Headlines

UK Forest Comm - The wooded slopes and hills surrounding the gorge, combined with the areas world famous industrial heritage made Ironbridge an obvious location for the potential benefits of LiDAR, with its ability to map the landscape beneath the canopy. Results from the survey did not disappoint, with wooded areas revealing many sites of former industrial activity, including bell pits, quarries, building remains and charcoal hearths. However, in some wooded areas, the effectiveness of the survey was reduced due to the high abundance of holly which led to many gaps in the terrain model. Surprisingly perhaps, is the fact that this lack of a good terrain model in many places is being used to help to target areas where some active holly control would be desirable. Outside of wooded areas, the survey produced a 3-Dimensional map with sufficient detail to show former agricultural processes in some fields, the rails of an inclined plane and even the railings of the iron bridge itself. Read More

EUWI - With the UN Millennium Development Goals set to be reviewed this year, the European Commission is stressing the need for an increased focus on access to water, as the achievement of other UN development goals depends on it. Read More

CORDIS - Trawling is a popular yet controversial method of commercial fishing. While effective in producing large catches, some types of trawling can also severely disturb the seabed. Resuspended particulate matter can threaten the health of the benthic community as well as marine organisms higher up in the food chain. Read More

JAKARTA GLOBES - Two groups of banks, most of them Japanese and led by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, have agreed to loan $1.8 billion to independent power producers PT Paiton Energy and PT Cirebon Electric Power to build coal-fired electricity plants with a combined capacity of 1,475 megawatts. The first consortium will loan $1.21 billion to fund a $1.5 billion expansion of Paiton’s East Java plant, which will increase capacity by 815 megawatts. Paiton is owned by Mitsui, International Power and Tokyo Electric Power. Read More