Oct. 28, 2007) — Forest fragmentation threatens biodiversity, often causing declines or local extinctions in a majority of species while enhancing the prospects of a few. A new study from the University of Illinois shows that parasites can play a pivotal role in the decline of species in fragmented forests. This is the first study to look at how forest fragmentation increases the burden of infectious parasites on animals already stressed by disturbances to their habitat.
The study, of black-and-white colobus monkeys and red colobus monkeys in tropical forests in western Uganda, appears in the American Journal of Primatology.
Once dominated by vast forests, Uganda now has less than one-twentieth of its original forest cover. According to the World Resources Institute, its tropical forests are being logged and converted to agricultural land at a rate that outpaces sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. Small tracts remain, however, hemmed in by pastures and croplands. Many of the species that thrived in the original forests are struggling to survive in these parcels, which can be as small as one hectare in size.
“In Uganda, just looking at the primates, it’s one of the most biodiverse places on the earth,” said professor of pathobiology Thomas Gillespie, principal investigator on the study. “You’ve got 12 to 13 species of primates in a core undisturbed forest. But if you go into these forest fragments, you’ll find only three or four species of primates.”
Populations of black-and-white colobus monkeys appear to be stable in the Ugandan forest remnants, while their cousins, the red colobus monkeys, are in decline.
Gillespie and his colleague, Colin Chapman, of McGill University in Montreal, surveyed 20 forest fragments near the western boundary of Kibale National Park, in western Uganda.
They compared the abundance, variety and density of potentially harmful parasites in these fragments to the undisturbed “core forest” of the park.
The researchers followed the monkeys for four years, collecting data on how far the animals ranged, what they ate and which parasites were infecting them.
In those four years, red colobus populations in forest fragments declined 20 percent, whereas populations of black-and-white colobus monkeys remained relatively stable. Both species maintained stable populations in the undisturbed forest.
Scientists have struggled to explain why closely related animals, like these two species of monkeys, can fare so differently in forest fragments. The answer, Gillespie said, lies in a complex interplay of factors, with parasites and nutrition playing key roles.
The researchers focused on two nematodes known to cause significant pathology in monkeys: a whipworm, (Trichuris sp.), and a nodule worm (Oesophagostomum sp.). While feeding on leaves, the monkeys ingest the larval forms of these worms. The larvae mature in the intestines, where they can cause blockages or other damage. The nematodes migrate through blood vessels, causing inflammation, organ damage and, sometimes, death.
The researchers found a higher density of parasites in the forest fragments than in the undisturbed forest. They also found new parasites not seen in the undisturbed forest.
“Several of the parasites in these animals in the fragments never occur in undisturbed forest, and some of these novel parasites are definitely from livestock or people,” Gillespie said. The red colobus monkeys were infected with five of these human or livestock parasites; the black and white colobus carried only two.
Other differences between the two species affect their vulnerability to parasitic infection. Red colobus monkeys congregate and live in large groups, with up to 50 members, compared with about 10 members in the black-and-white groups. Red colobus monkeys eat a much more varied diet. This causes them to travel farther, searching for the foods they need. But many of the plants that make up their diet simply aren’t available in disturbed forest fragments.
“The red colobus typically eat 40 to 50 species of plants, but in these forest fragments we might only have 12 tree species, so there’s a dramatic reduction in what we typically would see them feed on,” Gillespie said.
“The black-and-white colobus tend to feed on whatever’s dominant. They make do with what’s there.”
The black-and-white colobus monkeys’ ability to eat well under a variety of circumstances enhances their ability to withstand parasitic infections, Gillespie said.
Red colobus monkeys’ travels bring them into contact with more parasites. Their compromised nutritional status also weakens them, giving parasites the edge, Gillespie said.
“We asked how parasitism plays into this dynamic of some species doing well and others not doing well after forest fragmentation,” Gillespie said. “This is giving us a new window into what’s happening.”
Monday, October 29, 2007
Biodiversity takes a hit
October 28, 2007
Wildfires last week have engulfed nearly 360,000 acres of the county, burning the life out of plants and animals that help make the region a jewel of biological diversity.
Massive blazes also render the land less hospitable for humans by increasing the likelihood of future wildfires, debris flows, erosion and water pollution.
“These fires are a staggering tragedy for both people and nature,” said David Hogan of San Diego, a conservation manager for the Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental group.
