Brazil approves land tenure law that grants 67 Mill. ha of rainforest to settlers
June 29, 2009: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last week signed a controversial law granting 67.4 million hectares (166 million acres) of Amazon rainforest land to more than 1 million illegal settlers, reports Reuters.
As they do every year, Greenpeace and nongovernmental organizations like “Eyes on the Forest,” which is supported by the WWF and other western environmental groups, have squarely blamed the plantation industry for the seasonal fires in Sumatra.
This generates sympathy for the anti-forestry campaign NGOs have been waging in Indonesia for many years, which pits economic development against the environment.
Carbon Trading Scheme Pushing People off Their Land
MOUNT ELGON, Uganda, Aug 31 (IPS) - With the world’s attention focused on climate change, one of the methods suggested to reduce global carbon emissions is causing the displacement of indigenous persons as western companies rush to invest in tree-planting projects in developing countries.
As part of the programme for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD, see Update 57), Guyana, Panama and Indonesia submitted readiness pr
2009 Nobel prize for economics and forest property
The 2009 Nobel prize for economics recently was awarded to two Americans – Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E. Williamson – for complementary ideas on economic governance.
Environmental group disputes effectiveness of REDD project
A major private-sector project to reduce carbon emissions through forest management in Bolivia is a ‘scam’, environmental group Greenpeace said in a report released earlier this month. The NGO claims that the environmental and social benefits of the initiative have been grossly oversold, although the project sponsors - along with some other green groups - insist that the efforts have been worthwhile.
Forests and indigenous peoples 'left vulnerable in final text'
COPENHAGEN 2009:THE FINAL draft of a deal on curbing carbon emissions from deforestation has been stripped of any real protection for natural forests or indigenous peoples who have looked after them for cen
Environmental and Indigenous Activists Criticize Proposed Deal to Save Rainforests
On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Obama administration would commit $1 billion over the next three years toward a proposed global scheme to preserve tropical forests. It’s called REDD, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. As countries attempt to hammer out a final deal before the end of the summit, Anjali Kamat files a report featuring a range of concerns over what this UN-backed proposal could mean for the future of the world’s rainforests and forest dwellers. [includes rush transcript]
PES, Present, and Future: the Year in Environmental Finance
2009 opened with the formation of a new Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets and closed with a disappointing Copenhagen Accord that nonetheless included provisions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. EM takes a brief look back on the year in PES and the decade it capped off.
A quiet revolution in forests offers hope to the human race.
A documentary about how small-scale carbon trading projects around the developing world are saving forests. The mechanism of forestry carbon trading is dynamically explained, especially how it works on the ground today, how it needs to be made better, and how it is already uplifting communities, stopping forest destruction, and the role new legislation will play in it's evolution.
Calabar — Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has called for the protection of the nation's rainforest, 90 per cent of which he says is in Cross River State and is one of the richest in biodiversity in Africa.
Forestry report urges province to manage carbon storage
Maximizing the carbon stored in B.C.'s forests could provide benefits both economically and environmentally over the long-term, says a new report, Managing B.C.'s Forests for a Cooler Planet.
Study projects increased conflict and speculation in tropical forests despite Copenhagen Accord
LONDON (22 January 2010)—As environmental and political leaders struggle to determine how to move forward from the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, a new report by an international coalition of top forest organizations
Forestry sector needs transparency to reduce risks of REDD
A new project aims to increase transparency in the forestry sector, an area long plagued by corruption and mismanagement.
The Forest Sector Transparency Report Card, launched by Global Witness, an environmental NGO, assesses 70 transparency indicators, evaluating the public availability of land use maps, logging contracts, and other forestry-related information in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Peru. The effort will eventually be expanded to other countries.
Ghana: Cross River inches toward carbon credit facility
An international forestry monitoring group, Nature Conservation Resource Centre (NCRC) has completed an 11- day study tour of the carbon stock of forest projects in Cross River State in line with the state’s agitatio
The need for an effective and low cost forest and biodiversity restoration and rehabilitation methods is now highlighted in the face of climate change and the global phenomenon of rapid loss of forests and biodiversity. An estimated 850 million hectares of degraded forests exist globally.
