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Late Friday News, 115th Ed., 25 April 2003

Dear Friends,

This is the 115th Edition of the Late Friday News. Happy Earth Day!

Salud,

Alfredo Quarto,
Mangrove Action Project

(Note: I will be away till May 9th in Cameroon!)

Also Note: This bulletin is now also available in Indonesian language. Please let us know if you wish to receive it in this language.

Contents for LATE FRIDAY NEWS, 115th Edition, 25 April 2003

FEATURE STORY
Mangrove Restoration-Costs and Benefits

MAP WORKS
Sri Lanka Eco-Study Tour A Success
IHOF #6 Commences In Cameroon, May 5-9

AFRICA

Nigeria
Odigha Odigha Wins 2003 Goldman Award
AGIP�s Gas Flaring & Oil Spill Threaten Delta

ASIA

S.E. ASIA

Indonesia
Illegal Turtle Trade Flourishing
Environment issues should be taught at schools:

Vietnam
SWS announces Ramsar Grants for 2002

Cambodia
TV premiere of Cambodian fisheries movie to mark Mekong Day

S. ASIA

India
India Beset By Farmed Shrimp Virus Attack

Bangladesh
Blues of poor Sundarbans communities

Sri Lanka
World Mangroves Action Day Events Held

EAST ASIA

China
Mangrove Friendly Food for Thought

OCEANIA

Australia
Thousands of Australian species at risk - report

LATIN AMERICA

Ecuador
Agreement for a coastal ecosystem management

Honduras
CODDEFFAGOLF UNDER THE ATTACK OF A

STORIES/ISSUES
THE FISHERY EFFECTS OF MARINE RESERVES
Wild Oats Furthers Healthy Consumer Market
Development Aid & Indigenous Peoples' Rights

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mangrove Management Handbook Available
SWS announces Ramsar Grants for 2002
Plans for Mangrove Workshop in Cuba
CD-ROM version of the Ramsar COP8

CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS/FORUMS/BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS
New article on shrimp farming
Mangroves: Local livelihoods vs. corporate profits

CALL FOR PAPERS
Call for Papers by May 9 for Wetlands 2003

AQUACULTURE CORNER
Consumers may drive changes to fish farms
INTRODUCING SALMON NEWS
GO WILD Campaign
Buyer Beware: Something Fishy about Farm Raised Salmon
Grocers sued over artificial color in farmed salmon

AROUND THE CORNER
A Rebuttal to action alert "Save Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtles from Extinction"

FEATURE STORY
For Review

In review, Proceedings of the Mangrove Valuation Workshop, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 4-8 April, 2001. Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Stockholm, Sweden.

Mangrove Restoration - Costs and Benefits of Successful Ecological Restoration

Roy R. Lewis III

ABSTRACT

Mangrove Restoration - costs and measures of successful ecological restoration. Roy R. "Robin" Lewis III, President, Lewis Environmental Services, Inc. P.O. Box 5430, Salt Springs, Florida, USA, 32134-5430.

The costs to successfully restore both the vegetative cover and ecological functions of a mangrove forest have been reported to range from USD$225/ha to USD$216,000/ha. Unpublished data would indicate that the even higher costs, as much as USD$500,000/ha, has been spent on individual projects. These are obviously cost prohibitive amounts for most countries seeking to restore damaged mangroves. I divide the types of mangrove restoration projects into three categories: (1) planting alone, (2) hydrologic restoration, with and without planting, and (3) excavation or fill, with and without planting. The first type, planting only, although inexpensive (e.g.: USD$100-200/ha) usually does not succeed due to a failure to appreciate the physiological tolerances of mangroves to tidal inundation. Even if it works, the result is often replacement of one productive marine habitat, like seagrass meadows with mangroves, a questionable trade-off. The second type, hydrologic restoration, can be done for similar costs, and with proper planning has a high success rate. Successful restoration of abandoned shrimp aquaculture ponds is an example of this method. Planting should only be done if natural recolonization fails, and can double the cost of a project. Scientific data indicates that using this method, ecological functions are quickly restored, with fish populations typically reaching reference site diversity and densities within 5 years. The third type, excavation and fill, is the most expensive due to the high costs of large scale earthmoving. It is only a viable option in more developed countries, and may not be a cost-effective means of restoration except under limited circumstances.
For Full Article, Pleae Contact Robin Lewis at LESrrl3@aol.com

MAP WORKS

Sri Lanka Eco-Study Tour A Success

The first group of eco-tourists admire the beauty of Sri Lanka and hails government's sustained efforts to preserve the environment

By Christie Fernando, Media Co-ordinator, Small Fishers Federation, Pambala,
Chilaw, SRI LANKA.

"It's obvious that Sri Lanka, a picturesque country will soon enjoy a rejuvenation of visitors in the time to come. One can imagine a flood of tourists swarming on this gorgeous island like locusts when the peace talks will no longer be considered as mere "talks" but become a permanent reality with the dawning of lasting peace. Fortunately for Sri Lanka and its wildlife, the government is doing its best with a positive outlook envisaging to make it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. And more importantly, eco-tourism industry will develop by leaps and bounds," said Mr.Sam Nugent, Administrative Director, Mangrove Action Project, Port Angeles, Washington, USA who headed the first group of eco-tourists to Sri
Lanka recently.

He pointed out that after more than 20 years of civil war, Sri Lanka is at long last enjoying a well deserved peace. "From the steep fertile fields of tea plantations in the mountains, to the pristine coastal beaches sprawled around its borders, Sri Lanka remained the fabled jewel of the Indian Ocean. Once called "Serendip" by the Greeks, who accidentally stumbled into the beauty and splendour of this island nation south of the Indian subcontinent offered truly unexpected pleasure and delight to visitors with its abundance of national parks, nature and wildlife preserves, botanical gardens and
wide, sandy beaches," he said.

Sam Nugent was speaking on behalf of the group at a meeting held at the Small Fishers Federation Mangrove Rehabilitation Centre, Pambala, Chilaw recently.

The group, consisting of 10 volunteers from the U.S. and Australia, was organized and led by the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) of Port Angeles, Washington, USA. Each member of the tour paid his or her own way, to be part
of a restoration and education group, replanting an area of degraded mangroves in the Pambala lagoon, near Chilaw, and visiting places of environmental import throughout the country.

Anuradha Wickramasinghe Director, Small Fishers Federation of Sri Lanka (SFFL), Pambala, Chilaw invited the group to tour the luscious mangrove reservation at the Pambala lagoon near Chilaw to participate in the on-going efforts to save the lagoon from the damaging effects of shrimp farms in the
area, and demonstrate the culture and vitality of the fishing communities around the coast.

Mr.Sam Nugent further observed that the Sri Lanka government has traditionally been ecologically minded with more than 20 Wildlife reserves and National Parks in its care, protecting some of the most bio-diverse and threatened species on the planet. "Balancing the desire to capitalize on the
tourism industry on the one hand, and protecting its national treasures of
biological riches on the other, was not an easy task. Indeed, many other areas of the planet have already succumbed to the glitz of ever expanding Casino Resorts and their sprawling golf courses. But as Sri Lanka stands at the cross-roads of opportunity, it appears that they have stepped forward on
the right foot," he said..

At a welcoming ceremony held for the group of eco-tourists at the Small Fishers Federation Centre, Pambala, the Minister of Fisheries and
Co-operatives, NWPC, praised the Small Fishers Federation for its continued environmental and civil projects, commenting further that the SFFL was providing a valuable service to the community in ways the government could not, and promised to do more to promote the Federation's activities.

Welcoming the Mangrove Action Project volunteers, the Provincial Minister encouraged more groups to visit Sri Lanka for the purpose of protecting and restoring Sri Lanka's fragile eco-system. The Minister went on to say that he hoped the Federation would continue to promote eco-tourism and suggested that the Centre build an aquarium to demonstrate the wide variety of fish found in the mangroves, allowing tourists to view the fascinating species, while preserving the heart of the mangroves from unnecessary trespass and encroachment.

Mr.Sam Nugent speaking further said that this type of forward thinking is, in his opinion, what will ultimately preserve Sri Lanka's flora and fauna from the trampling feet of curious and unwelcome visitors.

The mangrove replanting took place during two days, led by the Small Fishers Federation Mangrove specialist Douglas Tissera. Joined by a local group of fishermen's widows, as well as a group of school children, volunteers
planted nearly 700 mangrove seedlings called Rhizophora Apiculata and Rhizophora Mucronata) along a 1 kilometre stretch of Pambala lagoon's Dutch canal to help control erosion. As the group worked, Tissera gave informative demonstrations and talks concerning the mangrove forests around the Pambala lagoon.

The group was shown the milky sap of the Excocaria agallocha, which is toxic and may cause blindness. While some traditional people believe the sap to be a cure for leprosy, the sap is currently the target of investigation by scientists in search of new AIDS medicines. Tissera indicated many other
curative medicines that have been found in mangrove forests.

