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The MAP News, 281st Ed., 21 January 2011
Dear Friends,
This is the 281st Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, January 21, 2012.
For the Mangroves,
Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project
Share on FacebookAll news items and notices published in the MAP News can also be accessed directly from our home page www.mangroveactionproject.org, with links to the full story and the original source. New items are posted daily and are available as an RSS feed!
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SHRIMP LESS, THINK MORE campaign has changed it's name to QUESTION YOUR SHRIMP:
Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog.
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Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp
Action Alerts:
MAP 2013 Calendar Competition Begins! READ MORE
MAP Calendar Sponsors Wanted – Help support next year’s calendar now. READ MORE
“Stop Exploitative Land Transformations in Mozambique (See story in this issue)
SIGN PETITION
VIEW Murder of Mystics Trailer
A 1min 37 sec. trailer of the film "Killing of the Spiritual Tree" i.e. Mangroves of the Indus Delta from Outfield productions. An Outfield productions' film about the "Killing of the Spiritual Tree" i.e. Mangroves of the Indus Delta VIEW TRAILER
VIEW New Fact Sheet for Phulbari Coal Project CLICK TO VIEW
Support MAP's Efforts
MAP's 2012 Calendar Order Form
Print form and mail in to MAP – Click Here
Support MAP trough Reading
Purchase a copy of Kennedy Warne’s book Let Them Eat Shrimp: The Tragic Disappearance of the Rainforests of the Sea at www.letthemeatshrimp.org. Just add the promo code 5MAP at check-out and you’ll receive a 25% discount off the cost of the book plus 10% of the proceeds will go back to the organization to support their efforts to save mangroves. PLEASE PASS THIS INVITATION ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES MORE INFO
Support MAP through Art!
Enma Saiz has released only 50 signed reproductions.
Read More
Own one of these beautiful photos of Karin Wijnand's specially commissioned mangrove sculptures. CLICK HERE for pricing details, then Click here to receive Email Instructions on how to order.
Support MAP through Kayaking!
Book your Mangrove Kayak adventure and MAP receives a portion of proceeds to contiue its work!
READ MORE
URGENT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
MAP is looking for volunteer interns for its Thailand Headquarters – READ MORE
MAP’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE
Volunteers and/or Part-time Independent Contractors Needed
to help distribute and sell MAP's Children's Mangrove Art Calendars for 2012. Job starts immediately till the end of January, 2012. A 25% Commission for calendar sales that they bring in. CONTACT MAP
MANGROVE ISSUES
“Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the PhotoPhilanthropy website here!
Mangrove Rebirth Now on Air! WATCH NOW
Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.
By Martin A. Keeley, Education Director, Mangrove Action Project
Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT
FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT THESE SIGHTS
SLIDE SHOW
VIMEO SHOW
Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO
"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign
Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog
Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfrodo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin
FEATURED STORY
Learning lessons from mangrove research
Photo Source Pierre/flickr
INDONESIA - Bubbling gas tracers into mangrove river systems is just one of the innovative ways that difficult-to-measure carbon flux can be quantified, helping to unveil the influence of mangroves and peat swamp forests on carbon levels. Climate Scientist Victor Engel from the Florida Everglades National Park in the USA joined a workshop held in Baliby CIFOR in April 2011 on Wetland Ecosystems in Indonesia. The workshop focused on new research that is on the cutting edge of climate change science. The ‘tracer experiment’, as he calls it in a video interview from the workshop (watch here), has proved new methods in calculating carbon budgets in complex ecosystems such as mangroves. Studies have quantified the levels of carbon stored in these unique forests both in the trees themselves and in the soil where they grow. The levels are alarming and the large-scale destruction of mangrove and peat forests in Indonesiais contributing much higher amounts of greenhouse gases than other types of tropical forests. READ MORE
AFRICA
Undying flame: Replacing fuelwood with bamboo
