TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!

Sir Michael Somare [search] - PNG's deeply corrupted PM, and once the great founder of this amazing country - is illegally clinging to power and giving away natural resources by gutting environmental law. PNG has Earth's third largest rainforests [search] and important intact fisheries which are being threatened by his efforts to run roughshod over landowners, including those trying to stop the dumping of mine waste into Madang's bays and lagoons. Given his increasingly despotic and unbalanced behavior, it is clearly time for Mr. Somare to resign.

DISCUSS THIS ALERT:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/ and http://www.facebook.com/ecointernet

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Sadly and Shockingly, Rainforest Action Network is one of the primary, crucial supporters of continued primary forest logging. Let them know they must resign from FSC and commit to ending primary forest logging.

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!:

Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has a much needed new Executive Director – Rebecca Tarbotton. For almost two years Ecological Internet has worked to get the once luminary old-growth protection organization to stop supporting Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) certification of industrial 1st time logging of 500 year trees in millions of year old primary forest as “well-managed” – while implying sustainability – for throw away consumer products like toilet paper, paper and lawn furniture. RAN co-founded FSC and is a long-time staunch member. Getting major forest protection organizations like RAN and Greenpeace to resign from FSC is a necessary first step before – together – we can campaign to end primary forest logging as a keystone response to global ecological sustainability.

Continue reading "ALERT! Please Encourage Rainforest Action Network’s New Leader to Work to End Primary Forest Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

By Earth's Newsdesk and the Rainforest Portal, projects of Ecological Internet

CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

It is reported Ecuador will be compensated for leaving oil reserves in Yasuni National Park untouched. This is a major victory for Ecuador, the rainforest movement, and Ecological Internet – who was the first to campaign internationally on the issue.

Ecuador’s government announced today it has reached a deal with the United Nations Development Program under which donor countries will compensate Quito for leaving oil reserves untouched in a large primary rainforest filled national park. Yasuni National Park [search] – covering some 9,820 km2, or about the size of Massachusetts – is thought to be one of Earth’s most biodiversity rich sites and is also home to several nomadic Indian tribes. Yasuni’s preservation (total protection, not “sustainable management” or “conservation”) would spare Earth some 410 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that contribute to global warming; while keeping biodiversity, ecosystems and cultures fully intact. The official signing is reported to be held on Tuesday.

Ecological Internet’s Earth Action Network [1] was the first to campaign internationally on threats to Yasuni from oil exploration, successfully internationalizing the issue. “This marvelous rainforest and climate victory is very gratifying and exciting,” states Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet President. “Ecological Internet began to campaign in the early 2000s to protect Yasuni National Park from oil development, and continuously since. Like so many of our campaigns, it has just taken off. Our efforts were picked up by ‘The Ecologist’ Magazine, and since then a large local and global movement has been built – including the Yasuni-ITT Initiative, Scientists Concerned for Yasuni, Save America’s Forest and many other participants – who share in this victory.”

Continue reading "RELEASE/VICTORY: Ecuador Sets Major Rainforest and Climate Protection Precedent" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

Despite a recent two year moratorium on further illegal logging [search] and export of precious timber from the protected areas of Madagascar, the government recently approved shipment of nearly $16 million worth of timber stolen from the country's rainforest parks. Post-coup illegal log and wildlife trade continue to threaten Madagacar's biodiversity rich rainforest [search] remnants, ecological sustainability and future potential for national advancement. Let Madagascar's transitional government, shipping industry, and French government know they will be held responsible for these ecological crimes.

TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

RAN’s recent “rainforest safe” book and luxury shopping bag campaigns show they value greenwashing primary forest logging [search] and sustaining old growth timber markets more than ecological science showing without primary forest logging ban biosphere collapses. Ecological Internet renews demand that RAN stops promoting primary forest logging as a false solution to rainforest loss and diminishment, and resigns from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) immediately.

Despite escalating international protest, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) continues to promote Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of first time industrial logging of primary forests. RAN’s new “Rainforest Safe Summer Reading List” [1] and “Gucci Shopping Bag” [2] campaigns falsely claim FSC certified paper products are free of rainforest destruction. In fact, most FSC products come from the first time industrial logging of primary forests or from toxic, industrial monoculture plantations which displace old forests. Virtually all of FSC’s tropical timbers and fibers come from such sources.

“The world’s rainforests, biodiversity, ecosystems, climate and biosphere are in a state of severe crisis and are collapsing; and the best Rainforest Action Network can do is continue lying regarding where FSC certified products come from, and shilling for primary forest books and shopping bags? As America’s largest rainforest protection group, RAN raises and expends more monies on behalf of rainforests than any organization, yet continues to insist FSC logging of primary forests ‘protects’ rainforests. This old forest logging appeasement will continue to be challenged by biocentric ecologists. Unless this NGO greenwash ends, and we join forces to end primary forest logging, the future of Earth and all life are at stake,” states Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet President.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Rainforest Action Network Expands Misleading Greenwashing of Primary Forest Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

PNG government amends Environment Act [search] with no debate to remove powers from landowners to challenge in court resource development projects on their customary land. Move reflects increased pressure by foreign developers, particularly Chinese government’s mining agency, whose efforts to dump uncapped 100 million tons of mine waste on ocean floor in Madang Province has been thwarted by pressure exerted by successful legal efforts and campaigning.

(Madang, PNG) - Indigenous landowners have been stripped of ancestral and constitutionally-protected land rights [search] by the government of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The fact that 97% of land has been under communal, customary land tenure has long been a source of pride, provided an important social safety net, and protected against resource corruption. Similar efforts pushed by the World Bank in the 1990s were met with national protests and over-turned. Ultimate power to irrevocably issue resource development environmental permits will now reside with the Department of Environment secretary, an office who’s current and past occupants have long been known for flagrant corruption.

The government, through the Environment Minister, Benny Allan, made changes to sections of the Environment Act 2000 to prevent landowners and concerned Papua New Guineans from “interfering” with industrial resource development projects destroying oceans and rainforests – like the Chinese Ramu Nickel Mine in Madang and Exxon-Mobil Liquid Natural Gas project in the Southern Highlands. Without any warning or consultation, on May 27, 2010, the government of PNG introduced emergency legislation that dissolved the Constitutional rights of all landowners in PNG, including the right of Indigenous People to own land, challenge resource projects in court and receive any compensation for environmental damage. The bill was passed without being seen or debated by parliamentarians.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Papua New Guinea’s Indigenous Landowners Stripped of Land Rights as Chinese Communist Influence Grows" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

The wild and free Xingu River is critical to maintaining intact the Amazon, its peoples, Brazil's national advancement, and the Earth we share

TAKE ACTION! The Brazilian government continues with plans to build the massive Belo Monte Dam [search] on the Xingu River in the Amazon rainforest [search], despite massive domestic and international opposition. The 11.2 billion dollar dam will flood an estimated 500 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the survival of tens of thousands of indigenous and traditional peoples who depend on the Xingu River for their livelihoods. The Kayapó leader Raoni Metuktire, who gained international exposure touring the world with Sting, said indigenous men from the Xingu were preparing their bows and arrows in order to fight off the dam. "I think that today the war is about to start once more and the Indians will be forced to kill the white men again so they leave our lands alone.”

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!

Chinese government owned China Metallurgical Construction (MCC) corporation's efforts to establish the massively destructive Ramu Nickel mine in Madang Province [search], Papua New Guinea – the largest investment in metal exploration and mining by the Chinese outside of China – is in serious jeopardy. Local landowners are successfully initiating court cases and protests to demand mine tailings not be dumped into the sea –poisoning fish stocks and causing extreme ecological destruction – or the mine be stopped. The entire project has been mismanaged, marked by shoddy construction; and disregard for local rights, life, and marine and rainforest ecology. Chinese mining investment in Madang against local wishes can only be described as an invasion of sovereign peoples, and will be resisted at all costs.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Madagascar's transitional government last week reinstated a ban on rosewood logging [search] and exports, following prolonged and growing pressure over illegal logging of its national parks spearheaded by Ecological Internet. As reported by Mongabay, the decree (no. 2010-141) prohibits all exports of rosewood and precious timber for two to five years. With the export ban in place, the fate of 10,000-15,000 metric tons of already illegally logged rosewood awaiting export remains uncertain. It is also unclear whether illegal loggers and traders will be prosecuted [1].

“These issues, getting this moratorium to be permanent, and working to demonstrate community development from standing primary and restored rainforests will require continued vigilance and campaigning. Yet, two important points have been made. It is again demonstrated that it is possible to end rainforest logging. And the emergence of an empowered global movement committed to protecting and restoring old forests – and other ecologically sufficient policy necessary to achieve global ecological sustainability – is again powerfully demonstrated,” says Dr. Glen Barry, EI President.

Continue reading "VICTORY! Madagascar Reinstates Rainforest Protections Following EI Led Global Public Outcry" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk

Genuine and growing concern with their ongoing, publicly undefended support for Forest Stewardship Council “certified” primary forest logging – destroying an area two times the size of Texas – deleted, blocked and reported to Facebook as terms of use violations

Greenpeace US and International, as well as Rainforest Action Network, are censoring comments of concern regarding their support for “sustainable forest management” of old forests including primary rainforests [search] on Facebook and their blogs. Ecological Internet has been at the vanguard of working to protect and restore primary and old growth forests [search] globally by ending their industrial logging and other developments. Unfortunately this has required campaigning to confront Greenpeace[1] and Rainforest Action Network[2] – two of the strongest supporters of continued primary forest logging.

“As Greenpeace condemns censorship by Nestle[3] of a YouTube video showing their use of oil palm at the expense of orangutans, and RAN blasts Facebook censorship of its use of tar sands financier RBC Bank’s logo, both groups are systematically removing criticism of their support for first time industrial primary forest logging from their facebook pages and blogs. To who are these groups accountable,” asks Dr. Glen Barry? “For years these groups have inconsistently promoted logging primary forests – and have gotten away with ignoring genuine widespread concern that such old forests are key to solving the biodiversity and climate change crises.”

Continue reading "FB ALERT & RELEASE: Protest Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network’s Censoring of Facebook Criticism of Their Support for Primary Forest Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 1:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pledges to work to end deforestation as French company prepares to ship illegal logs from Madagascar

From Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)

You can still TAKE ACTION on this matter at:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=madagascar_landgrab

(Paris, France) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week said rich nations must do more to help fight deforestation, as he hosted a Paris conference on saving the world's forests. Sarkozy stated defending the world's forests demanded more aggressive funding. "Those who don't want to do anything are those who don't want to pay," he said in an opening address. He reiterated his appeal for a tax on financial market transactions worldwide that could be earmarked for a global climate fund. These are good ideas, yet President Sarkozy is guilty of dangerous hypocrisy as a French company continues to threaten Madagascar’s rainforests.

As Sarkozy argued the need to stop deforestation, shipments of illegal rosewood are being readied for export in Madagascar by a French company with the tacit approval of the French government. Some 4,000-5,000 tons of rosewood will be shipped under the auspices of Delmas, according to Derek Schuurman, who has published papers on the illegal logging crisis for the Madagascar Conservation Journal and TRAFFIC. "An estimated 200-270 containers are likely to be exported in March," says Schuurman. The French and mainstream media worldwide has largely been silent on the crisis even though it threatens Madagascar's rainforest, people, and wildlife. Ecological Internet’s global network has already delayed, though not permanently stopped, these illegal rosewood shipments[1].

Continue reading "RELEASE: French President Sarkozy’s Dangerous Deforestation Doublespeak" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

Rainforest Action Network [search] is a key supporter of failed Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) [search] efforts to “sustainably” log tens of millions of hectares of primary and old-growth forests for lawn furniture, toilet paper and other throw-away consumer items. As RAN celebrates its 25th anniversary, let them know old forests will never be fully protected as long as they and others unquestioningly support “certified” yet ecologically unsustainable first-time industrial primary rainforest logging. Demand RAN vigorously defend their support for first-time primary rainforest logging over an area two times as large as Texas, or resign from FSC immediately. Encourage RAN to spend the next 25 years working to protect and expand old forests to maintain a habitable Earth.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk

Old forests including tropical rainforests [search] are the ultimate expression of life, evolution and ecology. Here untold co-evolved species and genetic diversity exist and interact with each other and their environment to provide ecosystem services – water, nutrient and energy cycling – required for a habitable Earth. All intact terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems are important, yet rainforests are disproportionately so, given their tremendous species numbers and carbon stores. Few rainforest activists fully understand their ecological importance to continued being, or they would work only for full old forest protection and restoration.

When primary rainforests are lost, it is inevitable that local ecological and social conditions deteriorate, regional weather and species distributions deviate, and the global biosphere and its ability to maintain conditions for life are weakened. Rarely if ever do viable ecosystems remain to provide the same amount of ecological and development benefits as the intact standing old forests that were destroyed for the profit of the national and global elite. Virtually no one benefits from rainforest logging other than small numbers of loggers and “green logging apologists” who falsely say it can be done well.

