Sinar Mas Claims It’s Part of the Solution When It Comes to Sustainable Palm Oil

Jakarta Globe, Shoeb K. Zainuddin, January 27, 2012

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Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Sinar Mas, one of Indonesia’s largest palm oil producers, is spearheading new models of sustainable agriculture in the country in partnership with global giants such as Nestle.

Palm Oil Factory

Speaking to the Jakarta Globe, Franky Widjaja, chief executive of Sinarmas Agribusiness, said sustainability was near the top of the agenda at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.

Widjaja is co-chairman of a new initiative, Partnership on Indonesian Sustainable Agriculture, which has as its goal improving productivity by 20 percent while reducing poverty and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.

“We have to learn together to ensure sustainable agriculture, he said. “This is a multi-stakeholder partnership that includes the government, the private sector, small farmers and civil society.”

In the program, Widjaja will represent the private sector while Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan will represent the government. Some 43 industry leaders from across the world are participating in the initiative, which was first launched three years ago.

The latest initiative coincides with the Jakarta Food Security Summit, scheduled to be held in the Indonesian capital in mid-February.

“The message we need to communicate is that we must address the right issues rather than attack the palm oil industry in general,” Widjaja said. “We must segregate the issues so we do not hurt small farmers and our exports.”

He estimated that of the 7.5 million hectares under palm oil cultivation, 43 percent is farmed by small holders. While many of these small farmers practice sustainable agriculture, he continued, a majority of them do not.

“Not only is their yield low, they do not understand the whole notion of sustainability,” he said. “It is our job to educate them.”

Arne Cartridge, special advisor at the Global Partnerships for Food Security at the WEF, said the main issue for countries such as Indonesia was to boost food exports while ensuring that local people had enough food.

“For Indonesia, the challenge is how does it use palm oil as a competitive advantage while ensuring environmental sustainability,” he said. That includes helping the agriculture sector to adapt to climate change by reducing deforestation.

Cartridge noted that there were land areas in the country that could be utilized for agriculture, but it needed to sort out the land rights issue first.

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Poaching for meat poses new extinction risk to Thai elephants

Thailand's revered national symbol is being poached not just for its tusks, but now for its meat

guardian.co.uk, Associated Press, Thursday 26 January 2012

Many elephants in Thailand are domesticated and used mainly for heavy
lifting and entertainment. Photograph: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

Two wild elephants were found slaughtered last month in a national park in western Thailand, alerting authorities to the new practice of consuming elephant meat.

"The poachers took away the elephants' sex organs and trunks … for human consumption," Damrong Phidet, director-general of Thailand's wildlife agency, told the Associated Press. Some meat was to be consumed without cooking, like "elephant sashimi," he said.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals' reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess. Thailand's national symbol is the elephant.

Damrong said the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket, a popular travel destination in the country's south. It wasn't clear if the diners were foreigners.

Poaching elephants is banned, and trafficking or possessing poached animal parts also is illegal. Elephant tusks are sought in the illegal ivory trade, and baby wild elephants are sometimes poached to be trained for talent shows.

"The situation has come to a crisis point. The longer we allow these cruel acts to happen, the sooner they will become extinct," Damrong said.

The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand, other environmentalists say.

Soraida Salwala, the founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said a full grown pair of tusks could be sold from 1m-2m baht ($31,600 to $63,300), while the estimated value of an elephant's penis is more than 30,000 baht ($950).

"There's only a handful of people who like to eat elephant meat, but once there's demand, poachers will find it hard to resist the big money," she cautioned.

Thailand has less than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

The pachyderms were a mainstay of the logging industry in the northern and western parts of the country until logging contracts were revoked in the late 1980s.

Domesticated animals today are used mainly for heavy lifting and entertainment.

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Save the Apes and You Save the Forests: Scientists

Jakarta Globe, Ronna Nirmala, January 25, 2012

An orangutan eating jackfruit in Kalimantan. Primates disperse seeds
in the wild, which helps to conserve forests. (JG Photo/Ronna Nirmala)

              

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Developing primate conservation projects, particularly for great apes, can contribute toward the long-term health of forests and to carbon sequestration schemes, scientists contend.

Ian Redmond, a tropical field biologist and conservationist, said primates and other fruit-eating animals were crucial to forests because of their role in seed dispersal.