SOUTH AFRICA- Bamboo charcoal is a viable, clean and sustainable alternative to fuelwood and may be the key to combating soil degradation and massive deforestation in Africawhile still meeting domestic energy needs, say experts. “Bamboo charcoal could provide an excellent alternative to hardwood charcoal production as bamboo biomass production is much greater and considerably more sustainable,” said Terry Sunderland, scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). It takes 7 to 10 tonnes of raw wood to produce one tonne of wood charcoal, making fuelwood collection an important driver of deforestation in Africa, a continent of nearly one billion people who have few alternative fuel sources. About 80 percent of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa depends on forest wood for fuel, and scientists believe that deforestation across the Horn of Africa, particularly for firewood harvest, has contributed to the pervasive drought in the region. READ MORE
STOP Exploitative Land Transformation in Mozambique
MOSAMBIQUE - On the International Day Against Monoculture Plantations (September 21) 2011, the World Rainforest Movement (WRM) and GeaSphere launched a petition targeting the Global Solidarity Forest Fund (GSFF) to STOPExploitativeLandTransformation in Mozambique. The northern based GSFF has invested in large scale monoculture timber plantation establishment in Mozambique– with profits to the fund as the major incentive. We aim to gather as many signatures as possible and formally present the petition to the GSFF on 21st September 2012. Currently MORE THAN 8000 signatures, with a target of 10000. Please Sign the Online Petition: CLICK HERE
For more information watch the Video: “Exploitation by Afforestation”: CLICK HERE
ASIA
Fairtrade: New frontier for shrimp
THAILAND– Shrimp farmers in Prachuap Khiri Khan province hope that their hard work over the past four years will help them win credentials from the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International some time next year. The Fairtrade label, issued by a global organisation that campaigns for a better deal for farmers and workers in developing countries, would raise the profile of the group, formed to raise shrimp in an environmentally responsible way. "Bio-shrimp farming applies an environmentally friendly raising model in which natural substances are used to prevent diseases and promote growth," said Decha Banluedet, chairman of the Samroi Yod-Pran Buri Shrimp Raisers Cooperative. The process is not only a way to make clean produce but effective social responsibility since no polluted water is drained out. The raising system as well as fair practices among members are crucial conditions for FLO certification. READ MORE
Editor’s Note: Although this story was first published in 2009, it remains a current issue for continued review and monitoring to ensure "organic shrimp" are not "greenwashed shrimp".
Thai Shrimp Farmers Turn Organic
THAILAND- Thailand's commercial shrimp industry got a fresh start this year with Sureerath Farm's shipment of 40 tonnes of organic shrimp to Switzerlandand Germany. The exports represent Thailand's first foray into the organic shrimp market, a fairly new product even for health-conscious European customers, reports MonstersAndCritics. According to the news organisation, the shipment also marked a new beginning for Thailand's shrimp industry, which has an environmentally dirty past. Sureerath Farm in Laem Sing district of Chanthaburi province, 220 kilometres east of Bangkok, is the first and still only Thai farm to receive certification from Naturland, an association of organic farmers in Germany, for meeting standards for raising shrimp and ensuring product quality. READ MORE
Thai shrimp output to grow 10% in 2012
THAILAND- Thailand’s shrimp industry looks promising this year despite lingering grave concerns about viral outbreaks, rising international trade barriers in light of the fragile US and EU economies, and more natural disasters. “We foresee another year of good growth in 2012, as global demand for shrimp remains strong and the price is affordable,” said Somsak Paneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association. “But this is the case only if no calamities break out like last year and farmers have decent farming management plans.” According to the industry’s body, the world’s shrimp production was estimated at 2.335 million tons last year, a slight drop from 2.35 million tons in 2010, with Thailand’s farmed shrimp production making up 600,000 tons, down 6 percent from 640,000 in 2010. The country’s exports for 11 months ending in November were 361,460 tons, a 7.87 percent contraction from the same period last year, but by value they rose 9.78 percent to 101.13 billion baht, outstripping 100.94 billion baht for the whole of 2010. READ MORE
Editor’s Note: Last year, MAP News followed the development of attacks on humans in the Sundarbans by protected tigers. The following report details some of the efforts being put in place to mitigate the conflict between preservation of species, and preservation of human safety.
