WWF - WWF in Fiji & the Southern Pacific

Genetic tuna tracking opens new options in race to save fish and fisheries

2009-10-27

Madrid, Spain – A new method that uses gene sequencing to accurately distinguish between tuna species has the potential to support fisheries management and possible trade restrictions for endangered tuna species.

The new method, revealed in a paper published today in PLoS ONE, the online open-access scientific journal, can make an identification from any kind of processed tuna tissue.

The true tunas – from the genus Thunnus – are among the most economically valuable fish in the world and are also among the most endangered of all commercially exploited fish . They are not to be confused with the tuna most commonly tinned, which comes from related families such as mackerel.

The paper, ‘A Validated Methodology for Genetic Identification of Tuna Species (Genus Thunnus)’, co-authored by Dr Jordi Viñas, a fish genetics specialist at Girona University in Spain and Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries of WWF Mediterranean, proposes for the first time ever a genetic method for the precise identification of all eight recognized species of tuna.

Northern, southern and Pacific bluefin tuna are among the most stressed fish populations in the world, with the Principality of Monaco having lodged an application before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for a trade ban on the Atlantic (Northern) bluefin tuna where several fisheries have collapsed and failed to recover and the Mediterranean bluefin fishery is exhibiting advanced signals of impending collapse in the face of overfishing and decades of poor management.

The other tuna species are yellowfin, blackfin, longtail, bigeye and albacore tuna. Identification of traded forms of the fish, which can be dressed, gilled and gutted, or loin and belly meat, and either fresh or frozen – is a highly complex process, which has hampered conservation efforts and was a potential limitation to the imposition of trade controls.

The analysis of the DNA sequence variability of two unlinked genetic markers, one a hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial genome and the other a nuclear gene, enables full discrimination between all the tuna species.

"..findings are particularly relevant"

“This methodology will allow the identification of tuna species of any kind of tissue or type or presentation – including sushi and sashimi,” said Dr Jordi Viñas of Girona University. “The differentiation between different tunas, even those with highly similar genes, is now possible.”

“Our findings are particularly relevant for the highly overfished, overtraded – and hence endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna, for which there is a growing campaign to impose a temporary ban on international commercial trade,” added co-author Dr Sergi Tudela of WWF. “There will now be no trace of doubt when seeking to identify chilled or frozen tuna flesh at port or point of sale.”

The paper will remain available to download for free from the website of PLoS ONE and will be submitted to the relevant tuna fishing and trade management and control authorities.

(PLoS ONE is the first journal of primary research from all areas of science to employ a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. PLoS ONE is published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world’s scientific and medical literature a public resource.)

Battered sharks get critical listing

2008-12-05

Rome, Italy: Four commercially valuable shark species have just been recognized as being “of conservation concern” under the international Convention on Migratory Species.

The listing applies to northern hemisphere populations of spiny dogfish, a common ingredient of food staple fish and chips, and global populations of Porbeagle shark and both species of mako shark.

Intense debate saw southern hemisphere populations of spiny dogfish excluded from the listing on the agreement that a comprehensive population review will be conducted for the next meeting of the convention.

"WWF welcomes this listing by the CMS--the first listing by an international conservation convention of commercially utilized shark species,” said Dr Susan Lieberman, director of WWF International’s Species Programme.

“This shows that the world community now recognizes that sharks are over-fished, declining, and worthy of the kind of conservation concern afforded to other species."

The sharks have been listed under Appendix ll of the convention, which supports co-operation between range states on conservation plans for listed species. For migratory species it focuses attention on the status of the species and can help trigger other regional and international initiatives in fisheries management and trade.

The sharks, which are among the most valued of shark species for both meat and fins, suffer from excessive levels of targeted fishing as well as being bycatch casualties of other fisheries such as purse seining and long-lining for tuna.

The slow growth, late maturity, small litters and long lives of sharks make them vulnerable to over-exploitation. Porbeagle sharks gather together, making them especially easy targets for fishing – a critical factor in the collapse of their populations in the 1970s and continuing failure to demonstrate any lasting recovery.

Listing of all four species across their entire ranges was proposed but the porbeagle shark and the compromise on spiny dogfish were only agreed after intense negotiation.

WWF has also raised concerns over declining populations of Mediterranean bluefin tuna – subject of a recent International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) decision to continue fishing at well over scientifically recommended levels – as a species of concern before the migratory species convention.

Pacific tuna face risky fisheries meeting

2008-11-27

Yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna fisheries in the western and central Pacific also face collapse if a forthcoming management meeting doesn't dramatically change the way they are harvested, WWF warned today.

The call follows this week's disastrous decision by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) which discarded recommendations from its own scientists and a high level internal review to continue with what the review labelled “a travesty of fisheries management” widely regarded as “an international disgrace”.

“We have to face the possibility that fishing nations will drive the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) will come up with a similar outcome when it meets in Busan, Korea, in December,” said Peter Trott, Fisheries Program Manager for WWF-Australia.

“With tuna, it seems we are just not learning – we have lost the fisheries of the North Sea bluefin, the southern Bluefin, the West Atlantic bluefin collapsed and is failing to recover and the Mediterranean Bluefin is now well on its way to collapse with rampant legal and illegal overfishing allowed to go on.”

In 2006 scientists estimated that overfishing of bigeye tuna, on the IUCN Red List as “vulnerable” since 1996, was occurring in the western and central Pacific, with a high probability it had been occurring since 1997. They have also warned that urgent action needed to be taken on overfishing of yellowfin tuna in the region.

“This is not just a warm and fuzzy call to preserve a magnificent open ocean species, it’s about preserving the world’s most valuable tuna fisheries with a landed value of close to US$4 billion in 2007 and a market value of US$6-8 billion every year,” said Trott.

