Posted on 27 April 2011
- Policymakers and business leaders must
quickly back a bold target to stop forest
loss as part of efforts to conserve biodiversity
and fight climate change, according to a
new WWF report.
The first chapter of
WWF’s Living Forests Report, released today,
examines the drivers of deforestation and
identifies the opportunities to shift from
business as usual to a new model of sustainability,
which can benefit government, business and
communities.
Based on a new global
analysis showing that more than 230 million
hectares of forest will disappear by 2050
if no action is taken, the report proposes
that policymakers and businesses unite around
a goal of zero net deforestation and forest
degradation (ZNDD) by 2020 as a groundbreaking
global benchmark to avoid dangerous climate
change and curb biodiversity loss.
“We are squandering
forests now by failing to sort out vital
policy issues such as governance and economic
incentives to keep forests standing,” said
Rod Taylor, WWF International Forests Director.
Business and governments
need forests
The first chapter of
the report comes as business and political
leaders meet this week in Jakarta, Indonesia,
for the Business 4 Environment Global Summit
(B4E). The conference will be addressed
by His Excellency Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
President of the Republic of Indonesia.
“The dual imperatives
of ZNDD and meeting global demand for materials
and energy pose both challenges and business
opportunities for the forest products sector,”
the report states. “Forest products are
renewable and, when sourced from well-managed
natural forests and plantations, tend to
have a lower footprint than alternatives
like steel, concrete and plastic based on
fossil sources.”
On the first day of
the conference, businesses from the forestry,
mining and palm oil sectors operating on
the nearby island of Borneo will meet as
part of WWF’s Heart of Borneo Green Business
Network.
At the summit, WWF will
call on forestry companies to join the organization’s
Global Forest & Trade Network, and also
on other business sectors to support our
goal in achieving certification of 75% of
key global commodities in the region by
2020. More than 40% of the island’s forests
are under concession to the private sector,
with around 23% (6 million hectares) under
management by the forestry industry.
Carrefour, a leading
retailer in Indonesia is answering this
call by endorsing WWF’s Global Forest &
Trade Network (GFTN). Today, the group’s
two biggest suppliers for tissue paper in
Indonesia, PT Graha Kerindo Utama and PT
Graha Cemerlang Paper Utama are pledging
to implement sustainable business under
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
"Our ambition is
both simple and strong: to become the preferred
retailer. This can only be achieved by managing
our retail business in a responsible and
sustainable manner," said RM Adji Srihandoyo,
the Corporate Affair Director PT CARREFOUR
Heart of Borneo – a
model for collaboration
More businesses than
ever before are working toward sustainable
forest management, and governments are strengthening
land use criteria and developing groundbreaking
economic and fiscal incentives on the island,
one of the most forest-rich places on the
planet.
On the ground, WWF and
its local partners are developing pilot
projects to demonstrate the feasibility
of these approaches.
“In the Heart of Borneo,
tangible examples of how these systems work
are emerging. WWF-Indonesia acknowledges
that sustainability does not occur overnight.
We call on the business sector to join with
us as we make the first steps on the road
to a green economy and low carbon future,
not just in Borneo, but in Sumatra and Papua
as well – step by step,” said Dr. Efransjah,
WWF-Indonesia CEO.
Right now on the island
of Borneo in a 220,000km2 area designated
for conservation and sustainable development
called the Heart of Borneo, these are the
ideas being put into practice.
ZNDD no barrier to sustainable
forest-based business
Zero net deforestation
and forest degradation by 2020 means no
overall loss of forest area or forest quality,
so a new monoculture plantation does not
offset the loss of primary natural forest.
The target requires the loss of natural
or semi-natural forest to be reduced to
near zero, down from the current 13 million
hectares a year, and held at that level
indefinitely.
To understand what this
would mean in practice, WWF developed the
Living Forests Model with the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA),
which forms the basis for the Living Forests
Report.
The Living Forests Model
projects that by “doing nothing” we could
lose more than 230 million hectares between
now and 2050.