Continue reading "EARTH MEANDERS: The Rainforest Movement Is Dead… Long Live the Old Forest Revolution" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBacks (0)

Campaigns to end industrial primary rainforest logging in Papua New Guinea and Madagascar based upon ecological science, and meant to end corruption and ecological harm

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Ecological Internet’s (EI) ongoing campaigns in Madagascar [1] and Papua New Guinea [2] (PNG) to end primary forest logging [search] (please continue to take action below), is part of EI’s global network’s campaign to globally protect and restore old forests. Ecological science reveals forest and other terrestrial ecosystem destruction to be a primary cause of climate change, biodiversity loss, water and soil degradation, and social disintegration. Yet forest policy-makers, including major environmental groups, continue to assert “sustainable forest management” and “FSC certified” logging of primary and old-growth forest logging is possible and desirable. They are wrong, as ecologically intact old forests are vital components of Earth’s biosphere and are the optimal land cover to absorb and hold carbon long-term, while maintaining biodiversity and operable ecosystems, and the Earth System.

The term “old forests” is used to encompass primary unlogged forests, late successional natural regrowth, and planted mixed-species forests regaining old-growth characteristics. Forests logged industrially for the first time are permanently ecologically damaged in terms of composition, structure, function and dynamics. It is becoming abundantly clear that ending industrial diminishment and working for the full protection and restoration of old forests are a keystone response to climate change (to say nothing of biodiversity, ecosystem, water and poverty crises). More of the Earth's terrestrial ecosystems – and old forests in particular – have already been lost and diminished than required to maintain an operable climate, all species and a fully operable biosphere.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Global Campaign to Protect and Restore Old Forests Gaining Traction" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

Local landowner initiated court case has shut down logging for two months. The PNG Forest Authority's review of the granting of the right to log to notorious Rimbunan Hijau [search] of Malaysia in Ramu River valley expected soon. Industry and corrupt government officials pulling out all stops to re-grant permit to this violent and corrupt criminal-enterprise. Massive cash payments and brutal violence – to intimidate communities resisting logging – is rife. Yet local protest to logging continues to intensify in Madang [search], as do calls to end all industrial primary rainforest logging in PNG.

TAKE ACTION!

Donate to Ramu/Sogeram Landowners Resisting RH & primary rainforest logging

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

Delmas shipping, a subsidiary of French shipping giant CMA-CGM, is being pressured by the transitional Madagascar government to ship hundreds of containers of illegally logged ancient rainforest logs from Madagascar to China anytime soon. Post-coup illegal log and wildlife trade continue to threaten Madagacar's biodiversity rich rainforest remnants, ecological sustainability and future potential for national advancement.

TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk

Yet another paradise lost?

Prime Minister Michael Somare of Papua New Guinea is ruling as a Mugabe like thug bent upon becoming a tin-pot dictator. Once a great man that led his country to independence, Mr. Somare is now using his “Grand Chief” status for corrupt personal, family and tribal gains – illegally and immorally allocating huge swathes of his great nation’s forest and marine resources without landowners’ prior and informed consent. On the bidding of Somare’s increasingly despotic and erratic leadership, Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) natural assets are being sold off to invading Asian business interests – destroying rainforest, ocean, water and land – as well as the resource and ecosystem rich nation’s future development potential. Will one man – big man Sana or not – single-handedly destroy Earth’s third largest remaining contiguous old rainforest expanses for personal gain?

Nowhere is this more evident than in Madang Province, PNG, which contains some of Earth’s last remaining mostly intact tropical and marine ecosystems in the world. The “Jewel of the South Pacific” includes large ancient rainforest tracts, huge tuna and other fisheries, and barely explored mineral deposits; as well as beautiful, loving and peaceful people. Madang’s rainforests and oceans feed and house all its citizens, regulate national and regional climatic patterns, and make the Earth habitable by providing global ecosystem services. As Somare flits about in his new high-end private jet (who paid for that?) signing illicit business deals with Asian cartels and otherwise stealing Madang and the nation’s resources (including attempts to corner nascent carbon markets), Madang and PNG’s infrastructure including schools, hospitals, police and roads are in shambles.

Continue reading "EARTH MEANDERS: Ode to Madang" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

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Mongabay reports that Delmas shipping company is planning to take as many as 200 containers (worth $40M) of illegally logged rosewood rainforest timbers out of Vohemar port in Madagascar on the 21st or 22nd of December [1]. They reported four shipping companies have transported rosewood from Madagascar this year. Three of these have agreed to stop shipping rosewood following criticisms from international conservation groups, but the fourth, Delmas (a subsidiary of French shipping giant CMA-CGM) continues to ship illegally logged precious woods in large quantities.

MORE INFORMATION & TO TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

By Earth's Newsdesk and Asples PNG, projects of Ecological Internet
http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

With logging stopped by court order, violence breaks out in Ramu logging area in Papua New Guinea. Two youths in custody for stealing from loggers shot as a warning to the community. With local opposition to Rimbunan Hijau and continued industrial logging growing, foreign logger turns to further bribery and intimidation.

(MADANG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA) - Logging has been stopped for nearly two weeks at the Ramu Block 1 concession held by Rimbunan Hijau (RH) of Malaysia in Madang, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Facing a court order, a plethora of other court proceedings, and rising local landowner discontent, RH has responded by calling on the police to send a warning to logging opposition, and widely making cash bribes to be allowed to resume logging.

Last week, drunken youth became angry with company employees and ill-advisedly robbed a tool shed. First thing the next morning two youth leaders were caught by officers (who were allegedly visibly intoxicated). While restrained and in police custody, the youths were shot at point blank range in the leg, and let go. The youths are recovering in the hospital, and information is being gathered for legal proceedings.

“Logging companies bribing police to send a warning to opposition is not ethical or just development. Violence has come to Madang Province, as various Asian logging, mining and fishing industries fall over themselves to harvest these resources immediately and incautiously,” notes Ecological Internet’s President, Dr. Glen Barry. “Clearly PNG’s resource allocation processes have become corrupted and Madang’s three big development projects – RH logging, tuna canneries, and Ramu mine – must be stopped and thoroughly investigated.”

Continue reading "PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST: Madang Police Issue Violent Warning to Logging Opposition" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By Ecological Internet's Rainforest Portal and ClimateArk

TAKE ACTION!

Sir Michael Somare -- Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Prime Minister -- jets soon to Copenhagen pledging to protect the country’s rainforests in exchange for REDD carbon money. Yet back home he has left a long list of shameful and corrupt rainforest/climate policies. As Copenhagen and REDD talks start, Somare pals Rimbunan Hijau of Malaysia continue logging in Ramu, Madang, despite a court order demanding they stop. Corruption, human rights abuses, and ecological devastation have no place in REDD or Papua New Guinea.

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=png_redd_logging

PICTURES OF RIMBUNAN HIJAU’S DESTRUCTION IN RAMU, MADANG:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=158287&id=84943913664

Continue reading "ALERT! PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Grand Chief "Carbon Cowboy" Off Soon in New Private Jet to Sell Landowners' Rainforest Carbon" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 2:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

An Open Letter signed by more than 80 organizations from 31 countries was delivered yesterday to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) [search] and to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) co-initiator of the initiative. In the letter, they are urged to end the “greenwashing” and certification of palm oil plantations as being “sustainable”.

According to the Open Letter, palm oil companies certified by the RSPO are directly responsible for much social and environmental damage: dislocation of local populations’ livelihoods, destruction of rainforests and peat lands, pollution of soils and water, and contribution to global warming. These are the reasons why “palm oil monoculture[s] are not and can never be sustainable and ‘certification’ serves as a means of perpetuating and expanding this destructive industry”.

Continue reading "RELEASE: WWF Confronted for Rainforest "Greenwashing" of "Sustainable" Palm Oil" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

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Loggers and wildlife traders continue to violate Madagascar's biodiversity [search] rich rainforests including protected areas. In March of this year controversy surrounding leasing of agricultural land resulted in a military coup. In the chaos that ensued, armed gangs funded by Chinese traders entered Madagascar’s Marojejy and Masoala National Parks, two world-renowned World Heritage Sites, and logged rosewood, ebonies, and other valuable hardwoods. NGOs operating in Madagascar report continued armed, open and organized plundering of precious wood from several natural forests, including these parks.

TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(EARTH) -- Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has unexpectedly pulled out of nearly completed secret negotiations with Ecological Internet to work jointly to reform the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to stop certifying as environmentally acceptable the first time logging of old forests [1]. After fifteen years of FSC membership, RAN still cannot say how much first time industrial primary and old growth forest logging FSC has certified as "well-managed" while implying environmental sustainability (no one including FSC board members can, or at least they are not talking). Estimates place it as high as 60 million hectares of old forests having been cleared with FSC certification for such necessities as toilet paper and lawn furniture, with an equal amount imminently threatened.

RAN's tropical rainforest campaign has collapsed into irrelevancy. For several years there has been no activity other than working on oil palm, fund-raising and throwing lavish parties. A year ago, after two years of protests and threats to disrupt their REVEL celebrity studded fund-raiser, they pledged to reinvigorate their rainforest campaign, starting with writing to FSC to find out just how much old forests they are destroying. Apparently being an FSC member has few benefits, as no response has been received. By supporting FSC, Rainforest Action Network is greenwashing rainforest destruction globally. FSC is only marginally better than competing industry certification schemes in that it depends upon old forest logging to meet market demand for throw-away consumer items. Old forest logging must end.

Continue reading "RELEASE: deRANged II The Sequel -- Rainforest Action Network Endangers World's Rainforests" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

Eco-Forestry Forum, a leading Papua New Guinea (PNG) NGO, makes major new charges of continued corruption in the establishment of carbon projects and markets in PNG in their newspaper advertisement (pdf, text below). Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) [search], or sometimes called Avoided Deforestation -- paying for the full protection of standing rainforests -- is an excellent idea that is going badly wrong. The EFF has tried to print the advertisement in the two PNG national papers but were suspiciously refused.

This was not surprising for "The National", the mouthpiece of the PNG timber industry, and owned by the largest foreign logger. But why is it that The Nature Conservancy (TNC), AusAID and the Government of PNG have conspired to block the advertisement in the Post-Courier as well, the other major national daily newspaper, as has been alleged? The conflicts of interest herein detailed show clearly that most carbon market players in PNG have interests other than protecting rainforests and reducing carbon in the atmosphere.

Continue reading "Eco-Forestry Forum Calls for Protection from Continuing Papua New Guinea Rainforest Carbon Scams " »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

From Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)

Contact:
Tim Doody: rainforestsny@gmail.com
Simon Counsell: info@fsc-watch.org
Dr. Glen Barry: glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF BANNER:
http://RFNY.org

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32461153@N08/

September 24th, New York: This morning, environmental activists unfurled a 35-foot banner blocking the iconic view of 10th Avenue from the High Line park to protest the Amazon wood [search] used in the park for bleachers, benches and decking. The banner read, "High Crime on the High Line! FSC Lies: Amazon Wood Is Not Sustainable [search]!"

Two New York City-based groups, Rainforest Relief and New York Climate Action Group, coordinated the banner action to confront the "First International FSC Friday," an event held on September 25th by the Forest Stewardship Council to promote their certification scheme.

According to Friends of the High Line's website, the tropical hardwood used throughout the High Line was certified by FSC-accredited agencies. The wood, called ipê, originates from primary Amazon forests in Brazil and Peru. Ipê trees are typically 250 to 1,000 years old and grow an average of one or two trees per acre.

Continue reading "New York City Activists Unfurl 35-foot Banner on High Line to Protest Park's Use of FSC-Certified Amazon Wood" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By Rainforest Rescue with Ecological Internet's Rainforest Portal with

TAKE ACTION!

Ombudsman report on 20 years of corrupt IFC, World Bank Group lending to the Indonesian oil palm industry casts doubt on Bank's fitness to manage international forest carbon funds that may emerge at Copenhagen climate talks. It is time for the World Bank to end finance of oil palm, sustainable forest management, paper pulp and other industrial rainforest developments known to be the root causes of deforestation, degradation and climate change. The Bank must permanently end financial support for these industrial developments impacting primary rainforests, or it is the wrong entity to administer forest carbon monies.

MORE INFORMATION AND TAKE ACTION NOW!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By Rainforest Rescue with Ecological Internet's Rainforest Portal with

TAKE ACTION!

Malaysia is the world's leading rainforest destroying nation. Insist Malaysian authorities respect native customary land rights and boundaries of Penan's last remaining ancestral rainforest reserves; halt rainforest destruction in Sarawak for oil palm, pulp plantations and hydro-electric dams; and ensure rainforest destruction and abuse of indigenous rights by Malaysian companies end globally.

MORE INFORMATION AND TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=malaysia_penan_blockade

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 4:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Rainforest Rescue with Ecological Internet's Rainforest Portal with

TAKE ACTION!

The fact notorious illegal loggers Samling of Malaysia [search]; who have devastated rainforests globally including those of the Penan, are surreptitiously in contention for Liberian logging [search] contracts illustrates, despite decades of failed reform efforts locally and internationally, that the global industrial tropical timber logging industry remains irredeemably corrupt. There is no evidence first time industrial logging of primary forests is ever ecologically sustainable or reduces poverty. Please call upon Liberian President to pursue development based upon standing rainforests, and reject entirely the resumption of industrial logging. NOTE: After sending this protest you are forwarded to several crucial ongoing alerts, which we ask you to please send as well

MORE INFORMATION AND TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=liberia_logging_resume

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

All Copenhagen bound climate parties urged to get back to basics of avoiding deforestation and degradation as a keystone climate change response. The focus must be upon ending first time industrial logging of primary forests, while providing local peoples alternative incomes based upon fully intact standing old forests. Anything less is unworthy of green support.

