Photo courtesy of the European Parliament.

More criticism against REDD from indigenous people in Kalimantan (redd-monitor)

• The indigenous people protest: “REDD could be the cause of cultural genocide as most indigenous people live in primary forests and peatland areas.”

The Laos Prime Minister ordered a crackdown on illegal logging in the midst of accelerating forest loss (Mongaybay)

• In recent years rubber and timber plantations has lead to increased deforestation.
• Forest cover has fallen from 64 percent to 41 percent from 1960 to 2005.
• Primary forests cover less than 10 percent of the island.

The Chilean Chamber of Deputies unanimously passed legislation that bans shark finning in Chilean waters (Pew Environment)

• This bill requires that all sharks caught by fishers must be brought to shore intact.
• The bill now awaits senate approval to be signed by President Sebastian Pinera.

A Priest in Brazil Replaces Prayer With Tree-Planting to absolve oneself of sin (TreeHugger)

• “Take a seed from a tree native to your region…Because if you plant the seed and take care of the tree we will see a better tomorrow.”

The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Clean Water Act as “navigable waters” could leave otters at risk (National Wildlife Federation)

• This interpretation leaves millions of acres of wetlands, streams and rivers, including the otter’s habitat, without any protection.
• Otters are a good water quality indicators, and can only survive in pristine environments.