WWF - WWF Vietnam office

Hãy bầu chọn trái đất trước khi quá muộn

2009-11-12

Việt Nam – WWF (Quỹ Quốc tế về Bảo vệ Thiên nhiên) đã chính thức khởi động một chiến dịch nâng cao nhận thức cộng đồng về biến đổi khí hậu, đồng thời công bố một bản báo cáo về các tác động của biến đổi khí hậu đối với các nước Đông Nam Á nhằm gửi đi một thông điệp mạnh mẽ tới các nhà lãnh đạo toàn cầu tại Hội nghị Thượng đỉnh về Biến đổi Khí hậu của Liên Hợp quốc tại Copenhagen tháng 12 này.

Chiến dịch Bầu chọn Trái đất và báo cáo Áp lực cho các Thành phố lớn, ra mắt đồng thời với sự kiện Diễn đàn Biến đổi Khí hậu Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long lần thứ nhất được tổ chức tại Cần Thơ, đã nhấn mạnh tính cấp thiết của hành động cần có nhằm ngăn chặn sự nóng lên toàn cầu.

Chính thức khởi động ngày hôm nay, chiến dịch Bầu chọn Trái đất, kế tiếp thành công của Giờ Trái đất - một chiến dịch của WWF khuyến khích mọi người “tắt đèn, bật tương lai”, hướng tới nâng cao nhận thức về vấn đề biến đổi khí hậu toàn cầu và tại Việt Nam. Bầu chọn Trái đất yêu cầu mọi người hãy gửi thông điệp tới các nhà lãnh đạo trên thế giới bằng cách bầu chọn Trái đất, và chống lại biến đổi khí hậu, trực tuyến tại www.earthhour.org.vn.

Để khuyến khích mọi người tham gia bầu chọn, một nhóm tình nguyện viên trẻ của WWF sẽ đạp xe xung quanh Hà Nội và đi tới 200 quán café internet phổ biến để gửi các tấm thiếp hướng dẫn mọi người bình chọn. Hãy chú ý tới các tình nguyện viên trẻ và năng động này trong màu áo của Bầu chọn Trái đất.

Báo cáo Áp lực cho các thành phố lớn nhấn mạnh vào tác động của biến đổi khí hậu đối với 11 thành phố trọng điểm của Nam Á và Đông Nam Á trong đó có thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Những tác động của biến đổi khí hậu tại Việt Nam có thể có sức tàn phá rất lớn. Dự kiến khu vực bị ảnh hưởng nặng nề nhất sẽ là Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long, vựa lúa của Việt Nam, kéo theo ảnh hưởng lên toàn bộ quốc gia.

Báo cáo cũng làm sáng tỏ quy mô ảnh hưởng của biến đổi khí hậu đối với Việt Nam khi nhiều quyết định sẽ được đưa ra trong những tháng tới tại các diễn đàn quốc tế và trong nước.

“Biến đổi khí hậu hiện đang phá hủy các thành phố ở Châu Á và sẽ còn nguy hiểm hơn trong tương lai”, Kim Carstensen, giám đốc chương trình Sáng kiến Khí hậu Toàn cầu của WWF cho biết “Các thành phố này rất dễ gặp nguy hiếm và cần có sự trợ giúp khẩn cấp để thích ứng, nhằm bảo vệ cuộc sống của hàng triệu người dân, một lượng lớn tài sản và những đóng góp của nó cho GDP quốc gia.”

Diễn đàn biến đổi khí hậu Đồng Bằng sông Cửu Long tại Cần Thơ, diễn ra vào ngày hôm nay và ngày mai, là một khoảng thời gian hợp lí cho việc công bố báo cáo. Chuyên gia từ các lĩnh vực khác nhau sẽ trình bày thông tin cấp thiết, thảo luận với những người đưa ra quyết định chính về chiến lược Việt Nam có thể phái áp dụng khi xem xét việc thích ứng với những ánh hưởng của biến đổi khí hậu. Với tư cách là đại diện nhóm hoạt động về biến đổi khí hậu, WWF sẽ trình bày những kinh nghiệm của các tổ chức phi chính phủ tại Việt Nam, và cụ thể hơn là tại các vùng đồng bằng châu thổ. Hơn 300 người sẽ tham gia diễn đàn.

-hết-

Để biết thêm thông tin chi tiết, xin liên hệ:

Bầu chọn Trái đất và WWF Việt Nam:

Cô Julianne Becker, Giám đốc Truyền thông, WWF Việt Nam, email: julianne.becker@wwfgreatermekong.org, Phone: +84 43 719 3111 ext 129, mobile: +84 (0)1287033841

Bà Christian Teriete, Cán bộ về Sáng kiến Khí hậu Toàn cầu của WWF, email: cteriete@wwf.org.hk, phone: +852-2864-1412, mobile: +852-9310-6805

Ông Phil Dickie, Cán bộ Quan hệ Báo chí của WWF Quốc tế, email: pdickie@wwfint.org, phone: +41-22-364-9562, mobile: +41-79-703-1952

Nhóm làm việc về Biến đổi Khí hậu:

Cô Trine Glue Đoàn, Cố vấn về Biến đổi Khí hậu và Chính phủ, WWF Chương trình Việt Nam, email: trine.GlueDoan@wwfgreatermekong.org, phone: (84 4) 3719 3049 ext. 157, mobile: +84 (0)903 498 358

Thông tin thêm cho biên tập viên:

Về chương trình Bầu chọn Trái đất của Giờ Trái đất

Chiến dịch Bầu chọn Trái Đất của Giờ Trái Đất khởi nguồn từ lời kêu gọi hành động của hàng triệu công dân, các công ty và cộng đồng về biến đổi khí hậu trong chiến dịch Giờ Trái Đất. Chiến dịch nhằm cung cấp một diễn đàn cho người dân trên toàn thế giới để họ có thể uỷ thác cho các lãnh đạo thế giới quyền đưa ra những quyết định đúng đắn tại Hội nghị Thượng đỉnh về Biến đổi Khí hậu của Liên hợp quốc tại Copenhagen vào tháng 12 tới. Để biết thêm thông về chiến dịch này, xin hãy truy cập website www.earthhour.org (Tiếng Anh) hoặc www.earthhour.org.vn (Tiếng Việt)

Về Báo cáo Áp lực của các Thành phố lớn

Phiên bản đầy đủ của báo cáo Áp lực đối với các Thành phố lớn có thể được tải về tại: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/mega_cities_report.pdf

Một bản tóm tắt báo cáo với thông tin tổng quan về các rủi ro và các vấn đề liên quan, sắp xếp theo trình tự có thể được tải về tại: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/mega_cities_executive_summary.pdf

Phiên bản tiếng Việt của báo cáo sẽ sẵn sàng vào lúc 16:00h giờ Hà Nội tại: http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/greatermekong/news/

Một bản thông cáo báo chí riêng về Báo cáo sẽ được cung cấp nếu có nhu cầu.