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Ecological Internet and Rainforest Rescue of Germany have launched a campaign leading to Copenhagen's climate talks in December to ensure carbon based funding for forest protection -- called avoided deforestation [search], or Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) [search] -- remains ecologically and socially rigorous, or does not proceed at all. REDD has the potential to help end primary and old-growth forest logging and other industrial destruction and diminishment of old forests.

The REDD concept faces immediate risk of being usurped by industry. The focus in project design remains primarily upon profit-making and greenwashing "Sustainable Forest Management", rather than necessary policies to ensure large areas of primary and old-growth forests are fully protected to optimally keep existing and new carbon sequestered. It is even being suggested that first time logging of primary forests and establishment of industrial tree plantations should be worthy of carbon market financing.

Continue reading "RELEASE: "Good REDD" Fully Protects and Restores Old Forest Carbon and Local Livelihoods" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

By Ecological Internet's Rainforest Portal with Rainforest Rescue

TAKE ACTION!

Let the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government know it must follow its people's wishes and end industrial rainforest destruction [search] once and for all. Support local landowners in Madang Province and nationwide working bravely to end primary forest logging and pursue REDD carbon monies and other means to benefit from standing rainforests. The government cannot corruptly pursue both continued industrial logging and oil palm, and expect to still receive carbon market REDD payments for intact rainforest protection.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=png_redd_logging

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 3:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

Major Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are to further fund Golden Agri-Resources [search] (GAR), the world's largest listed palm oil company, which currently produces 10 percent of Indonesia's palm oil. A further 1.3 million hectares of land are to be developed for palm oil plantations [search] with Swiss finance on the island of Indonesia Kalimantan (Borneo) and in Papua on the Western half of the island of New Guinea. Let these banks and the Swiss government know that their financing of rainforest destruction and climate change is completely unacceptable and will be protested until it ends.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

Knighting of illegal logger and carbon market corruption plague Papua New Guinea's (PNG) attempts to receive carbon money for protecting rainforests [search]. Let Prime Minister Somare, and England's Queen and Prince of Wales, know PNG climate and biodiversity protection under REDD requires an immediate end to industrial primary rainforest destruction by logging and oil palm. And certainly no royal knighthood for criminal loggers.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

The mighty Mekong River [search] in Southeast Asia faces a devastating threat from eleven new proposed dams. If even one of the dams are built in Cambodia, Laos or Thailand; they would block major fish migrations and otherwise ecologically disrupt this vitally important river, placing at risk millions of people who depend upon the Mekong for their food security and income. Help "Save the Mekong" and this affinity campaign in seeking to pressure regional governments to shelve the plans.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!

The island of Madagascar is a veritable Noah's Ark of biodiversity [search], and this natural wealth is the country's primary treasure and opportunity for future ecologically sustainable development. The Korean company Daewoo Logistics intends to lease half the agricultural land in Madagascar for 99 years, industrially producing maize and palm oil on 1.3 million hectares that are now biodiversity rich rainforests and gardens. There already exists a severe food crisis nationally and local peoples, who are soon to be dispossessed from their land, are protesting, causing a major government crisis. Tell Daewoo the people of Madagascar have spoken -- and to shove off and leave Madagascar's rainforests, peoples and land alone.

TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Peruvian police reportedly shot indigenous protesters from helicopters -- as peaceful protesters were protecting their ancestral land. Online affinity campaign demanding Peru respect indigenous rights continues.

TAKE ACTION! Peru's police have clashed with Amazon tribes opposed to foreign companies opening oil wells and mines in their rainforests without their consent. Police reportedly shot at protesters from helicopters, killing as many as twelve blockading a road to protect their land. Amazon Watch and Western media report indigenous protesters outside of Bagua, in a remote area of northern Peruvian Amazon, were forcibly dispersed by tear gas and real bullets. Reuters reports 12 protesters were killed, while Agence France-Presse puts it at 9. It may have been worse.

The threat of continued violence is real and imminent. Some 30,000 indigenous people have blockaded roads, rivers and railways for months to demand repeal of new laws that allow oil, mining and logging companies to enter indigenous territories without their consent or even any consultation. Reinhard Behrend, Rainforest Rescue's Director, notes "it is important to realize that our overconsumption in the rich and emerging nations is at the root cause of deadly conflict for rainforests and Indians. We ask people to eliminate their use of industrially harvested timbers, oil and minerals from the world's rainforests, and protest this senseless violence at Peru embassies all over the world."

Continue reading "RELEASE: Police Violently Attack Peaceful Indigenous Blockade in Peruvian Amazon, Killing Many" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

By Ecological Internet's Rainforest Portal with Rainforest Rescue

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!

Support tens of thousands of indigenous people bravely protesting Peru government's give-away of their rainforest homes [search] to oil, mining and logging industry without their approval; insist peaceful protests are not met with violence by President Alan Garcia's government, and that the focus for Amazonian development be upon benefiting from standing trees and intact rainforest ecosystems.

BRIEF BACKGROUND:

Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon are protesting investment laws passed under a free-trade pact with the United States and against concessions granted to foreign energy companies. Some 30,000 indigenous people have blockaded roads, rivers and railways to demand repeal of new laws that allow oil, mining and logging companies to enter indigenous territories without seeking consent or even any consultation. Indigenous communities complain that some 70% of Peruvian Amazon territory is now leased for oil and gas exploration, putting at risk their own lives and the biodiversity of the Amazon.

Please add your voice in solidarity with the tens of thousands of indigenous people and their international supporters mobilizing to protect the Peruvian Amazon. Send a letter today to the Garcia Administration demanding respect for the constitutionally guaranteed rights of indigenous peoples, and Amazon development based upon standing forests.

TAKE ACTION NOW:
http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=peru_amazon

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

By Rainforest Rescue with Ecological Internet's Climate Ark

TAKE ACTION HERE NOW!

In a startling yet welcome announcement, Malaysian government's land agency now denies plans to produce oil palm in the Amazon. While the prospect of a Malaysian government agency funding Amazonian oil palm has been dealt a serious setback, it is likely this project will re-emerge. Let's get formal commitment from the Malaysian government that this project is canceled, and to stop all Malaysian government and private industry funding of oil palm expansion overseas. Maybe, just maybe, we are winning this one!

BRIEF UPDATE:

In a positive yet puzzling development, a spokesperson for the Malaysian government's federal land agency (FELDA) now denies plan for Malaysian government controlled oil palm development in the heart of the Amazon ever existed. Wan Zaleha Wan Embong, from FELDA's Public Relations Department, has been responding to our network's protest emails, disavowing the plans and stating "for your info the project never take (sic) place." The sudden change of plans is either an attempt to save face, the project has been cancelled due to our protests and/or economic difficulties, or deceitful politics as the project is reorganized with private rather than government capital.

In July of 2008, Malaysia's own Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (then Deputy) announced the project. He is widely reported to have said Felda Global Ventures Brazil Sdn Bhd would invest some RM25mil (US$7.12mil) for a 70% stake in the project near the Amazon River in Brazil. He is quoted when announcing Felda's foray in South America as saying "Felda wants to emulate Petronas as a global player… As a start, 20,000ha in Tefe will be opened for oil palm planting. After that, between 3,000ha and 5,000ha will be opened yearly." As recently as March 25, 2009, Brazilian ambassador to Malaysia, Sergio Arruda, reportedly stated the oil palm cultivation project would commence this year.

Continue reading "UPDATED ALERT: Malaysian Govt. Denies Well Documented Oil Palm Development Plans in Brazilian Amazon" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Agence France-Presse reports that part of a national park on Borneo island, home to hundreds of endangered orangutans [search], has been turned into a development zone [ark] complete with an airport and brothel. Some 600 orangutan have disappeared from Kutai National Park, East Kalimantan province, over the past seven years due to unchecked construction. It really makes you wonder -- just how callous can humanity be towards sister species, and if this is going on with government complicity, just how willing is Indonesia's government to limit deforestation? Or is REDD carbon finance proposal just about the carbon money?

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Peru's army is poised to deploy in the Amazon rainforest [ark] to lift blockades across rivers and roads by indigenous people opposed to oil, gas, logging and mining projects. The Peruvian rainforest [search] is the largest swath of Amazon outside Brazil. Ecology and culture are at stake as government plans to exploit 70% of the rainforest for oil, gas and timber.

In the past two years the government has signed deals with multinationals to open swaths of rainforest, including a £1.3bn agreement last month with the Anglo-French oil company Perenco. About 65 tribes have mobilised 30,000 people to disrupt roads, waterways and pipelines, leading to skirmishes with police. Up to 41 vessels serving energy companies are stuck along jungle rivers, paralysed by the protests. These brave souls need and deserve our support.

By Rainforest Rescue with Ecological Internet

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Government documents regarding planned Amazon oil palm project by Malaysian government agency removed from Internet, and all email messages into country regarding the project are being delete

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Ecological Rather than respond substantively to criticism over the Malaysian government and industry's expansion of deadly oil palm plantations into Brazil and Liberia's rainforests [1], the Malaysian government is resorting to despotic censorship to stifle dissent. References to plans by Malaysia‘s federal land agency to establish up to 100,000 hectares of oil palm plantations in the heart of Brazil's Amazon rainforest are being systematically removed from the government's Internet servers. And all emails referring to Malaysia's global rainforest for oil palm land grab flowing through Streamyx, the monopoly Internet service provider in Malaysia, are not being delivered.

"It is clear that Malaysian citizens do not enjoy freedom of information, which is tragic, because their government is leading the destruction of Earth's rainforests with their tax money," asserts Dr. Barry, Ecological Internet's President. "For decades Malaysian timber companies have behaved like timber Mafia across the Asia-Pacific, bribing and waging violence to rip out millions of year old rainforest ecosystems for timber. This once off raping of the land is now being followed by planting of oil palm, in what can only be described as south-south neo-colonialism. We demand that the Malaysian government respond to our criticism, cancel the projects, and commit to freedom of expression regarding their rainforest policies."

Continue reading "RELEASE: Malaysia's Hollow Democracy: Government Censors Internet Criticism of Global Rainforest for Oil Palm Land Grab" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Over-developed, over-populated, and land and water scarce Asian and Middle East nations embark upon global land grab to produce food and agrofuels; threatening global human rights, rainforest and other natural ecosystems, and regional and global ecological sustainability. Deadly global ecological issues require global citizens to unite in escalating protest action!

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Relatively rich countries in Asia and the Middle East, short of food and water at home, have leased or purchased more than 20 million hectares of farmland in Africa and Latin America, equal to 25 percent of Europe's farmland. This global "land grab" by foreign governments and companies is a result of last year's food crisis and a shortage of arable land and water. About one-quarter of these investments are for biofuel plantations [search]. Ecological Internet's current global campaign against Malaysian oil palm plantations in the Amazon rainforests [1] fits within the context of this larger trend.

Malaysia‘s federal land agency will soon break ground on a joint venture with a Brazilian firm to establish 30,000-100,000 hectares of oil palm plantations in the heart of Brazil's Amazon rainforest. Sime Darby, a Malaysian palm oil producer, will invest $800 million for 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of palm oil and rubber plantations in Liberia. "It is increasingly difficult to acquire arable plantation land in Asia and thus it is imperative that new frontiers be sought to meet increasing demand," said Ahmad Zubir Murshid, chief executive of Sime Darby. "Sime Darby will also have the first mover advantage over future entrants into Liberia in terms of securing choice land."

"This flood of land grabs by emerging nations, mostly of land under local customary land tenure, is eerily reminiscent of past and ongoing European and U.S. colonial practices," states Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet's President, who is a practicing Political Ecologist and hold a Ph.D. in Land Resources. "We are witnessing the intensification of social turmoil caused by climate change, land and water scarcity, and over-population and inequitable consumption. Until these root causes of global ecosystem collapse are addressed, there is no chance of achieving equitable and just global ecological sustainability."

Continue reading "RELEASE: Malaysia's Global Oil Palm Rainforest Land Grab Just the Beginning of Larger Land and Water Scarcity Issues" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

By Rainforest Rescue with Ecological Internet

Malaysia's government owned and subsidized oil palm cooking oil and biofuel industry -- the scourge of Asia and the world's rainforests -- is continuing to expand, this time into the heart of the Brazilian Amazon

BRIEF BACKGROUND:
TAKE ACTION HERE NOW: Malaysia‘s Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) will soon break ground on a joint venture with a Brazilian firm to establish 30,000-100,000 hectares (ha; 75,000 – 250,000 acres) of oil palm plantations in the heart of Brazil's Amazon rainforest. Similar oil palm development continues to devastate Asia-Pacific's rainforests, and increasingly the world, with some thirty square miles of carbon and biodiversity rich habitat being cleared a day to provide cooking oil and transport biodiesel. Oil palm agrofuel is heralded as a climate change mitigation measure, yet the initial rainforest clearance leads to much more carbon release than its production and use avoids.

