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The MAP News, 213th Ed., 1 May 2009
Dear Friends,
This is the 213th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, 1 May 2009.
For the Mangroves,
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!
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MAP NEWS, 213th Edition, 1 May 2009
FEATURE STORIES
Book aims to put human face on mangrove loss
MAP WORKS
Volunteer/Intern Opportunity with MAP-Asia office in Thailand
MAP sponsors Earth Day 5k Run for the Mangroves
Submit artwork now for 9th MAP Children's Mangrove Art Calendar
Shrimpless Blog
Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration training workshop, 3-5 March 2010
AFRICA
Nigeria
Deepening the degradation of Bodo Creek: SPCD awards clean-up and remediation contracts to quacks and pseudo-companies
The Hidden Cost of Corruption
ASIA
S.E. ASIA
Indonesia
Indonesia to Push for Common Fund To Help Preserve Region's Coral Reefs
Philippines
Coastal conversion projects hurting poor fishermen - KM
Thailand
Thai shrimp exports thriving as consumers tighten belts
S. ASIA
Bangladesh
Call for strengthening forest dept to protect Sundarban
Misery being cultivated in Bangladesh's shrimp enclosures
Pakistan
City faces tsunami risk as mangroves reducing
E. ASIA
Japan
Coral Transplant Surgery Prescribed for Japan
LATIN AMERICA
Brazil
Fortaleza City Council discusses consumption of farmed shrimp
Colombia
Happy Earth Day!
El Salvador
Taiwan offers loans to Salvadoran shrimp breeders
Mexico
Americas Program Earth Day 2009 Special Report: Fighting to Save Mexico's Mangroves
OCEANIA
Australia
New research reveals extraordinary habits of rare Aussie dolphin
MangroveWatch is coming to the Wide Bay area
CARIBBEAN
British Virgin Islands
Press Release: Bahamas-inspired environmental case comes to trial
NORTH AMERICA
USA
Organisations Form Seafood Watch Programme
STORIES / ISSUES
Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services Severely Undervalued
Unprecedented "Roundtable of Ocean Industry Association Leaders"
to Convene at Sustainable Ocean Summit in Belfast
WWF partners with SYSCO on sustainable seafood
Study Says Warming Poses Peril to Asia
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Belize Mangrove Research - Field Volunteers
Belize Mangrove Challenge
AQUACULTURE CORNER
Harmful chemicals detected in shrimp exports
29 April 2009
Book aims to put human face on mangrove loss
The Mangrove Action Project is collaborating with New Zealand-based writer and photographer Kennedy Warne to publish a new general-interest book on the loss of the world's mangrove forests.
The book, to be published in 2010 by leading US environmental publisher Island Press, is provisionally titled Last Stands: The Disappearing Rainforests of the Sea.
Kennedy wrote a feature story on mangroves for National Geographic magazine in February 2007, and says it was seeing the scale and impact of mangrove depletion during his field work that made him want to write a book on the subject.
"Mangroves are being destroyed at an alarming rate, but their passing elicits barely a murmur of protest in developed countries," he says. "Terrestrial rainforests have many advocates, but mangroves have few. I want to help bring these imperiled forest ecosystems to wider public attention."
The marine-biology graduate and founding editor of New Zealand Geographic magazine has written widely on the marine environment, including stories on sharks in South Africa, harp seals in Canada, albatrosses in New Zealand and sea-level rise in Tuvalu-but says the mangrove story "begged to be expanded."
"These forests are the fish nurseries of the sea, the breakwaters and land-preservers of vulnerable coastlines and the supermarkets of the coastal poor. Yet they are razed to make way for everything from golf courses to shrimp ponds, and face the added threat of being drowned through sea-level rise. The planet is being robbed of a potent carbon sink, a vital coastal shield, a stunning repository of plant and animal communities and an indispensable food source for millions. It's a story that needs to be told afresh, and told now, before these astonishing places disappear completely."
The book aims to explore the biological wonder of mangrove forests and describe the human cultural traditions that have evolved within them. As well as examining the ecological importance of mangroves, it will reveal the social and economic value of these vanishing wetlands.
"I want to put a human face on the mangrove plight," says Kennedy, recalling the suffering he witnessed first-hand while traveling through mangrove regions in Malaysia, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Belize during his National Geographic field work in 2005.
He especially remembers visiting coastal communities in northeastern Brazil with MAP's Latin America coordinator, Elaine Corets.
"We visited a tiny settlement where the people's access to mangroves-their traditional seafood harvesting area-had been cut off by the barbed-wire fences of a shrimp farm. Their wells had become contaminated and undrinkable by salt-water seepage from the ponds. Their village, called Porto do Ceu-the gates of paradise-had been turned into the gates of hell. I want to tell the stories of these people, and millions like them who rely on mangroves to sustain their lives."
Kennedy plans to visit as many of MAP's global network of projects and affiliates as time and funds allow during 2009, before returning to his home in Auckland, New Zealand, to write. The first stage of the journey, during May and June, includes mangrove destinations in Latin America, the US and the Caribbean. Elaine will be guiding and translating for Kennedy in Latin America, and the pair will be posting regular reports of their travels to the project blog.
Elaine encourages MAP's supporters and friends to bookmark the Last Stands website and to browse often for updates from the field. "Following the blog will be a great way to discover and explore the mangroves of the Americas."
MAP's Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto, says the organization is excited to be working with Kennedy on the Last Stands venture. "Our board of directors sees this as a timely project, and is giving its full support."
The project has received financial support from the Overbrook Foundation and the Rainforest Information Center, to whom we extend our heartfelt thanks. But more funds are needed to ensure the successful completion of the project.
Get involved
- Help get the word out about the Last Stands campaign by placing a link to our blog -- -- on your website, blog, Facebook, etc.
Support the Last Stands campaign
MAP is reaching out to its membership base and friends to help cover research expenses for the book and associated media campaign. Please make a donation through MAP's website.
Submitted by: Kennedy Warne
kennedy@kennedywarne.com
15 April 2009
Volunteer/Intern Opportunity with MAP-Asia office in Thailand
Position Title: Asia Office Development & Field Project Assistant
Location: MAP Asia Regional Office, Trang, Thailand
Time Frame: 3-6 months preferred
Closing Date: 30 May 2009
Background
MAP's Asia office is small and supports partner NGOs and projects in India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Thailand involving mangrove restoration, coastal resource conservation, awareness raising, Community Based Coastal Resource Management, developing alternative livelihoods, environmental education and network building.
The MAP Asia Coordinator requires office assistance to support a wide range of projects and activities. There will be some opportunities to assist with an environmental education field project in Thailand. Assisting with project proposals and searching and analyzing funding opportunities will be a central part of the position. The work possibilities are wide and varied and can be geared to the skills and interest of the intern. Learning by doing will be very much a part of the experience.
The Intern/Volunteer will need to be fully self-supporting covering food, accommodation, and accident insurance which is estimated at not more than $120/week.
Qualifications Required
- Involvement in/ familiarity with international conservation and tropical coastal ecosystems a plus;
- Experience in development/ fundraising for non-profits, including grant / proposal writing is a plus;
- Experience in environmental education and awareness building especially with children an asset;
- Skills in training and organizing will be useful;
- Attitudes and behaviors which show respect for different culture & religions;
- Effective communication and representation skills;
- Computer skills in Window, Word, Excel, and Power Point;
- Experience in information research and developing information materials would be useful;
- Ability and willingness to travel some within country;
- Willingness to work irregular hours;
- Excellent spoken and written English and willingness to learn some basic spoken Thai language;
- Ability to work both independently and in close coordination with a team; and
- Excellent networking skills and the ability to communicate with a wide range of organizations and communities.
Contact
Jim Enright
MAP-Asia Coordinator
mapasia@loxinfo.co.th
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MAP sponsors Earth Day 5k Run for the Mangroves
On April 19th, the Mangrove Action Project and the city of Shoreline, Wash. hosted the Earth Day 5k Run to promote mangrove issues, MAP, and environmental responsibility. The run was open to runners and walkers of all abilities for the 5k course at Paramount Park. Kids also took part in the 1/3 mile fun run.
Over 180 runners participated, with a portion of heir registration fee being donated to MAP's efforts to conserve and restore the world's mangrove forests, and to draw attention to the issues surrounding shrimp aquaculture. At the end of the race each participant received a tree to take home and plant.
The Earth Day 5k motto was, "Think Globally, Act Locally." As such, MAP had a booth at this event to provide information and answer questions about the organization, mangrove issues, and shrimp aquaculture. The booth was staffed by Executive Director Alfredo Quarto and MAP's new Communications & Development Coordinator Austen Moore. Mr. Quarto also made a speech to the participants following the event.
All in all, the event was a success for MAP. Look for other MAP-sponsored events in the future!
Submitted by: Austin Moore
austen@mangroveactionproject.org
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Submit artwork now for 9th MAP Children's Mangrove Art Calendar
A fun and exciting Art Contest for children 6 to 14 years old
We invite all primary school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and whose schools are located near mangroves, to create art telling us "why mangroves are important to me and my community".
Selected winners will be published in a 2010 calendar to be distributed internationally to raise awareness of mangrove forest ecology. This creative contest aims to promote appreciation and awareness of mangrove forests, and to encourage and listen to creative voices of children living in mangrove areas.
Help us launch this program in your school by contacting science and art teachers in your area and encourage them to work together on this fun and innovative project.
**********************************
What kind of art can be submitted?
Technique: Paint, color pencil, ink, collage, pastel, crayons, etc
Dimensions: Canvas, or paper, 45 cms x 30 cms. (18 in. x 12 in)
The Art Work should be in a format horizontal (long length across, the shorter length vertical), in order to fit on the calendar page. (We had received wonderful art work in a vertical format, but sadly were unable to use it. )
Artist Identification: On the back of each art work please write in English: the full name and age of the artist, the school name, address, city or town, country, and title of art work.
Age Limit: 6-13 years old
Mailing instructions: The art work has to be mailed in a small tube, such as the ones for mailing posters. Make sure the art is sent in certified or registered mail to MAP, PO Box 1854, Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279, USA.
How will entries be judged?
Each school will hold its own exhibition and select 3 or more winners in art. Winning entries will be collected in each country by a participating NGO and then mailed to MAP's office to be judged by a team of artists.
