permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

<< Do you have another link for the book? >>

Here's one:


http://www.dymocks.com.au/ContentDynamic/Full_Details.asp?ISBN=1920769307

At $35 it seems kind of pricey. One book I like is Strangely Like War: The 
global assault on forests, which you can pick up from Amazon for only $10.20. 
It 
documents the inevitability of the destruction of all natural forests on the 
planet, for reasons of increased profitability.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931498458/102-0916766-0242513?v=glance&;
n=283155

A paper company can provide cheap ($2.50 a pack) copy paper sustainably, by 
taking already degraded land and putting in cheap, fast-growing softwoods 
like 
pine, Douglas fir or spruce and make a decent profit. HOWEVER they can 
enhance 
their profitability by spending a relative pittance to bribe officials within 
the Indonesian government and then getting permission to clear cut a huge 
swath in the undisturbed rainforests of Borneo. As no costs are involved in 
using 
God's trees, profits are enhanced. And you and I gain the benefit of cheap 
copy paper.

***

ACTION ALERT FORWARD WIDELY!

Oil Palm Threatens Indonesia's Rainforests and Orangutans

By Rainforest Portal, project of Ecological Internet, Inc. 
http://www.rainforestportal.org/
February 20, 2006

TAKE ACTION
Chinese funded development a ploy to access rainforest timbers, 
will devastate Borneo's biodiversity and largest remaining wild 
orangutan population

http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=indonesia

Indonesia plans to cut a 2,000 kilometer long, five kilometer 
wide swathe through one of the world's largest remaining areas 
of pristine rainforest to create a massive oil palm plantation. 
The project would destroy nearly two million hectares of ancient 
rainforest in Kalimantan, traversing almost the entire border 
with Malaysia, and slicing through three national parks. These 
remote rainforests on the island of Borneo are home to countless 
species of rare birds, plants and mammals including the largest 
remaining wild orangutan population. This Chinese-funded 
"agricultural development" is almost certainly a thinly veiled 
ruse to access timber. Indonesia has huge land areas of 
abandoned, unproductive palm oil plantations and degraded forest 
areas that would be suitable for oil palm development. Palm oil 
plantations - which completely clear the rainforests and are 
biologically depauperate - are the number one enemy of 
orangutans. Orangutans need vast areas of interconnected forest 
to survive, and this ill-conceived project would speed up their 
extinction. The business as usual palm oil trade is expected to 
cause the extinction of the orangutan within 12 years. Let the 
Minister of Agriculture know he must cancel the Kalimantan 
project, and that new oil palm plantations should be built only 
in previously cleared and unused areas. Note your protest emails 
are going to a sixteen addresses, so please inform us if some 
start to bounce (due to closure, etc.). Please take action now 
at http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=indonesia

***

I had to put in this obligatory commercial. However I do doubt that the 
Indonesian government is going to be swayed by an impassioned mass mailing 
from 
eco-advocates outside the country. Send them a letter if it pleases you, but 
remember that when other people send them letters they contain checks for 
millions 
of dollars.

At any rate, buy the book and be well educated. Ten bucks. Strangely Like 
War.