U.S. EPA Offers First Carbon Reporting Plan

Deborah Zabarenko, PlanetArk 11 Mar 09;

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed a comprehensive U.S. system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, a step toward regulating pollutants that spur climate change.

The new plan for a carbon registry would affect fossil fuel suppliers, automakers and companies that emit at least 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year, the EPA said in a statement.

The U.S. government already has statistics on emissions from coal-fired power plants, which also emit carbon dioxide.

Some 13,000 facilities, accounting for about 85 percent to 90 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, would be covered under the proposal.

"Our efforts to confront climate change must be guided by the best possible information," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said. "...This is a critical step toward helping us better protect our health and environment -- all without placing an onerous burden on our nation's small businesses."

Forty-one states already participate in a voluntary plan, called The Climate Registry, which measures and reports greenhouse emissions, and the EPA acknowledged this work.

President Barack Obama has been vocal in his support for a market-based cap-and-trade plan to limit carbon emissions to try to stem global warming. Members of Congress have already begun working on legislation that would make this happen.

"This is an important foundation step toward regulating greenhouse gases and reducing them," David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council said by telephone after meeting with EPA officials.

APPLAUSE FROM CAPITOL HILL

On Capitol Hill, the EPA's plan drew applause from key lawmakers, including California Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, who helped provide $3.5 million to EPA to set up a greenhouse gas emissions registry for all sectors of the U.S. economy by June 26, 2009.

On a parallel track, a draft EPA presentation made public by the online publication Greenwire indicates the agency plans to issue a so-called endangerment finding in mid-April that calls greenhouse pollution a danger to human health.

After a public comment period and public hearings, that could allow EPA to regulate it under the Clean Air Act.

The Clean Air Act mandates collecting data on emissions from electric power plants, but a 2007 congressional move to require big industries and the transportation sector to report on how much carbon they emit was blocked by the Bush administration.

The EPA's plan envisions the new reporting requirements going into effect by next year, with the first annual report submitted to the environment agency in 2011 for the 2010 calendar year.

The rules would apply to companies that make fossil fuels, industrial chemicals, cars and engines, the agency said, along with large so-called direct emitters that send 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide or more each year into the atmosphere.

"The vast majority of small businesses would not be required to report their emissions because their emissions fall well below the threshold," the EPA said.

Direct emissions sources that would be required to report their emissions include energy-intensive sectors like cement production, iron and steel production and electricity generation.

Complying with this reporting rule would cost the private sector $160 million for the first year, with annualized private sector costs estimated at $127 million in subsequent years, the agency said.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

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Lovelock labels Europe's carbon trading scheme a 'scam'

Gaia scientist joins former minister Michael Meacher in saying 'disastrous' scheme has profited industry but not helped to reduce emissions
Adam Vaughan, guardian.co.uk 10 Mar 09;

Europe's carbon trading scheme has proved to be "disastrous" and a "scam" in which companies have profited with no effect on emissions, a leading politician and a scientist said yesterday.

The environmentalist James Lovelock — who developed the Gaia theory of the planet as a "living organism" — and the former environment minister, Michael Meacher, said that market approaches to green issues, such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), were destined to be distorted by business pressures. Lovelock described similar market mechanisms that attempt to put a price on "services" provided by the natural world as akin to "slavery".

"In principle [carbon trading] is not a bad idea but in operation it's been disastrous. Business has frankly made billions out of artificial reductions of what is called hot air with absolutely no environmental benefit at all," said Meacher, singling out the ETS for being distorted by commerce. "Governments under pressure from industry – the worst example is Germany – gave away far more allowances than industry actually needed."

As a result, he said, the carbon price collapsed and the ability for companies to claim carbon credits by investing in developing world emissions-cutting projects via the Clean Development Mechanism meant western economies had done little to de-carbonise their industries.

Lovelock said the scheme had failed. "Carbon trading was an idea with potential but the danger is that it so rapidly develops into a scam," he said.

The comments follow criticism of the ETS from industry insiders including the former chief executive of BP, Lord Browne, who said that the scheme has been ineffective. Vincent de Rivaz, the chief executive of the UK arm of EDF Energy, dubbed the carbon market the new "sub-prime". Lord Turner, the UK government's climate adviser, last week called for a floor price on European carbon permits.

