The Quebec goverment has announced the protection of an additional 1% of the province's land area, adding 17,800 km2 to its protected areas. The announcement was made by Quebec Premier Jean Charest as well as the Ministre du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs, Line Beauchamp. The new protected areas are located primarily in Northern Quebec; there are six new territories being protected and five extensions of the limits of existing protected territories. The territories being protected include the George River and the National Parks Reserves Monts-Pyramides, Collines-Ondulées and Baie-aux-Feuilles. Part of the protected areas, around the George River, houses one of Northern Quebec's largest herds of caribou (approximately 385,000). "The Government is taking the first step to protect barren-ground caribou which, we hope, will lead to the protection of woodland caribou in the Boreal region, a species that is vulnerable in Québec and threatened in Canada," explains Christian Simard, executive director of Nature Québec. This area also includes Lac de la Hutte Sauvage, an historic meeting place for Innus, Naskapis, and Inuit while hunting. The province has already received congratulations from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and its SNAP-Quebec chapter, Nature Quebec, and the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI). "We would like to congratulate Quebec as ...
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The UK government commissioned a review of certification schemes to monitor compliance with its own timber procurement policies, conducted through the so called Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET). CPET undertook an initial assessment of five forest certification schemes in 2004, carried out a further review in 2006, and is committed to reassess schemes every two years to monitor continued compliance, including assessing the certification schemes most widely used to certify timber used in the UK to establish which provide adequate evidence of legality and sustainability. The 2008 review was undertaken against the May 2006 version of Criteria for Evaluating Certification Schemes. These set out definitions of "legal" and "sustainable" as currently used by the UK government for procurement which includes technical and environmental, but not social, requirements. Like for the previous editions of the CPET reviews, assessments are made on the basis of certification requirements and do not involve any verification on the ground. In summary, the results of the 2008 review indicate that four of the five schemes -- FSC, PEFC, CSA, and SFI -- continue to deliver evidence of sustainability. The fifth scheme, the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) system, which was found to deliver legality in the last assessment, is in the process of introducing revised requirements. The...
The Global Canopy Program (GCP), an alliance of scientific organizations, has released "The Little REDD Book," a guide to the UN negotiations on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) at the Climate Change Conference next month. The book describes how REDD has evolved rapidly since it was introduced to the the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2005. At present, 33 proposals, 23 of them non-governmental, are on the table for the post-Kyoto agreement discussions. The Little REDD Book includes an analytical framework developed by The Prince's Rainforests Project for comparing current and future proposals "Discussion often focuses on the differences between REDD proposals, but in reality there has been a steady progression in the thinking," said Anna Creed who led the study at The Prince's Rainforests Project. "Our analysis demonstrates areas of similarity and divergence among the proposals, which we hope will aid clarity and understanding in this area and ultimately help stakeholders to move forward towards consensus." The aim of The Little REDD Book is to help forest stakeholders to understand and compare current and future proposals in a consistent way in order to promote a consensus on how to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. To do this The Little REDD Book introduces a framework which resolves REDD mechan...
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the Global Climate Summit he hosted in Los Angeles, joined with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and six governors from Brazil and Indonesia in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to reduce forestry-related greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement commits California, Illinois, and Wisconsin to work with Governors Antônio Waldez Góes da Silva, Eduardo Braga, Blario Maggi, Mato Grosso, and Ana Júla de Vasconcelos Carepa from Brazil and Governors Yusof Irwandi and Barnamas Suebu from Indonesia to help slow and stop tropical deforestation, the cutting and burning of trees to convert land to grow crops and raise livestock, and land degradation through joint projects and incentive programs. This agreement is the first state-to-state, sub-national agreement focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and land degradation (REDD) programs. Specifically, the MOU commits the signatories to: Focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and land degradation while promoting sequestration of additional carbon through restoration and reforestation and improved forest management practices; Jointly develop rules to ensure that forest-sector emission reductions and sequestration could pass the strict criteria outlined in California's AB 32 Scoping Plan and potentially play a role in the We...
