Our Unknown Earth

Scientists have named, catalogued, and described less than 2 million species in the past two and a half centuries, yet, according to an new innovative analysis, we are nowhere near even a basic understanding of the diversity of life on this small blue planet. The study from PLoS Biology, which is likely to be controversial, predicts that there are 8.7 million species in the world, though the number could be as low as 7.4 or as high as 10 million. The research implies that about 86 percent of the world's species have still yet to be described.

The question of how many species exist has intrigued scientists for centuries and the answer, coupled with research by others into species' distribution and abundance, is particularly important now because a host of human activities and influences are accelerating the rate of extinctions," said lead author Camilo Mora of the University of Hawaii and Dalhousie University in a recent press release.  

Estimates for life on Earth have varied widely, jumping from 3 million in total to 100 million, but the authors of the paper argue theirs is the most accurate estimate to date. "We discovered that, using numbers from the higher taxonomic groups, we can predict the number of species. The approach accurately predicted the number of species in several well-studied groups such as mammals, fish and birds, providing confidence in the method," says co-author Dr. Sina Adl at Dalhousie University. The team came up with the estimate by analysing the 1.2 million species listed in the Catalogue of Life and the World Register of Marine Species.

According to the paper, 91 percent of ocean species remain undiscovered, while 93 percent of fungi are unknown. "We have only begun to uncover the tremendous variety of life around us," says co-author Alastair Simpson, also with Dalhousie. "The richest environments for prospecting new species are thought to be coral reefs, seafloor mud and moist tropical soils. But smaller life forms are not well known anywhere. Some unknown species are living in our own backyards—literally."

Less is even known about the threats to species in what scientists say is an age of mass extinction. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which evaluates the threat-level to species, has to date analyzed just over 59,000 species, or 0.6 percent of the world's species according to the new estimate.  

"Many species may vanish before we even know of their existence, of their unique niche and function in ecosystems, and of their potential contribution to improved human well-being," Mora said, adding that given this, " I believe speeding the inventory of Earth's species merits high scientific and societal priority. Renewed interest in further exploration and taxonomy could allow us to fully answer this most basic question: what lives on Earth?"

Source: Mongabay

The Ministry of Deforestation

Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry is continuing to undermine the country's ambitious forest protection program in favor of industrial forestry interests, reports Reuters.

David Fogarty of Reuters investigated the the Rimba Raya REDD project, which aims to conserve 90,000 hectares of peat forest in Central Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo. Despite winning initial approval from official in Jakarta, the project was last year halved by the Ministry of Forestry, undercutting its viability. Instead, the Ministry of Forestry granted thousands of hectares of deep peat to PT Best, an oil palm company. The concession not only breaks Indonesian law — which prohibits conversion of peatlands deeper than 3 meters — but sends a dangerous signal to other backers of some 40 REDD projects across Indonesia and raises questions of governance. The Ministry of Forestry's action also puts it at odds with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has publicly backed Indonesia's REDD program.

"Internal forestry ministry documents that Reuters obtained show how the ministry reversed its support for the project after a new minister came in, and a large chunk of the project's land was turned over to a palm oil firm," wrote Fogarty. "The case illustrates how growing demand for land, bureaucratic hurdles and powerful vested interests are major obstacles to conservation projects in Indonesia and elsewhere in the developing world."

This news comes just a month and a half after the release of "The Toothless Moratorium" by Greenomics Indonesia. This report claims that a new decree from the Ministry of Forestry has converted 81,490 hectares of forest protected under the moratorium into logging areas. The area affected is larger than Singapore.

"The 81,000 hectares were marked on the Indicative Moratorium Map as primary forest but the new decree changes the function to production forest," Elfian Efffendi, Greenomics Indonesia Director, told mongabay.com. The areas affected includes the national parks of Tanjung Puting and Sebangau.

"Changing the function from conservation areas and protection forests to production forest means that it will be logged legally," he said. "Once logged, any primary forest will become secondary forest, and then can be potentially converted to plantation."

However most of the affected area is already planted with oil palm or granted for logging, indicating that the initial map that underpins the moratorium has inaccuracies. The changes by the Ministry of Forestry may thus reflect realities on the ground, rather than a direct effort to undermine the moratorium. Only a small proportion of the affected area is actually primary forest, despite what the moratorium map says.
 
The Ministry of Forestry and interests in the palm oil, logging, and pulp and paper fought successfully during the first half of 2011 to greatly limit the area of land included in the moratorium. Civil society groups had called for inclusion of all forests under the moratorium, but the final presidential instruction that defines the moratorium includes only primary forests and peatlands. The moratorium contains large loopholes for energy development and mining (surprise, surprise).

