The environment in the news friday, 2 November, 2012
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- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Voxy (New Zealand): Environment Canterbury announces biodiversity funding
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Times of India (India): Man-induced global warming brewed superstorm
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- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Post news (Zambia): Zambezi Resources seeks review of ZEMA decision
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Vietnam Net (Vietnam): 300 precious century-old trees honored, protected
- Back to Menu ============================================================= Environmental News from the UNEP Regions ROAP MEDIA UPDATE
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Bangkok Post (Thailand): Tri-nation effort to fight smuggling
- Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Air Pollution in Pyongyang, Worse than Seoul
_________________________________________________________________ Brisbane Times (Australia): Possum protection under investigation 02 November 2012 The federal government is reviewing whether Victoria breached a national forestry deal by not properly protecting Leadbeater’s possum, the state’s endangered faunal emblem, from logging. In a letter to federal independent MP Tony Windsor, Environment Minister Tony Burke said his department was reviewing documents from a recent Supreme Court case over three proposed logging coupes near Toolangi from state-owned timber company VicForests. Mr Burke said that, if necessary, the department would then consult with the federal forestry department to see whether a regional forestry agreement for Victoria’s central highlands had been breached. The tiny Leadbeater’s possum is listed as endangered under national environment laws, and suffered a major hit in the Black Saturday bushfires, which cut its habitat in half. Its numbers in the wild have been estimated at below 2000. Advertisement Conservationists argue logging by VicForests in the central highlands threatens the survival of the species. VicForests successful defended a Supreme Court challenge last year from anti-logging groups trying to stop proposed Toolangi coupes, with Justice Robert Osborn finding they did not breach state protection conditions for the possum. But Justice Osborn added there was strong evidence for an urgent review of the protection of the possum’s habitat following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. The federal and state governments have been redrafting national recovery plans and state action statements for the possum since the fires. Drafts of the new plans, seen by Fairfax Media, recommend 25 steps to recover the species, but state and federal laws have not been enforced through changes to state and federal environment law. It is understood a state expert panel set up to oversee recovery of the species — including representatives from the Victorian environment department, Parks Victoria, and scientists — last year recommended increasing protection of the possum. They recommended listing logging as a threat to its survival and increasing protection of habitat during timber harvesting. In October last year the recovery panel discussed a temporary moratorium on logging in the central highlands until the possum was better protected. Meeting notes say the panel’s chairman took the moratorium proposal to senior bureaucrats, but was told it was not the groups’ role to make a recommendation to halt logging. A state environment department spokesman said a new plan to save the possum would be shaped by a $1.82 million research program examining Victorian endangered species. The panel’s recommendations would be considered once the research was finished. VicForests’ Nathan Trushell said substantial areas of prime central highlands habitat had been identified and reserved for the possum, and the timber agency would continue to take steps to protect endangered species. Sarah Rees, from the Healesville-based green group MyEnvironment, said: ‘‘The Leadbeater’s possum story is a litmus test for environmental law. It is going extinct and this is because outmoded laws, initially designed in good faith, are now failing to safeguard it’s future.’’ Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Voxy (New Zealand): Environment Canterbury announces biodiversity funding 02 November 2012 Environment Canterbury announced today that it had recently allocated $112,500 to a range of important biodiversity projects throughout Canterbury. Biodiversity Team Leader Jo Abbott says the 13 projects will protect and enhance a variety of ecosystem types, and help achieve the goals of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. "Projects include native plantings, weed and pest control and stockproof fencing. They cover dryland reserves, hill country catchments, lowland streams, wetlands and native vegetation remnants," Dr Abbott said. Funding was awarded as part of the implementation of the Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy. The Environment Canterbury Biodiversity Fund covers initiatives designed to protect the region’s biodiversity and ecosystem health. Dr Abbott said the quality of applications in the recent funding round was extremely good, with many receiving high ecological