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Source: http://www.survival-international.org/news/4506

Members of the Penan tribe in Borneo have written to the CEO of Europe’s foremost hotel chain, ACCOR, asking him to end his company’s cooperation with the loggers who are destroying their forests.

ACCOR is building a 388-room hotel complex in Kuching, Sarawak, with Malaysian logging company Interhill. The Penan have been protesting since the late 1980s against Interhill’s destruction of their land.

Seventy-seven Penan have signed the letter to ACCOR CEO Gilles Pélisson. ‘Interhill is extracting timber from our forests against our declared will and without our consent,’ says the letter. ‘Without our forest, we, the Penan, cannot survive.’

Swiss organization Bruno Manser Fund is campaigning for ACCOR to withdraw from its project with Interhill.

The Penan’s letter continues, ‘Despite our repeated protests, Interhill does not respect our boundaries, continues to encroach on our traditional land and disregards our native customary rights. This is why we have started to map our land and will soon file a court case against Interhill.’

‘We depend on the clean water from our rivers, the wild boar we hunt in the forest and the fruits and jungle produce we collect from the old trees, the sago palms and the rattan vines. Many of us are affected by severe health problems caused by logging and have suffered because we lost our fishing grounds and hunting has become much more difficult.’

Sign the petition against ACCOR’s cooperation with Interhill

Theresia Sufa , The Jakarta Post , Sukabumi, West Java

Even after almost 10 years of working at the Cikananga Wildlife Rescue Center, wildlife activist Budiharto still can’t help feeling sad when he sees animals devastated by hunger.

“I come close to tears as I watch wild animals limping out of hunger, forcing me to rack my brains to find some way of securing food for the hundreds of them now in the center, to save them from starving,” said the 41-year-old, who is wildlife manager at the center.

JP/Theresia SufaJP/Theresia Sufa

The center, in Sukabumi, West Java, was set up in August 2001 by a non-profit wildlife conservation organization. It is used to hold animals confiscated from the public by the Forestry Ministry’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), as well as those surrendered by their owners, most of which are endangered native species.

Among the creatures under the center’s care are long-necked tortoises (Chelodina siebenrocki), Javan hawk eagles (Spizaetus bartelsi), Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch), double-wattle cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius), orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), honey bears (Helarctos malayanus) and panthers (Panthera pardus melas).

The center also provides a means to educate visitors about environment conservation, by acquainting them with a special wildlife school that also functions as a physical rehabilitation base to prepare endangered animals for their release into the wild.

The aim is to raise public awareness and thus put an end to the environmental crime of raising rare animals at home. Love of animals is thus at the center of their release and of the proper maintenance of forests as their habitat.

But since funding from an affiliated foundation was terminated, the center has been in trouble, with the hundreds of animals at the center underfed and physically weak.

“We used to run smoothly with the foundation’s aid, but now we have to meet all the food and maintenance costs ourselves. When the aid was cut off, there were 1,000 carnivores and primates here, leaving us in a panic,” said Budiharto.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Budiharto and 14 fellow activists, the center has managed to continue to survive and feed its remaining 296 animals. Together, they have been going around Sukabumi everyday to obtain chicken meat from friends who work with chicken breeding farms, while also selling brown sugar they produce to get money to buy animal feed.

Sometimes they pick up a little extra money from the students or foreign researchers who spend the night in guesthouses within the center’s compound.

They have also reached an arrangement with two supermarkets in Sukabumi to get animal feed, such as perishable farm produce and meat unfit for human consumption, although this cannot be expected on a daily basis. Bandung’s Biofarma pharmaceutical company has also helped out with some cash assistance.

“There’re times when we didn’t get paid for months for doing this job. As wildlife activists, we realize we’re here not just for money but for our dedication to the rescue of Indonesia’s indigenous animals,” Budiharto said.

“Our love of wildlife is so deep that we have endured this hardship till now. But we simply can’t cope with this problem alone, so we need help from all parties including the government, because the animals belong to the state. We need not only funds but also help with animal releases.”

This is because, Budiharto said, the animals are kept in the center only temporarily, meaning they have to return to the wild whenever other animals enter the center.

Unlike zoos, this center aims to turn tame beasts into wild ones to enable them to survive in their natural habitat. Often, this is not easy because most of the animals in the center have had traumatic experiences.

