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The MAP News 225th Ed., 27 November, 2009
Dear Friends,
This is the 225th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, November 27, 2009.
For the Mangroves,
Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project
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MAP's Mission
Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.
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SHRIMP LESS, THINK MORE:
Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog.
Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp
MAP ACTIVITIES:
2010 MAP Calendar On Sale Now!
Alfredo at The People’s Summit
New Film “Farmed Salmon Exposed” Released
Improved Fish Smoke Stove Developed in Cambodia
Join or Support the Mumbai Mangroves Group
MAP ANNOUNCEMENTS
MAP is Now on Facebook
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MAP in the News on Response to "Ocean Carbon Central to Climate Challenge"
I would like to comment on this timely report, "Ocean Carbon Central to Climate Challenge," which came out this week concerning climate change. We at Mangrove Action Project have been working for over 17 years to promote the ecological value of mangrove forest wetlands. It has been an uphill battle to counter the negative image of the once mislabeled "muddy, mosquito infested wastelands". Read More
Source: News Blaze 11/18/2009
Title:
Industrial Aquaculture, A People’s Perspective on the “Blue Revolution”
Description:
Panel and Q & A Session highlighting industrial aquaculture and seafood production as a pertinent example of pressing issues affecting both our local and global marine environment and coastal communities dependent upon our oceans and waterways for life and livelihoods. We will use seafood and industrial aquaculture production and trade to illustrate important central points involving climate change, declining wild fisheries, biodiversity loss and adversely affected livelihoods of coastal communities.
Speakers/Affiliated Organizations:
Alfredo Quarto (Mangrove Action Project), Anne Mosness (Go Wild Campaign), Laura Hendriks (Sierra Club) and possibly one other presenter to be announced
Date/Time:
Saturday Nov. 28 from 2:30 – 4:00 PM at Seattle University on Capitol Hill , Seattle, WA
FEATURED NEWS:
AFRICA
Commercial Activities and Subsistence Utilization of Mangrove Forests around the Wouri Estuary and the Douala-Edea ReserveCAMEROON - Worldwide there is growing research interest in the ethnobiology of mangrove forests. Notwithstanding that, little information has been published about ethnobiology of mangrove forests in Cameroon. The aims of this study were a) to analyze the harvesting methods and the local selling of mangrove wood products by loggers in the vicinity of Wouri estuary and b) to investigate the patterns of subsistence uses of mangrove wood products around the Douala-Edea reserve. Read More
Source: 7th Space Interactive 11/17/2009
SE ASIA
Bataenos Continually Learning on the Importance of Mangrove ReforestationPHILIPPINES - Bataenos are continually learning on the significance of mangrove reforestation in the environment that sooner or later encourages them to forcefully join in the greening of Bataan coastal areas. Auditor and Coordinator of Sagip Lingap Yamang Dagat (Salba), Susan Capuli said that their officers are frequently visiting coastal barangays here to teach villagers on mangrove reforestation. Read More
Source: My Bataan 11/16/2009
Students, Gov’t Employees, NFEFI Plant 500 Mangroves
PHILIPPINES - About 500 mangrove (pagatpat) propagules were recently planted at Purok Sea Wall, Brgy. Punta Taytay during a mangrove planting activity spearheaded by the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation Inc. (NFEFI) and the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PBCFI) in collaboration with the West Negros University (WNU) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO). Read More
Source: Philippine Information Agency 11/24/2009
Studying Mangroves to Save Coast
SINGAPORE - Over the next four years, a group of researchers here will be taking notes on the natural and man-made factors that affect the survival of mangrove swamps. They want to know, for example, how sea waves, sediments, storms and even the amount of shipping activity build up or curb the growth of these saltwater-resistant trees and shrubs native to tropical and sub-tropical coastlines. Read More
Source: AsiaOne News 11/16/2009
Lion Watch and Monitoring
THAILAND – The first seagrass monitoring at Phra Thong Island, Thailand took place on 24 June 2009. Seagrass occurs in a band around the sheltered eastern side of the island, offshore of mangrove. The western side is exposed to the Andaman Sea, and has broad beaches that have been important nesting sites for marine turtles. Read More
Source: SeaGrass Watch 9/15/2009
Processors Now Face Shortage of Shrimp
VIETNAM - Seafood processors are facing a shrimp shortage at present, leading to an increase in input costs and a reduction of production capacity at seafood processing factories in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP). Read More
Source: Viet Nam News 11/23/2009
SOUTH ASIA
Indigenous Knowledge Stressed for Preserving Biodiversity
BANGLADESH - Indigenours knowledge should be emphasized to preserve biodiversity of the coutnry, especially of the southwestern region, observed speakers in a workshop in the Khulna city on Wednesday. The Initiative for Right View and the Policy Development Alternative organized the workshop on 'Biodiversity and Water' at NGO Forum conference room. Read More
Source: New Age Metro 11/12/2009
Wonder Tour - The Sunderbans are an Entry for the Worldwide Hunt for the Seven Wonders of Nature. But what does the Visitor see there now?
