Destruction of world's biggest rainforests down 25 percent: FAO

2011-06-01T16:30:20Z

BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) - The rate of destruction of the world's three largest forests fell 25 percent this decade compared with the previous one, but remains alarmingly high in some countries, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization

Congo's poor need incentives to save giant forest

2011-05-31T13:30:15Z

GEMENA, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Reuters) - Simon Kasagana knows his meager livelihood depends on the forest, but like many others eking out a living in the vast Congo basin, he has little choice but to destroy it.

He used to be a nursing assistant, but the pay w...

Indonesia, EU sign pact on sustainable timber

2011-05-04T09:30:32Z

Indonesia and the European Union signed an agreement Wednesday to fight against the trade in illegal timber, one of the drivers of deforestation and a major source of greenhouse gases.

The Voluntary Partnership Agreement aims to ensure that by 2013 all the timber products exported to Europe from Indonesia are certifie...

Oslo urges more forest aid despite corruption risk

2011-04-28T08:30:28Z

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway urged rich nations on Thursday to take risks and pay to slow deforestation in poor countries, saying there would hardly be a tree left in Congo if donors first wait for corruption to be eradicated.

Environment Minister Erik Solheim also reiterated calls for

Indonesian palm oil giant vows to save forests

2011-02-09T13:30:27Z

Indonesia's biggest palm oil producer pledged on Wednesday to follow new standards to protect carbon-rich forests and peatlands, in a move cautiously welcomed by environmentalists including Greenpeace.

Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) and its subsidiary SMART, par...

Indonesia makes startling admission on forests

2011-02-01T16:30:30Z

Indonesia admitted Tuesday that hundreds of mine and plantation companies are operating illegally on Borneo island, and promised to beef up law enforcement to protect forests and threatened species.

The forestry ministry made the startling admission that less than 20 percent of plantation companies and less than 1.5 percent of mining firms had official operating permits in Indonesia has chosen its Borneo island to conduct a pilot project aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, as part of a deal with Norway, an official said Thursday.

Norway agreed in May to contribute up to a billion dollars to help preserve Indonesia's forests, in part through a two-year moratorium on the clearing of natural ...

Plant life

2010-11-29T14:58:40Z

...

The effects of deforestation

2010-11-29T15:40:19Z

...

Norway says more aid needed to save Indonesian forest

2010-10-25T06:30:25Z

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia could match Brazil's success in slowing deforestation but needs far more aid from rich nations such as the United States,

Killing Us Softly

2010-11-03T03:15:35Z

...

What is the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil?

2010-11-02T20:26:08Z

...

Going Green, Responsibly.

2010-11-03T00:03:33Z

...

Indonesia denies deforesting caused Papua floods

2010-10-12T00:31:04Z

Indonesia denied on Thursday that flash floods in the remote area of Papua that killed at least 148 people were caused by rampant deforestation.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the flooding in West Papua province's Teluk Wondama district last Monday was caused by a natural dam bursting in the are...

Indonesia probes illegal logging role in Papua floods

2010-10-11T03:30:40Z

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian officials and forestry experts are to investigate claims that illegal logging contributed to floods that have killed at least 145 people, the Forestry Ministry said on Monday.

This comes ahead of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono<...

Current Comment

2010-09-21T13:51:12Z

...

Saving Forests to Save Biodiversity

2010-09-11T16:37:34Z

...

What Causes Air Pollution?

2010-11-05T09:56:58Z

...

Christian Louboutin Platform Cage Sandal Blush

2010-09-11T09:10:02Z

...

Agriculture forestry and fishing

2010-11-02T15:40:28Z

...

Africa looks to vast forests for carbon credit

2010-07-16T06:15:15Z

BANCO, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - They inhabit a polluted part of Ivory Coast's main city with few jobs and a swelling population, but residents of Abidjan's slums have a rare respite: a stretch of pristine rainforest.

From their wooden shacks and unpainted concrete houses by motorways on the edge of Banco National Pa...

Timber piracy down – but we're not out of the woods

2010-11-02T13:11:00Z

...

World illegal logging down, still big problem: study

2010-10-22T13:07:07Z

OSLO (Reuters) - Illegal logging has fallen by 22 percent worldwide in the past decade but remains a huge problem from Brazil to Indonesia, a study showed on Thursday.

It also said that China was the main importer and processor of illegal timbe...

