Forestry and Development E-News: August 2008
Forestry and Development (F&D) is an online resource on sustainable forestry. It supports commercial forestry as a viable source of economic growth which is compatible with sustainability.
Garnaut backs off forestry in PNG 15 July 2008: The Garnaut Climate Change Review – Australia's answer to the Stern Report – has changed its view of forests in developing countries as an easy source of carbon credits. The Review's recently released draft report flags the potential for a bilateral carbon trading scheme to exist between the two countries. It also states that drivers of forestry-related emissions include "subsistence farming, illegal logging and poor governance" – but the commercial forestry industry was not mentioned. This contrasts heavily with the Garnaut Review's interim report and discussion paper. It confidently stated that PNG's rural population could take cash payments for carbon in lieu of timber revenues from commercial forestry. This contention was made with seemingly little consideration for governance and implementation issues, or even the contribution of the forestry industry to PNG's rural communities. Moreover, the Review had undertaken no quantitative research comparing the value of PNG's forests as carbon or as timber, or what would benefit PNG's rural poor the most. The change is consistent with an emerging developing country position: that forests aid both the climate and development when they are harvested and managed.
World Bank announces REDD recipients 14 July 2008: The World Bank has announced its first round of REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) funding under its Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. The Bank has given funding to 14 developing countries in total: six in Africa (the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar); five in Latin America (Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, Panama); and three in Asia (Nepal, Lao PDR, Vietnam). Indonesia, Brazil and Papua New Guinea - often portrayed by NGOs as the world's deforestation 'hotspots' - were absent from the applicant list. In a press interview, Benoit Bosquet of the World Bank's carbon finance unit conceded that, without the participation of Brazil and Indonesia, forest-based emissions would not be reduced substantially. However, he also expected both countries to apply for funding within the next 12 months. SGS-FSC moratorium being beaten up by Greens 21 July 2008: The recent moratorium on new FSC certification assessments by Swiss-based auditors SGS has been beaten up by Green groups. The moratorium introduced by SGS was prompted by a shortage of qualified assessors to undertake new certification activity. However, Green groups - including World Rainforest Movement and FSC-Watch - have attempted to use the moratorium to discredit certification activities by SGS. Green groups have long objected to FSC and SGS certification of plantation forests and have lobbied FSC as such. Greens have also lobbied against certification of FSC-compliant companies that aren't in tune with the Greens' conservation agenda, such as Veracel and Asia Pulp and Paper. This puts FSC in a perilous business position. On the one hand, it claims to offer a business-to-business service but, on the other, is also coming under pressure from Green NGOs when it certifies a company that Greens dislike.	WWF trots out the 'usual suspects' for the EU 27 July 2008: WWF has been using old and discredited data in its efforts to lobby the EU Government ahead of proposed new EU legislation on the import of illegal timber products. A WWF report released in late July claimed that almost 20 per cent of all timber imports to the EU are from illegally-sourced timber. But the numbers used to derive this figure are from sources that have previously been discredited in numerous international forums. For example, the figure for illegal timber from PNG - 70 per cent - is sourced from a Seneca Creek report estimate that was applied to the entire Asia-Pacific region without any research on compliance or timber flows. The figure for Malaysia was sourced from an Australian Institute of Criminology report which had a formal complaint lodged against it by the PNG Forest Industry Association. The EU was due to publish a legislative proposal on illegally logged timber products in July; it has now been pushed back to September. Green NGOs are likely to step up their activity in the meantime. RH gains CDM certificate 30 July 2008: Malaysian-based forestry company Rimbunan Hijau has launched a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project for a new business operation in Sarawak. The project uses a 'biodigester' that traps methane from vegetable and plant waste. The methane can then be used for electricity generation. According to news reports, the project will trap more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. The company plans to invest more than $100 million in CDM projects in the near future. Also on Forestry and Development News > About F&D > Contact Us >
You have permission to forward this email newsletter to other interested persons provided it is passed on in its entirety. Forestry & Development E-News is published monthly by ITS Global (http://www.itsglobal.net/). ITS Global are accredited assessors for the International Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) Questions and feedback can be sent to forestrydevel@bigpond.com If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click here. © 2008. All rights reserved | Forestry & Development Website | Contact |