“This may be the last straw for endangered species that have already suffered so much habitat loss to development and overly frequent fire.”
Native chaparral and coastal sage scrub in the overlapping burn zones may not recover in time to prevent the spread of fast-growing, non-native grasses. The areas were home to most of San Diego County's more than 40 species listed as threatened or endangered by the federal government.
In addition, grasslands are more vulnerable to wildfires than healthy coastal sage scrub and chaparral. A carelessly tossed cigarette is more likely to ignite the exotic invading grasses than it would the native chaparral.
“The backcountry is converting to a simpler, more weedy, less beautiful landscape than the California most of us moved into,” said Wayne Spencer of the Conservation Biology Institute in Encinitas.
A similar pattern has played out across the West, with virtually every state in the region having to battle the problem.
In areas such as eastern Oregon and the Rockies, native plants repeatedly burned by wildfires cannot regain a foothold because cheat grass and other invaders quickly move in and dominate the terrain.
“It's widespread and it does seem to be increasing,” said Christopher Dionigi, assistant director of the National Invasive Species Council in Washington, D.C.
Russian thistle Even before the latest inferno began Sunday, drought had taken a toll on many of San Diego County's native plants. The dry conditions killed scores of oak trees and allowed bark beetles to finish off weakened pines.
Contrary to popular thought, Southern California is not a desert. Shrubland, a mix of sage scrub and chaparral, is the native landscape for much of the region between the Pacific shoreline and the foothills of coastal mountains.
For instance, nearly 90 percent of the Cleveland National Forest is shrubland rather than coniferous forest.
California has about 8.6 million acres of chaparral, but that figure is declining rapidly. From 1946 to 1987, 1.5 million acres were lost because of urban expansion, ranching and wildfires.
Likewise, development and agriculture have reduced coastal sage scrub to less than 15 percent of its expanse when California became a state.
Coastal sage and chaparral have adapted to withstand periodic fires of 20 to 60 years apart. In fact, the seeds of several native plants need fire and smoke to prepare them to germinate.
“Chaparral requires roughly 20 years or more to recover from a fire to be able to withstand a repeat fire,” said Jon Keeley, a fire ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey near Fresno.
“The native vegetation typically doesn't recover once it has been taken over by alien grasses.”
Researchers studying the aftermath of the 2003 Cedar fire said pines and other trees in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park are not returning as quickly as originally anticipated.
Several environmentally important parts of the county have been scarred by the latest fires, but ecologists haven't been able to go into those areas to assess the extent of the damage.
Properties that appear to have sustained damage include sections of Palomar Mountain and the Ramona grasslands, Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve and Volcan Mountain Preserve.
Last week, officials at the South County wildlife refuge were assessing fire damage and planning to keep invasive grasses from taking over on roughly 4,000 burned acres. Their efforts will include replanting native species and using herbicides to knock out unwanted plants.
Advertisement However, ecologists said, limited resources will make it impossible to apply similar measures to most of the county's charred zones.
About 60,000 acres burned in areas set aside for dozens of species under the Multiple Species Conservation Program, said Thomas Oberbauer, who oversees the county's portion of the program. The plan was created in the late 1990s to preserve open spaces while making room for development.
Scott Morrison, an ecologist with The Nature Conservancy in San Diego, said many of the organization's properties in San Diego County have been ravaged in recent days.
“What these fires remind us is that ... we need to make sure that our natural conservation lands are larger than the largest catastrophic fire we face ... so that some places remain unburned and provide a refuge for species,” Morrison said.
Wildfires last week have engulfed nearly 360,000 acres of the county, burning the life out of plants and animals that help make the region a jewel of biological diversity.
Massive blazes also render the land less hospitable for humans by increasing the likelihood of future wildfires, debris flows, erosion and water pollution.
“These fires are a staggering tragedy for both people and nature,” said David Hogan of San Diego, a conservation manager for the Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental group.
“This may be the last straw for endangered species that have already suffered so much habitat loss to development and overly frequent fire.”
Native chaparral and coastal sage scrub in the overlapping burn zones may not recover in time to prevent the spread of fast-growing, non-native grasses. The areas were home to most of San Diego County's more than 40 species listed as threatened or endangered by the federal government.
