The Disappearing Rainforests

We are losing Earth's greatest biological treasures just as we are beginning to appreciate their true value. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a ere !% and e"perts esti ate that the last re aining rainforests could be consu ed in less than 4# years. $ne and one%half acres of rainforest are lost every second with tragic conse&uences for both developing and industrial countries. Rainforests are being destroyed because the value of rainforest land is perceived as only the value of its ti ber by short%sighted govern ents' ulti%national logging co panies' and land owners. (early half of the world's species of plants' ani als and icroorganis s will be destroyed or severely threatened over the ne"t &uarter century due to rainforest deforestation. E"perts esti ates that we are losing 1)* plant' ani al and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. +hat e&uates to ,#'### species a year. -s the rainforest species disappear' so do any possible cures for life%threatening diseases. .urrently' 1/1 prescription drugs sold worldwide co e fro plant%derived sources. While /,% of Western phar aceuticals are derived fro rainforest ingredients' less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. 0ost rainforests are cleared by chainsaws' bulldo1ers and fires for its ti ber value and then are followed by far ing and ranching operations' even by world giants li2e 0itsubishi .orporation' 3eorgia 4acific' +e"aco and 5nocal. +here were an esti ated ten illion 6ndians living in the - a1onian Rainforest five centuries ago. +oday

there are less than /##'###.

6n 7ra1il alone' European colonists have destroyed ore than 8# indigenous tribes since the 18##'s. With the have gone centuries of accu ulated 2nowledge of the edicinal value of rainforest species. -s their ho elands continue to be destroyed by deforestation' rainforest peoples are also disappearing. 0ost edicine en and sha ans re aining in the Rainforests today are *# years old or ore. Each ti e a rainforest edicine an dies' it is as if a library has burned down. When a edicine an dies without passing his arts on to the ne"t generation' the tribe and the world loses thousands of years of irreplaceable 2nowledge about edicinal plants.

The Wealth of the Rainforests

+he - a1on Rainforest covers over a billion acres' enco passing areas in 7ra1il' 9ene1uela' .olo bia and the Eastern -ndean region of Ecuador and 4eru. 6f - a1onia were a country' it would be the ninth largest in the world. +he - a1on Rainforest has been described as the :;ungs of our 4lanet: because it provides the essential environ ental world service of continuously recycling carbon dio"ide into o"ygen. 0ore than /# percent of the world o"ygen is produced in the - a1on Rainforest. 0ore than half of the world's esti ated 1# illion species of plants' ani als and insects live in the tropical rainforests. $ne%fifth of the world's fresh water is in the - a1on 7asin. $ne hectare </.4* acres= ay contain over *,# types of trees and 1,## species of higher plants. -t least >#% of the developed world's diet originated in the tropical rainforest. 6ts bountiful gifts to the world include fruits li2e avocados' coconuts' figs' oranges' le ons' grapefruit' bananas' guavas' pineapples' angos and to atoes; vegetables including corn' potatoes' rice' winter s&uash and ya s; spices li2e

blac2 pepper' cayenne' chocolate' cinna on' cloves' ginger' sugar cane' tu eric' coffee and vanilla and nuts including 7ra1il nuts and cashews.

-t least )### fruits are found in the rainforests; of these only /## are now in use in the Western World. +he 6ndians of the rainforest use over /'###. Rainforest plants are rich in secondary etabolites' particularly al2aloids. 7ioche ists believe al2aloids protect plants fro disease and insect attac2s. 0any al2aloids fro higher plants have proven to be of edicinal value and benefit. .urrently' 1/1 prescription drugs currently sold worldwide co e fro plant%derived sources. -nd while /,% of Western phar aceuticals are derived fro rainforest ingredients' less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. +he 5.?. (ational .ancer 6nstitute has identified )### plants that are active against cancer cells. *#% of these plants are found in the rainforest. +wenty%five percent of the active ingredients in today's cancer% fighting drugs co e fro organis s found only in the rainforest. 9incristine' e"tracted fro the rainforest plant' periwin2le' is one of the world's ost powerful anticancer drugs. 6t has dra atically increased the survival rate for acute childhood leu2e ia since its discovery. 6n 18>)' there were no 5.?. phar aceutical anufacturers involved in research progra s to discover new drugs or cures fro plants. +oday' over 1## phar aceutical co panies and several branches of the 5? govern ent' including giants li2e 0erc2 and +he (ational .ancer 6nstitute' are engaged in plant research projects for possible drugs and cures for viruses' infections' cancer' and even -6@?.

Rainforest Action

E"perts agree that by leaving the rainforests intact and harvesting it's any nuts' fruits' oil%producing plants' and edicinal plants' the rainforest has ore

econo ic value than if they were cut down to a2e gra1ing land for cattle or for ti ber. +he latest statistics show that rainforest land converted to cattle operations yields the land owner A!# per acre and if ti ber is harvested' the land is worth A4## per acre. Bowever' if these renewable and sustainable resources are harvested' the land will yield the land owner A/'4## per acre. 6f anaged properly' the rainforest can provide the world's need for these natural resources on a perpetual basis. 4ro oting the use of these sustainable and renewable sources could stop the destruction of the rainforests. 7y creating a new source of inco e harvesting the edicinal plants' fruits nuts' oil and other sustainable resources' the rainforests is be ore valuable alive than cut and burned. ?ufficient de and of sustainable and ecologically harvested rainforest products is necessary for preservation efforts to succeed. 4urchasing sustainable rainforest products can effect positive change by creating a ar2et for these products while supporting the native people's econo y and provides the econo ic solution and alternative to cutting the forest just for the value of its ti ber.

Deforestation and net forest area change

+he rate of deforestation shows signs of decreasing C but is still alar ingly high. @eforestation C ainly the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land C shows signs of decreasing in several countries but continues at a high rate in others.

-round 1) the 188#s.

illion hectares of forest were converted to other uses or lost through illion hectares per year in

natural causes each year in the last decade co pared to 1!

7oth 7ra1il and 6ndonesia' which had the highest net loss of forest in the 188#s' have significantly reduced their rate of loss' while in -ustralia' severe drought and forest fires have e"acerbated the loss of forest since /###.

;arge%scale planting of trees is significantly reducing the net loss of forest area globally -fforestation and natural e"pansion of forests in so e countries and regions have reduced the net loss of forest area significantly at the global level. +he net change in forest area in the period /###C/#1# is esti ated at C,./ hectares per year <an area about the si1e of .osta Rica=' down fro per year in the period 188#C/###. C>.) illion illion hectares

Facts and figures

Do you know...

Which countries have the highest forest coverD Which countries are the Bow Bow Bow Bow ajor consu ers and producers of forest productsD forest plantsD any people depend on drugs derived fro

uch deforestation contributes to global greenhouse gas e issionsD any countries have less than 1# percent forest coverD any people are e ployed in the for al forestry sector worldwideD

+he annual deforestation rate in the worldD

+he total nu ber of

ountain people worldwideD

What percentage does bioenergy account for energy consu ed worldwideD

Forest cover

Eorests cover )1% of total land area +he world's total forest area is just over 4 billion hectares' which corresponds to an average of #.! ha per capita. +he five ost forest%rich countries <the Russian Eederation' 7ra1il' .anada' the 5nited ore than half of the total forest area. ?tates of - erica and .hina= account for than 1# percent of their total land area.

+en countries or areas have no forest at all and an additional ,4 have forest on less

People and forests

Eorests are ho e to )## e.g. fuelwood' -bout !#

illion people around the world.

0ore than 1.! billion people depend to varying degrees on forests for their livelihoods' edicinal plants and forest foods. illion indigenous people are al ost wholly dependent on forests.

?o e ),#

illion people who live within or adjacent to dense forests depend on the

to a high degree for subsistence and inco e. 6n developing countries' about 1./ billion people rely on agroforestry far ing syste s that help to sustain agricultural productivity and generate inco e. 0angrove forests' which cover about 1, the life cycles of the illion hectares worldwide' are essential to ercial fish species. ajority of the world's co

Forests and the economy

3lobal e ploy ent in the for al forestry sector % 14

illion people </##!=. ?ource

3lobal gross value%added in the forestry sectorF 5?A 4!> billion </##!=. ?ource 3lobal trade in pri ary wood productsF 5?A //4 billion </#1#=.?ource 3lobal roundwood productionF ) 4#, illion cubic eters </#1#=. ?ource .ountries with the highest contribution of the forestry sector to gross do estic product <3@4=F ?olo on 6slands' 7hutan' 4apua (ew 3uinea' Einland' ?weden' 0alaysia' the 7altic ?tates and so e countries in ?ub%?aharan -frica and ?outh - erica. ?ource

? all%scale forest product enterprises are a ong the top three non%far co ercial activities in ost countries.

rural

Forests, food and health

As food supplements, forest foods provide certain proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals that are not found in many staple crops, and may even stave off hunger and famine when drought, floods or pests and diseases cause crops to fail. Half a million pre-school children go blind every year because of vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A is abundant in many tree foods, such as mango. Bushmeat or edible wild mammals, reptiles, birds and insects which live in forests or trees can account for up to 85 percent of the protein inta e of people living in or near forests. !ome 8" percent of the people living in developing countries depend on non-wood forest products, such as fruits and herbs, for their primary health and nutritional needs. !ource #atural products are the only source of medicine for $5 to %" percent of people living in developing countries. Source& 'A( )%%*

Forests and the environment

Eorests ensure environ ental functions such as biodiversity' water and soil conservation' water supply and cli ate regulation. 0is anage ent of woodlands in hu id and subhu id tropical countries significantly contributes to soil losses e&uivalent to a 1# percent loss of agricultural gross do estic product <3@4= per year.

@eforestation accounts for up to /# percent of the global greenhouse gas e issions that contribute to global war ing. 6n arid environ ents' forests are crucial to food security in dry seasons and years. Eorests provide habitats to about two%thirds of all species on earth. @eforestation of closed tropical rainforests could account for the loss of as 1## species a day. any as

ource! World "ank #$$%

Forest product consumption and

production

&a'or consumers of forest products

Percentage of glo(al consumption )#$*$+

,ndustrial roundwood! 5?- <18 percent=; .hina <8 percent=; .anada <> percent=; 7ra1il <> percent=; Russian Eederation <* percent=; ?weden <, percent=' 6ndonesia <4 percent=.

awnwood! 5?- <1> percent=; .hina <14 percent=; 7ra1il <! percent=; 3er any <! percent=; .anada <, percent=; Gapan <4 percent=; 6ndia <4 percent=; Erance <) percent=. Wood-(ased panels! .hina <)4 percent=; 5?- <14 percent=; 3er any <, percent=; .anada <) percent=; Gapan <) percent=; Russian Eederation <) percent=; 7ra1il <) percent=; 4oland <) percent=.