Tissera also pointed out a new species of mangrove which he had discovered growing in the Pambala lagoon. Last year, Tissera has noticed an unusual species of Rhizophora which he could not identify. He contaced Dr. Norman Duke of the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences for help. Duke later travelled to Chilaw to verify the finding, and has classified it as a new species named Rhizophora Anamalae, the first of its kind to be documented.

Following the replanting efforts, the Mangrove Action Project Tour visited a
local fishing village which recently lost traditional fishing grounds to an outside developer of shrimp farms. Here the group was shown the destructive nature of shrimp farming which destroys not only mangrove habitats, but ravages fishing grounds too threatening coral reefs and damaging the ground water level in rice fields and coconut plantations. The group met with villagers at the pre-school supported by the Small Fishers Federation, and encouraged the youth to grow up to be future caretakers of their country's natural beauty and resources.

During their ten day visit to Sri Lanka, MAP volunteers travelled throughout the country from Puttalam to Kandy to the Southern Coast and returned along the Western Coast to Chilaw, enjoying the natural beauty and scenery of Sri Lanka's countryside. En route they visited several Small Fishers Federation's projects which are being developed to assist the village folk, fishermen and their families who have been negatively impacted by the decline of fisheries in the country.

In Nakulugamuwa, near the Hummanaya blowhole, the group sampled and tested
tuna sausages, dried tuna and fish pastries developed as an alternative market for fish normally sold wholesale which are marketed at the Small Fishers Federation Kudawella Fisheries Tuna Processing Centre. By selling
these value-added, high protein products, the local fishers are able to enjoy improved marketing of their catch, along with longer shelf lives, ensuring less wastage from spoiling. In addition, profits are channelled
through a co-operative revolving investment fund, available to community members for boat repairs, equipment and other fishing related expenses.

In Bandagiriya, just north of Hambantota, the volunteers were welcomed at the Small Fishers Federation Residential Youth Education Centre. The students there entertained the visitors with traditional songs and dances, highlighting the traditional life of fishing villages. Later, they invited the volunteers to return the favour, asking the group to present songs from the US and Australia. The members did their best to sing western songs such as "Waltzing Matilda", and "Yellow Submarine" to the delight and curiosity of their audience.

The Small Fishers Federation has created the Educational Centre for the regional youth who were unable to attend secondary school because of family fishing obligations (due to death or injury to main family provider). Youth are trained in home-electrical wiring, small engine repair work, or apparel making, to provide them with job opportunities which would not otherwise be available to them.

Since its beginning 3 years ago, the program has offered 1 month training courses. However, recently recognized by the government as benefiting the youth, the Small Fishers Federation, Chilaw will now begin offering 3 month certificates beginning in 2003. After 3 years, the Centre will be
accredited, offering 9 month courses for students in various vocational and technical programs.

A fourth project of the Small Fishers Federation, near Bandagiriya, is the
Tilapia and ornamental fish hatcheries in boosting inland fisheries. The MAP
volunteers learned, the hatcheries provide tilapia fingerlings for inland fisheries to stock lakes and ponds. The Centre sells fingerlings on no-interest credit terms to local villages. These loans are given once the tilapia have been successfully raised, harvested and marketed. In this manner, the local inland fishers have access to low cost, affordable
resources which offer them a living in return.

Finally, in Ambalantota, the volunteers were greeted at the Small Fishers Federation's Kiralakele Mangrove Resource Centre and Biological Garden by a large group of students to celebrate the awards ceremony for Art, Poetry and Essays on Mangroves, conducted through the local school system on a suggestion made by the Federation. Winning entries were on display at the Centre, and 100 deserving participants received Certificates for outstanding performance. First, second and third place winner1s in several age categories were awarded prizes for painting, poetry or essay categories as
well. These youngsters, ranging from primary to secondary age groups, demonstrated a profound awareness of the ecological issues facing mangroves and their related species. After sampling (testing) refreshing drinks made from the fruit of the mangrove tree (S. Caseolaris), the group of volunteers then travelled north along the western coast.

At Beruwala, the group enjoyed a tour of the coral reef gardens via glass-bottom boats, while some members snorkelled about the reefs. The Group Leader, Sam Nugent, of the Mangrove Action Project, Washington talked of the fragile nature of the corals, and the ways corals and mangroves are inter-related. Whenever corals and mangroves are found in the same region loss of one ultimately meant the loss or degradation of the other. Mangroves filter and cleaned water, holding back soil and silt that would otherwise
destroy the reef. At the same time, reefs break waves, which would otherwise damage shorelines and mangrove seedlings.

After returning to the beach, Serendip (another name for Sri Lanka) proved
herself serendipitous indeed! The group then gathered at a small beach restaurant to discuss about the tour. It was to be the last day the group would be together, some staying on in Sri Lanka to continue sightseeing, and the others travelling on to Thailand to study shrimp farming issues. As they sat down, the owner of the establishment pointed towards the underneath of their table, and there, in the sand, a nest of Olive Riddley sea-turtles were just hatched and were struggling to reach the surface. The owner did not know that he had pointed this out to Sri Lanka's first Eco-tourism group, nor did the group realize that they were to be so honoured with one of the most mysterious and wondrous spectacles of the animal kingdom: the birth of one of nature's rarest creations.

Because the sand was compacted by the activity of humans, these turtles were
in grave danger. Normally exiting their nest at night, these turtles had struggled through hot compacted sand, arriving at the surface in full blaze of the sun. The group was able to save about 50, but already, more than half
had died in the nest through dehydration and suffocation.

The group at long last realized in a more emphatic and coherent fashion that tourism had already impacted the beaches of Sri Lanka!

From Christie Fernando

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IHOF #6 Commences In Cameroon, May 5-9

Plans are now underway to hold the 6th IHOF workshop in Cameroon, West Africa from May 3rd till May 8th. Participants will gather to meet in the capitol of Douala, Cameroon, coming from Senegal, Nigeria, Benin and the Ivory Coast. As well, MAP's co-founder Pisit Charnsnoh , who is the Director of Thailand's Yadfon Association, will attend, along with Alfredo Quarto, MAP's Director.

The 5 day workshop will bring together both fisherfolk leaders and grassroots NGOs to talk about various coastal resource conservation needs affecting local communities. Workshop participants will discuss their various issues and look for solutions, while focusing on alternatives that may alleviate the problems affecting coastal resources such as mangrove forests. This IHOF will spotlight the great potential of utilizing what is being called the "improved fish smokehouse design" which Gordon Ajonina of the Cameroon Wildlife Conservation Society (this IHOF's Co-sponsoring NGO) has developed for use in Cameroon. Since nearly 75% of Cameroon's mangrove loss is due to fish smoking over open, polluting fires, it was decided to implement a program to introduce the improved fish smokehouse design (see MAP' website for rudimentary design idea) to Cameroon.

We are hoping that this fish smokehouse concept, along with other innovative alternative development ideas which are part of MAP's "toolkit" will offer those attending the IHOF some valuable options which will both alleviate poverty among the local stakeholders, while conserving the important coastal resource base upon which these communities depend.

For further information about the workshop in Cameroon, pleae contact the CWSC via Leonard Usongo

AFRICA

Nigeria

Odigha Odigha Wins 2003 Goldman Environmental Award

"Ninety-five percent of Nigeria's rainforest has already been lost. Cross River State's forest desperately needs help now. The greatest single threat to the rainforest here is Western Metal Products Company Ltd. (WEMPCO). WEMPCO's 'cut-and-run' logging is turning forest into woodchips. If we allow WEMPCO to open their wood processing plant, soon there will be nothing left."

Odigha Odigha, 46, a Nigerian forest activist and educator, is leading the campaign against devastating industrial logging in the forests of Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria. These are the last remaining rainforests in Nigeria and are home to 2,400 native forest communities comprising 1.5 million people, the highest primate diversity on the planet-including the world's most endangered gorillas, and an estimated 20 percent of the world's butterfly species.

Cross River forests are also home to vast stands of hardwood trees, including prized mahogany, the raw material of choice for furniture and other wood products. For global logging companies, Nigerian forests appear to be an easy target. Environmental regulations in the country are rarely enforced, and many officials in the recently ousted Abacha dictatorship were notoriously corrupt-more interested in personal gain than in the protection of Nigeria's natural resources.

Hong Kong-based Western Metal Products Company (WEMPCO) is one of the most destructive companies operating in the region. Although they own the rights to log in some areas of Cross River State, WEMPCO flaunts regulations and logs illegally in the forest buffer zone surrounding the Cross River National Park. WEMPCO's excessive and unchecked industrial logging in the region not only threatens to decimate the forest's magnificent hardwoods, but also endangers the livelihoods of Cross River State's forest communities. Logging has significantly reduced animal habitat, shrinking the animal populations that serve as a traditional source of protein in Cross River State. The bushmeat that was once plentiful is now scarce.

