65 cents per hectare: The cost of land for oil palm plantations in West Papua

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-20.

An new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency and Telapak reveals that indigenous landowners in Sorong, West Papua province are being ripped off by an oil palm plantation company. The company, Kayu Lapis Indonesia Group (KLI) paid Moi landowners only US$0.65 per hectare.

The land is likely to be worth around US$5,000 [...]

MIFEE: An agribusiness attack in West Papua

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-19.

The MIFEE project, or the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate to give it its full name, is an agricultural mega-project proposed for Papua province in Indonesia. It was dreamed up as a response to the food and fuel price crises of 2008 and to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s appeal to “feed Indonesia, [...]

Indian Law Resource Center calls on UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples to improve World Bank safeguards policies

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-18.

The Indian Law Resource Center has called on the UN Permanent forum on Indigenous Issues to ensure that the World Bank implements the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

At the 11th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which is taking place this week in New York, [...]

Social organisations in El Salvador critique the World Bank’s FCPF

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-17.

The Salvadoran Ecological Unit (UNES – Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña) and other social organisations in El Salvador have written to Benoît Bosquet, the coordinator of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) demanding the El Salvador’s R-PP is not approved.

UNES also wrote to the Government demanding that the R-PP be withdrawn. (The letter [...]

“Through a glass darkly”: Six articles by Janette Bulkan about Vaitarna Holdings’ operations in Guyana

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-16.

Janette Bulkan recently wrote a series of six articles published in Guyana’s newspaper Stabroek News. The articles look in detail at the operations of an Indian coffee company with logging operations in Guyana.

The articles, which are posted in full below (and can be downloaded here – pdf file, 306.7 KB), ran under [...]

Indonesia: Destroying Tripa peat swamp forest is “an act of criminal vandalism”

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-15.

“Now is the time for action not words here in Tripa. To destroy one of the last great areas of peat swamp forest in Sumatra is an act of criminal vandalism.” That was written in 2008, but if anything, it’s even more relevant today than it was then.

While the destruction of the [...]

REDD in the news: 7-13 May 2012

By REDD-Monitor from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-14.

A round up of the week’s news on REDD, in chronological order with short extracts (click on the title for the full article). REDD-Monitor’s news page (REDD in the news) is updated regularly.

Corruption and REDD+: Identifying risks amid complexity

By André Standing, U4, May 2012 | Corruption and other factors can influence [...]

Additional Guidance on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-11.

The REDD+ Safeguards Information System Working Group has produced a briefing paper on safeguards information systems. The briefing was produced ahead of the climate meetings in May 2012 in Bonn.

The REDD+ Safeguards Information System Working Group is a North-South group of civil society organisations and indigenous organisations working on REDD+, formed [...]

Richard Sandor: Carbon trading, holy cows and sacred groves

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-10.

Richard Sandor has a new book out. He’ll tell you that markets are the solution before he hears the problem. Pollution? Climate change? Water shortages? Species extinction? Just create a new market and the problem will go away.

Or not. One of the markets that Sandor helped create is the carbon market. [...]

WWF scandal (part 3): Embezzlement and evictions in Tanzania

By Chris Lang from redd-monitor.org. Published on 2012-05-09.

WWF is embroiled in a two-part scandal over its work in Tanzania. In October 2011, thousands of villagers were evicted from a WWF project area in the Rufiji Delta. This year WWF Tanzania staff were caught embezzling funds.

On 28 October 2011, forestry officials protected by armed police burned down hundreds of [...]

Guest Article: Indigenous Peoples Pushed for MRV Engagement at COP-15

By Kirsty Galloway McLean from The REDD site. Published on 2010-01-26.

Indigenous Peoples Pushed for MRV Engagement In REDD and REDD+ as Rights Holders in COP15 Special guest article from Fiu Mata’ese Elisara*/Executive Director of OLSSI, Samoa —– The Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) constantly monitored the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) negotiations. It continued to provide proposals and contributions as [...]

Guest Article: The Copenhagen Disaccord

By Kirsty Galloway McLean from The REDD site. Published on 2010-01-21.

The Copenhagen Disaccord: The Copenhagen Accord leaves room for doubt, disappointment… and little hope. Special guest article from Paula Moreira*, Instituto de Pesquisa Amiental da Amazônia (IPAM). For further information, please contact Paula Moreira (paulamoreira[at]@ipam.org.br) —- On 19 December, 2009, the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties (COP-15) closed, leaving much doubt as to the validity [...]

Guest Article: REDD is CO2lonialism of Forests

By Kirsty Galloway McLean from The REDD site. Published on 2009-12-15.

REDD is CO2lonialism of Forests Special guest article from Fiu Mata’ese Elisara*/Executive Director of OLSSI, Samoa —– The Australian newspaper (The Australian – The rush is on for sky money) calls REDD a ‘classic 21st century scam emerging from the global climate industry. The inclusion of forests in the carbon market raises a crucial property [...]

Guest Article: Sharing Risks and Avoiding Risks of REDD in Tropical Forests

By Kirsty Galloway McLean from The REDD site. Published on 2009-12-01.

Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples in Tropical Forests and REDD: how to share the benefits and avoid risks? Special guest article from Erika Pinto, Paula Franco Moreira*, Ricardo Rettmann, Paulo Moutinho, Flavia Gabriela Oyo França and Osvaldo Stella Martins, Instituto de Pesquisa Amiental da Amazônia (IPAM). For further information, please contact Paula Moreira (paulamoreira[at]@ipam.org.br) —- [...]

CCB: REDD + Social and Environmental Standards

By Kirsty Galloway McLean from The REDD site. Published on 2009-11-30.

CARE International and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) will present their draft REDD + Social and Environmental Standards (REDD + SE) at a side event during COP-15 hosted by the government of Nepal. REDD + SE aims to help governments institute equitable REDD programs on a national level. The joint CARE/CCBA initiative has [...]