Second successful immobilization of a stray tiger
BANGLADESH- The Sundarbans Tiger Project (STP) under the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB) is a science-based, community involved conservation organization. They have developed the National Tiger Action Plan, carry out cutting-edge research on tigers and their prey and work with people living in the fringes of the Sundarbans to reduce the Tiger-Human conflicts. On 14th January, at 6:30 pmnews arrived that a tiger had entered the village named Angtihara. The village is a part of Khashitana camp, within the Khulnarange of SundarbansReserveForest. Bangladesh Forest Department took instant steps together with Sundarbans Tiger Project (STP) of Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB) and formulated a plan to control the situation. A team comprising of Forest Department officials and STP members were dispatched to the village within hours of the news being received. With the help of the Chairman, members of the Union Council and the local Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT) led by Goni, the villagers were kept at a safe distance from the tiger. Ashraful Haque, the leader of STP’s VTRT development activities, added “Controlling a mob of hundreds or thousands of villagers is one of the hardest tasks to achieve in this type of operation, but our last 3 years of work is starting to change the attitudes on the local people to be more supportive”. READ MORE
Editor’s Note: Please note our reader submitted LAST WORD regarding this article at the end of this newsletter.
BFAR 2 starts mangrove rehab project
PHILIPPINES- The fisheries bureau in CagayanValleyhas started the implementation of its Mangrove Plantation Project which is part of a nationwide program to plant around 11 million mangrove seedlings to cover 3,667 hectares mangrove areas in the entire country. The project aims to restore mangrove forests, mitigate climate change and provide additional source of source of livelihood for the coastal folks. Max Prudencio, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) information officer said that in Region 2, around 45,000 seedlings have been planted particularly in the towns of Sta. Teresita, Buguey and Aparri in Cagayan and Palanan, Isabela. This exceeded the bureau’s target of 300,000 mangrove seedlings to be planted in the two provinces. READ MORE
MECA plants 1,000 mangrove trees at Qurm nature reserve
Editor's Note: While MAP applauds efforts like these to restore critical marine habitat, the planting of mangroves on mudflats as shown here is not recommended. Please see MAP's website for more info on it's holistic approach to mangrove restoration.
OMAN - As part of efforts to conserve marine biodiversity by creating a favorable environment for wildlife on shores, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) organized a mangrove plantation campaign at Qurm Nature Reserve. The drive was held in coordination with the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) and SQU students. MECA has also declared the area a no-fishing zone. Aida Khalaf al Jabri, marine conservation specialist at MECA, said that the aim was to find a common cause to continue a strong partnership among different organizations. “As we are still celebrating the Omani Environment Day (January 8) we gathered here to plant mangrove trees in an effort to develop and enrich marine environment. Today, we managed to plant 1,000 trees,” she told Muscat Daily. READ MORE
Donsol's mangroves: Conserving nature's resources
PHILIPPINES- Three very different creatures are known to converge in the municipalityof Donsolin Sorsogon: the most celebrated of course, are the whale sharks – largest of all fish and delightfully crisscrossed with bars and spots. Next come fleets of tiny fireflies, dancing and drifting like ephemeral clouds of light. Finally, legions of people trudge each summer to chance upon both the largest and smallest denizens of Donsol. All three creatures intertwine, seemingly held in perfect balance. “Whale sharks congregate in Donsol because of all the plankton,” according to WWF-Philippines project manager Raul Burce. “Plankton consume nutrients discharged by Donsol’s still-healthy rivers, one of the few habitats where fireflies still thrive. Remove mangroves and the fireflies shall be driven off. Without the healthy rivers needed by fireflies, plankton populations cannot bloom – and the whale sharks will migrate elsewhere. If one component crashes, the others follow suit. This can be catastrophic for the people of Donsol,” Burce warned.
