WWF - Protecting the Mediterranean Environment

France calls for international tuna trade ban

2010-02-03

France’s call for an international trade ban on endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna is a strong political commitment, but it falls well short of giving this endangered species the immediate protection it needs from overfishing.

French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo made official today that France supports the listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which will effectively ban all international commercial trade.

However, France is asking for an 18-month delayed implementation of the ban pending new scientific analysis of tuna stocks.

“WWF is pleased that the French leadership among Mediterranean states is calling for the international trade ban for Atlantic bluefin tuna and we urge the French government to drop the call for an 18-month delay in implementing the ban,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, WWF’s tuna expert.

“This decision was made despite a comprehensive report made last year on the historical depletion of tuna stocks, which revealed that current stock levels are under 15 percent of what they once were.
The mechanism suggested by France for triggering the ban is not allowed under the text of the CITES convention, besides being neither scientifically nor economically justifiable.”

“Atlantic bluefin tuna is in a state of severe collapse after decades of overfishing and reproducing stocks are dwindling to an all-time low – and the driver of this situation is clearly international trade,” Tudela said. “To give the species a break, an immediate ban of international commercial trade at CITES – without condition or delay – is the only logical step for the global community to take. Anything less is woefully insufficient.”

WWF urges France to up its pressure on other countries to join it in supporting the trade ban. The support for a CITES Appendix I listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna by a major European fishing country may free up the deadlock across EU member states and the European Commission, whose fisheries and environment commissioners have been at loggerheads for weeks in a failure to agree on the formal EC position.

Italy already voiced its support for the Appendix I listing last week, along with suggesting a three-year suspension of industrial fishing.

“It now falls to EU Presidency holder Spain, other EU countries, the European Commission and all governments that are members of CITES to follow France’s lead and throw their support behind an Appendix I listing for Atlantic bluefin,” Tudela said. “The trade ban must however take immediate effect and be implemented without condition if it is to be of conservation and economic value.”

The proposed listing on CITES Appendix I was originally tabled by the Principality of Monaco. Fisheries experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the scientific committee of the management commission for this fishery (ICCAT) have both confirmed that Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for listing on CITES Appendix I.

Any future modification of a CITES Appendix I listing can only be carried out by formal proposal and discussion at subsequent Conference of the Parties (CoP) meetings. Indeed, Monaco’s proposal is accompanied by a resolution facilitating a review of the listing at the next CoP, if scientifically justified.

A listing on CITES Appendix I will benefit traditional fisheries such as the tuna traps that have lined the Mediterranean Sea since Phoenician times. These fishers will continue catching and selling tuna in domestic markets, while the bloated international purse seine fleets – the majority of whose catch goes to Japan – will be paralyzed.

Under a CITES Appendix I listing, fishermen can only catch tuna within national waters and sell to domestic markets. But France is also pushing for the establishment of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around its Mediterranean coastline. This would allow traditional sustainable tuna fisheries to continue their activity and sell their bluefin tuna across the European market.

“WWF supports the establishment of exclusive economic zones across the Mediterranean Sea to encourage sustainable artisanal fishing in the longer term. The monster industrial boats – pumped with public subsidies – have dominated catches in the last two decades, putting artisanal fleets in jeopardy and destroying tuna stocks. It is time to reverse this perverse and discriminatory situation, and a CITES Appendix I listing will do just that,” added Tudela.

The 175 member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) next meet on 13-25 March in Doha, Qatar, where Atlantic bluefin tuna will be the headline marine species.

For more information: Gemma Parkes, WWF Mediterranean, t +39 346 387 3237, gparkes@wwfmedpo.org

Time for countries behind Copenhagen Accord to show they are serious

2010-01-29

Gland, Switzerland: Sunday’s deadline for countries to lodge targets and details of emission reduction programs under the Copenhagen Accord, is the opportunity for nations that pushed the climate accord to show they are serious about it, WWF said yesterday.

“Currently, the Copenhagen Accord sets out one agreed goal – keeping the world below the two degrees Celsius danger threshold for global warming ,” said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s global climate initiative.“Sunday is the self-imposed deadline for countries to lay out what they are actually going to do to keep the world out of the danger zone.”

Carstensen said that for the great majority countries this implied a considerable increase on commitments so far.

“Emissions reductions on the table at Copenhagen were clearly setting us up for a world three or more degrees warmer, even without taking into account various large loopholes allowing for dubious emissions reductions claims and double counting of claims,” Carstensen said.

WWF is looking for targets approaching the upper end of a 25-40 per cent range of emissions reductions on1990 levels by 2020 for developed nations. At the time of Copenhagen, only Norway with a 40 per cent reduction target, met this ambition level. Japan has announced that it puts a target of minus 25 per cent into the Accord, which is not far off the mark, while Australia this week disappointed by announcing it intended to stand by is five percent reduction target.

For the developed nations, who did the most to push the Copenhagen Accord, we fear that there is still a gross mismatch between their goal of keeping the world out of climate danger and the steps they are prepared to take to actually achieve this goal,” Carstensen said.

Major emerging economies – the BASIC Group of Brazil, South Africa, India and China – last weekend announced they intended to meet the January 31 deadline with more detail on voluntary mitigation programmes under the accord.

“This is a very helpful move from this group of major developing countries. We expect they will announce high levels of ambition and follow up urgently with clear national action plans meet this ambition”, Carstensen said.

WWF today released The Copenhagen Accord: A Stepping Stone analysing how the world might begin the journey from the political agreement of the Copenhagen Accord to an internationally binding climate treaty in Mexico City in December.

The global environment organisation also said it was still waiting on urgently required announcements under the accord on financial aid to help developing countries prevent and cope with climate change.

“There is a general awareness that the world failed to do what it needed to do in Copenhagen,” Carstensen said. “But climate change is not a problem that will go away but a problem that will get worse and more costly to deal with the longer we delay effective action.”

For further information:

More detail on the Copenhagen Accord, how it might lead to a binding international climate agreement, the shortfalls between emissions reductions commitments to date and what is needed to keep below the two degree danger limit can be found in The Copenhagen Accord: A Stepping Stone located at http://assets.panda.org/downloads/the_stepping_stone_final_280110.pdf

Contacts:
Kim Carstensen, Leader Global Climate Initiative, WWF International, k.carstensen@wwf.dk, +4540343635; Martin Hiller, Head Climate Policy Communications, WWF Int., mhiller@wwfint.org, +41793472256

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
www.panda.org/media for latest news and media resources

Biodiversity loss to cost Europe €1.1 trillion per year in 2050 unless an ambitious EU target is adopted now

2010-01-19

Brussels, Belgium – Today the European Commission published a communication listing four different target options for biodiversity beyond 2010, differing mainly in ambition. In the International Year of Biodiversity, WWF urges the EU to lead with a strong target and clear, measurable objectives, in order to preserve biological diversity in Europe and on our planet earth.

