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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Call to Action! Mangrove Action Day is July 26

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MAD2013 

Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.

MANGROVE_ACTION_DAY_lowres 2
This Mangrove Action Day, Please Help MAP Save the Mangroves!
 
 
A Bit of Historical Background:
To understand the significance of the 26th of July we need to go back a little in time. It was 1998 when the communities of ancestral users of the mangroves of Ecuador decided to join efforts in a big campaign where the local and national media were invited. They received the support from members of various organizations from Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, the United States (all of them, at that moment, part of a growing global network opposing shrimp farm expansion) and the members of the worldwide crew of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior..
 
On the 26 of July the communities joined in a concerted action to re-establish the mangrove wetlands in an illegal shrimp pond. The action involved members in breaking down the walls of the shrimp pond and replanting mangrove seedlings in the drained pond soil. That same day, the National Coordinator in Defense of the Mangroves in Ecuador was created. A public statement was delivered to the National Authorities at that time, demanding a stop to the mangrove destruction and promoting the concession of the mangroves to the organized grassroots communities of the mangroves.
 
To feed the consumer demand for shrimp in the US, EU and Japan mangrove forests have been cut, people have been driven away from their land, and soil and water have been polluted for more than thirty years in tropical countries. Industrial shrimp farming has caused about 35 percent of the worldwide loss of mangroves. Mangrove forests are a crucial ecosystem - the breeding place for wild fisheries, tremendous carbon sinks and vital habitat for scores of animals. Mangroves also offer the coastal communities food, medicines and protection against hurricanes and tsunamis.
 
Since 1998 the 26th of July has been called the "International Day of Mangroves" or “Mangrove Action Day,” commemorating the Greenpeace activist Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, who died of a heart attack while involved in a massive protest action in Ecuador led by the environmental organizations FUNDECOl (Ecuador) and the crew from the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior.
 
“… the 26th of July is the day when we all, communities and organizations working in defense of the mangroves, joined for the first time as (in the Bible) little "Davids" confronting a big "Goliath" which is the shrimp industry. That is the main point in this celebration, but please, don't forget Nanoto who left his life in the mangroves of Muisne…”
From Veronica of FUNDECOL in Ecuador
 
We at Mangrove Action Project again join forces with our friends around the world to celebrate another International Mangrove Action Day on July 26th. We wish to invite all reading this message to please join us in this Day of Action and Solidarity with the global struggle to Save the Mangroves! It is only through our ongoing, cooperative actions will we succeed! And for those who may be so inspired by MAP’s dedicated efforts to conserve and restore our planet’s “Roots of the Sea,” please consider taking this opportunity to support MAP’s important work by donating to MAP today! This would be a most welcome and helpful way to celebrate Mangrove Action Day! Please visit MAP’s website at www.mangroveactionproject.org to mail in or send your contribution via PayPal or Network For Good.
 
This Mangrove Action Day, please step forward with MAP to help reverse the loss of mangrove forests and protect the rights of coastal communities to sustainably manage and conserve their coastal wetlands and the myriad of life sustained by the mangroves. Help us at MAP counter climate change and species extinction. Help us restore the habitat of our oceans’ marine life, the last hunting grounds of the Bengal tiger and the refuge for countless migratory birds, mammals and insects. Please be generous today for the life of our mother planet, for all of our future and the future of our children’s children!
   
 
Notes: MAP is a US registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity.  MAP's Taxpayer Identification Number is 20-0833537
 
 
For the Mangroves and the Mangrove Communities!

image363 2
Alfredo Quarto,
Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
 



 

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Mangrove Action Project

Saturday, July 20, 2013

MAP News Issue 319, July 20th 2013

VerticalResponse

Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.

The MAP News
319th Edition                                July 20, 2013

Action Alerts:

Stop Plans to Construct a Cruise Ship or Ferry Docking Terminal off Bimini's Western Shore SIGN THE PETITION

Cambodia: Stop the flooding of the Cardamom Forest! SIGN THE PETITION
 
Please help RedManglar Mexico put pressure on the Mexican government to protect the mangroves now threatened by development. PLEASE JOIN US IN SIGNING THIS PETITION

Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition
CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART SUBMISSIONS!

We invite all primary school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and whose schools are located near mangroves, to create art telling us "why mangroves are important to me and my community". Selected winners will be published in a 2014 calendar to be distributed internationally to raise awareness of mangrove forest ecology. Email
monicagquarto@olympus.net or mangroveap@olympus.net or READ MORE

MAP's 2014 Children's Mangrove Art Calendar sponsors needed. View PDF

Donate to MAP via Paypal
Giving could never be easier
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It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
 
—Mahatma Gandhi


Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE



URGENT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN GAMBIA INFO

MAP is looking for volunteer interns for its Thailand Headquarters – READ MORE

MAP’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE

 


MANGROVE ISSUES 

Please view our new video for our Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign! It is now on our website under the Question Your Shrimp section heading. WATCH VIDEO

Mangrove Restoration in Asia – Watch Short Video
Mosaic of Life 
READ A MOSAIC OF LIFE” Peek into the underwater world of mangroves, "womb of the sea." By Liz Cunningham Photos By Wes Matweyew and Liz Cunningham

View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel

“Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the  PhotoPhilanthropy website here!

Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.
By Martin A. Keeley, Education Director, Mangrove Action Project
Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT

FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT THESE SIGHTS
SLIDE SHOW
    VIMEO SHOW

Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO
 
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine -
Read More
 


"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog

Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin

LISTEN TO INTERVIEW


Join MAP on Facebook


Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp


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occasionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to locate the original story.




Help Mangrove Action Project through your recycled E-Waste.  List of Accepted E-waste Items:

Injet Cartidges, Cell Phones, Pagers, GPS, Radar Detectors, Mobile Hot Spots, Calculators, eBook Readers, iPods/MP3 players, Digital/Video Cameras/Camcorders, PDAs, iPads/Tablets/Laptops, Video Game Consoles, Handheld Video Games

Visit the Mangrove Action Project recycle website Click on the recycle button then click on the Download Shipping Label, and follow the instructions.

 

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FEATURED STORY

JULY 26 IS INTERNATIONAL MANGROVE ACTION DAY
Mangroveactionday
USA – Graphic Artist Carly Hoover of Colorado is MAPs featured artist to celebrate July 26 Mangrove Action Day. Her art clearly shows the positive side of mangrove protection. She writes “Mangrove Action Project is dedicated to reversing the degradation and loss of mangrove forest ecosystems worldwide. This organization has a positive outlook and they work hard for the future instead looking at all the damage that has been done. I wanted to reflect that by creating a series of advocacy posters that would communicate their message without being too negative. I also created a motion video in Adobe After Effects to raise awareness that was based on one of the posters, and made a flip book of the video.” READ MORE

 

AFRICA
 
Gambia Trains Beneficiaries On Mangrove Regeneration
GAMBIA - Global Unification The Gambia, a youth-led environmental civil society organisation, trained 40 participants from the beneficiary communities of its Global Environment Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF SGP) supported Coastal Communities' Resilience to Climate Change (Coastal CARE) project, at Sanyang village in Kombo South, West Coast Region. The 2-day capacity building was meant to equip the beneficiaries from the project's three intervention sites of Gunjur, Sanyang and Tanji on mangrove regeneration techniques and environmental conservation. The participants comprise youth and women's group representatives, kanyellanghos (traditional communicators) and Village Development Committees of the three villages. As a result of their intricately entangled aboveground root systems, mangrove communities protect shorelines during storm events by absorbing wave energy and reducing the velocity of water passing through the root barrier. Wave energy may be reduced by 75 per cent in the wave's passage through 200 metres of mangrove, but other factors also have an influence, including coastal profile, water depth and bottom configuration. READ MORE
 
ASIA
 
Ronaldo Visits Indonesia, Plants Mangroves
Kids
INDONESIA - Christiano Ronaldo, world famous footballer of Portugal and Real Madrid, was invited as an ambassador of mangroves June 26th, to participate in a mangrove planting event alongside Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono (SBY), and the Indonesian Minister of Forests. The Indonesian Mangrove Management Agency (BPHM) was in charge of the technical aspects of the planting.  The head of BPHM, Ir. Murdoko, called Ben Brown of Mangrove Action Project - Indonesia to visit the planting site several days before the event for technical recommendations.  The planting site at Tanjung Benoa, had been planted on 4 previous occasions, but had experienced total mortality in all those occasions. READ MORE
 
CAP & SAM URGE GOVERNMENT TO CANCEL PROPOSED  AQUACULTURE PROJECT IN PENAGA
MALAYSIA - The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) urge the state government of Penang to cancel the proposed implementation of an aquaculture project in Penaga, Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) because of its potential impacts to the environment and local livelihoods.  The aquaculture project would destroy mangrove forests, pollute the sea, threaten fisheries resources and livelihood of coastal fishers, besides exposing the people and paddy fields here to the threat of storms, effects of tsunami and saltwater intrusion. The shrimp farming project to be undertaken by the Aquaculture Operators Association of Penang (Persatuan Pengusaha Akuakultur Pulau Pinang - PENKUA) would cover an area of 204 hectares including mangrove forest from Kuala Bekah River in the south to Kuala Muda River in the north. We understand that the proposed project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is yet to be approved. We believe that if this project is given the go ahead, there would be detrimental effects on the environment and the lives of people in the area. READ MORE
 