Large scale biofuel production runs counter to urgently addressing climate change and threatens to cause more deforestation, hunger, human rights abuses, and degradation of soil and water. Global ecological sustainability and local well-being depend critically upon ending all industrial development in the world's remaining old forests -- including plantations, logging, mining and dams. The amount of primary and old growth forests that have been lost has already overshot the carrying capacity of Earth. Globally there are not enough old forests to maintain climatic and hydrological cycles, meet local forest dwellers' needs, and to maintain ecosystems and the biosphere in total. Local peoples must be assisted to fully protect, restore and benefit from intact, standing forests.

TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Ecological Internet and Rainforest Rescue have been campaigning against the spread of industrial, monoculture oil palm plantations in primary rainforests for years, with some success, but the threat keeps on escalating. This is largely due to the extent to which oil palm has emerged as a cheap food ingredient [ark] in industrial nations. This is one manner where each of our behaviors are impacting rainforests and ultimately climate [ark] and biodiversity.

Palm oil [search] is very likely to be found in your margarine, bread, biscuits and candy bars -- frequently listed as "vegetable oil" in the ingredients. Thirty square miles of carbon and biodiversity rich habitat are being cleared a day to provide you these products, largely in Malaysia and Indonesia, but increasingly threatening primary forests wherever they are found, including in the Amazon.

Continue reading "Oil Palm in Your Food: Rainforest's and Climate's Greatest Scourge" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Finally the oil palm scourge threatening primary rainforests and life giving ecosystems worldwide faces a setback as local protests are again successfully supported internationally by Ecological Internet, Rainforest Rescue and others.

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Côte d'Ivoire's (Ivory Coast) main palm oil company, Palmci, on Friday announced it was abandoning a major plantation scheme in the south of the country after opposition by environmentalists to destruction of 12,000 hectares (29,700 acres) of primary rainforests. Tanoé Swamps Forest is one of the last remaining old growth forests in the country and the last refuge for three highly endangered primates -- the Miss Waldron's Red Colobus, the Geoffroy's colobus and the Diana roloway -- as well as home to many endangered plant species.

In June of 2008, Ecological Internet and Rainforest Rescue of Germany initiated the first major international campaign against the Tanoé Swamps Forest oil palm project and in support of local opposition. Leading global consumer products company Unilever was then poised to destroy Ivory Coast's rainforests [search] as both investor and customer, after having just made a supposed commitment -- falsely heralded by some -- to rainforest protection and certified oil palm, but starting in 2015.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Major Victory for Ivory Coast's Rainforests as Oil Palm Successfully Resisted" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) [search] proposals to use carbon market monies to protect forests appear to be gathering steam [ark], something that Ecological Internet cautiously supports as long as it does not pay for first time logging of primary forests [search]. More of the Earth's terrestrial ecosystems have already been lost and diminished than required to maintain an operable climate, all species and a fully operable biosphere. As we have written before, Earth needs more old forests and other natural habitats -- both strictly protected primary forests and restored old growth forests -- for continued existence.

Insofar as the carbon market can pay for this protection and restoration; without allowing over-developed countries to continue polluting, threaten indigenous and local land rights, while supporting community based ecoforestry uses of standing forests, they are worthy of support. If carbon monies pay for non-existent "sustainable management" and other industrial development of primary forests, replacing them with plantations and much diminished secondary forests (both in terms of biodiversity and carbon), it will facilitate the biosphere's continued decline. Old forest destruction must end to sustain Earth.

Others like RAN and Greenpeace [search] disagree and support first time "well-managed" ancient forest logging. They are dangerously wrong and will bear the shame of having enabled such activities at this critical juncture for global ecological sustainability.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Rainforest destroyer of the month award for April goes to Malaysia's Land Development Authority (FELDA), who will soon break ground on a joint venture with a Brazilian firm to establish 30,000-100,000 hectares (75,000 - 250,000 acres) of oil palm plantations in the heart of the Amazon rainforest [ark]. Oil palm has, and continues, to devastate Asia-Pacific's rainforests. Should oil palm [search] production -- in toxic, biologically depauperate monoculture tree plantations -- become established in the Brazilian Amazon, it would be a global ecological tragedy for biodiversity and climate, and a crime against local peoples and humanity.

The venture will start with 30,000 hectares cultivated near Tefe and Manuas. FELDA has a 70 percent stake in the venture, called Felda Global Ventures Brazil Sdn Bhd, while Braspalma of Brazil holds the remaining stake.The project would include the establishment of a palm oil biodiesel production plant. There is no spare biomass to be had for fuel at the expense of the Amazon's life giving natural ecosystems.

The venture could be the first of many oil palm projects in the Brazilian Amazon, as the scourge of Malaysian oil palm development goes global. The Brazilian Congress is weighing a law that would allow landowners to count plantations as forest towards their legal forest reserve requirement. By law landowners in the legal Amazon must retain 80 percent forest cover on their holdings. A recent study estimated that 2.3 million square kilometers of the Brazilian Amazon are suitable for growing oil palm.

Rainforest Rescue (Rettet den Regenwald) and Ecological Internet are committed to working together to expose the ecological damage done to forests, water, climate and local livelihoods by industrial agriculture, and its proposed expansion for agrofuels.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An important new study in the open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science highlights that oil palm expansion presents a major emerging threat to the Amazon [ark]. Already a major cause of tropical forest conversion across southeast Asia, oil palm expansion in the Amazon rainforest is likely, due to a changes in Brazil's forest law, new infrastructure, and the influence of existing foreign soya companies in the region. A proposed change in Brazil's forest code, which requires land owners to retain 80 percent forest on lands in the Amazon, would allow up to 30 percent of this reserve to consist of oil palm.

This scheme to increase tree plantations of food crops largely for agrofuel production falsely equates plantations with natural primeval rainforest, at great risk to climate, biodiversity and local livelihoods. Notorious Malaysian oil palm producers, also implicated globally in massive illegal rainforest logging, have already been allowed to setup shop. High-yielding oilseed would offer higher financial returns and employment than cattle ranching, mechanized soy farms, and expected REDD carbon payments to avoid deforestation. As demonstrated in Asia, it is highly unlikely such activities will be limited to already degraded lands. Indeed, logging off the primary forests often subsidizes the oil palm plantation expansion. Biofuels are disastrous for rainforests and climate, as well as are toxic, destroy water resources and often violate human rights. The use of fuel from food and destroyed ecosystems must end. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It is becoming abundantly clear that ending industrial diminishment of primary and old growth forests [search] and working for their full protection and restoration is a keystone response to climate change (to say nothing of biodiversity and water crises). Over the past years ecological science has learned much regarding the importance of these ancient forests in regard to avoiding the worst climate change scenarios [search]. We have known for some time that these old forests are being lost at a rate of 13 million hectares a year, and many times more is permanently degraded through both first time selective "legal" and "illegal" logging. Last year scientific findings showed that contrary to conventional thought, intact old forests continue to act as a major sink for new carbon.

A recent Nature paper quantifies this, finding that 20% of industrial emissions are ending up in old tropical forests. We learned last year that when old forests are industrially logged for the first time they lose at least 40% of their carbon immediately, and are unlikely to ever fully recover their carbon holding potential. Untouched forests were found to hold 60% more carbon than replacement plantations. Selective logging causes habitat fragmentation, which opens up the canopy, leading to dryness and fire, and thus total loss of species and carbon. And a new study this week further clarified that due to fragmentation, climate changes and droughts, this carbon sequestration by old forests is gravely threatened [ark] -- with the Amazon having become a source of carbon during the drought in 2005.

Keeping old forests' stored carbon in place, continuing new carbon sequestration, and keeping these ancient forests from burning and becoming a massive carbon source is best served by avoiding fragmentation associated with selective logging. By finding a way to fully protect old forests, you keep the long-time-stored carbon that would be released out of the atmosphere (about 20% of emissions) AND you remove 20% of the remaining 80% from fossil fuels. You avoid the 40% immediate loss from logging, and greatly decrease the probability of full carbon loss from fires. That is a net swing of at least 35% of anthropocentric carbon being kept or removed from the atmosphere by protecting and restoring old forests. This would appear to be second only to ending use of coal as a one shot action to address climate change.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

- The nation's future carbon payments for avoided deforestation in doubt. As a global leader in promoting such payments, the PNG government would be well advised to focus upon better protecting its rainforests, if it wants to fully access carbon monies based upon their continued carbon storage

By Earth's Newsdesk and the Rainforest Portal, Projects of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Seattle, WA) -- An important new study in the journal "Biotropica" finds that between 1972 and 2002, a net 15 percent of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) rainforests [search] were cleared and 8.8 percent were degraded through logging[1]. The clearance rate of 1.1 to 3.4 percent/yr in commercially accessible forests is much higher than reported previously by the FAO.

PNG -- located in the South Pacific, northeast of Australia -- holds some of the world's largest and most important intact and contiguous forests. Their fate has important implications for local livelihoods and biodiversity, and both local and global climate change. The new study quantifies forest loss in PNG for the first time with a high degree of accuracy. And the findings are not good.

Some 36% of the accessible forest estate has been degraded or deforested. This finding raises the question of whether the PNG government -- as a welcome leader in promoting avoided deforestation payments -- is pursuing the necessary policies to ensure large rainforests continue to exist as the basis for their country to receive large and continuous international payments for their forest's carbon storage?

Continue reading "RELEASE: Papua New Guinea Rainforests Deeply Threatened" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The myth that primary and old growth forests should be "sustainably" managed is dealt a mortal deathblow. Members and funders of RAN, FSC and others greenwashing ancient forest logging called upon to withdraw support in protest

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Seattle, WA) -- Ecological Internet welcomes the emerging science published today in "Nature" indicating tropical trees in undisturbed forest are absorbing [ark] nearly a fifth of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels[1]. This is in addition to the long-term carbon sequestered within old trees' wood and soils. This is the most recent of several major scientific studies indicating the need to fully protect all remaining primary and old growth forests as a keystone response to global climate, biodiversity and water crises.

"This is huge -- not only do ancient rainforests reliably store massive amounts of carbon, as we have known for sometime, but they continue to remove enormous amounts of carbon every day they remain standing and are non-degraded. The study partially solves the mystery of where human carbon pollution has been going, and in so doing supports the need for avoided deforestation payments," said Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet's President.

It was found that remaining tropical forests remove a massive 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere each year. This includes a previously unknown carbon sink in Africa, which mops up 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. Over the past 40 years, each hectare of intact African forest was found to have annually trapped an extra 0.6 tonnes of carbon. This builds upon last year's studies that found old-growth forests are "carbon sinks" and continually absorb carbon dioxide, and that their first time logging releases 40 percent of their carbon[2].

Continue reading "RELEASE: Ancient Forests Absorb 20% of Human's Carbon, Logging and Other Industrial Destruction of Old Forests Must Stop Now" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

Rainforest destruction [search] AND diminishment [search] are a global tragedy [ark] of unknown and unimagined consequences. This delicate layer of primeval, bountiful life is an absolutely critical component of the Earth System [search]. There innumerable species live and are intimately connected in life-giving ecosystems. Through carbon, nutrient and water cycling, rainforests maintain the biosphere, and thus conditions for all life. The loss of the world's last large, intact tropical rainforest ecological core areas [ark] will doom most, if not all, of the Earth's life -- including humans -- to a painful death spiral culminating in extinction. Rainforest losses are a monstrous evil perpetuated upon being. But seriously, enough is enough, this must and will end.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Now here is a proposal we can get behind: massive reforestation and ecological restoration [search] of tropical rainforests as a climate change mitigation strategy. Forget minuscule algae, burying, or giant vacuums to sequester carbon. Strictly protect remaining large scale ancient tropical rainforest expanses, and allow and aid surrounding and connecting areas to regenerate. To be maximally ecologically beneficial, it must go beyond reforestation to restoration (the use of the word "engineering" in the article title is misleading and unnecessary). There is tremendous potential to mix in permaculture, agro-forestry and even local small scale eco-forestry into the matrix of protected and regenerating areas, sustaining landscapes, ecosystems, water and local livelihoods rather than only timber yields.

Of course it would depend upon respecting native land tenures, and ensuring local ownership and advancement, but tropical rainforest restoration provides carbon storage on a scale and time frame that could make a difference in maintaining a biosphere. Anyone concerned with biodiversity, climate, ecosystems and continued human existence should immediately get behind these efforts to regrow native tropical tree species. Recreating natural rainforests based upon the models provided by those ancient rainforests still standing is worthy of a lifetime of devotion. It builds upon nature's underestimated resilience. And forget about the clean coal, certified ancient forest logging, ocean fertilization, carbon offsets and other trendy fluff... Now is the time for sufficient ecological policies adequate to belie the coming global ecological collapse.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

The Democratic Republic of Congo is closer to ending ancient rainforest logging [ark], as some 60% of logging contracts on nearly 13 million hectares of forest have been canceled. A long delayed review of 156 logging deals, aimed at stamping out corruption and enforcing minimum legal and environmental standards, found that only 65 were "viable".

