Dear Friends,

This is the 275th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, October 29, 2011.

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:
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The Mangroves Rebirth story is now on air!
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CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATE:
iPhone users – Watch this compelling video on climate change on your phone. (Other users note - This file is in .m4v format, which may or may not be playable on other devices. Check your device for settings) iPhone Movie

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
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Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO

Mangrove Curriculum Update
Latest update from Martin Keeley, Director of Education CLICK HERE

FEATURED SECTION

Author To Speak In Seattle On Mangrove/Shrimp Issues

USA— When Americans sit down for an all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet, most have no idea what it truly costs. But the western appetite for cheap seafood is destroying mangrove forests around the world, stripping their inhabitants of their cultural heritage, livelihoods, and homes. Though not present in Pacific NW waters, mangroves are saltwater forests of tangled roots and trunks which are indispensable as natural storm barriers, home to exotic creatures, and harbor food for millions of coastal dwellers around the globe. In Let Them Eat Shrimp: The Tragic Disappearance of the Rainforests of the Sea , New Zealand-based journalist, editor and photographer Kennedy Warne shows how industrial shrimp farming and rampant coastal development are threatening these unique forests and the people who rely on them. Warne is traveling in the United Statesduring November and early December talking about the connections between sustainable seafood and mangroves. Warne is scheduled to give his presentation at Town Hall Seattle on Friday, November 11. READ MORE
 
Africa

Mangrove trees play vital role in maintaining biodiversity in Eritrea
ERITREA- Head of the mangrove project in Asmara, Eritrea, Mr. Amanuel Yemane disclosed that mangrove trees are playing a vital role in preserving biodiversity and environmental cleanliness. Mr. Amanuel noted that the main goal of the project is to preserve the natural mangrove trees along the coasts of the Red Seaand add more mangrove seedlings in swamps so as to maintain animal food supply in the area. Indicating that mangrove trees are very important in environmental and ecological safety, Mr. Amanuel added that they are also essential in protecting soil erosion; it serves as a haven for sea creatures and expansion of coral reefs. He also pointed out that the mangrove trees are facing the treat of extinction worldwide, while 15% of Eritrea's sea coast is covered by these trees. READ MORE
 
Asia
Editor’s Note - World Bank loans got the Shrimp Aquaculture Industry rolling in the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in the massive loss of mangroves due to expanding shrimp farm operations throughout Asia and  Latin Americas.
ADB, World Bank blamed for worsening state of coastal resources
INDONESIA- For decades, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank have been financing marine and fishery projects in Indonesia. However, KIARA (People's Coalition for Justice in Fishery) Secretary General Riza Damanik said, "The ADB's and WB's involvement in the marine and fishery projects has only further increased the debt of the Indonesian government which resulted in programs and policies that marginalize coastal communities and fisherfolk from their own natural resources. Many areas suffer massive environmental destruction." Riza alleged ADB's and WB's financed program such as  Coremap (Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program), CTI (Coral Triangle Initiative), and Saver (Sustainable Aquaculture Development for Food Security and Poverty Reduction) were only initiated to increase privatization and commercialization of coastal and small islands natural resources under a blanket of poverty eradication, conservation of coastal ecosystem and the later trend to use climate change issues. Escalation of  foreign debt from ADB doesn't go with real success on the ground. READ MORE
 
Phulbari Coal Project  Investors urged to pull out
BANGLADESH- A letter signed by over 80 civil society organisations worldwide was sent to South Africa-based Polo Resources and other investors yesterday, calling upon them to withdraw their investments from the proposed Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh. In the letter, the leading human rights and environmental organisations based in 25 countries identified a wide range of serious human rights violations and environmental risks associated with the project. The Phulbari Coal Project is controlled by Global Coal Management Resources plc (GCM), a London-based company, owned by Asia Energy. The controversial project faces massive opposition in northwest Bangladesh, where it threatens to bulldoze the lands of tens of thousands of mostly farming and indigenous households for whom land is a source of food and a means of survival. Polo Resources, which currently holds nearly one-third (29.81 percent) of all GCM shares, is one of the biggest investors in the mining project. VIEW SOURCE
 
The News reporter receives award

PAKISTAN- The News reporter Jan Khaskheli received an award in recognition of his story for the protection of mangrove forests along the city coastline. On the occasion of the screening of a documentary ‘Murder of Mystic’ made by young moviemaker Khalid Hassan, the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), recognising stories in the print media and documentaries by TV channels, awarded shields to journalists. Those who received awards include Shazia Hassan and Bhagwandas of Dawn, Amar Guriro of Pakistan Today, Mumtaz Shar of KTN TV and Gulshan Shaikh of Sindh TV. Secretary Environment Mir Hussain Ali gave away the Annual Mangrove Awards. The aim is to further embolden writers, poets, artists and environmental activists to pursue their eco-endeavors. READ MORE
 
ASEAN Celebrates International Year of Forests 2011
PHILIPPINES- The 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (33rd AMAF) held a Ministerial Special Event in Jakartato pay tribute to the UN International Year of Forests 2011. With the theme “Forests for People”, the event also showcased ASEAN's cooperation on forestry in the last four decades. Forestry cooperation is expected to help establish a sustainable and inclusive ASEAN Community in the year 2015. The forest in ASEAN covers about 213 million hectares of land. It supports rich diversity of plant and animal species and the livelihoods of the region’s people. At least 350 million people live in or around forests, and depend wholly or partially on forest resources for income and subsistence - food, fuel, fiber, medicine, livestock grazing areas, and other necessities. This include 60 million indigenous peoples, who are wholly dependent on these forests for livelihoods, and, more fundamentally, for their cultural survival and identity. READ MORE
 