“Fruit-eating animals have been long known to play a very important role in the life cycle of tropical forests, with between 75 to 95 percent of tree species having their seeds dispersed by such animals,” he said.

But that key role, he warned, is in jeopardy because of human activity.

“I feel that we have to turn that around. I know that the only populations of great apes that are known to be increasing are the two tiny populations of mountain gorillas who got down to fewer than 300 each,” Redmond said.

“Other gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gibbons are all declining.”

He is pushing for efforts to save the animals to be included in schemes to reduce carbon emissions through deforestation and forest degradation, known as REDD Plus. That way, he says, money for these projects can also go toward primate conservation schemes.

“Conservation is not an optional extra that you might add on if it’s convenient,” Redmond said.

“It’s integral [to REDD Plus]. If you want to have permanence in your forest carbon store, you need the animals as well as the plants.”

He said Indonesia was one of the countries that was best placed to push these efforts because it was home to the endangered orangutan, the only great ape species in Asia.

Others species such as chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos are only found in Africa.

“The hope is that there will be a realization that forests are not just an ornamental part of our planet, but that they are integral to the function of our biosphere and future survival,” Redmond said. ”

Laura D’Arcy, the Zoological Society of London’s co-country coordinator in Indonesia, said these efforts could start with preserving peat forests for their high carbon content.

“This would benefit orangutans who prefer these habitats compared to tropical forests on mineral soil, because the high water level in peatlands allows flowers and fruit to be available all year long for orangutans,” she said.

Eleven of 17 active REDD projects being carried out in Indonesia are in peat swamp forests. D’Arcy said this was a “win-win” situation for apes and humans alike because of the high value of carbon that could be offset for emissions caused by the conversion of forests to palm oil plantations elsewhere.

“Peat swamp forests have low-yield production of palm oil, reducing the cost of carbon emissions required in areas with high density,” she said.

“But that’s bad news for more high-yield, mineral soils, which are more biodiverse than peat forests.”

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Sumatran elephant upgraded to critically endangered status

Conserving biodiversity hotspots 'could bring world's poor $500bn a year'

Sumatran elephant upgraded to critically endangered status

Species has lost half its population and 69% of its habitat through deforestation in the past 25 years

guardian.co.uk, Jonathan Watts, Tuesday 24 January 2012

Sumatran elephant calf and its mother from Tesso Nilo national park, Riau,
Sumatra, Indonesia. Photograph: WWF-Indonesia

The Sumatran elephant has been placed on the list of critically endangered species after losing half of its population in a single generation, prompting calls from conservation groups for emergency measures to halt the destruction of its habitat.

Deforestation is seen as the primary reason for the collapse in numbers in Indonesia, which until recently was seen alongside India and Sri Lanka as one of the last great refuges for elephants in Asia. The animal is now at risk of becoming extinct within decades.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded the risk assessment after tracking the loss of 69% of the animal's habitat over the past 25 years. With their home forests burned, felled or converted to plantations, the wild population has fallen to no more than 2,800.

In its latest "red list" of threatened species, the IUCN noted that many of the remaining elephant communities were likely to disappear because they do not live in protected areas and there is a high risk of conflicts with humans. It cited studies showing that at least six herds disappeared between 2007 and 2009 in Riau province - a centre for the paper, pulp and palm oil industries. "That this pattern will continue seems certain," it warned.

As plantations have expanded, Sumatra has experienced some of the worst deforestation rates in the world. Conservation groups said the Indonesian island has lost more than two-thirds of its natural lowland forest - the most suitable habitat for elephants - in the past 25 years.

With the upgrading of the risk assessment, WWF called for an immediate moratorium on habitat destruction. "The Sumatran elephant joins a growing list of Indonesian species that are critically endangered, including the Sumatran orangutan, the Javan and Sumatran rhinos and the Sumatran tiger," said Carlos Drews, director of WWF's global species programme.

"Unless urgent and effective conservation action is taken these magnificent animals are likely to go extinct within our lifetime." The organisation advised the government to assess large habitat patches that could be designated as protected areas, and linked with smaller habitat through a network of conservation corridors. In the longer term, it suggested the authorities consider habitat expansion and forest restoration.

"It's very important that the government of Indonesia, conservation organisations and agro-forestry companies recognise the critical status of elephants and other wildlife in Sumatra and take effective steps to conserve them," said Asian elephant expert Ajay Desai. "Indonesia must act now before it's too late to protect Sumatra's last remaining natural forests, especially elephant habitats."

