Since 1948 the UN's Food and Agriculture has been clinging to an outmoded definition of 'forests' that includes industrial wood plantations, writes WRM in this Open Letter for delivery to the FAO today, International Forests Day. This mis-definition seriously harms real forests and forest peoples as it justifies the clearance of real forests and their replacement with cash crops of trees.
… FAO: Plantations are not forests! World Rainforest Movement | 21st March 2017 Comment Forests Un Campaigning Indigenous Peoples … been clinging to an outmoded definition of 'forests' that includes industrial wood …
A fresh wave of logging is hitting America's national forests, writes Brett Haverstick. But this time it's all for the sake of 'forest health' and 'fire prevention'. It might look like industrial clear-cutting to you and me, but really, it's in a good cause. And if the forests and precious ecosystems they harbor just happen to perish in the process ... well ain't that just too bad?
… logging threatens US National Forests Brett Haverstick | 10th April 2017 Comment Forests Logging Health USA Commons Ecology … wave of logging is hitting America's national forests, writes Brett Haverstick. But this …
Who are the best guardians of forests and other wild places? Governments? Conservation NGOs? Corporations? No, writes Prakash Kashwan, it's the indigenous peoples who have lived in harmony with their environment for millennia. But to be able do so, they must first be accorded rights to their historic lands and resources, both in law and in practice. Among the countries leading the way, Mexico. Among the laggards, Kenya and India.
… To conserve tropical forests and wildlife, protect the rights of … 2017 Comment Indigenous Peoples Conservation Forests Mexico Kenya India Books … Who are the best guardians of forests and other wild places? Governments? …
Białowieża Forest is the best preserved forest ecosystem and the best preserved old-growth lowland forest in Europe. But it is under threat, reports BRENDAN MONTAGUE
… halt wood extraction in the old-growth forests. Białowieża Forest is the best …
Polish activists have this week chained themselves up to machines used to cut a 9000-year-old forest in a bid to stop the destruction of trees for what is clearly commercial gain. NICK MEYNEN reports
… Jan Szyszko approved the proposal from State Forests Service to expand the planned logging … interests are the real reason. The State Forests Service is now required to be … a petition , in media and, not least, in the forests themselves. Maps, images and more …
The loss of birds could significantly impact efforts to combat deforestation, according to research from scientists looking at species across the Brazilian Amazon. LAURA BRIGGS reports
… land-use change is important because tropical forests are integral to the long-term … and climate cycles. The health of tropical forests is reliant on biodiversity - and is … implications for the ability of tropical forests to recover from human activities …
The Polish government has been ignoring a temporary ban on logging in the Białowieża Forest since July. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is now taking unprecedented action to protect the best-preserved primeval forest in Europe. CATHERINE EARLY reports
Poland ordered to immediately halt logging or pay massive fine Catherine Early | 21st November 2017 News Law Nature Habitat Forest Poland Logging bialowieza_forest_protest_-_catherine_early.jpg The …
Though the Earth loses forests at an alarming rate, the EU has yet to take decisive action against the most severe causes of deforestation. The EU must now act swiftly to ensure its consumption no longer drives forest destruction, writes SÉBASTIEN RISSO
… greenpeace small.jpg Though the Earth loses forests at an alarming rate, the EU has yet to … forest destruction, writes SÉBASTIEN RISSO Forests are essential for life on Earth. They … world leaders recognised the crucial role of forests in climate change mitigation and …
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 …
The Drax power station in Yorkshire is the UK's biggest CO2 emitter, burns more wood each year than the entire UK timber harvest, and is a major importer of coal from strife-stricken regions of Colombia, writes Frances Howe. This Thursday campaigners will target the company's AGM to highlight its impacts on forests, biodiversity, climate and communities, in the face of Drax's PR offensive to make biomass appear 'sustainable'.
… Howe | 10th April 2017 Activism Energy Forests Biomass Coal UK Colombia Protest … the company's AGM to highlight its impacts on forests, biodiversity, climate and … way of looking at a forest. The clear-cut forests of America Just over half of the wood …
Discussions around the effects of climate change tend to focus on the planet's polar extremes, expanding deserts or low-lying areas. La Gomera - a subtropical forest perched more than a thousand metres above the ocean - is also at risk. JAMES MCENANEY reports
WITNESS - The La Gomera Forest Fires James McEnaney | 30th January 2017 Comment Climate Change La Gomera Forest la gomera.jpg Discussions around the effects of climate change tend to focus on the …
Biodiversity in Southeast Asia was severely disrupted due to El Niño forest fires, reports BRENDAN MONTAGUE
Animal acoustic activity decline shows forest fire pollution wreaks havoc on wildlife Brendan Montague | 21st September 2017 News Forest Fire El Nino Southeast Asia 405316.jpg Biodiversity in …
A new report from Global Witness places India fourth in the league table of killings of environmental activists. As part of our collaboration with CLIMATE TRACKER, environmental law researcher MRINALINI SHINDE looks at the human trauma behind the statistics - and calls on India's urban elite to act.