Biodiversity is a global issue and like climate change it has no boundaries. The European Commission acknowledges that biodiversity, the “world’s natural capital”, “remains under severe threat” and that “together with climate change, loss of biodiversity is the most critical global environmental threat and gives rise to substantial economic and welfare losses”; and yet it still hesitates to take a strong stand.

Biodiversity loss and climate change are two sides of the same coin, solving one without solving the other makes no sense - they should be tackled together. Making space for nature by saving biodiversity should be as high up on the EU’s agenda as climate change. If it is not and the current trend of land-based nature destruction continues, in Europe this will cost us around €1.1 trillion per year in 2050, or nearly 4% of the EU’s GDP¹.

“The current trend of biodiversity loss is occurring at 100 to 1,000 times the normal rate2, leaving us no time or space for alternatives and ambiguous words: the European Union needs to show the highest level of ambition and accountability in order to guarantee that our priceless natural capital is preserved and continues to provide social and economic benefits for future generations. We need to aim at halting the loss of biodiversity and restoring ecosystem services in the EU not ‘insofar as possible’ but absolutely by 2020” says Andreas Baumüller, Biodiversity Policy Officer at WWF European Policy Office.

WWF strongly asks the Spanish Presidency to lead the European Union towards a progressive biodiversity policy that includes:

- an ambitious, measurable biodiversity target and sub-targets across different policy areas (i.e. fisheries, forests and freshwater), with clear indicators in order to monitor and ensure that the objectives are met;
- more direct funds for nature conservation in order to protect and manage Natura 2000 terrestrial and marine sites;
- appropriate integration of biodiversity across all relevant policies areas (i.e. energy and climate).

WWF asks the Commission to propose a clear set of indicators to Heads of State in March and urges that only the most ambitious ‘beyond 2010 biodiversity’ target, including indicators, is adopted.

References:
1. COPI Study 2007 by Braat and Ten Brinck
2. IUCN Red List, Nov 2009

Notes to the editors:
1. WWF supports the Option 4 “Halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and restore them insofar as possible, and step up the EU's contribution to averting global biodiversity loss” but asks the European Commission to delete any ambiguous expressions like “insofar as possible”
3. WWF Living Planet Report provides indicators to measure the state of global biodiversity (new version in September 2010)
4. EC report “Progress towards the European 2010 biodiversity target”
5. EC Communication: “Many of Europe's most vulnerable species and habitats under threat”:

Further information:
Andreas Baumüller, Biodiversity Policy Officer, WWF European Policy Office
Tel: +32 2 740 0921
Mobile: +32 489 540 786
E-mail: abaumueller@wwfepo.org

Stefania Campogianni, Press Officer, WWF European Policy Office
Tel: +32 2 743 88 15
Mobile: +32 499 539 736
E-mail: scampogianni@wwfepo.org

Seafood ecolabels under the spotlight in new WWF report

2010-01-18

Gland, Switzerland – The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) comes out on top in a new report commissioned by WWF that reveals poor performance among other assessed seafood ecolabelling schemes and calls for improvements across the board to strengthen their effectiveness.

Accenture’s non-profit practice, Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) compared and ranked seven fishery certification schemes that use ecolabels on seafood products against a set of WWF criteria that focus on the schemes’ effectiveness in addressing the health of fisheries and oceans.

The MSC is ranked the highest in the ADP report, Assessment of On-Pack, Wild-Capture Seafood Sustainability Certification Programmes and Seafood Ecolabels, with a score of just over 95 percent compliance to the assessment’s criteria requirements.

The report finds that except for the MSC, the other assessed schemes - Naturland, Friend of the Sea, Krav, AIDCP, Mel-Japan and Southern Rocklobster - do not evaluate fisheries across all criteria to the extent required to support sustainable fishing and healthy oceans.

“The findings of this assessment reveal serious inadequacies in a number of ecolabels and cast doubt on their overall contribution to effective fisheries management and sustainability.” said Miguel Jorge, Director of WWF International’s Marine Programme.

“While the assessment shows the MSC comes out best in class using the most rigorous programme out there, it is not perfect. Improvements are needed across the board to ensure all seafood ecolabels deliver on their promise.”

The criteria used in the assessment reflect best practices for fisheries ecolabelling certification schemes with the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2005 guidelines for ecolabelling forming the basis for the criteria. Standards developed by the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL) and elements from WWF’s framework for ecosystem-based management of marine fisheries were added.

The assessment points to significant differences in transparency, information availability, structure and accuracy of claims made by each scheme. Aside from the MSC, all other schemes assessed have substantial shortcomings in the area of transparency and information provision.

“The growth of seafood ecolabels over the last ten years attests to the strong demand from consumers and seafood companies who want seafood from better fisheries.” added Jorge.

“But with the proliferation of ecolabels and the variability of these schemes there is a real risk of confusion, or worse still a lack of confidence in seafood ecolabelling among buyers and consumers.”

As part of WWF’s efforts to implement sustainable fishing practices globally to protect marine life and ocean habitats, the conservation organization works with major seafood buyers to use their purchasing power to secure seafood from sustainable sources and assess their current supply chain. The report is intended to address confusion expressed by this group and inform their choices.

The most credible ecolabelling schemes accepted in international fora are voluntary, third party, operated independently and involving interested parties.

In addition to fisheries certification scheme efforts to address sustainable fishing, other issues including carbon footprint, animal welfare and social issues such as worker’s rights are growing in public consciousness. WWF encourages the seafood ecolabelling community to develop internationally agreed criteria for these priority issues and establish evaluation mechanisms.

“We recommend the assessed schemes reflect on their contribution to marine conservation and use the report as a guide to how best to assess and evaluate fisheries seeking their ecolabel.” added Jorge.

For further information: Sarah Bladen, Conservation Communications, t+41 22 364 9019, m+41 79 415 0220, e sbladen@wwwfint.org.

WWF urges Spain to promote the 30% emission reduction goal in the EU

2010-01-16

Madrid, 16 January, 2010 - The EU Informal Meeting of Ministers for Environment and Energy is held today in Seville in an attempt to review the energy policy of the EU for the coming years.

WWF considers that, after the failure of Copenhagen, it is essential for Spain to take advantage of the European Presidency to focus on three pillars: to relaunch the process to achieve a binding agreement this year in Mexico, to promote a greater level of emission reduction, and to decide on the mechanisms to materialize savings, energy efficiency and the development of renewable energies.

