Cameroon Tribune:
A CIFOR training workshop has provided communities living in the Ottotomo Forest Reserve with advice on how to sustainable manage non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The Reserve’s steadily growing population is now placing extra pressure on the forest. CIFOR and local partners are researching alternative livelihood activities to reduce this pressure. Currently local activities are focused on cassava and oil palm. CIFOR research indicates the Reserve may have the potential to support other activities, such as sustainable management and marketing of bush mango.

Jakarta Post:
The Head of Indonesian Government’s anti-money laundering agency, Yunus Hussein of the Financial Intelligence Unit (PPATK), said 70 percent of Indonesia’s forestry exports come from illegal logging. Quoting CIFOR data, Hussein said illegal logging accounts for 60-80 percent of the 60-70 million m3 of domestic timber consumption. Of nearly 3,000 reports of suspicious transactions, 28 involved illegal logging. Hussein said 10 of these involved government, police and military officials.

Washington Post, Jakarta Post, Kompas:
A huge oil palm plantation development in Borneo along Indonesia’s border with Malaysia has prompted concerns from a range of forest and environment organizations. Recent media stories have highlighted concerns about the potential damage the project could inflict on one of the world’s largest areas of intact rainforest. The 5 million hectare project (an area larger than Holland) is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including the endangered orangutan. The forests also provide livelihoods for many local communities who have lived in the forests for hundreds of years. According to the Washington Post, Indonesian officials say the project will generate 500,000 jobs and 10 million tonnes of crude oil per year, valued at US$4.6 billion. The article quotes Ministry of Forestry data suggesting five to seven millions hectares of forests have been cleared of for plantations that never materialized. A 2004 article in Indonesia’s major daily, Kompas, says fictitious plantations in East Kalimantan have caused state losses of at least Rp. 3.5 trillion. The Jakarta Post quoted a CIFOR study that found 200 sites in east Kalimantan are unsuitable for palm oil cultivation.

O Liberal (Brazil):
Representatives from European
Union recently visited
Outeiro island’s Forest-School, near Belém to evaluate environmental education initiatives developed by local groups, technical college students and children. The team also assessed a series of workshops run by CIFOR, which receives financial assistance from the European Union. Assessing the workshops also included looking at the workshop‘s use of CIFOR’s new manual “Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in the Lives of Amazonians”. This new publication by Patricia Shanley and Gabriel Medina combines the work of 90 researchers into the Amazon’s flora and medicinal plants. CIFOR aims to do more workshops on other islands in the Belém area, including some with the Municipal Department of Education.

Cameroon Tribune:
Cameroon's uptake of model forest management practices in Cameroon to reduce poverty has been enhanced following the first of a series of workshops carried out earlier this year by CIFOR, the International Model Forest Network and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. Participants agreed on the importance of using participatory approaches in developing a model for Cameroon’s Campo-Ma’an model forest that would encourage the involvement of Bagyell pygmies in sustainable forest management practices. The workshops identified different stakeholders and their views regarding the forest, agreed on the forests most important functions and established which stakeholders these functions were most relevant to.

Channel Globo (Brazil): Brazil's most watched midday TV news program recently broadcast a five minutes bulletin about an innovative new publication from CIFOR scientists, Patricia Shanley and Gabriel Medina. The news story about “Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in the Lives of Amazonians” featured a range of forest products covered in the book, including, forest candies, jellies, soap, candles and therapeutic oils. The book combines modern science, traditional forest knowledge and Amazonian folklore in a format suitable for semi-literate readers who can use it to better manage the vast and diverse range of Amazonian forests products.

Pagina 20 (Brazil):
A workshop titled
“Decentralization of
Environmental Public Politics” attracted representatives from Acre Valley municipal councils, state departments, civil society, and CIFOR. German donor agency, GTZ, and partner organizations are preparing a report of the workshop for distribution to public administrators, the State Council of Environment, and Acre’s Inhabitants Association. The workshop succeeded in drawing the attention of local councils to an environmental management approach more suitable for the Amazon. According to CIFOR consultant, Fabiano Toni, involving public administrators requires making them aware of the benefits that come from enhancing the management of environmental issues.