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Saturday, May 24, 2014

MAP News Issue #339, May 24, 2014

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
339th Edition                                May 24, 2014

Action Alerts:

Petitioning Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, et al - No trans shipping Port Portland Bight Protected Area, Jamaica

Exclusive Interview with Alfredo Quarto, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mangrove Action Project - See more
  
Save the Date! XIV World Forestry Congress, Durban, South Africa, 7–11 September 2015 READ MORE
 
2015 Children’s Art Calendar Competition - Mangrove Action Project wants you to join us as we celebrate our upcoming 22nd Anniversary of MAP’s ongoing efforts to conserve and restore the world’s mangrove forest wetlands. Again, this year we commemorate those efforts via our inspiring children’s art in MAP’s 14th annual Children’s Mangrove Art Contest for the 2015 Calendar year. READ MORE
Calendar artist winners announced in Malaysia
Photo1 
Photo2 
 
Volunteer Needed for Mangrove Ecosystem Monitoring Program READ MORE
 
Your support is needed: Cameroon activists on trial for peaceful
protest against Wall Street land grabber READ MORE
MAP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN THAILAND VIEW REQUIREMENTS

Order your 2014 Calendar
2014cld-300x225 
 
Save the Sundarbans from Rampal power plant – View Sample Letter to Minister
Sign the Petition
 
Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition
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’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE

 


MANGROVE ISSUES 

View New Videos posted by MAP Asia intern, Delphine. CLICK HERE
 
The importance of restoring mangroves in an effective, long-term manner. Mangrove video - VIEW

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


Donate.jpg


Not yet a MAP News subscriber?
Click here to subscribe.



Note to Our Readers:
We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control,
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.

 

download_shipping_label





 

SHARE MAP'S VISION
 MAP Group shot 
 

Dear Friends of the Mangroves,
 
MAP had begun our first crowd funder via Crowdrise, and in the first 10 days we raised nearly $4,000 -- 40% of our goal of $10,000 -- to support the important work of our MAP restoration team in Thailand. Things were looking pretty positive last month that we would reach our goal and then perhaps surpass it. But then we ran into a bit of a wall, where I believe we needed to remind our supporters that our crowd funder was still in process and we still needed your help to reach our modest goal of raising $10,000. Thus, I am now trying to remove that barrier and ask you again to please support MAP so we can support mangrove conservation and recovery via our CBEMR demonstration projects in Thailand.
 
Let me now refresh your memories as to what we are attempting in Thailand for which your donations will be applied:
 
Native mangrove forests have been decimated by unsustainable developments, such as shrimp farming, tourism industry, urban sprawl and agriculture expansion. destroying in the process livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on mangroves for their dwindling artisanal fisheries. Loss of the protective mangrove bioshield also has dangerously exposed villages to tsunamis, typhoons and rising sea levels.
 
The Mangrove Action Project works with local communities to restore degraded mangroves to healthy ecosystems, protecting villages from natural disasters and restoring livelihoods, through MAP's Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration method.
 
Through CBEMR, MAP teaches communities to work with nature by restoring the underlying hydrology that allows mangroves to naturally reseed and re-establish biodiverse forests that support and protect communities and combat climate change. Using CBEMR, MAP has begun restoring mangroves in Asia and Latin America.
 
Your funds will help MAP train local community members to restore abandoned shrimp ponds and degraded mangroves back to healthy ecosystems through CBEMR and then responsibly steward mangroves on which the people depend. Your support will also help MAP assist the involved communities develop sustainable livelihoods for which there are viable local markets.
 
This is much needed and timely work, and I again urge you to donate to MAP and support this work via our Crowdrise fundraiser. Help us reach that $10,000 mark that we have set as our goal! Help us support our MAP Asia team in Thailand. They need your support now! Let's try to surpass the halfway mark tonight by raising that next $1,000 in the next 24 hours!
 