“It’s a fishery that adds considerably to the economies of many of the developing Pacific Island nations in the region and to the livelihoods of millions in the region known as the Coral Triangle.”

The future of the tuna fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries will be decided at its commission meeting during December 8 -12 this year.

For the first time the commission will seriously consider management measures to reduce the take of bigeye and yellowfin tuna by 30 per cent. These measures include closing large parts of the fishery to purse seiners and the banning of fish attractant devices from July to September every year.

“It’s a reflection of how dramatic the situation has become that the Commission has got to this point,” Mr Trott said.

“It’s beyond environmental concerns, it is about commercial self-preservation.”

WWF-Australia strongly supports the call for these closures from July to September but also wants the commission to ramp up catch documentation methods.

“Scientists have been calling for large reductions in bigeye tuna catch for over a decade,” Mr Trott said.

“But on past performance the Commission is, at best, slow to respond to such advice and at worst shows little spine when it comes to standing up to the pressure from fishing nations who continue to decimate tuna stocks.”

“Such wavering could lead to the commercial extinction of the bigeye and yellowfin tuna fishery in the Western and Central Pacific if effective management action isn’t adopted at this year’s Commission meeting.”

Improved catch documentation can also identify the size of the illegal tuna catch in the region which is estimated to in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Timely documentation of the legal catch can be measured against fish sold at markets and used to determine how much illegal tuna is being taken.

“If the Commission doesn’t move fast on restoring stocks and preventing illegal and unregulated fishing, it will directly impact the viability of the region’s tuna fisheries, the economies of developing countries and the cost and availability of tuna for every consumer in the very near future,” Mr Trott said.

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Fiji Islander leads international conservation body in the Pacific

2008-09-16

Ms. Kesaia Tabunakawai is the new Representative of the WWF programme office that supports work in Fiji, Cook Islands and coordinates regional Pacific effort. She joined the organization in 1996 and has served as manager of the Fiji Country Programme as well as the conservation director of the regional WWF programme. She started her career in conservation with the Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry in Fiji.

The Fijian born ‘greeny’ led the WWF Pacific team to work with Fiji Locally Managed Marine Network (FLAMMA) and Fiji Government to commit to establishing a network of marine protected areas in 30% of Fiji’s inshore and offshore marine areas, in 2005. This commitment by Fiji spurred the leaders of Micronesia to declare a commitment to protect 30% of their marine areas and 20% of forests in a network of protected areas known as the Micronesia challenge. A number of similar declarations have been made across the Pacific, including the largest marine protected area in Kiribati.

"It is heartening to see the Pacific region boldly lead in key conservation issues. Our cultures, livelihoods and economic development are intricately linked to our natural environment. This is inevitable, given the largeness of our Pacific resource rich ocean and the small size of island nations in the Pacific," said Ms. Tabunkawai.

"WWF’s goal for this region is to support Pacific Island people to conserve and sustainably manage our natural inheritance for present and future generations."

Ms. Tabunkawai is driven by her passion for community based natural resource management in the Pacific. She is a pioneer member of the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Network (FLMMA) for improving food security and sustainable livelihoods. This model is now expanding into other parts of the Pacific; and has won the Equator Initiative at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, for innovation in natural resource management and poverty alleviation as well as the Whitley Awards for the Environment in 2004.

"I’m glad that there is increasing close collaboration between conservation NGOs and governments in the region. With the wealth of knowledge and skills in NGO partners, many of whom are local Pacific Islanders we can improve our collective impact in the region."

The part of the world where the WWF South Pacific Programme operates covers an extensive area of globally significant biodiversity. It embraces what may be the world’s most important tropical coral reef systems and the region contains not only some of the most significant fisheries in the world but also breeding grounds for many of these stocks.

This magnificent biodiversity makes the Pacific a place of extraordinary opportunities to undertake large-scale conservation programmes addressing both policy and practice.

To create impact for change, WWF globally structures its conservation programme into strategic initiatives, some of which impact the Pacific region such as the Coral Triangle initiative, the Sustainable Fisheries initiative and the New Global Deal-climate change initiative.

For enquires or interview arrangements contact: Ashwini Prabha, Communications Coordinator, WWF South Pacific Programme. Phone: +679 331 5533 or fax: +679 331 5410

Fiji's environmentalists hail Kyoto coming into force

2008-08-05

Postcard to the President

WWF and its allies became creative in sending their message to President of the United States of America, George W Bush and Australian Prime Minster John Howard to ratify Kyoto Protocol.

Post cards signed by Pacific Islanders were delivering to United States of America and Australian Embassy in Fiji by WWF, Greenpeace and the World Council of Churches staff.

This stunt was part of activities planned for celebrating the Kyoto Protocol’s coming into effect earlier this year.

These three organizations joined forces to organize a series of events in Fiji to raise awareness on Kyoto Protocol and climate change.

The first was a workshop with the Fiji members of the World Council of Churches advising them on the impacts of climate change, renewable energy and the benefits of the Kyoto Protocol coming into force. On the following day, children painted their vision of a clean energy future; while the adult public signed postcards asking Bush/Howard to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

These postcards were then delivered to the Embassies, generating a lot of media coverage as well. In August 2004, Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase called on Australia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol saying, “Some of our own islands as well as as those of Kiribati and Tuvalu are under very real threat from rising sea levels. We cannot afford to remain silent”.

The Kyoto Protocol is an important first step to combat climate change. It is currently the only global agreement which addresses the issue of climate change. It calls for governments who have ratified to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5% of 1990 levels by 2012. The US and Australia are the only industrialised countries who have failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Climate change is currently the greatest long term threat facing the planet, and its impact on Pacific Island cultures and economies will be substantial.

