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News Last year the costs for tending private forests increased somewhat in comparison with 2004 and amounted to 170 million euro. Forest owners paid two thirds, i.e. somewhat over 100 million euro. State subsidies covered about one third.
News By Carey Gillam KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A coalition of farmers, consumers and environmental activists Thursday sued the U.S. government over its approval of a biotech alfalfa that critics say will spell havoc for farmers and the environment." Opening another front in the battle over genetically modified crops, the lawsuit contends that the U.S. Department of Agriculture improperly is allowing Monsanto Co. to sell an herbicide-resistant alfalfa seed while failing to analyze the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of that action.
News Background paper for the Country-Led Initiative in Support of the UNFF “Scoping for a future agreement on forests” Berlin, Germany 16-18 November 2005. by Richard G. Tarasofsky Head, Energy, Environment and Development Programme Chatham House Lauren Flejzor PhD. Candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science Executive Summary This background paper aims to inform the discussions at the Country Led Initiative in Support of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) “Scoping for a future agreement on forests”, in Berlin, Germany, 16-18 November 2005.
Background paper for the Country-Led Initiative in Support of the UNFF “Scoping for a future agreement on forests” Berlin, Germany 16-18 November 2005. by Richard G. Tarasofsky Head, Energy, Environment and Development Programme Chatham House Lauren Flejzor PhD. Candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science Energy, Environment and Development Programme Chatham House 10 St James Square, London SW1Y 4LE, UK www.chathamhouse.org.uk/eedp eedp@chathamhouse.org.uk © Royal Institute of International Affairs 2005 This material is offered free of charge for personal and non-commercial use, provided the source is acknowledged. For commercial or any other use, prior written permission must be obtained from the Royal Institute of International Affairs. In no case may this material be altered, sold or rented. Credit: © Royal Institute of International Affairs 2005 Executive Summary This background paper aims to inform the discussions at the Country Led Initiative in Support of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) “Scoping for a future agreement on forests”, in Berlin, Germany, 16-18 November 2005. The paper surveys and analyses various non-binding “soft law” instruments in the internati
News The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has issued their findings on the trade dispute over biotech crops. This case was brought forward by the US, Canada and Argentina against the European Union. The complainants have also been supported by a number of other countries including Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Uruguay. The case was not brought forward by the biotechnology industry.
News We are supposed to be heading for another Ice Age. But during the latest 100 years the timber line in the fells has been creeping upwards. Surely this is a sign that we are headed towards a warmer climate instead. We have to go back some 6000 or 7000 years to find an equally high timber line. Presumably the climate is also warmer now than it has been for 7000 years.
News China published and on market The comprehensive 600 pages Timber Structure Handbook, fully adapted to China market, was published and distributed to book stores in December 2005. The Handbook comprises modern wood structure technology, like wood frame construction and hybrid construction (combination of wood frame and concrete structure) and timber grading standards including machine and visually grading of European species and more.
News United Nations Forum on Forests – Sixth Session UN Headquarters, New York, N.Y. , U.S.A. Room 5, 1-3pm, February 20th, 2006 The Forest Investment Attractiveness Index (IAIF, from its Spanish name) is a new instrument that has the general objective of measuring the business climate for investments in sustainable forest businesses. It allows the systematic, periodic, quantitative and more rigorous analyses of the factors that affect the success of forest direct investments and business decision-making.
News JAKARTA - Indonesia will miss a deadline to move tens of thousands of people made homeless by the 2004 tsunami into temporary houses because of problems obtaining timber, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
News In a poll conducted by the Finnish Forest Research Institute people want the moose population to be reduced. One third of those replying think that the moose population should be at least 20 per cent smaller than in the spring of 2004. The main reason for wanting to reduce the moose population is the traffic hazard. Another reason is the large damage they are causing to the young forest stands in some regions. About on fourth of those replying thought that on national level its size is appropriate.
By Alan Cane Scientists at the University of Colorado have uncovered a new example of the way the Earth, left to its own devices, maintains an equilibrium between itself and climatic conditions. The Earth as a self-regulatory organism is the central idea of James Lovelock's Gaia theory that is gathering credibility with environmental experts.
News Febr. 9- 12 Verona Bioenergy World 2006 creates the first truly international gathering point for the bioenergy industry and signals a step-change for the sector. Set within the highly relevant context of Fieragricola (see below ‘the right place - Fieragricola’), it provides a unique platform for the industry to showcase its modern bioenergy solutions to a diverse community of stakeholders including the agricultural, forestry, energy and environment sectors, planners and land managers, industry and technologists, consumers, governments, bi- and multi-lateral agencies, development agencies, energy utilities and distributors, policy makers, financiers and business investors.
News DAN JOLING ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Amid concerns that global warming is melting away the icy habitats where polar bears live, the federal government is reviewing whether they should be considered a threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday that protection may be warranted under the Endangered Species Act, and began a review process to consider if the bears should be listed.
News MACEDONIA, SKOPJE - A lion and a llama died of cold in a zoo in southern Macedonia this week as polar temperatures gripped the country, zoo authorities said on Thursday. The 25-year-old lion and the baby llama were found dead in their cages after temperatures in the southern city of Bitola, near the border with Greece, fell overnight to minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18.40 Fahrenheit).
News Councillors are set to visit a site in the Pennine hills today (February 7) to decide on planning permission for an eco-friendly home. Ged Parker has submitted the application for the dwelling at Maythorn near the wind farm Crowedge. Mr Parker and his wife wish to build a three-bedroom home that is completely covered in earth and grass – to enable sheep to graze on it.
News The EU should grow its way out of fossil fuel dependency, argues Mariann Fischer Boel. "In an industrialised Europe, energy is more central to our lives than ever before. The EU accounts for around 17 per cent of global energy use, and we are the world’s biggest energy importer.
News Forest Focus is a Community scheme for harmonised, broad-based, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. It concentrates in particular on protecting forests against air pollution and fire. To supplement the monitoring system, new instruments relating to soil monitoring, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, climate change and protective functions of forests are to be developed.
News The results of monitoring nature conservation measures in Finnish commercial forests in 2005 indicate that preservation of natural values in these forests is mainly voluntary. Valuable natural sites are voluntarily saved while harvesting and many trees are spared in felling areas. Safeguarding natural values also means financial investments for forest owners. In general, natural sites are well preserved in commercial forests. The characteristics of more than nine sites out of ten are preserved in felling.
