True friendship transcends Species and survives time

Conservationist Damian Aspinall had brought up the gorilla Kwibi in England. When Kwibi was 5 years old, Damian returned him to the jungles of Gabon in order to live free in the wild. 5 years later, he has returned with hopes of meeting his old friend. Undeterred by reports of Kwibi's aggressive behavior, Damian seeks out the now 10 year old Kwibi How did this reunion go ? See for yourself!

Governor of Aceh: Save 1.2 Million Hectares of Aceh Rainforest

Aceh is preparing to open over 1.2 million hectares of protected forest for the development of mines, plantations, roads, logging and palm oil expansion.



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This has been confirmed by The Chairman of the Aceh Parliament's spatial planning committee, Mr Anwar, who told the Sydney Morning Herald that the proposed plan would reduce the total forest cover of Aceh from its existing coverage of about 68 per cent of Aceh's total land area, to just 45 per cent, representing the destruction of more than 1.2 million hectares, including the entire area known as Tripa, and other currently protected areas inside of the Leuser Ecosystem, a National Strategic Area for its Environmental Protection Function that is protected by National Spatial Planning Law 26/2007, and Government Regulation 26/2008.

This planned destruction is the result of a 'prefect storm' of planning failures. Firstly, the end of the 'Norway Moratorium on Primary Forests, secondly the end of the former Governor of Aceh, 'Irwandis Moritorium on logging' addressed by Mr Anwar in his interview with the Sydney Morning Herald on Jan 15, 2013 ''The nature of the logging moratorium is that it's temporary, so it can be revoked any time,'' and these two events, combined with huge planned changes in 'forest function' meaning, areas previously protected for their natural ecological services, such as preventing land slides and floods, will now be opened as mines, plantations, roads, logging and palm oil expansion. Alarmingly, areas that previously held the protected status of 'wildlife corridor' are being planned to become 'community plantation' which is set to escalate human wildlife conflict as the last of Sumatras Tigers, Elephants, Rinos and Orangutans will be surely pushed to extinction.

The petition is asking the Governor, and Vice Governor of Aceh, Zaini and Muzakir to reconsider pushing such destruction onto their province, and to ask the donor representatives of the world, who have invested so much already to the protection of Acehs forests, to assist with the funding and technical support for the Aceh Government to revisit and revise this potential disaster.

To:
His Excellency Juniarta Sastrawan, Duta Besar Indonesia untuk Swedia
Zaini Abdullah, Govenor of Aceh
Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Forestry
Djoko Kirmanto, Minister of Public Work
Gamawan Fauzi, Menteri Dalam Negeri
Stig Traavik, Ambassador of Norway
Martin Billie Herman, Ambassador of Denmark
HE Mrs Ewa Polano, Ambassador of Finland
Giovanni Seritella, Head of EU Representatives in Aceh
DR.Ir. Mochamad Basoeki Hadimoeljono, Msc., Direktur Jenderal Penataan Ruang
Ir. Iman Soedradjat, MPM, Direktur Penataan Ruang Wilayah Nasional
Ir. Iman Soedradjat, MPM, Direktur Penataan Ruang Wilayah Nasional
Agus Purnomo, Ketua DNPI
Ms. Elina Dakash, Second Secretary, Embassy of Finland
Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Presiden Republik Indonesia
Muzakkir Manaf, Wakil Gubernur Aceh

With Great Respect,

To the Governor of Aceh, Zaini Abdulah, Vice-Governor of Aceh, Muzakkir Manaf, and other relevant stakeholders. I am writing with regard to the pressing issue of an impending massive escalation in deforestation within Aceh Province. It has come to my attention through various media articles, that the great province of Aceh is at risk of losing several enormous tracts of protected forest due to the ending of the PIPIB process, and the currently proposed Aceh Provincial Spatial Plan being agressively promoted by the Aceh Parliament.
In concetion to this, I would like to highlight some highly suspect comments made by some of the leading advisors involved in the Provincial Spatial Planning Process:

''The nature of the logging moratorium is that it's temporary, so it can be revoked any time,'' Saminuddin, Sydney Morning Herald Jan 15, 2013, suggesting that the moratorium on logging in Aceh should be revoked and logging concessions re-opened once again.

