350 Asia-Pacific-Australia

Summaries:

—-In India, in Haryana, 19,600 hectares of plantation was recently established. There is a national goal of 35-35 millions new acres in plantation. No mention of the problems with plantations in terms of biodiversity / water consumption (17). Forests of Saranda are being converted into eco-tour destinations despite issues of the land being a recent hotbed of Maoist activities (18). In N. Bengal a business man tours on a motorcycle to speak for and distribute trees (19). —-In Nepal a policy of shifting resource rights to the people via community forests is promoted despite governments resistance to honor such claims (20). Also in Nepal another article places the blame of deforestation on the landless peasants who have wreaked havoc on the Community forests in Bardiya (21).

—-In Vietnam, there has been an order to preserve biodiversity via a network of 126 special-use forests covering a total of 2.5 million hectares, which includes previously designated national parks and conservation areas (22). —-In Japan the Yamagata Prefectural Forest Research and Instruction Center is battling oak die off caused by an ambrosia beetle. With as much as 1800 hectares infected they’ve focused on using phermones instead of pesticide to battle the beetle (23). —-In Papua New Guinea new satellite data shows their forests are no longer a pristine outlier and instead their forests are being deforested just as fast as the rest of the world (24) —-In Malaysia’s Sabah a month long Rainforest Flora and Fauna Festival is being planned for August at the rainforest discovery center. This center is part of the 4,294ha Kabili Sepilok virgin forest reserve (25). Malaysia is hoping to be at the center of Kyoto re-negotiations in terms of earning carbon credits for its plantation systems, which are known to destroys primary rainforests (26). —-Likewise in New Zealand statements of working with Malaysia to combat illegal logging, as well as marketing fast growing plantation products was announced (27).

—-In Australia the Tasmanian premier Paul Lennon suddenly resigned in alleged reaction of an opinion poll that show his popularity has dropped to 17% (28). Doubt about emissions offsetting opportunities in Papua New Guinea may derail Australia’s plan to protect other countries forests instead of their own (29). Logging of Australia’s last native forests gets the gov’s greenwashed seal of approval (30).

Articles:

India:

17) In Haryana, an area of more than 19,600 hectares has been brought under plantation at a cost of Rs 43 crore during the tenth Five Year Plan with the help of 20 Forest Development Agencies (FDAs). This was revealed at a day long workshop on implementation of National Afforestation Programme (NAP) held at Pinjore on Saturday where strees was laid on active involvement of women in joint management of forests. The workshop was organised under the aegis of Haryana Forest Department and Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC). It was sponsored by National Afforestation and Eco- development Board (NAEB). The main objective of the workshop was to share experience regarding the NAP, which was conceptualised in the tenth Five Year Plan and aims at improving forest resources in the country, according to an official release here. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, J K Rawat delivered the keynote address. He said that National FOrest Policy 1988 envisages 33 per cent forest and tree cover. For achieving the goal of National Forest Policy, about 30-35 million hectares of plantation is needed. Out of this, only five million can be done in forest areas. “This means we must explore areas outside forests for plantations. Panchayat land and institutional land should be brought under plantation and more thrust should be give to Agro- forestry. Women should be actively involved in Joint Forest Management,” he said. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200805311521.htm

18) The bustling forests of Saranda could regain its stature as a nature lover’s paradise if the state forest department is able to unveil an array of exciting adventure tourism packages including treks, rock climbing and river rafting. Scarred by its reputation of being a hotbed of Maoist activity till recently, Saranda, the forest department believed, was now ready for tourism if it was introduced in a planned manner to revive the old world charm of the forests, barely 100 km from the steel city.“Saranda’s charm and potential to attract tourists has pushed us to plan adventure tourism with special travel packages,” said a forester. Spread over 850sqkm, Saranda is a storehouse of plant and animal life, besides innumerable mountains and hills. Two rivers — Karo and Koina — snake through the jungle, making it an apt get-away destination for the city-bred tourist. Speaking to The Telegraph over phone, divisional forest officer (DFO), S.R. Natesh said as of now they were planning to launch rafting and motor boating in Karo and Koina rivers. “As the two rivers pass through the dense jungle, the idea is sure to click among those who love the outdoors, especially those who are fond of adventure in the woods,” he added. Other avenues for adventure would be rock-climbing at the various mountains in the forests of Saranda and nearby Kiriburu. “There are several rock formations in the vast Saranda forests, and rock-climbing is a viable plan to attract tourists,” said Natesh. Long before it was virtually taken over by Maoists, Saranda — in West Singhbhum district — was home to a number of exquisite guest houses built by the British. But almost all of them were destroyed by the Maoists during anti-insurgency operations in 2002. During the strike against Maoists, who had set foot in the tropical saal forests in the late ‘90s, police and paramilitary forces used to camp at the guest houses. Hence, these became targets of the Maoists. “Those who are aware of these guest houses, for instance the one at Thalkobad, still call us only to be told that they don’t exist anymore,” said the DFO. “Of late, we have been flooded with calls from within and outside the country. Eventually, we adopted a plan for adventure tourism,” he added. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080531/jsp/jharkhand/story_9345000.jsp

