NWFP-Digest-L
No. 3/10
Welcome to FAO’s NWFP-Digest-L, a free e-mail journal that covers all aspects of non-wood forest products. Back issues of the Digest may be found on FAO's NWFP home page: www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en.
You can take part in contributing to the continued success of this newsletter by sharing with the NWFP community any news that you may have regarding research, events, publications and projects. Kindly send such information to NWFP-Digest-L@mailserv.fao.org: We also appreciate any comments or feedback.
A special thank you to all those who have sent me links to information and to Giulia Muir for her help with this issue.
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1. Bamboo: the “timber of the 21st century”
2. Bamboo: EU releases GH¢ 28million to promote bamboo as an alternative energy in Ghana and Ethiopia
3. Bushmeat: commercial hunting threatening primates
4. Devil’s Claw helping to alleviate poverty in Namibia
5. Edible insects “snacks” offered at UK Park
6. Maple Syrup: Research reveals impact of climate change
7. Berries: Maqui berry, super berry
8. Medicinal plants: Cancer drug ‑ the other use for mistletoe
9. Medicinal plants: Exploring Zulu plants in science class
10. Medicinal plants: Vets turn to African herbs as animal drugs stop working
11. Moringa oleifera: Seeds from the Moringa tree can be used for water purification
12. Mushrooms show long term effect of climate change
13. Wildlife: how the pet trade's greed is emptying south-east Asia's forests
14. Wildlife: Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace, speaks about conservation
16. Cameroon regulates trade of bushmeat
17. Guatemala: Revalorization of indigenous knowledge
18. India: Mining project threatens forest livelihoods
19. Indonesia: Government plans forest land giveaway to help the poor
20. Kenya: Law needed to protect community inventions
21. Liberia faces choice between deforestation and REDD
22. Malaysia: Oil palms threaten survival of tribal arts
23. Peru: Two-thirds of Amazon threatened by oil and gas development
24. Zambia: The untapped fruit potential
25. Zimbabwe: Community-based resource management vital
26. Big business leaves big forest footprints
27. Climate change's impact on forests being measured via expanding tree trunks
28. Companies fund projects to preserve Amazon rain forest
29. Keep traditional knowledge open but safe
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
30. 2011 Indigenous Fellowship Programme
31. Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, UNDESA, New York
32. Foundation for European Forest Research offers two PhD research grants
33. Kathmandu Forestry College (KAFCOl) offering courses on NTFPs and Forestry
34. Center for Sustainable Development online field courses
LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
35. Forest Footprint Disclosure
36. REDD Guide for Indigenous Communities
37. Publications of interest
38. Websites
39. How animals change due to climate
40. Scientists scathing on coastal tree planting
41. USA: Decline in fog threatens California’s redwoods
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1. Bamboo: the timber of the 21st century
Source: Cane and Bamboo 2009 Annual Issue, January 2010
Rightly christened as the “timber of the 21st century,” bamboo is today poised to replace wood for almost all practical purposes. An invaluable gift of nature to the people of the Northeastern region of India, bamboo has come a long way from being treated as the “poor man’s timber,” where its uses were confined to household utilities to being considered as the “green gold” for the value we can derive from this resources through its umpteen uses.
The application of bamboo in the housing sector and structure making is not new to the people of the North East. Traditionally it is and always has been one of the indispensable materials in housing and other construction. However, the application of bamboo in the modern setting takes on renewed importance.
Today, when forest cover is fast depleting and availability of wood is increasingly becoming scarce, research and development undertaken in past few decades have established and amply demonstrated that bamboo could be a viable substitute of wood and several other traditional materials for housing and building construction and other infrastructure work. Its use through industrial processing has demonstrated a high potential for production of composite materials and components which are cost-effective and can be successfully utilized for structural and non-structural applications in construction.
One of the main characteristics, which makes bamboo a highly potential building material, is its high tensile strength and very good weight to strength ratio. This supports
its use as a highly resilient material against forces created by high velocity winds and earthquakes. Above all bamboo is a renewable raw material resource and if properly treated and industrially processed, components made by bamboo can have a highly durable life of 30 to 40 years.
For more information, please see: www.caneandbamboo.org
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2. Bamboo: EU releases GH¢ 28million to promote bamboo as an alternative energy source in Ghana and Ethiopia
Source: Ghana News Agency, 19 February, 2010
The European Union (EU) has released 28 million Ghana cedis to support a project that seeks to promote bamboo as a new source of energy in Ghana and Ethiopia.
The project dubbed: "Bamboo as a Sustainable Biomass Energy: A suitable Alternative for Charcoal and Firewood Production in Africa," aims at increasing the use of bamboo as a source of energy for the poor while providing a more sustainable, environmental friendly and economical option to firewood and charcoal.
The 48-month project launched in March 2009, is being coordinated by the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) in collaboration with the Governments of Ghana and Ethiopia.
A statement issued by the EU said it was absolutely critical that the processes of the project in both Ghana and Ethiopia respect existing government policies and proactively help in promoting sector governance issues and raising awareness of environmental aspects and consequences of the project.
In this respect people should be mindful of the deforestation taking place in both countries and must understand the causes for this and be aware that simply introducing a new energy source may not necessarily in itself solve all the problems.
Mr. Henry Ford Kamal, Ghana's Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resource, said 70 percent of Ghana's energy was obtained from wood sources, which without proper management was a serious affront to sustainable energy development in the country.
He said charcoal would continue to play a major role in energy in Ghana therefore; the idea of an alternative to wood charcoal was welcome, stressing that Ghana would promote the development of bamboo.
Mr. Yeragal Meskir Ejjigu, Director-General of Federal Micro and Small Enterprises Development Agency (FEMSEDA) in Ethiopia, in a speech said from current demographic growth patterns and the slow transition to other forms of household energy, "it appears that the natural forests and woodlands remain the main source of fuel wood and the pressure on these forests will continue until alternative energy sources are supplied to satisfy needs."
For full story, please see: www.ghananewsagency.org/s_economics/r_12676/
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3. Bushmeat: commercial hunting threatening primates
Source: Independent (UK), 18 February 2010
Today a group of the world's leading zoologists reveals the 25 most endangered members of the primates - the biological order which contains monkeys, tarsiers, lemurs, gibbons and the great apes, including, of course, humans.
There are just over 630 species in total, and incredible as it may seem, more than 300 are now threatened with extinction, from developments such as the destruction of tropical forests, the illegal wildlife trade and commercial hunting for bushmeat.
The list includes five primate species from Madagascar, six from Africa, 11 from Asia, and three from Central and South America, all of which are now in need of urgent help to survive.
Conservationists want to highlight the plight of species such as the golden headed langur, which is found only on the island of Cat Ba in the Gulf of Tonkin, north-eastern Vietnam, where just 60 to 70 individuals remain.
Similarly, there are thought to be fewer than 100 individual northern sportive lemurs left in Madagascar, and about just 110 eastern black crested gibbons in north-eastern Vietnam.
"The purpose of our Top 25 list is to highlight those that are most at risk, to attract the attention of the public, to stimulate national governments to do more, and especially to find the resources to implement desperately needed conservation measures," said Dr Russell Mittermeier, chairman of the Primate Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"In particular, we want to encourage governments to commit to desperately needed biodiversity conservation measures. We have the resources to address this crisis, but so far, we have failed to act. The results from the most recent IUCN assessment of the world's mammals indicate that the primates are among the most endangered vertebrate groups."
For full story, please see: www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/on-the-brink-of-extinction-ndash-25-of-our-closest-relatives-1902990.html
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4. Devil’s Claw helping to alleviate poverty in Namibia
Source: www.newera.com.na, 23 February 2010
Devil’s claw harvesters, mostly women and the elderly, in Namibia’s Bwabwata National Park receive between N$800 and N$1 000 each.
According to the Minister of Environment and Tourism Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, her ministry is working hand in hand with local communities to ensure that biodiversity in protected areas benefits the rural poor living in or alongside national parks.
The minister said this demonstrates how national parks help to reduce poverty in some of the most marginalized areas, while stringent measures are taken to protect Namibia’s precious biodiversity.
Currently, 530 harvesters have been registered and trained and will be monitored during the harvesting process.
This is also the first year that organic certification has been awarded for the devil’s claw in a national park, a factor which the minister said is hoped would achieve a higher market price for the product.
“To ensure the suitable use of our natural resources and to increase the income communities generate from it, we need to invest in value addition to devil’s claw so that it cannot only be sent out as a raw product,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The minister said Namibia calls for an international binding regime to ensure that Africa benefits from its biodiversity whether processed in Africa or elsewhere in the world.
Namibia will host the African Ministers’ Conference on Access and Benefit-Sharing in relation to Africa’s biodiversity from 8 to 10 March, 2010.
It is reported that over the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the international demand for devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens and Harpagophytum zeyheri), a traditional medicinal plant found in southern African countries such as Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
The medicinal ingredients, which are used to treat rheumatism and other degenerative ailments, are found in the tubers, large quantities of which are harvested each year and exported, mainly to Germany, where they are processed into drugs.
Namibia is by far the biggest exporter of devil’s claw, which has provided opportunities for those involved in harvesting the plant, although concern for overexploitation has been expressed.
Studies are however expected to help the Namibian government to put into place mechanisms to ensure that the trade in devil’s claw is sustainable and justly compensated. For full story, please see: www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=9696&sid=09dec0097ceb7e4eb43ae96153ae1731
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5. Edible 'insect snacks' offered at UK Park
Source: Press Association, 16 February 2010
With chocolate ant wafer biscuits, cheese and bacon flavoured crickets and chocolate coated larvae, it is not your average pick 'n' mix. But the snacks, which contain real dried insects, are being offered to children in traditional pink and white paper bags as part of a trial at a Surrey theme park.
