Guest guest Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 --Today for you 32 new articles about earth's trees! (401st edition) --Audio and Video version of Earth's Tree News: http://forestpolicyresearch.org --To Subscribe / to the world-wide email format send a blank email to: earthtreenews- OR earthtreenews- In this Issue: EU-Africa-Mid-East Index: --EU: 1) Largest market and 1/5 is illegal lumber, 2) Forest need to be addressed in climate package, --UK: 3) Prince Charles argues for forest protection, 4) Teens having their lives turned around by calming influence of trees, 5) Save 53-acre wood in Suffolk by buying it, 6) Financial support for landowners who improve habitat for 14 vulnerable species, 7) GM trees in Britain, 8) More of the Prince on forest protection, 9) Environmental Investigation Agency, 10) Where a forest drowned 7,500 years ago, 11) Caravan park's building plans would destroy ancient woodland, --Switzerland: 12) Studying willingness to pay for Zurich forests --Spain: 13) They decided to plant 45 million trees --Bulgaria: 14) Closing down Kamchiiski Pyasutsi protected area for development needs --Romania: 15) National Forest Corporation Romsilva has some " regeneration " stats for you --Cyprus: 16) Concerns about the large number of trees that are drying up --Ghana: 17) Land increasingly depleted of trees through illegal chainsaw operations --Uganda: 18) Forest lost to partisan commercial interests, 19) 72% of forest reserves in northern Uganda have been destroyed, 20) executing their duties under constant fear of incurring their appointing authority's ire, --Congo: 21) Okapi Giraffe thought to be extinct is found alive, 22) illegal and even legal activities build roads that leads to wildlife poaching, 23) From rainforest to posh parquet for a European duplex, --Mozambique: 24) China says: " We do business, and when business is finished, we go away " --Zimbabwe: 25) Program to revive forest plantations in the country's urban areas --Tanzania: 26) Eastern Arc Mountains water supply dwindles as logging moves upslope, 27) Convincing them there's money to be made in protecting, --Kenya: 28) Forest cover data, 29) Tana River coastal forest threatened by farming and logging, --South Africa: 30) FSC's certified baboon slaughter, as well as other FSC blunders, --Cameroon: 31) Southern forests are biodiversity-rich and harbor important populations --Palestine: 32) Israel sets fire to hundreds of their olive trees Articles: EU: 1) Europe is the largest market for timber in the world. However, up to a fifth of imports are illegally felled from protected rainforests. The European Commission was meant to bring forward legislation this week to end the trade inside EU borders. But the vote was delayed and environment groups now fear it could be years before any decision is made. Leading environmental groups including the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have written to President of the EU Manuel Barroso to demand legislation is brought forward. Deforestation accounts for 20 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, more carbon dioxide than is produced by all worldwide transport, and the group fear that the EU's inaction on illegal logging signals wider complacency over climate change. DIY wooden goods, furniture, paper and pulp are a massive market in Europe and environnmentalists fear the delay is being caused by pressure from industry groups as well as wrangling over the right way forward for legislation. In a strongly-worded letter the group claim that the US is ahead of the EU in controlling illegal timber and any further delay will " jeopardize EU leadership " on environmental matters. It read: " We are gravely concerned that the EU's response towards the pressing problem of deforestation, illegal logging and related trade has been repeatedly delayed for no apparent reason. We believe that it is in the EU's interests to establish a level playing field and to support progressive companies rather than to tolerate bad practice by inaction. " Barry Gardiner, the Prime Minister's special envoy on forestry, said the legislation has been repeatedly " fudged " and now risks being abandoned altogether. Owen Espley, forests campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: " It is very important that the EU shows leadership in eradicating the market for illegal timber in Europe. If they do not we can expect the deforestation to continue, forest communities to lose their homes and livelihoods and the corruption and human rights abuses around illegal logging to get worse. " http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/2824211/EU-accused-over-failure\ -to-tackle-illegal-logging.html 2) It is a " major mistake " not to address the issue of forests in the EU's climate package, Swedish Liberal MEP Lena Ek said yesterday (10 September) during a meeting of the Parliament's Industry (ITRE) Committee. Her comments were seconded by Irish Christian Democrat MEP Avril Doyle, responsible for shepherding a proposal to revise the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) through Parliament. Europe will have " no credibility " in international climate negotiations without some sort of forest-related policy framework, said Doyle, who wants to see the issue " stitched through " both the EU ETS and a separate proposal on 'effort sharing', which spells out member states' commitments to reduce CO2 emissions in sectors not covered by the ETS. Mechanisms to prevent deforestation – by giving landowners EU ETS credits for leaving forests standing, for example – were not included in the Commission's climate proposals, put forward on 23 January. This was due to apparent difficulties related to measuring emissions from these sectors with accuracy. But the issue was also not " on the radar screen " of officials working on the EU ETS proposal in the EU executive's environment service (DG Environment), Dr. Bernhard Schlamadinger, a consultant to the UNFCCC secretariat, the World Bank and the FAO, told EurActiv in November 2006 (EurActiv 30/11/06). Increasing EU energy demand may be at least partly to blame for this apparent oversight. A push to use biomass for biofuels in transport or in home heating means that forests, and the land on which they stand, have a higher and more immediate economic value if exploited for energy-related purposes than if left standing. The Commission attempted to address the issue in its 2006 Forest Action Plan (EurActiv LinksDossier). But environmentalists, and industries that use forests for non-energy purposes, are increasingly worried that Europe's energy thirst will put too much pressure on forests and that the non-binding action plan is too weak to prevent an overshoot. http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/forests-forgotten-eu-climate-policy-me\ ps-warn/article-175280 UK: 3) A press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) stated that Prince Charles made these comments in his address to almost 300 of London's most influential investors and representatives from some of the world's largest companies at a recent meeting. The Prince also drew attention to work done by Lord Nicholas Stern and others, which showed that avoiding deforestation was one of the most cost-effective ways to combat climate change. Accepting that the expenditure involved seemed like a large sum, Prince Charles said that the cost was actually less than one percent of the money that the world was currently spending on insurance premiums every year; money which the Prince pointed out " often ends up