scores. "This means it is very worthwhile protecting the areas that are the subject of the applications," she said. One of the projects involves stockproof fencing on a Port Hills property. "This steep and rugged property has had 30 years of planting and weed control put into it by the owners and is now naturally regenerating as birds bring in new seeds from nearby sources," Dr Abbott said. "It’s a great example of how dedication and passion can make a real difference to ecosystem health. The project will also be protected through a Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust covenant, the first on the Port Hills." Another project which has received funding is protecting 12.1 hectares of wetlands in four blocks in the upper catchment of the Selwyn River. "This project requires fencing stock out of these areas, which will then have a QEII covenant placed over them to protect them in perpetuity," Dr Abbott said. QEII Trust regional representative Miles Giller says Canterbury’s remaining wetlands are both valuable and vulnerable. "Funding partnerships between Environment Canterbury, QEII and landowners make it much easier to achieve the protection that these wetlands often need," he said. "The landowners have already demonstrated their commitment to the protection of the natural environmental qualities on the farm, through two existing covenants which add to other works in the catchment and initiatives to protect the middle and lower reaches of the Selwyn River and Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora," Jo Abbott said. "This property is already recognised as a leading example of good land stewardship, which continues to grow." According to Annabel Tripp and Roy Veronese from Snowdon Station, "Working with QEII and Environment Canterbury has enabled us to protect four unique wetland areas on our farm that we would not otherwise have been able to fund on our own." Background Environment Canterbury allocates $400,000 per year to a range of important biodiversity projects across the Canterbury region, implementing the Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy. This money is in addition to Immediate Steps biodiversity funding and is targeted towards the highest priority actions aimed at protecting and restoring the region’s biodiversity. These projects will protect and enhance a variety of ecosystem types, including wetlands, lowland streams and native vegetation remnants. Projects include native plantings, weed control, pest and stockproof fencing. The Immediate Steps programme is a key component of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. Through this fund, $1.24 million is allocated annually and a contribution is required from third parties. Environment Canterbury also allocates grants on behalf of the Honda TreeFund, including to school projects. Honda sponsors 10 native trees to be planted for every new car sold, with another three funded by local Honda dealers. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Times of India (India): Man-induced global warming brewed superstorm? 02 October 2012 From the darkened living rooms of Lower Manhattan to the wave-battered shores of Lake Michigan, the question is occurring to millions of people at once: Did the enormous scale and damage from Hurricane Sandy have anything to do with climate change? Hesitantly, climate scientists offered an answer this week that is likely to satisfy no one, themselves included. They simply do not know for sure if the storm was caused or made worse by human-induced global warming. They do know, however, that the resulting storm surge along the Atlantic coast was almost certainly intensified by decades of sea-level rise linked to human emissions of greenhouse gases. And they emphasized that hurricane Sandy, whatever its causes, should be seen as a foretaste of trouble to come as the seas rise faster, the risks of climate change accumulate and the political system fails to respond. "We're changing the environment — it's very clear," said Thomas R Knutson, a research meteorologist with the government's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey. By the time hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast coast on Monday, it had become a freakish hybrid of a large, late-season hurricane and a winter storm more typical of the middle latitudes. Though by no means unprecedented, that type of hybrid storm is rare enough that scientists have not studied whether it is likely to become more common in a warming climate. "My profession hasn't done its homework," said Kerry A Emanuel, a climate scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "I think there's going to be a tonne of papers that come out of this, but it's going to take a couple of years." Hurricanes draw their energy from warm waters in the top layer of the ocean. And scientists pointed out this week that parts of the western Atlantic were remarkably warm for late October. Kevin E Trenberth, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said that natural variability probably accounted for most of that temperature extreme. But, he added, human-induced global warming has raised the overall temperature of the ocean surface by about one degree Fahrenheit since the 1970s. So global warming probably contributed a notable fraction of the energy on which the storm thrived — maybe as much as 10%, he said. He further said that many of Sandy's odd features, including its large scale, derived from its origin as a merger of two weather systems that converged in the western Atlantic. "My view is that a lot of this is chance." Globally, the ocean rose about eight inches in the last century, and the rate seems to have accelerated to about a foot and scientists say most of the rise is a direct consequence of human-induced climate change. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Shabait (Eritrea): Inhabitants of Asuge Administrative Area Undertake Environment-Oriented Popular Undertaking 01 November 2012 Reports indicated that the inhabitants of Asuge Administrative area, Gogne sub-zone, have carried out popular undertaking as regards afforestation and environmental hygiene with a view to promoting community and environmental health. Among the participants, Suleiman Abubeker, Ibrahim Hadot and Mr. Afa Asenai explained that the sustainability of such initiative would also have a significant impact on combating desertification and maintaining the balance of biodiversity, and said that they would enhance their role to this end. Mr. Mohammed Nasser, director of the school in Asuge village, commended the voluntary participation of students in the venture. He further expressed conviction that planting trees in honor of fallen heroes involves moral satisfaction, besides its visible impact on the environment. Sheikh Mohammed Adem Daman called on the inhabitants to sustain follow-up on the planted tree seedlings. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Post news (Zambia): Zambezi Resources seeks review of ZEMA decision 01 November 2012 THE developers of the Kangaluwi copper project should accept the decision by ZEMA to reject mining activities in the Lower Zambezi National Park because of the negative impacts to the communities, wildlife and the environment, says an environmental activists' group. The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has rejected environmental impact study (EIS) submissions for the proposed US$494 million copper project citing environmental concerns. But Zambezi Resources, which owns the Kangaluwi project, through its chief executive officer Frank Vanspeybroeck claimed that senior ministers in the Zambian government were surprised at the decision by ZEMA to reject the construction of a mine. Zambezi Resources has since lodged an appeal to the minister of environmental protection seeking a review of ZEMA's decision as provided for in the Environmental Management Act of 2011. Commenting on the matter, Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) chairman Biston Mbewe said ZEMA rejected the project because the EIS submitted by the developer failed to address serious environmental concerns such as the issue of acid rock drainage and the negative impacts of abnormal discharge of effluent in case of failure by the tailing storage facility. "We agree with ZEMA that while the project provides short-term economic benefits to the communities in the Lower Zambezi, if allowed, the project would have long term and permanent negative impacts to the communities, wildlife and the environment," Mbewe said. He said there was need to protect the environment from harmful economic activities such as mining in protected areas and ecologically-sensitive areas. "We would like to appeal to all stakeholders including the developer to accept and respect the professional decision by ZEMA on this matter," said Mbewe. "We also wish to clarify assertions by the developer in its quest to appeal ZEMA's decision that various stakeholders including conservation groups were in support of the project. This is untrue as people raised concerns about the potential negative impacts of the project to the environment." And the Earth Organisation Zambia chapter executive director Lovemore Muma said ZEMA should be commended for making a professional decision without influence from government. "This is unlike in the past where mining and other projects will start operating without ZEMA approval, so we urge ZEMA to follow up the projects that are approved already to make sure they comply with their environment management plans as contained in the EIA and ZEMA should close down projects that do not comply with their own environmental management plans," said Muma. Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Vietnam Net (Vietnam): 300 precious century-old trees honored, protected 31 October 2012 The Vietnam Association for Conservation or Nature and Environment VACNE has reported that 300 ancient trees have been honored and put under the special protection under the heritage tree scheme initiated by the association over the last three years. The heritage tree at Landmark No. 651 On October 3, the cay sau (dracontomelon tree) in Soc Ha Commune of Ha Quang district in the northern province of Cao Bang was recognized by VACNE as the Vietnamese Heritage Tree in an official ceremony. Ancient trees not only play a very important role in the ecological environment, but they are also precious natural heritages bearing cultural and historical values that need to be protected for everlasting existence. The heritage tree at Landmark No. 651 The tree has a circumference of 9.5 meters, diameter 3.13 meters and the height of 38 meters. Scientists have not pinpointed the age of the tree, but elderly people in