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Saturday, October 27, 2012

SPECIAL MAP News Issue 300, Oct 27, 2012

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The MAP News
SPECIAL 300th Edition                                 Oct 27, 2012
Action Alerts:

MAP's 2013 Children's Mangrove Art Calendars are nearly ready!

Children's Calendar 2013
We are now taking pre-orders! Please order your calendars now, so we can better judge how many to print!
20 or more- $8 / calendar
10-19 - $10/ calendar
less than 10 - $14 each
(Prices include shipping)



MAP Asia Intern Wanted – Closing Date Nov 16, 2012 View Job Description

Support MAP's Efforts

CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART
 READ MORE

MAP Calendar Sponsors Still Needed – Help support next year’s calendar now. READ MORE

Donate.jpg

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 

MANGROVE BOOK – J. Primavera
The book Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines by J.H. Pimavera and R.B. Sadaba (ISBN 978-971-9931-01-0; National Library  CIP QK938.C6  581.75109599  2012  P220120602) is now available. aves, flowers, fruits, utilization and silviculture
.
SEE POSTER and order instructions

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
 


"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, Alfrodo 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, occassionally 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.



One Percent for the Planet Recipient Logo



EmailGraphic
Help Mangrove Action Project submit 100 or more e-waste items by October 31st & we will receive a 10% donation bonus*!  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
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MAP NEWS 300TH ISSUE
USA – Mangrove Action Project’s bimonthly “Late Friday News” is celebrating its 300th electronic issue; more than 11 years of recapping important news events and calls to action for issues surrounding mangroves, tropical forests, and the people who depend on them.  Over the course of these years, many things have changed, some for the better, in the mangrove conservation and restoration fields. Sadly, many issues still remain: shrimp farming and illegal logging still threaten the health of the world’s mangrove forests, and the traditional ways of life for many coastal people continue to erode. However, in an encouraging shift in awareness, not only are mangrove forests more widely valued, more groups and organizations have become actively involved in their protection and restoration. MAP is proud to have been a positive part in this renewal, and we hope that over the course of the next 300 issues, we can continue to see this type of progress. Throughout this issue, look for “Headlines from the Past” which highlight some of the milestones and challenges which have been part of the landscape over the years. BROWSE NEWS ARCHIVE

AMERICAS

Headlines from the Past – MARCH 2003 - The First Annual Mangrove Action Day!

MAP’s curriculum – the past ten years
Cayman kids oil spill
CAYMAN ISLANDS - In the ten years since the last anniversary issue MAP’s mangrove curriculum has expanded well beyond the borders of its origins in the Caribbean. Working with like-minded ENGOs and government agencies around the world, the curriculum is now being taught in eight countries – ranging from Guatemala to China and from Brazil to Sri Lanka. We estimate that over 1500 teachers have taught more than 200,000 students in that time frame. In each country MAP Global Education Director, Martin Keeley, follows the same successful pattern. First and foremost it is essential to find a local partner with whom to work. READ MORE

Headlines from the Past – APRIL 2001 - Is shrimp farming destroying mangroves? Indonesia's mangroves account for up to 23% of mangroves worldwide

Group denounces Fisheries Act  unconstitutional
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HONDURAS - The executive director of the Committee for the Defense of Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca (Codefagolf), Jorge Varela, denounced the killing of 13 fishermen and destruction of mangroves in the Pacific waters of Honduras. Varela criticized that "the new Fisheries Act is another example of appeasement that characterizes this government and states it is because  it is the manner in which they are saying that the "concessions" that have occurred, the public territories that have been given for shrimp farms are made- they are sold, leased, inherited, basically treated like private property. "
"This is a tremendous attack, because the Constitution is useless again, Article 107 of the Constitution prohibits foreign corporations enclaves established in our shores and there are several companies that procure shrimp from other countries. That's one of the problems we have, "he added. READ MORE

Headlines from the Past – AUGUST 2001 - Northwestern Mangroves In India: At The Verge Of Extermination