Postcard from Kyoto

In February this year, the World Council of Churches (WCC), with WWF SPP and Greenpeace celebrated in Suva the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is the only international agreement that binds developed countries that have ratified it to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, to stop climate changing further.

One of the Kyoto celebration activities included a lunch time seminar with the Suva members of the WCC. The lunch tray was successful as it enhanced church leaders' awareness on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. The churches also agreed, in an action plan, to implement renewable energy projects to fight climate change and to educate their congregations about climate change.

The WCC places a strong emphasis on awareness raising on climate change as majority of their congregation do not understand well climate change and how it impacts their lives.

The following activities were orgainsed by the WCC as follow-up activities to resolution from their Climate Change Consultations in Kiribati in early 2004.

Solomon Islands
The WCC are also running national campaigns in the Pacific. Mr. Luke Memua, of the Church of Melanesia, organized a week long awareness raising event in Honiara from July 29 to Aug 5th. Essentially targeted at youth, it brought together various sectors of the community concerned about the environment. Activities included speeches, poetry competition and a Honiara city and coastal clean up.

The aims of this campaign are to mobilize church youth to take care of the environment and to draft an action plan for future clean up campaigns in Honiara city.

Marshall Islands
Mr. Makoni Pulu, the Pacific Conference of Churches Youth Co-ordinator, organized a similar awareness campaign in the Marshall Islands in early July 2005. Almost a thousand youth participated in essay and poetry competitions, and open discussions on climate change impacts in their country.

Plans are underway to carry out similar activities in Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu.

Addressing Climate Change at the Community Level

2008-08-05

Naikeleyaga District School: foundations under threat from coastal erosion?

With climate change being such a global issue, looking for ways to deal with its adverse impacts may seem a little overwhelming for the individual. Well, this is not the case for village communities on Kabara Island, Fiji.

In Kabara, WWF has worked with four local communities to develop action plans which identify measures that the communities themselves can take, to build their resilience against some of the adverse impacts of climate change.

Through a series of workshops, Tokelau, Udu, Lomati and Naikeleyaga villages identified the fact that continued access to freshwater is a problem of overwhelming concern. "In Kabara, we are heavily dependent on rainfall for our water needs" said Ms Leba Beitake, from Naikelega. "When we begin to move into the dry season we start to ration our water so that it lasts until there's rain. When there's rain we have nough water to drink, to wash and to cook our food, but when there's no rain and we begin to run low of water in our tanks to resort to our "tuvu" or wells. These wells help us get through severe drought periods but we use them only to wash our clothes and bathe".

A study of Fiji's meteorological records over the last forty years also confirmed that rainfall levels have in fact been declining, in Ono-i-Lau. To address the community water concerns, therefore, WWF helped secure funding support from Global Green Grants to increase the storage of freshwater. These funds have been transferred to the Lau Provincial Council, who will purchase water tanks on the communities behalf, and ensure that they are installed in each of the four villages in Kabara.

Other climate change impacts that are already affecting the communities included coastal erosion and coral bleaching. Joana Raikebalavu, a teacher of fifteen years at Naikeleyaga District School reported that "I've observed in my time here that the sea is getting closer to the boundary of the school. We used to have a shrub path along the beach which students used to follow; now there is none because the sea has eroded it away. The sea is definitely getting closer to the school and there is concern amongst the villagers that eventually the sea will slowly eat away at the foundations of the school building.

The hurricane in 2002 made things worse, the waves carried away some of the teachers quarters along the beach and took much of the beach area near the school. Some of us teachers do not want to move back into our newly built quarters because it's just too close to the sea and not safe when there's storms and rough seas. If you see the high tide mark now, its dramatically changed, its about ten meters closer from where it used to be".

Working through a series of community workshops, each of the four villages in Kabara has now adopted a five year action plan, to address some of these impacts. For example, Naikaleyaga village has begun planting trees along the coastline, as protection from storm surges and further coastal erosion. In order to increase the resilience of coral reefs to climate related bleaching, all four villages have banned the use of destructive fishing practices, such as the use of the poisonous "tuvu" plant, as well as the dumping of waste from supply ships within the lagoon area.

Fiji Marine Turtle Fact Sheet

2008-07-10

2°C - Too High! Preventing Dangerous Climate Change

2008-07-10

Climate Witness: Community Toolkit (Fijian): WWF South Pacific Programme

2008-07-10

Human well-being better in a better protected environment

2008-05-24

Bonn, May 22, 2008 – Well planned and managed protected areas can play a key role in reducing poverty, with the relationship strengthened when well-being is measured as more than just income, according to a new analysis by WWF.

SafetyNet:protected areas and poverty reduction, prepared with the assistance of the environmental research group Equilibrium, uses new tools to analyse what works and what doesn't in improving both human well-being and environmental quality, finding that community involvement, benefit sharing and consideration of protected areas in overall landscapes are crucial factors to consider.

“Poverty is much more than not having enough money. Not having enough to eat, or access to medicines or a clean water supply are the fundamentals which really define poverty at its most basic level,” said Liza Higgins-Zogib, Manager of People and Conservation at WWF International.

“We live in a world where half of the six billion population live not just on minimal incomes but most are in rural areas depending a great deal on natural resources for their nutrition, shelter, health and nutrition. It is vital that we appreciate that the right type of well managed protected areas can make all the difference to the lives of those people.”

The report’s analysis draws from management effectiveness assessments of over 1000 protected areas and developed a new tool to assess protected area benefits in detail in case studies drawn from Argentina, Finland, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Poland and Tanzania.

“Safety Net: protected areas and poverty reduction” provides the largest body of evidence yet of a strong link between well managed protected areas such as national parks and reserves and increased levels of food, medicine, water and cultural and spiritual fulfilment for people living in the surrounding areas, including some of the world’s poorest.