On several occasions Ecological Internet's Earth Action Network has hastened this process with timely protest alerts [1, 2, 3] exposing World Bank forest corruption and successfully demanding the review, and we share with many others in this victory. While it is heartening that the World Bank has facilitated this logging concession review, it is sad that they and so many others still cling to the myth that industrial logging of millions of year old primeval ecosystems can ever benefit the Earth's climate and biodiversity, or local peoples.

The industrial destruction of natural ecosystems must end for our shared survival. Please continue to participate in the Earth Action Network and support ecological protest action that matters.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

As Brazil and the world mourn and memorialize the great Amazon rainforest advocate Chico Mendes [ark], two things have become abundantly clear. First, to speak and organize for Amazonian rainforest ecological sustainability still remains virtually a death sentence in Brazil. Hundreds of Brazilians activists are routinely threatened with assassination [ark]. This is so sad, and lack of a massive government response unforgivable, given increased ecological sensitivity and desire to act nationally.

And secondly, despite improved efforts at least rhetorically by the Brazilian government, the Amazon's rainforests, and thus global atmospheric and ecological sustainability, remain deeply threatened. With deforestation having increased [search] by 64% this past year, it is difficult to envision a future solution -- based upon continued piddly policy half-measures and NGO token projects -- that keeps the Amazon intact and fully functional as a whole.

Clear prohibitions in the Amazon and rest of the world's rainforests on any industrial logging and development, backed up with a well-funded and trained enforcement, would be the sufficient place to start. If this massive planetary ecosystem engine is fragmented and diminished, collapsing into pieces, Brazil and the Earth's habitability will be deeply threatened. Only responses at scales commiserate to the problem can save the Amazon now.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

President Morales must be encouraged to live up to his grand rhetoric, and end his government's hurried measures to decimate massive indigenous rainforest protected areas and their biodiversity and climate values, in a manner eerily reminiscent of the capitalistic system against which he rallies

TAKE ACTION! Bolivia's Madidi National Park [search] and Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve are communal lands containing some of the most biodiverse areas on earth. With the assent of President Evo Morales, the oil giant Petrobas and collaborators have begun an oil exploration assault that threatens not only these remarkable ecosystems, but also the culture and livelihood of the resident indigenous peoples. Mr. Morales must be encouraged to live up to his grand rhetoric, and end his government's hurried plans to decimate indigenous protected areas, local sustainable livelihoods and their rainforest lands' biodiversity and climate values. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Ecological Internet's campaign to end ancient forest logging as the keystone response to the climate and biodiversity crises continues to gain both scientific credibility and prominence within the environmental movement. A new atlas from the UN Environment Programme shows not surprisingly that most of the world's terrestrial biodiversity and carbon storage hotspots [ark] are found in Earth's last great primary and old growth forest expanses. Find ways to maintain these areas in an intact condition while meeting local development aspirations, without stealing their land, and the world is well on the way to global ecological sustainability.

For several years Ecological Internet has informed the forest movement and the world that perhaps the greatest impediment to doing so is greenwash perpetuated by the likes of Greenpeace, WWF, RAN and FSC that the world's last primeval ecosystems should be logged. The Ecologist magazine notes in their current issue Ecological Internet's campaign discrediting the myth that ancient forests can be logged in an environmentally acceptable manner. To make the green mainstream media after years of ridicule (Greenpeace would never support ancient forest logging, hah) is gratifying. There we get FSC's first response to two years of campaigning, answering how logging ancient forests benefits the environment:

"The FSC counters that in order to be effective as the demand for timber grows, it is forced to work with industrial logging companies and allow the sustainable cutting of old-growth and primary forests... allowing logging places an economic value on the forest ecosystem, which in turn helps avoid the ground being clear-cut for pasture or crop monocultures."

Continue reading "Ecological Internet's Campaign to End Ancient Forest Logging Gaining Support" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Cursory review of FSC's controversial certifications completely fails to question false premise that primary and old-growth forest logging is ever "well-managed", instead calling for better training manuals for ancient forest destruction

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Seattle, WA) -- Today Greenpeace International released a report entitled "Holding the Line with FSC"[1] which reaffirms Greenpeace's unflinching support for the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) [search] past and on-ongoing industrial first-time logging of hundreds of millions of hectares of primary and old-growth forests. Greenpeace and other "forest protection" groups like the Rainforest Action Network and WWF continue to provide crucial greenwash for the false premise that ancient forest logging [search] is desirable and can ever be considered "well-managed".

Greenpeace was the target of a series of protests in 2007 led by Ecological Internet, as Greenpeace held FSC's international chairmanship, regarding their continued support for ancient forest logging given widespread irregularities. At that time they agreed to review problematic FSC certifications, and to respond to criticism regarding FSC's dependence upon ancient forest logging. Their new report fails miserably on both counts.

Continue reading "Greenpeace Reaffirms Support for Ancient Forest Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBacks (0)

In a major victory for Ecological Internet and the world's ancient forests, RAN acknowledges concerns regarding FSC and commits to campaign to end all primary and old-growth logging

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Earth) -- Bowing to a global pressure campaign spearheaded by Ecological Internet (EI), the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has publicly announced they are reviewing their support for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), over concerns regarding FSC's greenwashing of ancient forest logging. In a statement to Ecological Internet, and on their web site, RAN announced they find "certification of logging in such forests extremely problematic" and have "raised the matter with the FSC".

RAN has embraced EI's goal of working to end ancient forest logging [search], written to FSC with their concerns and to request more data, and indicated that FSC's continued certification of ancient forest logging is problematic and threatens their membership. Based upon this progress, Ecological Internet has temporarily suspended the protest campaign. If RAN fails in its commitment to work within FSC in coming months to end its certification of ancient forest logging, and refuses to resign from FSC at that time, EI's campaign will resume immediately.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Ancient Forest Victory, as Rainforest Action Network Yields, Commits to Review FSC Support" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 1:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (29) | TrackBacks (0)

Rainforest Action Network, and Cambodia and DRC, feel the heat of intensifying campaign to end all ancient forest destruction

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Earth) -- Last week forest defenders from the New York Climate Action Group (NYCAG) rallied at New York's Bluestocking Bookstore to denounce the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) for their support of industrial logging of primary forests. RAN is the focus of a global campaign to end ancient forest logging, starting with getting the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), of which they are a founding and leading member, to stop falsely certifying first time industrial primary forest logging as being environmentally beneficial.

When questioned, Mike Brune, RAN's Executive Director, stated again that RAN does not support industrial logging of old growth forests, but does support FSC. This transparent doublespeak was met by laughter from the audience. Due to Ecological Internet's campaign, forest conservationists are increasingly aware FSC's existence depends upon ancient forest logging. Further protest actions are expected, and the email protest continues.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Ancient Forest Logging is deRANged" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

There is no chance of achieving global ancient forest protection, climate stabilization and ecological sustainability until RAN and other ancient forest logging apologists follow Friends of the Earth in withdrawing from the Forest Stewardship Council and uniting to work to end ancient forest logging

TAKE ACTION! Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is one of a shrinking group of international environmental NGOs that supports industrial logging of ancient primary and old-growth forests by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) [search]. Sadly, as RAN prepares to gather for their annual lavish, celebrity studded "Revel" fund-raiser, there is little to celebrate regarding their disjointed and harmful Old Growth Campaign -- legitimate questions regarding their FSC support have been stonewalled, Ontario's continued ancient forest destruction legitimized, and the forest protection movement needlessly divided. Last week Friends of the Earth (FoE) became the first major international NGO to confirm they no longer support FSC certification; which falsely suggests primary and old-growth forest logging is desirable, benefits the climate, and is even sustainable; and that plantations are forests. RAN must stop supporting outdated, destructive logging. The following alert lets Revel's many sponsors know they are funding greenwashing of ancient forest devastation -- and asks that RAN immediately review and cease their support for destruction of centuries old ancient trees and their ecosystems. Please note, there are two different protest emails to send. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (41) | TrackBacks (0)

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Major victory for Ecological Internet's campaign to end ancient forest logging as key response to climate and biodiversity crises

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Earth) -- Friends of the Earth (FoE) is the first major international NGO to confirm they no longer support Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification [search], which falsely suggests primary and old-growth forest logging is desirable and even sustainable, and that plantations are forests. This is a major victory for those including Ecological Internet (EI) and FSC-Watch[1] who have courageously taken on large environmental interests using FSC to greenwash ancient forest destruction.

FoE pioneered timber certification during the 1980s and was one of FSC's founders, but FoE International in Amsterdam has confirmed that it is now "reviewing" its membership of the organization. FoE UK announced on their website[2] they are "deeply concerned by the number of FSC certifications that are now sparking controversy and threatening the credibility of the scheme. We cannot support a scheme that fails to guarantee high environmental and social standards. As a result we can no longer recommend the FSC standard."

Continue reading "RELEASE: Friends of the Earth Rejects Forest Stewardship Council" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Press/Social Media Release

Harnessing ancient primary forests for continued carbon storage requires ending industrial logging, and in Australia too

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
Dr. Glen Barry

(Earth) -- Ecological Internet welcomes Australia’s expression of concern about forests and climate change, demonstrated by yesterday's release of an initial US$2 million in aid [ark] for Asia-Pacific nations to help protect forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it is unfortunate these efforts to maintain forest carbon [search] are only being applied overseas, are based upon flawed science, and thus will be unlikely to make much difference.

An important new study from Australian National University researchers recently found that first-time logging of ancient primary forests results in more than a 40 percent reduction in long-term carbon compared with unlogged forests[1]. Further, untouched natural forests were found to store three times more carbon dioxide than previously estimated and 60 percent more than plantation forests. These findings directly contradict industry propaganda that logging old-growth is climate friendly.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Australia's Tepid Overseas Rainforest Aid Provides Little Climate Benefit" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

It is time for the international community led by Europe to step up and finance large-scale Amazon rainforest preservation to protect the Earth's atmosphere, biodiversity, and life-giving ecosystems; while helping meet needs for national advancement

TAKE ACTION! The Western Amazon -- home to some of the most biodiverse and intact rainforest left on Earth, which are critical for driving regional and global ecosystems and climatic patterns necessary for life -- may soon be decimated by oil rigs and pipelines. According to a new study in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, over 180 oil and gas "blocks" – areas zoned for exploration and development – now cover the Western Amazon, which includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Brazil. These oil and gas blocks stretch over 688,000 km2 (170 million acres), a vast area nearly the size of Texas.

Yet there is hope, as Ecuador's new forward-thinking government led by President Rafael Correa announced in June 2007 the innovative Yasuní-ITT Initiative which offers to keep Ecuador's largest untapped oilfields unexploited in exchange for financial compensation from the international community. Regional governments, international donors and global citizens must decide whether every last bit of the Earth's wilderness; and intact, large ecosystems, will be sacrificed to delay having to transition now to renewable energy sources, ensuring abrupt run-away climate change in the process. Given their historical strong rhetoric on the need to protect global climate and biodiversity, please ask European aid agencies to lead the effort. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Societies not recognizing their ecological foundation cannot long stand. After decades Brazil begrudgingly accepts [ark | more\ark] with outstretched cupped hand the mighty Amazon's key role in climate protection [search], yet continues with damming and other industrial development. Greenpeace heralds as news Africa's European rainforest loggers avoiding taxes [ark]. Yet similar practices were well-documented in Papua New Guinea 20 years ago, and are nearly universal in the rainforest logging industry.

The critical ecological role played by rainforests' ancient biodiversity [search] and emergent ecosystem processes [search] have been known for decades, yet gains in protection have been slow. We know it is going to take money and ending illegal activities to protect rainforests [search] and their life giving ecosystems services [search]. Progress such as it is results from years of protest by Ecological Internet and many others, yet our deep ecological message that all being is dependent upon rainforests, atmosphere and water cycling energy and nutrients continues to be viewed with suspicion. As go rainforests will go humanity.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Interesting new findings suggest the Amazon River powers tropical ocean's carbon sinks [ark | more\ark] by transporting nutrients well beyond the continental shelf, pushing carbon capture into the deep ocean. Fed from river transported iron and phosphorus, organisms called diazotrophs pull nitrogen and carbon from the air and make organic solids that sink to the ocean floor. This major river fed tropical ocean carbon sink [search] is thought to be more than enough to offset ocean respiration.

This is yet another startling demonstration of the Earth's cycling of nutrients and energy -- between forests, water, oceans and the atmosphere -- which makes all life possible. Each of these ecosystems is being dismantled to meet exponential human growth without even understanding how they work or interact with the others, threatening the operation of the Earth System [search] -- Gaia if you will. The most urgent task of all human history is to understand how Gaia works even as we work urgently and boldly to maintain her threatened ecosystem processes and patterns. Our and all being depends upon success for our future being.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The wild and free Xingu River is critical to maintaining intact the Amazon, its peoples and the Earth we share

TAKE ACTION! The Brazilian government is planning to build what would be the world´s third largest dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon [search]. The Xingu River in northeast Brazil is a tributary of the Amazon River. The Belo Monte Dam, meant principally to fuel the expansion of aluminum foundries and other industrial plants in the Amazon, would require diverting nearly the entire flow of the Xingu, drying up the “Big Bend” of the Xingu and its tributary, the Bacajá, home to hundreds of indigenous people. Native people upstream would also be affected by the dam´s impacts on fish stocks, their principal food source.TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION! Leading global consumer products company poised to destroy Ivory Coast's rainforests as both investor and customer, just after its commitment to rainforest protection and certified oil palm was much heralded by some.

