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GINA, 2 February 2012 | Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) will soon benefit from implementation support through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Guyana and The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) headed by Dr. R.K Pachauri, Nobel Prize Laureate and Chairman of the Inter- Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Former President of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo and Shyam Nokta from the Office of the President held discussions in Delhi with Dr. R.K Pachauri and TERI officials which will see Guyana receiving support from TERI in the implementation of its climate initiatives and the LCDS. Among the broad areas identified for assistance include support for long- term strategy development in the energy sector with focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency and establishing a partnership for the setting up of a Centre for Biodiversity Studies.

By Chevon Singh, Guyana Chronicle, 2 February 2012 | The Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) will not be available for disbursal until the Government of Guyana and its partners -- the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) -- have agreed on projects to be presented to the Steering Committee. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, made this pronouncement yesterday while fielding questions at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President. “We have to continue working with our partner entities to ensure agreements can be made on project design and execution; and at that point, it will be placed before the Steering Committee… If this is not completed, then access to the funds to implement those projects would not be possible,” the Cabinet Secretary explained. The GRIF is a fund for financing activities identified under the Government of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Kaieteur News, 3 February 2012 | Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon yesterday told media operatives that he is aware of reports involving police altercations with controversial contractor Makeswhar ‘Fip’ Motilall but insists that the Government owns the seized equipment. Dr Luncheon, addressing reporters at his weekly media conference, said that Government forked out a significant sum of cash for the purchase of the equipment and in light of the developments involving the project, the Government contends that it owns the equipment. Dr Luncheon explained that Government had relied on the provisions in the contract with Synergy Holdings Inc, hence the seizure of the equipment. “I don’t believe that there is any question that Government has an absolute right, absolute ownership…because they expended funds to procure that equipment.”

By Chevron Singh, Guyana Chronicle, 2 February 2012 | Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon has announced that Cabinet on Tuesday approved the provision of financial resources to continue work on the Amaila Falls access road. He was at the time speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, where he explained that the resources earmarked for the continuation of the project, were to be used for the recruitment of contractors to complete the road works. The Cabinet Secretary said: “In essence, the provision of resources was intended to allow central government to acquire the services of a number of contractors, not one as before, but a number who would be able to assume responsibility for design and completion of their lots on the entire roadway from Linden to the site.”

By Steve Zwick, Ecosystem Marketplace, 3 February 2012 | Ecosystem markets have gained credence around the world - in part because of people like Robert Costanza, Adam Davis, and Sally Collins. After all, Costanza’s effort to put a number on the value of nature’s services sparked a debate that continues to this day, while Davis’s efforts to move beyond abstract valuations led to the founding of Ecosystem Marketplace, and Collins's recognition of the economic threats to North American forests led to her appointment as the founding director of the US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets... Time to Rethink? Costanza got the fire burning last October, with a post entitled Conventional markets are the wrong institutions for managing ecosystem services. "If we think of ecosystem services as part of 'the commons', we still can and should use economic incentives (fees and payments) to manage the commons," he continued.

American Carbon Registry, February 2012 | Winrock International’s American Carbon Registry (ACR) is developing technical guidance for REDD+ projects nested within a jurisdictional accounting framework. Project-level REDD+ activities – including conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks – are eligible to register on ACR and, upon release of the ACR Nested REDD+ Requirements, will be able to do so using baseline, leakage, monitoring and other requirements developed at the jurisdictional level provided these meet certain minimum criteria.

GINA, 3 February 2012 | Guyana's delegation, lead by the Hon. Robert Persaud, Minster of Natural Resources and the Environment, has been engaged in intense discussions at the 18th Meeting of Latin America and Caribbean Environmental Ministers, being held in Quito, Ecuador from January 31 to February 3, 2012. Representatives and Environmental Ministers from over 30 countries of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) are also participating in the Forum. Discussions have been primarily focused on the exchange information and experiences of the LAC countries since the 1992 Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the intention of crafting a joint Latin American and Caribbean vision for the upcoming Rio+20 follow-up Conference scheduled for June 2012.

