WWF - WWF in Papua New Guinea & W. Melanesia

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.)

Forests fundamental to effective climate deal

2009-10-25

Buenos Aires, Argentina – The world’s ability to control climate change could be crippled if global leaders do not support clear and effective targets to arrest deforestation at climate talks in Copenhagen in December, WWF said at the conclusion of a key global foresty summit.

As the XIIIth World Forestry Congress finished Friday, WWF called for an ambitious and bold climate deal at Copenhagen to give clear guidance and incentives for the forestry sector to do its part in stopping catastrophic climate change and adapt to predicted changes.

“Setting immediate deforestation targets is a key component of any climate change agreement,” said Rodney Taylor, Director of WWF International’s Forest program.

“If the global deal on climate change ignores the dangers of unchecked deforestation, it will set the world on an accelerated path to savage climate change.”

Despite conservation efforts, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate – 13 million hectares per year, or 36 football fields a minute. It generates almost 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and halting forest loss has been identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to keep the world out of the danger zone of runaway climate change.

To this end, WWF during the Congress proposed a global target of zero net deforestation by 2020 to avoid runaway climate change and stop the current catastrophic trend of species loss.

“A zero net deforestation by 2020 target will set the scale and urgency needed to gather the political will to stop forest loss,” Taylor said.

WWF will continue to advocate for a strong deforestation target to be included in all other relevant international treaties and agreements, including in the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In Copenhagen, negotiators need to agree to strong financial and emissions reduction commitments to craft a climate deal that enables developing countries to halt forest loss.

“WWF received strong feedback at the Congress from various sectors, including governments, other NGOs, and the private sector to support our target on deforestation,” said Gerald Steindlegger, WWF International’s Forest Manager on Global Policy.

Many developing countries already are adopting major deforestation policies that mirror WWF’s call for zero net deforestation by 2020.

On Wednesday, government representatives from Argentina and Paraguay pledged during a special ceremony co-hosted by WWF and its partner organization Fundacion Vida Silvestre at the Congress to work towards zero net deforestation in the Atlantic Forest, and to implement a package of measures that include national legislation to enforce those commitments.

The Atlantic Forest initially spanned 500,000 square kms, shared between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. However, only 7.4 percent of the forest is left today – or about 35,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most threatened and fragmented subtropical forests in the world.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian government already has established a zero deforestation target by 2010 for the Atlantic Forest. Brazil also has pledged to establish protected areas covering at least 10 percent of the forest.

This year, the World Forestry Congress brought together more than 4,000 participants in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Coral Triangle summit to focus on business opportunities, environment protection

2009-10-23

Business and policy leaders will get together in Manila next year to debate how to protect the Coral Triangle, the world’s most diverse marine environment.

The summit, organized by the Philippine Government and WWF will be held on January 18 to 21, 2010 and outline business opportunities for key sectors operating in the region encompassing Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

It will also provide a platform for financial support and investment for businesses willing to commit to sustainability and green growth.

Covering just one per cent of the earth’s surface, the Coral Triangle includes 30 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, 76 per cent of its reef building coral species as well as vital spawning grounds for tuna.

The region sustains the lives of more than 120 million people, along with thousands of small and medium businesses that heavily rely on healthy marine environments and resources.

But the Coral Triangle is under threat from over-exploitation, environmental degradation, poverty, and global economic recession – all compounded by severe climate change.

"By inviting sectors that rely on a healthy marine environment in the Coral Triangle, as well as the tourism, communications, and investment sectors, this Business Summit will contribute to the pursuit of sustainable business development and investment," said Manuel Gerochi, Philippine Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The Business Summit will place special emphasis on the growing demand for 'green' products globally, which can drive sustainability in supply chains within the Coral Triangle.

There will also be opportunities for regional and national financial institutions and investors to explore emerging investment opportunities, and to network and forge partnerships with companies that are dependent on the Coral Triangle's natural resources.

“This event will make a compelling case for sustainable investment and business in the Coral Triangle” said Dr Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader.

