EnviroInfo
November 27, 2003
SUMMARY
GENERAL
NEWS
1.
REEF PROTECTION PLAN WELCOMED
2. CARR PUSHES FOR NATIONAL TRADING SCHEME
3. AUSTRALIA HOME TO 10 PER CENT OF ENDANGERED SPECIES
4. INVESTING IN RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
5. eCARBON NEWS
COURSES
6. IWES MELBOURNE 2004 - FOUR NEW COURSES!
CONFERENCES & EVENTS
7.
POWER EVENTS 2004
8. WIND 2004
9. 2nd A-Z OF AUSTRALIAN WATER TRADING
PRODUCTS
AND SERVICES
TOURS
11. NCLLT PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTH VIETNAMESE TOUR COMPANY
GENERAL NEWS
1.
REEF PROTECTION PLAN WELCOMED
The Minister for Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, is expected to present a package for the re-zoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park aimed at protecting the park's biodiversity to parliament next month.
The package, which has been approved by Cabinet, will increase the protect area of the Great Barrier Reef from less than 5% to about one-third.
The new plan has been well received, with the Labor Party, Democrats and Greens all supporting the re-zoning and proposed structural adjustment package.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, which has led the campaign over the past three years for greater protection of the Reef, has described the re-zoning plan as "one of the most momentous announcements in marine conservation history".
The network of sanctuaries in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park will be twice the size of the world's second largest Marine Protected Area - Australia's Heard and McDonald Islands MPA, declared last year.
2. CARR PUSHES FOR NATIONAL TRADING SCHEME
NSW Premier, Bob Carr, is continuing his push for a national carbon emissions trading scheme on the eve of a new round of negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, writing to each of the state governments, urging them to support his scheme based on the NSW mandatory benchmark trading scheme for electricity retailers.
Under Mr Carr's emissions trading scheme, participants would purchase and sell offsetting abatement certificates to allow them to reach enforceable annual reduction targets. The stationary energy sector would be told to meet emission reduction targets and other sectors would meet their targets by trading in similar abatement certificates.
3. AUSTRALIA HOME TO 10 PER CENT OF ENDANGERED SPECIES
Australia is now home to 10 per cent of the world's endangered species according to the latest edition of the World Conservation Union's Red List, second only to the United States in the number of plant and animal species facing extinction.
The World Conservation Union's Red List says that worldwide, there are 12,259 threatened species, of which, 1324 are found in Australia. The 2003 list shows an increase of over 1000 threatened species worldwide in just the past year, although the increase is largely the result of new data on poorly-studies species.
For further information, go to http://www.redlist.org
4.
INVESTING IN RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
A new survey published by CSR Europe, Deloitte and Euronext has revealed that social and environmental performance is on course to become a significant aspect of mainstream investment decisions within the next three years.
The survey, Investing in Responsible Business, shows that just over half of the surveyed fund managers and 47% of investor relations officers (IROs) agree that this trend will soon become a reality.
60 per cent of fund managers and analysts say they have noticed a growing interest in socially repsonsible investment over the past 2 years.
The European SRI retail market is currently estimated to be worth EUR12.2 billion, while the European SRI institutional market represents EUR336 billion. Survey responses also confirm that nearly half of Europe's financial institutions already offer SRI products.
Further information regarding the survey can be found at http://www.csreurope.org/
eCarbon News is a free monthly digest of news on greenhouse and climate-change issues from around the world, assembled by the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting.
See
the current issue and subscribe at
http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/crc/ecarbon/enews_current.cfm
COURSES
6. IWES MELBOURNE 2004 - FOUR NEW COURSES!
IWES
will feature four new courses at IWES Melbourne 2004 which will run from 9 -
11 February 2004. The courses offered are:
1. Water Reuse NEW COURSE
http://iwes.com.au/courses_num.html?course_num=37
2. Ecological Risk Assessment NEW COURSE
http://iwes.com.au/courses_num.html?course_num=35
3. Modelling and Simulation of Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems NEW COURSE
http://iwes.com.au/courses_num.html?course_num=36
4. Industrial Wastewater Treatment NEW COURSE
http://iwes.com.au/courses_num.html?course_num=32
5. Principles of Wastewater Treatment
http://www.iwes.com.au/courses_num.html?course_num=34
6. Operating the Activated Sludge Process
http://www.iwes.com.au/courses_num.html?course_num=33
Each course features internationally-recognized presenters and will focus on real world problems and solutions. The four new courses in particuar address topics rated as priority training areas by IWES Noosa 2003 delegates.
To find out more about IWES Melbourne 2004, visit the IWES website at http://www.iwes.com.au
IWES is the largest and most successful continuing education program in Australia for professionals responsible for industry environmental performance. IWES courses are designed to keep professionals abreast of the latest environmental management technologies and trends.
CONFERENCES & EVENTS
TERRAPINN Presents...
South Australia Power 2004 (February 16-18) is the leading event for South Australia's fast-evolving power sector. The conference program in features South Australia's top energy CEOs, as well as senior policy makers and senior strategists. It's the place where current market dynamics and future directions that directly affect the state's energy sector will be debated and resolved. Visit http://www.powergenerationworld.com/2004/sapower_AU for full details and booking options.
Victoria Power 2004 (24-26 February) is the leading event for Victoria's fast-evolving power sector. Find out how these plans directly affect your business in the New Year! Check out http://www.powergenerationworld.com/2004/vicpower_AU for full conference details and to reserve your place today!