paying for the damage caused by climate change " . The release stated that with regard to Jagdeo's offer to use his country's rainforests as part of the global fight against climate change, Prince Charles responded that the challenge now facing the developed world was how those countries would respond to it. He added that if developed nations wanted to benefit from services provided by rainforests, these countries would have to " start paying for them " . " But we cannot afford to lose this opportunity to demonstrate what can be done and to respond to the President's remarkable offer, " the Prince said. Prince Charles added that relying on governments' intervention alone would not be enough, as there was need for market-based mechanisms to address deforestation. http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-10713--13-13--.html 4) Disturbed and troublesome teenagers are having their lives turned around by the calming influence of trees. " Woodland therapy " is credited with helping children learn to remain calm, busy, and self-sufficient. Young people, often excluded from school for bad behaviour, spend their days being taught traditional woodland management techniques and learning about the environmental importance of trees and the animals they support. The schemes have the enthusiastic backing of the Woodland Trust, a charity that helps to protect and manage Britain's ancient treescape. The therapy will form an important part of the trust's planned new wood of 600,000 native trees, covering 850 acres at Sandridge, near St Albans, Hertfordshire. The Sunday Times is inviting readers to give £15 to buy land for a tree, pay for its planting and provide five years of care. Readers have already pledged 1,500 trees, and the newspaper has given another 100. A report for the Countryside Agency, English Nature and the Rural Development Service concluded that the therapeutic effect of woodland included " a multitude of benefits on young people's physical development, emotional and mental health and wellbeing, as well as their social development " . At a centre in Hill Holt Wood near Norton Disney, Lincolnshire, up to 20 youngsters with difficult backgrounds work among the trees on the 22-acre site. Their woodcraft work includes coppicing overgrown trees, clearing dead undergrowth and cutting wood for use in gardens. Those who have benefited include David Watson from Newark, who had been suspended from school for aggressive behaviour. He was drinking heavily and mixing with drug dealers who tried to make him act as a delivery boy. " When I got there I said no chance – I couldn't see what it could do for me, " said David, now 19. " I was a townie and had hardly ever been inside a wood. But the experience got me back on the straight and narrow and eventually I took and passed my exams, and I have now got a good job in a shop. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4748809.ece 5) Imagine yourself as king of your very own ancient woodland, a glorious haven where you can wander to your heart's content, hear only leaves rustling gently in the wind, and may even catch a glimpse of wild-roaming deer. If this sounds like a dream then pinch yourself and dig deep into your pockets, because a stunning 53-acre wood in Suffolk, part of which dates back to at least 1600, goes under the hammer next month. The sale of Abbey and Packway Woods, outside the village of Flixton near Bungay, which is expected to fetch £130,000 - £160,000, may interest nature-lovers with a bit of spare cash. The auction provokes a mixture of emotions for George Danby, 85, and his family, who own the land. Beccles born-and-bred Mr Danby said the woods hold many happy memories for him and his sister, Iris Brown, 88, but believes it is time to move on. " We are both getting too old to enjoy it as we used to, " he said. " We used to love walking through it. " Mr Danby recalled other fond memories, such as family picnics with his wife and three children, and taking them to see how snowdrops blanket the forest floor in white every winter. " The kids used to play hide and seek, but they live too far away to really enjoy it now, " he said. " I will be sorry to see it go in a way. " The majority of the woodland is protected by its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to red, roe and muntjac deer. Their hoof tracks are telltale signs that they are never far away, although Mr Danby has never been lucky enough to catch sight of one. Since his brother John bought the land in 1961, the family has left nature to its own devices, clearing only ivy to safeguard the future of the woodland's mix of oak, hazel and ash trees. Mr Danby said: " My late brother always loved woods, so he bought it intending to make it a haven for wildlife. We hope someone interested in conservation will buy it and look after it. " http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline & category=News & tBr\ and=edponline & tCategory=news & itemid=NOED12%20Sep%202008%2015%3A09%3A07%3A217 6) A grant scheme – the first of its kind in England – is being launched today in a bid to help declining woodland bird species in the North East. The Forestry Commission in partnership with the RSPB is offering financial support to landowners and managers to improve the habitat for 14 vulnerable species, including redstart, tree pipit, spotted flycatcher and marsh tit. The UK's woodland bird population has fallen by 20% in the last 25 years. Some species, such as the lesser redpoll and willow tit, have crashed by more than 50% since the late 1960s. It is thought that much of the decline is due to changes in the structure of woodlands, such as the age and diversity of tree species, and long-term under-management. Measures which could be funded under the new scheme will include preserving dead trees to provide natural nest sites, coppicing, controlling grazing levels and creating glades and scrubby areas favoured by many species. Underpinning the initiative is the Bird Conservation Targeting Project, a mapping scheme involving the Forestry Commission, RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology and Natural England which has identified breeding " hotspots " within the region for certain species. These locations will be used in determining grant eligibility and to target help where it is most likely to produce results. Colin Grayson, from the Forestry Commission, says: " Woodland birds are an evocative part of our wildlife and we must do all we can to tackle the chief factors behind such a worrying decline in numbers. These include the under-management of many of our woods in the North East. " http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/environment-news/2008/09/13/improvi\ ng-habitat-for-woodland-birds-61634-21808369/ 7) Friends of the Earth have hit out at controversial plans by scientists at Southampton University to grow genetically modified trees on Forestry Commission land. It is the first time scientists have tried to grow GM trees in Britain since 1999 when activists destroyed 115 modified trees in Berkshire. Environmental campaigners say the dangers of contamination – especially as trees live so long – the complex mechanics of tree reproduction and the risk to biodiversity are all so great the idea should be rejected. Clare Oxborrow of Friends of the Earth said: " There have been calls around the world for a global ban – or at least a moratorium – on genetically modified trees because of their ecological impact. Playing around with the fundamental characteristics of a tree has serious ecological