Forests covering an area the size of the Isle of Wight could be felled under controversial Government plans which would increase the nation’s carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to putting an extra 172,000 cars on the road.

The proposal would see up to 116 square miles (30,000 hectares) of English woodland cleared and turned into open heathland.

Conservationists say the move would help to boost numbers of rare birds, such as nightjars, woodlarks and dunlins; reptiles like the sand lizard; insects, including solitary bees and the tiger beetle, and rare plants like the lesser twayblade.

Considerable cost

However, it would cost taxpayers £61 million to carry out and critics say it would set back the fight against climate change as there would be fewer trees to “lock up” carbon emissions.

“There is a strong argument that rather than cutting down trees, releasing carbon and putting people out of jobs, we would be better off spending a smaller amount of money ensuring other areas of heathland are better managed.” Stuart Goodall, Confederation of Forest Industries

The scheme has been drawn up by the Forestry Commission. According to its own calculations, the forest clearance would increase England’s net annual carbon emissions by 0.1 per cent or 506,000 tonnes – equivalent to putting an extra 172,000 cars on the road.

The scheme has caused division among Britain’s environmental organisations. Conservation groups like the RSPB strongly back the plans to create a more “open habitat” for wildlife. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have both refused to condemn the scheme. But the plans are strongly opposed by the Green Party.

Public consultation

The Forestry Commission is currently considering targets for how much land should be cleared. The maximum option is to chop down 116 square miles over a 10 to 15 year period. The minimum option is to clear 23 square miles (6,000 hectares) over the same period.

Ministers will set a target following a public consultation. If the maximum option was taken, it would represent 15 per cent of the Forestry Commission’s entire estate.

Although the Forestry Commission has not identified specific areas of woodland to clear, heathland restoration schemes have already taken place in the New Forest, Cannock Chase, Sherwood Forest and the Forest of Dean.

Currently, around 1.9 square miles (500 hectares) a year are returned to open habitat.

From The Telegraph

This week the Prince Of Wales launched a new campaign to raise awareness of tropical deforestation and encourage action to end it.

The campaign was launched on social networking sites across the web, urging people to show their support by signing up on the Prince’s Rainforests Project website.

Deforestation not only accounts for about 20% of emissions from human activities but also reduces the tropical ecosystems’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Prince Charles said he felt it was important to attempt to reach out to an online audience. “One of the internet’s strengths is that it can enable diverse communities to come together to ensure that everybody’s views and actions can really be made to count,” he said “It provides the potential to create global determination for change on a vitally important issue.”

The jewels in the crown of biodiversity

Tony Juniper, the PRP’s special adviser, said the forests were the jewels in the crown of biodiversity. “The ecosystems are home to a sizeable percentage of the world’s species and perform vital ecological services, such as providing clean drinking water.” he said

But more recently, scientists have also highlighted the importance of rainforests in the battle against climate change. “If we are to limit the level of warming to a level that we can cope with, we need to stop deforestation,” said Tony Juniper “Deforestation is essentially an economic problem and we need to find an economic solution. We need to find ways to make forests worth more alive than dead.”

More information

Find out more, and sign up to show your support, on the Prince’s Rainforests Project website. You can also take part in the campaign by creating your own mash-up video, in which you can appear alongside well-known figures and an animated frog (the symbol of the campaign), to share with your friends.

Bumblebees are fascinating creatures that deserve conserving in their own right. However, there are also pressing ecological and economic reasons to halt their decline.

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.” Albert Einstein

It’s hard to believe that such a small creature can be so important to our food supply but bees are major pollinators of crops and other plants. If bumblebees continue to decline many plants will set less seed, resulting in further decline and extinctions.

This could have a devastating effect on the whole ecosystem. Therefore bumblebees are seen as a keystone species for conservation (ie they have a disproportionate effect on their environment compared to their numbers).

What’s causing the decline?

Bumblebee numbers in the UK have declined by 60% since 1970.

Currently scientists are stumped – but everything from climate change, mobile phones, parasites, loss of habitat, intensive farming and overuse of pesticides, have been suggested as possible causes for the decline.

The simple truth is that bees need flowers, and there are fewer flowers to be found in neatly cultivated gardens and intensively farmed countryside these days.

What can you do?

Bumblebees are dependent on flowers for nectar and pollen. They also need a place to shelter and build a nest to maintain a successful colony throughout their lifecycle.

Gardens have become important refuges for bumblebees and you can encourage them to visit your garden by following some simple tips.