Odigha is part of Cross River State's Ijagham community. He grew up admiring the richness of the rainforest, only to see the majority of it decimated by the early 1980's. After receiving his Masters in Business Administration at the University of Lagos, Odigha pursued a political career, experience that has served him well as an activist.

Since 1994, Odigha has focused on the protection of the Cross River Rainforest and on sustainable development for rainforest communities. He knew that the rainforests and their communities' cultures must be protected quickly, or lost forever. In 1994, he founded the NGO Coalition for the Environment (NGOCE) and supported the organization by selling his family's two cars and converted his family home into NGOCE's office-living with his wife and baby in one room.

Despite enormous odds, Odigha has forged historic victories in the fight to protect Nigeria's forest. He led the successful fight for a moratorium on logging across all of Cross River State and forced Nigeria's first Environmental Impact Assessment. He was instrumental in creating the state's first Forestry Commission, considered one of the most democratic forestry agencies in all of West Africa. Odigha has also helped establish projects that give rainforest communities alternative protein sources, reducing reliance on endangered bushmeat while increasing incomes through economic opportunities that don't deplete natural resources.

These successes have not come without personal costs to Odigha. Fellow Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, a 1995 Goldman Prize winner, was hanged by the government for demanding sound environmental practices on Ogoni lands. When attempts to co-opt Odigha with offers of money and positions of power within the bureaucracy didn't work, the Abacha government again resorted to intimidation and outright threats. After his life had been threatened numerous times, and government officers began following him everywhere, Odigha went underground, living with friendly communities in the rainforest and educating them on forest protection and sustainable animal husbandry as he traveled from village to village. From 1996 to 1998, Odigha remained underground, until Abacha's death ended his oppressive regime.

The threats to the rainforest also continue. The Nigerian government recently commissioned the operation of WEMPCO's wood processing factory and approved a new 540 square mile logging concession located on the river upstream from many forest communities and the national park. The logging concessions will devastate the remaining forest in the buffer zones surrounding the national park. The mill's voracious appetite has the capacity to process twice the amount of wood legally designated by the concessions, sending the company looking for more hardwood in nearby Cameroon. By-products of WEMPCO's hardwood processing mill threaten to pollute the water sources of two million tribal people and threaten the habitat of the endangered gorilla and many other rare primate species.

With a democratic government now in place, Odigha has returned to his public role leading forest protection campaigns. In 2001, he helped form the U.S.-based West Africa Forest Network to put international pressure on WEMPCO and the Nigerian government. He continues to lobby the national government for stronger forest protections and is exploring legal strategies if enforcement of existing laws continues to be lax or non-existent. As long as the government fails to protect the forests and forest communities, and WEMPCO continues to wreak devastation, Odigha will be fighting to protect what remains of Nigeria's precious rainforests.

"Poverty can lead to environmental destruction," notes Odigha. "Likewise a degraded environment can aggravate poverty." Cross River State can look forward to less environmental destruction and less poverty, as Odigha continues to show how protecting our environment and creating sustainable development go hand-in-hand.

Odigha's website is:
www.odighaodigha.8k.com/

============================

AGIP�s Gas Flaring and Oil Spill Threaten The Delta

The rural people of Akala-Olu community in the Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria have cried again, against Agip�s incessant gas flaring and oil spills that had worsened the environmental and health situation in the community.

The marginalised and vulnerable Akala-Olu locals revealed this to volunteers of The Niger Delta Project for Environment, Human Rights and Development (NDPEHRD) who visited the community. According to Mr. Longtive Akitokpo, a community activist who spoke to
NDPEHRD, said, "My people are in hell in the hands of Agip. Apart from the crude oil spills that occur on daily basis and polllute our rivers, streams, farmlands, lakes, forests, the gas flaring is threatening our lives. We have cried out to the Nigerian government to save us from the hands of Agip, but they turned deaf ears. We are tired of the flaring. We are dying".

Akala-Olu is an aggrarian community with rich vegetation and beautiful natural lakes, creeks, streems and rivers. The total population is about 6,000. The community hosts Agip�s popular, �Oshie flow station and 6 oil wells�. Agip started oil production in the community since 1972. The Agip�s facilities and installations are located in the heartland of the peasant community.

In the community apart from the acidification of our water bodies, gas flares, which constitute a major deleterous, effect on the environment and health of the locals. The Akala-Olu environment is an endangered one like other communities in the area. The impact of oil on the people's environment and its attendant loss of biodiversity (especially of wildlife, fish and crustaceans), has caused a serious situation in the community.

From: Niger Delta nigerdeltaproject@yahoo.com

Note from NDPEHRD
We in NDPEHRD are passionately concerned about what is going on in the Niger Delta of Nigeria in the name of oil production and export. But we are handicapped, the destruction of our mangrove forests is still on, the Nigerian government and their alien collaborators are still forging ahead despite public outcry. They have taken the act to some dangerous point, they have bribed the mainstream media in Nigeria and they (media) have refused to report the issue, apart from
one local paper here, no medium has accepted reporting it.

ASIA

S.E. ASIA

Indonesia

NRM Headline News Issue 05, March 27, 2003

Illegal Turtle Trade Flourishing

Jakarta Post- March 19, 2003

A giant, blow-up loggerhead turtle is placed on the beach outside the Hard Rock Cafe in the town of Kuta in Bali, as part of a campaign by environmental watchdog ProFauna Indonesia to fight the illegal turtle trade across the country. ProFauna issued a report on Friday detailing the illegal trade, saying it was booming in 10 provinces in Indonesia.

Based on a survey conducted between September 2001 and July 2002, the report said that consumption of turtle flesh remained highest in Bali, while Yogyakarta ranked first in the trade of turtle shells as souvenirs for tourists.

Other provinces where the trade is rampant are Jakarta, East Java, the Riau Islands, Madura, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Flores and Sulawesi.

ProFauna chairman Rosek Nursahid said that even in Jakarta, turtle shells were openly sold in major department stores.
Indonesia considers all types of turtles to be endangered. They are protected under Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems.

Rosek said it was difficult to protect the animals as the turtle trade was lucrative.
A fisherman could earn some Rp 700,000 (about US$78) for each kilogram of turtle shell, he said. Every six month, they could sell turtle shells weighing at least 100 kilograms.

"This means an income of Rp 70 million in six months, or Rp 7 million every month," said Rosek.

From "MAP / S.E. Asia"

Environment issues should be taught at schools: Experts

Source: The Jakarta Post, April 10, 2003
By Evi Mariani Jakarta

Recent natural disasters should serve notice to the government of the need to teach environmental awareness in schools, a seminar concluded on Wednesday. "In our daily life we do so many activities recklessly. For example, we use hair spray without thinking that it will harm our environment," Suhaenah Suparno, chairwoman of the Association of Environmental and Demographic Education Enthusiasts and Experts, told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the seminar.

The seminar featured a number of speakers, including former minister of health Farid Anfasa Moeloek, a professor of herbal medicine, Hembing, and the director general for elementary and high school education at the Ministry of National Education, Indrajati Sidi. The event was aimed at promoting the need for environmental awareness in educational institutions, from elementary schools to universities. Indonesia experienced yet another natural disaster early last week when floods and mudslides struck Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara, killing at least 56 people. Landslides and floods have also affected many other areas of the country�..

From: "Ben Brown"

===================================

Vietnam

[Ramsar Forum]

SWS announces Ramsar Grants for 2002

Society of Wetland Scientists' Ramsar Support Grant Program. Announcement of 2002 awards.

The Society of Wetland Scientists manages a Ramsar Support Grant Program, established in 1999, to advance Ramsar Convention objectives, including the selection, designation, management, and networking of Ramsar sites, and the promotion of Ramsar's Wise Use guidelines. Projects are funded at a level of US$5,000 per year on a competitive basis as reviewed by an evaluation team,
which typically includes 3 SWS International Chapter members, a Ramsar Bureau representative, and a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of International Conservation.

More information on this grant program can be found on the SWS web site. For additional
information, contact Eric Gilman, Grant Program Manager, at ericgilman@earthlink.net.

The Society of Wetland Scientists (Society) is a non-profit charitable and educational organization with a mission of augmenting the conservation and understanding of wetlands. The Society encourages the acceptance of wetland science as a distinct discipline by supporting student education, curriculum development, and research, and provides an independent forum for the exchange of ideas and information developed within wetland science. The Society has approximately 5,000 members from about 65 countries, with 13 regional chapters in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Society
members receive the Society's peer-reviewed scientific journal Wetlands and newsletter SWS Bulletin, regional chapter newsletters, discounted registration at the annual conference, and voting privileges. More
information on the Society, including membership information, can be found
on the web at www.sws.org.

The following project received support by the Society of Wetland Scientists grant program's 2002 round of grant-making.