Report: Illegal logging down across the globe

2010-07-15T04:15:26Z

Worldwide action has dramatically cut illegal logging across the globe, report says

Tougher enforcement and strict new rules have led to a dramatic drop in illegal logging, a British think tank says, saving huge swaths of green and cutting carbon dioxide emissions across the globe.

An international clamp-down on unlawfully harvested timber has helped protect up to 17 million hectares (42 million acres) of forest over the past few years — roughly the sa...

Indonesia's plan to save its rainforests

2010-10-27T09:09:22Z

...

Protected forests burn more

2010-10-27T09:10:53Z

...

Greenpeace urges Indonesia to broaden forest moratorium

2010-06-03T09:17:27Z

Greenpeace on Thursday said a promised moratorium on deforestation would have little impact on Indonesia's huge carbon footprint unless it is extended to existing concessions.

The environmental group also urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to begin the moratorium immedi...

Earning Billions for U.S. Farmers by Stopping Global Deforestation

2010-10-27T07:28:03Z

...

Int'l conference to save forests opens in Oslo

2010-05-26T22:15:20Z

International meeting to enact deforestation measures opens in Oslo

Last December, an international conference on climate change approved global plans prevent deforestation. But those plans have not been implemented, and now a smaller meeting of nations in Oslo will try Thursday to find ways to start to put them in place — even if on a smaller scale.

Deforestation, the burning of woodlands or the rotting of felle...

Indonesia announces two-year moratorium on deforestation

2010-05-26T12:16:04Z

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Wednesday he would introduce a two-year moratorium on deforestation, a large source of income for his country which also contributes heavily to global warming.

"We will ... conduct a moratorium for two years where we stop the conversion of peat land and of forest," Yudhoyono said at a joint press conference with Indonesia's anti-graft commission is investigating rampant corruption in the forestry sector that has cost the state more than 100 billion dollars, an official said Thursday.

Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairman Mohammad Jasin said investigators had found "indications of vio...

Unilever to keep buying Indonesia palm oil despite row

2010-05-19T06:16:30Z

Anglo-Dutch food and cosmetics giant Unilever said Wednesday it would continue to get 65 percent of its total palm oil purchases from Indonesia, despite concerns about deforestation by the industry.

The comment came after Unilever suspended future purchases from palm oil giant Sinar Mas in December, after

Unilever to keep buying Malaysia palm oil despite forest row

2010-05-19T05:15:59Z

Anglo-Dutch food and cosmetics giant Unilever said Wednesday it would continue to get 65 percent of its total palm oil purchases from Indonesia, despite concerns about deforestation by the industry.

The comment came after Unilever suspended future purchases from palm oil giant Sinar Mas in December, after

Certified logging no match for Indonesia's timber 'mafia'

2010-05-15T23:15:36Z

Dayak tribesman Hanye Jaang didn't know it, but he used to be part of a multi-billion-dollar "mafia" that is ravaging Indonesia's forests and, scientists say, warming the climate.

The wiry 36-year-old still cuts down trees but now he's doing it legally in a way that minimises damage to fragile forest ecosystems.

"I don't have to play hide-and-seek with the forest police anymore. It's safe doing my job now," he told AFP in the ...

Forest Loss Slowing, UN Reports

2010-11-03T09:03:57Z

...

Paper Packaging In Line With Consumer Trends And Environmental Requirements

2010-09-22T09:34:46Z

The World Health Organization and national environmental experts believe that domestic and foreign markets will gradually ban the use of plastic grocery bags, shopping provision in the future to use non-toxic, harmless "all paper food bag." Paper products easy to corrupt, either paper or for recycling plant fertilizer, can also reduce air pollution and purify the environment.

At present, China's food, medicine, glassware, instruments, mechanical and electrical products, light indust...

Lights out across Asia as world marks Earth Hour

2010-06-11T22:49:42Z

Monuments from Sydney's Opera House to Delhi's Red Fort went dark on Saturday for Earth Hour, a global power switch-off aimed at revitalising efforts against climate change.

Ferry horns blared across Sydney harbour in a noisy start to the energy-saving event, ...

Lights out across Asia as world begins Earth Hour

2010-03-27T10:15:49Z

Sydney's iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge went dark Saturday at the start of Earth Hour, followed by cities across Asia in a global switch-off aimed at revitalising efforts against climate change.

Harbour ferry horns blared to signal the energy-saving event, which is supported by 4,000 cities in a record 125 countries and includes 1,200 famous landmarks from the Reuters) - Deforestation slowed in the last decade, in the first sign that global conservation efforts are bearing fruit, but an area the size of Costa Rica is still being destroyed each year, the United Nations said on Thursday.