Pulp for paper! 5?- </! percent=; .hina <1* percent=; Gapan <! percent=; .anada <, percent=; ?weden <, percent=; Einland <, percent=; 7ra1il <) percent=; 3er any <) percent=; 6ndia <) percent=.

Recovered paper! .hina <)) percent=; 5?- <14 percent=; Gapan <> percent=; 3er any <> percent=; Republic of Horea <, percent=; 6ndonesia <) percent=; ?pain <) percent=. Paper and paper(oard! .hina </4 percent=; 5?- <18 percent=; Gapan <* percent=; 3er any <, percent=; 6ndia <) percent=; 6taly <) percent=; 5H <) percent=.

.ontact

&a'or producers of forest products

Percentage of glo(al production )#$*$+

Woodfuel! 6ndia <1* percent=; .hina <1# percent=; 7ra1il <> percent=; Ethiopia <, percent=; @e ocratic Republic of .ongo <4 percent=. ,ndustrial roundwood! 5?- </# percent=; Russian Eederation <8 percent=; .anada <> percent=; 7ra1il <> percent=; .hina <* percent=. awnwood! 5?- <1, percent=; .anada <1# percent=; .hina <1# percent=; Russian Eederation <* percent=; 7ra1il <! percent=; 3er any <! percent=; ?weden <4 percent=. Wood-(ased panels! .hina <)* percent=; 5?- <1/ percent=; 3er any <, percent=; Russian Eederation <4 percent=; .anada <) percent=; 7ra1il <) percent=; 4oland <) percent=.

Pulp for paper! 5?- </* percent=; .hina <11 percent=; .anada <1# percent=; 7ra1il <> percent=; ?weden <! percent=; Einland <! percent=; Gapan <, percent=; 6ndonesia <) percent=; Russian Eederation <) percent=.

Recovered paper! 5?- </) percent=; .hina </1 percent=; Gapan <1# percent=; 3er any <> percent=; Republic of Horea <4 percent=; 5H <4 percent=; Erance <) percent=. Paper and paper(oard! .hina </4 percent=; 5?- <18 percent=; Gapan <* percent=; 3er any <! percent=; .anada <) percent=; Einland <) percent=; 6ndonesia <) percent=; ?weden <) percent=; Republic of Horea <) percent=' 6ndia <) percent=.

,ndia Forest ,nformation and Data

-ccording to the 5.(. E-$' /).#% or about !>'4)4'### ha of 6ndia is forested' according to E-$. $f this //.8% < 1,'*#1'## biodiverse and carbon%dense for of forest. 6ndia had 1#'/11'### ha of planted forest.

.hange in Eorest .overF 7etween 188# and /#1#' 6ndia lost an average of //4'*,# ha or #.),% per year. 6n total' between cover' or around 4'48,'### ha.

6ndia's forests contain /'>## illion etric tons of carbon in living forest bio ass. 7iodiversity and 4rotected -reasF 6ndia h a als and reptiles according to figures fro the World .onservation 0onitoring .entre. $f these' 1>.4% are ende ic' are threatened. 6ndia is ho e to at least 1>!!4 species of vascular plants' of which /!.>% are ende ic. 4.8% of 6ndia is pro

#$** .pdate In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in P !S "ith ne" carbon

Forest definition (canopy cover %) Forest Area (M ha) Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C) e!o"ground forest carbon (Mt C) #ota! forest carbon (Mt C)

10% tree cover 25% tree cover *+ ,,+5* ),-+8 5,5%+ ,+ +,,*, %*8 ,,,+) )",

30% tree cover +* +,)5) 8$+ ,,"-, ))-

Average Carbon $ensity (t C%ha) 8% M%$illion, t%$etric tons& all figures are $ean carbon stoc# 'alues

,ndia! Forest /over, #$*$

#ota! &and Area (1000 s'uare (i!o)eters) #ota! Forest Area (1000 ha) *ercent Forest Cover *ri)ary Forest Cover (1000 ha) *ri)ary Forest+ % tota! forest ,ther "ooded !and (1000 ha) *ercent other "ooded !and

-%$+)% *8,+, -+ )5$") -+ +-*$ )

,ndia! "reakdown of forest types, #$*$

*ri)ary forest (1000 ha - % of forest area) ,ther natura!!y regenerated forest (1000 ha - % of forest area) *!anted Forest (1000 ha - % of forest area)

)5$") -+ ,-5-- *)"-)) )5

,ndia! Trends in Total )0et+ Forest /over, *11$-#$*$

#,#A& F,./0# C,1/. (1000 ha) 1220 *+%+% 2000 *5+%" 2005 *$$"% 2010 *8,+,

A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 200072005 200572010 ),5 ,*, ),5

A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 200072005 200572010 ".-".$" ".-)

,ndia! Trends in 0atural Forest /over )Deforestation+, *11$-#$*$

F,./0# C,1/. (e8c!uding p!anted forests) (1000 ha) 1220 58--+ 2000 58--+ 2005 58--+ 2010 58--+

A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 " A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 "." 200072005 " 200572010 " 200072005 " 200572010 "

,ndia! Trends in Primary or 2ld 3rowth Forest /over, *11$-#$*$

*.9MA.: F,./0# C,1/. (1000 ha) 1220 )5$") 2000 )5$") 2005 )5$") 2010 )5$")

A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 200072005 200572010 " " " A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 200072005 200572010 " " "

,ndia! Trends in Planted Forest /over, *11$-#$*$

*&A3#/$ F,./0# C,1/. (1000 ha)

1220 5$)*

2000 $)*$

2005 %,8*

2010 )"-))

A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (1000 ha) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 200072005 200572010 ),5 ,*, ),5 A334A& C5A36/ .A#/ (percent) Negative number represents deforestation 122072000 200072005 200572010 -.-% 5.$$ ).,8

@eforestation is a ain environ ental concern in the world. @eforestation includes the cutting down' burning' and destructing of forests. (u erous researches suggests that deforestation ay be the first lin2 in a chain of environ ent degradation that includes erosion' cli atic changes' loss of biodiversity and genetic endow ent' air pollution' decline in watershed functions' and the apparent loss of hardwood' fuel wood' and aesthetic stoc2s. 4opulation e"plosion is ajor basis for decline of the rain forests. +hese forests are being cut down at a petrifying rate to supply an with lu ber' pasture land' and far land. +he outco e of such hu an activities is deforestation; the world's ost valuable environ ent is being ruined. 4lants and ani als life is gradually di inishing as the natural habitats are bested. @eforestation occurs because people need land for agricultural. ;arge co panies clear vast a ounts of land' often for cattle pastures to fill the beef ar2et. +hey also use the land for large plantations and use pesticides and irrigation syste s that are very har ful to the land. +he che icals which are used to destroy pests also 2ill other ani als and cause a lot of da age to surrounding areas. +he rain washes the che icals into the water syste 2illing the a&uatic life. +he use of ;and in such a way affects negatively the surrounding areas. 6t also can ta2e centuries to re%grow. +here is solid cause of deforestation which is ainly related to a co petitive global econo y. 6t forces countries to utili1e their only resource for funds. +his process ta2es place at local and national level. ;ocally' people use land for far ing to generate inco e because of poverty and population growth. (ationally' govern ents sell logging concessions to cover debts and develop industries. 4eople are using their rainforests only for a short%ter solution and could not assess the long ter effects of their distractive activities. 6t is predicted that half the rain in tropical countries co es fro evaporation of oisture fro the covering of the trees. -s trees and plants are destroyed' the oist awning of the tropical rain forest rapidly reduces. Evaporation and Evapotranspiration processes fro the trees and plants return large &uantities of water to the local at osphere' pro oting the for ation of clouds and precipitation. @ue to less evaporation' ore of the ?un's energy is able to war the surface and the air above which leads to increase in te peratures and the drying of

land. +oday' it is novel policies and progra of develop ent; rapid industriali1ation' urbani1ation and growing consu eris that have resulted in the large scale destruction of the forests. @ue to the difficulty of deforestation' a ajor environ ental issue' any clashes have arisen between environ ental activist groups and those concerned in deforestation activities. +he solutions to crisis of deforestation lie in dealing with the root cause. +o resolve the issue' e"perts have to consider the econo ic proble s that lie at the heart of the situation. 0any proposals have been offered such as sustainable wood sources. 6f deforestation continues at its current rate then in just 1## years' there will be no ore rainforests left at all and people will be the ost sufferers. 3overn ents and environ entalists are facing ajor challenge% what steps ust be ta2en to stop deforestation so that current environ ental conditions would not get poorer. ?carcity and over population are ain causes which alar s to govern ents. 4olicies ust be ade to overco e such proble s so that we can save our forest and ani als. Environ entalists and forestry supporters have been telling people and govern ents to instantly act on the proble regarding continued deforestation practices all around the world. @eforestation could be gradually stopped if people would be ore environ entally indful. +hat eans' to speed up efforts in stopping deforestation. We ust start participating in recycling progra s. 3overn ents should also i ple ent legislations that would successfully prevent the deforestation process. 3overn ent ust encourage reforestation which is the sought%after healing process Everyone ust understand that rainforest are splendid' e"ceptional gift of nature on our valuable Earth. 6f preventive easures are not ta2en i ediately to stop the effects of deforestation' hu ans will be under grip of severe crisis. +hey ay lose ani als' plants' and there are great possibilities for dreaded diseases that are 2illing off our own race. -ll people ust join their hands to wor2 out a plan that is appropriate for businesses' govern ents' and ost i portantly the environ ent. -nother i portant threat to hu an is that deforestation leads not only to species annihilation but also to loss of the genetic diversity that could help certain species adjust to a changing world. 4eople are well fa iliar with the environ ental crisis which can happen due to deforestation. ?till they are destroying speedily. +he effects of deforestation can be devastating. 6t can lose the land of its natural aesthetic. 6n co ing years' dangerous conse&uences will be visible. @eforestation can da age to the environ ent' usually ste ing fro its ability to cause land erosion. When an area is cleared' the soil under the surface is essentially stripped of the roots that provided it structural integrity and support. Without this support' the force of water' gravity' or both can cause the land to ove' either as one piece' or ore co only' steadily and incre entally. ?oil erosion due to deforestation is the ain cause of .osta Rica's environ ental cala ity such as flooding' desertification and sedi entation in rivers' long%ter hydroelectric shortages' loss of wildlife diversity' and the obvious depletion of the wood resources. ?uch a severe cli ate change can be arrested through reducing tropical deforestation. @eforestation bans and oratoria can effectively wor2 if i ple ented properly.

