Topic: amazon

Coming Soon: Global Forest Watch 2.0

James Anderson — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:03:32 -0500

Welcome to the home of Global Forest Watch 2.0, a powerful near real-time forest monitoring system that unites satellite technology, data sharing, and human networks around the world to fight deforestation.

GFW 2.0 is currently under development, and will launch in late 2013.

Read more below, and email gfw2@wri.org to participate in the pilot testing period or be notified when GFW 2.0 launches. Please note that as we prepare for the launch, the original Global Forest Watch website has been redirected to this page.

Watch a Short Preview of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the UN Forum on Forests 10, in Istanbul.

Watch the full version here

Speakers:

Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Forestry, Indonesia
Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute

Photo by David Gilbert

WHY FORESTS, WHY NOW?

Forests provide food jobs, raw materials, climate benefits and more. But without clear, up-to-date information, governments, companies and communities lack the tools to monitor and manage these resources.

We can track a company’s financial information daily, but information about forests is often years out of date.

Deforestation continues today in part because by the time satellite images are available, analyzed, and shared, the forest clearing is long done. The illegal loggers have moved on; cattle are already grazing amidst stumps; the oil palm plantation has been established. We simply find out too late.

New technologies can overcome these challenges

Fortunately, a convergence of technologies and human networks offers the ability to address these challenges for the first time:

Advances in satellite and remote sensing technology, including the launch of NASA’s Landsat 8 in early 2013, and new private systems, enable higher spatial resolution analysis and much more rapid updates of information. This has enabled the development of near-real-time forest cover change detection.
Brazilian partner IMAZON, is making its Amazon Alert System available through GFW 2.0, and also the DETER system which is innovating in detection of forest degradation. Brazil has seen a remarkable drop in deforestation in the Amazon of almost 80 percent partly due to improved linked to more effective use of satellite imagery.
Cloud computing and open source software can now be used to rapidly process and interpret large volumes of satellite data at low cost by utilizing clusters of servers scattered around the world. Google Earth Engine’s team is partnered with Global Forest Watch 2.0 to optimize easy access to cloud computing-based forest cover information.
High speed internet connectivity enables sending data and forest maps processed in North America, Europe, or Singapore to laptops and mobile phones in Jakarta, Kinshasa, Lima, Vladivostok, and other corners of the globe.
Smartphones are more common than ever and can be used by anyone in the field to download maps and satellite images, as well as upload GPS coordinates and photographs from the ground.
Crowdsourcing using simple web interfaces can empower thousands if not millions of people to gather and share information, participate in forest monitoring, and hold decision-makers accountable. • Social media outlets are creating a flat, networked world in which information travels fast, communities self-organize, and people get mobilized.

ABOUT GLOBAL FOREST WATCH 2.0

These enhanced technologies and social movements are the foundation for Global Forest Watch 2.0. GFW 2.0 will unite a near-real-time deforestation alert system, complementary satellite imagery and monitoring systems, WRI’s data-rich collection of maps, mobile technology, and a networked world to create never-before-possible transparency for faraway forests.

The platform is currently under development, and will be launched in late 2013.

This powerful new platform will enable responsible companies, NGOs, the media, and progressive government leaders to hold those responsible accountable for forest management.

GFW 2.0 can be useful to multiple groups of users involved with the sustainable management of forests:

Buyers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will enable buyers of sustainably sourced commodities―such as certified timber, palm oil, soya, and beef―to confirm adherence to or violations of supplier commitments to “no deforestation,” “no clearing of high conservation value forest,” and related criteria.
Suppliers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will help suppliers of sustainable commodities prove to buyers, investors, governments, and NGOs that their commodities are adhering to best forest management practices, national laws, criteria of the relevant commodity roundtables, or investor lending conditions.
Governments. GFW 2.0 is designed to help progressive elements in governments better enforce sustainable forest management and forest protection laws. GFW 2.0 is also designed to be a trusted, independent, and user-friendly way to help investors in REDD+ and other forest conservation projects monitor performance and hold countries accountable to their commitments on greenhouse gas emission reductions and forest conservation.
Conservation and community organizations. GFW 2.0 will enable NGOs dedicated to forest conservation, indigenous rights, and forest communities to identify deforestation hotspots as they arise and quickly mobilize action to curtail further clearing.
The media. GFW 2.0 will enable local, national, and international media to ring the alarm bell on deforestation hotspots around the globe at a pace never-before-possible, and thereby put pressure on governments, companies, and others to curtail forest conversion and illegal logging in time

Applying new technology

GFW 2.0 combines satellites, new algorithms, cloud computing, mobile phone technologies, and WRI databases to connect images, maps, photos, and data with forest clearing alerts ultimately within two weeks of significant deforestation occurring.

Because GFW 2.0 will be powered by Google Earth Engine and Earth Builder, it will bring to target users a seamless experience of the best technology offered by WRI, Google, and their partners, as Bloomberg does for the world’s vast, complex array of financial information.

Mobilizing human networks

GFW 2.0 will mobilize networks of people to ensure sustainable management of forests and greater forest conservation. Global Forest Watch “anchor” NGOs in each priority country or region, will actively use and contribute content in an open-source, network model.

