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bringing you the latest news, information and analysis from
international environment and sustainable development negotiations

 

 

MEDIA REPORTS

FORESTS, DESERTS AND LAND

This page was updated on: 01/13/10

 

2008

 

Forests, Deserts and Land Media Reports Archives: 2010; 2009; 2007; 2006; 2005; 2004; 2003; 2002

DECEMBER 2008

UNFF REQUESTS INPUTS ON FINANCING MECHANISM
The UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) has issued a notice to parties, requesting input on proposals for financing sustainable forest management and the implementation of the Non-Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests. Following a meeting of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on financing, which took place in November 2008, two proposals for financing were tabled: creation of a distinct fund dedicated or earmarked; and development of a facilitative mechanism to help mobilize existing and emerging funds. To help elaborate these two concepts, experts recommended that member States and major groups be requested to provide written contributions on their views regarding these two proposals, in preparation for the Forum's eighth session, in April 2009.

Link to further information
UNFF website

UNCCD AND UNU TO EXPAND RESEARCH ON ENVIRONMENTALLY-INDUCED MIGRATION
The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN University (UNU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
to be carried out as a joint work plan, beginning in 2009, to expand research on forced migration due to desertification, land degradation and drought. As a result of the 28 November 2008 MOU, a preliminary policy position paper is expected to be prepared and presented at the 17th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in May 2009, followed by a joint publication, to be prepared by October 2009 for the ninth session of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties.

Link to further information
UNCCD Press Release

NOVEMBER 2008

PERU, US SWAP US$25 MILLION IN DEBT FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
The US Department of the Treasury announced a US$25 million debt-for-nature swap with the Peruvian Government. The new funds will be dedicated to finance projects for the conservation and restoration of Peru's forests over a seven-year period.

Link to further information
ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report, 1-15 November 2008

OCTOBER 2008

EU ANNOUNCES DEFORESTATION TARGETS, PLANS TO COMBAT ILLEGAL LOGGING

The EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas announced on 17 October 2008 two initiatives to combat illegal logging and deforestation: a potential new EU law on forests and a policy paper on deforestation. The new legislation would oblige European timber traders to "seek sufficient guarantees… to their best ability" that the products they sell have been harvested in compliance with the domestic laws of the origin country, and would increase incentives for legal and sustainable forest management.

A communication from the European Commission proposed the creation of a Global Forest Carbon Mechanism that would reward developing countries for reducing deforestation. The communication notes that the EU aims to halve global forest cover loss by 2030 and reduce gross tropical deforestation by at least 50% by 2020. The EU plans on pursuing these objectives at the UNFCCC negotiations on the future climate change regime.

Links to further information
ICTSD media report, 31 October 2008
EC Communication, 17 October 2008

WORLD BANK FOREST CARBON PARTNERSHIP FACILITY EXPANDS TO 30 COUNTRIES

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) announced its expansion from 20 to 30 developing countries to support capacity building efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Developing countries are working with 11 industrialized countries and one non-governmental organization thought this innovative partnership and international financing mechanism to combat tropical deforestation and climate change. The FCPF is comprised of two components – a Readiness Fund and a Carbon Fund. The World Bank, which acts as the secretariat for the FCPF, announced that it would underwrite the US$2.3 million start-up expenses for the Facility.

Link to further information

World Bank Press Release, 24 October 2008

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SUPPORTS EMPHASIS ON CHALLENGE OF WATER SCARCITY AND DROUGHT IN UNCCD AND UNFCCC
The European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report on water scarcity and droughts in the EU on 9 October 2008. In doing so, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) urged the European Commission and member States to acknowledge that deforestation and unrestrained urban development are contributing to growing water scarcity. The Parliament also emphasized that any supply of water, regardless of the purpose of its consumption, must comply with the principle of fair water tarification.
MEPs also supported the view that the environmental value of forests and agricultural production must be reassessed in a context of climate change, and supported the Commission's commitment to continue to highlight the challenge of water scarcity and drought at the international level, in particular through the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Link to further information
European Parliament Press Release, 9 October 2008

SEPTEMBER 2008

EU SIGNS FIRST FLEGT VOLUNTARY PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH GHANA
The EU and Ghana signed an agreement, on 3 September 2008, on a commitment to ensure that Ghana's timber exports to the EU will be compliant with the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative. The EU's first Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on forest law enforcement governance and trade will require all timber consignments from Ghana to be accompanied by chain of custody statements as well as legality licenses. In return, the EU will provide implementation assistance and guarantee free and unrestricted access to its market of all FLEGT-licensed timber products from Ghana. The first FLEGT-based export licenses from Ghana are expected to be issued by the end of 2010. The EU is negotiating additional VPAs with
Indonesia, Cameroon, Malaysia and the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).