• Bumblebees need a succession of flowers from spring to autumn, so there is always a food supply. Perennial flowers such as herbs and native wildflowers are ideal.
• Flowers are best planted in large groups – or patches – of the same kind, so the bees don’t have to waste valuable energy scouting around the area for more.
• A selection of flowers of different shapes (eg bowl-shaped, bell-shaped, lipped and tubular) will appeal to different species, as they have different tongue lengths.
• Bedding plants such as Petunias, Begonias, Busy Lizzies, French Marigolds, Pelargoniums, Pansies etc, aren’t appreciated by bees, nor are insecticides.
• If possible, part of the garden should be left uncultivated to provide suitable nesting sites. Some bees make their nest in long, tussocky grass or under hedgerows.
• You can also make a bumblebee nest to put in your garden, using this simple guide from the BBC (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader).

More information

Find out what else you can do to help save the bumblebee on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website, and check out some facts about bumblebees on BBC Breathing Places.

You can also register at Save Our Bees to receive a free packet of bee-friendly seeds plus an activity pack, and find out what farmers are doing to help bees on the Operation Bumblebee website.

Please share your tips and stories about what you’ve done to save the humble bumblebee by leaving a comment below.

Soaring demand for palm oil is accelerating the destruction of the Indonesian rainforests. This Greenpeace video reveals the cause and extent of the damage…

The destruction of the Indonesian rainforests for palm oil plantations is a tragedy for the forests and the people and animals who depend on them – and a disaster for the global climate.

Check the ingredients!

So, next time you’re out shopping, check product ingredients and look for alternatives to those that contain palm oil… for the sake of the planet and future generations!

Four beaver families have arrived in the UK as part of a plan to reintroduce them to Scotland for the first time in more than 400 years. The four families, each consisting of one adult pair and between one to three youngsters or kits, were captured in Norway in September.

They will spend six months in quarantine before being released on a trial basis in Knapdale, Argyll, in spring 2009. The trial is being carried out by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Beavers are native to Britain but were hunted to extinction over 400 years ago.

When the beavers are released, the project partners and Forestry Commission Scotland will continue to oversee the project. Scottish Natural Heritage will conduct scientific monitoring to assess the environmental impact of the beavers.

Simon Jones, from the Scottish Beaver Trial, said “Beavers hold the potential to create new wetland habitats which in turn increases the appeal to other native species. We are excited to get the trial underway and really see what benefits beavers can bring to Scotland.”

The scheme to reintroduce the beavers has not been without controversy, however. The Association of Salmon Fishery Boards has called the project “recklessly irresponsible” and asked ministers to block further releases until the impact on fish stocks can be assessed.

More information

You can find details about the reintroduction of beavers in Scotland on the Scottish Beaver Trial website. And you’ll find more information about Scottish wildlife on the Scottish Wildlife Trust website.

There are more than 160 species of chameleons. The main natural distribution is in Africa and Madagascar, and other tropical regions, although some species are found in parts of southern Europe, southern India and Sri Lanka.

Chameleons are masters of camouflage, changing their colour to blend in with their surroundings and even fine-tuning the colour changes according to the vision of specific predators – commonly birds and snakes.

Endangered species

Many species of chameleon are seriously endangered due to loss of habitat and being taken from the wild for the commercial pet trade.

Some countries, like Kenya and South Africa have voluntarily banned exportation of chameleons for the pet trade and others have legislation governing collection and exportation. The protection of chameleons falls under the regulation of international trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

CITES lists all chameleons, with the exception of a few species, on Appendix II which lists species that are “not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled”.

Habitat loss

Almost without exception, the natural habitats of wild chameleons are under pressure from rapidly expanding human populations.Trees that are home to chameleons are cut down to build housing and may be the only source of fuel for cooking and warmth in many developing countries. Forests are also cleared to provide grazing for cattle and crops like rice, which doesn’t provide an alternate habitat for arboreal animals like chameleons.

The pet trade

Habitat loss is undoubtedly the most serious conservation issue for chameleons, but the future of wild chameleons is also threatened by collection for the pet trade. Many thousands of chameleons are collected from the wild and exported to Europe, Australia and the USA every year – despite CITES. Many die in transit and few survive for more than a few months when removed from their natural habitat.

More information

You can rely on us to bring you the latest news about real environmental issues plus great tips and advice for eco-friendly living. From time-to-time we also publish articles (such as this one) in response to other, less reliable, information you might find online. We hope you found the article interesting and helpful.

