Robber fly - Nature photographer Thomas Shahan specializes in amazing portraits of tiny insects. It isn't easy. Shahan says that this Robber Fly (Holcocephala fusca), for instance, is "skittish" and doesn't like its picture taken.

Nature by Numbers (Video)

"The Greater Akashic System" – July 15, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: Lightworkers, Intent, To meet God, Past lives, Universe/Galaxy, Earth, Pleiadians, Souls Reincarnate, Invention: Measure Quantum state in 3D, Recalibrates, Multi-Dimensional/Divine, Akashic System to change to new system, Before religion changed the system, DNA, Old system react to Karma, New system react to intent now for next life, Animals (around humans) reincarnate again, This Animal want to come back to the same human, Akashic Inheritance, Reincarnate as Family, Other Planets, Global Unity … etc.)

Question: Dear Kryon: I live in Spain. I am sorry if I will ask you a question you might have already answered, but the translations of your books are very slow and I might not have gathered all information you have already given. I am quite concerned about abandoned animals. It seems that many people buy animals for their children and as soon as they grow, they set them out somewhere. Recently I had the occasion to see a small kitten in the middle of the street. I did not immediately react, since I could have stopped and taken it, without getting out of the car. So, I went on and at the first occasion I could turn, I went back to see if I could take the kitten, but it was to late, somebody had already killed it. This happened some month ago, but I still feel very sorry for that kitten. I just would like to know, what kind of entity are these animals and how does this fit in our world. Are these entities which choose this kind of life, like we do choose our kind of Human life? I see so many abandoned animals and every time I see one, my heart aches... I would like to know more about them.

Answer: Dear one, indeed the answer has been given, but let us give it again so you all understand. Animals are here on earth for three (3) reasons.

(1) The balance of biological life. . . the circle of energy that is needed for you to exist in what you call "nature."

(2) To be harvested. Yes, it's true. Many exist for your sustenance, and this is appropriate. It is a harmony between Human and animal, and always has. Remember the buffalo that willingly came into the indigenous tribes to be sacrificed when called? These are stories that you should examine again. The inappropriateness of today's culture is how these precious creatures are treated. Did you know that if there was an honoring ceremony at their death, they would nourish you better? Did you know that there is ceremony that could benefit all of humanity in this way. Perhaps it's time you saw it.

(3) To be loved and to love. For many cultures, animals serve as surrogate children, loved and taken care of. It gives Humans a chance to show compassion when they need it, and to have unconditional love when they need it. This is extremely important to many, and provides balance and centering for many.

Do animals know all this? At a basic level, they do. Not in the way you "know," but in a cellular awareness they understand that they are here in service to planet earth. If you honor them in all three instances, then balance will be the result. Your feelings about their treatment is important. Temper your reactions with the spiritual logic of their appropriateness and their service to humanity. Honor them in all three cases.

Dian Fossey's birthday celebrated with a Google doodle

Dian Fossey's birthday celebrated with a Google doodle
American zoologist played by Sigourney Weaver in the film Gorillas in the Mist would have been 82 on Thursday (16 January 2014)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Dutch move to ban slaughter of livestock which hasn't been stunned

The Australian, AP June 29, 2011

The Dutch parliament has passed a bill banning the slaughter of livestock
without stunning it first. (Source: Supplied)

THE Dutch parliament has passed a bill banning the slaughter of livestock without stunning it first, removing an exemption that has allowed Jews and Muslims to butcher animals according to their centuries-old dietary rules.

If enacted and enforced, religious groups say observant Jews and Muslims would have to import meat from abroad, stop eating it altogether, or leave the Netherlands.

However, the bill must still pass the Senate, which is unlikely before the summer recess, and the Cabinet said the law may be unenforceable in its current form due in part to ambiguity introduced in a last-minute amendment.

The move comes after Australia banned the export of live cattle to Indonesia over animal cruelty allegations.

It also follows revelations that livestock in Australia were routinely killed without first being stunned, despite the Gillard government's encouragement of Indonesia to adopt the practice nationally.

