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The Map News 195th ed., 22 February, 2008
Dear Friends,
This is the 195th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News, Feb 22, 2008. Happy Leap Year!
For the Mangroves,
Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project
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Contents for MAP NEWS, 195th Edition, Feb.22, 2008
FEATURE STORIES
MAP endorses call for a global moratorium to halt the further establishment or expansion of shrimp farming
MAP Open Letter on Certification of Farmed Shrimps to Certification Groups and the NGO community.
MAP WORKS
MAP’s Executive Director Presents At COHAB 2 Confeence in Galway, Ireland
Next Calendar Children’s Art Contest For 2009 Open For New Submissions
New Ecological Mangrove Restoration Workshop In Florida Feature:
Thailand
Thai Farmed Shrimp Exports In Trouble
Malaysia
Lost wetlands being recovered
Indonesia
Indonesia Halts Vannamei Shrimp Import
The Comeback of Penaeus Monodon in Indonesia
India
2 years after HC order, only 20 of 60 sq km mangroves notified as protected forest
A wild world
Nayachar - Terminal Symptom of a Malady
Bangladesh
Cyclone-hit shrimp farmers face uncertain future
Aparajeo Sunderban--Khasru Chowdhury's solo photography exhibition
Japan
Japan Shrimp Import Market Cools on Chinese Shrimp Imports
Brazil
Brazil’s Domestic Shrimp Consumption Soars
Mexico
Mexico adds wetlands to world registry as environmentalists warn against development
The Bahamas
Bimini Bay Resort completes mega yacht marina
Guana Cay Residents Fight Development
USA
Mangrove seeds bring back memories
US Imports of Shrimp Drop by 5.8%
STORIES / ISSUES
Report reveals 'alarming' rate of mangrove habitat loss
Global Trade In Tiger Shrimp Threatens Environment
The Critical Importance Of Mangroves To Ocean Life
International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) Protests CBD in Rome
Mapping Mangroves
The World’s Rubbish Dump: A Garbage Tip That Stretches From Hawaii to Japan
Biosphere reserves play major role in combating climate change, says UNESCO
Climate fight must enlist biodiversity and communities
Using Culture To Save Wetlands
Pollution From Land Affecting Our Seas and Sea Life
Ban Called For On Genetically Modified Trees
CONFERENCES / WORKSHOPS / PUBLICATIONS
WWF's new guide to reducing fishing bycatch goes online
AQUACULTURE CORNER
A Fine Kettle of Fish
New Research Shows Sea Lice Harming More Wild Salmon Stocks
Consumer food labeling suits reinstated
Industry Worries Over Bad Publicity
Chilean Salmon Farm Industry Strikes Out
MAP endorses call for a global moratorium to halt the further establishment or expansion of shrimp farming
"MAP endorses call for a global moratorium to halt the further establishment or expansion of shrimp farming pursuant to RAMSAR Resolution No. VII. 21, which urges the review and modification of policies that adversely affect intertidal wetlands, and recommends introduction of measures for their long-term conservation. It urges all Contracting Parties to suspend the promotion, creation of new facilities, and expansion of unsustainable aquaculture activities harmful to coastal wetlands until such time as assessments of the environmental and social impact of such activities, together with appropriate studies, identify measures aimed at establishing a sustainable system of aquaculture that is in harmony both with the environment and with local communities. MAP reminds the Ramsar Contracting Parties, as well as the Ramsar Secretariat, of resolutions that if they remain on paper, only reflect on the poor performance and credibility of international agreements that were instituted to insure that wetland resources were utilized in sustainable ways. Reclamation of wetlands and conversion into shrimp ponds is not and cannot be sustainable use. Certification schemes that allow or endorse such conversion are ecologically fraudulent and unethical.
Ramsar Resolution VII.21 San José, Costa Rica, 10-18 May 1999, recognizes the critical economic, social and environmental values of intertidal wetlands, including tidal flats, salt marsh, mangrove and seagrass beds for fisheries, biodiversity, coastal protection, recreation, education, and water quality. It recognizes that the livelihood of substantial numbers of people around the world depend on the productivity of intertidal wetlands and that a large proportion of these are being been lost to reclamation, unsustainable aquaculture, and pollution, and that, in some regions, the scale of reclamation is increasing. It noted the growing scientific evidence of, and awareness by,local communities of the productivity of intertidal wetlands, in particular of tidal flats, and that the expertise in dealing with the conservation and wise use of intertidal wetlands at local and national levels is rapidly increasing but that there are no adequate mechanisms at the global level to share and benefit from these experiences and expertise. It reminds the Contracting Parties that recommendation 6.4, urges countries to work together in the area of information exchange to contribute to the long-term conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats; and noted that many such migratory waterbird populations are dependent upon intertidal wetlands are globally threatened. It reminds the parties that Recommendation 6.7 urges the designation of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, including mangrove forests and seagrass beds, to the List of Wetlands of International Importance; and called the Contracting Parties to document the extent of loss of intertidal wetlands that has occurred and to inventory remaining intertidal wetlands, and their conservation status. It asks the Parties, in collaboration with the Ramsar Bureau, International Organization Partners, and relevant groups, to develop initiatives to disseminate information on the extent of loss of these wetlands and its impacts, and on alternative development strategies for the remaining intertidal areas. It urges the review and modification of policies that adversely affect intertidal wetlands, and urges introduction of measures for their long-term conservation. It urges all Contracting Parties to suspend the promotion, creation of new facilities, and expansion of unsustainable aquaculture activities harmful to coastal wetlands until such time as assessments of the environmental and social impact of such activities, together with appropriate studies, identify measures aimed at establishing a sustainable system of aquaculture that is in harmony both with the environment and with local communities.
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MAP Open Letter on Certification of Farmed Shrimps to Certification Groups and the NGO community.
Certification has the potential to promote sustainable production systems and organic and Eco-labelling generally has a very good reputation among consumers who actively seek and pay premium prices for certified products. However, this means that those involved in the certification process such as Naturland and others such certifiers, as well as NGO’s endorsing or supporting such certifications, acting as third party inspectors or providing endorsements, have far-reaching ethical responsibilities.
Labelling of products or producers that proves to be incorrect or dishonest will lead to reduced credibility of certified products in general among consumers. This could affect not only certifying organizations but producers that are doing their best to deliver an organic, environmentally friendly product, often through sacrifices that lead to reduced profit margins. We are concerned that current farmed shrimp certifications suffer from low credibility due to intrinsically weak ecological foundations.
Specifically we do not see how shrimp produced on intertidal lands, where serious environmental and social problems are created, can be certified as products of sustainable production practices. In particular we are concerned that the ecological value of salt flats remains unrecognized by certification organizations and even many in the NGO community. Salt flats are referred to as salt barrens, salt flats, salinas, salitrales, sabkhas, sebkhas, and by various local names such as apicums and albinas, tannes, among many. They are integral parts of complex ocean margin environments that are highly productive and are closely linked to nearshore fisheries that sustain local and artesanal as well as industrial nearshore fisheries including shrimp.
These coastal systems provide a sustained stream of goods and services. Salt flats, saline plains, mudflats and mangroves are part of a convergence zone where very active ecological processes take place. They are highly productive systems whose productivity contributes significantly to estuarine food webs through their photosynthesis and secondary production. The productivity of these areas is reflected in the way they sustain local fisheries and further reflected by the fact that they are exploited by a large number of shorebird species some of which aggregate in large numbers .Tidal flats and salt flats are important elements of many migratory routes, such as the Australasian Flyway, the West Pacific Flyway, the Central Asian-Indian Flyway, the African-Eurasian Migratory Flyway, and the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways. Some of these migratory flyways are now imperiled by broad scale conversion of salt flats to shrimp farms. Shorebird populations on a global scale are decreasing. Long-distance bird migrations are threatened with impoverishment or demise.
Because intertidal areas are such highly important features of the coastal environment, conversion to shrimp farms cannot be part of a certifiable sustainable activity. Sustainable development, according to FAO is “Development that…conserves land, water, plant and genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable”.
Can shrimps be farmed in a sustainable manner? We believe that sustainable shrimp aquaculture is possible if sited away from intertidal zones in non-tidal upland terrain and if adequate measures are taken to process wastewater and wastes. Aquaculture must be integrated within the coastal landscape to promote sustainability of the industry as well as to conserve landscape-level ecological processes. Preservation of the natural resource base is the cardinal objective of sustainable development. It is quite possible that appropriate siting and operational measures can benefit the industry as well as reducing economic losses caused by disease.
Furthermore, offsetting the industry away from intertidal lands addresses a number of social concerns by substantially reducing conflicts with local communities that make customary use of tidal lands and concurrently lessening conflicts over water and land resources with other users, particularly those created by misappropriation of tidal lands, an intrinsic difficulty where legal systems have left the way open for alienation of these areas for private agriculture or aquaculture in spite of laws and regulations.
MAP’s Executive Director Presents At COHAB 2 Confeence in Galway, Ireland
PRESS REALEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE REALEASE!
Subject: Director of Port Angeles-Based Mangrove Action Project Invited to Speak at UN Sponsored Event in Galway, Ireland about the Role of Mangrove Forests In Combating Climate Change and Related Natural Disasters
Date: February 15, 2008
From: Mangrove Action Project
Contact: Alfredo Quarto, Executive Director Mangrove Action Project, International Office
Address: MAP, PO Box 1854, Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279, USA
Tel. (360) 452-5866
E-mail: mangroveap@olympus.net
Website: www.mangroveactionproject.org
Mangrove Action Project’s Director, Alfredo Quarto, was recently invited to participate as a panelist at the UN co-sponsored COHAB 2 Conference in Galway, Ireland this month on “The Role of Mangrove Forests in Combating Worsening Impacts from Climate Change and Related Natural Disasters!” The conference will take place from Feb 25-28 with around 200 delegates from 60 nations attending.
