Dear Friends,

This is the 234th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, April 2, 2010.

Please take action on the action alerts included here. Your suport can make a difference on conservation issues and the buying decisions of big restaurant chains in the U.S.

There is much work to be done, but the good news is that consumers are gradually gaining awareness about many issues surrounding tropical coastal wetlands and global fisheries. Please enjoy the short video at the end of this issue. You can also find a link to the video in the MAP Activities portion of the newsletter.

For the Mangroves,

Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project

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Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.

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SHRIMP LESS, THINK MORE campaign has changed it's name to QUESTION YOUR SHRIMP:
Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog.
Join MAP on Facebook
Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp

Action Alert:

Save the Uran

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

Kenya Stills Needs Your Support To Stop The Ports

MAP ACTIVITIES:
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Help MAP translate documents - Spanish, French, Japanese, Thai and more needed. Contact MAP

IMPORTANT and relevant news reporting from US Television Station!

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

UN faces problems coping with natural disasters, minister warns
March 28, 2010
NEW YORK - The UN will be unable to cope with the human cost of natural disasters expected over the next five years without more funds and urgent reforms, a government minister warned today. By 2015, it is predicted that the number of people around the world who will need to be rescued from natural catastrophes will rise by more than 100 million as more hurricanes, typhoons, floods and mudslides triggered by climate change add to the toll caused by earthquakes and man-made disasters.
READ MORE

ASIA

Photo from Treehugger.com
To be sustainable, China must implement bold innovations
April 1, 2010
Complex issues have hampered China's environmental protection efforts, but bold innovations can help it become a global sustainability leader, says a noted Michigan State University environmental scientist. "China is the most populous country with the fastest growing economy in the world -- everything it does has a big impact," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, MSU University Distinguished Professor of fisheries and wildlife who holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability.
READ MORE


Fire breaks out in Sundarban mangrove forest and destroys trees on 4-acre land
MARCH 22, 2010
BANGLADESH - A devastating fire broke out in Sundarban mangrove forest on 20 March, 2010 at afternoon destroying a vast area of Gulsekhali of Chatpai range in Morrelganj upazila of Bagerhat. The raging blaze has already burnt down different species of trees like sundari and garan of at least four acres of land in the eastern wing of Sundarbans Forest Division, official sources said. According to Divisional Forest Officer Mihir Kumar, the blaze might have originated from either burning cigarette butts or earthen oven used by Bawalis (wood collectors) or Mouals (honey collectors). Morrelgang Upazila Nirbahi Officer Subrata Kumar Biswas who visited the spot said the fire could not be put out despite repeated efforts by several fire fighting units of Bagerhat and the Navy. As forest areas under Chandpai range remains dry in summer fire spreads easily during the season, said Sheikh Mizanur Rahman, former divisional forest officer of Sundarbans (East Wing).
Source: Daily Star and Samokal

The forest department's ridiculous management is responsible for the Sundarbans blazing
BANGLADESH  - The Sundarbans is burning for 9 times in last 5 years To observe the World Forest Day 2010, humanitywatch organizes a Discussion Meeting on Conserving Forest: Conserving Civilization. The meeting chaired by humanitywatch chairperson Sazzadur Rahim Pantha and conducted by humanitywatch chief executive Hasan Mehedi. 32 participants including journalist, development worker, social and cultural activist, teacher, lawyer and physicians are present in the meeting. The meeting participants urge the government to take necessary measures for conserving the Sundarbans from subversive activities of the plunders, traders, musclemen and dishonest forest officials. The Sundarbans is the largest single tract mangrove forest in the world. It is not only our but also the civilization's resource, they say. It is our ethical responsibility to save it.
Read More on Our Blog

''Hazard line" to trace India's fragile coast
March 26, 2010
INDIA - The Indian government is planning an extensive exercise to map a “hazard line” along the country’s 7,500 km coastline, from Gujarat to West Bengal. This marks the first time environmentally sensitive coastal areas will be clearly demarcated. The Rs 1,156-crore project, known as the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project, was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today.
READ MORE