 
Please spread the word by sharing MAP's latest effort to raise awareness of mangroves and the role they play in global climate change mitigation CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea". 
CBEMRsuporting MAPs efforts 
 
FEATURED STORY

As shrimp farms fail, mangroves make a comeback
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INDONESIA - Tanakeke Island, off the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, once had extensive mangrove forests. But more than two-thirds of the mangroves surrounding the island were destroyed to build more than 1,200 hectares of shrimp ponds. Now, with two-third of the shrimp ponds failing or now disused, that process is being reversed, with a surge of mangrove planting. Heavy rains have contributed to severe flooding on the island with increasing regularly over the past few years, helping to push sea water over the dike walls surrounding shrimp farms, and washing the crustaceans out to sea. Many others were killed by a virus at the turn of the century that slashed once substantial revenues from shrimp farming. For more than 20 years, 57-year-old Haeruddin Daeng Ngenjeng, has farmed shrimp and milkfish in aquaculture ponds to supply the seafood export market that developed in the 1980s and 1990s. READ MORE
 
ASIA
 
Burma’s mangroves in danger of extinction
Mangrove-destruction1-Flickr 
BURMA - Thick mangrove forests once lined Burma’s coastline, but in the past 30 years over half of the country’s mangrove forests have been destroyed. Mangrove trees are an essential part of river ecosystems. They protect the riverbanks from soil erosion by acting as a buffer between the land and sea. The long roots provide shelter for breeding fish, shrimp and crabs. Mangroves are also an important natural barrier against floods and storm surges. Aung Win earns his living by cutting down trees in Irrawaddy Division’s Ni Thaung mangrove forest to sell as firewood. He used to be a fisherman but, ironically, due to the destruction of the mangroves, fish levels dropped in the estuary. “In the past we could live by catching fish or frogs. Now, we don’t have enough food in the village so we have to sell firewood to survive,” he said. More than 80 percent of residents in Rangoon use firewood and charcoal for cooking. Up until 1993 most of the city’s charcoal came from Bokalay mangrove forest. Due to severe deforestation the government banned felling of the mangroves in the area. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Bimini locals remain wary over resort's lack of transparency
dredger-a 
BAHAMAS - The Niccolo Machiavelli dredger anchored off Bimini’s pristine and ecologically significant reef system. The 450-foot vessel is to be used as part of the controversial construction of a 1,000 foot pier and ferry terminal by Resorts World Bimini. The developers have agreed, at the urging of a judge, not to start dredging without delivering copies of all the necessary permits and approvals to concerned citizens.BIMINI, The Bahamas -- Concerned citizens who oppose the Resorts World Bimini mega-resort are cautiously celebrating after the developers agreed, at the urging of a judge, not to begin dredging without handing over all the necessary permits. The Bimini Blue Coalition, which initiated a judicial review challenge of the project citing the potential for extensive environmental damage foreshadowed in the company’s own Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), claims if any permits or approvals do exist, they have been granted by the government in secret, despite numerous requests for information.  “We are delighted to know that Resorts World intends to abide by Bahamian law and commend the legal team that has represented us so well,” said the coalition in a statement. “But at the same time, given the lack of transparency thus far on this issue, where the government and the developer are concerned, we are still very wary. READ MORE
 
Canadian eco heroine and wild salmon advocate featured on CBS’ 60 minutes
CANADA - Canadian biologist and wild salmon advocate, was featured on the most successful news magazine in TV history: CBS’ 60 Minutes. Alexandra’s episode was aired May 11, 2014. To watch the entire segment, Click Here. That Alexandra Morton was selected as the spokesperson on the impact of salmon farms by 60 Minutes is a powerful endorsement of her years of research and advocacy for wild salmon. Morton has a long history with salmon farms. In 1984, the first salmon farms appeared in British Columbia. A few years later, Alexandra noticed local wild salmon populations declining, increased disease and sea lice, and the killer whales she was studying abandoned the area. When government refused to address these issues, Morton began publishing numerous scientific papers demonstrating how salmon farms are damaging British Columbia. READ MORE
 
Protest of WWF standards continue
USA - Hundreds of NGOs in Asia, Latin America, Africa, North America and Europe have been protesting for several years against WWF and the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue; its lack of concern for the environment and local peoples' livelihood, the dialogue process that did not involve local resource users nor the NGOs that support them as well as the weak standards that have been diluted in every new version including the ASC version. The CO has just finished an in-depth analysis of the ASC shrimp standard. Each standard has been analysed and compared at various levels - e.g. what is being claimed to what is being audited. Also the various draft versions of the standard have been compared with the final ASC standard. READ MORE
 