the locality affirmed that the tree has been living for the last nine people’s generation, witnessing historical ups and downs of the border land area of Soc Ha in Ha Quang district. A lot of ancient trees in the locality have been chopped down for precious wood by illegal lumberjacks. However, the dracontomelon tree still has existed under the protection by local people. This is the third recognized heritage tree in Cao Bang province. Prior to that, the title of Vietnam Heritage Tree was given to a Burretiodendron hsienmu tree in Kim Loan commune of Ha Lang district, and another Burretiodendron hsienmu in Pac Po in Truong Ha commune of Ha Quang district. “The recognition of the value of heritage trees would help heighten the community’s awareness of the afforestation and ecological environment protection,” said Dr Nguyen Ngoc Sinh, Chair of VACNE. “Moreover, the dracontomelon tree at the Landmark No. 651 is also evidence proving the national sovereignty,” he added. Local authorities and communities in Cao Bang province have been trying to protect primeval forests, where there exist precious ancient trees and the temples worshiping the Forest God. Local residents believe that if someone attempts to chop down the precious trees in the forests, he would be strictly punished. The deep respect to the forest god has helped local residents protect the primeval forests, which have become very attractive destinations for tourists, because they serve as the evidence showing how Vietnamese ancestors treated the ecological environment. Three years and 300 heritage trees Over the last three years, since the day VACNE launched the Heritage Tree Scheme, 300 heritage trees have been recognized. This not only has important significance in protecting biodiversity and precious genetic sources, but also helps call on competent agencies and the community to pay more attention to the environment protection. According to VACNE, Singapore is the first country which launches the heritage tree protection movement. The programs on protecting heritage trees have been launched in China, Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the US so far. Sinh of VACNE said by the end of September 2012, VACNE had honored 300 heritage trees after considering the files about the 600 trees in 30 provinces and cities nationwide. The most ancient tree is 2100 years old in Viet Tri City in Phu Tho province, which first appeared in the An Duong Vuong King dynasty. The tree in the Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An province holds the record in the height of trees. Meanwhile, many other century-old trees have been associated with significant historical values. Back to Menu ============================================================= Environmental News from the UNEP Regions ROAP MEDIA UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEWS Friday, November 02, 2012 Vietnamnet (Vietnam): UNDP, Vietnam cooperate in chemicals management 02 October 2012 The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) project in Vietnam was launched in Hanoi on October 31. At the launch ceremony, Head of the Chemical Agency (CA) Phung Ha said the project will help minimise the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment. The project was funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) with more than US$400,000 over two years. A UNDP representative said that Vietnam’s chemicals sector contributes about 10 percent to industrial production value and generates jobs for around 10 percent of the industrial labour force. However, it also causes significant effects on human health and the environment. Several ministries, including the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry and Science and Technology have some involvement in chemical management, ranging from production, transport and handling to containment and waste management. Therefore, it is necessary to establish coordination mechanisms and united methods to safely manage chemicals through the SAICM project. SAICM is a policy framework to foster the sound management of chemicals, which was adopted at the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) in February 2006 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. To date, more than 171 countries have taken part in SAICM. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/51629/society-in-brief-1-11.html Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Bangkok Post (Thailand): Tri-nation effort to fight smuggling 02 November 2012 Cambodian, Lao and Thai officials are taking a 14-day training course to beef up cooperation in the fight against wildlife smuggling across international borders. The programme is organised by the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network (Asean-WEN), the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and the Freeland Foundation as part of a campaign to curb illegal wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia. The lower Mekong region is one of the world's major transit points for smuggling endangered and exotic wildlife. Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, deputy chief of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the training was aimed at enhancing officials' ability to stop the illegal wildlife trade and unauthorised logging along shared borders. "The department is committed to taking the lead in supporting our friends in Asean to strengthen their capacities and efforts in wildlife trade suppression," he said. During the training sessions, authorities will share information about the illegal wildlife trade, border patrol techniques, law enforcement and forest survival skills. Participants will also learn about new technology for wildlife crime suppression. This includes new smart phone applications that can be used to update and share information about wildlife smuggling. Steven Galster, executive director of the Freeland Foundation, said border zones are often rich in wildlife and better cooperation between neighbouring countries is vital to protect vulnerable species. "Nobody knows how much the illegal wildlife trade along the border is worth. But we know that prices are increasing in line with strong growing demand from customers in China and Vietnam. "You can see the price for a pangolin has gone up to more than 15,000 baht each and the price for tigers has gone up to 1 million baht," said Mr Galster. The Asean-WEN network is also fighting wildlife trafficking in the region, he said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/319159/tri-nation-effort-to-fight-smuggling Back to Menu _________________________________________________________________ Air Pollution in Pyongyang, Worse than Seoul 02 November 2012 A new report shows that between Pyongyang and Seoul it's easier to breathe in the South Korean capital. A report conducted by the United Nations Environment Program and the North Korean Environment Ministry showed the average 'sulfur dioxide' concentration in Pyeongyang stood at 0.009 parts per millionor PPM in 2008,higher than 0.006 ppm measured in Seoul the same year. The pollution in Pyeongyang's atmosphere was attributed to an increase in households using coal for heating and a lack of sewage treatment facilities. Deforestation was also seen as a big problem to exacerbating air conditions. Sulfur dioxide which is produced when burning fossil fuels can cause respiratory problems.
Jakarta Post (Indonesia): Land conversion causes environment crisis in Java 02 November 2012 The Yogyakarta, East Java, West Java and Jakarta branches of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) have blamed the conversion of agricultural and residential lands for industrial and mining purposes for serious damage to the environment across Java Island. Citing one example, Walhi Yogyakarta director Suparlan said that land conversion in Yogyakarta province had occurred along the coastal area of Kulonprogo regency. Provincial Bylaw No. 2/2010 on spatial planning rezoned the agricultural area as an iron ore mining site. “This is a new style of colonialism because the mining project will disadvantage farmers,” Suparlan told a public dialogue on Java Island’s environmental conditions in Yogyakarta on Tuesday. He said that some 2,500 farmers in the region currently earned combined profits of Rp 5.6 billion (US$589,473) monthly. Other possible land conversions in Yogyakarta, according to Suparlan, included the Southern Toll Road (JLS) development project that would pass through the province, cutting into the province’s agricultural areas. Husaini of the Society for Health, Education, Environment and Peace (SHEEP) Foundation concurred, saying that growth of high-tech industries in the six regencies of Blora, Grobogan, Jepara, Kudus, Pati and Rembang in Central Java threatened residents’ safety. “Worse is that the government is also planning to develop a steam-generated power plant [PLTU] and nuclear power plant [PLTN] in the Kendeng and Muria mountain ranges,” Husaini said. Ony Mahardika of Walhi’s East Java branch also blamed rapid growth of industries and infrastructure in his province for the loss of 20,514 hectares of agricultural fields over the last few years. “In fact, East Java had been producing 40 percent of the nation’s total food output,” he said, adding that an industrial project in the northern coastal area of Gresik regency was slated to further decrease the province’s agricultural, horticulture and limestone hill areas by some 2,000 hectares. Ony also said that East Java’s 873 million barrels of oil reserves had drawn the oil industry to the region but many had neglected the boundaries of people’s property. The livelihoods of the people in the surrounding area had been hard-hit as a result. Ramdhan of Walhi’s West Java branch said that between 1994 and 2005, 261,000 hectares had been converted from agricultural fields, forests and fish ponds into residential complexes, plantation and mining areas in his province. This, he said, had caused some 250,000 workers in the agricultural sector to lose their jobs. In response, Barlin Abdurrahman, the head of the Environment Ministry’s Java regional eco-management center, said that environmental damage was indeed a serious threat in Indonesia. He therefore hoped that environment activists could keep reminding the government of the serious implications of environmental degradation, adding that land conversion was a complicated problem influenced by regional political dynamics. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/11/02/land-conversion-causes-environment-crisis-java.html Back to Menu Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 395.43 Kb. Share with your friends:
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