“Putting new economic growth on a sustainable path requires courage, innovation, partnership and, not the least, access to credit, finance and investment, which are often major barriers to progress. Through this summit, we hope to find a way to bridge this gap” added Pet-Soede.

According to a WWF report coral reefs will disappear from the Coral Triangle by the end of the century and the ability of the region’s coastal environments to feed people will decline by 80 per cent if no effective action is taken.

This event follows the CTI Leaders Summit in Indonesia in May 2009, where the six Heads of State of the Coral Triangle states committed to ambitious conservation and development targets across the region through a Regional Plan of Action, a large part of which requires meaningful engagement from the private sector.

WWF supports the CTI by providing targeted support for issues related to climate change, fisheries, tourism and marine protected areas through its Coral Triangle Programme.

"The Coral Triangle Business Summit is intended to help businesses reap market rewards through responsible stewardship of the marine environment. The threat of climate change and the growing consumer demand for 'green' products point to one need -- improved management of the Coral Triangle," said Dr Lida Pet-Soede.

For more information:
Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader (Bali, Indonesia)
Tel/Fax: +62 361 730185
lpet@wallacea.wwf.or.id

Paolo P. Mangahas, WWF Coral Triangle Communications Manager (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Tel: +60 3 78033772
Mobile: +60136730413
pmangahas@wwf.org.my

New measures not enough for central Pacific tuna

2009-08-27

Port Vila, Vanuatu - Tuna conservation and management measures for the western and central Pacific approved just last December are “highly unlikely” to restore bigeye and yellowfin tuna fishing to sustainable levels, according to a recently completed assessment.

The Assessment of the Potential Implications of Application of CMM-2008-01, a technical evaluation by Pacific Commission scientists charged with providing advice to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) says that the newly introduced Conservation and Management Measure (CMM-2008-01) won’t meet its objectives of maintaining bigeye tuna stocks and spawning biomass at sustainable levels by simply reducing the fishing mortality of bigeye tuna by 30 per cent over three years.

The measure, which includes setting effort and catch limits in longline and purse seine fishing, closing fishing of high-seas pockets, and implementing a seasonal ban on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), are just not enough to maintain bigeye tuna stocks at sustainable fishing levels over the next 10 years as planned.

The measure also is unlikely to achieve planned targets of holding yellowfin tuna fishing mortality to 2001-2004 average values.

“The value of this assessment is that it shows the likely result on high value tuna stocks of barely adequate fishing controls that are then further weakened with loads of exemptions,” said Dr. Jose Ingles, WWF fisheries expert.

The CMM-2008-1, adopted by the WCPFC in December 2008, was designed to ensure that bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks are maintained at levels capable of producing their maximum sustainable yield through the implementation of compatible measures for high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones.

According to the assessment, reductions in longline catch won’t be sufficient for meeting the required reduction in fishing mortality on adult bigeye tuna while the exclusion of archipelagic waters from the measure—which encompasses most of the fishing activities of the Indonesian and Philippine domestic fleets and significant amounts of purse seine effort in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands—leaves out an important source of fishing mortality for juvenile bigeye tuna.

Also, Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) and high-seas pockets closures cannot sufficiently offset the increase in purse seine effort allowed under the measure and cannot reduce purse seine fishing mortality below 2001-2004 average levels.

The effect, according to this assessment, will be little if any reduction in the overfishing of bigeye tuna from current high levels of 50-100% above sustainable yield levels.

The spawning biomass of bigeye tuna is also predicted to worsen by 2018 between 40-60% below sustainable levels.

“The fishing industry is scrambling to supply growing international demand for tuna, which puts tremendous pressure on the already heavily fished tuna stocks in the Coral Triangle” said Dr. Ingles.

“The Scientific Committee of the WCPFC should immediately address the shortcomings of the measure and recommend appropriate steps to meet the objectives it set forth.”

“The exemptions outlined in the CMM-2008-01 have watered down its effectiveness. Closing or banning fishing in high seas for example will simply shift fishing effort to the Central Pacific, which scientist believe are more vulnerable areas for bigeye tuna.”