In addition, grasslands are more vulnerable to wildfires than healthy coastal sage scrub and chaparral. A carelessly tossed cigarette is more likely to ignite the exotic invading grasses than it would the native chaparral.
“The backcountry is converting to a simpler, more weedy, less beautiful landscape than the California most of us moved into,” said Wayne Spencer of the Conservation Biology Institute in Encinitas.
A similar pattern has played out across the West, with virtually every state in the region having to battle the problem.
In areas such as eastern Oregon and the Rockies, native plants repeatedly burned by wildfires cannot regain a foothold because cheat grass and other invaders quickly move in and dominate the terrain.
“It's widespread and it does seem to be increasing,” said Christopher Dionigi, assistant director of the National Invasive Species Council in Washington, D.C.
Russian thistle Even before the latest inferno began Sunday, drought had taken a toll on many of San Diego County's native plants. The dry conditions killed scores of oak trees and allowed bark beetles to finish off weakened pines.
Contrary to popular thought, Southern California is not a desert. Shrubland, a mix of sage scrub and chaparral, is the native landscape for much of the region between the Pacific shoreline and the foothills of coastal mountains.
For instance, nearly 90 percent of the Cleveland National Forest is shrubland rather than coniferous forest.
California has about 8.6 million acres of chaparral, but that figure is declining rapidly. From 1946 to 1987, 1.5 million acres were lost because of urban expansion, ranching and wildfires.
Likewise, development and agriculture have reduced coastal sage scrub to less than 15 percent of its expanse when California became a state.
Coastal sage and chaparral have adapted to withstand periodic fires of 20 to 60 years apart. In fact, the seeds of several native plants need fire and smoke to prepare them to germinate.
“Chaparral requires roughly 20 years or more to recover from a fire to be able to withstand a repeat fire,” said Jon Keeley, a fire ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey near Fresno.
“The native vegetation typically doesn't recover once it has been taken over by alien grasses.”
Researchers studying the aftermath of the 2003 Cedar fire said pines and other trees in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park are not returning as quickly as originally anticipated.
Several environmentally important parts of the county have been scarred by the latest fires, but ecologists haven't been able to go into those areas to assess the extent of the damage.
Properties that appear to have sustained damage include sections of Palomar Mountain and the Ramona grasslands, Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve and Volcan Mountain Preserve.
Last week, officials at the South County wildlife refuge were assessing fire damage and planning to keep invasive grasses from taking over on roughly 4,000 burned acres. Their efforts will include replanting native species and using herbicides to knock out unwanted plants.
Advertisement However, ecologists said, limited resources will make it impossible to apply similar measures to most of the county's charred zones.
About 60,000 acres burned in areas set aside for dozens of species under the Multiple Species Conservation Program, said Thomas Oberbauer, who oversees the county's portion of the program. The plan was created in the late 1990s to preserve open spaces while making room for development.
Scott Morrison, an ecologist with The Nature Conservancy in San Diego, said many of the organization's properties in San Diego County have been ravaged in recent days.
“What these fires remind us is that ... we need to make sure that our natural conservation lands are larger than the largest catastrophic fire we face ... so that some places remain unburned and provide a refuge for species,” Morrison said.
Marine Bioblitz uncovers biodiversity bonanza
Monday, 29 October 2007
Wellington’s Marine Bioblitz has uncovered a biodiversity bonanza, identifying 551 species – including at least four new species during the month-long search.
Marine Bioblitz Co-ordinator Heather Anderson says the Marine Bioblitz – the world’s first – was a tremendous success in revealing the incredible diversity and richness of plant and animal life in Wellington’s marine environment.
“We knew that Wellington was rich in an abundance of marine life, but the variety and number of species found has been really exciting, and demonstrates how little we know about the underwater life that exists right on our doorstep.”
The Bioblitz, conducted in the area off Wellington’s south coast to be announced as the Kupe-Kevin Marine Reserve in January, found four new species:• A many-tentacled tube anemone found by NIWA scientist Malcolm Francis • A tiny red and green nudibranch (sea slug) found by Forest & Bird marine advocate Kirstie Knowles • A bryozoan (a tiny animal that builds a stony skeleton, also known as moss animals or sea mats) found by Kirstie Knowles and NIWA’s Adam Smith• A diatom (a single-celled phytoplankton) found by Margaret Harper of Victoria University.