These groups will include ScanEx and its non-profit affiliate Transparent World in Russia, Imazon in Brazil and their Amazon-wide network of partners across the seven neighboring countries, the Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC) which covers the Central Africa region. More partners in Canada, China, Europe, and the United States are joining every day.

Watch a Sneak Peek of GFW 2.0 presented at Rio+20

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Carlos Souza Jr., Senior Researcher, IMAZON
Charles Barber, Forest Division Chief, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, U.S. Department of State
Rebecca Moore, Google
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch UNEP’s press conference featuring GFW 2.0 at COP18 in Doha

Speakers:

Mr. Heru Prasetyo, Deputy I, Presidential Delivery Unit on Development Monitoring and Oversight, Government of Indonesia
Tim Christophersen, Senior Programme Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Jane Feehan, Natural Resources Specialist, European Investment Bank
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch a Sneak Peek of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the U.S. Pavilion, COP18 in Doha

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Nigel Sizer, Director, Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute
Nirarta “Koni” Samadhi, Head of REDD+ Task Force Working Group on Moratorium Monitoring, Presidential Work Unit on Monitoring and Development Oversight (UKP4), Government of Indonesia
Per Fredrik Ilsaas Pharo, Director, International Climate and Forest Initiative, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, Government of Norway
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Read more about WRI’s forest work here.

Parceria viabiliza inclusão de serviços ecossistêmicos nos planos de negócios das empresas

James Anderson — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:27:43 -0400

Ver texto em Português OR Read text in English here

Um grupo de empresas líderes brasileiras deu início hoje a uma parceria para incorporar serviços ecossistêmicos em suas estratégias de negócios. A Parceria Empresarial pelos Serviços Ecossistêmicos (PESE) representa um grande esforço para incluir a biodiversidade e os serviços ecossistêmicos na estratégia de negócios das empresas e melhorar o desempenho corporativo no Brasil, país sede da Conferência das Nações Unidas sobre Desenvolvimento Sustentável (Rio+20), no próximo mês.

A ideia é desenvolver estratégias que aliem o desempenho empresarial à gestão sustentável dos ecossistemas. Empresas líderes, como Anglo American, Grupo André Maggi, PepsiCo, Vale, Votorantim e Wal-Mart, estão entre as primeiras companhias participantes desta iniciativa. A parceria é coordenada pelo Conselho Empresarial Brasileiro para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (CEBDS), Centro de Estudos em Sustentabilidade da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (GVces) e World Resources Institute (WRI), com apoio da Agência dos Estados Unidos para o Desenvolvimento Internacional (USAID).

“A indústria depende dos serviços ecossistêmicos, como produção de alimentos, água doce e limpa, um clima estável, e proteção contra riscos naturais como enchentes, entre outros benefícios,” explicou Craig Hanson, diretor do Programa de Pessoas e Ecossistemas do WRI. “A PESE irá capacitar as companhias brasileiras a gerenciar proativamente riscos e oportunidades nos negócios, decorrentes de suas dependências e impactos sobre os serviços ecossistêmicos.”

A parceria irá impulsionar novas soluções de negócios em meio à larga degradação dos ecossistemas através da aplicação local da Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR), ou Revisão Corporativa dos Serviços Ecossistêmicos, metodologia líder de avaliação de serviços ecossistêmicos, desenvolvida pelo WRI, em cooperação com o World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) e o Meridian Institute. Aplicando a ESR, cada empresa parceira da PESE vai desenvolver estratégias para melhor competir e ter sucesso em um mundo que cada vez mais esbarra nos limites naturais dos ecossistemas.

“As companhias que já utilizam a ESR têm sido capazes de descobrir novas estratégias rentáveis enquanto protegem e restauram os ecossistemas. Nosso objetivo é replicar esse sucesso no Brasil,” disse Marina Grossi, presidente do CEBDS (Conselho Empresarial Brasileiro para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável).

Um exemplo de uma companhia que registrou resultados positivos a partir do gerenciamento consciente dos escossistemas em que opera é a Mondi, maior companhia europeia de papel e celulose. A Mondi conduziu a ESR em três plantações de papel na África do Sul, em 2008. A ESR ressaltou estratégias que a companhia poderia implementar para aumentar o acesso à água doce, melhorando as bacias hidrográficas regionais, estreitando relações com a comunidade local e reduzindo custos operacionais.

Aproximadamente 300 empresas no mundo já implementaram a ESR, desde 2008. Conforme essa metodologia ganha força no Brasil, WRI, CEBDS e GVces promoverão assistência técnica e consultoria às empresas parceiras, com o objetivo de assegurar a qualidade e eficiência na aplicação da ESR.

Os parceiros também têm como objetivo criar uma rede de empresas ativas na gestão de serviços ecossistêmicos no Brasil, para comunicar resultados, contribuir com estudos de casos e intensificar as estratégias de sucesso. “Assim como a chegada do GHG Protocol há cinco anos, o lançamento da PESE hoje representa um passo adicional na gestão de serviços ecossistêmicos no ambiente empresarial brasileiro” explicou Mario Monzoni, coordenador do GVces.

