News
Forest loss fight
23 Mai 2013
FIJI is looking at ways it could improve its logging practices so less harm is done to its forests. This was highlighted during the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) plus strategy workshop in Suva last week. "The ...See all stories on this topic »
Reducing deforestation emissions in Cameroon demands variety of expertise
22 Mai 2013
While Cameroon has started to make positive changes to forest management policies, leadership and coordination of state institutions is lacking. Ollivier Girard/CIFOR.
As the world grapples with implementing a U.N.-backed scheme aimed at slowing forest loss and degradation (REDD+), new research from Cameroon shows that the complexity of the scheme demands expertise from a variety of players within and outside government.
“The variety of aspects covered by REDD+ means the Ministry of Environment...
Forest certification body revokes Swiss logging company's certificate over alleged Congo abuses
22 Mai 2013
Mongabay: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a body that certifies forest management practices, has revoked all certificates granted to the Danzer Group, a multinational logging company, over alleged human rights abuses by one of its former subsidiaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reports Bloomberg.
According to a complaint filed by Greenpeace, the subsidiary, Siforco, provided financial and logistical support to Congolese police and military forces in a May 2011 attack...
Plague of deforestation sweeps across south-east Asia
20 Mai 2013
Illegal logging and unchecked economic development are taking a devastating toll on forestsIn 1968, during the six-month siege of Khe Sanh — one of the most bitterly fought battles of the Vietnam War — a special U.S. Air Force outfit flew defoliation missions. Called the Ranch Handers, their motto was: "Only you can prevent a forest."They may not have succeeded in their goal, but rapid development in Vietnam and the surrounding nations of the greater Mekong region is on the way to accomplishing...
Top Indonesian official calls out misinformation in environmental campaign
20 Mai 2013
Indonesia's top REDD+ official confirmed there is no plan to open 1.2 million hectares of forest in Sumatra's Aceh Province, calling into question numbers used by environmentalists in their bid to stop reclassification of the province's forest land.
Vietnam: Forests turn bare, exhausted
20 Mai 2013
The specialists attending the workshop on the land use experience held by CODE, a consultancy institute, and Oxfam on May 12-15 all agreed that the forests in Vietnam are facing too many dangers.
Pham Quang Tu, Deputy Head of CODE, said that he has found many forests which look like forests if seen from outside, but it was stripped bare inside. The natural forest in Huong Khe district of the central province of Ha Tinh, is a typical example.
The reports from relevant ministries...
Myanmar: Forest cover areas reduce to 19% of entire area
20 Mai 2013
Forest cover areas in Myanmar has reduced to by 51,900 square miles (19% of its area), an official from the Forest Department under the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry said.
According to release, forest cover areas in Myanmar have reduced by 46 per cent of its entire areas in recent years. Although illegal loggings have been prevented, the timbers in some wild areas which have difficulty to govern are still produced, a forestry expert said.
“Previously we...
Ministry steps up efforts to increase forest cover in Laos
20 Mai 2013
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vilayvanh Phomkhe has instructed his officials to work closely with local authorities to ensure everything is ready for this year’s tree planting.
The minister issued an order on May 7 ahead of National Tree Planting Day, which falls on June 1. The order aims to bolster government efforts to increase forest cover to 65 percent of the total land area by 2015 and to 70 percent by 2020. District agriculture and forestry officials are asked to...
La pluie, autre bienfait des forêts du bassin du Congo après le stockage du carbone
20 Mai 2013
Sans les vastes forêts du Bassin du Congo, le système de précipitations serait gravement interrompu.
Les réponses au changement climatique se classent en deux grandes catégories : l’atténuation (c’est-à-dire la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre responsables du changement climatique) et l’adaptation (c’est-à-dire l’adaptation des moyens de subsistance et des styles de vie aux effets des changements climatiques). Parmi les stratégies d’adaptation...
Gestion des forêts en Afrique centrale : nous avons bien avancé mais la route est encore longue
20 Mai 2013
Nous avons besoin de voir une augmentation spectaculaire dans les zones gérées correctement au cours des 20 prochaines années, pas un retour à l’exploitation business-as-usual des forêts. Ollivier Girard/CIFOR
Il y a presque 20 ans, lorsque j’étais doctorant-chercheur au sein du programme Tropenbos Cameroun, nous avons accueilli une équipe de chercheurs du CIFOR qui étudiait la gestion durable des forêts en Afrique. L’équipe avait besoin de tester ses critères et indicateurs dans une...