Chessington World of Adventures will be asking guests to taste the creepy crawly goodies on Friday when they will be dished out free of charge. If the feedback proves positive, the edible insects will go on sale in a new Asian-themed area of the park which is due to open in March.
General Manager David Smith, said: "I have tried the sample snacks and I think if you can exercise mind over matter you will find that they are actually quite tasty.”
"If you are one of many parents who have found themselves pouncing on a child as the worm they discovered in the back garden is about to disappear into their mouth, maybe this new line of ethically sourced insect fare administered in a controlled environment is just what you need."
For full story, please see: www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5g5yRXXcGbF0Z2z8FIez48zRIvvkw
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6. Maple Syrup: Research reveals impact of climate change
Source: Ascribe Newswire, 18 February 2010
Even though the maple syrup you drizzle on your stack of pancakes may taste as sweet as ever, the tasty condiment is actually undergoing changes that may shed light on the impact of climate change.
According to a new study by William Peck, Colgate University associate professor of geology, and student co-author Stephanie Tubman, the burning of fossil fuels is altering the chemical composition of syrup as well as other foods. Their research, funded by Colgate's Upstate Institute, was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and reported about recently in Nature.
What began as a laboratory demonstration to teach Colgate students about isotope analysis led to the findings, which could have implications for food-quality control.
The students got a surprise when they compared the samples against isotope values of maple syrup from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their research revealed a change in the chemical composition of the syrups, which Peck suspected could be attributed to environmental factors.
Upon further analyses of samples from a 36-year time period, Peck's suspicion was confirmed. The research team found increased amounts of Carbon-12, the isotopic form of carbon that is released through burning fossil fuels.
The research is significant because isotope analysis plays a key role in food regulation; regulators use the isotope makeup to determine if fillers have been added to foods such as maple syrup, honey, and fruit juices.
As a result of environmental change's impact on the chemical composition of food, it may become more difficult for regulators to determine the quality of food products. The Nature article noted that "the findings raise the possibility that producers of foods that are monitored...might be able to add cheap sweeteners without being caught."
For full story, please see:
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7. Berries: Maqui berry, super berry
Source: www.liverpool.echo.co.uk, 22 February 2010
Another year, another super berry. It used to be said that acai berries (from the Euterpe oleracea tree) packed the most powerful antioxidant punch, but research now suggests that the maqui berry (the fruit from the “maqui tree” or Aristotelia chilensis), which grows in Chile and Argentina, is even more potent.
The deep purple colour of the fruit suggests incredibly high level of antioxidants and it also boasts an ability to prevent premature ageing, aid weight loss and boost your immune system.
The maqui has long been used by the Mapuche Indians for its amazing health benefits. It is also believed to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can help to alleviate the pain of sore joints, aching muscles and swelling.
Maqui extract is also widely used as a colouring for Chilean wines.
For full story, please see: www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-life/liverpool-lifestyle/2010/02/22/go-eat-maqui-berries-100252-25883924/
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8. Medicinal plants: Cancer drug ‑ the other use for mistletoe
Source: Ecologist, 18 December, 2009
The history of using mistletoe as a medicinal plant goes back to ancient times, but it was mystic philosopher Rudolf Steiner (PhD) who, in the 1920s, first identified it as a species that could help with cancer treatment.
His “science of the spirit” (anthroposophic) approach to medicine, which he developed with doctors, linked plant species to specific ailments.
Steiner's suggestions for mistletoe treatments have been developed over the years and preparations derived from the European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) are among the most prescribed drugs in cancer patients in several European countries, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
More than 50 percent of cancer patients in Germany are given “mistletoe therapy” during their treatment and it is often considered a part of the oncologist's repertoire.
In Germany, a total of eight different mistletoe preparations are available, five developed by Anthroposophic Medicine and three that have evolved from research into plant therapy (phytotherapy). All preparations are made with extracts from the stem, leaves and berries.
So how does it work? Proponents claim that mistletoe extracts stimulate the immune system, improve survival rates, enhance quality of life and reduce adverse effects of chemo- and radiotherapy in cancer patients.
“Mistletoe has unique properties,” says Dr Maurice Orange, a GP who has treated hundreds of patients with mistletoe therapy over the last ten years. He works at Park Attwood, an anthroposophic clinic in Worcestershire where patients are drawn from all round the UK for mistletoe therapy.
“It has been shown in labs and with patients to both have anti-cancer properties and a powerful stimulating effect on the immune system. This is quite unusual,” he says. In some instances it can be used to have more effect on the tumour, in others it's used more to help the immune system.
This boost to the immune system and general health is particularly helpful for patients on chemotherapy, which kills the cancer cells at the expense of healthy tissues.'”A lot of modern treatments are damaging to health,” he says.
Mistletoe is mostly used alongside conventional treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment) although some patients decide to use mistletoe alone. “Occasionally tumours go into remission with mistletoe alone,” says Orange, '”but these are exceptions.”
There are over 120 clinical studies to date, according to the independent German website www.mistel-therapie.de, which focuses on mistletoe in cancer treatment.
For full story, please see: www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/health_and_beauty/383035/cancer_drug_the_other_use_for_mistletoe.html
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9. Medicinal plants: Exploring Zulu plants in science class
Source: Independent Online, 17 February 2010
Integrating the knowledge of indigenous Zulu medicinal plants into the teaching of chemistry is under investigation by Fulbright scholar Deshi Moodley, now a science education lecturer at the faculty of education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Moodley's study, which she says will take three years, integrates indigenous knowledge of Zulu medicinal plants into the teaching of school-level chemistry and was discussed during the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education annual meeting on the Edgewood campus in Pinetwon, South Africa, last month.
Focusing on the Waterberry (Sygizium cordatum), or uMdoni tree, as it is known in Zulu, Moodley aims to establish the effectiveness of adopting a new strategy in the teaching of chemistry to increase interest in a subject some schoolchildren consider "foreign" in its present format.
Twenty Zulu-speaking chemistry students at the School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education are participating in the study, which is in its preliminary stages.
"I am using the uMdoni tree as it has a lot of cultural relevance. The leaves and bark are used by traditional healers to treat wounds and infections - it has anti-bacterial properties," she said.
Moodley said the research was being done because 90 percent of the African population relied on traditional medicine and children studying science in African countries performed badly, according to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss).
"A number of studies have revealed that pupils from indigenous backgrounds have shown disinterest in conventional schooling because it was believed to be culturally foreign to them, and this could be one factor that has contributed to the low scores attained by South African pupils in Timss.”
"The integration of indigenous African knowledge of plants in the FET (Further Education and Training) syllabus will allow pupils to relate to the subject's science content more readily as they have relevant experiences of the everyday lives of their communities," she said.
"Many science teachers at schools do not know how to tackle indigenous knowledge in the teaching of chemistry, so they focus on textbook-bound information, which is generally based on Western modern science. There is a lot not only in the chemistry of indigenous plants but also about pupils' cultural beliefs of plants that school science teachers could address," said Moodley.
For full story, please see:
www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=vn20100217062106885C807331
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10. Medicinal plants: Vets turn to African herbs as animal drugs stop working
Source: Ecologist, 19 February, 2010
The West's veterinary drug drive is not working, say animal disease scientists who have started researching the effectiveness of plant-based treatments used in Ethiopia.
Researchers from the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) will visit the East African country and select 30 plants used by native herdsman to control parasites in their animals. These will then be taken to laboratories in Ethiopia and Scotland to test for their effectiveness.
“Like farmers across the world they often do things because their fathers and grandfathers did. Our idea is to find out if and how they work and to feed that information back to the farmers,” said project leader Dr Jos Houdijk.
Dr Houdijk said the project was a recognition that it was time to look for alternatives to the veterinary drugs on which farmers in industrialized countries had become reliant to control animal diseases.
'”When these drugs were introduced in the west in the 1960s we thought they would solve all our problems but we couldn't have been more wrong.”
'”Nowadays the parasites are becoming resistant and the consumer is becoming more aware about having products that have a minimum use of drugs. Alternative medicines are coming into fashion again.”
The project is one of 16 others given funding by the SAC to look into helping Sub-Saharan and South Asian farmers tackle the spread of livestock diseases.
For full story, please see:
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11. Moringa oleifera: Seeds from the Moringa tree can be used for water purification
Source: Uppsala University News (Sweden), 18 February 2010
Pure water is a key requirement for good health and alternative cheap, safe methods are required in many countries. In a paper that has just been published in the leading American Chemical Society journal on interfaces, Langmuir, researchers from Uppsala University in co-operation with The University of Botswana describe how extracts from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree can be used for water purification.
Flocculation of particulate impurities is a common first stage in purification of water. This often uses addition of either aluminium or iron salts. Aluminium, particularly, has undesirable health implications. An alternative procedure that uses a natural extract from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree is used in Africa.
A cooperation with the University of Botswana, where there is a long interest in exploiting natural products, has led to a research project that provides important insight into the way that protein molecules from the Moringa oleifera seeds interact, binding strongly both to each other and surfaces so as to cause aggregation into large lumps that are readily removed from the water.
“It is nice to see how the basic interactions of molecules can play a role in solving practical problems,” says Adrian Rennie, Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University. “Understanding of the process may lead to further development in water purification with materials that are locally available and environmentally friendly.”
For full story, please see:www.uu.se/news/news_item.php?typ=pm&id=935
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12. Mushrooms show long term effect of climate change
Source: Ecologist, 9 December, 2009
Spring mushrooms are popping up around three weeks earlier than 50 years ago due to global warming, according to fungi experts.
An analysis conducted by a team of scientists from the UK and Norway has looked at changes in the time of spring fruiting from data collected by mushroom experts and amateur enthusiasts between 1960 and 2007.
