Guest guest Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 --Today for you 34 new articles about earth's trees! (363rd edition) --You can now RSS tree news in a regional format at: http://forestpolicyresearch.org --To Subscribe / to the world-wide email format send a blank email to: earthtreenews- OR earthtreenews- In this issue: BC-Canada Asia-Pacific-Australia Index: --British Columbia:1) Coleman finally done! 2) Great Bear's misery fund, 3) Island Timber trashing Myrtle creek, 4) Western will half production, 5) TimberWest stats. 6) History of Tl'oh collaboration with Apollo, --Canada: 7) Williams Forestry Station, 8) US governors to Boycott Alberta's oil sands, 9) New forest minister, 10) Weyco loses again, 11) Property protected on the Frontenac Arch, 12) Industry destroys sustainability, 13) Wireless Forest Sensor Network, --China: 14) New bird species discovered in limestone rainforest, 15) Farms to forest, --India: 16) Model Mills are cutting trees, 17) Silent demo opposes logging near Kaifi Azmi park, 18) Turning smugglers into tour guides via " Trekking for Trees, " program, --Bangladesh: 19) Tiger kills 3 villagers, 20) Save 1000 trees, stop Dhaka city, --Philippines: 21) Flooding in Western Visaya is because of forest loss, 22) Choice between water for farms or for mining, 23) Protest of cutting permit for Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, 24) Lucrative corn production a new threat to forests, 25) Forests need to be more clearly defined, --Malaysia: 26) Golden Pharos ready to destroy 129,000ha in Terengganu, --Indonesia: 27) Government needs to trust community to protect forest, 28) Alas Kusuma's illegal logging in Protected Forest Mt Lawang, 29) Michael Sheridan video about forest destruction, 30) Bell Gully is Saving White Rhinos, 31) Orangutan Survival's rescue and rehabilitation centre, 32) West Java air is warmer now and a teacher is reforestating to change that, Australia: 33) Save Kimberly Wilderness coast, 34) Aussie's biggest bank getting in on carbon credits, British Columbia: 1) B.C. environmental groups, long calling for Rich Coleman's political head, said yesterday they were " very happy " he'd been shuffled out of the forestry portfolio. " We've been running a campaign asking for his resignation for the last eight months, " said Maurita Prato, forest campaigner with the Dogwood Initiative, a non-profit environmental agency. " About a month ago we submitted a petition into the legislature with 2,000 concerned citizens asking he resign. So of course we're very happy he's being shuffled out. " Environmental groups made Coleman the target of frequent criticism since his appointment in 2005, as coastal mills continued to close and tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs. Prato said she believes Coleman could have done more to protect the industry. In March, around 1,300 protesters convened at the legislature to demand Coleman act to save old-growth forests and end raw-log exports. It was the largest protest since the Clayoquot Sound rallies 15 years ago. Susan Howatt, campaigns director for Sierra Club B.C., said Coleman leaves a " horrific legacy " for allowing Western Forest Products to remove about 28,000 hectares of private land from tree-farm licences near Jordan River in 2007. WFP then provisionally sold 2,500 hectares to a developer. WFP also applied to develop subdivisions before government could sign changes to limit lot sizes. The moves sparked an angry outcry from local residents. http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=5\ c03cdf7-5da7-40f 0-99c5-43f97107c44b 2) Coast Opportunity Funds consists of two non-profit grant-making programs entrusted to oversee and manage $120 million in public and private funding to support both conservation management and sustainable economic development in the Central and North Coasts of British Columbia and Haida Gwaii. Evolving from groundbreaking land-use decisions made by First Nations and the Province of British Columbia, Coast Funds' programs are designed to protect the rainforest ecosystem and improve the socio-economic conditions of the aboriginal people who live in the region. Known around the world as the Great Bear Rainforest, this area is part of the largest coastal temperate rainforest left on Earth, an ecosystem of global significance, yet one that is equally important to British Columbia for its potential to create a new, sustainable economy. Coast Opportunity Funds recognizes that economic challenges must be addressed hand in hand with conservation needs in order to build healthy and sustainable First Nation communities. Today and into the future, Coast Opportunity Funds' unique partnership with First Nations and its long-term commitment to lasting solutions will support new forms of innovation in this extraordinary rainforest region. Download Coast Opportunity Funds Structure Chart http://www.coastfunds.ca/index.htm 3) Island Timberlands has started preliminary logging operations on a block through which a portion of Myrtle Creek flows, despite concerns expressed by a variety of community groups. Wayne French, operations planner, said the harvested area of the cutblock is about 19 hectares, with about seven hectares identified for retention, focused primarily around riparian areas. Selective removal of fir poles started last week, French said, with the main harvesting scheduled to take place shortly after the poling process is complete, in about two weeks. Myrtle Creek is almost nine kilometres long, French pointed out, with almost five kilometres above Island Timberlands block and three and a half kilometres below. " There is only 500 metres of the creek that is within Island Timberlands property, " he said. Island Timberlands private lands are regulated by the Private Managed Forest Land Act. Company representatives say their plans go above and beyond what the private forest land regulations require. " We've started looking again at what we could do for stream riparian widths over and above what was legally required for us, " said Makenzie Leine, Island Timberlands' manager of sustainability and community affairs. " That was looking at the science behind fish habitat and water quality that we needed to know to find that sweet spot between environmental protection and economic value, which is two of the three major things we're balancing in sustainability. " Island Timberlands has done four complete watershed assessments on its private land and is working on a fifth, she said. The company is applying a stream matrix that was developed as a result of its watershed assessments on its whole land base. For the Myrtle Creek cutblock, the falling boundary is about 40 metres away from the creek. The average for the reserve is about 30 metres wide. " It goes down to about 25 metres in some places, but the concept is we wanted to stay above this breaking slope up on the edge, " said Glynnis Horel, a geological engineer who was hired by Island Timberlands. Myrtle Creek supports coho and chum salmon and cutthroat trout and serves as an indicator stream for wild coho salmon and scientific information on the health of the species. Esther Dyck, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada field technician who monitors the fish escapement fence on Myrtle Creek, told members of the community advisory group to Island Timberlands at its June 11 meeting that the logging was an impending disaster. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19786712 & BRD=1998 & PAG=461 & dept_id=2215\ 89 & rfi=6 4) Western Forest Products Inc. (TSX:WEF) says it will cut production in half this summer due to weak markets in the United States and Japan, a move that will affect about 1,850 people who work directly or indirectly for the company. The cuts relate to operations on Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Sunshine Coast in July and August and will affect about 650 of Western's hourly employees and 1,200 contractors. The company, based in Duncan, B.C., announced last month it had a net loss of $17 million in the first quarter, as a decline in log prices and sales volume combined to reduce its revenues by 26 per cent from the same time last year. Revenue fell to $203.7 million down from $276.3 million as the volume of logs sold fell by 30 per cent and average price per log fell by 11 per cent. Western Forest Products had previously reduced its logging operations on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast during May and June. That meant harvesting was already about one-third lower than normal. In the latest announcement, Western Forest Products said it will also shut down its sawmill at Duke Point during July and August. That's in addition to the indefinite shutdown of the Ladysmith sawmill and shorter periods of downtime at other mills. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hileWRQDK7ejWTtbT_gjgapWWqTA 5) TimberWest Forest Corp., together with its subsidiaries, harvests and sells logs primarily in British Columbia. The company's products include softwood lumber products, wood chips, and sawdust. It supports the growth Douglas fir, western red cedar, hemlock, balsam, and cypress, Sitka spruce, and other species. As of December 31, 2007, the company owned approximately 796,000 acres of private timberland, including 134,000 acres of real estate of located on Vancouver Island. It also involves in the development and sale of real estate properties; and processing and sale of softwood lumber produced by its Elk Falls sawmill located at Campbell River on Vancouver Island. In addition, the company owns renewable Crown harvest rights to 0.7 million cubic meters of logs per year. It sells its products to customers primarily located in Japan, China, Belgium, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The company was founded in 1997. It was formerly known as TAL Acquisition, Ltd. and changed its name to TimberWest Forest Holdings Ltd. in June 1997. Further, it changed its name to TimberWest Forest Management Limited in January 1998, and subsequently to TimberWest Forest Corp. on September 30, 1998. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. With 77.75 million shares outstanding and 240,300 shares declared short as of May 2008, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of TWTUF. According to quarterly data provided by the SEC, there were still 10,352 shares of TWTUF that were failing-to-deliver as of August 14, 2007. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1698731/ 6) One of his proudest accomplishments was helping develop Tl'oh Forest Products -- a value-added sawmill created from a joint venture between the band and Apollo Forest Products. The mill employs about 60 workers, 80 per cent of whom are first nations people. Securing a provincial tree farm licence to supply the mill was no easy task. The nearby Tl'azt'en Nation gained a licence in the 1980s and Thomas helped them set up reforestation programs. But he felt strongly his own band could benefit by gaining a similar asset. " There was really good money to be made in the timber industry then and we had nothing going on in our community, " he said. " ... So we decided to block off a route through our reserve where logs were being transported out of the community. " We told the government nobody could take anything out until we got something in return. " The four-person, four-hour blockade strategy worked. The Nak'azdli nation applied for, and received, a provincial tree farm licence and the sawmill opened in 1994. The band plans to use mill profits to build a new reserve grocery store and it also operates a successful gas station, which contributes about $125,000 a year to a band-owned school. Thomas, who is president of the B.C. First Nations Forestry Council, has a special interest in the devastating impact of the mountain pine beetle, which has destroyed local forests. He feels the dying forests are susceptible to fires and has pushed federal officials hard for funding to help first nations communities develop more resources to respond to fires. Thomas knows the downturn in the timber industry means the regional economy must diversify and he wants to do what he can to bring that about. Tourism has great potential, he said, and so does mining. But he still has environmental questions bout a $917-million copper-gold mine proposed for the area by Terrane Metals. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=01ccd520-4581-4ca\ c-b8af-29d5ab1 1bd5e Canada: 7) In an effort to reforest areas cleared of trees, the provincial government in 1908 opened the St. Williams Forestry Station, Canada's first forestry station. Over the years, hundreds of millions of tree seedlings have been produced at the station and planted across Ontario. The forestry station -- now operated by a private company called ForestCare -- will celebrate a legacy of helping keep Ontario green with a 100th anniversary public celebration on July 12. While the St. Williams facility was privatized in 1997, its history as a provincially operated forest station is chronicled in an interpretive centre that opened on the station grounds in 2005. Members of the Port Rowan-Walsingham Heritage Association formed a committee with an aim of establishing the centre in 2003. " We feel (the forestry station) is an important story in this area and that we had to preserve this story so the descendants of the pioneers and the descendants of those who worked here could know the history, " says heritage association president Paul Smith. John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, in the early 19th-century encouraged settlement in the Norfolk area by offering 100-acre and 200-acre plots of land in exchange for a promise that settlers would clear land of the forests of pine and hardwood trees that covered the area. The objective of the policy was to clear the land so it could be dedicated to producing food, but things didn't go as planned. Because of Norfolk's sandy soils, much of the land lost its fertility once trees were cleared -- turning it into a desert-like environment -- and many settlers were reduced to subsistence living. The policy introduced by Simcoe led to tens of thousands of acres of land being cleared of forest cover, up to 30 percent of the land in present-day Norfolk County. " They said when the wind came up, the sky would be black because of the sand blowing, " says heritage association member Ingrid McKee. http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1087378 8) Alberta politicians and oil producers are fighting back at a resolution passed by U.S. mayors calling for a boycott of fuel from Alberta's oilsands. At their annual meeting in Florida, the American mayors passed a resolution that urges major American cities to ban the use of fuel from the oilsands in municipal vehicles. The mayors claim that producing oil from the oilsands emits three times as much carbon dioxide into the environment as conventional oil production. Calgary's mayor responded to the resolution by inviting the mayors to visit Alberta and learn more about the province's oil industry. " When you have an important group such as this one passing a resolution saying do not use Alberta oil from the oilsands, I think it's important to us that we wake up and say this is an early warning and a signal, " Dave Bronconnier told CTV Calgary's Kevin Green. Alberta Finance Minister Iris Evans was angered by the news of the resolution, and said it is the result of a lack of understanding of how Alberta produces oil. " It offends me deeply to hear people say dirty oil, " Evans said. However, Pierre Alvarez of the Canadian Association of Oil Producers, said such a resolution would be almost impossible to enforce because a litre of fuel cannot be traced back to the oil from which it was produced. Alvarez said his organization needs to do a better job of educating people about the environmental impact of oil production. " We've been great at talking about the economic issues, " said Alvarez. " I think maybe we need to spend a little more time talking about the environmental issues. " Most of Alberta's $11 billion in oil revenue comes from the oilsands, but Alvarez said the resolution won't have an economic impact. However, the Sierra Club of Canada believes the controversy surrounding the oilsands will only grow. " I wouldn't be surprised, particularly with an American election coming up later this year, if this became more of an issue, " said the Sierra Club's Grady Semmens. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080624/oilsands_boycott_08\ 0624/20080624?h ub=TopStories & s_name= 9) It can't be said that new Forests Minister Pat Bell doesn't know the issues that afflict his portfolio. He's the MLA from Prince George North, whose riding includes Mackenzie, where more than 1,000 forest workers have been laid off and every major forestry operation in town has been shut down. Bell's appointment has been well received by the industry. He is a former contract logger himself. But a lot is riding on the new minister. " I think he knows a lot of our issues well. With the support of the premier and the government, we are hopeful that the new minister can help us define a vision for our industry well into the future, " said Dave Lewis, executive director of the Truck Loggers Association. But the government Bell represents is widely perceived, whether rightly or wrongly, as partly responsible for not having made forestry a top priority on its agenda. Further, as agriculture and lands minister, Bell played a significant role in shaping some of the issues that affect the industry today. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=6c74664a-e988-444\ e-aec4-3312b9c ebeb2 10) The Department of Natural Resources has announced it has formally taken over Crown licence five, formerly allocated to forestry company Weyerhaeuser. Weyerhaeuser held the license for eight years following it's takeover from Eagle Forest Products in 2000. The American forestry giant shut down its Miramichi OSB mill in January 2007 and permanently closed it on June 6 this year. The company announced in April the mill will be dismantled over the summer if it continuing efforts to find a buyer for the facility are unsuccesful. http://miramichileader.canadaeast.com/news/article/331321 11) The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is proud to announce the protection of an ecologically significant property on the Frontenac Arch, just north of Kingston. Together with Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) and private donors, NCC has secured a critical wildlife corridor between Frontenac Provincial Park and the Queen's University Biological Station. The spectacular property is also part of NCC's annual Gifts to Canadians program. " It is wonderful to have two of our major partners here to celebrate with us today, " remarked Donna Stewart, NCC Ontario's Regional Vice President. " It is the power of partnership that enables us to accomplish incredible conservation feats like protecting this important property, making sure that places like this will stand forever. " The 1,100 acre (445-hectare) property has been secured with support from the Government of Canada under the Natural Areas Conservation Program. This program, launched in April 2007, is a $225 million investment by the Federal government towards conservation across Canada. The bulk of these funds are being used to advance NCC's land conservation work across Canada, and NCC is committed to matching the federal dollars, delivering an overall investment in conservation of $500 million. The property includes 6 kilometres of shoreline on Upper Rock Lake, Elbow Lake, and Spectacle Lake. These waters drain into the Cataraqui River, part of the recently dedicated Rideau Waterway World Heritage Site. The lands are part of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in recognition of this unique landscape where natural heritage and human development coexist. The property contains numerous wetlands and supports Canadian species at risk such as Eastern Ratsnake, Common Musk Turtle, Cerulean Warbler and Butternut trees. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2008/23/c6688.html 12) Dean Crocker fears it may lead to the demise of his business. Crocker owns an outfitting lodge approximately eight km into the backwoods near Clarenville. The Department of Natural Resources, Forestry sector, is gearing up to start work on a road that will make the timber adjacent to Beaver Pond, near North West Brook, accessible for cutting. The area was targeted as a priority for harvest in the department's five-year forest management plan(2007-2011) for forestry unit 2, due to the advanced age and species content of the timberstands in the area. The block contains approximately 38,200 cubic metersand harvesting should be completed over the next five years. To provide access to this timber stand, the department plans to upgrade 4.2 km of Tower Road, widen 5.8 km of the train railway and construct 2 km of new accessroad near Beaver Pond. The old railway bed is the narrow trail Crocker follows to his lodge, using his all-terrain vehicle. He brings in tourists from all over the world, taking them on biggame hunts, wilderness adventures and snowmobile safaris, giving them a feel for the remote life - all via the railway bed. Apart from the railway there's little sign of man, once you reach the depths of the forest near Crocker's lodge. He's heard rumors of this impending road development for some time, but never imagined the day would come. " Nobody ever contacted me or let me know anything about it so I just figured well... it's not going to happen, " Crocker admits. Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale wasn't available for comment on the issue. According toan email reply, provided by the department's public relations officer Tracey Barron; in September 2007, the forest management plan was registered with theDepartment of Environment and Conservation for Environmental Assessment (EA), which includes inviting public comment. It was released from theEA process in December and is publicly available. This doesn't cut it for Crocker, who feels he was left in the dark on the matter, until after tenders were awarded to the construction companies and the project was basically underway. http://www.thepacket.ca/index.cfm?sid=146361 & sc=368 13) Have you ever wondered what happens in the rainforest when no one is looking? The departments of computing science and Earth and atmospheric science at the University of Alberta have been working together to create a Wireless Sensor Network that allows for the clandestine data collection of environmental factors in remote locations and its monitoring from anywhere in the world where the Internet is available. The research team, including Pawel Gburzynski, Mario Nascimento, and Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, recently launched EcoNet, a functional model of a WSN for environmental monitoring in the display house in the University of Alberta's Agriculture/Forestry Centre. The display house hosts a small but feature-rich environment that mimics that of a tropical forest. Using a WSN, a number of sensors can continuously monitor factors like temperature and luminosity and will process, store, and transmit data co-operatively and wirelessly with other sensors to generate data that can then be collected and made available to users virtually anywhere on the globe. The sensors represent a technology for researchers to monitor diverse phenomena continuously and inconspicuously. Having the data continuously monitored by researchers substantially increases the chances of uncovering anomalies early enough to investigate them promptly and thoroughly. The overall framework of WSN also can be extended for use in other closely related scenarios such as monitoring potentially dangerous situations like hazardous waste disposal, or hard-to-witness phenomena such as ice cap movements in the