@eforestation of is a severe environ ental destruction which can not be revived if da aged at current rate. 4eople cut down trees to eet out their own need without considering future outco e. +hey do not recogni1e about the da age they are doing. +he deforestation affects the plant life. 4eople have general i pression that if trees are cuts down' it will grow bac2 in a few years. 4lants will ulti ately grow bac2' but the forest will be changed into a secondary forest and ay never be the sa e.

0ew Delhi! @eforestation in so e states has re ained a serious concern' according to the the Environ ent 0inistry's 6ndia forest report. +he report says 6ndia's forest cover is down by )!* s&uare 2ilo etre as co pared to the last survey in /##8. +his ca e despite the fact that 1, states have increased their forest cover in this period. +he forest cover in 1/ states has decreased considerably. +he a"i u loss of forest cover has happened in -ndhra 4radesh.
+he report says 6ndia's forest cover is down by )!* s&uare 2ilo etre as co pared to the last survey in /##8.

(agaland and 0anipur have also lost large tracts of forests. Bowever' the report is silent on how uch deforestation has occurred due to large develop ent projects.

outh ,ndia I 4osted on 0ay #8' /#1/ at 11F44a

6?+

Call to revamp farm sector

+B6R59-(-(+B-45R-0F 6n a state where a large area is prone to soil erosion' the relevance of sustained watershed anage ent needs no elaboration. 6n this connection' a state%level wor2shop for sensitisation of co on guidelines for 6ntegrated Watershed 0anage ent 4rogra e <6W04= was held here on +uesday. .hief 0inister $o en .handy' who inaugurated the wor2shop' said that the .entre has given the nod in principle for the e"tension of 6W04 in the state by a year. Rural @evelop ent 0inister H . Goseph said that the govern ent decided to do away with the +echnical -dvisory 3roup <+-3= in the i ple entation of sche es ta2en up by the local bodies' in spite of opposition fro so e &uarters. +he govern ent wants to ta2e the local bodies into confidence' he said. +hough the state though blessed with copious rains in two onsoon spells in a year' water conservation easures are not enough' he said. 4residing over the function' -griculture 0inister H 4 0ohanan asserted that the far sector in the state should be reva ped through proper coordination a ong all depart ents for the effective i ple entation of various progra es. Be said that in areas li2es soil conservation and watershed anage ent' proper intervention for increasing efficiency is i perative. ?cientific anage ent of natural resources without da aging the environ ent will lead to increased agricultural production and productivity' he said. +he unscientific use of land' change in cropping pattern and deforestation due to encroach ent have all led to the deterioration of natural wealth. 7etter water conservation and rainwater harvesting ethods should be e"plored. +he environ ent had suffered due to hu an interventions in the for of sand ining' filling of wetlands and arshes' conversion of paddylands for co ercial and industrial purposes. 3roundwater levels also suffer fro critical over%e"ploitation and 6W04 is intended to overco e the issues.

'Toothless' greens seek guarantee afforestation programme for tree felling

TNN Jan 20, 2012, 06.06AM !T

"#$%&A'A$( "oping to esta)lish itself as an authoritative )o*+, the Tree ,rotection Committee of "+*era)a* has no- *eci*e* to re.ect all tree/felling applications place* )efore it, unless the applicants take up compensator+ plantation -ork in a*vance. n fact, in its recent meeting hel* earlier this month,

the committee *enie* permission to five organisations that ha* approache* it -ith re0uests to a1e as man+ as 11,203 trees in an* aroun* the cit+. The list inclu*es( 4uter &ing &oa* authorities 5for 11,000 trees6, !outh Central &ail-a+ 5127 trees6, 8reater "+*era)a* Municipal Corporation 591 trees6, :ational Aca*em+ of Agricultural &esearch Management 5;<< trees6 an* &egional !tations for =orage ,ro*uction an* $emonstration 5for ;7; trees6. n each of these cases, the committee note* that felling permissions -oul* )e grante* once the organisations pro*uce* proof of an afforestation programme the+ ha* taken up to compensate for the loss of green cover. %1plaining this move M Man*al, a civil societ+ mem)er of the )o*+ sai*, >This -a+ -e can ensure that people *o not take compensator+ plantation or the committee lightl+. !o far, applicants .ust signe* an un*ertaking stating that the+ -ill take up plantation -ork once the pro.ect is over an* most often forgot a)out it later. That -ill not )e the case an+ longer.> Apart from issuing such a *irective, mem)ers of the committee also plan to inspect the afforestation programmes here on, )efore giving a go/ahea* to an+ felling activit+. >%arlier this -eek some mem)ers visite* the :AA&M premises to ensure that the aca*em+'s re0uest -as .ustifie* 5it -ants to construction a ne- campus6 an* it ha* space to take up compensator+ plantation. :o-, -e -ill take a final *ecision,> sai* $ :aga)hushanam, *istrict forest officer 5$=4/"+*era)a*6. 'ut -hile the $=4, -ho claims that !C& too is in the process of planting 7,000 trees, is confi*ent a)out the success of the ne- strateg+, several environmentalists in the cit+ are not. The+ argue that the proposal is unsustaina)le consi*ering the limite* po-ers that the tree protection committee has. Another concern, the+ point out, is the *isinterest among government )o*ies to ac0uire lan* for afforestation. >?hen an+ pro.ect is planne*, there has to )e a certain amount of lan* earmarke* for plantation purposes. @nless that is *one, trees that are felle* cannot make -a+ for ne- ones,> sai* retire* forester !arvottam &ao a**ing, >Also, it is onl+ a committee -ith no authorit+. @ntil it is given po-ers to take *isciplinar+ action the )o*+ -ill continue to remain toothless.> Another hin*rance, accor*ing to &ao, is the lack of e1perts on the tree protection committee panel. ,ointing out ho- the eight/mem)er panel largel+ comprise*

people not familiar -ith the nuances of afforestation he sai*, >"o- can +ou even e1pect it to save our environment. The mem)ers neither kno- ho- to gro- trees an* nor are the+ a-are of -a+s to protect them.> ?hile =ari*a Tampal, state *irector of ?orl* ?il*life =oun*ation 5??=/ "+*era)a*6 agrees -ith the claim, she sa+s it is the staff crunch -hich is more -orrisome. >?e are .ust a)out four/five people -ho are e1pecte* to *o all the inspections at present. Consi*ering the large num)er of cases the committee receives, that is a ver+ small num)er. f -e get a**itional manpo-er, the )o*+ can *efinitel+ -ork more effectivel+,> she sai*.
4ochi I 4osted on (ov )#' /#11 at #>F,*a
6?+

n support of Junglisthan
7-(3-;$REF ?her Hhan and 7aloo e erged out of the ba boo trees in .ubbon 4ar2 on +uesday uch to the shoc2 of the visitors. +hese popular fictional characters fro Rudyard HiplingJs KGungle 7oo2J then proceeded to see2 the support of visitors to save their natural habitat L forests L fro coal ining. +o garner ore attention to deforestation' a virtual country L Republic of Gunglisthan L was launched by 3reenpeace 6ndia and the ascots handed out virtual citi1enships and passports to people who pledged their support for the fast depleting forests and diversity. 0ascots for the 3reenpeace ca paign' ?her Hhan and 7aloo along with the volunteers of 3reenpeace 6ndia e"plained to the people about the e"ploitation of forests in the na e of e"traction of coal and as2ed for their support to save forests. ?tudents fro - 4 @ 6 anuel ?chool and Wisdo 4ublic ?chool actively participated in the ca paign by painting' drawing and enacting s2its in support of save the forest ca paign. M.oal 6ndia ;i ited already has /##'### hectares of land' of which ,,'### hectares is forest. Bence their contention that forest clearances are ha pering power generation is isleading. +he inistryJs insistence on ore land for ining is nothing short of land grab' which is also endangering our forests' tigers' elephants and bears' biodiversity and the fabric of life of forest co unities. We are inviting people to join Gunglistan as a show of support to forests'N said ?hiva ?har a' public engage ent ca paigner' 3reenpeace 6ndia. M+here are alternate sources of energy that are cleaner and sustainable than coal li2e solar and wind energy. Eor instance we can save ore energy if we can switch over to

.E;s instead of energy%gu11ling light bulbs. $ur country will have to a2e that choice if it wants a safe environ ent'N said a student fro fro Wisdo 4ublic ?chool. +he ca paign will be on until @ece ber 4 on .ubbon 4ar2 pre ises.

n*ia goes to Copenhagen -ith hope

/openhagen! .o itting itself to reducing its e issions intensity li2e .hina' 6ndia co es to .openhagen as an international player that is ready to be :part of the solution: to global war ing. 4ri e 0inister 0an ohan ?ingh will attend the @ece ber * to @ece ber 1> cli ate su it with 5? 4resident 7arac2 $ba a and over ># world leaders with the li2elihood increasing of a consensus on a new global deal. :We're going to .openhagen in a positive fra e of ind' prepared to be fle"ible. We want a co prehensive and e&uitable agree ent. We are realistic enough to 2now such an agree ent ay not aterialise' but we will wor2 with li2e inded countries' with .hina' and with others' to ensure there is a co prehensive and e&uitable arrange ent': said Environ ent 0inister Gaira Ra esh. 6ndia' ran2ed fourth in the list of the world's 1, top polluters' has announced it will reduce its e ission intensity by /# per cent to /, per cent by /#/# fro the /##, level. (ew @elhi had been under pressure fro the industrialised world to do so ething about its rising e issions' especially due to oves on e issions by .hina' 7ra1il and 6ndonesia. .hina in fact has announced a 4# per cent to 4, per cent e issions intensity reduction. :+he pri e inister's instructions to e was' 6ndia has not caused the proble of global war ing' but try and a2e sure india is part of the solution; be constructive' be proactive': Ra esh said. :Baving global aspirations and assu ing global responsibilities are two sides of the sa e coin': the inister held. -nalysts fro the 4lanning .o ission' who ca e up with the /# per cent to /, per cent e ission intensity reduction' told 6-(? it would basically re&uire i ple entation of 6ndia's solar energy plan' a2ing vehicle e ission caps andatory and giving incentives to energy%efficient buildings. ?o 6ndia is going to the 5( Era ewor2 .onvention on .li ate .hange <5(E...= su it with nothing to be apologetic about and everything to gain' officials said. 3oing by the latest draft proposal fro host country @en ar2' there is an atte pt to instead tal2 of a date when e erging econo ies will pea2 their 3reenhouse 3as <3B3= e issions. +hat is not acceptable to 6ndia' .hina or any developing country' any of

who have got together to table an alternate draft that envisages industrialised countries reducing their 3B3 e issions by at least 4# per cent by /#/#. :6ndia will not accept a legally binding e ission reduction cut and it will not accept a pea2ing date on its e issions': Ra esh said. +he ain stic2ing points in the international negotiations re ain' according to diplo ats fro developed and developing countries who have already arrived here. Will the industrialised countries co it significant e issions cutsD Will they co it significant funds to developing countries to deal with cli ate changeD Will a way be found to transfer green technologies cheaply to developing countriesD +here is so e agree ent on associated points' such as how to provide financial incentives to arrest deforestation so that trees can continue to absorb carbon. 7ut no one is seriously e"pecting what the su it was originally andated to do %% co e up with a list of e ission reduction targets by industrialised countries after /#1/' and get fir co it ents on the a ount of oney these countries would pay to deal with a proble al ost totally of their creation' diplo ats said. 0eanwhile' cli ate change continue to plague the world affecting far output' a2ing droughts' floods and stor s ore fre&uent and ore severe and raising the sea level. 6ndia is a ong the countries worst affected' while Ra esh said it is the : ost vulnerable:. .li ate change is being caused by an increase in the concentration of 3B3s' ainly carbon dio"ide' in the at osphere due to unchec2ed industrial activities and an ever% increasing population of vehicles.
outh ,ndia I 4osted on Gan 1/' /#1/ at 1/F)!a
6?+