As Haiti’s mangroves dwindle, alternative cooking methods rise
HAITI - For decades, deforestation has plagued Haiti, leaving the country today with less than three percent of forests covering the land. Mangroves, tropical trees and shrubs that protect coastlines are no exception. Last week, President Michel Martelly and Environment Minister Jean Francois Thomas launched the second phase of a national reforestation campaign. The campaign’s goals are lofty: to plant more than 116 million fruit and other trees to increase Haiti’s cover to four percent in the next few years. The focus comes after many past failed national and international efforts, and after Haiti’s government last year banned the cutting or selling of mangroves, and the construction, fishing or hunting in what’s left of the country’s depleting forests. This has made briquettes an attractive alternative that some hope may stir change. In the city streets, a container of charcoal, about the size of a gallon and enough to cook about two meals for a family of four, costs about 55 cents in a country where more than half of the population, according to the World Bank, lives on less than $1 a day. But one briquette costs between two and nine cents. READ MORE
 
AFRICA
Mangrove clean-up gets ‘overwhelming’ response
cb8c1a06-41fc-4dfd-a58b-c728eafb2a86 
QATAR - The mangrove clean-up project at Al Thakira and Al Khor on May 30 has received an “overwhelming response”, attracting some 400 volunteers from various expatriate communities. More than 20 organisations and government agencies, including the Qatar Tourism Authority and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), have  vowed to support the iloveqatar.net initiative in a bid to help protect the environment. “We had hoped for around 100 volunteers but we have had nearly 400 registrations,” project leader Anri Taki told Gulf Times. “We had to close down registrations because too many people wanted to participate. It’s absolutely heart-warming to see people of all nationalities banding together to protect one of the few natural green areas in Qatar,” she noted. Although most of the registrants were individual, iloveqatar.net has received many requests from companies and schools to join the clean-up. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
New edition of FAO's “State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” released
3bf9e15f32 
ITALY - More people than ever before rely on fisheries and aquaculture for food and as a source of income, but harmful practices and poor management threaten the sector’s sustainability, says a new FAO report. According to the latest edition of FAO’s The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, global fisheries and aquaculture production totalled 158 million tonnes in 2012 - around 10 million tonnes more than 2010. The rapid expansion of aquaculture, including the activities of small-scale farmers, is driving this growth in production. Fish farming holds tremendous promise in responding to surging demand for food which is taking place due to global population growth, the report says. At the same time, the planet's oceans – if sustainably managed – have an important role to play in providing jobs and feeding the world, according to FAO's report. READ MORE
 
LAST WORD
 

Dear All,
 
I am Dexter M. Cabahug, Jr., Mangrove Specialist  of the B+WISER Program (Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystem Resilience) which is funded by USAID. The B+WISER Program is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) solicited program to the USAID by the Philippine government and being managed by CHEMONICS, a USAID contractor.
 
The Philippine government will convene scientists, academics ,researchers, policy and decision makers, congress, civil society organization (NGOs, POs), Local Government Units and international organizations to national workshop to harmonize the guidelines on the rehabilitation, development and management of mangrove and beach forests in disaster affected areas throughout the country. The workshop will be held on June 26-27, 2014 at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City.
 
We are looking for a Resource Person who has the exposures and experiences in the restoration/rehabilitation of mangrove and beach forests in tsunami affected areas in Aceh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, etc. The RP can able to share the learnings the technical, social, institutional and economic perspective in the success and/or failure in the restoration/rehabilitation of mangrove and beach forest devastated by cyclone, tsunami, flooding and other natural caused disturbances due to climate changes.
 
Please send me unpublished reports or reference materials not yet circulated in web.  Please post in our e-group the profile of prospective Resource Persons.
 