Arctic. http://www.eponline.com/articles/64574/ China: 14) It prefers to walk, flying only when frightened. It often feeds on worms and insects in the gaps between rocks. Meet the new species of bird discovered by Chinese ornithologists on a small patch of limestone rainforest on the Sino-Vietnamese border. No ornithologist had sighted the myna-sized bird before probably because of its plain looks and skulking habit. Zhou Fang, of the College of Animal Sciences and Technology, and Jiang Aiwu, one of his graduate students, first saw it during a survey at the end of 2004. It took almost four years of studies and fieldwork to confirm it's a new species. Zhou's college is affiliated to Guangxi University in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. " After seeing the birds a few times during our survey, Professor Zhou told me it's probably a new species, " says Jiang. " I have been studying birds in the region since the 1970s, " the 59-year-old ornithologist says. " But I had never seen it before. " Zhou and Jiang caught two of birds on January 21, 2006, to conduct a thorough study. As the bird is seen only in and around the Nonggang Natural Reserve of Guangxi, only 18 km southeast of the Vietnamese border, it has been named the Nonggang Babbler (Stachyris nonggangensis). The global scientific community has confirmed their finding, and the Auk, the world's leading journal on ornithology, published their study in its 125th issue recently. This is the second time Chinese scientists have found a new species of bird in the country. The first was in the 1930s. Zhou and his student have become the first Chinese authors in the US-based journal too. " During the past two years, we had to face four tests set for us by Auk's expert teams, " Zhou says. It's easier to find a new species of plant or bug, he says. " But finding a new bird is once-in-a-lifetime achievement for even a leading ornithologist. " Though the bird has been seen only in and around the nature reserve, it could exist in the limestone region of Vietnam's northern highlands too, Zhou says. " Till it is seen there, it can be considered a species endemic to China. " About 100 pairs of the birds have been observed in Nonggang. " Their habitat in the reserve is protected, " Zhou says. " But as they could also exist in the Karst rainforest outside the reserve, logging and burning wood to make charcoal pose a threat to their wider habitat. " http://english.people.com.cn/90001/6432881.html 15) China is implementing the policy of retirement of cultivated land to forest and grassland. The forestry reform is full steam ahead across the whole country with a view to realize forestry economy to let rural people contract for mountain forests in order to achieve equitable distribution of wealth. However, in the course of implementation, there is often a lack of detailed planning and regulation which gives rise to profound problems such as ecological destruction and damage to the rural economy. A majority of contractors of mountain forests use the contracted land to grow eucalyptus that is of low ecological but high economic value. Eucalyptus is an economic crop of foreign origin characterized by speedy growth. It takes only a few years of planting to be ready for paper-making. In other words, it stands for a business of low cost and high profit. Imagine in various poor villages in remote places, some short-sighted greedy members of village committees would grant the land to a contractor at CNY$5 to $8 per acre and the latter would hire people to chop off the primeval trees or simply burn down the whole mountain forest. A significant number of the trees being so destroyed are valuable trees or thick old trees. The birds and animals dependent on the forest would be wiped out as well. Eucalyptus is described by ecologists as a water and nutrient sucking machine. Following the planting of eucalyptus, the soil will be sucked dry and lose all the nutrients in a period as short as one or two years. The water in the soil will even be caused to contain toxins and the land where eucalyptus is grown turn barren. This sort of monocultural plantation coupled with the characteristics of eucalyptus therefore cannot meet the aim of the slogan of %u201CReal benefits to the peasants, Protection of the ecology, Development for the forestry industry%u201D initially put forward by the Chinese government for the contracting of mountain forests. Retirement of cultivated land to forest and grassland cannot resolve the hardships of peasants. On the contrary it has increased their hardships. In the rural villages, the average annual income of peasants is still low. To contract for hundreds or thousands of acres of mountain forests often requires an advance contracting fee of a few years in the amount of over ten thousand or hundred thousand dollars. Only large business groups or enterprises can afford such a large amount in one go. As a result, the scheme of contracting for mountain forests has turned into a monopoly of large business groups. Sign the petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/contract-for-mountain-forests-in-china-cause-ec\ ological-destr uction-and-damage-to-the-rural-economy India: 16) Hundreds of trees have been cut on the Model Mills premises in Ganeshpeth without the requisite permission. The sprawling 30-acre mill land was bought by Gold Bricks Infrastructure Limited, Raipur for Rs 164 crore in what was termed as the biggest-ever mill deal struck by the National Textile Corporation (NTC) in the region. Till now hundreds of trees have been cut, it is alleged. The Model Mills was a rich habitat for rare birds like Night Heron, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron and Indian Shag to state a few. Groups of city bird-watchers claim to have sighted over 400 of these rare birds in an heronary in the area last year. According to Raju Kasambe, an avid bird-watcher and expert, heronaries are bird colonies which are very uncommon. These are mostly found in protected areas like Navegaon and Nagzira. " Model Mills was perhaps the last resort for these birds. Now, with large-scale cutting of trees, which were planted many years ago essentially to curb pollution, their habitat has been destroyed, " he claimed. A visit to the area showed that hundreds of trees, mostly Subabul, were cut in patches on the mill premises. Bulldozers are being used to fell trees and the operation was being carried out clandestinely so that even visitors, who want to have darshan of two over 100-year-old temples, are not being allowed. Only select few can offer prayers. All these trees were cut over the past one month, after the owners took possession on May 22. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/Trees_cut_shelter_gone_rare_birds_virt\ ually_homele ss/articleshow/3158652.cms 17) MUMBAI: More than 200 residents on Sunday staged a silent demonstration to protest against the felling of trees in an open space adjoining Kaifi Azmi Park in Juhu to make way for the construction of a club. The residents, including senior citizens, children and slumdwellers, planted more than 30 trees in the spots where the trees were uprooted from a few days ago. They spray-painted the playground wall with messages like 'We want more trees' and 'Who needs another club?' They even painted an effigy that was symbolic of the builders while shouting slogans after having forced their way into the public ground that was locked up by builders. Mayor Shubha Raul, who visited the site on Sunday, promised the residents that she would convene a meeting with members of the Tree Authority, ward officer and municipal commissioner to find a solution to their grievances. Corporators Ashish Shelar and Adolf D'souza were also present on the occasion. " I'm very happy to see so many proactive citizens, " said Shelar. " Emotions were running high. There were several senior citizens who could barely walk but were planting trees. Ozne of them told me that she prayed that the civic body would give the garden back to the citizens before her death, " said secretary of Gulmohar Residents' Association, Ashoke Pandit. The 3.5-acre ground, reserved as a playground, was given to Ronson Foundation for maintenance in 1990. But in 1998, an agreement was made between the BMC and the foundation, giving the plot to the company on a caretaker basis. Permission was also granted to construct a recreation centre on 15% of the land. The residents are now demanding that the BMC revoke the permission granted to Ronson Foundation. Sohail Kusumgar of Ronson Foundation said that the residents were earlier denied entry because they had stopped the work earlier. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Juhu_residents_protest_tree_felling/ar\ ticleshow/31549 86.cms 18) Srinagar - At last the state government has responded to acts of vandalazation of forests in Jammu and Kashmir and this is being done by counseling the timber smugglers and makes them think green. The smugglers are being trained as tourist guides for trekkers. The authorities will test the move in the Varmul district where unbridled felling of trees, during past 18 years, has led to extensive soil erosion and water scarcity. With lack of employment opportunities seen as a major cause for felling and smuggling of trees in Varmul, the environmentally friendly poverty alleviation program envisages launching of trekking in its upper reaches for tourists and engagement of timber smugglers and villagers as their guides to check the menace. The program 'Trekking for Trees' has been devised by the Tourism Department with assistance of its tourism consultant under the Rural Tourism Circuit Development Scheme. The idea to launch the Trekking for Trees Program was conceived by tourism consultant to state government, Carin Jodha Fisher. " When I visited Varmul last year, I was shocked to see open felling of trees by the locals. After living with them, I found that they resorted to felling of trees to earn bread and butter as they had no source of livelihood. I decided to do something for saving the forests and provide employment opportunities to the locals, " Carin told Greater Kashmir. Fisher said she got the inspiration to start the program in Varmul from her successful eco-tourism project in Phaneng in Assam. Like in Varmul, she said people of Phaneng resorted to felling of trees for livehood. " I made them realize the ill-effects of deforestation and with their help constructed eco-friendly huts. Within two years, Phaneng become the favorites haunt of foreign tourists. The people of Phaneng have now become self-reliant and other villagers are taking on their footsteps. But they make it a point not only to protect forests but plant trees. Phaneng is now cocooned in verdant greenery, " Carin said. http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=23_6_2008 & ItemID=52 & cat=1 Bangladesh: 19) KHULNA - The tiger stormed into the village late on Friday, killing three people, then continued to roam the settlement until panicked villagers regrouped and lured it into a trap. The incident occurred at a remote village near Shamnagar Police Station, near the Sundarbans mangrove forests, 400 km (250) miles southwest of the capital Dhaka. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the Royal Bengal tigers. " The angry villagers beat the tiger to death, " a forest official said. " It was not possible to save it and send it back to the forests as the people were agitated beyond control. " In March tigers killed six people in villages around the Sundarbans. Forest officials said tigers are probably being forced to hunt outside the Sundarbans because of a scarcity of food after Cyclone Sidr ravaged large parts of the mangrove forests in November last year. At least 60 percent of the 6,000 sq km (2,320 sq mile) mangrove forests are in Bangladesh, home to more than 400 Royal Bengal tigers. http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSDHA5766 20) Environmentalists and residents yesterday called on the government to come forward to save about 1000 trees that the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) is planning to saw down in order to make way for two new roads in Mirpur neighbourhood. They vented their concern over the DCC move at a press conference at the National Press Club, jointly organised by Save Environment Movement (Sem) and residents of Block D of Mirpur 12, where the proposed roads are to be constructed. Block D resident Matiur Rahman in a written statement said the city corporation plans to construct the two roads at Lane 17 and Lane 18 of the block even though there has been a road in between the two lanes since 1962. He said many trees that local residents planted there will have to be felled if the road-building arrangement goes ahead, which will have adverse environmental impact on the locality. Some vested interests with the connivance of a few city corporation officials are trying to construct the two roads instead of repairing the existing one, he alleged. Mentioning that the existing road is enough for local vehicular traffic, he said a planned children's park should instead be constructed with the help of noted architects, sparing the tress for children. Sem president Abu Naser Khan said it would save money and the environment as well if the city corporation repairs the existing road. Underscoring the need for saving trees everywhere in the country, columnist Sayed Abul Maksud said they are against cutting down trees, no matter whatever the excuses for it are. " We'll go for a movement if the city corporation goes ahead with its plan " , he said. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=42168 Philippines: 21) Experts blame the worst flooding experienced in Western Visayas mainly to the continued depletion of trees and the conversion of agricultural lands to subdivisions and commercial areas. Jerry Bionat, executive officer of the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, said logging activities should be investigated because rampaging waters that inundated entire villages carried logs. Mayor Isabelo Maquino of Sta. Barbara town, one of the hardest hit municipalities, told a meeting o0f the PDCC that the logs slammed into and destroyed or damaged bridges. Bionat noted that the flooding hit areas previously unaffected by flood waters and many residential areas. Water resource engineer Andrew Margarico said that while the intensity of the rainfall is a factor in the extent and magnitude of the flooding, deforestation is one of the probable main causes of the calamity. " If there are no trees to absorb rainfall, the water will go directly downstream, " said Margarico in a telephone interview. Scientist and environmentalist Jurgenne Primavera said the flooding showed the alarming situation of forest cover which has shrunk to less than a million hectares out of a total land area of 30 million hectares. " Water seeks its own level and unless it is held back—by soil, roots and trees and forests-- it will go to lower areas, " said Primavera, a Pew Fellow. She said the abnormal amount of rainfall is also an manifestation of global warming, the phenomenon characterized by general increase in temperature blamed on increasing amounts of carbon dioxide emission. Scientists have said that global warming triggers abnormal weather patters including more intense storms and floods, longer droughts and other weather disturbances. http://www.thenewstoday.info/2008/06/25/experts.blame.deforestation.land.convers\ ion.for.floodin g.html 22) Sister Lascuna said that according to studies conducted by various environmentalist groups including that of University of the Philippines and Ateneo University's geological societies claimed most if not all mining areas in the region where huge deposit of metallic including non-metallic mineral resources are found are within watershed areas. " It is a choice between water supply to irrigate farm lands and potable water supply of communities or money for owners of mining firms