Trong bản báo cáo, tình trạng dễ bị tổn thương chung của các thành phố được đánh giá bởi các yếu tố bao gồm tình trạng môi trường, tính nhạy cảm của kinh tế - xã hội và khả năng thích ứng. Đánh giá các tiểu mục này, báo cáo chỉ ra rằng 11.5 triệu người dân Manila sẽ chịu ảnh hưởng mạnh của các cơn bão, mực nước biển dâng cao, áp lực về nguồn nước từ hạn hán và lũ lụt - theo sau là Dhaka (13 triệu), Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (9 triệu) và Thượng Hải (20 triệu). Phân tích tính nhạy cảm kinh tế xã hội, báo cáo xếp vị trí cao nhất cho Jakarta, Thượng Hải và Dhaka, dựa vào dân số, sức khỏe người dân và đóng góp của họ cho GDP quốc gia. Với khả nảng thích ứng, Dhaka va Phompenh được đánh giá là những thành phố bị động nhất, theo sau là Calcutta. Jakarta và Manila. Trong khi đó, Hồng Kông và Singapore có khả năng thích ứng tốt nhất.

Thông tin thêm về các hoạt động liên quan tới khí hậu của WWF và thông tin mới nhất về Hội nghị Thượng đỉnh APEC và Hội nghị Thượng đỉnh Biến đổi Khí hậu Copenhagen tháng 12 có thể tìm thấy tại: http://www.panda.org/climate

Về Quỹ Quốc tế về Bảo vệ Thiên nhiên (WWF)

· WWF làm việc với các chính phủ và các ngành công nghiệp của 06 quốc gia trong lãnh thổ Mekong để bảo tồn và quản lý một cách bền vững 600,000 km2 sinh sinh cảnh rừng và nước ngọt xuyên biên giới tại khu vực độc đáo và đang có những biến đổi nhanh chóng này.

· Nhóm các nước vùng sông Mê Kông mở rộng đã cam kết tăng cường cộng tác vì sự phát triển kinh tế nhanh hơn nữa với sự hỗ trợ của Ngân Hàng Phát Triển Châu Á (ADB). Các hoạt động về kinh tế cũng như đầu tư về phát triển cơ sở vật chất hạ tầng được coi là trọng tâm trong ba mục tiêu kinh tế trong toàn khu vực. Các hoạt động này tuy có khả năng giảm thiểu đói nghèo cho người dân nông thôn nhưng có thể làm trầm trọng thêm các mối đe doạ hiện có và sử dụng cạn kiệt các nguồn tài nguyên thiên nhiên, mà về mặt phát triển lâu dài, cả khu vực sẽ phải dựa vào.

· Mười sáu trong số 200 khu vực sinh thái toàn cầu, khu sinh cảnh mang tầm quan trọng quốc tế về sinh học do WWF xác định, được tìm thấy ở vùng Mê-kông mở rộng. Đây là khu vực sinh sống của loài voi châu Á quý hiếm, hổ Đông Dương, một trong hai phân loài của loài tê giác Java còn sót lại trên thế giới. Ngoài loài cá heo Irrawaddy, lưu vực Mê-kông được đánh giá là mái nhà chung của ít nhất 1,300 loài cá bao gồm cá tra khổng lồ, một trong những loài cá nước ngọt lớn nhất thế giới. Về độ dài, song Mê-kông là dòng chảy có đa dạng sinh học cao nhất trên trái đất, lưu trữ mật độ các loài sinh vật nhiều hơn khu vực Amazon. Rất nhiều loài sinh vật này là đặc hữu của vùng.

Green Office “cool” at the British Embassy

2009-11-03

The number of “Green Offices” in Vietnam has grown with the British Embassy in Hanoi, the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Department for International Development Vietnam (DFID Vietnam) becoming the newest members of WWF Vietnam’s Green Office programme.

There are now five certified Green Offices in business and government sectors in Vietnam and more than 130 around the world.

To qualify as a Green Office, the embassy, the consulate general and DFID Vietnam implemented an environmental management plan to reduce their consumption of electricity and paper, reduce transport emissions, and educate staff in sustainable practices and climate change mitigation.

"The UK team deals with the big issue of global warming and climate change with every smallest effort,” British Ambassador Mark Kent says. “We also have a pro-active Green Team, a hub for many office-greening innovations. The Green Office has helped us to make a big difference.”

But it’s not only the planet which benefits from Green Office. As Ambassador Kent explains: “We have even launched our casual Fridays when people wear T-shirts or jeans to work (to avoid sweating and using air-cons); obviously, greening is cool here!"

In only three months, the embassy reduced paper consumption by 20 percent by encouraging staff to stop unnecessary printing and to print on both sides of the paper. Plastic bag consumption was reduced by 20 per cent by switching to reusable canvas bags.

At DFID Vietnam, there was a 16 per cent reduction in electricity consumption achieved by reminding staff to turn off lights and appliances when not in use, and activating the energy-saving functionality of office equipment.

WWF Vietnam Country Programme Manager Ruth Mathews congratulated the embassy on their results, which showed that “business and government sectors know that it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect the planet’s natural wealth”.

“By successfully completing the audit and certification process, you have demonstrated that you are taking practical measures to make a personal, measurable difference to the fight against climate change.”

Climate change in the Mekong

2009-10-23

Hanoi, 24 October 2009- Today, International Climate Action Day unites the world in the fight against climate change, an issue of grave importance to Vietnam as the region is already strongly affected by climate change. A lack of immediate action on climate change will come at great cost to the region, states a new WWF report on climate change.

Through the release of this new report, and in the months leading to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, WWF Vietnam is working to engage people in climate change and to increase Vietnam’s presence in the world forum. The success of awareness raising campaigns such as Earth Hour already show the commitment of the Vietnamese government and its citizens towards a climate change deal that will protect people and protect the planet.

Sea level rise is threatening the country’s coastal communities and changes to the climate are stressing ecosystems. A one-meter rise in sea-level could drastically devastate nine key biodiversity hotspots in the Mekong Delta alone.

Between 1951 and 2000, it is estimated that Vietnam’s average temperature has increased by 0.7°C. Such climate changes exacerbate current regional pressures such as habitat loss, poorly planned infrastructure and unsustainable natural resource extraction, further degrading ecosystems, threatening livelihoods, and undercutting the region’s social and economic future.

All sectors in Vietnam will be affected by climate change and adaptation measures must be integrated into existing development plans The most promising approaches are those that use natural ecosystem defenses to buffer development and livelihoods.

In its report, WWF recommends three key climate change adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability across the Greater Mekong region, which includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and southwest China. These strategies include the protection of regional ecosystems, a reduction in non-climate related stresses such as unsustainable infrastructure and over extraction of natural resources, and the implementation of a regional climate change adaptation agreement.

“The Mekong Delta is one the most vulnerable deltas to climate change in the world and understanding these vulnerabilities and how healthy ecosystems can strengthen the ability of communities to cope with climate change is an important step toward adapting to climate change.” explains Trine Glue Đoàn, Climate Change Advisor for WWF Vietnam.

Regional cooperation will be a significant part of facing the threat of climate change.