One of Côte d’Ivoire's most important primary rainforests [search] is to be cleared by global consumer product company Unilever and others, despite Unilever's recent promises to buy only "sustainable" palm oil [search] from lands not cleared of rainforests for their production. Tanoé Swamps Forest in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is one of the last remaining old growth forests in the country and the last refuge for three highly endangered primates -- the Miss Waldron Colobus, the Geoffroy’s colobus and the Diana roloway -- as well as home to many endangered plant species. The palm oil company PALM-CI has just begun destroying this 6,000 hectare forest to convert it to oil palm plantations, despite local and international protests. Unilever is one of the main companies behind PALM-CI and the destruction of the Tanoé Swamps Forest. After sending the first protest email to Unilever, you will be forwared to a second protest email asking the government of Côte d’Ivoire to ensure that the forest and the communities that depend on it are fully protected. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

PRESS RELEASE

15% protection of last large intact forest ecosystems, and promotion of continued ancient forest diminishment, are insufficient to maintain Earth's ecosystems, climate, biosphere and human advancement.

This week the Democratic Republic of Congo announced new protections for 10% of their rainforest [ark] , moving towards Brazil's goal of 15% preservation of the Amazon. WWF and other environmental groups hailed 85% industrial destruction and diminishment of the rest of the world's remaining large forest ecosystems as good news. At the UN biodiversity talks in Bonn, WWF organized non-binding national pledges to end deforestation [ark], ignoring biological simplification caused by industrial forestry. WWF promotes first-time ancient primary forest logging [search] which is nearly as bad ecologically as total deforestation. These inadequate responses come as a new study shows ecosystem loss is already costing hundreds of billions [ark] of dollars a year.

Ecological Internet is committed -- as keystone responses to the climate, biodiversity, water and food crises -- to ending all industrial development of the world's remaining primary and natural ecosystems, and committing to strict protection for half of the world's land and sea as global ecological reserves. The remainder will need to be ecologically managed to sustainably meet human needs in perpetuity. This will require massive ecological restoration and protection of forest remnants in over-developed countries, and major new protected areas (increased by 3-5 times) in countries holding the Earth's remaining primary natural habitats.

Continue reading "WWF's Rainforest Protection Goals Prolong Ecological Decline" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION: Dam construction must not damn opportunity for protection of one of Asia's last intact, fully functional natural ecosystems.

The Cardamom Mountains [search] in Southwest Cambodia -- one of the world’s priceless ecological treasures -- contain the region's last true wilderness with untouched rivers cascading to the Gulf of Thailand. This is one of Asia's last unbroken, large primary forest expanses with wild waterways linking mountain-top and ocean, containing still intact extensive tracts of lowland evergreen forest, and holding over 40 globally threatened species. The Cambodian government is preparing to dam and flood the Cardamom Mountains' riverways with a dubious hydroelectric scheme. There are many better-suited dam sites in the Cardamom landscape than the Areng River. Prime Minister Hun Sen's government should demonstrate wise leadership and fully protect the Cardamom Mountains. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

It is gravely unethical and ecologically devastating to expand production of biofuels by allowing land to be stolen from local Afro-Colombian communities; and at the expense of Colombia's ancient primary rainforests, food security, water resources and regional climate

TAKE ACTION! Plantation expansion for agrofuels remains a major threat to the lives, livelihoods and the environment of Afro-Colombian and other peasant communities in Chocó, Colombia. This is one of the world's most biodiverse regions, with large areas of rainforest now facing destruction. The Chocó rainforests [search] are home to 7,000 to 8,000 species, including 2,000 endemic plant species and 100 endemic bird species. Even before the current palm oil and agrofuel expansion, 66% had been destroyed. Communities and rainforests are under threat from palm oil and sugar cane expansion for agrofuels in other parts of Colombia, too, for example around Tumaco, near the border with Ecuador, in Santander and in Magdalena. If agrofuels -- growing food for fuel -- continue to expand in Colombia, food prices are bound to rise and the nation's food security erode as is happening around the world. Please ask the government to stop and reverse those policies and to protect Colombia's communities and rich environment from further destruction for agrofuels. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

As it is prone to do when the donors come a-calling, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government "has admitted its forestry sector is riddled with corruption" [ark] . This occurred during aid talks with the Australian government, and reflects political posturing to access donor funds on the basis of their rainforest's carbon holding potential. PNG contains the third largest expanse of tropical rainforests [search], though much diminished through years of heavy industrial mismangement.

Sadly there seems to be little acceptance by those pushing avoided deforestation [search] payments that to be effective, this will require an end to industrial logging of primary forests. Astonishingly, while Australia provided donor funds to PNG this week to protect its forests for carbon benefits, Australia continues to log their own primary forests [action]! To pay carbon monies for rainforest protection without ending barbaric first time logging of ancient forests would be meaningless in terms of both biodiversity and climate protection.

Continue reading "Papua New Guinea Admits Illegal Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It has been a good week for the ecologically necessary concept of paying for rainforest protection [search] on the basis of biodiversity and climate benefits. Hundreds of indigenous leaders gathered in Brazil to build a consensus for wealthier countries compensating developing countries for conserving Amazon's tropical rainforests [ark]. There it was correctly noted "the challenge is to pay the native peoples, not the governments" for rainforest protection.

A new study found that "global carbon markets [search] could generate billions of dollars [ark] each year for developing countries that tackle tropical deforestation [search]". And the Brazilian government unveiled a scheme to pay the residents of the Amazon for the ecosystem services [ark] their bioregion provides. The program seeks to reward small-scale community development while providing a disincentive to large-scale destructive activities such as logging, soya production and cattle ranching.

Continue reading "Forest Dwellers Want Say and Pay in Climate Talks" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

PRESS RELEASE
RAN indicates industrial first time logging of centuries old trees in primeval forests the best that can be expected, censors further discussion on their web site, and faces renewed global call for members to cancel until withdraws from FSC

April 1, 2008
By Ecological Internet, Inc.
Dr. Glen Barry, +1 920 776 1075, glenbarry@ecointernet.org

After six months of evasions and personal recriminations, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has officially answered the question "how does Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified logging of primary and old-growth forests 'protect endangered forests'"? RAN has been the target of protest by thousands of forest conservationists from eighty countries concerned with how RAN's support for FSC legitimizes continued loss of ancient forests, their biodiversity and the climate. This is their answer:

"Simply, FSC certification isn’t the ultimate protection for endangered forests, but it is a vastly superior alternative to standard industrial logging. In forests that would otherwise be logged without third party oversight, FSC promotes practices that preserve ecosystem functions (like habitat and water quality) and safeguards the most ecologically valuable areas." -- RAN statement, 4/1/08.

Continue reading "Rainforest Action Network Defends Support for Old-Growth Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Guyana is to enter into the world's first serious effort to pay for the ecosystem services provided by rainforests [ark | more\ark]. Such an approach is long overdue, and while the specifics have not yet been released, it appears the payments are for broad ecosystem services [search] provided by a million acres of Guyanese rainforest rather than just their carbon storage (which is good). It remains to be seen whether industrial logging [search] will be allowed in the protected area -- if so, the constant ecological diminishment resulting from selective logging will greatly reduce the value of the deal.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Mongabay reports that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is coming under increasingly harsh criticism [ark]. Ecological Internet (EI) and many others believe FSC is imploding as claims of environmental and social benefits of certified ancient forest logging [search] and industrial monoculture plantations [search] are exposed as myths. FSC's future (if it is to have one) depends upon changing its guidelines to end support for both business as usual old-growth logging and large-scale monoculture plantations.

If unwilling to end their involvement in ancient forest logging, FSC and supporters must be protested until they are shutdown [alert]. Global ecological sustainability depends critically upon strictly protecting all remaining relatively natural ecosystems, particularly primary forests. All ancient forests are of high conservation value. There is no alternative to continued logging of centuries old trees found in primary forests. The era of ancient forest logging must end if global ecological collapse is to be averted.

Continue reading "FSC Failing the World's Forests" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Much attention is being placed upon "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation" (REDD) [search] -- which advocates carbon payments to avoid deforestation. Ecological Internet and its predecessors have long advocated international payments to rainforest rich countries to offset opportunity costs associated with protecting rainforests [search] and to promote community based eco-developments based upon standing forests.

However the REDD approach is not without risk. Our primary concern is that carbon payments will support industrial first time selective logging of primary rainforests [search], based on the misconception this substantially protects these ancient rainforests' carbon stores (and biodiversity). Such diminishment in fact permanently destroys carbon storage potential, is only slightly better ecologically than outright deforestation, and as such primary forest logging is unworthy of avoided deforestation payments. To be effective and avoid "leakage", continued ancient forest logging must not be allowed anywhere in countries receiving international monies to protect their rainforests for climate benefits.

Continue reading "The Danger of Poorly Designed "Avoided Deforestation" Carbon Payments" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

A massive well-established illegal market in stolen black market timbers threatens to bring down all of Asia's rainforests [ark]. The main perpetrators include Indonesia, Burma, Cambodia and Russia. China is the largest buyer of illegal timber [search] in the world. Along with Japan, and to a lesser extent India, Europe and the U.S., all are tacit supporters by acting as prime markets. The newest frontiers for ill-gotten timbers is from Laos via Vietnam [ark].

The problem of illegal rainforest logging [search] has been known for ages, and has resulted in little more than meaningless rhetoric. And recent backtracking, as Indonesia has announced it will allow mining in its rainforests [ark]. The existence of a legal timber including those falsely certified as being well-managed and sustainable, provides cover and legitimacy to the trade, confusing the public. it is criminally ecologically negligent to allow rainforests to be logged for a pittance when they should remain in rainforest canopies making the Earth habitable.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

PRESS RELEASE
Naming Names to End Ancient Forest Logging.

(Earth) - Ecological Internet's campaign to end ancient forest logging as a keystone response to the climate change and biodiversity crises intensified this past week. Over one thousand people from 57 countries sent protest emails to staff members of large environmental groups, protesting their fiction that killing centuries old trees in ancient forests is environmentally sound and well-managed forestry. The alert remains current and can still be sent.

Greenpeace, WWF, Rainforest Action Network, NRDC, Forest Ethics, Friends of the Earth and Rainforest Alliance were called upon to immediately end their support for the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) greenwashing of first time logging of primary and old-growth forests -- or face continuing protest. The protest contained detailed ecological analysis debunking claims that logging ancient rainforests has environmental merit.

Continue reading ""Forest Liars" Campaign Launches" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (2)

TAKE ACTION: Outrageous support by big environmental groups for first-time industrial logging of primary and old-growth rainforest wildernesses based upon vague claims that FSC certification makes it sustainable, well-managed and now even "carbon positive" is a big lie and must end.

Many of the world's largest environmental groups continue to support Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) "certified" industrial logging [search] of the world's last primary and old-growth forests. They have fallen for, and now espouse, the big lie that first time logging of ancient forests containing centuries old trees can be done in an ecologically well-managed and sustainable manner. These otherwise well-regarded organizations should know better, yet there is no chance ancient forest logging will ever end when they continue their misguided greenwashing of "certified" ancient forest destruction.

Continue reading "ALERT: Stop the Forest Liars: "Certified" Old-Growth Rainforest Logging Does NOT Protect Biodiversity, Ecosystems or Climate" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBacks (1)

Biodiversity is much in the news this week as the Encylopedia of Life launches on the web [ark] and the Doomsday Vault [ark] opens its global seed bank [search] in Norway. Biodiversity databases [search] are fine, we must know species to understand and save them; as are efforts to conserve crop seeds [search] for an emergency that given continued inaction on climate and ecosystem loss seems increasingly probable.

But what of policies and actions necessary to protect that diversity? What of equal efforts to avoid the catastrophe of a homogenized Earth collapsing for lack of key species? There are far too few efforts to finance the building of knowledge bases of required policies and action plans sufficient to protect biodiversity, as that gets into politics, social change and personal sacrifice. Try eating a biodiversity database, and seed banks don't feed many soon. This is what Ecological Internet does -- acting upon the best ecological science to promote policies adequate to avoid global ecological collapse and achieve global ecological sustainability.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Ecological Internet has very much appreciated the opportunity to participate in a recent string of rainforest and climate victories. Given our deep attachment to Papua New Guinea, perhaps none has been as satisfying as mobilizing international pressure that helped protect precious Woodlark Island from near total rainforest clearance for oil palm [search]. This madness is the epitome of ecological evil, and together local peoples and the world expressed outrage, and for now have cancelled the plans.

We have carried out similar campaigns for over fifteen years, with many, many victories. Mongabay -- the fantastic alternative rainforest media source -- has for the first time carried out a post-conservation analysis of how local and international Internet-based protest stopped Woodlark's rich biodiversity from becoming a toxic oil palm monoculture [ark]. It makes for a good read, demonstrating conservation campaign methods that could be widely replicated. Humanity's eco-future depends upon collaborative north-south protest of ecologically destructive activities wherever found.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION! Only soy products that do not directly or indirectly destroy ancient rainforests, or intensify climate change and other problems inherent with large-scale industrial monocultures, will be tolerated in international markets.

