Sweden's biodiverse ancient forests will be largely wiped out within two decades, writes Alec Forss - and along with it will go thousands of species that depend on mature forest ecosystems. But with powerful logging companies riding roughshod over the law, regulators, politicians and certifiers, who is to stop the destruction before it's too late?
… threat as loggers clear-cut 'old growth' forests Alec Forss | 11th February 2015 News Forests Sweden Biodiversity Regulation … Forsmark. Sweden's biodiverse ancient forests will be largely wiped out within two …
A growing protest movement is demanding strong controls on international investors and logging companies buying up Romania's forests, writes Raluca Besliu. In its sights is Austria-based Schweighofer, which stands accused of criminal malpractice and accepting illegal timber shipments. The popular outrage stirred up by corporate misdeeds is now stimulating a wider democratic revival.
… Romania's 'occupy forests' movement demands clampdown on … Raluca Besliu | 21st August 2015 News Romania Forests Regulation Law Corporations Politics … and logging companies buying up Romania's forests, writes Raluca Besliu. In its sights …
The World Bank's 'Tropical Forest Action Plan' was an abject failure, writes Chris Lang. Now the same mistakes are being repeated under a new acronym. TFAP is out, REDD is in - but it's still all about corporate control of forests, and blaming deforestation on its victims.
… REDD - destroy the forests, seize the profits, blame the victims Chris Lang | 7th August 2014 Comment Forests Development Finance Corporations … but it's still all about corporate control of forests, and blaming deforestation on its …
Peru is in hot competition with Brazil to be the main focus of Amazonian deforestation, writes Clément Doleac. A neoliberal government desperate to hand over the country's forests, oil, gas, minerals and indigenous lands for corporate exploitation is unafraid to break national laws, turn a blind eye to air and water pollution, and respond to any challenges with overwhelming violence.
… Clément Doleac | 5th October 2015 News Peru Forests Land Grabs Indigenous Peoples … desperate to hand over the country's forests, oil, gas, minerals and indigenous … research on the use and management of forests in less-developed countries, "much of …
The palm oil industry's repeated failure to keep its promises illustrates why global initiatives to achieve 'sustainable palm oil' must place communities centre-stage, writes FPP. Standard-setters like the RSPO must demand action, enforcement and accountability - not just lofty commitments that inspire hope, but rarely deliver.
… Peoples Programme | 14th May 2015 Activism Forests Commons Farming Corporations … local communities from their lands, farms and forests are rife. Rampant forest loss , peat … to palm oil companies, and the loss of their forests to 'no-go' conservation areas. With …
This month wood pellet mills in the southern US that supply the UK's Drax power station were awarded 'sustainability' certificates under a voluntary scheme governed entirely by energy companies. The certificates provide no credible guarantee that the fuel does not come from ecologically valuable natural forests and wetlands, clear-cut and replaced by industrial plantations.
… | 18th August 2016 Comment Biofuels Forests Energy Sustainability Corporations UK … not come from ecologically valuable natural forests and wetlands, clear-cut and replaced … impacts of large-scale biomass electricity on forests and on the climate. Media reports …
Austrian timber company Schweighofer is linked to large-scale illegal logging which accounts for half of Romania's timber production. An EIA investigation finds that almost all the illegal timber ends up in the company's mills.
… Austrian timber giant ransacking Romania's forests The Ecologist | 21st October 2015 News Romania Austria Forests Corporations Regulation EU romania-forests-cut.jpg Austrian timber company …
The world's two largest clothing brands are among those that have just commited to eliminate pulp from ancient and endangered forests from all of their rayon and viscose clothing.
… The Ecologist | 4th April 2014 News Forests Fashion Corporations handm-poster.png … to eliminate pulp from ancient and endangered forests from all of their rayon and viscose … of the clothing industry on the world's forests, biodiversity and climate. "These …
The OECD is pursuing a complaint that WWF has funded abuses against the indigenous forest-dwelling Baka or 'Pygmy' peoples of Cameroon, after determining that its human rights guidelines do apply to WWF owing to the 'commercial nature' of its conservation activities.
… | 12th January 2017 News Indigenous Peoples Forests Conservation Cameroon Africa … the Baka 'Pygmies', who have lived in these forests for centuries." Survival International … these abuses. "The need to conserve forests is not the issue; the issue arises …
Supported by state and national governments, palm oil plantations are advancing over the rainforest hills of Sabah, Malaysia, writes Sophie Chao. In their way: the indigenous Murut of Bigor, whose culture, livelihood and very lives are under threat as forests and farms fall to chainsaws and bulldozers, enriching loggers and distant investors beyond the dreams of avarice.
… livelihood and very lives are under threat as forests and farms fall to chainsaws and … would help us secure our customary lands and forests." "Instead we were hit by a tsunami. … The allocation of vast swathes of lands and forests by the government to private companies …
'No deforestation' pledges by global food corporations are yielding results, writes William Laurance. But now the Indonesian and Malaysian governments are calling on them to abandon their promises - even as the region's rainforests go up in smoke, cleared for new oil palm plantations. The companies must hold firm to their commitments.
… Cook University | 24th November 2015 Comment Forests Indonesia Malaysia Corporations Food … their promises - even as the region's rainforests go up in smoke, cleared for new oil … . The destructive impacts of oil palm on rainforests and peatlands is a key reason why palm …
The rainforest habitat of chimpanzees and other great apes is being destroyed by the expansion of palm oil projects in central Africa, according to new evidence from Greenpeace.