Editor’s Note - This story is about work MAP was involved in Ell Salvador when MAP partnered with EcoViva there in 2011. The message is that our training workshop and intervention there was a success and MAP was able to inspire local community follow-up, local government and local NGO support for the EMR concept and method. This is truly satisfying to see EMR, or at least a version thereof being implemented after our workshop! This is the kind of result we are looking for.
Communities Organise to Confront Climate Change in El Salvador
EL SAVADORE - Armed with chainsaws, machetes and shovels, local residents of El Salvador’s Lower Lempa River Basin, near the Pacific Ocean, are unblocking the flow of rivers and pruning the branches of trees on riverbanks to keep them from falling into the chocolate-colored water. One team is working on clearing the El Espino River. Another is doing the same in El Borbollón, also located in the Lower Lempa River Basin in the department of Usulután, in southwest El Salvador. When the water flows more freely, there is less chance of the rivers overflowing and flooding nearby crops, an increasingly frequent occurrence due to alterations in the cycle of rains and dry spells. Several kilometres to the south, in the mangrove forests of Jiquilisco Bay, Brenda Arely Sánchez walks waist-deep in water along a channel in the Cuche de Monte swamp, which she and a small army of women have reopened with machetes in order to improve the flow of saltwater and promote the recovery of the mangrove trees. READ MORE

Headlines from the Past  OCT 2001 - Report: Aquaculture imports to target U.S. seafood market

Pacific iron fertilisation is 'blatant violation' of international regulations
CANADA - A controversial American businessman dumped around 100 tonnes of iron sulphate into the Pacific Ocean as part of a geoengineering scheme off the west coast of Canada in July, a Guardian investigation can reveal. Lawyers, environmentalists and civil society groups are calling it a "blatant violation" of two international moratoria and the news is likely to spark outrage at a United Nations environmental summit taking place in India this week. Satellite images appear to confirm the claim by Californian Russ George that the iron has spawned an artificial plankton bloom as large as 10,000 square kilometres. The intention is for the plankton to absorb carbon dioxide and then sink to the ocean bed – a geoengineering technique known as ocean fertilisation that he hopes will net lucrative carbon credits. READ MORE
 
Climate scientists urge protection of coastal ecosystems
USA - Climate scientists in the United States are calling for greater protection of coastal ecosystems following a study that shows them to be major absorbers of CO2. They say the destruction of systems like mangrove swamps, may release more than one billion tonnes of carbon into atmosphere every year and contributes significantly to climate change. Ben Gruber reports. VIEW REPORT

AFRICA 

Headlines from the Past – JUNE 2003 - MAP Advisor Wins International Award

Iran shrimp exports to hit $350m
IRAN - About USD 210 million worth of aquatics were exported in the past Iranian year (ended March 20) and the figure is expected to exceed USD 350 million in the current year.  Head of Iran Fishery Organization Gholamreza Razaqi said on Wednesday that more than 800 metric tons (MT) of aquatic products are planned to be produced this year while the figure for the past year was 663,000 MT, IRNA reported. The official also said that development of aquatic breeding sector is one of the top priorities of agricultural sector, pointing out that implementation of cage fish farming projects is among the objectives pursued by the organization. He referred to China, South Korea, European and neighbor countries as the main destinations for Iran's aquatic exports. READ MORE

ASIA

Headlines from the Past – MAY 2002 – MAP opens new regional office in Thailand.

Kayak Eco-tourism Training a Huge Success in Thailand
MAP kayak class
THAILAND - It is clear that the success of conservation initiatives is contingent on the communities that live with and depend on declining resources worldwide. Without the support and initiative of local communities, conservation projects continually fail to meet their objectives, wasting precious time and effort. This is why it is not only important to gain local support of conservation projects, but to increase the sustainability of local livelihoods that can ease pressure off of the natural resources. Community-based tourism can play an important role here. It is a great way to bring money, new experiences and new perspectives to communities. From September 29th to 30th, we at MAP Asia had an opportunity to work with a village in Koh Phra Thong to help develop their budding homestay program. Ta Pae Yoi, a small fishing community is found on the east coast of Koh Phra Thong, an island on the Andaman coast here in Thailand. Against a stunning mountainous backdrop the mangroves grow in dense thickets around the island. While we spent some time discussing the important details, costs and logistics of their new program, the real fun was during the day when we worked with John Gray Sea Canoe  and Andaman Discoveries training local kayak tour guides. READ MORE

Asian Seafood Raised on Pig Feces Approved for U.S. Consumers
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VIETNAM – At Ngoc Sinh Seafoods Trading & Processing Export Enterprise, a seafood exporter on Vietnam’s southern coast, workers stand on a dirty floor sorting shrimp one hot September day. There’s trash on the floor, and flies crawl over baskets of processed shrimp stacked in an unchilled room in Ca Mau. Elsewhere in Ca Mau, Nguyen Van Hoang packs shrimp headed for the U.S. in dirty plastic tubs. He covers them in ice made with tap water that the Vietnamese Health Ministry says should be boiled before drinking because of the risk of contamination with bacteria. Vietnam ships 100 million pounds of shrimp a year to the U.S. That’s almost 8 percent of the shrimp Americans eat. READ MORE