Their findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society today, found that climatic changes can have significant impact on both the fruiting and growth of fungi.
'It is well known that organisms such as birds or plants are laying or flowering earlier, due to higher prevailing temperatures in the spring. However, we found that higher temperatures as long ago as the previous summer cause fungi to fruit earlier in the following spring,' said Professor Alan Gange, Professor of Microbial Ecology at Royal Holloway and one of the study authors.
Professor Gange said warmer temperatures and fewer ground frosts enable the fungal body of the mushroom, which is normally invisible to the naked eye, to grow throughout the winter.
‘It won’t necessarily mean there are bigger mushrooms but it will certainly mean there are more of them, and they’re appearing earlier in the year,' he said.
An additional consequence of fungi staying more active over the winter is that decomposition and the nutrient cycle become more rapid. For gardeners this means faster rotting compost and faster growing lawns and plants.
'The entire pattern of fungal growth has changed, meaning that the vital ecosystem functions of decomposition and nutrient cycling must have speeded up considerably, as our autumns and winters have become warmer,' said Professor Gange.
'This means the disappearance of leaf litter and rotting of things like compost heaps happen more quickly than they used to. In woodlands tree growth is likely to be quicker because of greater availability of nutrients.'
For full story, please see: www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/377677/spring_mushrooms_show_long_term_effect_of_climate_change.html
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13. Wildlife: how the pet trade's greed is emptying south-east Asia's forests
Source: Guardian (UK), 21 February 2010
Countries across south-east Asia are being systematically drained of wildlife to meet a booming demand for exotic pets in Europe and Japan and traditional medicine in China – posing a greater threat to many species than habitat loss or global warming.
More than 35 million animals were legally exported from the region over the past decade, official figures show, and hundreds of millions more could have been taken illegally. Almost half of those traded were seahorses and more than 17 million were reptiles. About 1 million birds and 400,000 mammals were traded, along with 18 million pieces of coral.
The situation is so serious that experts have invented a new term – empty forest syndrome – to describe the gaping holes in biodiversity left behind.
“There's lots of forest where there are just no big animals left," says Chris Shepherd of Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring network. "There are some forests where you don't even hear birds."
Vincent Nijman, a researcher at Oxford Brookes University who has investigated the trade, said: "In Asia, everybody knows the value of wildlife, so people go into the forest and, whatever they encounter, they know it has a value and that there is someone they can sell it to."
Nijman's research offers the first glimpse of the size of this widespread trade. While most people are aware of illegal sales of rhino horn and ivory, he says it is the scale of the movement of lesser-known species that is most disturbing.
The bulk of seahorses traded were in the form of dried specimens for Chinese medicine. "The moment you look into the wildlife trade in south-east Asia, China is the biggest challenge, because they can use everything and they will use everything."
For full story, please see: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/21/illegal-wildlife-trade
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14. Wildlife: Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace, speaks about conservation
Source: New Scientist, 24 February 2010
"Everybody studying animals in the wild today needs to be aware of the need for conservation and involving local people. It's rather unfair because when I began my study there were probably over a million wild chimps and the equatorial forest belt stretched across Africa - I was very lucky to be able to concentrate purely on research."
Goodall's research has become one of the longest continuous field studies of any animal, producing startling revelations about wild chimpanzees' behaviour, such as meat-eating and their manufacture and use of tools. In a sense, if we lose chimps we lose a part of our own history.
It was at a conference in Chicago in 1986 that the crisis was first brought to light. Researchers from field sites across Africa ended their presentations with the same worrying message - the chimps in a given area were in trouble from deforestation or poaching. It rapidly became apparent that chimps were facing a dramatic decline across their entire range.
Since then the situation has become considerably worse. There are now perhaps as few as 150 000 chimps remaining in the wild.
"I feel more determined than ever and take inspiration from how well our forestry programme is doing around Gombe," she says.
Gombe National Park is just 60 km². When I was doing my research there in the mid-1990s, the forest ended abruptly at the edge of a rift escarpment and the hills beyond were completely bare, forcing local people to come into the park to collect firewood. "Now there are trees that are about so high," says Goodall, gesturing just above the height of the table, "running for about 100 km from south of Kigoma in Tanzania to Burundi. The really exciting thing is that the villagers have been trained to monitor their forest using Google Earth. Using a cellphone that takes photographs and video, information is sent straight up to a satellite and villagers can see for themselves where trees have been cut, where there's been a fire, or erosion."
Promoting the kind of initiative that empowers local people is one of Goodall's strengths. By using local people with no more than primary school education to collect the long-term data in Gombe, she has created a community that benefits from, and are proud of, the chimps. "They are their chimps," she says. Although the situation is improving at Gombe, "the real tough issue is the commercial bushmeat trade in central and west Africa. It's so terribly unsustainable."
Goodall's work has gone well beyond protecting chimps and their habitat. She has a holistic view of conservation and feels that saving the natural world has to be done on all fronts simultaneously.
An organization she founded called Roots & Shoots now operates in over 100 countries and is designed to encourage young people to roll up their sleeves and take action. Her latest book, Hope for Animals and Their World: How endangered species are being rescued from the brink, is not, as one might expect, about chimpanzees, but the efforts made to save a wide variety of animals from extinction.
It reflects Goodall's current role as a spokeswoman for wildlife conservation and as a reminder that we are capable of turning things around if we put our minds to it. "We could all kill ourselves trying to conserve what's left of this planet but if new generations aren't raised to be better stewards then there's very little point."
For full story, please see: www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527481.100-jane-goodall-there-is-no-problem-in-having-empathy.html?full=true&print=true
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Source: www.greenearthnews.com, 25 January 2010
Transportation plays a key role in the advancement of societies. In Cambodia, a country destroyed by years of civil war, transportation is a struggle. The French colonists created an intricate system of railroad lines to connect the plantations with their lucrative coffee and bananas to marketplaces. But these lines and trains fell to waste after the Khmer Rouge banned the “ordinary” people from using them. Now trains run infrequently in between the villages and the trips are long as break-downs and derailments are common. So, Cambodian villagers long ago took matters into their own hands and built the Bamboo Train.
Their choice of materials is an unusual combination of the strong and abundant bamboo that surrounds them and parts from abandoned military tanks. Described as a “bamboo slab on wheels,” these trains sprung up in the late 70s where they were controlled by a series of levers and hand-cast controls. They have since upgraded to wooden footbrakes and small motors that poured into the country, courtesy of the United Nations relief effort in the 1980s.
Simplicity is key for this train system. They use the existing railroad tracks and spurs to travel. When they meet another bamboo train on the tracks, whoever has the least passengers merely lifts their train off the track to let the other one by. They keep a sharp ear out for the infrequent freight trains that come through and when they reach their destination, they simply pick the train up and turn it around to head back.
These bamboo trains, or “Norries” as they are called by locals, provide a link between villages, a way to get produce and animals to the market, a way to get lumber to building sites and a means of income for many as rich tourists pay up to US$2/day to ride them. In Cambodia, that can equal two months wages to most citizens. A local village has even turned into a “little Detroit” and builds up to 10 trains a month for sale and use. Not only are they building them, but they want to make them more beautiful to help encourage the tourists to ride them.
Necessity is the mother of invention and in a country that desperately needs (and wants) to rebuild itself, these bamboo trains are an ingenious solution.
For more information, please see: http://blog.greenearthbamboo.com/20100125/bamboo-marvels/travel-by-bamboo-trains-in-cambodia-true-ingenuity/
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16. Cameroon regulates trade of bushmeat
Source: Epoch Times (USA), 17 February 2010
In an attempt to preserve endangered animal species in Cameroon, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife has authorized the sale of wildlife meat, or "bushmeat," on designated markets.
The government hopes to get a grip on the rampant selling, trading, and trafficking of bushmeat in Cameroon.
The authorization of the bushmeat sales on designated markets will allow sellers to distinguish themselves from those that are illegally trading in seriously endangered wildlife species.
"Wildlife species such as apes and elephants have become a consumers item whereby men with guns scour the forest in search of commercial gains through indiscriminate killing of game for the bushmeat trade," said Davis S. Wilkie, a renowned conservationist.
He adds, "The bushmeat consumed across the Congo Basin may exceed 1 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of almost four million cattle."
The unregulated sale of meat has made it difficult for the government to keep track of its reach. “All along wildlife traders have been going about selling bushmeat illegally along the highways and in hidden commercial corners, thus making control by government agents almost impossible,” said Cameroon Forestry and Wildlife Minister Elvis Ngolle Ngolle in a press release.
“Those who have bushmeat to sell, should sell the meat within the bounds or limits of markets which have been designated by the authorities concerned," said Ngolle. "That way, our delegates, our control teams will go to those markets, control the meat that is there and at the same time ensure its health conditions."
The Last Great Ape (LAGA), a wildlife law enforcement organization which fights “the commercial poaching with its related trade of protected species,” applauds the decision to regulate the bushmeat trade.
“I believe that it will go a long way to start better enforcement of the wildlife law for the benefit of all; the benefit of wildlife in the country and the benefit of the sellers themselves,” said Ofir Drori, director of LAGA, which has been in operation since December 2002.
The hunting and trading of bushmeat is ingrained in the society to the extent that it has become the sole source of income for many local residents. The government has set up projects to offer alternative ways to make a living. Drori says that it is in fact the rich people that benefit from the illegal trade, whereas the poor are exploited.
For full story, please see: www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29944/
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17. Guatemala: Revalorization of indigenous knowledge
Source: The Guatemala Times in the Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 17 February 2010
Wildlife hunting for domestic consumption (subsistence hunting) is a very common activity that is part of the cultural identity of many indigenous communities of Guatemala's rural area, but it has been poorly studied in our country. However, unmanaged subsistence hunting is a serious threat for wild animal populations and can cause drastic effects and negative alterations in the natural dynamics of ecosystem.
