Dear Friends,

This is the 241st Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, July 10, 2010.

There are many important events happening around the world that point to increasing awareness of mangroves, coastal forests, indigenous rights and increasing efforts to curtail illegal logging. I hope you will enjoy these articles. Also note the recent issue of waterkeepers spoke on several of these issues, including some discussion on mangroves on page 26. Some good information concerning economic value and need for conservation and restoration!
READ MORE
Cheers,

Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project

Sign up to receive the MAP News by sending an e-mail to: mapnews@mangroveactionproject.org.

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.

All 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!

Visit the MAP News Archive

DONATE TO MAP

MAP depends on your support in order to produce this e-bulletin and all that we do. Please visit our website and consider donating to MAP today. It is easy to give a one-time donation, or to set up monthly recurring donations via PayPal or Network for Good!

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 Alerts:

Papua New Guinea - Don’t Dump Poisons into the Sea!
The government of Papua New Guinea doesn't want to hear from us. It has authorized a Chinese mining company to dump toxic waste into the sea, and it is determined to stifle dissent from every quarter.

Sign Petition to Protect India’s Coastline
The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification was issued in 1991 to protect India's coasts. In the 19 years since then, it has been progressively weakened to suit industrial and political interests, and most violations have never been punished.

Stop Offshore Drilling and Demand a Clean Energy Future.
Let's put an end to offshore drilling. It’s been over a month since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people were killed in the explosion and millions of gallons of oil have been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico in what has become the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

Volunteers Needed In Seattle
Help needed for upcoming events in Seattle
Freemont Fair June 19, 20
Ballard Seafood Festival July 10, 11
Contact Cara Cruickshank 206-842-8505......or write to- mangroveactioncara@gmail.com if you can help. EVENT DETAILS

Please call Taco Bell's Customer Service at 1-800-TACO-BELL to make your request that they do not serve imported shrimp in their tacos, but serve only shrimp produced in N. America! READ MORE

Draft Daryl Hannah as Mangroves Spokesperson
This is a petition needing your supportive signature to 'draft' Daryl Hannah into being the voice of the mangroves! Ms. Hannah as the mermaid from the movie "Splash" has that coastal wetland connection making her the ideal candidate to speak for the mangroves.

JAMAICA'S FONT HILL Save Font Hill Nature Preserve from development. Please Sign our Petition

STOP MEXICO'S DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL TURTLE HABITAT Sign Letter Here

BIMINI'S MARINE PROTECTED AREA
In December of 2008, the Honorable Dr. Earl Deveaux proclaimed that Bimini's long-awaited Marine Protected Area had been made official. Local Biminites, as well as legions of people around the globe who care about Bimini, were elated with the news.

MANGROVE ACTION DAY IS JULY 26TH
Join MAP in celebrating Mangrove Action Day on July 26th.

RESOURCES  
NOAA report: "Oil Spills in Mangroves: Planning and Responses Considerations"?  
Oil Spills in Mangroves: Planning & Response Considerations

MAP 2011 CALENDAR NEEDS ARTISTS
READ MORE

FEATURED STORY

Sindh to declare entire mangrove forests as Protected Area
PAKISTAN- The Sindh forest department has decided to declare the entire stretch of mangrove forests within the Indus Delta region as “Protected Area”, Sindh minister for home and forests, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, said on June 17, while marking the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Mirza issued directives to the Provincial Secretary Forest Department to involve stakeholders and other relevant quarters and take “concrete measures to ensure a proper use of available funds and resources to mitigate drought, improving the productivity of land and rehabilitate and conserve land and water resources”. He also asked the forest department secretary to encourage farmers in using the drip irrigation and water sprinklers systems to conserve water. READ MORE

ASIA

GROUP SHARES REPLANTING AND RESTORATION PRACTICES
THAILAND - MAP established the Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) yahoo e-group to share information amongst mangrove restoration practitioners in the Bay of Bengal Region following an EMR workshop MAP held in AP India in 2005.   EMR puts the focus on hydrology and correcting it if it's preventing natural regeneration from occurring.  Using EMR often means that planting seedlings is not required and the result will be a more natural biodiverse mangrove forest.  The e-group has proved to be an effective tool for information and experience sharing on mangrove restoration so the group has been opened to all others interested in EMR to join.  Now the group has more than 75 members including students, NGOs, academics, and mangrove restoration practitioners from Asia, Africa, North Americaand Europe.   The emphasis of the group is on sharing mangrove restoration information using the EMR methodology to improve the effectiveness of mangrove restoration projects but other information on mangrove conservation is also being exchanged. To learn more about the EMR group and to request to join please go the EMR group's home page