About The Issues and Finding Solutions
Since its founding in 1992, Mangrove Action Project has urgently called for conservation of existing mangrove forest wetlands and for restoration of degraded or destroyed mangrove areas. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, MAP urged massive efforts to restore mangrove “greenbelts” along affected or threatened coastal zones to lessen the impacts of future such disasters.
There is a growing belief that the severity of such disaster can be greatly lessened and much loss in human life and suffering could be averted if healthy mangrove forests, coral reefs, sea grass beds and peat lands are conserved. Mangroves, "the rainforests by the sea," provide habitat for numerous aquatic species; protect coastlines from wind and waves and minimize storm damage; prevent erosion; provide natural resources to coastal traditional and indigenous populations, and sequester carbon dioxide that lessens the effects of global warming.
In its international offices, Mangrove Action Project aggressively opposes unsustainable developments that threaten these coastal forests. Today, more than half of the world's mangroves have been degraded or removed for unsustainable developments, including industrial shrimp aquaculture, tourism, and urban expansion. This destruction has had significant ecological and social repercussions, including polluted land and water, lost biodiversity, and the poverty, displacement, and abuse of native peoples who rely on mangroves for their sustenance and livelihoods. Additionally, shrimp farming, which has caused the most destruction, produces seafood that is so contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics that it poses severe risks to consumer health.
In October 1999, mangrove forests reduced the impact of a 'super-cyclone' that struck Orissa on India’s east coast, killing at least 10,000 people and making 7.5 million homeless. Yet, those human settlements located behind healthy mangrove stands suffered few losses.
According to Quarto, “Multilateral agencies and local governments have for too long enthusiastically supported shrimp farming, tourism and other income earning projects without paying attention to local social and ecological security.”
He further stated, “It is a sad fact that national governments have been unable to adequately regulate their industries that have sprouted up along much of the coastlines replacing nature’s buffer zones with unprotected developments. The 2004 tsunami event has tested this fragile development model and proven it to be quite unsound.”
MAP is calling for a plan to re-establish protective mangrove greenbelts along those otherwise denuded coastlines which will, if left unprotected, face future such disasters. As sea level rises, and as hurricane and tsunami threats mount, extensive mangrove restoration and conservation programs must be supported and undertaken.
During the COHAB 2 conference, Quarto will be addressing the role of mangroves in protecting biodiversity, food security, and wild fisheries, and in preventing floods, storms, and other natural disasters related to climate change.
This spring, Quarto and a small team of MAP staff are collaborating with Food and Water Watch to launch a Seattle-based consumer awareness campaign about the consequences of eating imported farmed shrimp. The campaign aims to increase consumers' understanding about the effects of their seafood choices (in particular, the massive consumption of imported farmed shrimp), offer more sustainable shrimp alternatives, and influence the shrimp purchasing and labeling policies of grocery stores, seafood markets, and restaurants.
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Next Calendar Children’s Art Contest For 2009 Open For New Submissions
Feb. 2008
Dear Friends of the Mangroves,
We are sponsoring our nineth international children's art competition and would like to Invite children in your country to enter this contest and learn more about the important role that mangrove forests play in the lives of the coastal communities in particular and for marine life in general.
Specifically we would like you to contact schools and teachers in your area and provide them with information regarding this contest, and also to act as a liaison between MAP and the local schools as a resource person regarding mangrove and ecological
information. In addition, we would ask you to collect the winners from each school participating within your country, and send the three best entries on to MAP at the above address for the final judging, and possible inclusion in the calendar. We must receive the art work by July 31, 2008 for the 2009 Art Calendar.
This provides an opportunity for participating NGOs to build relationships with teachers and to provide school children with environmental information. Educating children on the importance of mangrove and coastal ecosystems is critical to effecting long term change. Without this information, current generations will grow up placing little value on the environment (as modeled by their parents) unless they are given new eyes with which to see coastal ecosystems and mangrove forests.
We have attached information that is ready to have your name added as the local contact representative and duplicated for distribution to teachers in your country.
Please let us know if we can be of further assistance in helping you implement this exciting educational project in your country. We will send all student winners, participating NGOs and schools copies of our calendar as well. And, the winning students will receive a signed official certificate announcing their great achievement in the 2009 Children’s Mangrove Art Contest.
Yours sincerely,
Monica Alicia Paz Gutierrez-Quarto,
Calendar Project Coordinator
Mangrove Action Project
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279, USA
tel. (360) 452-5866
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New Ecological Mangrove Restoration Workshop In Florida Scheduled
The full announcement about the 6th "Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration Training Course", March 3-6, 2008, Hollywood, Florida, is now available at www.mangroverestoration.com.
ANNOUNCEMENT: “Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration" training workshop, March 3-6, 2008, Hollywood, Florida.
The sixth "Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration" training workshop will be held at the Anne Kolb Nature Center, in Hollywood, Florida, USA, March 3-6, 2008. The training site is within a 500 ha mangrove restoration project at West Lake Park operated by Broward County. The award-winning project was designed by Roy R. "Robin" Lewis III, who will be teaching the course.
The workshop includes an introduction to mangrove forest ecology, management options and problems, and restoration design issues. The class programs are all given in a PowerPoint format, and each student is provided with a print out of the presentation and additional handouts including monitoring reports for typical restoration projects. Case studies of 5 successful mangrove restoration projects, and several unsuccessful projects, are discussed. Field trips are taken within the 500 ha West Lake Park mangrove restoration project (now 18 years old) and a new project just five years old, for a comparison.
The emphasis is on cost-effective successful mangrove management and restoration, and cost figures for typical projects are discussed and explained. The hydrologic restoration of mangroves is emphasized as the best approach to successful restoration at minimal cost (see Erftemeijer and Lewis 2000; Lewis 1999, 2000a, 2000b, 2005; Lewis and Marshall 1998; Lewis and Streever 2000; Lewis et al. 2005, Stevenson et al. 1999; and Turner and Lewis 1997, for further discussion about hydrologic restoration of mangroves). Planting of mangroves is discussed in light of the many failures of this alone to successfully restore mangroves.
Cost for the course not including travel to Ft. Lauderdale, lodging or food is $800, due by January 1, 2008 to Coastal Resources Group, Inc., P.O. Box 5430, Salt Springs, Florida, USA 32134-5430. Two qualified students will be allowed to attend for free, and can apply at any time for the two fee-waived positions. This course is organized by the Coastal Resources Group, Inc., and will be taught in conjunction with the Mangrove Action Project www.mangroveactionproject.org. Lodging close to the training site is available at the SleepInn in Dania Beach, Florida. Reservations need to be made early. Each participant is responsible for making their own reservations.
More information can be provided by Robin Lewis at
LESRRL3@aol.com and www.mangroverestoration.com.
Thailand
Feb. 13, 2008 www.Seafoodnews.com
Thai Farmed Shrimp Exports In Trouble
In Thailand, the strong Bhat is leading to cutbacks in fish and shrimp exports. The rising costs of inputs cannot keep up with the sales prices on world markets, leading to cutbacks in fishing effort, and reduced purchase of farmed shrimp supplies. Exporters fear they are becoming less competitive vs. Vietnam, China, and others Asian producers.
From: "Seafood.com News" seafoodnews@seafood.com
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Malaysia
2008/02/03
Lost wetlands being recovered
By : Teresa Yong
MALAYSIA has lost almost half of its mangroves over the past four decades and this alarming trend will continue if we do not recognise the grave implications.
Malaysian wetlands shrunk to 564,970 hectares four years ago from the estimated 1.1 million hectares of mangroves in 1966, said Sarala Aikanathan, Wetlands International Malaysia director.
After the tsunami disaster in December 2004, the Malaysian government recognised the important role of coastal peat swamps in reducing the impact of waves and the other benefits. It ordered mangrove replanting schemes to begin in all states.
“Last year, the target was to plant 200ha of mangroves in the peninsula,” Sarala said.
The Johor floods last year accounted for RM50 million losses. Two years ago, 90,000 people were evacuated and last year, over 34,000. Sarala attributed the severity of the floods to the loss of wetlands in the state.
Drainage of peatland in Johor over the years for planting pineapples caused land subsidence. This caused many areas to be below river levels.
“While we cannot prevent major floods, we can ensure that we benefit from the flood protection that wetlands offer. Rivers, lakes and marshes slow down and retain floodwaters.
“The broader implications of concrete chanellisation of our rivers and draining our marshes and natural flood plains need to be understood in our urban planning.”
Peatlands are not just useless marshes. Increasingly, environmental researchers and scientists have found it to be the greatest carbon stores in the ecosystem.
Though it covers only three per cent of the Earth’s land area, it accounts for about a third of the global soil carbon and 70 times the current annual global emissions from fossil fuels.
“In Southeast Asia, peatlands account for 2.7 million hectares or about 10 per cent of the land area, with an estimated carbon storage of 2,000 mega tonnes of carbon.
“Burning of peatland and drainage activities have led to massive increases in greenhouse gases (GHG).
“It’s estimated that emissions from degraded peatland alone emit 600 million tonnes, accounting for eight per cent of the total global GHG emissions,” Sarala said.
Sewage treatment plants, animal farms and factories continue to cause water pollution.
In 2006, 18,956 point source pollution incidents were reported. Pollution from sewage treatment plants was 9,060 (47 per cent) and manufacturing, 45 per cent.
Non-point sources of water pollution would include agricultural activities and the run-off.
“Wetlands are highly undervalued and often taken for granted by people. What is misunderstood and undervalued are the multiple ecological, social, psychological and economic functions they serve.”
Consider these facts:
• Wetlands supply us with fish (including shellfish) and plants (including fruits, seeds and vegetables).
• One billion people rely on fish as their main or sole source of protein and many more consume fish regularly.
• Rice is the most important at a global level, providing 20 per cent of the world’s dietary energy supply.