Mr. Le Dien Duc, National University of Hanoi, Vietnam, is receiving a grant to establish a community-based bee keeping industry in the mangroves of the Xuan Thuy Ramsar Site, Red River Estuary, North Vietnam. Xuan Thuy, the only Ramsar Site in Vietnam, is 14,000 ha comprising 3 estuarine islands. Mangrove forests comprise half of the reserve's area. At least 60 species of water birds winter at the site, including seven endangered species. Thousands of local community members depend on the natural resources of the wetland. Project activities will include capacity building and establishment of a bee keeping association to establish a sustainable bee keeping industry in the wetland as a means of reducing the current overuse of the wetland's natural resources.

From: "Dwight Peck"

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Cambodia
Cambodia: TV premiere of Cambodian fisheries movie to mark Mekong Day

Thursday April 3, 2003
Source: MRC website
Phnom Penh - From Cambodia's Great Lake, the Tonle Sap, vast numbers of fish travel across borders in journeys of up to a thousand miles to spawn. Their story will be told for the first time in the TV premiere of a new movie, "Where There Is Water, There Is Fish".

"Where There Is Water, There Is Fish" will air in Khmer on Cambodia Television Network (CTN) on Saturday, 5 April at 8 pm. The screening will mark the 8th anniversary of the Mekong Agreement between Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The fishery in Cambodia is one of the richest in the world, with a great diversity of plants and animals. Together with rice production, the fishery provided the basis for the flourishing of the great Angkorian empire that grew around the Great Lake from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The lake is like the beating heart of the Mekong River system as it swells and shrinks with floodwaters, triggering each cycle of fish migration and spawning.

Today, the food security of Cambodia's population of 12 million still rests on fish and rice. The film highlights the importance of regional cooperation to protect these inland fisheries that are among the richest and most biologically diverse in the world.

"Where There Is Water, There Is Fish" was made by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat with the Cambodian Department of Fisheries and the financial support of Danida, the Danish government's aid agency.

The Mekong Agreement was signed on 5 April 1995 in Chiang Rai, Thailand, after three years of negotiation between Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, supported by technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Mekong River Commission was created by this agreement and has its Secretariat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Also in conjunction with Mekong Day, there will be a photo exhibition on fisheries of the Mekong. The exhibition is on now at the Prek Leap Agricultural College, and will appear at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Phnom Penh from Wednesday 9 April to 30 April. For more information, contact Delia Paul by phone: (023)720-979 ext 6322 or (012)807-979 and by email: delia@mrcmekong.org

From

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S. ASIA

India

Source: The Hindu Business Line 16 Apr 2003 [edited]

India Beset By Farmed Shrimp Virus Attack

Shrimp farmers are concerned, as disease outbreaks continue to plague the farms along the East Coast, from Tamil Nadu to Orissa. Shrimp seeds, which were stocked in farm during January and February 2003,
have been completely wiped out, while those stocked in mid-March are showing about 50 percent survival, according to farm sources.

Meanwhile, arrivals to the markets are low except for the smaller shrimp, which are available following panic harvest by farmers concerned by disease problems in the farms. When a disease outbreak is reported in farms within 40-50 days of
Stocking with shrimp seeds, the farmers opt for distress harvest. [It has been suggested that] the main problem is the failure of the rains.

The water level in the creeks is down, and there has not been proper flushing of the water systems. Therefore, bacterial load has increased, according to farm sources.
Viral infection has also been noticed in the broodstocks (the mother prawns used for obtaining the shrimp seeds). This has [damaged] the quality of shrimp seeds.

Japan has not been picking up stocks in the market primarily because of
quality problems, according to some of the buyers. They are not willing to predict when the purchases are likely to pick up.
Meanwhile, due to the indefinite strike announced by the transporters, arrivals of inputs to the farms and seed sales by the hatcheries had been delayed. With most of the farms having completed stocking activity in March and most hatcheries out of production, the impact had been restricted to the few hatcheries that were in operation, the sources said.
Sales to Kolkata and Andhra Pradesh from the hatcheries on the East Coast Road had been down. If the strike was not lifted in the next few days they could suffer losses. Normally, about one million shrimp seeds were air-lifted to Kolkata every day, they said.

From Mike Skladany, Ph.D
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
mskladany@iatp.org

================================

Bangladesh

The Daily Star

Blues of poor Sundarbans communities
Pinaki Roy, back from Sundarbans

Poor Aman yield and low shrimp fry catch have brought poor farming and fishing communities on the Sundarbans fringe to their knees as well as put serious strains on the world's largest mangrove forest.

Fishermen living on the Sundarbans fringe set nets in a river flowing along the largest mangrove forest. Poor shrimp catch has compounded woes of the fishermen already on the margins of society. PHOTO: STAR

Price spiral of essentials and excesses by loan sharks are the last straw to shatter their hopes of overcoming the woes.
Officially 1,28,958 people of 15,25,586 in 17 upazilas around the forest catch shrimp fry and collect honey, nipa leaves (gol pata) and firewood for a living. Unofficially, the figure is much more high. But the choking grip of poverty is pushing a rising tide of people to resort to illegal logging and poaching, locals say.

"If alternative jobs for the desperate people could not be created, it would be impossible to save the forest," said a forest official requesting anonymity.
The Aman yield in farming villages took a tumble this year. "We used to harvest 15 to 20 mounds of Aman per bigha. But this year it dropped to 5 to 6 mounds," said Md Saidur Rahaman, a farmer at Chalitabuniya village.

The condition of fishermen in the remotest villages, the pockets of grinding poverty, is the worst. Poor shrimp season on top of hilsa fishing failure has brought unbearable misery to them.
"Shrimp catch fetched me Tk 300 in the last four months and I don't know how I will survive with six mouths to feed," said Md. Nurur Rahman, a resident of Jaymoni village in Mongla thana.
Over the same period last year, he had earned at least Tk 4,000.

Rahman was forced to go to a local mahajan, who lends rice at over 10 percent interest a month.
Md Khalifa,65, a fisherman from Bhandariya, repeated the same story. He fishes in Chandpai range of the forest for years, but has never known such a poor season.
"I've earned Tk 450 in the last four months," said Khalifa, the lone breadwinner of an 11-member family.

"I am earning virtually nothing here and don't know how my family is surviving back home," the old man said, breaking down in tears.
Md. Emdadul Haque, divisional forest officer, confirmed poor shrimp catch. "It happens in some years. It's a natural cycle," he added.
The real stone around the villagers' neck is the loan they borrowed from loan sharks during the hilsa season. The manajans are desperately realising their money.

"I gave them Tk 500,000 in loans. Now I have captured 200 fishing boats as the borrowers may flee without repaying me," said Lutfar Rahman Sana, a mahajan of Joymuni village.
Besides, the prices of essentials have rose to new heights.

"Low-quality kerosene sells at Tk 30 and soybean oil at Tk 60 per liter and coarse rice at Tk 20 per kg in the regions," said Abu Taher of Chalitabuniya.
"It has made our lives miserable," he said.

From: NK Shrimp

===============================

Sri Lanka

World Mangroves Action Day Events Held In Sri Lanka.

We are glad to note that, Saviya Development Foundation, of Sri Lanka, launched a campaign to receive it's activities in the protection and development of the Mangrove Habitat in the country.

x. Awareness Programmes.

1. Programmes centred around the Environment Resource centre - Galwehera.
2. Manroves Conservation Awareness Seminar at Maduwa Junior School
( Participation 268)
3. Practical training and participatory rehabilitation program for school children , in the vicinity of the Mangrove stands.
( Selected children - 12 schools partook in the event.) 4. Awareness creation among the print and electronic media journalists. 16 attended the seminar, in two batches.
5. Restructure the mangrove plant nursery with community participation. Initially 3020 plants were re-vegetated.

The Maduganga Mangroves Stands are unique, due to it's prominent landscape. Situated by the Galle - Colombo trunk roads, it attracts a heavy flow of local as well as foreign tourists, throughout the year . The resource centre managed by the SDF amidst various shortcomings proved to be an asset to the program.

Comments and remarks made by the community, school children and environment lovers -

1. Formation of an active committee to celebrate the commemoration day,
2. Combat the still existing threats to the mangrove vegetation, through awareness and educational programs for CBOs.
3. Introduce alternatives to fire wood and timber, out of mangrove trees and prevent further deterioration of the mangrove stands.
4. Commence, Mangrove Conservation circles, in 14 neighboring schools and other educational institutions. Arrange study tours and promote practical experience in conservation activities.
5. Select 5 sites, mangroves threaten with extinction and affected by river bank erosion. Organize 8 Shramadana campaigns, with voluntary participation for replantation, with seedlings from the nurseries maintained by the SDF.
6. Control boat travel and enforce speed limits to protect the fishery resource in the mangrove habitat, aimed at conserving spawning grounds and small fish varieties. Build up a co- operative movement, consisting of fishermen, boatmen and relevant authorities to combat, water pollution, and river bank erosion.
7. Establish an exhibition/ display center, educational and project implementation section under the Mangrove protection program, linked to the Environment Resource Center.
8. Print and publish literature on " Mangrove protection and sustainable conservation. "
9. Initiate a consultancy and guidance service to the Advanced Level school children engaged in Bio-diversity projects for higher education, and facilitate field tours and research activities.
10.Create an atmosphere, for the fishermen, to develop their socio-economic standard and elevate their livelihood, through government and private sector involvement.