Conference on Mangroves Slated
SRI LANKA- Meeting on Mangrove ecology, functioning and Management (MMM3) will conduct  the first global recurrent conference on mangrove ecosystems.  It is to be organised by mangrove scientists world-wide, every 6 years, i.e. at an interval that allows scientific innovation.  It is not aiming at massive attendance but at single sessions covering various topics, with plenty of time for discussion in each of them.  It is usually accompanied by a mid-conference excursion and followed by mid-week workshop in a mangrove site aiming at identifying research gaps through joint-fieldwork, analyses and brainstorming. The workshop and conference are scheduled July, 2-13, 2012, in Galle, Sri Lanka. READ MORE

India to Host Biodiversity in Mangrove Ecosystems
INDIA– The Centre of Advanced Studies in Marine Biology at Annamalai University, Indiais presenting a course focusing primarily on mangrove ecosystems while maintaining an integrated approach towards management of coastal ecosystems. Particular emphasis will be given to teaching the methodology for assessing, monitoring and conserving biodiversity in mangrove ecosystems. This is achieved through a multidisciplinary team of lecturers and through hands-on involvement of the participants. The course is scheduled for  October 1-15, 2010and application deadline is August 15.READ MORE

Bangladesh shrimp exporters fail to cash in on US oil spill
Prices of shrimp have soared on the USmarket after the Gulf of Mexicooil spill, but local exporters in Bangladeshsaid they have failed to cash in on the rise because of a low supply of large shrimps. They said the prices of big shrimps have risen to around $6.20-$6.30 a pound now from below $5 before the April 20 oil spill in the Gulf. The Gulf spill, which has closed about a third of US waters in the Gulf to fishing boats for fear of contaminated seafood, has spurred the spike in prices, according to reports. “Demand went up on the USmarket in the last two months. But it is only for the big shrimps,” said Masudur Rahman, director of Fresh Foods Ltd that fetches nearly $40 million in exports annually. READ MORE

Centre to take up major afforestation programme
INDIA- The government of Indiais all set to come out with an ambitious aforestation plan - Greening India - in 2010-11. An amount of Rs 4,000 crores will be earmarked for the project, announced B K Singh, principal chief conservator of forests, government of Karnataka. Singh was delivering the key note address at the inaugural function of wildlife conservation, protection and development of forest tribal and aborigine people, a dialogue and interactive session. READ MORE

REDD Scheme Not Paying Cash
INDONESIA- Local people involved in efforts to protect forests may not receive money in cash since the government's ongoing forest carbon scheme pilot projects did not use a cash handout system. Forestry Ministry director for environmental services Tony Suhartono said the government had not settled the financial mechanism of the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scheme. "We may prevent directly providing cash to local people to promote sustainable REDD projects," he said Tuesday. Tony said previous projects in West Kutai, East Kalimantan, when the government gave concessions to local people showed the risk of handing out cash. "The local people cut trees in their concession areas and sell it to get money. It renders the project unsustainable," he said.Millions of Indonesian rely on forests for their livelihoods. READ MORE

Nepal announces temporary logging ban
NEPAL- The Nepalese government has announced a two-month ban on all logging throughout the country. The minister for forests told the BBC that an increase in the number of trees being cut down in forests in the low-land Terai area has led to the ban. "Some logging is allowed in these community forests, but what we're finding is that this allowance is being exceeded," Deepak Bohara said. "So we have banned all logging until we can formulate a new government policy. "This will properly regulate the number of trees cut down," he said. READ MORE

Reducing CO2: Vietnam stands at the forefront
VIETNAM- Vietnamactively participates in the international climate negotiations and stands at the forefront of pioneering REDD+ implementation. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung adopted the National Target Program for climate change in December 2008. The Program is already under implementation and Vietnamleading the way for neighboring countries such as Laosor Cambodia. In the forestry, Vietnam is one of the few countries that participates both in the REDD+ readiness process supported World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the UN REDD program; in addition the country has expressed interest of participating in the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade Action. READ MORE

NORTH AMERICA

Note: MAP is sharing this article as a means of alerting our readers of potentially promising developments in aquaculture whereby more truly closed systems of production may soon replace those destructive, open, "throughput" systems of aquaculture which MAP and our allies have been opposing  for over 18 years. These closed system approaches may one day replace those antiquated open systems, thus ensuring a more benign approach to farmed seafood production. 