On Apo Island in the Philippines, the establishment of protected areas covering reefs and shorelines increased the average fish catch from 0.15 kg/person hour in 1980-81 to 1-2 kg/person hour in 1997-2001. Tourism revenues from the reef are now estimated at $US 500 per hectare per year and 75 per cent of tourist fees go to the local community.

In China's Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve, incomes from sustainable mushroom harvesting in the park have risen 5 to 10 fold in the 70 villages participating in the scheme while for 10,000 people in and around Mairauà State Ecological Station in Brazil incomes have increased by 50 per cent and in some cases by 99 per cent following the introduction of a park-based Economic Alternatives Programme. Infant mortality has declined by 53 percent with better health education and water quality.

Although the report stresses that every protected area is unique, the most successful in terms of the benefit they provided to poor people sought to balance conservation and poverty reduction, established direct and integrated links between the needs of people and nature and recognized that trade-offs between human and wildlife needs needed to be negotiated.

In these cases, environmental and development outcomes were well monitored and protected areas were viewed, not in isolation, but as parts of the overall landscape.

“It is all too easy to over-simplify the relationship between poverty and protected areas, but this report makes a significant contribution to separating myth from reality,” Higgins-Zogib said. “It is clear from this research that protected areas can and do lift many people above the most basic levels of poverty, but the report also reveals that protected areas set up or managed without enough care for human needs can have the opposite effect on the lives of poor people.

“It is vital that those involved in establishing and managing protected areas remember that people are also part of the landscape.”

$63 million to protect the Coral Triangle

2008-05-06

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are joining together to support the preservation of Asia’s Coral Triangle – the world’s centre of marine life – with the GEF committing $63 million to fund conservation of this area.

The ‘Coral Triangle’ is found within the Indo-Pacific, its boundaries defined by marine zones containing 500 or more species of reef-building coral. This triangular shaped region covers all or part of the seas of six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.

Overfishing and destructive fishing methods have destroyed large areas of coral reef and depleted marine productivity. The impacts of global warming such as sea level rise and increases in ocean temperatures and acidity levels may hasten the damage.

The GEF funds will cover activities to preserve the region’s coastal and marine ecosystems and develop measures to help the environmentally rich area adapt to climate change. Under ADB’s leadership, the GEF contribution will catalyze at least $425 million of co-financing for the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) to introduce sustainable fisheries management and conserve coral ecosystems while reducing poverty.

"WWF applauds the vision shown by the GEF in its landmark commitment to the Coral Triangle Initiative. The GEF investment, and the leveraged co-financing, will help mainstream best management practices, conserving coral ecosystems and ensuring food security for the hundreds of millions of people in the region who depend on healthy oceans." said Sian Owen, Head of Policy and External Relations with WWF's Coral Triangle Programme. "WWF looks forward to being a central partner in this inspirational Initiative."

The CTI was launched in December 2007 to foster management, conservation, and adaptation to climate change for the region. The initiative has brought together governments, international agencies, non-governmental agencies and the private sector for the purpose of protecting this environmentally important region. ADB is the lead agency managing contributions and programs for CTI, with the governments of the United States, Australia and Finland already offering substantial support.

"The reefs of the Coral Triangle underpin fisheries and tourism industries worth over $5 billion annually, and it is heartening to see both the countries and the international community recognizing the need for urgent protective action." added Dr. Lida Pet Soede, Head of Programme wih WWF's Coral Triangle Programme.

The Coral Triangle contains more than 75% of all coral species known to science, and directly sustains the lives of nearly 130 million people in the region and benefits millions more worldwide. Key spawning and nursery grounds for species such as tuna support a multi-billion dollar industry, while healthy reef and coastal systems underpin a growing tourism sector and are thought to provide protection from tsunamis and storms.

Earth Hour great success - Millions turn off lights, while one village turns them on.

2008-03-31

Millions globally signalled a new awareness of climate change by turning off their lights for an hour last Saturday night. World landmarks – the Sydney Opera House, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Rome's Colosseum and Bangkok's Wat Arun Rajawarahrahm Pagoda disappeared into the night sky.

People liberated from television screens and other electronic distractions congregated in parks, at community festivities or often, simply appreciated a more star-spangled sky. At a host of Earth Hour concerts, like the one featuring Nelly Furtado in Toronto, it was the acoustic, not the electric, guitar taking centre stage.

Officially, 26 major cities on six continents participated with major municipal and community initiatives in WWF's Earth Hour, with energy savings and avoided emissions still being toted up. Some 370 cities and towns signed up to support the event, but around the world millions of others informally voted with their switch fingers for more concerted action on climate change.

One community, however, did it differently. Visoqo Village in Fiji celebrated Earth Hour by turning their light switches on . . . for the first time. In the previous week, residents had busied themselves unpacking solar panels and installing them to provide the village's first and wholly renewable energy based electricity supply.

Supplying electricity to Visoqo is a pilot project in finding sustainable development solutions for some of the poorest areas in Macuata Province on Vanua Levu, Fiji's second largest island. Much of the initiative and support for the project comes from the Macuata Soqosoqo ni Vakamarama (Macuata Women’s Association)

"We are not a fossil fuel producing nation," said Sereana Cokanasiga, fundraiser for the association . "The burden of keeping up with fuel costs is usually expressed unfortunately in unsustainable natural resource exploitation, a contributing factor to poverty.

”What the Macuata Soqosoqo ni Vakamarama is trying to emphasize is that we need to encourage and invest more in renewable energy, it is non polluting and is far more beneficial to rural communities in the long run.”

