A l’occasion de la 53ème réunion annuelle de l’Association pour la biologie tropicale et la conservation (ATBC), le mois dernier à Montpellier (France), un expert international en écologie a soutenu que la viande de brousse est une source de protéines essentielle à la sécurité alimentaire de nombreux habitants des régions tropicales. Selon Robert Nasi, directeur général adjoint du Centre pour la recherche forestière internationale (CIFOR), “il n’y a quasiment aucun risque d’attraper Ebola en mangeant de la viande de brousse. Ebola s’attrape par contact des fluides d’un animal contaminé, pas avec la viande cuite ; car le virus est détruit.”

Emisi karbondioksida, yang membuat bumi semakin hangat, dan mendorong terjadinya perubahan iklim, bisa berasal dari asap kendaraan bermotor atau berbagai aktivitas yang menggunakan bahan bakar fosil, seperti penggunaan listrik dan kegiatan industri. Berdasarkan penelitian CIFOR, hutan mangrove Indonesia disebut menyimpan lima kali karbon lebih banyak per hektare dibandingkan dengan hutan tropis dataran tinggi. Tercatat, Indonesia memiliki sekitar tiga juta hektare hutan mangrove atau mewakili 20 persen lebih bakau dunia, sementara Australia dan Brasil di posisi kedua dan ketiga, hanya memiliki sekitar 900 ribu hektare mangrove, perbedaan yang sangat jauh.

Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has vetoed a land management agreement with a member company of pulp and paper company Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (April) over irregularities in the way the deal was struck last month. According to the agreement, the Riau Conservation Agency and Gemilang Cipta Nusantara were to jointly manage 50,000ha of land in Riau, comprising Zamrud National Park and several wildlife reserves in the Kampar Peninsula. Dr Herry Purnomo, a scientist at the Centre for International Forestry Research, said the private sector should understand that the government “takes the lead” in managing national parks and that they are “only invited to contribute”.

Asia-Pacific environment ministers and researchers will gather in Brunei to discuss climate change and sustainable forest management next month. The ministry said the summit will discuss how the region is moving towards inclusive and sustainable forest management, in an era of new climate challenges. The summit will feature keynote speakers such as Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Australia’s Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenburg, and Mark Burrows, vice-chairman of Investment Banking, Asia-Pacific at Credit Suisse. The Brunei government is hosting the summit with the support of the Australian government and Center for International Forestry Research as science and engagement partner.

Menteri-Menteri dari seluruh negara-negara Asia Pasifik akan menyertai para pemimpin dari kewangan, masyarakat awam korporat dan ahli akademik pada Sidang Kemuncak Hutan Hujan Asia Pasifik 2016 (Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit 2016) untuk berkongsi pandangan mengenai bagaimana rantau ini bergerak ke arah pengurusan hutan mampan dan menyeluruh, dalam era cabaran iklim baharu dan matlamat pembangunan global. Sidang kemuncak tahun ini dihoskan oleh Kerajaan Negara Brunei Darussalam dan disokong oleh Kerajaan Australia dengan penglibatan rakan kongsi dan sains CIFOR.

Pusat Penelitian Kehutanan Internasional atau Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) mengharapkan Taman Nasional Zamrud di Kabupaten Siak, Provinsi Riau bisa menjadi model pencegahan kebakaran hutan dan lahan di Indonesia. Direncanakan Wakil Presiden Republik Indonesia Jusuf Kalla akan meresmikan pembukaan Taman Nasional Zamrud, di Kabupaten Siak pada hari Sabtu (23/7). Bupati Kabupaten Siak Syamsuar menyambut gembira penetapan taman seluas 31 ribu hektare yang didasari Surat Keputusan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan No 350/2016. Jenis utama dalam Taman Nasional Zamrud antara lain Beruang Madu, Harimau Sumatera, Biawak, Buaya Air Tawar dan primata Siamang. Namun penetapan Taman Nasional Zamrud ini, kata Herry tentu tidak otomatis menghilangkan Karhutla.

Customary rights have the advantage that they already exist, people understand them and they offer at least some security. “Law and policy should recognise what is working on the ground. So if it is customary rights, so be it,” says Esther Mwangi of the Centre for International Forestry Research. A USAID survey conducted in Ethiopia, Guinea, Liberia and Zambia found that less than a third of people had experienced land disputes. About the same number thought confiscation of, or encroachment on, their land was likely. That suggests that their property is far less secure than it would be in any rich country, but not as insecure as one might expect, given that less than 10% of households have any documents proving their land ownership in the latter three countries.

The Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) is calling on the public to join a photo competition in conjunction with the upcoming 2016 Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit. Open to professional and amateur photographers, the competition seeks to showcase photos that highlight the value of the region’s forests by featuring subjects such as rainforests and forest landscapes as well as the communities who live and around forests. “The Asia-Pacific Rainforest Photo Competition is your chance to express to leaders in the region and beyond why our rainforests matter,” said the Center for International Forestry Research, the summit’s science and engagement partner, on its website. Each participant is allowed to enter a maximum of three photos via the centre’s website at www2.cifor.org before the submission deadline on July 24.