19) a businessman from Nadia has embarked on a ‘green mission’ on motorcycle. Krishnendu Biswas, 45, would travel around 10,000 kilometres for the next two weeks on his Hero Honda – Karisma motor cycle, traveling extensively the hilly terrains of North Bengal before entering Bhutan where his journey concludes at Punakha. Accompanied by friend Barun Saha as pillion rider, Biswas left for Siliguri on Sunday morning with the slogan ‘save world, nature and green’. “I am really concerned and do not bother how much I spent for such an initiative”, he said. During the journey he would distribute saplings among children. “On my way I would try to stop at as many schools as possible and meet the kids to distribute saplings so that they are encouraged to save trees and understand the necessity of afforestation,” said Biswas. He has also planned special programs on June 5, the world environment day. Biswas, who undertook a similar journey in 2007 has preferred the hilly North Bengal districts this time because he thinks that the entire region is fast loosing its colour at the cost of development. “Like green arable lands in South Bengal districts, the tea gardens in the North Bengal have now become the target,” he said adding that the recent trend of development in the state has told upon the nature. http://howrah.org/West-Bengal/14740.html

Nepal:

20) 15 thousand community forest users have been protecting about 1.2 million hectares of forest while over 3.8 million hectares of forest is under government control. Forest activist Narayan Kaji Shrestha also pointed out the need to hand over conservation rights to people. “Nepalese people must be given the responsibility for conserving the natural resources. Besides forest, wildlife and herbs conservation rights should be shifted to people,” Shrestha said. Nepal’s community forest is noted in the world for its participatory forest conservation model. But the government is not promoting it as expected by forest activists. Talking with The Rising Nepal on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of the Federation, Pandey lamented that the hand over over 6,000 community forests in Terai and inner Terai was pending in various District Forest Offices since last year depriving users from their rights to protect and utilise the resources. Forest Ministry’s inaction contravenes the stipulated forest regulations that require the handing over of community forests to the user groups. “The District Forest Offices have been rejecting the call of user groups to hand over the community forests. The local government officials have reportedly been turning down the work plans of consumers for the management of the forests,” Pandey said. He noted then Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Matrika Prasad Yadav had directed the district level forest officials not to accept new applications for registration of community forest user groups and also endorse the work plan they put forward. Minister Yadav has returned to the same position but the problem is yet to be sorted out. According to him, the consumers of Chitwan, Rupendehi, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Kailali and Dang districts have been bearing the problem of forest encroachment. An official at FECOFUN said 1,500 community forests had been waiting to get a final clearance while 5,000 others were preparing their work plan for fresh registrations. He blamed the government of trying to maintain status quo in the conservation of forests thereby leading to widespread encroachments and misuse of the forests in the Terai and inner Terai regions. Dr. Keshav Kanel, Director General of the Forest Department, also accepts the fact that thousands of community forests had not been handed over to consumers. “The DFOs are not willing to give legal status to the new community forest user groups. We, being the civil servants of Nepal government, must follow the instructions given by the concerned minister,” Kanel said. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/detail.php?article_id=1113&cat_id=4

21) Forest encroachment and deforestation has been speedy and rampant in five community forests of Bardiya district recently. The freed Kamaiyas, the landless and those making houses and selling woods have been making it expeditious since even before the CA election. Making of huts has been continued in the community forest of Ramjanaki of Bangodi of Deuthakala of the district and settlements have been sprung up in community forests including in the Progressive Women’s Community Forest. The encroachers have felled thousands of trees in this connection. The villagers had been conserving for years in the Baniyabhar’s Women Jagriti Community Forest and 2,000 trees have been felled in the name of landless. The red card holding freed Kamaiyas and landless have been encroaching the forests after they were not given land. When I was alone I was a Kamaiya and lived in other’s house, but now I have my children, said Mina Chaudhary settling in the women’s community forest of Deuthakala- 3. For the children, I need land and have been settling in the forest by clearing the forest for the past four months, she said. Those encroachers are not in favour of going to other places leaving the forest. They said they will only leave if the government shows them an alternative. One thousand hectares of community forests of Bardiya and five hundred hectares of national forest area have been encroached, said Community Forest Users Federation Chairman Mohammad Kar Khan, adding the problem is being grave as the District Forest Office, administration and police are silent spectators to it. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/detail.php?article_id=1181&cat_id=8