Back in July 2010, U.S. investor Todd Lemons and Russian energy giant Gazprom believed they were just weeks from winning final approval for a landmark forest preservation project in Indonesia. A year later, the project is close to collapse, a casualty of labyrinthine Indonesian bureaucracy, opaque laws and a secretive palm oil company. The Rimba Raya project, on the island of Borneo, is part of a United Nations-backed scheme designed to reward poorer nations that protect their carbon-rich jungles. Deep peat in some of Indonesia's rainforests stores billions of tonnes of carbon so preserving those forests is regarded as crucial in the fight against climate change. 

By putting a value on the carbon, the 90,000-hectare (225,000 acre) project would help prove that investors can turn a profit from the world's jungles in ways that do not involve cutting them down. After three years of work, more than $2 million (1 million pounds) in development costs, and what seemed like the green light from Jakarta, the project is proof that saving the world's tropical rainforests will be far more complicated than simply setting up a framework to allow market forces to function.
 
A Reuters investigation into the case also shows the forestry ministry is highly sceptical about a market for forest carbon credits, placing it at odds with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who supports pay-and-preserve investments to fight climate change. Hong Kong-based Lemons, 47, a veteran of environmentally sustainable, and profitable, projects, discovered just how frustrating the ministry can be to projects such as his. "Success was literally two months around the corner," he said. "We went through -- if there are 12 steps, we went through the first 11 on time over a 2-year period. We had some glitches, but by and large we went through the rather lengthy and complicated process in the time expected."
 
That's when the forestry ministry decided to slash the project's area in half, making it unviable, and handing a large chunk of forested deep peatland to a palm oil company for development. The case is a stark reminder to Norway's government, the world's top donor to projects to protect tropical forests, on just how tough it will be to preserve Indonesia's rainforests under its $1 billion climate deal with Jakarta.

The dispute has turned a spotlight on Indonesia's forestry ministry, which earns $15 billion a year in land permit fees from investors. Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said last month it will investigate the granting of forest permits and plans to crack down on corruption in the resources sector. "It's a source of unlimited corruption," said Chandra M. Hamzah, deputy chairman at the KPK. Indonesia Corruption Watch, a private watchdog, says illegal logging and violations in issuing forest use permits are rampant. It estimates ill-gotten gains total about 20 trillion rupiah ($2.3 billion) each year.

A forest ministry official connected with the U.N.-backed forest carbon offset scheme was sentenced in April to three years in prison for accepting a $10,000 bribe to ensure an Indonesian company won a procurement tender. Wandojo Siswanto was one of the negotiators for Indonesia's delegation at the 2009 U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen, despite being a bribery suspect. His case has highlighted concerns about the capacity of the forestry ministry to manage forest-carbon projects.  

The forestry sector has a long history of mismanagement and graft. Former trade and industry minister Bob Hasan, a timber czar during the Suharto years, was fined 50 billion rupiah ($7 million) for ordering the burning of forests in Sumatra and then imprisoned in a separate case of forestry fraud after Suharto was toppled from power in 1998.

In an interview in Jakarta, senior forestry ministry officials denied any wrongdoing in the Rimba Raya case and criticised the project's backers for a deal they made with Russia's Gazprom, the world's largest gas producer, to market the project's carbon credits. Internal forestry ministry documents that Reuters obtained show how the ministry reversed its support for the project after a new minister came in, and a large chunk of the project's land was turned over to a palm oil firm.

The case illustrates how growing demand for land, bureaucratic hurdles and powerful vested interests are major obstacles to conservation projects in Indonesia and elsewhere in the developing world. That makes it hard for these projects to compete and navigate through multiple layers of government with the potential for interference and delay. "We have systematically not been able to demonstrate that we can complete the loop to turn projects into dollar investments," said Andrew Wardell, program director, forests and governance, at the Centre for International Forestry Research in Indonesia. "Which is why the palm oil industry is winning hands down every time."

The Rimba Raya project was meant to save a large area of carbon-rich peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan province and showcase Jakarta's efforts to fight climate change. Much of the area is dense forest that lies atop oozy black peat flooded by tea-coloured water. Dozens of threatened or endangered species such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys, otter civets and Borneo bay cats live in the area, which is adjacent to a national park.

Rimba Raya was designed to be part of the U.N's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) program. The idea is simple: every tonne of carbon locked away in the peat and soaked up by the trees would earn a steady flow of carbon credits. Profit from the sale of those credits would go to project investors and partners, local communities and the Indonesian government. That would allow the project to pay its way and compete with palm oil farmers and loggers who might otherwise destroy it. Rich countries and big companies can buy the credits to offset their emissions.

By preserving a large area of peat swamp forest, Rimba Raya was projected to cut carbon emissions by nearly 100 million tonnes over its 30-year life, which would translate into total saleable credits of about $500 million, Gazprom says. It would also be a sanctuary for orphaned or rehabilitated orangutans from elsewhere in Borneo. Rimba Raya teamed up with the founder of Orangutan Foundation International, Birute Mary Galdikas, in which OFI would receive a steady income from annual carbon credit sales.