From Winston De Silva, Saviya Development Foundation E-mail : sdf@sri.lanka.net

====================================

EAST ASIA

China

Mangrove Friendly Food for Thought

A restaurant named: "hongshulin(mangrove) Sea Foods City"here is opening ,and a booklet on mangrove sponsered by the restaurant' boss will be published in a few days,It will help us to introduce knowledge on mangrove to the visitors.

And the Integrated Mangrvoe Management and Coastal Protection project in Leizhou Peninsula is running well now.

From: ?xuan lin

OCEANIA

Australia

Bioinvasions (bioinvasions@iatp.org) Posted: 04/23/2003 By mritchie@iatp.org
Thousands of Australian species at risk - report

SYDNEY - Thousands of Australian mammals, reptiles and bird species face extinction as landclearing gains pace, according to a government report leaked yesterday.

The "Biodiversity Audit", obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Corp ahead of publication, said 2,891 individual Australian ecosystems were at risk, with many beyond rescue.

The conservative government, already under fire from environmentalists for oining the United States in rejecting the Kyoto pact on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, declined to comment. But environmental groups and opposition parties pounced on the report to
denounce what they saw as government inaction.

"The message on landclearing has been delivered to the government time and time again, in any number of similar reports in recent years," said Nicola Beynon, spokeswoman for the Australian branch of Humane Society International.

"The national Biodiversity Audit has to be the final call to action."

The main opposition party, centre-left Labour, said 500,000 hectares (1.236 million acres) of the vast island continent, home to some of the least populated areas in the world, was lost to landclearing every year.
"Unless urgent action is taken now, much of Australia's unique wildlife faces the threat of extinction," Labor's environment spokesman, Kelvin Thomson, said.

Long isolated from the rest of the world, Australia retains a unique biodiversity and unique animal species, such as the kangaroo.
But it has lost dozens of native species following the introduction of European animals, crops and pests after Britain established its first penal colony here in 1788.

"Past generations may have sleepwalked through extinctions like that of the
Tasmanian tiger. We are about to do it with our eyes open," John Connor, campaign director of the Australian Conservation Foundation, told the Australian Associated Press news agency.

Story Date: 23/4/2003

All Contents
� Reuters News Service 2002

Check out Planet Ark on the web at www.planetark.org

LATIN AMERICA

Ecuador

(Thanks to Mitch Miyagawa for translation!)

PRESS RELEASE

Agreement for a coastal ecosystem management

Environmental authorities, ancentral users of the mangroves, and development organizations reach agreement for a coastal ecosystem management plan

In the presence of Dr. Ivan Morillo, Subsecretary of Natural Capital, and Dr. Fernanda Hurtado, Subsecretary of Coastal Environmental Management, the Mangrove Ecosystem Management Plan for Coastal Ecuador was presented to the National Coodinating Committee for Mangrove Defence.

The Mangrove Ecosystem Management Plan defines lines of action that involve research areas, community development, legislation and edu-communication.

The proposal, developed for four years by the communities of ancestral mangrove users with the support of NGOs and technicians from a wide gamut of disciplines, represents a participatory effort of all the actors involved in each of the work areas.

"Confronted with the lack of systemized information and contradictory data about the mangrove ecosystem, the investigation intends to carry out studies of carrying capacity, socio-economic and environmental inventories, and a registry of shrimp farm properties," explained Gianina Zamora, research planner. This would be a pioneering investigation in the Americas, where a study of this magnitude has never been carried out.

In terms of the legal arena, the project was established in the Law of the Defence of the Mangrove Ecosystem, which is awaiting second debate in the National Congress. Dr. Rafael Erazo, Deputy for the province of Esmeraldas, which also participated in the presentation of the Management Plan, promised his support to obtain the approval of this unique legislation that establishes clear laws in defence of the coastal marine ecosystem.

"This is an effort that originated in the communities of ancestral users, and we look forward to the solidarity of all the institutions and organizations to return life to the mangroves," expressed L�der G�ngora, President of the National Coordinating Committee.

From Mar�a Fajardo
Director of Communication, FUNDECOL
fundecol@yahoo.com

===============================

Honduras

CODDEFFAGOLF UNDER THE ATTACK OF A STRATEGY ADDRESSED TO ITS DESTRUCTION

The Honduran government has strongly aligned itself with businessmen of the shrimp aquaculture industry, developing with them a joint campaign to: improve the industry's public image; economically strengthen the industry with Honduran tax dollars; while discrediting the leaders and the organizations that oppose it.

Congruent with this strategy, and as far as improving the industry's image is concerned, the shrimp companies, though they claim they need economic support in order to survive, spend a lot of money on publicity in local and national press media. There are rumors that they even pay for subornments (bribes) to mayors, presidents of communities, etc. in order to support the initiatives of big shrimp farmers. Furthermore, agreements of cooperation have been signed between the Ministry of Education and the shrimp farm, Granjas Marinas San Bernardo (GMSB)-- of which the President of Honduras, Mr. Ricardo Maduro, "coincidentally" is an important shareholder. These agreements are directed to "educate" local communities in the influence zone of the shrimp farming sector in San Bernardo, Choluteca. Prior, these same communities have been important for CODDEFFAGOLF as bastions of resistance against the shrimp industry.

At the 8th Conference of Contracting Parties (COP-8) of the RAMSAR Convention, the Chief of the "Official Delegation of the Honduran Government" was an employee of the same questioned shrimp farm, GMSB. When CODDEFFAGOLF denounced this, instead of improving the shrimp farmers' image, it dirtied even the image of the country and the RAMSAR Convention itself.

High officials of the Environment Ministry and the Honduran Corporation of Forestry Development (COHDEFOR), have agreed with the Shrimp Farmers' Association (ANDAH) in order to develop an intense campaign to form the "Regional Committee of Protected Areas" (CORAP), leaving this group in possession of the Secretariat and marginalizing CODDEFFAGOLF and other important sectors from this illegal and curious CORAP, which newly exposes the country to national and international shame. Everybody knows that the industrial sector is the one that is most opposed to the declaratorion of the Protected Areas and the approval of their Management Plans.

Concerning the economical strengthening, the Honduran government has taken note of an application for financial support from the multi-millionaire shrimp industry of US$ 50 million, directed to support it again, not because of "drought", or the "El Nino", or "La Nina" phenomena; not because of "shrimp diseases", (Taura and White Spot Viruses), but because even in this year they continue using as arguments the consequences of Hurricane Mitch (1998) and the present international low prices of shrimp. All of this added to the expenses of the poor people of Honduras where this same US$50 million could mean the difference between life and death for thousands of needy people.

The government of Honduras has not respected neither the international agreements, the Decrees of the National Congress or other Laws aiming to ensure sustainable development in the Gulf of Fonseca, instead favoring with this large government subsidy the disordered and destructive expansion of shrimp aquaculture.

On the other hand, the leaders of CODDEFFAGOLF are denigrated and defamed through accusations of corruption in the press media, which they never take to the competent courts, in spite of the President Maduro�'s power and influences. At present the Director of CODDEFFAGOLF and four fishermen of Choluteca, have been accused by the shrimp company "El Faro" of "threats, damages and usurpation", because they interrupted the destructive action of tractor machines on the protected area and part of the Ramsar Site 1000 at "La Berberia Lagoon". The Minister of Environment and the General Manager of COHDEFOR have bestowed this company with a Recognition Diploma as prize for the conservationist labor (�!).

Likewise this prestigious NGO is threatened through press media with the removal of its juridical personality.

The defamation campaign, particularly against the Director of CODDEFFAGOLF, Jorge Varela, transcends frontiers, and shrimp businessmen use e-mail in order to contact partners, friends and sympathizers of Jorge and this NGO, with the logical intention to discredit CODDEFFAGOLF to make it lose international support. It is suspected that some of the main partners of CODDEFFAGOLF have been influenced by this campaign. Because of this, we ask that if you are so influenced that you please ask for clarifications, and surely the proofs to justify or not in its defense will appear.

Within this conflict, CODDEFFAGOLF feels defenseless and with lack of confidence in the legal instances established in Honduras, because of this the Directive Board has instructed the Executive Director to look for international instances in order to stop the defamation, stop human rights violation, recuperate lands that are illegally occupied by shrimp farmers and conserve biotic and non-biotic resources in the Gulf of Fonseca.

In addition to this strong struggle, CODDEFFAGOLF also bears responsibility for the management and funding support for development activities, as well as organization and the raising of consciousness of local communities of the Gulf of Fonseca. These extensive responsibilities are obstructed by the time dedicated to defend the institution now more than ever, under the constant actions of Government and shrimp companies that are financed with the people's money and international financial organizations, making our struggle difficult to win... but we continue the fight!