The world's first shipment of certified sustainable palm oil, due to arrive in Rotterdam, "does not meet the criteria set for an environmentally friendly product," according to Greenpeace. The international NGO reports that the shipment's producer, United Plantations, logs in vulnerable peat forests in Kalimantan, Indonesia. United Plantations is the first company to receive the new palm oil certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), initiated by companies and non-governmental organizations in 2003. Greenpeace states that United Plantations does not meet several of the RSPO certification's conditions for sustainable palm oil. Greenpeace's allegations include United Plantations cutting down trees in prime orangutan habitat, failing to comply with local Indonesian environmental laws, and engaging local populations in land conflicts. Greenpeace suggests that because of United Plantation's certification, consumers should be more critical of the RSPO. In 2007, palm plantations yielded more than 38 million tonnes of oil, making it one of the world's biggest commodity products. In a related development, Greenpeace activists halted a palm oil shipment and prevented it from leaving Dumai, Indonesia for Europe. Activists painted "Forest Crime" and "Climate Crime" on the hull of three palm oil tankers and a barge full of rainforest timber. "Today Greenpeace is takin...
Scottish Minister for Environment Michael Russell launched a consultation on the increased role that Scotland's forests can play in the fight against climate change, accompanied by a paper outlining proposals for developing renewable energy projects and planting more trees. The paper, Climate Change and the National Forest Estate in Scotland, relates to legal provisions in the Scottish Climate Change Bill that may be needed to help with the way forward, such as the potential to give Ministers the power to modify certain functions of Forestry Commission Scotland, allowing to undertake new and innovative activities to help tackle climate change more effectively. The included proposals are to help the Scottish Government meet its greener energy targets as well as planting more trees, to increase the area of Scotland covered in woodland by the second half of this century. "As part of the Scottish government's commitment to tackling climate change, we have undertaken to implement a world-leading 80% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2050. We also want to see 50% of all Scotland's energy produced from renewable sources by 2020," said Russell. Some specific suggestions include: Establishing joint ventures with communities or the private sector to develop renewable sources of energy on the national forest estate; The possible creation of a not for profit Trust that will bring renewe...
The World Rainforest Movement (WRM) has issued an open campaign letter to FSC members urgently calling for FSC to resolve the "serious problem of FSC certification of monoculture tree plantations" at the next FSC General Assembly in South Africa from 3-7 November. FSC has already stated that one topic of discussion at the Assembly is a Review of FSC Principles and Criteria, and the WRM hopes it will be used as an opportunity for changing those principles in such a way as to exclude the certification of monoculture tree plantations by FSC. "FSC members -- particularly from the environmental and social chambers -- must be made aware that certification of that type of plantation is not only eroding the FSC's credibility but, more importantly, that it is undermining local people's struggles against plantations," the letter reads. It states that all large-scale plantations have heavy impacts on "the same things that FSC members from environmental and social organizations agreed needed to be protected when they joined the FSC: indigenous, traditional and peasant communities' rights and livelihoods; forests, grasslands and wetlands; water, soils and biodiversity.... The obvious conclusion must be that large scale tree monocultures are uncertifiable." WRM expresses its disappointment that four years after the FSC Plantations Review was launched, nothing has changed. "The time has now a...
In response to the European Commission's release of its proposed illegal logging legislation and goal of halving tropical deforestation by 2020, environmental groups have released diverse criticisms, cautious praise, and suggested improvements. WWF criticized the Commission after the position paper's release for weak legislation against illegal timber and "denounces the lack of ambition" reducing its goal to tackle illegal logging. The Commission intends to pursue a minimum 50% reduction in tropial deforestation by 2020 and halting global forest loss by 2030. WWF is disappointed in this reduction from May's Bonn climate conference, where representatives from over 60 countries signed a WWF commitment to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. Additionaly, "the draft proposal does not have the teeth needed to seriously clamp down on illegal timber trade," said Anke Schulmeister, Forest Policy Officer at WWF. WWF is concerned that the proposal does not bind companies all along the supply chain to provide credible assurances that their timber is legally sourced, nor does it clearly specify whether source country laws, such as those protecting land tenure rights of local peoples, need to be covered by these assurances. Greenpeace's position is similar to WWF's, that the Comission's package falls short. Regarding the proposed legislation against illegal timber trade, Greenpeace state...