Bangladesh's coastal fisheries at risk due to fry netting
fisherman
BANGLADESH - Indiscriminate netting of fry in the coastal region despite a government ban has led to a sharp depletion of shrimp and other fish of the rivers in the area, putting over 138 species of aquatic fauna at risk. Local fishermen of the Barguna district - which is enclosed by Bishkhali River to the West, Payra River to the East and the Bay of Bengal to the South -  are catching the fry using mosquito nets without knowing about its harmful effects on the ecosystem, UNB reports.  A large amount of fry of lobsters, prawns and other fish are swept into the two rivers during high tide, and are caught by the fishermen. A study by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute from 1991-97 found that such fry netting is causing harm to 38 species of prawn, six other species of fish and 100 species of aquatic fauna in their drives to catch lobster and prawn fry. It was found that in one single drive, innumerable fry of tengra, poa and taposhi were caught with only seven or eight fry of prawns. READ MORE

Report on Capacity Strengthening for Local Communities in Coastal Areas available
CAMBODIA - Cambodia, a least developed country, is highly vulnerable to increased climate variability due to it being primarily agrarian. Its vulnerability (Adger 2006) is also increased by a lack adaptive capacity. This lack of adaptive capacity consists of ineffective institutional responses, inadequate "capitals" for implementing wide ranging development policies and programs and a national policy process which does not adequately include local concerns   and ideas regarding diverse methods of adaptation (Folke et al. 2002).  At the same time, there is an   increasing interest and growing activity relating to climate change, both nationally and internationally.  Therefore, it is both necessary and timely for Cambodia to initiate a regular forum for information sharing, mainstreaming climate change into sectoral policy and development plans and enhancing cooperation and coordination among Government institutions, development partners, NGOs and civil society, and especially to engage local community to participate in this issues. READ MORE
 
Editor’s Note: We’ve known for years that commercial shrimp farming is bad for mangroves. It is becoming abundantly clear that it is also bad for the shrimp, as the following stories highlight.
Shrimp farmers join effort to stop threat of Early Mortality Syndrome
TAHILAND - The Thai Department of Fisheries has invited shrimp breeders, specialists and related business entrepreneurs to a meeting to learn about the infectious early mortality syndrome (EMS) in shrimp farms, which has spread from southern China to Southeast Asia. The meeting was also participated by the 5 main organizations in the Thai shrimp industry which took this opportunity to announce their determination to jointly fight the viral disease which has devastated crustacean populations in other countries. Those associations said their goal was to establish a strong foundation for the Thai shrimp industry and to build confidence for shrimp farmers and importers. The meeting was held on the 10th of July 2013 at Centara Hotel located in the Government Complex and Convention Center, on Chaeng Wattana Road. READ MORE
 
Disease killing off shrimp in East Asia
THAILAND - Shrimp prices continue to rise in the United States, but the reason behind the jump lies far from home. A new disease in East Asia has cut Thailand’s shrimp output by as much as 40 percent, the Wall Street Journal reports. Now Western restaurants and retailers are scrambling to make up the difference by raising prices and looking to new sources. The disease arrived in Thailand late last year after sweeping through China and Vietnam, severely reducing shrimp production in those countries. Now that the disease is affecting the world’s largest shrimp exporter, shrimp prices have been rising worldwide. The United States relies on Thailand for a quarter of its shrimp imports, which dropped 27 percent last year and another 23 percent between January and April. In recent months, the United States has witnessed a 20 percent jump in prices, which some restaurant owners see as only the beginning of a larger increase. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Manatees Are Dying With Suspicious Seaweed in Their Mouths
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USA – Manatees have been categorized as endangered since 1973. Thanks to restrictions on motorboats in areas where they live and programs to rescue, treat and release them, their numbers have surged back, from 1,000 about 30 years ago to about 5,000 today. A couple of years ago, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials even talked about changing the manatee’s status from endangered to threatened. Budget constraints and other projects took precedence and such efforts were tabled. As it turns out, this has been for the better: in the past few years, manatees have been dying in alarming numbers. In 2010, 282 succumbed to unusually cold temperatures. Starting this past September, toxins from red tide — the recurring algae bloom that was worse than usual in southwest Florida, covering 130,000 acres — took the lives of 272 manatees. In addition, restrictions on motorboats do not mean that manatees are entirely safe. About 80 to 100 die every year after being hit by boats. READ MORE

Darville advises Rotarians about the devastation in Bimini & The Bahamas
BAHAMAS- Passionate human rights activist and Save The Bays Director Joseph Darville engaged the members of Rotary’s Grand Bahama Sunrise Club recently as he spoke about “Rape, Pillage & Wanton Destruction of Our Patrimony Heritage of Land & Sea.” Having just returned from Bimini, Darville shared his findings and educated the Rotarians about Save The Bays, the rapidly-growing group seeking legislative, judicial and behavioural change to protect the Bahamas environment. The group (originally named The Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay) was established to fight the desecration of important marine environments in Nassau, particularly by private landowners and industry. READ MORE
 
