MEDIA REPORTS
FORESTS, DESERTS
AND LAND
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on: 01/13/10
2007
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DECEMBER 2007
CHILE
APPROVES FOREST LAW AFTER 15 YEARS OF NEGOTIATION
After 15 years of negotiations, the Chilean parliament has approved
a law on the country's native forests to promote their preservation and
sustainable use and foster related scientific research. The Native
Forest Law establishes an initial fund of US$8 million a year for forest
conservation, recovery and sustainable management projects, and protects
water sources.
Link to further information
SciDev.Net news article, 31 December 2007
UNGA PREPARES
FOR ADOPTION OF FOREST INSTRUMENT
The UN Secretariat is organizing a High-Level Special Event during the
UN General Assembly (UNGA) Plenary Session on 17 December 2007, titled
"The Non-Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests (NLBI) –
Heralding a New Era in Implementing Sustainable Forest Management."
This event will follow the expected adoption of the NLBI by the UNGA on
the same day. The NLBI was adopted by the UN Economic and Social Council
in October 2007, after having been negotiated and adopted by the UN
Forum on Forests earlier in the year.
Link to further information
Under-Secretary General's letter informing Permanent Missions about the
event, 3 December 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
UNCCD SETS DATE FOR ESCOP
The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
has set 26 November 2007 as the date for the first Extraordinary Session
of the Conference of the Parties (ESCOP). COP 8 did not complete
consideration of the programme and budget item on its agenda, and agreed
to convene an ESCOP in New York, US, at UN headquarters before the end
of 2007.
Link to further information
ESCOP webpage
CONSULTATION ON GLOBAL FOREST PARTNERSHIP ONGOING
The World Bank is proposing a new Global Forest Partnership, uniting
several organizations to accelerate progress on managing forests for
social, environmental and economic needs. In order to collect feedback
from a wide range of stakeholders on what this Global Partnership could
look like,International Institute for Environment and Development is
conducting an independent assessment on the World Bank's behalf and is
asking for opinions from on what the overall objectives of such a
partnership should be. The consultation continues until 30 November
2007.
Link to further information
IIED consultation website
OCTOBER 2007
NEW ITTO
PROGRAM ON TROPICAL FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT RECEIVES US$ 3 MILLION
CONTRIBUTION
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) announced that
the Netherlands has donated US $3 million to a new ITTO programme on
tropical forest law enforcement and trade (TFLET). The new programme
seeks to: enhance civil society's capacity to contribute to forest law
enforcement; enhance the capacity of small- and medium-sized enterprises
to produce and trade timber from legal and sustainable sources; support
and increase international trade in legally/sustainably produced
tropical timber; and enable local forest-dependent communities to
sustainably manage their forests to alleviate poverty. Several TFLET
activities have already been included in ITTO's 2008-2009 Work Programme.
Link to further information
ITTO News Release, 17 October 2007
EU
IMPOSES TIMBER TRADE SANCTIONS ON MYANMAR
The EU Council, at its meeting held from 15-16 October 2007, in
Luxembourg, adopted trade sanctions on the Myanmar government in
response to recent human rights abuses. The sanctions include a ban on
imports of timber and other forest products from Myanmar as well as
sales of equipment there.
Link to further information
Council Conclusions on Burma/Myanmar, 16 October 2007
AMAZON AT RISK FROM DEVELOPMENT, NGOs LAUNCH PACT
TO END DEFORESTATION
The Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of
South America is placing the Amazon at risk, according to a report by
Conservation International scientist Timothy Killeen. The Initiative
involves planned developments in transportation, energy and
telecommunications to improve trade throughout the continent and make
agricultural commodities, biofuels and industrial minerals more
competitive in international markets. Meanwhile, nine Brazilian
non-governmental organizations launched a pact to reduce deforestation
in the Brazilian Amazon to zero by 2015. The pact involves adopting a
system of reduction targets through economic mechanisms, mainly based on
payment for environmental services. Economic incentives will be directed
to strengthen forest governance and will be used to create and implement
more protected areas and indigenous lands. Brazil's Environment
Minister, Marina Silva, committed the federal government's support for
the proposal.
