[Aceh] Mangrove rehabilitation on the coast and “conservation coffee” in the mountains.
The replanting and rehabilitation of mangrove forests will supposedly benefit the communities. These local people can sow seeds of shrimps, crabs and fish among the mangroves and harvest them periodically.
How noble.
The reality is that many donors who provided funds for restoration work were being cheated. Many organizations just simply constructed a sign board next to an already growing mangrove field, titled “Mangrove Rehabilitation Project - XYZ Organization in collaboration with Such-and-Such Donor Company.” They emailed the picture to the happy donor. Then the next organization came and did the same. They simply replaced the previous sign board with a new one, which of course had their organization name on it.
Conservation coffee, on the other hand, is a popular term referring to coffee plantations that are shaded among forest trees. The forests are safe, the coffees are growing well, the coffee farmers are happy, the coffee producers are wealthy as hell and the coffee lovers pay Rp.30,000 for a cup of that coffee in a trendy urban café. Everyone’s happy, including Mother Nature.
How noble.
The reality is that it is very, very, very, very, very rare that any plantation is established without clearing at least some area of the forests. Some people still stubbornly insist that this practice is okay. After all, the coffee plants will replace the lost trees and will also absorb carbon. Yes, but how much carbon did they release into the atmosphere when the original trees were cut down? And how much biodiversity is at stake?
Besides, we’re already short of trees! That’s why we’re experiencing global warming as we speak. We need to protect 100% of what’s left of them! In fact, we need to plant more. A LOT MORE! Don’t show me research results and GIS mapping of the so called “sustainable” areas for coffee or oil palm plantations. I don’t buy it! Leave my forests alone!
Logging is UNSUSTAINABLE. Full fucking stop.
“In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Stopping the loggers is the FASTEST and CHEAPEST solution to climate change.” [Daniel Howden]
The replanting and rehabilitation of mangrove forests will supposedly benefit the communities. These local people can sow seeds of shrimps, crabs and fish among the mangroves and harvest them periodically.
How noble.
The reality is that many donors who provided funds for restoration work were being cheated. Many organizations just simply constructed a sign board next to an already growing mangrove field, titled “Mangrove Rehabilitation Project - XYZ Organization in collaboration with Such-and-Such Donor Company.” They emailed the picture to the happy donor. Then the next organization came and did the same. They simply replaced the previous sign board with a new one, which of course had their organization name on it.
Conservation coffee, on the other hand, is a popular term referring to coffee plantations that are shaded among forest trees. The forests are safe, the coffees are growing well, the coffee farmers are happy, the coffee producers are wealthy as hell and the coffee lovers pay Rp.30,000 for a cup of that coffee in a trendy urban café. Everyone’s happy, including Mother Nature.
How noble.
The reality is that it is very, very, very, very, very rare that any plantation is established without clearing at least some area of the forests. Some people still stubbornly insist that this practice is okay. After all, the coffee plants will replace the lost trees and will also absorb carbon. Yes, but how much carbon did they release into the atmosphere when the original trees were cut down? And how much biodiversity is at stake?
Besides, we’re already short of trees! That’s why we’re experiencing global warming as we speak. We need to protect 100% of what’s left of them! In fact, we need to plant more. A LOT MORE! Don’t show me research results and GIS mapping of the so called “sustainable” areas for coffee or oil palm plantations. I don’t buy it! Leave my forests alone!
Logging is UNSUSTAINABLE. Full fucking stop.
“In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Stopping the loggers is the FASTEST and CHEAPEST solution to climate change.” [Daniel Howden]
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