For more information:

Jonathan De Luca
Communications Officer
WWF Greater Mekong – Vietnam Programme
39 Xuan Dieu Rd, Tay Ho dist., Hanoi
Tel. 84-4-3719 30 49, ext.136
Fax. 84-4-3719 30 48
E-mail: wwf.jonathan.deluca@gmail.com

The Greater Mekong & Climate Change Report

2009-10-02

Bangkok, Thailand - The Greater Mekong region is already strongly affected by climate change and a lack of immediate action will come at great cost to the region, states a new WWF report released during the UN climate change talks in Bangkok.

Average daily temperatures across Southeast Asia have already increased between 0.5 and 1.5ºC over the last 50 years, and temperatures are predicted to rise between 2ºC to 4ºC in the Greater Mekong region by the end of the century. These changes have negatively affected the area, which is one of the most biologically diverse in the world.

“Greater regional cooperation and coordination among Mekong nations is necessary to best cope with the impacts of climate change,” said Geoffrey Blate, Climate Change Coordinator for the WWF Greater Mekong Programme. “Maintaining ecosystem health across borders and over larger areas is likely the most cost efficient and effective long term adaptation strategy available.”

Already sea level rise is threatening the region’s coastal communities and changes to the climate are stressing ecosystems. Land is being lost in coastal zones, glacial melting in the Himalayas may impact the region’s major river flows, and wetlands will either dry up or flood out.

Such climate changes exacerbate current regional pressures such as habitat loss, poorly planned infrastructure and unsustainable natural resource extraction, further degrading the ecosystems upon which the region’s social and economic future depends.

In its report, WWF recommends three key climate change adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability across the region, which comprises Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and southwest provinces of China. These strategies include the protection of regional ecosystems, a reduction in non-climate stresses such as unsustainable infrastructure and over extraction of natural resources, and the implementation of a regional climate change adaptation agreement.

“There is a leadership opportunity here to champion what would be Asia’s first regional climate change adaptation agreement to help Greater Mekong nations prepare for the inevitable impacts of climate change,” said Blate.

But the report stresses that without decisive action on a global scale it would be very hard to avoid the worst impacts. It urges politicians to strike an ambitious and fair agreement on a climate treaty at upcoming talks in Copenhagen.

“Rich and developed nations must make deep emission cuts and commit to significant financial help to assist vulnerable regions such as the Greater Mekong,” said Kim Carstensen, Leader, WWF Global Climate Initiative.

For further information contact:

Nicole Frisina, Communications Officer, Greater Mekong Programme
Email: nicole.frisina@wwfgreatermekong.org
Mobile: +66807806035

Natalia Reiter, Media Officer, WWF International
Email: nreiter@wwfint.org
Mob: +41 79 873 8099

Ashwini Prabha, (English, Hindi, Fijian)
aprabha@wwfint.org
Mob: +41 79 874 1682

Notes to the Editor

• To download the full report go to: http://www.divshare.com/folder/609576-f98

• WWF is working with governments and industry of the six Greater Mekong nations to conserve and sustainably manage 600,000 km2 of transboundary forest and freshwater habitats in this unique and rapidly changing land.

• The Greater Mekong grouping of countries is committed to increasing cooperation for accelerated economic development as facilitated by the Asian Development Bank. Economic activity and associated investments in infrastructure development is concentrated along three "economic corridors" that crisscross the region and have the potential both to lift the region's rural populations out of poverty but also to exacerbate existing threats, ultimately depleting the natural resource base upon which long-term development of the region depends.

• Sixteen of WWF’s Global 200 ecoregions, critical landscapes of international biological importance, are found in the Greater Mekong. These landscapes are home to rare Asian elephants and Indochinese tigers, and one of only two populations of Javan rhino in the world. In addition to rare populations of Irrawaddy dolphins, the Mekong River basin is estimated to house at least 1,300 species of fish, including the Mekong giant catfish, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. By length, the Mekong is the richest waterway for biodiversity on the planet, fostering more species per unit area than the Amazon. Many of the species are endemic to the region.

First rattan association of Cambodia, a step to sustainable rattan industry

2009-10-01

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Eleven rattan small and medium enterprise owners and other community rattan processors from Phnom Penh and provinces meet on September 28th to officially form Cambodia’s first rattan association. The agenda will focus on election of a management committee and discussion over conditions and roles of current and future memberships.

"While the association is perceived by members as creating space and opportunity for key actors in the rattan production chain to meet and work together, this institutional initiative is described as a fundamental first step to achieve the goal of maintaining sustainable rattan production and supply. We are delighted to support this project and this activity in particular," said the representative of the European Commission's Delegation in Phnom Penh.

“The formation of the rattan association is critical to ensure understanding of community suppliers, processors and traders about the need to maintain sustainable supply of rattan for clean and better production,” said Mr Lip Cheang, a founder of the rattan association and owner of Kampuchea Samay Thmei rattan factory.

Fast growing economies elsewhere in the region are motivating rapid expansion of processing activities leading to demand for rattan resource at an unsustainable level. There is urgent need to establish a model of sustainable production that can support continuous growth of rattan in forests, while maintaining seasonal harvesting and sustainable supply.

“This is the right time for moving forward with concrete actions that help the development of rattan industry of Cambodia if the country is to export clean and high quality products into international markets, while continuing to sustainably manage rattan resource in forest,” said Mr Ou Ratanak, Rattan Project Manager from WWF.

The rattan association will first of all put a legal identity to a group of rattan suppliers and processors. Such an identity is important for the recognition of their action and goal by national and international societies.

“As a legally established entity, we can make our voice heard when we need support from the Government, for instance, with coordination from WWF and NGO partners, we will meet and dialogue with relevant ministries to obtain licence for our business so that we can legally export our products in the future,” Mr Lip Cheang said.

One of the operational objectives of the association is to also provide Cambodian processors with new knowledge and experience related to rattan, processing techniques, trade and markets. This will be the key learning platform and guide for them to improve their processing and product quality.

“The project identified that processors and exporters are not familiar with using the environmentally-friendly production techniques and that there is lack of understanding about international market requirements,” Mr Ratanak said.

“Limited skill to creatively diversify design and style also refrain Cambodian products from being competitive in the international market,” he added.

WWF is working with Institute for Environmental Science and Technology based in Hanoi and Artisans Association of Cambodia to improve the current non environmentally friendly production practices of rattan as such: wasteful use of rattan during processing, poor grading and storing as well as chemical use, which has negative impacts on the environment and therefore affects the product quality.

“One of the project’s major objectives, funded by European Union, is to engage small and medium enterprises in Cleaner Production, which aim at introducing proper techniques for processing activities to ensure a system of quality assurance,” said Mr Thibault Ledecq, Rattan Programme Manager from WWF.

For more information, contact:
asnarith.tep@wwfgreatermekong.org

Close Encounters: new species discoveries in the Greater Mekong

2009-09-16

A bird eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it’s from another planet and bird which would rather walk than fly, are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report launched by WWF ahead of UN climate talks in Bangkok.