The Chairman of Aceh’s spatial planning committee, Tgk. Anwar, confirmed that the proposed plan would “reduce the total forest cover of Aceh from its existing coverage of about 68 per cent of Aceh's total land area, to just 45 per cent.” This represents a loss of more than 1,200,000 hecatres of forests, and would include the destruction of areas inside of the Leuser Ecosystem, a National Strategic Area for its Environmental Protection Function that is protected by National Spatial Planning Law 26/2007 and Government Regulation 26/2008.

"We checked the boundary of the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve on the ground and found a discrepancy between the Ministry of Forestry map, and the actual conditions in the field,"

- Saminuddin, admitting in Mongabay.com (January 28, 2013) that changes in the new proposed spatial plan are clearly being used to legitimise illegal plantations and other illegal activities already operating in Aceh.

Dr Irfan, Jan 15, 2013 in Sydney Morning Herald “under the new plan there are more areas given for the people''. Yet GIS analysis clearly shows areas to be allocated for community uses are woefully insignificant when compared to areas that will be opened for plantations, mining and other large scale extractive industries.

Furthermore, the proposed spatial plan has not included community representatives at any stage of its development process. This fact alone has upset numerous community members and Mukim and may also violate Aceh Governance Law Number 11, 2006, article 143. It also seems to belittle the role of Aceh’s people in determining their own future, despite the fact that they represent the very people who voted you yourselves into Government.

Governor Zaini, and Vice-Governor Muzakkir, the above statements could be construed as seemingly reasonable to anyone not familiar with the complexities of spatial planning issues. But given these people are all senior aides and advisors to the provincial government, these statements can only be taken as being of major concern, since they clearly indicate that senior players in the spatial planning process either do not fully understand and appreciate the consequences of their decisions, or that they simply do not care about the implications their decisions have for others.

I would also like to ask you why the previous Aceh Spatial Plan that was “approved in principle” by the Minister of Public Works on January 4th, 2012, has been replaced by a far less competent document. The previous plan was based on sound, verifiable and measurable data and extensive scientific analysis and consideration. It recommended many new areas for enhanced protection, for the purpose of mitigating floods and landslides.

The new Spatial Plan, however, ignores these recommendations and on the contrary, opens up many previously protected forests for highly destructive mining, commercial logging, or large scale plantation concessions. These changes will result in numerous, entirely avoidable disasters following the proposed deforestation and landclearing. Disasters such as landslides, flash floods etc already cause considerable loss of life in Aceh each year, and incur considerable economic losses on local people and local governments (loss of agricultural produce, costs of reconstruction etc). These disasters are entirely preventable, expensive, and should be avoided at any cost, but will only increase in both freqnuecy and severity under the Spatial Plan that Aceh’s Government is proposing right now..

With respect, Bapak Governor Zaini, and Wagub Muzakkir, given that the current version of Aceh’s spatial plan is indeed so backward, lacking in science and common sense, and so obviously tailored for the benefit of only a very few powerful people, I must admit I am seriously worried that the advice you have been and are being offered by such people as Dr Irfan, Dr Raviq, and others, is both biased and extremely poor quality. In fact it is likely only to cause tremendous new damage to the province and place an increasingly heavy burden on Aceh’s people and local governments to pick up the peices it will leave behind. Instead of creating a legacy of sound management and good governance for yourselves, as Aceh’s current leaders, it is far more likely to undermine your good reputations and leave a legacy as the time when Aceh’s forests and natural resources were truly plundered for the very last time.

The world watched with hope in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami as former Governor, Irwandi Yusuf positioned Aceh to receive huge financial benefits for the province, but was frustrated when he failed to deliver the beauracratic reform necessary to bring long lasting investments. The world was alarmed when he proceeded to issue an illegal palm oil permit to PT Kallista Alam for 1,605 hectares inside the protected Leuser Ecosystem, and loudly applauded your decisive action and strong leadership in revoking the same permit.

Regarding the current Spatial Plan and its proposal to destroy over 1,200,000 hectares of protected forest, I wait in hope that you will show the strength of leadership you demonstrated in the above case, and remove poorly performing advisors from your Government, as you have with former Head of BP2T, M. Yahya, to reaffirm that you are indeed still able to take decisive action based on the best information available to you.