Meacher expressed pessimism for future "market-driven environmental action", whether it was reducing carbon emissions through trading or protecting biodiversity by applying a price to "ecosystem services" such as medicines from rainforests. "I have real doubts because the whole process is distorted at every level. Industry pressures governments by saying 'if you do this it'll affect national welfare, it'll affect jobs and it'll lead to industry going out of this country, you have to do what we say'. And, one after another, governments fall for it."

Speaking at a debate on biodiversity organised by the journal Nature at Kings Place in London, Meacher also described the economic slowdown as a "priceless opportunity" to reduce climate change emissions and stop the destruction of tropical forests and coral reefs. "Those issues are only going to get on the agenda during a crisis," he said.

Lovelock was dismissive of putting a price on services from ecosystems such as oceans and forests. "To talk of these ecosystems as something we can own and draw benefits from, and buy and sell, is just like the attitude not so long ago to slavery, and just as reprehensible," he said.

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Australia Faces Growing Opposition To Carbon Trade Law

James Grubel, PlanetArk 11 Mar 09;

CANBERRA - Australia's government faced new objections to its pioneering carbon trading scheme from both ends of the political opposition on Tuesday, just as it unveiled the legislation it hopes to pass by the middle of this year.

The draft laws contained few changes to what could be the most sweeping cap-and-trade system in the world, including a commitment to cut emissions by 5 percent of 2000 levels by 2020.

Instead, lawmakers from the Greens and the conservative opposition banded together to establish a two-month inquiry, saying they will not support the scheme without major changes.

Greens politicians want tougher targets and conservative opposition parties want the scheme delayed to soften the blow for businesses that will shoulder higher costs during a recession.

"This scheme, in its current form, cannot get through," Opposition spokesman Andrew Robb told reporters.

Under the current legislation, the scheme will be the world's broadest, covering 75 percent of emissions. Around 1,000 of the largest polluters, from transport operators and aluminum makers to gas producers and refineries, will have to pay to pollute.

Some of the permits, each representing a ton of carbon dioxide, will be auctioned and some given away depending on the industry. But the overall aim is to push companies to pollute less over time or face ever rising costs.

Australia's center-left Labor government needs the support of the opposition, or the five Greens and two independents, to pass the carbon trade laws in the Senate, and the new review raises the risk of a significant set-back just as the U.S. government tries to galvanize support in the fight against climate change.

"The negotiation process is going to be fairly convoluted given there are three main parties to participate and, of course, they are pulling in different directions," said ANZ Senior Economist Julie Toth.

"I think the actual trading system will go ahead in some form but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it delayed by six to 12 months."

Releasing the package of six bills, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said she was open to talks with opposition and Greens Senators to ensure the laws, which will be introduced to parliament in May, are passed by the end of June in time to meet the government's schedule to start trade from July 2010.

The legislation was largely unchanged from a policy White Paper released three months ago and the draft laws will be open for public comment until April 14.

SENATE BATTLE

"The Government does not have the majority in the Senate and we will talk to senators from all sides," Wong told reporters. "The question that will confront some senators is, 'do you throw away something because you'd rather have everything?'"

Wong said the government wanted the laws passed before a U.N.-backed meeting in the Danish capital in December that will bring together nearly 190 nations to try to seal a broader global framework to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The Greens want the government to make strong emissions cuts of around 25 percent by 2020, but the conservative opposition, which holds the biggest voting bloc in the Senate, wants delays and more compensation for big business.

The government has said it will back a 15 percent cut if other rich nations commit to similar cuts at Copenhagen.

Australia, the world's biggest coal exporter and a growing supplier of LNG, accounts for 1.5 percent of global carbon emissions but is one of the highest per-capita polluters, with 80 percent of electricity from coal-fired power stations.

The Australian emissions trade scheme will see a large portion of its carbon credits auctioned, unlike EU emissions allowances which are given out free.

Australia's major exporting polluters, including iron ore and aluminum producers BHP Billiton, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers Chevron and Woodside Petroleum, will get significant exemptions for their emissions.

