Posts Tagged ‘Protection’
Prince of Wales’ fish protection plan welcomed
Posted by admin on February 4th, 2012
Government Delay, Drought Prompts Renewed Push for Protection of Klamath River Chinook Salmon
Posted by admin on February 2nd, 2012
PORTLAND, Ore.— Conservation groups filed a formal notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service Wednesday for failing to decide, as legally required, whether upper Klamath River chinook salmon deserve protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. In response to a January 28, 2011 petition from the groups, the Fisheries Service determined in April 2011 that the salmon may warrant protection and began a status review that was supposed to be completed within one year of the petition. The petition review comes at a perilous time for Klamath salmon as fears of a major drought linger.
“Klamath River chinook have suffered severe declines in the face of a century of dam building, logging, hatcheries, massive water withdrawal and pollution,” said Noah Greenwald at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These magnificent fish need Endangered Species Act protection if they’re going to have any chance at survival and recovery. We very much hope protection will be provided in the next 60 days so we won’t have to file suit.”
The groups’ petition requested protection first and foremost for spring-run chinook, once the most abundant run of Klamath chinook but nearing extinction. Biologists now count just 300 to 3,000 wild-spawning spring chinook each year. These fish are marvels of evolution, living most of their lives in the Pacific Ocean to return to the river in spring with enough fat reserves to survive, without eating, until spawning time in early fall. They are prized as one of the best-tasting salmon species and have historically been the most economically important Klamath fish.
“We’ve seen chinook numbers dwindle to the point of crisis and with a looming drought year, we can’t wait any longer to figure out a plan to make sure these fish don’t go extinct,” said Steve Pederey with Oregon Wild.
The Klamath Basin was once the third-largest producer of salmon and steelhead on the West Coast, but now produces fewer and fewer wild fish as a result of dams, habitat degradation and other factors. Overall, at least 300 miles of spawning habitat in the Klamath Basin have been made inaccessible by dams. Because of declines in the overall numbers of returning wild chinook, the petition also asked the Fisheries Service to consider protecting wild fall-run chinook.
“Chinook salmon are essential for sustaining wildlife and cultures in the Klamath Basin,” said Andrew Orahoske of the Environmental Protection Information Center. “These amazing salmon are a vital, life-giving force to river communities and deserve to be protected for future generations.”
River management has exacerbated the chinook’s plight. In fall 2002, Klamath River chinook suffered one of the worst fish kills in Northwest history when as many as 70,000 adult salmon died before spawning. Excessive water withdrawals, primarily from the federally run Klamath Irrigation Project, resulted in low flows and warm water temperatures that allowed disease to develop and spread quickly. Continued low flows and warm temperatures are key drivers of an ongoing disease crisis in the river that has sharply reduced survival of juvenile wild fish on their way to the ocean.
The federal delay in reviewing the Endangered Species Act petition for Klamath chinook comes at a dangerous time. Lower than normal snowpack in the region’s mountains has prompted worries that the water year could be even worse than the drought that precipitated the 2002 fish kill. The petitioners are hopeful that Endangered Species Act protections can help to shield Klamath chinook from the potentially disastrous effects of low river flows.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, Environmental Protection Information Center and The Larch Company filed the notice of intent.
Contact Info: Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495
Steve Pederey, Oregon Wild, (503) 283-6343 x 212
Andrew Orahoske, EPIC, (707) 822-7711
Website : Center for Biological Diversity
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Lawsuit Seeks Endangered Species Act Protection for Alabama Shad
Posted by admin on January 19th, 2012
WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service Wednesday over its denial of Endangered Species Act protection to the Alabama shad. The shad was once so abundant that it supported commercial fisheries in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Iowa, but because of a combination of dams, pollution and habitat destruction is now rarely found in most of its former range.