A report by the Deforestation conference to turn plans into action brings nations at heart of problem to table

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will open a daylong conference Thursday of some 40 nations to start turning plans into action to save the world's forests and help rein in the noxious gases blamed for climate change.

Ministers from countries of the Amazon and Congo river basins and

Palm oil: environmental curse or a blessing?

2010-03-01T19:16:19Z

It is blamed for everything from deforestation to threatening the extinction of the orangutan, but palm oil is a vital source of income for many developing countries, the crop's producers say.

In Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, where the plant provides work for three million people, the government is keen to promote the benefits of the crop.

Gatot Irianto, research director at NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Waste from discarded electronics will rise dramatically in the developing world within a decade, with computer waste in India alone to grow by 500 percent from 2007 levels by 2020, a U.N. study ...

Graft threatens Indonesia's carbon offset billions: report

2010-04-16T07:43:09Z

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Billions of dollars set to flood into Indonesia under a U.N.-backed forest protection scheme are at risk because of graft unless the country puts strong oversight mechanisms in place, a report released on Tuesday warned.

Indonesia has the world...

Asia governors endorse U.N. forest carbon scheme

2010-04-16T09:12:39Z

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Six provincial governors from Indonesia, Laos and the Philippines on Thursday backed an expanded U.N. scheme aimed at protecting and conserving forests in return for carbon credits.

In a joint s...

Indonesia's Papua in environmental peril: leaders

2010-04-16T09:12:46Z

Logging and agribusiness is threatening environmental destruction in Indonesia's Papua region, one of the world's last vast wildernesses, local leaders said on Thursday.

The governors of the two provinces in the region on the western end of New Guinea island told an international environmental conference a strategy was needed to avoid the mistakes that have decimated other Indonesian regio...

Deforestation threatens Indonesia's Papua region

2010-04-16T09:12:43Z

Logging and agribusiness is threatening environmental destruction in Indonesia's Papua region, one of the world's last vast wildernesses, local leaders said on Thursday.

Oil or orangutans

2010-11-03T08:51:17Z

...

Space agencies, Google seek ways to save forests

2010-04-16T09:44:31Z

OSLO (Reuters) - Space agencies and Google Inc are helping an international project to monitor forests by satellite to fight global warming, the head of an international earth observation group said on Tuesday.

Deforestation from Brazil to JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's tough new environment law, passed last month and aimed at any firm with an effect on the environment, may take as long as two years to implement, a senior government official said on Friday.

The law allows the government to revoke polluters' business licenses, which environmentalists said co...

Waste exports heading for unknown destinations

2010-10-22T11:50:06Z

...

Forests fight back as Indonesia tackles illegal palm oil

2010-10-22T10:08:30Z

ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - For decades, the roar of the chainsaw has meant one thing in Indonesia's national parks: illegal loggers ripping down the rainforest.

Now, the whirring blades are part of a fight back to cut out illegal palm oil from the international supply chain and slow the deforestation that has pushed Indonesia's carbon emissions sky high, threatening ...

Indonesia to clean up timber exports

2010-04-16T11:29:19Z

Indonesia will launch a new system of independent certification for all timber exports to combat widespread illegal logging, the forestry minister said Monday.

From September all timber leaving the country must be certified by an independent body of business and NGO representatives, Malam Sambat Kaban told reporters.

"With the existence of Indonesian timber ce...

US cuts Indonesian debt for forest protection

2010-04-16T11:34:22Z

US to reduce Indonesian debt by $30 million in exchange for forest protection

Indonesia committed to the conservation of its dwindling tropical forests in a multimillion dollar debt-swap deal signed Tuesday with the American government, the U.S. Embassy said.

Jakarta's payments to Washington will be red...

Indonesia premier hopefuls accused on environment

2010-04-16T11:34:29Z

Presidential hopefuls vying for Indonesia's top job next week are ignoring the environment, despite dire threats from global warming and deforestation, environmental group Greenpeace has said.

None of the three candidates has made the environment a priority in their campaigns or offered any detailed policies on issues such as deforestation or carbon emis...

Alarm raised over forest plan to fight climate change

2010-06-11T20:55:47Z

An ambitious plan to fight climate change by making polluters pay to preserve forests has come under a cloud, with some environmentalists calling it unworkable and dangerous.

The plan, known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), is being pushed as a key element for a new global agreement to fight climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

The rationale for the plan is largely u...

Eco-Friendly Accomodation

2010-09-09T06:23:37Z

Following the worldwide boom of sustainable tourism and the environment, plenty of hotels around the world are becoming "green." Discover the best guide to hotels and their ecological services.