O evento de lançamento da PESE aconteceu no dia 10 de maio de 2012, das 17h às 18h, no Jardim Botânico no Rio de Janeiro – RJ.

Para saber mais sobre a PESE, acesse o site http://insights.wri.org/pese

A realização da PESE é possibilitada pelo apoio generoso do povo norte-americano, por meio da Agência dos Estados Unidos para o Desenvolvimento Internacional (USAID). Seu conteúdo é de responsabilidade do WRI, GVces e CEBDS, e não reflete necessariamente a posição da USAID ou do Governo dos Estados Unidos.

Contact (in English)
World Resources Institute
James Anderson; Janderson@wri.org; +1 (202) 729 7600

Contato (em português)
GWA Comunicação Integrada
Kelly Souza; kelly.souza@gwacom.com; (11) 6620-2234

Contato (CEBDS)
In Press Porter Novelli
Tatiana Wolff; tatiana.wolff@inpresspni.com.br; (21) 3723-8095
Suzana Ribeiro; suzana.ribeiro@inpresspni.com.br; (21) 3723-8117

Corporate Leaders and NGOs Form New Partnership to Protect Ecosystems in Brazil

James Anderson — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:47:01 -0400

Read in English below OR Ver texto em Português

A group of leading companies and non-governmental organizations have embarked on a new partnership in Brazil today to incorporate ecosystem services into business strategies. The Parceria Empresarial pelos Serviços Ecossistêmicos (PESE), or Brazilian Business and Ecosystem Services Partnership, represents a major effort to demonstrate how biodiversity and ecosystem services can enhance corporate performance in Brazil, home of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) next month.

The goal is to develop strategies that align business performance to the sustainable management of ecosystems. Leading companies, such as Anglo American, Grupo André Maggi, PepsiCo, Vale, Votorantim and Wal-Mart, are among the first companies participating in this initiative. The partnership was organized by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), the Center for Sustainability Studies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (GVces), and the World Resources Institute, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“Industry relies on ecosystem services, such as food production, clean water, a stable climate, protection from natural hazards, and more,” explained Craig Hanson, Director of the People and Ecosystems Program at WRI. “PESE will empower Brazilian companies to manage business risks and opportunities arising from their dependence and impacts on ecosystem services.”

The partnership will drive new business solutions to ecosystem degradation largely through local application of the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR), the leading assessment methodology developed by WRI in cooperation with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Meridian Institute. By applying the ESR, corporate partners will develop strategies to better compete and succeed in a world that is pushing against natural limits.

“Using the ESR, companies have been able to uncover new profitable strategies while protecting and restoring ecosystems. Our goal is to replicate these successes in Brazil,” said Marina Grossi, President of CEBDS.

One example of a company that has already experienced positive results from managing the ecosystems in which it operates is Mondi, Europe’s largest paper and pulp company. In 2008, Mondi conducted an ESR in three of its paper plantations in South Africa. The ESR highlighted strategies the company could implement to increase access to freshwater while improving regional watershed health, strengthening its relationship with local communities, and reducing operational costs.

An estimated 300 companies have already implemented the ESR worldwide since 2008. As this method gains traction in Brazil, WRI, CEBDS, and GVces will provide technical assistance and advice to corporate partners in order to enhance the quality and efficiency of applying the ESR.

The partners also aim to create a network of companies active in the management of ecosystem services in Brazil, in order to communicate results, contribute new case studies, and scale up successful strategies.

“As with the arrival of the GHG Protocol five years ago, the launch of PESE today represents another step towards sustainability for Brazilian business,” explained Mario Monzoni GVces coordinator.

Editor’s Note:

The PESE launch event will take place on May 10, 2012, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm at the Botanical Garden in Rio de Janeiro.

For more information, visit: http://insights.wri.org/pese

PESE is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of WRI, GVces, and CEBDS and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Contact (in English)
World Resources Institute James Anderson; Janderson@wri.org; +1 (202) 729 7600

Contato (em português)
GWA Comunicação Integrada Kelly Souza; kelly.souza@gwacom.com; (11) 6620-2234

Contato (CEBDS)
In Press Porter Novelli
Tatiana Wolff; tatiana.wolff@inpresspni.com.br; (21) 3723-8095
Suzana Ribeiro; suzana.ribeiro@inpresspni.com.br; (21) 3723-8117

MEDIA ADVISORY: CTS-Brasil, Challenge Bibendum Unite Latin American Mayors to Advance Sustainable Urban Transport

Paul Mackie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:24:02 -0500

WHAT: The 2009 Sustainable Mobility Convention in Urban Renewal, hosted by the Center for Sustainable Transport in Brazil (CTS-Brasil), a member of the World Resources Institute’s EMBARQ Network, and Challenge Bibendum, an initiative sponsored by Michelin. The two-day event will gather mayors and transport officials from the 120 biggest cities in Latin America to discuss innovative initiatives for urban renewal and sustainable transport. For more info, go here.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 25 and Thursday, November 26, 2009

WHERE: Sofitel Rio de Janeiro Copacabana Av. Atlântica, 4240, Copacabana, 22070-002, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Phone: (+55) 21 25251232

WHO: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, will present at the Opening Ceremony, along with the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral, and the mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes. The Convention will also attract leaders like Jaime Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, who conceived and implemented the first bus rapid transit system in the world, and Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, who greatly improved mobility and accessibility in the capital.