“We also thought that the launch of the solar project in Visoqo this week should tie in to Earth Hour as part of our small contribution to the global effort for Climate Change Awareness. An effective way to reduce carbon emissions is to promote renewable energy, which is essentially what this project is about and what our association supports.”

WWF launched Earth Hour in one city – Sydney, Australia – in 2007. The city really got behind it. This year Sydneysiders again got behind Earth Hour, but this time they had company. An awful lot of company.

"Earth Hour is WWF’s global event started to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis," said Andy Ridley, the man who came up with the idea and now the International Director of WWF’s Earth Hour.

"It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

"By Earth Hour 2009, on March 28 we expect more people will have incorporated simple energy efficient solutions into their homes and workplace. It’s important we keep the momentum going for a greener and sustainable future."

Conservationists in Melanesia mourn death of colleague

2008-03-26

Conservationists in the Melanesia area are mourning the death of Belgian-born botanist Henri Blaffart, swept away in by a flooded river in northern New Caledonia on March 21.

“Henri Blaffart was an exceptional man, and an remarkably effective wildlife and wildlands conservation professional,” said WWF New Caledonia Country Programme Director Ahab Downer, who survived the river crossing.

Blaffart, 42, had worked in Africa, Samoa, Papua New Guinea before coming to New Caledonia, where he worked for environment group Conservation International (CI). CI and WWF are involved in a number of joint programmes in the Pacific.

"Since the inception of the WWF New Caledonia bureau, Henri was a key partner and never hesitated to assist WWF efforts to accompany those he was himself championing," Downer said. "Henri generously shared the Hienghène offices he established with WWF field personnel, and made every conceivable effort to advance our common terrestrial and marine conservation goals and projects."

“Henri was a truly devoted professional as well as a joyous and wonderful human being,” said Claude Gascon, CI’s executive vice president for regional programs, who recently climbed Mont Panié with Blaffart.

Downer paid tribute to “Henri's tireless efforts to catalyse collaboration and collective forest preservation through concrete conservation projects and inspired ecotourism initiatives”. He also said it was a tragedy that Blaffart had not seen the imminent creation of northern New Caledonia's first marine protected areas “for which he will have been in large part responsible”.

“Henri has left his mark in the form of mountain top refuges for hikers and scientists, a series of lengthy and well demarcated walking paths, and a myriad of accompanying melanesian tribe supported nature tourism initiatives,” Downer said.

“Against all odds, Henri also managed to federate some 16 melanesian tribes and other members into the Dayu Biik Association which is playing a crucial role in spreading awareness of sustainable forest preservation strategies.

Blaffart is survived by his mother and sister, both living in Belgium.

“While he has sadly departed the mist shrouded forest of the the Mont Panié forests, his spirit will continue to live on in the heart and minds of those touched by his humanity, and the exceptional natural heritage he so passionately protected,” Downer said.

Chance sighting gets Fiji its first satellite tagged turtle

2008-03-20

Fiji researchers have been attempting for more than two years to satellite tag a turtle, a key factor in learning more about migration patterns around the vast waters and multiple island groups of the Pacific. After unsuccessful attempts over the last 2 years, this was the final one during this nesting season to locate and satellite tag a hawksbill nester, a first for Fiji. One of the major challenges has been the lack of funds to reach isolated islands which are now thought to support what remains of a once thriving Fiji turtle nesting population. Additionally, unlike that of the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, there is no one large known nesting beach in Fiji.

While nesting sites have been recorded on various islands throughout the Fijian Archipelago, nesting incidences in recent years have been minimal. Records of turtles nesting on Makogai Island for a period of 20 years show that in 1987 there were 21 nests while only 5 nests were recorded in 2007 (Department of Fisheries, Fiji, 2007).

Then in January, a National Trust and WWF team struck it lucky. On their way to await turtles and carry out research work, they spotted a nesting hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) on a secluded beach locally known as Talice, North east of Yadua Taba Island.

The turtle was spotted by the National Trust Officer, Jone Niukula, and other members of the team. The sight of the turtle crawl tracks on the beach triggered a wave of excitement among the researchers. Pita Biciloa, Yadua Taba park ranger maneuvered his boat in an attempt to channel through a small passage to get to Talice. “This was a difficult task, especially because of storm waves that were battering the beach”, he said.

The team managed to secure the boat ashore, their excitement and enthusiasm fuelled even more, as they approached the turtle crawl tracks on the beach and heard loud “swooshes” – the sound of sand being scattered as the hawksbill turtle began to dig its nest.

The collaborative effort between the National Trust of Fiji (NTF), the community of Yadua, The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and WWF has been the climax of ongoing efforts over the past years to protect an endangered cultural icon.

“It is highly possible that the 88.8cm hawksbill turtle is a hatchling of Yadua returning after more than 25 years to the beach of her birth to transfer her genetic code into the future”, said Sanivalati Navuku.

The hawksbill was named ‘Marama ni Yadua’ (Lady of Yadua) by the villagers. They expressed great emotion at seeing the turtle lay its eggs and, with the attachment of the satellite tag, commented that it would be an unforgettable experience for them and Yadua community.

The satellite tag was attached to the turtle’s shell using a laminating resin that should ensure the tag remains for at least 6 months.

A small church service was conducted before the turtle was released into the sea with the hope to see it return to Yadua in the years to come.

The excitement generated out of locating the nesting turtle on Yadua Taba stems from the fact that this is Fiji’s first ever satellite tagged turtle.

“It has become increasingly difficult to find nesting turtles in Fiji”, said Jone Niukula. “Reasons for this difficulty include low numbers of turtles returning to nest perhaps due to the low numbers of hatchlings that mature to an age where they’re capable of reproducing. This could be due to many reasons including domestic consumption of turtles and eggs, loss of feeding and nesting grounds or being accidentally caught in fisheries gear. So when the team saw Marama ni Yadua, we quickly reacted to ensure that we could satellite tag a turtle out of Fiji.”