What are the prizes?
-1st Prize will receive a certificate + calendar and the recognition of being published in an International calendar with global distribution.
-2 nd Prize '' ''
-3 rd Prize '' ''
School will receive 2 Calendars
NGOs will receive10 Calendars.
When is the deadline?
Please, we must receive the artwork in MAP's office by the end of 31 July, 2009.
Mailed to: PO Box 1854,.Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279, USA
Please mail in a tube or flat in a box, but not folded!
Who do I contact?.
Please let us know if your school plans to participate by contacting:
Monica Gutierrez-Quarto,
Calendar Project Coordinator
c/o Mangrove Action Project
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279, USA
tel./ fax (360) 452-5866
e-mail: monicagquarto@olympus.net and
mangroveap@olympus.net
All entries selected at the national level should be submitted to the same address.
Your local NGO contact is: (Please fill this in.)
======================
Some suggested Field Trip and Classroom Lessons
It is suggested that this contest could coincide with an Associated Mangrove Ecology Educational Project with the children. This lesson will highlight the importance of mangrove forests for the environment, for their community, for fishermen and/or for the associated mangrove forest fauna. The intent of this educational project is to help the participating children better comprehend the important role mangroves play in their lives and for their communities.
1- Information and guidance in the classroom, aided by text books, mangrove curriculum, slides and videos.
2.- Eco-Study Field trips for firsthand observation with the teacher and/ or a local resource person, where they can observe the myriad forms of life that inhabit the mangroves, such as the many colored birds, fish, crabs, mollusks, reptiles, mammals, and insects, while also learning about the unique characteristics of the associated mangrove plants and trees.
3.- During, or after, the field trips, the children can hold interviews with their parents or local fishermen about the mangroves in their region, learning more about the history of the area's mangrove forest, as well as why they are important and what the problems are when the mangroves are lost.
4 - As a result of this research, the children may wish to create artwork for the 2010 calendar art competition.
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Shrimpless Blog
As part of its new campaign, "Shrimp Less, Think More," MAP recently launched a new blog. The blog is a source of information about the destruction caused by imported shrimp, and includes frequent news updates, facts, consumer tips, reports, and other resources. It also is intended to build a network and community of people concerned about the issues--so we invite the comments and input from readers!
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ANNOUNCEMENT: "Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration" training workshop, March 3-5, 2010, Hollywood, Florida, USA.
The eighth annual "Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration" training workshop will be held at the Anne Kolb Nature Center, in Hollywood, Florida, USA, March 3-5, 2010. The training site is within a 500 ha mangrove restoration project at West Lake Park operated by Broward County. The award-winning project was designed by Roy R. "Robin" Lewis III, who will be teaching the course. Mr. Lewis has taught this very successful course in Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, Nigeria, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka.
More details at mangroverestoration.com or contact me at lesrrl3@aol.com.
Robin Lewis
Nigeria
20 March 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Note: The mangrove belt of Bodo Creek is better remembered! SPDC persistent oil spill (28 August, 2008 - November 7, 2008) at Bodo Creek caused extensive mortality of mangroves and their associated fauna, so much so that there seems to be scarcely any visible healthy mangrove stand within the creek basin. If adequate ecosystem restoration scheme is not put in place, it is safe to conclude that in the next 50 years, recovery will be a mirage!
Deepening the degradation of Bodo Creek: SPDC awards clean-up and remediation contracts to quacks and pseudo-companies
The Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) condemns in totality the ongoing process by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of awarding clean-up and remediation exercises for the heavily oil polluted Bodo Creek to quacks, most of whom do not have a functional wheelbarrow.
CEHRD insists that the clean-up, remediation and restoration of the creek basin is paramount and should be undertaken by internationally reputable organization(s) with a history of handling such skilful and delicate task. Moreso, given the sensitivity of Bodo Creek, its complexity and dynamic ecology, the engagement of quack, unqualified and inexperienced contracting firms being perfected by SPDC is the height of corporate irresponsibility, and will only compound the destruction of the creek.
CEHRD had earlier decried the cut-corner attitude of SPDC and other transnational oil corporations operating in the Niger Delta for awarding highly technical jobs of clean -up and remediation to quack and briefcase companies under the cover of local content patronage. "In terrestrial environment, the contractors simply transport topsoil from elsewhere to mask contaminated spill site(s). While in the water terrain, they (contractors) just ride in boats, sprinkling detergents (which are themselves pollutants) along their track of leisurely cruises, and ultimately smile to their banks having been paid for jobs not-well-done!
You would recall that SPDC 28" Bomu-Bonny Trans-Niger pipeline traversing Bodo Creek spilled oil into the creek basin from August 28, 2008 to November 7, 2008, when the leaked pipeline was clamped. On the latter date too, a joint inspection team led by SPDC confirmed the outset position of CEHRD that the spillage was caused by weld defect (natural corrosion) on the aged pipeline. Since then, SPDC had not open formal channel of consultation with the Bodo community and relevant government agencies on how to alleviate the heightening food insecurity engendered by the spillage, pay adequate compensation to the people of Bodo and to the environment by way of ecosystem restoration. Even a stakeholder meeting called by the Rivers State Ministry of Environment on January 27, 2008, for discussion on issues relating to the above spill was ignored by SPDC. On the contrarily, SPDC in total defiance of due process and transparent consultation is going ahead to award purported 'clean up' contracts to some quack contractors parading the landscape.
CEHRD therefore calls for openness and transparent engagement of host communities by oil corporations operating in the delta. The Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Environment, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), National Environmental Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the newly created Ministry of Niger Delta should urgently rise to their statutory responsibilities and ensure that due process is followed in the cleaning and remediation of Bodo Creek, which should be carried out by qualified firm(s) in line with international standards and best practice.
CEHRD is also calling on other rights sensitive individuals and groups to join the crusade to ensuring that the rights to food security and healthy environment and livelihood structures of the Bodo people violated and stripped by the spillage are restored.
Submitted by: Patrick Naagbanton
Coordinator, Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD)
nigerdeltaproject@yahoo.com
www.cehrd.org
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Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from an article by Sam Kennedy.
24 April 2009
The Hidden Cost of Corruption
A Rare Ecosystem Under Assault
In satellite images of Africa's western flank, the Niger River looks like a blue artery that, after arching across 2,600 miles of Sahel, blossoms into a tangled network of smaller veins. The veins, in turn, work their way though a greenish mass before meeting the Atlantic Ocean. This is the Niger Delta. "It is a land of heat and steam... muddy rivers and wastes of quaking swamps," wrote the British novelist Harold Blindloss after traveling by steamship through the Delta during the 1890s.
About the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, it is a rare ecosystem of mangrove forests that has long protected the coast from erosion and supported what is, even by African standards, an unusual diversity of marine life and other plants and animals, as well as human beings. The Ijaw, Ogoni, and Ilaje are but a few of dozens of indigenous tribal groups.
Oil spills have poisoned creeks, killing off fish and fowl. The flares, meanwhile, tower over the mangroves like giant roman candles burning day and night.
Today, both the wildlife and the people are under siege. Oil spills have poisoned creeks, killing off fish and fowl. The flares, meanwhile, tower over the mangroves like giant roman candles burning day and night. So numerous and intense are the flares that their light is believed to disrupt the nesting patterns of nocturnal sea turtles. The smoke and soot, meanwhile, not only cause acid rain, which can kill fish lucky enough to have escaped the oil spills, but also contain a stew of toxins, including mercury, lead and benzene. Little wonder life expectancy in the Delta -- 40 years -- is seven years less than that of Nigeria as a whole.
And if all that weren't enough, there's also the dredging -- which is what oil companies do to make creeks accommodate their barges and rigs. In a federal trial in San Francisco last fall, a Chevron vice president was called to testify about the controversial practice. "In the process of dredging, yes, the mangroves would be cleared," he testified, shifting in his chair. The vice president described "a barge... with a big suction device on it, " adding, "You would suck mud out and then it would pile the mud behind it on the sides of the canal." An Ilaje elder then testified to the environmental impact. Seawater, he said, seeped into freshwater creeks, killing the plants and animals that had long sustained his people. "It led to starvation in some areas," he said.
Indeed, much of the vitality that Blindloss described a century ago -- those "quaking swamps" -- has simply disappeared. Blow up those satellite images of Africa and you'll see entire chunks of Delta mangrove forest either underwater or dried-up. A recent survey, led by the geosciences department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, found a three percent loss of prime wilderness habitat between the mid-1980s and the beginning of this decade. At this rate, a fifth of the mangroves' historical range could be gone by 2050....
Source: Frontline World
Indonesian
Editor's Note: This concept of forming a Coral Triangle Initiative for the Coral Triangle region of SE Asia and Solomon Islands should be broadened to include conserving and restoring mangrove wetlands in the same region, as mangroves play a vital role in protecting coral reefs and sea grass beds through erosion control, reduction of sediments, filtering out of pollutants and providing massive quantities of important detritus for the marine food chain.
20 April 2009
By: Fidelis E. Satriastanti
Indonesia to Push for Common Fund To Help Preserve Region's Coral Reefs
Six nations, including Indonesia, plan to finance a permanent coral reef management regime in the region from a common independent fund, an Indonesian representative of the group said on Sunday.
The Coral Triangle Initiative, or CTI, countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Solomon Islands - have currently earmarked a total of Rp 2.66 trillion ($250 million) for coral reef preservation but these funds remain under the control of each individual nation.
Eko Rudianto, the executive secretary of the Regional CTI Interim Committee, said it was hoped that the regional meeting in Manado, North Sulawesi Province, next month would lead to an independent and sustainable financing mechanism.
"For Indonesia, we encourage the idea that we want the financing to be an independent mechanism that would not be dependent solely on grants," said Eko, who is also an official with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
"For instance, we could establish an endowment fund to which all the [CTI group] countries would contribute. It's a very long process to get there but we are all agreed on pushing for a more sustainable financing mechanism instead of counting on grants."
The so-called Coral Triangle region is home to 53 percent of the world's coral reefs and boasts an abundant variety of sea life, with more than 600 coral species and 3,000 fish species.
"The financing mechanism between the six countries would take a bit more time [to decide] because there is still much more to discuss, since every country has different points of view on the mechanism," Eko said.