• Declining fish stocks in Malaysia endanger the lives of birds, the bigger fish and mammals.
• Our wetlands, if well managed, will continue to provide food to keep us healthy — but there are many human actions that negatively affect the capacity of wetlands to continue to provide for us.
• Inland wetlands (rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, etc) perform a vital function in filtering and purifying fresh water, rendering it “clean” for human consumption.
• Over one billion people lack access to clean water supplies. Wetlands can only provide us with clean water if we keep them healthy through effective management.
• Rubbish, especially plastics in water are dangerous to birds, fish and mammals of the wetlands.
Sarala said the wetlands were also a source for medicines.
“Many wetlands plants and animal species have been used in traditional medicines for millennia and this continues until today.
“They are used in homeopathic medicines, an ever-growing industry in developed countries, and play a role in the development and production of modern medicines.
“However, over-collection, destructive harvesting techniques, habitat loss and alteration challenge the capacity of wetland species to continue to fulfil their roles,” Sarala said.
The World Health Organisation estimates that depression-related illnesses will become the greatest source of ill health by 2020. Physical inactivity in urban populations is also contributing to other diseases.
“Urban green spaces, which include rivers, lakes and reservoirs, provide space for recreation, education and relaxation.
“The value of green spaces in improving the mental and physical health of urban populations is gaining greater recognition.
“Current studies indicate measurable physical and psychological benefits from regular contact with urban green spaces.
“So urban wetlands have a key role to play,” Sarala emphasised.
There are projects funded by the United Nations Development Programme that look into implementing an integrated management plan in peat swamp forests in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
“We need to review the role of wetlands in Malaysia and the role they play in flood prevention.
“Protection of the remaining peatlands and restoration of degraded peatlands provide a very cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions in the region.
“This was recognised at the recent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and different financial mechanisms are now being studied to compensate nations to protect and conserve the peatlands,” she added.
What is a wetland?
IT is an area of marsh, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or saltish, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.
Wetlands can be:
• marine (coastal wetlands, including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs);
• estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps);
• lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);
• riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and,
• palustrine (meaning “marshy” — marshes, swamps and bogs).
Threats to peatlands
• Pollution, excessive water abstraction, poor sanitation, over-harvesting and wetland destruction all reduce or destroy the capacity of wetlands to provide food for human consumption and environmental services.
• The wetlands act as filters or traps for many pathogens. When water flows through wetlands, pathogens lose their viability or are consumed by other organisms.
• Man-made wetlands are being constructed in urban and rural areas to perform this function. It thus prevents untreated sewage reaching natural wetlands that are used as an immediate source of drinking water.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on Feb 2, It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on Feb 2, 1971. There are five Ramsar sites in Malaysia and the country’s largest lake, Tasik Bera in Pahang, was the first. Together with Tanjung Piai, Pulau Kukup, Sungai Pulai in Johor and the Kuching Wetlands in Sarawak, they cover 55,355ha. The theme for the 2008 World Wetlands Day is ‘Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People’.
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Indonesia
Friday, February 1, 2008
Indonesia Halts Vannamei Shrimp Import
At least until June 2008, the import of Vannamei shrimp to Indonesia is forbidden, although the import rules expired last December, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Affairs, Indonesia, decided to extend the period until June 2008.
The reason for the import rules is because Indonesia lacks behind in technology concerning disease detection and also traceability of the products. This issue is also related to the biosecurity conditions of the Indonesian aquaculture.
The government of Indonesia stands defensively because Indonesia government wants to protect the shrimp aquaculture industry from exotic diseases. In 2003, Indonesia had done the same thing by halting Vannamei import because of the same reason.
Indonesia until now hasn't decided yet whether they will unleash the imported shrimp to Indonesia because even the United States couldn't guarantee whether all imported products to USA are traceable. USA itself is the super power country and leads in the anti terrorism and of course tools to check traceability are available. If the technology is present, Indonesia is bound to open the Vannamei import.
Shrimp that are already imported have to be re-exported or immediately destroyed.
From Aquaculture Indonesia News
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The Comeback of Penaeus Monodon in Indonesia
The development of P. vannamei in Indonesia has lead to an unprospective future. Vannamei is no longer resistant to diseases and ideas of going back with monodon are rising. Monodon itself is a local species and still has its prospect to reign again the shrimp production in Indonesia.
In the eighties till the beginning of the nineties, Indonesia led in the production of shrimp, especially the monodon species. But due to bad management in practices the quality of pond and also the shrimp declined very fast.
Still the is hope for Indonesia shrimp, but some people said its to late because already other Asian countries such as India, Vietnam, Thailand had developed it very seriously for a great comeback. Monodon is an original species from Indonesia, so why not develop it like vannamei?
Posted by Media Master at 2:35 AM 2 comments
From Aquaculture Indonesia News
India
2 years after HC order, only 20 of 60 sq km mangroves notified as protected forest
Nitya Kaushik
Posted online: Saturday , February 02, 2008 at 12:47:33
Updated: Saturday , February 02, 2008 at 01:04:43
Print Email To Editor Post Comments
Mumbai, February 1 Friday may have been the 11th World Wetland Day, but the latest news on Mumbai and its extended suburbs' lush mangroves is not heartening. For, two years after a Bombay High Court judgment, the state has notified as protected forests only 20 sq km of mangrove habitats in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, while a mapping done by the state’s Environment Department showed 60 sq km of mangrove in this area.
Responding to a PIL filed by Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG), the High Court in October 2005 had ordered “a total freeze on the destruction and cutting of mangroves in Maharashtra”. For this, the court ruled that a mapping of mangroves be done-and notified-within eight months. The government was also asked to hand over its mangrove lands to the Forest Department by August 2006.
Debi Goenka, president of BEAG, says: “The mapping was completed by the state-appointed Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre and about 60 sq km of land was shown.”
However, while the mapping was completed, a major area of mangroves was never notified.
The court will now hear the issue on February 7.
Meanwhile, mangrove activists impatiently wait for the notification. “The notification needs to be complete for us to take any action against encroachment. The case has been on for two years now and in the meantime, hacking of mangroves continues in different places. Once all the mangroves are declared as protected forests, steps can be taken against offenders,” points out environmentalist Rishi Agarwal. Environmentalists and mangrove experts also point out that while a draft notification for all mangrove lands was indeed prepared and forwarded to other departments, the final notification dropped several areas….
nitya.kaushik@expressindia.com
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A wild world
Nitya Kaushik
Posted online: Sunday , February 03, 2008 at 11:02:07
Updated: Saturday , February 02, 2008 at 11:19:23
Mumbai, February 2 The 60 sq km of mangroves in Mumbai alone is known to attract nearly 206 species of birds, 35-40 reptiles, 16 crabs, at least three types of prawns and several fish species, according mangrove conservationist Vivek Kulkarni. “At one time, seven species of prawnss were found here but four seem to have become extinct in this particular habitat,” he says. These transition forests also serve as a habitat for mammals, including jackals, mongoose, wild boars, ferral boars (a hybrid) and panthers in some regions.
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Birds: “In just a half-an-hour walk through the mangroves, your are bound to spot at least 10 species of birds of varied colours, sizes and speices,” says Rishi Agarwal of the Versova-Lokhandwala Mangrove Forum. At Lokhandwala, the most common birds are pond herons, barhead geese, median egrets, storks, sand pipers, curlews, terens and sometimes even preying birds like sea eagles and kites. Thane and Navi Mumbai attract birds like black cap Kingfisher and the white-eared Bul Bul, and fishing birds like the Osprey. The marsh harrier, a scavenging as well as preying bird often visits the mangroves. Agarwal says, “For fishing birds, this habitat offers an easy source of food. Early morning, before sunrise, is the best time for bird watching— this is when they are most active.”
Insects: Though insect life in mangroves has not been adequately researched in India, a number of butterflies and moths are commonly found in the ecosystem. Among those documented are the tiny cream-coloured butterfly Salmon Arab and the timber moth Hybloea puera, which in 1998 was held responsible for destruction of several mangrove stretches in the city. “They devour certain plants but that seldom causes permanent harm to the ecosystem,” reassures Kulkarni.
Fish: For several saltwater fish, the mangroves are nature’s nursery. Here they find quiet, uninterrupted space to breed. Nearly 105 species of fish are recorded to dwell in the mangroves of India. Common ones are scats, milk fish, mullets, cat fish and perches.
A peculiar amphibian common in Mumbai’s mangroves is the mudskippers or lung fish. An amazing example of evolution, this part marine-part land creature has developed lungs to breath and limbs to hop on shore. Underwater, it’s an average fish breathing through its fins and swimming adeptly.
Crustacean: While the well-known Tiger prawns don’t inhabit the mangroves of the city any more, thanks to excessive pollution and fishing, the commonly found crustacean are the mangrove crab (mud crab), the large edible swimming crab often regarded as pests due to their habit of cutting the stems of young plant shoots. The most commonly seen crustaceans in mangroves are the fiddler crab and the telescope shells.
nitya.kaushik@expressindia.com
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This was published in The Statesman dated 12th.
Feb.'2008
Nayachar - Terminal Symptom of a Malady
The proposal for a chemical hub at Nandigram, in West Midnapur district was aborted due to an unprecedented revolt encompassing most sectors of Civil Society.
The West Bengal Government has now zeroed in on Nayachar, an island that emerged from the sea in the nineteen thirties in the offshore region of the Bay as an alternative.
Located near the confluence of the Haldi river and the Bay and virtually within the coastal offshore zone, it is a very small and flat island fully made up of unconsolidated alluvium that rose just three metres above the sea. GSI drilling also showed that it is similar material down to thirty metres. In the same offshore region, Lohacchhara, Supari Bhaga , Kapasgadi and Bedford islands were submerged by global warming effects. This was indisputably established by Jadavpur University researchers.