After the disappointment of Copenhagen, European leaders must continue their work to achieve a legally binding agreement in November 2010 in Mexico. For WWF, the fact that the new Commission has not yet started to work, cannot be an excuse once being constituted, not to begin to put on the table further concrete measures to secure a binding agreement. In that sense, WWF believes that Spain should have as one of the objectives of its presidency, together with the Commission and the EU High Representative for the Foreign Policy, to bring together the positions of the major world powers (mainly United States and China) to get to the next COP with a willingness to seek an ambitious, fair and binding agreement.

The priorities of the Presidency of the European Union on energy issues and on climate change do not seem to add much more than what was already approved in the EU energy package. It is important to keep in mind that the objective of reducing emissions by 20 % in 2020 with respect to 1990 in the EU is insufficient to achieve the necessary decarbonisation pathway and avoid the dangerous destabilization of climate. Therefore, it is necessary to start working immediately on an alternative plan with additional measures to achieve at least a 30 % reduction by that date.

With respect to the energy issue (responsible for 60 % of EU GHG emissions), WWF is requesting to the new Commission led by Barroso and to the Spanish Presidency to be much more ambitious in terms of promoting energy efficiency, by approving a binding objective corresponding to a 20% energy savings in 2020 with respect to 2005, and my providing greater support to the development of intelligent networks and renewable energies so as to achieve a more sustainable European electricity system.

WWF considers that Spain should start the debate to decide on an urgent European plan to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in electricity and transport. In addition, it shall ensure the operation of the proposals included in the Mediterranean Solar Plan, of major importance for the sustainable development of the countries in the Southern areas of the Mediterranean, and it asks the Government to ensure the full participation of social players in fora related to all the decisions that shall be made during the Spanish Presidency.

Finally, WWF points out that the Spanish Presidency, together with the new Commission and the UN Climate Secretariat, must implement the Urgent Measures Fund for countries most vulnerable to climate change.

"We cannot lose one more year. After having proved that the great speeches of Copenhagen could not materialize a treaty on their own, it is now is the time to return to the drawing board and to multilateral negotiation”, said Heikki Willstedt, Energy Expert of WWF Spain.

He later added: "We have to take advantage of the lessons learned in the last COP so that at the next one we may approve the binding objectives the planet needs to avoid the worst part of climate change. And the EU must recover its lost leadership showing its determination and commitment to reduce its emissions by at least 30 per cent.”

For further information:
WWF-Spain
Tel: +34 91 354 05 78

Enough talk – time to back tuna trade ban

2010-01-12

Brussels, Belgium/Rome, Italy - - France, other European countries and the EU Commission will in the next days confirm their final position regarding a temporary trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna, a measure shown by science as offering the best chance to save this overexploited species from extinction.

The 175 member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) next meet on 13-25 March in Doha, Qatar, where Atlantic bluefin tuna will be the headline species. Global fisheries experts at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) already stated in December that evidence clearly shows this endangered species fits requirements for an international trade ban – through a listing on CITES Appendix I.

Meanwhile, in October the scientific committee of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) – the management organization still failing to ensure the sustainable management of fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna – also showed that this fish amply meets the necessary criteria for a CITES Appendix I listing.

But the first European leader to openly declare his support for the trade ban was France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, who at a national maritime event last July said, “France supports listing bluefin tuna on the CITES convention to ban international trade. (...) Ours is the last generation with the ability to take action before it’s too late – we must protect marine resources now, in order to fish better in future. We owe this to fishermen, and we owe it to future generations.”

France, which plays a key role in Atlantic tuna fishing, is central to this debate. WWF calls on President Sarkozy to remain true to his word in championing the tuna trade ban – and also calls on Spain, holder of the rotating European Presidency and another EU country with a strong tuna fishing tradition, to show leadership on this issue of vital importance to both industry and wider marine conservation.

“What is so frustrating now is that ultimately our interests are all the same – fishers, consumers, conservationists, and politicians whose duty it is to ensure future generations have a healthy environment and food to eat,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. “WWF wants to see the future survival of Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has been fished and eaten in the Mediterranean since time immemorial. It is inconceivable that this pattern of sustainable fishing should be ruined by one, two decades of greed and bad management.”

Outgoing European Commissioners for the environment and fisheries are in disagreement over the issue. Environment commissioner Stavros Dimas is in favour of the trade ban, urging the widespread view that this is shown to have the best chance of ensuring the conservation of Atlantic bluefin. But fisheries commissioner Joe Borg of Malta – a country where tuna is big business – is continuing to take the industry line that the fleets must continue fishing, whatever the long-term cost to this fragile species.

“In a year when the EU kicks off its reform of the highly imperfect EU Common Fisheries Policy, this is a golden opportunity for the European Commission to start how it means to go on – by backing measures in global fisheries management that in the long-term ensure sustainable fishing and seafood consumption, both in EU waters and beyond,” added Tudela.

The next scientific assessment of tuna populations likely to yield fresh data will not be for several years. Atlantic bluefin tuna is a long-lived species so it takes time for any change in its populations to be detectable – a routine assessment is scheduled for September 2010, but this will provide no new insights. The high incidence of illegal fishing – exacerbated by insufficient management measures adopted in recent years – makes population growth extremely unlikely. Postponing action again will only allow one more season of massacrous fishing activity in the Mediterranean Sea.

Some opponents claim an alternative listing on CITES Appendix II – which requires export permits to be issued but does not outlaw commercial trade – will be sufficient to improve the status of Atlantic bluefin tuna. WWF says this would again be too little too late. Effective implementation of an Appendix II listing would be highly doubtful because decisions on catches and quotas would revert to ICCAT, the very body that has repeatedly failed to sustainably manage the species to date.

“The only measure that can truly have the necessary impact now is to suspend international commercial trade – simple as that,” added WWF’s Sergi Tudela. “There has been enough talk, enough analysis, enough debate – the facts are clear, the science is clear, the imperative is clear – it is time for President Sarkozy and others to step up to this historical challenge, and take the courageous political decision to safeguard an industry and a species that are as strong a part of Mediterranean culture and life as olive oil and sunny afternoons.”

For more information:
Gemma Parkes, WWF Mediterranean, t +39 346 387 3237, gparkes@wwfmedpo.org

Pirate fishing: Global crackdown begins today

2010-01-01

New rules to crackdown on pirate fishing activities around the world, and which enter into force today (1 January 2010), have been welcomed by environmental group WWF. If implemented properly, WWF believes that the new regulations will help protect the world's oceans by speeding-up the demise of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing - a global trade estimated to be worth between $10bn and $23.5bn per year.

