Earth Day - 22 April 2016

Trees reverse the impacts of land degradation. They provide food, energy, and income. Trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability. They filter the air and help stave off the effects of climate change both globally and locally. They are a natural, resilient, and long-lasting safety buffer to extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and blizzards. And the longer the trees/forests grow and stay in place, the more powerful these protections become. Earth Day Network works on the ground with organizations worldwide that strengthen communities through conservation. Using sapling and seed distribution, urban forestry, agroforestry, and tree care training, we have empowered rural and urban people alike to conserve, repair, and restore tree cover to their lands. We have already planted millions of trees on six different continents. You can help us continue this important work. 

Are we building strong 'ice' forest castle?

Two weeks a ago, all the media and cameras picked up the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism on the hit and big news on monkeys who were just fasting their seat belts ready for departure to Southern eastern Europe - final destination to Albania.

This was the same press conference which sent home, the CEO of the Tanzania Forest Agency (TFS) together with senior directors. Tanzania Forest Service (TFS) was established in 2010 and is a semi-autonomous government Executive Agency whose establishment is supported by the Executive Agency Act (Cap. 245 Revised Edition 2009), the National Forest and Beekeeping Policies adopted in March 1998 and administered through The Forest Act (No. 14 of 2002) and Beekeeping Act (No. 15 of 2002) which provides legal framework for the management of forests and bee resources. TFS with the mandate to oversee the defunct forest division in which management effectiveness was almost forgotten. With establishment of TFS things began to move at unprecedented pace and results were plausible. 

Two weeks ago, the minister was irked by illegal harvest of logs in different areas, which he said was one of the reasons that prompted the suspension of TFS officials. He gave the recent example of Kalambo District in south west Tanzania, where several valuable logs were seized after it was realised that they were being transported to the neighbouring country without proper export documents. The ousting of TFS officals is expected to nearly collapse the strong insitutions which was coming up to work with partners in addressing the deforestation fronts which sent the country loosing almost 372,000Ha per year. We wait to see changes.

FlightPath 1.5 Launches 100 Days After COP21 To Urge The United Nations to Cap and Cut Aviation’s Climate Pollution

A new campaign being launched on Monday, March 21 called FlightPath 1.5--a global campaign of leading environmental voices, dedicated to cutting aviation climate pollution and ensuring that aviation contributes its fair share to the goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Members of the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA) and other partners like ClimateNexus, New Climate Economy, We Mean Business, Ceres, and 350.org plan to participate in the global social media discussion.

Attached are social media and other campaign assets for your use tomorrow. The campaign landing site is http://www.flightpath1point5.org  

Participate in the social media discussion!:

Designed Tweets and Facebook posts can be found HERE for use independently. The full social kit with a direct link to the photo suggested to be used with that tweet is in the hyperlinked google doc.

Twitter:

Here’s a few suggest tweets pulled out for convenience:

@UNFCCC #ParisAgreement on #climate means @ICAO must act on #aviation emission for @FlightPath1pt5 http://bit.ly/1UHgXvM	Photo Link: Image 4
#ICYMI Follow @FlightPath1pt5 to find out why #aviation is the critical #climate issue of 2016 http://bit.ly/1UHgXvM	Photo Link: Image 1
#aviation #emissions set to triple by 2050 @FlightPath1pt5 launches  to urge @ICAO 2 #ActOnClimate http://bit.ly/1UHgXvM	Photo Link: Image 6

2016 is a critical year for action on cutting aviation emissions. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations (UN) decision-making body charged with regulating aviation emissions, takes up the issue in September. If it fails to take bold steps, aviation emissions are projected to triple by 2050. Visit www.flightpath1point5.org to learn more.	Photo Link: Image 2
In 200 days, global leaders will convene to regulate GHG emissions from the aviation industry. This makes 2016 a critical year for climate action. That is why the FlightPath 1.5 campaign is advocating for an effective market-based measure as an important step in addressing aviation emissions. Visit www.flightpath1point5.org to learn more.	Photo Link: Image 4

Terms of Reference for Field Testing on the National Forest Stewardship Standards for Tanzania

Please be informed on the advert posted at http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/jobs/ with downloadable TORs for Fiedl testing of the National Forest Stewardship Standards basing on FSC System.

International Day of Forests on Monday, 21 March

In commemoration of the International Day of Forests on Monday, 21 March, the WWF Global Forest Programme will launch a new platform to promote dialogue and share knowledge on solutions needed to safeguard forests. This platform is an extension of the mini-campaign we did at World Forestry Congress in September, 2015, and is designed to create a space for dialogue, learning and sharing different viewpoints so that we can co-create solutions together.

The Forest Solutions platform is live though it will officially launch on March 21. Please help spread the word about this platform to your Network and encourage them to participate (an announcement template is available here). The Global Forest Programme  will use this platform to create new alliances and synergies and to leverage opportunities to collaborate with existing as well as new partners. A forum feature will be added in the coming months to expand collaboration and create a community of conservationists, foresters, academics, policymakers, companies, entrepreneurs and other professionals. If you’re interested in participating in the forum, please contact Huma (Huma.Khan@wwfus.org).

On March 21, we will also launch a #pledgeforforests campaign targeted to the general public, to raise awareness of forest-related issues and what changes people can make in their every day lives to protect them. You can find all the messages and memes for that campaign here and details on the web site. Take the pledge on social media and help spread the word!

A joint blog from Rod Taylor and Lifeng Li will be posted on Ecological (hyperlink ecological.panda.org) on Monday, looking at the connection between forests and water (in celebration of International Day of Forests on 21 March and World Water Day on 22 March).

Huma Khan
Communications Manager | WWF Global Forest Programme
Phone: +1 202-203-8432 | Skype: humak22 | E-mail: huma.khan@wwfus.org