Vietnam:

22) Vietnam now has established a network of 126 special-use forests (SUFs) covering a combined area of 2.5 million ha, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The SUFs include national parks, nature reserves and landscape conservation areas, accounting for 7.6 per cent of the nation’s total land area. Of them, 28 are national parks, covering more than one million ha, the ministry says. Forest cover has also increased significantly, from 27.2 per cent to nearly 40 per cent. International environment organizations found the protected areas to meet the necessary requirements to conserve the country’s current biological diversity. Many SUFs were recognized as examples of the world’s natural heritage. The ministry says the results were partially due to the Management Strategy for a System of Protected Areas by 2010, adopted by the Government in 2003. Under the plan, for the past five years funding from official development assistance (ODA) sources and from the State budget has been used to protect biological diversity. Investments from the ODA sources alone raised from less than US$10 million in the early years of the strategy to over $20 million a year in recent years. Viet Nam is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, and is considered a high priority for global conservation. Its natural ecosystems include a rich variety of beautiful and productive forest types, marshes, rivers and coral reefs. Together they support nearly 10 per cent of the world’s mammal and bird species. http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01ENV310508

Japan:

23) A research group will launch an experiment in storm-damaged forests in Yamagata Prefecture this month with the aim of using artificial pheromones to exterminate insects that cause oak wilt. Mass die-offs of oak trees caused by the ambrosia beetle (Platypus quercivorus) has become an increasing problem in the nation’s forests. Oak trees are an integral part of the nation’s hardwood forests. In 1997, cases of wilting oak trees were confirmed in 12 prefectures. However, this had spread to 22 prefectures in 2007. The group is hoping the experiment will be successful as it is concerned that wilted oak trees will adversely affect the forest’s condition and thus animals’ ecosystems. Oak wilt is a disease that occurs when a tree’s internal water conducting system is disrupted by a fungus, Raffaelea quercivora, which produces yeast that acts as the sole food source for adult beetles or larvae. The disease is generally treated by injecting pesticides into the trunk of a wilted tree. However, the increasing prevalence of the disease means there is no effective way of controlling the pest on a large scale. The research group, including the Yamagata Prefectural Forest Research and Instruction Center, which was formed in 2005, has been studying the pheromones secreted by male beetles that attract females. The group has managed to artificially reproduce the pheromones, which it then uses on a single “lure” tree. In one experiment, the pheromones lured 2,000 beetles from within a radius of up to 300 meters. The group plans to use the artificial pheromones in combination with pesticide. According to the Forestry Agency, a total of about 800 to 1,800 hectares of trees have been affected over the past several years, with the damage being particularly acute in trees more than 40 to 50 years old. Wilted trees in Kyoto are said to be detracting from the local scenery, and the disease is also said to have appeared in trees on Yakushima island, Kagoshima Prefecture. Experts are concerned that oak wilt will lower the water-retention capacity of forests, which has implications for global warming, and will also affect animals that rely on acorns and other nuts. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080601TDY02308.htm

Papua New Guinea:

24) Papua New Guinea is considered by many as one of the last places on the planet with pristine rainforests. While there has been a well-documented pattern of exploitation by the big multinationals, exactly how much forest has been destroyed has been unknown – until now.High resolution satellite imagery taken from 1972 until 2002 has given the most accurate snapshot of previously undetected losses. Phil Shearman from the University of Papua New Guinea (PNG) says the level of destruction is more serious than many had thought. “In a nutshell, over the last 30 years PNG has lost about 15 per cent of its rainforest and had an additional 8 – 9 per cent degraded through industrial logging,” he said. “So overall, over that 30-year period we’ve seen a 24 per cent change in the forest state. The bad news is that it was previously thought that PNG had a very low or non-existent rate of deforestation and degradation. “Our study is making it reasonably clear that’s not the case – indeed PNG is losing its rainforest at rates comparable to that of the Congo, and to that of the Amazon. “PNG is not an outlier in that respect. It’s losing its forests. Its forests are becoming degraded at rates similar to other rainforest nations.” “Perhaps by 2021, something like 80 per cent of the accessible forest will have already been logged so there’s a much shorter time frame than anyone has previously realised.” The data was presented to the PNG Government in Port Moresby today. Until now, it had been relying on statistics collected 20 to 30 years ago. But using this data, Dr Ash says the Government must rethink its policy decisions and capitalise on forest conservation. “If they want to achieve what they say they want to achieve, which is carbon balance or to be a carbon sequestering country rather than a carbon emitting country, then they clearly have to make some radical changes in their policy,” he said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/02/2262808.htm

