Deforestation is a huge threat to the world’s forests: an estimated land area equivalent to 48 football fields is lost every minute.

Researchers from the National Centre for Earth Observation at the University of Leicester have won the international Copernicus Masters Award for their work on a potential solution. Their research led to a mobile app, Forest Sentinel, that helps combat illegal logging. The technology enables rapid deforestation alerts to be sent to a mobile app, allowing communication with thousands of app users working out in the field via a central dashboard, allowing them to more easily protect forests.

Professor Heiko Balzter. Image: University of Leicester

Professor Heiko Balzter from the university’s school of geography, geology and the environment, and researchers Dr Ciaran Robb and Dr Pedro Rodriguez-Veiga make up the prize-winning team. The Copernicus Masters is an international competition that awards prizes to innovative solutions, developments and ideas for business and society based on Earth observation data.

Professor Balzter said: “We want to achieve a breakthrough in the fight against illegal logging with Forest Sentinel. The powerful integration of satellite images with a mobile phone app and a big data analytics capability provides a step change in the ability of organisations to respond effectively to the loss of forest land.”

This article is featured in issue 92 of Positive News magazine. Subscribe now to get the magazine delivered to your door each quarter.

The post Scientists awarded for their ‘pioneering’ mobile app to combat illegal logging appeared first on Positive News.

Brands of Inspiration sponsored content: this article has been supported by ArBolivia

I’ve been to the Amazon rainforest a few times now, and each time I am completely amazed — it’s an incredible place. With all the insects and the birds, the wonderful sounds and the trees, it really is like a Garden of Eden. It’s so much more than carbon storage.

The whole world should be helping fund the protection of rainforests. Apart from having this innate value, there’s now no doubt that deforestation is accelerating climate change. It’s also reducing the amount of carbon that can be stored and having a catastrophic impact on biodiversity. People living in these places need alternative livelihoods that don’t depend on clearing land.

The Amazon rainforest really is like a Garden of Eden. It’s so much more than carbon storage

One of the things that sets ArBolivia’s approach apart is that we are semi-commercial. We don’t just plant trees, but help provide an income through timber. We also split the profit from selling the timber 50-50 with local farmers.

Through their labour and land, we help smallholders look after trees and plants and make sure they have access to markets. What is perhaps most valuable to them is the technical knowledge and the machinery we provide which they would otherwise be unable to afford. People are also paid to look after the trees, just a small amount each year, but many live in a subsistence economy with very little cash so this is important to them.

Because it takes quite a few years before the trees are large enough to be used as timber, the farmers grow coffee and other crops within the plantations too: yucca plants, rice, coffee, cacao, oranges and peanuts. We work to get them a better price for their products and have released some micro credit for them to establish coffee-growing businesses.

The programme is well regarded. Some people consider the trees an inheritance for their children or their grandchildren. It might be that they don’t personally benefit from income from the trees themselves, but their presence could make a big difference to future generations.

The ArBolivia project splits any profit from selling Amazonian timber 50-50 with local farmers

The areas in which we have planted were already deforested. In Bolivia, it is the rainforest fringes that are really under pressure, where there is easy access from the roads and the farms. So what we are doing is not just reforesting, but avoiding further deforestation.

Without a viable alternative, the farmers, whose land often becomes infertile due to poor management, are forced by economic necessity to chop down more trees to expand their farms. They do understand — the farmers want to look after the trees — it’s only through genuine need that they cut them down.

Widespread deforestation is still going on for soy and for cattle, but I think that as countries get richer they become more willing and aware about the need to protect what is left. There have been protests in Bolivia recently against deforestation. At the same time, unfortunately, the government is passing laws that mean deforestation can happen on a huge scale.

Governments in the Amazon need to adopt stricter policies on deforestation. Bolivia actually passed a law in 2011 to give nature its own legal status. But since then, we’ve seen the government open up to large scale agriculture and gas.

They do understand — the farmers want to look after the trees — it’s only through genuine need that they cut them down

Licenses against chopping down trees are not organised in a ‘joined-up’ way, so though it is possible to agree an approach with the national government, you have to do it all again with local government. Bureaucracy slows everything down. The situation in Brazil is more encouraging. The country has a more rigorous enforcement programme that monitors and stops illegal deforestation when it occurs.

Clearly when a resource reduces and reduces, people grow more aware of its importance. Sadly, it might need to get worse for it to get better. In south-east Asia, where most of the forest has gone, people are now more aware of what is left and the need to protect it.

What can people in the UK do to help? Most of the timber we buy here is softwood, which is not from tropical sources. It is the large-scale farmers of soy — used for cattle feed — and cattle, that cause the majority of deforestation. So eating less meat is one of the best ways to reduce that demand.

We want our project to be developed as a prototype that can be replicated elsewhere. There is huge potential for this, but first, we have to prove that it can be successful; both farmers and investors need to benefit.