Mark Tercek, Huffington Post, 20 January 2012 | As we watch the world debate how best to address climate change, and as carbon emissions continue to soar, at least one climate strategy strikes me as a "no-brainer." We should do everything we can to save the world's forests. There are many good reasons for protecting forests, from their intrinsic beauty to their ecologic and economic values. Tropical forests are storehouses of biodiversity, harboring more than one-half of the Earth's known plants and animal species. And nearly 1 billion people worldwide directly depend on forest resources -- fiber, fuel, food and clean water -- for their livelihoods and well-being.

mongabay.com, 2 February 2012 | A comprehensive satellite-based assessment published in the journal Nature Climate Change estimated that the world's tropical forests store some 229 billion tons of carbon in their vegetation — about 20 percent more than previously estimated. The findings could help improve the accuracy of reporting CO2 emissions reductions under the proposed REDD program, which aims to compensate tropical countries for cutting deforestation, forest degradation, and peatlands destruction. Brazilian mining giant Vale won the dubious distinction of being named "the world's worst corporation" for its involvement in the controversial Belo Monte dam (construction also began in January). Vale was selected after an online vote organized by the Public Eye Awards. A review of scientific literature argued that selective logging of primary tropical forests is rarely sustainable ecologically or economically. The paper was published in journal Biological Conservation.

By Essam Mohammed, International Institute for Environment and Development, 30 January 2012 | REDD+ aims to reward or compensate tropical developing countries for keeping their forests intact or for reducing the scale of deforestation. It’s predicted that financial flows to these countries from REDD+ could reach up to US$30 billion a year. So getting the issue of REDD+ benefit distribution right is crucial, not only to ensure that it is benefiting the poorest of the poor (or at least not harming them), but for building REDD+’s legitimacy both at the national and international level, which in turn will help preserve forest ecosystems. Before REDD+ programmes begin to be implemented in earnest, lessons should be learnt from previous payment schemes, so past mistakes aren’t repeated.

Agfax, February 2012 | Ghana is one of several African countries taking a keen interest in the REDD+ scheme, which offers payment for planting and protecting forest areas. Adoption and promotion of REDD+ presents challenges however, and farmers are among those who are concerned as to whether they will ever receive the promised financial benefits. Kofi Adu Domfeh speaks to some of those involved with Ghana’s uptake of the scheme about the challenges and rewards that REDD brings, including the benefits it could offer in terms of local climate as well as the global picture.

By Nnamdi Duru with Agency Report, This Day Live, 4 February 2012 | Foreign and local investors who are usually worried about the future of their investments in Africa due to political and social instability in the continent now can now heave a sigh of relief. OPIC’s President, Ms. Elizabeth Littlefield said: “For example, OPIC is developing insurance products for the renewable resources sector, specifically to protect investors against a government’s change in the feed-in tariff that the investor has relied upon to structure its project; and to cover investment in forestry projects, including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects.” The insurance product is an attempt to boost investment by reducing risk. With the risks toned down, OPIC argues, fund managers who take up the insurance could accelerate their capital-raising cycles for investment funds.

LifeWeb, February 2012 | The project will pilot a sub-national REDD+ strategy in the Albertine Rift in south-west Uganda. This region ranks first out of the 119 terrestrial eco-regions of continental Africa in terms of biodiversity significance, but has one of the highest deforestation rates globally, losing 17000 ha/yr. By introducing REDD+, the project will apply a transformational approach to the management of the 329000 ha of remaining forests in protected areas, safeguarding carbon stocks of 390 M tCO2eq; without such action, Central Forests Reserves (CFRs) and private forests will be cleared in less than 20 years and pressures will mount on the national parks that protect the most important biodiversity and watersheds. The project will support development of a sub-national REDD+ strategy, develop standards for REDD+ projects for forest protected areas and adjacent lands, define a corresponding MRV system, and through co-benefit arrangements will improve land security...

Agfax, February 2012 | Ghana is one of several African countries taking a keen interest in the REDD+ scheme, which offers payment for planting and protecting forest areas. Adoption and promotion of REDD+ presents challenges however, and farmers are among those who are concerned as to whether they will ever receive the promised financial benefits. Kofi Adu Domfeh speaks to some of those involved with Ghana’s uptake of the scheme about the challenges and rewards that REDD+ brings, including the benefits it could offer in terms of local climate as well as the global picture.