Dive teams from Island Bay Divers and Dive HQ also found six more potential new species, including a minute “red blob” – the origin of which is so puzzling that the experts are completely baffled about what phylum it might belong to.
These discoveries will now be analysed in more detail by experts to determine whether they are indeed new species previously unknown to science
Another highlight of the Bioblitz was the appearance of two species of whale – an orca and a southern right whale.
Heather Anderson says the Bioblitz brought together scientists, conservationists, divers and the Wellington public and raised public awareness of Wellington’s unique marine biodiversity.
“The Kupe-Kevin Smith Marine Reserve will be New Zealand’s first marine reserve located so close to a major urban centre, and will be the first marine reserve in Cook Strait, which has a diversity of unique marine plants and animals. The marine reserve will play an important role in protecting this rich underwater world.”
Wellington’s Marine Bioblitz has uncovered a biodiversity bonanza, identifying 551 species – including at least four new species during the month-long search.
Marine Bioblitz Co-ordinator Heather Anderson says the Marine Bioblitz – the world’s first – was a tremendous success in revealing the incredible diversity and richness of plant and animal life in Wellington’s marine environment.
“We knew that Wellington was rich in an abundance of marine life, but the variety and number of species found has been really exciting, and demonstrates how little we know about the underwater life that exists right on our doorstep.”
The Bioblitz, conducted in the area off Wellington’s south coast to be announced as the Kupe-Kevin Marine Reserve in January, found four new species:• A many-tentacled tube anemone found by NIWA scientist Malcolm Francis • A tiny red and green nudibranch (sea slug) found by Forest & Bird marine advocate Kirstie Knowles • A bryozoan (a tiny animal that builds a stony skeleton, also known as moss animals or sea mats) found by Kirstie Knowles and NIWA’s Adam Smith• A diatom (a single-celled phytoplankton) found by Margaret Harper of Victoria University.
Dive teams from Island Bay Divers and Dive HQ also found six more potential new species, including a minute “red blob” – the origin of which is so puzzling that the experts are completely baffled about what phylum it might belong to.
These discoveries will now be analysed in more detail by experts to determine whether they are indeed new species previously unknown to science
Another highlight of the Bioblitz was the appearance of two species of whale – an orca and a southern right whale.
Heather Anderson says the Bioblitz brought together scientists, conservationists, divers and the Wellington public and raised public awareness of Wellington’s unique marine biodiversity.
“The Kupe-Kevin Smith Marine Reserve will be New Zealand’s first marine reserve located so close to a major urban centre, and will be the first marine reserve in Cook Strait, which has a diversity of unique marine plants and animals. The marine reserve will play an important role in protecting this rich underwater world.”
Estimating the value of biodiversity
One ground-breaking aspect of the Global Environment Outlook 2007 issued last week is the attempt to estimate the monetary value of biodiversity.
For instance, the value of coral reefs for fisheries and tourism is estimated at US$30 billion per year, and the value of the herbal medicine market at roughly US$43 billion in 2001 figures.
Although such estimates are often attempted at local levels, expanding the effort to a global level significantly inflates the figure, thus enhancing the shock value of the potential damage and giving it a greater sense of priority.
The authors of the Global Environment Outlook are clearly hoping to build on the success in calculating the economic value of travel and tourism as a job creator and foreign exchange earner, which has helped policy-makers create the conditions for generating phenomenal tourism growth in the last few decades.
They believe the same can be done by estimating the value of biodiversity and its value to tourism.
The report says: "Identifying economic values of ecosystem services, together with the notions of intrinsic value and other factors, will assist significantly in future decisions relating to trade-offs in ecosystem management."
Citing one example, the report says that the global net value of coral reefs relating to fisheries, coastal protection, tourism and biodiversity is estimated at US$29.8 billion oer year. It highlights the Caribbean, a popular tourist region, where human activities reportedly threaten nearly two-thirds of coral reefs.
The report also notes that countries are attempting new ways of raising revenues for environmental protection.
For example, it says, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust in Belize receives most of its revenue from an airport tax of about US$3.75, paid by all visitors upon departure, together with a 20% commission on cruise ship passenger fees. The British overseas island territory of Turks and Caicos designates 1% of a 9% hotel tax to support the maintenance and protection of the country's protected areas.
These so-called "green taxes", although opposed by industry interest groups, are putting pressure on the world's major polluters and environment destroyers, the report says.