According to the newly-released Eliasch Review, "Climate Change: Financing Global Forests," the international community should enable rainforest countries to halve deforestation by 2020 and make the global forest sector 'carbon neutral' by 2030. The Review also states that reducing emissions from deforestation should be fully included in any post-2012 global climate deal at Copenhagen. Led by the Swedish born businessman Johan Eliasch, CEO since 1995 of sporting goods manufcaturer Head N.V., the Review is an independent report commissioned by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Key findings include: by 2030 global forest loss should be balanced by new forest growth; REDD should be fully included in any post-2012 global climate deal; national governments should develop their own strategies to combat deforestation in forest countries, including establishing baselines, targets and effective governance and distribution of finances; the forest sector should be included in global carbon markets in the long term; public and private sector funding will be needed in the short to medium term as carbon markets grow; and the international community should provide support for capacity building where necessary. Total capacity building costs are estimated at up to $4 billion over 5 years for 40 forest nations. "Saving forests is critical for tackling climate change. Without action on deforestatio...
A new book, "Green Inc.: An Environmental Insider Reveals How a Good Cause Has Gone Bad" by Christine MacDonald (Lyons Press), has been released, claiming that conservation supporters are being "duped by their own leaders." MacDonald, who joined Conservation International in 2006 and left a year later, accuses the leaders of today's most prominent conservation groups of spending their time "globetrotting" with politicians and pop culture celebrities. MacDonald accuses Conservation International's CEO Peter Seligmann of using his corporate credit card to pay for private meals and other expenses and of using the nonprofit's funds to pay for a vacation in Africa. Retailers claiming green policies and sustainable merchandise such as IKEA and Wal-Mart are accused of selling wood products implicated in the illegal logging trade. Environmental groups such as The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International are criticized for routinely partnering with oil, gas, power and mining companies, welcoming their money and their executives as board members. A number of environmental groups are slammed for financial support and praise received from corporate giants including General Electric, Eastman Kodak, ExxonMobil, Nissan, and Dow Chemical, which are ranked among the worst corporate air polluters in the U.S. In her book, MacDonald also delves into the "double lives"...
The British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range released a new booklet encouraging consumers to view the forest industry as one producing renewable, climate-friendly products. "Climate change is the biggest opportunity our forest sector has ever seen," Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell when announcing the booklet, "Tackle Climate Change, Use Wood," jointly produced by BC's Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd., the Forest Products Association of Canada, and the BC Forestry Climate Change Working Group. "Whether it is using wood waste for bioenergy, generating carbon credits from intensive silviculture, or expanding the use of wood in construction, we need to send a clear message around the world that BC's forests are an integral part of solving this global challenge." Several leading environmental groups promptly reacted to the release of the booklet, criticizing the BC government for publishing it, and stating it should rather be promoting forest protection, not use, as an effective climate change strategy. The NGOs -- David Suzuki Foundation, ForestEthics, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Pembina Institute, and BC Spaces -- take issue with the booklet's over-simplification of the forest industry's role in climate change. ForestEthics' Merran Smith noted that "the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has prioritized protection of forests as the most effec...
