Dec 11
"The definition of forests under REDD is utterly ridiculous", stated
Sandy Gauntlett, a Maori indigenous rights activist from New Zealand,
and representative of Global Forest Coalition. "It leaves wide open
the ability of countries to destroy their natural forests and replace
them with industrial tree plantations-which destroys wildlife habitat
and displaces indigenous and forest dependent communities. Global Forest Coalition, The Wilderness Society, World Rainforest
Movement, Global Justice Ecology Project, Via Campesina, the
International Youth Delegation and the STOP GE Trees Campaign united
today to challenge the UN/REDD definition of forests. Currently the UN considers industrial tree plantations as forests.
This is, simply put, an egregious error. Plantations are not forests.
Forests are diverse ecosystems and plantations are void of
biodiversity. The UN definition endangers Indigenous Peoples, forest
dependent people, peasants, small farmers, biodiversity and exacerbates
climate change. The groups held a media conference this morning and several actions
occurred on the theme of calling on the UNFCCC to change the definition
of forests so it distinguishes between native forests and plantations. "We have united to challenge the definition of forest under the
UNFCCC to ensure that agricultural tree crops, or plantations are not
defined as a forest", said Gemma Tillack, an international youth
delegate and campaigner for The Wilderness Society in Australia. "The conversion of native forests to plantations is bad for
biodiversity, people and the climate. Human rights, especially women's
rights, are being violated where there are plantations, and they should
not be defined as forests. In addition, industrial tree plantations
impact the climate--tropical forests and grasslands store significantly
more carbon than tree plantations", said Ana Filippini from World
Rainforest Movement (Uruguay) and member of the GenderCC Network -
Women for Climate Justice. "Schemes such as REDD allow companies to prevent family farmers from
using the land to produce the food that is needed to feed their
communities and their countries", said Luis Muchanga of Via Campesina
in Mozambique. He continued, "Deforestation, which is a major driver
of global warming, is not made by peasants and indigenous peoples, but
by large companies that are given the right to convert the forest to
tree plantations". The groups are proposing that the definitions are changed so: 1) Forests are defined as 'a terrestrial ecosystem generated and
maintained primarily through natural and ecological and evolutionary
processes that are home to most of the world's biodiversity'. 2) Plantations are defined as a crop of trees planted and regularly
harvested by humans that do not provide habitat for biodiversity.
Dec 11
Three weeks ago the
minister of Water and Environment, Hon Maria Mutagamba announced plans
to set up tight security to curb environmental crime in Uganda. She
said her ministry, in conjunction with that of Defence have designed a
White Paper to be presented to the cabinet for discussion before the
force is put in place. The special task force that will be known as the
National Environment Police (NEPO) is to be created from the police. Muhwezi
says the nature of environmental crimes requires that officers are
trained in the technical aspects of the environment and provided with
mentoring and coaching by a technical environmental arm of government.
However this is the issue that is seriously contested by deferent stake
holders in the sector. But
Anywar, insists NEPO is unnecessary. "I don't think that is the way
forward, have they exhausted other avenues?" she asks. She instead
points an accusing finger to the "untouchables" for destroying the
environment. "If we take a look at the data of those who are destroying
the environment, it is the government officials," she says, adding, "I
was very surprised when Maria Mutagamba said they are going to take on
those who are clearing the forests and wet-lands. Why couldn't she
point out those individuals who are clearing our forests?" According
to Mr. Onesmus Muhwezi the director of environment monitoring and
compliance at National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), NEPO is
being instituted to meet the challenges of the times. "Environmental
degradation and associated climate change impacts have become a global
and human rights issue. The current industrialization
drive by the government of Uganda poses a big challenge to maintaining
a clean and healthy environment." Critics
of this plan say this could be a plot by the government to either
secure the forests to serve their own land needs or protect them from
likely infiltration by rebels. "Museveni is the kayungirizi for land in
Uganda, he has to identify the land," said Beatrice Anywar, the shadow
minister for environment. She
adds, "President Museveni understands bushes in a different
perspective. Every bush he sees is a potential hideout for rebels. But
why not, he came to power through the bush." Muhwezi
advances several reasons for the formation of NEPO. He says the public
is now keen on the state of the environment that they live in.