“There’s no question the Alabama shad has suffered dramatic declines and needs Endangered Species Act protection to survive,” said Tierra Curry, conservation biologist with the Center. “The Endangered Species Act has a 99 percent success rate at saving species from extinction, but before the law can pull an animal back from the brink, the species has to be given threatened or endangered status. The shad should be granted that status.”
The Alabama shad once occurred in rivers from Florida to Oklahoma, but today only a handful of populations survives. The shad’s decline is typical of many freshwater animals in the Southeast, where longstanding abuse and neglect of the region’s waterways have led to the imperilment of hundreds of species in what is widely recognized as a region of unparalleled freshwater biodiversity.
In 2010 the Center petitioned for Endangered Species Act protection for 404 species dependent on southeastern rivers and streams, including the shad. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently issued a positive initial finding on 374 of these species, meaning they will all get a status review to determine if protection is warranted. For the shad, however, the National Marine Fisheries Service rejected protection even before a status review was conducted.
“The Fisheries Service has recognized threats to the shad since at least 1997, yet refused to even conduct a formal status review of the rare fish,” said Curry. “Endangered Species Act protection for the shad could restore a commercial fishery and help restore the region’s rivers — which would benefit people as well as the shad.”
The shad was recognized as a candidate for protection by the Fisheries Service in 1997. It was switched to a “species of concern” in 2004, at which time the Fisheries Service said it would conduct a status review, which has yet to occur.
Alabama shad spend most of their six-year life in the ocean, returning to freshwater rivers to breed. Juvenile shad remain in fresh water for the first six to eight months of their lives, feeding on small fishes and invertebrates. Populations of the shad are thought to remain in the Apalachicola River, Fla.; the Choctawhatchee and Conecuh rivers, Ala.; the Pascagoula River, Miss.; the Ouachita River, Ark.; and the Missouri, Gasconade, Osage and Meramec rivers, Mo.
Learn more about our campaign to stop the Southeast freshwater extinction crisis here: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/1000_species/the_southeast_freshwater_extinction_crisis/index.html
Contact Info: Tierra Curry, (928) 522-3681
Website : Center for Biological Diversity
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and DTSC Broaden California’s Push for Safer Consumer Products through Key Alliance (CA)
Posted by admin on January 12th, 2012
Release Date: 01/12/2012
Contact Information: EPA – Margot Perez-Sullivan, (415) 328-1676, [email protected], CA DTSC – Contact: Jim Marxen,
(916) 869-5056, [email protected]
(01/12/12) SAN LEANDRO, CA – Consumers will see added momentum in California’s groundbreaking push for safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in everyday products following the signing of a landmark agreement today by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
This formal agreement outlines principles by which DTSC and U.S. EPA will cooperate to reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products, create new business opportunities in the emerging safer consumer products economy, and reduce the burden on consumers and businesses struggling to identify what’s in the products they buy for their families and customers.
The U.S. EPA is a leader in performing scientific evaluations that lead to safer alternatives. The Agency promotes the research, development and implementation of innovative chemical technologies that accomplish pollution prevention in a scientifically sound and cost-effective manner. To accomplish these goals, the Green Chemistry Program recognizes and supports chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances during the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products and processes.
This agreement will allow DTSC and U.S. EPA to minimize duplication of effort and promote consistency in our methodology, which will ultimately improve environmental protection. The agreement also creates a partnership between the two agencies and sets up a framework to collaborate on Green Chemistry issues so that California’s innovative “Green Chemistry” program can grow.
“This is a major step in protecting Californians from unnecessary chemicals in everyday consumer products,” said DTSC’s Director Debbie Raphael. “The innovative spirit of this partnership also signals that government agencies can pool resources in a challenging fiscal environment to better serve the public,” she said.
“Collaborating with agencies like DTSC allows the tools and research created by the EPA to be put into practice and be used to protect human health and the environment,” said Jared Blumenfeld, U.S. EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.
The U.S. EPA’s Green Chemistry Program supports fundamental research in the area of environmentally benign chemistry as well as a variety of educational activities, international activities, conferences and meetings, and tool development, all through voluntary partnerships with academia, industry, other government agencies and non-government organizations.