Maritime Affairs Minister Freddy Numberi had previously expressed an eagerness to include oceans and coastal areas under the United Nations Climate Change Conference's international funding mechanism.
The CTI is an Indonesian initiative introduced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the APEC leaders meeting in September 2007.
The leaders of the six CTI countries will attend the CTI Summit in Manado on May 15 to focus on coral reefs, fisheries and food security.
In principle, the countries also share a common view to develop sustainable fishing in the region.
Eko said the official agenda for the summit covered five major areas for discussion: setting up regional priorities for conservation; fisheries management based on conservation, including alternative livelihoods; marine protected areas; adaptation efforts to combat climate change in coastal areas; and maintaining populations of endangered marine species.
Rili Djohani, Indonesian director of the Nature Conservancy environmental conservation group, said that coral reefs played a significant role in tackling climate change but also held a number of other important social roles.
"They are the source of food security for almost 15 million people, a resilient system for climate change, especially on sea temperature rise, and they also hold an important role for tourism," Rili said.
Source: The Jakarta Globe
via: ICSF
====================================
Philippines
24 April 2009
Coastal conversion projects hurting poor fishermen - KM
A local group called on the government to "freeze" all investments in the fisheries sector, as these have led to "massive" conversion and reclamation projects that displaced small fishers and their families.
Kilusang Mangingisda (KM) said government investments on fisheries have "harmful" impacts on the environment and on coastal communities. KM chairperson Emmanuel dela Cruz said the conversion and reclamation projects directly affects the coastal environment, destroying mangrove and seagrass areas where many marine species breed.
"The conversion and reclamation projects have created malls, industrial zones, eco-tourism sites and quarrying areas, but the small fishers who have been displaced have not been accommodated in the new businesses that sprouted," De la Cruz said.
"Women fishers who gather shells and shrimps in these areas to feed their children are particularly affected," he said. De la Cruz noted that under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, shore and foreshore areas are supposed to be inalienable and not disposable.
"But despite the constitution, private investments have been able to acquire lease contracts and even ownership titles to these areas," he said. He cited the investments that include the Homonhon mining area in Leyte allegedly owned by a Chinese corporation that "already displaced several thousands of fisher-farmers and poisoned the coastal waters with the mine wastes."
The group demanded that coastal communities take part in the crafting of laws allowing investments in coastal areas. De la Cruz said that a "people-centered" approach is needed where the government and the local people will jointly decide on the projects and investments that would impact on their communities. "After all, the key word, though much abused, is still empowerment," he said.
Source: Manilla Bulletin
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Thailand
13 April 2009
Thai shrimp exports thriving as consumers tighten belts
By: Phusadee Arunmas
Thailand's shrimp exports could rise by 10% this year driven by recession-battling diners opting to eat at home.
Flat growth was originally forecast for this year's Thai shrimp shipments, but frozen-shrimp exports increased by to 19.34%, or 48,601 tonnes worth 10.0 billion baht, up 8.17% over the same period last year, said Thai Frozen Foods Association president, Poj Aramwattananond. In dollar terms the shipments were valued at US$290 million, up 4.06%.
"Given the two-month performance, Thailand's shrimp exports have yet to see any impact from the world's economic crisis," said Mr Poj.
He said the increase was partly due to greater availability of Thai shrimp in retail outlets.
"We believe exports this year will grow by as much as 10%, in terms of volume and value, from trade worth $2.38 billion in 2008," he said.
However, Mr Poj said exporters were concerned by the country's domestic politics, as ongoing protests might cause foreign buyers to delay or scrap purchase orders.
Financial liquidity is another matter of concern, as most of commercial banks have tightened their credit lines to local exporters, while the financial crisis might increase buyer defaults.
Thailand's production in the first quarter was 96,000 tonnes, a 15% drop from the same period last year, said Thai Eastern Shrimp Farmers Association president, Banchong Nisapavanich.
The drop was mainly due to local producers cutting output by 20%, in a bid to keep prices high while global consumption slumps.oj: Politics only barrier to orders
Output is now forecast at 392,000 tonnes this year, significantly lower than the 530,000 tonnes produced in 2007 and 500,000 tonnes in 2006.
A similar production cut was made last year to curb falling prices, resulting in an output of 490,000 tonnes, down 7.5% from 2007.
Local shrimp currently cost 140 baht for a kilogramme with an average of 50 shrimp, up 10-15% over the same period last year, and much higher than the 90-95 baht June and July, 2007.
"We are concerned that higher shrimp prices may attract more farmers to start shrimp farming, making the production cut ineffective," he said.
The industry is unlikely to rely on the government's mortgage programme should shrimpers continue to cut production by 20% this year, he added.
The Commerce Ministry agreed in June last year to use 300 million baht to shore-up prices for 10,000 tonnes of white or vannamei shrimp. The programme ran from June to October with agreed payments of 140 baht per kilogramme of 50 shrimp, and 130 baht per kilogramme of 60 shrimp.
However, the pledging scheme has prompted farmers to increase production, with output only declining by 7.5%, instead of the planned 20% reduction this year.
Source: Bangkok Post
Bangladesh
14 April 2009
Call for strengthening forest dept to protect Sundarban
By Tapos Kanti Das
Participants in a discussion on Sunday called on the authorities concerned to strengthen the forest department to protect the country's mangrove forest Sundarban.
The forest department should be equipped with all necessary facilities to protect Sundarban, the world's largest mangrove forest, they told the discussion at a hotel in Khulna city.
The Unnayan Onneshan, Humanity Watch and Forest People Programme jointly organised the discussion on 'Unprotected Sundarban and our responsibilities.'
Forest officials, civic group leaders, green activists and NGO personnel attended the programme. The Humanity Watch chief executive, Hasan Mehedi, read out the keynote paper.
The divisional forest officer of Sundarban west zone, Abani Bhushan Thakur, Professor Zafar Imam and Professor Dilip Dutta of Khulna University, Nazmul Azam Devid of Paribartan, Sheikh Abu Hasan Bakul of Muktir Alo and journalist Shamim Ashraf Shelley, among others, spoke.
The forest department has 76 camps and 178 forest guards to guard 6,017 square kilometre area of Sundarban including more than 400 rivers, said Mehedi, in his keynote paper.
At present, he said, only 2.25 forest guards on average guard 79 square kilometre area of the forest under each camp. The number is too inadequate to protect the area, he added.
Besides, proper patrolling in the rivers passing by Sundarban cannot be done due to limited number of water vessels, he said, adding that Sundarban forest division has only 61 water vessels with each vessel patrolling 99 square kilometer area.
At least 120 water vessels are needed for patrolling in the rivers passing by the forest, he observed.
He also mentioned that the wireless system in Sundarban that collapsed in cyclone Sidr on November 15, 2007 is yet to be restored, hampering quick communication from one place to another in the forest area.
He also said a significant number of arms used by the forest guards had remained out of order for long and the forest employees working in the forest pass every moment at high risk.
The speakers stressed that the forest department should increase the number of forest guards and water vessels and forest guards should be equipped with modern arms.
They also urged the government to allocate risk allowance for the forest employees.
Source: Daily NewAge
Via: Sundarban News
Submitted by: Bonojibi Odhikar Suraxya Mancho
hwforg@gmail.com
==============================
24 April 2009
Misery being cultivated in Bangladesh's shrimp enclosures
By Musfequr Rahman
The residents of Dacope and Paikgacha upazila (district) in Khulna, Bangladesh, are waging an ongoing war against Baghda cultivation, a serious ecological threat
On December 25, 2008, around three thousand people of Ward 9 of Dacope upazila, Khulna chased the gang of Baghda shrimp enclosure (gher) owners when they tried to open the sluice gate to channel saltwater into the area at around 8:00pm.
According to witnesses, the group, lead by a certain Haq, included some infamous terrorists of the area like Musa, Perani Sheikh, Rekat Sheikh, Shafiq Aziz and others, travelling on around ten motorcycles.
Anil Krishna Sarkar (55), a homeopathy doctor and Sujit Ray of Kumarkhali village retells the story. On hearing their arrival, the men, the women, the old and even the children from Kamarkhola, Jainagar, Rajnagar, Fakirdanga, Vhitevanga, Parjainagar, Sairabad, Srinagar and Kalinagar wards of Dacope upazila united under the slogan "Lobon Pani Thekao, Haq Bahini Thekao" (resist saltwater and Haq group), before chasing them away.
The villagers say that the act was an explosion of bottled-up frustration and anger that they had felt over the past 25 years as, according to them, most of Dacope, Paikgacha and other areas of Khulna have lost their soil fertility due to the unplanned cultivation of Baghda, the tiger shrimp species, that requires a high level of saltwater. "The Baghda cultivators, using their influence, have dominated these areas during this time of the year, every year. They have also forcefully occupied the arable lands of small owners, making farming and agriculture almost impossible for the less fortunate farmers of these areas," says Anil. He also informs, flanked by others, that the fisheries, livestock, water resources, poultry and the entire ecological system of these areas are currently threatened due to the unscrupulous activities of the Baghda cultivators of the area.
Shashanko Ray Sardar, a resident of the Kamarkhola Union of Dacope upazila while talking to Xtra says, "The arable lands have been heavily affected over the past few decades as Baghda cultivation requires extensive use of chemical fertiliser, pesticides and insecticides." He points out that the detail is crystal clear as, although yield was around 20 to 30 mounds of paddy per acre of land even during the early eighties, the yield has currently been reduced to around six to ten mounds per acre. "It's all due to the increase of salinity in the soil," he adds.
Source: ICSF
Complete Story at: New Age
==============================
Pakistan
15 April 2009
City faces tsunami risk as mangroves reducing
By Amar Guriro
KARACHI: Environmental experts have expressed concern over the reduction of mangrove forests along the Sindh coast, warning that if the mangroves are not protected, the city fears a greater risk of being hit by a tsunami in the future.
"Land reclamation along the coastal areas is the cause of this rapid reduction in mangrove forests," said United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan National Coordinator Masood Lohar. "Besides the reclamation, the domestic and highly toxic industrial effluent that is being poured in the Arabian Sea has also damaged the mangrove forests," added Lohar, as he guided a group of journalists on a visit to the mangrove forests located near the Kakapir village, Sandspit, where the UNDP, in collaboration of the Small Grants Programme, has launched an awareness programme among the indigenous communities.