It was the sort of project President Yudhoyono and Norway have pledged to support. Yudhoyono has put forests -- Indonesia is home to the world's third-largest forest lands -- at the centre of a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26 percent by 2020. He tasked a senior adviser to press for reforms to make REDD projects easier and for greater transparency at the forestry ministry. Rimba Raya was poised for success. It got backing from the Clinton Foundation's Climate Initiative, which helped pay for some of the early costs. Gazprom invested more than $1 million. It was the first in the world to meet stringent REDD project rules under the Washington-based Voluntary Carbon Standard, an industry-respected body that issues carbon credits. Rimba Raya was also the first to earn a triple-gold rating under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance, a separate verifier.

Companies including German insurer Allianz and Japanese telecoms giant NTT pledged to buy credits from the project if it gets its licence. In December 2009, the forestry ministry tentatively named the now Indonesian-registered company PT Rimba Raya Conservation the licence holder for nearly 90,000 ha, contingent on it passing an environmental impact assessment. It did so a few months later. The ownership of PT Rimba Raya Conservation is split 70 percent foreign and 30 percent Indonesian, with Lemons and business partner Jim Procanik holding small stakes.

Lemons is CEO of Hong Kong-based firm InfiniteEARTH, which is the developer and manager of the Rimba Raya project as well as investment fund-raiser. Procanik, 44, is the managing director. In June last year, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan asked for a map that would set the final boundary of the project, according to a copy of the instruction seen by Reuters. This mandatory step normally takes a few weeks. Once the map is issued, a project is eligible for a licence to operate. But by September last year it was clear something was wrong, according to Lemons. Despite repeated promises by ministry officials, the final map had not been issued. No explanations were given. "No one has ever said, 'No'. So that's exhausting," said Lemons.  

What followed instead was a series of steps by the forestry ministry that have resulted in the project being undermined. A ministry review focussed on conflicting claims to the land by several companies belonging to palm oil firm, PT Best Group. PT Best, which is run by Indonesian brothers Winarto and Winarno Tjajadi, had long coveted the peat land within the area the forestry ministry set aside for the Rimba Raya project. On December 31, 2010, PT Best was granted 6,500 ha of peat swamp land for palm oil development, next to a smaller parcel of deep peat land granted a year earlier -- part of PT Best's broader plan to connect its palm oil plantations in the north with a port on the coast nearby. The land granted last December was part of the original area set aside for Rimba Raya.

The Tjajadi brothers have so far refused to speak to the press about any of these issues. The December allocation to PT Best came despite assurances from Forestry Minister Hasan that he would not allow deep peatlands to be converted for agriculture. The allocation also came a day before a two-year moratorium on issuing licences to clear primary forests and peat lands was due to start on January 1 this year. The moratorium is a key part of the climate deal with Norway.

After months of delay, the forestry ministry finally ruled that PT Rimba Raya was only eligible for 46,000 ha, a decision that cut out much of the peatlands covering nearly half the original project area.

The case has now been brought before the office of the Indonesian government's Ombudsman. In an interview, senior Ombudsman Dominikus Fernandes told Reuters he believed the forestry ministry should issue the licence to Rimba Raya. "If Rimba Raya has already fulfilled the criteria, there should not be a delay in issuing the licence," he said. "This is a model project in Indonesia that should be prioritized. If we don't give an example on the assurance of investing in Indonesia, that's not a good thing." Officials from the forestry ministry, in a lengthy interview with Reuters, said the area was given legally for palm oil development because PT Best had claims to the land dating back to 2005.   

Secretary-General of the ministry Hadi Daryanto stressed the peatland areas originally granted to Rimba Raya were on a type of forest called convertible production forest, which can be used for agriculture but not REDD projects. Handing that nearly 40,000 ha to Rimba Raya would be against the law, he said. Yet in 2009, the ministry was ordered to make the title switch for this same area of peatland so it could be used for a REDD project. The instruction to immediately make the switch, a bureaucratic formality, was never acted on. In the Oct 2009 decree seen by Reuters, former Forestry Minister H.M.S. Kaban issued the order as part of a broader instruction setting aside the nearly 90,000 ha for ecosystem restoration projects. Kaban left office soon after.

Indonesian law also bans any clearing of peat lands more than 3 metres deep. An assessment of the Rimba Raya area by a peat expert hired by InfiniteEARTH showed the peat is 3 to 7 metres deep, so in theory was out of bounds for PT Best to clear for agriculture. For Lemons, 47, the mood has switched from exhilaration to bitter disappointment. "We've been here every day pushing like hell from every angle," he said. Procanik says the disappointment is personal. "Todd and I have both invested what savings we had for our kids' college education in this project," he said. Gazprom is also upset.

In a letter dated June 16 to the Indonesian government, the Russian firm criticised the ministry's failure to issue the licence for Rimba Raya and threatened to abandon clean-energy projects in Indonesia estimated to be worth more than $100 million in foreign investment. The government has yet to respond.