implications for other trees. " If GM trees transfer traits to the wild tree population, the effect could be devastating for natural forest ecosystems and the communities dependent on them. " The Forestry Commission will not make a decision on the proposed trials – to reduce the lignin content of poplars – until early next year. Lignin keeps trees rigid and protects them from disease, but reducing the substance might make it easier to turn them into pulp or ethanol for biofuels. If the Commission approves the idea it will then go to DEFRA, as the ministry has the final say. A similar application was rejected by the Belgian government earlier this year. http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2008/09/11/campaigners-attack-plans-to-plant-gm\ -trees-in-uk/ 8) In a sumptuous dinner for some of the highest ranking figures in the City the Prince warned a football pitch size of rainforest is destroyed every every four seconds. But instead of the usual arguments of philanthropy, the Prince used cold hard cash to persuade business leaders to act. He suggested setting up a new " eco-systems market " to save the rainforests. Like the financial markets that already exist, the new system would put a value on rainforests in order to protect the benefits they bring such as absorbing carbon emissions, generating fresh water and preserving wildlife. Traders could then make a healthy profit from buying and selling rainforest as a new asset class. The idea is already on the agenda for talks in Copenhagen next year that will decide the world's approach to climate change through a new Kyoto Protocol. But the Prince said finanical institutions must act now to make a change - despite hard times in the City. He argued trees are worth more dead than alive because they can absorb some of carbon emissions causing climate change. " I know that we are meeting at time when short term economic problems have become acute. And you might think it extremely odd, let alone mildly eccentric, to be asking the private sector to focus on what may appear to be tomorrow's problem. " But cost effectiveness is even more important during financial hard times and the whole point about halting deforestation is that, along with improved energy efficiency, it is the most cost effective, and immediate, way to fight climate change. " http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/09/11/eacharles111.x\ ml 9) In the offices of other, larger environmental charities, the sofa in reception might be covered with neat cushions - at the EIA, it has been turned into a makeshift bed for a sleepy campaigner who has just flown in from the US. There is no faceless corporate red tape here, just a commitment to justice. Anyone who has ever wished they were an actor, a detective, an undercover agent, an investigative reporter or a global traveller would fit in perfectly at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Campaigners at the charity spend as much as six months each year working undercover all over the world to expose environmental crimes from the sale of tiger-skins in China to illegal logging in Indonesia to ivory trading in Malawi. In stark contrast to the big conservation charities like Greenpeace and the WWF, the EIA's 20 staff work in an office above Café Uno on London's Upper Street, Islington, and there is barely any money for marketing. Yet, for a tiny charity, it packs an almighty punch. Since it was launched in 1984, the team has fought dozens of global environmental battles, from playing an instrumental part in the banning of the ivory trade in the late 80s to helping stamp out the illegal sale of ozone-destroying CFC chemicals in the US in the 90s. " We're small, but we have a niche, and that is an investigative approach, regarding these issues as crimes, " says campaigns director and ex-journalist Julian Newman. " My interest is about justice - organised criminal gangs looting the planet for their own profit and nobody really doing anything about it. " The EIA was set up by people who had worked for big conservation charities, and felt there was a need for a more flexible, fast-moving operation, which could get evidence of environmental offences by working undercover on the ground, and then lobby governments for change. " Our philosophy is to get close to these issues and not just sit at a desk in London writing reports based on other people's reports, " says Newman. " Actually going out into the field and documenting how these crimes are being committed gives us a strong voice in negotiations. " http://eia-international.org 10) " That part of Bressay sound was dry land 7,500 years ago. These trees were growing at some stage and then were inundated by sea level rise. Now we have a date, we know that it was land at that point, " Dr Melton said. However others have voiced scepticism, including regional archaeologist Val Turner who said there could be other ways the wood found its way to the spot. " As it has come up through dredging we don't actually know that it was found in the place it had been growing, but the inference is that it probably was, " Ms Turner said. Adrian Hall, from Edinburgh's Fettes University, said the wood may have been washed in by a stream, river or by flood, but conceded it was likely a forest grew on the site at the time. Pollen records had already demonstrated trees grew at the time, but this is one of the few pieces of physical evidence. " To have actual specimens of wood of that age is quite new, " Dr Hall said. " If we could have woodland growing it means that the sea level has risen quite considerably over the last 7,500 years and drowned that forest, killed off the trees and submerged the peat. " http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/news_09_2008/Ancient%20forest%20grew%20off%20Lerw\ ick.htm 11) A caravan park's building plans would destroy ancient woodland say protestors. Coghurst Hall caravan park, Ivyhouse Lane, is seeking planning permission to construct a 20 metre square fenced maintenance compound on the edge of an area of woodland. But Guestling Parish Council has said it can see no good reason to concrete over and destroy further ancient woodland in the High Weald Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Forestry Comission is also opposed to the plans. Planning officers at Rother Council were recommending permission be refused when the matter was due for discussion by the committee, at Bexhill Town Hall, yesterday (Thursday). Rother's planning chief Tim Hickling said: " The site is clearly part of the woodland fringe and has not been used for any activity previously. " I consider the introduction of a fenced yard to be unacceptable as it would prejudice the woodland edge and prevent positive regeneration. " This is an undesirable encroachment into the edge of preserved ancient woodland. " The proposal would adversely affect the woodland area preventing the regeneration of trees and vegetation. " As such it is contrary to the aims of protecting ancient woodland and the character of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. " http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/479/Opposition-to-caravan-park-plans.4476726.jp Switzerland: 12) This study examines the potential of the theory of planned behavior to explain willingness to pay (WTP) in a contingent valuation survey of the recreational benefits of the Zurich city forests. Two aspects of WTP responses, protest votes and bid levels, were analyzed separately. In both steps, models with and without the psychological predictors proposed by the