EUROPE
Daily Temperature Extremes ‘Virtually Certain’ to Rise, UN Study Says
BELGIUM - Global daily temperature extremes are “virtually certain” to rise this century, a panel of about 200 United Nations scientists said in a study of weather-related natural disasters. Heavy downpours and heat waves may become more frequent, according to the 29-page document released by the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It’s “likely” that Europewill see longer and more intense heat waves and that average wind speeds of tropical storms will increase, the report said. Suggested measures include minimizing risks such as water demand management and conservation agriculture to counter droughts in West Africa, conserving Mangrove trees to fend off rising sea levels in the Pacific, and improving building standards to protect citizens in the U.S. and the Carribean from stronger hurricanes. READ MORE
NORTH AMERICA
Monterey Bay Aquarium expands its shrimp listing
USA- Shrimp is the world's most valuable seafood and one of the top seafood choices of U.S.consumers. U.S. shrimp trawlers must adhere to stricter environmental standards than those in most other countries. This makes U.S. wild-caught shrimp a "Good Alternative" while imported wild shrimp is on the "Avoid" list. Due to bycatch issues, we recommend U.S. wild-caught shrimp as a "Good Alternative", with the exception of Oregon pink shrimp and British Columbia spot prawn. These fisheries have lesser environmental impacts and are therefore "Best Choices." At this time we recommend avoiding all imported wild-caught shrimp due to higher bycatch levels in warm water shrimp fisheries and trawl-related habitat damage. READ MORE
Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries
HONDURAS - 25 men and women representatives from fishworker organizations and associations, Cooperatives and Misquita communities and those of African descent1, NGOs, government authorities and international organizations with an interest in strengthening inland and marine small scale fisheries, gathered to participate in the “NATIONAL HONDURAN CONSULTATION ON THE FAO GUIDELINES FOR SMALL SCALE FISHERIES”, which took place on 23 and 24 of November 2011 in the port of San Lorenzo, Valle, Honduras. We expressed our satisfaction at the interest shown by the Committee on Fisheries of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO COFI) in supporting consultations in developing countries on what will be voluntary guidelines for inland and marine small scale fisheries, which could be implemented by Governments that are members of the FAO COFI. READ MORE
A FarmVille for wetlands?
The University of Washington Bothell is located on the edge of a marshy wetland, created by a vibrant ecosystem around North Creek. You might say it makes for the perfect setting for a … Facebook game? At least that’s the view of students participating in the university’s Center for Serious Play. Led by gaming veteran and Center for Serious Play interim director Jordan Weisman and ecology professor Warren Gold, students at the center have released a new Facebook game called UWB Wetlands Restoration that centers around the natural world outside their campus walls. Maybe a better title would be WetlandVille. READ MORE
That Salmon Sushi Roll Might Have a Big Hidden Price Tag
USA- Salmon, once a pricey delicacy, is now an affordable staple at supermarkets and sushi restaurants everywhere. For that, we can thank fish farms. They produce 70 percent of the salmon eaten by consumers, who savor its subtle texture and rich flavor. Medical researchers say the fatty acids in salmon might help prevent cancer and heart disease. So it was troubling that researchers over the past few weeks may have found an infectious disease known as salmon anemia in wild fish in British Columbia. Lawmakers and fisheries managers in the U.S.and Canada see the illness as a threat to a $3 billion industry. Although Canadian officials said further tests seemed to be negative, the episode is a reminder of the need to make serious improvements in aquaculture practices. READ MORE
Where is the Science?
Excerpts from a letter from MAP Supporter to Philippines’ Fisheries Director Asis Perez
Dear Mr. Perez
The Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are to be commended for your pro-environment and pro-poor Mangrove Project with funding of ~PhP280 million (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 31 Oct. 2011 and 30 Dec. 2011). ... Past mangrove rehabilitation programs focused on non-controversial, open access seafront sites – planting by convenience, not by ecology. These less than favorable sites yield low survival, and mangroves will suffer even more if planted where coastlines are vulnerable to sea level rise due to Climate Change. ... Sustainable aquaculture requires 4 hectares of mangroves for every hectare of pond (Saenger et al, 1983). Only 248,000 ha of Philippine mangroves remain while culture ponds have increased to 230,000 ha, giving a ~1: 1 mangrove-pond ratio, which means we have a long way to go to restore the required 4:1 ratio. Our best bet in increasing mangrove hectarage is by reverting tens of thousands of hectares of abandoned ponds, and not the ecologically difficult rehabilitation of seafronts. ... Protocols not only for Stock Enhancement, but also for the other BFAR Project components (which have yet to be spelled out), must be science-based to improve the chances for success of this multimillion peso project. As far as I know, the BFAR has yet to officially consult the aquaculture and mangrove scientists of the country.
J.H. Primavera, Ph.D.
Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation
Scientist Emerita
SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department
Tigbauan, Iloilo READ THE FULL LETTER
~ If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com
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