Somewhat later, Nayachar may share the same fate. Any industrial infrastructure shall necessitate substantial raising and consolidation of land by dumping colossal quantities of imported material. In fact, this process itself may expedite land collapse.
Even then, would it be strong enough to bear major industrial infra-structural load?
Furthermore, such an island shall always remain susceptible to tidal waves and erosion.
Consequent on activating the proposed chemical hub, enormous quantities of hazardous wastes (including carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic to reproduction category) shall be generated with no safe dumping arrangements within the island. Obviously, these will be dumped into the sea, wreaking havoc on offshore marine life including fish and planktons. Most ominously, the seasonal offshore currents operating in the zone shall transport the pollutants along the coast into the Sundarban deltaic system and tidal currents will push them further into the Indo-Bangladesh river network.
The Chief Minister very recently reiterated from the ramparts of 'Fort Brigade Parade Ground' that Nayachar shall have the chemical hub. Even with the insensitivity of the State to valid scientific criticism, such a decision is simply mind boggling!
Yet, there are alternatives available.
Having land fully government owned land, this island was handed over to the State Fisheries department about thirty years ago. A number of fishing cooperatives were formed and more than three hundred ponds were leased out to local fisher-folk and small entrepreneurs, commuting by ferry from Haldia. The island also has six hundred squatter families eking out at least a meagre livelihood as labourers in the ponds or catching fish. The socio-economic fallout of setting up a major industry cannot be ruled out, with inevitable problems of livelihood loss and rehabilitation of the displaced families.
The Jurong Consultants appointed by the Salim Group, has endorsed the Nayachar location, citing the examples of islands off Singapore! Whereas those islands form part of the Himalayan arc itself, Nayachar is an offshoot of eroded Himalayan material and transported over thousands of millennia to form one of the thickest alluvial basins on earth.
Singapore has no such vulnerable alluvial basin to pollute ! Instead of wooing industrialists with questionable credentials, the State should organise and support fisheries to be developed and run by local dwellers. Obviously, with moderate investment, the losses shall be miniscule compared to industrial development even if the island is submerged after a few decades. This would be an optimum utilisation package for such a chunk of ephemeral land.
Andhra and other states are satisfying the huge demands of such a fish hungry State. The East Kolkata wetlands fisheries have been decimated by planned and relentless state sponsored urbanisation to pamper major realtors. Although miniscule, Nayachar may provide an example to emulate in such a warped development scenario. Even the state government admits that West Bengal has started facing shortfalls in food production; fish is certainly a major protein food item.
Nayachar is another decisive step in West Bengal's journey of no return into the path of devastating its invaluable natural resources. Despite concerted protests, it is providing the cradle for Tata-Nano miracle in prime farmlands of Singur and development of Rajarhat. Further plans to build highways, bridges and Kulpi inland port shall inexorably destroy the invaluable and vestigial mangrove swamps of the Sundarabans that protect the state from the disastrous cyclones. The Teesta Project has started constructing a chain of dams and barrages in the tectonically active Himalayan foothills zone. Indications of a major disaster are already being perceived in a series of major landslides, along with water logging in the plains.
Yes, the Government is transforming the State into an environmental inferno, basically for the benefit of a miniscule affluent urban minority! Instead, by forsaking the globalisation highway, it could always choose the country roads of a resurgence that would include small agro-based industries. This would be sustainable and endow benefits on the overwhelming rural majority of the State.
Subrata Sinha
Formerly , DDG,Geological Survey of India
From: "Madhusree Mukerjee"
lopchu@att.net
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Bangladesh
Cyclone-hit shrimp farmers face uncertain future
16 January 2008
DHAKA - Nearly 400,000 shrimp farmers face an uncertain future two months after Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh's southwestern coastal belt: Some 6,000 shrimp farms and hatcheries in the four southern districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat and Patuakhali were washed away.
Bangladesh's shrimp exports are the country's second largest foreign exchange earner (after ready-made garments), earning US$515 million from exports during the last fiscal year (July 2006-June 2007). The Bangladeshi government was hoping to earn over $1.5 billion from shrimp exports annually by 2010.
In Morrelganj, Sharankhola and Mongla sub-districts of Bagerhat District, over 90 percent of some 5,000 shrimp enclosures were destroyed by the cyclone.
Farms in the affected region are well known for their Black Tiger shrimps that grow in salt water and are cultivated on 130,000 hectares of land, while freshwater shrimps are cultivated on another 40,000 hectares of land.
"We have suffered an estimated loss of about $36 million," said Kazi Belayet Hossain, president of the Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA) of Bangladesh, in the capital, Dhaka.
Maqsudur Rahman, vice-president of BFFEA, said almost all the shrimp enclosures, hatcheries and processing plants in Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna districts, where 70 percent of shrimps were produced, were severely damaged by the cyclone which struck the country on 15 November, affecting close to 10 million people and leaving over 3,000 dead.
Shrimp farms in Barguna, Pirojpur, Madaripur and Gopalganj districts, where fresh water shrimps are cultivated, incurred 30 percent of the losses, Rahman said.
Individual shrimp farmers, many of whom lost everything and were already heavily in debt, now face a particularly bleak future, with many wondering how they will care for their families. Extremely poor, many had borrowed money from shrimp exporters and need to repay them.
But it is highly unlikely they will be able to do that, particularly as many of their enclosures and hatcheries have been washed away.
"We need interest-free bank loans so that we can provide more loans to the farmers," Belayet Hossain said, adding that the government should also offer direct support to the farmers immediately.
The government had fixed an export target of $600 million in the frozen food sector for the fiscal year 2007-08, and the country's Directorate of Fisheries (DoF) is working to assess the losses caused by Cyclone Sidr.
"According to our initial estimates, the loss may be around $3.5 million," said Mokammel Hossain, the DoF's director-general; a figure significantly less than what shrimp producers are claiming.
EU aid?
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU), a major buyer of Bangladeshi shrimps, has hinted it is ready to offer assistance to help the shrimp farmers recover their losses.
"We'll certainly look into how we can help," Stefan Frowein, ambassador and European Commission (EC) delegation head in Dhaka, told the media recently, without going into much detail.
"It would be decided once the damage is assessed," he said.
Frowein said the EU discussed possible assistance for the shrimp farmers at last month's Bangladesh-EC sub-group meeting on trade development, capacity building and economic cooperation held at the Ministry of Commerce in Dhaka.
Source: IRIN
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Aparajeo Sunderban--Khasru Chowdhury's solo photography exhibition
Cultural Correspondent
Photographs by Khasru Chowdhury
The unique splendour of the Sunderbans, the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world that is recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site, has been presented beautifully at the ongoing photo exhibition at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). Not only the spectacular fauna and flora of the Sunderbans, but also its biodiversity and natural resources have been highlighted at the exhibition titled Aparajeo Sunderban by Khasru Chawdhury. Chowdhury has been travelling in the areas of Sunderbans for the last 34 years. One hundred and ten photographs taken in the last six years by the photo-artiste are on display.
The 10-day photography exhibition, jointly organised by Prothom Alo and BSA, began on January 28. C.S. Karim, adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Water Resources, inaugurated the exhibition. Deputy Editor ofPrathom Alo, Sajjad Sharif, delivered the welcome speech. Photo-artiste Khasru Chowdhury in his speech pointed out the backgrounds of these images. Director General of BSA, Quamrul Hasan, chaired the opening ceremony.
Khasru Chowdhury, a tiger expert, has worked with renowned TV channels such as Discovery, Animal Planet, National Geographic, NHK and BBC.
Along with the main attractions of the Sunderbans -- the Royal Bengal tiger and the spotted deer, photographs of several mammals, reptiles, birds and other rare species in midst of the mangrove forest are also on display.
Moreover, locals like the bawalis, honey collectors and others whose life and culture are interrelated with the mangrove forest, are also seen in the photos. The exhibition also features the darker side of the Sunderbans like the poachers killing tiger and trapping the deer.
Some photographs feature the regeneration of the Sunderbans after the Cyclone Sidr recently devastated the mangrove forest.
From: "zakir kibria" zakir.kibria@gmail.com
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Japan
News Summary: February 6, 2008
Japan Shrimp Import Market Cools on Chinese Shrimp Imports
A major food scare is now unfolding in Japan that threatens to further erode Japanese confidence in Chinese sourced food products. At issue is the discovery of pesticides banned in Japan for more than ten years, that have turned up in packages of goyza frozen dumplings, with ingredients from China. Over 2500 Japanese have reported themselves as impacted after eating dumplings-- and although some of the symptoms may be imaginary, the effect is to create a new food scare. Tomorrow we will have a report on how this is impacting shrimp markets. Apparently in Japan there is a turn away from Chinese vannamei to black tiger produced elsewhere, and this could be having a market impact.
…February 7, 2008
Japanese traders say that worries of Chinese food safety in Japan are impacting the shrimp market, tilting demand away from Chinese vannamei, and towards black tiger shrimp produced in Vietnam, Indonesia, and India. They see evidence of this in price movements.
From: "Seafood.com News"
seafoodnews@seafood.com
Brazil
February 12, 2008
Brazil’s Domestic Shrimp Consumption Soars
In other news, domestic shrimp consumption has soared in Brazil, helped by US anti-dumping duties, a soaring currency, and a booming local economy. Farmed shrimp should rest on both domestic and export production, says the trade director of the fish and aquaculture deparment.
From: "Seafood.com News" seafoodnews@seafood.com
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Mexico
International Herald Tribune
Mexico adds wetlands to world registry as environmentalists warn against development
The Associated Press Published: February 2, 2008
MAZATLAN, Mexico: Mexico has added 45 wetlands to an international registry that promotes conservation and sustainable development, even as environmentalists warn wetlands remain poorly protected in Mexico.
Environment Secretary Juan Elvira Quesada said Saturday the 6.7 million acres of newly protected wetlands dot Mexico's Caribbean coast, the Baja California Bay of San Quintin and southernmost state of Chiapas. They raise the total area of protected wetlands to 19.8 million acres.