WHY: Participants will discuss alternatives for a more equitable and sustainable use of road space, opportunities for integrating the use of private and public transportation, and best practices of non-motorized transport in the urban context.

RSVP: Rejane Fernandes, CTS-Brasil communications and institutional relations coordinator +55 (51) 3312-6324, rfernandes@ctsbrasil.org

Progress on Amazonian Deforestation and Land Reform

Kaleigh Robinson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:02:07 -0400

President Lula’s targeted vetoes to controversial but landmark legislation mark significant progress towards protecting the Amazon forest.

The bill considered by many to be Brazil’s most important environmental effort in years got a significant boost when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the measure while vetoing several of its most controversial measures.

Provisory Measure 458 will privatize 67.4 million hectares of public land—an area about the size of France—currently occupied illegally in the Brazilian Amazon. Under the new bill, those unlawfully occupying lands of up to 1,500 hectares could receive legal title to such property if they meet certain conditions, including having peacefully obtained the land and keeping it in productive use.

The original intent of the legislation was to sort out a murky, convoluted system of tenure, in which a mere 14% of land claims are estimated to be backed by legitimate title, with the rest supported by counterfeit documentation or simply right of settlement.

“Land regularisation is of fundamental importance for halting deforestation,” says Carlos Minc, Brazil’s current environment minister. As Brazil presently lacks the resources to prevent illegal logging on much of the publicly-owned land covered by the measure, supporters of the legislation argue that the bill will decrease deforestation because legally owned, titled land will be better managed than commonly owned areas, and because all private landholders must comply with another Brazilian law requiring them to maintain 80% of their land forested.

On the other hand, critics of the measure, some even dubbing it “the land grab bill,” contend that the government will be granting legal tenure to grilheiros, those who stole and now occupy land through unlawful and often violent means. With many parts of the region lying beyond the reach of legitimate law enforcement, it may very well be impossible to prove whether land was acquired peacefully or violently.

Lula’s veto

Environmentalists have praised President Lula for vetoing two especially controversial parts of the bill. The vetoes effectively prevent the transfer of public lands in the area to businesses and other legal entities, and prohibit the granting of titles to absentee landholders. Lula’s vetoes will help distinguish small family farms, which account for the majority of land occupation and economic activity in the region, from the big businesses and non-resident land grabbers. The latter two groups are frequently responsible for increased deforestation and resulting greenhouse gas emissions that become part of the estimated 72% of Brazil’s total emissions profile attributed to agricultural and forestry. Lula commented that he had exercised his veto to preserve the original objectives of the measure in the interest of the Brazilian public. “We want to be an example to the world in taking care of our own things,” he said.

Provisory Measure 458 still contains other highly controversial provisions—in particular, a clause that favors the sale of large land plots over small ones (which could lead to speculation), and another that could favor current land occupants over those previously granted titles. While many remain upset that Lula did not veto these and other controversial elements, the President’s action nonetheless demonstrates a federal government that is giving higher priority to environmental concerns than it was previously.

WRI Releases Guide to Help Extractive Companies Work with Local Communities

Paul Mackie — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:52:07 -0500

Natural-resources extractive companies are profiting financially and socially when they consult with affected communities before and during the construction of projects.

“Rio Tinto and De Beers, for example, have negotiated agreements with communities to avoid harm and provide benefits. In so doing, they have gained local support for projects, and communities have seized opportunities for development,” said Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute (WRI). “But more work needs to be done. Too often, the rhetoric in support of community engagement does not match the practice.”

The report, Breaking Ground: Engaging Communities in Extractive and Infrastructure Projects, takes an in-depth look at international community engagement standards and how they often fall short of providing guidance to companies and communities. The work follows WRI’s 2007 report, Development Without Conflict, and is designed as a user’s guide to help companies and local community liaisons implement successful standards on-the-ground.

“Many national laws and financial institutions’ policies require companies to implement some type of community engagement in extractive and infrastructure projects, but do not necessarily provide guidance on how to do so,” said Kirk Herbertson of WRI, lead author of the report. “When local communities participate in the design and implementation of a project, they are more likely to understand and support the changes brought about by the project.”

In one of the examples from the report, community engagement during the construction of a natural gas project in the Philippines saved a U.S. company millions by allowing the company to complete construction ahead of schedule. In another example, from Guatemala, a mining company helped rebuild its damaged reputation by inviting local communities to test and monitor water quality, as a way to provide credible assurances that a mine was not polluting their water source.

WRI’s accompanying video documentary on Thailand’s Mae Moh coal power project shows what happens when companies and governments refuse to engage the communities they develop. Hundreds of people filed a lawsuit against the government-controlled Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), alleging the coal mine and power plant poisoned them with toxic sulfur dioxide emissions and mine dust, and damaged their crops. On Tuesday of this week, which is officially the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Week, a Thai court ruled that EGAT must compensate each of the victims and restore the environmental damage of the coal mine.

Extractive industry experts said at the World Bank conference that they continue to recognize the importance of engaging communities in mining projects, despite the ongoing economic crisis.