Forest conservation via REDD may be ineffective without addressing commodity consumption, trade
Commodity trade and urbanization, rather than rural poverty, drive deforestation, reports a new study that looks at the implications for new policy measures to protect forests.
Among the few policy agreements to emerge from December's United Nations climate summit was recognition of the "immediate" need to sequester more greenhouse gases in forests through a mechanism known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD
Keeping more forest or biodiversity with many empty stomachs does not make any sense
Göttingeli Nepalese Society, popularly known as GöNeS, proudly started to introduce the well-known Nepalese academician in Germany who has already set a standard in their respective field.
More Lao forestry officials are taking bribes in exchange for illegal logging concessions.
BANGKOK—The number of forestry officials in Laos charged with taking bribes is increasing despite an ongoing crackdown, according to a top government lawyer.
Several years ago three U.S. companies sank millions of dollars into a forest reserve in southern Brazil to earn credits to cover some of their carbon emissions back in America. How does the scheme work on the ground? Michael Montgomery reports in collaboration with Mark Schapiro.
Ailing forest economy unites first nations and businesses in B.C.'s northwest to create value from low-quality wood. A federation of first nations and independent loggers is forging a new type of forestry in northwestern B.C. by rebuilding their economy from the bottom up.
An isolated First Nations region on the northern British Columbia coast is emerging as a new economic powerhouse, leading the rebirth of the forest industry in that part of the province.
LCDS made significant efforts to comply with FPIC requirements
I wish to refer to Stabroek News front page article under the caption ‘Indigenous leaders call for the hold on LCDS, REDD + projects’ and Kaieteur News article under the caption ‘Amerindian community slam LCDS consultation
THE National Amerindian Development Foundation, the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana and the Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples are baffled by the misleading statements carried in the Stabroek News under caption ‘Indigenous Leaders call for hold on LCDS, REDD+ projects’ published March 10, 2010 and Kaieteur News ‘Amerindian Community slams LCDS consultation’ pg 20, published March 10, 2010.
Amerindian leaders say must not be pressured on low carbon
Indigenous leaders say that they support “in principle” proposals that aim to protect standing forests but said that they must not be pressured into make decisions without full understanding of the implications of such policies.
Indigenous leaders call for hold on LCDS, REDD+ projects
Indigenous leaders are calling on government and international agencies to shelve policies related to projects like the LCDS, REDD+ until free, prior and informed consent guidelines for land use are in place.
Indigenous leaders’ objections to LCDS, REDD+ ‘malicious distortion’
The Office of Climate Change (OCC) last night described the objections by some indigenous leaders to the LCDS and REDD+ policies as “malicious misrepresentations and distortions” and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public on the two policies.
Some Indigenous leaders ‘harassed’ for voicing concerns over LCDS, REDD+ consultations -APA
Some Indigenous leaders, who recently voiced concerns about the scope of government consultations over forest preservation plans, have since been victims of intimidation tactics, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) disclosed yesterday, while maintaining that genuine concerns of communitie
A survey of 78 forestry concessions in Peru found that 46 (59 percent) were in breach of their concession contracts, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).
Monitoring conducted by Peru's Agency for Supervision of Forest Resources and Wildlife (OSINFOR) during 2009 found that many forestry companies were violating their operating plans by overharvesting timber. OSINFOR president Richard Bustamante warned that some concessions could be canceled and firms fined.
Guyana: Indigenous People’s Rights always accorded top priority
MINISTER of Amerindian Affairs, Ms Pauline Sukai says that contrary to opinion in some quarters, the rights of the Indigenous Peoples have always been accorded top priority by the present administration as evinced by its unwavering commitment to addressing various issues affecting the community.
Realising Rights, Protecting Forests: An Alternative Vision for Reducing Deforestation
The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change is a network of southern and northern NGOs representing around 100 civil society and Indigenous Peoples' organizations from 38 countries, formed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Accra, Ghana in 2008.