laughing all the way to the banks " , Lascuna who claimed mining in watershed areas will dry up irrigation and water wells for host communities said. The Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences have approved six Mineral Production Sharing Agreements or MPSA in Surigao del Sur involving six mining firms operating in large-scale mining activities at present covering an area of 15, 926.39 hectares. Commercial logging activities in the province alone doing large scale logging operations based on DENR records involved four big logging companies with approved Timber License Agreement (TLA) and Integrated Forest Agreement (IFMA) covering 241,305 hectares of public forest, timber lands. Under the law, IFMA and TLA holders are allowed to cut 82,000 cubic meters of logs or about 41,000 pieces of logs depending on sizes per year per title holder. In Surigao del Sur alone, there are about 27 applications and ready for MPSA issuance involving 27 mining firms ready to implement large-scale mining activities covering to a total of 115,349 hectares of land. There are also three applications for Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) under process at the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences central office in Manila ready for large-scale mining operations involving 106,803 hectares in Surigao del Sur. According to the Diocesan Social Action Center of Surigao del Sur, the total land area of Surigao del Sur is only 455,567 hectares while consolidating approved mining claims and logging concessions including those under process or pending applications totaled all to 465,112.07 hectares. " Where are now the watershed areas where people's potable water supply and irrigation water come from?' Sister Lydia questioned. http://www.mindanao.com/blog/?p=3863 23) Green activists have asked Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to recall a permit allowing the cutting of more than 4,000 trees in Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park in Negros Occidental to make way for a geothermal project. " He should recall the permit, " Rustico Biñas, a member of the Save the Mt. Kanlaon Coalition, said in an interview. " It's our moral obligation to stop cutting trees. " Atienza could not be reached for comment Saturday. The coalition has fiercely opposed the geothermal project of the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp., and warned that the cutting of trees could be the start of the park's destruction. The park used to have a 24,000-hectare forest cover but only 9,000 hectares of that now remain, according to Biñas. " We will not only be cutting down trees but we'll be endangering the flora and fauna, and then of course the clean water sources, " he said. The PNOC-EDC is set to cut down 4,213 trees in a 12.5-hectare site in the park preparatory to the construction of roads and other infrastructure, according to the coalition. The 12.5 hectares are part of a 169-hectare buffer zone allotted to the PNOC-EDC for its geothermal exploration under Republic Act No. 9154, or the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park Act, it said.The provincial board of Negros Occidental approved in May the company's entry into the buffer zone. The PNOC-EDC has vowed to plant trees in the project site in the face of strong opposition from environmentalists, the Church and civil society groups. This was a condition set by the provincial board for the firm's entry into the buffer zone. The Northern Negros Geothermal Power Development Project hopes to generate at least 40 megawatts of electricity to supply the power needs of the province and nearby Panay island. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080622-144104/Save-Mt-Ka\ nlaon-trees-At ienza-urged 24) ILOILO—Corn production is getting lucrative. A number of Ilonggos have started engaging in this business to the detriment of the province's forested areas. The province's remaining forests, especially those in northern Iloilo, are being cleared for the planting of corn, said the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro). Penro is assessing forested lands in northern Iloilo damaged by corn farmers, said forest management specialist Antonio Latoza Jr. The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) of the municipality of Sara recently informed Penro of the continued transformation of timberland areas for corn production. Ernesto Arevalo, who heads the Cenro in Sara, said this has caused the denudation of forested areas in several communities. Penro's Valentin Talabero has also reported to Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. that this " economic trend " resulting to the destruction of northern Iloilo's forest resources. " Corn production has become an attractive investment … due to its high market demand as a feed material and for ethanol, " Talabero told Tupas. Arevalo said his office has started taking steps to address this concern, one of which is information dissemination in several villages of Sara and the adjacent towns of San Dionisio, Batad, Ajuy and Lemery, emphasizing the importance of conserving and protecting forests or timberlands. But aside from forested areas, private lands are also affected by the upsurge in corn plantations. Arevalo said even private lands are being converted into corn plantations, resulting to rapid soil erosion. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080623-144227/Iloi\ lo-losing-fore sts-to-corn-plantations 25) A new definition of forest should be used. A forest is not composed of just the trees but is an ecosystem. A more accurate definition would be " land consisting of trees with overlapping crown covering of at least 60 percent with a biotic community mainly composed of woody and nonwoody vegetation and the wildlife therein. " The definition in the Senate and House versions describe a forest as having at least 10 percent cover in an area of at least half a hectare. From an ecological point of view, an area with 90 percent grassland is not a forest but a grassland. The definition of forest should refer to the dominant vegetation of the area. Forests are part of the mountain environment in the watershed continuum. They aid in preventing flooding and soil erosion. Forests also feed the streams that feed the rivers that feed the seas. Nutrients from the forest are eaten and released and eaten again by microorganisms as they spiral downstream. Excess nutrients finally flow out of river mouths to enrich estuaries which in turn release their nutrients into the coastal waters. Forests promote biodiversity not only in the areas where they are found but also in the lowlands and the sea. The role of forests in mitigating global warming and protecting endemic endangered species of plants and animals in forests should be highlighted. Adding the following statements in the basic policies can do this: 1) The State recognizes the importance of the ecological services of tropical rainforests in sustaining life on earth especially in mitigating global warming. Further, tropical rainforests are the most important habitats of endemic and threatened species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. 2) Forest management must always and sincerely consider biodiversity protection and conservation of wildlife resources and their habitats consistent with Chapter 1, Section 2 of Republic Act. 9147. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/june/21/yehey/opinion/20080621opi7.html Malaysia: 26) Golden Pharos Bhd is confident it has gotten over its worst patch and is ready to create value from its principal asset in two timber concessions totalling 129,000ha in Terengganu. After an equity restructuring exercise, which included a rights issue, the company was now in a position to focus on growing its business and even to contemplate rewarding its shareholders with dividend, chief executive officer Datuk Maruan Mohd Said told The Edge Financial Daily in an interview. The company recently announced that it had adopted a dividend policy of paying out 50% of its net profit annually starting from the year ending Dec 31, 2008 (FY08). Maruan said the state-controlled company had businesses along the value chain of the timber industry, including harvesting, sawmilling and downstream activities in door- and glass-making. The company's timber concessions, among the biggest in Peninsular Malaysia, would ensure a continuous supply of raw material for its activities, he added. Golden Pharos, a 54% subsidiary of Terengganu Inc, was recently awarded the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for the 108,000ha concession under its Dungun Timber Complex Forest Management Unit, which would help ease the passage of its products to foreign markets that are critical for the tropical timber business. " It can help tap the premium value of our products and give us wider access to the export market, " said Maruan. He said as the company obtained its two concessions in 1979 and 1983, it was now ready to go into the second cycle of harvesting, which could produce some 45,000 hoppus tonnes of timber this year. Depending on the species and grade of timber, a hoppus tonne could fetch between RM600 and RM6,000. Maruan said its door and glass businesses contributed about RM30 million and RM25 million, respectively, to the group's revenue last year. Its revenue rose 19.3% to RM118.82 million in FY07 from RM99.63 million in FY06, while net profit fell to RM1.23 million from RM2.16 million. " We need to strengthen these sectors by looking at its market reach, especially in Europe and the UK, to ensure better sustainability, " he said, adding that the company had initiated talks with several potential marketing partners. http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_b3774\ 17f-cb73c03a- c8c7d600-903c48b9 Indonesia: 27) The sun remained on the eastern horizon, reluctant to show its rays. Cool air still covered the village. The bird songs came from the branches of trees. The dew on the grass was yet to dry. But the activities of the people had already started in Langko Village. Langko village, Donggala regency, is located about 70 kilometers south of Palu city, Central Sulawesi. One by one, people wearing brightly colored siga (a kind of batik headdress similar to that worn by Javanese men) entered the village. They were the customary law leaders of villages and subdistricts in the Lindu plain. The rain was pouring down, but it didn't dampen the leaders' spirit. On that particular day, the customary law leaders came to the village at the edge of Lake Lindu for a traditional discussion, called " Kapotio Nolipu Ada " , to reach an agreement based on customary law. The deliberations were staged as one of the ways to observe World Environment Day, which fell on June 5. At the meeting, all customary law leaders agreed with the concept tuwuku linoku -- my forest, my life. " Tuwuku linoku means my forest is my life. So if the environment is damaged and the forests are cleared, then there is no source of life ... It is our obligation to protect our lives, " said Lindu Customary Law Institution head Daniel Tarese. " Tuwuku Linoku, my life is here. Here we're alive. Here we eat. And here is where we work. So where we will go if the forest, that gives us our lives, is destroyed? " At the deliberations, the community reconfirmed its commitment to the Lindu Community Conservation Agreement (KKM) to manage people's social life and natural resources. Daniel said that all can be managed well if the government fully trusts the community to manage the forest and natural resources based on local wisdom that has been in place for a long time. " The felling of forests happens everywhere because the government doesn't trust the community's adat (traditional customary law). The community was even accused of felling of forest, " he said. http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20080624.Q01 & irec=0 28) ALAS KUSUMA GROUP, Indonesia leading company, carried out destructive logging illegally in Protected Forest Mt Lawang (Hutan Lindung Bukit Lawang) in west Borneo, Indonesia. In addition, documents revealed they have been working together with private Illegal Loggers in the area for years by signing up a secret agreement among them. I have evidence to show it. Mr Tony Wong has reported this matter to all Government Departments and President SBY. However, Indonesia Government gives no attention in response to the issue, no authority dares to take action against ALAS KUSUMA GROUP, despite the company has been evidenced for the involvement in Illegal Logging since 2005. On the contrary, Mr Wong has been jailed over the revelation of this matter since May 2007 (Full story at: THE TRUTH BEHIND ILLEGAL LOGGING) Please stop the Forest Crime! Indonesia Government fails on the issue, International attention and awareness are vital to help stressing on the issue and addressing it properly. WITNESS EVIDENCE AT THE FOLLOWING LINKS: http://jacsky.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/alas-kusuma-group-destructive-logging-in-\ protected-forest / 29) Michael Sheridan is a documentary filmmaker and experimental videosonic artist whose recent work Instant Noodles addresses the crisis of deforestation and the palm oil industry in Indonesia. His work reminds us that there are as many avenues for expressing environmental consciousness as there are individuals in the world – and that the inspirational nature of art is boundless. Below, Michael shares his thoughts about the creation of Instant Noodles as a means of instigating fresh perspectives on everyday life, and encouraging personal behavior change. When I arrived in Indonesia in August of 2007, I was already committed to producing new artwork for two exhibitions in the United States. In December I finished a new installation sound piece, This is Foreign for the Axiom Gallery and in January a new videosonic work Instant Noodles. Instant Noodles was part of the exhibition Greed, Guilt and Grappling-Six Artists Respond to Global Warming at the Mills Gallery, Boston Center for the Arts. Mags Harries and Clara Wainwright, the artist-curators of the exhibition, asked me last year if I would be interested in participating. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to ground my new explorations in Indonesia – a country I frankly knew very little about. I came to Indonesia because I wanted to go somewhere that I'd never been and to spend an extended period in a developing country. For the past 15 years I have produced documentary films and videosonic art that primarily address social and economic issues in poor and developing communities in Africa, South Asia and the Americas. But the production trips associated with these projects seldom lasted more than 2-4 weeks. http://earthkeeper.com/blog/corporate-social-responsibility/indonesia-and-instan\ t-noodles-an-ar tist%E2%80%99s-perspective-on-climate-change/ 30) Saving rare rhinos and valuable forests is not your everyday kiwi lawyers' job, but for Bell Gully's climate change team they're concluding a world-first deal in the tsunami-struck Indonesian province of Aceh. The deal that combats deforestation in Indonesia as well as providing an innovative financial product onto the world financial markets. Bell Gully's climate change team, lead by Simon Watt, have been involved in the complex deal involving the trading of carbon credits derived from Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh province. The 2004 tsunami killed more than 168,000 people in the province alone. Since then, Indonesia has partnered with Australia to develop mechanisms that not only reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Indonesia's deforestation has been a major environmental concern as well as a major carbon emission contributor, for many years. Bell Gully's have developed a growing practice in climate change law with Simon Watt receiving a Chambers Global accolade last year as one of 10 partners worldwide identified as a