The additional areas bring Mexico's wetlands inventory to 112 sites, second only to the U.K. under the 1971 international Convention on Wetlands, officials said.
Development has threatened Mexico's coastal wetlands and mangrove forests since the late 1960s, when construction took off in the Caribbean resort town of Cancun, an area of coral reefs and fragile lagoons.
As large luxury hotels spread south along the coast of Quintana Roo state, environmentalists have repeatedly warned of the impact of tourism. Inland waterways and swaths of the Pacific coast face similar pressures.
Greenpeace blames the government, citing a bill now before Congress that would let developers raze mangrove swamps in return for a tax and promise to replace the destroyed trees.
"The mangroves are part of a complicated ecosystem," said Raul Estrada, a spokesman for Greenpeace in Mexico, who called it "science fiction to say you can transplant mangroves."
"There can be a lot of protected areas, but as long as the environmental policies of the Mexican government don't change and they don't respect the zones, nothing is going to change," he said.
Mangrove forests buffer coastal communities from hurricanes and are prime habitat for migratory birds and aquatic life.
The Bahamas
Editir’s Note: With Bimini Island’s mangroves and future at risk, will Bahama’s new government take a stand as a last resort?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Local/National News
Bimini Bay Resort completes mega yacht marina
To accommodate the growing boom in mega-yachts, Binini Bay Resort & Marina has completed a 96-slip mega yacht marina.
Constructed by Washing-ton-based Bellingham Ma-rine and using the company's unique Unifloat design, the new marina can accommodate vessels up to 203 feet in length….
….Bimini Bay Resort's original marina was constructed by Bellingham Marine in two phases between 2000 and 2007. Today, the two marinas boast a combined 232 slips, including 136 slips for boats 40 to 128 feet in length…
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Feb 20, 2008
Guana Cay Residents Fight Development
The name “Great Guana Cay” is ironic, because the tiny northern Bahamian island is only about a quarter-mile wide and six miles long. But the island is large enough to become mired in a controversy that is helping to define the irony of modern "sustainable development" issues in eco-destinations.
The island's inhabitants are employed in fishing and cottage industry tourism. Its coral reef is one of the most intact surviving elkhorn/staghorn coral communities in the world, and divers consider it one of the most beautiful in the Bahamas.
So when the residents of Great Guana Cay found out that a golf mega-development had been green-lit by a distant federal government in Nassau without their consent, they banded together and formed a grassroots effort to derail the plans.
Since then, coral reef scientists and marine ecologists have come to their aid to try to stop the Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club (Discovery Land Company) from realizing completion. While coral bleaching is on every coral scientist’s mind, the widespread decline of coral reefs in the West Indies is not only attributed to climate change, but a history of unsustainable coastal development. Coral reefs require their environment to be nutrient-poor in order to survive. And golf courses and marinas, rich in nutrients and pollutants, are a recipe for disaster. Residents worry that the chemicals needed to fertilize the club's 595 acres will seep into the reef.
The proposed $500-million resort and 180-slip marina, with tennis courts, a hotel, destination spa, and championship golf course, are being built now. The island’s mangroves, which serve as the coral reef’s sole fishery, have already been lost. But the Baker’s Bay Club has put millions into its image as the greenest development ever to grace the Bahamas. In a way, this is true. Before they remove mangroves from the development site, for example, they grab the clinging bromeliads and blooming orchids (all common in the northern Bahamas) and hang them in a greenhouse built from local materials for visiting dignitaries and government officials. But these actions have fallen short of what residents are seeking, and they've decided to take matters into the courts. (Attempts to contact the developers of the Discover Land Company for comment went unanswered.)
Right now, the locals, the developer, and the Bahamian government are fighting over (PDF) the future of Great Guana Cay in the Bahamian court system. Meanwhile, the nesting sea turtles are gone, residents are selling their homes, the mangroves and crabbing grounds are gone forever, and scientists predict the doom of another reef.
News of Great Guana Cay’s aggressive voice to save their coral reef is resounding through several islands in the Caribbean. Communities who face similar environmental issues are watching their campaigns closely, and following their lead.
Travel photographer Erik Gauger writes for blog Notes from the Road and argues that travel writers are obligated to cover the most controversial subjects of travel. He has been following this issue since 2005. The islanders' organization is called Save Guana Cay Reef.
Read More: National Geographic Traveler's Geotourism Editor Jonathan Tourtellot wrote about threats to the Bahamian islands in the September 2006 issue.
USA
Mangrove seeds bring back memories
Most Hawaii residents think of mangroves only as alien species that need to be exterminated. But last week when I found hundreds of mangrove seeds washed up on Kailua Beach, they brought back fond memories.
While visiting northeastern Australia, I saw dozens of islands and estuaries with dense, towering jungles growing right up to their waterlines. When I got closer, I discovered these trees had created their own waterlines and their own dirt, too. They were enormous mangroves forests.
Mangroves seem like marine plants, because they live in sea water, which, at 3 percent salt, kills land plants. But mangroves don't use the salt; they just cope with it well.
Some mangrove species called excreters have a gland on each leaf that collects internal salt. When the leaf drops, the salt goes, too. The fallen leaves also provide food for some of the marine animals that live among the roots below.
Other mangrove types called excluders don't deal with salt in their systems at all. Membranes on their root surfaces let water in but keep salt out. These mangroves have only fresh water inside.
Mangroves are native to many of the world's tropical coastlines but not Hawaii. The American Sugar Co., however, imported mangroves here from Florida in 1902, planting them in Molokai's mud flats to stabilize the soil. The seeds from those trees drifted downwind, and by the 1920s, small mangrove trees of this species were growing in Kaneohe Bay.
People later brought other species of mangroves to Hawaii. One arrived from the Caribbean in 1910, and another came from the Philippines in 1922 in a parcel of 14,000 seedlings. This batch went into Oahu's saltwater marshes and is now the type that dominates Kaneohe Bay.
Mangrove trees are widespread around the world because their seeds keep their power to reproduce after floating for weeks in salt water. Shaped like fat fountain pens with one end weighted, these green and brown seeds bob upright in the water.
The term mangrove refers to about 100 species. The scientific name of the most common kind in Hawaii, the red mangrove, is mangle, but the original common name for this species was mangro. Now most people call them all mangroves.
Mangroves can stand tall in soft mud because their trunks send out above-water roots that act like tripods, stabilizing the tree. As the roots multiply and tangle, they trap sediment. In that way the tree creates more ground in which to expand.
These masses of roots also make underwater forests that attract marine animals, such as young fish, which use them as protective nurseries. One book I have lists 92 species of fish found in mangrove habitats, not to mention countless invertebrates.
I always considered mangroves unwelcome guests in Hawaii. They clog wetland areas crucial to the survival of some native plants and animals, and also interfere with the life cycles of coastal fish that depend on shallow, open bays for survival.
But after seeing this plant in its native habitat, I now appreciate its beauty and usefulness.
In the past, I ignored the cigarlike mangrove seeds lying on Hawaii beaches. Now they remind me of tall trees dipping their toes in the ocean while creating fabulous forests above and below the water. It's a memory I cherish.
Marine science writer Susan Scott can be reached at www.susanscott.net.
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US Imports of Shrimp Drop by 5.8%
News Summary: February 15, 2008
…Total shrimp imports into the U.S. dropped 5.8%, the first time this number has fallen in many years. Even during the height of the anti-dumping fights shrimp imports kept increasing. The decline was across the board in all categories and product forms, from shell on to cooked and peeled to breaded. Production problems in some countries were certainly an issue, but also we are seeing the impact of the weak dollar -- some other markets are just more attractive. EU imports of warm water shrimp are booming.
Editor’s Note: We at Mangrove Action Project are very concerned about the conversion of salt flats into shrimp farms, tourist hotels and other developments. There really needs to be more assertive action on behalf of conserving the coastal wetland areas in a more realistic and holistic manner. One cannot conserve the mangroves without also conserving the inter-related mud flats and salt flats. There must be an integrated approach to coastal wetland conservation, not a piecemeal approach as is evident today.
We have heard that in Ecuador, for instance, over 80% of their salt flats have been converted to shrimp aquaculture activities, while the industry there boasts of not being in the mangroves, as if the salt flats are not themselves vital wetland areas. We cannot accept this as a viable solution to mangrove conservation, and hope that Ramsar and other inter-governmental institutes, such as the FAO, UNEP and IUCN will take a similar public stance on this matter of conversion of any inter-tidal wetland area to shrimp farms or any other destructive coastal development.
With sea level rise, these same salt flats, if left intact, could well become the next sites for the future of the mangrove forests.
Without more serious focus on this issue, more and more wetlands will be destroyed, when literally the people "cannot not see the wetlands for the trees!"
Report reveals 'alarming' rate of mangrove habitat loss
Guardian Unlimited, 04 February 2008
Mangrove ecosystems should be better protected, the UN's food agency has warned as it published new figures showing that 20% of the world's mangrove area has been destroyed since 1980.
More: Guardian
Report reveals 'alarming' rate of mangrove habitat loss
Mangrove ecosystems should be better protected, the UN's food agency has warned as it published new figures showing that 20% of the world's mangrove area has been destroyed since 1980
A study by the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said that the environmental and economic damages caused by the "alarming" loss of mangroves in many countries should be urgently addressed.
Countries must engage in more effective conservation and sustainable management of the world's mangroves and other wetland ecosystems, it warned, ahead of World Wetlands day (Feb 2nd)...
The world has lost around 3.6m hectares (20%) of mangroves since 1980, the report showed.