North America

Safety of wild fish stocks questioned if GE salmon eggs hatchery gets OK

CANADA- Environment Canadaisn’t sure it can fully protect wild fish stocks if it approves the commercialization of a hatchery of genetically engineered salmon eggs. The admission, outlined in internal records obtained by Postmedia News, could stymie efforts by American company AquaBounty Technologies to sell the first genetically engineered animal that people can eat. The company’s plan is to transform its research facility in Prince Edward Islandinto a commercial hatchery to product GM salmon eggs. The eggs would then be sent to an inland fish farm in Panama, where the GE Atlantic salmon, called AquAdvantage, would be raised and processed before being shipped as table-ready fish to the U.S.Last year, a preliminary analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that the salmon — engineered to grow twice as fast as normal fish thanks to a growth hormone gene from the Chinook salmon and a genetic on-switch from the ocean pout — are safe to eat. The FDA also said in its preliminary analysis that the GE salmon were not expected to have a significant impact on the environment. The FDA’s environmental impact report is now being reviewed by the White House, even as opponents continue to raise concerns about possible escapes and the threat to wild fish stocks. READ MORE
 
Salmon anemia — threat to NW resource
USA- A pair of sockeye salmon smolts in British Columbiahave tested positive for salmon anemia, a disease that has spread rapidly and decimated salmon farming operations in Chileat the south end of the Western Hemisphere. The test has spread alarm through the sport and commercial fishing industry of Alaskaand the Pacific Northwest. “Infectious salmon anemia could pose a serous threat to Pacific Northwestwild salmon and the thousands of Washingtonstate jobs that rely on them,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said recently. Cantwell and Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Mark Begich, D-Alaska, are seeking an emergency research effort to evaluate risk to fish in Alaskaand the Northwest states. “We have to get a coordinated game plan in place to protect our salmon and to stop the threat of this deadly virus,” Cantwell added. READ MORE
 
New fish farm pitched off Washington State waters
USA- An Oregon seafood company has floated the idea of a new fish farm in the waters off ClallamCountyin Washington State, USA. Pacific Aquaculture, a division of Pacific Seafoods, wants to lease 180 acres in the Strait of Juan de Fucabetween the Lyre and Twin rivers to raise steelhead and Atlantic salmon. “It's an ideal location,” said John Bielka, Pacific Aquaculture general manager, in a Friday interview with the Peninsula Daily News. Bielka said the constant flushing action of the Strait would allow the waste to be “quickly swept away and assimilated by the marine food web.” The idea has not been formally proposed. “We'll see if it's economically feasible to develop the project further,” Bielka said. READ MORE
 
Tribunal: southern wetlands under attack

COSTA RICA- Wetlands, including the SierpeRiverand mangrove forests in Costa Rica’s Southern Zone, are threatened by poorly managed farming and illegal development, according to the Environment Tribunal (TAA), an administrative court under the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET). Loss of the Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands in this area just north of the OsaPeninsulacould have devastating environmental and economic impacts, said José Lino Chaves, president of the TAA. “For the prestige of the country and for our international prestige, and obviously also for the economy, it would be regrettable if any of these wetlands disappear,” Chaves said. “Because the damage, and I don’t say this from an environmental point of view, but the economic damage would be enormous.” On Tuesday, TAA officials and members of the Neotropical Foundation presented the findings of a sweep of the Térraba-Sierpe region executed at the end of August. Officials investigated 16 cases of environmental damage in and around sensitive wetland areas, the SierpeRiverand mangrove forests. The culprits, officials said, are numerous and insidious. READ MORE
 
South America

How the hunt for seafood is ravaging a tropical island
ECUADOR- Surrounded by mangroves, the tropical islandof Muisne, off Ecuador's northern coast, sounds like an idyllic place to live. Fishermen repair their nets on its palm-fringed beaches while "ecological taxis" – tricycles with passenger seats – patrol the unpaved streets; no motorised transport exists on the island. Yet Muisne and its Afro-Ecuadorian community of 8,000 are in decline. As the years roll by, there are fewer fish and shellfish to catch, the water becomes more polluted and a growing number of locals desperate to eke out a living migrate to the mainland, or leave Ecuadoraltogether. Feeding the developed world's seemingly insatiable demand for cheap seafood, shrimp farms have ravaged Muisne's delicate mangrove ecosystem and turned its inhabitants from a poor but close-knit community to one scarred by a disturbing string of social ills. "There is more poverty, more pollution, more alcoholism and more prostitution. This has been a curse for our community," says Lider Gongora, a Muisne resident and the executive director of CCONDEM, the national umbrella group that campaigns for mangrove communities. "It has devastated the local economy. Muisne is poorer as a result of the shrimp farms, and it is the same for all of Ecuador's communities that depend on mangroves." READ MORE

LAST WORD

This is with reference to the article, "Missing the forest for the trees" by Shazia Hasan in the Images section (Aug 10). I was quite heartened to read the article which discusses the important documentary "Murder of Mystic" made on the plight of fishermen and mangroves on the coastal region of Karachi. The script and the film are important in healing the wounds of poor communities who are bearing the brunt of these issues, especially after losing two dedicated mangrove activists at the hands of assassins in Karachi. It is heartening to witness the fruits of labour, and I hope this will lead policy makers towards developing a long-term plan for the conservation, restoration and management of the coastal region which is beneficial for the coastal communities that depend on a healthy and productive mangrove ecosystem. This letter should also ensure the Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum that the MAP’s global network stands in solidarity with their just cause.

ALFREDO QUARTO
Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
Port Angeles, US

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