theory of planned behavior were compared. Whereas the inclusion of the psychological predictors significantly improved explanations of protest votes, their ability to improve the performance of the model explaining bid levels was limited. The results indicate that the interpretation of bid levels as behavioral intention may not be appropriate and that the potential of the theory of planned behavior to improve contingent valuation models depends on which aspect of WTP responses is examined. http://envirovaluation.org/index.php/2008/09/13/recreational_benefits_of_urban_f\ orests_e Spain: 13) MADRID: The Spanish authorities have decided to plant 45 million trees during the 2009-2012 period as part of a $127-million programme to combat desertification and the impact of man-made climate change, EFE said. The project will generate more than 670,000 workdays, an employment rate equivalent to 2,997 people a year, according to Environment Minister Elena Espinosa. Espinosa said that the planned investment " gives an idea of the government's commitment to the defence and encouragement of biodiversity " and added that " new jobs will be created to carry out this task " . The minister said that reforestation will protect endemic tree species and will be carried out over an total area of 61,300 hectares. At the same time, planting trees will lead to the recovery and increase of biodiversity and of endemic ecosystems, the improvement and preservation of the landscape, and the consolidation of ecological corridors, the minister said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Flora__Fauna/Spain_to_plant_45_million_trees/\ articleshow/3483951.cms Bulgaria: 14) On September 4 the Bulgarian Government decided to change the status of forests near the biosphere reserve of Kamchiya, excluding woods from the State forest fund. This followed the 2006 decision of the Supreme Administrative Court to " close down " Kamchiiski Pyasutsi protected area, which is also in this area, To Sustain the Nature in Bulgaria (SNB) coalition said in a media statement. The forests were excluded from the state forest fund to pave the way for construction, SNB said. Kamchiiski Pyasutsi reserve includes the biggest Black Sea beach in Bulgaria and protects the unique combination of dunes and dense forestry, SNB said. Dense forests in temperate climates are rare natural phenomena worldwide but particularly prevalent in Bulgaria. The forests at the mouth of Kamchiya River are some of the most northerly in Europe and also lie on birds' migration route between Europe and Africa, accounting for the decision to declare it a biosphere reserve. Kamchiiski Pyasutsi and Kamchiya reserves are also part of Natura 2000 European environmental network. Stanka Shopova, the executive director of Sanitary-Health Development Kamchiya AD, said that more than 150 million euro would be invested in the new 30-hectare resort by 2010. The Russian company acquired the area from the Bulgarian State Forestry Agency through exchanges, Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik reported on September 14. The change of the purpose of the lands was completed in the middle of the summer. According to official data, during the past seven years 800ha of forestry was removed from the Varna region state forest fund, more than 80ha of which lie at the mouth of Kamchiya River. In this area, the Russian company owns a total of 45ha. http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/holiday-resort-construction-starts-in-former-pr\ otected-area/id_31779/catid_66 Romania: 15) National Forest Corporation Romsilva (RNP) forested in H1 2008 an area of 5,147 ha and made regeneration works on 5,842 ha, up 13% from the areas in its programme, RNP data read. Of the afforested area, 269 ha are ecologic reconstruction works on degraded lands, taken over to the forest fund. The programme of regeneration of the forests in the state forest fund, for 2008, includes the forest regeneration works on an area of 15,400 ha, of which 7,570 ha natural regeneration (49.2%) and afforestation on 7,830 ha (50.8%). In 2008, Romsilva has scheduled ecological reconstruction works on 900 ha. The regeneration works were worth 59.2 million lei. In H1 2008, Romsilva set an wood evaluation programme of 4.52 million cu m, compared with the annual programme of 9.058 million cu m, with achievements standing at 96%, or 4.34 million cu m. Romsilva is coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), it manages 3.6 million ha of wood in the public property of the state and around one million ha of private forests. Romsilva posted in H 1 2008 a turnover worth 550.8 million lei, up 14% from initial estimates, according to Romsilva data. Romsilva's revenues have come from the good use of wood, of other products. Revenues worth 5.23 million euros, or 35% of the annual programme, have resulted from the export of products resulting from the processing of wood, of hunting products and accessories, from the organization of hunts. http://www.financiarul.ro/2008/09/11/romsilva-forests-almost-11000-ha-of-lands-i\ n-h1-2008/ Cyprus: 16) The Forestry Department is showing increased concerns about the large number of trees that are drying up. The best hope is that the weather conditions will soon change. What is noticeable around the island is that all kinds of trees, even those which are considered more resistant to drought conditions, such as pines, cypress and carob trees are withering away and turning brown – an indication of their poor state. Takis Tsentidis, Senior Official of the Forestry Department, told the Mail yesterday that " drought affects both the growth of the trees but also the success of their revival " . As he explained, many trees have been destroyed, especially in the eastern parts of Mesaoria, the eastern part of Troodos and the forests of Machairas and Stavrovouni " . However, the present threat to trees is not only due to the current drought, as low rainfall conditions have been commonplace in Cyprus for the past few years. " The rainfall this year was at really low levels, but it is not only that, " Tsentidis continued, " it is also the extremely high temperatures. " " Trees that have survived naturally for over 100 years and carob trees have dried up. " It is the combination of a series of unfavourable conditions, which are maybe the worst we have seen in a period of say 100 years. It is not only the low levels of rainfall but also the very high temperatures, " said Tsentidis. Aristos Ioannou, Director of the Forestry Department, said that " with four years with low rainfall it was anticipated that our forests would reach this tragic situation. " The lack of water only exacerbates the problem. " Even if we could water the trees, which we can't, we would need water reserves of over 20 years, while we hardly have water to drink, " Ioannou said. Tsentidis added that " it is also expected that more trees will dry up in the future. It is evident that many trees have weakened and have changed colour, as a result of the high temperatures and lack of rainfall. " Ioannou added that the rings in tree trunks were an indicator, not only of age, but also of weather conditions. " This year, the rings have become significantly narrower because of the drought, " he said, adding that while during the past years the rings were five centimetres, now they were only half that. According to Ioannou, many trees might still be saved if it rains in October. The drought also affects plant and animal life as the impact is consequential. " Drought means less food for birds and