The Coral Triangle contains spawning and nursery grounds and migratory routes for commercially-valuable tuna species such as bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack and albacore, producing more than 40% of the total catch for the Western Central Pacific region, and representing more than 20% of the total global catch.

Bigeye tuna accounts for 10% of the global tuna catch and is eaten as steaks or as sushi and sashimi.

Catches in 2006, estimated at over 2.3 million tones, were the highest recorded; but two of the most valuable species, bigeye and yellowfin tuna, are at serious risk of overfishing.

“If we are to see an effective reduction in the overfishing of tuna in the Coral Triangle, we need to make sure that the measures put in place are sufficient and strong enough to create drastic results” says Dr. Ingles. “Maintaining profitable and sustainable tuna stocks means ensuring the bounty of this shared resource for future generations.”

Maps reveal secret life of marine turtles in urgent need of protection

2009-07-28

A series of conservation maps produced by WWF reveal for the first time the secret life of endangered turtles in the world’s most diverse marine region – the Coral Triangle.

The maps are the first to bring together the different life cycle movements, migration routes, foraging grounds, and nesting sites of green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles.

The maps were produced with the help of satellite tracking, and allow the identification and targeting of areas in urgent need of protection. They also highlight the inter-connectedness of marine habitats making a strong case for cooperation among Coral Triangle countries for the protection of shared marine resources in the region.

“We now have a better picture and more comprehensive understanding of where marine turtles feed, breed, and nest around the waters of the Coral Triangle,” says Matheus Halim, WWF Coral Triangle Turtle Strategy Leader.

Marine turtles play a crucial role in the delicate web of ocean life by maintaining the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs, which are home to other marine species such as shrimp, lobster, sharks, dugongs and innumerable reef fish.

The maps serve as a guideline for where to establish Marine Protected Areas. “The maps clearly identify which areas in this region need protection”, added Halim. “WWF is calling for the establishment of a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that encompass these locations as part of the new six nations Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) and for turtles to be made a priority under The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN).”

Apart from showing life cycle movements, the maps also give valuable information about locations with the high incidence of turtle bycatch in the region, helping to identify where fishing methods require modification.

The Coral Triangle, home to six of the seven known species of marine turtles in the world, stretches across six countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, covering the seas of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste.

Marine turtles are listed on the World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Species as either ‘Endangered’ or ‘Critically Endangered.’ This means they are among the most threatened animals on the planet and face the real risk of extinction.

The loss of nesting beaches and feeding habitats due to pollution and coastal development, the illegal trade and consumption of turtle eggs, meat, and other derivatives for commercial purposes, and the accidental catch (or ‘bycatch’) of turtles in fishing gears are just some of the many threats facing marine turtles.

Marine habitats in the Coral Triangle important to commercially-valuable fish species are being lost or degraded at an unprecedented rate. The last decade alone has seen a drastic decline in fish stocks due to inadequate fisheries management and widespread overuse of marine and coastal resources.

Establishing a network of MPAs can help alleviate the stress on marine and coastal resources and help build the marine environment’s resilience against other threats such as coral bleaching, caused by climate change.

“MPAs offer a range of benefits for fisheries, people, and the marine environment by providing safe havens for endangered species to thrive and for depleted fish stocks to recover,” says Dr Lida Pet-Soede, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader. “MPAs provide services to local communities who depend on the sea and its resources. Protecting these critical marine habitats means protecting the food and livelihood of millions people in the Coral Triangle region and beyond.”

The maps were produced by WWF in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation and other regional partners.

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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Calls for crackdown after illegal fishers abandon boat on Bali reef

2008-07-25

A 30-metre Taiwanese vessel, found abandoned on a Balinese reef badly damaged and leaking oil, has compelled WWF to issue a renewed call for the countries of the Coral Triangle to impose and enforce more stringent monitoring and accountability measures to cut down on illegal fishing.

The boat, which is thought to have been involved in illegal fishing activities, has been pushed out of the wave impact zone, reducing fears that it may break up, but complicating attempts to remove it.

The vessel, off popular Padang Padang beach, will likely remain stranded, amid efforts to clean up the fuel spillage threatening wildlife and affecting tourism, with reports of the oil slick reaching the length of the surfing peninsula.