The Ecoregión Lachua is home to 55 Maya-Q´eqchi´ communities that still have agriculture and forest use practices, such as wildlife hunting, that are traditionally carried out in a way that contributes to the sustainability of these natural resources. Maya-Q´eqchi´ cosmovision has many traditional elements that promote and favour a responsible and respectful use of nature.
In 2000, the School of Biology of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala started a subsistence hunting characterization project in communities neighbouring the Laguna Lachua National Park to determine its local tendencies. This study initially started with nine local hunters from five communities that collaborated with the project filling out registry forms with the biological information about the animals they hunted.
In 2002, Marleny Rosales-Meda became a member of the research team and worked collecting part of the registry forms, carrying out training workshops for local hunters and analyzing the information gathered until that date. The result of these analyses showed that subsistence hunting is a very important activity for Maya-Q´eqchi´ communities of the study area, because it provides economic and social benefits. As main products of the analysis of these hunting tendencies, a "Wildlife reproduction calendar" and a "Preliminary proposal for subsistence hunting management in local communities of the Ecoregion Lachua" were formulated.
The research team began promoting and carrying out participative efforts guided towards establishing a communitarian subsistence hunting management system. These efforts allowed us to achieve the consensus and validation of the "First Communitarian Agreements for Subsistence Hunting Management," which were proposed and signed by leaders/authorities of 15 local communities.
Currently, the staff are carrying out a long-term Participative Bilingual Environmental Education Program – PBEEP ‑ that emerged from a local initiative. Our PBEEP is aimed to give continuance to the previous research and management phases through an education, awareness and dissemination phase of the efforts carried out until today regarding conservation, communitarian management and sustainable use of wildlife.
A main cornerstone of the Participative Bilingual Environmental Education Program (PBEEP) that biologists Marleny Rosales-Meda and Maria Susana Hermes carry out with Maya-Q´eqchi´ communities that neighbour Laguna Lachua National Park (LLNP) is linking scientific and traditional knowledge to favour the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in the Ecoregion Lachua. A key objective of this innovative Program is to promote the rescue and revalorization of ancestral Q´eqchi´ knowledge that is strongly related with the respectful and responsible use of nature.
Rosales and Hermes, coordinators of the PBEEP, proposed to elders and LLNP managers a proposal to carry out a different kind of reforestation activity guided towards rescuing and transmitting traditional trees planting values and wisdom to children and teenagers from five communities of the Ecoregion Lachua. For this purpose, park rangers from LLNP previously constructed a plant nursery with 1 800 native trees that have important uses (wood, food, medicine) and special meaning for Q´eqchi´ people.
This activity is a pioneer reforestation effort where biologists, park managers, elders and the youth of the Ecoregion Lachua work hand in hand in favour of the conservation and good use of tree, considering ancestral respect towards Mother Nature as a cross cutting topic.
For full story, please see: www.guatemala-times.com/science-environment/environment/1379-good-news-from-ecoregion-lachua-guatemala.html
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18. India: Mining project threatening forest livelihoods
Source: IPS, 23 February 2010
When 5 000 indigenous Dongria Kondhs trekked Sunday to Niyam Dongar hill, the abode of their presiding deity Niyam Raja, and designated it as inviolate, it meant they were stepping up their resistance to a controversial alumina refinery and bauxite mine project here. Alumina is used in the production of aluminium metal.
This was the latest act of defiance here against the backdrop of unrest since 1997 among communities, environmental and rights activists over the US$2.13 billon mining project by Vedanta Aluminium Ltd, the Indian arm of London-based Vedanta Resources Plc.
The alumina refinery, capable of producing one million tonnes of alumina from bauxite per annum, has been operating for over a year now at the foothills of Niyamgiri.
Since 2007, Vedanta has been seeking clearance for a six-fold expansion of its refinery and 721-hectare bauxite mining project. The bauxite project however has been stalled by a forest law.
The mining operations would affect some 8,000 Dongria, Kutia and Jharania Kondh in 112 tribal and dalit villages in Kalahandi and adjacent Rayagada district, two of the most underdeveloped areas in Orissa.
For the forest-dwelling locals, Vedanta’s mining project would result in the demolition of the Dongria’s centuries-old sacred grove on Niyamgiri, threatening their ancient way of life, right to water, food, livelihood and cultural identity.
Green activists say the gravest concern pertains to water. Hilltop mining will dry up perennial water sources, while possible poor management of refinery wastewater could degrade surface water and pollute groundwater too. There is also concern about the huge quantities of water that the expanded refinery will consume daily.
Flash floods, which are common here, will be aggravated by hilltop deforestation. A flash flood in Vamsadhara can breach the red mud pond, causing disastrous wastewater spills into the river.
Three-quarters of the targeted hill have thick forests. The 300 species of plants in them include 50 species of medicinal plants and trees, six of which are in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species. An elephant reserve, the forests are home to tigers, leopards and barking deer.
A tribal woman from Sindhabahal said, "The forest gives leaves, bamboo, roots, medicinal herbs, fruits and juice from the giant palm trees (to make liquor). These we sell or use for food. Hill slopes, known as ‘dongar’, are our cultivation fields."
For full story, please see: www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50429
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19. Indonesia: Government plans forest land giveaway to help the poor
Source: Community Forestry E-News, 16 February 2010
The Government on Friday said it would allocate 100 000 hectares of forest land to be declared Hutan Tanaman Rakyat , or “People’s Plantations,” as part of efforts to reduce poverty and cut greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable forestry practices.
“We’ve decided to give away 100 000 hectares of forest land to 10 000 households,” Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said at the vice presidential palace after Friday was declared National Day of Nature Conservation.
“In addition, we’re also going to give 40 000 hectares of forest land to 20 000 households for community-based forest management and 30,000 hectares to 11 000 households for village-managed forests.”
Based on a report by the Nairobi-based World Agroforestry Center, poverty figures tend to be high in and around forests. The country’s forestry policy has been criticized for failing to safeguard resources, while communities were frequently omitted from conservation programs. Zulkifli said that the program could result in livelihoods for at least six people per household.
“If one hectare could result in Rp 200 million (US$21 500), 10 hectares equal Rp 2 billion — it could increase our people’s welfare. We don’t want them to be only workers, instead they should be masters of their own areas,” he said.
The plantations will be developed in ten districts, including Jeneponto, South Sulawesi and Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra.
Wandojo Siswanto, head of the climate change working group at the ministry, added that the project was also part of the government’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2020.
“It is related to how we can achieve the 26 percent emission cuts and was already set out in the ministry’s contract with the president [in the 100 days program],” Wandojo said, adding that a total of 500,000 hectares were targeted to become “People’s Plantations.”
“It would also be a way to improve welfare,” he said. “Because people can enjoy the benefits of the forest without damaging it.”
For full story, please see: http://thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesian-government-plans-forest-land-giveaway-to-help-the-poor/354338
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20. Kenya: Law needed to protect community inventions
Source: Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 23 February 2010
In Kenya, many communities are well known for their cultural practices. The Maasai moran ensemble which includes swords, shukas and sandals is one example. Others include Lamu art, Kisii soapstone sculptures, the coastal marimba and nzumari (traditional musical instruments).
In the area of medicine, it is documented that some traditional methods of treatment have been patented by foreign entities to the exclusion of the local community from where the knowledge originated. An increased intellectual property rights law in the area of patenting genetic material has increased bio-prospecting activities by foreign corporations.
This has brought out a whole new debate on Bioprospecting vis-à-vis community rights. Most of the time the bioprospector heavily relies on the locals to provide knowledge about the ecosystem and the bio-matter in question.
The 1992 UN Convention on Biodiversity requires prospectors to compensate developing countries in exchange for access to bio resources. Not many agree with this position.
When it comes to indigenous rights in the area of culture and bio-matter the question remains, does the local community have an exclusive right to the knowledge and if so how can they protect it.
Protection of indigenous rights has remained challenging due to the fact that the knowledge is not owned by one person but rather by a community. To qualify for protection under existing intellectual property laws, the main requirement is that there should be an original author of the creation.
The nature of cultural knowledge is that it is handed down from generation to generation such that identifying the original creator is difficult.
Another requirement before one can be accorded intellectual property rights is that the creation must be new, original, innovative and distinctive. Usually most cultural knowledge is distinct to a certain community but fails the tests of novelty and originality.
Another legal issue is whether a community has legal capacity to own any property. Communities have no legal capacity to own property unless they form themselves into an artificial person like a trust. Formation of a trust requires consensus of most of the community members which would be difficult as there will always be some opposition.
It remains that unless a specific legislation is enacted protecting indigenous rights then it is almost impossible to accord protection under existing intellectual property laws. Therefore unless a similar law is enacted in Kenya it would remain challenging to accord intellectual property rights to a particular community.
Giving one community indigenous rights to the exclusion of all others is arguable.
It might promote tribalism and might increase marginalisation of the smaller communities especially those with little existing traditional knowledge. However it also serves to preserve culture and enhances national heritage.
For full story, please see:
www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/866256/-/item/2/-/psi65az/-/index.html
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21. Liberia faces choice between deforestation and REDD
Source: Ecologist, 11 January, 2010
If alternatives to deforestation like REDD do not arrive soon Liberia's remaining rainforest cover is likely to go the same way as its neighbours in Cote d'Ivoire
Liberia is in a quandary over its forests: should it pursue a low carbon economy or develop commercial forestry?
With deforestation contributing about 18 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions and the global community committed to cutting deforestation by half by 2020, this is a dilemma of more than local concern.
