Mangrove Action Project CBEMR wins National Energy Globe Award

MYANMAR – Over 170 countries sent a total of over 1500 entries. Experts from the Energy Globe evaluation committee have evaluated and selected the national winners. Mangrove Action Project’s Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration was chosen as best project of Myanmar and was honored with the National Energy Globe Award Myanmar on June 5^th. The activities of Energy Globe attract worldwide media attention – international TV stations report each year with approximately 1,000 hours of broadcasting time. The aim of the Energy Globe is to raise global attention on sustainable, everywhere applicable environmental solutions and to motivate people to also become active in this area. READ MORE

AFRICA

World’s poor most affected by biodiversity and ecosystem loss

SOUTH AFRICA – An increasing population and global trade have put unsustainable pressure on renewable natural resources, such as bush meat, fuel wood or arable land, which is increasing long-term poverty and leads to biodiversity loss. On the other hand, illegal wildlife trade of endangered species has a major impact on biodiversity, but also represents a real threat to national security and economic development for many African countries. Unprecedented poaching levels and sophisticated smuggling capabilities are indicative of organised criminal activity. Over €21bn of worldwide environmental crime is attributed to illegal wildlife trade, of which ivory is an important component. It is believed that this money is partly financing illegal groups, such as the Lord’s Resistance Army, Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, playing a part in destabilising the security of large regions. READ MORE

ASIA

MAP celebrates World Environment Day Thailand with Student Event

THAILAND – On Friday the 5th of June was World Environment Day, and to celebrate MAP, with the help of our sponsors Global Nature Fund (GNF), Earth Synchronicity and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation (BMZ), participated in a large half-day environmental event for grade 7-9 students in Krabi town along with other groups such as RAKS Thai and government agencies. The event was hosted by the Krabi Provincial Administrative Organization and was attended by over 2000 students. Presented in MAP’s booth were large banners depicting mangrove species, benefits of mangroves, food webs and knowledge pertaining to restoration and conservation. To raise awareness amongst the students on what MAP does for the community and environment staff conducted fun and educational, question and answer games complete with prizes. READ MORE

ANNUAL REPORT Community Based Sea Turtle Conservation in Odisha
INDIA – This project is a community involvement initiative for conservation of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacia) in non-protected breeding beaches of Odisha state, India. Several threats were identified during a rapid threat assessment survey including, nest predation by feral dogs, unseasonal rains and high tides, beach pollution etc. A plan of action was proposed to minimize the un-natural deaths of hatchlings. Main focus of this project is to increase survival chances of the hatchlings by active nest protection (eggs and hatchlings), hatchery management, assisting in hatching process, releasing disoriented hatchlings in to the ocean, and educating and sensitizing local communities and tourists. Our annual report can be viewed here. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Group petitions Ramsar to de-list artificial wetlands

GUATEMALA – Citing the widespread destruction of coastal forests, wetlands, seagrass and coral habitats, Red Manglar has officially petitioned Ramsar to de-classify the listing of shrimp farms and salt mines as “constructed wetlands”. Despite the severe impacts generated by industrial shrimp farming for both ecosystems and human populations, RAMSAR still considers this predatory industry as “Constructed Wetland”, sharing this classification with industrial salt mines, hydroelectric dams and mining pools. “Placing the shrimp, salt mines and other industrial activities as “Constructed Wetlands” is another argument used by these industries with high social and environmental impact to greenwash their activities,” the letter states. READ MORE

Bringing devastated mangroves back to life
USA – Florida-based wetland scientist Roy Lewis has been trying to coax mangroves back to life for decades. Back in the early 90s, the situation was so dire that the chances of restoring coastlines devastated by shrimp aquaculture seemed slim. But ensuing years have seen an explosion of replanting projects – often funded by the shrimp industry itself. Many, however, promise more than they deliver. “I did the same kind of experiments a lot of people have done,” says Lewis, who developed the Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) method now being used across Southeast Asia. “I began over 40 years ago: sticking mangrove seeds in the ground and watching them die. It was obvious there had to be a better approach.” “Mangrove” is a blanket term for trees and bushes from around 15 distinct plant families indigenous to tropical regions across the globe. Their common characteristic is that they have adapted to thrive, semi-submerged, in tidal saltwater – where they provide a unique and nurturing habitat for growing fish, marine invertebrates and roosting birds. READ MORE

Mangrove campaigners battle to save the ‘roots of the sea’
USA – When I first stumbled upon mangrove forests as a journalist in 1992, visiting several fishing communities along the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand, I noticed a common thread of problems faced by the fisherfolk: outside investors were ruining their lands and livelihoods by cutting mangroves to make way for shrimp farms, devastating their local fishery and agriculture. The rapidly expanding shrimp-aquaculture industry, fueled by voracious consumer demand in the US, Japan, and Europe, poses one of the gravest threats to remaining mangrove forests and the wildlife and communities they support. Millions of hectares of coastal wetlands, including mangroves, have been cleared to make room for shrimp ponds excavated a meter deep into the wetland substrate then filled with briny water and shrimp. The Philippines and Thailand have lost over 65% of their mangroves, while Indonesia, Cambodia, India and Bangladesh are close behind. One village chief in Thailand told me that his father had been murdered by the shrimp mafia because he’d opposed their cutting of mangroves. He spoke with deep emotion: “If there are no mangrove forests, then the sea will have no meaning. It is like having a tree with no roots, for the mangroves are the roots of the sea.” READ MORE

87% of wetlands have disappeared in three centuries
PANAMA –  In the last three centuries, 87% of wetlands worldwide have been degraded, said Wetlands International, before the international conference in Uruguay wetlands and the commemoration of World Environment Day June 2.
The overall loss of wetlands was given prior to the 12th Conference of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar COP12, held from 1 to 9 June in Punta del Este, Uruguay. For Wetlands International, wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide are considered critical to reducing disaster risk and rapid climate change, and to build resilience to extreme weather events. 90% of disasters are caused by water-related hazards such as floods and droughts, said the NGO. LEA MAS EN ESPANOL

EUROPE

177 countries present sustainable solutions

AUSTRIA – Our planet is facing a crucial test today. All over the world we can see the negative impacts of our environment’s pollution and destruction to the detriment of millions of people, and with dire consequences for all of our futures.
We have to make a change – not by talking but by acting. For this we need the passion, commitment, courage and cooperation with all parts of our society. 177 people in this world are showing how this change can happen. Energy Globe presents these committed people and their actions on 5th June, World Environment Day to tell the world that there are many creative people out there with great projects providing answers to many of our problems. Click through 177 outstanding solutions on www.energyglobe.info and learn more about great people and their great actions which were awarded with the national Energy Globe Award. READ MORE

As mangroves disappear at ‘an alarming rate,’ conservationists urge more protection
Even though about 90 percent of the world’s mangroves are found in developing countries, they are not currently considered part of the REDD+ strategies at UN talks, according to the UNEP report. REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) incentivizes reduced deforestation and greenhouse gases emissions. Steiner says not including mangroves in the REDD+ conservation strategy is a huge missed opportunity in addressing climate change and compensating developing countries that are likely to suffer some of the direst impacts of a climate crisis. A Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper argues that mangroves are under-appreciated assets in efforts to slow climate change. Researchers from Resources for the Future and the University of California at Davis estimated the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by preserving mangrove forests, which globally store 6.5 billion tons of carbon in their biomass and soils. READ MORE

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