Dear Friends,

This is the 233rd Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, March 19, 2010.

For the Mangroves,

Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project

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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 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.
Join MAP on Facebook
Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp

ACTION ALERT
Help Stop Taco Bell's new Shrimp Tacos 

MAP ACTIVITIES:

View Part 1 of New Video on Shrimp Farm Issues in the Mangroves

View Part 2 of New Video on Shrimp Farm Issues in the Mangroves

MAP is launching our 10th Mangrove Children's Art Contest!

 IN MEMORY OF DR.BRIAN D. KELLER

The Mangrove Action Project joins the world of marine conservation in mourning the loss of Dr. Brian D. Keller, who dedicated his life to conservation of ocean ecosystems, especially coral reefs and associated ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrasses. Brian was more than a colleague to MAP. Beloved husband of the treasurer of our board of directors, Fiona Wilmot, he was also a friend and staunch supporter. Brian Keller passed away on the morning of March 10. Brian will be greatly missed – as scientist, mentor, adviser, and friend. MAP’s staff, board, and many members and supporters join in sending our sincere condolences to Fiona and their families.
Read More on Our Blog

FEATURED ARTICLE
Should We Put A Dollar Value On Nature?
March 6, 2010
Time Magazine - Nature lovers might cringe at the term "ecosystem services" to describe, say, the view of a pristine beach or a stream teeming with trout. But a growing number of experts within the scientific and economic communities say that putting real economic value on components of nature will help protect the environment and promote biodiversity. Far from cheapening nature, thinking in terms of "natural capital" can offer a way to assess the crucial but unmeasured benefit that humans derive from the nature.
Read more

ASIA
Scarcity of sweet water keeps Sundarban wildlife in peril
March 7, 2010
Bangladesh - There is no natural food crisis for animals living in the Sundarban but there are symptoms of dying up sweet water sources gradually. Besides, the trees are suffering from the disease called 'top dying' which was recorded officially two decades back, according to officials The UNESCO declared the Sundarban --- 6,017 square kilometers including three wildlife sanctuaries -- a world heritage.
Read More

CHINA
Clock ticks for South China tigers in symbolic year
Feb 12, 2010
Hong Kong - In the rugged hills of southern China, conservationists are battling to save the critically endangered South China tiger, an initiative given extra impetus as Chinese celebrate the Year of the Tiger.
Read More

SE ASIA
Ibajay Mangrove EcoPark opens in Philippines
March 8, 2010
The Katunggan It Ibajay (KII or Manrove Forest of I bajay) Eco-Park in Aklan, central Philippines is managed by 2 people's organizations -- the Bugtongbato Fisherfolk Assolciation and the Naisud Marine and Aquatic Resources Organization. This patch mangrove boasts of 27 true mangrove species, but the jewel in its crown is a magnificent stand of centuries-old Avicennia rumphiana mangrove trees. The “discovery” of this patch mangrove by SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department scientists in 1996 was followed by research over the next 10 years, as documented in scientific publications, notably the 2004 Handbook of Philippine Mangroves. Construction of the footwalk started in 2008 (using a blueprint sent by J. Rubin of NMFS-NOAA, USA) with funds from my Pew Fellowship grant. The following year marked the passage of Municipal Ordinance 92 proclaiming 44 hectares as an Eco-Park, and the completion of the footwalk by the local government in collaboration with the ZSL Community-Based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project. On 19 January 2010, the KII Eco-Park was inaugurated.
Read The Full Speech
Read More about ZSL

Mekong River activists take fight to embassy
March 8, 2010
THAILAND: Residents of Chiang Rai plan to rally outside the Chinese embassy in Bangkok next month to protest against Beijing's dam management, which they say has caused severe water shortages this year and heavy floods two years ago along the Mekong River. Niwat Roykaew, the leader of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group, said tens of thousands of people depend on the Mekong River for their livelihoods. China has built four dams upstream. Protesters say the operations have had a severe impact on the ecosystem and the traditional way of life of the people downstream. "We can't stand by idly on the issue," Mr Niwat said.
Read More

Preserving Marine "Amazon" to Curb Climate Change
March 10, 2010
INDONESIA - Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad has compared Indonesia`s marine and coastal ecosystem to the Amazon rainforests for sharing carbon sink role. Indonesia is one of the world`s largest maritime countries with about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory. Forests, oceans and adjoining marine ecosystems are like the lungs of the atmosphere. “Indonesia, as a country having 92,000 km-long beach and coastal areas, second after Canada, wants to do more on ocean and marine ecosystems for future generations,” Minister Fadel said at a press conference held on the sidelines of the 11th Special Session of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali Province, on Feb. 25, 2010.
Read More