Thank you
 
Dexter M. Cabahug, Jr.
Mangrove Specialist
B+WISER Program
USAID Contractor
Unit 201, 2nd Floor, CTC Building
2232 Roxas Boulevard
Pasay City, Metro Manila.
Tel Nos. +63 2 550-1012/15/16
Fax No. +63 2 552-1696
Mobile +63 916-597-1233
e-mail: dex_cabahug@yahoo.com or orissadmc@gmail.com
Mobile Phone No. 0916- 597-1233
 
 
~ WE WELCOME 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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Please cut and paste these news alerts/ action alerts on to your own lists and contacts. Help us spread the word and further generate letters of concern, as this can make a big difference in helping to halt a wrongdoing or encourage correct action.

 

Mangrove Action Project

Statement by the undersigned members of the network CO on the ASC shrimp standard.



We continue our protest!

Hundreds of NGOs in Asia, Latin America, Africa, North America and Europe have been protesting for several years against WWF and the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue; its lack of concern for the environment and local peoples' livelihood, the dialogue process that did not involve local resource users nor the NGOs that support them as well as the weak standards that have been diluted in every new version including the ASC version

The conversion of mangroves and coastal zones into ponds for shrimp  Cultivation for the export industry has caused severe environmental destruction, depletion of coastal biodiversity and wild fisheries as well as  shoreline erosion. It increases susceptibility to hurricanes and tsunamis and releases massive quantities of carbon, thus contributing to climate change. The large scale use of fishmeal exacerbates all these problems. Coastal populations in tropical countries are severely affected by the loss of livelihood, food security and protection from storms. Protests are often met with human rights abuses. The UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment concludes that it is an economic loss for a country with shrimp farming in wetlands.  Open throughput farming methods are destructive and cannot be called “responsible”. The feed industry is destructive and more fish is used to feed the shrimp than the amount of shrimp that can be harvested, thus worsening food security.

The CO has just finished an in-depth analysis of the ASC shrimp standard. Each standard has been analysed and compared at various levels - e.g. what is being claimed to what is being audited. Also the various draft versions of the standard have been compared with the final ASC standard.
A few results in summary:
P1. Comply with all applicable national and local laws: The ASC certified shrimp does not require compliance with all applicable national and local laws nor international treaties. There is no specification on any laws to adhere to nor to audit.

P2. Site farms in environmentally suitable locations while conserving biodiversity and important natural ecosystems: Farms are allowed to operate inside the intertidal zone and in natural wetlands which can never be considered an environmentally suitable location.

P3. Develop and operate farms with consideration for surrounding communities: Those who have been displaced by shrimp farms are not addressed. Compliance cannot be verified as it depends on a fair p-SIA which will not be available with the audit report. The definition of conflict resolution is unacceptable.

P4. Operate farms with responsible labour practices. The standard only guarantees “minimum wage as applicable”.  But it does not address the vast majority of people working in the shrimp value chain like women and children who are shrimp hatchling collectors, hatchery workers, packers etc.

P5. Manage shrimp health and welfare in a responsible manner. The Principle deals with shrimp health and not food safety. It does not require any test for pesticide or antibiotics residues . It allows antibiotics in hatcheries.

P6. Manage broodstock origin, stock selection and effects of stock management: The miserable condition of women and children who collect wild PL is not addressed.

P7. Use resources in an environmentally efficient and responsible manner. The ASC standard allows the usage of forage-fish as shrimp feed which nullifies any claim on sustainability. Genetically modified ingredients are allowed in feed. Feed with soy from a previous rainforest area may be certified.

The CO network will continue to follow the ASC shrimp certification and its audit on the farms.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

MAP News Issue 338, May 10, 2014

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
338th Edition                                May 10, 2014

Action Alerts:
 

HELP SAVE GOAT ISLANDS - No trans shipping Port Portland Bight Protected Area, Jamaica Sign The Petition
 
Exclusive Interview with Alfredo Quarto, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mangrove Action Project - See more
  
Save the Date! XIV World Forestry Congress, Durban, South Africa, 7–11 September 2015 READ MORE
 
2015 Children’s Art Calendar Competition - Mangrove Action Project wants you to join us as we celebrate our upcoming 22nd Anniversary of MAP’s ongoing efforts to conserve and restore the world’s mangrove forest wetlands. Again, this year we commemorate those efforts via our inspiring children’s art in MAP’s 14th annual Children’s Mangrove Art Contest for the 2015 Calendar year. READ MORE
Calendar artist winners announced in Malaysia
Photo1 
Photo2 
 