4f !orro-s an* "ope

H$.B6F :+he sights and incidents which 6 had co e across ta2e e"pressions on y canvas. 0y paintings gab about the sorrows and grievances of wo en and children' difficulties of the downtrodden and other episodes that have touched y heart': says 0ona ? 0ohan. Eive students of R;9 .ollege of 0usic and -rts have displayed differed facets of life at 7indhi -rt 3allery. +itled 'Root'' the e"po is an eye candy for the art lovers. +he talent of the five final year 7E- students' -nagha - R' -shil -nthony' Ebby Eddasery' 4 Ra esh and 0ona ? co es alive in the wor2s. +he collection centres around thoughtful and realistic ideas. 0ona's untitled acrylic painting picturises a wo an garbage pic2er throwing a baby wrapped in a cloth along with its doll into the garbage. 0ona says' :6t is sad that babies tend to be a burden for

couples who enter an early arriage and beco e parents. -s they get too little ti e to spend with each other' the interference of a child irritates the at so e point. +he painting conveys to the art lovers a situation where children are no longer wanted by their parents' the sa e way as toys are no longer the preferences of children. +he painting is priced at O)#'###. -nagha - R's oil painting of a pin2 flowery cactus plant has to do with the s ooth and pric2ly sides of life. ?he tries to portray the inner eaning of thorns and flowers. +horns are the proble s and sorrows of today and the flowers at the tip of the plant auger the good things e"pected to happen to orrow. ?he says' :$ne should not ta2e their proble s with a heavy heart. 7e opti istic and live each day with the thought that there is a better to orrow.: 7oth 0ona's and -nagha's paintings are priced at O)#'###. -shil's painting which portray an inverted cylinder with a wooden piece across denotes the threats being faced by our forest. :5prooting one plant would be so ething s all' but ore of it will result in a dangerous situation. @eforestation for constructions will have a negative i pact on our environ ent. ?o let us put an end to deforestation and go in for afforestation': says -shil. Bis painting costs O1,'###. $ut of the two paintings on a i"ed ediu of charcoal and acrylic' Er Ebey Edassery's painting of a 7odhi tree at first glance see s to be inco plete. +he lac2 of co pletion has its own reasons. Be says' :+he painting shows the inco plete e"pansion of the tree fro the top and fro the ground level. 6 co pare this to the indefiniteness of hu an life. +he two di ensional aspect of the tree's growth is co pared to the outer and inner growth of a hu an life. .an anyone predict the e"tent to which a person can growD: Ebey's wor2 has a price tag of O /#'###.+he e"hibition will be on till ?aturday.
,"0 /hennai I 4osted on 0ar #!' /#1/ at #8F,/a
6?+

'e rea*+ for searing heat -ave

7-(3-;$REF With the te perature shooting up in the city followed by ounting heat wave conditions' any hapless citi1ens have been co plaining of dehydration and water borne diseases. +he city doctors are advising citi1ens to stay indoors' especially during pea2 hours' and 2eep the selves well hydrated with ore fluids li2e fruit juices' tender coconut' butter il2 and plenty of water. 7 4uttanna' @irector' 0eteorological @epart ent has warned of further rise in te peratures during the ne"t onth and in fact as2ed the residents to ar the selves with u brellas and head scarves while travelling during the noon hours <between 1/ to

) p =. +he @irector' however' has ruled out any incidents of sunstro2es but has alerted the possibility of brea2 out of water borne diseases. +he @irector shared weather statistics of previous years when the city te peratures touched the scary proportions of te peratures as high as ), degrees or ore. M6n /##4' the te perature in the onth of 0arch was )!.4 degrees .elsius in 7angalore city while 3ulbarga recorded a high of )>.>. 3ulbarga recorded 4!.1 in 0ay /#1#. and this ti e it is li2ely to shoot up'N said 7 4uttanna. +he people of (orth Harnata2a region are accli atised to heat but any thing between )4 to ), degree .elsius' the people of 7angalore are unable to tolerate . M6n these conditions' the day will be as long as 1/.,4 hours' thereby' turning very hot and hu id. 6n 7angalore' the te perature touched an all ti e record of )*.) degrees in 188! and this was due to rapid deforestation in and around 7angalore and now again' the te perature ay touch scary heights'N he said. Be asserted that higher the population density' higher the te perature. 7angalore is a good e"a ple where continuous deforestation has resulted in ecological i balance. Be said' M7angalore and 0adi2eri will see fluctuation in te peratures due to the high altitude of these two regions. -t the sa e ti e' (orth Harnata2a will be e"periencing high te peratures as witnessed every year.N Bowever' he also clai ed' MWhen the te perature is high during the su ers' we can e"pect ore rainfall during the onsoons. Bence' this is the right ti e for the 7704 to ta2e up pre% onsoon wor2 to ensure that the low lying areas are not flooded during heavy rains.N .onsultant physician with 9ictoria Bospital' @r Raveendra H R' saidF M6t is advisable to wear loose%fitting light%colored clothing during this periods of intense heat.N Be also aintained that it is always advisable to avoid eating out in restaurants or s all food joints.

$igha !hankarpur $evelopment Authorit+ hol*s )oar* meeting to take *ecisions to *evelop the coastal areas
A4BAATA( The $igha !hankarpur $evelopment Authorit+ 5$!$A6 hel* a )oar* meeting last -eek an* have taken several *ecisions to *evelop the coastal )elt. Among the *ecisions that have )een taken, lan*scaping -ill )e *one in t-o others places apart from the stretch along -ith the $igha gate. "otels -ill )e re0ueste*

to take up roa*si*e )eautification in the area. A plot near @*aipur )each a little ffar from :e- $igha -ill )e set up for auction for a three/star hotel. The auction -ill )e hel* soon. 'esi*es, a )u*get hotel -ill )e set up on a half/complete structure in $igha -here the top floor -ill )e given to $!$A. Among the other *ecisions taken, the authorities -ill appoint ':ulias' to ensure the safet+ of the tourists in the sea as it has )een notice* )+ the authorities that 0uite a fe- fatal inci*ents of *ro-ning has occurre* recentl+. Also, an electric crematorium -ill )e set up on -a+ to the $igha mohana. The authorities -ill soon float e1pression of interests to invite private pla+ers for setting up a rope/-a+ in Amravati ,ark. The plan is to attract more tourists. The authorities -ill also take up *rainage -orks in critical areas -here -ater logging occurs an* the forest *epartment -ill also spee* up afforestation -ork in the area.

&esi*ents a*opte* trees

3aurav 7hatia' +(( I -ug >' /#1/' #1.//40 6?+

C"A:$ 8A&"( n a uni0ue in its -a+ a >Tree A*option $rive> -as starte* in sector 17. !aura)h Joshi, Councilor of ?ar* :o. 2, has taken initiative to keep the cit+ green -ith a completel+ innovative Tree a*option $rive. The Councillor along -ith his team re0ueste* the resi*ents of !ector 17C$ to a*opt a sapling each an* nourish it as their o-n. =or this special *rive the "orticulture -ing of Municipal Corporation of Chan*igarh provi*e* aroun* 170 saplings, an* out of 170 saplings 3< saplings -ere a*opte* )+ enthusiastic families. t -ere mostl+ the age* -ho came for-ar* -ith great pleasure an* ple*ge* to care an* nourish the sapling as their chil*ren. %ven the chil*ren an* +outh steppe* for-ar* to carr+ the responsi)ilit+ of a sapling each. n this *rive the A$C Mahavir Aaushik, Mukesh Anan*, !% Municipal Corporation, Jang !her, !$%, 8urmukh !ingh, !"4 an* other officials of Municipal Corporation -ere present. !aura)h Joshi, Councillor plea*e* the families to care an* groom the saplings as their o-n famil+ an* make this environmental *rive a success. "e e1plaine* as to -h+ this ne- thought -as re0uire* )ecause onl+ planting a sapling -oul* never ensure a tree in future. Just like chil*ren it nee*s complete an* proper care an* protection. 'eing environment frien*l+ himself he )elieves in the phrase >&eap ?hat #ou !o->, -hich is nee* of the hour.

!h Mahavir Aaushik, A$C greatl+ appreciate* this ne- concept as taking complete care of the plante* sapling -oul* make sure a health+ plant in the future -ith a cent percent a**ition to the afforestation campaign. "e hope* for such an effort to )e carrie* ever+-here an* aroun* the cit+ -hich -oul* ensure the cit+ green an* )eautiful in the future as -ell. Mukesh Anan*, !% "orticulture, applau*e* this meaningful concept. "e assure* to carr+ this effort aroun* the cit+ as it -oul* involve* the societ+ an* make them a-are ant responsi)le to-ar*s their environment.

The CureIs The DenseForestation

PT Bureau: India is likely to launch a satellite, as informed by the Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh, to inspect environmental conditions !"# $reenhouse emissions, encroachments on forest tracts, recedin$ and meltin$ of $laciers etc% !"# till &'(&% )o*ever the satellite surveillance on environment, thou$h a hi$h+tech dia$nosis, is not a cure% ,he real timely -uestion is for .sia and .frica to follo* Europe in $oin$ in for dense forestation
Except Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal and Bhutan perhaps no other Asian country including China and India can claim to have even 33.33 per cent land, the minimum re uired as per !orest policy, under dense !orest cover. "he data o! A!rican !orest cover too, almost resem#les that o! Asia. Both the continents, though highly #ehind in time, $ould #e advantaged i! they learnt ho$ Europeans maintain their !orests.