Historically, there has been a low deforestation rate in Liberia and today 40 percent of the country is covered by rainforest. This marks it out from its neighbours: Sierra Leone, where only 5 percent of the original forest remains, and Cote d’Ivoire, which exported hardwoods on a level with Brazil in 2002.
Part of the reason for the low deforestation rate is because the UN placed timber sanctions on Liberia in 2003. This occurred in reaction to the Charles Taylor regime which used exports of blood timber (as well as diamonds) to fuel arms trafficking and sponsor the Revolutionary United Front, in its struggle in Sierra Leone.
With a return to relative stability UN sanctions were lifted in 2006 and all timber contracts were declared null and void.
Today government policy suggests Liberia is moving towards high levels of timber extraction. Their Poverty Reduction Strategy forecasts forestry revenues to grow from US$500,000 in 2008 to US$24million in 2010.
Despite this, Liberia has entered the REDD scheme – Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation – which uses financial incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it is a long and complicated process.
Although Liberia has completed the first step drawing a US$200,000 grant, there are concerns that it lacks the capability to handle complex carbon accounting and the institutions to manage the financial flows. So it is possible that Liberia will not be deemed ready and REDD investments diverted to better functioning, but less needy, economies.
This may all be academic. REDD remains incomplete in the aftermath of Copenhagen, and a deal on hold until the UNFCCC meets in Mexico in December 2010.
For full story, please see:
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22. Malaysia: Oil palms threaten survival of tribal arts
Source: Reuters Online, 5 February 2010
Their artworks have been recognized as part of the world's heritage and can fetch thousands of dollars in auctions, but the Mah Meri tribe, and their wood carving tradition, are increasingly falling victim to Malaysia's lucrative palm oil industry.
Any hope for the Mah Meri, who are known as the "people of the forest", to create their prized wood carvings lies with them getting access to a few mangrove swamps that still stand within the oil palm estates on the 32,000-acre Carey island in central Malaysia -- an area twice the size of Manhattan.
But guards patrolling the estates do not always let them in, threatening a tradition that the United Nation's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has lauded as well as stemming the development of larger works that can fetch up to US$100,000 at art auctions.
"Palm oil has given us development but it should not change our way of life," woodcarver Gali Adam said as he etched out an elaborate figurine from a block of the rare nyireh batu wood at his small workshop on the island.
"In the past, we would go in to the mangroves and make offerings to the spirits and get their permission to cut down just one tree. Now we have to get written permission from the estate manager before we can do anything."
One of 18 tribes collectively referred to as "Orang Asli" or Original Peoples in mainland Malaysia, the Mah Meri have lived on the island for more than 400 years, long before plantations came in the late 19th century.
The tribe amounts to about 3,000 of Malaysia's 28 million population. Of that, just 30 Mah Meri woodcarvers in a rustic village of thatched houses ply their trade in figurines, which are modelled after ancestral spirits.
Art collectors prize the larger wooden statues that show off the rich reddish-brown colouring and fine grain of the batu nyireh, a species of mahogany tree that is already listed as endangered in Singapore.
One plantation firm on the island, Sime Darby has stepped up to conserve the tree species that takes more than 15 years to mature. The firm has tried to replant seedlings grown by tissue culture, officials say.
"We are not an evil palm oil company. There are some plantations that have not been sustainable but we do believe in helping to keep these traditions alive," a Sime Darby official who declined to be named due to company policy, said.
For full story, please see: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6140IP20100205
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23. Peru: Two-thirds of Amazon threatened by oil and gas development
Source: Yale Environment News 360, 19 February 2010
Petroleum companies have leased 41 percent of the Peruvian Amazon for oil and gas drilling and could soon hold drilling concessions on 70 percent of the highly diverse rainforest, according to a new study.
Conducted by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the conservation group Save America’s Forests, the study said that a second wave of oil and gas drilling is spreading so rapidly through the Peruvian Amazon that roughly 20 percent of officially protected areas, as well as more than half of reserves set aside for indigenous people, are now leased for drilling.
The oil and gas boom is so intensive that it now extends to many of the remotest corners of the Peruvian Amazon, including an area deep in the rainforest — known as Block 67 — that may sit atop 300 million barrels of oil. The study was conducted by amassing official drilling information from the Peruvian government and using Geographical Information Systems data to overlay the concessions on detailed maps.
The study said that the drilling boom poses a major threat to the well-documented biodiversity of the Peruvian Amazon, which contains the second largest area of rainforest in the Amazon outside of Brazil. The current oil and gas exploration boom is the second major one to hit the Peruvian Amazon, following an initial surge of exploration in the 1970s and 1980s.
For full story, please see: http://e360.yale.edu/content/digest.msp?id=2282
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24. Zambia: The untapped fruit potential
Source: allafrica.com, 20 February 2010
Fruit is an important food security commodity. Not only does it provide the necessary nutrients for both rural and urban households, it also is a source of extra income through sales conducted almost all year round.
Zambia is endowed with different varieties of fruit trees, both exotic and indigenous. The tropical climatic conditions in Zambia provide opportunities for the cultivation of various types of fruit species such as mango, papaya, bananas, guava, passion fruit, loquat, pineapple, avocado, citrus, apple, pear, peach, pomegranate, apricot, plum and grapes.
Beyond the cultivated species, there are a large number of indigenous fruit species like masuku, mabungo, monsoso, cashew nuts, masau and mpundu which if exploited could contribute to the economic development of the country and reduce poverty mainly in rural areas.
These fruits, especially indigenous species are well adapted and can ensure household food security during periods of natural disasters such as droughts.
The production and processing of fruits are labour intensive and therefore provide employment to a large segment of the population.
According to the FAO paper on Non-Wood Forest Products in Zambia, exotic fruit trees such as mangoes, guavas, papaya, avocado and mulberry have been a permanent feature in homesteads and some even grow naturally in open areas without any human interference.
These, together with a number of wild fruits form a nutritious supplementary food in seasons when agricultural crops become scarce.
Species like Anisophyllea and Uapaca are common features along main roads and at markets between October to January, when they are offered for sale.
The other species that are offered for sale include Annona senegalensis, Azanza garckeana, Diosphyros mesipiliformis, Flacourtia indica, Strychnos cocculoides, Strychnos spinosa, Tamarindus indica and syzygiums.
Almost all exotic fruits have been on the market and still continue to command a place in almost every market countrywide.
With the present harsh economic conditions, many more fruits are entering into the trade market and are gaining importance as major household income and food security commodities.
Trade in fruits and fruit trees could, therefore, create employment for many Zambians and offering a potential commodity that could break into international markets if well-researched on.
Many of these are highly consumed in many rural and some urban settings but have not been offered for sale previously because of the great abundance in the past years when they could not fetch a good price.
However, most fruit trees are becoming significant trade commodities as many species continue to become scarce at the local level due to deforestation brought about by the demand for wood fuel and agricultural expansion.
The future trend is, therefore, expected to be an upward trend in sales of many fruit trees both exotic and indigenous as the population rises and alternative income sources become scarce.
The Government does not have a specific policy on the promotion of the horticulture in any of its programme but it is adequately covered in the national agriculture policy under the vision for the agriculture sector up to 2015. The policy states that the Government will promote horticultural products and expected that the products will double by 2015.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/201002220350.html
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25. Zimbabwe: Community-based resource management vital
Source: allafrica.com 18 February 2010
The declining momentum of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in southern Africa is threatening to erode major gains registered over the past two decades unless urgent steps are taken to revive this critical livelihood strategy for poverty alleviation and a sustainable environment.
Environmental experts who met in Harare recently to review community-based natural resources management programmes, said the decline in the momentum of the implementation of the CBNRM programmes is accelerating the rapid loss of biodiversity and wildlife.
They expressed concern over the rapid loss of biodiversity; wildlife and other natural resources as rural communities are increasingly being sidelined by the rural district councils from benefiting from the natural resources.
Dr David Mazambani, a consultant for the Zimbabwe CBNRM stock taking exercise and community development expert told participants that the extent and quality of community participation has declined sharply in recent years in most Campfire sites as powerful local elites and Rural District Councils (RDCs) capture all the benefits at the expense of local communities.
This, he said, has contributed significantly to the decline in community participation in CBNRM activities in Zimbabwe and in other countries within the South African Development Community (SADC).
In Zimbabwe, for example, he said, rural district councils who retained authority to make and break contracts with hunting and tourism operators tended to siphon off a huge chunk of the proceeds through various taxes and levies.
Lack of full devolution and continuing interference by RDCs made it difficult for local communities to actively participate in CBNRM activities. As a result, Dr Mazambani said, poaching and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources were now rampant, as communities saw no benefit from engaging in CBNRM activities.
The rationale for community involvement in the management of natural resources stems from the fact that local communities that derive direct benefits from managing natural resources are better motivated to protect those resources.
For full story, please see: http://allafrica.com/stories/201002180025.html
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26. Big business leaves big forest footprints
Source: BBC News Online, 16 February 2010
Consumers around the globe are not aware that they are "eating" rainforests, says Andrew Mitchell. In this week's Green Room, he explains how many everyday purchases are driving the destruction of the vital tropical ecosystems.
“Burning tropical forests drives global warming faster than the world's entire transport sector; there will be no solution to climate change without stopping deforestation.”
Next time you are in a supermarket picking up a chicken sandwich for lunch, or fancy tucking in to a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage and bacon before setting off for work, spare a thought for the Amazon.
A new report by Forest Footprint Disclosure reveals for the first time how global business is driving rainforests to destruction in order to provide things for you and me to eat.
But it does also reveal what companies are doing to try to lighten their forest footprint. Sadly, however, the answer is: not much, at least not yet.