However, without more public pressure or more funds, the Indonesia authorities are likely to continue to support or turn a blind eye to the loggers and plantation owners. The threat upgrade follows a flood of grim conservation news due topoaching, habitat loss and a lack of awareness among consumers.

The Javan rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam in October after the last one was found dead with a bullet in its leg and its horn sawn off. A month later, it was followed by Africa's western black rhinoceros and warnings that the Sumatran rhino is on the brink of extinction in Indonesia.

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We'll never forget you: Elephants say a sad farewell to baby who died of a heart defect

Goodbye little one: An adult elephant tenderly nuzzles the lifeless body 

of baby Lola at Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich, Germany. The three-months-old

 calf was due for an operation on her defective heart but sadly died during 

a preliminary scan

"Do Animals Reincarnate?" - NOV 22, 2010 (Kuthumi channelled by Lynette Leckie-Clark)

"Animals Consciousness: The Divine of Cats & Dogs" - JUL 31, 2011 (Metraton channelled by Tyberonn)

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA,Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)

Conserving biodiversity hotspots 'could bring world's poor $500bn a year'

Study puts economic value on the indirect ecosystem services provided by the world's poorest people

guardian.co.uk, Fiona Harvey in Jakarta, Friday 20 January 2012

A farmer walks with an ox-drawn cart - Webuye district, Kenya. Many of
the benefits of conservation, so-called 'ecosystem services', are invisible.
Photograph: Jake Lyell/Alamy

Some of the world's poorest people would be half a trillion dollars a year better off if the services they provide to the rest of the planet indirectly – through conserving natural habitats – was given an economic value, a new study has found.

Many of these valuable habitats and species are under threat, but the people who live in these areas lack the means to improve their conservation, according to a new study in the journal BioScience.

If poor people were paid for the services they provide in preserving some of the world's key biodiversity hotspots, they could reap $500bn. There are some fledgling schemes that could help to raise this cash – for instance, the United Nations-backed system called Redd (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), which uses carbon trading to generate cash to preserve trees – but so far they are small in scale.

The benefits of safeguarding these habitats, such as providing valuable services from food, medicines and clean water to absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, are more than triple the costs of conserving them, the researchers found.

Will Turner, vice–president of Conservation International and lead author of the study, said: "Developed and developing economies cannot continue to ask the world's poor to shoulder the burden of protecting these globally important ecosystem services for the rest of the world's benefit, without compensation in return. This is exactly what we mean when we talk about valuing natural capital. Nature may not send us a bill, but its essential services and flows, both direct and indirect, have concrete economic value."

He said that preserving areas of highest biodiversity should be the priority. "What the research clearly tells us is that conserving the world's remaining biodiversity isn't just a moral imperative - it is a necessary investment for lasting economic development. But in many places where the poor depend on these natural services, we are dangerously close to exhausting them, resulting in lasting poverty," said Turner.

Many of the benefits of conservation, so-called "ecosystem services", are invisible – for instance, maintaining wooded land can help to prevent mudslides during heavy rainfall, and provides valuable watersheds that keep rivers healthy and provide clean drinking water, as well as absorbing carbon dioxide from the air. These benefits are not assigned an economic value, however, so that chopping down trees or destroying habitats appears to deliver an instant economic return, when in fact it is leading to economic losses that are only obvious when it is too late.

The study, entitled Global Biodiversity Conservation and the Alleviation of Poverty, was led by a team from Conservation International, and co-authored by scientists at NatureServe, the US National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They looked in particular at 17 of the world's most important areas for biodiversity.

They found that some of the ecosystem services accrued to the local people themselves – for instance, using forests as sources of food, medicines and shelter – while the rest are regional or global.

The study follows on a growing body of work from the past decade that has sought to place a value on ecosystem services, as a way of ensuring that they are accounted for in economic policy. If nature is not economically valued, many scientists have argued, it is more prone to being destroyed.

Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International and a co-author, said: "We have always known that biodiversity is foundational to human wellbeing, but we now have a strong case that ecosystems specifically located in the world's biodiversity hotspots and high-biodiversity wilderness areas also provide a vital safety net for people living in poverty. Protecting these places is essential not only to safeguard life on earth but also to support the impoverished, ensure continued broad access to nature's services, and meet the UN millennium development goals."

