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. |
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FEATURED STORY New Tool Makes Case for Mangrove Protection Mangroves play a critical role buffering coastal communities against flooding and storms and provide habitat for thousands of species of birds and marine animals. Recent evidence suggests that mangroves sequester carbon very effectively and healthy mangroves could help protect our climate. Unfortunately, humans are destroying huge areas of mangroves and if we do not take action they may be functionally extinct by the turn of the century. I am pleased to report on a new resource for protecting mangroves: The ELAW Mangrove Science Database. Dr. Heidi Weiskel, ELAW Staff Scientist, worked closely with David Pugh, ELAW Web Designer, to ensure that key research on mangroves, published by more than 75 scientists, is included in this comprehensive resource for citizens worldwide. READ MORE ASIA Supermarket giants in Thailand for shrimp industry slavery talks THAILAND - U.K. and U.S. supermarket groups are meeting in Thailand this week to create a taskforce to tackle trafficking and forced labor in the shrimp feed industry. The talks follow a Guardian investigation last month that uncovered slavery in the supply chains of Thai seafood sold to major international retail brands. The three-day meeting will be hosted by Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods, the world's largest prawn farmer, which the Guardian found buys fishmeal from suppliers that own, operate or buy from fishing boards manned with slaves. READ MORE New shrimp farming system to boost yields BANGLADESH - A growing number of shrimp farmers and processors are giving up traditional farming practices and turning to improved aquaculture to boost yields and exports. Acreage of shrimp under a modern farming technology -- semi-intensive shrimp farming -- rose to 1,100 hectares this year from 800 hectares a year ago. The improved farming practices were seen only on 10 hectares of land in 2002, said Prafulla Kumar Sarker, district fisheries officer of Khulna, a hub for shrimp farming and pioneer in modern practices. In traditional shrimp cultivation, less than 25,000 juveniles are farmed per hectare. But in semi-intensive farming, up to two lakh juveniles can be cultivated per hectare. Traditional farming is done in lowlands and canals. But semi-intensive farming requires carefully laid-out ponds in controlled environment. READ MORE 5,482 hectares of mangroves will soon be reserved forests INDIA - More than a year after the state’s decision to notify all mangroves on public land as ‘reserved forests’, around 5,482 hectares of mangroves on government land in Thane and Raigad districts will be notified as reserved forests. Around 4,478 hectares of mangroves in Thane (Dahanu division) will be declared reserved forests by July 25 and 1,004.48 hectares in Raigad district by the next week, the Konkan divisional commissioner informed the state. “The government-approved 4478 hectares, give and take a 100 hectares, will be notified by July 25, while the Raigad proposal of notifying 1004.48 hectares of mangroves on government land is with me. The notification will take a week more,” said R L Mopalwar, divisional commissioner, konkan division. “It takes time for our surveying team to delineate mangrove lands as well as the 50m buffer zones, and to ensure that only mangroves on government land are notified,” he said. This move comes after senior officials from the forest department pressed for speedy notification. READ MORE Flagrant abuse of wetlands in and around Mumbai: Mangrove cell INDIA - A road cut across a wetland on Thane-Bhiwandi Road with mangroves still standing in the middle of it, private mangrove forest converted into dumping ground by Thane municipal corporation and an entire residential building constructed on a wetland in Thane and wetlands converted into parking lots in Dahisar and Thane were a few gross Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations that the mangrove cell found in and around Mumbai. The cell enlisted these violations in its affidavit recently submitted to the Bombay High Court (HC). The mangrove cell was instructed by the HC to visit spots mentioned in a petition by a group of NGOs, seeking protection of wetlands. In a “shocking case of flagrant abuse of wetlands” at Dive Anjur, adjacent to Thane-Bhiwandi road, a road made by dumping of debris extends 1.5 km through a vast wetland in the area, the report stated. The officials noted several large mangrove trees, some still standing in the middle of the road, struggling to survive. Large amount of debris was dumped in the surroundings too. “The fact that this illegal dumping activity and road construction can easily be seen from the heavily commuted highway only goes to show the audacity of the perpetrators of this environmental outrage. READ MORE AMERICAS Osa Peninsula Celebrates Mangrove Action Day COSTA RICA – With the participation of community groups working on the Osa Peninsula, state institutions, the Vice Minister of Water, Oceans, Coasts and Wetlands Fernando Mora, Vice Minister of Youth and Elena Quesada Neotrópica Foundation all came together to celebrate the International Day of Mangroves, with this year’s motto: "For the Mangrove and Sea Peoples in the Fight". Thus, 25 local organizations and institutions came together for community participation in the implementation of the Management Plan