RI’s mangrove forests shrinks to 2 million ha
March 31, 2010
INDONESIA - Indonesia’s mangrove forest area has shrunk from 4.2 million hectares in 1982 to 2 million hectares, according to an NGO. People’s Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (Kiara) said Sunday the expansion of brackish fishponds was the main cause of the dwindling mangroves. Kiara’s secretary general M. Riza Damanik said the deforestation had tipped the environmental balance in coastal areas, especially the declining fish production and rapid abrasions due to high waves. “The government sees mangrove simply as a commodity that benefits a few people. The mangrove issue has demonstrated the government’s lack of environmental concern.” The Royal Society, a science academy in Britain, recently released a report about the rapid loss of mangroves all over the world. In Thailand, each hectare of brackish fishpond yields only US$9,600 for the owner. But the Thai government has to shoulder $1,000 in pollution cost, $12,400 in the loss of ecological functions, $8,400 in subsidies for local community and $9,300 to restore the mangrove forest. Kiara notes the recent aggressive expansion of oil palm plantations had also worsened the situation because in some areas, the project affects coasts.
Source The Jakarta Post

The black marketeers stealing Indonesia’s islands by the boat-load
March 23, 2010
INDONESIA - For the people of Sebesi Island, who spend their lives next to the world’s biggest natural time bomb, it seemed to be an offer that they could not refuse. A businessman from the Indonesian mainland landed one day with a remarkable proposal: to make safe their deadly neighbour, the notorious volcano island of Krakatoa, hulking in the sea a few miles across the water. When Krakatoa exploded in 1883 36,000 people died and the dust thrown up by the eruption lowered temperatures and darkened skies across the globe. So the fishermen welcomed the offer of trenches to channel the lava and reduce the danger of the next explosion. However, when the boats arrived and the work began, they realised with anger that the kindly businessman was not renovating Krakatoa. He was stealing it.
READ MORE

ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity
March 23, 2010
CAMBODIA - Biodiversity loss can lead to human extinction. Unfortunately, this threat has not attracted enough leadership, public and media attention to generate a concerted effort to halt the rate of biodiversity loss. This lack of awareness is attributed to the dearth of information campaigns and materials on the values of biodiversity. To help fill this gap, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and its partners are launching the ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity – a recognition program for outstanding achievements in biodiversity Conservation and advocacy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam).
READ MORE

Eco-friendly shrimp farming

March 30, 2010
Editors Note: "MAP publishes this article with strong doubts that the rosy picture painted herein reflects reality. The cooperatives in neighboring Indonesia , for example, have turned the small shrimp farmers into near slave laborers, and the conditions under which they work are far from optimal. Also, it is worrisome that the shrimp farms built "behind" the mangroves  may be irrevocable restricting fresh water inputs and thus depriving the "conserved" mangroves from vital sustenance.  In the end, there are still just too many bad examples of shrimp farming that remain for MAP to be optimistic about this newest of many promises and posturing towards that elusive "sustainability" criteria!"
MALAYSIA - The Integrated Shrimp Aquaculture Park that is being built in Terengganu is driven by a vision to place Malaysian seafood on the world map. These are the prawns of progress. The shrimps of the future. The crustaceans of development. And here in this tiny village of Penarik, in the Setiu district of Terengganu, is where it will all happen. If everything goes according to plan, the RM200mil Integrated Shrimp Aquaculture Park (i-SHARP) that is being built here will revolutionise not just the economy of this sleepy coastline district, but possibly the entire seafood industry in Malaysia as well.
READ MORE


AFRICA
UN wildlife watchdog considers ban on bluefin tuna
March 11, 2010
DOHA, Qatar — A U.N. body best known for protecting tigers and elephants will focus on the world's overfished oceans beginning this week with proposals to regulate the shark trade and ban the export of a tuna species prized by sushi lovers.
The increased attention on the Atlantic bluefin tuna and other marine life by the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, tops an ambitious agenda for nearly two weeks of meetings beginning Saturday in Doha.
READ MORE