"Apparently there's fishing hooks, lines, nets, debris from the boat all over the reef," said Mike O’Leary, founder of the Rivers, Oceans, Lakes & Ecology (ROLE) Foundation, which runs marine projects in the region.

It is thought that, prior to being caught on the reef and subsequently looted, the boat contained illegally fished shark and tuna.

This is not the first time this vessel has been involved in such illicit activities, having been caught off the coast of Costa Rica in 2003 with 60 tons of shark fin, and again this year fishing in the pacific.

This weeks news highlights that efforts to prevent illicit fishing activities have been unsuccessful, making it all but impossible to manage fish stocks.

The region, site of many key WWF projects, is widely recognised as the most important area of marine biodiversity on the planet, and is often referred to as the nursery of the seas.

Insufficient monitoring means that the region is susceptible to activities that could destabilise its unique marine biodiversity, a system that directly sustains the lives of nearly 130 million people across six countries of south-east Asia

“The health of the Coral Triangle is critical to the livelihoods of millions of people and it is crucial that adequate management systems are in place to prevent the kinds of scenes we have seen in Bali over the last week, and to reduce the threat of oil spills and overfishing,” said the leader of WWF’s Coral Triangle Program, Lida Pet Soede.

The sustainable management of these locations is especially important, and particularly difficult, as over-exploitation of marine resources is exacerbated by a combination of extreme dependence of coastal economies, population growth and poverty.

“It is crucial that we properly manage the Coral Triangle’s unique marine wilderness for the benefit of the whole planet,“ Ms Soede said.

Wiad Wildlife Management Area

2008-07-10

Sinub, Tab, Tabadand Laugum Wildlife Management Areas

2008-07-10

Libanoand Sulamesi Wildlife Management Areas

2008-07-10

2°C - Too High! Preventing Dangerous Climate Change

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.

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.

APP irregularities threaten massive climate and tiger impact

2008-03-25

Pekanbaru, INDONESIA – One of the world’s biggest carbon stores and a key tiger habitat are threatened by a new logging road in Riau Province, Sumatra, according to a new investigative report published today.

An absence of permits and other irregularities suggest that the new road cutting into Kampar peninsula is likely to be illegal, says Riau’s Eyes on the Forest group, a coalition of local NGO network Jikalahari, Walhi Riau, and WWF-Indonesia.

The road, like another exposed in January threatening indigenous peoples, elephants, orangutans and tigers in Sumatra’s Bukit Tigapuluh forest landscape, has been constructed by companies linked to controversial conglomerate Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).

“It is morally reprehensible for one of the world’s largest paper companies to so brazenly ignore Indonesian laws and destroy the natural resources that belong to the people of Riau,” said Teguh Surya of Walhi Riau.

“We strongly urge APP to join the ranks of responsible businesses and conduct its operations within the law. Until that time, the world’s paper buyers and investors should stop doing business with APP.”

Kampar peninsula can be considered a single hydro-ecological system, consisting entirely of a single dome of peat at depths mostly over 10 meters – extremely deep for a peatland, with an enormous store of carbon.

Drainage and plantation development activities on the top of the Kampar peat dome could cause the dome to collapse and emit large amounts of carbon, according to Eyes on the Forest.

Last month, a report [PDF - 5.3MB] by WWF, Remote Sensing Solution GmbH and Hokkaido University found that deforestation, peat decomposition and forest fires in Riau Province resulted in annual carbon emissions equivalent to 122 percent of the Netherlands total annual emissions, 58 percent of Australia's annual emissions, 39 per cent of annual UK emissions and 26 per cent of annual German emissions.

That report also found that the province had Indonesia’s highest deforestation rates, substantially driven by the operations of global paper giants APP and competitor Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).

Until 2002, the 700,000 ha of Kampar peninsular were still fully covered by by natural forest, but clearing for APP and APRIL pulp mills and related plantation development has been the major factor in cover being reduced to 400,000 ha by 2007

The Kampar peninsula area is also considered one of the last havens for critically endangered Sumatran tigers, whose wild population is estimated to be down to just 400-500. It is feared that Sumatran tigers may be on course to follow Indonesia’s Java and Bali tigers into extinction.