During 2008 alone, scientists identified these rare and unique species within the jungles and rivers of the Greater Mekong, including a bird eating fanged frog that lies in streams waiting for prey, one of only four new species of musk shrew to be described in recent times, and a leopard gecko whose “other world” appearance – orange eyes, spindly limbs and technicolour skin – inspired the report’s title Close Encounters.

Such is the immense biodiversity of this region that some discoveries such as the tiger-striped pitviper were made by accident.

“We were engrossed in trying to catch a new species of gecko when my son pointed out that my hand was on a rock mere inches away from the head of a pitviper! We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species,” said Dr Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California.

Close Encounters spotlights species newly identified by science including 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, 2 mammals and a bird, all discovered in 2008 within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan.

The reluctant flyer, Nonggang babbler, was observed walking longer distances than flying. It would only use its wings when frightened.

But no sooner are these new species discovered than their survival is threatened by the devastating impacts of climate change, the report warns.

Recent studies show the climate of the Greater Mekong region is already changing. Models suggest continued warming, increased variability and more frequent and damaging extreme climate events.

Rising seas and saltwater intrusion will cause major coastal impacts especially in the Mekong River delta, which is one of the three most vulnerable deltas on Earth, according to the most recent International Panel on Climate Change report.

“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions,” said Stuart Chapman, Director of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme.

“Rare, endangered and endemic species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats,” said Chapman.

Often new species are highly dependent on a limited number of species for their survival. If they respond to climate change in a way that disrupts this closely evolved relationship then they are at a greater risk of extinction.

Over the next two weeks, government delegates will meet in Bangkok, Thailand, for the next round of UN climate change talks in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, where the world is scheduled to agree on a new global climate treaty.

“The treasures of nature are in trouble if governments fail to agree a fair, ambitious and binding treaty that will prevent runaway climate change,” said Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the WWF Global Climate Initiative.

“Protecting endangered species and vulnerable communities in the Greater Mekong and elsewhere around the world depends on fast progress at the UN talks in Bangkok - a hugely important conference that can lay the groundwork for success at the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December.”

Feedback on Draft Standards for Pangasius Aquaculture was Focus of 4th Dialogue Meeting

2009-08-10

HCM City: Feedback on draft global standards for pangasius aquaculture that was received during the first public comment period for the standards has been reviewed at the 4^th meeting of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, held August 5-6 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The goal of the meeting is to review the issues raised during the first public comment period, discuss options for addressing these issues and reach general agreement on a revised set of draft standards. The amended standards will be posted for a second 60-day public comment period within a few months after the meeting and are expected to be finalized by the end of 2009.

During the first public comment period, which ended in late June, 140 people and organizations submitted input. Numerous small-scale pangasius producers also have been engaged in the process as a result of several Dialogue-related initiatives. For example, a team of conservationists, academics and others immersed themselves in AnGiang and Dong Thap provinces to hear directly from producers and local communities about how to ensure the standards can help them address the challenges they are facing related to pangasius farming. A similar project was recently completed in Bangladesh.

“I appreciate the fact that I was given the opportunity to express my views about the draft standards,” said Vo Van Kich, a Vietnamese pangasius farmer who participates in the Dialogues. “That’s one of the best things about the Dialogue. Everybody’s voice is heard. It’s the best way to make sure we will be able to adopt the final standards.”

Approximately 360 people have been involved in developing the draft standards, which will be metrics- and performance-based, since the Dialogue began in September 2007. Seven technical working groups (TWGs) took the lead in this and then presented their recommendations to the full Dialogue. The same TWGs will be responsible for revising the standards before the next public comment period begins.

The standards address the key environmental and social issues related to the farming of tra (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and basa (Pangasius bocourti), such as water pollution, feed and health management. They are being created through a transparent and open process that is in line with the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling (ISEAL) Alliance’s Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.

“Because our process is so open, we are getting a lot of input that will help make the final standards the most credible and effective standards on the market for pangasius farming,” said Senior Aquaculture Advisor Flavio Corsin of WWF-Vietnam, who coordinates the Dialogue. “The need for this is critical, as the demand for pangasius around the world is growing very quickly.”

When finalized, the standards will be given to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), which will be responsible for working with independent, third party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the standards.

Greater Mekong Climate Change Adaptation agreement: a world’s first in the making…

2009-08-07

Asia’s first climate change adaptation agreement was the focus of a recent meeting held in Bangkok, convened on July 22 by WWF Greater Mekong Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia.

Enhancing Regional Integration in the Greater Mekong – the opportunity for Asia’s first Regional Climate Change Adaptation agreement, brought together 32 senior representatives from the leading regional organizations to explore ways to secure government commitment for a regional climate change adaptation agreement, the first of its kind in the world.

“Climate change should be considered a symptom of unsustainable development,” said the Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia (SENSA) in their opening statement to the meeting.

The Greater Mekong subregion is one of the fastest growing economic regions in the world. It is also one of the richest in terms of biodiversity. The region’s relative wealth of natural resources has powered its rapid economic and social development. But the uncertainties of climate change place this development under increasing threat.

Participants to the meeting included representatives from the Asian Development Bank, the Secretariat of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Biodiversity Centre, AusAID, the European Union, the FAO, IUCN, the Mekong River Commission, Southeast Asia Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), Stockholm Environment Institute and US-AID.

During the meeting the participants identified several benefits of a regional agreement such as; improved regional coordination and cooperation, providing a platform to discuss trans-boundary issues, and strengthened management of trans-boundary or shared natural resources.

Peter King from the Institute for Global Environment Strategies emphasised the urgent need for regional cooperation within a formal agreement. He said ‘business as usual’ in the absence of any agreement was no longer an option. However, some participants questioned the need for a regional agreement saying that sufficient national legislation already exists, and that the problem is with implementation and enforcement.

A significant opportunity identified was the engagement of China in the region. China’s “Going Global” policy, which includes guidelines on outward investments, and their interest in working with ASEAN, were seen as possibilities to actively engage China in a regional climate change adaptation agreement.

During the day, WWF presented the lessons learned from five global initiatives developing regional environmental agreements. The United Nations Environment Programme likewise gave an overview of its programme supporting regional environmental agreements, and highlighted how agreements can support national governments to meet global commitments.

Overall perspectives on a regional climate change adaptation agreement varied from supporters, through neutral, to a few opponents. At the day’s end, all participants agreed that regional cooperation would be a positive step and affirmed that the issue needs to be explored further. WWF said discussions with key partners will continue.

Tiger parts found in Vietnam taxi

2009-07-18

Hanoi, Vietnam -- Hanoi’s Environmental Police on Thursday found a frozen tiger and more than 11 kgs of tiger bones smuggled by taxi from the country’s interior to Hanoi – the third seizure of tiger parts in the city this year.

Police stopped a suspicious looking taxi at the Hoang Cau Stadium in the Dong Da District of the city early Thursday and found a frozen tiger wrapped in several layers of blankets in the trunk, and 11 kgs of tiger limb bones.

Dr. Dang Tat The, an expert at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam’s CITES Scientific Authority, identified the animal and bones as tiger, and speculated that the animal, which weighed 57 kg, was probably a young individual that had been recently killed and that the bones had come from at least two adult tigers.