"Mangroves are the shields of the coast that stop tsunamis. The level of damage caused by the industrial effluent to the mangroves can be gauged from the fact that most of the mangrove forests along the coasts of Karachi are filled with chemicals, severely affecting the natural growth of these trees," he said, while adding that the decreasing mangrove plantation is also the reason for the changes in the weather pattern of the city.
During the tour, journalists visited the newly-built safety shed. "Local people have initiated a boat ride and a safety shed in the sea, to promote eco-tourism," said Abdul Ghani, a resident of the village. Federal Additional Secretary for Environment Imtiaz Inayat Elhai had inaugurated the safety shed, which floats in the backwaters of the village.
Talking to the media, Elahi said that the federal government is planning to launch an awareness program to highlight the importance of the mangrove forests. Interestingly, when the agreement between the Sindh government and the federal government for the release of 10 million acre feet (MAF) of water in downstream Kotri, annually, to facilitate the survival of the mangroves and the subsequent inaction in this regard was brought to his notice, the federal additional secretary expressed completed ignorance about any such an agreement.
Source: Daily Times
Japan
15 April 2009
Coral Transplant Surgery Prescribed for Japan
By Martin Fackler
SEKISEI LAGOON, Japan - Beneath the waves of this sapphire-blue corner of the East China Sea, a team of divers was busily at work.
Hovering along the steep, bony face of a dying coral reef, some divers bored holes into the hard surface with compressed-air drills that released plumes of glittering bubbles. Others followed, gently inserting small ceramic discs into the fresh openings.
Each disc carried a tiny sliver of hope for the reef, in the shape of fingertip-size sprigs of brightly colored, fledgling coral.
This undersea work site may look like a scene from a Jules Verne novel, but it is part of a government-led effort to save Japan's largest coral reef, near the southern end of the Okinawa chain of islands. True to form in Japan, the project involves new technology, painstaking attention to detail and a generous dose of taxpayer money.
The project has drawn national attention, coming after alarming reports in the last decade that up to 90 percent of the coral that surrounds many of Okinawa's islands has died off. This raised a rare preservationist outcry in a heavily industrialized nation whose coastal vistas tend toward concrete sea walls and oil refineries.
The result has been what marine biologists call one of the largest coral restoration projects in the world, begun four years ago. The goal, say biologists, is to perfect methods that could be used around the world to rescue reefs endangered by overfishing, pollution and global warming.
They say they are using the Sekisei Lagoon Reef, which is named after the broad, shallow lagoon that it created, as a test bed for new techniques that they hope will one day make transplanting coral in the sea as routine as raising tree saplings on land.
"We have been replanting forests for 4,000 years, but we are only just now learning how to revive a coral reef," said Mineo Okamoto, a marine biologist at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, who has led development of the palm-size ceramic discs. "We finally have the technology."
Critics, however, say the project might be wasted effort. They say transplanting is futile without addressing the problems that caused the reefs to deteriorate in the first place, like coastal redevelopment and chemical runoff from terrestrial agriculture. There is also the bigger problem of rising ocean water temperatures, for which there may be no easy fix.
Here in the Sekisei Lagoon, which sits between the tropical islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote, another problem also becomes apparent: the puny size of the efforts to save a reef that stretches as far as the eye can see in almost every direction.
Since 2005, the project has planted around 13,000 pieces of coral, at a cost of some $2 million, said Hajime Hirosawa, a preservation officer at the Environment Ministry who helps oversee the transplanting. This is a far cry, he admits, from the tens of millions of pieces that need to be transplanted in this reef alone, which stretches over an area of about 100 square miles.
Worse, survival rates have been low, Mr. Hirosawa said. Only a third of the coral sprigs transplanted in 2005 have survived threats ranging from predators like the Crown-of-Thorns starfish to "bleaching," an ultimately fatal condition caused when rising water temperatures turn coral a sickly white.
"Saving the reef is not something that we can do in three to four years," Mr. Hirosawa said, "but more like 30 to 40 years."
Still, say Mr. Hirosawa and others, the techniques have steadily improved, lifting survival rates. One change was to shift from placing new coral on flat sea bottoms, which proved vulnerable to typhoon-driven surface waves that broke off coral, to more protected vertical reef faces.
Another advance was the ceramic discs, which are baked at 2,700 degrees until hardened, but whose surface contains tiny pores that allow coral larvae to take root. Every spring, a team of a dozen divers has spent up to two weeks drilling holes and gluing in the discs.
While labor intensive, this method offers a more secure footing for the young coral than previous methods, like attaching coral pieces with wire and nails, Dr. Okamoto said.
The improved transplanting methods have become promising enough that the Environment Ministry says it plans to double the number of coral pieces planted next year, to 10,000.
While the project's main goal is environmental, there are also geopolitical motivations. Tokyo plans a much larger and more expensive coral transplantation to try to strengthen the reef protecting Okinotori, a tiny, remote islet that Japan uses to claim economic control of a vast swath of the Pacific Ocean. The government wants to prevent a strong typhoon from wiping away the tiny outcropping, and with it the basis for Japan's territorial claims, which have already been challenged by China.
There is also a friendly race among global scientists trying to develop the best coral transplantation method. Competing ideas vary from creating coral habitat with large concrete "reef balls" to the use of mild electric current to speed coral growth.
For now, the most common transplanting technique involves breaking off pieces of adult coral and affixing them elsewhere on the reef. Besides damaging the host coral, this method, while quick and easy, also means that most of the transplanted pieces share the host's DNA, giving the reef a smaller and less healthy gene pool.
In the Japanese method, the discs are stacked underwater for 18 months near a healthy stretch of reef, allowing coral larvae released during spawning to naturally attach and grow on the ceramic surface. This ensures that each disc carries genetically distinct coral organisms, more closely replicating the results of natural reproduction.
"Japan's methods are expensive and labor intensive, but they also bring more genetic diversity and thus healthy reefs," said Baruch Rinkevich, a specialist in coral transplantation at Israel's National Institute of Oceanography in Haifa.
In Sekisei Lagoon, healthy reefs are increasingly found only along the lagoon's north side, where most coral still flourishes. This has led scientists to speculate that the north side may have evolved coral species adapted to surviving in warmer oceans. Starting next year, the divers will transplant northern coral to the lagoon's more decimated southern side, said Shuichi Fujiwara, the diving team leader.
"This is absolutely worth doing," said one of the team's divers, Ryo Isobe, 26, who works as a diving instructor during the summer tourist season. "When I think of how colorful these reefs used to be, I know we need to do all we can."
Source: New York Times
Submitted by: Joseph Ingoldsby
Landscape Mosaics
landscapemosaics@verizon.net
Brazil
25 April 2009
Fortaleza City Council discusses consumption of farmed shrimp
by Emanuel Furtado
Concern about the consumption of farmed shrimp by the population of the capital city of Ceara was the theme of a Public Hearing which took place last Thursday afternoon (23 April) in the Fortaleza City Council Chambers. Requested by the councilman Joao Alfredo, the hearing included the participation of Dr. Jeovah Meireles of the Federal University of Ceara (UFC); Anibal Feijo, the president of the Ceara Association of Supermarkets; and Andre Luiz, representing the Pastoral of Fisherfolks.
During the discussion, Anibal Feijo affirmed that he will meet with supermarket owners to discuss the topic and he promised to identify the origin of shrimp sold in supermarkets within 39-60 days. "What is displacing and destroying mangroves is going to have to be dealt with. We have to convert those who are operating incorrectly to viable and healthy criteria," he analyzed.
Andre Luis pointed out the impacts of shrimp farms on communities. Many shrimp farms have blocked the free movement of residents in their vicinity. The majority of impact studies take into consideration environmental aspects, but do not deal with anthropological or cultural aspects." He sited the example of the community of Curral Velho, located in the city of Acarau, where bus service for the local population stopped operating on account of the water released by the shrimp farms, impeding the flow of transit. Andre also called attention to the right that people have to know what type of product they are buying. "When I go to a restaurant I need to know where the shrimp that I am consuming comes from."
Jeovah Meireles called attention to the impacts of shrimp farming on the environment, such as salinization of ground water, contamination of watersheds, deforestation of mangrove ecosystems, decrease of biodiversity, occupation and privatization of federal lands, occupation of regions traditionally occupied by fisherfolk and indigenous peoples and their expulsions, in addition to the degradation of the base of community economies and the risk of food security for these groups. "All of this consequently results in environmental and social damage, which falls disproportionately and directly on these communities of fisherfolk, quilombolas (descendants of escaped slave communities), and indigenous peoples."
For Meireles, the utilization of antibiotics in shrimp farms produces residues that may be taken up metabolically by humans, causing unpredictable consequences. "The greatest risk is related to cumulative impacts. How do these chemicals and drugs interact with other organisms of the ecosystem? The results of the use of these pharmaceutical products are not publicly known," he alerted. According to Jeovah, the exporting of shrimp harms society. "What's being exported along with the shrimp is mangrove biodiversity, wetland environmental quality, and the way of life and traditions of these communities."
Submitted by: Via Campesina
viacampesina@hotmail.com
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Colombia
22 April 2009
Happy Earth Day!
I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating mother earth's day!!!
I am very excited to say we had a creative, artistic and talent-filled earth day celebration around the theme mangrove biodiversity, with 7 schools, 4 private and 3 public schools located near the mangrove lagoon my foundation is trying to recover, Ciénaga Juan Polo in the north of the city of Cartagena. Thanks to the material Martin Keeley of MAP kindly sent me, I was able to distribute teaching material to the schools in advance of Earth Day, so that each school worked through the material with their students to then prepare a presentation for today. The presentations went all the way from academic content, very informative presentations, to highly creative shows such as singing and acting. Another exciting activity we had today was the creation of the mangrove ecosystem. I had all the schools (20 to 40 students per school) bring to the event the biodiversity pack that Martin sent me, colored and cut out. We formed groups, mixing the schools to encourage mingling of the kids, and a marine biologist lead them into a dynamic where they glued the figures onto a poster that had a mangrove drawn on it. The posters look beautiful! Some of the biodiversity figures were also used to make a sculpture by a recognized Colombian eco artist, Patricia Lara. The sculpture represents the roots of the mangroves.