At the same time, it says, Environmental degradation due to development raises deep ethical questions that go beyond economic cost-benefit ratios.
"The question of justice is perhaps the greatest moral question emerging in relation to environmental change and sustainable development. Growing evidence indicates that the burden of environmental change is falling far from the greatest consumers of environmental resources, who experience the benefits of development," the report says.
"Often, people living in poverty in the developing world, suffer the negative effects of environmental degradation. Furthermore, costs of environmental degradation will be experienced by humankind in future generations. Profound ethical questions are raised when benefits are extracted from the environment by those who do not bear the burden."
Both tourism and its first-cousin, the air transport industry, produce many economic benefits but are criticised for not doing enough on the ecological front.
Tourism is an economic mainstay in many parts of the world, especially island nations such as the Seychelles, as well as the Mediterranean coastal areas.
At the same time, it cites the urban sprawl of Las Vegas, the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States _ a reference that may soon be applicable to Singapore and Macau as they seek to develop their gaming industries on the Las Vegas model.
"As the (Las Vegas) gaming and tourism industry blossomed, so has the city's population," the report says.
"Population growth has put a strain on water supplies," it adds. "Satellite imagery of Las Vegas provides a dramatic illustration of the spatial patterns and rates of change resulting from the city's urban sprawl."
Another example is the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, which is experiencing a significant growth in tourism infrastructure all along the Caribbean coast.
The conversion of mangrove forest into beachfront tourist resorts along the Mayan Riviera, south of Cancu{aac}n, has left the coastlines vulnerable. Playa del Carmen, at 14%, has the fastest growth in tourism infrastructure in Mexico. Threats to the aquifers come from increasing water use, of which 99% is withdrawn from groundwater and wastewater disposal, the report says.
For instance, the value of coral reefs for fisheries and tourism is estimated at US$30 billion per year, and the value of the herbal medicine market at roughly US$43 billion in 2001 figures.
Although such estimates are often attempted at local levels, expanding the effort to a global level significantly inflates the figure, thus enhancing the shock value of the potential damage and giving it a greater sense of priority.
The authors of the Global Environment Outlook are clearly hoping to build on the success in calculating the economic value of travel and tourism as a job creator and foreign exchange earner, which has helped policy-makers create the conditions for generating phenomenal tourism growth in the last few decades.
They believe the same can be done by estimating the value of biodiversity and its value to tourism.
The report says: "Identifying economic values of ecosystem services, together with the notions of intrinsic value and other factors, will assist significantly in future decisions relating to trade-offs in ecosystem management."
Citing one example, the report says that the global net value of coral reefs relating to fisheries, coastal protection, tourism and biodiversity is estimated at US$29.8 billion oer year. It highlights the Caribbean, a popular tourist region, where human activities reportedly threaten nearly two-thirds of coral reefs.
The report also notes that countries are attempting new ways of raising revenues for environmental protection.
For example, it says, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust in Belize receives most of its revenue from an airport tax of about US$3.75, paid by all visitors upon departure, together with a 20% commission on cruise ship passenger fees. The British overseas island territory of Turks and Caicos designates 1% of a 9% hotel tax to support the maintenance and protection of the country's protected areas.
These so-called "green taxes", although opposed by industry interest groups, are putting pressure on the world's major polluters and environment destroyers, the report says.
At the same time, it says, Environmental degradation due to development raises deep ethical questions that go beyond economic cost-benefit ratios.
"The question of justice is perhaps the greatest moral question emerging in relation to environmental change and sustainable development. Growing evidence indicates that the burden of environmental change is falling far from the greatest consumers of environmental resources, who experience the benefits of development," the report says.
"Often, people living in poverty in the developing world, suffer the negative effects of environmental degradation. Furthermore, costs of environmental degradation will be experienced by humankind in future generations. Profound ethical questions are raised when benefits are extracted from the environment by those who do not bear the burden."
Both tourism and its first-cousin, the air transport industry, produce many economic benefits but are criticised for not doing enough on the ecological front.
Tourism is an economic mainstay in many parts of the world, especially island nations such as the Seychelles, as well as the Mediterranean coastal areas.
At the same time, it cites the urban sprawl of Las Vegas, the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States _ a reference that may soon be applicable to Singapore and Macau as they seek to develop their gaming industries on the Las Vegas model.