Jorge Varela Marquez
Tegucigalpa, April 22, 2003

From: "Jorge Varela" cgolf@sdnhon.org.hn

STORIES/ISSUES

THE FISHERY EFFECTS OF MARINE RESERVES AND FISHERY CLOSURES

Author(s): Gell, F.; Roberts, C.

Produced by: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Global Network / World Wildlife Fund (2002)

Marine reserves, areas permanently closed to all fishing, are frequently proposed as a tool for managing fisheries. Fishery benefits claimed for reserves include increases in
spawning stock size, animal body size, and reproductive output of exploited species. Reserves are predicted to lead to habitat recovery from fishing disturbance which can also enhance benefits to fisheries.

In the last three years there has been rapid growth in the number of cases where fisheries have been shown to benefit from reserves. In this report, the authors analyze this body of evidence, drawing upon studies of reserves and fishery closures. Encouraged by good results, many countries and states have embarked upon initiatives to establish networks of marine reserves. However, reserves remain highly controversial among fishers and fishing industry bodies who argue that fishery benefits remain unproven.

Analysis of evidence and case studies from a wide variety of habitats, regions and management methods shows strong
evidence that with the support of local communities, marine reserves offer a highly effective management tool. However, reserves will only rarely be adequate as a stand-alone
management approach, although we describe cases where they have worked in the absence of other measures. They will be most effective when implemented as part of a package of
limits on fishing effort and protect exploited species and their habitats.

[Adapted from authors]

Available online as a PDF

From "MAP / S.E. Asia" mapasia@loxinfo.co.th

=============================

Wild Oats Furthers Healthy Consumer Market

BOULDER, Colo., April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wild Oats Markets, Inc.
(Nasdaq: OATS), a leading national natural and organic foods retailer, today announced all Wild Oats stores will offer EcoFish sustainable seafood in its frozen seafood departments, making it the nation's largest retailer to carry the product.

With Earth Day as a backdrop, the announcement demonstrates EcoFish and
Wild Oats' commitment to environmentally responsible seafood consumption. Because many of the world's major fish stocks are in decline and traditional fishing communities are being threatened, Wild Oats customers
have become more and more concerned about the impact their seafood purchases have on the environment. EcoFish gives them peace of mind -- knowing that they are supporting sustainable fisheries and family fishers.

Founded by Henry and Lisa Lovejoy, EcoFish created the first sustainable line of seafood products in the world. All EcoFish products must be approved by their independent Seafood Advisory Board, which is comprised of some of the world's leading marine scientists and conservationists. To be approved, the fish must come from a fishery with a healthy population, a sustainable long-term management plan and the fishery must have a limited impact on the surrounding environment during harvest. In addition, the
by-catch must be limited. By-catch is the capture of untargeted species during harvest, which are discarded and normally don't survive. The majority of by-catch resulting from non-sustainable fishing methods is
discarded and does not survive, which further depletes ocean populations. Additionally, EcoFish contributes to healthy oceans by reinvesting 25 percent of its pre-tax profits into communities and organizations around
the world that promote responsible fishing practices.

"EcoFish and Wild Oats is a natural partnership," said Paul Gingerich, vice
president of meat and seafood for Wild Oats Markets. "Its rigorous standards, quality product and fresh seafood help us provide our customers with the types of products they have come to expect from Wild Oats. We're
happy to be able to offer EcoFish seafood varieties in all of our Wild Oats and Nature's stores."

In addition to marine-friendly practices, EcoFish sets an exceptionally high standard for quality and freshness. The fish is quick-frozen and vacuum packed within hours of harvest to lock in nutrients and quality.
Wild Oats shoppers can choose from five of the fresh EcoFish products: Wild Alaskan Coho Salmon, Oregon Albacore Tuna, Alaskan Halibut, Ecuadorian Mahi Mahi and Chinese Bay Scallops�..

About Wild Oats

Wild Oats Markets, Inc. is a nationwide chain of natural and organic foods markets in the U.S. and Canada. The Company operates 102 natural foods stores in 25 states and British Columbia, Canada. The Company's markets
include: Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Henry's Marketplace, Nature's - a Wild Oats Market, Sun Harvest and Capers Community Markets. For more information, please visit the Company's website at
www.wildoats.com .

About EcoFish

EcoFish is the nation's pioneer in providing sustainable seafood products to a nationwide audience of natural foods retailers and fine restaurants. In two short years, EcoFish's innovative business model has captured the
interest of the national and international media. The groundswell of consumer interest in EcoFish practices and products has been enormous. For more information, visit www.ecofish.com.

SOURCE Wild Oats Markets, Inc.

From Industrial FishFarming ( industrial-fishfarming@iatp.org ) Posted: 04/22/2003 By mritchie@iatp.org

==============================

24 April 2003

Development Aid & Indigenous Peoples' Rights

NEW STUDY REVEALS HOW DEVELOPMENT AID FAILS TO RESPECT INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS

A new study by the Forest Peoples Programme reveals that only four international development agencies have binding policies on indigenous peoples. Only three - out of 27 development agencies reviewed have policies that adopt a rights-based approach. Only 3 have formal appeals or accountability mechanisms related to their field operations. The result is that indigenous peoples are not effectively protected from the impacts of development schemes and are denied means of redress when things go wrong.

The 100-page report, A Failure of Accountability: Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Development Agency Standards, by Tom Griffiths of the Forest Peoples Programme looks in detail at the policies and operational procedures of the 27 main multilateral and bilateral development agencies active in developing countries. Reacting to the report Joji Cari�o of the indigenous peoples NGO Tebtebba Foundation in the Philippines notes:

I was shocked to learn how we, indigenous peoples, are so thoroughly marginalised in development planning. We hope this report will encourage developers to rethink the way they deal with us. We want them to respect our rights and give us control of our own futures.

Innumerable studies have shown that indigenous peoples suffer disproportionately the negative impacts of "development". Dams, mines, oil, gas, road-building, colonisation, logging, forestry and even protected area schemes, all continue to have devastating impacts on indigenous peoples. These peoples, who speak five thousand of the worlds estimated six thousand languages, occupy or own the last areas where biodiversity is substantially intact. Respect for their rights has long been recognised as a crucial element in "sustainable development".

Since the Earth Summit in 1992, development agencies have stressed the importance of participation and human rights. They put pressure on developing countries to be open, accountable and involve civil society and indigenous groups in decision-making. However, despite the rhetoric, development agencies are failing to put these principles into practice themselves . Says Dr. Tom Griffiths, author of the report:

Aid agencies insist that development should be transparent, rights-based and accountable, and we agree this is necessary, but they are not practising what they preach. A major overhaul of development assistance is required before indigenous peoples can be sure the aid process will meet their needs and secure their rights.

For copies of the report please visit the FPP website or contact info@fppwrm.gn.apc.org

Forest Peoples Programme
Email: info@fppwrm.gn.apc.org
www.forestpeoples.org
The Forest Peoples Programme, jointly with FERN, acts as the Northern Office of the World Rainforest Movement. www.wrm.org.uy
From: Tom Griffiths

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mangrove Management Handbook Available

The Mangrove Management Handbook and some other good resources can be downloaded off the web at:
THIS WEBSITE

They also have an animated film about mangrove food chain at the bottom.

From Ben Brown map-indo@dps.centrin.net.id

===============================

SWS announces Ramsar Grants for 2002

Society of Wetland Scientists' Ramsar Support Grant Program. Announcement of 2002 awards.

More information on this grant program can be found on the SWS web site. For additional
information, contact Eric Gilman, Grant Program Manager, at ericgilman@earthlink.net.

From: "Dwight Peck" dwight.peck@bluewin.ch

------------------------------------------------------

Plans for Mangrove Workshop in Cuba

The 3rd Workshop on Mangrove Ecosystems will take place in Havana during June 25-26, 2003 as part of the VII Symposium in Botany (June 23-28).

From: "CeNBio" cenbio.ies@ama.cu

=============================

CD-ROM version of the Ramsar COP8 proceedings

16 Apr 2003
The CD-ROM version of the COP8 proceedings is available now free of charge. It has a language-choice starting page which leads to parallel French, English, and Spanish mini-Web sites, each of which has the Conference Report; the
Resolutions in HTML, Word, and PDF; the other COP8 documents; the National Reports in PDF; and the participants lists in PDF. There is an autorun on it, so if you're using a Windows PC it should start up automatically.

All of this material has been available on the Ramsar Web site for some time, www.ramsar.org/index_cop8.htm, but if you need the CD-ROM version please send your postal address to Valerie Higgins, higgins@ramsar.org.

From: PECK Dwight - Ramsar peck@ramsar.org

CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS/FORUMS/BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS

New article on shrimp farming

There is a new article on the impact of shrimp
farming on wetland ecosystems in the Society of Wetland Scientists Bulletin.
[Full reference: Thornton, C., Shanahan, M. & Trent, S. (2003). From Wetlands to Wastelands: Impacts of Shrimp Farming. Society of Wetland Scientists Bulletin 20:48-53].

