FEATURED STORY
 
SHARE MAP'S VISION
  
 
Hello Friends,
 
Our CrowdFunding effort is still going for the next few weeks. In our first 10 days, we attained about 40% of our projected goal in raising $10,000 to support MAP's important conservation and restoration efforts in Thailand. The work there will act as a needed working model for other similar work in other nations where mangroves are needing restoration and long-term conservation. I again ask your help in donating and sharing the work on our Crowdrise fundraiser. Please help us move past the halfway mark as we hope we can do by May 13th. Your help and involvement with MAP is important to us!
 
Please spread the word by sharing MAP's latest effort to raise awareness of mangroves and the role they play in global climate change mitigation CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea". 

 

ASIA
 
P1 billion fund for mangrove rehab 'misguided,' scientists warn
PHILIPPINES – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR's) P1 billion fund allotted for mangrove and beach forest reforestation across the country—most of which is set to be spent on Yolanda-affected areas—is misguided and “even risky”, scientists said. The DENR allotted P1 billion for the "massive reforestation of mangrove and beach forest across the country." Eastern Visayas would get a "sizeable chunk" of the project budget, according to a DENR report. President Benigno Aquino III also sent a directive in November last year to restore the mangroves to serve as a buffer against future storms. But in a recent survey, local scientists discovered that mangroves in Leyte and Eastern Samar were hardly damaged by super typhoon Yolanda. This is not to say that the mangroves are not in need of protection, they said, but are in a more sustainable state than warrants such a massive influx of funds —especially considering the lives that still need to be rebuilt in the aftermath of the storm. READ MORE
 
Phuket marina canal dredging stirs ire
THAILAND – The 12-million-baht project to deepen the Koh Kaew Canal and the existing approach channel from Phang Nga Bay has come under fire by villagers who claim that the method of dredging is endangering mangroves, marine life and residents’ livelihoods. The project, aimed primarily at facilitating large-boat access to two private marinas – Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina – will dredge the 1.6-kilometer-long canal and the 3.6km approach channel so that they are two meters deep at low tide. The dredging was approved at a public hearing in January  and the six-month project started in March. Recenly, roughly a month later, Jitti Intaracharoen of the Phuket Farmer’s Council filed a complaint with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut as he toured a shrimp farm in Pa Khlok. “The problem with a certain kind of dredging is that it increases the concentration of nutrients in the water, which can stimulate plant and algae growth and decrease the amount of oxygen in the water. This causes fish and plants – like mangroves – to die,” Mr Jitti said. – READ MORE
 
UNWTO Project Delivers Climate Adaptation, Mangrove Protection
INDONESIA – Participants at the Sustainable Tourism through Energy Efficiency with Adaptation and Mitigation Measures (STREAM) project conference recognized its contributions to climate change adaptation, energy efficiency and coral reef and mangrove protection in Pangandaran, West Java, Indonesia.  The project, a collaboration between the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries, represents an example of how the tourism sector is engaging communities to fight climate change and restore coral reefs and mangrove forests. Climate change is already affecting the tourism sector, according to Márcio Favilla, UNWTO. Favilla said STREAM's results are “an exceptional example of how tourism can be an effective tool in the fight against climate change, protecting natural resources while leading to inclusive development of local communities and fruitful cross-sector cooperation.” READ MORE
 
Burma’s mangroves in danger of extinction
BURMA – Thick mangrove forests once lined Burma’s coastline, but in the past 30 years over half of the country’s mangrove forests have been destroyed. Mangrove trees are an essential part of river ecosystems. They protect the riverbanks from soil erosion by acting as a buffer between the land and sea. The long roots provide shelter for breeding fish, shrimp and crabs. Mangroves are also an important natural barrier against floods and storm surges. Aung Win earns his living by cutting down trees in Irrawaddy Division’s Ni Thaung mangrove forest to sell as firewood. He used to be a fisherman but, ironically, due to the destruction of the mangroves, fish levels dropped in the estuary. “In the past we could live by catching fish or frogs. Now, we don’t have enough food in the village so we have to sell firewood to survive,” he said. More than 80 percent of residents in Rangoon use firewood and charcoal for cooking. Up until 1993 most of the city’s charcoal came from Bokalay mangrove forest. Due to severe deforestation the government banned felling of the mangroves in the area. READ MORE
 
Clearing of mangroves caused floods'
MALAYSIA – The recent tidal flooding which affected more that  30 households in Kampung Sungai Batu, near here, could have been avoided if repeated warnings against the clearing of mangrove forests along Perak’s coastline had not been ignored. Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said he had voiced his concern over the issue as early as 2007, where he told Berita Harian that the destruction of mangrove forests would remove a natural barrier against coastal erosion and tidal surges. “Unfortunately, the land clearing activities continued and it was only a matter of time before high tides flooded the inland areas,” said Meor Razak. He said the mangrove forests acted as a buffer that “absorb” incoming tidal waves, effectively stopping the tidal floods from coming inland. READ MORE
 
Mangroves take spotlight during Ocean Month
 
PHILIPPINES – Mangroves take center stage in the observance in May of the “Month of the Ocean” as environment officials draw attention to their role as natural barriers against tsunamis and storm surges during extreme weather events. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the activities for Ocean Month would emphasize the important role that mangroves play in protecting coastal communities. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Mangroves protect. Protect mangroves,” said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. In a statement, Paje said the theme was timely and significant in light of the destruction wrought by Supertyphoon Yolanda, the strongest tropical typhoon ever to make landfall, which devastated Eastern Visayas last November. “Unfortunate the disaster may have been, Yolanda undoubtedly was an instant education for the Filipino people on what storm surges are, and was a rude awakening of sorts on the state of our coastal communities and their lack of protection from these natural events,” Paje said. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Environmentalists say pristine dive sites will be destroyed as ‘Reef Destroyer’ arrives in Bimini
 