Norway has announced that it will contribute up to USD $1-billion to reduce deforestation in the Amazon from now until 2015. The agreement was signed during a meeting between Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, making Norway the first contributor to the Amazon Fund. Norway, a country of less than 5 million inhabitants (half the population of a province like Quebec, or a country such as Belgium), is thereby making the largest financial pledge ever of any industrialized countries to curb deforestation. The final size of Norway's contribution, which will go to President Lula's major campaign against deforestation, will depend on how successful Brazil will be in reducing deforestation. Norway's contribution to the Amazon Fund is part of the federal government's climate and forest program, launched by PM Stoltenberg at the December 2007 UN climate conference in Bali. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions due to deforestation and forest deterioration are among the quickest and most cost-effective climate efforts. In 2008, Norway will contribute about USD $20-million to the Amazon Fund, and contributions for 2009 will increase to an estimated $120-million. "Efforts against deforestation may give us the largest, quickest and cheapest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Norway has to reduce its own emissions, and at the same...
Researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) released results of a new study which shows that in the vast majority of cases it makes more economic sense to conserve forests than it does to cut them down. The sophisticated study used computer modeling to assess three different conservation scenarios in old-growth forests near Vancouver that are home to highly endangered northern spotted owls. One scenario of present-day, relatively low levels of forest conservation was used alongside two future scenarios, each involving more forest conservation and less logging. The researchers found that when a conventional, narrowly focused valuation of forests is broadened to assess the value of forests as carbon storehouses, recreation sites and sources of products other than timber - wild mushrooms, for example - increased conservation wins out over logging in most cases. 72 of the 81 scenarios studied showed higher economic returns through increased conservation and less logging when compared to current levels. Additionally, in the nine cases where status quo logging appears to have a slight economic edge, this only holds if log prices do not fall and if little value is given to the role that forests play in capturing carbon from the atmosphere. "We see clear evidence that conserving these forests is economically worthwhile," said lead author Duncan Knowler, associate professor at SFU's Sc...
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has opened a 30-day public comment period for proposed changes in how the LEED Green Building Rating System awards points for the use of certified wood. The proposed credit language focuses on transparency, with requirements that any forest certification scheme must meet in order to be LEED-recognized. Currently, only FSC-certified wood products are eligible for LEED credits. This benchmark for certification programs includes governance, technical and standards and substance, accreditation and auditing, and chain-of-custody and labeling. "The proposed evolution of the certified wood credit in LEED will help focus the forest certification conversation on outcomes and performance," said Brendan Owens, Vice President of LEED Technical Development. USGBC began the process of re-examining the wood certification in 2006, when its Board of Directors charged the Steering Committee back in mid-2006 to study the question and propose revised credit language if appropriate. Even as of January 2008, the LEED for Homes Rating System saw only FSC receive credit. Meanwhile, as Forest News Watch previously reported, various forest industry associations lobbied the U.S. Green Building Council to get SFI and other PEFC-endorsed certification systems to be recognized. USGBC has admitted in the past that it was due to forest industry associations' pressure th...
Clayoquot Sound, near Tofino on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, is threatened once again, according to environmentalists. Exploratory mineral drilling is currently underway on Catface Mountain; logging activities, a proposed run of river hydro project, and salmon farming are among the other existing and potential threats to the intact valleys of the Sound. Local NGO Friends of Clayoquot Sound (FOCS) is organizing a weekend rally in Tofino on 2 August to protest these activities and bring Clayoquot back to the forefront of Canadians' minds. Activities in Clayoquot were heavily scrutinized in the early 1990s, when the conflict between the forest industry and environmentalists exploded after the 1993 "Clayoquot Land Use Decision," in which the BC government permitted the logging of the majority of the area's old-growth forests. Nearly 13,000 protestors engaged in a massive campaign of peaceful civil disobedience and blockades, the largest act of peaceful civil disobedience in Canadian history. In 2000, Clayoquot Sound was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Now with the new threats of logging and mining, numerous organizations including FOCS, ForestEthics, and Greenpeace are mobilizing activists with hopes of influencing governments and consumers around the world to avoid any products sourced from Clayoquot. According to an article in the Westcoaster, environmentalist...
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