Térraba and to build a model of community conservation Osa Conservation Area. The group also plans a 2 month Monitoring Plan which will contribute not only to maintain proper control and monitoring but also to involve community groups to improve their quality of life. READ MORE Cuba looks to mangroves to fend off rising seas CUBA - Many people in this hamlet on the southern coast of Cuba remember when the shore lay about 100 meters (yards) farther out. That was four decades ago. Since then, rising waters have gradually swallowed up rustic homes, a narrow highway that once paralleled the coast, even an old military tank that people now use to measure the sea's yearly advance. "There was a road there," said Jose Manuel Herrera, 42, a fisherman and former charcoal harvester, pointing toward the gentle waves. "You could travel from here all the way to Mayabeque." Worried by forecasts of rising seas from climate change, the effects of hurricanes and the salinization of farmlands, authorities say they are beginning a forced march to repair Cuba's first line of defense against the advancing waters — its mangrove thickets, which have been damaged by decades of neglect and uncontrolled logging. In the second half of 2013, a moratorium was declared on mangrove logging. Now, the final touches are being put on a sustainable management master plan that is expected to be in place before the end of the year. President Raul Castro has said the plan is a top priority. READ MORE Group urges action to end political influence on climate policy VENEZUELA - The effects of the climate crisis certainly fall more heavily on the most vulnerable populations. Communities and peoples of marine coastal areas are one of them; rising sea levels will represent the loss of territories, the threats to food sovereignty and processes of forced migration. The warming waters and increased acidity in them, results in the loss or reduction of marine life and species important to the livelihood and food. In general, climate change will increase the social and ecological vulnerabilities. Given this reality, Redmanglar International under the Social PRECOP on Climate Change organized by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, says: “It is essential to address the effects of climate change, incorporate ancient knowledge as a structural axis of actions focused on containment, adaptation and survival of the people. Incorporate a vision of development based on the territorial approach.” READ MORE For the love of mangroves and its resources BRAZIL - The ‘Waia’mu Project’ is an action between guaiamum (blue crab) lovers proposing the recognition of the species as one of the most refined and exclusive Brazilian delicacies, and its perpetuation through information and participation in preservation efforts of mangroves and its environs – which is where the guaiamum lives. Our multitask team, formed by me, Iaara Rosenthal, Glaucia Holzmann and Janka Babenco – all fans of the delicacy – was willing to shoot, write, interview and find out as much as possible about the local passion for guaiamuns, the conservation status of mangroves and of course eat some samples. We named the trip “Guaiamoon Expedition”, due to the coincidence of the super moon phenomenon on the day of the event. READ MORE VIEW VIDEO OCEANA MAP’s educational curriculum comes to Australian schools AUSTRALIA - Teachers and students from regional schools will launch the Australian adaptation of the Mangrove Action Project’s Marvellous Mangroves curriculum-based Teachers’ Resource Guide together with Adelaide-based festival artist Evelyn Roth’s Mangrovia from July 31 through August 3. On July 31st in Australia’s mangrove habitats when they don colourful costumes designed and built by Ms. Roth for this project, and explore the roots of the red mangrove tree in the amazing inflatable dome dubbed Mangrovia. Queensland’s educators will then come together on August 1st workshop on the importance of mangrove wetlands at the Bundaberg Landcare Rooms (80A Woongarra Street). Co-sponsored by the international non-profit organization the Mangrove Action Project (MAP), the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG), the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Singing Field Foundation and the Australian Government, the Marvellous Mangroves workshop gives teachers a first-hand experience of the curriculum guide. READ MORE LAST WORD(S) Editors Note - Normally we select 1 letter per issue to include as our "Last Word" however this week we received three letters that all deserve to be our last word - since they are all important we are including all 3 here - thanks for your submissions! Dear Monica Hello. My name is Susan Park from South Korea. I’m a USCPA worker in a French Accounting firm in Seoul. I’d like to introduce my boy, Rock Lee who’s in the 5th grade in elementary school. He’s an environmental artist. He’s a member of UNEP(Un Environmental Program) , Greenfund Korea, Greenranger Korea and he’ve founded his own environmental student’s group ‘ Earth Kids Foundattion’ He’s also an blogger www.earthkid.net he created his own environmental character ‘Rikki and piki’ upload webtoon on his blog. His presentation about Kribati which is one of sinking island now is on the UNEP WED site. He’d like to join the Children’s Mangrove Calendar Art Contest but we could send it by 31st of July so you’ll be receive next week. It’s possible to participate in it? I also suggest that we can work together