Secretary-General Daryanto and Iman Santoso, Director-General for forestry business management, said another major problem was InfiniteEARTH's deal with Gazprom, which was made in the absence of any licence. "We didn't know about the contract with Gazprom. They had no legal right to make the contract," Daryanto told Reuters. Santoso described it as the project's "fatal mistake." Daryanto also questioned whether REDD would ever work and whether there was any global appetite for carbon credits the program generates, a view at odds with other parts of the Indonesian government, which has been actively supporting REDD projects.  

"Who will pay for the dream of Rimba Raya? Who will pay? Nobody, sir!" Daryanto told Reuters during an interview in the heavily forested ministry compound near central Jakarta. Lemons said the Gazprom deal was explained in person during a presentation of a 300-page technical proposal submitted to the ministry to prove the project would be financially viable. Daryanto was among a ministry panel that approved the proposal. "One of their biggest concerns was whether REDD could deliver the same revenues to the state as other land-use permits such as palm oil, logging, mining. We were required to show contracts that demonstrated we could pay the fees and annual royalties," he said.

Gazprom, designated as the sole marketer of carbon credits from Rimba Raya, said it had already agreed long-term sales contracts with buyers at between 7 and 8 euros ($10 to $11.40) per tonne -- contingent on the licence being issued. "We've sold to four or five companies around that price," said Dan Barry, Gazprom Marketing & Trading's London-based global director of clean energy. Gazprom became involved, he said, because it was a project that looked to have official support. The Russian company agreed to a financing mechanism that ensured the project's viability for 30 years, regardless of the price level of carbon markets.

Those markets, centred on the European and U.N. carbon trading programs, were valued at $142 billion in 2010, the World Bank says. National carbon trading schemes are planned for Australia and South Korea, while California is planning a state-based scheme from 2013. New Zealand's carbon market started in 2008. "If you ever want a successful REDD scheme, you are going to have to have a process that people believe in," Barry said. "The Ministry of Forestry ought to be doing everything it can to support a program that benefits forestry as opposed to favour a program that's there to cut it down and turn it into palm oil." 

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the head of the REDD task force in Indonesia who is also in charge of the president's government reforms unit, said the Rimba Raya case highlighted deep flaws in the bureaucracy and the need for sweeping reforms to underpin the 40 other REDD projects in Indonesia. "The core concern is the trust in government statements of readiness, and responsibility," he told Reuters in an email. "Even with the best of intentions, the unsynchronous action of the central government's ministry and the district government's action is not conducive for investment, especially in this new kind of venture. "I can surmise that the case of Rimba Raya is a case of a business idea that is ahead of its time. The government infrastructure is insufficiently ready for it." Legal action was one solution to this case, he added.

That is a path Lemons and Procanik may eventually take but for now they have proposed a land swap deal with PT Best in which the firm gives PT Rimba Raya 9,000 ha of peat land in return for a similar sized piece of non-peat land held by PT Rimba Raya in the north of the project near other PT Best landholdings. PT Best rejected an earlier offer by Rimba Raya of 9 percent of the credits from the project, Lemons said. Based on recent satellite images, PT Best has yet to develop the disputed 9,000 ha area. The delays mean it is too late for Rimba Raya to become the world's first project to issue REDD credits. That accolade has since gone to a Kenyan project. "Our whole point here is to show host countries that REDD can pay its way," said Lemons. "And if it can't pay its way then we haven't proven anything."

Source: Mongabay.com, Reuters

'Fanged Frogs' Discovered on Sulawesi

Boasting "crazy" evolutionary adaptations, a new group of so-called fanged frogs—cousins of this Luzon fanged frog (file picture)—has been discovered on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, according to biologist Ben Evans. 

During a recent expedition, thirteen new "fanged" species were seen on Sulawesi for the first time, nine of them new to science, according to a new study led by Evans, a biologist at McMaster University in Canada. 

The "fangs" aren't teeth but bony jaw protrusions—some of which aren't visible past the gumline, said Evans, whose study was published in the August issue of the journal The American Naturalist. Scientists have yet to discover the fangs' purpose, but one possibility is that the frogs use the spikes to help capture food in fast-moving water. The frogs with the largest fangs seem to prey on fish or tadpoles.

An as yet unnamed new fanged-frog species on Sulawesi watches over eggs containing tiny tadpoles. When Sulawesi fanged frogs first arrived on the island millions of years ago, each species evolved similar adaptations—such as guarding eggs laid on leaves. 

"We're seeing repeated incidences of the same adaptation [that] evolved independently," Evans said. "People think with evolution you could run the 'experiment' again and get a different result." The fanged frogs' evolution seems to suggest otherwise.

This frog, so far known only as Limnonectes species T, is one of the nine new fanged frogs discovered on Sulawesi. Unlike on the nearby Philippines, where fanged frogs compete for resources with other frogs, Sulawesi's fanged frogs have no competition. As a result, the Sulawesi amphibians have evolved to fill many evolutionary roles, Evans said.