Links to further information
AllAfrica.com News Story, 4 September 2008
Port of Entry News Story, 3 September 2008

DELEGATES TO DISCUSS DRAFT EUROPEAN GUIDELINES FOR AFFORESTATION AND REFORESTATION
The revised draft of the Pan-European Guidelines for Afforestation and Reforestation in the context of the UNFCCC will be up for consideration by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)/Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) drafting meeting, to be held on 16-17 September 2008 in Malahide, Ireland. The signatory countries to the MCPFE have committed to contribute to the implementation of the UNFCCC, inter alia, by enhancing carbon sequestration of forests, while also maintaining that afforestation and reforestation take due regard of environmental, in particular biodiversity, economic and social values, with a view to mitigating potential negative effects of large scale afforestation. The draft Pan-European Guidelines were prepared to address these commitments. The latest version of the Guidelines seeks to accommodate the latest commitments adopted at the Ministerial Conference in Warsaw (2007) as well as from relevant developments in other international fora, in particular CBD COP 9 and the UNFCCC.

Link to further information
MCPFE Drafting meeting website

AUGUST 2008

BRAZIL LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL AMAZON FUND, STRESSING SOVEREIGNTY
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree formally creating an international fund to fight deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The fund expects to seek donations up to US$21 billion in aid in the next 13 years to finance conservation and sustainable development projects and promote alternatives to forest clearing for Amazon forest dwellers. Brazilian officials stressed that the international community would not exert any influence over national policies on the Amazon.

Link to further information
BBC New Release, 1 August 2008

GLOBAL FOREST PARTNERSHIP CONSULTATION DOCUMENT RELEASED
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has released a report resulting from an independent consultation it undertook of the World Bank's preliminary idea of a new global forest partnership. Based on extensive surveys, interviews of various stakeholders, and analysis of existing partnerships, the report proposes a three-year participatory development process of an inclusive, forest stakeholder-driven partnership. This would include: a partnership development group; pilot participatory country processes; global thematic work; and innovative mechanisms.

Links to further information
IIED Media Release, 9 July 2008
IUCN Media Release, 30 July 2008
Rooting a Global Forest Partnership in Stakeholder capabilities and needs: Consultation Document – final report; summary

EU COUNTRIES ADD TO ILLEGAL LOGGING TRADE – WWF REPORT
A recent WWF report blames European Union countries for compounding deforestation globally. The report states that almost one-fifth of wood imported into the EU in 2006 came from illegal or suspected illegal sources. WWF is calling for strong European legislation to prevent illegal wood entering the EU markets.

Links to further information
WWF Media Release, 22 July 2008
Illegal Wood for the European Market – the report

ONE FOURTH OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION AFFECTED BY LAND DEGRADATION – FAO STUDY
According to a study released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization-led project on Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA), an estimated 1.5 billion people depend directly on land that is degrading. The study, released by FAO, UNEP and World Soil Information (ISRIC), indicates that land degradation is worsening rather than improving, with declining trends revealed across some 24 percent of global land area. According to the study, the main driver of degradation is poor land management, while it found only a weak correlation between degradation and biophysical factors such as climate or soil types. The study also shows improvements towards sustainable land management, with 19 percent of crop- and grassland and 10 percent of forests being managed sustainably or showing improved quality and productivity. The overall picture, however, reveals that land degradation requires renewed attention by individuals, communities and governments.

Links to further information
FAO Press Release, 2 July 2008
LADA project website
The study

JULY 2008

THREE STUDIES EXPLORE SOIL'S ROLE AS CARBON SINK
Three recently published studies have explored the role of soils as a carbon sink. Each study focused on a different region in the Western Hemisphere: a long-term study in Canada found that, within ten years, much of the gain in soil organic carbon in response to improved practices on semiarid prairie soils likely occurs; a study in Argentina attributed the carbon sequestration process to the effect of tillage systems on crop productivity; and a study in the US explored soil carbon saturation levels.

Link to further information
Science News, 30 July 2008

CONGO BASIN FUND LAUNCHED

The Congo Basin Forest Fund, a multi-donor facility established to take action to protect the forests in the Congo Basin region, was launched on 17 June 2008. The Fund will be used over a ten-year period, up to 2018, to finance the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) Action-Plan in ten different strategic areas aimed at conserving the Congo Basin rainforest. The partnership involves the ten member States of the COMIFAC (Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, and Rwanda) as well as the UK and Norway. The UK and Norway are providing US$214 million to the fund and will also supply satellite-imaging technology to monitor the area.

