IBI support for South East Asian biochar interest group

IBI have kindly included a red dot on their world map in support of a South East Asian biochar interest group (http://www.biochar-international.org/regionalgroups/far/east). Dialogue is underway with various international groups seeking support for this work. Your participation and support would be welcome.

Dr Francis Ng makes some interesting observations on his Tropical Garden blog related to the annual regional haze problem in SEA. Forests have been cleared by settlers to gain informal title over the land. They annually slash&burn this land to hold title and in the hope of selling land for future palm oil expansion. Christoph Steiner has studied and written on similar issues in the Amazon proposing a slash&char alternative. Could a future biochar industry help solve the intractable haze problem in SEA? What sort of structures would need to be in place to protect the remaining natural forest?