Wednesday, July 30, 2008

News Summary for 7/16-7/30

Projects

- USDA Forest Service launches CC resource center website –info/tools under 1 roof for land mngrs to understand, plan & mng for CC, esp in W. Set of video presentations avail.

News

- All things Mitigation – Ecosystem Marketplace’s Mitigation Mail (7/24)
---CA local gov decided to create miti bank for ~newly listed tiger salamander, backs off when considers legal liability + need to come up with $$ to pay for hab cons plan. Impacters left to figure out HCP and miti ratios (? – hard to understand article) &title=Group_aims_to_revive_salamander_strategy
---Proposed port expansion in Portland OR gets new NIMBY argument: forget the development, make a mitigation bank (if can’t get outright protection)
---Pub empoyees for env respons (PEER) slams ME DOT’s proposal for st-wide umbrella miti bank. Criticisms: WL miti doesn’t work, they didn’t give a location for the bank, PEER wants w/in watershed/onsite miti, ME DOT isn’t qualified to restore WL.
---New 266-ac vernal pool fairy shrimp cons bank proposed in southern OR by Wildlands Inc. Neighbors (ag, viniculture) are concerned that turning off the irrigation taps in the summer for the species could impact their w supply.

- All things C – Ecosystem Marketplace’s V-Carbon News (7/29)
---Discussion about lack of/new REDD methodologies
---World Bank finances REDD readiness in 14 countries to estab emiss baselines, adopt REDD strat, design monitoring.
---NYMEX will sell options/futures for RGGI starting late-August.
---WL store 20% of world’s C & if destroy them, you release a “Carbon bomb” say scientists.
---Article tested 10 C calculators and found variation of 30k+ tons (~= to yrly emiss of 3 cars). Only 2 calc’s recc lifestyle changes to reduce C footprint.

(graphic source: Seattle Post Intellincer)


- Certif – study on PA sales of FSC/non-FSC sales shows PA got 10% incr in rev from FSC-certified.

- PES – PBS Frontline highlights Sierra Gorda PES project in Mexico – comm. paid to plant trees, hope to sell > svcs in the future.
- PES – Ecosys M’place article highlights wildlife tourism PES in Tanzania. Tourism interests in past paid just for concessions in wildlife viewing, now paying for (non-tourism) wildlife hab protect. Successful deals allow local comm. trad grazing, but prohibit ag, settlement, tree-felling.

- Instit – FTC to create “green” marketing standards/guidelines in 2009 – to prevent deceptive claims.

- Misc – judge includes loss of ecosys svcs in damages from a wildfire: “It's an important development in the law to have courts saying decisions aren't limited to the value of timber," said Sean Hecht, executive director of the UCLA Environmental Law Center. "A calculation is now allowed to look at the value of wildlife and the ecosystem.”

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