Links
to further information
SciDev.net News Release, 9 October 2007
WWF News Release, 4 October 2007
FOREST LOSS
INCREASES FLOOD FREQUENCY AND DURATION -- STUDY
Researchers at Australia's Charles Darwin University published a
study supporting the hypothesis that deforestation increases the
frequency and severity of flooding in developing countries. While a link
between deforestation and flooding has been suspected for many years,
the study is the first to provide global-scale evidence.
Links to further information
SciDev.Net Media Release, 5 October 2007
Abstract in Global Change Biology
WORLD BANK INADEQUATELY CONSIDERED FOREST-RELATED
SAFEGUARDS IN DRC - INSPECTION PANEL
The World Bank's Inspection Panel is reported to have found that two
projects funded by the Bank since 2002 in the Democratic Republic of
Congo's rainforests inadequately considered many important
socio-economic and environmental issues of forest use, which are
embedded within the Bank's safeguard policies designed to protect
natural habitats and the rights of people living in them.
Link
to further information
Rainforest Foundation News Release, 3 October 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
BRAZIL
REPORTED TO INCREASE AMOUNT OF CERTIFIED WOOD, TARGET ILLEGAL WOOD USE
The first ever forest concessions for wood production in the
Brazilian Amazon were approved recently for the northern state of
Rondônia. The concessions will begin in 2008, and a São Paulo newspaper
states that it will likely increase the volume of certified wood from
the region by 50%. Elsewhere in Brazil, the São Paulo Secretary of the
Environment recently announced that a project will be initiated to
intensify the control of wood transported from the Amazon into
neighboring states. The project will include police blockades to inspect
the Document of Forest Origin, and the production of a forest guide to
classify and identify wood origin.
Link to further information
ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report, 16-30 September 2007
MOLDOVA
DROUGHT COMPARED TO WORST IN LIVING MEMORY
The results of a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World
Food Programme (WFP) Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Moldova
have likened the current drought to that of 1946, the worst drought in
living memory. The Mission visited Moldova in August 2007 to assess the
drought's impact on the agricultural and livestock sectors and the
population at large. The Mission witnessed that many lakes and rivers,
usually full to capacity at this time of the year, were dry and water
tables in some areas had receded by almost two meters. The Mission's
report, which is dated 25 September 2007, identifies short, medium and
long-term measures to address the drought and resulting needs in
Moldova.
Link to further information
FAO assessment, 25 September 2007
MALAYSIA STRENGTHENS LAWS ON
ILLEGAL LOGGING
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that
logging companies would now be responsible for providing evidence that
they had cut down trees legally, transferring the burden of proof to the
party in possession of timber. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also
pledged last month not to indiscriminately approve logging licenses.
Link to further information
AFP news release, 18 September 2007
AUGUST 2007
DEFORESTATION PLANS SPARK DEBATE
Plans to reduce emissions
by targeting deforestation in developing countries have been generating
debate in Australia. According to reports, Australia has announced its
support for a new initiative on climate change and forestry at a recent
event in Sydney. While reducing deforestation is viewed by many as one
of a range of useful tools to combat climate change, the significant
costs involved have also been highlighted by some experts.
Links to further information
Globe-Net/WBCSD report, 8 August 2007
Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July 2007
JULY 2007
PROGRAMME BUDGET IMPLICATIONS OF UNFF7
RECOMMENDATIONS ISSUED; ECOSOC POSTPONES CONSIDERATION OF UNFF7 REPORT
The UN Secretary-General has submitted a report on the programme
budget implications of the recommendations contained in the report of
the UN Forum on Forests' seventh session. The document, dated 19 July
2007, indicates that the budgetary implications include a call for an
additional US$ 1,450,700, to cover the cost of activities that would
follow the adoption by the General Assembly of the non-legally binding
instrument on all types of forests and the Multi-Year Programme of Work
(2007-2015), both of which were negotiated at and adopted by UNFF7.
Included in this budget are resources for: convening an ad hoc
expert group to develop proposals for the development of a voluntary
global financial mechanism/portfolio approach/forest financing
framework, tentatively scheduled for December 2008; convening expert
group meetings on, inter alia, forests and climate change,
biodiversity conservation and regional inputs; and the creation of five
new posts within the UNFF Secretariat.