($1= A$1.58)

(Editing by Michael Perry and David Fogarty)

How Australia Will Ease Costs Of Carbon Trade
James Grubel, PlanetArk 11 Mar 09;

Australia plans to auction carbon permits to 1,000 of the country's biggest companies, covering 75 percent of national greenhouse emissions, under its emissions trading system due to start from July 2010.

Following is a brief description of how much the government expects to raise from selling permits, and how the money will be spent to help ease the costs to business and consumers.

Legislation for the scheme was released on Tuesday.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

The government will allow the market to set the price of carbon, but expects the initial price to be around A$25 ($15.80) per metric ton.

The carbon price will be capped at maximum A$40/tonne, rising at 5 percent a year above inflation, to provide a further safety valve in the early years of the scheme.

WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT?

The government says it expects emissions trading to only trim 0.1 percent from average economic growth from 2010 to 2050, with a one off rise to inflation of around 1.1 percent, based on a carbon price of around A$25/tonne.

Average household energy costs will rise A$4 a week for electricity and A$2 a week for gas and other household fuels.

HOW MUCH MONEY WILL BE RAISED?

Based on a permit price of A$25, the government expects to raise around A$11.5 billion in 2010-11, and A$23.5 billion over the two year 2010-11 and 2011-12.

The government says every cent will be spent to help households and business adjust to the cost of the scheme.

HOW WILL THE MONEY BE SPENT?

Over the first two years, A$9.9 billion will go to householders, through higher pensions and welfare payments, targeted assistance, and tax cuts and rebates.

A$4.3 billion will be spent on fuel tax adjustments to householders, agriculture, fishing and heavy road transport businesses, and for liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas users.

A$2.15 billion will go to community organizations, businesses, workers and regions through a special Climate Change Action Fund.

A$7.4 billion worth of carbon permits will be allocated to help strongly affected industries, including the electricity sector and emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries.

HOW WILL MAJOR TRADE-EXPOSED INDUSTRIES BE HELPED?

Assistance is available for coal-fired electricity generators with emissions intensity above 0.86 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent for every megawatt hour of electricity generated.

Major emitting trade-exposed industries (producing 2,000 tons or more of carbon dioxide-equivalent for every A$1 million in revenue) will receive 90 percent of permits for free.

Likely industries to receive 90 percent of free permits are aluminum smelters, cement clinker producers, lime, silicon and iron and steel manufacturers.

Other trade exposed industries, which produce between 1,000 and 1,999 tons of CO2-equivalent for every A$1 million in revenue, are to receive 60 percent of permits for free.

Likey industries to receive 60 percent of free permits are alumina and petrol refiners and LNG producers.

The rate of assistance will be cut by 1.3 percent per year.

($1 = A$1.58)

(Editing by David Fogarty)

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Carbon capture needs more US government support says coal industry rep

Ayesha Rascoe, PlanetArk 11 Mar 09;

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government should provide more support for the development of carbon capturing technology, but also consider technological barriers before passing climate change legislation, a coal industry representative said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to establish a system capping and trading carbon emissions that cause global warming. Obama's plan would require companies to purchase permits to release emissions above the government's limits.

This proposal would greatly impact coal fired power plants, which provide about half of the nation's electricity and accounts for about 80 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from domestic power generation.

Hal Quinn, president of the National Mining Association, said the United States must do more to develop technology that would allow power plants fueled by coal to trap and store carbon gases instead of releasing them into the atmosphere.

"Climate change policies must harmonize the timing when controls are placed on emissions with the availability of the critical (carbon capture and storage) technologies needed to reduce them," Quinn said in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Quinn warned that the nation might not be able to meet its electricity demand needs if the power sector does not have "the necessary tools to meet future emissions requirements."

Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said he believes technologies reducing carbon emissions "hold great promise."

"The challenge ahead of us is putting all the pieces together in a way to enable the cost-effective production of low-carbon electricity from coal," Waxman said.

The recently passed economic stimulus package included $3.4 billion for the Energy Department's office of fossil energy, much of which is slated for carbon capture and storage development.

Separately, Quinn cautioned that carbon regulation should be handled by Congress and not the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA is currently considering whether to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. The agency on Tuesday proposed a comprehensive U.S. system for reporting carbon emissions from heavy industry, automakers and companies with at least 25,000 metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions annually.