Consumers "eat" rainforests each day - in the form of beef-burgers, bacon and beauty products - but without knowing it. The delivery mechanism is a global supply chain with its feet in the forests and its hands in the till. Because of growing demand for beef, soy and palm oil, which are in much of what we consume, as well as timber and biofuels, rainforests are worth more cut down than standing up.
The report shows that the EU is the largest importer of soy in the world, much of it coming from Brazil. It also shows that after China, the EU is the biggest importer of palm oil in the world. Soy provides cheap food to fatten our pigs and chickens, while palm oil is in everything from cakes and cookies, to that fine moisturiser you gently rubbed into your cheeks this morning.
The gargantuan farms of Brazil's Mato Grosso State can boast 50 combines abreast at harvest time, marching across monoculture prairies where once the most diverse ecosystem on Earth stood, albeit in some cases many years ago.
Further north, thousands of square miles of rainforest natural capital is going up in smoke each year, often illegally, to provide pastureland for just one cow per hectare to supply beef hungry Brazilians or more prosperous mouths in China and India.
Losing forests may undermine food, energy and climate security. Yet saving them could, according to UN special adviser Pavan Sukhdev's forthcoming review on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), reduce environmental costs by US$3-5 trillion per year.
Oh yes, let us not forget the 1.4bn people, many of them the world's poorest, who depend on these forests for their survival and who cannot afford to lose them, even if we can.
So what can be done? The first thing is to encourage business to mind its "forest footprint." The impact global business has on deforestation will be a key factor in halting deforestation in the future. No amount of hand-wringing in the UN climate talks will alter action on the ground unless the drivers of global deforestation are also tackled.
Whilst poverty is possibly the largest of these drivers, so is the way in which business drives the conversion of cheap forest land to feed their global commodity supply chains - all the way to you and me.
For full story, please see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8516931.stm
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27. Climate change's impact on forests being measured via expanding tree trunks
Source: Washington Post, 20 February, 2010
In the woods of Anne Arundel County (USA), Parker, a forest ecologist at the Smithsonian Institution, throws his arms around tulip poplars, oaks and American beeches, and holds them so tightly that his cheek presses into their bark. This is not some hiker on a lark: anybody, hopped up on campfire coffee and exercise endorphins, might hug a tree once. This is science. Parker has done it about 50,000 times.
Parker has spent the past 22 years on a research project so repetitive, so time-consuming, that it impresses even researchers with the patience to count tree rings.
This year, after about 250,000 hugs between them, the work paid off. Parker's data, which showed the trunks gradually fattening over time, indicated that many of the trees were growing two to four times faster than expected. That raised questions about climate change's impact on the age-old rhythms of U.S. forests.
This month, when Parker and his team published a paper on their work, it was received as a key piece of evidence about the ways that climate change could be having subtle but important effects on forests. Others have found similar growth in different parts of the world, as warmer weather and more carbon dioxide fuel tree growth.
In the tropics, however, some studies have seemed to show trees growing more slowly: It might now be too hot for some trees there.
Last year, when Parker analyzed the mountain of data his team had collected, he found something surprising: Their trees were adding bulk at a surprisingly fast rate.
Parker said the best explanations for this all seemed to relate to climate change. Temperatures in the area have risen by three-tenths of a degree; the growing season has lengthened by 7.8 days; and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen. All of those might speed up photosynthesis, the engine of tree growth.
"The danger of that, of course, is that this can't go on forever," said Kenneth Feeley, a professor at Florida International University. He meant that, even if there was enough carbon dioxide to support more fast growth, the trees would eventually run out of water or plant food. Their growth would slow down, and they would stop absorbing so much carbon.
For full story, please see:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021905405.html
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28. Companies fund projects to preserve Amazon rain forest
Source: latimes.com, 21 February, 2010
Deep in the Amazon, in a village accessible only by boat, river dwellers for generations have survived off fish, sparse crops and nuts from the forest. Now they have a new resource: debit cards.
Families in Boa Frente receive US$29 a month to spend in a town upriver. The village also has a new brick walkway, rainwater cisterns and a new school with solar panels and Internet access. In exchange, residents agree to protect the forest surrounding their plots instead of clearing more trees for farming or fuel.
The windfall comes courtesy of Marriott International Inc., the US$12-billion hotel chain. It is part of a complex ‑ and controversial ‑ plan to save the world's rain forests with the help of big business.
Rules for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation ‑or REDD ‑ are being designed under the auspices of the United Nations as part of a global effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Around the world, dozens of REDD projects, sponsored by environmental groups and funded by firms including Merrill Lynch & Co., Walt Disney Co., American Electric Power Co., BP and United Parcel Service Inc., are underway.
So far, these REDD projects are voluntary, often funded by firms that want to burnish their green credentials. But eventually these "avoided deforestation" efforts could be included in mandatory carbon cap-and-trade systems, such as one already in place in Europe.
But nowhere has the idea been embraced more keenly than in Brazil, home to 27 percent of the world's tropical rain forests and 18 REDD projects, including the one in Boa Frente. Although 98 percent of the surrounding state of Amazonas remains forested, ranchers, farmers, loggers and miners are rapidly moving in. The state calculates that it could lose a third of its trees by 2050.
Viana now runs a public-private effort known as the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, funded in part by Coca-Cola Co. and Brazil's Bradesco Bank.
The first project is in the Juma Reserve, located 125 miles south of the state capital, Manaus. It is home to 380 families in 43 villages, including Boa Frente.
In exchange for their bolsa floresta ‑or forest allowance ‑villagers also attend two-day workshops on global warming. Their promise not to expand their plots is enforced: The land is mapped and the forest monitored by satellite. If a family reneges, its debit card is cancelled.
Forest dwellers are also trained in sustainable livelihoods, including harvesting seeds, berries, rubber and other products needed by researchers and industry.
So far, 14 villagers have been trained. In coming months, 70 more will learn to gather seeds from dozens of species, including varieties used in medicines and cosmetics.
Downriver, in the village of Fleixal, eight families occupy thatched-roof shacks shaded by 200-foot Brazil nut trees. Villagers attended workshops on how to build wire-mesh, plastic-covered nut dryers. A distributor now pays US$7 for a five-gallon can ‑ up from US$3 ‑ because quality has improved.
"The forest has riches," village leader Aderbal de Oliveira said, thwacking dry leaves with his machete to uncover fallen nuts. "We must be its guardians."
For full story, please see:
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover-side21-2010feb21,0,6529632,print.story
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29. Keep traditional knowledge open but safe
Source Scidev.net, 24 February 2010
Traditional biological knowledge tends to be uncomfortably juxtaposed between two worlds — the ancient, where knowledge was freely shared by all, and the modern, where it is jealously protected through patents.
Last month, the European Patent Office (EPO) revoked a patent for a traditional remedy extracted from the roots of endemic South African plants.
There is a growing trend to incorporate traditional knowledge into modern patent applications. They follow agreements — signed last year by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the EPO — with India to consult its Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) before granting patents.
India's TKDL is a 24 million page, multilingual database on traditional remedies and medicinal plants.
According to Samir Brahmachari, Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Delhi, it was set up partly in response to two expensive and protracted legal battles in the 1990s over widely used traditional medicines.
Raghunath Mashelkar, who led the fight against the EPO patent as Brahmachari's predecessor, was a key player in setting up the TKDL and explains its significance.
"For the first time, traditional knowledge started to be codified in a language and in systems that the patent offices coulduse," he says.
China has a similar database on traditional Chinese medicines that is in use by the EPO.
The availability of such databases, and the willingness of developed nations to consult them during patent applications, are vital to protect the traditional knowledge of countries like China and India.
Not all developing countries have the resources to fight such wars. And doing so eats into budgets that could otherwise be spent using traditional knowledge to develop new and urgently needed treatments for diseases such as malaria.
But by providing access to traditional medicine compounds, they could also open the doors for a new wave of drug discovery.
For full story, please see: www.scidev.net/en/opinions/biomed-analysis-keep-traditional-knowledge-open-but-safe.html
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EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
30. 2011 Indigenous Fellowship Programme
Source: Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 17 February 2010
The Indigenous Fellowship Programme was launched in 1997 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the context of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. The aim of the programme is to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with human rights issues in general and indigenous issues in particular.
This training programme is available in four languages: English, Spanish, French and Russian.
The deadlines to receive applications for the 2011 Indigenous Fellowship Programme are: English speaking programme, 31 May 2010; Spanish speaking programme, 30 June 2010; French speaking programme, 1 October 2010; and Russian speaking programme, 29 October 2010.
For more information, please see: www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/fellowshiprogramme.htm
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31. Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, UNDESA, New York
From: Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 24 February 2010
The vacancy for the post of Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has been posted on the UN website. Under the guidance of the Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development, within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the incumbent will provide overall coordination of assistance and support to the mandate and programme of work of the United Nations Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNSPFII). He/she will also be responsible for overall direction and management of the Permanent Forum's Secretariat and its programme of work, as well as the promotion of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIPs).
The deadline for applications is 18 April 2010.
For more information, please see: https://jobs.un.org/Galaxy/Release3/vacancy/Display_Vac.aspx?lang=1200&VACID=%7b053e9d07-4266-476f-b2b6-4c02821b6274%7d
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32. Foundation for European Forest Research offers two PhD research grants
Source: European Forest Institute, 24 February 2010
The Foundation for European Forest Research is offering two PhD scholarships up to 19 000 euros per annum with a travel allowance of 1 000 euros a year. The opportunities are open to all interested persons qualified to proceed with PhD studies at an internationally recognized university.
The grants are the Metsähallitus-Grant 2010 for PhD studies on the topic of “Sustainable use of forests for different purposes, including economical and recreational forest functions and biodiversity values”, and the Ponsse- Grant 2010 for PhD studies on the topic of “Contribution of modern forest management technologies to sustainable and competitive forestry in Europe”.