Hanoi Meeting to Explore Participatory Forest Management
Local communities already help manage over 25% of the world’s forests through what is called Participatory Forest Management (PFM). Tom Blomley, forestry advisor for the Danish government’s international aid agency, DANDA, explores PFM’s successes and shortcomings, and ho
Are thousands of citizens of Masurai Subdistrict, Merangin District guilty if they independently utilize area of HPH (forest concession) which has been abandoned since 15 years ago as public coffee plantations? Regulation and legislation ensure cultivation and utilization of forest areas by th
Pacheedaht First Nation to receive forest revenue returns
Pacheedaht First Nation is the 14th First Nation to sign a new type of agreement that sees a percentage of forestry revenue returned directly to the community, announced Forests, Mines and Lands Minister Pat Bell today.
The World Bank has come under fire for its Inspection Panel’s decision not to investigate its forestry sector programme in Liberia, while new reports from civil society groups add to the backlog of criticism over the Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF).
Struggling Northern forest communities need voice on tenure
April 8 /CNW/ - "By shutting out the North, the Ontario government has just put another nail in the coffin of our province's once-thriving forest sector," says the leader of Ontario's largest forestry union.
Every month we highlight a new, groundbreaking or bestselling IIED research outcome. This month we feature a ground breaking IIED publication Tenure in REDD: Start-point or afterthought?
MEXICO CITY, May 10, 2011 (IPS) - The implementation of a forestry programme against climate change in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas poses a threat to indigenous people in the state, non-governmental organisations warn.
Wet’suwet’en win harvesting injunction against Canfor in B.C.
The British Columbia Supreme Court has granted an injunction which restrains Canadian Forest Products Ltd. (“Canfor”) from engaging in timber harvesting activities within a culturally vital portion of Ilk K’il Bin Territory known as Redtop.
Forests are vital to the livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries, providing on average more than one-fifth of their annual income, according to data presented today at a meeting in London.
Draft Framework for Sharing Approaches for Better Multi-stakeholder Participation Practices
Many countries are beginning to engage stakeholders in domestic REDD+ decision-making processes, often with support from bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental initiatives.
EU: A Review of the Latest Developments in Research, Implementation and Debate
Unclear and/or insecure forest tenure has been identified by many as an indirect driver of deforestation and forest degradation. Consequently, reforming tenure is considered an important measure in order to control deforestation.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city
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.
Forest ownership can significantly improve people’s lives
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 .
ASIA: Indigenous people gain greater forest rights
JAKARTA, 12 July 2011 (IRIN) - More and more Asian governments are giving indigenous people greater control over their natural resources and habitat in a bid to stem deforestation, a new report states.
The process of creating “carbon rights” – ownership of carbon stored in tropical forests – risks excluding the poor and landless who depend on forests if it is not done properly, a new briefing warns.
Mondi to settle KZN land claims over the next two years, posts higher earnings
Paper and packaging group Mondi aims to settle all its land restitution claims in KwaZulu-Natal over the next two years, with 33 claims still outstanding, CEO David Hathorn said on Thursday.
Toshaos agree by majority vote on resolution to fast track Norway forest funds
Amerindian leaders have agreed by majority vote to a resolution calling for the fast-tracking of the institutional requirements for the release of the Norway funds critical to the implementation of projects under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
No group of Amerindians living in voluntary isolation
TOSHAOS and Regional Chairmen of the 10 administrative regions yesterday declared that Guyana does not have any existing group of indigenous people living in isolation. This declaration came following a presentation by Project Coordinator- Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Sharon Austin, on the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) with particular emphasis on indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact.
Forest tenure in Africa and south and southeast Asia: Implications for sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation
Based on recent studies conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on forest tenure systems in Asia and Africa, the paper presents an overview of the present situation, characterized by the predominance of public forests under the direct control and management
The Forest Governance Learning Group brought together 12 experts from India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, and the UN-REDD Programme to discuss how community forestry strengths and shortcomings can influence the further development of REDD+.
World Bank stops funds for Cambodia over evictions
Aug 9 (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Tuesday it had stopped providing loans to Cambodia and would not resume lending until the government did something to help hundreds of families facing eviction from land around a lake in the country's cap
After releasing a report accusing pulp and paper companies of crimes against the environment, Greenpeace has faced mounting pressure from local and religious communities seeking its disbandment.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Indonesian Churches’ Commission (PGI) have said on separate occasions that the government should outlaw the international environmental organization’s office in Indonesia, alleging that the group’s operations have been funded by money from gambling in the Netherlands.