Gulf shrimp prices soar on disease scare
USA - Prices on Gulf of Mexico brown shrimp are rising after overseas shrimp producers report problems with disease and the U.S. government set preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) rates for shrimp imports. “The pricing is the highest I have seen in six years. You are paying twice as much for product after the BP oil spill,” said Randy Pearce, owner of processing company Doran Seafood in Independence, La. As a result of higher ex-vessel prices on domestic shrimp — as much as USD 1 (EUR 0.77) per pound higher than last season — many buyers are switching to smaller sizes to save money, according to Pearce. Domestic shrimp prices have risen “dramatically,” agrees C. David Veal, president of the Biloxi, Miss.-based American Shrimp Processors Association. READ MORE
 
Tropical Forests Sensitive to Global Warming: A Study
USA - Tropical forests are intensely sensitive to climate change, causing them to produce more flowers in response to only slight increases in temperature, according to a new study conducted by the University of California, Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the study, which used a new globally gridded satellite dataset, examined how changes in temperature, clouds and rainfall affect the number of flowers tropical forests produce. "This study is an inspired example of integrating diverse existing data to do something never imagined when the data were originally collected," explained Stephanie Hampton, deputy director of NCEAS. "Flowers were probably not what NASA scientists were thinking of when they archived these cloud data." A forest's flower productivity is a measure of its reproductive health and overall growth, the researchers explained, which in turn can have a direct effect on the overall environment. READ MORE

 
LAST WORD
 

MANGROVE ACTION DAY TO BE OBSERVED IN BANGLADESH
 
Greetings from Bangladesh!
 
On the way of our proactive involvement with Mangrove Action Project (MAP), Humanitywatch and AOSED is going to organize Mangrove Action Day 2013 on 26th July 2013, Friday in Khulna, Bangladesh.
 
We have already started a discussion and going to organize a meeting today (16 July 2013) afternoon at AOSED Training Room with different organizations including BELA, CDP, IRV, Nabolok, Paribartan, Prodipan, Rupantar, Shushilan and others who are interested to join us.
 
Shamim Arfeen from AOSED and I from Humanitywatch is coordinating the program.
 
We will finalize the design of programs and contributions of different organizations to observe the day. Hope Martin can join us on the day.
 
Sincerely yours
HASAN MEHEDI | Chief Executive |Humanitywatch
Nuri Manjil | 39 Farukia Mosque Cross Road | Azizer Moor | Boyra | Khulna 9000 | Bangladesh
+8801716702006 | hwforg@gmail.com | info@humanitybd.org
Skype: mehedi.humanity | Twitter: @humanitywatch
www.humanitybd.org | http://humanitybd.blogspot.com
 
 
MANGROVE ACTION DAY TO BE OBSERVED IN PERU
 
My name is Carlos Zavalaga and I am the director of Proyecto Fragatas in the mangroves of Tumbes-Peru. We are organizing different activities for the local community for the Dia Internacional del manglar on July 26th and would like to share of all this with different international institutions involved in the protection of the mangroves worldwide. We have a blog you can visit: avesfragatasperu.com where you can find information about the Project and our activities. We also have a live streaming platform where people everywhere around the world can watch the activities of the magnificent frigatebirds, a representative species of the mangrove of Tumbes. We will be very happy if you can spread the Word about our Project, blog and live streaming. Many schools watch us everyday. In ocassions (we have a cchedule posted in the blog), we explain our work in from of the camera when working in the mangroves (measuring of frigatebird chicks, capture of adults, description of the birds, etc), all with an educational purpose. By request we can give an explanation in English or Spanish.
 
I hope you find our Project interesting. Our main goal is to make the local community aware of the importance of the mangrove through the frigatebirds. Also we collect scientific information of the frigatebirds to transfer this info to the tourist guides and general people.
 
Thanks
 
Carlos Zavalaga, PhD
Director Proyecto Fragata



~ WE WELOCME YOUR LETTERS - If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com

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Mangrove Action Project

Friday, July 19, 2013

Volunteers needed in Gambia

Volunteers needed in Environmental Protection and Development. Please read below, and pass this on to anyone you think may be interested.

Description: The GEPADG is a non profit NGO based in Gunjur in Gambia who have many years of experience in working with international volunteers. They work to achieve long-term, sustainable solutions to poverty in The Gambia through reversing the current destruction of forests, mangroves and coastal ecosystems.

They are always working on different projects and volunteers can choose which area they are most interested in. Areas include: turtle monitoring; tree planting exercises; mangrove regeneration; environmental health and sanitation; village general cleansing; beach sweeping; workshops/conferences; beekeeping; vegetable gardening; community forestry scheme; bird watching and bush walk/patrolling, Eco tourism activities and tourist guided tours within the nature reserve this normally happens between October and November each year and tree planting exercises is between June and August . Turtle monitoring is between June and November each year .