What's surprising about these frogs is they are so closely related but so morphologically variable"—or physically different, Evans said. For instance, Sulawesi's fanged frogs all share a common ancestor that lived just 15 million years ago, yet they've rapidly diversified in a "striking" way, he said.

Another possible explanation for the frogs' fangs (pictured, Limnonectes species T) is that they're for fighting: Males use the spikes in territorial battles over roosting sites or females.

Luckily, the frogs "certainly do not bite you" with their fangs, Evans said—and the protrusions don't have any venom in them.

A fast-moving river is a typical habitat for the large fanged frogs on Sulawesi. The larger frogs tend to have webbed feet and bigger fangs, apparently to assist in moving and hunting in fast water.

The smaller frogs, which spend more time out of water, have toes rather than webbed feet. "You don't want to walk around with flippers on, if you're on land," Evans said.







Source: National Geographic

Sumava National Park under the Axe.

Sumava is the largest national park in the Czech Republic, and arguably the closest thing the country has to real wilderness. The national park encompasses more than 600 square kilometres of mountain spruce forests, peat bogs and other wetlands, glacial lakes and flower rich meadows.  

The park is home to vital populations of lynx, caterpillar, black grouse, Ural owl and European elk. Sumava is a Natura 2000 site under both Bird and Habitat Directives, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and its peat bogs and peat forests are listed as under the Ramsar convention on wetlands. However, the a new director of the national park Jan Strasky has proposed large scale logging of spruce forests in the national park. This will lead to enormous clearcuts across the national park.  

Beautiful habitats of ancient mountain forests will be lost. The official reason for this is bark beetle gradation – the majority of the trees to be cut are said to be infected by bark beetle. However, bark beetle is a key species in mountain and waterlogged spruce forests and natural processes should be strictly protected in central parts of national parks. Environmental groups believe the beetle is simply an excuse to cede to logging interests who continually lobby politicians for new concessions.  

Jan Strasky, the park director, is a former politician and a long-time critic of modern nature conservation. He famously said: "Nature is the enemy and therefore one must fight it. If it wasn't for my ancestors who fought various animals I would not be here today."

He has also announced plans for various projects such as a ski lift, the enlargement of the road to the Austrian border to support the construction of new private buildings, and even the establishment of new municipalities inside the national park. 
 

Friends of Earth Czech Republic (FoE CR) and other environmental organisations wrote to the Czech authorities to urge them to halt the logging in what until now has been declared as non intervention (strictly protected) forests.  

The letters had no effect and the logging continued. As a result FoE CR, Greenpeace, Birdlife and other organisations started a peaceful blockade of the felling area. They were joined by some leading scientists and members of the general public.

A court ruling eventually put a stop to the blockade by FoE CR. However, up to 70 members of the general public and other NGOs continue to protest despite heavy handed tactics from the police and other members of the securtiy services. 

 The heavy police and military presence suggests that this battle is not only about the logging of 3 to 6 thousand trees but rather a demonstration of political power aiming to devastate the national park. If you want to do something about this situation, you can send a letter to the Czech officials responsible, via Friends of the Earth. eMail Link

Source: Friends of the Earth

Snow Leopard Caught on Camera

Snow leopard in the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan caught on camera trap. Photo by the Wildlife Conservation Society.



A new study documents a healthy population of snow leopards in Afghanistan. The research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Studies, reports that researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) were able to identify 30 snow leopards in 16 different locations in the Wakhan Corridor in northeastern part of the country bordering China.

WCS plans to next estimate the total snow leopard population size in Wakhan. The global snow leopard population has dropped 20 percent in less than two decades. Scientists estimate there are some 4,500 to 7,500 snow leopards left in the wild.  

There are numerous agencies working to conserve the snow leopard and its threatened mountain ecosystems. These include the Snow Leopard Trust, the Snow Leopard Conservancy, the Snow Leopard Network, and the Panthera Corporation. These groups and numerous national governments from the snow leopard’s range, non-profits and donors from around the world came together in 2008 at the 10th International Snow Leopard Conference in Beijing. 

Their focus on research, community programs in snow leopard regions and education programs are aimed at understanding the cat's needs as well as the needs of the villagers and herder communities affecting snow leopards' lives and habitat.

If you would like to know more about conservation efforts or want to get involved, please check the Snow Leopard Trust to see the vital work being done in these remote corners of our earth.  


Source: Mongabay, Snow Leopard Trust.

The Truth Behind the Smile: Barbie & Deforestation

It emerged recently that Asia Pulp & Paper, who are responsible for the packaging on Mattel's Barbie range of toys and merchandise are using timber derived from protected Indonesian peatlands. This timber is having a massive impact on Sumatran rainforests, leading to widespread deforestation and pushing endemic species closer to extinction. 

APP is part of the Sinar Mas group, whose two divisions have very different approaches to deforestation. For example, with regard to carbon-rich peatlands, the palm oil division (GAR) will protect all peatland regardless of depth, whereas the pulp and paper division (APP) is actively targeting peatlands for current and future supplies of rainforest timber.