in some way to save the earth. Some project we’ll work together. You don’t have an office in Korea? We can find out some way that we corporate together. Regards Susan ------------------------------ Hi Alfredo, I am writing a blog that is aimed at educating people about mangroves and particularly mangrove ecology. The blog is located at mangrovecreatures.blogspot.com.au. It has some thirty posts so far but will cover many subjects in time. Please consider linking to this site or just passing the link on. Cheers, Andrew Mitchell Principal Environmental Scientist Lambert & Rehbein 26 Florence Street Cairns QLD 4870 T (07) 4031 6788 | M +61 411 655 290 |E Andrew.M@lar.net.au | W www.lar.net.au -------------------------------------- AND FINALLY – A Farewell to our latest intern! Hello everybody, This is a goodbye email. Tomorrow is my last day as a MAP volunteer. During this last 5 months I learnt a lot about mangrove, NGO management, Thailand and my english improved a lot thanks to all of you. Now, I am going back to France and finish my degree. I already know I will miss this great experience. Thank you so much for all the great work you are doing and for everything you taught me and I hope we will meet again in the mangrove's world. Cheers, -- Delphine Gébelin MAP-Asia Office Development & Field Project Assistant (Intern) ****************************************** Mangrove Action Project (MAP) MAP - Asia Office B-206 Yaotak Building Vienkapang Road Amphur Muang, Trang 92000 T H A I L A N D BACK TO TOP Not yet a subscriber? Click here to subscribe. 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. |
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Thursday, July 31, 2014
MAP NEWS Issue 344 - August 2, 2014
STATEMENT UNDER THE SOCIAL CLIMATE CHANGE PRECOP
Margarita Island, Venezuela from 15 to 18 July 2014
AN URGENT CLIMATE JUSTICE
The effects of the climate crisis certainly fall more heavily on the most vulnerable populations. Communities and peoples of marine coastal areas are one of them; rising sea levels will represent the loss of territories, the threats to food sovereignty and processes of forced migration. The warming waters or increased acidity in them, resulting in the loss or reduction of marine life and species important to the livelihood and food. In general, climate change will increase the social and ecological vulnerabilities. Given this reality, Redmanglar International under the Social PRECOP on Climate Change organized by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, says:
Estado Falcón - Venezuela
(0058) 0268.411.10.77 / 0269.220.10.23
www.aepafalcon.org.ve
@AEPAFALCON
Facebook: AEPA FALCON 100% AMBIENTALISTAS
Thursday, July 17, 2014
MAP NEWS ISSUE 343 - July 19, 2014
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. |
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The MAP News |
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Action Alerts: July 26th is Mangrove Action Day
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FEATURED STORY International Mangrove Action Day is July 26 The International Day for the Protection of Mangroves was formally institutionalized in 2004 at the Second Assembly of the International Redmanglar, umbrella organization of communities, organizations, scholars, scientists and activists, for the defense and protection of the mangrove ecosystems. The celebration of this day has its origins in 1998, when traditional fishers of Ecuadoran mangrove forests joined forces with environmental organizations and representatives of Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia and the United States, the national and international press and the crew of the ship "Rainbow Warrior" of GreenPeace. The action sought to restore mangrove dynamics in response to illegal shrimp farming in the area. Mangrove Action Day aims to promote the importance of mangroves, as one of the most important and productive ecosystems on the planet, highlighting the multiple benefits for local communities and biodiversity and ecological processes. The day is also a day to remember the importance of mangroves as natural buffers against the effects of storms, hurricanes and tsunamis; and support livelihoods of human communities that depend directly or indirectly from it. READ MORE (en espanol) AFRICA FAO supports mangrove planting in coastal areas SIERRA LEONE - Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in collaboration with the West African Rural Foundation and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security has supported the Tombo Community to embark on massive mangrove planting in the coastal land. The planting process witnessed the overwhelming participation of women and men from nine villages in the Tombo Community who are in dire demand of mangrove trees in the coastal land. According to the Assistant FAO Representative, Programmes, Joseph Brima, the project is a pilot phase of the support for sustainable Climate Change Adaptation for marine artisanal fisheries communities, and it is simultaneously implemented in Sierra Leone, Senegal and the Gambia. Brima stated that the pilot phase of the project is targeting the Portee and Tombo communities who during a meeting with FAO proposed the planting of trees as a major step to be taken in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. READ MORE ASIA ‘Protect mangroves, mudflats or flamingoes may not return’ INDIA - The government has sanctioned a project by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to