WRI, EIA Form Partnership to Stem Illegal Forest Products Imported Into U.S.

Paul Mackie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:18:43 -0500

The World Resources Institute and the Environmental Investigation Agency today launch a partnership to combat illegal logging worldwide and clean up timber supply chains.

The partnership focuses on the 100-year old Lacey Act, which was recently amended to include plant products - including timber and wood.

“The Lacey Act, if enforced, has the potential to send a powerful signal around the world that the U.S. is serious about curtailing illegal logging. Increasingly, illegal logging and deforestation contribute to climate change,” said Jonathan Lash, president of WRI.

Signed into law by President William McKinley, the Lacey Act has been a powerful tool used by the U.S. to battle wildlife trafficking by prohibiting the transportation of illegally captured animals or wildlife products across state lines. The new amendment extends this protection to plants and their derivative products, including items ranging from lumber and wood furniture to paper and sporting goods.

“The bill marks the first time that a major consuming country has made the trade in illegally logged wood a crime. It provides a precedent-setting tool to change the face of a $1 trillion industry, reduce deforestation, and improve forestry governance,” said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director at EIA.

Proposed in 2007 by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), with co-sponsorship by President-elect Barack Obama, the bill received widespread backing from a broad coalition of environmental, industry, and labor groups, led by the EIA.

The WRI-EIA partnership will support the coalition by delivering objective and timely information to governments and the private sector to facilitate adherence to Lacey Act requirements. The Lacey Act allows the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute if a product is produced in violation of the relevant laws of the country of origin and is brought into the United States.

“The WRI-EIA partnership will provide companies and government officials with FAQ sheets, forest information reports, and procurement guides. These will help them ask important questions to ensure their producers and importers trade in legally-sourced products,” said Dr. Lars Laestadius, senior associate at WRI.

“The U.S. is the world’s largest market for forest products,” said David Bonistall, vice president, Environmental, Health & Safety at NewPage. “The Lacey Act is monumental in that it could domino into other countries and increase transparency within the global wood market, ultimately enhancing the reputation of forest products as a sustainable material.”

“The Lacey Act will protect the forest-products industry’s global reputation by helping eliminate illegal logging, which in some places is carried out by organized crime, spreading violence and deforestation in some developing countries,” added Cassie Phillips, vice president, Sustainable Forests and Products at Weyerhaeuser. “It will cost the global industry economically, but we will all gain in the longer term as illegally sourced wood is removed from the marketplace.”

WRI’s partnership with the EIA arrives at the right time. December 6 is the official “forest day” for delegates at the United Nations climate conference in Poland, where WRI and EIA will both be holding events about the links between deforestation and climate change. Also, the first public comment period on issues relating to implemetation of the Lacey Act, which went into effect on May 22, ends December 8.

When Development Causes Disease: Linking Ecosystems and Human Health

Richard Waite — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:05:40 -0400

Ecosystems provide a wealth of services to human populations, among them, disease regulation. But narrowly-focused development projects can threaten these ecosystems and put entire populations at risk. Here are three cases where development has compromised nature’s way of keeping us healthy.

Forty years ago, malaria was almost eradicated in Peru, and only 1,500 cases were reported. Today, however, the number has climbed to over 50,000. One activity being blamed for this rise is logging in the Amazon forest.

Why? Tree removal and new logging roads leave behind pools of standing water, and increased sunlight allowed by the destruction of forest canopy warms the pools, leading to algae growth. Tree removal also reduces water acidity in the pools. These three factors, all linked to deforestation, create the ideal growing environment for the Anopheles mosquito. This insect—the only genus which carries malaria—is then able to out-compete other “benign” mosquitoes, and malaria rates rise.

Development projects—intended to increase people’s well-being—can do just the opposite when they don’t consider the ecosystem services they affect. For example, the Diama Dam in Senegal was built to facilitate irrigation of rice fields, and its construction did help double the region’s rice production. However, the dam also brought snail fever to the region, and certain villages experienced infection rates of 60% in less than three years.

Again, we follow the chain: the dam blocked the intrusion of salt water into the Senegal River, allowing freshwater snails to out-compete the native saltwater snails. These freshwater snails act as hosts for schistosomes—small larvae that burrow into human skin and cause snail fever. As the freshwater snail population grew, so did the disease rate. As in Peru, the “benign” species—in this case the saltwater snail—was overwhelmed by the disease carrier.

These trends are not limited to developing countries. A 2003 study by Rutgers University, Bard College and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies showed suburban sprawl in the eastern U.S. may contribute to higher incidences of Lyme disease. Humans get Lyme disease from black-legged tick bites, and the ticks live in the fur of white-footed mice. As suburbs expand further and fragment surrounding forests, predator populations decrease, and mice multiply—and so do the ticks.

Such cases are not isolated. Every environment provides many ecosystem services, some of which—in these cases disease mitigation—are often ignored. While it is complex to try to predict what will happen to an ecosystem when we interact with it, we do need to learn from past examples in order to ensure that our health and nature’s health can continue to coexist.

These case studies were adapted from a new book, Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, edited by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, Chapter 7. This book contains numerous examples linking ecosystem services with human health.