Turtles are known to nest from November through to March. Thus, over the holiday period, several other teams were conducting nesting beach work around Fiji including the Mamanuca group, Koro Island and Yadua Taba.

“These surveys are a part of Fiji’s Sea Turtle Recovery Plan – a document developed by various stakeholders to address key threats contributing to the decline of turtle populations in Fiji”, said Sanivalati Navuku.

Around the region, satellite telemetry work has enabled several Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) like Samoa, Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia to track the migration of turtles that had nested on their beaches.

Several of these telemetry results illustrate a westward trend to migration, with turtles tagged in 3 of the countries / territories listed above migrating to Fiji. Fiji’s healthy sea grass meadows and coral reefs are ‘hotspots’ for turtles to feed.

One famous illustration of this type of work was the migration of Lady Vini – a female hawksbill turtle tagged in Samoa in March 2006 and then moved through the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ’s) of 6 Pacific Island Countries & Territories (PICTs) before entering Fiji’s in October 06 where the signal then died.

*Jone Niukula is working for the National Trust of Fiji
*Sainivalati Navuku is WWF Fiji Country Programme officer

Editor’s Note:
For several years now, turtle migrations have been tracked through various tagging methods including titanium flipper, passive internal transponder (PIT) or satellite tags. Titanium flipper tags are the more commonly employed method as it is relatively inexpensive. However, data retrieval is entirely dependant upon the serial numbers being reported to the relevant authorities by those who come across turtles carrying these flipper tags. Based on these reports, authorities are then able to plot the turtle’s path of migration.

While being more expensive, using satellite telemetry to track the migration of turtles during the 2006 Year of the Sea Turtle, SPREP facilitated the satellite tagging of turtles in Samoa, American Samoa, French Polynesia and were working with Fiji to do the same. Perhaps the most famous of those satellite tagged turtles was Lady Vini – a hawksbill nester tagged out of Samoa in March (06) and arrived in Fiji in October (06) after having swum through the EEZs of 6 other Pacific Island countries including Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Wallis & Futuna. Unfortunately, the signal was lost shortly after her arrival in Fiji.

The turtle conservation work in Fiji significantly contributes to meeting key goals of the turtle bycatch component in the Coral Triangle Network Initiative.

The Coral Triangle is the world’s epicenter of marine life abundance and diversity. The richness of coral, fish and other species is so high that the region is sometimes referred to as the “Amazon of the Seas”. This triangular shaped region covers all or part of the seas of six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. Fiji is part of WWF‘s Coral Triangle Initiative, which also includes the neighboring country of Australia. Fiji is home to a rich coral biodiversity as well, but with lower numbers known to science.

Ono-i-Lau Community work towards preserving Fiji’s southern most natural jewel

2008-02-07

Suva: Conservation has reached one of the most isolated islands of Fiji -Ono-i-Lau, Fiji's southern most territory. Recently, a group of environmental workers together with government and community partners visited Ono-i-Lau for its first extensive environmental survey.

WWF Fiji in partnership with UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, Lau Provincial Office, Department of Land Use and Planning and the Ono-i-Lau Tikina Development Committee conducted its first community biodiversity status survey of Ono-i-Lau.

"The islands four village communities are heavily dependent on fisheries and agriculture for their subsistence needs and to an increasing extent income generation. This makes natural resource management and overall community commitment to protect their natural resources on the island extremely important," said Kesaia Tabunakawai, WWF Fiji Programme Manager

"This will help villagers safeguard themselves against unsustainable exploitation and harvesting practices; natural disasters and the negative and devastating impacts brought about by Climate Change."

The target of this community initiative will be to build and enhance the Ono-i-Lau community's capacity for self management and long term sustainability of their natural resources within the context of an integrated ecosystem, community development and sustainable livelihood approach.

"A number of activities undertaken with the islands community included biodiversity inventories and more importantly community awareness on the protection of biodiversity and the need for an integrated approach to sustainable development in consultations with the resource owners were done during our visit," said Ms Tabunakawai.

"This island is rich in marine and terrestrial resources and WWF's aim is to work with its partners such as the Ono Development Committee to include natural resource management into its development plans to safeguard the islands unique biodiversity and community livelihoods," she said.

She added that the Ono-I-Lau community in Suva have received the findings of the initial trips and found it to be very informative. "They have expressed a keen interest and commitment in supporting the initiative to protect and sustainable manage their natural resources, especially their qoliqoli."

Similar sentiments were voiced by Mr Anare Jale, the Ono Development Committee's Secretary who was part of the team that visited the island. He stated that the initiative on the island was timely as it was vital for the future of the islands resource owners and the next generation of Ono.

"The initiative comes at a time after the people of Ono-i-Lau have witnessed exploitation and over harvesting of their natural resources through financial enticement by buyers whose main interest is to maximize profit. Including biodiversity conservation with sustainable livelihoods is the best way to manage natural resources for a small island economy such as Ono-i-Lau", he said.

"The involvement of the resource owners (including women and youth during this visit) in identifying threats and coming up with solutions is most encouraging. Their contribution to the development of the community development plan, places its ownership in them and their commitment to it will surely enhance its implementation and management", he added.

"It is essentially our goal to ensure that our community is environmentally aware, educating people though training, workshops, and meetings are important to bring about attitude change. An environmentally conscious community is better equipped to plan, manage and decide about resources. In our case this will ensure there is plentiful of sea and land resources to sustain our community now and into the future and reverse the current trend from island to urban drift", he concluded.