Volunteer Needed for Mangrove Ecosystem Monitoring Program READ MORE
 
Your support is needed: Cameroon activists on trial for peaceful
protest against Wall Street land grabber READ MORE
MAP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN THAILAND VIEW REQUIREMENTS

Order your 2014 Calendar
2014cld-300x225 
 
Save the Sundarbans from Rampal power plant – View Sample Letter to Minister
Sign the Petition
 
Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition
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’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE

 


MANGROVE ISSUES 

View New Videos posted by MAP Asia intern, Delphine. CLICK HERE
 
The importance of restoring mangroves in an effective, long-term manner. Mangrove video - VIEW

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


Donate.jpg


Not yet a MAP News subscriber?
Click here to subscribe.



Note to Our Readers:
We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control,
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.

 

download_shipping_label





 

FEATURED STORY
 

SHARE MAP'S VISION
 MAP Group shot 
 

Hello Friends,
 
Our CrowdFunding effort is still going for the next few weeks. In our first 10 days, we attained about 40% of our projected goal in raising $10,000 to support MAP's important conservation and restoration efforts in Thailand. The work there will act as a needed working model for other similar work in other nations where mangroves are needing restoration and long-term conservation. I again ask your help in donating and sharing the work on our Crowdrise fundraiser. Please help us move past the halfway mark as we hope we can do by May 13th. Your help and involvement with MAP is important to us!
 
Please spread the word by sharing MAP's latest effort to raise awareness of mangroves and the role they play in global climate change mitigation CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea". 
CBEMRsuporting MAPs efforts
 

ASIA
 
P1 billion fund for mangrove rehab 'misguided,' scientists warn
PHILIPPINES - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR's) P1 billion fund allotted for mangrove and beach forest reforestation across the country—most of which is set to be spent on Yolanda-affected areas—is misguided and “even risky”, scientists said. The DENR allotted P1 billion for the "massive reforestation of mangrove and beach forest across the country." Eastern Visayas would get a "sizeable chunk" of the project budget, according to a DENR report. President Benigno Aquino III also sent a directive in November last year to restore the mangroves to serve as a buffer against future storms. But in a recent survey, local scientists discovered that mangroves in Leyte and Eastern Samar were hardly damaged by super typhoon Yolanda. This is not to say that the mangroves are not in need of protection, they said, but are in a more sustainable state than warrants such a massive influx of funds —especially considering the lives that still need to be rebuilt in the aftermath of the storm. READ MORE
 
Phuket marina canal dredging stirs ire
THAILAND – The 12-million-baht project to deepen the Koh Kaew Canal and the existing approach channel from Phang Nga Bay has come under fire by villagers who claim that the method of dredging is endangering mangroves, marine life and residents’ livelihoods. The project, aimed primarily at facilitating large-boat access to two private marinas – Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina – will dredge the 1.6-kilometer-long canal and the 3.6km approach channel so that they are two meters deep at low tide. The dredging was approved at a public hearing in January  and the six-month project started in March. Recenly, roughly a month later, Jitti Intaracharoen of the Phuket Farmer’s Council filed a complaint with Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut as he toured a shrimp farm in Pa Khlok. “The problem with a certain kind of dredging is that it increases the concentration of nutrients in the water, which can stimulate plant and algae growth and decrease the amount of oxygen in the water. This causes fish and plants – like mangroves – to die,” Mr Jitti said. – READ MORE
 
UNWTO Project Delivers Climate Adaptation, Mangrove Protection
INDONESIA - Participants at the Sustainable Tourism through Energy Efficiency with Adaptation and Mitigation Measures (STREAM) project conference recognized its contributions to climate change adaptation, energy efficiency and coral reef and mangrove protection in Pangandaran, West Java, Indonesia.  The project, a collaboration between the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries, represents an example of how the tourism sector is engaging communities to fight climate change and restore coral reefs and mangrove forests. Climate change is already affecting the tourism sector, according to Márcio Favilla, UNWTO. Favilla said STREAM's results are “an exceptional example of how tourism can be an effective tool in the fight against climate change, protecting natural resources while leading to inclusive development of local communities and fruitful cross-sector cooperation.” READ MORE
 