Under the new EU Regulation, from today, all fish imports into the EU will be banned unless the importing company can show the fish comes from non-IUU sources through robust traceability systems. Furthermore, fisheries in countries with IUU fishing problem will face restrictions and be entered on a blacklist.

The new regulations mark a major success for WWF and others who have been working globally for many years to eliminate illegal fishing activities.

WWF Scotland Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said:

"Pirate fishing is a serious global problem and is having a devastating impact on the marine environment. Often a professionally organised criminal activity, illegal fishing is a major contributor to the depletion of global fish stocks and undermines action designed to help stocks recover and protect other marine wildlife. Illegal fishing also represents a major loss of revenue, particularly to some of the poorest countries in the world where dependency on fisheries for food and livelihoods is high.

"Thanks to this crackdown, consumers can have greater confidence they are not unwittingly supporting illegal fishing and the destruction of the world's oceans. As the largest market for fish in the world it is right that Europe takes a lead in this area.

"These new rules should also lead to greater protection for much more than just fish, since many non-target animals such as dolphins, turtles and sea birds are also caught and killed by illegal fishing operations."

ILLEGAL FISHING - SOME FACTS AND FIGURES

• The total value of current IUU fishing losses worldwide is estimated to be between $10bn and $23.5bn annually - representing between 11 and 26 million tonnes

• IUU fishing practices amount to approximately 10 billion Euros a year worldwide - making IUU fishing the second largest producer of fishery products in the world.

• Species at risk from illegal fishing include: bluefin tuna (East Atlantic and Mediterranean), bigeye tuna (Pacific) the Patagonian toothfish/Chilean sea bass (Southern Ocean), Atlantic cod and Alaskan pollack (Arctic) and abalone (South Africa).

• According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) illegal fishing can represent up to 30 per cent of total catches in certain major fisheries.

• Hundreds of thousands of dolphins and porpoises die from entanglement in illegal fishing nets each year. Hundreds of thousands more turtles, sharks and seabirds are caught on illegal longlines set for tuna and other fish.

• The EC is the largest importer of fishery products in the world. (In 2007, the EC imported nearly 16 billion Euros of fisheries products. Imports derived from IUU catches have been conservatively estimated at 1.1 billion Euros in 2005.)

• Thanks to action taken of WWF the level of IUU fishing of Barents cod in the Barents Sea is estimated to have dropped by 50 per cent since 2005. (One factor behind this success was strong pressure from the UK’s whitefish buying sector, which pushed the European Fish Producers Association to develop a voluntary protocol to exclude IUU-caught Barents cod from the supply chain.)

• More than 75% of the world's fisheries are already fully exploited or overfished, and as many as 90% of all the ocean’s large fish have been fished out. Illegal fishing undermines efforts designed to help stocks recover.

WWF launches manifesto for Spanish EU Presidency

2009-12-21

Brussels, Belgium – Today WWF launches its manifesto for the Spanish EU Presidency ten days before Spain takes on the next six-month rotating presidency on the 1st January 2010.

The coming year will be decisive for the EU to update its fundamental directions until 2020 and to set itself on a path towards a safe and sustainable low-carbon, resource efficient economy, the only way to addressing the current economic and ecological crises. The dubious Copenhagen Accord resulting from the climate talks has left governments around the world lacking the cover to enforce vital change and no commitment to move from this desperately weak accord to a legally binding treaty. The EU needs to keep the momentum and be prepared for COP 16 in Mexico City for the sake of EU citizens and people worldwide.

WWF calls on Spain, to move forward with a new development model in which the environmental objectives are fully integrated into the policies and the ecological footprint is a key indicator to measure whether we are moving forward the right direction.

‘’The unprecedented decline in species, the mounting evidence of ecosystems degradation, the exhaustion of natural resources and the impacts of climate change on all these clearly show the vital need for new thinking, new urgency and new policies,’’ says Juan Carlos del Olmo, Secretary General of WWF Spain.

The Spanish EU Presidency has a difficult task on their hands, especially with such a long list of priorities, however halting climate change and the loss of biodiversity must be two key areas in 2010 as the world hurtles towards the ecological unknown.

WWF therefore calls on the presidency to lead the process for the EU with respect to climate change at the COP16 in Mexico City next year, demanding a 40 per cent reduction of emmissions by 2020 and a commitment by Europe to provide €35bn per year for developing countries to combat climate change. In the International Year of Biodiversity, the EU must also adopt an ambitious and robust post-2010 target to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, leading to the COP10 of the Convention of Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. If the current trend of destruction continues, costs will be around €275 billion per year in 2050¹.

WWF also calls on the presidency to urgently recover Europe’s waters, not only for the survival of species, habitats and humans, but for adaptation to climate change as well. Spain must set an example for other Mediterranean countries by promoting an ambitious implementation of the Water Framework Directive, approved in 2009, and to finalise and approve the Euro-Mediterranean Water Strategy in April 2010.

With more than 85% of the EU’s commercial fish stocks overfished and a danger that nearly one-third of fish in EU waters are at risk of collapse, Spain, which has the largest commercial fleet in the Europe and a big stake in leading the EU in new directions to conserve the world’s oceans, must stop the depletion of fishing resources by reforming the Common Fisheries Policy and improve the way we manage fisheries both inside and outside Europe.

2010 will also begin discussions to define the new post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The challenge is to transform the current CAP, focused largely on production, into a comprehensive rural and environmental policy based on the principle of ‘’public money for public goods.

’’ Public goods in this sense means contributing to the fight against climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of resources like soil and water.

“WWF’s manifesto for the Spanish Presidency, shows that the EU must continue taking the lead in the progress towards conservation of biodiversity and the environment and take advantage of the Copenhagen Accord to solve the obstacles and implement the adequate policies that allow achieving new and ambitious global targets to protect biodiversity in 2010”, concludes Juan Carlos del Olmo, Secretary General of WWF Spain

Note to the editors
¹ COPI Study 2007 by Braat & Ten Brink

Further information:
Alexandra Bennett, Communications Director, WWF European Policy Office
Mobile: +32 477 393 400
E-mail: abennett@wwfepo.org

Enrique Segovia, Conservation Director, WWF Spain
Mobile: +34 618 943 645
E-mail: dircons@wwf.es

Miguel Ángel Valladares, Communication Director, WWF Spain
Mobile: +34 690 762 387
E-mail: mvalladares@wwf.es

Copenhagen Accord: half-baked text and unclear substance

2009-12-19

Copenhagen, Denmark – The UN climate talks in Copenhagen were inches away from total failure and ended with an outcome far too weak to tackle dangerous climate change, WWF said today.