• APP continues to rely on clearing rainforest, which is theoretically off limits to development under Indonesian law. Current company statements show it intends to continue forest clearance until 2015.
• A growing number of corporate consumers are seeking to protect their brands by avoiding trade links with companies involved in deforestation. Global corporations including Staples, Kraft and Nestlé have stopped purchases from APP.

Within the Sinar Mas Group (SMG) are companies operating across a diverse range of sectors, and it describes itself as 'one of the world's largest natural resource based companies'. Sectors in which SMG is actively expanding include pulp and paper, palm oil and coal.

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), Sinar Mas's pulp & paper division, claims to rank as one of the world’s top three pulp and paper producers.

APP’s main pulp production base is Indonesia, and the division is responsible for around 40% of Indonesia's total pulp production. The APP Group is dependent upon clearance of natural rainforests by affiliate companies within SMG to meet its production needs. Logs from the clearance of Indonesia’s rainforests, including peat swamp forests, accounted for about 20% of the fibre pulped in APP's mills between 2007 and 2009.

China is now the main production base for APP paper, packaging and tissue products. APP's facilities in Indonesia and China produce packaging papers and products for many global brands across sectors, from food to electronics, cosmetics, footwear, cigarettes and toys.

In July 2010 Greenpeace International released the report 'How Sinar Mas is Pulping the Planet'. On-the-ground investigations documented the impacts of SMG/APP operations in Bukit Tigapuluh and Kerumutan on the island of Sumatra. Actions included clearance of deep peat and tiger habitat. Report investigations revealed massive expansion ambitions in terms of areas for future clearing as well as aspirations for pulp mill capacity expansion in Indonesia.

A growing number of corporate consumers who were buying products produced by APP, many identified in Greenpeace investigations, have now introduced policies that will eliminate products from companies linked to deforestation in their supply chains. These companies include Kraft, Nestlé, Unilever, Carrefour, Tesco, Auchan, LeClerc, Corporate Express and Adidas.

Led by Franky Widjaja, the Sinar Mas palm oil division, Golden Agri Resources (GAR), is introducing a new forest conservation policy 'to ensure that its palm oil operations have no deforestation footprint. Core to this is [...] no development on peat lands' – in effect, this is a business development model that avoids deforestation.

By contrast, APP – led by Franky’s brother, Teguh Widjaja – is rapidly expanding its global empire through acquisition of pulp and paper mills, with the goal of becoming the world's largest paper company. Company statements confirm that Indonesia will remain a key resource base for pulp production, and it will continue to use rainforest logs to feed its production  – in effect, pursuing a deforestation-dependent business development model.

APP has hired Cohn and Wolfe, a subsidiary of the world's largest PR group, WPP, to help portray it as a conservation-led company. Recent PR statements include support for the Indonesian President's two-year moratorium on the issuance of new concessions on peatlands and in forests. However, the May 2011 moratorium announcement only covers areas of primary forest and peatland outside existing concessions. 

A look at the map shows that millions of hectares of wildlife habitat and carbon-rich peatland remain threatened by pulp sector expansion. Rainforest areas targeted by APP remain unprotected by the moratorium. Forest clearance within these areas would drive climate change and push species such as the Sumatran tiger one step closer to extinction.

APP has repeatedly promised over the past decade to become fully reliant on renewable plantation fibre - initially by 2007, subsequently revised to 2009 - and to end its dependence on logs from rainforest clearance in Indonesia. In 2011, APP's head of sustainability, Aida Greenbury, repeated the commitment to meet this target by the end of 2015 - eight years after the initially promised date.

In 2010, APP stated that about 20% of the fibre going into its Indonesian pulp mills in the preceding year came from clearance of natural forest. Currently, the majority of this clearance is taking place within concession areas in Riau and Jambi.

A 2007 confidential SMG / APP document identified millions of hectares of concession areas the company was targeting to meet existing production needs and allow for potential expansion in Indonesian pulp mill production. Two million hectares were targeted in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

These documents confirm that as of December 2010, SMG/APP had increased its supply concession area by at least 800,000 hectares. The status of the remaining targeted area remains unclear. Mapping analysis shows that about 40% of the additional area now owned by SMG/APP or for which SMG/APP has been granted preliminary approval was still forested in 2006, including significant areas of wildlife habitat and peatland.

Within the Sumatran provinces of Riau and Jambi alone, SMG/APP was aiming to expand its concessions by 900,000 hectares between 2007 and 2009. In 2006, over half of this area was forested and a quarter of it was peatland. By the end of 2007, over half of these targeted expansion concessions had either been approved by the Indonesian government or were in the process of being acquired by SMG/APP. 

Two of the largest areas targeted by SMG/APP for expansion were the Bukit Tigapuluh Forest Landscape, stretching across Riau and Jambi provinces, and the Kerumutan Peat Swamp Forest in Riau. Mapping analysis by Greenpeace published in July 2010 identified the areas of forest, peatland and wildlife habitat targeted for expansion. The maps were accompanied by photographic evidence of recent or ongoing deforestation within newly acquired concessions.