The UN Economic and Social Council substantive session of 2007, held
from 2-27 July 2007, in Geneva, Switzerland, postponed consideration of
the UNFF7 report to its next substantive session.
Link to more information
Statement submitted by the Secretary-General on the proposed budget
implications, 19 July 2007
CHINA CALLS ON COMPANIES TO PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE
FORESTRY
On 10 July 2007, the Chinese government unveiled a draft forestry
handbook calling on its logging companies to practice sustainable
forestry at home and overseas, and guiding and standardizing their
activities to promote the sustainable development of forestry in those
countries. Environmental groups accuse Chinese forestry companies of
illegally importing wood from Africa, Latin America and other parts of
Asia to satisfy its growing domestic demand for timber and fuel its
exports of finished wood products.
Link to further information
Reuters Media Release, 11 July 2007
GLOBAL STUDY ON TROPICAL FORESTS AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION RECEIVES
MAJOR FUNDING
The Poverty Environment Network (PEN), the world's first global
comparative and quantitative review of the role of tropical forests in
alleviating poverty, recently received a £500 commitment from the UK
Department for International Development (DfID) to support
implementation of the review. PEN is managed by the Center for
International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the University of East
Anglia.
Link to further information
CIFOR media release, 6 July
2007
FSC-CERTIFIED PAPER WIDELY AVAILABLE IN THE US
A brand of office paper, Domtar EarthChoice, produced from
responsibly managed forestlands certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC), is now widely available in the United States through a
major office materials supplier, Office Depot. According to the
Rainforest Alliance, the US's production of paper greatly exceeds the
availability of recycled fiber, meaning that sustainably harvested
forestry products are critical to a responsible paper supply.
Link to further information
Rainforest Alliance media release, 5 July 2007
ILLEGAL LOGGING CONTINUES IN INDONESIA – WTO
REPORT
A trade policy review (TPR) conducted by the World Trade
Organization (WTO) stated that a ban on log exports has done little to
stem forest over-exploitation and illegal logging in Indonesia. Illegal
logging is estimated to account for over 50 percent of Indonesian timber
production, despite a ban on the export of logs being reinstated in
2001. The WTO report said that foreign demand for cheap timber appeared
to overwhelm Indonesia's enforcement capacity.
Link to further information
BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest, Volume 11, Number 24, 4 July 2007
JUNE 2007
INDONESIA PUSHES DEFORESTATION DEAL, FRANCE SETS
OUT 2008 GOALS
Indonesia has
urged for deforestation to be part of a future multilateral deal on
climate change, according to news reports. The inclusion of
deforestation activities in a post-2012 deal is also backed by Papua New
Guinea, Costa Rica, Congo and other equatorial countries.
Meanwhile,
France's Environment Minister has told reporters that France will use
its presidency of the EU in 2008 to push for a new treaty on climate
change. The fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is taking place in Poznan,
Poland in 2008, will be a critical meeting, according to the French
Minister.
Link to further information
Reuters news reports about
Indonesia and
France, 29 June 2007
US-PERU BILATERAL TRADE DEAL ADDRESSES
ILLEGAL LOGGING
Environmental provisions in the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement that were
announced on 25 June 2007, include measures to stop the flow of
illegally logged timber from Peru. The Agreement also contains
provisions requiring countries to fulfill their obligations under a set
of multilateral environmental agreements.
Link to further information
CIEL media release, 26 June 2007
CHINESE FOREST CERTIFICATION GROUP
RECEIVES FSC ACCREDITATION
The International Board of Directors of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
has announced the accreditation of the Forest Certification Working
Group in China as the official FSC National Initiative in China (FSC
China). Wang Xiaoping, Forest Certification Working Group in China,
stated "the accreditation of FSC China is a crucial milestone in the
progress of responsible forest management and certification in China."
Link to further information
FSC media release, 25 June 2007
BRAZILIAN
SENATE APPROVES PROCUREMENT BILL ON LEGALLY-SOURCED WOOD
On 30 May 2007, the Brazilian Senate voted and ratified a bill
amending the National Procurement Act, to include an article requiring
proof of the legality of the source of wood used in public construction
and infrastructure projects. This followed initiatives by IUCN – the
World Conservation Union, WWF and Greenpeace, in collaboration with
senators from the state of Acre, Brazil.
