Dear Friends,

This is the 224th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, November 15, 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!

Visit the MAP News Archive

DONATE TO MAP

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

SHRIMP LESS, THINK MORE:
Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog.
Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp

MAP ACTIVITIES:
2010 MAP Calendar On Sale Now!
Jim Enright in Indian Mangrove Jungle
Join or Support the Mumbai Mangroves Group

MAP ANNOUNCEMENTS
MAP Calendar Release
Dear Friend of the Mangroves,
 
First, I hope that you are doing well! With this Fall season now in full swing, I am keeping very busy taking on old tasks that are needing attention and initiating new ones. I ask now for your help on a yearly task that you have helped with before, and your help has been important to us then as it is still important now.
 
Our 2010 Children's Art Calendar has just been proofed, and we are now ready to begin production for printing and distribution. As usual, we can offer the calendars at half price to outlets or for $8 per calendar for those who purchase in bulk (20 or more). Otherwise, we are asking $12 per Calendar.
 
Note there are two versions, and the difference is that one calendar is for international distribution with certain dates marked that have intl. significance, while the 2nd version has these same dates, but added to them are US holidays so this can be sold here in the US. We decided to print this 2nd US oriented version because we had received suggestions that we include US holidays so the calendars are more useful for the bulk of our calendar buyers who are in the US.
 
Our plan thus far is to print 250 Intl. ones and 550 US ones. We would like to print more, but without help in distributing these and selling them, we are restricted to this smaller scale for now! Let us know soon if you want any bulk orders for distribution in your area. As you will see from this year's selection of beautiful children's art from the many contributing nations, we are very happy to present this new year to all on our list!
 
PLEASE SEND US YOUR ADVANCE ORDERS NOW, SO WE CAN BETTER DETERMINE HOW MANY CALENDARS WE SHOULD PRINT THIS YEAR!
Order Here 
 
Cheers,
Alfredo
 
MAP Asia Welcomes Volunteer Stephen Brooks
MAP-Asia welcomed new intern, Stephen Brooks, who has joined the MAP office in Trang, Thailand for the period Oct. -Dec. 2009.   Stephen has a BSc. in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Florida and has previous ecosystem restoration experience with the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the U. of Florida, and with the Three Rivers Land Conservancy in Oregon.  He has also worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer on watershed restoration and in Panama with the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation.   Stephen will be helping MAP with Ecological Mangrove Restoration, preparing information for the MAP website, assisting with funding research and proposal writing plus a host of other tasks.  He is also an avid photographer and we hope to put these skills to good use.  Stephen is looking forward to getting some hands-on-experience at the grass roots level, which he hopes will help formulate ideas for his research, based on real world needs, when he starts grad school next year.
 
FEATURED NEWS: 

AFRICA

Senegalese NGO Plants 34 Million Mangroves
SENEGAL - A Senegalese environmental NGO announced on Friday that it had planted 34 million mangrove trees in three months in a project largely financed by French dairy giant Danone to offset its carbon footprint.   Read More 
Source:  AFP  11/6/2009

SE ASIA

Up for Grabs: Deforestation and Exploitation in Papua's Plantations Boom

INDONESIA - The planned expansion of plantations in the Papuan provinces of Indonesia should be immediately suspended and reviewed amid concerns over massive deforestation and widespread exploitation of local communities, environmentalists warned today.   Read More
Source:  EIA International  11/10/2009

S. Sumatra`s Mangrove Forests in Critical Conditions: Official

INDONESIA - Mangrove forests in South Sumatra are in critical conditions due to the conversion of coastal areas into shrimp and fish farms by local residents, a provincial maritime official said.   Read More
Source:  Antara News  11/2/2009

 
As Tidal Surges Worsen, North Jakarta’s Urban Planning Remains Under Water
INDONESIA - Rini, a housewife living in the Marunda area in North Jakarta, is used to the monthly floods that come whenever the Java Sea rises. But the tidal surge on Thursday caught her off guard.   Read More
Source:  Jakarta Globe  11/9/2009

 
Replanted Surabaya Mangroves Die
INDONESIA - The protected forest on the eastern coast of Surabaya has lost about 7.6 million mangrove trees that were planted as part of reforestation efforts. Officials blamed the loss on the local residents’ lack of concern about the preservation of the mangrove ecosystem.   Read More
Source:  Jakarta Globe  11/13/2009

 
Move to Restore Mangrove Forests
MALAYSIA - Years ago, the whole of the Pulau Indah coastal area off Klang, was covered with mangrove trees. Now, only about 20% of the trees remain. “This island used to be covered with 2,000ha to 3,000ha of mangrove forest but now only a small portion of it is left.”   Read More
Source:  The Star Online  11/3/2009

Of Fish and Men: A Fable of Modern Times

MALAYSIA - Once upon a time, there was a group of fishing villages in the district of Pontian, a sleepy part of the state of Johor. The villagers, as you might have suspected, were fishermen who had settled in the area for many generations, some Malay, some Chinese, and although, as is the case in this world of ours, there was a degree of poverty, most of them made a good living plying their traditional trade.    Read More
Source:  Malaysia Kini  11/10/2009
 