Albertine Rift, no date | One of the potential financing options that exists for conservation of natural forest is through REDD. The idea is that western nations offset their carbon emissions by paying to protect natural forest which is a source of about 20% of all carbon emissions. These funds could provide incentives for people who have natural forest on their land, or to national governments to protect forest rather than convert it to agriculture. WCS has been leading a feasibility analysis for REDD+ funding in the Murchison-Semliki Landscape, the Mt Hoyo-Virunga Park corridor of the Greater Virunga Landscape, the Itombwe Massif of the Maiko-Itombwe Landscape and the proposed Ngamikka Park of the Marungu-Kabogo Landscape.

By Jenny Marusiak, Eco-Business.com, 2 February 2012 | Policymakers looking to reduce deforestation in their countries have the right tools to do so today, but without a solid foundation in good governance and consistent policies, they will not be successful, said a prominent policy expert... A notable exception to that trend is Costa Rica. Its tropical forested area is roughly twice the size it was 20 years ago, when its government first implemented national policies on conservation. Speaking to Eco-Business in a recent interview, Conservation International (CI) conservation policy expert Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, who is also the former environment minister of Costa Rica, outlined some of the policy tools available today for reducing deforestation. “Countries around the world are losing forest at a high rate because the economics do not support conservation,” he said. Traditional policies such as strict regulation and law enforcement have not stopped deforestation, he added.

Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources, 3 February 2012 | International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), on 15January 2012 has written a letter to the Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Sinawatra regarding forced relocation of indigenous Karen peoples from Kaeng Krachan National Park leading to violation of their human rights. The letter states the harrassment of Karen villagers had been going for some time that came to a severe situation in May, June and July 2011, when many houses of the villagers and their rice stores were burned and money, jewelery, fishing and agricultural tools were stolen by a group composed of National Park wardens and military forces. As a result, some of the people had to move away and are now staying with relatives in other villages and a number of them (allegedly approximately 70 people) are hiding in the forest in a state of fear of meeting government officers: they are without sufficient food and shelter.

Jim Snetsinger, British Columbia’s Chief Forester, told a convention of the Western Silviculture Contractors’ Association this week that the historic mountain pine beetle infestation in interior B.C. wasn’t as destructive as first feared.

“In 2006, we were projecting a mountain pine beetle kill of 80 per cent of pine by 2013,” Jim Snetsinger said. “Our 2011 models . . . now tell us mountain pine beetle will kill about 61 per cent of susceptible pine by 2021.”

Unfortunately the news isn’t all good. Snetsinger said the mountain pine beetle continues to kill large numbers of lodgepole pine. More than half of merchantable pine in the Interior has been lost to date, even though the mortality peaked in 2004-05.

Read more:
Pine beetle kill less than projected, says chief forester – Industry forester forecasts ‘golden era’ for sector (Kamloops The Daily News)

BC’s Chief Forester says pine beetle kill wasn’t as destructive as first feared is a post from: ForestTalk.com

Weyerhaeuser has reported net earnings of $65 million in their fourth quarter on net sales of $1.6 billion.

This can be compared to Weyerhaeuser’s net earnings of $171 million on net sales of $1.5 billion for the same period last year.

For the full year 2011, Weyerhaeuser reported net earnings of $331 million on net sales from continuing operations of $6.2 billion. This compares with net earnings of $1.281 billion on net sales from continuing operations of $6.0 billion for the full year 2010. Earnings for the full year 2010 include $1.064 billion from income tax adjustments related to Weyerhaeuser’s conversion to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).

“In 2011 we took full advantage of opportunities to improve our performance in a weaker than expected US housing market,” said Dan Fulton, president and chief executive officer. “In Timberlands, we used our long term competitive strength in the Asian export markets to capitalize on emerging Chinese demand. Cellulose Fibers leveraged strong customer relationships and excellent operational performance to deliver a second consecutive year of record financial results. Our Real Estate business maintained profitability despite challenging market conditions, and Wood Products generated improved results. Through the sale of our hardwoods and Westwood Shipping Lines businesses we sharpened our strategic direction, and we remain focused on improving performance to generate superior sustainable returns for our shareholders in 2012.”

Read full results

Weyerhaeuser reports quarterly net earnings of $65 million is a post from: ForestTalk.com

MONTREAL, Feb. 3, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - AbitibiBowater Inc. (NYSE: ABH) (TSX: ABH), doing business as Resolute Forest Products, plans to issue its annual financial results on February 9, 2012, in a press release to