Links to additional information

Congo Basin Forest Fund website
AfDB Press release, 16 June 2008

The Guardian, 17 June 2008

UNFF HOSTING WEB FORUM ON FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
During the month of July 2008, the UNFF Secretariat is hosting a web forum on "Forests and Climate Change." Input from this discussion will feed into the discussion on this theme at the eighth session of the UN Forum on Forests, which will convene from 20 April-1 May 2009, in New York, US.

Link to further information
The
web forum

JUNE 2008

UNCCD HIGHLIGHTS LINKS BETWEEN LAND DEGRADATION, AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE ON WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) selected "Combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture" as the theme for 2008 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, celebrated on 17 June. On the occasion, UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja highlighted that the conversion of land to "unsustainable uses can exacerbate the vicious circle of land degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change." He emphasized the need for "a global response to increase the productivity of land ecosystems and make sustainable agricultural production a priority through pro-poor policies in view of adaptation to climate change and biodiversity protection." He also stressed the role science and technology play in combating land, including through developing "guidelines and standards for alternative uses of agricultural goods and services, such as for biofuel production," and integrating scientific research with "proven policies and strategies aimed at sustainable development, market-oriented mechanisms and appropriate capacity-building."

In his message to mark the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that increasing demand for agriculture production is pressing "more and more of the good land…into service, without proper attention to conservation, and poor farmers and pastoralists are forced onto marginal land." He emphasized that the UNCCD addresses offers the sole international legal framework to reclaim dry and degraded land, and suggested that "these unused lands could also serve for biofuel production, and thus offer new benefits for their inhabitants."

Links to further information
UNCCD Press Release
UN Secretary-General's message

FAO LAUNCHES WEBSITE ON URBAN FORESTRY
The Forest Conservation Service of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a website on urban and peri-urban forestry, entitled "Forests and Trees for Healthy Cities: Improving Livelihoods and Environment for All." The website aims to promote worldwide collaborative and participatory approaches by allowing users to use interactive tools, such as discussion fora, as well as upload and review documents and other sources of information.

Link to further information
The
website

MAY 2008

FSC INVITES COMMENTS ON REVISED PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is inviting comments on the first draft of the revised FSC Principles and Criteria, which were revised by the Board of Directors based on several motions from the 2005 FSC General Assembly and on the recommendations by the Policy Working Group and others. The FSC Principles and Criteria form the basis for all FSC policies and standards for forest management certification, and describe how forests have to be managed to meet the social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future generations.

Link to further information
FSC media release, 21 May 2008

INTACT MANGROVES COULD HAVE REDUCED MYANMAR CYCLONE DAMAGE – FAO
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that mangrove forests could have reduced the damage from waves caused by cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. Mangrove forests in parts of Myanmar's coast that have been converted to agricultural land and fish ponds have left coastal communities increasingly exposed to cyclone damage, says the FAO. The Organization recommended maintaining coastal vegetation, and coastal planning that avoids development in vulnerable areas, as part of a protection plan against such storms in the future.

Link to further information
FAO Media Release, 15 May 2008 

GHANA AND EU TO FORMALIZE PARTNERSHIP TO COMBAT ILLEGAL LOGGING
The European Union and Ghana will formalize a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) to curb illegal logging, as part of the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Initiative. The VPA will provide standards to ensure timber exports are harvested from legal sources, including the establishment of institutional arrangements for issuing certificates of legality. Negotiations and key stakeholder consultations on the VPA began in December 2005, and finalization of the VPA is expected in June 2008.

Link to further information
ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report, 1-15 May 2008

UNEP TREE-PLANTING CAMPAIGN RAISES TARGET TO SEVEN BILLION

On 13 May 2008, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Plant for the Planet - Billion Tree Campaign announced that it has raised its target from 1 billion to 7 billion trees. The campaign was initiated by UNEP and the World AgroForestry Centre in November 2006 as a response to the threats of climate change, as well as to the wider sustainability challenges of water supplies and biodiversity loss, with the objective of empowering individuals, organizations and corporations to embrace these challenges. Since its inception, the campaign has catalyzed the planting of more than 2 billion trees in some 150 countries. Trees and forests play a vital role in regulating the climate since they absorb carbon dioxide, making tree planting one of the most cost-effective ways to address climate change.