Conscious of the need to conserve the planet, about 48% of travelers seeking shelter today "eco-friendly." The commitment to the planet was not made to wait and each day there are more people willing to bet on construction demand and "green."

Today, Europe is leading the initiative to ma...

Three Indonesian Companies Prove Ready for Lacey Act; With Verified Legal Origin Certificates in Place, 'VLO' Furniture Production for a US Market Can Commence

2010-10-23T22:40:09Z

...

Shrinking Forests: The Many Costs

2010-10-23T22:40:00Z

...

Indonesia should drop forest carbon credit plan: Greenpeace

2010-04-16T15:51:29Z

Environmental group Greenpeace called on Indonesia Wednesday to drop plans to tackle global climate change with credits for preserving forests, saying the measure could destroy carbon markets.

The Southeast Asian nation, a key backer of "avoided deforestation" measures that would award tradeable carbon credits for conservation, should abandon the plan in...

Indonesia's Sinar Mas defends palm oil expansion

2010-10-21T09:54:48Z

...

Ways for the World to End

2010-10-26T20:33:02Z

...

Panama Vs Costa Rica- Deforestation ? Reforestation The Role You Can Play and How You Can Benefit

2010-04-16T17:56:19Z

Deforestation in Indonesia:

In an article in Newsday, Edward A. Gargan, says that in Bangsri, Indonesia has the last great teakwood forest. The wood ends up in places like Abdul Jambari's garden furniture workshop. For about $100, Jambari's chair will sit on a patio or d...

Greenpeace stops palm oil shipments from leaving Indonesia

2010-04-16T14:32:20Z

Environmental group Greenpeace said Monday it had stopped several palm oil shipments from leaving Indonesia and called for an end to forests and peatlands being destroyed to make way for plantations.

The ships were about to leave from Dumai, Indonesia's main oil export port, to Brazil

Sumatra beats the Dutch for greenhouse gas title

2010-10-19T10:12:39Z

...

Rainforest Alliance Validates First Carbon Offset Project to Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance Standards in Indonesia

2010-10-23T09:26:33Z

...

Indonesia: Can't See the Conference for the Trees

2010-10-23T09:26:20Z

...

New report on deforestation reveals problems of forest carbon payment schemes

2010-10-23T09:26:13Z

...

World mulls paying for forest protection

2010-09-10T19:55:37Z

Carbon Trade Seen As Lifeline for Indonesian Forests

For years Irwandi Yusuf fought for the independence of Aceh province. But now he's at the forefront of another struggle: trying to persuade wealthy nations and companies to offset their carbon emissions by saving his homeland's forests.

Yusuf, who was elected governor after the 2004 tsunami ushered in an era o...

Palm oil industry closer to "green" labeling

2010-10-23T09:25:52Z

...

Green group wary of plans for "eco-friendly" palm

2010-10-23T02:39:02Z

...

The importance of mangrove conservation in tsunami prone regions

2010-10-23T09:26:06Z

...

People Toni Braxton

2011-01-03T10:31:56Z

FILE - In this March 6, 2010 file photo, U.S. singer Toni Braxton performs during the Java Jazz concert festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, file)

Indonesia Terror Trial

2010-12-29T03:00:25Z

Suspected militant Abdullah Sunata stands behind bars inside a holding cell at a district court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010. The trial of one of Indonesia's top terrorism suspects has opened in the capital. Sunata is accused of setting up a terrorist cell of Muslim militants with ties to the

Global Christmas

2010-12-24T15:01:15Z

In this Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010 photo, trainers in Santa Claus costumes dance with sea lions at Ancol Water park in Jakarta, Indonesia. Clerics in the world's most populous Muslim country said employers should not be allowed to require their staff to wear fuzzy Santa outfits and red hats, saying that it is insulting to their faith. (AP Photo/Tatan ...

Indonesia Tsunami Clinging To Hope

2010-12-23T03:01:26Z

In this photo taken Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, Rafisah, the mother of Titik Yuniarti, who was beaten by a mob accusing her of attempting to abduct a child while searching for her daughter missing in the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, shows a picture of her grandchildren at her residence in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Mount Merapi in Muntilan, Central Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo/File)

...

The latest in Indonesia

Indonesian paper firm logging tiger sanctuary: NGOs

Greenpeace condemns Indonesia after deportation

US, Indonesia sign $30m debt-for-nature swap

Indonesia forest moratorium breached on first day: group