The tiger likely was transported from Central Vietnam, but it is currently unknown whether the animal originated in Vietnam, or whether it was a wild or captive specimen.

“To complete the police investigation, we call upon the authorities to carry out DNA testing to help determine where these tigers came from,” said Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, a Senior Projects Officer at the Ha Noi-based office of TRAFFIC, the international wildlife trade monitoring network—a joint programme of WWF and IUCN.

“While the continuing trade in tigers and tiger parts is of great concern, the work of the Environmental Police towards stopping the trade is encouraging and impressive,” Van said. “Although recently formed, the police are quickly improving Vietnam’s capacity to enforce its existing wildlife trade legislation.”

Two other tiger seizures have taken place in Hanoi this year; a January seizure of more than two tonnes of wildlife products from a store in Dong Da district, Hanoi that included six tiger skins, and a February seizure of 23 kgs of frozen tiger parts, also in Dong Da.

“These seizures show us just how serious the threat to Asia’s remaining wild tigers is,” Van said.

Poaching and habitat decline are major threats

Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild, with an estimated population of only about 50 individuals in Vietnam. All six tiger sub-species are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered on IUCN’s Red List. Poaching represents a major threat to the survival of wild tigers. Tiger habitat is also dwindling at an ever increasing rate and that which remains is still unprotected.

"We appreciate the good work of the police in Vietnam in finding smuggled tiger skins and parts, said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme, WWF-International. "However, it is critical that protection of tigers by anti-poaching patrols and on-the-ground efforts are greatly increased, so that tigers are not poached in the first place," Dr. Lieberman said.

Tigers are listed in Appendix I of CITES, strictly prohibiting any commercial international trade in them or their derivatives. Although Vietnam is party to CITES, and has banned all domestic trade of tigers, the trade in tigers continues for the use of their bones in traditional medicines, the consumption of their meat as a health tonic and as a status symbol, and the use of their skin for trophy and decorative purposes.

The seizure comes just one week after the World Bank announced it considered any experimentation with tiger farming too risky and could drive wild tigers further toward extinction.

Toothless laws encourage rising demand for pangolin

2009-07-14

Singapore - Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, according to a group of leading pangolin experts.

Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, concluded a panel of experts whose findings were announced today by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.

China has a long history of consuming pangolin as meat and in traditional medicine, the report states. Due to continual demand and the decreasing Chinese wild population, in the past few years pangolin smuggling from Southeast Asia has resulted in great declines in these producing countries wild populations, as well.

Although the animals are protected under national legislation in all Asian range states, and have been prohibited from international trade through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2002, this legislation is having little impact on the illicit trade.

Pangolins are the most frequently encountered mammals seized from illegal traders in Asia, and are highly unusual in not possessing teeth.

Pangolins, like the laws designed to protect them, lack bite, commented Chris R. Shepherd, Acting Director for TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

Pangolin populations clearly cannot stand the incessant poaching pressure, which can only be stopped by decisive government-backed enforcement action in the region.

According to pangolin hunters and traders, there are so few pangolins left in forests throughout Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, they are now sourcing animals from their last remaining strongholds in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Recent large seizures back up these reports. They include 24 tonnes of frozen pangolins from Sumatra, Indonesia, seized in Viet Nam, and 14 tonnes of frozen animals seized in Sumatra in 2008. There have also been recent instances of African pangolins seized in Asia.

Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction, says Dr Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. These shy creatures provide a vital service and we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants.

The key to tackling the pangolin crisis is better enforcement of existing national and international laws designed to protect pangolins, better monitoring of the illegal trade, and basic research to find where viable pangolin populations still exist and whether ravaged populations can recover given adequate protection, according to the report.

The experts on pangolins included scientific researchers, government law enforcement officers from most Asian pangolin range States, CITES Management and Scientific Authorities and animal rescue centres, who convened at a workshop hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore at the Singapore National Zoo.

TRAFFIC's work on pangolins was supported by National Geographic and Sea World Bucsh Gardens.

Poaching crisis as rhino horn demand booms in Asia

2009-07-09

Geneva, Switzerland — Rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by Asian demand for horns, according to new research.

Poachers in Africa and Asia are killing an ever increasing number of rhinos—an estimated two to three a week in some areas—to meet a growing demand for horns believed in some countries to have medicinal value, according to a briefing to a key international wildlife trade body by WWF, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their affiliated wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

The impact in Africa

An estimated three rhinos were illegally killed each month in all of Africa from 2000-05, out of a population of around 18,000. In contrast, 12 rhinoceroses now are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe alone, the three groups told the 58th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Standing Committee this week in Geneva.

“Illegal rhino horn trade to destinations in Asia is driving the killing, with growing evidence of involvement of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals in the illegal procurement and transport of rhino horn out of Africa,” the briefing states.

The impact in Asia

Meanwhile, rhino poaching is also problematic in Asia. About 10 rhinos have been poached in India and at least seven in Nepal since January alone—out of a combined population of only 2,400 endangered rhinos.

“Rhinos are in a desperate situation,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species Programme, WWF-International. “This is the worst rhino poaching we have seen in many years and it is critical for governments to stand up and take action to stop this deadly threat to rhinos worldwide. It is time to crack down on organized criminal elements responsible for this trade, and to vastly increase assistance to range countries in their enforcement efforts.”

Almost all rhino species are listed in CITES (the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Appendix I, which means that any international trade of any rhino parts for commercial purposes is illegal.

“Increased demand for rhino horn, alongside a lack of law enforcement, a low level of prosecutions for poachers who are actually arrested and increasingly daring attempts by poachers and thieves to obtain the horn is proving to be too much for rhinos and some populations are seriously declining,” said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC.

The situation is particularly dire in Zimbabwe where such problems are threatening the success of more than a decade’s work of bringing rhino populations back to healthy levels.

For example, earlier this week a park ranger arrested with overwhelming evidence against him for having killed three rhinos in the Chipinge Safari Area, was acquitted without any satisfactory explanation for the verdict. Similarly, in September 2008, a gang of four Zimbabwean poachers who admitted to killing 18 rhinos were also freed in a failed judiciary process.

The briefing concludes that governments need “an accurate and up-to-date picture of the status, conservation and trade in African and Asian rhinoceroses, as well as the factors driving the consumption of rhinoceros horn, so that firm international action can be taken to arrest this immediate threat to rhinoceros populations worldwide.”

“Rhino populations in both Africa and Asia are being seriously threatened by poaching and illegal trade,” said Dr Jane Smart, Director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group. “IUCN and its African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups are working hard to gather data and information on rhinos so that CITES parties can make informed decisions and ensure that rhinos are still here for generations to come.”

The 58th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee is being held in Geneva from 6 -10 July. This issue will be further discussed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, which will be held in Doha, Qatar March 13-25, 2010.

Shrimp farmers in Ca Mau province: from BMPs to improved financial skills

2009-07-07

Small-scale shrimp farmers have made significant progress in adopting Better Management Practices (BMPs), but the subtleties of finance and record keeping must also be addressed. WWF worked with the Research Institute for Aquaculture N.2 to increase farmer’s knowledge on the subject.