“The Living Forests
Model shows that conserving our forests
is possible – and urgent. But it won’t be
easy,” said Taylor.
Making a difference
now and towards 2050
“Better governance and
economic incentives will enable sound stewardship
of forests and more productive use of already-
degraded land,” Taylor said. “This would
ensure enough farming land, timber plantations
and well-managed forests to meet current
global demand for wood and food without
further forest loss.”
The report concludes
that maintaining near zero forest loss in
the longer term will require responses to
rising pressures on forests due to demand
for food, materials and fuel for a growing
population, expected to hit 9 billion people
by 2050.
“In the short term,
halting deforestation is all about better
governance,” said Taylor, “But as we get
out towards 2050 and the population passes
9 billion, we will need to cut over-consumption
and waste of food and energy, and boost
productivity of farms and forestry to keep
forest loss at near zero.”
More to come
Held in partnership
with WWF, Global Initiatives and the Government
of Indonesia, the B4E Summit hopes “to generate
collaborative solutions to address the most
urgent environmental and climate issues
facing the world today.”
Additional chapters
of the Living Forest Report will be released
throughout the year to form a comprehensive
analysis of the choices and decisions that
must be made to secure a forested future
for people and nature.
+ More
New hope for survival
for elusive saola
Posted on 14 April 2011
- Quang Nam, Vietnam: Indochina’s elusive
saola, a recently discovered and critically
endangered relative of antelopes and cattle,
now has new hope for survival with the establishment
of a dedicated nature reserve in the province
today.
Quang Nam’s People Committee
today agreed to the Forestry Protection
Department establishing a Saola Natural
Reserve in the Annamite mountains along
the border of Viet Nam and Laos.
The Saola, described
as a primitive member of the bovine family
which includes cattle, sheep and antelopes,
was discovered only in 1992 by a joint WWF
and Vietnam Department of Forestry survey.
Threatened by illegal
hunting with snares and dogs for its horns,
the current population of saola is thought
be to a few hundred at maximum and possibly
only a few dozen at a minimum. None have
survived in captivity.
Since the species discovery,
WWF has worked closely with Vietnamese scientists,
protected area staff and rangers and local
communities, to understand the species population
status and ecological requirements; identify
the threats to the Saola and implement conservation
actions to reverse its decline.
New reserve creates
corridor
In response to the alarming
status of the species in the wild, WWF Vietnam
has worked with Vietnam’s authorities and
agencies to promote the establishment of
Saola Nature Reserve in Quang Nam, the Saola
Nature Reserve in Thua Thien Hue and to
extend Bach Ma National Park.
“The establishment of
this new Saola Nature Reserve shows a strong
commitment by the Vietnamese Government
and Quang Nam Province in the conservation
of this highly threatened endemic species,”
said Ms. Tran Minh Hien, Country Director
of WWF Vietnam.
“This new reserve will
create a biodiversity corridor connecting
the East of Vietnam to West side of Xe Sap
National Park in Laos.”
Protection of the Saola
population in this landscape is the highest
priority for WWF and provincial authorities.
Teams of WWF Forest Guards and FPD rangers
are patrolling the nature reserves on a
daily basis and have removed thousands of
snares and destroyed many illegal hunting
camps within the first few months of this
new cooperative enforcement programme.
The Saola Natural Reserve
in Quang Nam is located in an area where
the highest point is 1,298 meters characterised
by narrow valleys and water falls which
creates ideal habitat for Saola. The establishment
of the Nature Reserve will promote the conservation
of lowland tropical forest ecosystems in
the Annamite mountains, which contain many
globally threatened species.
“We believe that, with
the guidance from the People’s Committee,
related local Departments and the cooperation
with WWF, the Management Board will carry
out the Saola’s conservation well which
will not only help improve the Saola’s survival
but also have long term value in developing
and maintaining the biodiversity of the
area.” said Mr Dang Dinh Nguyen, Director
of Quang Nam Provincial Forest Protection
Department and also the Acting Director
of the Saola Nature Reserve.