BAHAMAS – A mammoth seafloor dredger, dubbed ‘The Reef Destroyer’ by local environmentalists, has arrived in Bimini as developers forge ahead with construction of a controversial ferry terminal despite a top judge’s stern warning. The 450-foot, 1,200 ton Niccolo Machiavelli is a specialized cutter-suction dredger designed to break up hard material which standard dredgers cannot remove. It is among the most powerful machines of its kind, and is set to be unleashed on one of the most pristine and significant marine ecosystems in the world, environmentalists say. “That monster dredger cannot be allowed to tear up the seabed off the coast of North Bimini,” said Fred Smith, QC, attorney and one of the directors of fast-growing environmental movement Save The Bays. “There are 14 world-class dive sites and some of the most sensitive and important reef systems on earth there – many of them directly in the developers’ intended path of destruction. READ MORE
 
Group announces the release of a new mangrove forest rehabilitation handbook
USA – Roy R. “Robyn” Lewis III, and Ben Brown recently announced the release of their collaborative effort on ecological mangrove rehabilitation – a field manual for practitioners. The 275 page project is made possible via support the Mangrove Action Project, Canadian International Development Agency and OXFAM and many others. The document can be accessed and downloaded for free at www.mangroverestoration.com   It represents the 101st file posted for free download at that web site. Look under "downloads" and go to download #80. The manual will be regularly revised based upon review and input by readers, so feel free to provide comments to the authors at seagrassroots@gmail.com READ MORE
 
Growing shrimp in America’s Dairyland
USA – America’s Dairyland might seem an unlikely place for growing some of the country’s favorite seafood. Wisconsin’s first indoor shrimp farm is located in the heart of the Kickapoo Valley, where the organic food industry is booming. The family-owned Dairyland Shrimp raises Pacific White shrimp year-round in a large red building near downtown Westby. The heaters, fans and water pumps hum loudly and keep the room, which houses four saltwater tanks, at a balmy 93 degrees. Forbes Adams is a former excavating contractor who was looking for a new line of work when he stumbled across the idea of inland shrimp farming. Adam visited an Indiana shrimp farm and was hooked. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
 
RAMSAR begins accepting nominations for Outstanding Wetlands Protection
  
The Ramsar Convention, the lead implementation partner for the Convention on Biological Diversity regarding wetlands, recently announced the acceptance of nominations for 2015 Ramsar Convention Wetlands Awards. The Ramsar Secretariat invites NGO leaders and others to consider nominating individuals, organizations, or initiatives as per the criteria given. The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has launched a call for nominations for the sixth edition of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards, which will be presented at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in June 2015. Three Awards will be given – each with the Evian Special Prize of US$10,000 kindly offered by the DANONE Group – in the following categories:
a) The Ramsar Convention Award for Wetland Wise Use
b) The Ramsar Convention Award for Wetland Innovation
c) The Ramsar Convention Award for Young Wetland Champions
The Ramsar Secretariat invites all recipients of this message to consider whether they know of suitable individuals, organizations, or initiatives that could be nominated, as well as to disseminate this call widely within their network, so as to attract as many good nominations as possible. For more information regarding the Criteria and Procedures for the Award, nomination forms, as well as on previous editions of the Awards please consult the Ramsar web site.  The deadline for the receipt of nominations is 15 July 2014. Nominations should be sent to the Ramsar Secretariat.

AFRICA
 
Cameroon steps up war on malaria amid worsening floods
 
CAMEROON – Cameroon is seeking ways to mobilise its citizens to support a government-led campaign against soaring malaria deaths, as worsening floods aggravate health risks. Government officials in the central-west African country say regular flooding due to erratic rains is partly responsible for the recent spike in deaths from vector-borne diseases, because standing water encourages malaria-carrying mosquitoes to breed. According to Cameroon’s minister of public health, André Mama Fouda, Cameroon saw the distribution of free treated mosquito nets rise from 33 percent of the population in 2011 to 66 percent in 2013. But the death rate has paradoxically increased, indicating the need to accompany net handouts with messages about the environment and good hygiene practices. “Exerting unprecedented control over the unfriendly behaviour of people towards the environment is key to succeeding in the fight against malaria and other vector-borne diseases,” the minister said. Environmentalists have blamed Douala’s tendency to flooding on the exploitation of mangrove forests near the coast by fishermen who cut down trees to smoke fish, leaving the shore bare of vegetation and removing protection against storm surges and sea-level rise. READ MORE
  

LAST WORD
 
Dear friends:
 
WRM is pleased to announce the launch of a new publication: “Trade in Ecosystem Services. When payment for environmental services delivers a permit to destroy”
 
The payment and trade of ‘environmental services’ is a trend promoted by the financial sector, the multilateral banks, conservationist organizations, governments and other institutions under the false argument that calculating the monetary value (or price) of natural functions like water purification, storage of carbon in vegetation and soils, the scenic beauty or biological diversity of a place will somehow help conserve Nature. This new advance of capital seeks to make visible for financial markets new aspects of Nature not yet dominated by capital. This new publication looks at the concept of ‘Payment for Environmental Services’ in its current cloths; examines some of the claims made by those who argue that putting a price on Nature is the only way to save Nature; shows who some of the actors are, and what motivates their interest in PES. Above all, the briefing is a contribution to documenting how this latest version of the PES theory is playing out on the ground, in the territories that forest communities depend on for their livelihood and way of life.
 
The English version can be accessed HERE
 
The publication is also available in
French
Portuguese
and Spanish
 
Please feel free to send us your comments and suggestions.
 
Best regards,
The WRM Team
 
 
 
~ 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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