Forestry

SESAOT, Indonesia, Jul 21, 2011 (IPS) - Barbecue fires along the winding trail through the Sesaot forest reserve act as guides for delegates walking to an international forestry conference at a nearby beach resort.

The delicate aroma of skewered dices of meat roasting over open fires wafts over the trail. Women, assisted by their children, are doing brisk business selling the ‘satay’ to the visitors.

A string of recent events indicates that Amazonian deforestation and violence against environmental activists are on the rise.
The Brazilian Congress’s lower house approves a bill that weakens protection of the rainforest—which may explain the drastic increase in deforestation, as land clearers anticipate amnesty for their crimes.

Reforming forest tenure systems and securing forest ownership rights can significantly improve peoples’ livelihoods and enable them to gain income from forest products says a new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report .

Delegates meeting at the 16th UN Climate Change Conference held in Cancún, in December 2010, agreed on a framework for addressing the essential elements needed for comprehensive international action on climate change – the Cancún Agreements.

A public debate about the potential for emerging conservation initiatives to make international forestry fairer for local communities in developing countries will take place at UEA London on 20 July.