Link to further information
IUCN media release, 12 June 2007
MAY 2007
US WINERY
FIRST TO EARN CORK CERTIFICATION
Willamette Valley Vineyards, in Turner, Oregon, US, is the first
winery in the world to earn chain-of-custody certification from the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for using cork stoppers harvested from
responsibly managed forestlands.
Link to more information
Rainforest Alliance news release, 22 May 2007
NEW TOOL
HELPS PAPER INDUSTRY RATE ENVIRONMENTAL RISK
WWF launched a Paper Scorecard Tool to help paper producers score the
environmental quality of their products. The tool covers the main
environmental impacts of paper production, such as forest management and
efficient use of fibers, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use
that contributes to climate change, and pollution from chlorinated
compounds and waste.
Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 21 May 2007
APRIL 2007
INDIGENOUS LANDS AND PROTECTED
AREAS UNDER THREAT IN BRAZILIAN AMAZON – WWF-BRAZIL
WWF–Brazil reports that developers, farmers, cattle ranchers, illegal
loggers, and others are increasingly encroaching upon protected areas
and indigenous lands in the Brazilian state of Rondonia. The report
points to the lack of financial resources for enforcement of
environmental legislation.
Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 25 April 2007
SPANISH PRADO MUSEUM TO USE
FSC-CERTIFIED TIMBER
The extension of the Spanish Prado art museum is the first major Spanish
construction project to include significant amounts of FSC-certified
sustainable timber. The Rainforest Alliance's Smartwood Programme
reports that this project has led the trend toward sustainable timber
sourcing in Spain.
Link to further information
Rainforest Alliance Media Release, 18 April 2007
US TRADE PANEL INVESTIGATES ILLEGAL
LOGGING COMPLAINTS
The US International Trade Commission is investigating logging practices
by China and other countries, after timber-producing states complained
that as much as 30 percent of US hardwood imports are from suspicious or
illegal sources. Industry groups say that illegally-harvested timber
from some Latin American countries is sent to China for low-cost
processing and then exported to the US and other countries.
Link to further information
International Herald Tribune news report, 18 April 2007
CHINESE
WOOD-PROCESSING INDUSTRIES BLAMED FOR FORESTS LOSSES
Articles in the Washington Post and the Economist have highlighted
the activities of Chinese logging companies in the Krang Skear forest,
northwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. According to the articles, massive
deforestation, often linked to corrupt practices, has resulted in large
swaths of natural forest cut at alarming rates to feed a global
wood-processing industry centered in coastal China. Processed wares
mostly end up in offices and homes in Europe and the United States.
Links for further information
The Washington Post, 1 April 2007
The Economist article (requires paid subscription) 31 March 2007
Edition
MARCH 2007
AFRICA LOSING FORESTS FASTER THAN ANY OTHER
CONTINENT – FAO REPORT According to the "State of the World's
Forests" report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) on 13 March 2007, Africa lost over nine percent of its trees
between 1990 and 2005, representing over half of global forest loss. The
report points to weak implementation and law enforcement as causes,
despite forests obtaining greater political support and commitment in
Africa. The survey also highlighted positive actions in Latin American
countries, including a large increase in forest area designated for
biodiversity conservation.
Links to further information
FAO Media Release, 13 March 2007
SciDev.Net Media Release, 15 March 2007
COLOMBIA EXPANDS
AMAZON PROTECTION
A new national park, the Complejo Volcanico Doña Juana-Casacabel
National Natural Park, was designated in south-west Colombia, covering
65,858 hectares of Amazonian forests. The creation of this park adds to
the more than 11 million hectares of protected areas throughout the
country.
Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 23 March 2007
100,000 DUTCH HOUSES TO
BE BUILT FROM FSC-CERTIFIED TIMBER FROM BORNEO
During the "Jakarta Conference: Linking Dutch Markets to Borneo's
Sustainable Forest," held in Jakarta from 26-29 March 2007, the Dutch
housing associations committed to building 100,000 houses in the next
five years using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber from
Borneo, Indonesia. These houses will comprise 25 percent of the total
number of houses to be built in the Netherlands over the next five
years.
Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 26 March 2007
UNFF E-FORUM
DISCUSSES COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT
The latest online discussion hosted by the UN Forum on Forests
(UNFF) asks "What are the main benefits and challenges associated with
community-based forest management?" This discussion forum aims to
provide a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge in successful
and failed activities, challenges and bottlenecks, and on enhancing
efficiency and effectiveness.
Link to further information
UNFF online forum
FEBRUARY 2007
INVESTMENTS IN SAHEL SHOW POSITIVE ECONOMIC EFFECTS
The Inter-State Committee to Fight Drought in the Sahel (Comité
inter Etats de lutte contre la sécheresse au Sahel, CILSS) has
highlighted the positive economic effects of investment in the Sahel
through a report on programmes against desertification in Niger, and has
encouraged further investments in the region.
Link to further information
IPS News Release, 25 February 2007
A THIRD OF BORNEO'S RAINFOREST TO BE CONSERVED
The three governments of the island of Borneo – Brunei Darussalam,
Indonesia and Malaysia – signed a declaration to conserve and
sustainably manage approximately 220,000 square kilometers of equatorial
rainforests – almost a third of the island. The declaration put an end
to plans to create the world's largest palm oil plantation.
Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 12 February 2007
JANUARY 2007
RAINFOREST ALLIANCE HELPS LAUNCH SUSTAINABLE FURNITURE COUNCIL
The Rainforest Alliance is taking part in the Sustainable Furniture
Council, a group of members of the home furnishings industry committed
to promoting furniture that is produced in an environmentally and
socially responsible way. Rainforest Alliance representatives will
provide guidance and technical input as the Council identifies
sustainable use practices. The Council is hoping to increase consumer
awareness and demand for "green" or sustainable home products. It will
become a legally chartered industry group in February 2007.
Link to further information
Rainforest Alliance Media Release,
29 January 2007
BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT TO AUCTION
TIMBER RIGHTS AND INCREASE MONITORING IN AMAZON; ATLANTIC FOREST LAW
PASSED
In an attempt to create its first coherent, effective forest policy, the
Brazilian government is reportedly planning to auction off timber rights
to large tracts of the Amazon rainforest. The winning bidders will not
have title to the land nor the right to exploit resources other than
timber, and will pay a royalty on their activities. The government says
the new title holders will be closely monitored by a new Forest Service
consisting of 150 employees. The architects of the plan say it will also
help reduce tensions over land ownership in the Amazon. The plan is
reported to have received a mixed reception.
In other news, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da
Silva signed a law providing guidelines for the protection and
management of the Atlantic Forest. Although declared a national heritage
in 1988, the law to protect the Atlantic Forest was held up in Congress
for the past 14 years. The newly signed law aims to reverse the forest's
destruction by establishing strict regulations on how the forest can be
used, limiting future development to sustainable projects, and providing
tax incentives to property owners who agree to reserve or restore
natural vegetation on their land.
Links to further information
New York Times article (requires free
subscription), 14 January 2007
Conservation International media release, 17
January 2007
EU, INDONESIA TARGET ILLEGAL LOGGING
The EU and Indonesia have agreed to start negotiations on creating a
voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) that would ensure that EU timber
imports from Indonesia have been legally harvested. The VPA will be
negotiated under the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and
Trade (FLEGT) programme, which was established to improve developing
country capacity to control illegal logging and reduce trade in illegal
timber. The VPA includes measures such as a timber licensing scheme.
Link to further information
Environmental News Network article, 10 January
2007
UNFF-7 PROVISIONAL AGENDA, REPORT OF EXPERTS MEETING NOW
AVAILABLE
The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat has posted the provisional agenda
for the seventh session of the UNFF. At this session, the Forum will
deliberate on, inter alia, its multi-year programme of work and a
non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests. A
multi-stakeholder dialogue is also planned for the session. The report
of the ad hoc expert group that met in December 2006 to consider
the content of the non-legally binding instrument is now available in an
advanced unedited version.
Links to further information
UNFF-7 Session Documents
Report of the expert group meeting
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