Other activities undertaken on the island during the visit included; the development of their marine protected areas management plans, community action plan targeted at addressing land degradation, enhancing food security and sustainable livelihoods, and Climate Change awareness and the development of the their community adaptation plans. Youth were also engaged to develop their training programme, as part of long term motoring activities on the island.

In addition to other unique factors the area is considered important because it is frequented as a foraging site by three turtle species due to the areas lush and pristine sea grass meadows. The green turtle (Cheldonia mydas) is recorded to nest on the beaches of the surrounding islands of Mana, Udui and Tuvana and the island group is frequently visited by migratory whales. The Ono-i-Lau waters also support a multitude of unique coral, invertebrate and fish species, including one of Fiji's largest natural occurring colonies of giant clam. Due to its isolation in the extreme south, a more thorough biological survey of the areas reefs would be needed to be undertaken to ascertain the extent of this uniqueness, in terms of endemism and rarity.

The terrestrial environment is also similarly unique, as much of the islands still support intact littoral and island native forests. The area supports a number of sea bird species and undisturbed sizeable sea bird colonies, such as those of the red footed booby.

For further information contact:
Ashwini Prabha or Francis Areki, Phone: (+675) 3315533 / 9268 016
Anare Jale, Ono Development Committee Secretary, Phone: +675 9991865/3397677

Sperm whale washed ashore on Mali Island, Fiji

2008-01-21

WWF is saddened by the news of the dead sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) that washed ashore on Mali Island, and advises that precaution is taken when handling the carcass.

Reports obtained from the communities on Mali and the Fisheries officers in Labasa, indicate that at this stage of decay, it is urgent to ensure the safe and immediate disposal of the carcass. There are environmental risks associated with the dead whale, but equally important is the safety of the surrounding communities.

"Undoubtedly, the dead whale will have some potential of infectious agents transmitted from the animal to those who come into physical contact with it. We are advising that extreme caution is taken when handling the carcass. While the cause of its death is uncertain at this stage, reports from observers have indicated that the whale may have been sick or distressed. However, further analysis of tissue samples will be required in order to better answer some of the queries that we have about this individual, and consequently, sperm whale populations in Fiji." said Penina Solomona, Regional Marine Officer, WWF South Pacific.

WWF will be working with the Mali Island communities and the Fisheries office in Labasa to properly dispose off the carcass.

Editor's notes:

Sperm whales, which yield the symbolic tabua for Fiji, are classified as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List - which indicates that they face a high risk of extinction in the near future.
A 'Fiji Cetaceans Capacity Building' workshop conducted by WWF South Pacific in September (2007) concluded with several recommendations including the need to establish a "Sightings & Strandings" network to respond to such incidences as this.
Fiji’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) is recognised to be a whale sanctuary, providing protection to migrating whales that come to this region to mate and calve.

2° Celsius too High! Community & NGO Flyers for Preventing Dangerous Climate Change

2007-09-06

These flyers address what can happen if
global temperatures rise by 2°C above pre-industrial
levels. It also dicusses what the Pacific has experienced already at current global temperatures, which are on average are 0.7°C above
the pre-industrial level.

Locals contribute to protecting the marine turtles

2007-06-13

WWF Fiji held its inaugural Turtle Benefit Ball at Tattersall’s Leisure Centre in Suva, on Friday, 8th June 2007, in the presence of corporations and environmentally concerned citizens of Fiji.

More than 200 guests from different professions and repute attended the black tie event in aid of WWF Fiji’s efforts to protect the endangered seas turtles, the official theme of the evening.

With this Ball, WWF increased awareness on sea turtle conservation and successfully fund-raised a little above $10,000 to support their protection in Fiji.

The ball was perfectly orchestrated by WWF Fiji and re-known artists Craig Marlow and Alfred Ralifo as a finale to the World Ocean Day events. Fine dinning, turtle quiz with high-quality prizes (all generously donated) and live music from Ken Janson and the Hearts entertained the guests of this wonderful evening.

In delivering the keynote address, Ronil Punja, for Oceans Soap Ltd said “Sea turtles are an indicator of healthy oceans and their currently declining numbers symbolize an ocean in trouble. We therefore urge corporations and individuals present tonight, to dive in to efforts to protect our fragile oceans and endangered turtles.”

6 of the 7 global species of sea turtles are on the IUCN Red List as either critically endangered or endangered – indicating their vulnerability to extinction. These charismatic species face many threats such as over-harvesting for their meat, eggs or shell. They are also accidentally caught in fishing gear and while some may be released alive, some are often not. Turtles are also threatened through the loss of their feeding and nesting grounds due to poorly informed coastal development and also, climate change.

Mr Punja said: “This evening, our focus is drawn towards the plight of a cultural icon – the endangered sea turtle. I have been informed that in Fiji, a Moratorium legally protecting turtles is set to expire in 2008. For a species that takes up to 40 years to mature and reproduce, is 12 months sufficient opportunity.”

One of the honoured guests for the night, former Prime Minister of Fiji, Mr. Sitiveni Rabuka said: “I remember that getting my Cabinet to agree to ban the commercial exploitation of turtles particularly the sale of turtle meat was not easy. The message that the young team that hosted the Ball on Friday night wanted us to understand is that the turtle, take so long to grow and mature, but only a very short time to threaten with extinction.“

A national high school art and poem competition on oceans and protecting our turtles was also launched at the Ball by Dr Ken McKay, Director for Institute of Marine Resources.

The competition is open to forms three and five and will run from June 8th – September 7th, 2007. The first prize is FJD 350.00 cash, 2nd prize is FJD 300.00 stationery voucher courtesy of Laje Rotuma Initiative & Office Force Stationery and third prize FJD 100.00 book vouchers courtesy of BookMasters.

World Oceans Day celebrations in Fiji was an initiative lead by WWF Fiji Country Programme, USP’s Institute of Marine Resources, Laje Rotuma Initiative, Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment to raise awareness on the need to protect our marine environment.