“Copenhagen was at the brink of failure due to poor leadership combined with an unconvincing level of ambition”, said Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative.

“Well meant but half-hearted pledges to protect our planet from dangerous climate change are simply not sufficient to address a crisis that calls for completely new ways of collaboration across rich and poor countries.”

Politicians around the world seem to be in agreement that we must stay below the 2 degree C threshold of unacceptable risks of climate change – in theory. However, practically what leaders have put on the table adds up to 3 degrees C of warming or more, according to WWF estimates.

“Millions of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars and a wealth of lost opportunities lie in the difference between rhetoric and reality on climate change action.”

Attention will now shift to follow up negotiations which need to fill out many details in the often vague accord – and, on a more positive note, to a host of initiatives by countries, cities, companies and communities that are starting to build low carbon economies from the base up.

WWF analysed the conference outcome against a 10 element scorecard, finding that none of the objectives needed to fulfil the political aim of keeping average global warming below the widely agreed 2 degree C high risk level had been met, although some had been partly fulfilled.

The draft Copenhagen Accord is a long way from developing into a legally binding framework for decisive action on climate change.

“We needed a treaty now and at best, we will be working on one in half a year’s time,” said Carstensen.

“What we have after two years of negotiation is a half-baked text of unclear substance. With the possible exceptions of US legislation and the beginnings of financial flows, none of the political obstacles to effective climate action have been solved.”

The lack of clarity is illustrated by a call for a global peak in emissions “as soon as possible”, in contrast to the 2007 call of the IPCC for emissions to peak in 2017.

Emissions reductions pledges remain far lower than what is required, with a leaked analysis by the UNFCCC secretariat showing a shortfall that would lead to 3 degrees C of warming even without considering extensive loopholes.

“We are disappointed but the story continues,” said Carstensen. “Civil society was excluded from these final negotiations to an extraordinary degree, and that was felt during the concluding days in Copenhagen.”

“We can assure the world, however, that WWF and other elements of civil society will continue engaging in every step of further negotiations.”

For further information:
Christian Teriete, Email: cteriete@wwf.org.hk, Phone: +852-9310-6805
Kim Carstensen, Email: k.carstensen@wwf.dk, Phone: +45-40-343635

They say it’s over but it’s not

2009-12-18

Looking at the text that 25 countries have agreed, Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative said:

“They tell us it’s over but it’s not. The latest Copenhagen Accord draft mainly reproduced what leaders already promised before they arrived here.”

“The biggest challenge, turning the political will into a legally binding agreement has moved to Mexico.”

“After years of negotiations we now have a declaration of will which does not bind anyone and therefore fails to guarantee a safer future for next generations.”

“What was good about Copenhagen was the level of national pledges for climate action in most countries.”

“Politically, we live in a world that agrees to stay below the danger zone of two degrees but practically what we have on the table adds up to 3 degrees or more.”

“A gap between the rhetoric and reality could cost millions of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars and a wealth of lost opportunities.”

“We are disappointed but remain hopeful. The civil society will continue watching every step of further negotiations. The leaders have to get back to work tomorrow.”

“Getting a strong outcome of the follow-up process will take a lot of bridge-building between the rich and the poor countries. We expect that the Mexican hosts will be ideally placed to play that role.”

For further information:
Natalia Reiter
nreiter@wwfint.org
+41 79 873 80 99

Current state of talks

2009-12-18

In a summary of talks so far today in Copenhagen, Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF's Global Climate Initiative said:

“We are seeing a number of different texts coming forward, and there will be more drafts as the day unfolds, however, nothing we have seen so far matches the level of ambition needed on the legal nature of an agreement, or the numbers required for mitigation and finance.”

“The existing drafts contain vague language pointing towards the need to stay below a two degree temperature rise, however there is little in the detail that would ensure delivery on this in practise.”

“Having also heard some key speeches, it’s clear that there is still a real need for action. President Obama has said numerous times that all countries need to stand behind their commitments and make them transparent. That applies to the US as well. The EU appears to be weakening their conditional pledge to move to 30 per cent emissions reduction below 1990 levels, from their current position of 20 per cent, which is a real disappointment because the science clearly indicates all developed countries should be pushing for 40 per cent. We urge more progressive Member States within the EU to commit to stepping up with more ambitious targets right now.”

“China needs to move forward also. There seems to be a basis for this in Wen Jiabao’s speech, where he agreed to meet China’s current pledges without extra money, and his indication that China might be willing to do more in terms of emissions reductions and also transparency, while India has also said they would do more if they were supported.”

“Heads of State must all now take the opportunity while it still exists, to make sure that ambition within the deal is ratcheted up to a level that will ensure that they do not lock the planet on the path to a dangerous high carbon future.”

“We need a definitive target year for peak and decline of emissions, clear sources for finance for mitigation and adaption in developing countries, and an agreement for a scientific review of any deal signed, by 2014.”

For further information:
Ashwini Prabha
aprabha@wwfint.org
+41 79 873 80 99

WWF statement on climate summit speech by President Obama

2009-12-18

As Talks Enter Critical Final Hour, WWF Stresses “Fierce Urgency of Now”

COPENHAGEN, December 18, 2009 – World Wildlife Fund today issued the following statement today from WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts in response to President Obama’s speech before the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen:

“In coming to Copenhagen at the critical final stage of this two-year process, President Obama outlined the building blocks of a deal and expressed his conviction that work still needs to be done. He has put an emissions target on the table and pledged his commitment to long-term climate financing – both critical pieces of a final deal.‪

“But that’s not enough to knit together the world community at this pivotal hour. As the President has said numerous times, all countries need to stand behind their commitments and agree to make those commitments transparent.

“That applies to the US as well. The only way the world can be sure the US is standing behind its commitments is for the President to clearly state that climate change will be his next top legislative priority.

The ultimate test of his leadership will be engaging the Senate and delivering action in Congress early next year.

“The world's future hangs in the balance. At this critical hour, the ‘fierce urgency of now,’ of which Dr. King spoke so about eloquently, is ringing loudly.”‪

EDITORS NOTE: For live commentary visit: http://cop15.panda.org/

For further information:
Steve Ertel, WWF
+1 202-460-4641
steve.ertel@wwfus.org

Copenhagen Climate Talks: Informal EU Summit NOW

2009-12-17

Heads of States and Governments of the European Union will gather in seclusion later today (17 December 2009) at the Copenhagen climate talks. They are expected to coordinate the EU's reaction to an offer announced earlier today by the United States, promising USD 100 billion in yearly climate financing to developing countries by 2020.