As ever, the world is always ready to recognise and support strong leadership aimed at providing long term sustained econonic and environmental benefits for the betterment of all of Aceh’s people.
I am basically writing to you as its seems clear you are still receiving poor advice and information from advisors whose motives appear to conflict with the long-term interests of Aceh, and of your own tenures as Governor and Vice Governor of Aceh. I urge you to immediately review all of the the technical assistance you have been provided in the development of the new proposed Provincial Spatial Plan.

I also encourage donor countries and organisations to support you with financial assistance for low carbon development in Aceh, and I hope that you will quickly implement the beauracratic reforms necessary to facilitate this. Poor quality staff within the provincial government seem to be jeopardising this at the moment. A far more conducive environment is needed to allow new international and institutional investment aimed at strengthening and developing the great province of Aceh. I also write to support you and provide you with the strength to take a bold stance when addressing some of these major institutional issues that seriously threaten good governance of natural resources in Aceh. I have seen in the media, highly questionable technical information and advice even from some of your closest advisors, such as the BP2T and Dishutbun.. News coverage also strongly indicates that some personnel within Aceh’s various government departments, such as M. Yahya, former Head of BP2T, who are supposed to uphold the law and respect your leadership as Governor and Vice-Governor, have taken a highly questionable stance in regard to the handling of the high profile Tripa case causing much embarassment to Aceh in the eyes of the International community. I canunderstand that being surrounded by poor quality advisors can be difficult, but only you are in a position to address the problem. I therefore commend you for taking quick action to deal with M. Yahya, and encourage you to review the rest of your current advisory team in a similar manner.

Governor Zaini, and Vice Governor Muzakkir, I encourage you to take the following steps:-
1. I stongly urge and respectfully request, that the plan to destroy more than 1,200,000 hectares of currently protected forests in Aceh is immediately and resoundedly rejected.

2. To undertake an immediate independent review of the currently proposed Aceh spatial plan, with a particular focus on the legal process it has followed, to avoid any legal conflicts that could arise for you or the Government of Aceh.

3. To develop a working group, together with local, national and international experts, to develop a new legally abiding spatial plan that maximises long-term and sustained, low carbon economic growth opportunties for the province.

4. To throughly review the spatial planning process followed to date and ensure it has followed correct procedures in accordance with local and national laws, and is based on the best available scientific data identifying areas that are both suitable, and unsuitable for low carbon development, both socially, and environmentally.

5. To deal swiftly and decisively with any advisors or governmental staff who have interferred with the planning process thus far, or have manipulated the process in favour of their own personal businessagendas, with total disregard for community safety, environmental integrity, and the global reputation of Aceh. It would indeed be a disaster at all levels of society if the existing spatial plan was approved.

For Aceh’s people , in the districts and communities, it will increase the frequency and severity of natural disasters, and significantly increase the severity of human-wildlife conflicts. Aceh as a province alone will rapidly become one of the worlds leading regions for deforestation. This will almost certainly prevent Indonesia from reaching its National goals and promised for Reducing Carbon Emmissions from Forest Destruction and Degredation by 2020. Globally it would be a tragedy to see such a disaster unfold, even more so knowing that that there is still time avoid it and that by working together now it could all be prevented from happening. Do you really want to be remembered as the government that approved the trashing of Aceh’s natural resources and the extinction of species such as the Sumatran tiger, rhino, elephant and orangutan? Please immediately STOP the fast-track process currently underway to push through the new version of Aceh’s Provincial Spatial Plan and recruit better quality advice in order to produce a replacement.I stand by to support you in any way I can and I hope you share my vision to see Aceh as the leading Province in Indonesia for low-carbon economic development.

Mr Governor and Vice Governor, the great province of Aceh does indeed have the support of the world to tackle these important challenges, and we stand ready to celebrate your great leadership if you are willing to take them on.

Yours sincerely,

Sincerely, [Your name]

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Greenpeace welcomes forest conservation pilot from Indonesian palm oil producer

Jakarta, 13 March 2013 - Greenpeace Indonesia today welcomed the launch of a forest conservation pilot project by Indonesia’s largest palm oil producer, Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), to protect High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests and called on other palm oil producers to take similar action.

“Greenpeace commends GAR for putting its Forest Conservation Policy commitment into action. GAR’s initiative is crucial for finally breaking the link between palm oil and deforestation,” said Bustar Maitar, Head of Greenpeace South East Asia’s Indonesia Forest Campaign.