Organisation: The Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group
(GEPAG)/CHEC-Gambia
Address: PO Box 21, Banjul, The Gambia West Africa
Project Location:Gunjur Kombo South District,West Coast Region, The Gambia,West Africa
Contact: Mr Badara N Bajo
Email: gepadg@yahoo.com
Website: www.genvironment.co.uk
Phone: +220 8800986 or mobile +220 9955063
Fax: +220 4486026
Languages: English
Who can volunteer? Adults of both sexes 17+
Commitment: 1 week minimum
Starting from August,2013
Cost: There are 3 different types of accommodation on offer. They are all in
a Gambian house only some are more westernized than others (i.e. modern
toilets, electricity) and some without electricity.Stay with local families.The cost is from £50 to £150 per month including
food,or $100 dollar a week and 100 Euro per week depending on the accommodation type


Kind regards;

Mr,Badara N Bajo
Executive director
GEPADG/CHEC-Gambia
P O Box 21
Banjul the  Gambia
West Africa
www.accessgambia.com/.../gepadg-gunjur-environmental-protection-and-          development-group.html

CAP & SAM URGE GOVERNMENT TO CANCEL PROPOSED AQUACULTURE PROJECT IN PENAGA

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) urge the state government of Penang to cancel the proposed implementation of an aquaculture project in Penaga, Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) because of its potential impacts to the environment and local livelihoods.  The aquaculture project would destroy mangrove forests, pollute the sea, threaten fisheries resources and livelihood of coastal fishers, besides exposing the people and paddy fields here to the threat of storms, effects of tsunami and saltwater intrusion.
Mangrove Forest in Penaga, Seberang Perai Utara, Penang, Malaysia
The shrimp farming project to be undertaken by the Aquaculture Operators Association of Penang (Persatuan Pengusaha Akuakultur Pulau Pinang - PENKUA) would cover an area of 204 hectares including mangrove forest from Kuala Bekah River in the south to Kuala Muda River in the north. We understand that the proposed project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is yet to be approved. We believe that if this project is given the go ahead, there would be detrimental effects on the environment and the lives of people in the area.
Our survey found that many people in the surrounding area do not know about this proposed project. Many among them especially the fishing community are concerned about the problems that would occur if the project is implemented. It is estimated that the livelihood of about 1,000 coastal fishermen in the surrounding area would be affected if the mangrove trees are felled and the sea on which they depend for their livelihood is threatened by pollution from shrimp pond effluent. Fish, shrimp, crabs, clams and molluscs that are a source of income for the fishers will disappear if the mangrove forests are destroyed for the development of aquaculture ponds.
At the same time thousands of villagers living near the coast would be exposed to the threat of storms, tsunamis and coastal erosion in the future. And hundreds of hectares of paddy fields and agricultural land could be affected by salt water (sea water) intrusion when the mangrove forest which reduces wave energy and functions as windbreaker is destroyed.
The implementation of large-scale aquaculture projects in the state is not a solution to the present shortage of seafood supply. Rather, the short supply of seafood stems from the environmental damage and destruction of mangroves, as occurred in Balik Pulau and Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS), Nearly 2,000 fishermen in these two areas have suffered 50% decline of catches over the past few years due to development and shrimp farming in their area.

S.M.MOHAMED IDRIS
President
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)

Ronaldo Visits Indonesia, Plants Mangroves


Christiano Ronaldo, world famous footballer of Portugal and Real Madrid, was invited as an ambassador of mangroves June 26th, to participate in a mangrove planting event alongside Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono (SBY), and the Indonesian Minister of Forests.  
 The Indonesian Mangrove Management Agency (BPHM) was in charge of the technical aspects of the planting.  The head of BPHM, Ir. Murdoko, called Ben Brown of Mangrove Action Project - Indonesia to visit the planting site several days before the event for technical recommendations.  The planting site at Tanjung Benoa, had been planted on 4 previous occasions, but had experienced total mortality in all those occasions.
BPHM's response this time, was to plant mangroves protected by cylinders made of woven bamboo mats, ostensibly to keep snails (considered pests) off the trees and to keep the leaves above the highest tide, to avoid leaves getting muddy.  MAP-Indonesia explained that a healthy mangrove plant, of an appropriate species, planted in the appropriate place, will not succumb to pests (snails, etc.) or a bit of mud on the leaves.  The key is planting at an appropriate substrate elevation, somewhere between Mean Sea Level and High Tide.

BPHM had prepared 4 species of seedlings for planting, Sonneratia alba, Avicennia marina, Rhizophora apiculata and Brugueria gymnorhizza.  All four of these species are naturally present at this location.  This location already has a healthy growth of mangroves, and was more or less considered for ceremonial planting due to ease of access.  It was clear, at the site, that planting too far out to sea would again kill the mangroves.  But nature provided a cue as to how far out to sea young mangroves would survive.  A lone Sonneratia alba sapling was growing beyond the edge of the natural forest, on a substrate which had experienced sedimentation due to the construction of a sandy beach and hotel next door. 