Tomorrow there is a hearing on the new mangrove zoning the environmental authority has done, and we are going with the 7 biodiversity posters and a poster with the signatures of the kids under a title that says "For the Biodiversity of the Mangroves".
Finally, all the schools are holding an art contest from here until Friday of next week, under MAP's guidelines for the Calendar contest. The local prize we are giving is a trip to the Oceanary in the Natural National Park Rosario Coral Islands, 40 minutes from Cartagena. It's not an exaggeration to say that the kids that live in the communities near the mangrove lagoons in Cartagena never get a chance to go to this beautiful national park, which on the other hand is a common destination for upper classes (many of whom have houses within the park) and tourists in the city. I am therefore rooting for the public school students to win!!
Submitted by: Viviana Mourra
viviana.mourra@gmail
Fundación Ecoprogreso
+57 320 542 4108
Cartagena, Colombia
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El Salvador
17 April 2009
Taiwan offers loans to Salvadoran shrimp breeders
By Huang Kwang-chun and Elizabeth Hsu
Panama City (CNA) Taiwan announced Friday the launch of a program to issue small loans to fishermen in El Salvador to help them turn salt fields along the eastern coast of their country into shrimp farms.
Republic of China Ambassador to El Salvador Carlos S.C. Liao and Salvadoran Agriculture Ministry Mario Ernesto Salaverria hosted a ceremony at a fishery station in eastern El Salvador to mark the launch of the loans, which will total US$100,000.
In addition to the financial support, a Taiwanese technical mission in El Salvador will also teach local breeders how to cultivate shrimp and increase output, according to a statement by the ROC embassy in El Salvador.
It has been estimated that the loans will benefit 320 fishermen and help increase their local shrimp output to 66 tons per year. The annual production value is assessed at US$270,000, which will produce a net annual income of US$150,000 for the breeders, the statement said.
On Friday, Salaverria expressed gratitude for the financial support, saying that Taiwan has helped his country a great deal in terms of agricultural development.
Taiwanese technical missions have over the years not only helped local farmers grow vegetables and fruit but have also assisted them in establishing irrigation systems and promoting marketing, Liao said.
With the new Salvadoran government set to assume office June 1, Liao promised that Taiwan will continue to initiate plans in line with its agricultural policies to help El Salvador's sustainable development.
The Central American country is one of 23 that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. In 2008, Taiwanese exports there reached US$89.71 million, while imports from El Salvador amounted to US$20.09 million.
President Ma Ying-jeou is planning to visit El Salvador in June to attend the inauguration of President-elect Mauricio Funes.
Source: Taiwan News
==================================
Mexico
20 April 2009
Americas Program Earth Day 2009 Special Report: Fighting to Save Mexico's Mangroves
by Kent Paterson
Standing in front of the Vicente Guerrero Elementary School as the children played, Obdulia Balderas recalls when she came to Zihuatanejo in the state of Guerrero more than 40 years ago. A young schoolteacher from the Guerrero town of Taxco, Balderas was haunted by the violence against dissident students and youth by Mexican security forces, who slaughtered hundreds in what has become known as the Tlatleloco Massacre.
Figuring that the quiet port of Zihuatanejo was a safer place and only a stone's throw from Acapulco, Balderas accepted a job as a third-grade teacher. She was surprised to discover that it took hours to reach the little Pacific bay on a winding, dusty dirt road.
Next to the school was a mangrove estuary where the children hauled out a hidden wooden raft and splashed and fished in the water during recess. Fresh water percolated in from a pristine arroyo that entered the bay.
That was in 1968. A few years later the administration of President Luis Echeverria expropriated communally-owned lands for a new tourist development, offering local landowners a small cut of the sales proceeds.
"It hit us like a big drinking binge," Balderas says. "We didn't realize what we were losing. They gave the (landowners) a little bit of money ... everyone felt like they were rich. Some bought a car, others got drunk. But they didn't realize what they were losing."
Today, little remains of Balderas' memories of Zihuatanejo. The mangroves have been torn out, the estuary drained, and the clean water replaced with a stream of water-born contaminants that enter the bay from a cement-lined canal. On the other side of Zihuatanejo's main beach, the dirty wastewater defiles the vestiges of a mangrove ecosystem that stretches to Las Salinas Lagoon. A man was recently charged for cutting down more than five acres of threatened mangrove trees at another local beach, Playa Larga.
Zihuatanejo was an appropriate place for the most recent meeting of the International Mangrove Network (IMN)-Mexico, a section of a network that draws together defenders of mangroves from across the globe. Characterized by lazy waters and droopy trees, mangroves constitute "the first scale of life," says Marco Antonio Rodriguez of Marea Azul, a non-governmental environmental group based in the Mexican state of Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico.
Situated on the coasts of Latin America and much of the tropical world, mangrove estuaries are places where the hum of insects, the splash of fish, the flutter of birds, and the prowl of crocodiles can sometimes still convey a timeless natural world in an age where time is money and space a commodity. Tropical mangroves function to capture carbon, incubate numerous aquatic species, prevent coastal erosion, serve as windbreaks to storms, shelter migratory birds from the north, and nourish coastal communities and cultures, say Rodriguez and other members of the IMN-Mexico.
Threats to Mangrove Ecosystems
In today's Mexico, mangrove ecosystems are under growing pressure. Statistics compiled by Greenpeace Mexico and the federal Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources report that mangrove habitat in the country's coastal zones fell from 1,041,267 hectares in 1976 to 683,881 in 2007. If present trends continue, Greenpeace Mexico warns, the country will lose an additional 40-50% of its existing mangrove cover by 2025.
The Mexican mangrove story is one that is repeated across the world. A 2001 report from the World Rainforest Movement noted that half the planet's mangroves vanished during the latter part of the 20th century.
Alejandro Olivera, ocean and coastal campaign coordinator for Greenpeace Mexico, says mangroves contain important economic value for fishing and coastal economies. A study done in the Gulf of California by Mexico's National Fisheries Service, Olivera says, reported that each hectare (2.6 acres) of mangroves generates $37,500 in economic value.
For the members of the Barra de Santa Ana Cooperative in the Mexican Pacific state of Michoacan, mangroves sustained the shrimp harvest in the past and could embrace an eco-tourism project in the future. Co-op members plan to build cabins and take tourists on boat excursions to view crocodiles and other wildlife.
"We've created the ecotourism project to satisfy the necessities of our families," says co-op Secretary Hector Madrigal. "We're only lacking the authorization of the appropriate authorities."
Madrigal and friends maintain a mangrove nursery, planting 5,000 new trees last year. A similar mangrove reforestation effort is underway in the Tres Palos Lagoon near Acapulco, with the support of the city government and local fishermen.
Tourist development, the construction of residential subdivisions in urban centers like Acapulco, new ports on the Pacific Coast, Pemex facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, and contamination of estuaries from heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals all pose serious threats to Mexico's mangroves.
Despite opposition from tourism developers, a tough new law protecting mangroves was approved by the Mexican Congress in 2007. Two years later, pressures to develop coastal tourism and trade, especially in tough economic times, are encouraging efforts to gut the law. According to Greenpeace's Olivera, two initiatives in the Mexican Congress could elevate development over environmental protection. "We're worried," Olivera acknowledges. Activists are campaigning to make sure the 2007 law stays intact.
The "Climate Change President" and Destruction of the Mangroves
While President Felipe Calderon and members of his administration make speeches about Mexico being a world leader in reducing greenhouse gases and blunting climate change, environmentalists warn that pro-development policies will destroy an essential ecosystem that guards against the effects of climate change as well as climate change itself.
Mangroves could become a tragic casualty of the rush to trade in the country's coasts for dollars. Calderon recently inaugurated the Pacific Coast Planned Integral Center (CIP) in Sinaloa. Located in the middle of an extensive mangrove forest, the new tourism project is envisioned to be twice the size of Cancun and attract 3 million tourists annually according to Miguel Gomez Font, director of Mexico's National Tourism Promotion Fund. Gomez claims the project will grow a city of 500,000 people and create 150,000 jobs.
In a February speech inaugurating the project in Escuinapa, Sinaloa, President Calderon pledged the mega-project will respect the environment. But Gabriel Martinez Campos, president of the Colima-based environmental organization Bios Iguana, criticizes President Calderon for unveiling the CIP without first having a required environmental impact assessment.
"With this decision, the government of Felipe Calderon creates a legal uncertainty and allows investors who want to become established in the country an open door to come in without any administrative or legal pressure," Martinez says. "We are now in a situation where ecocide is an action of the state, and there is going to be impunity in the environmental arena."
Earlier this year, Bios Iguana co-filed a complaint with the Montreal-based North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) over another project-the massive expansion of the Pacific port of Manzanillo. Manzanillo is a key link in China-North America trade where plans are underway to construct a liquefied natural gas (LGN) re-gasification terminal operated by the Federal Electricity Commission as well as a second LNG facility run by the Ciudad Juarez-based Zeta Gas Company.
The complaint contends the development will jeopardize the Cuyutlan Lagoon, one of the richest mangrove habitats of Mexico's Pacific Coast, as well as jeopardize the safety of nearby residents. Approved by the national environmental ministry, the local municipal development plan facilitates port and terminal construction-all in violation of Mexican environmental law, the complaint alleges.
Conflicts of Interests
CEC Executive Director Adrian Vasquez recused himself from involvement in the Manzanillo complaint. Vasquez's Mexican citizenship as well as his former service as a Mexican government official drove the decision. A chemist by trade who graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, Dr. Vasquez previously worked in neighboring Ciudad Juarez and the state of Chihuahua both as an environmental regulatory official and as a consultant to private industry. Zeta Gas is one of the most ubiquitous and influential firms in northern Mexico. Dr. Vazquez also recused himself from participating in another CEC case filed by Chihuahua activists opposed to the planting of genetically-modified corn.
Both the Manzanillo and Chihuahua cases are currently under review in the CEC.
Set up as the environmental side commission of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the CEC does not have the authority to order changes in the Manzanillo project. After reviewing the complaint, the CEC could decide to investigate and deliver statement of facts to Mexican environmental authorities, who would then have the discretion to alter the project or not.
Environment Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quezada has called preserving mangroves a "priority task for the current administration," but members of IMN-Mexico contend the federal agency lacks the needed resources and political muscle to be effective.