He called on governments to integrate the conservation of nature into economic and poverty-alleviation policies, in order to value these services better.

Rare Monkey Rediscovered in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, January 20, 2012

An endangered monkey known as the Miller’s Grizzled Langur has been
 discovered on the island of Borneo in an area it was not previously known to
inhabit, international researchers said on Friday. (AFP Photo)

    

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Washington. An endangered monkey known as the Miller’s Grizzled Langur has been discovered on the island of Borneo in an area it was not previously known to inhabit, international researchers said on Friday.

Little is known about the monkey, known formally as Presbytis hosei canicrus, but it is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature due to massive habitat loss from fires, hunting, agriculture and mine development.

It was believed to live only in the jungle in the northeast part of Borneo, which neighbors Indonesia’s Java Island.

But a recent expedition of scientists who set up cameras in remote parts of a largely undisturbed rainforest further west on Borneo, the Wehea Forest in East Kalimantan, captured images of what appears to be the monkeys.

“Discovery of P.h canicrus was a surprise since Wehea Forest lies outside of this monkey’s known range,” said researcher Brent Loken of Canada’s Simon Fraser University.

“Concern that the species may have gone extinct was first raised in 2004, and a search for the monkey during another expedition in 2008 supported the assertion that the situation was dire.”

The team set up cameras at mineral licks where the monkeys gather, offering the “first solid evidence demonstrating that its geographic range extends further than previously thought,” said the study which appears in the American Journal of Primatology.

However, scientists were not initially sure exactly what the cameras had photographed, since the only sources they have for comparison came from museums.

“It was a challenge to confirm our finding as there are so few pictures of this monkey available for study,” said Loken.

“The only description of Miller’s Grizzled Langur came from museum specimens. Our photographs from Wehea are some of the only pictures that we have of this monkey.”

Next, researchers hope to learn more about how many of the monkeys may be living in the 38,000 hectare rainforest.

“While our finding confirms the monkey still exists in East Kalimantan, there is a good chance that it remains one of the world’s most endangered primates,” said Loken.

Agence France-Presse

Palm Oil Taking Over Tribal Land, Dayaks Tell DPR

Jakarta Globe, Anita Rachman, January 16, 2012

Members of the Central Kalimantan's Dayak tribe are saying that palm oil
companies are encroaching on their ancestral lands. (Agency Photo)

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Representatives of the Dayak indigenous group from Central Kalimantan on Monday said their ancestral land was being taken over by palm oil companies, becoming the latest group to air such grievances.

The group, from Seruyan district, met with a handful of legislators from the House of Representatives’ Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, to make their case.

Arkani, the head of the tribe, said the Dayak people were fast losing their land to palm oil plantations and that he and his people wanted the House to know what was happening in his district.

Budi Yardi, a member of the Seruyan legislative council who accompanied the Dayak representatives at the hearing, said the practice of land-grabbing had been occurring in the district since 1997, but had taken a turn for the worse in 2005.

To date, he said, more than 50 palm oil companies had laid claim to 500,000 hectares of disputed land there.

“There was no coordination whatsoever with the local people when local authorities issued permits for the plantations,” he said.

The Dayaks’ claim comes on the heels of allegations by villagers in Mesuji district, Lampung, about deadly attacks against them by security forces acting at the behest of palm oil companies there.

The Mesuji villagers’ case has been championed by a former military officer, Maj. Gen. (ret) Saurip Kadi, who also accompanied the Dayak representatives.

Syarifuddin Sudding, a Commission III member from the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), said he would recommend that the government stop issuing plantation and mining permits until all such land disputes were settled.

“If we want to resolve the problem thoroughly, then the government must impose a moratorium on these land-grabbing permits,” he said.

The final decision, he said, could only be made during the next plenary meeting of the commission, which is scheduled for next week.

Eva Kusuma Sundari, a Commission III lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), agreed that the chronic problem of land disputes required an immediate response and said legislators were trying to establish a House special committee to look into the issue.

She added that much of the support to date had come from the opposition PDI-P, with the ruling Democratic Party continuing to reject the idea.

Separately, Malik Haramain, a member of House Commission II, which oversees domestic affairs, said his commission had set up a working committee to deal with the cases. He added the committee would start calling in people to testify next week.

The committee will focus on examining five key cases, including Mesuji but not Seruyan. The other cases center on similar land disputes in North Sumatra, West Nusa Tenggara, Jambi and East Kalimantan.