The use of BMPs improves shrimp farmer’s yields, safety, and quality of product while at the same time reducing or mitigating environmental impacts, and building up sustainability. However, following BMPs is not enough.

“As shrimp prices are declining or at best remaining stable, it is important for farmers and cooperatives to know how to improve their efficiency and maximize profits generated by shrimp farming. In addition, several markets, primarily for export, increasingly require traceability, which allows consumers to know where a product was produced and what inputs were used to produce it. All this requires record keeping and the ability to use these records to take financially-sound decisions”. Said Tuong Phi Lai, WWF Aquaculture Program Officer

Considering the importance of efficiency and traceability as keys to the survival of farms, from 20 to 24 May 2009 a training was conducted to provide the basics in financial management for shrimp cooperatives in Ca Mau province,. The training was conducted for six cooperatives located in 4 communes and included 120 small-scale farmers.

“Training was provided on basic financial management and reporting skills to help farmers and cooperative at managing in a more efficient manner their business. Through this effort we aim at improving profits and the ability of small-scale farmers to comply with traceability, which is becoming an important prerequisite for accessing export markets” Lai added.

Mr. Tran Quoc Chuong, RIA2 training instructor, said “Farmers learnt very quickly as they recognized the benefits of market access by keeping records and environmental management on farms. WWF will be instrumental for small-scale shrimp farmers to improve their efficiency and sustainability.”

This activity is part of a wide range of efforts conducted to improve the sustainability of small-scale shrimp farmers in Vietnam and other Asian countries. For more information contact Dr. Flavio Corsin (flavio.corsin@wwfgreatermekong.org) or Mr. Tuong Phi Lai (lai.tuongphi@wwfgreatermekong.org).

Three more join WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network

2009-06-15

The new network members will commit to trade timber and forestry products from sustainably managed forests. One benefit to this is that they will be kept informed of international demand and the sources of supply within the network. In order to get this competitve advantage, the members must publically declare, with documentation, their commitment to responsible forestry and credible forest certification, which will ensure buyers that they are an environmentally reliable business partner.

“The GFTN is WWF's initiative to eliminate illegal logging and transform the global marketplace into a force for saving the world's valuable and threatened forests.” GFTN Coordinator Le Khac Coi said. “Appropriate to the current trend, this initiative, which has been greatly supported by business, NGOs and GOs, made a positive contribution to environmental protection, responsible business and environmental friendly products.” continued Mr. Le Khac.

GFTN-Vietnam members will be working towards receiving Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificaion, which is the only timber cerification system recognized in Vietnam. GFTN-Vietnam members will benefit from GFTN international services and have access to European and American markets, which required products from sustainably managed forestry.

Chairman of Khai Vy Cooperation, Doan Van Trang said, “Being a GFTN – Vietnam member, we expect to raise awareness about responsible and sustainable forestry practices as well as forest protection while promoting trade of green products.”

By joining GFTN-Vietnam, Khai Vy Corporation, Tri Tin Company Ltd., and Duc Nhan Corporation are showing true leadership in sustainable business practices in Vietnam. It is hoped that their success will lead the way for more Vietnamese forestry businesses to follow suit in playing an integral role in the protection of Vietnam’s natural heritage.

For further information, please contact :

Mr. Le Khac Coi
GFTN- Vietnam Coordinator
WWF Greater Mekong –Vietnam country programme
39 Xuan Dieu Rd, Tay Ho dist., Hanoi
Tel. 84-4-3719 30 49, ext.136
Fax. 84-4-3719 30 48
E-mail: coi.lekhac@wwfgreatermekong.org
=================

About GFTN and GFTN-Vietnam

GFTN is WWF's initiative to eliminate illegal logging and transform the global marketplace into a force for saving the world's valuable and threatened forests.

By facilitating trade links between companies committed to achieving and supporting responsible forestry, the GFTN creates market conditions that help conserve the world’s forests while providing economic and social benefits for the businesses and people that depend on them.

Established in 2005, GFTN-Vietnam admitted its four first participants in 2005 and three participants in 2008. GFTN-Vietnam is the national network of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) which operates in 34 countries with 341 members , trading 16% of the volume of internationally trade timber and fibre. GFTN-Vietnam is an WWF Vietnam prpgramme working in partnership with the Vietnam Association of Timber and Forest Product (VIFORES) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

This network is operating in over 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Americas. More than 400 companies committed to responsible forestry management and trade, including the some of the world’s largest retail groups, such as IKEA, Carrefour and B&Q.

www.gftn.panda.org

Paper protection not enough for Vietnam's marine turtles

2009-05-23

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Marine turtles are vanishing from Viet Nam’s waters and illegal trade is largely to blame says a new study by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

An assessment of the marine turtle trade in Viet Nam, launched to mark World Turtle Day found that large marine turtles are now virtually absent from Viet Nam’s waters except for Green Turtles around the Con Dao Islands National Park.

A government-owned souvenir shop found selling illegal turtle products was a potent symbol of how a national ban on turtle products enacted in 2002 has been undermined by a lack of enforcement.

Traders in all Viet Nam’s coastal localities reported that catches of local marine turtles, especially Hawksbill Turtles, were becoming rare, and even the few caught were smaller than in previous years.

“Without effective enforcement of the laws, the future for marine turtles in Vietnamese waters looks very bleak.” says Tom Osborn, Acting Director of TRAFFIC’s Greater Mekong Programme.

A 2002 TRAFFIC study found that trade in marine turtles had extended into a large-scale wholesale export market and a Ministry of Fisheries report estimated the combined take across the entire Vietnamese coastline at 4,000 marine turtles annually.

Shortly after these surveys, the Viet Nam Government prohibited the exploitation of marine turtles but the current TRAFFIC survey finds the trade has continued, though at a reduced rate.

Government enforcement of illegal marine turtle catching, processing and trade has been uneven at best—evidenced by a great decrease in the number of outlets and marine turtle products on display in some areas and an increase in others, particularly in some newly developing tourist areas.

In Ha Tien and Ho Chi Minh City, traders cited Indonesia and Malaysia as their main sources of turtles and raw scutes (the large scales on the turtle’s carapace or shell).

All international trade in marine turtles is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Already threatened by habitat degradation, accidental or opportunistic capture by fishermen and the direct take of nesting females and their eggs, whole turtles are also stuffed and, in the case of Hawksbill Turtles, their shells turned into jewellery, fans and handbags, known as bekko.

According to the report, a lack of product more than law enforcement explains the steady downturn in the number of outlets selling marine turtle products.

Green Turtle meat was rarer than in 2002, and its price had increased significantly compared with those recorded during a 2002 TRAFFIC survey. In a Ha Tien market, after allowing for inflation, its price had more than doubled by 2008, pushing it into the luxury meat category.

However, in some towns, the study found bekko workshops and stores, including a government-owned souvenir shop, selling hundreds of marine turtle products operating in plain view of authorities.