Addressing a press con!erence on climate change on May %%, &'%' Indian Environment and (orest Minister Jairam )amesh declared that India $ould launch a satellite #y &'%&, !or surveillance o! environmental conditions namely, greenhouse emissions, encroachments on !orest tracts and receding and melting o! glaciers. *! course, satellite surveillance o! the environment might reveal some ne$ !acts in the context o! climate change, diagnose the environmental ailments more e!!iciently and analytically and suggest #etter control measures. But it is neither a cure !or environmental im#alance nor a su#stitute o! political $ill+po$er essential !or dense !orestation o! minimum 33.33 per cent area o! country. Japan is a country o! distinction in Asia. It had a population density e ual to that o! India in the %,-'s. But it adopted a minimum land+use policy, leading to construction o! vertically expanded dense housing colonies in such a manner that more that ./ per cent o! its total area could #e made availa#le to dense !orests and pasturages. "he $hole o! Europe, though having much lesser population density than Japan, developed in a similar manner leaving around 0' per cent land under dense !orest cover. 1ince mid &'th century, trained civil engineers and architects !rom Asian countries li2e India and China have #een migrating to the countries $here they $ere really re uired. A hori3ontally expanded housing has #een the only li!estyle pattern !ollo$ed #y most Asian countries. )ecently, the environment icon ).4. 5achauri has #lamed hapha3ard ur#an expansion !or the environmental im#alance. "he Asian and A!rican continents possess #elo$ %6 per cent the land under scattered !orest cover. "he !orest cover !igures o! countries li2e Bangladesh and 5a2istan are only seven and t$o per cent respectively. India and China, the t$o populous and large Asian countries, have !orest cover #elo$ %/ per cent. In these circumstances, a strong political $ill+po$er to modi!y li!estyle pattern so as to maintain minimum 33.33 per cent land under dense !orest cover is more urgently re uired !or Asian or A!rican countries, rather than a high+tech environmental diagnostic aid li2e satellite surveillance.

/atellite surveillance of the environment mi$ht reveal ne* facts in the conte0t of climate chan$e, but it is neither a cure for environmental imbalance nor a substitute of political *ill+po*er essential for dense forestation

Tren* reverse*, forest cover up in 'ihar

0adhuri Hu ar' +(( I -ug /' /#1/' #4.//-0 6?+

According to India State of Forest Report, 2011, based on the analysis of satellite data prepared by Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, the total forest cover in Bihar has increased fro !,"#'s$% in 2011( !,"0#s$% in 200& to

,AT:A( The alluring trees of gulmohar, amaltas, kachnar etc, -hich once *otte* the state capital's lan*scape, -ere felle* for -i*ening of roa*s an* other *evelopment pro.ects. ?hile felling these trees, ple*ges -ere taken to plant more trees, )ut precious little has )een *one so far. The situation is no *ifferent in the rest of 'ihar an* the countr+. n this )ack*rop of vanishing trees, there is some goo* ne-s in 'ihar. 4f late, the forest cover in our state has increase* marginall+. An increase of 91s0km of forest cover )et-een 2002 an* 2011 might )e terme* as >marginal> )ut its significance lies in the fact that the countr+ lost ;63s0km of forest cover in the same perio*. Accor*ing to n*ia !tate of =orest &eport, 2011, )ase* on the anal+sis of satellite *ata prepare* )+ =orest !urve+ of n*ia 5=! 6, $ehra*un, the total forest cover in 'ihar has increase* from 6,<09s0km in 2002 to 6,<97s0km in 2011. This assumes significance )ecause a loss of ;s0km in total forest cover -as reporte* in the state in the last =! )iennial surve+ 52003/ 20026. The >marginal increase> of 0.;D in 'ihar's forest cover is the result of an increase of ;2s0km in mo*eratel+ *ense forests an* 2s0km in open forests. :o change -as o)serve* in the categor+ of ver+ *ense forests since 2003, -hich stoo* at 2;1s0km. The state capital has 1;s0km of mo*eratel+ *ense forests an* ;s0km of open forests. The present forest cover accounts for 3.23D of the total geographical area of the state, as per =! report.

This turnaroun* in forest cover has )een )rought a)out thanks to the state government's emphasis on afforestation. CM :itish Aumar is chanting the eco mantra like sel*om )efore )+ an+ chief minister. >There is a competition among J$ 5@6 -orkers no- to plant more an* more trees, The *a+ is not far off -hen the state capital -ill turn into a gar*en cit+,> sai* state J$ 5@6 presi*ent Eashisth :ara+an !ingh. To make its '8reen 'ihar' mission a success, the state government is also *istri)uting 20 lakh free saplings from August 1 to August 2. >The increase in green cover in the state is *ue mainl+ to enhance* plantation activities in an* outsi*e the forests. The state government is no- targeting to increase the forest cover to 17D, un*er the recentl+/ launche* '"ari+ali' mission )+ the environment an* forests *epartment in June 2012,> sai* principal chief conservator of forests 'A Ahan. f half of the saplings plante* *uring the entire mission survive, 'ihar -ill have several lakhs of ne- trees, he a**e*. 4nl+ recentl+, *eput+ chief minister !ushil Aumar Mo*i ha* announce* that school stu*ents an* poor families -oul* also )e involve* in the massive tree plantation *rive un*er M:&%8A, an* the e1isting Chhatra Eriksharopan #o.ana -oul* )e given a ne- shape to make the afforestation plan a great success. This +ear alone, the government is planning to plant 10 crore trees in *ifferent parts of the state. Mo*i ha* also state* that onl+ fruit/)earing an* -oo*/oriente* trees -oul* )e plante* on school campus, roa* or high-a+s si*e an* religious places. The schools -hich e1celle* in this *rive -oul* )e re-ar*e* at state level. %ach pancha+at -oul* )e *irecte* to plant at least 6,000 trees, a**e* Mo*i.

CBI probe sought in allotment of sea area for afforestation

?aeed Hhan' +(( I -ug 4' /#1/' #1./440 6?+ A"M%$A'A$( $i* the state government allotte* sea portion to the forest *epartment in lieu of the lan* grante* for in*ustrial *evelopment in the A*ani ,ort !pecial %conomic Fone 5A,!%F6 in AutchG A , B has come to )e file* accusing the same an* *eman*ing a pro)e )+ the Central 'ureau of nvestigation for the allege* scan*al involving officials of the revenue an* forest *epartments. The high court on =ri*a+ grante* t-o -eeks' time to the state government to e1plain the issue an* kept further hearing on August 16. The , B file* )+ 8u.arat ,ra*esh Congress Committee's office )earer A*am Chaki through a*vocate " !+e* conten*e* that the state government -as re0uire* to give compensator+ lan* of 73.37 hectare in Autch to the forest *epartment, since e0ual chunk of lan* -as given to theA*ani group in Mun*ra )lock in southern Autch for the

purpose of in*ustrial *evelopment. 'ut the lan* given to the forest *epartment for afforestation in the +ear 2000 in Bakhpat )lock -as actuall+ a sea area, as it falls 700 metre north of Bakhpat. The , B further allege* that in 2003, the state government allotte* 2000 hectare lan* to the forest *epartment in similar fashion. An* -hen an e1pert committee visite* the spot upon the "C or*ers for inspection, the government officials frau*ulentl+ sho-e* them another chunk of lan*. The committee also *i* not make an+ remark a)out it, though the location of the lan* an* measurement -ere at variance from the *ata sho-n on paper. The petitioner allege* that the state government -as given :4C )+ 'or*er !ecurit+ =orce for plantation of mangroves, )ut the state government misun*erstoo* the :4C an* veste* the plots in the name of the forest *epartment as if the lan* -as transferre* )+ the securit+ force to the government. t -as conten*e* )+ a*vocate !+e* that the government officials collu*e* -ith the compan+ to pass off -rong piece of lan* as the one allotte* to the forest *epartment for the greening the area. "e *eman*e* a pro)e )+ the central agenc+ claiming that since the state government is allege*l+ involve* in the *ealH local police coul* not *o .ustice to the issue.

$evelopment fun*s for green cover loss elu*e Aeon.har *istricts

(aresh .handra 4attanaya2' +(( I Gul /!' /#1/' 1/.4140 6?+ Aeon.har( $espite collecting more than &s 1,;00 crore from various mines an* in*ustries of Aeon.har *istrict, the Compensator+ Afforestation =un* Management an* ,lanning Authorit+ 5CAM,A6 has *one little for the *evelopment of the people an* environment of the mineral/rich Aeon.har *istrict. CAM,A -as constitute* )+ the @nion ministr+ of environment an* forests for collecting mone+ from mining companies accor*ing to the loss of environment an* forest cover cause* *ue to mining an* in*ustrial activities. The collecte* fun* is suppose* to )e investe* in the *evelopment of the affecte* areas. The amount of the compensation is to )e *eci*e* accor*ing to the net premium value 5:,E6 of forest *amage, cost of compensator+ afforestaion, cost of maintenance of safet+ Iones an* cost of regional -il* life management plan. There are a)out 110 mines in the *istrict. Till *ate, the companies have *eposite* a total of &s 1,;22 crore to the CAM,A fun* through the forest *epartment. >The fun* -as collecte* from *ifferent companies against the loss of green cover cause* )+ them. "ence the @nion government shoul* spen* most part of the amount for the *evelopment of the *istrict an* for compensating the *amage cause* )+ in*ustries. n stea* of that, the government is *iverting the fun*s to other *istricts. Aeon.har suffers from intense air an* -ater pollution an* health haIar*s o-ing to the presence of so man+ mines an* in*ustries here. ,ro)lems like *amage* roa*s, rise in acci*ents, *ecline in -ater ta)le, rise in infant mortalit+ rate are also cause* )+ these in*ustries. Tri)al/*ominate* Jo*a, Champua, Jhumpura, 'anspal an* "ata*ihi )locks are the -orst affecte* areas. The government shoul* take steps to *ivert more mone+ from the CAM,A fun* to the *istrict's *evelopment,> sai* Amara)ara Ahatua, an e1/Fila ,arisha* mem)er.