"On the one hand they have humanistic principles and principles of being Mexican nationalists," says Marco Antonio Rodriguez. "On the other hand, they have interests they cannot overcome."
Perhaps an emblematic case in point involves the former chief of environmental office for the state of Guerrero, Leonel Lozano. Lozano was fired from his post last February after running afoul of tourism developers. The showdown erupted after Lozano filed three legal complaints against the planned Bungalows Playa Azul tourist development near Acapulco.
In response, lawyers for the development pursued a formal complaint against Lozano, alleging he trespassed on private property and exceeded his authority as a government official. Subsequently, the internal affairs division of Mexico's federal government determined Lozano should be sacked from his job.
Insisting he was within legal limits, Lozano says he ran across violations during one of his routine inspections of the Guerrero countryside. Lozano maintains Bungalows Playa Azul had encroached upon the prohibited federal zone near the beach, partially filling a lagoon with construction material and erecting buildings in a "high risk" area for natural disasters where a lagoon meets the Pacific Ocean.
According to the Acapulco daily El Sur, the Federal Attorney General for Environmental Protection shut down the Bungalows Play Azul site shortly after Lozano's firing because the development was found to have exceeded its environmental permit.
Lozano's firing hit the national press, got attention in the Mexican Congress, and provoked outrage among Guerrero environmentalists, including members of the IMN-Mexico. Although a 2008 article in an Acapulco magazine promoting Bungalows Playa Azul bore the logo of the Guerrero state government, Governor Zeferino Torreblanca later publicly disassociated his administration from the project.
A full plate on their table, members and supporters of IMN-Mexico from 47 organizations, the Guerrero state government, and Zihuatanejo municipal governments concluded a meeting in the Pacific town last month. More than 100 people heard research presentations, networked with fellow environmentalists, and issued a statement, "The Zihuatanejo Declaration."
Besides redoubling their commitment to protecting mangrove zones, the signers of the declaration opposed the proposed La Parota Dam near Acapulco, expressed solidarity with Mexican environmentalists facing state repression, and called for public clarification of the Lozano firing.
Signatories of the Zihuatanejo Declaration included the Zihuatanejo Network of Environmental Organizations, Oaxaca Coastal Wetlands Network, Greenpeace Mexico, Bios Iguana, Marea Azul, and SOS Bahia, among many others. The statement addressed Latin American and international issues, including a controversial petrochemical project slated for Venezuela's Paraguana Peninsula, which has been proposed as a biosphere reserve in the United Nations.
While expressing solidarity with environmental policies of the Venezuelan government, the Zihuatanejo Declaration conveyed concern about a massive development project intended with support from China and Iran.
The Zihuatanejo event was originally planned as a Latin American gathering but was stymied by Mexican immigration authorities, according to Colima mangrove defender Esperanza Salazar. Although conference planners submitted paperwork months in advance in order to obtain visas for a delegate from El Salvador and one from Colombia, Salazar insists, immigration officials finally refused to issue the necessary travel permits. The conference co-organizer blames current Mexican policies that cast suspicion on certain foreign nationals who might attempt to remain in Mexico or try to cross the border into the United States.
"This is very grave for the people," Salazar says, "because it's part of the struggle, and if we aren't together, we can't struggle together."
For Marco Antonio Rodriguez, preserving mangrove ecosystems is an especially urgent task in a world besieged by twin economic and climate crises. Delving into past history as a guide to the future, Rodriguez reaffirmed the sentiments that first brought pro-mangrove activists from Mexico, Ecuador, and Honduras together back in 1995.
"We determined that the only solution was for the people to come together, to form bonds of sisterhood, and to make demands and engage in forms of struggle that permit (people) to conserve the natural resources which sustain their lives and economies," Rodriguez says.
Kent Paterson is a freelance journalist who covers the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Latin America, and an analyst for the Americas Program at www.americaspolicy.org.
Source: Americas Program, Center for International Policy (CIP)
Submitted by: Peter Riggs
riggs@forumdemocracy.net
Australia
17 Apr 2009
New research reveals extraordinary habits of rare Aussie dolphin
A preliminary study on Australia's mysterious snubfin dolphin has given researchers new insight into the mammal's habits and behaviour, including that it uses an extraordinary spitting technique to catch prey.
The research, funded by ING DIRECT, has given an overview of the life and habits of this very rare marine mammal, affectionately named 'snubby' by researchers, which lives in tight-knit social groups along the northern coastlines of Australia.
The small dolphins hunt in groups and use a spitting technique to catch their prey - chasing fish to the surface of the water, and rounding them up by shooting jets of water from their mouths, said WWF-Australia's Marine and Coasts Manager Lydia Gibson.
"This is incredibly unusual behaviour, first seen in Australia off the Kimberley Coast, has only been noted before in Irrawaddy dolphins, which are closely related to this species," Gibson said. "It also confirms the snubfin dolphin is a fascinating animal, one which we know so little about."
Gibson said the WWF/ING DIRECT research has been collating existing information from many sightings over the years while also gathering new valuable data about snubfin habitats across northern Australia.
The ten key findings from the research so far show that:
- Threats to mangrove systems from rising sea levels predicted with climate change and from human impacts such as dam construction, dredging and other destructive activities are the greatest threat to the snubfin. Where mangrove systems are destroyed or damaged, the snubfins will lose their food and their habitat/home.
- Snubfins are very susceptible to chemical pollution, viruses and bacteria because they live close to shore and have a relatively small range. A parasite found in cat faeces (Toxoplasma gondii) is of particular concern, as it was found - via contaminated run-off - to be the cause of death of three Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins recovered around Townsville in the period 2000-2001.
- Snubfin dolphins are more likely than other dolphins to be caught in gill nets because they prefer inshore estuarine habitats where river-nets are set.
- Snubfin families appear to spend much of their lives in very small territories close to shore. This means snubfin populations can be heavily impacted by habitat destruction and unsustainable development.
"These top ten facts were uncovered to better understand what we do and do not know about the snubfin dolphin. They will provide us with the benchmark we need to inform conservationists, government and scientists about how best to conserve and manage this unique and threatened species for future generations."
Ms Gibson said that habitat destruction was the key threat to these coastal dolphins.
"There are already development proposals around the Great Barrier Reef that could affect their habitat - like the extension of the Townsville Port - that could have major impacts on these species. We must work with all relevant stakeholders to initiate a strategic environment assessment of future developments close to snubfin habitats."
Australia's largest online bank, ING DIRECT, joined WWF-Australia's flagship species conservation program to help fund research into the snubfin dolphin, primarily in Queensland.
"We are even more proud now that we have been able to help researchers uncover a range of remarkable facts and insights that may help preserve this remarkable creature long into the future," said Christian Bohlke, ING DIRECT Head of Branding and Communications.
ING DIRECT's funded research has not only given insights into the, until now, secret lives of these dolphins, it has also revealed the threats they face from man.
"This overview sets the stage for the ongoing research needed to help us discover ways to minimise our impact on these unique Australian creatures. Companies like ING DIRECT that fund this research are helping us preserve an extraordinary creature and are building a legacy that will be enjoyed by Australians for generations to come," Bohlke said.
Source: WWF
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21 April 2009
MangroveWatch is coming to the Wide Bay area
Enthusiastic Queensland locals are joining a new Community Coastcare intitiative to help look after our valuable estuary and mangrove habitats.
On May 2, from around midday to 4.30 pm, MangroveWatch will be launched in the Wide Bay area at the Sea Scout Hall at Torquay. All are welcome to join in and to learn about this ambitious pilot program.
Mangrove facilitator and mangrove specialist at The University of Queensland, Dr Norm Duke, said MangroveWatch was a new initiative for a locally-based community program to monitor change taking place in mangroves and tidal wetlands of the Burnett Mary region.
Changes might be caused by climate or sea level rise, or due to local disturbances and pollution.
The Community Coastcare, Caring for our Country, project is facilitated by The University of Queensland and supported by a range of stakeholders including: the Burnett Mary Regional Group, Butchella Traditional Land custodians, Coastal Water Quality Alliance, Cooloola Wild Dog Control, Cooloola Coastcare, Xavier College, Burnett Heads Progress Association, Friends of the Burrum, Ocean Watch Australia, Port of Bundaberg and P.I. & Fisheries (DEEDI).
Cooloola Coastcaree volunteer Peter Raynes said it was "about time someone got smart about managing our mangroves."
Dr Duke said a key feature of this project was its close partnership between community volunteers and marine scientists from The University of Queensland's Centre for Marine Studies.
Science specialists would help train community members, assist in selection of monitoring sites, provide expert advice, and together develop scientifically useful and practical assessment methods for habitat health assessment.
"With this assistance, community members will become better-informed custodians of local waterways and tidal wetlands," he said.
"An early objective is to find those who will become River Keepers for the creeks and river estuaries of the region, like Xavier College and their marine science students who have enthusiastically taken custodianship of Eli Creek."
Dr Duke said MangroveWatchers would collect samples and data for compilation and analysis together with the university specialists.
The plan is to prepare a public report for May next year on key issues affecting local estuaries and mangroves, and their overall health. The area covered extends from Eurimbula Creek in the north to Tin Can Bay in the south.
Media: Dr Norm Duke, n.duke@uq.edu.au, 07 3365 2729
Source: UQ News Online
British Virgin Islands
21 April 2009
Press Release: Bahamas-inspired environmental case comes to trial
Contact: Virgin Islands Environmental Council
Trish Baily: Captain/Manager Yacht Serendipity, British Virgin Islands
Tel: 284 4967557
ecosail@hotmail.com
www.sailserendipity.com
A landmark environmental case in the British Virgin Islands, that was inspired in part by the Save the Guana Cay Reef action in the Bahamas, will be heard in the Virgin Islands High Court from 27th - 29th April 2009. The case Virgin Islands Environmental Council v Attorney General and Another sets a precedent in the BVI as the first environmental and public-interest challenge to a government decision. It involves judicial review of the former NDP Government's planning approval for a 5-star hotel, marina and golf course that would destroy the scientifically documented biologically important Hans Creek Fisheries Protected Area in Beef Island, British Virgin Islands. Legal issues in the case center around the irrationality of the decision in light of an over-arching "Development Agreement" which pre-approved many of the project components, and the illegality of project approval in blatant contravention of the Fisheries Law prohibiting development that would adversely impact a fisheries protected area.