Malik said the committee planned to summon officials from the local police and administrations, the Forestry Ministry and the Finance Ministry.

Land disputes were the number one factor in rights abuse reports filed with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) last year, accounting for 738 of the 4,502 reports.

Related Article:

Dayak Tribe’s Survival Hinges on Conservation Efforts

Tiny frog claimed as world's smallest vertebrate

Researchers have discovered in Papua New Guinea what they claim is the world's smallest frog

guardian.co.uk, Associated Press, Thursday 12 January 2012

The tiny frog called Paedophryne amanuensis measures around 7mm.
Photograph: Christopher Austin/LSU/AFP/Getty Images

Researchers have discovered in Papua New Guinea what they claim is the world's smallest frog.

An article Wednesday in the journal PLoS One named Paedophryne amauensis as the world's smallest animal with a spine.

The adult frogs are about three-tenths of an inch long, and a millimetre or so smaller than a carp found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The frogs are so small that Louisiana State University herpetologist and environmental biologist Christopher Austin had to enlarge close-up photos to describe them.

Austin discovered the tiny frogs – along with another small frog species – in August 2009 while on a trip to Papua New Guinea to study the extreme diversity of the island's wildlife.

Steven J. Beaupre, a University of Arkansas scientist and president-elect of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, said many vertebrates have males and females of very different sizes, "so it is reasonable that the world's smallest vertebrate may end up being either the males or the females of some specific fish or amphibian species."

He said he doesn't pay attention to "tiniest" reports, but the frogs themselves are a significant discovery.

"The discovery of two new frog species comes as great news against the background of more prevalent accounts of tropical amphibian extinction," he wrote in an email.

Knowing about such tiny creatures and their ecology, he said, helps scientists "better understand the advantages and disadvantages of extreme small size and how such extremes evolve. Fundamentally, these tiny vertebrates provide a window on the principles that constrain animal design."

Austin said that since these frogs hatch out as hoppers rather than tadpoles and live on the ground, their existence contradicts the hypothesis that evolution at large and small extremes is linked to life in water.

At least 29 species of minuscule frogs in equatorial regions worldwide live in leaf litter or moss that is moist year-round and eat even tinier invertebrates, creating a previously unknown "ecological guild" of similar animals with similar life habits, he said.

"We realised these frogs were probably doing something incredibly different from what normal frogs do – invading this open niche of wet leaf litter that is full of really tiny insects that other frogs and possibly other creatures weren't eating," Austin said.

In August 2009, Austin and graduate student Eric Rittmeyer were collecting and recording the mating calls of frogs at night in a tropical forest near the village of Amau in eastern Papua New Guinea, when they heard a chorus of high-pitched "tinks."

"This frog has a call that doesn't sound like a frog at all. It sounds like an insect," he said.Austin estimated that they found 20 previously unknown species in New Guinea, which is such a hotspot of diversity that scientists figure they've described only about six-tenths of all the species living there.

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Leaked documents reveal US diplomats actually work for Monsanto

NaturalNews, by: Anthony Gucciardi, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

See allarticles by this author

(NaturalNews) Biotech giant Monsanto has been genetically modifying the world's food supply and subsequently breeding environmental devastation for years, but leaked documents now reveal that Monsanto has also deeply infiltrated the United States government. With leaked reports revealing how U.S. diplomats are actually working for Monsanto to push their agenda along with other key government officials, Monsanto's grasp on international politics has never been clearer.

Amazingly, the information reveals that the massive corporation is also intensely involved in the passing and regulations concerning the very GM ingredients they are responsible for. In fact, the information released by WikiLeaks reveals just how much power Monsanto has thanks to key positions within the United States government and elsewhere. Not only was it exposed that the U.S. is threatening nations who oppose Monsanto with military-style trade wars, but that many U.S. diplomats actually work directly for Monsanto.

What the leaked documents reveal -- Military style trade wars, government corruption

In 2007 it was requested that specific nations inside the European Union be punished for not supporting the expansion of Monsanto's GMO crops. The request for such measures to be taken was made by Craig Stapleton, the United States ambassador to France and partner to George W. Bush. Despite mounting evidence linking Monsanto's GM corn to organ damage and environmental devastation, the ambassador plainly calls for 'target retaliation' against those not supporting the GM crop. In the leaked documents, Stapleton states:

"Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits. The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices."

