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WWF, Nokia and Equinox Publishing Partner to Launch NEWtrees, a Hi-Tech Reforestation Initiative
Green Technology Featured Articles
November 15, 2007

WWF, Nokia and Equinox Publishing Partner to Launch NEWtrees, a Hi-Tech Reforestation Initiative

By Calvin Azuri
TMCnet Contributor

WWF-Indonesia, in partnership with Nokia (News - Alert) and Equinox Publishing, has announced a tree planting campaign in Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan. The initiative is a concerted effort to reduce the effects of global warming. Christened NEWtrees, the project will offer people an effective way to restore the protected national park. The growth of the trees can be tracked with the help of geotags (trees labeled with precise latitude and longitude coordinates), which can be viewed through Google (News - Alert) Earth and Yahoo Maps.


In the first stage of the project, Nokia will assist the planting of 100,000 individually-geo-tagged Jelutung (Dyera costulata) seedlings. The tree is a native species and is a favorite resting place for the orangutans in the park.

"This project is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and we are excited to join forces with two great companies like Nokia and Equinox to help the Sebangau conservation," Nazir Foead, Director of Corporate Engagement at WWF-Indonesia, was quoted as saying in the report.

Nokia's Environment Manager for the Asia Pacific region, Francis Cheong, was quoted in the report saying, "By collaborating in this initiative with WWF-Indonesia and Equinox Publishing, we hope to not only help towards reducing the annual haze that blankets the region, but also contribute in a small way to protecting and preserving Sebangau as an invaluable national asset in the APAC region The geotagging technology that is capable with the Nokia N95, in combination with Google Earth and Yahoo Maps, will help to monitor the development of the trees."

The site that has been selected for the first stage of the replanting grid is located close to the joint WWF - park authority's Sebangau field office. It takes about 45 minutes by boat to reach the place from the capital of Central Kalimantan, Palangkaraya.

Photos and locations of the planted trees can be viewed at http://www.wwf.or.id/NEWtrees and http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwfindonesia, starting with the first ceremonial planting on Nov. 7.

"There are several interesting reforestation initiatives happening in Indonesia at present but what makes NEWtrees unique is that we have the ability to show exactly where the trees are being planted. Contributing individuals and institutions will receive a certificate with the exact coordinates and date that their trees were planted, and will even be able to visit them," said Mark Hanusz of Equinox Publishing in a press release.

For the park authority, NEWtrees is a landmark achievement, wherein the private sector is supporting the cause of conservation directly. Drasospolino, the park manager, views the initiative as a driving factor for other corporations to participate. He also felt that the program can be extended to other national parks in Indonesia.

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Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.


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