Burma’s mangroves in danger of extinction
BURMA - Thick mangrove forests once lined Burma’s coastline, but in the past 30 years over half of the country’s mangrove forests have been destroyed. Mangrove trees are an essential part of river ecosystems. They protect the riverbanks from soil erosion by acting as a buffer between the land and sea. The long roots provide shelter for breeding fish, shrimp and crabs. Mangroves are also an important natural barrier against floods and storm surges. Aung Win earns his living by cutting down trees in Irrawaddy Division’s Ni Thaung mangrove forest to sell as firewood. He used to be a fisherman but, ironically, due to the destruction of the mangroves, fish levels dropped in the estuary. “In the past we could live by catching fish or frogs. Now, we don’t have enough food in the village so we have to sell firewood to survive,” he said. More than 80 percent of residents in Rangoon use firewood and charcoal for cooking. Up until 1993 most of the city’s charcoal came from Bokalay mangrove forest. Due to severe deforestation the government banned felling of the mangroves in the area. READ MORE
 
Clearing of mangroves caused floods'
MALAYSIA - The recent tidal flooding which affected more that  30 households in Kampung Sungai Batu, near here, could have been avoided if repeated warnings against the clearing of mangrove forests along Perak’s coastline had not been ignored. Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said he had voiced his concern over the issue as early as 2007, where he told Berita Harian that the destruction of mangrove forests would remove a natural barrier against coastal erosion and tidal surges. “Unfortunately, the land clearing activities continued and it was only a matter of time before high tides flooded the inland areas,” said Meor Razak. He said the mangrove forests acted as a buffer that “absorb” incoming tidal waves, effectively stopping the tidal floods from coming inland. READ MORE
 
Mangroves take spotlight during Ocean Month
mangrove-298x224 
PHILIPPINES - Mangroves take center stage in the observance in May of the “Month of the Ocean” as environment officials draw attention to their role as natural barriers against tsunamis and storm surges during extreme weather events. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the activities for Ocean Month would emphasize the important role that mangroves play in protecting coastal communities. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Mangroves protect. Protect mangroves,” said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. In a statement, Paje said the theme was timely and significant in light of the destruction wrought by Supertyphoon Yolanda, the strongest tropical typhoon ever to make landfall, which devastated Eastern Visayas last November. “Unfortunate the disaster may have been, Yolanda undoubtedly was an instant education for the Filipino people on what storm surges are, and was a rude awakening of sorts on the state of our coastal communities and their lack of protection from these natural events,” Paje said. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Environmentalists say pristine dive sites will be destroyed as ‘Reef Destroyer’ arrives in Bimini
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BAHAMAS - A mammoth seafloor dredger, dubbed ‘The Reef Destroyer’ by local environmentalists, has arrived in Bimini as developers forge ahead with construction of a controversial ferry terminal despite a top judge’s stern warning. The 450-foot, 1,200 ton Niccolo Machiavelli is a specialized cutter-suction dredger designed to break up hard material which standard dredgers cannot remove. It is among the most powerful machines of its kind, and is set to be unleashed on one of the most pristine and significant marine ecosystems in the world, environmentalists say. “That monster dredger cannot be allowed to tear up the seabed off the coast of North Bimini,” said Fred Smith, QC, attorney and one of the directors of fast-growing environmental movement Save The Bays. “There are 14 world-class dive sites and some of the most sensitive and important reef systems on earth there - many of them directly in the developers’ intended path of destruction. READ MORE
 
Group announces the release of a new mangrove forest rehabilitation handbook
USA – Roy R. “Robyn” Lewis III, and Ben Brown recently announced the release of their collaborative effort on ecological mangrove rehabilitation – a field manual for practitioners. The 275 page project is made possible via support the Mangrove Action Project, Canadian International Development Agency and OXFAM and many others. The document can be accessed and downloaded for free at www.mangroverestoration.com   It represents the 101st file posted for free download at that web site. Look under "downloads" and go to download #80. The manual will be regularly revised based upon review and input by readers, so feel free to provide comments to the authors at seagrassroots@gmail.com READ MORE
 