“This partnership will build and harmonize common tools and practices used to conduct alternative assessments to promote safer products,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “These alternative assessments inform and speed the adoption of safer chemicals for use in products, homes, schools, and workplaces, which produce significant environmental and economic benefits.”
DTSC and U.S. EPA signed the agreement in a ceremony at California’s Kaiser Permanente Sidney R. Garfield Health Care Innovation Center in San Leandro. Kaiser Permanente is nationally recognized as an industry leader in safer products, using its purchasing power and a sustainability scorecard to press suppliers for safer chemicals in medical products.
“We spend billions of dollars every year on products. Yet despite that leverage we suffer the same problems that individual consumers face as they try to buy products that don’t contain harmful chemicals,” said Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente’s vice president for employee safety, health and wellness and environmental stewardship officer. “We want to shift the burden of assessing what is safe from downstream users like us to upstream manufacturers.”
The agreement represents a major advance for Californians looking to buy safer children’s toys, personal care products, household cleaners and other products. By shifting the question of an ingredient’s toxicity to the product development stage, concerns raised by Kaiser Permanente and other consumers can be addressed early on. The approach results in safer ingredients, and provides an opportunity for California industry to once again demonstrate its innovative spirit by making products that meet consumer demand throughout the world.
DTSC’s informal draft Safer Consumer Products Regulations, scheduled to be finalized in 2012, will require manufacturers of selected products sold in California to identify safer alternatives to a potential range of 3,000 chemicals known to be harmful to public health and the environment.
DTSC expects to release its draft Safer Consumer Products Regulations in early 2012 for public comment. The Regulations are a cornerstone of California’s landmark Green Chemistry Initiative signed into law in 2008.
# # #
FOR GENERAL INQUIRIES: Contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control by phone at (800) 728-6942 or visit www.dtsc.ca.gov. To report illegal handling, discharge, or disposal of hazardous waste, call the Waste Alert Hotline at (800) 698-6942.
For an e-media kit please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/greenchem
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Rare Glacier National Park Insect, Threatened by Melting Glaciers, Moves Closer to Federal Protection
Posted by admin on December 20th, 2011
Glacier National Park, Mont.— In response to a scientific petition from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined on Friday that the western glacier stonefly, an aquatic insect facing extinction from accelerated glacial melt spurred by climate change, may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The stonefly, known from only five small streams on the east side of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, is dependent on extremely cold glacial meltwater for its survival. The park’s glaciers are predicted to disappear as early as 2030 as a result of climate change, and with them this unique invertebrate.
“Without major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, researchers predict that more than one-third of all plants and animals will go extinct by 2050,” said Sarah Foltz Jordan, a conservation associate with The Xerces Society. “This species is just one more example of why we need to address climate change before it is too late.”
Since 1900, the mean annual temperature in Glacier National Park has increased by about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit — nearly two times the global mean temperature increase. Of the estimated 150 glaciers in the park in 1850, only 25 currently remain, and these are continuing to shrink.
“The loss of glaciers in Glacier National Park makes clear that climate change is happening now,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The impending loss of the western glacier stonefly is a harbinger of change that will result in the loss of millions of species, disruption of food production, loss of water storage in mountain glaciers, flooding of coastal areas and other impacts that threaten our very way of life.”
The Fish and Wildlife Service will now conduct a status review of the stonefly to determine if protection is warranted. One goal of the status review is to determine that the stonefly, which has not been collected since 1979, still survives.
Stoneflies are excellent indicators of the health of their freshwater habitats. Extremely sensitive to changes in water quality, they are among the first organisms to disappear from degraded rivers and streams and play a significant role in many aquatic ecosystems, decomposing leaves and other organic material and forming the base of the food chain. Fly fishers have long recognized the important role stoneflies play in providing nutrients for fish. Despite their importance, these insects are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in North America: More than 40 percent of all stoneflies are vulnerable to extinction.
