The fifth high-level ministerial meeting of the United Nation's Forum on Forests (UNFF-5), which ended in New York on May 27, 2005, failed to agree to a set of reforms to accelerate the ailing process of promoting conservation and sustainable development of forests. UNFF-5 couldn't agree on even a declaration.

The native Indians of Brazil's Roraima state have won a crucial battle against non-indigenous farmers and other settlers in their area. Despite intense lobbying to stall the move, on April 14,

This paper examines the main ways in which Payments for Environmental Services (PES) might affect poverty. PES may reduce poverty mainly by making payments to poor natural resource managers in upper watersheds. The extent of the impact depends on how many PES participants are in fact poor, on the poor’s ability to participate, and on the amounts paid. Although PES programs are not designed for poverty reduction, there can be important synergies when program design is well thought out and local conditions are favorable.

Logjam: A federal appeals court has blocked logging of trees scorched in one of the US's largest wildfires. It is unlikely that the dead trees can be harvested before rotting. The court order came

The UN Forum on Forest s fourth meet ended half a day ahead of schedule, raising doubts on the convention s ability to frame an agenda. Clifford Polycarp saw it all in Geneva