The undying support of key players within the U.S. towards Monsanto is undeniably made clear not only in this release, but in the legislative decisions taken by organizations such as the FDA and USDA. Legislative decisions such as allowing Monsanto's synthetic hormone Posilac (rBGH) to be injected into U.S. cows despite being banned in 27 countries. How did Monsanto pull this off?

The biotech juggernaut managed to infiltrate the FDA positions responsible for the approval of rBGH, going as far as instating the company's own Margaret Miller as Deputy Director of Human Safety and Consultative Services. After assuming this position, Miller reviewed her own report on the safety and effectiveness of rBGH.

Many US diplomats pawns of Monsanto's GM agenda

While it may be shocking to you if you are not familiar with the corrupt influence of Monsanto, the cables also show that many US diplomats are pushing GMO crops as a strategic government and commercial imperative. Interestingly enough, the U.S. focused their efforts toward advisers to the pope specifically, due to the fact that many Catholic figureheads have openly voiced their opposition to GM foods. With this kind of political influence, is it any wonder that many food staples are now predominantly GM? Nearly 93% of U.S. soybeans are heavily modified conservatively, with many other staple crops coming in at similar numbers.

U.S. diplomats have unique opportunities to spread honest and intellectual campagins that can serve to better mankind and end suffering, however they are instead spreading the roots of Monsanto deeper and deeper into international territory. As a substitute for the betterment of mankind, these paid-off diplomats are now spreading environment desecration and health destruction.

As if there wasn't already enough information to reveal Monsanto's corruption, the biotech giant also spends enormous amount of money lobbying government each year. Monsanto spent an astonishing $2 million lobbying the federal government in the 3rd quarter of 2011 alone, according to mainstream sources. Why so much cash? The government lobbying focuses on issues like regulations for GM crops and patent reforms. This 'legal' form of persuasion is the reason government agencies like the USDA and FDA let Monsanto roam freely.

Satisfying government officials' financial vested interest is all that matters when dealing with corrupt mega-corporations like Monsanto. As long as these financial ties continue to exist, Monsanto will continue to reign over the food supply and continue to wreak devastation to the environment, ecosystem, and humankind.

Sources for this article include:

http://naturalsociety.com/us-start-trade-wars-with-nations-opposed-to-monsanto-gmo-crops/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/03/wikileaks-us-eu-gm-crops

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9RL51J81.htm

http://213.251.145.96/cable/2007/12/07PARIS4723.html

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1677871/fearful-of-genetically-modified-crops-youre-too-late

About the author:

Anthony Gucciardi is a health activist and wellness researcher, whose goal is centered around educating the general public as to how they may obtain optimum health. He has authored countless articles highlighting the benefits of natural health, as well as exposing the pharmaceutical industry. Anthony is the creator of Natural Society (http://www.NaturalSociety.com), a natural health website. Anthony has been accurately interpreting national and international events for years within his numerous political articles. Anthony's articles have been seen by millions around the world, and hosted on multiple top news websites.

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7 Indonesian Volcanoes on Alert: Agency

Jakarta Globe, January 08, 2012

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has warned that seven volcanoes,
including Anak Krakatau, above, are on alert statuses. (Reuters Photo)

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The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has warned that seven volcanoes located across the archipelago are on alert statuses. The agency said it has prepared measures for the worst-case scenarios and officials met on Saturday to discuss the measures, said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugrowo.

The seven volcanoes are Papandayan Mountain in West Java, Karangetang and Lokon in North Sulawesi, Ijen in East Java, Gamalama in North Maluku, Anak Krakatau in Lampung and Lewotolo in East Nusa Tenggara.

Sutopo said the agency was closely monitoring each volcano, and that mitigation measures varied in each region because of the different characteristics of the volcanos and the territories.

However, he said, in general, the agency has planned evacuation routes, sites for refugees, logistics supplies, machinery and volunteer mapping.

“The plan is standardized, but we keep renewing it to adjust to current conditions. For Papandayan, we have a done dry-run three times so the people could get used to the measures,” he said.

On Friday, Lokon Mountain erupted, spewing volcanic ash up to 1,500 meters high, but it had calmed down by Saturday morning and people living near the mountain were not evacuated. In North Maluku, some 296 people remain in refugee shelters in Dufa-Dufa following Mount Gamalama’s last eruption in early December. 

BeritaSatu

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