Headlines from the Past – NOVEMBER 2002 - Community-Based Forest Management is not only possible, it is essential


Japan ban on Indian shrimp boosts Thai exports
JAPAN - Thai shrimp exporters will enjoy a windfall as Japan has found ethoxyquin contamination in imports from India. "Shrimp exports from India have been banned because of the use of antibiotics, which Vietnam and China are also doing," said Somsak Praneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association Japan has toughened inspections of shrimp from Vietnam and China for ethoxyquin residue levels exceeding its limits. The problem has caused Japan to order more Thai shrimp. Shrimp farmers in Thailand use more pro-biotic medicine instead of antibiotics.  Thai shrimp exporters will enjoy a windfall as Japan has found ethoxyquin contamination in imports from India "Shrimp exports from India have been banned because of the use of antibiotics, which Vietnam and China are also doing," said Somsak Praneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association. Japan has toughened inspections of shrimp  from Vietnam and China for ethoxyquin residue levels exceeding its limits. The problem has caused Japan to order more Thai shrimp. Shrimp farmers in Thailand use more pro-biotic medicine instead of antibiotics. READ MORE

EUROPE

Headlines from the Past – DECEMBER 2002 - World Coral Reefs to Die by 2050, Scientist Warns

European Commission biofuels proposal threatens wetlands and climate goals
BELGIUM – The European Commission announced yesterday that it will not consider indirect land use change (ILUC) in sustainability requirements for biofuels. Wetlands International is deeply disappointed. This proposal undermines the objective of EU biofuels policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While the additional decision to limit the use of food crops as fuel is welcome, the omission of ILUC factors has direct detrimental consequences for both wetlands and climate. As part of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), the European Commission was required to review the impact of ILUC on greenhouse gas emissions and propose legislative action for minimising that impact. Wetlands International has consistently called on the Commission to support the inclusion of ILUC factors in order to account for the full climate impacts of biofuels. The Commission proposal fails to address these serious issues and we call on the European Parliament and Member States to do so. READ MORE


LAST WORD

What? No Last Word?
 

~ 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, October 26, 2012

Group Denounces Fisheries Act as unconstitutional

HONDURAS - The executive director of the Committee for the Defense of Flora and Fauna of the Gulf of Fonseca (Codefagolf), Jorge Varela, denounced the killing of 13 fishermen and destruction of mangroves in the Pacific waters of Honduras. Varela criticized that "the new Fisheries Act is another example of appeasement that characterizes this government and states it is because it is the manner in which they are saying that the "concessions" that have occurred, the public territories that have been given for shrimp farms are made- they are sold, leased, inherited, basically treated like private property. "
"This is a tremendous attack, because the Constitution is useless again, Article 107 of the Constitution prohibits foreign corporations enclaves established in our shores and there are several companies that procure shrimp from other countries. That's one of the problems we have, "he added. He said that in that area of ​​the country, a reported 13 murders of fishermen have been recorded, although there may be more unreported. He charged that these murders are usually covered with a gift of some 30 000 lempiras (U.S. $ 3,500) or with a temporary job that give the bereaved relatives. He insisted that the betrayal that occurs with the Fisheries Act also occurs with the Mining Act, which also causes the exact same situation. "With the concessions given to mining companies, public lands will be able to be sold, rented, inherited, transferred by any measure. This illicit giveaway of public lands and resources has further tainted this government. Apart from the cities model, this is the largest act of anti patriotism that characterized the president of the National Congress (Juan Hernandez), who really seems to be a stateless person with that of the model cities ", he questioned. In this regard, said that "worth more that have not yet adopted the Mining Act and the Fisheries Act because that is the last straw and who knows how many laws are delivering our territory." On the other hand, said that in the rainy season the destruction of mangroves decreases in the dry season starts which is from November, when the rains come and the land is dry there are restarts mangrove destruction. He said that almost all marine species in the Gulf of Fonseca are at risk, because there is no fisheries management, no general management. He said more about the wild shrimp fishery, claimng it is under the same conditions, as the absence of a fisheries management, there are hundreds of miles of power without control and without any study. As for marine farmed shrimp, said the biggest problem at the moment "is impunity in the killings that have occurred in the Gulf of Fonseca, therefore reiterate my advice to businesses and government about shrimp- Do not let this new crime go unpunished. "

