29 September 2011
CIFOR Newsletter Highlights Global Biofuel Information Tool
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The newsletter describes the Global Biofuel Information Tool (GBIT) developed by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which attempts to consolidate national data on biofuels, alongside data on key commercial biofuel investments, and data on areas under development.

26 September 2011: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released its September 2011 newsletter, noting the opening of registration for Forest Day at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa, on 4 December 2011. The newsletter also features articles on REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock), forest governance and climate change.

The newsletter describes the Global Biofuel Information Tool (GBIT) developed by CIFOR, which attempts to consolidate national data on biofuels, alongside data on key commercial biofuel investments, and data on areas under development. It also notes opportunities to watch a live online video feed from the Forests Indonesia Conference, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 27 September 2011, including an address by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The article titled “In Congo Basin rainforests, the success of REDD+ leaves adaptation efforts training” underscores the focus on REDD+ and climate change mitigation – over adaptation – in the Congo Basin Countries of Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The conclusions are the result of a CIFOR paper titled “The Congo Basin forests in a changing climate: Policy discourses on adaptation and mitigation (REDD+).”

In “China-Africa Express: As business takes off, what happens on the ground,” CIFOR scientists synthesize the findings from research in Cameroon, DRC and Gabon with respect to the impacts of China’s mining, forestry and agricultural sectors on forests and local communities. The article notes that objective assessments of the impact of Chinese investments are difficult to acquire. Evidence from Cameroon indicates that the origin of logging companies has no obvious difference on social or environmental impacts. It says that Chinese companies tend to interface with smaller producers than other international investors, potentially bringing benefits to the local level, but also providing a more challenging environment for regulations.

CIFOR is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [CIFOR News Update, September 2011] [Global Biofuel Information Tool]

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