The total mangrove area has declined from 18.8m ha (46.4m acres) in 1980 to 15.2m ha (37.5m acres) in 2005. However the report did show that there has been a slowdown in the rate of mangrove loss: from some 187,000 ha destroyed annually in the 1980s to 102,000 ha a year between 2000 and 2005. This reflected an increased awareness of the value of mangrove ecosystems, the report said.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant evergreen forests that are found along coastlines, lagoons, rivers or deltas in 124 tropical and subtropical countries and areas around the world, providing protection against erosion, cyclones and wind.
Around 50% of the world's total mangrove area is found in Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico. Their important ecosystems provide wood, food, fodder, medicine and honey for humans, and habitats for many animals like crocodiles and snakes, tigers, deer, otters, dolphins and birds. A wide range of fish and shellfish also depend on mangroves as the swamps help to filter sediment and pollution from water upstream and stop it disturbing the delicate balance of ecosystems like coral reefs.
The main causes of the destruction of mangrove swampland include population pressure, conversion for shrimp and fish farming, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism, as well as pollution and natural disasters, the FAO said.
"Mangroves are important forested wetlands and most countries have now banned the conversion of mangroves for aquaculture and they assess the impact on the environment before using mangrove areas for other purposes," said Wulf Killmann, the director of the FAO's forest products and industry division. ??"This has led to better protection and management of mangroves in some countries. But overall, the loss of these coastal forests remains alarming. The rate of mangrove loss is significantly higher than the loss of any other types of forests.
Shrinking mangrove forests "can lead to severe losses of biodiversity and livelihoods, in addition to salt intrusion in coastal areas and siltation of coral reefs, ports and shipping lanes," Killmann said.
Asia suffered the largest net loss of mangroves since 1980, with more than 1.9m ha destroyed, mainly due to changes in land use. North and central America and Africa also contributed significantly to the decrease in mangrove area, with losses of about 690,000 and 510,000 ha respectively over the last 25 years. At the country level, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Panama recorded the largest losses of mangroves during the 1980s. A total of some 1m ha were lost in these five countries - a land area equivalent to Jamaica. In the 1990s, Pakistan and Panama succeeded in reducing their rate of mangrove loss, while Vietnam, Malaysia and Madagascar suffered increased clearing and moved into the top five countries with major area losses in the 1990s and 2000-05.
"On a positive note, a number of countries have had an increase in mangrove area over time, including Bangladesh," said senior forestry officer, Mette Wilkie. ??"Part of the largest mangrove area in the world, the Sundarbans reserved forest in Bangladesh, is well protected and no major changes in the extent of the area have occurred during the last few decades, although some damage to the mangroves was reported after the recent cyclone in 2007. In Ecuador, the abandoning of ponds and structures for shrimp and salt production led to a rebuilding of various mangrove sites," she said.
The assessment of the world's mangroves from 1980-2005 was prepared in collaboration with mangrove specialists throughout the world and was co-funded by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO).
The FAO and ITTO are currently working with the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems and other partner organisations to produce a World Atlas of Mangroves to be published later this year
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Science Daily
Global Trade In Tiger Shrimp Threatens Environment
ScienceDaily (Feb. 19, 2008) — The cultivation of shrimp and fish in tropical coastal areas is often described as an environmentally friendly way to alleviate poverty, but in fact this cultivation has negative consequences for both the local population and the environment. Daniel A. Bergquist of Uppsala University, Sweden, has studied how policies for sustainable development can go so wrong.
The cultivating of fish and shellfish in artificial ponds has increased dramatically in the last few decades, apace with the ever greater depletion of fish stocks in the oceans. International aid organizations, working with local governments, have made major commitments to expanding aquaculture in the hope that such activities would alleviate poverty and spur economic growth in these areas.
But the Swedish human geographer Daniel A. Bergquist has shown, using Sri Lanka and the Philippines as examples, that a major portion of the local population is excluded from these activities and continue to be just as poor as ever. "The winners are the local elites," he says.
What's more, aquaculture entails serious consequences for the environment. When mangrove forests are cut down to make way for shrimp and fish ponds, the ecosystem is affected. These environmental problems, in turn, impact aquaculture, and entire harvests can be lost.
A large part of the explanation for today's situation, according to Daniel A. Bergquist, can be sought in the methods that are used to evaluate what it really costs to cultivate shrimp and fish. These methods are faulty, leading to underestimations of the input from people and nature and therefore to excessively low prices. By using methods that factor in all costs, he is able to show, for instance, that the price of tiger shrimp would need to be more than five times higher than it is today for the environment and the local population to receive fair compensation for their input.
"One contributory factor is found in the faulty global market mechanisms that lead to growing inequities in the distribution of resources, profits, and costs between the northern and southern hemispheres. Aquaculture is a clear example of how the colonization of the southern hemisphere is still going on, finding new avenues via globalization and international trade," says Daniel A. Berguist.
His study also shows how it is possible to use alternative methods to bring to light this unfair and unsustainable exchange, through interdisciplinary analysis, comparison, and visualization of the situations in Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
Daniel A. Bergquist's dissertation will be publicly defended at Uppsala University on February 15.
Adapted from materials provided by Uppsala University.
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The Critical Importance Of Mangroves To Ocean Life
ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2006) Mangroves, the backbone of the tropical ocean coastlines, are far more important to the global ocean's biosphere than previously thought. And while the foul-smelling muddy forests may not have the scientific allure of tropical reefs or rain forests, a team of researchers has noted that the woody coastline-dwelling plants provide more than 10 percent of essential dissolved organic carbon that is supplied to the global ocean from land, according to a report to be published 21 February in Global Biogeochemical Cycles, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.
Thorsten Dittmar at Florida State University in Tallahassee reports that mangrove plants, whose finger-like roots are known to protect coastal wetlands against the ocean and as important fish habitats, cover less than 0.1 percent of the global land surface yet account for a tenth of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that flows from land to the ocean. Dittmar and his colleagues at several German research institutions analyzed the carbon output from a large mangrove forest in Brazil and suggest that the plants are one of the main sources of dissolved organic matter in the ocean.
The researchers note that the organic matter that is dissolved in the world oceans contains a similar amount of carbon as is stored in the skies as atmospheric carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas. Dissolved organic matter is an important player in the global carbon cycle that regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate.
"To understand global biogeochemical cycles it is crucial to quantify the sources of marine dissolved organic carbon," Dittmar writes. "Here we show that mangroves play an unexpected role in the global carbon cycle."
Dittmar reports that the mangrove root system slows carbon-rich leaf litter running from continental land and allows it to settle into shallow sediment, where dissolved organic matter is leached in large quantities into the coastal waters. The daily rise and fall of the tides then flushes the dissolved carbon into the open ocean (like a teabag being dipped in an out a cup). Once in the ocean, however, the intense tropical sunlight destroys some of the most delicate dissolved organic carbon molecules. But more than half of the dissolved organic matter survives the attack from sunlight or bacteria.
The authors measured the chemical signature in water samples from the massive mangrove forest in northern Brazil, using natural carbon isotopes and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy--an established and common technique for determining the structure of organic compounds--to determine that mangroves are indeed a main source of dissolved organic carbon in the open ocean. In total, they concluded that the carbon exported from mangroves is approximately 2.2 trillion moles of carbon per year [2.2 x 10(12), similar to the annual Amazon River discharge], nearly triple the amount estimated from previous smaller-scale estimates of the carbon released into the ocean.
Mangrove foliage, however, has declined by nearly half over the past several decades because of increasing coastal development and damage to its habitat. As the habitat has changed, ever-smaller quantities of mangrove-derived detritus are available for formation and export of dissolved organic matter to the ocean. The researchers speculate that the rapid decline in mangrove extent threatens the delicate balance and may eventually shut off the important link between the land and ocean, with potential consequences for atmospheric composition and climate.
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Title: "Mangroves, a major source of dissolved organic carbon to the oceans"
Authors:
Thorsten Dittmar, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida;
Norbert Hertkorn, GSF-National Research Centre for Environment and Health, Institute of Ecological Chemistry, Neuherberg, Germany;
Gerhard Kattner, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany;
Ruben J. Lara, Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany.
Citation: Dittmar, Thorsten, et al., (2006), Mangroves, a major source of dissolved organic carbon to the oceans, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, Vol. 20, No. 1, GB101210, doi: 10.1029/2005GB002570, 2006.
Adapted from materials provided by AGU.org Geophysical Union, via Eurek Alert!, a service of AAAS.
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Note: International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) withdraws from the Working Group on Protected Areas During CBD Conference in Rome.
International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) Protests CBD in Rome.
Indigenous Peoples Committee on Conservation,
International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity
2nd Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Protected Areas,
Rome, Italy, 11 – 15 February, 2008
15th February, 2008
Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates,
Yesterday morning, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) withdrew from the Working Group on Protected Areas because on the previous two days, indigenous peoples were not given the floor on matters of concern to them in a timely manner. This led to missed opportunities for indigenous peoples’ comments and proposed text to be appropriately discussed and reflected in the conference room papers (CRPs).
In light of the seriousness of this issue to us, and after evaluating our participation in the CBD process as a whole, and the impacts of its decisions to our lives, the IIFB has decided to maintain this withdrawal for the duration of the Working Group meeting.
We deeply appreciate the meeting between the IIFB representatives and the Bureau to address our concerns, which subsequently resulted in the Chairman’s announcement to allow indigenous and local communities and civil society to intervene in a timely manner on issues that relate to us. However, our right to full and effective participation remained unfulfilled. The IIFB therefore reaffirmed the decision to maintain the withdrawal and decided to continue to use the remaining time to discuss possible ways forward towards achieving full and effective participation in all future meetings of the CBD.
We appreciate the support of the Parties who have worked so hard with us and have understood and respected our decisions. We recognize that this is a process of understanding and mutual respect and trust.
We affirm that the CBD belongs to all of us – the Parties and the broader society, as set out in the CBD Strategic Plan. Therefore, our involvement and full and effective participation in this process is vital. The IIFB remains committed to the implementation of the CBD and we will continue to devote our efforts towards the protection of peoples and the planet.