Malaysia:

25) Sabah’s pristine rainforests will serve as the backdrop for the first ever month-long Malaysian Rainforest Flora and Fauna Festival scheduled to be held here in August next year. Describing Sabah’s forests as an “emerald,” Malaysian Landscape Advisory Panel chairman Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah said it was only appropriate for the inaugural event to be held at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC), some 30km from this east coast town.“What Sabah has is something priceless and we need to showcase it to the world,” said the Prime Minister’s wife after visiting the RDC along with Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi here on Sunday. She said the festival was aimed at creating more awareness among Malaysians and the international community about the beauty, diversity and importance of the nation’s rainforests and the need to preserve them. “We have one of the world’s oldest rainforests and some Malaysians are not even aware of it,” Jeanne said. She said concerns over climate change and global warming and how rainforests could mitigate these environmental problems were sparking concerns about the conservation of these green lungs. The festival was aimed at attracting researchers and various professionals, as well as students and the public, to develop more interest in tropical jungles. She said the Sabah Forestry Department’s 107ha RDC, an environmental education centre that is part of the 4,294ha Kabili Sepilok virgin forest reserve, had “everything and more” to host the biennial festival to be called Hutan Malaysia. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/1/nation/20080601161846&sec=nation

26) Malaysia hoped that it would be rewarded from the developed world for its efforts to preserve forest, a Malaysian official said on Monday. This was an issue that Malaysia would be highlighted in the next renegotiation process of the Kyoto Protocol, Malaysian Plantation Enterprise and Commodities Minister Chin Fah Kui said when he accompanied visiting New Zealand Agricultural Minister Jim Anderton to a development center at Banting near here. Malaysia wanted New Zealand’s support in the renegotiation process, Chin was quoted as saying by Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama. Chin believed that New Zealand, which is also a timber-producing country, would be interested in this issue and the two countries could work together in that area. Anderton said New Zealand would seek Malaysia’s support in the renegotiation in order to have more flexibility in its land usage. Bernama said that New Zealand was also keen to work with Malaysia to fight illegal logging and promote scientific and technological research and development of wood technology. Malaysia was a “colleague” for New Zealand to understand the process of illegal logging in the world market, Anderton was quoted as saying. Anderton also said that cooperation on scientific research in wood technology and applications was mutual benefits for the two countries and New Zealand hoped that there would be exchanges of information and scientists in future between the two sides.

New Zealand:

27) New Zealand is keen to work with Malaysia to combat illegal logging and collaborate in scientific and technological research and development of wood technology, including biofuel from wood waste, its Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton said Monday. “Malaysia is seen as a colleague for New Zealand to understand the process of illegal logging in the internationational market in order to combat the activities which are detrimental not only to the economy but to the well-being of people in this region,” he told reporters during his visit to the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) Fibre & Biocomposite Development Centre at Olak Lempit, Banting, here. Besides combating illegal logging, Malaysia and New Zealand could also work together in scientific research in wood technology and applications in view of higher demand for high quality wood in the future, he said. “We have agreed that there are mutual benefit for New Zealand and Malaysia working cooperatively scientific development, technology development. We have institutions in New Zealand as you do have in Malaysia, specialising in skill training on wood industry, science and technology,” Anderton said. “Hopefully in future there would be exchange of informations and contacts between the two countries as well as the exchange of scientists,” he said. New Zealand was also working on biofuel in view of rising oil prices and was interested to see Malaysian scientists participating in joint research to produce ethanol (biofuel) from wood waste, he added. Anderton said Malaysia and New Zealand would benefit from the expected increase in demand for good quality hardwood worldwide in view of shortage of forest areas. Both countries, he said, have the capability to produce fast-growing timber from reforestaration activities by planting commercial viable species like mahogany in New Zealand and teak, rubberwood and acacia in Malaysia. http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=336867