The landscape was designated a “regional priority” tiger conservation landscape by the world’s leading tiger scientists in 2006. A preliminary estimate by WWF-Indonesia shows that a well-managed Kampar peninsula could be home to as many as 60 tigers.

“Even as our investigators were out surveying the site last month, they came across tiger tracks walking along the APP logging road,” said Nursamsu of WWF-Indonesia and Eyes on the Forest coordinator.

“But the tigers of Kampar don’t stand a chance once APP begins logging full-scale and the poachers discover there’s easy access to this critical tiger habitat.”

Local NGO network Jikalahari and WWF have formally proposed that the Ministry of Forestry protect the natural forest of Kampar. Jikalahari also jointly signed an MoU with Siak and Pelalawan District Administrations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali last year.

APP told Eyes of the Forest that the Siak district government had granted the company permission to build the highway to connect the two remote villages of Teluk Lanus and Sungai Rawa. But satellite images show that the road was not built anywhere close to the two villages, but does connect to two new logging concessions affiliated with APP.

”APP claimed that it was building this state-of-the-art, paved highway for the benefit of the local communities,” said Susanto Kurniawan of Jikalahari.

“It’s shameful to see a multibillion-dollar enterprise hiding behind the needs of desperately poor, isolated villagers, who will receive absolutely no benefit from this road but will likely suffer the consequences of APP’s activities.”

The logging concessions also suffer from irregularities, not least being an apparent contravention on clearing natural forest in good condition for plantation development or clearing on deep peat soils. Both concessions are based on licenses issued by District heads, who are not supposed to issue such licenses, according to Eyes on the Forest.

As well as Bukit Tigapuluh, APP also is currently threatening the Senepis and Kerumutan peatland forests in central Sumatra, Eyes on the Forest said.

Diamond urges business fraternity to lead conservation efforts

2007-10-18

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: WORLD renowned American scientist Jared Diamond will call on the business fraternity to play a greater role in the protection and conservation of the environment with the rising global concerns on climate change.

Jared Diamond won the Pulitzer Prize for his book "Guns, Germs, and Steel" (1997) and is a biologist, ornithologist and Professor of Geography at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Professor Diamond will deliver a Public lecture on “Business and Environment” at the Port Moresby Holiday Inn on Friday evening starting at 6.00 pm.

He will speak on how business can play an active role in protecting the environment and dealing with global threats such as climate change while also making a profit.

Professor Diamond is in PNG to continue his 43 year history of environmental investigations. On Friday he will return from a month long visit to the TransFly region in the south of Western Province and the Kikori River Basin in Gulf and Southern Highlands Provinces.

Prof Diamond was guest of honour at the launch of three new Wildlife Management Areas in the TransFly which extend Tonda WMA to 1, 300 829.80 hectares.

With Diamond is expert bird guide David Bishop who has made about 20 trips to the region and compiled bird reports for a number of conservations organizations.

This public presentation is jointly organized by WWF-PNG, PNG Institute of National Affairs and Oil Search (PNG) Ltd.

For further information please contact the media team:
Lydia Kaia, Communications Officer, WWF Papua New Guinea. t: +675 320 0149, f: +675 320 0519.
Robert Bino , Conservation Strategies Manager, WWF Papua New Guinea. t: +675 320 0149, m: +675 689 3259.

Editors Notes:
WWF has been working in PNG since 1995. Our work focuses on linking community action, science and effective policy to ensure the protection and sustainable use of natural resources across the island of New Guinea.

Carbon emissions into the atmosphere are the main cause of global climate change that is affecting us all
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has declared that the global loss of forests is responsible for 20% of the carbon that goes into the world’s atmosphere
New Guinea’s forests are among the largest tracts of relatively undisturbed rainforest in the Asia Pacific and the third largest in the world and are an important storage bank for carbon
Forest conservation and certified forestry can prevent the release of carbon and slow down climate change
High quality images of PNG wildlife and forests are available on request

Local communities celebrate new protected areas in Papua New Guinea

2007-09-28

Bensbach, Papua New Guinea – The creation of three new wildlife management areas in Papua New Guinea will protect some of Asia-Pacific’s most expansive and unique wildlife habitats.