This sapling was situated 1.2 m above Lowest Atmospheric Tide (0 meters), and thus MAP-Indonesia reccommended that no plantings should take place below 1.2 meters.  BPHM followed this advice by and large, having students plant the area the day before the Ronaldo/SBY event, with 3000 mangroves of mixed species, all of which were planted at 1.2 m or higher.  Perhaps the trees didn't need to be planted at 1 meter spacings, and infilling of the naturally occuring forest wasn't necessary, but the event raised an amazing amount of general awareness about mangroves.

President SBY and Ronaldo himself planted their mangroves inside of screened bamboo cylinders, adjacent to a dock for ease of access, with artificially heightened sediment inside, because the ceremony took place at a 2.4 meter tide.  These larger saplings which were planted ceremonially will be relocated to an appropriate substrate height.

So - congratulations Indonesia for raising awareness about mangroves.  And congratulations again, for following up the planting today with support of a major Ecological Mangrove Restoration effort in the Province of Gorontalo, which should see at least 2600 of mangroves restored in aquaculture ponds illegally constructed in the Tanjung Panjang Nature Reserve two decades ago.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

MAP News Issue #318, July 6, 2013

VerticalResponse

Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.

The MAP News
318th Edition                                July 6, 2013

Action Alerts:

Stop Plans to Construct a Cruise Ship or Ferry Docking Terminal off Bimini's Western Shore SIGN THE PETITION

Cambodia: Stop the flooding of the Cardamom Forest! SIGN THE PETITION
 
Please help RedManglar Mexico put pressure on the Mexican government to protect the mangroves now threatened by development. PLEASE JOIN US IN SIGNING THIS PETITION

Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition
Phulbari Coal Mine Blog View Blog
Phulbari Update – NEW Watch Short Video

CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART SUBMISSIONS!

We invite all primary school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and whose schools are located near mangroves, to create art telling us "why mangroves are important to me and my community". Selected winners will be published in a 2014 calendar to be distributed internationally to raise awareness of mangrove forest ecology. Email
monicagquarto@olympus.net or mangroveap@olympus.net or READ MORE

MAP's 2014 Children's Mangrove Art Calendar sponsors needed. View PDF

Donate to MAP via Paypal
Giving could never be easier
Donate.jpg
It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
 
—Mahatma Gandhi


Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE



URGENT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

MAP is looking for volunteer interns for its Thailand Headquarters – READ MORE

MAP’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE

 


MANGROVE ISSUES 

Please view our new video for our Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign! It is now on our website under the Question Your Shrimp section heading. WATCH VIDEO

Mangrove Restoration in Asia – Watch Short Video
Mosaic of Life 
READ A MOSAIC OF LIFE” Peek into the underwater world of mangroves, "womb of the sea." By Liz Cunningham Photos By Wes Matweyew and Liz Cunningham

View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel

“Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the  PhotoPhilanthropy website here!

Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.
By Martin A. Keeley, Education Director, Mangrove Action Project
Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT

FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT THESE SIGHTS
SLIDE SHOW
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Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO
 
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine -
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"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog

Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin

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FEATURED STORY

Editor’s Note: MAP has an ongoing involvement and interest in the conservation and restoration issues of Jiquilisco Bay, having recently organized and implemented a very successful workshop on Community -Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR), which was led by MAP Asia Coordinator Jim Enright. MAP worked closely with Asociacion Mangle in conducting a three day training workshop in EMR. In fact, our work there resulted in the Minister of Environment, Sr. Rosa Chavez, declaring MAP's CBEMR model as the one to follow in El Salvador's National Environmental Plan for mangrove wetlands conservation and restoration.

Activists Fight U.S. Aid to Develop El Salvador’s Pacific Coastline
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Mauricio Cruz points to an area where he says tourism infrastructure will be built, in Cuche del Monte on the edge of the mangrove forest on Jiquilisco Bay. Credit: Edgardo Ayala/IPS
EL SALVADOR - Community leaders in El Salvador are opposed to the government’s plans to use U.S. aid funds to develop the country’s Pacific coastline, on the grounds that it would threaten the environment in a vast area. “The natural areas we have protected for so long will be seriously affected if tourism investments are made in these coastal zones,” as the government intends, within the framework of the United States Millennium Challenge Fund (FOMILENIO) program, activist Amílcar Cruz García, secretary of the Asociación Mangle (Mangrove Association), a community organization in the Lower Lempa area in the southeastern department or province of Usulután, told IPS. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the U.S. government foreign aid agency funding FOMILENIO, offered El Salvador a second package of 277 million dollars of non-refundable aid in December 2011, to develop the coastal region. Final approval could occur late this year. The first FOMILENIO program in El Salvador was rolled out in 2007-2012, injecting 460 million dollars in investment in the northern region of the country. READ MORE
 
