VOA常速英语2007-Environmental Group Camps to Protect Indonesia's

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
09 October 2007

The international environmental organization Greenpeace has opened a "forest defenders¹ camp" on Indonesia's Sumatra Island to bring global attention to the country's destruction of its forests.  VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more.
 
The camp was opened in Sumatra's Riau province by Greenpeace, local communities, and local government officials.  It will hold about 40 people.

The aim, according to a Greenpeace spokeswoman, is to help prevent seasonal² fires and further deforestation, and conduct bio-diversity surveys.
 
Hundreds of fires are set every year by local farmers and large agricultural corporations to clear land for plantations³.  In recent years, heavy smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore for weeks at a time.
 
The Southeast Asia director of Greenpeace, Emmy Hafidz, draws a link between the loss of Indonesian forest and global climate change.
 
"This is our bearing witness to the destruction of Indonesian forest, especially the peat land, and to expose to the world the link between deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions⁴ that lead to climate change,"
 
Indonesia has around 60 percent of the world's tropical peat lands.  These swamps release huge amounts of carbon dioxide when they are drained or burned to make way for crops such as palm oil, pulp⁵ plantations, and other timber industries.
 
These peat lands are being destroyed at a rapid rate.  A recent report by the World Bank says this has made Indonesia the world's third-largest emitter of carbon gases, which are thought to be a major contributor to global warming.
 
Greenpeace officials say the opening of the defenders' camp was timed to coincide with a U.N. climate change conference that will be held in December on Indonesia's Bali Island.
 
Participants from more than 180 countries are due to begin talks there on a replacement⁶ for the Kyoto Protocol⁷, which expires in 2012.
 
The Kyoto Protocol focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions caused by vehicles, industry and other human activity.  But it did not address emissions that arise from the destruction of forests.
 
The Indonesian government indicated that it would protect its forests - for a price.  It wants the major carbon emitters, such as the United States and European Union, to pay it between five and $20 per hectare to not destroy its remaining forests.
 
With about 91 million hectares of forest still standing⁸, the country strands⁹ to receive as much as $1.8 billion if the proposal is accepted. 

1 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

4 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

5 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

6 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》