(Editing by Jim Marshall)

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Greece, China resist shipping emission cuts

Yahoo News 10 Mar 09;

ATHENS (AFP) – Greece and China's merchant navies joined forces to resist compulsory greenhouse gas reductions targets for the lucrative sector, the Greek shipping ministry said on Tuesday.

The two sides agreed that proposals by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) "must first be applied on a voluntary basis and must only become binding in the long term," the ministry said in a statement.

Binding measures could be introduced only "after a trial period and if it is proved that they are necessary," it added.

The statement was released after a meeting between the general secretary of the shipping ministry, Ioannis Tzoannos, and a high-level Chinese delegation led by top shipping official Le Kejun.

The European Union and other countries have called for the IMO to act against global warming, amid worldwide moves to coordinate the fight against the process which scientists say poses a grave threat to the global climate.

The shipping and airline industries are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, the world treaty for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Negotiations are under way for an agreement to replace the protocol when they expire in 2012.

Greece's shipping fleet is the biggest in the world, while China is considered the second biggest global polluter. The two agreed in November to boost cooperation on shipping Chinese goods to the EU.

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Prince of Wales attacks climate change doubters

The Prince of Wales delivered a fierce attack Monday on those who doubt climate change and said it must be tackled before world poverty.
Andrew Alderson, The Telegraph 9 Mar 09;

Prince Charles, who is starting a 10-day tour of South America, spoke at a dinner in Santiago, Chile, hosted by Michelle Bachelet, the President.

"How can we begin to address poverty if we haven't first ensured our planet is habitable?" he said.

"If we do nothing, the consequences for every person on this earth will be severe and unprecedented - with vast numbers of environmental refugees, social instability and decimated economies: far worse than anything which we are seeing today."

The Prince said Chile was witnessing the terrifying effects of global warming, including the shrinking of nearly 90 per cent of your glaciers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in the light of such evidence, and so much more from across the globe, I find it incomprehensible that there are those who doubt the science of climate change."

He said he believed in action not words. "We must think and act across boundaries of nation, sector, language and culture, and to do so now and with resolve."

The Prince, who the British Government reportedly wants to do more on the foreign stage, first met the President this morning with his wife.

The Prince, wearing a pale grey double-breasted suit, and the Duchess of Cornwall, in a cream crepe dress by designer Anna Valentine, were greeted by a formidable-looking guard of honour at La Moneda Palace.

The Prince and the Duchess began the day by paying their respects at the monument to Bernardo O'Higgins, the founding father of Chile.

O'Higgins was the first leader of his country after Chileans repelled the Spanish nearly 200 years ago.

After meeting the President, the couple visited an energy centre campaign at Parque Bustamente.

Prince Charles admired various devices that children had invented to save energy and thereby help protect the environment.

The couple carried out eight engagements today on their first full day of the tour, which will also include Brazil and Ecuador, where they will visit the Galapagos Islands.

The Prince alone also attended a round table discussion on climate change when he will be joined by 25 business leaders.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office wants to use the Prince's expertise, experience and contacts more from now on in "soft diplomacy" abroad.

Some diplomats feel he is an asset that has been under-used. The Prince's views on climate change and the environment are widely admired by world leaders.

On Thursday, in Brazil, Prince Charles will deliver a keynote speech when he will warn the world has less than 100 months to act if it is to avoid irreversible damage from climate change.

Climate change must be tackled before global poverty, says Prince Charles
The Prince of Wales has delivered a fierce attack on those who doubt climate change and said it must be tackled before world poverty.
Andrew Alderson The Telegraph 10 Mar 09;

The Prince spoke at a dinner in hosted by Michelle Bachelet, the President, for 300 guests from the world of politics, business and the arts.

“How can we begin to address poverty if we haven't first ensured our planet is habitable?” he said.

“If we do nothing, the consequences for every person on this earth will be severe and unprecedented - with vast numbers of environmental refugees, social instability and decimated economies: far worse than anything which we are seeing today.”

The Prince said Chile was witnessing “the terrifying effects of global warming, including the shrinking of nearly 90 per cent of your glaciers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, in the light of such evidence, and so much more from across the globe, I find it incomprehensible that there are those who doubt the science of climate change.”

