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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