From: "Mike Shanahan"

------------------------------------------------------

Mangroves: Local livelihoods vs. corporate profits

This book gathers a selection of articles published in the monthly electronic bulletin of the World Rainforest Movement (WRM), addressing the issue of the processes leading to the destruction of mangrove forests and the struggles developed at the local and global levels to protect and use these forests in a socially equitable and environmentally adequate manner.

The level of detail and analysis in the articles varies greatly, as a consequence of the nature of the bulletin, which is intended to serve as a tool, both for individuals and organisations acting on a local level and for those working on an international scale. However we have included most of the articles, as we consider that in some way they can all serve to generate resistance and solidarity movements regarding a subject such as this, of vital importance both for the survival of local communities whose livelihoods depend on mangroves and for the future of a unique type of ecosystem such as this.

Most of the articles are the result of a collaborative effort between the WRM bulletin's editorial team and people and organizations working at the local and global level to protect the mangroves. Special mention must be made of the involvement of the people from the Industrial Shrimp Action Network in the production of an entire issue of the bulletin (October 2001), focused on mangroves and shrimp farming. The numerous sources of information on which the articles were based are detailed - by article - at the end of this book. The articles have been organized in different sections and within each section by date, in chronological order of publication.

Responsibility for this publication is shared between the WRM editorial team and the numerous individuals and organisations who contributed articles or relevant information for the preparation of articles. Errors that may have been made are the exclusive responsibility of WRM. But what matters most is that beyond the authorship of the different articles, the true protagonists of this work are the numerous local communities in the tropics and subtropics who suffer from the impacts of mangove destruction and degradation, who resist appropriation of their territories by industrial interests and whose knowledge allows the sustainable use of this type of ecosystem. The articles attempt to reflect the struggles of these protagonists, with the central aim of supporting them. To all of them, we pay our most sincere homage.

Contents:

ABOUT THIS BOOK
INTRODUCTION
The mangrove: a unique type of forest
WRM BULLETIN EDITORIAL ON MANGROVES
Mangroves and shrimp farming: deeds, not words
MANGROVES: AN OVERVIEW
Mangroves and their uncertain future
Mangroves are life, long live mangroves
Unsustainable versus sustainable shrimp production
Environmental, social and economic impacts of shrimp farming
The pillars of increased global shrimp trade
Shrimp aquaculture in international environmental treaties
Tropical Prawns versus Mangroves
NETWORKING FOR MANGROVE PROTECTION
Global Group Formed to Counter Destructive Industrial Shrimp Farming
The Latin American Mangrove Network is born
INSIDE THE MANGROVES

Non Governmental Organizations and Indigenous Peoples Organizations can ask for a free copy of the book. To do so, please contact WRM International Secretariat at: teresap@wrm.org.uy and send your postal address.

For other organizations or institutions its cost is US$ 10 (shipment included). You can either send a cheque (against a U.S bank) payable to:
"Fundacion Movimiento Mundial por los Bosques Tropicales" to the following address:
Maldonado 1858, CP 11200
Montevideo - URUGUAY (South America)

or transfer the money to the following bank account:

Name of the Bank : Bank Boston, Sucursal URUGUAY
Address: Zabala 1463, Montevideo, Uruguay
Account number: 6020517
Account in name of: Fundaci�n Movimiento Mundial por los Bosques Tropicales
Agencia Bulevar Espa�a
Swift Code: FN BB UY MM

[Ed. Available for downloading in WORD format.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Call for Papers by May 9 for Wetlands 2003

Date: 4/24/2003 2:25:18
From: news@aswm.org

On behalf of the Association of State Wetland Managers I would like to invite you to submit a paper to present at the National Symposium: Wetlands 2003 Landscape Scale Wetland Assessment and Management to be held on October
20-24, 2003 at the Sheraton Nashua in New Hampshire. The deadline to submit
abstracts is May 9, 2003. Wetland assessment is a topic area where the application of sound science is essential to the long term successful implementation of wetlands and related water resource programs at the national, state and local level. We hope this symposium will provide a
basis for moving toward consensus on the appropriate application of the numerous wetland assessment methodologies that exist. Wetland assessment has many applications. It is important to regulation, restoration, watershed management, local land use planning and many other activities undertaken by federal, state and local government.

You are cordially invited to submit an abstract of 250 words or less addressing science, program/policy and legal issues related to wetland
and/or watershed assessment and management . Please see call for papers announcement at the ASWM web site.
for a comprehensive list of topics. Additional topics will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

National Symposium Goals: The overall goal of this symposium will be to build the capabilities of local governments, states, federal agencies, not for profits and others to assess and manage wetlands and related ecosystems on a landscape level by:

Examining the goals and management needs for regional wetland monitoring assessment and management, Integrating compensatory mitigation and voluntary restoration activities into a watershed context, Sharing information concerning the types and scales of data needed and data
analysis approaches to meet various landscape scale management needs, Familiarizing wetland, floodplain, stream, and watershed managers with
various wetland monitoring and assessment techniques including the comparative advantages and disadvantages of techniques, and helping wetland managers select techniques appropriate to their circumstances ranging from site-specific planning and regulation to watershed scale analysis, restoration, and management. Please see call for papers announcement at the ASWM web site.

If you have any questions, please e-mail aswm@aswm.org or contact Sharon
Weaver at 518-872-1804.

From: LESrrl3@aol.com

AQUACULTURE CORNER

April 14, 2003

Consumers may drive changes to fish farms

Local stores report much awareness among shoppers

The Delta Optimist, Sat 12 Apr 2003
Byline: Maureen Gulyas
As much as politicians, scientists and a certain radio host call attention to the need for changes in the fish farm industry, in the end it may be the consumer who forces a shift in government and industry policy. Just ask the owner of the Town Centre Fish Market in Tsawwassen. Nancy Martinolich and her husband Paul, who come from a long line of local fishermen, bought the store about two years ago.

Given the family's history, the Martinolichs never considered selling farmed fish, which is a good thing because at least one of their customers threatened a boycott if they ever did.

"We have people asking us all the time: 'Is it wild or farmed?' People don't want the farmed," said Nancy Martinolich.
Consumers will find the same situation at Superior Fish Market in Ladner, owned by another longtime fishing family, the Dobrillas..
"Do you sell farmed fish?" the Optimist asked.
"Never. In fact, we've spent years trying to educate the public about wild salmon versus farmed," says co-owner Kerry Sue Dobrilla.

It's a sentiment reinforced by the Ladner store's promotional signs which exclaim "Go Wild."
So what about the big grocery store chains in the area?
At Safeway and Save-On-Foods, packages of Atlantic farmed salmon sell often at lower prices than wild salmon. A Save-On spokesperson wouldn't elaborate on farmed fish sales, saying the supermarket chain won't reveal "strategic or operational" information.. The Optimist was unable to contact anyone at Safeway.
Thrifty Foods confirmed it sells a limited selection of Atlantic farmed salmon, but store manager Dean Clarke is in the middle of deciding whether he'll continue to provide the product because of dwindling sales.

"I've been watching it quite closely because in the last six weeks the sales have gone down quite a bit." It's a decline more pronounced at the Tsawwassen outlet than the chain's other locations on Vancouver Island. "There's not as big a reduction in other stores, but we have a fairly active and aware community here. At the end of the day, it will be the customer who decides," Clarke said.

Thrifty Foods sells and promotes another farmed fish product, carried exclusively by the family-owned grocery chain.Last year, the company took a gamble and purchased an entire crop of what it promotes as Eco-Salmon. It was bought from Agrimarine Industries Inc., which operates the only land-based fish farm in B.C.
Near Nanaimo, it's a marine pilot project initiated by the province that will be monitored for five years. "It's Pacific salmon (both coho and chinook), not the Atlantic animal," Clarke said.
Thrifty Foods has run out of the product for now. The next harvest is expected in June.

From: Lynn Hunter [mailto:hunterlynn@shaw.ca]

INTRODUCING SALMON NEWS

Welcome to Salmon News, the quarterly news bulletin from the U.S. Salmon Network with updates on salmon news from across the country. The U.S. Salmon Network connects individuals and groups around the United
States, and the world, who are concerned about the ecological, social and economic threats posed by industrial salmon farming. Within the network groups are involved in: marketing and promotion of safe, sustainably-harvested wild salmon, education of consumers about the health and environmental dangers of farmed salmon, regulatory issues surrounding salmon aquaculture, salmon habitat restoration and recovery, linking with Indigenous fishers and connecting with groups internationally.

This bulletin keeps groups within the network informed of others activities and provides interested individuals with information about salmon issues and how they can get involved.

The U.S. Salmon Network Web site will be up by the end of April. Keep an eye
out for www.ussalmonnetwork.org.