After developing a methodology for defining HCS forests with Greenpeace and global forestry non-profit group The Forest Trust (TFT), GAR will roll out its Forest Conservation Policy to work with local communities and government to conserve forested areas in all concessions that it is currently developing, beginning with PT Kartika Prima Cipta (KPC) in West Kalimantan. This is a global GAR policy, which will also be implemented in the company's investment in Liberia (GVL) and, providing it is successfully implemented, would set a strong example for future oil palm development in Africa.

”The future of Indonesia’s rainforests hangs in the balance. In less than three months time the moratorium on new concessions in forested areas will expire. The government of Indonesia should see today’s announcement as a strong signal that government, industry and civil society together can turn the tide and protect Indonesia’s forests for the sake of the people and biodiversity that depend on them and for the global climate,” said Bustar.

GAR committed to an ambitious Forest Conservation Policy to prevent deforestation from taking place in its palm oil operations in February 2011 following Greenpeace’s campaign and consumer pressure against deforestation and peatland clearance for palm oil in Indonesia. This policy entails a commitment to not develop areas identified as High Conservation Values (HCV) and peat regardless of depth, and not to develop areas with High Carbon Stock (HCS). Identifying HCS forests required an innovative and robust methodology that has been developed by GAR in collaboration with TFT and Greenpeace and was first presented in June 2012.

Greenpeace calls on other palm oil producers to follow GAR’s initiative rather than hide behind weak legislation and certification systems, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). If the palm oil industry is to erase the bad reputation it has acquired among consumers and financial institutions, it needs to be clear which plantation companies are truly committed to protecting Indonesia’s remaining forests, and those which will continue their destructive practices.

“Consumer product companies that buy palm oil need to support industry leaders that are willing to take bold measures to protect forests and peatland and not simply depend on certification systems that have been struggling unsuccessfully for years to design and implement measures needed to do the same thing,” said Bustar.

Media Contact:

Bustar Maitar, Head of Greenpeace South East Asia’s Indonesia Forest Campaign, tel: +62 81344666135

Martin Baker, Communications Coordinator - Indonesia Forests, Greenpeace Global Forest Network, tel: +62 81315829513

Notes:
(1) GAR announcement: http://www.goldenagri.com.sg/sustainable_overview.php
(2) High Carbon Stock Briefing: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/briefings/forests/2013/HCS-Briefing-2013.pdf
(3) Greenpeace Scorecard on Palm Oil Producers: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/Campaign-reports/Forests-Reports/Palm-Oil-Scorecard/
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Forests as Rainmakers: New Study Lends Credence to Theory

It seems intuitive that large forests exist in areas where there is a lot of rainfall. But what if the converse were true? What if forests themselves were a significant factor in causing rainfall?

That was the hypothesis first put forward by scientists Anastassia Makarieva and Victor Gorshkov in a 2006 paper published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. A follow-up study performed by the pair and three other scientists lends credence to the controversial theory they have developed.

If true, the atmospheric model the scientists have developed “could revolutionize the way we understand local climates, and their vulnerability, with many major implications,” according to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which participated in the new study.

“It suggests, for instance, that by strategically replanting forests we could attract rainfall into desert and arid regions like the African Sahel, where drought has for years ravaged crops and induced famine. Likewise, significant forest loss could transform lush tropical regions into arid landscapes.”
Forests and rainfall

According to Makarieva and Gorshkov’s theory, forests create rainfall by creating low atmospheric pressure and moving moist air inland, which helps produce rain.

Investigating further, the pair, along with CIFOR senior associate Douglas Sheil, A.D. Nobre from Brazil’s Centro de Ciencia do Sistema Terrestre INPE and B.L. Li of the XIEG-UCR International Center for Arid Land Ecology at University California, Riverside found evidence that “forests play a significant role in determining rainfall, creating atmospheric winds that pump moisture across continents.” The results of their latest research findings have been published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

“This theory provides us with yet another reason to protect and conserve forest cover,” report co-author Sheil is quoted in a CIFOR blog post.

“Traditionally people have said areas like the Congo and the Amazon have high rainfall because they are located in parts of the world that experience high precipitation. But we are proposing the opposite: that the forests cause the rainfall and if they weren’t there the interior of these continental areas would be deserts.”