study the migration system of 'lesser flamingoes', the smallest species of the bird. Once a regular visitor to Sewri mudflats and Thane creek, these flamingoes are now a near extinct species. The project, said to be a first such exercise, is scheduled to begin in October, when the migratory birds start arriving in the city. However, conservationists are worried that these mudflats may have lost or will soon lose their distinction of being a second home to these migratory birds if they are not protected. The creek has been under constant threat from slum encroachments, discharge of effluents from industrial units in the Thane-Belapur industrial complex, reclamation for industrial projects and debris dumping. A professor with St John, the Baptish Junior College in Thane, Clara Correia had complained to Kopri police that debris is being dumped in huge quantities along the Thane creek which is destroying the mangroves. "There has been systematic destruction of the wetland by cutting off inflow of water, indiscriminate burning and encouraging cattle grazing,'' she said. READ MORE Diesel pipeline ruptures at Kamothe, mangroves in Taloja at risk if it rains INDIA - A rupture in an HPCL pipeline near the under-construction Kamothe toll plaza has resulted in spillage of at least 50,000 litres of diesel. The rupture occurred around noon on Thursday and the Kalamboli fire station received information about it at 1pm. The fuel spilled into a drainage channel next to the pipeline, but its flow was restricted along a length of 800 metres between two blocks. Work on pumping out the fuel is expected to last till Friday evening. If it rains heavily by then, there is a risk of the diesel overflowing and entering Taloja creek, thus affecting mangroves. The fire station's in-charge, M D Naik, said, "Liquid suction vehicles have been brought by the HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited) for the recovery operation. The pipeline starts from Chembur and ends in Pune. Because of concretization and widening of the highway, the pipeline is now buried underground." READ MORE http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Diesel-pipeline-ruptures-at-Kamothe-mangroves-in-Taloja-at-risk-if-it-rains/articleshow/38564700.cms Fishermen claim livelihood affected by lost mangroves MALAYSIA – A 20ha stretch of mangrove forests on the banks of Sungai Dinding near Kampung Baru Setiawan, about 10km from Setiawan, has been cleared and is believed to be causing extensive damage to the ecosystem. Residents claim the land-clearing activities have caused the native aquatic wildlife population, insects and birds to drastically dwindle and affect the fishing community. It is learned that the stretch of mangroves is part of the 101ha Batu Undan permanent forest reserve de-gazetted by the state government in May 2009. The residents claim the trees were only felled a few months ago. The destruction has affected many who make their living off natural resources, claims village head Khairi Badrin, 47. “The mangroves act as the breeding grounds for fish and the lack of mangrove forests has caused them to move to other areas,” he told reporters. READ MORE Phl, Australia launch project on coral reefs, mangroves PHILIPPINES - The Philippines and Australia have launched a project that aims to determine the value and market potential of local coral reef and mangrove ecosystem services, environment officials announced yesterday. Under the Capturing Coral Reef and Related Ecosystem Services (CCRES) project, the two countries will come up with innovative models for valuing mangrove, sea grass and coral reef ecosystem services. “The move aims to enhance the sustainability of marine-based enterprises and marine spatial planning in select coastal communities in the Philippines,” said Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the Biodiversity Management Bureau, an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Lim said the agency is looking forward to implementing the project, which recognizes the value of blue capital and its potential for growth. ”The project will help us convince stakeholders that the environment is a good investment as it benefits the communities,” she said. READ MORE Officials warn of dying mangrove forest INDONESIA - Officials have said that years of efforts to improve the poor condition of a mangrove forest in the Segara Anakan lake and Nusakambangan island area of Cilacap regency, Central Java, are likely to see disappointing results as the replanting program can not keep up with deforestation and sedimentation. Cilacap regency spokesman Ansor Basuki said newly planted mangroves were often quickly swept away by waves. Meanwhile, Segara Anakan Management Office head Supriyanto said water in the area had become extremely shallow because the mangroves were disappearing and the area received hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of mud annually from the Citanduy and Cimeneng rivers in West Java. READ MORE AMERICAS Shrimp’s New Path to the Plate USA – In a warehouse south of Boston, miles away from the city’s bustling harbor, James Tran, a semiconductor designer, is incubating an unlikely product: shrimp. Mr. Tran, who started Sky8 Shrimp Farm two years ago, is one of a growing number of small, high-tech shrimp farmers in America racing to meet the country’s seemingly insatiable appetite for scampi, without ravaging the environment, using harmful chemicals or depending on overseas