"As the (Las Vegas) gaming and tourism industry blossomed, so has the city's population," the report says.
"Population growth has put a strain on water supplies," it adds. "Satellite imagery of Las Vegas provides a dramatic illustration of the spatial patterns and rates of change resulting from the city's urban sprawl."
Another example is the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, which is experiencing a significant growth in tourism infrastructure all along the Caribbean coast.
The conversion of mangrove forest into beachfront tourist resorts along the Mayan Riviera, south of Cancu{aac}n, has left the coastlines vulnerable. Playa del Carmen, at 14%, has the fastest growth in tourism infrastructure in Mexico. Threats to the aquifers come from increasing water use, of which 99% is withdrawn from groundwater and wastewater disposal, the report says.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Carbon for forests will help Aceh recover from war, tsunami
Aceh Governor Irwandi Jusuf, a former rebel who was one of only 40 survivors after the December 2004 tsunami struck the prison where he was incarcerated, is now one of Indonesia's leading supporters of forest conservation funded through carbon credits.
Carbon credits through forest conservation will play an important role in Aceh's recovery from decades of civil strife and the devastating 2004 tsunami, which left more than 167,000 people dead and 500,000 homeless in the Indonesia province, said Aceh governor Irwandi Jusuf in meeting in San Francisco. "The world needs more forests to store carbon," he said. "Aceh can give you these forests. This is my obsession -- the forests of Aceh need to be kept well." In one of his first moves as governor, Irwandi in March declared a moratorium on all logging in the province, which had seen an up tick in timber cutting for tsunami reconstruction efforts. The move -- met with derision by some in the Indonesian forestry sector -- was welcomed by environmentalists and appears to have diminished legal and illegal logging, which is rampant in other parts of the country. Irwandi says that protecting Aceh's forests -- which are some of the largest blocks of rainforest remaining on the island of Sumatra -- is his top priority for rebuilding the economy. The next step, he says, is to promote economic growth through sustainable development and reforestation.
"We can provide a lot of employment through a reforestation program," said Irwandi. "People who used to be paid to cut forests can now be paid to reforest. Aceh has 3 million hectares (7.5 million acres) of degraded land that can be used for reforestation and agricultural expansion." "I see three areas," he continued. "Areas of no harvest which are preserved for wildlife, carbon, and other services; community forestry areas where degraded lands are replanted with fruit and timber trees that are then sustainably managed; and the remaining land for oil palm and rubber plantations. Irwandi says that Aceh needs money to start the program and believes that funds could come from carbon credits through avoided deforestation. "I think within six years we could have the world's biggest forest carbon offset program," he said. Avoided deforestation is the process by which forested countries earn carbon credits for protecting forests that lock up large amounts of carbon. Deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gases, accounting for roughly 20 percent of global emissions. Steps to reduce forest clearing and degradation will help mitigate climate change.
Most of Sumatra's lowland rainforest has been cleared by loggers and for oil palm plantations. The conflict in Aceh effectively protected the province's forests by preventing such development. Overall the avoided deforestation market could be substantial -- on the order of tens of billions of dollars per year. Gains would extend beyond helping fighting climate change -- avoided deforestation offers the potential to simultaneously conserve biodiversity, alleviate rural poverty, protect important ecosystem services, and reduce the risk of forest fires in the tropics. Under the existing Kyoto agreement, only reforestation and afforestation are eligible for carbon credits -- forest protection is specifically excluded from receiving carbon credits -- but considerable momentum for avoided deforestation makes it likely that the mechanism will be carefully considered during the next round of climate talks in Bali, Indonesia in December. Last week a group of eight tropical countries containing 80 percent of the world's remaining tropical forest cover -- Brazil, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Congo and Indonesia -- announced an alliance to push avoided deforestation at the upcoming conference. Irwandi, a veterinarian by trade, was formerly a rebel leader with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a separatist movement that the Indonesian government has battled for decades. Arrested in 2003, Irwandi was held at Keudah Prison in Banda Aceh when the December 26, 2004 tsunami struck and flooded the facility. Irwandi survived by punching a hole through the ceiling and fleeing to the roof. He was one of 40 survivors at the prison. During the reconciliation that followed the tsunami, Irwandi was elected governor in Aceh’s first democratic election in almost 30 years. The soldiers who once hunted him are now his guards.
