Drier forests absorbing less carbon worldwide

The Age

Severe drought and high temperatures in parts of the world is causing forests to be less efficient as carbon sinks, according to satellite data. A senior CSIRO research scientist notes that, during the past decade, there has been a measurable overall decline in the leaf area of plants, reducing their ability to absorb carbon. Researchers expect this trend to affect Australia as rainfall patterns are changed by rising temperatures.

posted by seamas on August 26, 2010 at 7:40 am · filed under

Indonesian palm oil firm’s broken rainforest pledge exposed

The Guardian

New evidence shows Indonesia’s largest palm and pulp group is breaking its environmental commitments by bulldozing rainforest and destroyed endangered orang-utan habitats in Kalimantan.

posted by patrick on July 30, 2010 at 2:29 pm · filed under

NSW locust plague

ABC News

18 million dollars will be used to fight an upcoming locust plague, New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally has announced. The plague is expected to be the worst in 30 years, and will require five times more pesticides than last year’s crop protection.

posted by ruby on July 22, 2010 at 9:32 am · filed under

International calls for Australia to ban illegal timber imports

Australian Conservation Foundation

Social justice, environment and international development organisations from Indonesia and Australia are petitioning Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to fulfill the Government’s 2007 election promise to ban imports of illegal timber. The groups say the ban will help to stamp out illegal logging in Indonesia, which has lost, and continues to lose, significant forest cover to illegal logging and clearing.

posted by seamas on July 22, 2010 at 7:34 am · filed under

Australia ignores WHO toxic chemicals warning

WWF Australia

Numerous pesticides still used on Australian farms have been banned overseas because of the risks they pose to human health and the environment, according to a list released yesterday by WWF and the National Toxics Network. More than 20 of the 80 or so chemicals flagged have been classified as either extremely or highly hazardous by the World Health Organisation, yet they remain available for use on food growing farms. Some of the listed chemicals contain carcinogens, others have the potential to interfere with human hormones. WWF is calling for Australian toxic chemical regulations to be brought into line with U.S. and European standards, in order to protect farm workers, wildlife and ecosystems.

posted by seamas on July 19, 2010 at 7:25 am · filed under

National Tree Day (Aug 1)

Planet Ark

National Tree Day will be held on Sunday, the 1st of August, with Schools Tree Day taking place on Friday the 30th of July. Native plants and trees will be planted to help restore natural ecosystems. Last year hundreds of thousands of Australians, including school children, dug deep to improve their natural surroundings. Tree Day shows everyone how easy and fun it is to help our environment.

posted by seamas on July 18, 2010 at 10:08 pm · filed under

Indonesia’s stand against palm oil

Comment

The recent announcement by Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Norway, pledging a two-year moratorium on new concessions for peatland and forest conversion in Indonesia, is not only good news for forests, biodiversity and forest dependent communities, but is expected to create crucial momentum for climate-change mitigation efforts focused on halting deforestation ahead of the climate talks in Cancun in December.

Read & Comment »

posted by ecomedia on June 21, 2010 at 9:11 pm · filed under