The greatest emerging threat to Amazon rainforests and communities is industrial soy plantations. Huge mechanized, soy monocultures destroy tropical ecosystems, accelerate climate change and cause human rights abuses primarily to produce agrofuel and livestock feed. The soya industry wipes out biodiversity, destroys soil fertility, pollutes freshwater and displaces communities. Soybean production expands the agricultural frontier not only through fire and deforestation to clear ancient rainforests, but more importantly by pushing cattle ranches and displacing forest peoples further into natural rainforest ecosystems.

With rising soy and other agricultural commodity prices, there has been a marked increase in fires and Amazonian deforestation to clear new agricultural lands from primary rainforests. In reaction Brazil has again announced increased agricultural deforestation enforcement. Amazon rainforest sustainability critically depends upon new soybean production being kept out of ancient primary rainforest ecosystems. Let's continue the commitment of Ecological Internet's Earth Action Network to strongly speak ecological truth to intransigent power. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Plant based biofuels are no climate change solution [ark | more\ark] because as farmers clear natural ecosystems huge amounts of carbon dioxide are released. A study in the journal Science takes a comprehensive look [ark] at emissions from land clearance to grow biofuels. The study finds that the production of most biofuels globally results in land clearing [ark], directly or indirectly, intentionally or not; and the cost/benefit in terms of carbon emissions saved is not subtle.

Clearing grassland for corn ethanol [search] releases 93 times the greenhouse gas (its carbon debt) that would be saved by the fuel made annually on that land. Clearing rainforest habitats for biofuel production [search] generally has a carbon debt of 86 years, but peatland of the sort cleared for oil palm in SE Asia [search] has a whopping carbon debt of 423 years, and soybeans in the Amazon [search] 319 years. Some biofuels such as sugar cane in Brazil [search] are efficient and only have a carbon debt of 17 years. Only biofuels that do not destroy natural habitats should be allowed.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 1:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Demand End of Certification of Rainforest Destruction.

(New York, New York) – Thursday the New York Climate Action Group (NYCAG) joins other environmental organizations denouncing Rainforest Alliance for profiting financially from the destruction of rainforests.

NYCAG is demanding a permanent end to the industrial logging of old-growth forests worldwide. Dressed as creatures from the rainforests of the world, environmentalists from New York City will participate in a festive rally to greet and inform the participants at a Rainforest Alliance cocktail party.

Scientific studies have shown that industrial logging in old-growth rainforests is never sustainable and leads to their permanent destruction by ranchers, mining operations, and industrial agricultural interests. Rainforest Alliance receives 30% of its funding by certifying industrial logging through their “Smartwood” program. They are the largest such certifier in the world. “Smartwood” certification follows Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines, which Rainforest Alliance claims will ensure sustainable forestry. In truth, however, FSC guidelines allow first-time logging of pristine ancient forests. These forests are recognized by climate scientists worldwide as our greatest defense against climate change.

Continue reading "Disguised as Rainforest Creatures, Activists Expose Greenwashing by Rainforest Alliance" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Victory for those working to end ancient rainforest logging, and a defeat for supporters of forest certification greenwashing, as an important precedent is set

January 18, 2008
By Ecological Internet, Contact: Dr. Glen Barry , glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Ocean City, New Jersey) -- The city council of Ocean City voted last night 6-0 to cancel a $1.1 million purchase of ipê timber originating in ancient rainforests. The timber was to be used to patch a one block stretch of Atlantic boardwalk. The purchase provoked outrage as it went against a ten-year old pledge by the council to not use rainforest timbers.

The mayor and others argued Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification ensured sustainability. Estimates are over 60% of FSC timber comes from first time logging of ancient forests, with claims only it is "well-managed". Such misleading statements setup a showdown with local group "Friends of the Rain Forest" and led them to a year of protest with support from Ecological Internet (EI) and others.

Continue reading "Ocean City, New Jersey Cancels Order for Rainforest Destruction to Fix Their Boardwalk" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

Ecological Internet's international protest supporting local Papua New Guinea resistance blows the project out of the water

January 16, 2008
By Ecological Internet, Contact: Dr. Glen Barry , glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Woodlark, Papua New Guinea) -- Ecological Internet welcomes reports that Vitroplant, shady developer of a proposed oil palm project on Woodlark Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has withdrawn. PNG's Minister for Agriculture and Livestock says no oil palm development will take place on Woodlark Island. Vitroplant's withdrawal was due to local and international pressure to conserve Woodlark Island's natural habitat.

The ill-conceived project was to have cleared 70% of the rainforests on biodiversity rich Woodlark Island, some 60,000 hectares, in order to establish a massive oil palm plantation. Following the direction of local peoples, Ecological Internet's Earth action network was able to generate nearly 50,000 protest emails from 3,000 people in 72 countries.

Continue reading "Woodlark Rainforests Spared for Now from Clearing for Oil Palm" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (0)

Ecological Internet's campaign in support of long-standing local efforts to end the use of ancient rainforest timbers by government in New York City is enjoying initial success. Mayor Bloomberg has announced a review of NYC policy, and the Park Department will no longer use endangered woods in NYC park benches. We must ensure the review ends the use of all ancient rainforest timbers, the Parks decision is expanded, and an end to the use of ancient rainforest timbers is enshrined in law and procurement policy. Please send the updated alert. This progress is monumental, it must be brought to completion, and together we are doing it! g.b.

***************************

N E W S R E L E A S E

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2008

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tim Keating, 917-543-4064, Rainforest Relief
Dr. Glen Barry, 920-776-1075, Ecological Internet
JK Canepa, 917/ 648-4514, NYCAG

NYC Parks Department Ends the Use of Tropical Hardwoods for Benches

Recent Actions by Environmental Groups Bring Progress in 13-Year Campaign

NEW YORK CITY — January 8, 2008. In a meeting with representatives of environmental groups Rainforest Relief and New York Climate Action Group, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe unveiled a plan to phase out the use of hardwoods logged from the rainforests of the Amazon, which the agency uses for benches, boardwalks and the decking of bridges in the thousands of parks and areas overseen by the department. Celia Peterson, director of the Specification Office of NYC Parks, stated that as of last month, Parks will no longer specify tropical hardwoods for benches.

Continue reading "NYC Parks Department Ends the Use of Tropical Hardwoods for Benches" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

It is with sadness that we note the making of another rainforest martyr [ark] -- this time in Malaysia's rainforests -- as missing Penan indigenous leader Kelesau Naan, headman of the Penan settlement of Long Kerong in the Upper Baram region of Sarawak, was found dead [more/ark | more2/ark2]. Kelesau fought to defend the Penan's rainforest home and heritage [search] for years and had been leading the recent rounds of protests and blockading of encroaching loggers. It is widely suspected he was murdered as he checked his traps.

Continue reading "Murder in Malaysia's Rainforest" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION: The PNG government continues to approve rainforest destruction and diminishment even as they vocally seek to be paid with carbon market funds for their "protection". The oil palm biofuel industry -- the scourge of Asia and the world's rainforests -- is continuing to expand into Papua New Guinea (PNG). Malaysian company Vitroplant has been granted necessary permits by the PNG government to begin clearing 70% of the rainforests on biodiversity rich Woodlark Island, some 60,000 hectares, in order to establish a massive plantation of oil palm trees.

Expansion of oil palm plantations at the expense of primary rainforests runs contrary to PNG's government public support for preserving rainforests for climate and other benefits. An oil palm plantation on Woodlark Island will endanger the island’s flora and fauna, cause environmental upheaval, and result in drastic cultural change. The islanders of Woodlark have worked hard to draw international attention to this issue, and have issued an appeal for the support of international NGOs and citizens to pressure the government to withdraw the project. TAKE ACTION

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Reacting to increasing Amazonian deforestation in recent months, Brazil has banned the sale of farm products from illegally deforested ares in the Amazon [ark | more\ark]. It should be noted deforestation rates [search] do not include rainforest diminishment caused by industrial first time logging and other activities that may leave some trees, but effectively destroy ancient rainforest ecosystems and release much of their carbon.

Policies announced included imposing fines for buying or trading illegally produced beef and soy, sending in seven hundred more troops, and establishing a land registry. The Brazilian government has recently been trumpeting 50% reductions in deforestation over the past two years. However, these decreases appear to have been more a result of declines in agricultural markets than any fundamental reduction in deforestation, and as markets recover deforestation and climate change soars.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

It is widely reported that Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has revived a controversial plan to destroy a quarter of Mabira rainforest [ark | more2\ark2 | search] which is a protected area for a sugarcane plantation to produce biofuels. In the face of massive domestic protests and supportive international action by Ecological Internet, two times last year the government had announced the project was dead. The situation illustrates my long held contention that no rainforests are ever truly saved, they are just granted a temporary reprieve, until the next threat comes along and they need to be protected again.

Clearing rainforest to produce biofuel for their alleged climate benefits [search] is the ultimate demonstration of humanity's death wish. Mr. Museveni has shown himself to be a devious strongman, without honor or conscious. After sending millions of emails protesting his rainforest for biofuels policy, sadly our arsenal may be spent. EI has been blocked from sending protest emails to virtually all parties after repeated volleys. It is up to local citizens to again take to the streets if the project is to be stopped.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Following is a full chronology of Ecological Internet's (EI) negotiations with Rainforest Action Network regarding their support of ancient forest logging certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The conversations commenced upon an open letter sent by EI to RAN on October 4, 2007 entitled "Open Letter of Concern Regarding RAN's Support for Ancient Forest Logging, and Notification of Impending Campaign". In that letter the following demands were made:

1.) RAN must disassociate itself publicly from any further support for any industrial scaled logging, certified or otherwise, of primary and old-growth forests.
2.) Begin developing a rigorous rainforest campaign, linking full preservation and small scale community based eco-forestry activities that protect large, intact and contiguous rainforests with climate protection; similar in scope and ambition to your coal campaign.
3.) Removal of all scientifically misleading statements from RAN web site and campaign materials falsely suggesting that FSC certified ancient forest logging is "sustainable"; and that "sustainable logging" of ancient forests is compatible with their protection.

Continue reading "The Transcript: RAN Dodges Regarding Support for Ancient Forest Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

TAKE ACTION! New York City's (NYC) Department of Parks and Recreation is one of America's largest destroyers of rainforests, reports New York based Rainforest Relief. Parks and other NYC and state agencies including the Department of Transportation (DOT) and NYC Transit use hundreds of thousands of board feet of tropical hardwoods per year. New York City's use of ancient forest timbers comes at great expense to the Earth's biodiversity, ecosystems, climate and prospects for achieving global ecological sustainability...

Please support Rainforest Relief's and NY Climate Action Group's campaign demanding that Mayor Bloomberg end NYC's use of tropical hardwoods. In order to protect ancient forests, the people who live there, and global climate; NYC purchases of timbers derived from ancient forests must be stopped and an important precedent set that all industrial scaled ancient forest logging must end forever. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Primates, humankind's closest relatives [ark], are deeply threatened. Nearly a third of all monkeys, apes and other primates are at risk of extinction [ark] due to "rampant habitat destruction, the commercial sale of their meat and the trade in illegal wildlife." [more\ark | more2\ark2] Some 114 of 394 primate species are threatened by extinction. The primary culprit is diminishment and destruction of tropical rainforest habitats [search], illustrating yet again the necessity of stopping all industrial logging, agricultural (including biofuel) plantations [search], and other industrial developments in ancient primary and old-growth forests. Climate change is also believed to be having an impact. Humans are primates and our habitat and existence are just as threatened by processes destroying water, fertile land and stable atmospheric conditions.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In a major victory for Uganda's people, rainforests, environment and ecologically sustainable development aspirations; the Ugandan government has finally scrapped controversial plans [ark | more\ark] to allow Mabira rainforest [search], one of the country's largest and most important protected area, to be partially cleared for sugar production for biofuels. This may sound slightly familiar, as on a previous occasion it was reported the plan was dead but it came back to haunt us. Statements by the government this time are from the Minister of Finance, other numerous sources and are more firm. Mabira rainforest will remain protected, and a precedent has been set that protected rainforests must not be cleared for biofuel production [search]. This is huge!

Continue reading "VICTORY! Uganda Government Finally Scraps Mabira Rainforest Giveaway" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Given revelations of misconduct in Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests by the World Bank, the Bank's desire to administer global carbon payments for rainforest protection as a means to address climate change is suspect

TAKE ACTION! The World Bank's independent inspection panel has found serious violations of the Bank's own rules [ark] as foreign companies were encouraged to destructively log the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) rainforests, endangering the lives of thousands of Congolese Pygmies.

The Bank has since 2002 sought to "create a favorable climate for industrial logging" in the Congo by rushing through new forestry laws and dividing the country's massive rainforests into logging zones. This is the World Bank's most recent failure to promote "sustainable" ancient rainforest logging [search], and comes as they position themselves to administer international carbon market funds meant to protect ancient rainforests for their climate benefits...