RELATED COVERAGE

If the Netherlands outlaws procedures that make meat kosher for Jews or halal for Muslims, it will be the second country after New Zealand to do so in recent years. It will join Switzerland, the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, whose bans are mostly traceable to pre-World War II anti-Semitism.

"The Cabinet will give its judgment over the proposed law after it has been treated by both houses," said Deputy Secretary of Economic Affairs and Agriculture Henk Blekers.

The Cabinet will "also look at how it fits with freedom of religion," he said, citing the European Convention on Human Rights.

MP Marianne Thieme of the Party for the Animals, the world's first animal rights party to win seats in a national parliament, welcomed the approval of the bill that she had first introduced in 2008, and said she was now prepared to defend it in the Senate.

"It's a great honour," she said. She has argued that sparing animals needless pain and distress outweighs religious groups' rights to follow slaughter practices "no longer of our time."

But the threat of a possible ban has led to outcry from Jewish and Muslim groups who say it infringes on their right to freedom of religion.

Around one million Muslims live in the Netherlands, mostly immigrants from Turkey and Morocco. The once-strong Jewish community now numbers 40,000-50,000 after more that 70 per cent were deported and killed by the Nazis during World War II.

"The Dutch Jewish community is small and the Jewish kosher meat consumption is smaller still, but the impact on our community is deep and large," said a committee of rabbis pleading with parliament not to pass the law in an open letter Tuesday.

"Older Jews are frightened and wonder what the next law will be that limits their religious life. The youth are openly asking whether they still have a future that they can or want to build in the Netherlands."

A solid majority of Dutch voters say they support the ban, and parliament voted for it by a margin of 116 for to 30 against.

Ritual slaughter rules prescribe that animals' throats must be cut swiftly with a razor-sharp knife while they are still conscious, so that they bleed to death quickly.

Support for the ban came from the political left, which sees ritual slaughter as inhumane, and from the anti-immigration right, which sees it as foreign and barbaric.

Only Christian parties were opposed, arguing the ban undermines the country's long tradition of religious tolerance.

Centrist parties were initially divided, with many of them loath to lose support of Muslim voters. Last week they introduced an amendment that says ritual slaughterers may still be granted licences, if they can "prove" that it does not cause animals more pain than stunning.

Animal slaughter methods have been in the spotlight in Australia, where the government recently banned the live cattle trade to Indonesia earlier following concerns about animal rights abuses, including animals being killed without first being stunned.

AP





Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Unesco Adds Sumatra’s Tropical Rainforests to Endangered Sites List

Jakarta Globe, June 29, 2011


An illegal settler is arrested by plainclothes police during a clash with police who were evicting settlers in Langkat district in the Gunung Leuser National Park on Sumatra island. Authorities ordered the eviction of the growing number of settlers to protect the park from poaching and deforestation. The settlers who were former evacuees displaced during the Aceh conflict in the late 90's took over areas in the park and cleared forest for plantations. The park ecosystem, one of the biggest in Indonesia, is habitat to endangered wildlife and highly valued trees. (AFP Photo)

Related articles

Paris. Unesco has added tropical rainforests in Indonesia to its list of endangered world heritage sites.

A collection of three nature reserves that comprise most of Sumatra’s remaining rainforest was added to the endangered list. UNESCO says the sites face intense pressure from road building, logging, poaching and other illegal activities.

According to the Unesco Web site, the 2.5 million hectare Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra site comprises three national parks: Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park.

“The site holds the greatest potential for long-term conservation of the distinctive and diverse biota of Sumatra, including many endangered species. The protected area is home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, including 17 endemic genera; more than 200 mammal species; and some 580 bird species of which 465 are resident and 21 are endemic,” the Web site says.

“Of the mammal species, 22 are Asian, not found elsewhere in the archipelago and 15 are confined to the Indonesian region, including the endemic Sumatran orangutan. The site also provides biogeographic evidence of the evolution of the island.”

The Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve on Honduras’ Caribbean coast, meanwhile, is back on the list after only coming off it in 2007.

Conservation efforts have faltered in the face of illegal land clearing, hunting and fishing within the over 5,000 square kilometer mountainous reserve.