The Prince is taking on an enhanced role as an international statesman because the British Government wants him to do more to promote its key interests abroad, particularly on climate change and the environment.

Later today the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit a vinyard producing organic wine.

He said he believed in action not words. “We must think and act across boundaries of nation, sector, language and culture, and to do so now and with resolve.”

Britain's Prince Charles Sees Time Running Out To Save Planet
Simon Gardner, PlanetArk 11 Mar 09;

SANTIAGO - Time is running out to save the world from the ravages of climate change and prevent economic meltdown and a flood of environmental refugees, Britain's Prince Charles has warned on a visit to Chile.

The Prince of Wales, and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, are in Chile at the start of a Latin American tour to promote energy efficiency and measures to combat climate change.

"If we do nothing, the consequences for every person on this earth will be severe and unprecedented, with vast numbers of environmental refugees, social instability and decimated economies -- far worse than anything which we are seeing today," he told a gala dinner hosted by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet late on Monday.

Charles argues sustainable development projects could help stimulate the global economy as it battles crisis. "How can we begin to address poverty if we haven't first ensured our planet is actually inhabitable?" he said.

Charles, heir to the British throne, has long advocated urgent measures to reduce carbon emissions and has also proposed issuing long-dated bonds to help fund sustainable development projects in countries where tropical rainforest is being wiped out.

He and his wife were set to visit the port city of Valparaiso on Tuesday and an organic vineyard later in the day, before flying on to Brazil on Wednesday and then later on to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, which were central to 19th century British naturalist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

(Editing by Frances Kerry)

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Sumatra Tiger Slayings Possibly Due to Illegal Trade, Not Conflict with Humans

Fidelis E. Satriastanti, Jakarta Globe 6 Mar 09;

The trapping and killing of three endangered Sumatran tigers by residents of Indragiri Hilir district, Riau Province, in February, may have been related to the illegal trade in tiger body parts, an official said on Monday.

It had previously been reported that the tigers were killed near Tanjung Pasar village because residents felt threatened by the animals. Two tigers were killed on Feb.10 and the last was found dead on Feb. 16.

“We are still investigating the case but there are strong indications that the killings were also a part of the illegal trade in tigers,” said Syahimin, head of technical affairs at Riau’s Natural Resources of Conservation Center.

He said his office had already detained two villagers who were believed to have trapped and killed the tigers but they have not yet officially been named as suspects.

“We’re still questioning them and trying to develop a case on the possibility of illegal trading rather than on conflict issues,” he said. “One of villagers has already confessed to having sold a slain tiger but we’re still looking for more evidence.”

Meanwhile, Syamsidar, spokeswoman of the Riau branch of the World Wildlife Fund, or WWF, said it appeared the trappings were carried out by people with experience catching tigers.

“The traps couldn’t have been set up by ordinary people; professional expertise would’ve been needed to catch the tigers,” she said.

She said the killings were reported as being carried out by local villagers because the tigers had been spotted close to villages.

“The reports said the villagers took the initiative to prevent the tigers from attacking first, but they shouldn’t have acted on their own,” she said. “They should have contacted the authorities.”

She said she was worried that opportunists may have taken advantage of the situation in order to profit from the tigers.

“We all know that [Sumatran] tigers are worth a lot, so it’s possible some people may have convinced the locals to move against the tigers,” she said.

The total population of Sumatran tigers is thought to be less than 500, and continuing loss of habitat, illegal trade and conflict with humans are pushing them towards extinction.

Based on Ministry of Forestry data, an average of 33 tigers are killed each year — often for to be stuffed of for their fur — though more killings go unrecorded.

The price of a preserved full-grown tiger starts at Rp 25 million ($2,250) on the black market, while furs are sold for between Rp 12 million and Rp 25 million.

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Indonesian Navy foils attempt to smuggle birds to Singapore

The Jakarta Post 10 Mar 09;

A routine Navy patrol on Tuesday morning foiled an attempt to smuggle around 2,000 exotic birds from Batam to Singapore, Antara reports.

Chief of the patrol team first Lt. Rudi Amirudin said his team had stopped the MV Citra Lima just minutes after it left Batam International Seaport at around 8:30 a.m. following a tip off from locals.

