A major international study says palm oil plantations reduce plant and animal diversity, and do little to reduce carbon emissions.

Researchers say tropical forests are increasingly cleared to make way for palm oil crops, leading to a reduction in habitats for many rare species.

The problem is most acute in Malaysia and Indonesia which produce around 85% of the world’s palm oil.

The report is published in the journal Conservation Biology.

Palm oil is a common vegetable oil, and is now regarded as a major source of biodiesel, however the researchers question whether it really offers environmental benefits over conventional fossil fuels. Read more » »

WASHINGTON, — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Keeping tropical rain forests intact is a better way to combat climate change than replacing them with biofuel plantations, a study in the journal Conservation Biology finds.

The study reveals that it would take at least 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost through forest conversion. And if the original habitat was carbon-rich peatland, the carbon balance would take more than 600 years. On the other hand, planting biofuels on degraded Imperata grasslands instead of tropical rain forests would lead to a net removal of carbon in 10 years, the authors found.

The study is the most comprehensive analysis of the impact of oil palm plantations in tropical forests on climate and biodiversity. It was undertaken by an international research team of botanists, ecologists and engineers from seven nations.
Read more » »

Matahora is a fishing village on the island of Wangi-wangi, one of four in an island chain which comprises the Wakatobi National Park, Southeast Sulawesi.

After Wangi-wangi the chain extends southeast — Kaledupa, Tomia, Binongko — between the Banda and Flores seas. The quartet makes up the territory of Wakatobi regency, which has much water and little land: 823 square kilometers are islands and 55,113 square kilometers are ocean, 98.5 percent of its total area.

Wakatobi was declared a protected area in 2002.

“Wakatobi can claim some of the broadest biological marine diversity in the world,” said Ali Basaru, an environmental activist and public high-school teacher from Matahora.

Ali cited data on coral: Ninety percent of the world’s 850 species can be found in Wakatobi regency. Read more » »

SHANGHAI (AFP) — China Shenhua Energy, the country’s largest coal miner, said it had paid 299.9 million Australia dollars (185.7 million US dollars) for a coal exploration licence in Australia.

The 190-square-kilometre project, located in New South Wales state, is estimated to contain more than one billion tonnes of coal, the company said in a statement with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

If granted a mining licence, Shenhua will have to pay an additional 200 million Australia dollars to the state government, according to the statement.
Read more » »

State-owned Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd, the only agency to undertake exploration of coal reserves in the country, is outsourcing about 10 lakh meters drilling task to other companies. The move will help to expedite production of coal for power and steel sectors.

A coal ministry official said that the company has been asked to step up its exploration and drilling activities to meet future demands of coal. “The government is taking measures to strengthen CMPDIL. The company will double its in-house drilling capacity to 4 lakh meters per annum and outsource most of the task to public and private sector companies,” a senior official in the coal ministry, who did not wish to be quoted, told ET. CMPDIL is a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL).
Read more » »

Subsequent to an announcement, a June 12th, 2008 press release, of a proposed Joint Venture program between Royal Standard Minerals Inc. and Sharpe Resources Corp. to jointly explore and develop coal projects in Eastern Kentucky, the Boards of Directors of Royal Standard Minerals Inc. and Sharpe Resources Corporation have completed a 50-50 Joint Venture agreement to jointly pursue the exploration and development of coal projects in Eastern Kentucky. The agreement was approved and executed on November 21, 2008 and is subject to regulatory approvals, according to Roland M. Larsen, Qualified Person.

The information presented in this press release is subject to the various regulatory approvals. The economic viability of these projects is uncertain and is contingent upon coal pricing and mining conditions that could affect the project economics.
Read more » »

Whitewater Mining Corporation (PINKSHEETS: WWTML), a junior exploration company who is acquiring and developing mining concessions in Latin America, has just signed a Letter of Intent for a 10,000 hectare thermic coal mining concession in Valledupar, Cesar in Colombia. The concession in an area with large bituminous coal reserves of excellent quality. Its preliminary evaluation has also shown mining potential in gold, copper, baritine, and ornamental rocks.

Whitewater believes that a focus on coal is a strong strategic move for the company. Coal reserves are expected to last for another 200 plus years at the present rate of consumption and recent developments in clean coal technology makes it an attractive long term source of energy. Colombia is by far the leading producer of coal in Latin America with 71% of production and is an ideal target for Whitewater as they have strong political and local connections in the country. Read more » »