Australia:

28) Tasmanian Labor Premier Paul Lennon resigned suddenly on May 26, after an opinion poll revealed his popularity had dived to just 17%, and 39% of voters would have preferred Liberal leader Will Hodgman as premier. The Lennon government has been losing support for a long time as a result of a series of corruption scandals that caused the resignation of two deputy premiers, as well as its entrenched support for the unpopular Gunns’ pulp mill in the Tamar Valley. The relationship between the state government and woodchipping company Gunns Ltd was widely seen as being too close, with Gunns accused of having an unacceptable amount of influence over the government. This was typified in a deal made public three weeks ago that guarantees Gunns $15 million of taxpayer-funded compensation if the supply of wood to their pulp mill is restricted as a result of further forest protection by any future government. The new premier, David Bartlett, is relatively new to politics, having only been in parliament for four years, and in the role of deputy premier for six weeks. He voted in favour of the pulp mill when approval for it came before parliament last year, but he is not as enthusiastic about the mill as Lennon was. In an interview on ABC’s Lateline, on May 26 — the same day he was sworn in as premier, Bartlett said about the mill, “Some would say we’ve done more than enough as a government. I believe it’s now firmly up to the company and their financiers to see whether this project goes ahead.” He has ruled out spending $65 million of public money on a pipeline for the mill, which the former premier was considering. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/753/38915

29) Doubt has been cast on Australia’s planned emissions trading scheme by research on Papua New Guinea forests. The research finds PNG may have limited capacity to sell carbon credits to countries such as Australia because it soon may not have much accessible forest left. It finds PNG’s forests are being destroyed considerably faster than previously believed, and 83% of its accessible forests will be destroyed within 13 years if these rates continue. “The current state of forest management and lack of effective governance means that PNG is a long way from being able to meaningfully participate in the carbon economy,” the research concluded. It found that logging in protected areas, such as national parks, was happening at the same rate as in unprotected areas. “Government officials may claim they wish rich countries to pay them for conserving their forests, but if they are allowing multinational timber companies to take everything that’s accessible, all that will be left will be lands that are physically inaccessible to exploitation and would never have been logged anyway,” the report’s lead author, Phil Shearman, of the University of PNG, said. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Government’s principal adviser on greenhouse gas emissions, Professor Ross Garnaut, have held out the prospect of Australian companies financing the protection of PNG forests through buying carbon credits. Professor Garnaut told a conference in Port Moresby yesterday that PNG had the potential to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country, but only if it addressed the threats to its forests. “The first step, and most important, is PNG has to take a decision that it is really serious about effective forest management,” he said. The report, The State of the Forests of Papua New Guinea, took five years. It used high-resolution satellite imagery to compare forest cover in 1972 and 2002. Dr Colin Filer, of the ANU, was critical of the report’s findings. He said it seemed to assume forest regrowth or reforestation had come to a halt. The claim that half of PNG’s forests could be gone by 2021 was a gross exaggeration. The report was prepared by the University of Papua New Guinea and the ANU. http://www.theage.com.au/national/png-forest-logging-threatens-emission-scheme-20080602-2kw3.htm
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30) Logging of Victoria’s native forests has achieved a 94% compliance rate with the State Government’s environmental standards, according to the fifth independent audit of the sector. The Environmental Protection Agency report audited 45 logging coupes, 10% of those harvested in 2006-07. It shows an average coupe score of 94%, up from 87% achieved in the first audit in 2003, and 91% last year. Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said it was a significant industry achievement to improve its performance each year. “Improving environmental performance is an integral part of a world-class forest industry,” he said. Industry and government would continue to focus on improving compliance with the Code of Forest Practices, he said. Field auditing took place in 29 coupes after harvesting; 12 coupes during harvest; three road line coupes totalling 4.8 kilometres; two coupes in Melbourne’s water supply catchments; and in two domestic firewood coupes. An office-based audit of the regeneration of 25 additional coupes and harvesting rates in Melbourne’s water catchments was undertaken. The auditor found that documentation relating to regeneration processes was 81% compliant, with 12 coupes (48%) fully compliant. The audit team observed a number of positive practices. These included marking and protection of wildlife habitat trees, construction of roads and tracks in harvested areas, the protection of reserved areas using buffer strips, and the management of harvest exclusion areas for flora and fauna, and streamside protection. http://business.theage.com.au/94-of-coupes-are-not-out-of-their-trees-20080602-2kwt.html