animals, " said Tsentidis. " There were also problems for the moufflon, so we placed some watering-troughs in the Paphos range. " As to actions that could be taken, Tsentidis said that " trees that have been destroyed will need to be replanted, and we'll have to re-establish the forest. To do this, we need resources, including water of course. We will also have to rethink the materials we use, in order to combat the drought. " Forests cover an estimated 25 per cent of the total area of the island. http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=41365 & cat_id=1 Ghana: 17) Mrs Lydia Opoku, Assistant Western Regional Forestry Manager, has expressed great concern about the rate at which forests and farmlands in the Region were been depleted of trees through illegal chainsaw operations. " The chainsaw operations have become a major problem in the Region " , she said. Mrs Opoku, who was speaking at the handing-over of logosol machines and accessories to six communities at a ceremony at Wassa Akropong, said; " now the forests have been completely depleted of trees like Dahoma, Mahogany and Sapele " . The donation of the logosol machines, an advanced form of chainsaw machines, formed part of the implementation of a pilot project intended to give farmers communities and traditional authorities direct monetary benefit from trees on their farmlands. Known as " Processing and utilization of trees on farmlands and logging residues " , the project being implemented by the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), in collaboration with Forestry Services Division (FSD) and the communities is founded by International Tropical Timbers Organisation (ITTO) based in Yokohama, Japan. The Assistant Regional Forestry Manager said apart from the chainsaw operations, farming activities were another source of the depletion of the forests and farmlands. Mrs Opoku said since the chainsaw operators operated at night with offensive weapons and mobile phones, it had become difficult for the Forestry Services Division to monitor their activities. She expressed regret that, the chainsaw operators were simply wasting the trees since their recovery rate was about only 17 per cent. " That is why we in the FSD are satisfied with this new project designed to make chainsaw activities unattractive to farmers,' she said. Mrs Opoku appealed to farmers not only to be interested in the project to develop the habit of replacing all trees felled but also the protection of the remaining trees. http://www.ghanadot.com/news.gnadot.121307k.html Uganda: 18) Fighting environmental degradation in a country where the managers of our critical national resources (like forest reserves) are hell bent on pursuing partisan commercial interest than protecting the public good, can quite be a hard job. In Uganda, it's even more scary because those responsible for ensuring a clean and healthy environment are executing their duties under constant fear of incurring their appointing authority's ire. These managers' decisions are in most cases on the wrong side of public opinion. And unlike in the more advanced democracies where national leaders and managers of public assets are accountable to the people, in the not so polished societies like ours, public opinion is never a factor in the management of scarce resources. Although the public mood in regard to the management of our national forest resources has been a mixture of hope , frustration and nervousness over the last three years - the National Forestry Authority (NFA) seems to have taken no clue. How else can one explain the latest decision by NFA (a body charged with the duty of protecting the country's forest cover) to grant a licence to Uganda Electricity Transmission Ltd to cut 69 hectatres of Mabira Forest to enable the construction of a new high voltage power line. The power line will run from Bujagali Power Station to the main grid through Kawanda and Mutundwe, west of Kampala. http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/Moses_s/MPs_should_not_allow_govt_to_des\ troy_our_forests_71220.shtml 19) Over 72% of forest reserves in northern Uganda have been destroyed by internally displaced people (IDPs) returning to their villages, environment state minister has said. Jessica Eriyo noted that the destruction of wetlands in Teso and Karamoja sub-regions would lead to grave climate changes and desertification. During the annual district environment officers' conference at Ridar Hotel in Seeta last week, the minister warned of more environment degradation as peace returns to the north. " The former IDPs need sensitisation on sustainable resource use, " she said. She cited Wicheri Forest Reserve in Amuru district as one of the forests being destroyed by IDPs, adding that attempts by the National Forest Authority to sensitise the locals on preserving the reserve were futile. " We could not agree with the locals because they said their MPs were discouraging them from conserving the forests. " Eriyo said even the sub-county LC3 chairman was blocked from going to the forest reserve to encourage conservation. As a means of curbing the rampant degradation of the environment, Eriyo said her ministry would harmonise district environmental objectives with those of the ministry, ensure effective use of wetlands and improve the management of natural resources. http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/648665 20) Fighting environmental degradation in a country where the managers of our critical national resources (like forest reserves) are hell bent on pursuing partisan commercial interest than protecting the public good, can quite be a hard job. In Uganda, it's even more scary because those responsible for ensuring a clean and healthy environment are executing their duties under constant fear of incurring their appointing authority's ire. These managers' decisions are in most cases on the wrong side of public opinion. And unlike in the more advanced democracies where national leaders and managers of public assets are accountable to the people, in the not so polished societies like ours, public opinion is never a factor in the management of scarce resources. Although the public mood in regard to the management of our national forest resources has been a mixture of hope , frustration and nervousness over the last three years - the National Forestry Authority (NFA) seems to have taken no clue. How else can one explain the latest decision by NFA (a body charged with the duty of protecting the country's forest cover) to grant a licence to Uganda Electricity Transmission Ltd to cut 69 hectatres of Mabira Forest to enable the construction of a new high voltage power line. The power line will run from Bujagali Power Station to the main grid through Kawanda and Mutundwe, west of Kampala. This is one of such wrong decisions. And it's imperative for us to remind NFA that there can be no doubt about the dangers posed by their reckless disregard of the conservation of critical resources like Mabira Forest. NFA's latest machinations point to one thing though - the well known government plot to illegally parcel out more than 7,100 hectares of the natural forest to private investors like Mehta and now Uganda Electricity Transmission Ltd. http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=106191 Congo: 21) A set of stripy legs in a camera trap photo snapped in an African forest indicates something to cheer about, say researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society. The legs belong to an okapi--a rare forest giraffe--which apparently