The UN agency’s World Heritage Committee announced the additions Tuesday, most of them nature-related, at a meeting in Paris.

Associated Press

Thursday, June 23, 2011

WB gives $3.6m for REDD+

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 06/23/2011

The government says its accepted US$3.6 million in grants for its REDD+ programs from the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said after the launch of the facility on Thursday that Indonesia would use the money to meet a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2020.

Zulkifli said the funds would be disbursed over three years starting this month.

Indonesia previously received a similar $1-billion grant from Norway.

REDD+ programs (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) encourage conservation, the sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in exchange of the incentives.

UN calls for eco-friendly farming

Herald Sun, (AAP) June 13, 2011

THE United Nations food agency is calling for greater use of environmentally sustainable techniques by poor farmers in order to increase crop intensity to feed the world's growing population.

"The new approach calls for targeting mainly smallholder farmers in developing countries," the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement accompanying a report entitled "Save and Grow".

"Helping low-income farm families in developing countries... economise on cost of production and build healthy agro-ecosystems will enable them to maximise yields and invest the savings in their health and education," it said.

"In order to grow, agriculture must learn to save," it said, pointing to lower crop yields in recent years despite an increase in environmentally unsustainable farming practices aimed at increasing intensive farming.

The eco-friendly techniques recommended by FAO include using plant residues to cover over fields, rotating cereals cultivation with soil-enriching legumes, more precise irrigation for fields and better use of fertilisers.

"Such methods help adapt crops to climate change and not only help grow more food but also contribute to reducing crops' water needs by 30 per cent and energy costs by up to 60 per cent," the report said.

"In some cases crop yields can be increased six-fold, as shown by trials with maize held recently in southern Africa," it said.

"Average yields from farms practicing the techniques in 57 low-income countries increased almost 80 per cent," it added.

FAO called on governments both in the developed and in the developing world to increase investments in order to provide incentives for poor farmers to adopt the new, more environmentally friendly farming techniques.



Two NGOs raise Rp 150m for poor farmers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 06/22/2011

The Indonesian Environment Forum (Walhi) and alms distribution organization Dompet Dhuafa announced Wednesday that they had collected Rp 149.6 million (US$ 17,400) since March to help farmers of 100 poor villages in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, and in West Nusa Tenggara.

The money was part of their joint fund-raising program that runs for a year until March 2012 and aims at accepting a large donation to realize concrete food sovereignty programs to take place in the villages.

“Hopefully, we can accept donations of no less than Rp 1 billion,” Dompet Dhuafa president director Ismail A. Said said after the announcement. He said his organization collaborated for the first time with Walhi through this program. He emphasized food sovereignty was crucial to villages.

Walhi executive director Berry Nahdian Forqan said they wanted to use the money to realize programs on food sovereignty.

“We will provide seeds, production equipment, discussions and counseling,” he said.

 “The country focuses on food security as we continuously import food from overseas,” he said.

He said that imported food was acceptable, but it “killed” local farmers livelihoods as the government did not guarantee the continuity of local food production from local farmers. “We want them to be independent,” Berry added.

According to Ika Septya Rini, the Walhi manager on fundraising, villages in both East and West Nusa Tenggara were chosen because they were the poorest in the country, according to the Agriculture Ministry and Dompet Dhuafa.

“Each farmer earns less than US$2 a day,” she said. (fem)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Elephant Tramples Man to Death at Aceh Farm

Jakarta Globe, Nurdin Hasan, June 21, 2011

Related articles

Banda Aceh. A rampaging elephant killed a rubber plantation worker on Monday in Pante Ceureumen, Aceh, officials said the following day.

Nur Yasin, head of Pante Ceureumen, told the Jakarta Globe that the attack occurred around 3 p.m. at the Sari Inti Rakyat plantation in Menuang Kinco village.

“All of a sudden an elephant came running out of the forest at the edge of the plantation, knocked down the foreman and started trampling him,” he said.

“Some plantation workers tried to shoo the animal away, but it didn’t work.”

He said the victim, identified as Khalidin, 40, died at the scene due to severe injuries.