… advocating for tribal land rights under the Forests Right Act, and consequent tensions … courageous forest officials, who protect the forests from poaching every day, have been … and the attackers had fled. In the Chapra forests in Madhya Pradesh, Jagdish Binjwar was …
Communities across Papua New Guinea oppose the theft of their land for logging and palm oil operations made possible by the corrupt practices of local officials and foreign companies.
FRÉDÉRIC MOUSSEAU reports
… With over 800 indigenous languages spoken, forests and waters teeming with more than … and the loggers, to protect their land, their forests, and their livelihoods. Taking On the … used to take away people's land and forests. The government's official strategy is …
Agroecology, plant-based diets and scathing critiques of REDD+ have reached the mainstream at this year’s climate talks, argues NATALIE BENNETT
… in the Global North, to “buy” protection for forests in poorer states. They have developed … REDD+ restricts what local people can do with forests, while their approaches wants the … We need to move on to restoration – of soils, forests and corals. This is not about …
Indonesia's plans to meet its Paris Agreement obligations by protecting its swamp forests, the world's biggest land reservoir of carbon, have been acclaimed by the world's press, writes Yuyun Indradi. But they contain so many loopholes and flawed compromises that - unless radically reformed - they are doomed to certain failure.
… Indonesia's plans to protect its peatland forests are fatally flawed Yuyun Indradi … | 9th January 2017 Comment Indonesia Forests Carbon Water Climate Change Paris … Agreement obligations by protecting its swamp forests, the world's biggest land reservoir of …
This week, the first-ever Forest Defenders Conference, organized by environmental activist support group Not1More, takes place (21st-22nd June) at St. Hugh's College in Oxford, UK. The aim of the conference is to highlight the growing risks and help develop safety strategies for frontline environmentalists who face increasing violence for their work.
OLESIA PLOKHII reports
… not, those at the frontlines protecting our forests, waterways and ancestral lands are … it." The murders of those who protect lands, forests, rivers - who protect their ancestor's …
The use and spread of palm oil is beyond imagination; from cooking and manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and drilling fluids, it is even in nanny's chocolate cake. Its global consumption may have increased more than any other good, but what does this entail for the farmers? The crisis in Edo State of Nigeria speaks for itself, reports BURAG GURDEN
… flourish perfectly overlap with those of lush forests. Coupled with insufficient …
Displaced from their ancestral land, the Batwa people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have faced years of instability. A new eco-village offers hope to the community, but fulfilling basic needs while still respecting cultural identities is a delicate balance. KATIE DANCEY-DOWNS reports
… or education, and are denied access to the forests where their traditional activities …
We may know that palm oil is wiping out rainforests worldwide, writes Philip Lymbery. But few realise that our factory farmed meat and dairy are contributing to the problem. As revealed in Philip's new book, 'Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were', palm kernels, left after pressing the fruit for oil, is a protein-rich livestock feed of growing importance. And nowhere is the impact greater than Sumatra, home (for now) to its own unique species of elephant.
… 28th March 2017 News Food Farming Extinction Forests Indonesia Elephants … We may know that palm oil is wiping out rainforests worldwide, writes Philip Lymbery. But … of Indonesia was covered with tropical forests. Now with one of the highest rates of …
Scotland's national tree, the Scots pine, is under threat despite surviving since the last Ice Age. Trees for Life has now launched a new campaign, reports BRENDAN MONTAGUE
Appeal to save ice age heritage of Scotland's national tree Brendan Montague | 20th September 2017 News Trees Scotland Pine Campaign 405303.jpg Scotland's national tree, the Scots pine, is under …
Britain has 2,000 ancient yew trees yet there are only about 100 left in mainland Europe. England is home to more than 100 great oaks - trees aged over 800 years - more than the entire region from Calais to Cadiz. Author PETER FIENNES reflects on why so many old British trees have been saved from the axe
… ancient oaks survived the felling of ancient forests in Britain Peter Fiennes | 11th … more ancient trees. We have destroyed our forests, while opting to spare a large number … same time, we have demolished the woods and forests that once surrounded them. But the …
Attacks on Amazon Indians and on their land rights are threatening vital areas of rainforest, writes Jan Rocha. Meanwhile FUNAI, the agency responsible for safeguarding indigenous tribes is being forced to withdraw from key conflict zones due to underfunding, while Indians' attempts to assert their rights are met with state violence.
… 10th May 2017 News Brazil Indigenous Peoples Forests Law Politics rio-mural-cut.jpg Attacks … to IPAM researcher Paulo Moutinho. He says: "Forests maintained by the Indians function …