has survived in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park, despite over a decade of civil war and increased poaching. " This is the first time this species has been captured on film in this park. Known to occur in the park from the early 1900s it had not been seen here for over 50 years. Two years ago sightings of dung and other tracks were made in the park by a team of pygmy trackers who knew Okapi sign. It is very encouraging to see that this animal has survived, " said WCS researcher, Deo Kujirakwinja, who organized the recent camera trap survey. " Many animals have suffered in this park as a result of the ten years of insecurity in the region, so it's encouraging to see that the okapi has survived. " Measuring up to 8 feet in length and standing up to 6 feet at the shoulder, the okapi has striped legs that give the animal a superficial resemblance to a zebra. It is, in fact, a close relative of the much larger giraffe. The animal's current range occurs in the Ituri Forest in northern DR Congo. They are classified as Near Threatened by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and are at risk primarily from habitat destruction. The photograph was taken during some field surveys of the northern forests of the Virunga Park, an area that has been little visited historically because of the density of the forest and its remoteness. This region has also been the hideout of a rebel group (ADF -- Allied Democratic Front) who have been battling the government of Uganda unsuccessfully for over 20 years. They have been hiding in Congo for many years now and it is only recently that it has become safe to enter this part of the park. Funded by the USFWS, these surveys aimed to assess the impact of the war on the fauna and flora of this region. Preliminary results indicate that many antelope species are at low density but that some species such as chimpanzees have survived fairly well. http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=106509 22) Further exacerbating the problem: illegal and even legal activities in central African forests, such as logging and mining, that carve out new access as well as attract new people who also crave meat. And laws against the wildlife trade have failed to prevent supplies of everything from rhinoceros horns to tiger bones from reaching the estimated $3.9-billion global market. That suggests that even granting ownership of the common resource represented by a duikers herd might not solve the problem, as some experts suggest. But it also shows that blanket bans are not working either. " In the tropics, they have genuine needs, " says entomologist Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology, who was not involved with this study but has been assessing the problems presented by expanding human population since the 1960s. " There are desperately poor people surrounding reserves. If I was there, I would shoot the hippo and eat it, too. " Granting local peoples a limited right to hunt while working actively to manage specific populations of animals in the jungle—a task complicated by an inability to determine exactly how large a given population is—may prove the only way to truly conserve, according to the authors of the report, which also includes experts from the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. " The question is conserving for whom? " Van Vliet asks. " For rural people that need to survive as well as for urban people that would love to see our fauna in the future—or just conserving for the sake of it? " http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=central-africa-forest-wildlife-eaten-into-ex\ tinction 23) Banduli meticulously sharpens the teeth of his metre-long chainsaw. An 18m-high yellowwood, which has grown in the Ituri Rainforest for more than 100 years, towers over him. Soon it will be cut at its base, fall to the ground, and become posh parquet for a European duplex apartment. While basic supplies like food and electricity may be in short supply in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), there is no lack of wood. The Congo Basin Rainforest, the second largest rainforest in the world, contains a wealth of mature timber. More than 15 species of tree are harvested for export to eastern Africa, Europe and Asia. Thousands of loggers, their exact numbers unknown, are working their way through the rainforest, eager to make some money by exporting this hardwood bounty. Small-scale loggers, legal and illegal, accounted for more than 60 000cu m logged in Mambasa Territory alone in 2006/07. One large yellowwood or redwood tree takes about a week to fell and cut. It will provide about 15cu m of cut wet planks, measuring 13 x 33cm and 2,95m in length. An individual logger earns $10 (R75) per cubic metre - cutting up to 3cu m a day. For the logger, this translates into about $150 a week, an astronomical amount in the DRC where many live on less than $1 a day. " I am never out of work, " says Banduli (23). " I cut up to 12 trees for a private contractor over several months. Then, when he has no more money to pay me, I go to the next guy. " Transporting the wood is one of his biggest challenges. Small-scale loggers get the wood deep in the forest and then have to get it to the nearest road, either on foot or by bicycle. Each plank weighs about 125kg. At the road the wood is picked up and taken to the local market in Mambasa or Beni. From there, much of it will continue on to the international market in Nairobi. One tree, from its felling to its arrival on the road, before reaching the market, will cost about $1 000 in labour. In the fast-flowing Ituri River, 120m wide and mostly deep, lies a flatbed truck on its side, along with 80 tons of redwood and yellowwood planks, and the remnants of a 90m steel bridge that was built during Belgian colonial times. " I would have killed the driver myself if he didn't die in the accident, " says Warren Braun, a South African expat working with Canadian mining company Kilo Gold in Beni. At the border with Uganda is a similar scene: when a truck overloaded with timber tried to cross the Lubiriha Bridge, it collapsed too. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1 & click_id=31 & art_id=vn20080909070218655C7\ 25260 Mozambique: 24) " We're in business. We're not Jesus trying to save people. We do business, and when business is finished, we go away. Everyone has to live. " Chinese timber buyer operating in Mozambique (Mackenzie, 2006:18) 5.1. Introduction: This chapter will encapsulate the key discussions regarding China's economic engagement of Mozambique within the dimensions of resource extraction and agriculture. When analysing China-Mozambique relations, agriculture and food security represents another dimension whose importance is likely to grow in the future not just for the particular case of Mozambique but for the African continent in general. In mid 2008, mealies was at its highest level in 11 years, rice and soya at their highest level in 34 years and wheat – like crude oil and gold – has recently touched its highest level ever (Evans, 2008:2). Mozambique's agricultural and fishing potential puts the country in a privileged position to tap into an eventual big move from China looking at complementing its agricultural reserves for food security in Africa. This chapter will start by taking a look at particular instances of such projects and at the challenges of China's presence in Mozambique's agriculture sector. Thereafter, the possible lessons from China's development history in the sector will be discussed followed by a closer look at two important sub-sections of the agriculture sector of Mozambique – agro-forestry and fishing sector. http://politicsinmotion.