www.soltimes.com
SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2012
Palm oil deal aims to save forests and carbon
A major palm oil producer is joining forces with environmental campaigners in a bid to ramp up forest protection
...HOME & GARDEN The giant Indonesian company Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has agreed to work within new standards aimed at saving forests that store a lot of carbon. International environment group The Forest Trust (TFT) is partnering the company and will monitor compliance. The palm oil industry has regularly been accused of destroying old-growth forest as demand rockets. The new deal expands on existing standards agreed under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an international alliance of producers, processors, retailers and environment groups. Already, RSPO rules forbid clearing old-growth forest or land with high conservation value, and developers are also supposed to obtain informed consent from local people before initiating new plantations. Under the new deal, GAR will go further, vowing not to plant on peat, and not to clear forest where significant carbon is locked up in trees. This should mean that large tracts of forest that have been partially logged will now be off-limits to the company. Initially, the figure of 35 tonnes of carbon stored per hectare will be used as a ceiling; but that could change as research progresses. “We’re not trying to undermine the RSPO - we’re saying ‘this is something you guys need to look at and maybe move towards,’” said Scott Poynton, TFT’s executive director. “Everyone’s talking about taking the lead, but no-one’s doing it - this is an example of taking the lead.” GAR is the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, a product mainly used in food, fuels and cosmetics. Like other companies in the field, it has been heavily criticised by environmental groups - a state of affairs that it wants to change. “As a leading player in the palm oil industry, we are committed to playing our role in conserving Indonesia’s forests,” said Franky Wijaya, GAR’s chairman and CEO. “Our partnership with TFT allows us to grow palm oil in ways that conserve forests and that also respond to Indonesia’s
D D D D D D animals I Thought I saw a pussy cat Amazing balancing dog!!
A Premier League clash between Liverpool and Tottenham was held up after a pitch invasion - by a cat. The animal was arguably the highlight of the 0-0 draw between the two sides at Anfield. It made its unexpected appearance 11 minutes into the game, prompting the referee to call the game to a halt. The cat then proceeded to prowl around the Spurs penalty box as keeper Brad Friedel watched on. After a minute-long delay,
the cat was eventually escorted from the pitch by Anfield stewards. Its moment of fame was enough to earn the cat a following on Twitter. Nearly 17,000 users of the microblogging site have signed up to the account @AnfieldCat.
Goating around Police officers spent hours chasing an elusive runaway goat through an Australian city. They were called out after the after the animal was sighted running in and out of traffic in Melbourne. It is unclear where the goat came from but Australia’s Nine Network television
channel reported that it is probably the same goat that was seen near the airport over a week ago. Melbourne Zoo spokeswoman said that the goat did not belong to them. The female goat, aptly named Houdini, was eventually captured and taken to a home for stray dogs.
Run rabbit run An incredible video of a rabbit rounding up a flock of sheep on a Swedish farm has gone viral on YouTube. The maker of the video, who writes a blog on farming, heard about the bunny’s unusual talent and went to the farm in the village of Ornskoldsvik to capture it on film. Champis the grey rabbit apparently picked up her skills from the farm’s sheep dogs.
The video, which has notched up more than 200,000 hits, is seen directing the sheep by hopping around them.
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An amazing video of a dog balancing on a chain is being tipped to go viral. The acrobatic pet and its owner were spotted by a woman passer-by who asked if it was on YouTube. When the owner replied that he had no computer and didn’t think the trick was “anything special” the woman filmed it on her mobile phone. The dog is initially seen using all four paws to balance on the thin chain, which marks the perimeter of a carpark. Incredibly, it then stands up on just its hind legs without
falling off the chain. The clip has so far attracted 8,000 hits in two days but is being tipped to notch up many more. One user commented: “Defo gonna be the next big dog video. Benton/Fenton’s met his match!”, while another added: “Posting before it gets a million views! v impressive!”
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Painting by animals Chimpanzees, elephants and apes are involved in one of London’s most unusual art exhibitions. Instead of being the subjects, the animals are the artists for the exhibition at University College London’s Grant Museum of Zoology. The show features paintings by elephants and apes. Cu-
development needs; creating much needed employment while building shareholder value.” Greenpeace, which has taken the lead on the issue among international NGOs, sees the deal as a potential step forwards. “This is really throwing a gauntlet down to the rest of the palm oil sector, and to other players,” said campaigner Phil Aikman. “It’s setting a threshold for carbon, and that’s pretty good - it’ll protect a lot of orangutan habitat and other important areas that have been threatened by palm oil plantations. “It challenges the rest of the sector to increase its productivity rather than target new areas over and over again, and that’s been the main issue.”
rators say it’s one of the first shows to bring the “work” of different species together. It shows the difference in artistic approach by different species. Elephants can produce images that clearly resemble trees and flowers, whereas apes take a more abstract approach.
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