To learn more about the western glacier stonefly, go to: http://www.xerces.org/western-glacier-stonefly/
Contact Info: Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces Society, (503) 449-3792
Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495
Website : Center for Biological Diversity
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New Study: 75 Percent of Imperiled U.S. Animals Lack Protection of Endangered Species Act
Posted by admin on December 16th, 2011
PORTLAND, Ore.— A study published in the international journal Conservation Letters this month found that nearly 75 percent of U.S. animals, or about 531 species, that are classified as imperiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature are not protected under the Endangered Species Act. The study highlights the need for more funding for the Act as well as an expedited protection process.
“Our study found that hundreds of imperiled animals are not receiving the protection they need to survive,” said Bert Harris, lead author of the study and a graduate student at the University of Adelaide in Australia. “The Endangered Species Act is the world’s most effective law for saving species, but it can only work if species are protected as threatened or endangered.”
Many of the animals identified in the study have been under consideration for protection for years, but got caught in a large backlog of species needing protection at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under a settlement agreement reached in July between the agency and the Center for Biological Diversity, many of these species will get protection decisions in the next five years, including the Gunnison sage grouse, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Florida bonneted bat, Kittlitz’s murrelet, Jollyville plateau salamander and Oregon spotted frog.
“Our settlement agreement is a good first step toward protecting animals that desperately need the lifeline of the Endangered Species Act,” said Noah Greenwald, the Center’s endangered species director. “But even with our settlement, this study shows, there are hundreds of species not even being considered for protection under the Act. It would be a tragedy if America’s incredible heritage of native wildlife vanished from the Earth just because we were too cheap and bureaucratic to protect it.”
In total, the study identified 18 mammals, 25 birds, 44 amphibians and 444 invertebrates that are considered imperiled by IUCN — the foremost international authority on the conservation status of animals and plants — and may need protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Contact Info: Bert Harris, 61 451852859, [email protected]
Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495
Website : Center for Biological Diversity
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Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) demande des faits et non de la fiction en matière de protection des forêts
Posted by admin on December 14th, 2011
PARIS–()–Le groupe Asia
Pulp & Paper (APP) a invité l’organisation internationale WWF
à prendre ses distances avec une étude de terrain publiée par l’ONG « Eyes
on the Forest » (EOF), basée à Sumatra, qui avance des allégations
« clairement erronées » sur les activités d’APP.
« les zones de protection de la faune »
Le WWF a publié et promu un nouveau rapport EOF alléguant que Asia Pulp
& Paper est en train de convertir en plantation de pulpe et de pâte à
papier des portions du sanctuaire Senepis des tigres de Sumatra. Le
rapport publie « des cartes satellites » de la concession exploitée par
PT Ruas Utama Jaya (RUJ), un fournisseur d’APP, qui montrent la « coupe
à blanc de la forêt tropicale située à l’intérieur du sanctuaire de
tigres de Senepis. » Toutefois, il a été démontré - sur la foi
de cartes officielles du gouvernement - que cette allégation est
totalement fausse.
Asia Pulp & Paper publie aujourd’hui les cartes officielles de la
concession, qui montrent que les images mises en avant dans le rapport
EOF proviennent en réalité d’une concession de pulpe et de pâte à papier
légalement exploitée par RUJ et située À l’EXTÉRIEUR du sanctuaire
Senepis des tigres.
De récents audits externes indépendants1 de la concession de
RUJ montrent que la zone de préservation conservée par la société
dépasse en fait de presque 50 % le pourcentage requis par les
évaluations indépendantes des forêts à haute valeur de conservation,
établies pour cette zone par le gouvernement indonésien.
