News Selection – Tropical Forests

10/12/2018: The world’s largest palm oil trader, Wilmar International, has published a detailed action plan to map and monitor all of its suppliers. Eliminating deforestation from its supply chain would have a major impact on the rest of the industry.

Source: Greenpeace International

13/12/2018: Of the six countries that account for the greatest expanses of tropical rainforest, only Indonesia is on track to reduce its current rate of deforestation by 2030. The others — Brazil, DRC, Colombia, Peru and Myanmar — are off target. Source: Mongabay

24/11/2018: Deforestation in Earth’s biggest rainforest reached the highest level in a decade, reports the Brazilian government. The American trade war has increased the profitability of Brazilian agricultural products.

Source: Mongabay

22/11/2018: China’s imports of timber from Papua New Guinea (PNG) are winnowing away the country’s forests, according to a group of NGOs, researchers and landowners.

Source: Mongabay

16/11/2018: The world’s leading certification body for ethically sourced palm oil has ordered a total ban on deforestation by its members, amid growing pressure from both companies and consumers.

Source: Mongabay

1/11/2018: Conservationists fear move will put short-term business interests in Brazil ahead of the world’s biggest terrestrial carbon sink, indigenous communities and rich eco-systems.

Source: The Guardian

18/10/2018: According to a new analysis, tropical forest loss currently accounts for 8 percent of the world’s annual carbon dioxide emissions. If tropical deforestation were a country, it would be the third-biggest emitter globally.

Source: Mongabay

9/10/2018: Researchers must reconcile two contradictory sets of statistics on tree loss in order to determine whether promises made by nations to protect and restore forests are on target.

Source: Yale Environment 360

4/10/2018: If tropical deforestation were a country, it would rank third in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, only behind China and the US. More numbers that demonstrate just how important tropical forests are in preventing further climate change.

Source: World Resources Institute

20/9/2018: President Jokowi first announced his moratorium on oil palm licences more than two years ago, in the wake of the 2015 Southeast Asian haze crisis. At last, he has signed it.

Source: Mongabay