Since the preamble of the CBD also recognizes the close relationship between biodiversity and indigenous peoples, we ask Parties and governments to take our views and concerns seriously, especially on this critical issue of protected areas.
We call on all Parties to work harder to foster the fullest participation possible for indigenous and local communities, and civil society, at all levels of the CBD implementation. This is our common responsibility.
Thank you.
Comité Indígena sobre Conservación
Foro Internacional Indígena sobre Biodiversidad
Roma, Italia, 11 al 15 Februaryu, 2008
From: "M F Ferrari" maurizio@forestpeoples.org
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Mapping Mangroves
Feb. 5th
he UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) presented new findings regarding the state of the world’s mangrove ecosystems last Saturday, ‘World Wetland Day’. The research finds that 20% of the world’s mangroves have been destroyed since 1980 and recommends urgent action to avoid the environmental and economic damages caused by this destruction.
Mangroves are tolerant evergreen forests that grow in the saline waters of coastlines, lagoons, rivers and deltas in more than 100 tropical and subtropical countries. 50 percent of the world's total mangrove area is found within just five countries: Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico.
hese important ecosystems have many important functions. As a habitat, they are home to a wide range of animal species and many fish and shellfish depend on them for filtering sediment and pollution and reducing disturbance to the delicate balance of other ecosystems, such as coral reefs. In addition, mangroves protect against erosion, cyclones and wind, as well as providing wood, food, fodder, medicine and honey for human use.
Primary causes of mangrove destruction include population pressure, conversion for shrimp and fish farming, agriculture, tourism and infrastructure development, pollution and natural disasters. The FAO has warned that nations must adopt more effective conservation and sustainable management of their mangroves and other wetland ecosystems.
‘Mangroves are important forested wetlands and most countries have now banned the conversion of mangroves for aquaculture and they assess the impact on the environment before using mangrove areas for other purposes,’ said Wulf Killmann, the director of the FAO's forest products and industry division.
‘This has lead to better protection and management of mangroves in some countries. But overall, the loss of these coastal forests remains alarming. The rate of mangrove loss is significantly higher than the loss of any other types of forests,’ added Killmann.
The FAO prepared the assessment of the world’s mangroves from 1980–2005 in collaboration with specialists around the world and funding from the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). A World Atlas of Mangroves is due to be published later this year by the FAO, ITTO and the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems.
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Published on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 by The Independent UK
The World’s Rubbish Dump: A Garbage Tip That Stretches From Hawaii to Japan
by Kathy Marks and Daniel Howden
A “plastic soup” of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. The vast expanse of debris - in effect the world’s largest rubbish dump - is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting “soup” stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or “trash vortex”, believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: “The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is may be twice the size as continental United States.”
Curtis Ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer and leading authority on flotsam, has tracked the build-up of plastics in the seas for more than 15 years and compares the trash vortex to a living entity: “It moves around like a big animal without a leash.” When that animal comes close to land, as it does at the Hawaiian archipelago, the results are dramatic. “The garbage patch barfs, and you get a beach covered with this confetti of plastic,” he added.
The “soup” is actually two linked areas, either side of the islands of Hawaii, known as the Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches. About one-fifth of the junk - which includes everything from footballs and kayaks to Lego blocks and carrier bags - is thrown off ships or oil platforms. The rest comes from land.
Mr Moore, a former sailor, came across the sea of waste by chance in 1997, while taking a short cut home from a Los Angeles to Hawaii yacht race. He had steered his craft into the “North Pacific gyre” - a vortex where the ocean circulates slowly because of little wind and extreme high pressure systems. Usually sailors avoid it.
He was astonished to find himself surrounded by rubbish, day after day, thousands of miles from land. “Every time I came on deck, there was trash floating by,” he said in an interview. “How could we have fouled such a huge area? How could this go on for a week?”
Mr Moore, the heir to a family fortune from the oil industry, subsequently sold his business interests and became an environmental activist. He warned yesterday that unless consumers cut back on their use of disposable plastics, the plastic stew would double in size over the next decade.
Professor David Karl, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii, said more research was needed to establish the size and nature of the plastic soup but that there was “no reason to doubt” Algalita’s findings.
“After all, the plastic trash is going somewhere and it is about time we get a full accounting of the distribution of plastic in the marine ecosystem and especially its fate and impact on marine ecosystems.”
Professor Karl is co-ordinating an expedition with Algalita in search of the garbage patch later this year and believes the expanse of junk actually represents a new habitat. Historically, rubbish that ends up in oceanic gyres has biodegraded. But modern plastics are so durable that objects half-a-century old have been found in the north Pacific dump. “Every little piece of plastic manufactured in the past 50 years that made it into the ocean is still out there somewhere,” said Tony Andrady, a chemist with the US-based Research Triangle Institute.
Mr Moore said that because the sea of rubbish is translucent and lies just below the water’s surface, it is not detectable in satellite photographs. “You only see it from the bows of ships,” he said.
According to the UN Environment Programme, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds, which mistake them for food.
Plastic is believed to constitute 90 per cent of all rubbish floating in the oceans. The UN Environment Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic,
Dr Eriksen said the slowly rotating mass of rubbish-laden water poses a risk to human health, too. Hundreds of millions of tiny plastic pellets, or nurdles - the raw materials for the plastic industry - are lost or spilled every year, working their way into the sea. These pollutants act as chemical sponges attracting man-made chemicals such as hydrocarbons and the pesticide DDT. They then enter the food chain. “What goes into the ocean goes into these animals and onto your dinner plate. It’s that simple,” said Dr Eriksen.
© 2008 The Independent
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Biosphere reserves play major role in combating climate change, says UNESCO
Biosphere reserves can spur efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change as well as encourage increased use of renewable energy, according to a recent declaration adopted by a meeting backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Following a week of deliberations, the more than 800 participants adopted the Madrid Declaration, which underscores the “potential for action” of reserves to tackle challenges such as the loss of traditional knowledge, cultural diversity and arable land, as well as global warming.
It also calls for the establishment of a sustainable funding mechanism to reinforce the reserves, urging collaboration between UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme (MAB) and the agency’s other intergovernmental scientific initiatives.
Last week, Russia’s Rotowsky reserve and Mexico’s Marietas Islands joined UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, bringing the global total to 531 reserves in 105 countries.
Source: UN.org News Centre
From: icsf@icsf.net
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Press release: International Institute for Environment and Development
A PDF of the paper is available by email
Climate fight must enlist biodiversity and communities
UN-led efforts to address climate change, conserve biodiversity and fight poverty could cancel each other out unless the close links between these global challenges are given more attention, says a paper published today (18 February) by the International Institute for Environment and Development.
It warns that many efforts to mitigate climate change have paid scant attention to biodiversity conservation and the world’s poor.
The paper shows that biodiversity has a key role to play in both adapting to the impacts ahead and cutting the concentration of greenhouse gases but that, to be effective, policies must have greater input from local communities who are particularly vulnerable to climate change and have valuable local knowledge.
It comes as government parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meet in Rome this week (18-22 February) to progress talks ahead of the main CBD conference in May.
“Governments, businesses, donor agencies and individuals need to do more joined up thinking to ensure that the aims of the UN Millennium Development Goals, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are met,” says Hannah Reid who wrote the paper with fellow senior researcher Krystyna Swiderska.
“Pro-poor, biodiversity-friendly ways to adapt to and mitigate climate change are clearly the way forward,” says Swiderska. “But for them to work, local communities must be involved in decisions about how biodiversity is used. Good governance and fair access to land and resources must be at the heart of these efforts.”
There are tight links between biodiversity — the variety of life on Earth, from genes to species to ecosystems — climate and people’s resilience to environmental change. But bad policies can promote biodiversity loss and even greater impacts on the people most vulnerable to climate change.
Poor people depend heavily on biodiversity for food, medicine, and livelihoods, and the greater the variety of natural resources, the more options they have. Yet climate change threatens many species with extinction and policies aimed at addressing the threat could also reduce biodiversity and people’s livelihood options.
The paper points out that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations by preserving substantial areas of forest risk excluding local communities from the natural resources they depend on for their livelihoods. Meanwhile, production of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels has led to widespread conversion of biodiverse forests, savannas and peatlands, causing the release of large quantities of greenhouse gases.
The report concludes that while large projects have political appeal and provide an ‘easy fix’, the biodiversity, climate change and poverty benefits of small-scale activities may be many times greater.
“Policymakers have focused on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions but biodiversity is also key to adaptation to climate change, particularly as it enhances the resilience of farming systems and other ecosystems,” says Swiderska. “For centuries, traditional farmers have used the diversity within both domesticated and wild species to adapt to changing conditions.”
“Policymakers and scientists searching for solutions to climate change should recognise the value of traditional farming systems that sustain agricultural biodiversity,” says Swiderska. “Local knowledge, practices and innovations will be crucial to adaptation, biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. Many communities are already using agricultural -biodiversity and traditional practices, such as seed exchange and field experimentation, to adapt to climate change. Farmer-researcher collaboration can bring added value that each alone could never realise"
The report points out that traditional farming also brings mitigation benefits as it produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than modern intensive approaches that rely on mechanisation, and inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides derived from fossil fuels.
Similarly, protecting biodiverse habitats such as forests and mangroves can provide multiple benefits for adaptation, mitigation, poverty reduction and biodiversity — by storing carbon, protecting coastlines, limiting erosion and regulating water flow, which reduce the risks of flooding.
The full paper will be online on Monday 18 February. To get an advance copy or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Mike Shanahan, Press Officer
International Institute for Environment and Development
Email: mike.shanahan@iied.org
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DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Using Culture to Save Wetlands
By Suzanne Kok
Using Culture To Save Wetlands
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 26 (IPS) - Wetland conservation projects in South Africa have to take into consideration the culture, traditions and needs of local communities, according to Donovan Kotze of the University of KwaZulu Natal. He believes that the key to proper wetland management lies within communities living in and around these wetlands.