Growing shrimp in America’s Dairyland
USA – America’s Dairyland might seem an unlikely place for growing some of the country’s favorite seafood. Wisconsin’s first indoor shrimp farm is located in the heart of the Kickapoo Valley, where the organic food industry is booming. The family-owned Dairyland Shrimp raises Pacific White shrimp year-round in a large red building near downtown Westby. The heaters, fans and water pumps hum loudly and keep the room, which houses four saltwater tanks, at a balmy 93 degrees. Forbes Adams is a former excavating contractor who was looking for a new line of work when he stumbled across the idea of inland shrimp farming. Adam visited an Indiana shrimp farm and was hooked. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
 
RAMSAR begins accepting nominations for Outstanding Wetlands Protection
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The Ramsar Convention, the lead implementation partner for the Convention on Biological Diversity regarding wetlands, recently announced the acceptance of nominations for 2015 Ramsar Convention Wetlands Awards. The Ramsar Secretariat invites NGO leaders and others to consider nominating individuals, organizations, or initiatives as per the criteria given. The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has launched a call for nominations for the sixth edition of the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards, which will be presented at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in June 2015. Three Awards will be given – each with the Evian Special Prize of US$10,000 kindly offered by the DANONE Group – in the following categories:
a) The Ramsar Convention Award for Wetland Wise Use
b) The Ramsar Convention Award for Wetland Innovation
c) The Ramsar Convention Award for Young Wetland Champions
The Ramsar Secretariat invites all recipients of this message to consider whether they know of suitable individuals, organizations, or initiatives that could be nominated, as well as to disseminate this call widely within their network, so as to attract as many good nominations as possible. For more information regarding the Criteria and Procedures for the Award, nomination forms, as well as on previous editions of the Awards please consult the Ramsar web site.  The deadline for the receipt of nominations is 15 July 2014. Nominations should be sent to the Ramsar Secretariat.

AFRICA
 
Cameroon steps up war on malaria amid worsening floods
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CAMEROON - Cameroon is seeking ways to mobilise its citizens to support a government-led campaign against soaring malaria deaths, as worsening floods aggravate health risks. Government officials in the central-west African country say regular flooding due to erratic rains is partly responsible for the recent spike in deaths from vector-borne diseases, because standing water encourages malaria-carrying mosquitoes to breed. According to Cameroon’s minister of public health, André Mama Fouda, Cameroon saw the distribution of free treated mosquito nets rise from 33 percent of the population in 2011 to 66 percent in 2013. But the death rate has paradoxically increased, indicating the need to accompany net handouts with messages about the environment and good hygiene practices. “Exerting unprecedented control over the unfriendly behaviour of people towards the environment is key to succeeding in the fight against malaria and other vector-borne diseases,” the minister said. Environmentalists have blamed Douala’s tendency to flooding on the exploitation of mangrove forests near the coast by fishermen who cut down trees to smoke fish, leaving the shore bare of vegetation and removing protection against storm surges and sea-level rise. READ MORE
  

LAST WORD
 

Dear friends:
 
WRM is pleased to announce the launch of a new publication: “Trade in Ecosystem Services. When payment for environmental services delivers a permit to destroy
 
The payment and trade of ‘environmental services’ is a trend promoted by the financial sector, the multilateral banks, conservationist organizations, governments and other institutions under the false argument that calculating the monetary value (or price) of natural functions like water purification, storage of carbon in vegetation and soils, the scenic beauty or biological diversity of a place will somehow help conserve Nature. This new advance of capital seeks to make visible for financial markets new aspects of Nature not yet dominated by capital. This new publication looks at the concept of ‘Payment for Environmental Services’ in its current cloths; examines some of the claims made by those who argue that putting a price on Nature is the only way to save Nature; shows who some of the actors are, and what motivates their interest in PES. Above all, the briefing is a contribution to documenting how this latest version of the PES theory is playing out on the ground, in the territories that forest communities depend on for their livelihood and way of life.
 
The English version can be accessed HERE
 
The publication is also available in
French
Portuguese
and Spanish
 
Please feel free to send us your comments and suggestions.
 
Best regards,
The WRM Team
 
 
 
~ WE WELCOME 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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