The officers discovered thousands of canaries and estrildid finch songbirds (locally knows as burung pipit) and could find no documents for their shipment.

After questioning the boat's captain and passengers no once claimed ownership of the birds or knew who had brought them onboard.

The team returned the birds to Batam Quarantine Office, Rudi said.

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Tuna spawning grounds can help Coral Triangle nations get better deal on fishing

WWF 10 Mar 09;

Asia Pacific fishing nations could use the presence of tuna spawning grounds to negotiate better prices and fairer fishing arrangements with foreign fishing nations, WWF said today.

The proposal was put forward as ministers started meeting in the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby this week to finalise a plan to protect marine environments and food security in the Coral Triangle region, covering waters between Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Pacific.

The area provides spawning grounds and migratory routes for tuna caught in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, which make up around 70 per cent of the world’s tuna catch.

“The region’s spawning grounds are essential to the world’s multi-billion dollar tuna industry and the world should be prepared to support their protection and effective management,” said Dr Lida Pet Soede, leader of WWF’s Coral Triangle Program.

“This can help Coral Triangle countries negotiate fairer prices and fairer fishing arrangements with non-Coral Triangle nations, who also fish in these waters.”

Dr Pet Soede said it was fitting the final meeting be held in Papua New Guinea as PNG has taken a leading role in efforts to bring more sustainability to the region’s tuna fisheries, which are critical to the food security of millions.

Managing Director of Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority, Sylvester Pokajam, warned of a collapse of the big eye tuna fishery unless fishing nations operating in the Coral Triangle introduced measures to make the fishery more sustainable.

“We can see a crash coming for tuna and this will be disastrous for many coastal communities in the Coral Triangle, where millions of people depend on healthy tuna stocks for food and livelihoods,” Mr Pokajam said.

“Here in PNG we have introduced fishing measures within our own zones in an effort to address the issue of overfishing, in particular where it comes to overfishing big eye tuna, but the success of these measures depends entirely on the willingness of other non-Coral Triangle nations to introduce similar measures.”

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste collectively make up the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI), introduced by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the APEC leader’s meeting in September 2007.

This week’s meeting is the final ministerial forum before Coral Triangle leaders gather in Manado, Indonesia on May 15 to announce details of a plan to protect marine ecosystems and food security in the region.

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission will meet in Bali at the end of this month to consider among other things a set of recommendations by its scientific committee to reduce fishing pressure on yellowfin tuna, which it says is likely to have reached an overfished state.

The World Ocean Conference and the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit will be held from May 11 to 15 in Manado, Indonesia, and are expected to result in the Manado Ocean Declaration, a definitive statement on oceans and climate change.

“With climate change threatening to alter habitats in the region, it is even more critical to manage marine ecosystems for the ongoing food security of the region and for the survival of many species that depend on the Coral Triangle’s unique marine environment,” said Dr Pet Soede.

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Tracking the elusive Amur tiger by foot, ski, and snowmobile

WWF 9 Mar 09;

Researchers in the Russian Far East are tracking the elusive Amur tiger by foot, ski, and snowmobile this month to better understand the endangered species.

WWF-Russia, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Science are monitoring the rare Amur tiger in its habitats in Russia, in the remote Primorskii and Khabarovskii Provinces.

The Amur tiger, which can weigh up to 300 kg and measure around three metres from its nose to the tip of its tail, has come back from the brink of extinction to its highest population for at least 100 years. Only about 40 were alive in 1950 but nowadays there are around 450, one of the strongest tiger populations in the world.

This year’s monitoring area will cover 23,500 square kms with 16 search plots -- that cover one tenth part of tiger’s habitat -- in the Khabarovskii and Primorskii Provinces. A total of 6,000 km of transects also will be covered, where researchers will map all animal tracks registered on the plots.

For each search plot, researchers will coordinate experienced wildlife managers and trappers from local hunting clubs, who will conduct three to four day overnight searches of each plot, spending their evenings in small wooden hunting lodges in the forest. They will use snowmobiles to cross transects along river valleys in the region, and don specially-designed wide hunting skis to climb through hills and passes during the searches.