The Turtle Ball

WWF’s inaugural ball set the stage for more of these to come. The evening gave our supporters and the people who care about saving nature, an opportunity to meet over a cocktail and excellent dinner, get to know each other, discuss, chat, listen to music, dance and learn more about the work of WWF on turtles.

In other words it’s a wonderful way to have a lot of fun and do something to help conservation at the same time.

The Ball was made possible not only thanks to our guests, but also because of the generosity of local sponsors - Ocean Soaps Ltd, Coca Cola Amatil (Fiji) Ltd, Natural Waters of Viti Ltd, M & C Saatchi, Star Printery Ltd, Pacific Manufacturers Ltd, Golf Terraces Denarau, Maravu Plantation Resort, Musket Cove Resort, Sonaisali Resort, Pure Fiji Ltd, Holiday Inn Suva, Carlton Brewery, Pacific Coatings Ltd, Peking Restaurant, Cost U Less, Tappoo Group of Companies.

This money raised from the Turtle Ball is in support of WWF Fiji’s turtle conservation work including school road show, data collection on turtles and other awareness work.

For further information:

Akisi Bolabola and Penina Solomona,
Tel: +679 3315533
E-mail: abolabola@wwfpacific.org.fj
psolomona@wwfpacific.org.fj

Ashwini Prabha,
Tel: +679 3315533
Mobile: 9268 016
E-mail: aprabha@wwfpacific.org.fj

The Coral Triangle - the centre of marine biodiversity

2007-06-12

No other place on Earth is as rich and varied in marine life as the Coral Triangle. Spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Northern Australia, this extraordinary expanse of ocean covers some 5.7 million km². The Coral Triangle matches the richness and diversity of the Amazon rainforest.

It is home to:

75% of all coral species known to science;
More than 3,000 species of reef fish and commercially valuable pelagic, or open ocean, species including yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, bigeye tuna, bumphead parrotfish, needlefish, Napoleon wrasse, and barracuda;
6 of the 7 species of marine turtles including green, hawksbill, olive ridley, leatherback, loggerhead and flatback;
Migrating populations of whale sharks measuring up to about 20m, and massive manta rays, which are attracted to the region abundant plankton;
Marine mammals such as 22 species of dolphin (including spinner, spotted, bottlenose, and the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin), the endangered dugong or seacow, rare Bryde’s whale, short-finned pilot whale, sperm and dwarf sperm whale, humpback and Cuvier’s beaked whale.

The Coral Triangle is brimming with marine life, but it is also straining to support one of the highest human population densities in the world, providing food and income to about half a billion people. In the Philippines and Indonesia, coral reefs provide annual economic benefits estimated at US$1.6 billion and US$1.1 billion per year, respectively.

Stronger political will and concerted action amongst countries within the Coral Triangle are needed to conserve marine biodiversity, stop habitat destruction and effectively manage their marine resources. Today much of the region’s commercial fish stocks have been fully exploited or even fished beyond their limits. The destruction of marine resources is exacerbated by a lethal cocktail of extreme dependence of coastal economies, population growth and poverty.

WWF’s Coral Triangle Initiative is working to ensure the health of the region’s natural treasures and the millions of livelihoods that depend on it. Take part in our conservation efforts now and help us ensure that proper environmental, political and socio-economic management is put into place towards:

Building a sustainable live reef food fish trade,
Promoting sustainable tuna fisheries,
Financing Marine Protected Areas (MPA) for the future,
Creating an international MPA network for turtles and significantly reducing marine turtle bycatch in the Indo-Pacific, and
Reducing the impacts of climate change and tourism.

Locals engage to protect Fiji's environment

2007-06-07

Whether you live along the coast or far inland, each one of us is connected to the world's ocean and the unique species that inhabit that aquatic environment. On Friday, June 8th 2007, Fiji will join the global community in celebrating World Oceans Day (WOD) – a UN event observed since 1992.

World Oceans Day celebrations in Fiji is an initiative lead by WWF Fiji Country Programme, USP’s Institute of Marine Resources, Laje Rotuma Initiative, Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment to raise awareness on the need to protect our marine environment. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Food Security beyond Climate Change’ with a particular emphasis on protecting our mangroves which are a nursery for many of our ocean foods.

The WOD programme, which is being supported by Ocean Soaps Limited, includes a day’s exhibition of marine materials and live display of marine turtles at the Lower Civic Centre. As a finale to World Oceans Day activities on Friday, a formal ‘Turtle Benefit Ball’ is scheduled for the evening. The main focus of the Ball is to raise both awareness on sea turtle conservation and funds to support their protection. Sea turtles which play an extremely vital role in maintaining the health of our oceans are an irreplaceable part of the natural and cultural heritage of Fiji and the wider Pacific.

Additionally, a national high school art and poem competition on oceans and protecting our turtles will be launched at the Turtle Ball. This black tie affair also aims at gathering corporate support for environmental issues in Fiji.

WHAT: Turtle Benefit Ball –“Protect our cultural icon” & Public Exhibition

WHEN: Friday June 8th, 2007

WHERE: Ball-Tattersall’s Leisure Centre Exhibition -Lower Civic Auditorium (Thursday and Friday)

WHO: WWF Fiji Country Programme in partnership with the Institute of Marine Resources (USP), Laje Rotuma Initiative, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Environment.

Photo and story opportunity at the ball -Unique ‘Ocean theme’ decoration, guests in formal attires and interviews with corporations on environmental responsibility in Fiji.

For further information contact:

Ashwini Prabha
Tel: +679 331 5533
Mobile: 9268 016
E-mail: aprabha@wwfpacific.org.fj