New Toolbox Demystifies Green Forest Product Purchasing

Paul Mackie — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:38 -0400

Corporate managers will now get powerful help with today’s release of a “Guide to the Guides” - a toolbox that helps them understand and find the best advice on how to purchase products originating from the world’s forests.

Countless resources have been developed to help businesses sustainably procure forest-based products such as construction materials and paper. This proliferation is confusing many buyers.

Now a representative number of these resources have been referenced in an easy-to-use toolbox - which includes a full report that details the top 10 questions that corporate managers should ask when purchasing forest-based products and references to resources for help, a shorter overview report, and a Web site with a spreadsheet tool - released by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Top 10 Elements of Forest Sustainable Purchases

“Finding credible purchasing information around the complexity of the issues - including forestry, climate change, energy, and manufacturing - has always been a maze,” said David J. Refkin, director of sustainable development at Time Inc., who participated in a launch event here today at the National Press Club. “This is a virtual Rolodex of the issues and resources out there.”

The Guide to the Guides will help sustainability managers to define and implement purchasing policies for the entire range of forest-based products, from wood products like construction materials and furniture to paper products like packaging, tissue paper, and countless other products. It details topics such as forest certification, legality, environmental-friendliness, social impacts, and recycled-content percentages, and directs managers to advice on tracing their supply chains, implementing monitoring processes, and many other issues.

“Corporate managers are taking a close look at what they buy because of consumer preference for sustainable products, competitiveness, production costs, and the prestige of having a green brand,”; said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. “We want to help them make smart choices - both for the bottom line and to benefit the environment, particularly in addressing climate change.”

Cassie Phillips, vice president of sustainable forests and products at Weyerhaeuser Company, thinks the environmental benefits match the business payoffs. “Finally having a more complete picture of the landscape will make it easier for buyers to design purchasing policies that fight illegal logging, promote sustainable forest management, and protect the environment.”

Björn Stigson, president of the WBCSD, added, “The idea is that simplified information, supported by specific advice on where to go for the details, can make decisions less complex for procurement managers and help ensure their purchasing supports both sustainability goals and corporate reputation.”

The World Wide Fund for Nature - International, for example, focuses on leveraging the global marketplace to help save the world’s valuable and threatened forests by combating illegal logging and promoting responsible trade between producers and purchasers. It also produced a popular “paper scorecard.” Bruce Cabarle, head of the WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network, said, “WRI and WBCSD have provided a useful toolbox that compliments WWF’s efforts to promote trade based on a stepwise approach to credible certification.”

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 28,000 square miles of forest - the approximate size of Ireland - were converted to other land uses each year between 2000 and 2005. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that 54 countries have lost 90 percent or more of their forest cover.

Encouragingly, forest area in Europe, North America, and China has been growing in the past decade due to reforestation initiatives. However, rapid forest loss continues in the tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia, where socio-economic and political problems present formidable challenges to forest conservation and sustainable management.

The new toolbox is located here and further information is available here and here.

The 10 Big Questions For Corporate Forest Product Purchasing

Ruth Nogueron — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:38 -0400

Corporate procurement managers are increasingly looking for ways to ensure that wood and paper-based products are environmentally and socially sound. The WRI/WBCSD procurement guide being released today is a toolbox to help them.

There are several reasons for the shift in procurement practices, including protection of sensitive ecosystems and forests, increasing demand from consumers for sustainable products, reduced costs, and competitive brand positioning. But until recently, finding concise and credible advice on sustainable procurement issues has been a maze for many corporate managers.

That maze becomes a lot simpler today, with the release of the Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-Based Products, a joint report from WRI and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The report is an overview of sustainable procurement for this sector, together with a virtual rolodex of 23 purchasing resources and tools, all in one location.

10 Things You Should Know

10 Elements of Sustainable Forest Purchases

What are the key issues around sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products? The Procurement Guide provides a comprehensive overview, and a directory of resources for managers to develop their own purchasing policies.

Origin: Where do the products come from?
Information accuracy: Is information about the products credible?
Legality: Have the products been legally produced?
Sustainability: Have forests been sustainably managed?
Special places: Have special places, including sensitive ecosystems, been protected?
Climate change: Have climate issues been addressed?
Environmental protection: Have appropriate environmental controls been applied?
Recycled fiber: Has recycled fiber been used appropriately?
Other resources: Have other resources been used appropriately?
Local communities and indigenous peoples: Have the needs of local communities or indigenous peoples been addressed?

Coastal Populations Losing Livelihoods to Polluted Waters

Paul Mackie — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:18:05 -0400

Coastal communities worldwide are witnessing their livelihoods choked by agricultural and industrial pollution, according to findings released today by the World Resources Institute.

Eutrophic Zones Worldwide”A significant portion of the world’s population - nearly half of which lives within 40 miles of a coast - is vulnerable to harmfully over-enriched ecosystems,” said Mindy Selman, senior associate at WRI and lead author of WRI’s findings.

Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus has emerged as one of the leading causes of degraded water quality. WRI identified 415 over-enriched - or “eutrophic” - coastal areas throughout the world. Of these, 169 are depleted of oxygen, creating “dead zones” that are unable to support marine life. Another 233 of the systems identified are experiencing one or more symptoms of eutrophication, including toxic algal blooms, loss of biodiversity, and die-off of coral reefs. Only 13 of the coastal areas identified exhibit signs of recovery.

Some of the coastal areas studied include the Chesapeake Bay, Baltic Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Tampa Bay. Seventy-eight percent of the assessed continental U.S. coastal area and 65 percent of Europe’s Atlantic coast are eutrophic.

“There is a dramatic growth in areas receiving nitrogen and phosphorus created by agriculture, sewage, industry, and fossil fuel combustion,” said Robert Diaz, a co-author of the findings and professor of marine science at the College of William and Mary.

Over the past 50 years, human activities have caused a doubling of nitrogen pollution and a tripling of phosphorus pollution in coastal areas. By comparison, human activities have increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide - the gas primarily responsible for global warming - by 32 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Age.

The most severe form of oxygen depletion in coastal areas has escalated dramatically over the past 50 years, increasing from about 10 documented cases in 1960 to 44 in 1995 to at least 169 today.

The sources of pollution vary by region. In the United States and Europe, agricultural sources such as animal manure and commercial fertilizers are typically the main causes of eutrophication. Sewage and industrial discharges, which usually receive some treatment, are a secondary source. However, elsewhere in the world, wastewater from sewage and industry is often untreated and a primary contributor to eutrophication. Only 35 percent of wastewater in Asia is treated, 14 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and less than 1 percent in Africa.

The full findings appear in Eutrophication and Hypoxia in Coastal Areas: A Global Assessment of the State of Knowledge.

“The number of degraded coastal areas around the world is sure to be a much greater problem than even our study of 415 areas suggests,” Selman said. “Many countries will need to take initial steps in monitoring their water and eventually reducing pollution through smart policies.”

Wood and Paper-Based Product Procurement: 10 Things You Should Know

Paul Mackie — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:31:28 -0400

Leading Companies Responding to Ecosystem Degradation

Paul Mackie — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:35:37 -0400

Corporate Ecosystem Services Review road-tested by Akzo Nobel,

BC Hydro, Mondi, Rio Tinto, and Syngenta

Global warming may dominate headlines today. Ecosystem degradation will do so tomorrow.

To prepare businesses for this new landscape, three organizations today launched a set of guidelines designed to help companies proactively develop strategies to manage risks and opportunities arising from ecosystem degradation.

The guidelines, called the “Corporate Ecosystem Services Review,” were developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with the Meridian Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Five WBCSD members - Akzo Nobel, BC Hydro, Mondi, Rio Tinto, and Syngenta - “road-tested” the methodology and provided input to its design.

“The world’s forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems are under tremendous pressure due to climate change, land conversion, and many other factors,” said Jonathan Lash, president, WRI. “As ecosystems degrade, companies will face operational, regulatory, and reputational risks while those that offer solutions may find new business opportunities and new sources of revenue.”

Ecosystems provide companies with a wide variety of benefits or services including freshwater, wood, pollination, climate regulation, and protection from natural hazards, to name a few.

“Ecosystem services are often unacknowledged, yet they underpin many corporate activities,” said John Ehrmann, managing partner of the Meridian Institute. “I am pleased with the feedback from company managers who are finding the guidelines helpful for developing strategies that improve both corporate performance and ecosystem stewardship.”

The road-testers found that the guidelines can provide a number of other benefits as well. They can help companies anticipate new markets and government policies that may emerge in response to ecosystem degradation. They can strengthen corporate environmental impact assessments by adding considerations traditional methods may overlook. They also can help companies better manage conflicts over resources, identifying options for better trade-offs between ecosystem services.

“The methodology helped us identify and rank emerging problems, and provided us with a framework for turning risks into opportunities,” said Peter Gardiner, natural resources manager at Mondi, a leading international paper and packaging manufacturer.

Mondi’s newfound strategies include a number of operational changes that will increase the company’s efficiency in using freshwater, a scarce ecosystem service, and lead to new markets for the company’s byproducts.

“The Corporate Ecosystem Review helped us to better understand how a number of emerging environmental changes are likely to affect our business and how our company might best position itself to respond to these changes,” said Steve Hunt, senior vice president, Asia-Pacific, Eka Chemicals, a division of chemical giant Akzo Nobel.

Some road-testers, such as Mondi and BC Hydro, used the guidelines to gain insight into the direct implications that ecosystem trends pose for them. Other road-testers, such as Akzo Nobel and Syngenta, applied the methodology to understand the risks faced by a segment of their customers due to ecosystem degradation and, in turn, discovered opportunities for new products or services that address these risks. The guidelines profile these and other road-test experiences.

“We’re going to be hearing a lot about the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review. A couple dozen more WBCSD members are already taking it up this year,” said Björn Stigson, president of the WBCSD. “Leading companies realize that they need to be prepared for the business challenges posed by ecosystem decline.”

The guidelines were launched at WBCSD’s annual conference of delegates in Switzerland. For a copy of The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, visit http://www.wri.org/ecosystems/esr.