This article has been produced by Positive News with financial support by ArBolivia, a Brands of Inspiration partner of Positive News. We partner with organisations that contribute towards creating a thriving society and environment, and in exchange for their support we provide them with a platform to connect with our audience.

Images: John Fleetwood

Media shapes society

Media has a powerful influence on our world. We believe excessive negativity in the press is destructive for society, so instead we are working to create a more constructive and compassionate media. To do this, we urgently need your support.

The post Growing lasting solutions to deforestation appeared first on Positive News.

Norway has become the first country in the world to commit to deforestation-free supply chains. The country’s parliament has pledged to stamp out government use of any product or service that contributes to deforestation – a known contributor to climate change.

While an increasing number of international companies are working to cut links to deforestation, Norway is so far the only country to take this step. Campaigners are hopeful it will positively influence trade throughout the country and beyond.

The move is “very important and encouraging” according to Nils Hermann Ranum, head of policy and campaigns at the Rainforest Foundation Norway. “Germany and the UK made
a joint statement in 2014 saying they would promote deforestation-free supply chains. These countries should be next in line to implement such policies.”

While Norway has reversed the trend of forest loss within its own country, the majority of deforestation occurs in rainforests, with around 7.3m hectares lost each year to make way for homes, agriculture and plantations, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rainforests are home to around half of all plant and animal species, and some 260 million people.

Main image: Tim Ove[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTNDaDMlM0VXYW50JTIwbW9yZSUyMG9mJTIwb3VyJTIwY29udGVudCUzRiUzQyUyRmgzJTNF[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text][contact-form-7 id=”19770″ title=”Mailchimp Homepage Form”][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Norway leads rainforest conservation efforts with supply chain pledge appeared first on Positive News.

In a remote region of Bolivia, where the Amazon rainforest meets the cloud forests of the Andes, a quiet revolution is growing: on hundreds of plots of land, scattered across an area the size of England, small-scale subsistence farmers are pushing back against rampant deforestation by planting hundreds of thousands of native hardwood trees.

This is ArBolivia, an innovative green-investment co-operative that’s using cash from western investors and a new crowdfunding initiative to fund profitable but sustainable community forestry programmes. The idea is to create a business model that will give farmers an enduring financial incentive to look beyond slash-and-burn agriculture, says John Fleetwood, co-founder of the group’s British fundraising wing.

“It offers something pretty unique — it’s a business solution to deforestation in South America that’s scalable in the long term,” he tells Positive News.

So far, ArBolivia has helped about 1,000 farmers cultivate more than 1,400 hectares of woodland, planting more than 1.5 million native trees in the process. Farmers are paid small stipends to tend the trees, and also receive 50 per cent of the profits from the harvested timber — an amount that’s expected to total between £49m and £82m over the next four decades.

“Typically, farmers say they’ll pass that money on to their children and grandchildren, to educate them and help them escape the cycle of poverty.”

It’s anticipated that in coming years participating farmers will earn an average of almost £58,000 apiece, a vast sum in a country where the average income is barely £1,600. “Typically, farmers say they’ll pass that money on to their children and grandchildren, to educate them and help them escape the cycle of poverty,” Fleetwood says.

There’s an added bonus: through careful plantation-based forestry on land that might otherwise have been clear-cut, the project will sequester about 621,000 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime, the equivalent of the annual carbon footprint of 30,000 British households. And unlike many deforestation programmes, which use non-native monocultures, ArBolivia’s farmers are growing mixed plots of native trees, helping to preserve the region’s biodiversity.

The catch, Fleetwood says, is that tropical trees take many years to grow to maturity, and while the project is already netting some revenues from early harvests, it won’t break even until 2021. In the meantime, operating costs remain high: the project employs about 40 Bolivian administrators and technical advisors, runs its own mobile sawmill, and is busy securing local and international buyers for the farmers’ timber.

While investors have already backed ArBolivia to the tune of almost £5 million, the project needs an additional £1 million to tide it over. That’s where the crowdfunding comes in: ArBolivia is now running a Crowdfunder campaign in the hope of raising around £250,000. Together with revenues from carbon-credit sales, grants, and other commercial revenue streams, that will keep the lights on until timber revenues begin to pour in, Fleetwood says.

The crowdfunding effort has raised more than £60,000 since it launched last month, and organisers hope the campaign will introduce ArBolivia to a new generation of young, web-savvy supporters. Small-scale backers will receive trinkets such as canvas prints and greetings cards in exchange for their support, but anyone giving more than £250 will receive ArBolivia shares equal to the value of their donation, giving them a stake in the project’s eventual profits, and an estimated 5% annual return on their investment.

Like what you’re reading? Get your Positive News subscription here

“People are taking quite a risk with their money, but there’s the potential to get it back, rather than just giving it away,” Fleetwood explains.

That’s key to the philosophy behind ArBolivia, he adds: rather than simply soliciting donations, the group’s organisers want to create a money-making, self-financing project capable of being replicated across Latin America, Africa, and other regions grappling with poverty and deforestation.