Lanao Norte Coops Conduct Tree Planting

PHILIPPINES - In celebrating the Cooperative Month in October under the theme: "One Cooperative Movement, One Vision, One Nation: Bagong Batas, Bagong Sigla sa Kooperatiba," cooperatives in the province conducted a tree planting activity signifying their unity and responding to the call of our nation to protect mother nature at Barangay Caromatan, Kolambugan, this province.   Read More
Source:  Philippine Information Agency  11/10/2009

Mekong Delta Battles Climate Change and Rising Tides

VIETNAM - In late April 2009, thousand of people in Vi Thanh commune, Hau Giang province had to buy fresh water because sea water encroached into all rivers and canals in the area. This phenomenon had never happed so far in the region. Experts attending the Mekong Delta Climate Change Forum said in the future it will happen more frequently.   Read More
Source:  VietnamNet Bridge  11/13/2009

 
SOUTH ASIA

Fish Inbreeding Causes Concern

BANGLADESH - The current unplanned inbreeding of fish may cause genetic deteriorations in aquaculture production and open ocean fisheries, says Golam Hossain, Director General of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI). Hatchery stocks in floodplain and other open waters may be compromised.   Read More
Source:  FIS  10/30/2009

 
Muslim Scientist Awarded By UN, Ignored By India
INDIA - Khan's sojourn into mangrove vegetations began when he was studying for his Master's degree in Biotechnology. His thesis included a part on "Mangroves - A Life Saving Vegetation". While working on it, he traveled around coastal areas of the Tamil Nadu state of India.   Read More
Source:  Islam Online  11/3/2009
 
Debris Dumped on BKC Mangroves
INDIA - Environmentalists are furious at the manner in which MMRDA has laid utility lines on pavements, as the contractor has dumped truckloads of debris on the mangrove plantation in the Bandra-Kurla Complex.   Read More
Source:  Times of India  11/11/2009

NORTH AMERICA

Miami-Dade Commissioners Consider Cashing in on old Glades Jetport

UNITED STATES - Faced with a looming half-billion-dollar deficit from the expansion of Miami International Airport, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department wants to cash in on an Everglades jetport it was forced to abandon decades ago.   Read More
Source:  Miami Herald  11/2/2009

 
Don't go Drill Crazy in the Everglades
UNITED STATES - In search of money to help pay off Miami International Airport's expansion, officials want the county to consider drilling for oil and gas at an old jet port that's now part of the Big Cypress National Wildlife Preserve as one potential way to get money.   Read More
Source:  Miami Herald  11/3/2009
 
New Sustainable Seafood Certification Set in the US
UNITED STATES - The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) has become the main aquaculture seafood's standards-setting organisation thanks to the creation of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification logo, set in partnership with leading US distributor Foodservice - as announced on October 29.   Read More
Source:  Green Planet  11/2/2009
 
LATIN AMERICA

DIY Paradise Preservation
HONDURAS - The Bay Islands of Honduras give visitors a taste of what the Caribbean was like before development surged: a laid-back paradise with clear turquoise water, lush tropical vegetation and an easy integration into island life with no high-rises, no traffic and no stress.   Read More
Source:  Tonic  11/6/2009
 
CARIBBEAN

South Bimini Image Wins Grand Prize in 'Ocean in Focus' Conservation Photogrpahy Contest
BAHAMAS - Project AWARE Foundation and SeaWeb have chosen the Grand Prize winner for their second annual "Ocean in Focus" conservation photography contest, and this year the image comes from right here in Bimini!   Read More
Source:  Bahama Islands Info  10/28/2009

AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA

Fiji’s Environment Department Wants Tougher Management of Mangrove Areas
FIJI – The Department of Environment in Fiji says it expects to see tougher management of mangrove areas after it was found that the removal of mangroves helped contribute to the deadly January floods.  Read More
Source:  Radio New Zealand International  11/3/2009
 

ISSUES ARTICLES

WWF Confronted with Global Resistance for End to ‘Greenwashing’

An Open Letter signed by more than 80 organizations from 31 countries was delivered yesterday to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) co-initiator of the initiative. In the letter, they are urged to end the “greenwashing” and certification of palm oil plantations as being “sustainable”.   Read More
Source:  Pacific Scoop  11/6/2009

 
Investment in Ecosystems will Reap Rewards - UNEP
ENGLAND - Nations that take into account natural resources in their investment strategies will have higher rates of return and stronger economies, a report backed by the United Nations' Environment Programme said on Friday.   Read More
Source:  Reuters  11/13/2009
 
Special Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests
UNITED STATES - The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) met in Special Session at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, 30 October 2009. At the special session, delegates reached a decision on the need for urgent global action to catalyze funding for sustainable forest management around the world.   Read More
Source:  IISD Reporting Services  10/30/2009

Report on Peatland Emissions Changes Global Picture

UNITED STATES - Wetlands International in cooperation with Greifswald University has presented the first ever overview of peatland emissions and peat stocks per country. The overview presented today turns the official emission figures of many countries upside down.   Read More
Source:  Wetlands International  11/4/2009