>This fun* can )e utiliIe* in plantations *rives, roa* construction, protection of forests an* -il* animals, irrigation or renovation of -ater )o*ies, upgra*e of *rinking -ater facilities in the affecte* areas,> he a**e*. Aeon.har $=4 A.a+ Aumar Jena sai*, >&ecentl+, -e receive* &s 10 lakh from the CAM,A fun* for upgra*ing electricit+ infrastructure in the forests so that elephants *on't get electrocute* from coming in contact -ith lo-/ hanging -ires. More mone+ shoul* )e spent from the over 1;00 crore fun* for the overall *evelopment of the *istrict an* the poor people living here.> @n*er CAM,A, the rate of compensation for forest loss is calculate* accor*ing to the *ensit+ of forest. The compan+ has to *eposit a)out &s 3 lakh per hectare forest loss. 'esi*es, the amount collecte* for regional -il* life management is &s 20,000 per hectare, an* the cost of maintenance of safet+ Iones is &s ;;,000 per hectare. This apart, the cost of compensator+ afforestion is &s ;6,000 per hectare an* the cost of afforestation is a)out 1.7 time of the cost of maintenance of safet+ Iones. Bocals sai* even people's representatives are not taking up the issue. The+ also sai* in*ustrial )o*ies -ere not fulfilling their corporate social responsi)ilities. !u)arna :aik, MBA Aeon.har !a*ar, sai*, >The central government shoul* *ivert more mone+ from CAM,A fun* for the *evelopment of the *istrict. This *istrict is suffering from huge *amage to environment o-ing to mining activities. The companies are also not performing peripher+ *evelopment activities as per the rule.> Aeon.har collector 'ra.akishore :a+ak sai*, >The government shoul* *ivert fun*s collecte* from this area for the *evelopment of this *istrict. This *istrict is suffering a lot *ue to mining activities. Tri)als an* the poor are suffering most. The companies also shoul* take up C!& activities properl+.>

3lo(al deforestation slowed over last decade! .0

Ro e' 0ar /,' <Reuters=F

Deforestation slowed in the last decade, in the first sign that glo(al conservation efforts are (earing fruit, (ut an area the si5e of /osta Rica is still (eing destroyed each year, the .nited 0ations said on Thursday.

- report by the 5.(. Eood and -griculture $rganisation <E-$= found that about 1) illion hectares of forest a year were converted to other uses or lost through natural causes in /###% /#1#' down fro 1! illion a year in the previous decade. +he net loss of forest area slowed to ,./ illion a year between /### and /#1#. +hat was still an area the si1e of .osta Rica' but down fro >.) illion a year in the 188#s than2s largely to a bitious tree planting progra es in -sia. Efforts by ajor offenders such as 6ndonesia and 7ra1il to reduce deforestation also helped reverse the trend. :Eor the first ti e' we are able to show that the rate of deforestation has decreased globally as a result of concerted efforts ta2en both at local and international level': said Eduardo Rojas' assistant director of E-$'s Eorestry @epart ent. +he E-$ said tougher legislation had helped curb destruction of woodland. ?eventy%si" countries have issued or updated forest policies since /###' any of the allocating woodland to local co unities for sustainable develop ent. +he proportion of forests contained in national par2s and other legally%protected areas has cli bed to 1) percent' having risen by 84 illion hectares since 188#. Eorests cover just over 4 billion hectares or )1 percent of the world's total land area. +hey store so e />8 gigatonnes of carbon %% ore than all the carbon in the at osphere %% but this decreased by #., gigatonnes a year during /###%/#1#. :- lower deforestation rate and the establish ent of new forests have helped bring down the high level of carbon e issions fro forests caused by deforestation': said 0ette ;oyche Wil2ie' coordinator of E-$'s 3lobal Eorest Resources -ssess ent /#1#. 7EP$(@ /#/#D Bowever' Wil2ie warned tree planting progra es in .hina' 6ndia and 9ietna ' accounting for ost of the recent gains in forest area' would end by /#/#. ?he urged govern ents to &uic2ly put in place easures to slow deforestation. :Without such interventions' we ris2 a sudden return to high rates of net forest loss and of carbon e issions fro forests' which we had in the 188#s': Wil2ie said.

6ndonesia sharply reduced the speed of its deforestation to #., illion hectares a year between /### and /#1#' versus 1.8 illion a year during the previous decade. 7ra1il lowered its own figure to /.! illion fro /.8 illion hectares. ?outh - erica' nonetheless' had the highest regional level of net deforestation at 4 illion hectares a year' followed by -frica with ).4 illion hectares. -sia' by contrast' e"panded its forest area by a total of close to /./ illion hectares a year' than2s to the reforestation in .hina' 6ndia and 9ietna which added 4 illion hectares a year of fresh woodland. 6n (orth and .entral - erica' the forest area re ained fairly stable' while in Europe it continued to e"pand' although at a slower rate than previously.

3overnment (lames 0a6als for deforestation

(ew @elhi' Eeb *' /#1/' @B(?F

,n the last two years, half of ,ndia7s forest loss was caused (y 0a6als in the 4hammam district of Andhra Pradesh. 4hammam is one of the hot(eds of 8eft wing e6tremism. Even though 6ndiaJs forest cover was reduced by )!* s& 2 between /##8 and /#11' the ost significant loss of 1>/ s& 2 happened in Hha a ' which the officials attributed to (a"al activities. M+he loss happened due to rising ;eft wing e"tre is in si" to eight onths between /##> and /##8. Either' they cut ostly tea2 by the selves or as2 villagers to do it in patches'N 5nion Environ ent ?ecretary + .hatterjee said releasing the ?tate of Eorest Report' /#11 here. ?i ilar trend was also observed in Warangal district. Hha a shares its border with .hhattishgarh and $disha. 6t acts as a buffer 1one for the ;eft wing e"tre ists who fre&uently ove bac2 and forth in these three states depending on pressure fro security agencies. +he otive for villagers' according to .hatterjee' is to see2 district ad inistrationJs attention so that they can provide aids for develop ent. +he officials' however' s2irted &uestions on how ti ber fro 1>/ s& 2 of forests can vanish in thin air without any records. +hey also did not answer &uestions on if any probe is being carried out to find out what happened to the valuable forest resource. 0a"i u forest and tree cover loss was reported fro -ndhra 4radesh where al ost 88 s&

2 of eucalyptus plantation was cut and sent to paper ills. +wo decades ago' the state received per ission for growing eucalyptus' which has now been cut and auctioned off for the industry. Eorest and tree cover in 4unjab grew by 1## s& 2 as the state planted eucalyptus and poplar under various agro%forestry sche es. Eorest cover in Harnata2a re ains ore or less static with an overall increase of ere 4 s& 2 of forest area. Eorest rich (orth% Eastern states li2e 0anipur' (agaland' 0i1ora and -runachal 4radesh' too' lost so e of their forest covers due to the reduced cycle of traditional shifting cultivation practice' said H Wahal' @irector%3eneral of Eorest ?urvey of 6ndia' which brought out the biennial report. $verall' 6ndiaJs forest and tree cover stand at /).>1 per cent of the country's geographical area that includes /.*! per cent tree cover. +here is an increase of ,,# s& 2 of dense forests where endangered species lived' .hatterjee said. +he reduction in forest and tree cover did not have any i pact on flora and fauna.
$ A./, -")-, "-.)8A0 1!2, A3A4#A #A14,2##

Free saplings for government departments in 0agpur

(-345RF 6t is the state govern ent's drea project to plant a 1## crore trees in the state. 3iving an i petus to this drea ' the forest depart ent has decided to provide free saplings to govern ent depart ents. - govern ent resolution has said that saplings fro the forest depart ent nurseries run under the 0ahat a 3andhi (ational Rural E ploy ent 3uarantee ?che e will be given to govern ent depart ents without any charges for planting under the 1## crore tree plantation project. (agpur forest depart ent has 4# la2h saplings in its ), nurseries which will be available to various govern ent offices free of charge. +he govern ent offices can contact the range forest officer <RE$= in order to get as any saplings as they need. -lso' the govern ent offices which wish to ta2e advantage of free sapling facility of the forest depart ent have to sub it a bond specifying that the saplings have been ac&uired to plant the under the 1## crore tree plantation project' and that they will be preserved and conserved. +he bond will have to be sub itted to the respective RE$.

Deforestation led to landslide in 4arwar, says e6pert committee

7angalore' @ec *' @B(?F

A multi-disciplinary e6pert committee that pro(ed into the reasons for the landslide in 4arwar which claimed *1 lives during the 2cto(er floods has found that deforestation and large scale e6cavation of soil from the hilllock lead to the tragedy. +he co ittee lead by @r + 9 Ra achandra' fro the .entre for Ecological ?ciences' 6ndian 6nstitute of ?cience' along with officials fro the forest and ines depart ents found that a total of /1 landslides had occurred in Harwar including the 2iller landslide at Hadvad village due to antecedent rainfall. +he landslide had resulted due to re oval of deep%rooted vegetation besides lateral pressure due to swelling of oversaturated clay rich soil hori1on. +he report was sub itted to .hief 0inister 7 ? Peddyurappa at a function organised by the @epart ent of Eorest and Environ ent and Western 3hats +as2 Eorce. +he co ittee has reco ended planting of native vegetation on hilltops and slopes' restoration of natural drainage networ2' banning of illegal soil ining. +he co ittee has also suggested that authorities concerned re odel the protection wall around the (aval 7ase in Harwar to pave way for natural drainage of rain water. 0o to large scale pro'ects +he co ittee has reco ended that no large scale develop ent projects be ta2en up in 5ttara Hannada district that are li2ely to har the ecology and biodiversity of the Western 3hats. M.onsidering the i ple entation of large nu ber of ega projects in Harwar' it appears that the region has e"ceeded the carrying capacity and further i ple entation of any ega project would prove detri ental to the local population'N the co ittee report sub itted to the .0 said. 7esides' the co ittee has pointed out the Hon2an Railway trac2 connecting Harwar town with 3oa and other places passes through the Qariwada paleo%river valley and also crosses the linea ents. +he vibrations generated by ove ent of trains has developed crac2s on hill tops and also resulted in the loosening of the soil' the report said Peddyurappa also approved the launch of a scientific study project on Mintegrated carrying capacity study and sustainable develop ent strategies in 5ttara Hannada districtN. +he .entre for Ecological ?ciences' 66?c' will be conducting the study' which will serve as a guide for policy a2ers to choose appropriate develop ent projects which are in tune with the ecology of the district.