The government’s Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, a conservation group known as Working on Wetlands and the private sector Mondi Wetlands Project, have joined forces for a number of research projects aimed at gathering valuable indigenous knowledge to help in the management and preservation of the country’s wetlands.
One such project is the Mbongolwane Community Wetland Project in KwaZulu Natal, about 80 kilometres north of the port city of Durban.
The local tribal authority is responsible for allocating land and controlling the use of wetlands resources. It does this by drawing on the community’s traditional belief system to regulate the harvesting of reeds and the usage of water.
Kotze, the lead researcher on the project, says: "Communities have rules about the harvesting and uses of plants in the wetlands. The most common rule being that these plants cannot be harvested before a certain time of the year. This allows the plants to grow and recover from harvesting seasons."
For example, sedges used to make sleeping mats are only harvested from December to June. Reeds used for making thatched roofs, are only gathered after April. This controlled harvesting of the plants has only a minimal effect on the wetland.
Village elders use traditional legends to reinforce discipline about harvesting times. A story about a seven headed water serpent is invoked to ensure that the community does not pick plants out of season. If anyone disobeys the rules, the serpent will get angry and cause all the other plants to die.
In order to prevent water pollution, elders reinforce an ancient belief that anyone who urinates in the water would immediately be transformed into the opposite sex.
Villagers were not allowed to hunt or eat crocodiles because these ancient animals protected the communities’ ancestors.
Stocks of fish endemic to the wetlands were maintained because it was widely believed that if too many were taken, the ancestors would get angry and cause all the fish to die.
In the Mbongolwane project, only ten percent of the area is cultivated and no part of the cultivation is mechanised.
This pilot project has demonstrated the effectiveness of wetland management through cultural management.
But Kotze warns: "Social economic pressure is making it increasingly difficult to sustain wetland management through cultural beliefs. With communities westernising, people tend to forget their traditional beliefs. Increasing human population increases the demand for property and food, there is no more room to spare to preserve wetlands through the traditional ways."
He argues however, that by collecting relevant data on traditional management techniques, researchers will be able to incorporate useful traditions into modern conservation strategies.
The intricate composition of wetlands means that they need careful management to ensure their long-term sustainability. Destroying or even over-exposing a single part of the area could lead to the destruction of the whole wetland.
Historically, communities living next to wetlands have protected these areas because they have a vested interest in their sustainability. If communities manage cultivation efficiently they will help prevent erosion.
Many wild plants provide edible fruit at different times of the year. Madumbes for example, is a plant that grows between one and two meters tall, has elephant-ear shaped leaves and fruit that look something like potatoes. Their starchy corn can be boiled, baked roasted or fried. It is low in fat and protein and can be used as baby food.
Beside madumbes and hyacinths, the arum lily, blue water lily, fruits from swamp trees, and raw stems are also foods that can be eaten directly from the wetlands.
The fibrous stems and leaves of many wetland plants, particularly sedges and rushes, are used for weaving a wide range of household items such as sleeping mats, baskets and even traditional beer strainers.
While some communities are gradually losing weaving skills that previously were handed down from one generation to the next, there has been a concerted effort in other areas to maintain, and even develop traditional techniques.
Kotze believes that that by promoting weaving and other related crafts, the community will be encouraged to protect the wetlands. Traditional weaving requires a variety of plants so the community will always make an effort to guarantee supplies.
Plants with straight stems are used for weaving sleeping or sitting mats. Other plants have stems that may easily be split into fine strands which are rolled together into twine and then used in the weaving of beer strainers.
These are only a few examples of how wetlands can be managed by integrating traditional belief systems into modern everyday life. There are many other methods that can be utilised to achieve this objective, but it is clear that pro-active management plans are required in order to achieve this goal.
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Pollution From Land Affecting Our Seas and Sea Life
Study finds human medicines altering marine biology. Sewage-treatment plants in S. California are failing to remove hormones and hormone-altering chemicals from water that gets flushed into coastal ocean waters, a new study finds. And that affects fish. Los Angeles Times, California. [Registration Required]
Toxic runoff - silent killer. Once the rain hits the ground, it becomes an instant delivery system for much of the pollution that 4 million people in the Puget Sound basin spread across the landscape. Olympia Olympian, Washington.
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Press release - 20 February 2008
Ban Called For On Genetically Modified Trees
Open letter to Subsidiary Body of the Convention on Biological Diversity demanding a ban on the release of genetically engineered trees
On 19 February 2008, a large number of civil society organizations sent an open letter to the Convention on Biological Diversity‚s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, currently meeting in Rome, expressing their "deep concern" about genetic engineering of trees.
In only one week, the letter was signed by 138 organizations in countries where research on the genetic engineering of trees is being carried out, (or has in recent years). Those countries are: Aotearoa / New Zealand, Australia, Belgium Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal , Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and USA.
The signatories begin by stating that their "concern is based on the fact that the genetic manipulation being undertaken is aimed at consolidating and further expanding a model of monoculture tree plantations that has already proven to result in serious social and environmental impacts in many of our countries."
The letter provides a number of examples on how current research would impact on the environment, given that trees are being genetically manipulated for:
- faster tree growth, which would "further aggravate the proven impacts on water resources" since it which would mean "even greater consumption of water by tree plantations".
- resistance to cold temperatures -for the purpose of planting trees in colder regions and at higher altitudes in the mountains- that "would lead to social and environmental impacts in regions that until now have not been affected by the impacts of current tree monocultures."
- trees with insecticide properties to make them resistant to insects, that "could result in the death of a large number of other insect species, with consequent impacts on local fauna‚s food chains".
- resistance to herbicides, which "would lead to even more serious social and environmental impacts, including the destruction of local flora and impacts on human health."
- higher cellulose content that "would mean reducing the amount of lignin, the component that provides trees with structural strength, thus making them more susceptible to suffering serious damage during wind storms."
The signatories remind country delegates that "the last Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-8) adopted decision VIII/19", which "recommends Parties to take a precautionary approach when addressing the issue of genetically modified trees" and urge them "to definitely ban GE trees -including fields trials ˆ because of the serious risks they pose on the Planet‚s biological diversity."
Full letter and signatories available at:
From: "WRM - World Rainforest Movement" wrm@wrm.org.uy
CONFERENCES / WORKSHOPS / PUBLICATIONS
WWF's new guide to reducing fishing bycatch goes online
As a service to the long-term sustainability of both fish stocks and fishing communities, WWF has established an online resource providing up-to-date information on bycatch (the capture of non-target creatures in fishing gear) and how to reduce it.
The new website, accessed through WWF’s familiar www.panda.org portal, aims to take fishers, consumers and those simply concerned, through the whole bycatch story, from problems to proven or potential solutions.
“Bycatch costs fishers time and money,” said Amanda Nickson, Head of WWF’s Bycatch Initiative. “It contributes to the already critical problem of over-fishing, it jeopardizes future revenue, jobs and long-term food security. “It is also a major killer of marine wildlife. How many more reasons do you need to change the way we fish?”
Each year, many millions of tonnes of marine animals such as turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks, and seabirds, right through to juvenile fish, corals, crabs and starfish etc are caught by modern, indiscriminate yet highly efficient fishing gear and thrown back into the water (‘discarded’), dead or dying. In the tropical shrimp trawl fisheries, for example, bycatch may outweigh the shrimp catch by 20 to 1 or more, according the UN Food and Agricultural Organization.
Much of this bycatch consists of juvenile and low-value fish which are then often discarded, usually dead. Such wastages constitute a serious mismanagement of our valuable ocean resources. In many cases, however, bycatch can be reduced with modifications to fishing gear, which according to Nickson makes “the ongoing high level of bycatch unethical”.
The new site maps where fisheries are working to reduce bycatch and includes a new searchable database that showcases bycatch solutions through fishing gear modifications. WWF, which is devoting major new resources to tackling this problem in key fisheries, is confident the new site will become an invaluable source of information for everyone, including fishers, politicians, technical experts, journalists and interested members of the public.
The site is found at www.panda.org
Source:Panda.org
From: icsf@icsf.net
A Fine Kettle of Fish
12 Feb 08 – Sloweb
A new scientific study claims that salmon farming operations have reduced wild salmon populations by up to 70 percent in several areas around the world, including parts of Canada, Scotland and Ireland.
The reduced survival of wild populations is believed to be due to the fact that the juvenile wild salmon migrate past salmon farms on their way to the ocean.
‘This report is the first global assessment of the impacts of fish farms on wild salmon populations, and the results are startling,’ said Jennifer Ford, Canadian biologist and lead author of the study. ‘The findings from our analyses varied in different regions, but by combining them, we see that there is a negative impact on wild salmon that is highly significant.’
‘Our estimates are that they [fish farms] reduced the survival of wild populations by more than half,’ said Ford. ‘Less than half of the juvenile salmon from those populations that would have survived to come back and reproduce actually come back because they're killed by some mechanism that has to do with salmon farming.’
Previous studies have shown how breeding between farmed and wild salmon caused great damage to wild stocks, through passing diseases and parasites. However, this is the first survey to be undertaken to assess the importance of the impact at the population level and across the globe.
Trevor Swerdfager, director general of aquaculture management for the Canadian Federal Fisheries Department, said his department would be taking a close look at the new research but maintained that it has not yet seen any proof that salmon farms harm wild populations.
Swerdfager admitted that, while the causes behind stock declines were unresolved, there were many other factors that could be possibly linked to the problem, such as changes to ecosystems, fishing practices and climate change.
Source: Canadian Press
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New Research Shows Sea Lice Harming More Wild Salmon Stocks
Claims that sea lice infestations plaguing juvenile pink and chum salmon around salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago are not o