AFRICA
 
GEPADG Holds Sub-Regional Workshop On Mangroves
Commonwealth
GAMBIA - The Gunjur Environmental Protection and Development Group (GEPADG)) The Gambia in partnership with the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC) in London recently held a three-day Commonwealth West Africa workshop on mangroves. The workshop, which brought together four West African countries -Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Gambia, was held at the Gunjur Beach in Gunjur, West Coast Region.The outcome of the Commonwealth West Africa workshop on mangroves will be presented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Colombo Sri Lanka in November for possible funding for West African Mangroves. Speaking the opening ceremony, Baboucarr Jallow, the principal climate change officer deputising for the minister of Environment, Parks and Wildlife Management, said that the sustainable management and conservation of mangrove ecosystem is an important initiative taken up by the government of The Gambia through its ratification and implementation of the Ramsar Convention and more importantly National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAPS). READ MORE
 
African group addresses mangrove deforestation
KENYA - The Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) is implementing an innovative, small-scale carbon project aimed at enhancing mangrove forest productivity and integrity, by carrying out activities that benefit local communities and that could be eligible for attracting carbon investment. Dubbed Mikoko Pamoja, the project will initially protect 107 ha of mangrove forest at Gazi bay and replant 0.4 ha degraded forest per annum, over a project time-scale of 20 years. Technical Specifications of the project have been accredited by Plan Vivo Carbon to sell 3000t CO2 equivalent/year into the voluntary carbon market, thus generating approximately US$12,000 each year. The profits from selling carbon credits through Mikoko Pamoja are channeled directly to the community in order to finance further mangrove restoration effort, as well as to support community development projects. READ MORE
 
Mangrove conservation pays off for Kenya's coastal communities
KENYA - When Kahindi Charo gathered 30 of his friends to replant mangroves in the 32 square km (12 square mile) Mida Creek area, people in his village of Dabaso in Kilifi County dismissed them as crazy idlers. Charo recalls that back then, in 2000, the creek had suffered badly from unregulated harvesting that had left the area bare, with rotting stumps and patches of old mangrove trees. Today, Mida Creek, about 60 km (38 miles) north of Mombasa, flourishes with dense mangrove plantations that provide a habitat for birds, fish and crabs. There is also a boardwalk leading to a 12-seat eco-restaurant perched beside the Indian Ocean. READ MORE
 
ASIA

Cristiano Ronaldo in Bali to support mangrove preservation
Ronaldo
INDONESIA - Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo plants a mangrove tree in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday to show his support for mangrove preservation. Ronaldo is currently on the Indonesian island of Bali as an ambassador for the Mangrove Care Forum. Fast disappearing mangrove swamps provide crucial protection for coastal areas and Ronaldo says he became involved in preservation efforts after seeing the devastating effects of the 2004 tsunami. VIEW VIDEO
 
Payments for Ecosystem Services in Vietnam's Mangrove Forests
VIETNAM - Vietnam’s mangrove ecosystems are tremendously valuable, providing ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, protection from storms, floods, and erosion, provision of timber and non-timber forest products, processing of waste and nutrient pollution, aquaculture and agriculture support, and habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species. Yet, as in many other parts of the world, short-term development needs are undermining long-term mangrove health and survival. Fortunately, economic mechanisms have the potential to tip the balance toward restoration, maintenance, and protection of mangrove forest. This issue brief summarizes research by the Katoomba Group’s Legal Initiative into key barriers to and opportunities for payments for ecosystem services in Vietnam’s mangrove forests, drawing from the December 2010 report "Roots in the Water: Legal Frameworks for Mangrove PES in Vietnam."  READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Editor’s Note – MAP congratulates PCC on its bold stance on farmed shrimp.
PCC questions its shrimp supply
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USA - Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States — Americans collectively consume more than 1 billion pounds of it every year. About 90 percent is imported from overseas, primarily Asia and Latin America. At PCC we sometimes get questions about the sustainability of this popular seafood. Wild, farmed, imported, domestic ... what's a conscientious shrimp lover to choose? We recommend avoiding imported farmed shrimp. We don't sell it at PCC. Shrimp farms in countries such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil and Ecuador are the number one threat to mangrove forests. These coastal wetlands absorb more greenhouse gases that cause global warming than any other ecosystem on the planet. Mangroves also provide habitat for fish and protect coastlines from damage by storms, hurricanes and tsunamis. This loss of habitat is just one way the foreign shrimp industry depletes wild fisheries and threatens biodiversity. READ MORE
 
Group calls for halt of terminal to be built off Bimini's western shore
BIMINI - Bimini's economic and ecological future depends upon keeping our waters clean, our reefs healthy, and our fisheries thriving. In order to preserve the tourism industry that has sustained these islands for decades, we insist that all current and future development proposals respect and protect the ecological integrity of Bimini and all of our surrounding ecosystems. The current proposal being put forth by Genting's newly acquired Resorts World Bimini Bay calls for the creation of a massive cruise ship terminal off the western shore of North Bimini. These plans include a 1000 ft dock extending west off North Bimini's beaches, the creation of a large man-made island offshore, and an enormous amount of related dredging. All of this is being proposed in an area of densely populated coral reef habitat. The damage to the surrounding reefs will be catastrophic, and the landscape of Bimini will be forever transformed. READ MORE
 