'This is a big move that requires a big reaction', says Jason Anderson, Head of EU Climate and Energy Policy at WWF.

'With this announcement, it looks as though long-term financing is finally taking shape and WWF expects the European Council to affirm its financing offer. This is the moment for the EU to play its strongest card and keep the positive impetus to the climate talks going: the emissions reduction target must now be increased to at least -30%.'

Should European leaders make this move, a binding agreement would still be within reach.
WWF is expecting a public announcement of European leaders making a clear stand for the planet.

For further information:
Stephanie Rhomberg, Communications and Press Officer Climate & Energy, WWF European Policy Office Tel: +32 2 743 88 06
Mobile: +32 495 273 319
E-mail: srhomberg@wwfepo.org

Confidential analysis shows current emissions reductions add up to dangerous climate change

2009-12-17

Copenhagen, Denmark - A confidential UNFCCC secretariat analysis confirms that current emissions reductions pledges by developed and some emerging economies leaves the world on track to global warming of at best three degrees warming - and probably more.

“The stark message for world leaders at Copenhagen is that the proposals on the table - especially from industrialised countries - fall far short of what the world needs," said Keith Allott, head of climate change at WWF-UK.

““This assessment from just two days ago is based on a very optimistic view of emissions reductions pledges that assumes away the huge loopholes where emissions are hidden and assumes all voluntary emissions reductions commitments will be met.”

“Urgent action is needed to put global emissions on a pathway that would keep warming well below the accepted two degree threshold for unacceptable risks of catastrophic climate change,” Allott said..

“It is a case of simple maths - we need much ambitious targets for developed countries, new and additional financial support to help low-carbon growth in developing countries, and action to plug the many loopholes that make existing emission pledges even weaker than they seem at first glance."

For further information:
Jo Sargent, jsargent@wwf.org.uk +44 78676 97519

Ski area plans threaten Europe’s last untouched forests

2009-12-17

Plans for new skiing areas in the region around the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkans threaten to harm major protected areas that house some of Europe’s last remaining untouched wilderness.

New developments and expansion plans for existing facilities for downhill skiing are in the works across many parts of the region, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Ukraine.

In theory, potential conflicts between nature conservation and development – including for ski tourism – should be mediated by procedures such as Environmental Impact Assessments and the European Union’s Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, which provide a system for evaluating potential impacts on nature and identifying solutions and measures to mitigate negative impacts.

In practice, however, these safeguards are of limited effect, and in the face of intense pressure from economic and political forces, nature conservation is often given short shrift.

The Carpathian Mountains are Europe’s last great wilderness area – a bastion for large carnivores, with some two-thirds of the continent’s populations of brown bears, wolves and lynx. They are also home to the greatest remaining reserves of old growth forests outside of Russia.

Meanwhile, the Balkan Mountains and the Rila-Rodope Mountain Range in Bulgaria contain outstanding natural features that are of global importance, including the Rila and Pirin National Parks, which have been recognised, respectively, as a certified PAN Parks wilderness area and a UNESCO World Heritage Park.

“It is striking how little climate change and sustainability appear to be entering calculations for many of the new ski area,” said Andreas Beckman, Director of WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme. “Already, rising temperatures and decreased precipitation and snow cover is causing problems for many facilities, with some poor recent ski seasons.”

A glance at the Alps should raise questions about the wisdom of pouring investments into ski areas in the Carpathians. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as many as two-thirds of Alpine ski areas could go out of business according to current projections for climate change, while Alpine areas lower than 1,500 m are facing a very uncertain future. In fact, a 2004 report concludes that alpine ski regions in Slovakia at 1,150-1,500 meters above sea level may be uneconomic by 2030.

Ski resorts being developed across the Carpathians and Bulgarian mountain ranges are already including adaptation measures to climate change in the form of snow cannons. But ironically, through their huge consumption of energy snow cannons only contribute to accelerating the rise in temperatures. The estimated 3,100 snow cannons in Europe consume per year and hectare roughly 1 million litres of water and 260,000 kWh of electricity – i.e. roughly as much energy per year as a city of 150,000 inhabitants and as much water as a city the size of Hamburg.

Construction of ski facilities of course can have very significant impact on habitats and species, not only due to removal of forest cover and other vegetation to make way for ski runs, access roads and infrastructure, but also due to fragmentation of habitats and wildlife avoidance. Secondary effects such as the abstraction of water for artificial snow production and deterioration of environmental conditions due to heavy tourist flow concentration can also have heavy impacts for biodiversity and nature values.

“EU support must not be given for any problematic developments, including those that clearly contravene EU and national legislation as well as projects that are likely to be unviable over the medium-term, e.g. as the result of climate change,” Beckmann said. “In addition relevant authorities must be pressured to fully apply EU legislation in their countries, including especially Strategic and Environmental Impacts Assessments as well as the EU’s Habitats and Birds Directives, for projects at the planning stage.”

“Ski developments must not be permitted in protected areas, especially in national parks and core areas of any other protected area, in High Conservation Value Forests and High Nature Value Farmlands,” said Erika Stanciu, WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, Forest and Protected Areas Team Leader. Careful consideration should be given to valuable natural and traditional landscapes. Developments in Natura 2000 sites must respect provisions of EU’s Article 6 of the Habitats Directive.”

“In the meantime we can all avoid ski areas that do not comply with basic criteria for environmental safeguards and legislation”, she adds.

For example, Bansko, in the heart of Pirin National Park in Bulgaria, is a popular ski destination that has become infamous for being the first of a series of illegal ski developments in Bulgarian protected areas. The project received approval from authorities in 2000 and was built in subsequent years. Half of the ski runs in Bansko have no environmental permits, while those ski runs which do have permits have violated each requirement of the Environmental Impact Assessment decision. These violations include for example the width of ski runs - instead of the permitted 30 m they actually are 60 to 100 m wide. The European Commission has initiated penalty procedures against Bulgaria because of violations of environmental law in the case of Bansko.

The development has caused significant environmental problems, including landslides in Pirin National Park, but has also had social and economic implications. Bansko was once a popular summer resort, but visitor numbers have dropped in recent years due to higher prices and over-development of the once picturesque town. And as if this is not enough, earlier this year the Consultative Council of Pirin National Park submitted to the Ministry of the Environment a proposal to alter the park management plan in order to permit the construction of two huge new ski zones inside the park.

The epidemic nature of the problem is also in Slovakia where authorities have essentially opened the Tatras National Park to development – a marked change as the area has been relatively strictly protected for the past thirty years.