Greenpeace 2011 investigations and analysis show that SMG/APP expansion continues in these areas in line with the 2007 plan.

In light of the above evidence, Greenpeace has launched a campaign through Facebook, Twitter and other mediums to directly combat APP through Mattel. They are using the branding of Barbie & Ken to turn the tables and gain support against the deforestation of Sumatran rainforests. If you would like to get involved, please visit the campaign website.






Source: Greenpeace

CITES Species: Indian Bison

The Indian bison (Bos gaurus) or gaur is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations. Population trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are rebuilding in a few areas which had been neglected. 

Gaur are said to look like water buffalo at the front and domestic cattle at the back. They are the heaviest and most powerful of all wild cattle, and are among the largest living land animals; only elephants, rhinos and hippos consistently grow larger, and the weight of gaur may equal or even surpass that of a giraffe. Males have highly muscular bodies, with distinctive dorsal ridges and large dewlaps, forming a very powerful appearance. Females are substantially smaller, and their dorsal ridges and dewlaps are less developed. Their dark brown coats are short and dense. There are dewlaps under the chin which extend between the front legs. They have shoulder humps, especially pronounced in adult males.

The gaur has a high convex ridge on the forehead between the horns, which bends forward, causing a deep hollow in the profile of the upper part of the head. There is a prominent ridge on the back. The ears are very large; the tail only just reaches the hocks, and in old bulls the hair becomes very thin on the back. In colour, the adult male gaur is dark brown, approaching black in very old individuals; the upper part of the head, from above the eyes to the nape of the neck, is, however, ashy gray, or occasionally dirty white; the muzzle is pale coloured, and the lower part of the legs are pure white or tan. The cows and young bulls are paler, and in some instances have a rufous tinge, which is most marked in individuals inhabiting dry and open districts. 

Horns are found in both sexes, and grow from the sides of the head, curving upwards. They are regularly curved throughout their length, and are bent inward and slightly backward at their tips. The colour of the horns is some shade of pale green or yellow throughout the greater part of their length, but the tips are black. They grow to a length of 32 to 80 centimetres (13 to 31 in). A bulging grey-tan ridge connects the horns on the forehead. The horns are flattened to a greater or less degree from front to back, more especially at their bases, where they present an elliptical cross-section; this characteristic being more strongly marked in the bulls than in the cows.

The tail is shorter than in the typical oxen, reaching only to the hocks. The animals have a distinct ridge running from the shoulders to the middle of the back; the shoulders may be as much as 12 centimetres (5 in) higher than the rump. This ridge is caused by the great length of the spines of the vertebrae of the fore-part of the trunk as compared with those of the loins. The hair is short, fine and glossy, and the hooves are narrow and pointed.

Gaur historically occurred throughout mainland South and Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India. Today, the species is seriously fragmented within its range, and regionally extinct in Sri Lanka. 

They are largely confined to evergreen forests, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forest but also occur in dry deciduous forest areas at the periphery of their range. Gaur habitat is characterized by large, relatively undisturbed forest tracts, hilly terrain below an altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 ft (1,500 to 1,800 m), availability of water, and an abundance of forage in the form of grasses including bamboo, shrubs, and trees. Their apparent preference for hilly terrain may be partly due to the earlier conversion of most of the plains and other low lying areas to croplands and pastures. They occur from sea level up to at least 2,800 m (9,200 ft) altitude. Low lying areas seem to comprise optimal habitat.

In Vietnam, several areas in Dak Lak Province were known to contain gaur in 1997. Several herds persist in Cat Tien National Park and in adjacent state forest enterprises. The current status of the gaur population is poorly known; they may be in serious decline.

In Cambodia, gaur declined considerably in the period from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. The most substantial population of the country remained in Mondulkiri Province where up to 1000 individuals may have survived in a forested landscape of over 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi). Results of camera trapping carried out in 2009 suggested a globally significant population of gaur in the Mondulkiri Protected Forest and the contiguous Phnomh Prich Wildlife Sanctuary.

In Laos, up to 200 individuals were estimated to occur within protected area boundaries in the mid–1990s. They were reported discontinuously distributed in low numbers. Over-hunting had reduced the population, and survivors occurred mainly in remote sites. Fewer than six National Biodiversity Conservation Areas held more than 50 individuals. Area with populations likely to be nationally important included the Nam Theun catchment and adjoining plateau. Subsequent surveys carried out a decade later using fairly intensive camera trapping did not record any gaur any more, indicating a massive decline of the population.

In China, gaurs occur in heavily fragmented populations in Yunnan and southeast Tibet. By the 1980s, they were extirpated in Lancang County, and the remaining animals were split into two populations, viz. in Xishuangbanna-Yimao and Cangyuan. In the mid-1990s, a population of 600–800 individuals may have lived in Yunnan Province with the majority occurring in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve.