… Palm oil wiping out Africa's great ape rainforests The Ecologist | 24th February 2015 … millions of people. The conservation of these forests is vital in the fight against climate … enough. Current biofuels policy is destroying forests, sending food prices soaring and may …
This day 20 years ago one of Britain's most committed and effective environmental campaigners died trying to save a coastal forest in southern Madagascar from mining, writes Yvonne Orengo. The world has been a poorer place without Andrew Lees - and his fears for the Petriky forest and local indigenous communities have been proved all too close to the mark.
… Yvonne Orengo | 31st December 2014 Activism Forests Mining Indigenous Peoples Corporations … Tinto mine which would destroy rare coastal forests to extract ilmenite, a mineral that … and the mine, Rio Tinto posited that littoral forests in southern Madagascar would all be …
Multinational paper and palm oil companies are rushing to declare 'zero deforestation' policies. It looks like a huge victory for the rainforests and forest peoples, but Peter Gerhardt asks - what is a no-deforestation promise really worth?"
… promises Peter Gerhardt | 19th May 2014 News Forests Indigenous Peoples Corporations … It looks like a huge victory for the rainforests and forest peoples, but Peter Gerhardt … a fairy tale. Multinational companies destroy forests and trample on human rights. Then, …
Students, workers and civil rights activists gathered in their hundreds today in Delhi to protest at the mining company Vedanta, and the Indian government's support of highly destructive mining projects in forests and on indigenous peoples' lands.
… 2014 News Mining India Indigenous Peoples Forests Pollution Corporations … of highly destructive mining projects in forests and on indigenous peoples' lands. … of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forests investigated the bauxite mining …
Determined to flood 10,000 hectares of precious rainforest for a power station producing a meager 108MW of power, the Cambodian government has expelled a big 'fishbone in their throat' - eco-defender Alex Gonzalez-Davidson, who has galvanized local and nationwide protests against deforestation, land grabs and official corruption.
… Rod Harbinson | 9th March 2015 News Cambodia Forests Hydro Corporations Politics … The Areng valley in the Cardamom Mountain forests is at the heart of one of Cambodia's last great forests, home to 30 endangered species and a …
Majority of influential companies and financial institutions doing little or nothing on deforestation - undermining global climate targets.
… recognised the urgent need to protect forests. "Yet most companies and financial … business and make a difference in protecting forests, and wildlife and the communities that … are home to over 90 percent of the world’s forests signed a declaration launched at COP26 …
Botum Sakor national park is one of Cambodia's biodiversity hotspots, where indigenous tribes have long lived in harmony with the forest and its wildlife, writes Rod Harbinson. But now they are being violently evicted as the park is being sold off piecemeal to developers for logging, plantations, casinos and hotels. Now local communities are defending themselves and their land.
… bidders Rod Harbinson | 24th March 2015 News Forests Cambodia Development Corporations … sandy soil on land carved out of the tropical forests of the National Park, which is still … minute documentary on the Cardamom Mountain forests at: www.spiritforest.org All photos by …
Sarawak's lucrative logging industry has given rise to dynasties of enormous wealth and political power, writes Chris Lang, as revealed in this courageous investigation by Lukas Straumann. And the kingpin is multi-billionaire Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak for 33 years, whose whose property empire spans the globe.
… power and the destruction of Sarawak’s forests Chris Lang REDD Minitor | 24th December 2014 Reviews Forests Malaysia Corporations Law Politics … fact that only 0.5% of the world's tropical forests are in Sarawak. Samling and Rimbunan …
The global cereal giant Kellogg has committed to sourcing palm oil that is deforestation-free. It will also ensure that carbon rich tropical peatlands are preserved.
… free' The Ecologist | 19th February 2014 News Forests Food Corporations kelloggs-big-mix.png … to the company's principles for protecting forests, peat lands, and communities; and … This practice also destroys irreplaceable forests that are home to endangered species …
Our insatiable appetite for expensive coffee is causing a global trail of waste and destruction, writes Donnachadh McCarthy. Following the successful campaign for a 5p plastic bag levy, it's time to move on to a much larger 25p levy on disposable coffee cups - making those that profit from the waste carry the cost of its disposal.
… trail of waste in our wake. We bulldoze forests containing well over 350,000 trees … Coffee originated in the shadow of the jungle forests of east Africa. But now the two main … exposure led many farmers to cut down their forests and abandon their traditional ways. …
In law, the Shuar Arutam People of Ecuador's Amazon control their ancestral forests. But the government has allocated more than 38% of their territory to large-scale mining, and a gigantic hydroelectric dam is about to be built. Peaceful resistance has been met with a violent military occupation against a People whose only demand, set out in this Open Letter, is peace and justice.
… of Ecuador's Amazon control their ancestral forests. But the government has allocated more … intentions. Taking control of our ancestral forests! We were born here in this immense … have taken care of these immense millennial forests in peace, protecting the borders. In …
With the deadline due this year for the full implementation of Wilmar's 'No peat, no deforestation, no exploitation' promise, the oil palm giant is keen to push its green image in Europe. But for communities suffering its land grabs in Nigeria, nothing has changed. While Wilmar spins green rhetoric, its bulldozers are still destroying vast swathes of forest and farmland.
… Ojo | 27th May 2015 News Africa Farming Forests Corporations farmers protesting …
As ever more companies and governments pledge to 'go green' and protect forests, the world's tribal peoples should be among the main beneficiaries, writes Amy Dickens. Yet the reverse is the case. All too often the promises are purest greenwash, used to conceal the human and environmental tragedy of land-grabbing for plantations, mines, logging and even 'conservation'.
… governments pledge to 'go green' and protect forests, the world's tribal peoples should be … the forest are the same people pillaging our forests." This agreement masked a hefty World …