It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
 
—Mahatma Gandhi

FEATURED STORY
Facing Rising Seas, Bangladesh Confronts the Consequences of Climate Change
 
BANGLADESH – “There are a lot of places in the world at risk from rising sea levels, but Bangladesh is at the top of everybody’s list,” said Rafael Reuveny, a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University at Bloomington. “And the world is not ready to cope with the problems.” The effects of climate change have led to a growing sense of outrage in developing nations, many of which have contributed little to the pollution that is linked to rising temperatures and sea levels but will suffer the most from the consequences. In an analysis of decades of tidal records published in October, Dr. Pethick found that high tides in Bangladesh were rising 10 times faster than the global average. He predicted that seas in Bangladesh could rise as much as 13 feet by 2100, four times the global average. In an area where land is often a thin brown line between sky and river — nearly a quarter of Bangladesh is less than seven feet above sea level — such an increase would have dire consequences, Dr. Pethick said. READ MORE
 
AFRICA
 
Campaign Update—Cameroon: Herakles Farms Ordered to Pay $4.8 Million in Racial Discrimination Compensation
 
CAMEROON – A Cameroonian judge in the Fako High Court has awarded former Herakles Farm employee Loxly Massango Epie 2.3 billion CFA (4.8 million USD) in a lawsuit claiming racial discrimination and wrongful termination of his contract of employment against the US-based palm oil company Herakles Farms. Herakles Farms, which is affiliated with the massive Herakles Capital, was granted 20,000 hectares of the 73,000 hectares of forest it requested from the Cameroon government in November 2013 to convert into oil palm plantations. The company has faced strong criticism nationally and internationally for the harmful effect it will have on the forest, wildlife, and nearby population and also for the deceitful ways in which they have obtained the land. READ MORE
 
Forced Relocation of Sengwer People proves urgency of canceling REDD
KENYA – We, the No REDD in Africa Network (NRAN) together with the Sengwer Indigenous Peoples Programme and the undersigned 66 organizations and over 300 individuals, strongly condemn the massive evictions and forced relocation of the Sengwer Indigenous People, one of the few remaining hunter-gatherers of the world, from their ancestral home in Kenya’s Cherangany Hills. The Kenyan government calls the Sengwer People ‘squatters and or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),’ despite the fact that they and their ancestors have lived in the Cherangany Hills since time immemorial; and that Article (63d) of the Kenyan constitution (2010) grants them inalienable rights to their ancestral lands. Sengwer spokesman Yator Kiptum denounced the “disaster” carried out by a combined force of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Administration Police, a paramilitary unit of the police, now evicting the Sengwer, destroying property and burning homes[i]. “The government of Kenya is forcing us into extinction," he said.[ii] According to international human rights law such as the Convention on Genocide, forced relocation of ethnic or racial minorities is a very grave violation and can constitute genocide. READ MORE
 
ASIA
 
Rehabilitating Mangroves in the Philippines
 
PHILIPPINES – Zoological Society of London (ZSL) started its mangrove rehabilitation work in 2007 through the Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project (CMRP), with the aim of increasing coastal protection, food resources and diversifying livelihood options. This was achieved through empowering local communities to protect remaining mangrove forests and developing science-based methods for communities to rehabilitate lost forest sites. Over a four year period, close to 100,000 mangroves were planted, with the rehabilitation of 107.8 hectares of mangrove forest well underway. This project resulted in manuals that provide detailed biological and socioeconomic guidance on community-based mangrove rehabilitation and on fishpond reversion to mangroves. READ MORE
 
International workshop on Deforestation Drivers and the Rights of Forest Peoples
INDONESIA – An international workshop organised by Forest Peoples Programme and Pusaka brought together forest peoples, governments, NGOs, international agencies and forest scientists from Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America on 9 -14 March 2014 in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The aim of the workshop was to share lessons and generate recommendations on effective measures to stem deforestation, promote human rights and secure local livelihoods. Workshop participants reviewed the findings of five country case studies and four thematic papers on deforestation drivers and forest peoples’ rights from Peru, Colombia, Paraguay, Guyana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Indonesia and Malaysia. READ MORE
 
Marine Survey on an Island Paradise – a MAP intern’s personal experience
 
THAILAND – My name is Elena Horas and I come from Spain.  I have been working as an intern with MAP at their office in Trang, Thailand for about 3 months. It seems like it was yesterday when I first arrived and now my time here is coming to an end. Without a doubt one of the best experiences I have had was travelling to Koh Phra Thong (koh means island in Thai) and assisting Barry, one of MAP advisors, with his two research monitoring projects. Because I spent more than a week on the island, I was able to explore it and take part in different activities. Arriving to the island was a very amazing experience itself. We had to sail through the mangroves to get to it and it was the first time I was on a boat driving so close to such beautiful ecosystem. The stunning scenery really blew my mind. READ MORE
 
Mangrove experts urge restoration, regeneration of organic coasts
When Ulva Takke heard that a foreign-owned firm planned to set up an iron ore mine on the tiny island of Bangka in the province of North Sulawesi, she joined forces with other residents in a protest that went all the way to Indonesia’s supreme court. Takke owns a scuba-diving business on the 4,800-hectare (ha) island, which is populated by fewer than 3,000 people and supports a small tourism industry, as well as fishing, aquaculture and agriculture. Although the community won its appeal against the mining project, news reports indicate that the company is still preparing to begin work, a move that could put pristine habitats at risk, including lowland tropical rainforest, mangroves, freshwater sago swamp and coral reefs. “If so, it’s going to be a big disaster,” Takke said. “Livelihoods of traditional fishermen and coconut harvesters will be destroyed and many people will be displaced.” READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Hydroelectric project a threat to mangroves
 