Find out more about chameleons on Wikipedia and about the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on the CITES website.

On a lighter note

A passenger who tried to smuggle her pet chameleon into Britain by wearing it as a hat was foiled by customs officers. The 17-year-old walked into the baggage collection hall at Manchester airport with the creature perched on her headscarf after a flight from Dubai. Despite its ability to camouflage itself by changing colour, the chameleon attracted the attention of people at the luggage carousel. (from an article on the Telegraph website)

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As the Japanese whaling fleet prepared to set sail for the Southern Ocean, news came through that there is to be a reduction in the number of Minke whales targeted this season.

A report in Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s biggest newspapers, states that “Japan will reduce its total whale-catch target by about 10 percent, the first cut since its research whaling began in 1987, amid heightened environmental protests and dwindling demand for the meat”.

Welcome news for Minke whales

This is welcome news indeed, for Minke whales in the Southern Ocean. While actual catches have fallen short of the targets in recent years, this is the first time Japan has lowered the target itself since ‘research’ whaling started after the International Whaling Commission imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.

The news follows hard on the heels of Greenpeace’s revelations that the industry has been unable to crew this year’s voyage with an all-Japanese crew for the first time and that the traditional ceremony of seeing the fleet off from Shimonoseki has been cancelled.

Whale meat shops and restaurants to close

In addition, Yushin, the flagship whale meat shop and restaurant in Tokyo, has announced that it will close in 2010 due to ongoing financial problems (read; falling demand).

“The whale meat market has clearly collapsed and is unprofitable. The whaling industry’s days are numbered, and it’s time for the Japanese taxpayer to demand the government stops subsidising this bankrupt programme.” Jun Hoshikawa, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan

The news of a reduction in the number of whales targeted this season comes on top of a Greenpeace commissioned opinion poll in Japan, earlier this year, which found that 31% of respondents were in favour of whaling, whilst 25% were against and 44% were neither for nor against.

Keeping up the pressure

Conservation groups, including Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, have kept up the pressure by sending ships to interfere with the hunt since the whaling programme in the Southern Ocean began 20 years ago – including keeping them on the run for more than two weeks last season, saving hundreds of whales.

You can help keep up the pressure, and convince governments and the United Nations that we need to protect our oceans, by signing the Greenpeace petition calling for a global network of marine reserves.

Check out this short video from Greenpeace, exposing the ugly truth about palm oil and Indonesia’s rapidly disappearing rainforest.

Of course, it’s not just Dove who are responisble for the wholesale destruction of Indonesia’s rainforest for palm oil plantations.

The manufacturers of a massive range of products from processed foods and bio-fuel to washing, cleaning and skincare products are all playing a part. Makes you think, doesn’t it!

What can you do?

Help protect Indonesia’s rainforest. Boycott palm oil products whenever you can and send a clear message to those responsible for the destruction by hitting them where it hurts – the balance sheet!

The cost of the recent financial crisis is nothing – in economic terms – to the cost of destroying the environment. A recent EU report put that cost at between $2 and $5 trillion (yes, trillion!) annually, or about 7% of global GDP.

The figure is derived from adding the value of the various services that ecosystems provide, such as clean water and absorbing carbon dioxide. Putting a price on these services is like taking out an insurance policy to maintain our life support systems.

Intrinsic value

In global markets today, rainforests are worth more dead than alive

Some will argue that putting a price on nature, in terms of the services it offers, is ethically unsound.

But we need to face up to the fact that, in a free-market economy, despite decades of pleading to halt the degradation, the intrinsic value of ecosystems and biodiversity carries no weight. By persuading policymakers of the economic value, and the financial cost of allowing the decline to continue, there’s every chance of a change.

The way forward

At the world’s largest gathering of conservation scientists and NGOs in Barcelona this month, participants succeeded in defining a way forward.

The clear message coming out of this meeting is that biodiversity underpins the well-being of human societies and their economies. The tide is turning in our favour, we have the scientific knowledge and we have the governmental willpower to put the solutions in place.

More than 8,000 specialists from the conservation community, NGOs, governments, academia, the private sector and indigenous groups were gathered in Barcelona to discuss the most pressing issues of our time and develop a framework for protecting the environment.

Will it work?

Is putting a price on the environment a good idea? Will it work? Will it safeguard our future? Share your views by leaving a comment below for others to read…