La directrice générale d’Asia Pulp & Paper Aida
Greenbury a déclaré : « Les allégations graves faites par EOF sur le
sanctuaire du tigre de Senepis sont fausses à bien des égards. La carte
du gouvernement que nous avons publiée aujourd’hui montre clairement
que les images d’EOF proviennent d’une concession légale de pâte à
papier exploitée par l’un de nos fournisseurs, et non de l’intérieur du
sanctuaire. Nous avons également publié
des photos du véritable sanctuaire Senepis des tigres qui montrent
qu’il a bien été préservé comme une forêt naturelle dense».
« Nous invitons maintenant le WWF, une ONG bénéficiant d’une excellente
réputation au niveau internationale, à prendre ses distances avec ce
rapport mal documenté et inexact, qui n’aide en rien ceux qui se
soucient vraiment de préserver l’environnement naturel et la faune de
Sumatra. »
Aida Greenbury a ajouté que le développement des forêts en Indonésie
implique une gestion complexe des enjeux sociaux et environnementaux,
notamment concernant les empiètements illégaux, qui menacent à la fois
l’intégrité de la forêt de conservation et la durabilité des zones de
plantation.
« Nos fournisseurs de pâte à papier jouent un rôle essentiel en aidant à
résoudre les problèmes sociaux et à limiter l’empiètement illégal dans
les zones protégées, l’un des véritables enjeux environnementaux
auxquels fait face Sumatra », a précisé Aida Greenbury.
Le rapport EOF avance également un certain nombre d’erreurs factuelles
de base, ce qui remet encore plus en question la crédibilité de la
recherche et les connaissances élémentaires des auteurs. Par exemple :
-
Allégation selon laquelle la loi indonésienne interdit la conversion
des terres sur des zones tourbières « dont la profondeur dépasse trois
mètres ». Le décret qui réglemente le développement des plantations de
pâte à papier stipule en réalité ce qui suit : « Critères de
définition : les tourbières sont des terres dont l’épaisseur de la
couche de tourbe est supérieure ou égale à 3 mètres situées en amont
de la rivière et du marais. » Cette définition a été clairement
établie dans les principes de micro et macro-délimitation du
gouvernement. -
Allégation selon laquelle APP ne dispose d’aucune « certification
externe indépendante et crédible démontrant (son) engagement en
matière de développement durable ». En réalité, APP est régulièrement
évaluée et certifiée par un grand nombre d’institutions mondiales
faisant autorité en matière de gestion durable des forêts et par des
auditeurs environnementaux - y compris les auditeurs genevois SGS, la
TUV, l’AFNOR, auditeurs officiels français du « label
écologique » européen, PHPL, la norme indonésienne de gestion
durable des forêts, le LEI, la norme indonésienne volontaire de
gestion durable des forêts et la « Chaîne de contrôle » PEFC, le plus
grand programme mondial de certification forestière. -
Allégation selon laquelle « les zones de protection de la faune »
d’APP à Riau et Jambi s’étendent sur moins de 50 000 hectares. En
réalité, la superficie des zones mises en jachère par les fournisseurs
d’APP à des fins de conservation pure représente, à Riau et Jambi,
plus de 200 000 hectares et dépasse de plus de 70 % ce qui est requis
par la réglementation et les lois indonésiennes. APP et ses
fournisseurs gèrent activement ces zones de conservation réservées
pour soutenir le programme plus large d’aménagement du territoire dans
la région de nos concessions.
Aida Greenbury ajoute : « APP est toujours prête
à aborder avec les ONG toutes les questions liées à la gestion
durable des forêts, tant que cette discussion reste constructive et se
fonde sur des données scientifiques. Nous croyons aussi au principe
d’ouverture et nous invitons toutes les parties intéressées à examiner
elles-mêmes nos activités. »
Pour plus d’informations sur les initiatives prises par Asia Pulp &
Paper en matière de durabilité et de conservation, veuillez consulter le
site www.rainforestrealities.com.