MEXICO – Environmentalists and community groups reported that a hydroelectric project in the state of Nayarit, western Mexico, threatens "the largest mangrove forest in the Mexican Pacific" of the National Wetlands Ecological Reserve, a system of mangroves. The proposed hydroelectric project in Las Cruces envisages construction of a dam on the San Pedro River basin Mezquital, with an investment of 7.995 million pesos (US$602 million) and capacity of 790 gigawatts per year. READ MORE
 
Shrimpers issue death threats against artisanal fishermen
BRAZIL – Shrimpers have tried to destroy the mangrove area of traditional fishing community in Encarnação Salinas , Bahia , Brazil, and have resorted to death threats to local leaders to achieve their goals. These actions have been denounced by Redmanglar , Ecocéanos , Rain Forest and numerous other organizations in Latin America. "This action represents an environmental and social crime to the ancient fishing villages and Salinas Encarnação living within mangrove ecosystem and is an example and a expression of environmental racism that exists in Brazil", reported Carlos Salvatierra , Executive Secretary of International Redmanglar. Salvatierra went on to say that shrimp tractors have been brought in to destroy the mangroves near the place known as Igreja da Praia and Santa Luzia "despite having a warning from Instituto do Meido Environment and Water Resources ( INEMA )" he said. "We make the public aware that now several leaders and local leaders have been threatened with death for defending their traditional fishing territory" says the complaint. READ MORE en Espanol
 
Editor’s Note : Click the READ MORE link to see the full text of presentation by Gail Woon, Founder of EARTHCARE to Information Session at Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina, Alicetown, Bimini on March 15th, 2014.
EARTHCARE speaks on impacts of the Resorts World Bimini cruise ship terminal
 
BAHAMAS – The cruise ship terminal for Resorts World Bimini has been described as “necessary” to the business plan. I will outline here several reasons why that is a ludicrous statement. The MAIN reason this delicate site was chosen, and the only reason that this incredibly valuable biologically diverse site was chosen for destruction is simply because it is closest to the casino and to the main road of Resorts World Bimini. Since the start of the Bimini Bay Resort in the 90s, it has gone through much scrutiny and controversy. However, in spite of the controversy, Mr. Capo has been allowed to destroy over 160+ acres of healthy mangrove wetlands area. In addition to the mangrove annihilation, Mr. Capo was allowed to and is still dredging cheap (free) fill from the ocean bottom in the North Sound. The 220,000 cubic yards of ocean bottom that will be removed from the endangered reef habitat is simply, so that they do not have to truck fill. READ MORE
 
Research shows significant effects of Bimini development
BAHAMAS – Research from a long-term study reveals that the year mega-resort construction in Bimini deforested almost half of a lagoon’s mangrove shorelines, the survival rate of newborn lemon sharks plummeted to only 26%. The startling statistic was revealed during a presentation on the closing day of last week’s Bahamas Natural History Conference in Nassau. READ MORE
 
Editor’s Note: There is no evidence that these WWF/ASC newly crafted shrimp standards will work to reduce the pressing issues of mangrove loss and human rights abuses associated with the ongoing expansion of the shrimp aquaculture industry, As long as these standards promote open, throughput systems of production, they will fail to meet the stated objectives of sustainable shrimp production. And, these standards will not meet the needs of the majority of local stakeholders who will suffer from further environmental degradation causing worsening food insecurity for the sake of ensuring that this luxury shrimp product can be sold in the wealthier nations.
ACS shrimp standards finalized
USA – The Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue has handed over the shrimp standard to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), following seven years of development. Now the standard is finalized, this marks a major milestone for the ASC and a step towards promoting more responsible shrimp aquaculture. “I have to applaud the individuals on the dialogue — around 400 people worked tirelessly, including NGOs, industry, scientists and others,” said Chris Ninnes, ASC CEO. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
 
Editor’s Note: The following article reinforces what our Conscientious Objectors alliance has been promoting for years: Get the Shrimp Ponds out of the Intertidal zone, and conserve this vital zone free from such wasteful and short-sighted human incursions.
Wetlands International works with businesses and the Government to introduce certification of sustainable shrimp farms.
NETHERLANDS – The main driver of the loss of mangrove forests in the world is their conversion for aquaculture projects, particularly shrimp farms. It was estimated that by the year 2000, over 1.2 million ha of mangroves had been converted into aquaculture ponds in Southeast Asia alone (Kairo et al. 2001). To worsen the situation, farm owners, as a general practice, abandon their shrimp ponds when they are too polluted (as the result of unsustainable use of fungicides, pesticides or antibiotics) for further production. These abandoned shrimp ponds unquestionably possess a threat to local populations’ health and make the coastal areas vulnerable to strong winds, tidal floods, salt water intrusion and abrasion. To reverse and prevent the recurring of abandoned shrimp aquacultures, we advocate for the promotion of sustainable aquaculture production in key mangrove countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. Specifically, we promote the silvofishery and poly-aquaculture approaches which combine the replanting of mangroves near and inside shrimp and fishponds. These approaches not only reduce the vulnerability of coastal areas to strong winds, tidal floods, abrasion and salt water intrusion, but also enhance the biodiversity of the region. READ MORE

LAST WORD
 
Dear friends and colleagues,
 
Together with La Via Campesina, Focus on the Global South and Friends of the Earth International we are launching the below initiative and would like to invite those interested to endorse the letter. Please feel free to distribute the letter as you wish. We will be posting shortly on our website (www.wrm.org.uy) the Spanish, French and Portuguese versions. READ LETTER
 
 
Best wishes,
Teresa Perez
 
~ WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS – If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com

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