legal expert in the area. Along with colleague Kate Radka, the team have been working on the deal with Indonesian officials, bankers and other professionals on what is potentially a billion dollar deal in terms of carbon credits. The innovative deal is being financially orchestrated by Australian company Carbon Conservation, and will be the world's first commercial financed deforestation avoidance project. Deforestation is the third largest source of carbon emissions worldwide. The current deal involves a massive commitment towards a reduction in deforestation across 750,000 hectacres of tropical forest in Aceh's Ulu Masen region. In broad terms, the deal involves a carbon broking relationship under which Carbon Conservation sources buyers of the carbon credits from around the world. The first tranche of credits will be sold to Wall Street bank Merrill Lynch, who intend to market the credits to their investment banking clients, including 'carbon poor' companies in Europe and elsewhere. http://www.lawfuel.co.nz/news/article.asp?NewsID=317 31) Borneo Orangutan Survival's rescue and rehabilitation centre in Indonesian Borneo - has recently welcomed the arrival of three young orangutans from West Kalimantan. All three (aged between 2 - 3 years) were confiscated from private households - victims of palm oil development and logging. Nyaru Menteng, founded by Lone Droscher-Nielsen, is home to 670 orangutans, ranging in age from a few months to about 8 years, where they are cared for and rehabilitated to prepare them for their ultimate release into the wild. In February this year, the Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) of the Forestry Department in Indonesia, confiscated Frengky - one of the orangutans - from the area of Singkawang, on the north coast of West Kalimantan. Within two months, another young orangutan, Thomas, was rescued from Sintang, also in the northern part of West Kalimantan province. They were temporarily homed in transit cages in Pontianak, waiting for an opportunity to be transferred to a rehabilitation centre. It wasn't long before a third orangutan, Caleb, was confiscated - this time in Ketapang, a small town in the southern part of the province, abut seven hours' journey by boat from Pontianak city. He was placed in the Yayasan Palung's transit centre in Ketapang to await transfer to a rehabilitation centre. No such facilities exist in West Kalimantan, and all the other orangutan rehabilitation centers in Central and East Kalimantan were all full at the time. In May, however, the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), which assists the BKSDA in caring for captive orangutans in West Kalimantan, heard that Nyaru Menteng would be able to accommodate these youngsters at the end of the month. http://www.savetheorangutan.co.uk/ 32) The once pleasant air in the Puncak area of Bogor, West Java, is warmer now that the open green countryside has become a popular site for luxury villas.The change has turned Ade Basir Baesuni into a determined conservationist, planting trees in the area wherever he can. In his self-designed regreening campaign, the 40-year-old Bogor farmer and teacher has been supported by his students from Madrasah Aliyah Miftahulhuda senior high school and SMP Terbuka Amerta Megamendung junior high. Ade said planting trees was easy; the difficult part is caring for them. He said government officials and society groups had planted millions of trees in Puncak, sometimes with little effect. " They just leave the trees without knowing whether they grow or die. Maybe they think the important thing is that they made a regreening effort and the job is done. " Even though 5,000 to 10,000 trees have been planted in a single day, if they don't get proper care, it's a waste; they will die, " Ade said. Ade studied only as far as elementary school but he has a masterful knowledge of farming. He successfully cultivated a seedling nursery and was asked to manage the gardens of SMP Terbuka. The school was established by the nongovernmental organization Gerakan Peduli Sekitar Kita (GPSK), which is largely made up of members of the Buddhist community. http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20080624.W05 & irec=4 Australia: 33) The Kimberley wilderness coast is internationally recognised as one of the last great unspoiled marine and terrestrial environments in the world. The Kimberley's clean seas, countless islands, coral reefs, mangroves, rainforests and rivers are home to an astonishing variety of wildlife including endangered humpback whales, 5 species of marine turtles, dugong, crocodiles, rare snubfin dolphins, and the northern quoll. The Kimberley coast also has outstanding cultural values for the region's many Indigenous communities. From June to November each year, endangered humpback whales make their way to calving grounds just north of Broome, where they stay for four months with their calves. This special whale nursery area needs to be protected from the damaging impacts of industry. The urgent reality is that right now several companies, including Inpex (a Japanese energy company) and Woodside Ltd, have submitted proposals to develop the Browse Basin gas field to the State and Commonwealth governments. The impacts of industrialisation, including proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, would destroy one of the last large and remote coastal wilderness areas left in the world. This government needs to commit to: 1) science-based regional conservation planning and management using whole-of-landscape principles, 2) strong involvement of the Traditional Owners and Indigenous communities in land and sea management programs, 3) ruling out incompatible large scale industrial activity. -- I need you to take urgent action TODAY. Simply complete the form opposite to ask Premier Carpenter to protect our Kimberley wilderness coast for future generations. https://secure.wilderness.org.au/cyberactivist/cyberactions/08_06_kimberley-cybe\ raction.php?ema il=deane & u=129739 34) Macquarie Group Ltd., Australia's biggest investment bank, plans to generate carbon credits by protecting forests in southeast Asia, South America and Africa. Each permit created by saving trees, representing a ton of carbon-dioxide emissions that were absorbed in forests, will be sold to businesses that want to offset their own greenhouse-gas output, Fauna and Flora International, the conservation group that will manage the projects for the bank, said today in an e- mailed statement. The projects that stop deforestation may help guide international policy makers in devising a new treaty to fight climate change. The United Nations estimates deforestation contributes about 20 percent of the emissions of carbon dioxide blamed for global warming, and forest protection is currently included in UN emissions trading markets. The world body last year called for demonstration projects to be set up. ``We're fulfilling the requests to undertake demonstration activities,'' Joe Heffernan, leader of the project for Fauna and Flora International, said today in a telephone interview from Cambridge, England. Macquarie ``see it as a significant new horizon, and they're very clear to explore the boundaries of that market and where revenue could flow from in carbon.'' The cost of the projects has yet to be determined, and Sydney-based Macquarie gas said it'll fund them ``as required'' said Heffernan, who declined to provide an amount. Fiona Tyndall, spokeswoman for the Australian bank, didn't reply to a voicemail left on her phone after office hours today. The plan, to be carried out over the next three years, will involve identifying tracts of forest and then working with the villagers who live in it to prevent logging, while ensuring they have an alternative livelihood, Heffernan said. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081 & sid=a45dC.tgmSF4 & refer=australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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