As a result, the country’s flagship protected area is facing intense pressure. Five ski areas are being developed around the park, including development of ski runs and expansion of tourist facilities, with little if any state control or proper assessments. As a result, the area could lose its international recognition as a national park by IUCN, the world conservation union. The European Commission has also begun investigating impacts of the developments on Natura 2000 protected areas.

Despite international recommendations and pressure, Slovak authorities have yet to adopt clear zoning and management plans for communities in the area. Zoning and planning could guide development and management of the area, ensuring opportunities for development while maintaining the natural values that are the area’s chief attraction. The lack of any planning or guidelines, together with the hands-off attitude of relevant authorities, has essentially given developers free rein to develop the area.

In Ukraine, one of the 20 largest ski areas in the world has been stamped out of the ground in the Ukrainian Carpathians, not far from the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. Development of the Bukovel area is continuing, with total investment in the area reportedly planned eventually to reach €3 billion.

A total of 66 lifts, 400 km of ski runs, and 100,000 beds, an airport and 15 million annual visitors are planned overall. The development counts on significant artificial snow production, including 500 snow production sites, 300 snow lances, 40 mobile propeller snow cannon and a 100,000 m3 artificial lake to provide water for snow production. The Ukrainian government weighed in behind the project as a site to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, although in the end it did not make the bid.

Unfortunately, many of the existing and planned ski developments in Romania are also in areas of high natural value, including within existing protected areas and often in areas included in the Natura 2000 network of specially protected sites. Many of these areas are of outstanding natural value, not only of national, but also EU and even global importance.

Some 40 percent of the 45 areas with proposed ski facilities that have been identified in a Romanian country study are inside or next to proposed Natura 2000 sites and 17.8 percent will be located in the strictly protected areas from nature and national parks.The most striking examples are the planned ski resorts Pestera Padina, in the Bucegi Nature Park and Padis – 12 km of ski pistes in the strictly protected area of Apuseni Nature Park. The parks are not only flagship parks for Romania and indeed Europe, but also contain key Natura 2000 areas.

These projects enjoy very considerable public sector support, both in terms of legislation and approvals as well as direct support for investment. Development of ski tourism is given priority in many planning documents for regional and local development. Many of the projects in EU countries, e.g. Slovakia and Romania, expect to receive very significant support from the EU, especially through co-financing from regional development funds.

The €772 million in EU Structural Funds that Slovakia will receive in the period 2007-13 for supporting “Competitiveness and Economic Growth” will include substantial investment in constructing, modernizing and extending ski centres. But for many of the projects, the long-term profitability and public interest is questionable.

Illegally cultivated strawberries begin to fail the supermarket sustainability test

2009-12-11

Legal and efficient use of water and land are among the criteria being applied by some of Europe’s leading retailers in sourcing strawberry suppliers from around the beleaguered Doñana National Park in southern Spain, WWF warned today.

WWF is hoping that the pressure from retailers will help ease some of the problems of strawberry farm encroachment and interception of water supplies around the national park, while waiting on a long promised management plan from Andalusian authorities.

Doñana National Park is the flagship of Spain’s protected areas and it protects a key bird migration route between Europe and Africa.

Europe buys nearly half of the strawberry production of Doñana, which implies an income of 150 Million Euros for the sector. But in the past few decades, an expansion of strawberry growing, part of it illegal, restricted its vital water supplies.

The responsible buying principles being implemented by the collaborating supermarkets is rapidly being adopted by other European retailers, in order to comply with the future requirements of the certification of Global Good Agricultural Practices (GlobalGAP) that will start to be applied in 2011. Among them, the efficient use of water, which may change from simple recommendations to strict requirements to obtaining the certification.

Some supermarket chains, in collaboration with WWF and some responsible strawberry growers, began implementing stricter buying criteria up to three years ago. The introduction was gradual, to give farmers time to adapt. This coming season the requirements will be more strictly applied than ever before.

“If we want to maintain the access of the strawberry from Doñana to the increasingly demanding European market, Spain, and the Government of Andalusia in particular, shall activate the necessary control mechanisms”, said Juan Carlos del Olmo, CEO of WWF Spain.

With more then 1.000 illegal boreholes in the aquifer of Doñana, it is estimated that half of the strawberry surface is irrigated without the legal permits and one third is placed on formerly forested areas. The mismanagement of the water has reduced by 80% the amount of water that flows from the aquifer to the protected wetlands. But now its management in the Doñana area is coming under critical, external commercial scrutiny.

Doñana park is home to endangered wildlife including the spoonbill and the Iberian Lynx. Securing Doñana from the threat of being turned into eucalypt plantations and farming land in the 1960s played a key role in both the formation of WWF as the leading global conservation organisation, and the establishment of the first global environment treaty, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

COP15: Time to act on calls from millions of people

2009-12-06

Leaders from around the world have the unique opportunity in Copenhagen to act on calls of tens of millions of hopeful people who asked for a fair climate deal that can help save this planet from a devastating threat.

Everyone, rich and poor, black and white, northern or southern, wants a climate deal in Copenhagen. It is not a pile of papers but the future of all of us and next generations that is at stake in Copenhagen.

There are twelve days to save the planet and we all must use them. Especially those who have the power to make a decision are carrying an immense responsibility.

“Signing a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen means responding to calls of tens of millions people and a failure to agree on a deal means simply ignoring them,” said Kim Carstensen, the leader of the Global Climate Initiative from WWF. “Ignoring millions of people will come at a great price for the whole world.”

“The green light for a climate deal is there and now leaders have to make the steps” “ We all need to remind ourselves everyday that we are not only talking about money, paragraphs and amendments but about our lives, other peoples lives and lives of our children and grandchildren.”

According to WWF world leaders have a priceless opportunity to show that politics is able to look beyond next parliamentary elections and party rivalries. They can show that politics can be fair and responsive to peoples’ needs.

“An ambitious climate deal provides a unique opportunity for leaders to win trust of their voters, show true leadership and open up endless economic and market opportunities around the world.”

Citizens, media, NGOs, businesses, church members and most other relevant institutions have given politicians their backing and urged them to make the only right decision. Copenhagen is the time to act on the call.

The climate deal reached in Copenhagen must secure deep emissions cuts from industrialized countries, together with predictable and additional long-term funding to protect the poor against the effects of climate change and to enable them to move onto a low-carbon development path. And it must provide a new framework for ambitious climate action to limit emissions in developing countries.

We have very positive signs with leaders like the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and U.S President Barack Obama announcing their participation in the conference.

“It’s a big step that India is putting forward its commitment to combat climate change.”