Saturday, October 13, 2012

MAP NEWS 299 Oct 13, 2012

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
299th Edition                                 Oct 13, 2012

Action Alerts:

Sign the petition to protect hawksbills in El Salvador CLICK HERE

MAP Asia Intern Wanted – Closing Date Nov 16, 2012 View Job Description

Support MAP's Efforts

CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART
 READ MORE

MAP Calendar Sponsors Still Needed – Help support next year’s calendar now. READ MORE

Donate.jpg

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 

MANGROVE BOOK – J. Primavera
The book Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines by J.H. Pimavera and R.B. Sadaba (ISBN 978-971-9931-01-0; National Library  CIP QK938.C6  581.75109599  2012  P220120602) is now available. aves, flowers, fruits, utilization and silviculture
.
SEE POSTER and order instructions

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
 


"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, Alfrodo 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.



One Percent for the Planet Recipient Logo



EmailGraphic

Help Mangrove Action Project submit 100 or more e-waste items by October 31st & we will receive a 10% donation bonus*!  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

North Sumatra Fishermen See Mangroves in Their Future
20120924113714083
Fishermen in North Sumatra’s Langkat district have begun replanting mangroves on 1,200 hectares of coastal land previously cleared for oil palm plantations. Activists from the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen’s Association (KNTI) and the Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara) said at a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday that they hoped to restore the mangrove ecosystem in Pangkalan Berandan subdistrict and possibly set aside 300 hectares as a conservation area. Tajuruddin Hasibuan, head of the KNTI’s Sumatra chapter, said fishermen in seven villages in the area were involved in the initiative. “When you consider how important the mangrove ecosystem is to the traditional fishermen, you need to consistently fight against the expansion of oil palm plantations in the area,” he said. “We realize that what we’re doing is just the start, and that there are other areas where plantations are expanding and mangrove swamps are deteriorating.” READ MORE
 
AFRICA
 

Nigeria oil spills: Shell rejects liability claim
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NIGERIA - The Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell has rejected claims by four Nigerian farmers that it should pay compensation for damage to their land. The farmers are suing the company in a civil court in The Hague, claiming oil spills ruined their livelihoods. Shell's lawyers told the court it could not be held liable because most spills were caused by criminal damage. They said repairs were hard to carry out because of insecurity in the Niger Delta. Shell lawyer Jan de Bie Leuveling Tjeenk told the court that sabotage and oil theft were widespread in the region. he case is being brought against Shell by the farmers and the Dutch arm of the environmental group Friends of the Earth. If their case is successful it could pave the way for thousands of other compensation claims, says the BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague. READ MORE


Activist Groups Denounce Bio-Economy and Sustainable Biomass Myth On International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations
SOUTH AFRICA - On the occasion of the International Day of Protest Against Monoculture Tree Plantations, the Global Forest Coalition, Biofuelwatch, Critical Information Collective and Global Justice Ecology Project warn against EU and US plans to expand the bio-economy. The new industrial bio-economy being promoted as a so-called solution to the climate crisis assumes incorrectly that massive amounts of additional biomass could be produced sustainably in order to be burned for industrial and commercial electricity and heat, or processed to replace petroleum fuels used in transportation or various manufacturing and industrial processes. Evidence proves that increasing demand for biomass, and the land on which to produce it, is contributing to staggering increases in food prices, leading to hunger and malnutrition. It is also encouraging land grabs, displacing and undermining the livelihoods of peasant communities and Indigenous Peoples, and triggering greater forest and biodiversity loss. Furthermore, the belief that using biomass to replace fossil fuels is 'climate friendly' has been soundly refuted. While industrial proponents claim it is 'carbon neutral', scientists have shown that it may take decades or even centuries for new trees to reabsorb the carbon released into the atmosphere through the combustion of biomass-based fuels. READ MORE
 
ASIA
 
Insecticides kill shrimp, fish and humans
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VIETNAM - ALTACH 5EC, VIFURAN, the pesticides with high toxicity, and even FASTAC 5EC, FURADAN, which have been prohibited by competent agencies, have been sold well in Mekong Delta, where farmers here have “invented” a new method to catch fish, shrimp and animals using the chemicals. A bottle of pesticide is enough for a section of river Truong An commune in Vinh Long province has been well known for using pesticides to catch aquatic creatures. It took reporters a couple of weeks to make acquaintance with the local boys, who were spraying pesticide at the Tan Nhon Bridge. “ALTACH 5EC just can be used to catch shrimp, lobsters and some small fish near the shore. If you want to catch birds, storks or eels, you need VIFURAN. All animals would be killed if they eat this chemical,” one of the boy explained. Just five minutes after the boys sprayed the pesticide to the river, shrimp began floating on the surface of the river. The boys then went picking up the dead shrimp and fish with paddles. READ MORE
 