Gulf Shrimp Oil-Tainted? Grow Them in the Pacific

BP's oil spill in the Gulf and an already-tight global shrimp market have stimulated shrimp prices. Shrimp, which ranks among the world's most valuable seafood, is a favorite among U.S.consumers. More than half the shrimp consumed worldwide is farmed, with the majority being cultivated in Asiaand Latin America, a market valued at $20 billion per year. But before ordering a shrimp cocktail, consider shrimp history. According to Dr. Stephen Levitt, author of the books Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, between 1980 and 2005 annual shrimp consumption in the U.S.nearly tripled, from 1.4 pounds to 4.1 pounds per person. Louisianaleads in providing wild-caught shrimp, with a market share valued at $2.9 billion per year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). However, since the oil spill, Louisianashrimp production is down 30%, according to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board. READ MORE

Cost of shrimp in US crawling higher because of fear of contamination by Gulf oil spill


USA- The Gulf oil spill probably won't steal shrimp from your plate, but it may take a bigger chunk out of your wallet to get them there. Though much of the Gulf of Mexicoremains open to commercial fishing, Louisiana's biggest seafood item is down to just 30 percent of normal production, according to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board. Combined with an already-tight global shrimp market, the spill is likely to mean much higher prices. "For the consumer, it's going to be harder and harder for people to afford to buy it, especially in this economy," said Hal Ambos of Ambos Seafoods, an importer, exporter and wholesale distributor in Savannah, Ga. READ MORE

Question Your Shrimp: The High Cost of Imported Shrimp
Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfrodo Quarto was recently interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre radio’s Martha Baskin
USA- Shrimp is the country’s most consumed seafood. But it comes with a heavy price. More than 90% are grown on industrial shrimp farms in the global south. The practice involves clear cutting mangrove forests and displacing coastal communities. What about the 10% raised in US waters? Martha Baskin checks in with the Mangrove Action Project's “Question Your Shrimp” campaign and finds conscientious seafood markets who continue to vouch for domestic shrimp from the Gulf. LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil rainforest logging increases malaria rates
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Logging of tropical forests can boost the incidence of malaria in the surrounding area by nearly 50 percent, according to new research tracking deforestation in Brazil's Amazon. The study examined 2006 data tracking malaria rates in 54 Brazilian health districts and high-definition satellite imagery showing the extent of logging of nearby forests. "It appears that deforestation is one of the initial ecological factors that can trigger a malaria epidemic," said Sarah Olson, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Nelson Institute, Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. READ MORE

Guyana indigenous people charge land abuses
GUAYANA - Guyana's indigenous people are accusing the government of snatching their traditional land through poor demarcation as the authorities try to benefit from a U.N. program to preserve the country's rainforests. The World Bank has given Guyana$3.6 million to help prepare a plan for the U.N program to slow deforestation. But Amerindian leaders insist the government's proposals do not address its international obligations to indigenous groups. "We have urged governments and international agencies to protect our traditional practices and help resolve outstanding land issues," Tony James, president of Guyana's Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), said at a World Bank meeting. READ MORE

EUROPE

We're financing UN on conservation of forests
FINLAND- Norway pledged $1 billion to Indonesia from its public money to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Norway's environment minister ERIK SOLHEIM spoke to NARAYANI GANESH on the sidelines of the Oslo Climate and Forests Conference (OCFC) on May 27 where rich countries agreed to spend big to save forests in developing countries. READ INTERVIEW

Gulf oil spill: A hole in the world
ENGLAND- The Deepwater Horizon disaster is not just an industrial accident - it is a violent wound inflicted on the Earth itself. In this special report from the Gulf coast, a leading author and activist shows how it lays bare the hubris at the heart of capitalism. Obama cannot order pelicans not to die (no matter whose ass he kicks). And no amount of money - not BP's $20bn, not $100bn - can replace a culture that's lost its roots. READ MORE

EU set to ban illegal timber from 2012

BELGIUM- After two years of negotiations, legislators reached a compromise on a deal that will require companies to trace where their timber was harvested. Up to 40% of the world's wood production is estimated to come from illegally logged tropical forests. MEPs will vote on the proposal in July before it is presented to the European Council in the autumn. Members of the European Parliament and the European Council on Wednesday reached a provisional agreement that there should be a "prohibition" on illegal timber in the EU. READ MORE

Forest People’s Rights A Priority
UNITED KINGDOM When outside agencies come onto forest peoples' lands, whether they are financiers, developers, conservationists or others, they come with their own visions and assumptions about what is important and how things need to change. Almost all these agents of change now agree, on paper at least, that in principle they must respect forest peoples' rights. But of course, what that means is that they should respect the right of forest peoples to control any interventions and ensure that they are in line with forest peoples' own visions of what is important and needs to change. One of the first things that most forest peoples will want secured is their rights over their lands, territories and natural resources. In a world facing increasing resource scarcity, the pressure to take over lands and forests for fuel, fibre, food and conservation is mounting. The very survival of forest peoples is at risk if their basic rights are not respected. The reluctance of outside agencies to properly recognise rights is apparent at all levels. As this issue of our newsletter shows, in Guyanathe Government persists in denying the Amerindian peoples their rights to their wider territories. That should be a reason for outsiders to say: 'well, sorry, but we can't do business with you if you plan to deny your own people's rights'. READ MORE

Please pass these news alerts/ action alerts on to your own lists and contacts. Help us spread the word and further generate letters of concern, as this can make a big difference in helping to halt a wrongdoing or encourage correct action.