Continue reading "ALERT: Protest Failed World Bank Congo Rainforest Policy and Proposed Ill-Conceived Forest Carbon Payments" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 4:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

A leaked report by the World Bank's independent inspection panel has found the World Bank gravely broke its own rules in regard to rainforest policies and projects pursued since 2002 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The World Bank encouraged foreign companies to destructively log DRC's rainforests, endangering the lives of thousands of Congolese Pygmies; misled Congo's government about the value of their forests, and repeatedly broke their own rules regarding natural habitat and indigenous protections.

Congo's rainforests are the second largest in the world, hold some 8% of the Earth's carbon, and possess critical global ecosystems containing rich biodiversity. These forests provide medicines, shelter, timber and food for 40 million people. When the World Bank reentered the Congo in 2002, after years of war, it said industrial forestry could contribute to the country's recovery. It rushed through new forestry laws, divided the country's rainforests into logging zones, and along with the British government aimed to create a favorable climate for industrial logging. These efforts have now been discredited.

Continue reading "VICTORY: World Bank Found to Have Seriously Violated Own Rules as Sought to Raze Congo's Rainforests" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Finally some good rainforest news that involves empowering local peoples to benefit from standing ancient rainforests, rather than logging them a bit more carefully. The Wai Wai of Guyana have chosen to benefit from intact, standing rainforests. Their massive region covering some 625,000-hectares (1.54-million-acres) on the northern border of Brazil’s Pará state has been declared Guyana's first Community Owned Conservation Area. With the assistance of Conservation International, the Wai Wai are "building a 'conservation economy' based on the sustainable use of their natural resources. The plan will create jobs from conservation activities, such as newly trained para-biologists working with researchers to assess the territory’s flora and fauna, and local rangers patrolling the area. Other economic activities include ecotourism and expanding the traditional Wai Wai craft business." Economies based upon standing ancient rainforests will have tremendous local, regional and global ecological benefits; not only in terms of terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems, but also climate and water as well.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 4, 2007

Mr. Michael Brune
Executive Director
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
mbrune@ran.org

Re: Open letter of concern regarding RAN's support for ancient forest logging, and notification of impending campaign

Dear Mr. Brune,

I am writing on behalf of Ecological Internet's global ancient forest protection network to express grave concern with Rainforest Action Network's (RAN) continued support for "sustainable" first time logging of ancient forests (defined as primary and old-growth forests). And to inform you that we intend to intensify our "End Ancient Forest Logging" campaign, targeting RAN until your organization disavows industrial first time logging of primary and old-growth forests and joins efforts to end industrial logging of all such remaining ancient forests.

As the largest, most visible rainforest campaigning organization in the United States; we are extremely distressed at your failure to embrace the current groundswell of concern regarding climate change and the major role ancient forest protection, including but not limited to rainforests, has in its mitigation. RAN is actively impeding a broad based, international movement to end ancient forest logging as a keystone response to global warming by clinging to old failed forest conservation initiatives, and continues to issue misleading clichés regarding industrial logging of ancient forests contributing to environmental protection.

Continue reading "Open Letter of Concern Regarding RAN's Support for Ancient Forest Logging, and Notification of Impending Campaign" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (2)

New Jersey based Friends of the Rainforest and Ecological Internet's campaign to stop the use of ancient rainforest timbers for boardwalk repairs is progressing nicely -- garnering media attention and already changing the city council's vote. An important precedent is being set that ancient rainforest timbers belong in rainforest canopies, not in construction projects and consumer products. You can still take action -- we are making a difference with every protest email we send and every new protest network participant we recruite.

The crusade to keep ipê out of Ocean City's boardwalk reconstruction is a rejection of Forest Stewardship Council and big greens' efforts to certify and greenwash industrial ancient forest logging as being responsible, while falsely implying sustainability. First time logging of primary rainforests -- selective, certified, ecosystem based or otherwise -- results in an immediate huge release of carbon, permanent reductions in future carbon sink potential, and reductions in species numbers and diversity. One of the gravest obstacles to mitigating climate change, conserving ancient forests and achieving global ecological sustainability is the pernicious myth that selectively logging ancient forests (certified or not) is environmentally beneficial. It is NOT.

Continue reading "World Protest Makes Ocean City Think Twice About Boardwalk " »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Contacts: Rhonda VanWingerden, rhondavw@yahoo.com; Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Ocean City, New Jersey, September 10, 2007 -- Friends of the Rainforest (FOR) and Ecological Internet have launched an Internet based international protest campaign to stop Ocean City, NJ from using ipê, an ancient rainforest wood, for boardwalk decking. Thus far 3,153 people from 70 countries have sent 43,924 protest emails to Ocean City officials from: http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=jersey_boardwalk
The campaign continues to grow and gain international attention.

On September 14th Gomercindo Rodrigues -- the heir to Chico Mendes, a rainforest conservation leader who was murdered for trying to bring justice to the Amazon -- will be coming to speak about his new book at the Ocean City Arts Center at 7pm. Mr. Rodrigues has worked with indigenous people who make a living rubber tapping in a sustainable manner. Their livelihoods are threatened by industrial logging of rainforests of the type sought for Ocean City's boardwalks. He will be telling stories about growing up in the Amazon.

Continue reading "International Protest Campaign Launched to Stop Ocean City, New Jersey from Using Ancient Rainforests for Boardwalk Decking" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

China's government has belatedly issued rules to its foreign logging ventures, a too little too late response to being identified as the heart of a global trade for lumber from illegal logging [search] that it sells to markets in the United States and Europe. Efforts to date by the Chinese government to address their role in providing the market for much of the illegally logged ancient forest timbers are inadequate because they do not address the purchase of timbers from companies of other nationalities -- and Malaysian and Indonesian logging companies [search] do much of the dirty work of actually ruthlessly stealing logs for the Chinese market.

Even more troublingly is that along with WWF, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and the World Bank; the Chinese government falsely contends that industrially harvesting ancient forests can be done in a responsible, sustainable manner. Ancient forests cannot be preserved and sustainably logged at the same time. Industrial forest management destroys permanently forest function, structure, composition and dynamics. Yet all these forest power brokers insist we can log our ancient forests and protect them too. The World Bank is even set to suggest that logging ancient forests has carbon benefits -- NOT! It is a tragic, deadly myth that if only done correctly and responsibly, millions of years old ancient rainforests can and should be logged in an ecologically acceptable manner.

Continue reading "China Buys into Myth of Sustainable Ancient Forest Logging" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION! Ocean City, New Jersey is a seaside resort that has a 2.5 mile wooden boardwalk fronting the Atlantic Ocean... Citizens are campaigning to stop the city from using FSC certified ipê timbers for its current one block boardwalk re-construction project and for any future re-decking projects... In 1996, when Ocean City announced a plan to re-deck the entire boardwalk with ipê, a grassroots group formed to oppose the use of rainforest wood. After 22 months of successful campaigning the City Council adopted a Resolution in May 1997 which stated that they "...will no longer purchase tropical rain forest hardwood for the boardwalk in Ocean City"... Fast forward ten years to January 2007 and the issue of using ipê industrially harvested from ancient rainforests rears its ugly head again. But this time, the city presents ipê as an environmentally responsible choice as long as it is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. While the evidence is mounting worldwide regarding major problems with the FSC's certification of ancient forest logging as "responsible" while implying environmental sustainability, the city uses the endorsement that major environmental organizations give to FSC certified products as justification for using ipê... Citizens have repeatedly requested a public forum to discuss the failures of FSC certification and the insufficiencies of the city’s materials analysis, but their requests have been ignored... Based upon false and misleading information from major environmental groups, the City of Ocean City is to purchase ancient rainforest wood in the name of environmental responsibility. In order to protect ancient forests, the people who live there, and global climate; this purchase must be stopped and an important precedent set that industrial scaled ancient forest logging must end forever. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

It is reported that plans to build a massive South American natural gas pipeline through the Amazon rainforest from the Caribbean to Brazil have "cooled off". This was the most atrocious of many inappropriate industrial developments planned for the Amazon [search] which Ecological Internet has publicized and protested against for several years. No rainforest is ever protected indefinitely, as badly conceived projects tend to linger on for a long time. Yet given a one and a half year delay and signs that momentum for the project has been stymied, Ecological Internet is ready to declare this campaign a victory!

Congratulations to all those that participated, the Amazon rainforest is safer given your efforts. Ecological Internet's Earth Action Network first brought concerns over the pipeline to a global stage in February of 2006, issuing several alerts, to which 8,792 participants sent 75,765 protest emails over nearly a year. As the international profile of the twisted project grew, so did local protests on environmental and economic grounds. As is our intent, our efforts inspired grassroots global Earth activism.

Continue reading "VICTORY: Gas Pipeline Through the Amazon Flounders" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

E-Protest calls for Greenpeace and WWF to withdraw from Forest Stewardship Council and work to end ancient forest logging

An ancient rainforest logging operation in Peru recently certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme by Rainforest Alliance SmartWood has been implicated in massive cross-border illegal logging. Workers from the Peruvian company Venao Forestal are reported to have been crossing into Brazil and building an extensive road network to illegally fell CITES-listed mahogany. FSC and big green logging apologists including Greenpeace and WWF are facing tough questions following this and other inappropriate and illegal certifications.

Support for FSC's "certified" ancient rainforest logging continues to crumble, as calls to protect all remaining ancient forests for climate and biodiversity values intensify. Peru is now added to a list of countries that already includes Guyana, Congo, Russia, and Indonesia, where WWF has helped massage highly controversial and sometimes illegal companies through the FSC certification process, as Greenpeace sits mute in charge of FSC's board. Meanwhile Norway has rejected FSC and all primary rainforest logging certification schemes in public construction (for more information see http://www.fsc-watch.org/).

Continue reading ""Certified" Ancient Forest Logging Tragedy Worsens" »

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION!: Support for "certified" ancient rainforest logging crumbles further due to string of inappropriate and illegal certifications, most recently in Peru; and as Norway rejects FSC and all primary rainforest logging certification schemes.

An ancient rainforest logging operation in Peru recently certified by Rainforest Alliance SmartWood under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme has been implicated in massive cross-border illegal logging. Workers from the Peruvian company Venao Forestal have been crossing into Brazil and building an extensive road network to illegally fell CITES-listed mahogany. The FSC certifier SmartWood has turned a blind eye to serious illegalities in logging companies it has certified under FSC as providing "responsible forest management". This illustrates yet again that a FSC seal is no guarantee of either ecological sustainability or legality. Global ecological sustainability including addressing climate change critically depends upon ending all industrial scaled ancient forest logging. The situation is rapidly emerging as a major international incident; for which WWF, Greenpeace, FSC and SmartWood are responsible... Meanwhile the Norwegian government has decided that it cannot rely on any certification system including FSC to help implement its newly announced ethical procurement policy. TAKE ACTION!

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

No rainforest is protected for long. And in the case of Uganda's Mabira forest reserve [search] -- a vital ecosystem near the capital -- the President has pulled a massive bait and switch. There were strong indications a couple months ago that plans to clear a large part of this protected rainforest were to be scrapped. Yet now President Yoweri Museveni is trying again with renewed vigor to push through legislation that would strip the forest of its protected status to produce sugar for biofuels. The Mabira Forest Reserve, on the north shore of Lake Victoria, is home to 300 bird species as well as rare primates, and plays a vital role in the country's ecosystem, storing carbon and regulating rainfall. Given 50% of Uganda's forests have been lost since the 1970s, and a current rate of deforestation of some 2.2 percent, it is ludicrous to think more deforestation will lead to economic gain -- au contraire, at some point ecosystems will collapse leading to even greater poverty. Earlier in the year 8,627 Ecological Internet action network participants sent some 1,833,279 protest emails asking the Forestry and parliament to intervene. This was in support of strong protest in country including a boycott of the sugar company involved. Given that this rainforest give-away violates commitments made to the World Bank, and strong parliamentarian opposition, there are two likely avenues of protest in the near future. Sadly Ecological Internet was wrong on this one and the fight continues apace.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION. There is no denying the fact that Greenpeace supports Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) efforts to certify logging [search] of primary and old-growth forests as environmentally acceptable. It is a matter of public record. FSC's international board is chaired by a Greenpeace forest campaigner and they have long promoted FSC as the source of "green" timber. Greenpeace supports industrial ancient forest logging even as they are apparently suppressing their own report on specific problematic forest certifications. Transparency and depth of ecological understanding are not Greenpeace's strength. When the whole notion of certified logging in ancient rainforests is questioned, the Greenpeace PR machine shifts into full gear and seeks to mislead rather than respond substantively to the concerns of those working to end ancient forest logging as a key response to climate change and requirement for global ecological sustainability... Primary forests are irreversibly diminished when logged. Environmental groups cannot support nonsensical promises of "certified sustainable" ancient forest logging with impunity any longer... Greenpeace has invested years of effort into this nonsense, and presumably now would find it nearly impossible to admit they have been wrong. Let's renew our call that Greenpeace end their support for ancient forest logging, while publicizing the matter and urging their supporters to cancel their membership until they do so. TAKE ACTION

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the latest tropical rainforest rich, yet materially poor, nation to embrace payments for "avoided deforestation". The DRC joins Ecuador [more | more2] and Papua New Guinea (PNG) in making substantive offe