Deforestation with missionary 5eal

?rinivas ?irnoor2ar' 3ulbarga' 0ay 1)' @B(?F

The 0ational Forest Policy may have an am(itious plan of having at least 99.99 per cent of the total geographical area under forest, (ut 3ul(arga district appears to have (een e6cluded forever from the policy. @espite the forest depart ent being e"clusively eant for increasing the forest cover' having an elephantine establish ent ever since the for ation of the ?tate' the forest cover in the district continues to re ain a ridiculous three per cent. WhatJs ore' the forest cover has been on the decline slowly but steadily. (evertheless' the 3ulbarga .ircle and the 3ulbarga @ivision of the depart ent continue to have a huge establish ent of forest babus' including three 6E? officers % a conservator of forests and two deputy conservators of forest for territorial forestry and social forestry. +he depart ent has been relentlessly cutting trees both in rural and urban areas without following any of the statutory guidelines and nor s. +he +ree 4reservation -ct has been totally neglected resulting in alar ing deforestation in the district' which once upon a ti e was part of a thic2 forest area. +o a Right +o 6nfor ation -ct &uery by @eccan Berald' the depart ent refused to divulge the details of the nu ber of trees a"ed in the district in the last five years. 6t has refused to provide the copies of the procedure followed in each case of tree cut. +he @eputy .onservator of Eorests <@E$= of +erritorial @ivision' instead of giving infor ation sought' said that after enu eration and calculating the volu e of trees in cubic eter' action would be ta2en to sell the trees as per seigniorage rates. 6n case of widening of roads' after publishing the notification and following the above procedure' action would be ta2en to cut the trees' the @E$ said. -pparently' the depart ent appears to be ore eager to cut the trees than protecting the . 6n the last five years' fro /##,%#! to /##8%/#1#' a whopping 1/'1,, trees have been cut rec2lessly in the district having an annual nor al rainfall of as low as >4/ and where te perature can cross 4! degree .elsius in 0ay. +he alad inistration in the forest depart ent is evident fro the constant decline in forest cover. -ccording to the @E$' 3ulbarga district has a forest area of )/'8*4 hectares' which accounts for only three per cent of the total geographical area of 1#841.!! s& 2 . 5ndisputedly' there has been a steady decline in the forest cover. 6n 18!4%!,' the forest cover was )>',,) hectares' which declined to )4'8>! hectares in 188)%84. 6t further reduced to )/'>*4 hectares in /#1#%11. +hat eans' in the last 4, years'

the forest cover of the district has reduced by !'#*8 hectares. +he @.E ad its that there has been no increase in forest area. +he revenue fro non%ti ber forest produce <(+E4= has been declining drastically. -s per the boo2 KEorests and Wildlife of 3ulbarga @istrict'J published by the forest depart ent' the (+E4 revenue' which stood at Rs 1/.!/ la2h in 1888%/###' ca e down drastically to Rs /.!4 la2h in the subse&uent year. +he depart ent does not have any action plan to increase forest cover' although the ;o2 -dalat of the Bigh .ourt' headed by Gustice ( H 4atil' had la basted the depart ent for virtually re oving the green cover in 3ulbarga district.

:;ou can7t keep widening the road7

-nu Hrishnan

<6pressing wholesome displeasure over the "ruhat "angalore &ahanagara Palike )""&P+7s plans to widen the ankey road are the residents of adashiva 0agar. Ruestioning the 3overn entJs authority to eddle with the inner%city and a largely residential area' the residents also raise their apprehensions about the ?tella 0aris school. 6f the project gets underway' students will have to learn in classroo s hardly two feet away fro a busy traffic corridor. +hree other schools in the area will also be considerably affected. M+he width of the road has nothing to do with the traffic. +he increase in traffic is due to the nu ber of vehicles plying. 3iven the current rate' it will double in another , years. @o they propose to go on widening'N as2s -.4 ?irur' president of the 0alleshwara ?wabhi ana 6nitiative <0?6=. Widening one road would only ean shifting traffic to another spot' argues another resident. M$ne loo2 would tell you that whatever you do' the e"ponential increase in vehicles will co pletely ta2e the traffic to s&uare one'N he adds. MWe strongly suspect that this is in connection with the G((5R0<Gawaharlal (ehru (ational 5rban Renewal 0ission= and just another plan to li&uidate funds'N another resident Be ant Hu ar alleges. -nother allegation is the involve ent of a ti ber afia and contractors' who have been pushing officials into i ple enting develop ental plans. 0o notice issued -dding to their e"asperation is the fact that no notice or written proposal whatsoever has been issued to the residents. +he residents were ta2en by surprise when the 7704 officials began surveying the land. +hey say the action is in co plete contradiction to the word they had received earlier by the 3overn ent. +hey were told that the govern ent would wait

until the co pletion of the (a a etro' analyse its i pact and only then co e to a decision on the road%widening project. +he residents are collectively concerned over the ajor deforestation that will ta2e place' once the road widening gets going. 6ncidentally' the residents around ?tella 0aris ?chool have been wa2ing up to find age%old trees around their place surreptitiously chopped down in the night. @r. 0eena2shi 7harath' e ber of the 0?6' says' M@estroying the integral 7angalore is not the solution. - survey was done in 0arch and the pea2 traffic density was found to be below the a"i al for a road of that width.N ampige road widening issues (ot far away fro the ?an2ey road is the ?a pige road. Widening of this road has beco e even ore contentious with the 7704Js recent de olition of the 0antri 0all ra p and the co pound of the residential 0antri 3reens property. Echoing the 0antri @evelopers view of KvestedJ interests being the reason behind the KunjustifiedJ de olition' the spo2esperson for the 0antri 3reen residential apart ent ownerJs association saysF M- lot of hue and cry over the widening of the ?a pige Road appears to have started after the 7704 elections.N 4rabha2ar Rao' the president of the RW-' feels the 4ali2e .o issioner ay have been KforcedJ to give the order. +he four etre land ac&uisition by 7704 will also bring about huge changes' which ay include the de olition of the ?ri .ha undeshwari +e ple located within the pre ises and reduction in the par2ing space of school buses ferrying children. +he 0antri residents clai this also poses potential danger since the children will have to use the widened ?a pige road to board or alight fro the bus. M$ur suggestion' as per the views of architects we have consulted' is that a dedicated auto lane on the left side of the trees%with the trees acting as a edian will help reduce the traffic congestion on the road'N says 0eena2shi 7harat.

Ashwath 0arayana, &8A, &alleswaram :+he situation will turn gri in the co ing few years with a lot of highrises co ing up in 0alleswara . Widening ?an2ey Road is the only possible solution to ease the congestion of traffic oving fro Peshwanthpur towards the .ity.:

A P irur, President, &alleswaram wa(himana ,nitiative :Restricting the traffic and pro oting use of public vehicles is the proper solution. 6n the long run' there will be no space for people to live' if you 2eep widening the road.: =eena Raman, Resident, ankey Road :Road widening is really unnecessary. +he trees have been there for years' this shouldnJt be the price we have to pay for develop ent. 6t is only going to aggravate the current proble s.N

Paying farmers to save the Ama5on forests

Elisabeth Rosenthal

The new argument is that cash payments are the only way to end destruction of tropical forests Gose 0arcolini' a far er' has a per it fro the 7ra1ilian govern ent to ra1e 1/',## acres of rain forest this year to create highly profitable new soy fields. 7ut he says he is struggling with his conscience. - 7ra1ilian environ ental group is offering hi a yearly cash pay ent to leave his forest standing to help co bat cli ate change. 0arcolini says he cares about the environ ent. 7ut he also has a fa ily to feed' and he is dubious that the groupJs initial offer in the negotiation L A1/ per acre' per year L is enough for hi to accept. MEor e to resist the pressure' surrounded by soybeans' 6Jll have to be paid L a lot'N said 0arcolini' ,)' noting that cleared far land in the state of 0ato 3rosso sells for up to A1')## an acre. 0ato 3rosso eans thic2 forests' and the na e was once apt. 7ut today' this 7ra1ilian state is a global centre of deforestation. @riven by profits derived fro fertile soil' the regionJs dense forests have been aggressively cleared over the past decade' and 0ato 3rasso is now 7ra1ilJs leading producer of soy' corn and cattle' e"ported across the globe by ultinational co panies. @eforestation' a critical contributor to cli ate change' effectively accounts for /# per cent of the worldJs carbon dio"ide e issions and *# per cent of the e issions in 7ra1il. Balting new deforestation' e"perts say' is as powerful a way to co bat war ing as closing the worldJs

coal plants. 7ut until now' there has been no financial reward for 2eeping forest standing. - growing nu ber of scientists' politicians and environ entalists argue that cash pay ents are the only way to end tropical forest destruction and provide a ga e%changing strategy in efforts to li it global war ing. imple solution 5nli2e high%tech solutions li2e capturing and se&uestering carbon dio"ide or a2ing KgreenJ fuel fro algae' preserving a forest yields a stri2ingly si ple environ ental paybac2F a landowner reduces his propertyJs e issions to 1ero. Pvo de 7oer' e"ecutive secretary' 5( Era ewor2 on .li ate .hange' said that deforestation KabsolutelyJ needed to be addressed by a new international cli ate agree ent being negotiated this year. M7ut people cut down trees because there is an econo ic rationale for doing it' and you need to provide the with a financial alternative'N he said. +he pay ent strategies ay include direct pay ents to landowners to 2eep forests standing' as well as indirect subsidies' li2e higher prices for beef and soy that are produced without resorting to clear%cutting. @eforestation creates carbon e issions through fires and achinery that are used to fell trees' and it also destroys the plant life that helps absorb carbon dio"ide e issions fro cars and factories around the globe. 7ut getting the cash incentives right is a co ple" and uncharted business. 6n developing world' deforestation has been tied to econo ic progress. uch of the