In Thailand, gaurs were once found throughout the country, but less than 1,000 individuals were estimated to have remained in the 1990s.

In Bangladesh, a few gaur were thought to occur in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet, and Mymensingh areas in the early 1980s. But none had been seen in Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the Hill Tracts since the early 1970s. Individuals from Mizoram and Tripura cross into Bangladesh.

In Bhutan, they apparently persist all over the southern foot-hill zone, notably in Royal Manas National Park, Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary. In Nepal, the gaur population was estimated to be 250–350 in the mid-1990s, with the majority in Chitwan National Park and Parsa Wildlife Reserve. Population trends appeared to be relatively stable. The Chitwan population has increased from 188 to 296 animals in the years 1997 to 2007; a census conducted in Parsa Wildlife Reserve confirmed the presence of 37 gaurs in May 2008. The largest populations are found in India.

Throughout the range, diseases, particularly rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease, transmitted by domestic cattle are a potentially serious threat. Foot-and-mouth is the most frequent, but rinderpest has had a particularly dramatic impact in India and several sub-populations of Gaur were nearly destroyed as a result of the disease in 1968, while in Bhadra, it nearly wiped out Gaur populations in 1988–1989, when nearly 800 individuals died. In north and central Myanmar anthrax was a major factor in the decline of the species. There is little research or other evidence to determine impacts of introgression with domestic oxen on Gaur populations, although such factors might be expected to be most serious in India, given the wide overlap of domestic stock with Gaur. Farshid Ahrestani saw a Gaur herd of 20 individuals far from human habitation with one domestic ox in the Palni Hills, so it seems likely that introgression occurs to at least some extent.

Srikosamtara and Suteethorn (1995) drew attention to the pressing threats facing Gaur, placing it in the same league of trade-driven threat as better-known species such as Tiger and Asian Elephant, and emphasising the international dimension of trade. Subsequently, the population collapse in Malaysia seems to have been driven by hunting teams from Lao PDR and Thailand (as proven by language at hunting camps in Temenggor), co-opting local Malaysian associates. It is reasonable to expect that when returns in Malaysia drop (as they probably have done already) these teams may turn their attention to other countries’ Gaur populations.

Where gaur have not been disturbed, they are basically diurnal. But where populations have been disturbed by human populations, gaur have become largely nocturnal, rarely seen in the open after eight in the morning. During the dry season, herds congregate and remain in small areas, dispersing into the hills with the arrival of the monsoon. While gaur depend on water for drinking, they do not seem to bathe or wallow.

In January and February, gaur live in small herds of 8 to 11 individuals, one of which is a bull. In April or May, more bulls may join the herd for mating, and individual bulls may move from herd to herd, each mating with many cows. In May or June, they leave the herd and may form herds of bulls only or live alone. Herds wander 2–5 kilometres (1.2–3.1 mi) each day. Each herd has a nonexclusive home range, and sometimes herds may join in groups of 50 or more. The average population density is about 0.6 animals per square kilometre (1.5 animals per square mile), with herds having home ranges of around 80 square kilometres (31 sq mi).

Gaur herds are led by an old adult female (the matriarch). Adult males may be solitary. During the peak of the breeding season, unattached males wander widely in search of receptive females. No serious fighting between males has been recorded, with size being the major factor in determining dominance. Males make a mating call of clear, resonant tones which may carry for more than 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi). Gaur have also been known to make a whistling snort as an alarm call, and a low, cow-like moo.

In some regions in India where human disturbance is minor, the gaur is very timid and shy. When alarmed, gaur crash into the jungle at a surprising speed. However, in Southeast Asia and South India, where they are used to the presence of humans, gaur are said by locals to be very bold and aggressive. They are frequently known to go into fields and graze alongside domestic cattle, sometimes killing them in fights. Gaur bulls may charge unprovoked, especially during summer, when the heat and parasitic insects make them more short-tempered than usual. To warn other members of its herd of approaching danger, the gaur lets out a high whistle for help. 

Due to their formidable size and power, gaur have few natural enemies. Leopards and dhole packs occasionally attack unguarded calves or unhealthy animals, but only the tiger and the saltwater crocodile have been reported to kill a full-grown adult. When confronted by a tiger, the adult members of a gaur herd often form a circle surrounding the vulnerable young and calves, shielding them from the big cat. A herd of gaur in Malaysia encircled a calf killed by a tiger and prevented it from approaching the carcass. In Nagarahole National Park, upon sensing a stalking tiger, a herd of gaur walked as a menacing phalanx towards it, forcing the tiger to retreat and abandon the hunt. Gaur are not as aggressive toward humans as wild Asian water buffalos.

There are several cases of tigers being killed by gaur. In one instance, a tiger was repeatedly gored and trampled to death by a gaur during a prolonged battle. A large male tiger carcass was found beside a small broken tree in Nagarahole National Park, being fatally struck against the tree by a large bull gaur a few days earlier.


Source: Wikipedia, CITES, Arkive