Links to further information

UNEP press release, 13 May 2008
Billion Tree Campaign website

UNFF HOSTS ONLINE FORUM ON FOREST LOSS AND DEGRADATION
"Reversing the loss of forest cover, preventing forest degradation in all types of forests and combating desertification, including in low forest cover countries" is the latest in a series of online discussion fora hosted by the Secretariat of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF). Participants are invited to post comments, until 30 May 2008, on the types of support the international community could provide to supplement the developmental efforts of developing countries in addressing land-use and forestry issues. The forum also addresses issues that affect deforestation and land degradation, such as institutional capacities, priorities in domestic investment and policies, macro-economic policies of international financial institutions, and land tenure.

Link to further information
UNFF Web Forum Discussion

APRIL 2008

PESTICIDE BANS DO NOT REDUCE AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT – STUDY
A Sri Lankan study on the impacts of banning insecticides monocrotophos, methamidophos, and endosulfan found no reduction in agricultural productivity. The chemicals were banned in the 1990s in an effort to reduce fatal poisonings and suicides. The study, which was published in the April 2008 issue of the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives,
concluded, that where affordable substitutes exist for pest control, there is no significant impact on agricultural output.

Link to more information
Article, April 2008

MARCH 2008

STUDY SHOWS BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST WILDFIRES AND DEFORESTATION IN CERTIFIED AREAS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVE
A study by the Rainforest Alliance has found that forest concessions within the Guatemalan Maya Biosphere Reserve, which are managed in compliance with certification standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, had fewer wildfires and less deforestation in comparison with protected areas in the Reserve. The Rainforest Alliance says that these results demonstrate how responsible forest management can result in better conservation of forestlands.

Link to further information
Rainforest Alliance Media Release, 24 March 2008

UNCCD DEVELOPS PARTNERSHIPS ON AFRICA AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has recently entered into two new partnership agreements. On 7 March 2008, Luc Gnacadja, UNCCD Executive Secretary, and Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their two organizations, through which they will address a number of issues, including science, technology, knowledge management, capacity building, financing and technology transfer, advocacy, awareness raising and education. They will also work with African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in mainstreaming issues of land degradation, desertification and drought in national sustainable development strategies, poverty reduction strategy papers and other sectoral and crosssectoral policies and programmes.

On 12-14 March 2008, the Secretariat hosted a meeting jointly organized by CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) Centers ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) to finalize a global proposal for a science program to combat agriculturally-caused dryland degradation and desertification. This program is called the "Oasis Challenge Program," and will be submitted to the CGIAR Science Council and Executive Council for consideration. The programme will focus on integrating bio-physical with socio-economic science through alliances with stakeholders to build their capacities while ensuring that the outputs meet their needs and can be scaled-up for global impact.

Links to further information
ECA press release, 7 March 2008
UNCCD website on Oasis Challenge Program

EU TO PROPOSE NEW LEGISLATION ON ILLEGAL LOGGING
The European Commission has confirmed that it plans to enhance efforts to tackle illegal timber trade by strengthening existing rules on timber procurement. The EU currently has a number of bilateral partnership agreements with several timber exporting countries that aim to ensure that timber products have been legally harvested before export.

Link to further information
ENDS Europe Daily, 19 March 2008

FAO CALLS ON COUNTRIES TO REPORT ON FORESTS FOR GLOBAL ASSESSMENT
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called on countries to provide information for the preparation of the next global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), a comprehensive report on the state of the world's forests. A new global remote sensing survey is one of the techniques used to collect information; the FRA also relies on countries to provide accurate and objective information.

Link to further information
FAONewsroom

FEBRUARY 2008

SECURITY FORCES DEPLOYED IN BRAZILIAN AMAZON TO STOP ILLEGAL LOGGING
Clashes between environmental officials and local people and sawmill workers during an illegal logging enforcement operation resulted in the federal government sending troops to the state of Pará, to join the hundreds of police officers in their efforts to combat illegal logging. Elsewhere in the state, social activists have claimed that loggers have been illegally harvesting from the Renascer Extractive Forest Reserve. Loggers have denied illegally logging within the reserve, and blamed environmental agencies for delaying the approval of forest management plans.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian government will seek up to US$1 billion per year in donations from industrialized countries and corporate sources to finance Amazonian conservation. According to Tasso Azevedo, Director of the Brazilian Forestry Service, this would be approximately half of what would be needed to stop illegal deforestation.