Projects to restore Alafia aquatic life
USA - Nine years after hurricane-whipped waves breached a gypsum-stack berm near Riverview, the corporation that owns the mining operation is paying $5 million for a pair of ambitious projects to restore wetlands and tidal marshes where the Alafia River empties into Hillsborough Bay. The two Mosaic projects are being undertaken along U.S. 41 on the north and south sides of the river bridge, officials announced at a Wednesday news conference held on the south bank of the river. Neither project was connected to the spill, but Mosaic was required to create restoration projects in the area as part of an agreement the phosphate giant made with the government in the wake of the spill.  The more visible project begins next month, when crews will dredge a boat basin on the west side of U.S. 41 just south of the Alafia River bridge. Channels also will be dug from the basin west to reconnect tidal flows that have been disrupted for more than 50 years when a fish-camp owner built the boat basin's seawalls. "The mangroves there are under severe stress," said Robin Lewis, an environmental consultant hired by Mosaic to oversee the projects. Cutting the tidal flow results in "a mangrove heart attack," he said. "That's a sudden death of mangroves due to poor circulation." READ MORE

MAP comments on ASC/Selva Shrimp Certification
Consumers in the global North have been calling for seafood certifications so that they might be able to make conscious decisions about the food they eat, where it comes from, how it is produced, and the impact of production on people and the environment. Although seafood at the supermarket may proudly display labels from the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Marine Stewardship Council, certifying something, most consumers do not know what that certification really means. Worse still, that certification scheme, that label, may not reflect what consumers are after: seafood that is produced with minimal impact on the environment; that supports workers and their livelihoods; and that is safe and wholesome to eat. Mixed shrimp farming-mangrove forestry systems have been gaining the attention of seafood certification organizations and scientific research alike in recent years. This system ideally integrates shrimp farming into the landscape of coastal ecosystems in order to maintain the ecological function of mangrove forests and the surrounding areas while minimizing shrimp disease and providing shrimp farmers with a sustainable livelihood. While this system may sound viable and sustainable, there is a potential for the practice to stray far from what is preached. We at the Mangrove Action Project are particularly concerned that this production system will continue the process of degradation and deforestation of mangroves. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
 
Mislabeling damages consumer trust in seafood
Fish_Label_SFB
UK – The deliberate mislabeling of seafood has the potential to damage an industry valued for its quality and sustainability. Recent press coverage of this issue in the U.K. has raised concerns that weakly enforced supply-chain safety rules and rogue suppliers could have a negative effect on consumer trust, something that would have a direct impact on restaurant sales. The U.K. press coverage has focused on a recent research project, led by Dr. Stefano Mariani from the University of Salford in the U.K., and was published in the peer-reviewed Fish and Fisheries journal. Scientists tested 226 cod products purchased from retailers and restaurant suppliers from Ireland and the U.K., which were genetically identified using a DNA barcoding technique. The results were then compared against product labels. READ MORE
 
OCEANA
 
Fiji to draft plans on mangrove issues
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FIJI - THE draft National Mangrove Management Plan (NMMP) was expected to be completed and submitted by June 30. This was confirmed by one of the local consultants for the plan, Dr Dick Watling who told The Fiji Times the plan needed to be re-looked at in terms of its administrative effectiveness. "The new NMMP is actually much more on the administrative and institutional manner in which mangrove is managed and especially mangrove conversion applications," Dr Watling said. He said the previous plan, which was created in 1985-86, focused more on the zoning of areas of mangroves, but this one would look at how mangroves could be managed more efficiently keeping in mind sustainable development ideals. "That was done at the time because of the need for the Department of Lands to have a better idea quickly of what were the more important areas of mangrove. There has to be, overall, a sustainable framework on management and that's what we'll be looking at now. There is a lot of concern at the moment voiced about the state of mangroves in Fiji." READ MORE
 
LAST WORD
 

Life at MAP – A MAP volunteer shares his story
I have been working with several NGOs in Thailand which work on natural resources management, conservation, and policies. However, it was only until recently that I have heard of the Mangrove Action Project or MAP, with an office in Trang my home town, while I was working in Bangkok.
I have had some experience working with mangroves but MAP changed my perspectives working with mangroves. It made me realize that we must think about and work with nature. We cannot force nature to fit our own objectives. For example, previously I thought creating mangrove monoculture plantation was fine so all I wanted to do was to plant seedlings and hoped that what I planted would grow without thinking about ensuring a suitable environment for mangroves to thrive.  MAP’s Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) project has helped me to understand what kind of environmental conditions are optimal for mangroves to grow. READ MORE


~ WE WELOCME YOUR LETTERS - If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com

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Mangrove Action Project

MAP News Issue 593, March 9, 2024

MAP News Issue #593 - March 9, 2024 Nigeria has Commenced Large-Scale Mangrove Restoraion in Ogoniland Eastern Niger Delta NIGERIA - The...