For instance, a bear called Hunny was about to be slaughtered for soup at a restaurant in Jakarta when it was rescued and adopted by residents.

A panther named Gon-gon was found by the BKSDA and an environment NGO in a Ciamis forest in West Java with one leg trapped; the leg had to be amputated because of gangrene.

Thus unable to return to the wild, Gon-gon must go to a zoo or a captive breeding place – or be given a lethal injection according to international requirements.

In 2007, six Javan gibbons from the center were turned over to the rehabilitation center in Bodogol resort in Bogor’s Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park, and eight Javan eagles were delivered to the Eagle Sanctuary at Mount Halimun Salak National Park in Bogor. Therefore, the center has to cooperate with various national parks.

“Through the center, we wish to demonstrate that we are not fond of denuding and destroying forests as these are the habitat of wild animals,” Budiharto said.

“The presence of this center serves as proof that our nation is very eager to protect its native wildlife and return endangered species to nature for their conservation.”

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/04/28/budiharto-giving-life-indonesia039s-wildlife.html

Michael Casey
Source: The Jakarta Post

Southeast Asia will be hit particularly hard by climate change, causing the region’s agriculture-dependent economies to contract by as much as 6.7 percent annually by the end of the century, according to a study released Monday.

The Asian Development Bank study focused on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Those countries are especially vulnerable because they have large coastal populations facing rising sea levels and rely heavily on rice and other agriculture products which could suffer from water shortages as well as floods. Vietnam was found to be the most vulnerable.

“Climate change seriously threatens Southeast Asia’s families, food supplies and financial prosperity,” said Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, the ADB’s vice president for knowledge management and sustainable development. “If Southeast Asian nations delay action on climate change, their economies and people will ultimately suffer.’

If nothing is done to combat global warming, the report said that by 2100 the four Asian countries would see temperatures rise an average of 8.6 Fahrenheit (4.8 Celsius) from the 1990 level. They would also likely suffer drops in rainfall leading to worsening droughts and more forest fires, more destructive tropical storms and flooding from rising seas that could displace millions of people and lead to the destruction of 965 square miles (2,500 square kilometers) of mangroves.

The economic cost, according to the report, would be 2.2 percent of gross domestic product by 2100 if only the impact on markets is considered, 5.7 percent if health costs and biodiversity losses are factored in and 6.7 percent of gross domestic product if losses from climate-related disasters are also included.

That far exceeds the projected cost globally of climate change, estimated at 2.6 percent of gross domestic product each year by the end of the century.

Currently, governments are working to lay the groundwork ahead of a U.N. conference in December in Copenhagen that will attempt to draft a new agreement on regulating carbon emissions. It would replace the 1998 Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

The ADB said Southeast Asian nations would have to do their part – even though their emissions were minuscule compared to China and the United States. But these countries should get billions of dollars in financial assistance from richer nations to help them address the problem and their efforts at mitigation should not come at the expense of slower development.

“Most politicians are only looking at this from an environment view but this is wrong,” said Emil Salim, an environmental adviser to the Indonesian government who also contributed to the report. “You would be forgetting that we have unemployment and poverty.”

The key for Southeast Asia would be protecting its remaining tropical forests which have fallen victim in recent years to widespread illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations, the report found. Deforestation represents as much as 75 percent of the four country’s emissions.

The report advised investing in tree planting programs, better forest management and programs that pay governments to keep trees in the ground.

It also recommended further measures to mitigate the impact of climate change, such as irrigation networks, flood control systems, early warning systems and protecting coastal mangroves.

It estimated such steps would cost $5 billion per year on average by 2020 but that benefits would exceed the cost after 2050. It said by 2100 that the benefits could be 1.9 percent of GDP compared to cost of taking action which would amount to 0.2 percent of GDP.

The report also found that 40 percent of energy-related carbon emissions could be reduced by 2020 if the countries invested in more energy efficient buildings, fuel efficient cars and public transport. Another 40 percent could be reduced by switching from coal to natural gas and renewable energy like solar and wind for power generation.

The following letter comes to us from Mr Sean Whyte, Director of Nature Alert. As soon as we get a green light from Jakarta, Hardi Baktiantoro and the COP team will rescue these political prisoners and bring them to a sanctuary where they can begin the healing process…

To: Tony Soehartono,
Director of Biodiversity Conservation at the Ministry of Forestry

Dear Mr Soehartono,

I understand a week ago you said to The Jakarta Globe  “If there is any domestication of orangutans, show us where and who,”

Please will you arrange for these four illegally held orangutans to be URGENTLY rescued?