Contexte relatif au sanctuaire Senepis dédié aux tigres de Sumatra :
Les 110 000 hectares du sanctuaire Senepis des tigres de Sumatra se
trouvent dans la province de Riau, à Sumatra. En réservant pour la zone
centrale du sanctuaire, 106 000 hectares de forêt de production, les
fournisseurs de pâte à papier d’APP et les autres détenteurs de
concessions apportent une contribution vitale à la survie de l’espèce en
élargissant les réserves naturelles existantes. L’établissement d’un
sanctuaire de tigres dans les forêts de production est une initiative
pionnière. Le sanctuaire Senepis des tigres de Sumatra comprend :
-
Une zone centrale : 106 000 hectares = 90 956 hectares de concessions
forestières de PT Diamant Raya + 15 025 hectares de concessions des
fournisseurs de pâte à papier d’APP -
Un corridor de conservation d’un fournisseur de pâte à papier d’APP :
4 325 hectares.
À propos d’Asia Pulp & Paper :
Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) est une marque commune de produits
papier, fabriqués par plusieurs usines de papier d’Indonésie, parmi
lesquelles PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk, PT Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper
Mills, PT Pabrik Kertas Tjiwi Kimia Tbk, PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp & Paper
Industries, PT Ekamas Fortuna et PT The Univenus. APP, qui a son siège
social en Indonésie, commercialise ses produits dans plus de 120 pays.
La majorité des sites de production d’APP possèdent la certification
« Chaîne de contrôle » attribuée par LEI et PEFC. APP soutient plusieurs
projets de conservation majeurs, y compris la réserve de biosphère de
172 000 hectares à Giam Siak Kecil – Bukit Batu et une zone de 106 000
hectares consacrée au sanctuaire Senepis des tigres. Toutes deux sont
situées dans la province de Riau, à Sumatra. APP soutient également le
programme Kutai pour les orangs-outans à Kalimantan et la réserve de
rhinocéros de Javan située au Parc National de Ujung Kulon.
1. Régime d’aménagement forestier durable prescrit par le
gouvernement – Rapport d’évaluation effectué par un examinateur
indépendant accrédité par le gouvernement, publié en décembre 2011
Le texte du communiqué issu d’une traduction ne doit d’aucune manière
être considéré comme officiel. La seule version du communiqué qui fasse
foi est celle du communiqué dans sa langue d’origine. La traduction
devra toujours être confrontée au texte source, qui fera jurisprudence.
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Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Calls for Facts Not Fiction about Forest Protection
Posted by admin on December 13th, 2011
JAKARTA, Indonesia–()–Asia
Pulp & Paper Group (APP) has called on WWF
International to disassociate itself from a report by Sumatra-based NGO ‘Eyes
on the Forest’ (EOF) which contains ‘clearly false’ allegations
regarding the company’s operations.
“Our pulpwood suppliers play an essential part in helping to resolve
social issues and limiting the illegal encroachment into protected
areas, which is one of the real environmental problems facing Sumatra”
WWF has published and promoted a new EOF report which claims that Asia
Pulp & Paper is converting parts of the Senepis Tiger Sanctuary in
Sumatra into pulpwood plantation. It published ‘satellite maps’ of the
concession operated by APP’s supplier, PT Ruas Utama Jaya (RUJ) which
showed the ‘clear cutting (of) tropical forest inside the Senepis Tiger
Sanctuary.’ However, it has been proven – through official government
maps – that this allegation is totally false.
Asia Pulp & Paper has today published official maps of the concession,
which show that the pictures featured prominently in the EOF report are
actually from RUJ’s legally-operated pulpwood concession OUTSIDE of the Senepis
Tiger Sanctuary.
Recent, independent, third-party auditing1 on the RUJ
concession shows that the conservation set aside by the company is
actually almost 50% larger than what is required by the Government of
Indonesia’s independent High Conservation Value Forest assessments of
the area.