Ricoh goes eco at Nature Park
MALAYSIA - In Peninsular Malaysia, mangrove forests are commonly found along the west coast. These forests provide migratory bird with a safe resting haven during their transcontinental migrations. Unfortunately, our coastal mangroves have dwindled over the years due to, among others, climatic change, pollution and rapid development. Understanding the importance of mangroves, Ricoh Malaysia recently fulfilled its corporate social responsibility by organising a mangrove sapling planting activity at the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP), here. The activity was an initiative to conserve the environment under its "Go Eco with Ricoh" campaign. About 40 participants comprising Ricoh staff, customers and suppliers joined in the event. In collaboration with Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Ricoh was determined to make its mangrove rehabilitation programme, "Much About Mangroves", a success. READ MORE
 
Sharing Lessons on Mangrove Restoration
INDIA - The Ministry of Environment and Forests of India, together with Mangroves for the Future, a regional initiative to promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation for sustainable development, convened a Regional Colloquium at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu, 30-31 August, 2012, to share lessons on mangrove conservation, restoration and rehabilitation. Representatives from nine countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam, together with experts from Australia, Denmark, Germany and United States, participated in the Colloquium. After reviewing lessons learned from mangrove restoration and planting projects undertaken since the 2004 tsunami, guidelines for good practices in mangrove restoration and rehabilitation were discussed, with a focus on the need for community involvement, benefit-sharing and livelihood improvement, long-term monitoring and accountability.  The Colloquium also considered the role that mangroves can play in climate change adaptation and mitigation, including their potential contribution to ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction. READ MORE
 
Impacts of climate change already felt in Bangladesh
BANGLADESH - Could less rainfall than before for the major part of the monsoon and sudden downpour for a few hours be considered an impact of the climate change to prove the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report right? Local environmental experts here have nodded in favour of this view. Involved here are not only the change in monsoon wind that sweeps from across the Bay of Bengal up to the Himalayas but also the erratic rainfall pattern it causes with all kinds of adverse impacts on the life and livelihoods of people of vast areas of the sub-continent where Bangladesh features prominently. As much as 333 milimetre (mm) of rainfall in just six hours and 341 mm in 24 hours, as happened in Dhaka on July 28, 2009 and on a day in 2004 respectively are indeed a cause for serious concern. The worries over rainfall become graver still as the yearly amount of rainfall on this part of the world becomes thinner. READ MORE
 
Indonesia Ready Nagoya Protocol Ratification
INDONESIA - Indonesia says ready to ratify the Nagoya Protocol at the end of 2012. It was announced by the Indonesian delegation at the plenary meeting of the High-Level Conference on Biodiversity The 11 in Hyderabad, India, October 8 to 19 2012. “The most important is the operationalization of ratification. There needs to be a change in Indonesian conservation agenda, particularly in relation to adopting and involve knowledge and traditional knowledge in conservation. Also protect the rights of the conservation area, “said Secretary General of the People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice Riza Damanik contacted from Jakarta, Wednesday (10/10/2012). On the same day, Damanik doing a press conference with representatives of civil society from India, South America, and the group of African countries. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
 
Editor’s Note: MAP Board of Directors member Robin Lewis (Professional Wetland Scientist #725) was concerned about the science behind this article. He writes “Fatally flawed analyses in my opinion. Watch as they apply the same bad idea to mangroves. It really depends on the RATE of sea level rise and how well salt marshes, mangroves and seagrasses keep up with SLR and when replaced, how well seagrasses move into former mangrove and salt marsh areas. Ideas a little too exotic for simple analyses at this point.”
Salt marshes to absorb carbon to 2050, but emit it later
NORWAY - Salt marshes around the world's coasts will help slow climate change until about 2050 by soaking up greenhouse gases but then risk making the problem even worse as sea levels rise, a study showed recently. Plants such as grasses and shrubs - which thrive in salt marshes found from India to the United States - absorb heat-trapping carbon from the air. Much of it then ends up buried in sediment where it no longer stokes global warming. "The net impact of temperature warming and sea level rise is to increase carbon burial rates in the first half of the twenty-first century," researchers in the journal Nature wrote. Beyond about 2050, rising sea levels would start water logging plants however, the study said, halting the transfer of carbon into the muddy sediment. "At some point too much flooding is bad," lead author Matthew Kirwan at the University of Virginia told Reuters. Initially, gradually rising sea levels caused by temperature increases that will melt ice on land and make water in the oceans expand, would help wetland plants grow better. Flooding brings in more nutrients and washes out toxins. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
El Salvador in battle against tide of climate change
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EL SALVADORE - Rising sea levels and deforestation have destroyed the mangrove crops that villagers depend on to survive. The forest of towering, dead mangrove trees stretches along the beach as far as the eye can see. As the crashing waves rise and fall, short stumps emerge and vanish beneath the Pacific Ocean. Climate change has come early to the Bajo Lempa region of western El Salvador. A tiny rise in the sea level has, according to local people, seen about 1,000ft of the mangroves on which they depend vanish beneath the ocean since 2005. Another 1,500ft remains between the Pacific and their village, La Tirana. No one, it seems, knows how long it will take before the waves reach their homes. But even now, the rising waters are ruining the villagers' meagre livelihood. At low tide each day, the men in this community of 22 families wade through the mud collecting punche, a local species of crab. READ MORE
 