As part of the monitoring, scientists will follow the tigers to collect information on the sex and age characteristics of tiger populations, as well as behavioural habits, tiger mortality, and a range of other scientific data.

“Monitoring has been conducted for 12 years already and has provided information for analysis of tiger number dynamics and characteristics of its distribution and reproduction from year to year. Another important goal of the research program is controlling large wild ungulates’ status as well as changes in tiger habitats quality and its food sources,” said Pavel Fomenko, biodiversity conservation coordinator at WWF-Russia, Amur branch, and one of the initiators and participants of the annual tiger monitoring.

WWF Russia has funded monitoring activities to the tune of 12,000 euros on six plots located in WWF’s model areas with two of them located in Ussuriiskii and Lazovskii Nature Reserves. The Russian Academy of Science has provided 22,000 euros, or more than half of the funds needed for this month’s monitoring.

“For the first time this year, monitoring of the Amur tiger number has been covered largely by the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Science. This is a good sign but it would be better to receive funding from Russian Ministry of Nature and Ecology and Federal Service of Natural Recourses Exploitation that are both responsible for tiger in Russia,” Pomenko said.

“Funds needed for tiger research should be allocated in the budget of a special Program on tiger conservation in Russia,” Pomenko added.

Results of the field research will be completed in April and a special report will be prepared and forwarded to the governmental agencies responsible for tiger conservation in Russia. WWF-Russia, active in efforts to protect the Amur tiger for many years, awaits elaboration of a new strategy for tiger conservation in Russia and hopes that this rare predator will receive not only governmental status of protection but also funding for its conservation.

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Forests and the global economy: 10 million new jobs

FAO 10 Mar 09;
Sustainable forest management could become a means of creating millions of new green jobs

Ten million new “green jobs” can be created by investing in sustainable forest management, according to FAO. “As more jobs are lost due to the current economic downturn, sustainable forest management could become a means of creating millions of green jobs, thus helping to reduce poverty and improve the environment,” said Jan Heino, Assistant Director-General of FAO’s Forestry Department.

Since forests and trees are vital storehouses of carbon, such an investment could also make a major contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, said Heino.

According to a recent study by the International Labour Organization, unemployment worldwide could increase from 179 million in 2007 to 198 million in 2009 under the best case scenario; under the worst case scenario, it could go as high as 230 million.

Increased investment in forestry could provide jobs in forest management, agroforestry and farm forestry, improved fire management, development and management of trails and recreation sites, expansion of urban green spaces, restoring degraded forests and planting new ones. Activities can be tailored to local circumstances, including availability of labour, skill levels and local social, economic and ecological conditions.

A number of countries, for example the United States and the Republic of Korea, have included forestry in their economic stimulus plans. Similarly afforestation is an important component of India’s rural employment guarantee programme. According to FAO, the global potential is at least 10 million new jobs through national investments.

At the same time, improved forest management and new tree planting could significantly reduce the downward trend in forest cover reported by many countries. This would help to reduce carbon emissions from land-use change and could potentially have a larger positive impact on climate change than any other initiative currently being planned or considered by world leaders.

How sustainable forest management can help build a green future and meet society’s changing demand for forest-derived goods and services will be the main thrust of World Forest Week, to be held in conjunction with FAO’s Committee on Forestry, 16 to 20 March in Rome. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, will deliver the keynote address. She will emphasize the critical role of forests in society’s response to the challenges posed by climate change.

The meeting takes place against the backdrop of an unprecedented global economic crisis. The forest sector has also been affected severely, notes FAO’s State of the World’s Forests 2009, to be released on 16 March 2009. However, the forest sector has considerable potential to play a catalytic role in the world’s response to the global economic and environmental crises.

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Best of our wild blogs: 10 Mar 09

Bumboats
on Ubin.sgkopi

TeamSeagrass at Cyrene Reefs
on the teamseagrass blog with lots of sightings on the wonderful creations blog

Inconsiderate people disobey rules and fish at Upper Pierce reservoir on the Lazy Lizard's Tales blog

Melastoma malabathricum and Butterfly @ WWW
on Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature blog

20 days later
foster-mother of 'cats' reports on talfryn.net

Who cut off my crown?
on the Midnight Monkey Monitor

Escapee Palm Cockatoo sighted
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Read more!