been ignored and important places have been occupied by IFS officers who have not only remained indifferent to the rapid deforestation of the state forests but also being mostly non state subjects they have also been insensitive to this devastation. This is a criminal conspiracy going on to rob us of a great wealth. http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=15_12_2007 & ItemID=1 & cat=14 Korea: 30) ``I can't take this situation any longer. I hate all the waste people turn my family and friends into,'' an oak tree pronounced vehemently the moment the floor was open to participants. The statement made me tense while a ripple of noise filled the air, already thick with the breath of trees. ``We must put an end to this situation at all cost,'' the oak added. ``Would you tell us what bothers you specifically?'' the presiding ginkgo asked in an unruffled voice. It seemed only natural that she was leading the discussion. As a representative of the living fossil family, the ginkgo seemed to know how to remain cool even in a heated atmosphere. ``In autumn which is the moving season, I saw heaps of oak furniture abandoned and mercilessly dismembered in various neighborhoods. Couches, chests, tables and chairs that could still serve their original purposes! These days, trees are increasingly sacrificed for yuletide decorations and election campaigns. Look at the electric wires torturing our friends and the waste of paper for posters and leaflets.'' the oak said bitterly. ``We maples have a harsh time, too. As you are aware, we are hard and beautiful. That's why we make bowling pins, butcher's blocks, and ornaments. We also make good guitars, drums and bassoons as we carry sound waves well. However, our family is rapidly dwindling as we can't live in acid soil and as we are wasted by humans,'' a maple whined. ``Mr. Oak, I can't agree with you more. Miss Maple, please accept my warmest sympathy,'' a pine began politely. ``As we pines don't usually stand on the street, we are saved from the electric wires, but we are wasted just like you. People blend hardwood trees like oaks and maples and softwood trees like spruce and us pines to produce quality paper. We seldom complain of turning into paper as long as it contributes to a universal good. We used to become wonderful books or great paintings. ``However, we feel sad and angry now as we go through all these painful transformations only to fulfill shallow interests of greedy people. We don't want to become how-to books encouraging materialistic pursuits. We don't want to degrade ourselves to ridiculous posters and materials eulogizing politicians full of vanity and trickery.'' the pine grumbled. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/12/137_15567.html Philippines: 31) Andy White and Alejandra Martin, in their paper, " Strategies and Strengthening of Community Property Rights over Forests, " claim that the world's poor are seen to be " disproportionately located in rural areas and are strongly dependent on forests for their survival. " Their studies show large dependence on forest resources for livelihood among those who are extremely poor (i.e., living with less than US$1 a day) and countless others depend on forests for their medicine and fuel needs. These groups likewise depend on the ecological services being provided by forests as well as the biodiversity. The paper points out that forest degradation is not caused by the " poor's lack of interest in protecting and managing resources. " Rather, it is the " historic centralization of control and the resulting problems of enforcing property rights while enabling sustainable livelihoods. " It explains that highly centralized control over natural resources precludes property rights holders from enjoying attendant benefits derived from them following the principles of sustainable livelihoods. Throughout the world, inequities are experienced by forest communities and they are more likely engaged in conflicts as " more powerful actors extract forest resources. " The lack of tenure security provides " little incentive to invest in forest stewardship or take risk by engaging in protection activities. " Further, forest ownership has proved to be playing an important role in conflict resolution and poverty alleviation. Again it underscores governments' ownership of the majority of forests as the main cause of forest tenure insecurity. It explained that these are " vestiges of the colonial and imperial period when governments legally usurped lands from native dwellers and delegated authority to forest agencies. " In the Philippines, Vitug's " Power from the Forest " details how the granting of timber license agreements was used by former President Ferdinand Marcos to ensure support for his continued stay in power. This reflects the reality in our country, where it is the rich businessmen and cronies who profit most from this public good. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/dec/15/yehey/opinion/20071215opi4.html Indonesia; 32) Using as a template for discussion Dolcemascolo's PhD dissertation on the fires of 1997/ 98 in Central Kalimantan, we can start to understand how an effective project can develop over time by reframing the question within the local context to see how risks, such as fire, are managed from the Dayak cultural perspective. Within this framework, we have found that understanding cultural autonomy is important because this encourages stakeholder equity. Another key to fire risk management understands how the local communities use and appreciate fire. Essentially, by reframing the fire question, we have found that project developers can decrease their fire risk by increasing their communication with the local communities. Furthermore, a project developer needs to ensure local communities that it pays to protect forests not only in the long run but also immediately. This can be done by creating incentive mechanisms such as a community-based forest monitoring program, a sustainable business development program with links to the market for non-timber forest products, along with micro-financing facilities as part of the project design. Land conflicts related to the forestry sector in Indonesia are well documented. Since decentralization, incidents of conflict in the logging, plantation, and protected area forests have risen from causes ranging from land boundaries and access to use forests as compensation payments and distribution of benefits (Source: CIFOR, 2004). An AD project should facilitate conflict resolution hectare by hectare, community by community. The Ulu Masen project is an excellent example of this. In some areas this process may take weeks, while in others years. With a solid foundation for consensus building, a project may survive for many years. http://news.mongabay.com/2007/1213-jp.html 33) " Indigenous peoples and women are the traditional caretakers of the forest, " said Anne Petermann, Co-director of Global Justice Ecology Project. " The fact that they are being ignored and excluded in this process is typifying for the way in which we are moving in the wrong direction. " The International Forum of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change, expressed their profound concern in a statement read inside the UNFCCC about Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD): " REDD will not benefit Indigenous Peoples, but in fact, will result in more violations of Indigenous Peoples' Rights. It will increase the violation of our Human Rights, our rights to our lands, territories and resources, steal our land, cause forced evictions, prevent access and threaten indigenous agriculture practices, destroy biodiversity and culture diversity and cause social conflicts. Under REDD, States and Carbon Traders will take more control over our forests. " Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues added, " It is countries in the North that have caused the climate problem and now they are promoting projects like agrofuels to supposedly address this problem, the impacts of which will be shouldered by the countries and indigenous peoples of the South. " " To worsen matters, World Bank President Robert Zoellick announced their latest scheme called the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, " stated Dr. Miguel Lovera, Chairperson for the Global Forest Coalition. " They are going to use the failed model of carbon trading to supposedly protect forests, but just like agrofuels, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility is going to exacerbate deforestation at a faster rate, worsen human rights abuses and do nothing for the climate but make it less inhabitable, " he said. http://globaljusticeecology.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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