Parliament Wants Cheating Fishing Companies Punished
March 29, 2010
SIERRA LEON - Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament has urged the government to take punitive action against companies that violate the fishing regulations by using the country's resources for their selfish interest. Contribution to the debate on the ratification of the Financing Agreement of the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program Phase 1 signed between Sierra Leone and the International Development Association, Hon. Sufian Kargbo said some fishing companies operating in the country are negligent of their role in the industry.
READ MORE

NORTH AMERICA
US to ban wild-harvest shrimp imports from Mexico
March 30, 2010
MEXICO - Mexico is losing its certification to export wild-harvest shrimp to the United States because its trawls lack required protections for endangered sea turtles, the State Department said. The department said the certification was withdrawn after the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service determined that Mexico's turtle excluder devices no longer meet U.S. standards. U.S. rules require that exporters use excluders comparable to those used by American shrimpers. Certification for Mexican shrimpers will be withdrawn on April 20. Mexico's shrimp season will have closed by then for the summer.
READ MORE

Nations vote to protect salamander, not coral
March 22, 2010
U.S.A. - Delegates at a global wildlife conservation conference voted Sunday to protect a coveted salamander but rejected a more sweeping proposal that would have regulated the trade of red and pink corals worldwide. The latest round of voting at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora underscored nations' unwillingness to forgo immediate economic gains from exploiting natural resources, even when these activities are putting plants and animals under intense pressure.
READ MORE

Wading into Belize's mangroves
March 29 - 2010
BELIZE - This week, along with graduate student Alexander Forde, University of Maryland's Dr. Daniel Gruner found himself working in a new system: the tropical mangrove cays off the coast of Belize. "Ordinarily I study the ecology of a range of organisms (plants, nematodes, insects, birds ...) on dry land. Mangrove forests differ from most forests in that the trees thrive with their toes constantly wet, usually in salt water that is toxic to most land plants. So, Alex and I would need to adapt to perpetually submerged toes--and legs, and most everything else--to study this ecosystem."
READ MORE

Can China Eat Enough Asian Carp to Save the Great Lakes?

March 31, 2010
Midwest fish company to begin exports this week
U.S.A. - If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em. That's one solution being tossed around as officials try to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes and protect the region's water quality and $7 billion fishing industry. The voracious invasive species has already overwhelmed the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, providing plenty of opportunity for fishermen to aid in the fight and make a buck to boot. But the bony fish has been a tough sell to American diners, who prefer plumper varieties that are easy to fillet. So this week, Big River Fish Corp. in Pearl, Illinois, will ship 40,000 pounds of Asian carp to China, where it's considered good eating instead of an environmental menace.
READ MORE

EUROPE
Humans driving extinction faster than species can evolve, say experts
March 22, 2010
UNITED KINGDOM - For the first time since the dinosaurs disappeared, humans are driving animals and plants to extinction faster than new species can evolve, one of the world's experts on biodiversity has warned. Conservation experts have already signalled that the world is in the grip of the "sixth great extinction" of species, driven by the destruction of natural habitats, hunting, the spread of alien predators and disease, and climate change. However until recently it has been hoped that the rate at which new species were evolving could keep pace with the loss of diversity of life.
READ MORE

Nestlé stars in smear campaign over Indonesian palm oil
March 18, 2010
UNITED KINGDOM - Nestlé is fighting a PR battle with Greenpeace over claims that it is continuing to source palm oil from Sinar Mas, the Indonesian company accused of illegal deforestation and peatland clearance. Greenpeace alleges that plantation expansion by Sinar Mas is endangering orangutans by encroaching on their habitat. Its latest campaign features a video of an office worker inadvertently biting into an orang-utan finger instead of a Kit Kat chocolate bar.
Read More

SOUTH PACIFIC

Photo from Tongaholiday.com
MANGROVE RESTORATION PROJECT
March 23, 2010
TONGA - The Vava’u Environmental Protection Association’s (VEPA) Mangrove Restoration Project was run (in conjunction with Tonga Trust) to help reforest shoreline areas with mangroves. The village of Koloa accepted VEPA’s proposal for the pilot project, and aided VEPA with the implementation and work.
READ MORE

VIDEO REPORT
news reporting on consumer warning about farmed shrimp from US Television Station!