The Governance of Forests Initiative

admin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:53:51 -0400

The Governance of Forests Initiative (GFI) is a global network of civil society organizations from Brazil, Indonesia, Cameroon, and the United States. We work to promote policies and practices that strengthen forest governance, in order to support sustainable forest management and improved local livelihoods. We carry out evidence-based assessments of forest governance and engage decision-makers at all levels to advance reforms.

Why does forest governance matter?

Download GFI Brochure

Forest governance refers to how decisions are made about the management and use of forest lands and resources. These decisions are shaped and influenced by a complicated web of actors, rules, and practices both within and beyond the forest sector. Poor forest governance is often characterized by low levels of transparency, accountability, and public participation in decision-making, as well as weak coordination across different sectors and levels of government. It contributes to problems such as unplanned forest conversion, conflict over forest resources, illegal logging, and corruption. These underlying governance challenges remain a persistent obstacle to achieving sustainable and equitable management of forests in many countries.

GFI attempts to address these challenges and strengthen forest governance by:

Diagnosing governance problems by using the GFI Framework of Indicators to generate detailed evidence about the strengths and weaknesses of forest governance in a given country.
Engaging government, the private sector, and local forest stakeholders to develop and implement policies and measures that will strengthen forest governance from the local to the national level.

GFI’s Work

GFI’s network of civil society partners in Brazil, Cameroon, Indonesia, and the United States are using the GFI Framework of Indicators to improve forest governance through a three step process: (1) carrying out evidence-based assessments of forest governance, (2) developing practical solutions to identified governance challenges, and (3) engaging in constructive dialogues with governments and other forest stakeholders to advance governance reforms. Our specific research priorities and engagement strategies vary between regions and countries.

In particular, the GFI network works to influence the development of international and domestic initiatives to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhance forest carbon stocks in developing countries (collectively known as REDD+). GFI partners seek to ensure that the political momentum and financial resources generated by REDD+ encourage and support improvements in forest governance. We develop research and analysis to inform international and domestic policy-makers, donor institutions, and other stakeholders of the critical role of forest governance in developing robust REDD+ institutions and addressing the drivers of deforestation.

GFI’s current work on forest governance and REDD+ includes:

Tracking how emerging REDD+ country strategies are addressing forest governance challenges
Exploring options for using governance indicators to monitor implementation of REDD+ programs
Developing recommendations on how to design information systems for REDD+ safeguards.

The GFI Framework of Indicators

The GFI Framework of Indicators provides a systematic and evidence-based research methodology for comprehensively assessing forest governance. The indicators are framed as diagnostic questions that examine the rules, actors, and practices that shape decisions over forests from the local to the national level. The indicators address four thematic areas:

Tenure of Forest Land and Resources
Coordination of Land Use
Forest Institutions and Decision-Making
Forest Management and Law Enforcement

The GFI indicators evaluate forest governance against a set of ideal benchmarks and best practices that define good governance of forests. The indicators and research methodology are flexible and can be adapted to different country contexts. The information and evidence generated through a GFI assessment can be used for a variety of purposes, including advocacy, policy design, monitoring and reporting, and program evaluation.

Complete GFI assessments have been carried out in Brazil, Indonesia, and Cameroon, and GFI coalitions are using the results to develop country-specific strategies tailored to their priorities. For example:

The GFI Brazil coalition developed additional indicators to carry out a detailed governance assessment of four state-level environmental funds that may be used in the future to channel REDD+ financing.
The GFI Indonesia coalition launched a multi-stakeholder process including government, civil society and academic representatives to adapt the global GFI indicators to the specific context of forests and governance in Indonesia. The GFI Indonesia Indicators are being used to conduct local capacity-building and research in two provinces.

Forest Landscapes Initiative

Richard Waite — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:53:48 -0400

Our strategy is to harness the power of information and communication technologies (e.g., satellites) to strengthen the incentives and capacity for sustainable forest management.

We partner with in-country organizations in four forest-rich regions of the world: Central Africa, Southeast Asia, Russia, and South America. We also monitor tree cover change and intact forest landscapes at the global level.

State of the World’s Forests (Click map to view larger size)

Our activities:

Monitor and map forests—support national efforts to create, review and make public geo-spatial forest information and produce map-based tools for decision making.
Provide training and technical assistance to governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations in the production and use of maps and information.
Build bridges among business, government, and civil society institutions to share information and promote collaborative problem solving.
Support sustainable procurement of forest products—provide purchasers with reliable, impartial, and easy-to-understand advice.
Support emerging forest/climate policies and incentives (e.g. REDD)—develop methods for measuring and monitoring changes in forest cover and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Assess forestry revenue distribution—examine how revenue from forest exploitation is distributed, so that forest-dependent communities receive their fair share.
Work at both ends of the forest products supply chain— The Forest Legality Alliance supports the Lacey Act amendment in the US, and similar legislation in the EU, by helping forest product producers and importers more effectively identify and avoid illegally sourced wood products.
Pilot test transformational investment strategies—Project POTICO (Palm Oil, Timber, and Carbon Offsets) is designed to divert new oil palm plantations onto degraded lands in Indonesia to curb deforestation.

Also check out our Interactive Maps and Data Explorer.