Toshaos agree by majority vote on resolution to fast track Norway forest funds
Amerindian leaders have agreed by majority vote to a resolution calling for the fast-tracking of the institutional requirements for the release of the Norway funds critical to the implementation of projects under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
‘Custom Keepers’ in a district of Kalimantan are calling on the Indonesian president to stop a carbon-offset project in in the customary lands of the Dayak people.
Issue Brief: Land Tenure and REDD+: Risks to Property Rights and Opportunities for Economic Growth
Global climate change threatens to impact the livelihoods of millions of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in profound and unpredictable ways.
In Mayan cosmology, the ceiba tree, with its elephantine, silver-grey trunk that towers above the jungle, is the tree of life, shoring up the corners of the sky and sending its roots deep into the underworld.
REDD Lights: Who Owns the Carbon in Forests and Trees?
This paper argues in favor of the ownership by indigenous peoples and local communities of carbon in forests and trees and that such ownership could be the basis of social accountability that should be mainstreamed in implementing what is popularly known as the REDD-Plus mechanism.
Today, indigenous people across Peru are celebrating President Ollanta Humala’s decision to approve the Prior Consultation Law. This is an important step forward for indigenous rights in the country.
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Rapporteur Highlights Abuses of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Due to Extractive Industries
20 September 2011: The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, addressed the 18th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held from 12-30 September 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland, and presented his report focusing on extractive industries operating within or near ind
The REDD+ lobby would do well to learn the lessons of the Uganda land grab and build transparency, anti-corruption measures, conflict resolution into the system from the start, says Davyth Stewart from Global Witness
Landmark conservation buy gives to indigenous owners
In a landmark, first-of-its kind, acquisition for conservationists a global conservation group has led the purchase of Fish River Station, a former cattle station in the Northern Territory, and is to hand it back to indigenous traditional owners.
GEF Council to adopt revised Environmental and Social Safeguards in November
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) secretariat will propose to the next GEF Council meeting a revised set of Environmental and Social Safeguard Standards and accountability mechanisms that will accompany such standards.
Stop Imminent Land Grab That Threatens More Than 162,000 People in Tanzania
Iowa-based investor Bruce Rastetter and fellow investors in the industrial agricultural corporation AgriSol Energy have their sights on 800,000 acres (325,000 hectares) of land in Tanzania that is
USAID Research and Analysis of Carbon Rights and Institutional Mechanisms for REDD+ Benefit Distribution
While a number of researchers and organizations in the US and internationally have highlighted the potential impacts of mitigation efforts on tenure, there remains minimal information and best practice on how to practically address these issues at the field level.
Pilot Forest Carbon Trust Fund: Rewarding local communities for forest conservation
This is the first Forest Carbon Trust Fund in Nepal, and lessons learnt from this pilot project will be vital for understanding what kind of governance system will be required for implementing REDD+ at the national level when communities are actively involved in forest management.
Peruvian indigenous organizations along with the Forest Peoples Program, an international non-profit that defends the rights of native forest-dwelling peoples, said in a recent report that carbon emission reduction programs tied to the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD, a United Nations-led program, are hurting indigenous rights.
UN forest protection scheme heading in wrong direction
“The outcome on REDD safeguards is a step backwards from what was agreed in Cancun last year, which itself was far short of what could have been agreed in Copenhagen. The provisions for safeguards in forest conservation are being shredded”, says Raja Jarrah, CARE’s Senior Advisor on REDD.
"This is bad news for millions of indigenous people and local communities whose livelihoods depend on forests.”
In this article I wrote for Earth Island Journal earlier this year detailing the fatal flaws of the climate mitigation scheme known as REDD (for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and fo
No one knows for certain when nature first became a commodity, that is, when nature was first divided into discrete units that could be bought and sold. You could argue that it was when the fruits of harvest were first traded for other goods.
Indigenous communities make a list of “do’s and don’ts” for forest conservation schemes
Indigenous and community groups have made a wish-list detailing how schemes that aim to reduce deforestation and forest degradation should work for those living in and amongst the forest.
The 7th February 2012 is a very important date for the communities of the Wapichan people of the South Rupununi in Guyana: on this date, we will present to the national and international communities a m
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