For more information, please see: www.efi.int/portal/newsevents/press_releases/?id=236
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33. Kathmandu Forestry College (KAFCOl) offering courses on NTFPs and Forestry
Source: Nepalese Foresters, 23 January 2010
Responding to current needs of Nepal on bio-diversity conservation and livelihood improvement, Kathmandu Forestry College (KAFCOl) in collaboration with Nepal Agroforestry Foundation is organizing various training courses during the year 2010. These include: (1) Agroforestry promotion for sustainable rural livelihood, (2) Inventory and management of NTFPs, (3) Alternative energy: Jatropha cultivation and processing for bio diesel production, (4) Introduction to GIS application in natural resource management in Nepal, (5) Access and benefit sharing from genetic resources and traditional knowledge, (6) Livelihood improvement planning and capacity building, (7) Community forestry operational plan preparation and implementation for addressing second generation issues, (8) Introducing community based participatory action research approaches to natural resource management, (9) Advanced GIS application in Nepal (10) Gender and social inclusion; and (11) Climate change.
The overall objective of these training courses is to help NRM professionals and practitioners (i.e. field staff, animators, facilitators, etc), KAFCOL members, students, and CFUG members in the related discipline that ultimately increases the effectiveness and equity of their process and institutions so that they can even better meet the goals of sustainable forests and livelihoods.
For more information, please contact:
Him Lal Shrestha and Shiva Shankar Neupane
Kathmandu Forestry College (KAFCOL)
Tel: 01-4600343
E-mail: kafcol@wlink.com.np
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34. Center for Sustainable Development online field courses
Source: www.csd-i.org, 11 February 2010
A module of two courses is being offered online in March, 2010.
(1) From the Ground Up: Designing Community-Centred Projects with Sustainable Solutions.
2 March ‑3 May, 2010:
This course will give you an insight into contemporary methods of developing community-centred, impact-oriented projects. You will leave the course with practical field tools and develop a range of skills: needs assessments, project design, community workshops, and discovering evidence-based activities. The course is designed to be used as a vehicle for you to develop a real project, in real time, during the course.
(2) Project Architecture: Planning for Impact
18 May28 June, 2010
This course involves developing a powerful set of management tools including: Logframes, detailed budgets, schedules and compelling fact sheets. These tools will communicate to donors, staff, and stakeholders exactly what you are going to accomplish, and lead the effective management of the project once funded.
For more information, please contact:
E-mail: Online.Learning@csd-i.org .
Website: www.csd-i.org/online-learning/ .
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LITERATURE REVIEW AND WEB SITES
35. Forest Footprint Disclosure Annual Review
Source: www.amazonia.org.br, 10 February 2010
Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) is a special project of the Global Canopy Foundation. Initiated in 2008 the project is designed to improve corporate understanding of a ‘forest footprint’ generated by the use of forest risk commodities: soy, palm oil, timber, cattle products and biofuels.
FFD designed a disclosure request asking about company policy on sustainable supply chains for these products and sent it out to 217 international companies in July 2009. This Annual Review describes the findings of that disclosure request and provides some context on the subject.
For more information, please see: www.forestdisclosure.com/
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36. REDD Guide for Indigenous Communities
Source: Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, 17 February 2010
This book provides information material on REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in developing countries) and its implications for indigenous peoples. It is intended primarily for indigenous peoples as a guide in understanding climate change, REDD and how they relate to the recognition and exercise of the collective rights of indigenous peoples. It includes parts on climate change, REDD, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and how indigenous peoples can use it in relation to REDD programmes. The book addresses several issues of relevance to TK, including: the adverse impacts of climate change on traditional livelihoods, which would also mean loss of traditional knowledge and would undermine the capacity of indigenous women to perform their roles as seed keepers and transmitters of culture and language; adaptation measures based on TK; UN REDD Programme’s plans to raise awareness on TK and to develop tools for assessing co-benefits; REDD’s potential to provide national-level recognition that TK is critical to forest conservation; and using UNDRIP to enhance indigenous peoples’ capacities to mitigate and adopt to climate change by using TK and sustainable forest management practices and by implementing self-determined development.
For more information, please see: www.iwgia.org/sw40375.asp#516_31980
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From: NWFP Programme
Bcerner, J., Mburu, J., Guthiga, P. and Wambua, S. 2009. Assessing opportunity costs of conservation: Ingredients for protected area management in the Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya. Forest policy and economics. 11(7): 459-467.
Bhattacharyya, R., Asokan, A., Bhattacharya, P., and Prasad, R. 2009. The potential of certification for conservation and management of wild MAP resources. Biodivers. Conserv. 18(13):3441-3451. Abstract: www.springerlink.com/content/w7168172v0l541k1/
Brooks, T.M., Wright, S.J., and Sheil, D. 2009. Evaluating the success of conservation actions in safeguarding tropical forest biodiversity. Conserv. Biol. 23(6):1448-1457. Abstract. www3.wileyinterscience.com/journal/123190981/abstract
Coulibaly-Lingani, P., Tigabu, M., Savadogo, P., Oden, P., and Ouadba, J. 2009. Determinants of access to forest products in southern Burkina Faso. Forest policy and economics. 11(7): 516-524.
Dilys, R. and Elliott, J. 2010.The Earthscan Reader in Poverty and Biodiversity Conservation. UK: Earthscan.
Frederich, M., Marcowycz, A., Cieckiewicz, E., Megalizzi, V., Angenot, L., and Kiss, R. 2009. Anticancer potential of tree extracts from the Walloon Region forest. Planta Medica. 75 (15): 1634-1637.
German, L., Karsenty, A., and Tiani, A. (eds). 2009. Governing Africa's Forests in a Globalized World. UK: Earthscan.
Guariguata, M. R., Garcia-Fernandez, C., Sheil, D., Nasi, R., Herrero-Jauregui, C., Cronkleton, P., and Ingram, V. 2010. Compatibility of timber and non-timber forest product management in natural tropical forests: perspectives, challenges, and opportunities. Forest Ecology and Management. 259(3): 237-245.
Abstract: Tropical forests could satisfy multiple demands for goods and services both for present and future generations. Yet integrated approaches to natural forest management remain elusive across the tropics. In this paper we examine one combination of uses: selective harvesting of timber and non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction. We analyze the current status of this combination and speculate on prospects and challenges regarding: (i) resource inventory, (ii) ecology and silviculture, (iii) conflict in the use of multipurpose tree species, (iv) wildlife conservation and use, (v) tenure, and (vi) product certification. Our conclusions remain preliminary due to the relative paucity of published studies and lessons learned on what has worked and what has not in the context of integrated management for timber and NTFPs. We propose at least three ways where further research is merited. One, in improving 'opportunistic' situations driven by selective timber harvesting that also enhance NTFP values. Two, to explicitly enhance both timber and NTFP values through targeted management interventions. Three, to explicitly assess biophysical, social, regulatory and institutional aspects so that combined benefits are maximized. Interventions for enhancing the compatibility of timber and NTFP extraction must be scaled in relation to the size of the area being managed, applied timber harvesting intensities, and the dynamics of multi-actor, forest partnerships (e.g., between the private sector and local communities). In addition, training and education issues may have to be re-crafted with multiple-use management approaches inserted into tropical forestry curricula.
Herrmann, T.M., and Torri, M.C. 2009. Changing forest conservation and management paradigms: traditional ecological knowledge systems and sustainable forestry: Perspectives from Chile and India. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. 16(6).
Laizuman N.,Ripa, F.A., Rokonuzzaman, A., Al-Bari, M. 2009. Investigation on antioxidant activities of six indigenous plants of Bangladesh. Journal of Applied Sciences Research. 2285-2288.
Langeveld, H., Sanders J., and Meeusen, M. 2010. The Biobased Economy: Biofuels, Materials and Chemicals in the Post-oil Era. UK: Earthscan.
Larson, A.M., Barry, D., Ram Dahal, G., and Colfer, C.J. 2010. Forests for People: Community Rights and Forest Tenure Reform. UK: Earthscan.
Abstract: Who has rights to forests and forest resources? In recent years governments in the South have transferred at least 200 million hectares of forests to communities living in and around them. This book assesses the experience of what appears to be a new international trend that has substantially increased the share of the world's forests under community administration. Based on research in over 30 communities in selected countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, it examines the process and outcomes of granting new rights, assessing a variety of governance issues in implementation, access to forest products and markets and outcomes for people and forests.Forest tenure reforms have been highly varied, ranging from the titling of indigenous territories to the granting of small land areas for forest regeneration or the right to a share in timber revenues. While in many cases these rights have been significant, new statutory rights do not automatically result in rights in practice, and a variety of institutional weaknesses and policy distortions have limited the impacts of change. Through the comparison of selected cases, the chapters explore the nature of forest reform, the extent and meaning of rights transferred or recognized, and the role of authority and citizens' networks in forest governance. They also assess opportunities and obstacles associated with government regulations and markets for forest products and the effects across the cases on livelihoods, forest condition and equity.
Lizcano, L. J., Bakkali, F., Ruiz-Larrea, M. B., and Ruiz-Sanz, J. I. 2010. Antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of aqueous extracts from Colombian Amazonian plants with medicinal use. Food Chemistry. 119: 4: 1566-1570.
Mishra, M. 2008. Marketing of non timber forest products: a case study of Tumrakheda village in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. Bioscience Biotechnology Research Communications. 1(2): 132-139.
Mishra, M. and Kotwal, P.C. 2009. Premature harvesting of wild musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum,Baker) and its impact on raw material quality: a case of Katni forest division, Madhya Pradesh. Journal of Applied and Natural Science. 1(1): 66-70.