National Power New Zealand 2004 (30 March - 2 April) is bigger and better than ever before. The Energy Minister, the Hon Pete Hodgson, is leading an unrivalled line-up of senior level speakers including power industry CEOs and regulators. Go to http://www.powergenerationworld.com/2004/utiliconnz_NZ for full details and to book your place.
Queensland Power 2004 (25-26 May) is widely regarded as the definitive local industry event in Queensland. This annual event in its eighth year continues to attract industry CEO's, the senior management of Queensland's premier energy companies, industry leaders from around Australia, senior policy makers as well as large energy users. Delegates will debate significant issues that directly influence the future of Queensland's energy sector and Australia's energy market. For further details and to ensure your participation, visit http://www.powergenerationworld.com/2004/Qld_AU
3rd
Annual Australian Wind Energy Conference
26th - 27th February 2004 - Stamford Plaza Adelaide
http://www.ibcoz.com.au/wind2004/
It seems that hardly a day goes by without another wind farm development being announced in Australia. The wind industry is enjoying boom conditions. And it is forecast to continue growing. Millions of dollars of new investment in renewable energy is on the agenda, with wind energy playing an ever increasing role in Australia's energy mix.
The current MRET Review is scheduled for release in January, with the conference perfectly timed to equip attendees with up to the minute knowledge of what this will mean for the future development of the wind industry.
Speakers include:
*
Hon Patrick Conlon, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy, Minister
for Emergency Services, South Australia
* David Rossiter, Renewable Energy Regulator, Office of the Renewable Energy
Regulator
* Jeff Harding, Managing Director, Pacific Hydro
* Richard Hancock, Senior Policy Officer, Department for Business, Manufacturing
and Trade (SA)
* Jason Turner, Senior Advisor Noise, Environment Protection Authority
* Sarea Coates, Policy Manager Energy Supply, Australian Greenhouse Office
* Ian Arnott, Power System Control Engineer, NEMMCO
* Terry Kallis, Director, Power Management Consulting Pty Ltd and Project Development
Consultant, Starfish Hill Wind Farm
+ many more
To reserve your place - please visit: http://www.ibcoz.com.au/wind2004/, e-mail registration@informa.com.au or call 02 9080 4307.
9.
2nd A-Z OF AUSTRALIAN WATER TRADING
The recent COAG communiqué has outlined a strong commitment to ensuring Australia's water trading markets deliver increased productivity & efficiency to rural communities & return environmental flows & health to our rivers & groundwater systems. However, the complexity of stakeholder issues involved in achieving this goal make this process one of the most difficult & important movements in Australia's rural history.
With this in mind, IBC Conferences is organising the 2nd A-Z of Australian Water Trading, due to be held on the 10th & 11th March 2004, Grand Hyatt Melbourne. The event includes speakers such as Dr. Neil Byron from the Productivity Commission, who will compare water rights across Australia and the rest of the world. An invitation has also been extended to the Hon John Anderson, the Deputy Prime Minister. Please visit www.ibcoz.com.au/watertrade2 for updates and for a full agenda.
Make sure you don't miss your chance to attend the year's only forum where all the stakeholders from across the nation are represented & voice their opinions on the complex & critical issues that surround the development of Australia's water trading markets.
Call IBC Conferences on (+61 2) 9080 4307 or fax the registration form on the enclosed brochure to (+61 2) 9290 3844. Alternatively, email your registration details to registration@informa.com.au or register online at http://www.ibcoz.com.au/watertrade2.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The Citizen Science Toolbox (http://www.coastal.crc.org.au/toolbox/index.asp) is a free resource of principles and strategies to enhance meaningful stakeholder involvement in decision-making. Stakeholders include not only communities, but also scientists and decision-makers.
Meaningful involvement of all stakeholders occurs through a commitment to social learning - learning on the part of communities, other stakeholders and institutions. While the Toolbox has a focus on coastal and catchment environments, the principles and tools can be used in many other areas for a wide range of issues.
The
on-line toolbox includes:
(1) over 60 community involvement tools, from public meetings to consensus conferences;
(2) case studies of the uses of various tools and the reflections of stakeholders
who participated;
(3) an annotated bibliography of over 500 citizen science references and
(4) theoretical discussions of citizen science issues.
The Toolbox will be launched on December 16th in Brisbane.
Feedback on the Toolbox is welcome, particularly concerning content, layout, navigation and utility. All reviewers before January 30th will receive a complementary book "Australian Estuaries: A Framework for management," published by the Coastal CRC. Contact James.Whelan@griffith.edu.au for details.
TOURS
11.
NCLLT PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTH VIETNAMESE TOUR COMPANY
NCLLT (Naturally Curious Leisure and Learning Tours) has been working with Vifortour to design an ecoculture tour of North Vietnam. The tour has been developed with an emphasis on environmental and cultural issues.
The development process utilised the skills of NCLLT (environmental scientists) and the established Vietnamese Forestry, Tourist and Service Company (Vifortour). This is a statement company under Vinafor (Vietnam Forestry Corporation), which belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Vifortour has been focusing on ecotourism, which was identified as a growth area in North Vietnam. This is in line with Vietnam's National Plan for Environmental and Sustainable Development for 1991 to 2000 and the National Action Plan for Tourism.
To support this tour, NCLLT has produced an information booklet called Tour North Vietnam - An environmental and cultural guide. This booklet provides information including socio-political framework, environmental quality and protected areas in Vietnam. It forms part of the ecotourism product and is provided to all tour participants. Vifortour featured this booklet at the recent Hanoi Tourism Festival (November 2003).
Information on NCLLT and tours to North Vietnam in 2004 may be found at http://www.naturallycurious.com.au.