B.C. Supreme Court upholds right of anti-salmon farm activist to make defamatory remarks
CANADA - Activist Don Staniford had the right to make defamatory comments about a salmon farming company, Mainstream Canada, on the grounds that he fully believes what he said, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled. Justice Elaine Adair wrote in her judgment: “Although I have concluded that Mr. Staniford’s statements are defamatory of Mainstream, I have concluded that he should succeed on his defence of fair comment. “I have found that he was actuated by express malice towards Mainstream. However, I have found that he had an honest belief in the statements he made, and injuring Mainstream because of spite or animosity was not his dominant purpose in publishing the words in issue. “In view of those findings, I do not intend to address damages or other remedies. The plaintiff’s action is, accordingly, dismissed.” READ MORE
 
 
Fish to shrink as global warming leaves them gasping for oxygen
CANADA - Fish are likely to get smaller on average by 2050 because global warming will cut the amount of oxygen in the oceans in a shift that may also mean dwindling catches, according to a recent study. Average maximum body weights for 600 types of marine fish, such as cod, plaice, halibut and flounder, would contract by 14-24 percent by 2050 from 2000 under a scenario of a quick rise in greenhouse gas emissions, it said. "The reductions in body size will affect whole ecosystems," lead author William Cheung of the University of British Columbia in Canada, told Reuters of the findings in the journal Nature Climate Change. His team of scientists said a trend towards smaller sizes was "expected to have large implications" for ocean food webs and for human "fisheries and global protein supply." READ MORE
 
VCS approves Wetland Restoration
USA - A Restore America Estuaries-led (RAE) initiative aimed at creating greenhouse gas offset opportunities for coastal wetlands got final approval under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) today, paving the way for increased private investment in wetland restoration and conservation projects through the issuance of internationally recognized carbon credits. The new VCS requirements for Wetlands Restoration and Conservation (WRC) create a project category for measuring and crediting climate benefits from a broad range of wetlands, including mangroves, freshwater tidal coastal wetlands, salt marshes, seagrasses, floodplains, peatlands, and other wetland types. The importance of the VCS wetland carbon credit registry cannot be overstated, according to Patrick Megonigal,Senior Scientist and Deputy Director, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. “This is the first carbon-crediting standard to advance conservation and restoration across the full diversity of the world’s wetlands,” said Megonigal. “We hope that by adopting wetlands under the VCS Standard, wetland conservation and restoration activities will be stimulated,” added Stephen Crooks, Climate Change Services Director at ESA PWA, an environmental consulting group. READ MORE
 
Meeting for resistance in San Dionisio del Mar, and new threats
MEXICO - On 14 and 15 September, there was held a national meeting with the Ikojts nation that is resisting the “San Dionisio” megawind project, financed by Mareña Wind Energy (backed by Japanese, Australian, and Dutch capital) in their land.  More than 300 persons – indigenous people, activists of 25 civil and social organizations from 6 states – participated at the meeting.  In this way, the imposition of the wind megaproject in San Dionisio was denounced, with the claim that it had been done so by means of trickery, aggression, and corruption, provoking divisions and conflicts within the peoples of the region.  During the event, a plan of action was drawn up to include mobilizations and actions of denunciation directed at the transnational firms that, with their energy megaprojects, “are destroying and looting local residents throughout the country.”  For this reason, they demanded that the Inter-American Bank for Development and international firms to cancel funding for the project immediately. READ MORE

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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...