Ramli, the village head, said four workers nearby were unwilling to try to stop the attack because they were scared of getting trampled as well.

“None of them dared go near the elephant,” he said.

“They were afraid that they’d be next.”

He added that the body was removed from the scene only after the elephant had returned to the forest two hours later.

Nur said this was the latest in a long list of human-elephant incidents in the area. He said despite the loss of lives and property as a result of the animals running rampant in farms and villages, authorities had failed to do anything to prevent more attacks from happening.

“We’ve sent several letters appealing to wildlife authorities to relocate the elephants, but they have yet to respond,” he said.

Calls by the Globe to Abubakar Chekmat, head of the Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency, were not answered.

The agency has attributed the escalation in such conflicts to man’s encroachment into the elephants’ natural habitat.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Indonesia Forest Moratorium Breached on First Day

Jakarta Globe, June 17, 2011

Jakarta. A freshly inked two-year forest moratorium was breached on its first day as a plantation company burned carbon-rich peatlands on Borneo island, an investigation by an environmental group said.

Indonesia revealed a long list of exemptions to its much-delayed two-year forest moratorium on logging that came into effect on May 20, in a concession to hard-lobbying plantation firms in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency and its Indonesian partner Telapak said they had documented peat forest in Central Kalimantan province’s moratorium zone being burned by Malaysian plantation group Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK) on May 20.

KLK officials were not immediately available for comment and company executives did not respond to queries e-mailed by Reuters.

The Forestry Ministry said it had not seen the environmental group’s report but forest and peatland burning was against the law and should be investigated.

The environmental group also criticized Norway, which promised $1 billion for Indonesia if it implemented the moratorium, for investing in KLK.

Reuters
Related Article:

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Dogs likely born with 'Canine Telepathy'

Discovery News, Analysis by Jennifer Viegas, Thu Jun 9, 2011

(Image: Monique Udell)

Dogs are so in tune with us that they can read our minds, according to a new Learning & Behavior study that also determined canines are probably born with the ability.

Practice makes perfect, however, so the more a dog hangs around humans, the better he or she becomes at "canine telepathy," which actually relies upon hyperawareness of the senses.

Those of us who have owned or been around dogs for any period of time know how well they often "get" us, sensing tiredness, depression, headaches or other maladies before we consciously exhibit any major outward signs of distress. Dogs can even detect when a person has cancer. They also seem to sense our joy and good health.

Monique Udell and her team from the University of Florida wondered why dogs are so clever at reading us, and how they accomplish this feat. Are dogs born with the ability to sense our mental states, or do canines learn from experience?

To explore these questions and more, Udell and her team carried out two experiments involving both wolves and dogs. In the experiments, the two sets of animals were given the opportunity to beg for food, either from an attentive person or from a person unable to see the potential begger.

The researchers showed for the first time that wolves, like domestic dogs, are capable of begging successfully for food by approaching the attentive human. This demonstrates that both species - domesticated and non-domesticated - have the capacity to behave in accordance with a human's attentional state. They are therefore likely born with the ability, since wolves would not have had much practice, which the typical pet dog gains by begging for treats during dinner and at other times.

Some dogs were better at reading people than others were, however. Shelter dogs were not nearly as good as pampered house pooches, demonstrating that exposure to humans allows dogs to hone their natural people-reading skills more.

According to the researchers, "These results suggest that dogs' ability to follow human actions stems from a willingness to accept humans as social companions, combined with conditioning to follow the limbs and actions of humans to acquire reinforcement. The type of attentional cues, the context in which the command is presented, and previous experience are all important."

Related Articles:




A child enjoys the view at the Batang Dolphin Center in
Cisarua Safari Park in Central Java, Indonesia.The center also

offers special therapy sessions for autistic children. Interacting
with the seagoing mammals is believed to aid with development.
(JG Photo/Ali Lutfi)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

10,000 trees planted in Mukomuko district`s coastal areas

Antara News, Sun, June 12 2011

Related News

Mukomuko, Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The environment office of Mukomuko district, Bengkulu province, has planted 10,000 trees of different species on critical land in the region`s coastal areas, a local official said.