- Binyo  6yr. old male

- Pinky   9 yr. old female

- Jimo  5 yr. old male

- Lupis  8 yr old female

All four are being held illegally. For the exact location of these orangutans and many others like them please contact either Hardi Baktiantoro or Sean Whyte, whose details you have.

I have asked to be kept updated and I hope to hear very soon that you have had these and other illegally held captive orangutans rescued and handed over to an orangutan rescue centre. If you need help you only need contact either COP or Nature Alert. There can be no possible reason for not rescuing these orangutans.

To leave these illegally held orangutans in such shocking conditions brings only shame on Indonesia and the Ministry of Forestry in particular. My friends and I will never give up writing until we receive news of these orangutans having been rescued and we all know you are the government official responsible for making it happen.

Thank you.

A concerned conservationist.

One group is urging caution on banning new fossil-fuel plants

By B.J. Reyes

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 28, 2009
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While environmental groups rallied at the state Capitol in support of a measure to prohibit building any new fossil-fuel power plants in Hawaii, at least one renewable-energy advocate urged lawmakers to proceed with caution.

Henry Curtis, executive director of preservation group Life of the Land, said his concerns focus mainly on the potential use of palm oil, a product that can be made from palm trees and used for cooking, cosmetics and as a biofuel.

Some environmental and climate groups have objected to widespread use of palm oil, because plantations can lead to tropical forest deforestation, endangering native species and contributing to climate-warming gases, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

“My major concern is if we ban fossil fuels while we do not discuss tropical vegetable oils, like palm oil, then we will drive rain forest destruction, and that should not be the way we’re going,” Curtis said. “There are some things that are far worse than petroleum.

“Of course we believe in getting rid of petroleum, but it should not be done haphazardly, to the point where the solution we bring on is worse.”

The measure being supported by environmental groups along with Gov. Linda Lingle is House Bill 1464, which prohibits power plants from increasing generating capacity using fossil fuels. It is among hundreds of bills being negotiated by House and Senate members in conference committees as the Legislature winds down the 2009 session.

Yesterday’s rally was organized by the Blue Planet Foundation, based in Honolulu.

Lingle and others urged supporters to keep up the pressure on House and Senate members to approve HB 1464.

Opposition has come from a handful of utility companies, but Lingle noted that Hawaiian Electric Co. — the state’s largest utility — already has agreed its new plant slated for Campbell Industrial Park will use renewable fuels.

“They have gone on record as supporting this move,” Lingle said of HECO. “Rarely is there a time that the Legislature gets an issue handed to them with a ribbon around it all tied up and ready to go.”

The conference committee on the measure is scheduled to resume tomorrow.

While environmental groups rallied at the state Capitol in support of a measure to prohibit building any new fossil-fuel power plants in Hawaii, at least one renewable-energy advocate urged lawmakers to proceed with caution.

Henry Curtis, executive director of preservation group Life of the Land, said his concerns focus mainly on the potential use of palm oil, a product that can be made from palm trees and used for cooking, cosmetics and as a biofuel.

Some environmental and climate groups have objected to widespread use of palm oil, because plantations can lead to tropical forest deforestation, endangering native species and contributing to climate-warming gases, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

“My major concern is if we ban fossil fuels while we do not discuss tropical vegetable oils, like palm oil, then we will drive rain forest destruction, and that should not be the way we’re going,” Curtis said. “There are some things that are far worse than petroleum.

“Of course we believe in getting rid of petroleum, but it should not be done haphazardly, to the point where the solution we bring on is worse.”

The measure being supported by environmental groups along with Gov. Linda Lingle is House Bill 1464, which prohibits power plants from increasing generating capacity using fossil fuels. It is among hundreds of bills being negotiated by House and Senate members in conference committees as the Legislature winds down the 2009 session.

Yesterday’s rally was organized by the Blue Planet Foundation, based in Honolulu.

Lingle and others urged supporters to keep up the pressure on House and Senate members to approve HB 1464.

Opposition has come from a handful of utility companies, but Lingle noted that Hawaiian Electric Co. — the state’s largest utility — already has agreed its new plant slated for Campbell Industrial Park will use renewable fuels.