Carbon credits through forest conservation will play an important role in Aceh's recovery from decades of civil strife and the devastating 2004 tsunami, which left more than 167,000 people dead and 500,000 homeless in the Indonesia province, said Aceh governor Irwandi Jusuf in meeting in San Francisco. "The world needs more forests to store carbon," he said. "Aceh can give you these forests. This is my obsession -- the forests of Aceh need to be kept well." In one of his first moves as governor, Irwandi in March declared a moratorium on all logging in the province, which had seen an up tick in timber cutting for tsunami reconstruction efforts. The move -- met with derision by some in the Indonesian forestry sector -- was welcomed by environmentalists and appears to have diminished legal and illegal logging, which is rampant in other parts of the country. Irwandi says that protecting Aceh's forests -- which are some of the largest blocks of rainforest remaining on the island of Sumatra -- is his top priority for rebuilding the economy. The next step, he says, is to promote economic growth through sustainable development and reforestation.
"We can provide a lot of employment through a reforestation program," said Irwandi. "People who used to be paid to cut forests can now be paid to reforest. Aceh has 3 million hectares (7.5 million acres) of degraded land that can be used for reforestation and agricultural expansion." "I see three areas," he continued. "Areas of no harvest which are preserved for wildlife, carbon, and other services; community forestry areas where degraded lands are replanted with fruit and timber trees that are then sustainably managed; and the remaining land for oil palm and rubber plantations. Irwandi says that Aceh needs money to start the program and believes that funds could come from carbon credits through avoided deforestation. "I think within six years we could have the world's biggest forest carbon offset program," he said. Avoided deforestation is the process by which forested countries earn carbon credits for protecting forests that lock up large amounts of carbon. Deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gases, accounting for roughly 20 percent of global emissions. Steps to reduce forest clearing and degradation will help mitigate climate change.
Most of Sumatra's lowland rainforest has been cleared by loggers and for oil palm plantations. The conflict in Aceh effectively protected the province's forests by preventing such development. Overall the avoided deforestation market could be substantial -- on the order of tens of billions of dollars per year. Gains would extend beyond helping fighting climate change -- avoided deforestation offers the potential to simultaneously conserve biodiversity, alleviate rural poverty, protect important ecosystem services, and reduce the risk of forest fires in the tropics. Under the existing Kyoto agreement, only reforestation and afforestation are eligible for carbon credits -- forest protection is specifically excluded from receiving carbon credits -- but considerable momentum for avoided deforestation makes it likely that the mechanism will be carefully considered during the next round of climate talks in Bali, Indonesia in December. Last week a group of eight tropical countries containing 80 percent of the world's remaining tropical forest cover -- Brazil, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Congo and Indonesia -- announced an alliance to push avoided deforestation at the upcoming conference. Irwandi, a veterinarian by trade, was formerly a rebel leader with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a separatist movement that the Indonesian government has battled for decades. Arrested in 2003, Irwandi was held at Keudah Prison in Banda Aceh when the December 26, 2004 tsunami struck and flooded the facility. Irwandi survived by punching a hole through the ceiling and fleeing to the roof. He was one of 40 survivors at the prison. During the reconciliation that followed the tsunami, Irwandi was elected governor in Aceh’s first democratic election in almost 30 years. The soldiers who once hunted him are now his guards.
Malaysia to step up laws on illegal logging
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia, a major timber exporter, said Tuesday that it would beef up its laws to fight a serious illegal logging problem that could harm the country's reputation.
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Deputy prime minister Najib Razak, who also heads the National Forestry Council, said companies involved in logging would now be responsible for providing evidence that they had not cut down trees illegally.
"The council agreed to review and amend the National Forestry Act to incorporate the principle that the burden of proof was transferred to the party that is found to be in possession of timber," he said.
"This means those found in possession of timber must furnish proof from where the trees were cut. If they cannot show proof, it means they have committed an offence," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
Najib's remarks come after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pledged last month not to indiscriminately approve logging licences, amid mounting concern that clearances are threatening endangered species and tribal communities.
Najib warned that illegal logging could compromise Malaysia's policy on sustainable management of its environment.
"It can jeopardise our efforts to preserve biodiversity, flora and fauna and have an impact on global warming. At the international level, illegal logging portrays a negative image of our country," he said.