Shrimp Farmers and NGOs Urge Government Ignore ASC
March 10 2010
JAKARTA In the mid of the opening Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue (ShAD), on 9-10 March 2010, several non-governmental organizations and communities namely KIARA, WALHI, P3UW, Kompi, Bina Desa Secretariat, Layar Nusantara and Legal Aid Institution (LBH) Jakarta made rally against Shrimp Industry in front of Grand Melia Hotel., Jl. H.R Rasuna, Jakarta (9/3).  M. Riza Damanik, General Secretary of Fisheries Justice Coalition (KIARA) in his oration said that, “Government of Indonesia national plan to increase fishery production particularly from aquaculture up to 353 percent in period of 2010-2014 is bad news. Shrimp pond expansion has been directly proportional with production, however inversely with value of shrimp price at international level. It shows declined rate of value from US$11.9 per kg in 2005 becoming US$6.8 kg in 2008. Government and shrimp farmers get coins and experiencing severe social and environmental problems because of negative impact from shrimp industry. Companies aggressively keep expanding their business.”
Read More

Malaysian minister calls for industrialization of aquaculture
March 12, 2010
Malaysia's Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin has called for the industrialization of aquaculture in the wake of the declining seafood supply in the country. "With increased seafood demand and declining supplies, there is a need for the industrialization of aquaculture," he said. Yahya, who is also Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, said this in his opening speech in conjunction with the Annual Seminar On Marine Science And Aquaculture at University Malaysia Sabah's (UMS) main campus in Likas, Wednesday. His speech was read by Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Datuk Bobbey A. Suan.
Read More

SOUTH PACIFIC
Replacing global fish supply would cost 22 times the world’s rainforests
March 12, 2010
If we replaced the protein we got from fish with land based agriculture, we’d need extra grazing land equal to the entire world’s rainforest 22 times over, says eminent fisheries scientist Professor Ray Hilborn. Professor Hilborn, from Washington University, USA, has evaluated published research into the effects on the environment of protein production (including farming animals on land and catching wild fish). He found that on average, commercial fishing had a lesser impact on the environment than land-based animal farming. Seafood industries are held to “higher environmental standards generally” when compared with other food producers, he says.
Read More

AFRICA
West Africa sets out to protect dying mangroves
March 8, 2010
In Sierra Leone, one of Africa's poorest nations still recovering from a 1991-2002 civil war, lawmakers are preparing a bill to join a seven-nation charter to protect the region's mangrove forests. Conservation group Wetlands International says the initiative is essential for West Africa to save the 800,000 hectares (2 million acres) of mangrove swamps it has left, less than a third of the 3 million hectares it started with. The mangroves are falling prey to the artisanal salt industry because they are most readily available source of wood for fires used to boil up seawater and salt dust -- the preferred method of making salt. Environmental groups are trying to encourage salt producers to use other methods, including solar drying, to reduce the strain on mangroves.
Read More

Kenya's Second Port Spells Double Devestation

NORTH AMERICA
US increases tariff on shrimp imports
March 11, 2010
The US department of commerce (DoC) on Wednesday said the anti-dumping duty on shrimp imported from India was being increased from 0.79 per cent to 2.67 per cent. This was a blow to the export industry, as it was expecting a reduction in duty. Export industry sources told Business Standard this was due to the failure of Indian seafood export industry to present its case before US officials with sufficient data.
Read More

A Deforestation-Based Diet: Seven Foods That Are Destroying the World's Forests
March 10, 2010
Common foods that are destroying the world's forests, from the precious Amazon to coastline-protecting mangroves. We hear a lot about the importance of eating organic and eating local, but left out of the conversation are the growing methods of some of our staple foods, and how much forest land has been lost to grow (or raise) products like beef, rice, and palm oil—the latter of which is in more foods than you might realize.
Read More

Taco Bell takes a run at shrimp tacos
Mar 18, 2010
Editor's Note: Ring the Alarm Bells at Taco Bell!
The following news article appears to laud the new menu item at the huge chain store fast food restaurant, Taco Bell, which will soon be serving shrimp tacos to the masses at their typical low prices. But again, what is the true cost of that shrimp taco. Surely, the diner is not paying what the true cost should be. We at MAP view this as a disturbing development because when such fast food giants as Taco Bell ring in the shrimp on their menu it is the alarm bell that rings loudest- alarm warning of further, rapid expansion of the industry into more coastal wetland areas, more mangroves lost, more wild fisheries declines, more displaced coastal communities and more overall ecological destruction.
SEATTLE - Seafood tacos have long been popular on the West Coast. Now, Taco Bell is spreading the taste in its locations in Upstate New York and elsewhere. The item is a Pacific Shrimp Taco, available on a limited-time basis. It contains six non-fried shrimp marinated in a variety of Mexican spices, served in a warm flour tortilla and topped with shredded lettuce, salsa and avocado ranch sauce.
Read More
Tell Taco Bell What You Think