Asia Pulp & Paper Managing Director Aida
Greenbury said: “The serious allegations made by EOF about the
Senepis Tiger Sanctuary are wrong in every important regard. The government
map which we have released today clearly shows that EOF’s pictures
are from a legal pulpwood concession operated by one of our suppliers
and not from inside the sanctuary. We have also published
pictures of the real Senepis Tiger sanctuary which show that it has
been preserved as dense, natural forest.
“We now call on WWF, an NGO with a good international reputation, to
distance itself from this poorly researched and inaccurate report which
does not help anyone who really cares about preserving the natural
environment and wildlife of Sumatra.”
Ms. Greenbury added that forestry development in Indonesia involves a
complex mixture of social and environmental issues, including illegal
encroachments, which threaten both the integrity of the conservation
forest and the sustainability of the plantation areas.
“Our pulpwood suppliers play an essential part in helping to resolve
social issues and limiting the illegal encroachment into protected
areas, which is one of the real environmental problems facing Sumatra,”
added Ms. Greenbury.
The EOF report also makes a number of basic factual errors, further
calling into question the credibility of the research and knowledge base
of the authors. For example:
-
Claiming that Indonesian law prohibits land conversion on peat ‘more
than 3 meters deep’. The Decree which regulates pulpwood plantation
development actually says: “Criteria of peatland is land that contains
peat with thickness deeper or equal to 3 meters that is located in
upstream of river and swamp.” This has been clearly defined
in the Government’s micro and macro-delineation principles. -
Alleging that APP has no ‘independent, credible, third-party
certification to demonstrate (its) sustainability’. In fact, APP is
regularly assessed and certified by many of the world’s leading
authorities on sustainable forest management and environmental
auditors – including Geneva-based SGS, TUV, AFNOR, the official French
auditors for the European ‘EcoLabel’,
PHPL, Indonesian sustainable forest management standard, LEI,
Indonesian voluntary sustainable forest management standard, and PEFC
Chain-of-Custody, the world’s largest forest certification program. -
Claiming that APP’s ‘wildlife protection zones’ in Riau and Jambi were
less than 50,000 hectares. In fact, APP suppliers’ set-aside area for
pure conservation purposes is over 200 thousand hectares in Riau and
Jambi, which is more than 70% larger than what is required by
Indonesia regulation and law. APP and its suppliers are actively
managing these conservation set-asides to support the larger
conservation landscapes in the region of our concessions.
Ms. Greenbury added: “APP is always willing
to engage with NGOs on all issues concerning sustainable forest
management, as long as it is a constructive discussion based on science.
We also believe in the principle of openness and invite all interested
stakeholders to review our operations for themselves.”
For more information about Asia Pulp & Paper’s sustainability and
conservation initiatives please visit www.rainforestrealities.com.
Background about the Senepis Sumatran Tiger Sanctuary:
The 110,000-hectare Senepis Sumatran Tiger Sanctuary is in Riau
province, Sumatra. By setting aside 106,000 hectares of production
forest as the core area of tiger sanctuary, APP’s pulpwood suppliers and
other concession holders are making a vital contribution to the survival
of the species by expanding the existing wildlife reserves. The
establishment of a tiger sanctuary within production forests is a
pioneering initiative. Senepis Sumatran Tiger Sanctuary consists of:
-
Core area: 106,000 hectares = 90,956 hectares from PT Diamond Raya
Timber concession + 15,025 hectares from APP’s pulpwood supplier’s
concession - Conservation corridor from APP’s pulpwood supplier: 4,325 hectares.
About APP:
Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) is a brand umbrella for paper
products which are produced by several mills in Indonesia such as PT
Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk, PT Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper Mills, PT Pabrik
Kertas Tjiwi Kimia Tbk, PT Lontar Papyrus Pulp & Paper Industries, PT
Ekamas Fortuna and PT The Univenus. APP’s is headquartered in Indonesia
and markets its product to more than 120 countries. Most of APP’s
production facilities are Chain-of-Custody certified by LEI and PEFC.