"It can harm our national economy as the timber industry produces 23 billion ringgit (6.8 billion dollars) worth of wood-based products a year," he added.
Najib said that if developed countries in Europe and the United States were to take action, it could "adversely affect" Malaysia's economy.
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Deputy prime minister Najib Razak, who also heads the National Forestry Council, said companies involved in logging would now be responsible for providing evidence that they had not cut down trees illegally.
"The council agreed to review and amend the National Forestry Act to incorporate the principle that the burden of proof was transferred to the party that is found to be in possession of timber," he said.
"This means those found in possession of timber must furnish proof from where the trees were cut. If they cannot show proof, it means they have committed an offence," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
Najib's remarks come after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pledged last month not to indiscriminately approve logging licences, amid mounting concern that clearances are threatening endangered species and tribal communities.
Najib warned that illegal logging could compromise Malaysia's policy on sustainable management of its environment.
"It can jeopardise our efforts to preserve biodiversity, flora and fauna and have an impact on global warming. At the international level, illegal logging portrays a negative image of our country," he said.
"It can harm our national economy as the timber industry produces 23 billion ringgit (6.8 billion dollars) worth of wood-based products a year," he added.
Najib said that if developed countries in Europe and the United States were to take action, it could "adversely affect" Malaysia's economy.
Malaysia Lifts Ban on Export of Monkeys - Report
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has lifted a ban on the export of long-tailed macaques in a bid to thin the population of the monkeys, which are becoming a menace in urban areas, state news agency Bernama said on Friday.
Malaysia is negotiating to export the animals to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, where they could end up as food or as pets, the New Straits Times newspaper said.
"The cabinet has decided to lift the ban which was imposed in 1984 on the capture and export of this type of monkey," Bernama quoted Environment Minister Azmi Khalid said as telling a news conference.
"These monkeys create havoc in urban areas, not only stealing food from houses but also attacking people, and this is a cause for worry," said Azmi, speaking in the country's administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Azmi said efforts to curb their numbers through sterilisation had failed.
An environment ministry study showed that there were 258,406 long-tailed macaques living in urban areas in peninsular Malaysia, with 483,747 living in the wild, Bernama reported.
The export ban was being lifted only in peninsular Malaysia, but not the country's eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, it added.
The ministry had yet to decide on how to catch the monkeys and export them, Azmi said.
"We want to make sure that long-tailed monkeys in the wild are not disturbed," he said. "We also want to ensure that monkeys caught in urban areas are not ill-treated in the process of export. These monkeys still are on the endangered list of animals, so we have to do this right."
Malaysian wildlife authorities smashed a ring of smugglers last month and confiscated more than 900 poached monkeys destined for China or the Netherlands in what officials said was their biggest seizure involving the animal so far.
The original export ban on the monkeys was the result of an alarming drop in their numbers after an average of 10,000 animals were exported each year in the 1970s for use in biomedical research, as food or as pets, the New Straits Times said.
Malaysia is negotiating to export the animals to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, where they could end up as food or as pets, the New Straits Times newspaper said.
"The cabinet has decided to lift the ban which was imposed in 1984 on the capture and export of this type of monkey," Bernama quoted Environment Minister Azmi Khalid said as telling a news conference.
"These monkeys create havoc in urban areas, not only stealing food from houses but also attacking people, and this is a cause for worry," said Azmi, speaking in the country's administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Azmi said efforts to curb their numbers through sterilisation had failed.
An environment ministry study showed that there were 258,406 long-tailed macaques living in urban areas in peninsular Malaysia, with 483,747 living in the wild, Bernama reported.
The export ban was being lifted only in peninsular Malaysia, but not the country's eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, it added.
The ministry had yet to decide on how to catch the monkeys and export them, Azmi said.
"We want to make sure that long-tailed monkeys in the wild are not disturbed," he said. "We also want to ensure that monkeys caught in urban areas are not ill-treated in the process of export. These monkeys still are on the endangered list of animals, so we have to do this right."
Malaysian wildlife authorities smashed a ring of smugglers last month and confiscated more than 900 poached monkeys destined for China or the Netherlands in what officials said was their biggest seizure involving the animal so far.
The original export ban on the monkeys was the result of an alarming drop in their numbers after an average of 10,000 animals were exported each year in the 1970s for use in biomedical research, as food or as pets, the New Straits Times said.
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