The study found that businessmen in some areas were aware that it was illegal to capture, process and sell marine turtle products but there had been no action taken to confiscate or destroy the illegal items on sale.

The study said that most indicators pointed towards a falling demand, but vendors continued to report good sales for most marine turtle products indicating that the trade still posed a serious threat.

The study recommends that authorities look into finding alternative sources of income for communities dependent on the sale of marine turtle products, expand existing awareness programmes and confiscate and destroy all marine turtle products that remain on sale.

First ever comprehensive training for fisheries observers in Vietnam

2009-05-20

Interaction of marine turtles with fishing gear is an issue of global importance. WWF is implementing an initiative aimed at reducing the interaction of protected species, including marine turtles, with longline fishing gear, and expanding the use of fisheries observers in these operations.

With support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the South East Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), WWF and its partners organized a training in Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen for 11 onboard fisheries observers, who came from Department of Capture Fisheries and Fisheries Resources Protection (DECAFIREP), Department of Fisheries (DOFI) of Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa provinces and teachers and students from Nha Trang University. The training provided participants with knowledge on sea turtle conservation, observer procudures and techniques on long line fishing boats, and marine turtle rescuing and de-hooking. This is the first ever comprehensive training course to take place within the observer programme in Vietnam.

“The fishing community pays special attention to the issue of sea turtle bycatch,” said Ms. Karen Frutchey, NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office, USA. “The Vietnamese government, at both local and central levels, considers sea turtle bycatch and interaction a priority. The Vietnamese government is supporting outreach and education efforts to teach mitigation techniques and testing the feasibility of an at-sea fishery observer program and most importantly promoting the use of circle hooks in the longline fishery interactions”.

The lecturers, all part of the only fisheries management course study in Vietnam, at Nha Trang University, will be able to use these lessons to develop new curriculum for students. Continuing to spread knowledge and training, as well as the development of even stronger observer practices specific to Vietnam are some of the main components of the overall Observer Programme.

“The latest Observer training reached two achievements. On one hand, it trained 11 new observers. And on the other hand, it enhanced training techniques and materials. These will allow Vietnam to add new training topics into subsequent trainings and develop domestic observer trainers”, said NOAA trainer Stuart Joseph Arceneaux .

The observer programme is going on in many countries (USA, European Community, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji,…) as a tool to monitor fishing activities, and so enable transparent tuna fisheries It is going to be conditioned programme for countries who are members of fisheries commissions. In an immediate future, Vietnam will join the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commision (WCPFC) as cooperating non-member.

Practicing circle hook in this observer program is a further step in the effort of WWF toward the sustainable fishing practice. "It is great to see the interest among the stakeholders involved" said Flavio Corsin, WWF Senior Aquaculture and Fisheries Advisor "We are now engaging with seafood buyers and other private sector players to provide also market-lead incentives towards more sustainable fishing practices"

For further information please contact Ms Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy (thuy.nguyendieu@wwfgreatermekong.org)

Promoting sustainable shrimp aquaculture for small-scale farmers in Mekong delta

2009-05-05

There are an estimated half million shrimp farmers in the Mekong delta, most of which are small-scale and operate with limited financial and technical resources. To address their challenges and the need to conduct shrimp farming in a responsible manner, as well as in line with the central and local government priorities, WWF has been promoting Better Management Practices (BMPs) and the establishment of farmer groups and cooperatives in several provinces including Soc Trang, and especially Ca Mau, which accounts for 32% of the total shrimp production in the Mekong Delta.

Farmers teaching farmers

A training course was held in Ca Mau to teach Ca Mau farmer group leaders about group management, November 2008. The training course was developed after learning from the work conducted in the My Xuyen district of Soc Trang province, by the Research Institute for Aquaculture N2 (RIA2) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC), through which farmer cooperatives had been established to promote BMP implementation. The trainers included WWF, RIA2, the Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, but most importantly Soc Trang farmers.

Farmers in Ca Mau promptly recognized the benefit of learning from their Soc Trang counterparts and requested a more direct learning effort by proposing a study tour to Soc Trang province, which was subsequently organized April 2009.

Six farmer group leaders, four commune chairmen and five local fisheries extension workers from Ca Mau province were given a chance to learn first hand about farmer group management and BMPs by visiting the shrimp farming cooperatives of My Xuyen.

“It is great to see farmers learning so rapidly because they can see with their own eyes that having cooperatives and implementing BMPs can greatly benefit them.” said Tuong Phi Lai, WWF Aquaculture Programme Officer.

As a result, Ca Mau farmers learned about farmer group management, shrimp seed testing, disease management, water control and other collective actions which can benefit small-scale shrimp farmers in addressing their day to day challenges.

“The way that the shrimp cooperatives run in Soc Trang was very useful to us as we now know much better how to do the same in our commune.” said Ca Mau farmer group leader, Nguyen Dang Khoa.

“These activities are keys to the sustainability of shrimp farming in Vietnam,” added Flavio Corsin, Coordinator of Aquaculture Activities for WWF Vietnam, “and will contribute greatly to the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue, a WWF lead effort aimed at developing international standards for shrimp aquaculture.”

The project will continue for at least another year, providing an opportunity for more experience sharing between small-scale farmers.

For further information, please contact Tuong Phi Lai at lai.tuongphi@wwfgreatermekong.org

or Flavio Corsin at flavio.corsin@wwfgreatermekong.org

SWITCH-Sustainable and Responsible Trade Promoted to Wood Processing SMEs through Forest and Trade Networks in China, India and Vietnam

2009-04-29

Asia is now the location of the world’s fastest growing economic development in the world. Rapid growth in both economy and population is causing many negative impacts that challenge many countries including China, India and Vietnam. The steadily increasing demand for natural resources, which this booming development requires, is placing pressure on valuable and threatened forests: annual loss of forest area in Asia is now estimated to be one million hectares.

In order to help SME wood processors to build their capacity for responsible sourcing and production of forest products, the project “Sustainable and Responsible Trade Promoted to Wood Processing SMEs through Forest and Trade Networks in China, India and Vietnam” (SWITCH) has been kicked-off with financial support from the European Union. By 2010 when the project ends, it is expected that at least 600 SMEs in the wood processing sectors of China, India and Vietnam will apply sustainable production techniques and are providing certified sustainable forest products to national and international markets. By doing so, benefits will accrue to forest producers and their employees and families, through productive and sustainable employment. In addition, wider communities will benefit through cross cutting issues related to environmental protection, including rural and downstream communities that rely on forests for their environmental services.

The long term objectives of this project are that by 2020 sustainable consumption and production in forest product markets worldwide will be predominated by best practice, leading to conservation of forests and supporting truly sustainable development in the three targeted countries.

From 9 to 13 February 2009, an inception workshop was held in Beijing to officially kick-off the project. The workshop gathered representatives from WWF Vietnam, WWF India, WWF UK, WWF China and Vietnam Timber and Timber Product Association. Participants discussed tools and techniques for team building, staff capacity building as well as an effective implementation among WWF, partners, consultants and the donor.