The planted tree species were ketapang (Terminalia cattapa L.) tree species, sea fir, trembesi (Avicennia littorallis), and apika (Avicennia Sp), Risber, head of the district`s environmental office, said here Saturday.

"The greening activity carried out from the very end of the district until the capital of the region was to mark World Environment Day and to avoid the impact of global warming in this area," Risber said.

He said officials of the villages, the local people in the coastal areas as well as the people living on the critical land participated actively in the tree-planting drive.

"The location of the planting is concentrated along the coast of such sub districts as Air Rami, Air Dikit and Kota Mukomuko, as well as some sub districts in the critical areas," Risber explained.

In addition, the trees were also planted along the critical watershed and the worth of Lake Nibung which already do not have shields anymore.

"Some areas have previously been surveyed by the officers from the office environment to locations which were targeted in tree planting," Risber explained.

He added, some trees were also planted at the village office yards and along the road by the villagers.

"With the availability of ten thousand trees from Bengkulu Watershed Management Center, it can provide benefits to replace trees that have been cut down by the local people residents in this area," Risber said.

He explained, in the future the greening programs at several critical locations and along the coast need to be increased by the local people with the help of tree seedlings from the government.

"There are many benefits to be gained by the green area that is to reduce the impact of global warming and to slow the reduction of the mainland by coastal erosion in this area," Risber said.

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Greenpeace Says Barbie Doll is Vandal of Indonesian Forests

Jakarta Globe, June 08, 2011


A Greanpeace sign on Mattel headquarters in Los Angeles,
California, on Tuesday reads: 'Barbie: It's over. I don't date girls
that are into deforestation.' Greenpeace investigators found that
toymaker Mattel are using packaging from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).
APP has been exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia’s rainforests
to make products such as packaging. (EPA Photo)

Related articles

Greenpeace on Wednesday accused Mattel, the US maker of Barbie dolls, of contributing to the wanton destruction of carbon-rich Indonesian forests and habitats of endangered species like Sumatran tigers.

The environmental group said packaging used in Barbie and Ken boxes contained timber products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), which it described as a "notorious" destroyer of Indonesia's dwindling natural forests.

"Barbie destroys natural forests and pushes rare species such as tigers to the brink of extinction," Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Bustar Maitar said.

"Mattel, which makes Barbie, must stop wrapping the world’s most famous toy in rainforest destruction."

He said APP was a "notorious rainforest destroyer which has been exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia's rainforests to make throw-away packaging".

"APP is bad news for Indonesia's forests. It treats Indonesia as nothing more than a vast disposable asset, grabbing rainforests that are vital to forest communities," Maitar said.

"Mattel and other toy companies like Disney have a responsibility to support clean, low carbon development. They should drop APP right now and instead support responsible Indonesian producers."

APP, a subsidiary of paper and palm oil giant Sinar Mas, said it was "shocked" by the allegations and denied that its activities posed any threat to endangered species or forests.

"I was quite shocked that they attacked us. We are proud to use recycled paper and we are trying to promote the use of recycled paper," APP managing director for sustainability Aida Greenbury said.

AFP

Related Article:

President asks governors to suspend issuance of new forestry permits

Antara News, Wed, June 8 2011

Related News

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday asked governors, district heads and mayors not to issue new permits to manage rainforests and peatlands until the government finishes putting them in order.

"I have decided to suspend the issuance of new permits to manage primary forests and peatlands while at the same time improving the management of forests and peatlands under presidential instruction number 10 of 2011. Let`s implement it. I instruct governors, district heads and mayors to implement it. Don`t issue new permits for the management of primary forests and peatlands until we finish putting them in order," he said at a function to mark the World Environment Day at the State Palace here on Tuesday.

On May 20, 2011, President Yudhoyono signed a two-year moratorium on the granting of new permits to clear rainforests and peatlands.

The moratorium applies to 64.2 million hectares of primary natural forests and peatlands. The presidential instruction also suspends all applications which have already secured permits in principle from the Forestry Ministry and the use of forested areas which has obtained permits as well as restoration of ecosystem.