The new Aramba, Tonda extension and Weriaver areas cover about 710,000 hectares in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province, and join up with the existing Tonda wildlife management area of 610,000 hectares. These areas, together with the adjoining Wasur National Park in Papua, mean that almost 2 million hectares of the TransFly Ecoregion will be protected.

“The creation of these new protected areas means that the TransFly region will now contain the largest continuous protected area in the country,” said Dr David Melick, WWF’s TransFly Ecoregion Coordinator.

The TransFly is a vast, low-lying coastal region of grasslands, savannas wetlands and monsoon forest in south-central New Guinea. Home to such unique wildlife as marsupial cats, endemic flying possums and birds of paradise, the region covers more than 10 million hectares, straddling the borders of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

“We hope that this region will soon be formally recognized as a cross-border conservation zone to enable international action on conservation and livelihood threats,” Dr Melick added.

Hundreds of local tribal groups from surrounding villages celebrated the announcement of the protected areas in a traditional ceremony. Local community leaders, politicians and wildlife officials took part in the ceremony, as well as world-renowned conservationist and author Professor Jared Diamond, and WWF representatives, including WWF International’s Executive Director of Conservation, Guillermo Castilleja.

"In this remote corner of the world, we are engaging with communities in villages and officials in planning offices to design a long-lasting conservation blueprint for the Transfly," Castilleja said, "a vision that will support the area's unique landscapes, wildlife and traditional ways of life."

There are over 60 cultural groups, whose lives, customs, languages and knowledge are linked inextricably with the landscapes of the TransFly. It is also home to some of the largest wetlands in the Asia-Pacific region, but it is threatened by development, agricultural expansion and the spread of exotic species. Millions of birds inhabit the floodplains, with over 50 per cent of New Guinea’s bird species found in the ecoregion, including 80 endemic species.

The wildlife management areas will be managed by local landowner committees, with assistance from WWF to promote protection of wildlife and habitat, and sustainable enterprises such as eco-tourism.

For further information:
Lydia Kaia, Communications Officer
WWF Papua New Guinea
Tel: +675 320 0149
E-mail: lkaia@wwfpacific.org.pg

Plunder or protection: WWF calls for safeguarding Coral Sea

2007-09-18

Sydney, Australia – Recognized as one of world's last tropical marine wilderness regions, WWF is calling on the Australian government to declare the entire Coral Sea region a marine protected area.

The Coral Sea stretches over 780,000km² of ocean — from the outer boundary of Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to the South Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands.

“The Coral Sea is still remarkably pristine and attracts international visitors who pay a premium to see the reef’s vast populations of white tip and grey reef sharks, hammerheads, manta rays and other sea creatures,” said Richard Leck, WWF-Australia's Marine Policy Manager.

“We are very concerned that illegal fishers will raid the Coral Sea reefs, mainly for shark fins for the Asian market. This threatens both the future of these fish in Australian waters and a burgeoning marine wildlife tourism industry worth millions.”

Marine research estimates reveal that the Coral Sea tourism is worth as much as US$9.4 million a year.

“The resident population of sharks at Osprey Reef, the main dive site in the Coral Sea, is 40 animals, making each shark worth over US$210,000 per year," said Richard Fitzpatrick, a leading Australian marine biologist and shark researcher.

"When you compare this figure to US$52.50, the asking price for shark catch by local fisheries, it is more than evident that Australian reef sharks are more valuable alive than dead.”

Currently, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef shark populations — the white tip and grey reef shark — show a decline in abundance by 80% and 97% respectively outside areas that are not effectively protected, sounding a warning for the neighbouring reef shark populations of the Coral Sea.

“Global numbers of oceanic predators have plummeted 90% in population since 1950, " said Leck.

"We only have to look in our own backyard to see the severe population decline and shark population collapse that is occurring in oceans all over the world. We must act now to save the Coral Sea from a similar fate."