“They have gone on record as supporting this move,” Lingle said of HECO. “Rarely is there a time that the Legislature gets an issue handed to them with a ribbon around it all tied up and ready to go.”

The conference committee on the measure is scheduled to resume tomorrow.

Source: http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090428_Bill_splits_environmentalists.html

Theresia Sufa , The Jakarta Post , Sukabumi

The screeches of gray long-tailed monkeys and Javan gibbons responding to each other shattered the silence at the Cikananga Wildlife Rescue Center (PPSC) in Sukabumi regency, West Java.

The center, located in a 14-hectare sanctuary in Cikananga village, Nyalindung district, was set up on Aug. 27, 2001 by wildlife conservation NGO The Gibbon Foundation.

Budiharto, the center’s wildlife manager, said the center had been built to assist the government in the rescue and conservation of wild animals and their habitat, as well as boosting efforts to uphold enforcement of wildlife protection laws.

“Some of the animals accommodated here came from the various species seized from the public by staff of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency *BKSDA*, while others were voluntarily given up by society. We’re taking care of them and training them before releasing them to their natural habitat,” Budiharto said.

According to Budiharto, the center now has 296 animals of 40 species, including Javan hawk eagles (Spizaetus bartelsi), mountain eagles (Spizaetus alboniger), gray long-tailed monkeys (Trachypithecus cristatus), Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch), tailless gibbons (Symphalangus syndactylus), honey bears (Helarctos malayanus), orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), and long-necked tortoises (Chelodina siebenrocki).

They are animals native to Indonesia whose populations in the wild are greatly endangered.

The animals in the center, however, are in very poor condition because of a food shortage that began when a foundation that worked with the center discontinued funding for food in 2006.

“Actually, the arrangement was due to end at a specified time after a period of five years, but even before the term expired the foundation had ceased providing aid for animal feed,” Budiharto said.

“We got into a panic because there were 1,000 animals under our care with large numbers of carnivores and primates were to be fed.”

To ward off any further worsening food crisis, the center’s 14 employees worked hard to secure food supplies by seeking help from their friends working with chicken breeding farms in Sukabumi to get chicken meat.

The center also rents out guesthouses within its compound at rates ranging from Rp 20,000 (about US$2) to Rp 150,000 per night, but few people stay there apart from students or researchers studying certain species on this rescue site.

“We had to search for chicken meat from several friends as we needed it badly to feed panthers, crocodiles and various eagle species, while also trying to produce brown sugar for sale. The money we made was spent on fruit and vegetables for the primates,” Budiharto said.

“Yet whatever we collected, it was never enough to meet the rescue center’s needs. So they got fed only once daily, but occasionally they went without food for days.”

Finally, in August 2008, the center received aid from Biofarma, a pharmaceutical company in Bandung, to the value of Rp 5 million a month to purchase feed for the center’s 10 primates. In early 2009, the center reached an arrangement with a Jogya department store and Tiara supermarket in Sukabumi to get hold of other foodstuffs.

“The two major stores supply animal food whenever their vegetables, fruit or meat go past their shelf life, perhaps slightly rotting. It’s also a sign of their concern about conservation issues,” Budiharto said.

“We hope more department stores will follow in their footsteps, and the government will extend aid because all of the center’s animals belong to the state and should be protected.”

He also hopes that members of the public “adopt” the animals in the center to give them better care; food costs range from Rp 150,000 to Rp 2 million.

A leopard costs Rp 2 million per month to feed, a reptile Rp 150,000, an orangutan Rp 1 million ($100/month) , and a bear Rp 600,000.

Unu Nitibaskara, head of the West Java BKSDA, said the government allocated funds to feed the animals two years ago.

“But because the center could not account for its funding spending as required, such as by delivering receipts, the aid was finally halted. We will submit another request for government aid although it may take a year to obtain the subsidy,” he said.

“I hope the center’s wildlife adoption program will proceed smoothly.”

With regard to the time limit for the care and training of endangered species in the center, Unu explained there was no fixed standard for such custody, although some requirements have to be met: The habitat for animal release should be made ready, the animal should be healthy and not carry hepatitis, the animal’s existence in its natural habitat should be well protected, and local people have no objections, in order to avoid conflict arising later.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/04/28/wildlife-rescue-center-dire-food-shortage.html