In this week’s column I shall temporarily digress from my originally intended topic, which was to continue the discussion centred on the fuzziness in the LCDS and other related official documents about the size of the total forest area that is being pledged under the strategy, as well as that found in the publication of recent data on Guyana’s deforestation. I had also intended in this week’s article to refer to other errors of data specification to be found in these texts.
MINISTER of Amerindian Affairs, Ms Pauline Sukai says that contrary to opinion in some quarters, the rights of the Indigenous Peoples have always been accorded top priority by the present administration as evinced by its unwavering commitment to addressing various issues affecting the community.
U.S. company Synergy Holdings has been awarded a US$15 million project to build roads and bridges necessary for the start-up of the Amalia Falls Hydro project, Head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington, confirmed last evening.
President Bharrat Jagdeo announced the award of the contract at his office yesterday, noting that efforts are being made to conclude the financial arrangements for the Hydro project.
The Inter-American Development Bank and the China Development Bank have agreed to finance the US$450 million project.
The UN-REDD Programme Policy Board met for its fourth meeting from 18-19 March 2010, in Nairobi, Kenya, and approved US$14.7 million in funding for national UN-REDD programmes in Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. This decision brings the total amount of funding for UN-REDD national programmes to US$48.3 million.
Domtar Corporation has announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its forest products business to EACOM Timber Corporation for CDN$80 million plus elements of working capital estimated at CDN$30 to CDN$40 million.
Domtar will receive 19% of the proceeds in shares of EACOM. The transaction is expected to close at the end of the second quarter of 2010, subject to material consents and customary closing conditions.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - US President Barack Obama who has delayed until next June his planned visit to Indonesia will bring three agenda items on climate change, a WWF official said.
"There are three agenda items, namely forest and peat land management, clean technology and climate change, and coral triangle," WWF-Indonesia Program Director for climate and energy affairs, Fitrian Ardiansyah said here on Thursday.
LONDON, March 26 - The reputation of a Kyoto Protocol carbon finance scheme was dealt another blow after a UN climate panel late on Friday suspended the third emissions cut verifier in 15 months, and partially suspended a fourth.
The scheme's executive board suspended emissions auditors TUEV SUED and partially suspended Korea Energy Management Corporation after spot checks at the companies' offices revealed procedural breaches.
KUCHING: Japan’s Daiken Corp, which has invested some US$200mil in two medium density fibre (MDF) board plants in Sarawak, will start supplying raw materials from its tree plantation to local timber processing mills in two years.
Daiken Sarawak Sdn Bhd executive director Kazuyoshi Katsumata said the company was now in talks with some sawn timber and plywood mills to sell the fast growing acacia trees from its plantation which would mature from 2012.
Stora Enso has said it will "take weeks" to normalise all mill operations in Finland, following the end of a 16-day strike by the country's stevedores (dock workers) on Friday.
The strike prevented paper manufacturers from exporting their products, and the sector now faces a backlog of orders after mills closed their paper machines.
Stora Enso has now recommenced almost all of its closed production, having shut down six paper machines and two sheeting plants while the strike was on.