In his speech, the head of state also asked the regional heads to be fully responsible for environment conservation efforts.

"The government, the state and all of us have adopted a number of policies and taken concrete action to preserve forests," he said.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Australians shun beef after Indonesia abattoir film

BBC News, By Nick Bryant, Sydney, 7 June 2011

Related Stories

Australian butchers are reporting a slump in demand for beef after ABC broadcast an investigation into animal cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs.

Indonesia is Australia's largest market for
live-cattle exports
Butchers are reporting a drop in beef sales of 10-15% since last week's programme featuring graphic footage of animals being slashed and whipped.

The Australian government has since suspended live animal exports to the abattoirs shown in the programme.

But there are growing calls for a blanket ban on exports to Indonesia.

The Australian Meat Industry Council said business had been dramatically affected by the outpouring of community concern.

Some customers had shunned beef completely, it said.

Others wanted assurances from butchers on how the meat was slaughtered.

Organic and what are known in the industry as ethical butchers are reporting a rise in sales.

Compromise

Last week, the Australian government suspended exports to the abattoirs featured in the report.

But the programme has had a profound effect on public opinion in Australia, and the Prime Minister Julia Gillard is facing increased demands for a blanket ban on all live animal exports to Indonesia.

One MP has sent her footage that was not shown in the programme to persuade her to support a total ban that would be phased in over the next three years.

Some 700,000 cattle are exported from Australia each year, the vast majority to Indonesia, and the meat and livestock industry fears that rural livelihoods could be destroyed if a blanket ban comes into effect.

It is therefore proposing a compromise, whereby Australian cattle would only be slaughtered at Indonesian abattoirs which met international standards.

Animal welfare groups, meanwhile, are planning a national day of action later in the month.



Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Jambi to develop elephant habitat

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 06/07/2011

The Jambi administration has announced plans to develop a special area of elephant habitat in its latest attempt to end years of conflicts between elephants and the local population.

“We're trying to find the best way to preserve the elephants and end their conflicts with humans, especially in Sarolangun and Batanghari regencies,” Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Agency chief Trisiswo said in Jambi on Tuesday.

He added the administration had chosen a site inside a 101,000-hectare plot of forest owned by conservation firm PT Restorasi Ekosistem Konservasi Indonesia (REKI).

“I've talked about it with PT REKI and they have agreed [to provide the land for the elephant habitat],” Trisiswo said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

The move comes after a number of villagers in Pauh district, Sarolangun, complained that 17 elephants had ransacked their 200-hectare rubber tree plantation in January. Similar incidents, some of which led to the killing of elephants, have been occurring for years.

“Upon visiting the location, [I saw] that the elephants live far from people's settlements and the plantation is in a production forest area,” Trisiswo said.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Minister opens Indonesian environment week 2011

Antara News, Wed, June 1 2011

Related News

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono officially opened an Indonesian Environment Week 2011 at Senayan here Wednesday.

The exhibition which will run from June 1 to 5, 2011 is part of actiivities to mark Environment Day.

Minister Agung was on the occasion accompanied by Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta.

Agung in his opening remarks said Indonesia, as the world`s third largest forested country, must pay serious attention to the conditions of its forests.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) had announced that this year`s theme of Environment Day which falls on June 5, is "Nature at Your Service".

"Environmental damage due to illegal logging activities, forest fires, and land conversion have worsened environmental conditions and added to the list of disasters in the country," he said.

To address the problems, the minister called for environmental preservation programs involving the participation of the people.

The government has so far implemented tree planting programs such as the One Man One Tree and the Women Plan Tree that have contributed to the planting of a total of 1.3 billion trees.

"Lets change our way of thinking by planting tree any time we have an opportunity, and considering 1,000 times before cutting even a single tree. By planting trees, we will give our grand children a better environment," he said.

The Indonesian Environment Week 2011 involves 180 participants displaying among other things recycled goods and environmentally friendly products.

The environment ministry on the occasion signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Nahdatul Ulama (NU), the country`s largest Muslim organization) and the Indonesian Church Association on increasing the role of religious leaders in the preservation and management of the environment.

Editor: Aditia Maruli