Links to further information
BBC News Release, 26 February 2008
ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report, Volume 13 Number 4, 16-29 February 2008
Mongabay.com News Release, 23 February 2008

DEFORESTATION IN SUMATRA FOR PULP AND PALM OIL CAUSES GLOBAL CLIMATE IMPACT AND LOCAL WILDLIFE LOSSES
A recent study by WWF and partners has found that 4.2 million hectares of tropical forests and peatlands have been cleared in the last 25 years in a central Sumatran province. The land conversion, mostly for industrial palm oil and pulp and paper production, released annual carbon emissions equivalent to 58 percent of Australia's annual emissions. Concurrent to the loss of 65% of the province's forest cover, elephant populations declined by 84%, and tiger populations by 70%.

Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 26 February 2008

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR FORESTRY EDUCATION LAUNCHED
The International Partnership for Forestry Education (IPFE), a not-for-profit, voluntary partnership to strengthen university level education on current forest issues such as forest governance, forests and livelihoods, biodiversity and climate change, was recently launched. As a global partnership and a network to share information, experiences, resources and skills for education about forestry and allied fields, IPFE aims to facilitate and support international collaborations.

Link to further information
IPFE Website

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE LAUNCHES WEBSITE
The Joint Initiative on Science and Technology, an activity of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, has launched a website. The Initiative provides a global mechanism for effectively linking science and technology, and aims to assess scientific information and produce reports in support of forest-related intergovernmental processes and conventions.

Link to more information
Joint Initiative on Science and Technology Website

MCPFE LIAISON UNIT MOVES TO OSLO
The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) chairmanship and the Liaison Unit are moving from Warsaw, Poland, to Oslo, Norway. The MCPFE chairmanship is rotated among member countries every five years. The new team of the Liaison Unit will start operating from Oslo in the beginning of 2008.

Link to further information
MCPFE website

JANUARY 2008

AMAZON DEFORESTATION RATE RISING AGAIN
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced a 10% increase in deforestation during the final months of 2007, after the Brazilian government had hailed progress in curbing deforestation between August 2006 and July 2007. The main causes of deforestation continue to be clearing land for cattle and soya bean production, as well as illegal logging. The government announced plans to increase police enforcement in the Amazon and impose fines for buying and trading goods such as beef or soy planted illegally on deforested properties.

Links to further information
BBC Media Release, 14 January 2007
Planet ARK Media Release, 25 January 2008

FAO BEGINS CONSULTATIONS ON STRATEGY FOR FORESTRY

Following a March 2007 request from the Committee on Forestry (COFO) to develop a new forestry strategy, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released a discussion paper on elements of a possible strategy. This marks the start of a consultation process with FAO members and other partners that is expected to continue throughout the year. The Regional Forestry Commissions will also discuss elements for the new strategies in their 2008 sessions. The goal is to propose a new strategy to COFO at its March 2009 meeting.

Link to further information

The discussion paper and information on the consultation process

WORLD BANK INSPECTION PANEL HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO CONSULT PYGMY COMMUNITIES IN FOREST-SECTOR PROJECTS

The World Bank independent Inspection Panel found a series of significant policy compliance failures in Bank-supported forest-sector reforms in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, given the complex post-conflict environment in this country, the Panel encouraged the Bank to stay engaged in DRC forest work and strengthen efforts to address problems and correct policy shortcomings. Pursuant to a complaint by DRC Pygmies that ongoing forest sector reforms supported by the Bank were taking place without consultation of local communities, the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors met on 10 January 2008, and approved a plan that aims to integrate forest-dependent communities, including Pygmies, more widely into the Bank's activities in DRC, and to support critical activities such as capacity building, participatory zoning, customary rights, law enforcement and independent monitoring in forthcoming forest-related operations.

Links to additional information

World Bank Press Release, 15 January 2008
World Bank independent Inspection Panel Report

RESEARCH LINKS DEFORESTATION DUE TO PALM OIL PRODUCTION AND DISAPPEARING BIRDS

According to a novel study, using for the first time satellite imagery to determine the likely threat status of a complete set of birds present in a given region, the extent of deforestation occurring on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, indicates that many more bird species are threatened with extinction than previously thought. An eighth of lowland forest on the island disappeared between 1989 and 2000, largely driven by an uncontrolled expansion in global demand for palm oil. The research, published in Biological Conservation, was undertaken by scientists from Birdlife International, Conservation International and a number of other organizations. The paper recommends potential areas to designate as protected areas.

Link to further information

Birdlife International press release, 9 January 2008

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