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-5-chinas-impact-on-agricult\ ure.html Zimbabwe: 25) Forestry Company of Zimbabwe has embarked on programme to revive forest plantations in the country's urban areas as it moves to re-green the cities and mitigate the effects of climate change that comes with deforestation. The programme is expected to see an estimated total of 300 000 hectares put under exotic and indigenous trees for this summer season. Forestry Conservation and Extension officer for Harare Mr Kudzanai Gwande yesterday said there was a need to replace the trees that have been chopped over the years to minimise the effects of deforestation. He said his company was disturbed by the rate of deforestation in the country. " A pilot project of 90 hectares has already been launched in Dzivarasekwa while ten hectares have already been planted with eucalyptus grandis and the rest with indigenous trees. " Negotiations with the city of Harare are underway for more land to establish such plantations. Discussions are also underway with other local authorities while seed lots are being established for the purpose, " Mr Gwande said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110441.html Tanzania: 26) The downward flow of water from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Africa generates up to half of Tanzania's power and provides nearly all of Dar es Salaam's drinking water. As logging and agriculture move up the slopes, however, they destroy the natural ecosystems that support the ancient catchments – resulting in torrents in the wet season and trickles in the dry. Can valuing those ecosystem services lead to their salvation? Second in a series leading up to and coinciding with the September Katoomba Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Previous regional Katoomba meetings in Uganda (2005) and South Africa (2006) demonstrated that Africans have become increasingly interested in market-based conservation strategies, including payments for ecosystem services (PES). While a number of projects are underway, PES in the East and Southern African region primarily occurs on an ad hoc basis through small-scale pilot projects. Information, capacity to design and manage PES deals, and institutions to support on-the-ground implementation are all lacking and have hindered efforts to scale up. Yet, carbon markets, both regulated and voluntary, have grown very rapidly and offer opportunities for new investment in rural regions of Africa. The emergence of opportunities for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) makes it even more important for the countries to build their capacity in order to put in place a readiness strategy. In addition, East and Southern African nations face a range of water-related challenges, including pollution and threats to reliable flows from forested catchments. The 2008 East and Southern African Katoomba Group meeting will offer an opportunity to dicuss development of both REDD readiness strategies as well as payment for watershed services schemes. The meeting will also provide hands-on capacity building combined with strategy discussions about scaling PES up in the region. http://www.katoombagroup.org/event_details.php?id=18 http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/article.news.php?component_id=6032 & compone\ nt_version_id=8963 & language_id=12 27) Gretchen Daily wants to protect the planet by convincing governments and big investors there's money to be made - or at least saved - in preserving nature instead of exploiting it. It's a fresh approach to conservation that is drawing international attention to this unpretentious Stanford biologist who has garnered some of the world's most prestigious scientific honors. At its most basic, Daily is figuring out how to put a price tag on the natural world. And colleagues say she has done what many scientists have not: connected theory to practice. In Tanzania, Daily is helping her associates develop programs where the government pays residents to maintain the forests that regulate water supply instead of logging for fast cash - a move that will save the country money by easing health problems from bad water or by paying for a filtration plant. She is working with Hawaii to create a system similar to Costa Rica's. There the government pays landowners $20 an acre to protect existing forest, which helps stabilize the climate and strengthen the country's eco-tourism industry. International investment helps fund it: Under the Kyoto Protocol, European countries have created carbon markets that allow them to offset their carbon emissions by investing in Costa Rican forests. " We're in the biggest mass extinction since the dinosaurs, " she said in her Stanford office, which is covered with photos of her husband and two children. " People estimate we'll lose half of the Earth's life forms in our lifetime. " Daily co-founded the Stanford-based Natural Capital Project in 2006 and now chairs it. Under her leadership, a team of scientists has created software called InVEST, which can estimate the worth of, say, a forest full of pollinating insects vital to nearby crop production. In November, it will be distributed free. Already the Colombian government plans to use it to relicense water and land access. Where does it make sense to convert forests to agricultural production? Where should they be left alone? Financially strapped countries could find the tool crucial, advocates say. A poor nation might be tempted to let a rich corporation develop land because it doesn't know the dollar value of the natural resources that will be destroyed. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/18/MNH31227HE.DTL Kenya: 28) 3,522,000 hectares of Kenya is under forest, which is 6,2 % of the country's area. Many of Kenya's forests are old forests rich with biodiversity and many unique ecosystems. However, this doesn't stop deforestation in this African country. In period between 1990 and 2005 Kenya lost 5 % of its forest cover which means that around 186,000 hectares of forests have been destroyed. Main cause for such rapid deforestation is increased population that needs more land for agriculture. But not all forests are being chopped to make room for farms, there are other reasons too, especially in time of droughts. What people look in times like this is alternatives to survive, often by transforming wood into charcoal or selling it as timber. For instance in the Mount Kenya forest reserve, 2,465 charcoal kilns were discovered by the Kenya Wildlife Service in an aerial survey in August 1999. What people don't know is the fact that close canopy forests have a crucial role as water catchments which means that if the current rate of deforestation continues, there will be much more flood during the rainy season and droughts during the dry season. Destruction of these water catchment areas in various parts of the country is already beyond alarming, but yet it isn't showing signs of decrease. There is of course rich biodiversity that also needs to be preserved. According to data from World Conservation Monitoring Centre Kenya has 1847 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles of which 4 % are endemic, and 3,8 % are threatened with extinction. Similar situation is also with plants of which 4,1 % are endemic with species like Olea africana and Dombea goetzenii. So how the preserve Kenya's forests? One thing is sure Kenya can't achieve this alone, so international help is really necessary. Without enough food and water in Africa it will be difficult explaining African people why forests are so important, as their primary goal is survival http://ecologicalproblems.blogspot.com/2008/09/kenya-deforestation-great-threat.