Mishra, M. and Kotwal, P.C. 2009. Current harvesting practices of Bach (Acorus calamus) L. rhizomes traded in the market of Dhamtari, Chattisgarh,India. Asian Journal of Environmental Sciences. 4(1): 4-11.
Mishra, M. and Kotwal, P.C.. 2009. Traditional harvesting and processing methods of Dioscorea daemona (Baichandi) tubers in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Tropical Medicinal Plants (Malaysia). 10(1):113-118.
Mishra,M. and Kotwal, P.C. 2009. Unripe harvesting of Aonla fruits (Emblica officinalis) and its impact on raw material quality: a case of Katni market, Madhya Pradesh. Indian Journal of Arecanut, spices & Medicinal Plants. 11(2): 69-76.
Mishra, M., Kotwal, P.C. and Prasad, C. 2009. Unsustainable harvesting of some medicinal plants and its impact on raw material quality. Flora & Fauna. 15 (1): 66-72.
Mishra, M., Singh, S.P. and Prasad, C. 2009. Protection of consumers from inferior NTFPs products and changing consumer behavior in local market of Mahakaushal region. International Journal of Rural Development and Management Studies. 3(2): 325-332.
Mishra, M. and Singh, S.P. 2009. Indigenous community participation in India. European Tropical Forest Research Network. 50:84-90.
Mishra, M. and Kotwal, P.C. 2009. Unripe fruit collection of Baibirang (Embelia ribes) fruits and its impact on raw material quality: a case of Dhamtari forest division, Chattisgarh, India. International Journal for Forest Usufructs Management. 10 (2): 45-52.
Mitchell, J. and Ashley, C. 2009. Tourism and Poverty Reduction: Pathways to Prosperity.UK: Earthscan.
Mustalahti, I., and Lund, J. 2010. Where and How Can Participatory Forest Management Succeed? Learning From Tanzania, Mozambique, and Laos. Society & natural resources. 23(1): 31-44.
Osemeobo, G.J. 2009. Economic assessment of medicinal plant trade in the rainforest of Nigeria. Zeitschrift fur Arznei- & Gewurzpflanzen. 14(4): 171-176.
Phimmavong, S., Ozarska, B., Midgley, S., and Keenan, R. 2009. Forest and plantation development in Laos: history, development and impact for rural communities. International Forestry Review. 11:4: 501-513.
Robinson, Daniel F. 2010. Confronting Biopiracy: Challenges, Cases and international Debates. UK: Earthscan.
The aim of this new book is to provide the most detailed, coherent analysis of the issue of biopiracy to date, biopiracy referring either to the unauthorized extraction of biological resources, such as plants with medicinal properties, and associated traditional knowledge from indigenous peoples and local communities, or to the patenting of spurious “inventions” based on such knowledge or resources without compensation. The book synthesizes the rise of the issue and increasing use of the term by activists and negotiators in the WTO and the CBD, to form a critical understanding of the themes, implications and politics of biopiracy. Taking a case-study based approach, derived from interviews and fieldwork, the author documents events that have occurred in biopiracy and bioprospecting controversies; explores implications and ethical dilemmas, particularly relating to work with local communities; and details international debates from the WTO, CBD and other fora, providing an overview of current institutional limitations and suggesting ways
Shiva, A. 2009. Methods of sustainable harvesting and value addition for economic uplift and biodiversity conservation. MFP News.19(4): 13-16.
Singh, S.P., Mishra. M., and Tripathi, D. 2009. Sustainable desertification management through ecological indicators: a study of Gwalior Division. International Journal of Rural Development and Management Studies. 3 (1): 65 -93.
Thapa, S. and Chapman, D. S. 2010. Impacts of resource extraction on forest structure and diversity in Bardia National Park, Nepal. Forest Ecology and Management. 259(3):641-649.
Wu, J. and Zhang, Y. 2009. Status and trend of international trade of bamboo and rattan commodities. World Forestry Research. 22(3): 69-71.
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From: NWFP Programme
Bamboo Websites
- Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre
www.caneandbamboo.org; www.bamboobazar.com
- World Bamboo Organization
E-discussion: CSD-17
As the international community gears up for a conference marking the twentieth anniversary of the historic Earth Summit and Agenda 21, the world's blueprint on Sustainable Development, the CSD is taking a fresh look on how it can accelerate the pace by which its decisions are turned into action – ensuring a more effective and coordinated approach to global policy on sustainable development. More specifically, it is focusing on the implementation of CSD-17 decisions on agriculture, which are vital to achieving many of the internationally agreed development goals. This e-discussion will serve as one of the many inputs into this process, helping to garner important ideas -- and even solutions-- from all stakeholders, including you.
Website: http://bit.ly/aThmeT,
E-zine: The Ecologist
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39. How animals change due to climate
Source: ENN Daily Newsletter, 17 February 2010
What makes an animal large or small? Part of it may be due to climate change. It may be that these are reactions to rapidly rising temperatures due to global climate change according to Professor Yoram Yom-Tov of Tel Aviv University, who has been measuring the evolving body sizes of birds and animals in areas where climate change is most extreme.
Changes that the professor has identified are happening primarily in higher latitudes, where Prof. Yom-Tov has identified a pattern of birds getting smaller and mammals getting bigger. The change, he hypothesizes, is likely a strategy for survival. Prof. Yom-Tov, who has spent decades measuring and monitoring the body sizes of mammals and small birds, says that these changes have been happening more rapidly recently.
His most recent paper on the topic, focused on the declining body sizes of arctic foxes in Iceland, appeared in Global Change Biology.
Animal populations in a wide variety of geographical areas (such as birds in the UK, small mammals in the arctic, and most recently foxes, lynx and otters in cold Scandinavian regions) are adapting to a shift in rising temperatures. Where temperature changes are most radical, such as those at higher latitudes, Prof. Yom-Tov has measured the most radical changes of these animals’ body size over time.
In his most recent paper, Prof. Yom-Tov and his Tel Aviv University colleague Prof. Eli Geffen report that arctic foxes are being influenced by changing water currents in the oceans. These changes, likely a result of climate change, affect the foxes’ food supplies. Hydrologists may be unsure as to why the shifts in currents are happening, but the effect in foxes is evident: their bodies are changing along with the changing currents.
Scientists are finding changes in animals’ bodies across the whole animal kingdom. "Climate change is affecting migration patterns and the behavior and growth of birds, mammals, insects, flowers, you name it," says Prof. Yom-Tov.
Smaller bodies allow mammals, for example, to cope with warmer temperatures, since a smaller body size gives the body a proportionally increased surface area for the dissipation of heat, he says. While a larger body may show improved nutrition due to a warmer climate. Though it may not be clear exactly how animal life may adapt, change it will with a warmer climate. Studying animals in selected regions where climate change may be more severe, will give clues to future changes.
"These animals need to adapt themselves to changing temperatures." says Prof. Yom-Tov. "If they don’t adapt, their numbers may decline. If they do, their numbers remain stable or even increase."
For full story, please see: www.enn.com/top_stories/article/41020
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40. Scientists scathing on coastal tree planting
Source: scidev.net, 19 February 2010
Natural coastal ecosystems have been widely destroyed by the planting of alien trees in the mistaken belief that they will work as 'bioshields' against storms and tsunamis, says an international group of scientists.
The team, writing in the February issue of Conservation Letters, reviewed more than 30 papers on the planting of belts of trees as bioshields. The researchers concluded that there is little evidence to show they protect against storm surges — temporary increases in sea level associated with stormy winds — or tsunamis.
Additionally, using foreign trees for this purpose is doing extraordinary environmental damage, they said.
The review adds to the debate on bioshields' protective role. Although there is evidence for the ability of vegetation to help protect coastlines from erosion caused by conventional waves, the study said, the damage inflicted by extreme events is actually caused by rising water rather than waves — and there has been little rigorous, properly-controlled research into this.
Planting trees helps stabilise the soil in the short term in most cases, the researchers said, but this is offset by the ecological instability of planting foreign species.
In Andra Pradesh in India, for example, international grants have been used to plant alien Casuarina trees, and while these may provide firewood for locals, they are also known to invade mangrove ecosystems and have a negative effect on tropical birds.
Also in India, features such as sand dunes that could offer some natural protection are being bulldozed to make way for foreign species of trees, Kartik Shanker, assistant professor in the school of ecological sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and a co-author of the study, told SciDev.Net.
"There is a difference between restoring native vegetation such as mangroves that are naturally adapted to the dynamic conditions on local coastlines around the world, and introducing alien trees purely for the purpose of trying to stabilise a coastline," said Rusty Feagin, visiting associate professor of Forest Science at Texas A & M University in the United States.
For full story, please see: www.scidev.net/en/news/scientists-scathing-on-coastal-tree-planting.html
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41. USA: Decline in fog threatens California's redwoods
Source: Environmental News Network, 15 February, 2010
A surprising new study finds that during the past century the frequency of fog along California's coast has declined by approximately three hours a day. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the researchers are concerned that this decrease in fog threatens California's giant redwoods and the unique ecosystem they inhabit.
"As fog decreases, the mature redwoods along the coast are not likely to die outright, but there may be less recruitment of new trees; they will look elsewhere for water, high humidity and cooler temperatures," explains co-author Todd E. Dawson, professor of integrative biology and University of California, Berkeley professor of integrative biology with the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM).
"What does that mean for the current redwood range and that of the plants and animals with them?" he adds. Evaluating data from airports along the northern California coast, researchers were able to find a steady link in the occurrence of coastal fog and large temperature differences between coast and inland areas. Then by examining temperature data from 114 stations up and down the Pacific Coast, the researchers found that the temperature contrasts between coast and inland areas had shrunk over the past century leading to a decline in fog.
Fur full story, please see: www.enn.com/top_stories/article/41016
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