The case is being fought by the Virgin Islands Environmental Council (VIEC), a coalition of local fishermen, concerned residents, scientists and environmental activists. The politically charged issue came to a head during an election year. When local lawyers refused to assist, the group reached out to Mr. Fred Smith, Freeport attorney for Save Guana Cay Reef, who was the first attorney to give the group a legal opinion on the merits of their case. His timely encouragement and advice enabled VIEC to file their claim against the decision within the six-month time limit for bringing judicial review. This advice was crucial because compliance with the limitation period was challenged as a preliminary point up to the Court of Appeal of Eastern Caribbean States. In November 2008 the OECS Court of Appeal handed down a ruling upholding the decision of Justice Olivetti in the BVI High Court that the application for leave "commenced" an action under the new Civil Procedure Rules. Therefore, the claim was filed in time and the case could proceed to trial.
Due to numerous other commitments, Mr. Smith was unable to provide further legal assistance. Fortunately, the VIEC through the efforts of its legal director, Mumta Ito, was able to secure the services of London counsel, Mr. Stephen Hockman QC, former Chairman of the UK Bar Council and previous Chairman of the Environmental Law Foundation. The case has received international attention and acclaim, including the support of Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways and Norman Island in the BVI. Sir Richard provides discounted flights on his airline for the legal team flying in from the UK. Funding the legal action, however, continues to be a major challenge. In this regard, the VIEC has been fortunate to receive the assistance of the Cambridge-based Ocean River Institute (ORI) a registered US Charity that provides support services for small environmental groups to take action in their own communities. In addition to raising tens of thousands of dollars to cover legal expenses, ORI has been instrumental in raising awareness around the world including an international petition with over 18,000 signatures and letters from individuals in support of the VIEC.
Save Guana Cay Reef and the Beef Island case are just two Caribbean island examples of a world-wide phenomena - the struggle of local peoples and small land-owners against the powerful alliances of unscrupulous developers and politicians and their mega-resort and real estate development projects with the enormous problems they cause for society and the environment. To borrow the words of the 2009 Declaration of Belem made at the World Social Forum in Brazil, these legal cases represent "the legitimate expression of struggle and resistance by communities against the current conventional unsustainable model of tourism and speculative real estate development." They represent a struggle to promote tourism models that value ecosystem survival, local communities, traditional culture and the way of life.
During the April 27 - 29 hearing, it is expected that novel areas of law will be judicially considered that will affect the future of sustainable development, planning policy, and the status of protected areas in the BVI and throughout the Caribbean. Whatever is decided is likely to be appealed, and the legal struggle to Save Beef Island is expected to continue through the Virgin Islands-OECS court system right up to the level of the Privy Council.
Submitted by: Trish Baily
ecosail@hotmail.com
USA
17 April 2009
Organisations Form Seafood Watch Programme
SAN FRANCISCO, US - Aquarium of the Bay, the California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Zoo today launched the San Francisco Seafood Watch(R) Alliance aimed at raising local consumer, restaurateur and seafood industry awareness of the importance of acquiring seafood from sustainable sources.
Working together, the organizations will provide regional support for the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.
The three organizations will embark on an aggressive, three-tiered outreach campaign throughout 2009 and beyond. Consumer outreach will increase the distribution of Seafood Watch pocket guides, a handy resource for making ocean-safe decisions when purchasing seafood in stores and restaurants.
Restaurateur outreach will assist local restaurants in making sustainable seafood decisions through staff training sessions, chef consultations and partnerships with Bay Area restaurants. Industry outreach will increase visibility for seafood sustainability amongst wholesalers and distributors, fishermen, culinary schools and other food and restaurant leaders through participation in trade shows and industry conferences.
"Sustainability is a core value at the California Academy of Sciences, and as part of the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance, we are looking forward to expanding our outreach to visitors, equipping them with the tools they need to make sustainable seafood choices," says Chris Andrews, Director of Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences. "By tying this message into our exhibits and programs, we hope to inspire people to appreciate Earth's oceans and take a more active role in protecting them."
"The San Francisco Zoo is happy to support the conservation action of others in our Zoo and Aquarium community through group efforts like the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance," said Tanya Peterson, Executive Director and President, San Francisco Zoo. "Our missions as individual organizations revolve around conservation and education; this is a wonderful opportunity to join together and support one another for a common cause."
"Aquarium of the Bay has shared the Seafood Watch program with our visitors for several years now and we look forward to expanding our reach through the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance," said John Frawley, CEO of Aquarium of the Bay. "We will focus most heavily on the Bay Area restaurant and culinary school scene, which opens up countless opportunities to share the importance of and need for sustainable seafood."
"For more than a decade, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has worked with consumers and businesses nationwide to help them see that their seafood choices can have a tremendous impact on the health of the oceans," said aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. "That's why we started Seafood Watch, and why we've built a science-based program that can be a resource for partners like the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance. I'm delighted that our Bay Area colleagues have become so active in helping people use Seafood Watch to shape a future with healthy oceans."
Source: TheFishSite News Desk
6 April 2009
Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services Severely Undervalued
New World Bank Review Calls for Action to Protect the Marine Environment
Contacts
In Washington: Karolina Ordon (202) 458 5971
kordon@worldbank.org
Jeff Brez (202) 458-7628
jbrez@worldbank.org
WASHINGTON, DC - Properly valuing coastal and marine ecosystem services is critical to sustainable development, according to the World Bank publication "Environment Matters 2008" launched today.
Titled: "Valuing Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services", the review argues that while we recognize that the ocean provides vast quantities of food, offers enormous recreational values, and stores carbon - what is a critical service in an era of climate change - these services so vital for humankind have been treated as "free goods," and the ecosystems that provide them are rapidly deteriorating through overuse, pollution, and physical destruction.
"People still ask me, 'Why do we need the ocean.' I say, 'Well, I suppose we could live on Venus, or Mars.' We don't adequately appreciate the ocean, but we're greatly changing it. What we're just realizing is how those changes are already affecting people, stability, and prospects for peace," said Carl Safina, Co-founder and President of Blue Ocean Institute, as he delivered a keynote address during the launch event in Washington, D.C.
Valuation of indirect ecosystem services such as the regulating role of coastal and marine resources in providing habitat for fish, as a receptor for wastewater, or to control beach erosion, is weak. Our inability to adequately capture and account for these values, has greatly jeopardized the health of marine ecosystems and their ability to continue to provide essential services in fisheries productivity, tourism amenities, coastal protection, and CO2 uptake.
"The Ocean does matter, and coastal and marine ecosystems do matter in the grand scheme of things. Their importance is vital here and now to our mission of poverty alleviation and sustainable development. We are determined to stop under-investing in coastal and marine management, and to protect vital ecosystem processes. Because, quite simply, we will have a tough time living without them," said Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development.
The annual contribution of ocean ecosystem goods and services to the global economy has been estimated to exceed $20 trillion. Nonmarket values such as biodiversity and climate regulation are incalculable, and the spiritual worth of an intact seascape and the wonder of a coral reef are impossible to quantify.
The last two decades have seen a rapid loss of critical wetlands and coral reefs. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that 20 percent of the world's mangroves were lost between 1980 and 2005. Some 16 percent of the world's coral reefs died in the wake of widespread coral bleaching tied to the El Niño events of 1997. Under a business-as-usual scenario, scientists warn that we may witness the disappearance of coral reefs by mid-century.
Climate change now threatens to push many of these systems over the edge, with severe consequences for society, but especially the world's poor. Coastal and marine ecosystems play a complex and vital role in supporting economic prosperity and social welfare in developing countries. As we progress further into the 21st century, the importance of these coastal and marine resources is certain to increase.
Source: The World Bank
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13 April 2009
NEWS RELEASE
Unprecedented "Roundtable of Ocean Industry Association Leaders"
to Convene at Sustainable Ocean Summit in Belfast
First-ever gathering of ocean industry organizations on marine environmental challenges
Honolulu: International associations representing a wide variety of ocean industries will meet together in the first "Roundtable of Ocean Industry Association Leaders", which is being held as part of the Sustainable Ocean Summit in Belfast, 16-17 June 2009.
Confirmed Roundtable participants include directors and senior managers of: Oil and Gas Producers Association (OGP), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), International Association of Dredging Contractors (IADC), International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), International Energy Agency: Ocean Energy Systems (IEA:OES), with additional association participants anticipated.
The Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) is the first global cross-sectoral ocean sustainability conference bringing together shipping, oil and gas, aquaculture, tourism, fisheries, ports, dredging, mining, tankers, maritime finance and insurance, offshore renewable energy, and other ocean-related industries.
With the theme of "Reducing Risk, Increasing Sustainability: Solutions through Collaboration", SOS is an unparalleled private sector gathering focused on addressing marine environmental challenges in ways that support sustainable development and responsible business operations. "SOS participants will have an exceptional opportunity to interact with ocean industry associations and like-minded colleagues from a wide range of marine industries," said Paul Holthus Executive Director of the World Ocean Council.
The conference will open on June 16th 2009 with the "Roundtable of Ocean Industry Association Leaders", a forum for the diverse international ocean business community. The roundtable will identify cross-cutting issues, define needs and opportunities for cross-sectoral leadership, and highlight priorities for collaboration. Industry associations not yet participating in the roundtable are encouraged to contact the World Ocean Council as soon as possible, as space is limited.
The main SOS conference program addresses cross-sectoral ocean industry sustainability issues including: greenhouse gas emissions, marine protected areas, marine spatial planning, the Arctic, ocean noise, vessel interactions with marine mammals, invasive species, marine debris, role of the maritime finance, insurance and legal industries, and the decommissioning of ships and structures. Leading companies will highlight innovative solutions to these challenges. Conferences sessions will develop World Ocean Council programs to address shared industry challenges in the marine environment.
The conference wraps up with a plenary roundtable on "Ocean Industry Image", a session focused on how to improve the communication of positive industries efforts on ocean environmental challenges and increase the understanding of ocean industries among the media, NGOs and the public.
Register for the Sustainable Ocean Summit at www.oceancouncil.org.