“This is potentially very sustainable and scalable project that could have a big impact not just here but also elsewhere in the world,” he says.

Young trees planted by ArBolivia farmers © John Fleetwood

ArBolivia is a Brands of Inspiration partner of Positive News and supports our journalism. Unless stated otherwise, editorial coverage of our partners is created independently of them.

The post Tackling Amazon deforestation through crowdfunding appeared first on Positive News.

On 7 October, accompanied by senators, religious leaders, celebrities and other supporters of a ban on the felling of Brazil’s forests, Greenpeace Brazil formally presented the draft legislation to the Brazilian congress – signed by 1.4 million Brazilians.

“We submit this bill to congress and now it’s time for them to reflect on the will of the people,” Cristiane Mazzetti of Greenpeace Brazil said in a statement.

“There is enough space for development without cutting down more of our forests,” said Mazzetti. “Democracy is strengthened by ensuring access to natural resources for everyone, for our generation and future generations. This is why stopping the destruction of our forests is essential.”

The annual rate of Amazon forest loss in Brazil has slowed by 75 percent since the early 2000s, but roughly 5,000 square kilometres (1.2 million acres) of rainforest is still destroyed every year. Greenpeace says that’s the equivalent of 700,000 football pitches. Even some lawmakers joined the group in saying that it’s time for the country to make it official policy that economic development activities not be undertaken at the expense of the Amazon rainforest.

“Democracy is strengthened by ensuring access to natural resources for everyone, for our generation and future generations. This is why stopping the destruction of our forests is essential.”

“I signed the petition in 2012 and I admit that I was anxious to see it completed,” senator João Capiberibe said in a statement. “This is certainly an important step towards the objective of zero deforestation in Brazil and then beginning a new project for developing the country, one that is not based on environmental destruction.”

A recent analysis by Paulo Moutinho of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute and Steve Schwartzman of the Environmental Defense Fund supports Greenpeace’s assertion that zero deforestation is entirely possible for Brazil to achieve without foregoing economic growth.

“Brazil succeeded in reducing Amazon deforestation by more than 80 percent since 2005 while maintaining robust growth in beef and soy production,” Moutinho and Schwarzman write. “There are at least about 56,000 km² of degraded cattle pasture in the Amazon that can be reclaimed for agriculture, as well as ample scope for intensifying cattle raising and improving yields, freeing up even more land.”

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has pledged to eliminate illegal deforestation and restore 12 million hectares (about 30 million acres) of forest by 2030 as part of broader efforts to combat climate change, itself a major threat to the wellbeing of tropical rainforests the world over.

Like what you’re reading? Get your Positive News subscription here

But zero illegal deforestation by 2030 is a “considerably less ambitious goal” than many Brazilian states have already proposed for themselves, Moutinho and Schwarzman say.

Pará, for example, a major agricultural state, has adopted a target of 80 percent deforestation reduction by 2020 and zero net deforestation thereafter. And Acre state, which still retains nearly 90 percent of its original forest cover, is “already implementing the most ambitious and successful system of payment for environmental services in the tropical world focusing on forest conservation,” Moutinho and Schwarzman write.

Greenpeace and other forest advocates, like bishop Guilherme Antônio Werlang, want Brazil’s federal government to take those ambitious efforts as examples and commit to swifter action to end deforestation of the Amazon altogether.

“We have to change the economic model and create the Brazil that we want,” Werlang said in Greenpeace’s statement about the delivery of the zero deforestation bill to congress. “It is an important time for us to continue to press forward, not only for small changes, but to consider a profound change.”

Photo © Marcos Oliveira/Agência Senado.

First published by Mongabay

The post 1.4 million Brazilians sign zero deforestation bill appeared first on Positive News.

A new campaign is urging chocolate lovers to become checkout-campaigners by choosing rainforest-friendly eggs this Easter.

The call comes from a partnership between the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and Ethical Consumer, which have surveyed over 70 of the UK’s top chocolate brands on their use of palm oil and its derivatives. The organisations have created an online guide charting which brands, according to their data, are most ethical in their sourcing and use of palm oil.

Vast areas of forest in countries such as Indonesia have been destroyed in order to cultivate palm oil plantations, and companies are now planning to expand in the rainforests of the Congo Basin in Africa. The campaign aims to address the unsustainable palm oil practices that are putting these areas, and their indigenous people and wildlife, under threat.

Simon Counsell, executive director of The Rainforest Foundation UK said: “We’ve launched a guide to foods containing palm oil with Ethical Consumer to raise awareness of the impacts associated with the production of this common ingredient. Consumers should be empowered to make informed purchasing decisions, understanding the impact of the production of the products they pick.”

There is good news for those with a sweet tooth, though. Two chocolate brands have been given top marks for their palm oil use, with a further five given the all-clear, so you can still indulge your chocolate cravings this Easter.

The post Easter egg ethics: online guide rates chocolate brands’ use of palm oil appeared first on Positive News.