APP supports several main conservation initiatives, including a 172,000
hectare Biosphere Reserve in Giam Siak Kecil – Bukit Batu and an area of
106,000 hectare for the Senepis Tiger Sanctuary. Both are located in the
province of Riau, Sumatera. Other APP wildlife preservation initiatives
include the support of the Kutai Orangutan Program in Kalimantan and the
conservation of the Javan Rhino in Ujung Kulon National Park.
1. Assessment report on Government mandatory Sustainable
Forest Management scheme by Government-accredited, independent auditor,
completed December 2011
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Nisqually Estuary restoration receives national award for outstanding coastal protection (WA)
Posted by admin on December 12th, 2011
Release Date: 12/12/2011
Contact Information: Hanady Kader, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-0454, [email protected]
(Seattle—Dec. 10, 2011) The Nisqually Estuary Restoration Team received national accolades for outstanding efforts to restore and protect the coastal environment as a recipient of the Coastal America Partnership Award. This is the only award of its kind presented by the Obama Administration for on-the-ground environmental restoration partnership projects.
Federal, regional, tribal, and non-profit officials met at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge for a tour and award ceremony to recognize the restoration of over 900 acres of tidal habitat in the Nisqually Delta.
“The restoration of the Nisqually Estuary and delta system is striking,” said Virginia Tippie, Coastal America Director. “It is an example of an opportunity that resulted from critical community needs and the development of key partnerships.”
The 15-year long project was led by a partnership of federal, state, tribal, non-profit, and local scientists and officials who worked together to return the Nisqually Delta to a more natural state. A one-mile long boardwalk trail allows visitors to explore the delta, view wildlife and observe the estuary.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nisqually Indian Tribe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ducks Unlimited, and the Nisqually River Council were in attendance, as were representatives of all 17 partners on the team.
In October 2009, the Brown Farm Dike was removed after a century of blocking tidal flow, allowing the tides to return to over 760 acres of the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Along with 190 acres of wetlands restored by the Nisqually Indian Tribe, the Nisqually Delta represents the largest estuary restoration project in the Pacific Northwest to assist in recovery of Puget Sound salmon and wildlife populations.
Over the past decade, the refuge and close partners, including the tribe and Ducks Unlimited, have reconnected more than 35 kilometers of the historic tidal slough systems and floodplains with the tides of Puget Sound, which could increase salt marsh habitat in the southern reach of Puget Sound by 55 percent. This partnership effort was an important step in the recovery of Puget Sound.
For more information on the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, visit: http://www.fws.gov/Nisqually/
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Forest use and protection in Malawi
Posted by admin on December 6th, 2011
Forest use and protection in Malawi
Authors:
P. Nkwanda
Publisher:
Chancellor College, University of Malawi, 2008
Forests in Malawi play an important role in both social and economic development of the country. Among the environmental services provided by forests is carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the uptake and storage of carbon on land which reduces atmospheric accumulation and thus delays its impact on the global climate. The destruction of forests through burning and decaying of woody biomass results directly in significant contribution of carbon to the atmosphere. However, the expansions of forests and maintenance of existing stands can capture carbon from the atmosphere and maintain it on land over decades. Thus, it is important for Malawi to identify mitigation options in the forest and land use sector that would reduce the atmospheric accumulation of carbon.
The major objective of this assessment is to identify carbon mitigation options and analyse their costs, benefits and impact in the forest and land use sector in Malawi. In particular the study intends to identify a mix of options that is likely to provide the desired forestry products and services at the least cost and minimum negative environmental and social impacts.
In conclusion the paper argues that forest mitigation options include maintaining existing stands of the trees through reduced deforestation, or forest protection; expanding the stand of trees and the pool of carbon in wood products through reforestation programmes; and providing wood fuels as a substitute for fossil fuels. The study’s results show that forest protection can reduce carbon emissions in Malawi at lower cost per tonne (or cost per hectare) than reforestation under the Tree Planting for Carbon Sequestration and other Ecosystem Services programme.
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