\ html 29) The Tana River forest in coastal Kenya is home to a diverse array of bird species but is increasingly under threat from logging, agricultural expansion, and unsustainable harvesting of some bird species, reports a new study published in the open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science. Surveying the lowland evergreen riverine tropical forest — a forest type that is rare in Kenya and probably in Africa — to establish a baseline for the ecosystem, Alfred O. Owino and colleagues recorded 155 bird species of 43 families in 14 forest patches. They report that " overall bird species composition did not differ significantly across these forest patches, but similarities in species composition of different strengths were evident across the sites. " The study will help researchers monitor the impacts of land use change and forest degradation on birds in the Tana River Primate National Reserve. A section of the Tana river delta has recently come under threat from a plan to convert 20,000 hectares of wetland for a sugar cane plantation to produce ethanol. To counter potential declines in bird diversity in the region, the authors recommend establishing corridors of habitat between forest patches as well as improving the protection status of all Lower Tana River forest areas. http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0915-owino_tcs.html South Africa: 30) Up close and personal: FSC's certified baboon slaughter! South African activists have now started an on-line petition against the baboon cull. They say that " There is an urgent need for a moratorium to be placed on the killing of free ranging baboons by these timber companies. According to at least two recent witness accounts, this genocide has been ongoing in spite of the forestry companies insistence it had stopped. Hundreds of baboons have been killed in the area in the past by what was then Global Forest Products (now bought by York Timbers) and Komatiland Forests PTY. Once this was confronted, a moratorium was placed on the killing of baboons. Although witness accounts claim these killings have been ongoing, Komatiland Forests have made a statement saying the moratorium was officially lifted in May 2008 " . Alternatively, those gathered for the General Assembly could be taken to see the smoking remains of FSC certified plantations. Once again, dense industrial stands of pine trees have been catching fire across South Africa, often with tragic consequences. As FSC-Watch reported last year, more than ten thousand hectares of FSC certified plantation owned by South African pulp conglomerates Mondi and Sappi in nearby Swaziland had gone up in smoke, with much loss of life. This year, the South African press is reporting that fires are again raging across thousands of hectares of plantation in Mpumalanga, including some owned by the FSC certified Sappi. This will all no doubt come as an embarrassment to the corporate backers for the General Assembly, which include 'Gold Sponsor' Mondi, as well as Tembec and Sveaskog, all of which have been accused of major violations against the FSC's requirements. But most curious of all the Assembly's sponsors is South Africa-based certifier SGS - which has been banned from carrying out FSC certifications in several countries and is now languishing in a self-imposed global 'moratorium' on issuing new certificates. Perhaps SGS are hoping that their corporate generosity will help smooth troubled relations with FSC, but many FSC members will no doubt be wondering what the FSC is doing taking largesse from one of the certifiers that it is supposed to be controlling. Posted by FSC-Watch on 04 September 2008, http://www.fsc-watch.org:80/archives/2008/09/04/Wildlife_slaughter_a Cameroon: 31) The forests of southern Cameroon bordering Gabon are biodiversity-rich and harbor important populations of gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants. In 1998 the government of Cameroon established the Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary and in 2002, working in close partnership with the government of Cameroon, the Jane Goodall Institute launched a project to protect habitat and biodiversity in the reserve while creating a connection between conservation and socio-economic improvement in communities bordering the sanctuary. The sanctuary now plays an important role in emerging trans-boundary protected area initiatives. Mapping and profiling the vegetation of the gorilla sanctuary is still ongoing but a new paper published in French in the open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science reveals important progress in this direction. The authors, led by Fongnzossie Fedoung Evariste of the Université de Yaoundé, report the presence in the sanctuary of 10 different forest habitats characterized by high indices of tree diversity and high densities of trees per hectare. The authors argue that the 10 habitat units are of equal conservation importance and warn of a number of activities within the reserve buffer zone including extensive fishing, hunting, and non-timber forest production and collection; establishment of cocoa and banana plantations; and expansion of itinerant agriculture. http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0915-evariste_tcs.html Palestine: 32) Palestinian residents of the West Bank village of Awarta claimed Sunday that settlers from nearby Yitzhar set fire to hundreds of their olive trees, causing massive damage to the livelihood of many of the villagers. However police claim the source of the fire is as yet unclear. " The Palestinians complained of a brushfire in the area. The cause remains unclear, but an investigation has been launched, " an official statement said. The villagers also claimed that the IDF did nothing to hinder the settlers from igniting their property. Village Council head Hassan Awad told Ynet that " at around 11 am we discovered that our olive grove was on fire. We stood on the hill and watched whole acres of olive trees burn. " Awad added that the settlers had started the fire in an area that Palestinians cannot enter due to security restrictions, thus preventing them from putting out the flames. " Our land was on fire, and we couldn't even put out the flames or offer any help, " Awad added, referring to the fact that the land is part of a " security ring " created by the IDF in order to protect the settlers, and requires farmers to present special permits in order to enter the area The council head said that a preliminary assessment of the damages had concluded that the fire damaged the livelihood of dozens of families, and that 12-17 acres of trees had been destroyed. Awad believes security forces are not adequately quelling the threat posed by the settlers, claiming that the IDF appeared at times to be taking orders from them, even while they acted violently towards the Palestinian residents. " We believe the soldiers and officers work for the settlers and take orders from them, so there is no chance they would try to prevent the fire, even if they knew about it head of time, " he said. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3596586,00.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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