In addition to the threat of over fishing, the Coral Sea has also been earmarked for future oil and gas exploration and, with climate change increasing water temperatures, the Coral Sea reefs are also highly susceptible to coral bleaching.

“The Coral Sea presents us with a unique opportunity to safeguard one of the world’s few remaining pristine marine regions," he added.

"If we act quickly we can protect one of our most precious and fragile resources before irreversible damage
is done.”

For more information:
Rachael Hoy, Press Officer
WWF-Australia
+61 2 8202 1242

Sea turtles threatened by rising seas

2007-09-10

Climate change is warming the earth. Ice is melting and sea levels have started to rise. This causes damage, with serious consequences for nature and for coastal communities.

Scientists have now looked at the impacts of sea level rise on sea turtles. These ancient animals lay their eggs into the beach sand. Many turtle species return to the exact beaches that they were hatched to lay the eggs for the next generation of turtles.

However, sea level rise threatens beach habitat and turtle reproduction will be hard hit. To investigate the threat of climate change, a recent study examined the nesting sites of sea turtles in the Caribbean Islands under three likely sea-level rise scenarios.

The authors of this report found that with a moderate 0.5 m rise in sea level, a third of the total current beach area could be lost. Among the 13 beaches that were surveyed one particularly vulnerable beach could lose almost its entire suitable sea turtle habitat. This magnitude of beach habitat loss could literally be the point of no return for populations of already critically endangered sea turtles, such as the hawksbill turtle.

Climate change effects on marine turtles can include:

loss of nesting and feeding habitats due to sea-level rise;
increased sand temperatures, which can lead to changes in sex ratios or potentially result in mortality;
increased ocean temperatures, which can lead to coral bleaching and other damage to turtle feeding habitats;
changes in ocean currents, which can modify migrations paths and feeding patterns; and
extreme rainfall events, which can increase the potentially lethal transfer of sediment to coral reefs and raise water tables, thereby flooding nests.

WWF´s Latin America and Caribbean Programme and the Climate Change Programme are constructing a research project to quantify the impacts that climate change will have on hawksbill turtles, provide a model for assessing future climate change impacts to other marine turtle species, and begin to shape how we develop conservation strategies to protect marine turtles in the face of climate change. The first stage of this project targets the Caribbean region.

This study will identify the location and susceptibility of known hawksbill nesting areas to climate change and will provide management prescriptions to reduce the vulnerability of hawksbill turtles and increase their resilience to climate change. When completed WWF will provide tools, such as a map highlighting current nesting areas, key habitats and migration paths that are potentially threatened by sea level and temperature rise, so that managers and conservationists can prioritize their efforts. WWF is currently looking for partners to embark in this program of work.

WWF is also working across the globe to help protect hawksbill, leatherback, and other species of sea turtles and the habitats that they need to survive. They are threatened by hunting, pollution, beach development (such as coastal resorts), and by unsustainable fishing practices (for example, unintentionally catching turtles when harvesting fish). Now climate change adds an additional threat.

“As we continue to pollute our atmosphere with emissions from power plants, sea level rise increases and will drastically reduce sea turtle nesting sites,” says Michael Case, WWF Climate Change Research Scientist. “Climate change could well be the long-term threat that determines whether some species of sea turtles survive or go extinct.”

Will the people also be affected?

Nearly half of the world’s human populations live within 200 km of coasts. Many countries rely on the environmental and economic values of coasts such as fishing, tourism, and transport. Many of the largest cities are coastal cities, for example London, New York, Shanghai and Singapore.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the current rate of sea level rise is 1-2 mm per year. By 2100 we could see the water rising between 90 and 880 mm. This rise in sea levels will have a number of impacts including coastal flooding, the destruction of coastal wetlands, increased erosion of beaches and other coastal land.

We can only guess how prohibitively expensive sea level rise will be.

Source:
Fish et al. 2005. Predicting the Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Caribbean Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat. Conservation Biology 19(2):482-491.

See Carlos Drews' interview with CNN en Español on September 13, 2007