INDIA - Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asked the people to cast their votes for the right cause in the 2011 elections. No, it’s not the Assembly polls, though he is sure to have that in mind too. He is here asking people to vote for the Sunderbans. The area is an entry in a competition for the New Seven Wonders of Nature worldwide. Read More
Source: The Telegraph 11/15/2009
Mangroves Get Cop Cover
INDIA - Mumbai police soon will be appointed the nodal agency to protect mangroves in the city. Taking recourse to a home department resolution issued in 2004, the state environment department has finally decided to set up Mangrove Protection Committees in police stations under whose jurisdiction figure vast swathes of mangroves. Read More
Source: Times of India 11/16/2009
New Species of Mangrove Found at Gujarat
INDIA - As many as seven new species of mangrove have been found in Gujarat. While all these species are new to the state, some of them are rare even in India. In all there are 10 species of mangrove now known to Gujarat. Read More
Source: DNA 11/17/2009
Forest Official Awarded for Planting Mangroves
INDIA - The Government of India has awarded range forest office, Khambhat, for the outstanding work of mangrove plantation on 4,010 hectares (ha) area over the last five years. The award, called Indira Pridarshini Van Mitra, was handed over to range officials of Khambhat by Union forest minister Jairam Ramesh at a formal function last week in Delhi. Read More
Source: Times of India 11/23/2009
MIDDLE EAST
How Mangroves Can Stop Erosion
BAHRAIN - Definitely, Bahrain needs more clean beaches but we also need permanent natural barriers which will not only contribute to a greener Bahrain but also stop land erosion which a naked eye cannot see. We need trees and lots of them; but there is a problem and ie, the non-availability of sweet water for the trees. Bahrain has a few sweet water wells but the daily demands are met from the supply of desalinated water. Thus we have to look for an alternative and there is one – mangroves. Read More
Source: Gulf Daily News 11/20/2009
NORTH AMERICA
Shrimpers, Processors Do Battle
UNITED STATES - U.S. shrimpers and their processors are sniping at each other as the industry faces growing pressures, analysts say. Louisiana shrimpers allege processors engage in price-fixing and mislabel imported shrimp as "domestic." Processors dismiss the claims and say they are dealing with a significant drop in demand, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Read MoreSource: UPI
11/14/2009
Want Shrimp? Go Domestic
UNITED STATES - How do you tell suspect shrimp from their clean counterparts? You can't. "None of the consumer labels for imported shrimp are really credible or address the issues in a robust and measurable way," says Jose Villalon, the director of a World Wildlife Fund aquaculture program. Read More
Source: MSN Health/Fitness 11/14/2009
Chefs Serve Salmon with Warning on Fishes' Future
UNITED STATES - Seattle diners who order the salmon will get their meal with a message next week. Chefs at more than a dozen restaurants are cooking up fish dishes that come with a special side: a warning that the creature's future could be threatened by a giant gold and copper mine proposed for Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska, home to the world's largest sockeye salmon runs. Read More
Source: Seattle Times 11/14/2009
AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA
Failure on a Copenhagen Climate Treaty is a Security Risk
Concerned about threats to their security, a group of Pacific island developing nations took the floor of the UN General Assembly today to demand adoption of a legally-binding treaty at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen this December. Read MoreSource: SPasifik 11/18/2009
ISSUES ARTICLES
Big Profit from Nature Protection
Money invested in protecting nature can bring huge financial returns, according to a major investigation into the costs and benefits of the natural world. It says money ploughed into protecting wetlands, coral reefs and forests can bring a hundredfold return on capital. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study (Teeb) is backed by the UN and countries including the UK. Read More
Source: BBC News 11/13/2009
Coastal Habitats may Sequester 50 Times more Carbon than tropical Forests by Area
Highly endangered coastal habitats are incredibly effective in sequestering carbon and locking it away in soil, according to a new paper in a report by the IUCN. The paper attests that coastal habitats—such as mangroves, sea grasses, and salt marshes—sequester as much as 50 times the amount of carbon in their soil per hectare as tropical forest. Read More
Source: MongaBay 11/16/2009
Ocean Carbon Central to Climate Challenge
SPAIN - World leaders should recognize the immense potential of the ocean to reduce global warming by capturing carbon, if we are to avoid a serious climate crisis. That's the advice of a ground-breaking IUCN partnership report., The Management of Natural Coastal Carbon Sinks, launched today at the climate change and protected area summit in Granada, Spain. Read More
Source: News Blaze 11/16/2009
Environmental Economics
Think a tree is just a tree? Think again. A new United Nations study puts dollar signs on the services nature provides. With its legs buried underwater, the mangrove is a case study in evolutionary biology. Found mostly in coastal areas in the tropics, mangroves are essentially low-growing trees that blanket shallow waters with their roots. Read More
Source: Newsweek 11/13/2009