4edro -lves 3ui araes' *)' a weathered an sitting at the edge of the regionJs River of the @ead' ca e to 0ato 3rosso in 18!4 in search of free land' pushing into the jungle until he found a site and built a hut as a base for raising cattle. While he regrets the loss of the forest' he has welco ed a enities li2e the school built a few years ago that his grandchildren attend' or the electricity put in last year that allowed hi to buy his first free1er. -lso' environ ental groups caution that' designed poorly' progra es to pay for forest preservation could erely serve as a cash cow for the very people who are destroying the . Eor e"a ple' one proposed version of the new 5( plan would allow plantations of trees' li2e pal s grown for pal oil' to count as forest' even though tree plantations do not have nearly the carbon absorption potential of genuine forest and are far less diverse in plant and ani al life. 3lobal as well as local econo ic forces are driving deforestation L 7ra1il and 6ndonesia

lead the world in the e"tent of their rain forests lost each year. +he forests are felled to help feed the worldJs growing population and eet its growing appetite for eat. 0uch of 7ra1ilJs soy is bought by - erican%based co panies li2e .argill or -rcher @aniels 0idland and used to feed cows as far away as Europe and .hina. 6n 6ndonesia' rain forests are felled to plant pal s for the pal oil' which is a co ponent of biofuels. 7ra1il has tried to balance develop ent and conservation. 8aws fail ;ast year' with a grant fro (orway that could bring the country A1 billion' it created an - a1on Eund to help co unities aintain their forest. (ational laws stipulate that ># percent of every tract in the upper - a1on ust re ain forested' but it is a vast territory with little law enforce ent. ?oy e"porters officially have a oratoriu on using product fro newly deforested land. 6n 0ato 3rasso' *## s&uare iles of rain forest was stripped in the last five onths of /##* alone' according to 7ra1ilJs (ational 6nstitute for ?pace Research' which trac2s vanishing forests. MWith so uch oney to be ade' there are no laws that will 2eep forest standing'N said Gohn .arter' a rancher who settled here 1, years ago' as he flew his .essna over the denuded land one day earlier this su er. 5ntil very recently' developing the - a1on was the priority' and so e settlers feel betrayed by the new stig a surrounding deforestation. 0uch as in the 18th%century - erican West' the 7ra1ilian govern ent encouraged settle ent through ho esteadersJ benefits li2e cheap land and housing subsidies' any of which still e"ist today. .learing away the trees is often the best way to declare and ensure ownership. ;and that .arter has intentionally left forested for its environ ental benefit has been inter ittently overta2en by s&uatters. 6n parts of ?outheast -sia' early e"peri ents in paying landowners for preserving forest have been ha pered because it is often unclear who owns' or controls' property. +here are various ideas about how to rein in deforestation. +he 5( progra e' called Reducing E issions fro @eforestation and Eorest @egradation or RE@@' will reward countries that preserve forests with carbon credits that can be sold and turned into cash for forest owners through the global carbon ar2et. @aniel (epstad' a scientist at the Woods Bole 6nstitute' has recently apped out large

areas of the - a1on Kpi"el by pi"elJ to deter ine the land value if it was converted to raise cattle or grow soy' to help deter ine how uch landowners should be paid to conserve forest. 0ost e"perts feel that landowners will accept lower prices as they realise the benefits of saving forest' li2e conserving water and burnishing their i age with buyers. (he e" )or# (i$es

Forests now in the fight against climate change

7y 0arianne de (a1areth

Deforestation is the second largest cause of glo(al greenhouse gas emissions. 0ost tropical forests' are found in developing nations' who have few develop ent options other than converting their trees into co odities' to achieve poverty reduction and e2e out a living. +he international de and for products li2e beef' coffee' soy' pal %oil and ti ber drives deforestation worldwide. 7ut scientists have clearly stated that we cannot avoid dangerous global war ing without action on deforestation' which causes around /# per cent of all carbon e issions L ore than the entire global transport sector put together. @espite this evidence' 1) illion hectares of tropical forests continue to be destroyed each year. Ero that figure ,., illion hectares are rain forests' which is an area twice the si1e of 7elgiu . +ropical rainforests cover 18 illion 2 of the planet and store a &uarter of the carbon on land. +ropical old forests store 1/#%4## tonnes of carbon per hectare. ?o protecting old forests reduces .$/ e issions cost effectively and &uic2ly. Bistorically' developing countries cannot be held accountable for causing cli ate change. 7ut' the forests in the countries offer one of the cheapest' ost efficient and i ediate solutions to the worldJs rapidly rising carbon e issions which can be seen in the ?tern' 0cHinsey and the 6nternational 4anel on .li ate .hange <64..= reports. +ropical rainforests are unevenly distributed around the world. +he largest unbro2en stretch is in the - a1on River 7asin of ?outh - erica' which e"tends over nine countries. $ver half lies in 7ra1il' ho e to about one third of the worldJs re aining tropical rainforests. +he .ongo 7asinJs forests e"tend over si" countries and account for al ost /# per cent. 6ndonesiaJs forests account for 1# per cent and the rest are in ?outh East -sia. 3overn ents with few other assets offer their rainforests to raise revenue. +his is a vicious cycle as billions of tonnes of carbon dio"ide go up in s o2e fro the trees burned in the

process and the ris2 to the world is building up into a cli ate crisis. @eforestation is the second largest cause of global greenhouse gas e issions. -round 1> per cent of global greenhouse gas e issions <3B3= are fro tropical deforestation and another two per cent are fro other land use sources. -ircraft e issions contrary to belief are just /%) per cent of 3B3 e issions. +he current annual e issions fro deforestation are co parable to the total annual .$/ e issions of the 5? or .hina. ?o according to calculations' the total e issions fro deforestation in /##>%/#1/ are e"pected to e&ual 4# billion tonnes of .$/ which could raise at ospheric levels of .$/ by %/ parts per illion<pp =. 0o new technology needed While energy efficiency easures can be &uic2 easures' to control cli ate change' ore e"pensive easures li2e carbon capture and nuclear power will have little effect on significantly reducing 3B3 e issions in the short%ter . 6n contrast' saving our forests re&uires no new technology and can begin i ediately at a lower cost. Eorests act as giant utilities providing vital ecosyste services to the world. -part fro carbon storage and se&uestration' these services include water storage' rainfall generation' cli ate buffering' bio%diversity aintenance and soil stabilisation. 6f undisturbed' tropical rain forests can also have a oderating effect on the spread of infectious disease as well. -lthough we benefit fro these services' the wonderful part of a forest is it gives it to us for free. M?topping forest e issions is a rare case of a triple win you gain the forest services' you pro ote the forest econo y and you help li it cli ate change'N reveals Roberto ? eraldi' director' - igos da +erra an (3$ in 7ra1il. 6f deforestation is not curbed' there will be severe i pacts on food' energy and environ ental security. ?o save our old forests and save ourselves' as it ta2es a century or ore to regenerate a logged forest' and for its carbon stoc2 to return to pre%logged levels.

,mportance of native forests

(ature (ews

E.$;$3P ,ndia is among the most densely forested countries in the world, (ut native forests are disappearing, according to a recent analysis. The distinction (etween native and non-native trees is important for an accurate picture of the state of the world7s forests, reports 0atasha 3il(ert

(ative forests in 6ndia are disappearing at a rate of up to /.* percent per year. +he figures' published in an analysis of the countryJs forest cover' stand in star2 contrast to those of a /##8 survey by an 6ndian govern ental organisation' which said that forests have e"panded by five percent over the past decade. 6ndia is a ong the ost densely forested countries in the world' and in /##>' the govern ent announced goals to increase forest cover by nearly 1# percent by /#1/. +he 6ndia ?tate of Eorest Report /##8 by the Eorest ?urvey of 6ndia <E?6= indicated that the outloo2 was good. 7ut Willia ;aurance' a conservation biologist at Ga es .oo2 5niversity in .airns' Rueensland' -ustralia' and one of the authors of the analysis' to be published in the journal .onservation ;etters' says that while the figures showing that forest cover in 6ndia has grown are Mtechnically correct'N they are also M isleadingN. MWe found a very real and serious loss of native forest'N he says' adding that it could put 6ndia ahead of ost other countries in ter s of deforestation. (ature contacted the E?6 for co ent' but they did not respond by the ti e of publication. 6ndia has been busy planting trees' including non%native eucalyptus and acacia' to provide ti ber and fuel wood and in so e cases to earn oney fro selling carbon credits under the .lean @evelop ent 0echanis established in /##1 as part of the Hyoto 4rotocol. +he country now ran2s second globally in ter s of total land area under plantation. ;aurance says that uch of 6ndiaJs clai ed growth in forest cover has co e fro plantations' and that this is as2ing a fall in native forests. M+he 6ndian govern ent has ade a big deal of increasing forest cover. 7ut they are not distinguishing between natural and artificial forests'N he says. A growing pro(lem +his is bad for the environ ent because replanting native forests with non%native trees da ages local biodiversity' says (eil 7urgess' a conservation biologist at the 5niversity of .openhagen. M0ost plantations of non%native trees have very low biological value. +hey are only good to store carbon'N he says. +his distinction between native and non% native trees is i portant for an accurate picture of the state of the worldJs forests' says ;aurance. 6n the analysis' the researchers assessed data on the growth in 6ndian plantations collected for the Eood and -gricultural $rganisation <E-$= of the 5nited (ations. 6t esti ates that plantations grew by around 1,'4## s&uare 2ilo etres a year between 188, and /##,. +he researchers subtracted the rates of plantation e"pansion fro the growth in

total forest cover as easured by re ote%sensing i agery' and found that coverage of native 6ndian forests actually declined by 1., % /.* percent between 188, and /##, an Malar ingN average of /.4 percent a year and a loss of ore than 1/4'### s&uare 2ilo etres over the decade. +he researchers chec2ed these figures against changes in forest biovolu e <the volu e of wood and other above%ground forest aterial=' esti ated fro field observations in the E?6 report. +hey found a loss in native forest biovolu e of around /.* percent per year. A resolution for change ;aurance says that so e assess ents of forest cover' such as that carried out by the E-$' do not distinguish between native forests and plantations. +hey rely on relatively coarse data fro sources including the 5? (ational $ceanic and -t ospheric -d inistrationJs -dvanced 9ery Bigh Resolution Radio eter satellites' which have a resolution of 1.1 s&uare 2ilo etres per pi"el. 7ut the 6ndian Re ote ?ensing satellites used by the E?6 have a uch higher resolution C up to /)., s&uare eters per pi"el C so the agency has the eans to distinguish native forests fro plantations of non%native trees. ;aurance says he is hopeful that the 5nited (ationsJ RE@@S initiative to reduce carbon e issions fro deforestation and forest degradation which includes a focus on conservation and sustainable anage ent of forests will encourage 6ndia and other countries in si ilar situations to distinguish between native and artificial forests' and pay ore attention to protecting the for er. Be says that countries such as (orway C the progra eJs first and largest donor C will be interested ore in paying to stop deforestation of native forests than in e"panding plantations. 7has2ar 9ira' an environ ental econo ist at the 5niversity of .a bridge' 5H' says that he thin2s Mthere is probably so e truthN in the studyJs finding. 7ut he warns that not all the trees planted each year reach aturity and show up in satellite i agery. 7ecause the authors subtracted the E-$ figures for the total area covered by plantations fro a satellite% based esti ate of total forest cover' the study ay have overesti ated the a ount of deforestation ta2ing place. ;aurance agrees that the data on plantations is Mrough'N but points out that the calculations of loss in biovolu e used Eorest ?urvey of 6ndia data. +he figures derived were si ilar to his esti ates for deforestation' so he is confident in the results.