“We commend President Obama for his decision to be in Copenhagen during what is likely to be the critical moment in the UN climate talks. Clearly this news injects a renewed sense of optimism that we can nail down a deal in Copenhagen,” Carstensen said.

Providing the financial support to help developing countries to reduce their emissions and cope with impacts of climate change is the key to unlocking a global agreement.

“We are happy that President Obama will engage in discussing both short-term and long-term financing. These are both needed as deciding factor for a successful Copenhagen outcome.”

For further information:
Ashwini Prabha
aprabha@wwfint.org
+41 79 873 80 99

Europe pours tens of millions into bloating bluefin fleet

2009-12-04

Brussels, Belgium: Europe poured €34.5 million of EU taxpayers’ money into increasing and modernizing its oversize bluefin tuna fleets over the very period it was coming to concede that excess fishing capacity was a key factor in overfishing and illegal fishing of collapsing bluefin stocks.

The information on 2000-2008 payments to the bluefin tuna fisheries was provided this week in response to a September question from Raül Romeva i Rueda, a Spanish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) with the ‘Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds’, part of the European Greens.

The delayed response meant the information was not available for November’s meeting of the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which witnessed several heated discussions on the reduction of fishing capacity

Rueda was told that the largest portion of the money - €23 million - was aid for the construction of new boats including modern purse seiners (industrial high-tech vessels with purse-like nets that scoop up large amounts of tuna).

Some €10.5 million went into the modernisation of existing vessels while, in stark contradiction to recent EU rhetoric about the need to reduce the size of the fleet, only €1 million went into decommissioning boats, all of which were smaller artisanal vessels.

"I am shocked at the scale of subsidies "

The real level of subsidies is likely much higher, with unknown additional sums being pumped into the bloated fleet by EU member states.

Spanish boat owners were the largest beneficiaries of the 611 vessels involved, with the remainder shared between fleet owners in Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy and Malta.

Overcapacity has been identified as a key factor in catches that in 2007 were estimated at twice the legal levels set by ICCAT largely as a result of EU lobbying to be around twice the prudent levels advised by ICCAT’s scientists.

Average catch size of Atlantic bluefin tunas fished in the Mediterranean Sea reduced by half during the period - for example in Spanish waters average catch size in 1994 was 159 kg, whereas by 2009 it was only 77 kg. These declines have been interpreted as indicating the dying out of reproducing tunas, and if such trends were to continue this could lead to the wiping out of the entire spawning population as soon as 2012.

“I am shocked at the scale of the subsidies given to the bluefin fleet,” said Rueda. “This shows clearly the hypocrisy of the EU, which insists on the need to conserve fish stocks while simultaneously encouraging the rapid expansion of a fleet that was already too large.”

The European Commission’s response states that “the number of Community vessels licensed to fish for bluefin tuna in 2009 was 859 vessels or 52,553 Gross Tonnage (GT)”, a much larger capacity than the EU’s designated 2009 catch quota of 12,400 tonnes.

“It is a scandal that perverse EU subsidies have helped create a Frankenstein fleet continuing to aggressively target a collapsing species,” said Dr Sergi Tudela of WWF. “European citizens have given a gift of 34.5 millions Euros to the bluefin tuna industry which has resulted in the collapse of an ancient fishery, and what will happen next?"

“WWF strongly demands that no more EU public money be pumped into this business.”

Mismanagement of the bluefin fishery has fuelled moves to have international trade restrictions placed on Atlantic bluefin tuna at the forthcoming March meeting of parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar.

Danish PM's stitch-up on Copenhagen unravels in Beijing

2009-11-28

Gland, Switzerland - WWF has welcomed the very strong signal from leading emerging economies that the Copenhagen climate change conference is far too important to be stitched up in the usual way by the usual suspects in the developed world.

At a meeting in Beijing Saturday, representatives of Brazil, South Africa, India and China (the BASIC countries) indicated they intend to reject a draft Danish “political agreement” at the Copenhagen climate conference which is regarded as the developed world’s preferred outcome for the conference. The Danish Prime Minister, who has spent the last month circulating the world to talk down prospects of a strong, legally binding deal in Copenhagen, is currently in Trinidad and Tobago for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

“We are not surprised the emerging economies have laid down this challenge for the developed world,” said said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative. “Quite frankly the Danish proposal is incredibly weak and the developing world aren’t gullible."

Carstensen said that the stance of the BASIC countries, dissension by African countries at the recent Barcelona negotiations session and calls from small island states and nations vulnerable to climate change impacts showed a growing rebellion against the feeble commitments on emissions cuts and climate financing from the developed world.

“Those who will suffer the most from climate change impacts are sending an ever stronger and clearer message to those who have done the most to cause them,” Carstensen said. “We need clear commitments, we need a legally binding agreement, and not just nice words about a political will that’s not there.

“The developed world needs to respond to the science with much deeper emissions cuts, much more new money on the table and much more willingness to share the technologies for low carbon development.

Danish PM's stitch-up on Copenhagen unravels in Beijing

2009-11-28

Gland, Switzerland - WWF has welcomed the very strong signal from leading emerging economies that the Copenhagen climate change conference is far too important to be stitched up in the usual way by the usual suspects in the developed world.

At a meeting in Beijing Saturday, representatives of Brazil, South Africa, India and China (the BASIC countries) indicated they intend to reject a draft Danish “political agreement” at the Copenhagen climate conference which is regarded as the developed world’s preferred outcome for the conference. The Danish Prime Minister, who has spent the last month circulating the world to talk down prospects of a strong, legally binding deal in Copenhagen, is currently in Trinidad and Tobago for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

“We are not surprised the emerging economies have laid down this challenge for the developed world,” said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative. “Quite frankly the Danish proposal is incredibly weak and the developing world aren’t gullible."

Carstensen said that the stance of the BASIC countries, dissension by African countries at the recent Barcelona negotiations session and calls from small island states and nations vulnerable to climate change impacts showed a growing rebellion against the feeble commitments on emissions cuts and climate financing from the developed world.

“Those who will suffer the most from climate change impacts are sending an ever stronger and clearer message to those who have done the most to cause them,” Carstensen said. “We need clear commitments, we need a legally binding agreement, and not just nice words about a political will that’s not there.

“The developed world needs to respond to the science with much deeper emissions cuts, much more new money on the table and much more willingness to share the technologies for low carbon development.

For further information:
Christian Teriete cteriete@wwf.org.hk +85 293106805
Yanli Hou ylhou@wwfchina.org +86 1370 1295 889
Kim Carstensen k.carstensen@wwf.dk +4540343635

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

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