"Reporting of environmental crimes by the general public has increased
dramatically in the recent past," he said, "unfortunately, the response
to reports is less successful due to the time lag between when an
incident is reported and when action is taken. http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/news/news-analysis/116-news-analysis/577-army-to-protect-forests-but-critics-claim-hidden-agenda.html
Dec 10
Sudan's Darfur conflict has devastated the environment in the
region, stripping forests and destroying farmland, according to a U.N.
report. People caught up in the five-year crisis have cut down large areas
of woodland, partly to feed a booming war-fuelled construction
industry, said a report by the U.N.'s Environment Programme (UNEP) seen
by Reuters on Wednesday. Tree cover has become so sparse in some areas that Darfuris often
have to travel more than 75 km (50 miles) from their camps to find
enough wood to sell or use for fuel, it added. "We're now seeing extreme stress on the environment around many of
the camps and the major towns in Darfur," said UNEP's Sudan country
director Clive Bates in a statement. "We need to plant millions of trees and introduce new technologies for construction and energy as quickly as humanly possible." The UNEP report said demand for wood in Darfur's three main towns El
Fasher, Nyala and El Geneina had increased an estimated "two to three
times" since the conflict started in 2003. Numbers of saw-mills and wood-fired brick kilns have rocketed in the
region's main towns to keep up with rising demand for building
materials for new peacekeeping bases, displacement shelters and
accommodation for U.N. staff, the report added. It said brick-making kilns alone were burning up an estimated 52,000
trees a year, which meant "the current form of brick-making is having a
disastrous impact on Darfur's fragile environment". "The brick kilns are occupying and in many cases destroying valuable
agricultural land by digging up clay soils around towns," the report
added. Farmers driven from their fields by the conflict often found the
timber trade was the only business left open to them after taking
shelter in displacement camps, said the report titled 'Destitution,
distortion and deforestation'. International experts say more than 2.5 million people have been
driven from their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms
against the government in 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglecting the
remote western region.
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4B909K.html
Dec 9
Green groups accused the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada of
deleting a line about indigenous peoples' rights from a draft agreement
due to have been published tonight, as part of UN talks on climate change. The
original confidential draft, seen by the Guardian, talked of "noting
the rights and importance of engaging indigenous peoples and other
local communities". The amended version mentions only
"recognising the need to promote the full and effective participation
of indigenous and local communities". The change sparked protests at
the Poznan meeting by delegates representing indigenous groups from
Panama and the US. Campaigners said the suggested change would
leave indigenous people across the world vulnerable to exploitation
under proposals to pay tropical nations not to cut down forests. A
joint statement from groups including Friends of the Earth and the
Rainforest Foundation condemned the change as "totally unacceptable".
It said: "The forests being targetted... are those which indigenous
peoples have sustained and protected for thousands of years. The rights
of forest peoples to continue playing this role, and being rewarded for
doing so, has to be recognised." Talks continue, but the row
threatens to derail attempts to agree a rulebook for forest-protection
schemes, which was supposed to have paved the way to include them in a
new global climate deal to succeed the Kyoto protocol. Deforestation
causes almost a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions. Negotiators
had said such an agreement on forests was one of the few breakthroughs
expected at the Poznan talks, which are largely a preparatory meeting
for more serious negotiations next year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/09/forests-climatechange
Dec 9
The Weymouth relief road aims to ease traffic around Weymouth and Portland, which are hosting the Olympic sailing.
"We have accelerated the relevant paperwork and
work to clear the narrow strip of coppice will now restart on Thursday
11 December," a county council spokeswoman said. A legal bid by The Woodland Trust halted work at Two Mile Coppice a day after clearance work began on Monday. Dorset County Council said the work would now restart on Thursday after "reaching an agreement" with the trust. The Weymouth relief road aims to ease traffic around Weymouth and Portland, which are hosting the Olympic sailing. "We have accelerated the relevant paperwork and
work to clear the narrow strip of coppice will now restart on Thursday
11 December," a county council spokeswoman said. Environmental groups lost a High Court legal bid to stop the road in 2007. Work on the road is due to start in spring 2009, if the
Department for Transport (DfT) decides the project is value for money
by the end of the year. Trees and other vegetation were being removed from woodland on
the western edge of Two Mile Coppice, when Tuesday's legal challenge
halted work. The coppice contains trees dating back 400 years, but the
county council said they were only in a 0.4 acre (0.15 hectare) area -
less than a tenth of the total woodland. Earlier, the council's natural environment manager, Phil
Sterling, said: "We are losing a small area of ancient woodland, but
overall this route offers the most possibilities to ease the effect of
the road on local wildlife.
Dec 9
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND NGOs OUTRAGED AT THE REMOVAL OF RIGHTS FROM UNFCCC DECISION ON REDD We, the undersigned representatives of indigenous peoples, local communities and non-governmental organizations monitoring the progress of negotiations in Poznan are outraged that the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand opposed the inclusion of recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in a decision on REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) drafted today by government delegates at the UN Climate Conference. Photo and more
http://globaljusticeecology.org/