We appreciate your interest in this newsletter. To become an email subscriber visit www.ussalmonnetwork.org.

==========
GO WILD Campaign

The "Go Wild" Campaign, part of IATP's Marine and Fish Conservation Program,
is based in the Pacific Northwest, with proximity to sustainable wild fisheries as well as fish farms of British Columbia and Washington State. The campaign focuses on policy issues and regulatory agencies that promote privatization of public waters and the US Continental Shelf, education of
consumers and media, coalition building regionally and globally. Working through the policy process, a ban on genetically engineered fish was achieved in Washington in Dec. 2002. Some national issues include: opposing federal promotion and funding of offshore aquaculture and getting compliance
in retail markets with FDA colorants labeling regulations on farmed salmon. With abundant and tasty frozen or fresh wild fish available year around, the "Go Wild" campaign has conducted salmon taste tests for the Society of Environmental Journalists, food writers and chefs. Several educational
booths are planned at upcoming public events with brochures and information about the health enhancing benefits of wild salmon and ecological and health risks of farmed.

The film company Moving Images has completed a 55 minute documentary, "Net
Loss", about fish farming in BC, the Pacific Northwest and Chile, and we are arranging showings of the film as well as speaking tours with Dr. John Volpe, Invasion and Fisheries Biologist from BC.

For more information about the Go Wild campaign contact Anne Mosness,
eatwildfish@aol.com.

----------------------------------------------------------

Buyer Beware: Something Fishy about Farm Raised Salmon

Nationwide Class Action Suits Filed Today Claim Retailers Deceived Consumers

Seattle, WA -- Class action lawsuits filed today claim that the nation�s three largest grocery chains --Safeway, Albertsons and The Kroger Company-- illegally concealed the artificial coloring in their farm-raised salmon. Without this artificial coloring, farmed-salmon fillets would be an unappetizing gray -- something most fish lovers do not know. Salmon is one of the most popular fish in the country, second only to shrimp and canned tuna.

The lawsuits charge that the chains, which account for over 6,000 stores in more than 30 states across the U.S., deceived consumers by failing to comply with federal law requiring disclosure of artificial coloring in farm-raised salmon. Unlike wild salmon, farm-raised fish rely on chemicals to turn their flesh pink. Industry sponsored market research shows that "consumers will pay more for redder salmon" because consumers believe color
is an indicator of salmon quality. Fish farmers use what�s called a "Salmofan" --not unlike the chips found in paint stores -- to determine
the volume of chemical needed to get the right flesh color.
See smith&lowney.com/salmon

Wild salmon develop their trademark color naturally, because they feed on certain prey like krill (tiny shrimp-like crustaceans). Farmed salmon get their color from formulated feed, which usually contains the chemicals astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. ( In response to concerns about adverse
health affects, the European Union has agreed to significantly reduce the level of canthaxanthin that may be fed to farm-raised salmon).

According to the suits' claims, lack of labeling also misleads the public into thinking they�re buying wild salmon, avoiding the problems associated with farm-raised salmon including:
* Contamination from antibiotics and exposure to pesticides and other chemicals
* Risks to wild salmon and other aquatic species from disease and parasites, which escape from fish farm pens
* Misrepresentation of health benefits - according to the US Department of
Agriculture, farmed Atlantic salmon is over 200 percent higher in saturated
fat than wild pink or chum salmon
* Impacts on marine ecosystems from fish farm pollution

The lawsuits are designed to protect millions of consumers who purchase farm-raised salmon from the three chains, and call for:
* Damages for consumers, expected to exceed tens of millions of dollars for each chain
* A court order requiring the chains to inform consumers that the salmon are artificially colored
* Civil penalties for violation of various consumer protection statutes

Filed in the King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington, the claims are being brought by Smith & Lowney, PLLC, a law firm specializing in public interest consumer and environmental law. The named representatives in the class action suits are consumers who purchased farm-raised salmon from the chains, and were not made aware of the presence of artificial colorants.

FOR MORE INFORMATION & DOCUMENTATION, GO TO: www.smithandlowney.com/salmon
From Anne Mosness, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: 360-224-4100 /
eatwildfish@aol.com (issues expert)

===============================

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Grocers sued over artificial color in farmed salmon

By
LARRY LANGE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

When Lori Thomas of Seattle discovered the salmon that she bought at Albertsons had been raised on feed that artificially kept its flesh pink, she was incensed.

"There's no way I would have spent my money buying salmon that was colored
with a chemical additive to give it the red or orange or pink color," said Thomas, who was still upset yesterday with not being told how the salmon had been raised. "If I had been told about the fake color I would have never
bought this stuff."

Thomas, a fund-raiser for a non-profit organization, is one of eight consumers who've taken three giant supermarket chains to court for not telling them and others how some of their salmon is raised.

Their case was filed yesterday in King County Superior Court and charges Albertsons, Safeway and the Kroger Co. with deception, unfair business practices, breach of warranty and negligent misrepresentation in the sale of
farm-raised salmon that were fed artificial chemicals as nutrients but not labeled this way. Kroger owns two supermarket chains, QFC and Fred Meyer.

The case isn't expected to go to trial for 18 months, but it is believed to be unprecedented. The suit, if successful, could result in millions of dollars in damages being paid in a battle over two versions of Northwest salmon -- a regional icon and a popular seafood nationwide.

"When you fail to label (products) the consumer doesn't have an opportunity
to consider the controversy over the safety of these chemicals," said KnollLowney, the Seattle attorney representing the consumers. "It's unfair, it's deceptive and it's against the law."

Representatives for Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway all said they had not seen the lawsuits and could not comment on the specifics.

"Our goal is to always provide the highest quality and freshest products," said Shane McEntarffer, a spokesman for Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons�.

�Fish farmers, the suit notes, artificially color their products by including the two chemicals in the food that the fish eat. The practice is done, the suit says, to produce more readily marketable fish flesh, because many consumers won't buy the fish if they don't have that traditional color.

Farmed fish, the suit says, would have gray flesh were it not for the artificial additives, because they don't get to eat other creatures like shrimp and krill containing the chemicals that give salmon their pinkish hue.

The suit says both federal and state law require that flesh from farm-raised
salmon be labeled as such. "Generally, consumers prefer and are willing to
pay a higher price for wild salmon as compared to farm-raised salmon," said
the complaint filed in court yesterday.

The suit also says there has been controversy over the effects of one of the chemicals, canthaxanthin, because it has been associated with retinal damage in the human eye.

P-I reporter Candace Heckman and The Associated Press contributed to this
report. P-I reporter Larry Lange can be reached at 206-448-8313 or
larrylange@seattlepi.com

From US Salmon Network (ussalmonnetwork@iatp.org) Posted: 04/24/2003 By kara@ecotrust.org

AROUND THE CORNER

A Rebuttal to action alert "Save Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtles from Extinction"

The Global Response action alert on Leatherback turtles is deceptive and full of misinformation. It is a classic case of adding two plus two and coming up with five. It is true that the Central American population of Leatherback turtles is in serious decline. It is also true that there are Longline fisheries in the Pacific ocean. It is not true that getting rid of the longliners will save the Turtles.

If longliners are responsible for the demise of the Leatherback turtles, why are Leatherback populations in the Atlantic stable or increasing? There are just as many longliners there as there are in the Pacific. There has been a government observer program on American longliners in the Pacific for many years. In the first six years of the program the observers watched thousands of longline sets and saw exactly three dead Leatherback turtles. During this same time period many thousands of turtles disapeared from the nesting populations on the coast of Central America. Clearly something else has caused this decline. Blaming longliners is distracting attention from finding the real cause of the problem.

The background information presented is misleading in several other ways as well. It claims that the U.N. has reported 70% of global fish stocks are overfished. It does not mention that NONE of pelagic stocks caught by Pacific longliners are classified as overfished. It claims that "industrial" longlining is competing with coastal fisheries, depriving them of food and income. In fact larger longline boats generaly fish far off shore and do not compete with near shore fisheries. These longliners also hire their crews from costal communities around the Pacific Basin. These jobs are considered desireable, and stopping longlining would put thousands of fishermen out of work. Have those opposing longliners considered the economic impact of this on the coastal communities it claims to protect?

It is good to be concerned about the problem of the Leatherback turtles and to try to do something about it. Has Global Response and others backing the action alerts against longliners looked into the other very obvious factor in the equation affecting sea turtles where they ae born on the disappearing and degraded beaches where these same turtles nest. Los of invaluable nesting habitat via urban sprawl, tourism and land based indiustries such as aquaculture should be looked at as possible culprits in this matter. Let's design an effective program to save these turtles' basic habitat, rather than use the turtle's decline to promote a campaign that will cause much hardship and do very little to save the turtles.

From John La Grange <lagrange@adnc.com>
Linnea Anderson
Information Coordinator
Mangrove Action Project
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360-457-6090

Alfredo Quarto, Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279
USA
fax (360) 452-5866
<alfredo@mangroveactionproject.org>