The World Ocean Council is the international cross-sectoral industry alliance for private sector leadership and collaboration in Corporate Ocean Responsibility.
For more information contact:
Paul Holthus +1 (808) 277-9008 paul.holthus@oceancouncil.org
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17 April 2009
WWF partners with SYSCO on sustainable seafood
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced a partnership agreement with SYSCO, the largest foodservice distributor in the US, to develop a strategy for responsibly-sourced seafood. Under the agreement, WWF will assess the sourcing of SYSCO's top 10 branded seafood species and work with the company to develop strategies that build on its efforts to move towards sustainable seafood sourcing.
Implementation of the strategy will be addressed during the second phase of the partnership. SYSCO is also a supporter of the multi-stakeholder roundtables, called Aquaculture Dialogues, which WWF coordinates and will provide financial support for the shrimp and salmon Dialogues.
As a key component in the implementation phase of the partnership, WWF will engage SYSCO in its Sustainable Seafood Initiative, which focuses on making the trade and harvesting of seafood more sustainable. WWF will work collaboratively with SYSCO's source fisheries to effect a change in practices across the supply chain and encourage these fisheries to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability standards.
Through the Aquaculture Dialogues, WWF and more than 2,000 other stakeholders are developing standards that will minimize the negative environmental and social impacts associated with aquaculture.
"Securing responsible fisheries and healthy marine ecosystems is only possible by working with the fishing and aquaculture industries along their entire seafood supply chain," said Bill Fox, vice president and managing director of WWF's fisheries program. "We are excited to work with SYSCO to identify tangible, ambitious strategies that will help lead the industry to more sustainable seafood sourcing practices."
Source: Fish Update
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27 April 2009
Study Says Warming Poses Peril to Asia
By Thomas Fuller
With diminished rice harvests, seawater seeping into aquifers and islands vanishing into rising oceans, Southeast Asia will be among the regions worst affected by global warming, according to a report scheduled for release on Monday by the Asian Development Bank.
The rise in sea levels may force the sprawling archipelago of Indonesia to redraw its sea boundaries, the report said.
All these changes will occur progressively over the next century, the bank estimated, giving countries time to improve their flood control systems, upgrade their irrigation networks and take measures to prevent forest fires, which the report predicts will become more common.
"Our modeling shows that sea levels will rise up to 70 centimeters," or about 28 inches, said Juzhong Zhuang, an economist at the bank and one of the authors of the report. "That will force the relocation of many millions of people."
Brackish water seeping into the water table in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the rice paddies of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is already a growing problem, the report says.
Some of the 92 outermost small islands that serve as a baseline for the claims of coastal waters by Indonesia could disappear, according to the report.
The margin of error of such complex projections so far into the future remains a nagging question but the report's conclusions are nonetheless sobering for Southeast Asian nations, which have a combined population of more than 563 million.
The report focuses on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
A projected one foot rise in sea levels in the Philippines by 2045 would flood about 5,000 acres, affecting 500,000 people, the report says. Under another sequence of events, sea levels could rise 39 inches by 2080, affecting 2.5 million people in the Manila Bay area.
The authors of the report urged governments to build infrastructure adapted to climate change, arguing that the current economic crisis was not incompatible with combating and adapting to global warming.
"The investment in climate change adaptation can serve as an effective fiscal stimulus," said Tae Yong Jung, another author of the report.
Southeast Asia is particularly vulnerable to global warming because of the number of people who live near coastlines and the high rate of poverty. About 19 percent of those in Southeast Asian, some 93 million people, live on less than $1.25 a day and are more vulnerable to the projected increase in typhoons, drought and floods.
The region also has a high percentage of agricultural workers, more than 40 percent of the population, who would face a decline in the production of rubber, rice, corn and other crops because of extreme weather, the report said.
The number of fish in the oceans is also likely to decline because of changes in currents caused by a warmer atmosphere.
In cities like Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta, which are already stiflingly hot for several months of the year, average temperatures in 2100 could be nine degrees hotter, the report says, using data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
"If that's the case, the cities will be like an oven," Mr. Zhuang said.
Source: NY Times
13 April 2009
Belize Mangrove Research - Field Volunteers
JOB DESCRIPTION:
We are seeking 2 motivated field assistants for our red mangrove study in Belize, Central America. This study focuses on the regeneration of red mangroves on Turneffe Atoll. Volunteers will gain extensive field experience working on a multi-faceted research project. Volunteers will learn about mangrove and coral reef ecosystems and marine conservation in tropical marine ecology.
Job will involve long working hours, and rustic living conditions in a tropical environment (hot, humid weather, and biting insects). Assistants will be spending periods of time on a boat moving between study sites. Duties will include fieldwork to measure and collect seedling data as well as data recording. There may be after-hours work involving shared data entry and preparation for the following workday. It is essential to have a good attitude, be ready and eager to learn, and always be willing to work hard, have fun, and enjoy even the longest of field days. On short days there will be opportunities for snorkeling and experiencing the coral reef ecosystem around Turneffe Atoll.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Applicants must know how to swim, be physically fit, and love the outdoors
- Undergraduate or recent collage graduate with coursework in ecology, marine science, biology, environmental science and/or botany.
- Previous field experience preferred, tropical field experience a plus
- Navigational skills (map and GPS) a plus
- Familiarity with spreadsheet software
- Positive and flexible work ethic, and enthusiasm
TRAVEL DATES:
June 12-24, 2009
This is a complete volunteer position, meaning that assistants will need to pay for their plane tickets, accommodations, etc. This will cost roughly ~$1000 plus airfare.
TO APPLY: Please send a brief statement of interest, resume, unofficial copy of transcript and references to Dr. Elise Granek at graneke@pdx.edu.
Deadline is rolling - ASAP, positions will be filled continuously.
=======================
Belize Mangrove Challenge!
Please check out this WWF contest which offers a prize for entries to the "Mangrove Friendly Shoreline Development Challenge." Deadline is May 27th. Contest rules and other information can be found at the following website:
World Wildlife (PDF format)
Contact Timothy Smith for more information:
Timothy B. Smith
Brooksmith Consulting
Ecology, Fisheries, Education
217-344-6356
217-778-2425
14 April 2009
Harmful chemicals detected in shrimp exports
The Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health of the European Commission (EC) met last week and discussed a decision to impose emergency measures on shellfish imported from India marked for human consumption in European countries.
The gathering follows an earlier 24 March meeting that had produced a draft-legislation on the issue. If the draft legislation is accepted, all shellfish imports from India would have to be accompanied by an analytical test result indicating the product is free from nitrofuran residues, reports The Hindu.
In a similar case, Japanese Food and Safety Authority (JFSA) officials detected pesticide residue pendimethalin beyond acceptable levels in a cultured shrimp consignment from an Indian firm, industry sources stated.
Japan is the second largest importer of Indian seafood after the European Union (EU) - both account for 16 per cent and 35 per cent of the total respectively, Business Standard reports.
The EC meetings were held to discuss the results of a Community Inspection visit to India that exposed shortcomings with regard to residue control systems in live animals and animal products. There have also been increased reports from EU member countries of banned nitrofuran metabolites in shellfish imported from India.
Rapid alerts had been issued after Belgium reported the presence of nitrofurans and furazolidone in Indian shrimp products, which were detained and not distributed. Similar alerts had also been issued in February.
The Government of India responded by quickly implementing safeguards designed to protect the country's marine exports, even as Japan moved to implement similar measures recently taken by Europe.
"Both rejections and EU alerts over Indian shrimp consignments have gone up in the last three months," confirmed G. Mohankumar, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).
"But they should be coming down in the immediate future since effective measures for total screening of export consignments are being implemented. Six new testing laboratories have been established and only tested consignments would be permitted for exports," he said.
Over 90 per cent of the rejections have come from consignments sent by Andhra Pradesh exporters. A relatively small geographical area, officials claim strict screening measures can be implemented over Andhra Pradesh and make the monitoring process more effective.
With proper guidelines to run aquaculture farms hygienically and efficiently already in place, all is required is strict implementation and vigil, stressed the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).
Source: FIS
via: ICSF
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24 April 2009
Leading Asian shrimp nations look to coalesce
By Michael Loubet
The representatives of four associations from leading Asian shrimp producing countries joined other experts and industry traders in the 2009 Shrimp Industry Development Forum in Zhanjiang to exchange views on the current global shrimp producing and trading situation and how these are affecting each domestic industry.
The four associations represented at the meeting were: China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association (CAPPMA), Thai Shrimp Association (TSA), Indonesian Shrimp Board of Commodity (ISBC) and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers (VASEP).
The associations prepared a multilateral statement of measures designed to foment cooperation and the favourable growth of shrimp production. The goal of these cooperative measures, they say, is to maintain a healthy shrimp industry and to sustain its development.
As the top four shrimp producing countries, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam produce 80 per cent of the world's farmed shrimp.
Although the farmed shrimp industry has been one of the fastest growers, its export market began to shrink in 2008 with prices declining rapidly. Despite higher production in the leading shrimp exporter countries, profits did not increase proportionately due to higher production costs.
Further declines have been forecasted for the shrimp market due to the global financial crisis. As a result, the challenges faced by exporting countries are not expected to improve within a short time.
The four association representatives shared similar assessments of the present international trade situation.
Demand from the main shrimp import markets is expected to remain low and keep prices down. China, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam will therefore look to boost domestic consumption.
The four shrimp producing associations reached an agreement to undertake the following:
- Establish regular information exchange channels with each association assigning a coordinator to facilitate effective communication.
- Work together to take measures to reduce or eliminate trade tariffs and technical barriers, including sharing the latest technologies in shrimp farming and processing.
- Take responsibility for sharing information and maintaining a black list of international companies that engage in questionable or illegal business practices in order to discourage dealings with such companies.
- Obey the principle of producing-according-to-demand as the production scale in each country is planned and developed and of protecting the benefit in each part of the industry.
- Improve the shrimp products processing and management, to increase the variety of products, expand the domestic shrimp consumption market and increase the diversification of the market in order to boost demand.
- Establish traceability systems, and encourage enterprises to reach for appropriate international certifications.
- Consider the establishment of a global shrimp industry alliance with a rotating president, to include the other main producing countries such as Ecuador, India, Mexico, Brazil, Bangladesh, among others.
Source: FIS