The biotic pump hypothesis

Dubbed the “biotic pump hypothesis,” in the new paper the scientists outline the details of the physics driving the process via which forests contribute significantly to creating rain, then go further by highlighting how evaporation and condensation in forests result in the creation of differences in atmospheric pressure.

The model they have come up with “explains why air rises over areas with more intensive evaporation, such as forests. The resulting low pressure draws in additional moist air, leading to a transfer of water vapor that then falls as rain in the areas with the highest evaporation,” CIFOR’s Ashlee Betterbridge explains.

Being contrary to generally accepted climate theory, the researchers have been conducting research and participating in scientific debate to substantiate their findings and the overall theory.

“This paper is really trying to bring the physics to formal attention of the climate scientists,” Sheil was quoted. “We are asking them to disprove this theory and so far no one has been able to do that.”

The implications of the Biotic Pump Hypothesis would be profound and the effects far-reaching should it prove valid and gain general acceptance among climate scientists and policy makers. “Once you accept this idea that forest cover determines rainfall, there would be a huge amount of policy that would need to created to recognize that value,” according to Sheil.

“It also opens up a lot of potential to improve rainfall in dry areas through reforestation. But we would need to invest a lot more effort in research to see the potential extent of the impact of this.” Added Makarieva and Gorshkov,

“A policy maker must react promptly to this new knowledge…You are managing one of the hearts of the planet that circulates a thing that is badly needed: water.

“If we consider an ideal forest policy maker, a long-sighted carer for human well-being, the message is quite unambiguous: spend your life working to completely stop deforestation. Start recovering what can still be recovered.”

Image credit: Lexe-I, courtesy flickr

View original article at http://theenergycollective.com/globalwarmingisreal/195301/forests-rainmakers-new-study-lends-credence-controversial-theory

Organised chaos' in DR Congo logging sector threatens to cut off access to European market

Amsterdam, March 4, 2013 – The Democratic Republic of Congo's logging sector is in a state of “organised chaos” according to a new report from Greenpeace Africa, threatening to cut off trading with the European Union (EU), the world’s largest timber market. A new regulation banning illegal timber came into effect in the EU yesterday (March 3).

Cut It Out: Illegal Logging in the DRC details how the so-called “battle against illegal logging” launched by the DRC government is failing and reveals the devastating impact that the lack of governance, law enforcement and transparency is having on part of the world’s second largest rainforest.

“Logging companies, including multinationals, are routinely flouting Congolese law, with complete impunity,” said Irène Wabiwa, forests campaigner with Greenpeace Africa. “Many are involved in large-scale timber laundering and as a result, the government is denied tax revenues. Illegal logging is impacting directly on millions of Congolese citizens who depend on forests for their livelihoods.“

Compiled through research and field trips to Bandundu province, the report shows how companies are getting around a moratorium on new industrial logging permits in the country through the illegal use of artisanal permits, which are officially only to be used for small scale logging.

Upon visiting Kinkole port near Kinshasa, Greenpeace Africa witnessed log ends being removed and painted with new markings to hide illegal activities and to enable export.
The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) prohibits illegally harvested timber (and timber products) from being traded on the European market. Timber traders are required to act with due diligence to minimise the risk of illegal timber from entering their supply chains.

The state of the sector in the DRC and the lack of independent systems there to verify legality mean it is extremely difficult under current circumstances, if not impossible, for traders based in the EU and dealing in timber from the DRC to comply with the legislation.

Companies in Europe need to ensure they fulfill all requirements in the new law to avoid being liable and prosecuted. If they continue with 'business as usual' they will be found out.

“This law ends a long period of impunity in the timber industry. Any timber operators caught selling illegal timber on the EU market will now risk being prosecuted and facing sanctions. There is no other option for the industry but to comply,” said Danielle Van Oijen, forests campaigner with Greenpeace International.

“With strict enforcement from EU governments, this new law can promote a change of behaviour in the global timber industry, including in the DRC and to help stop forest destruction.”

A total transformation of the logging sector in the DRC is needed. To achieve this, Greenpeace is calling on the government to reinforce the existing moratorium and cancel all existing illegal permits, prosecute infractions, publish all logging contracts, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and enable communities to manage their forests for their own benefit.

To read Cut it Out: Illegal Logging in the DRC:
http://www.Greenpeace.org/africa/Global/africa/publications/forests/GP_Congo rapport_UK.pdf

To view and download news video: http://tinyurl.com/d266rdo