For further information, pls contact Mr. Le Khac Coi at coi.lekhac@wwfgreatermekong.org

New Episode of Extinction Sucks – “Dare for a bear”

2009-04-17

The third episode of WWF's unique wildlife series Extinction Sucks goes online today (Friday 17.04.09) with Australians Aleisha Caruso and Ashleigh Young travelling to Vietnam on a mission to rehabilitate Asiatic Black Bears which have been freed from horrific captivity.

Throughout South East Asia bears are kept in cramped cages and “milked” for their bile which is in high demand for its supposed medicinal powers. The practice has recently been made illegal, which means the authorities have been able to free some bears – but they have have to be looked after since they cannot be released back into the wild.

Ash and Aleisha raise money for a new enclosure in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam in their own unique way – by entering an Afro-Caribbean dance contest as a ‘dare-for-a-bear’ fundraiser. The pair then travel to Cat Tien to hand over equipment and see for themselves the project to allow freed bile bears to live the rest of their lives as normally as possible.

Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), India. (C) WWF-Canon / Martin HARVEY

Extinction Sucks is a unique co-production between WWF and Babelgum to bring high-quality conservation programming to web audiences. It's thought to be the first time that an online video channel has commissioned original, full-length wildlife shows specifically for the internet. The series is being broadcast over a six week run on www.panda.org and www.babelgum.com. Other programmes see Ash and Aleisha raise funds for WWF programmes protecting elephants in India and rhinos in Nepal threatened by poachers, and marine turtles in Queensland.

Rattan program protects Greater Mekong forests, boosts local economies

2009-03-23

A new sustainable rattan program recently launched by WWF will help save the remaining forests of the Greater Mekong Region – while benefiting communities and pumping up local economies.

Rattan is widely used for food, furniture and other products and traded extensively across the region, in the European Union and worldwide markets.

Tonginn Keomany, a 70-year-old Lao woman who lives in the village of Sopphouan on the Vietnamese border is already counting the benefits from the first trial phase of the innovative program.

Like other farmers in the area, she depends mainly on family-based rice production and other small-scale crops to feed her family.

“Rattan is good for food and handicrafts,” said Tonginn, who added that she hopes the project will continue to be a success. “I weave lots of useful things for the household.”

The program, A switch to sustainable harvest rattan production and supply launched on 5 March in Hanoi, Vietnam, and will benefit many more villagers.

The program aims to achieve cleaner and more efficient production of rattan by reducing the use of pollutants in its production, making the supply chain of rattan more efficient so less is wasted, and encouraging its sustainable use in Greater Mekong forests.

This in turn will improve the production of rattan and give communities, governments and industries an economic incentive to conserve forests.

By 2010 it is expected that up to 100 villages in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam will be working towards a greener and sustainable management of rattan production.

The sustainable rattan program is part of ongoing WWF efforts during the last three years to establish a community based network for sustainable rattan harvesting in six villages in Laos and Cambodia.

Many villages in the Greater Mekong Region rely on the rattan trade which accounts for 50 percent of their total cash income, making this a major contributor to poverty alleviation in rural areas.
“We have successfully identified key species of rattan and are now in the process of developing a viable model for sustainable rattan management,” said Bouaphet Bounsourath, the rattan project manager in Laos. “This model includes the creation of seedling nurseries, plantations, pilot research plots as well as hands-on training in handicraft manufacture

“We have helped the villagers to organise themselves and also established protected areas in the forest.

“This makes a big difference. Previously there was no control and poorly implemented forest management.”

Under the new program, 70 percent of rattan sales go to a village fund which contributes to improving the local school and health services. Thirty percent goes to the individual villagers, who also can take out micro loans at a 2 percent interest rate from the fund.

“Last year our village earned 8,500,000 kip (approximately 1,000 USD) in additional income from rattan seedlings and rattan cane,” said 43-year-old Sonephet Keomany, the head of Sopphouan village.

Over the last three years, the pilot WWF-IKEA Sustainable Rattan Harvesting and Production Project (2006-2009) has worked in two countries and among six villages, demonstrating that community management can result in sustainable production and marketing of rattan.

The second phase of the program is being funded by the European Union with co-financing from the international furnishings company IKEA and the German development finance institution DEG.

“Another big win will be that an increased number of rattan processing companies will deliver environmentally friendly products to Europe and other worldwide markets,” said Thibault Ledecq, regional rattan program manager.

Stronger push for sustainable rattan production in the Greater Mekong region gives new hope to the forests

2009-03-05

Hanoi, Vietnam: A new program for sustainable production of rattan in the Greater Mekong region was launched today. It aims to achieve cleaner and more efficient production and give communities, governments and industries an economic incentive to conserve forests. By 2010 up to 100 villages in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam will be working towards a greener and sustainable management of rattan production.

“We are delighted to support this project which will benefit consumers, industry and the environment alike. It aims to mitigate negative impact of rattan production on humans and the local environment, but if we are to succeed all stakeholders in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam must work together transparently,” says the representative of the European Commission's delegation in Hanoi.

The European Union finances 80 percent of the programme’s total budget of 2.4 million euros, with co-financing from the international home-products retailer IKEA and the German development finance institution DEG.

The global rattan trade is estimated at USD 4 billion. More than 50 species of rattan in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam form the basis of an extensive rattan-processing industry. Vietnam exports almost 60 percent of all finished rattan products to the European Union. However, much of the pre-processing taking place in Cambodia and Lao PDR poses serious health risks to the workers, and the methods used cannot compete in the global market. Many villages rely on the rattan trade which accounts for 50 percent of their total cash income, making this a major contributor to poverty alleviation in rural areas.

“At the moment rattan resources are decreasing because of overexploitation. The implementation of sustainable harvesting and cleaner production will provide long-term livelihood security to local people. It makes them good stewards and guardians of the forest,” says Thibault Ledecq, rattan programme manager at WWF´s Greater Mekong Programme.

By the end of the project at least 40 percent of targeted small and medium enterprises in the supply chain will be actively engaged in clean and safe manufacture of rattan products, and 15 percent will export sustainable and environmental friendly products to Europe and worldwide markets.

Media Contacts:

- Thibault Ledecq, WWF rattan program manager
   Mobile Vietnam: + 84 122 862 887

- Hoang Thi Minh Hong, WWF Greater Mekong, Communications Manager
   Mobile in Vietnam: +84 90 3403686

- Marie von Zeipel, Senior Press Officer, WWF Sweden
   Mobile in Lao PDR: +856 0207424166

More information:

Over the last three years, WWF-IKEA Sustainable Rattan Harvesting and Production Project (2006-2009) worked in two countries and with six villages. This pilot project demonstrated, through a community based model, that sustainable rattan resource management can go along with sustainable production and marketing.

Around 800 hectares of forest are under sustainable management with more than 60 households gaining economic benefit from the project. Increased knowledge of rattan and strengthened research capacity at national university level has been reached during the first phase of the project.

Based on the good results during the pilot project, the second phase is now being initiated. The programme is funded by the European Union with co-financing from the international home-products retailer IKEA and the German development finance institution DEG.