Mexico lobbies US to inspect shrimp fisher fleet again
March 10, 2010
MEXICO - The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishery and Foods (SAGARPA) will petition the US to arrange a new inspection of the shrimp fisher fleet in a bid to restore Mexican shrimp certification. Some days ago, the US State Department denied Mexico the certification to export wild shrimp to that country in considering that it does not utilise protection measures for marine turtles during trawler fishing. The shrimp fisher embargo is expected to enter into force next 20 April.
Read More

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

Update on Honduras
Editor's Note: The following text was translated from the original spanish version using Google Translate. No images are displayed in this version. For a copy of the original document, please contact MAP.
March 18, 2010 
On March 5, 2010, over two hundred acres of wetlands in addition to other thousands that have been converted into shrimp farms in wetlands of the Gulf of Fonseca. In Barbary, wildlife has lost most of their habitat, and fishermen have lost or are struggling for access to the mangroves, and food sources for survival. Besides pressing business
directly in pursuit of social compensation measures, The discrediting of Honduras' legal system is almost complete; The institutions working for environmental conservation, act as junior business groups recently participated in a coup and it seems to remain in power behind the mask of a new Democracy.
Read More

Four amendments added to shrimp farming decree
March 11, 2010
ECUADOR - The central government will undertake several changes to Executive Decree Nº 261 of 27 February 2010, which reforms the Regulation to the Law of Fishing and Fisheries Development. The decision was made in response to protests carried out by shrimp producer groups in the country. The head of the Subsecretariat of Aquaculture, Jose Centanaro, recognised that there were errors in the writing of the text, which is why the initial proposal will carry additional corrections. The decree at issue does not allow shrimp farming firms to have more than 250 hectares of shrimp farm, and more than 50 in the case of individuals.
Read More

Food sovereignty in the hands of mangrove ecosystem women
March 14 2010
This story has been cultivated with the thoughts, the experience, the dreams, the words and the hands of women shell-gatherers from the Province of Esmeraldas, in northern Ecuador. Living conditions there are hard. Access to the communities is usually difficult, there are schools in some locations, but very often the teachers lose heart and leave. The parents must make great efforts and send away their children to enable them to study. The water is no good for consumption and food is getting increasingly scarce. With the arrival of the shrimp ponds, the mangroves disappeared and the farmhouses disappeared too. Nor were the dead respected either, as they even invaded the cemeteries. People leave, seeking to improve their lives, but they always come back because what they learnt is to gather, to fish and to sow food.
Read More on our Blog

CARIBBEAN
Fishermen’s ‘environmental terrorism’ remark criticised
March 10, 2010
NASSAU - FISHERMEN who accused developers of environmental terrorism on the south side of New Providence have been criticised for being too strong with their language. Minister for the Environment Earl Deveaux pointed out how bonefish guides Clint Kemp and Aaron Bain of Secret Soul Fly Fishing Adventures used a bridge built for the Bahamas National Trust Bonefish Pond National Park while pointing out the effect South Seas development has on the park. Mr Kemp said the dredging of a canal and removal of acres of mangroves at the site under construction at the entrance to Bonefish Pond can only be referred to as environmental terrorism as the silt released by dredging smothers the remaining mangrove roots and feeding holes which once attracted hundreds more fish, lobster and sharks.
Read More

Editor's Note
MAP's Alfredo Quarto has been directly involved wit the ongoing discussions regarding bimini. Below is the text of his letter to the editor at Bimini MPA
Dear Editor, 
It is of interest to read Environment Minister Deveaux's comments concerning lack of proper management among his staff. The sad reality though is that the slowness of his staff's reactions is made worse by the accelerated pace of the developer's bulldozers and dredging equipment, and the result is the destruction of a once productive mangrove wetland and coastal ecosystem rich in fisheries and shoreline health. This is the public heritage that future generations have been robbed of, and placing the blame on slowness of government employees to react does not rectify the problem or somehow mitigate the great loss to Bimini and all Bahamians. The question remains: Is Dr. Deveaux taking action now to halt further illicit mangrove clearing and dredging on N. Bimini? 
   How best can this lack of proper resource management be addressed? I strongly urge Dr. Deveaux to select a working committee, including leading marine fisheries scientists and mangrove ecologists, local government officials and citizens, including local fishermen, who can immediately work with responsible government officials to finally define the boundaries of the still undefined Marine Protected Area.   
    Also, a more effective managing committee, perhaps the same one that draws up the MPA's boundaries, should be involved in management of this new MPA, including restoration and ongoing monitoring of the site, ensuring enforcement of the regulations regarding both the MPA and the surrounding buffer zone that is adjacent to the MPA are sustainably managed. And this more locally vigilant MPA management team can also ensure proper EIAs are carried out before permissions are granted for developments that might adversely affect the MPA. These are some immediate suggestions, but we at MAP urge the government of the Bahamas to move forward the official demarcation of the MPA along with establishing a functioning management plan and responsible team to carry such management out in an effective and transparent fashion. 
Towards A Sustainable Future, 
Alfreco Quarto,Executive Director,