suppliers accused of labor rights violations. “To go on getting shrimp the way we have is wishful thinking,” said Mr. Tran, cupping several twitching, ready-to-ship scampi in his hand. His extended family in Vietnam engages in traditional coastal shrimp farming, the kind often linked to environmental, food safety and labor troubles. READ MORE 91% of Seafood in the United States Came from Another Country Eat fish in the last few days? Unless you fished it yourself, chances are it wasn’t from the United States. Today, 91 percent of the seafood that we eat comes from abroad, according to Paul Greenberg, author of American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood. You could assume that maybe this has to do with demand, that the supply of local seafood isn’t enough. And yet, surprisingly enough, one-third of the seafood that Americans catch gets sold to other countries. What gives? Greenberg calls this the “fish swap.” “What we’re doing is we’re sending the really great, wild stuff that we harvest here on our shores abroad, and in exchange, we’re importing farm stuff that, frankly, is of an increasingly dubious nature,” Greenberg told Terry Gross in an NPR interview. “We export millions of tons of wild, mostly Alaska salmon abroad and import mostly farmed salmon from abroad. So salmon for salmon, we’re trading wild for farmed.” Our consumption of imported seafood certainly has its consequences for us and those abroad. As a country, the United States’ biggest seafood consumption is shrimp; the average American eats more shrimp per capita than both tuna and salmon combined. But where does that shrimp come from? Right now, the largest shrimp producer for the nation is Thailand, a country whose fishing industry is linked to human trafficking and slave labor. READ MORE EUROPE Myanmar, Norway to cooperate in mangrove conservation NORWAY - Myanmar and Norway are seeking cooperation in mangrove forest conservation and a conservation plan in this respect is being worked out between the two countries, official media reported recently. At a meeting between Myanmar Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry U Win Tun and visiting head of Norwegian Parliament's Standing Committee for Energy and the Environment Ola Elvestuen, the two sides discussed cooperation with international non-governmental organizations in rehabilitation programs, mangrove forest conservation activities between the ministry and the Worldview International Foundation and a memorandum of understanding in this regard is expected to be signed. Norway has been helping Myanmar with the programs on conservation of biodiversity and forest resources. READ MORE LAST WORD Dear colleagues, Over the last year, the IUCN Red List Unit has been working on developing a short animated video that briefly explains what The IUCN Red List is and some of its uses. This has now been completed and the video is available at http://youtu.be/VukyqMajAOUd. Currently this is only available in English, however we are working on also getting this available in French and Spanish (at least with subtitles, if we can't manage fully translated versions). The purpose this animation originally was to add to the materials available on the online IUCN Red List Training course. However, if you would like to use this (e.g., to post on your own website), please feel free to do so. Best wishes, Caroline Caroline Pollock Programme Officer Red List Unit Global Species Programme IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL United Kingdom Tel. +44 (0)1223 277966; Fax +44 (0)1223 277845; www.iucnredlist.org www.iucn.org www.worldparkscongress.org BACK TO TOP Not yet a subscriber? Click here to subscribe. 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 |
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
MAP News Issue 342, July 5, 2014
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. |
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The MAP News |
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Action Alerts: July 26th is Mangrove Action Day
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FEATURED STORY 10 Great Reasons to Support CBEMR - A newly launched website depicting the importance of mangroves and the methods of restoration that are so important for the future of these habitats. The website has been designed to support our crowd-funding campaign which we're still looking to reach it's goal. Enjoy and share! CLICK HERE ASIA Senator seeks creation of coastal mangrove greenbelts PHILIPPINES - Senator Bam Aquino recently filed a legislative measure for the creation of 100-meter greenbelts of mangroves and beach forest along coastlines to mitigate the devastating impacts of waves and storm surges such as those from the monster typhoon Yolanda last year. The proposal is contained in Senate Bill No. 2179, or the National Coastal Greenbelt Act of 2014, aiming for innovative, sustainable and cheaper ways to mitigate the devastating impacts of natural disasters and calamities that usually lead to loss of lives, livelihood and income opportunities for businesses. "The establishment of science-based coastal greenbelts is expected to protect biodiversity, improve fisheries productivity, and enhance the tourism and livelihood potential of numerous foreshore areas," Aquino said. Aquino made the proposal in the aftermath of super-typhoon Yolanda that killed thousands of people and left billions of pesos in damage in the Eastern Visayas, particularly in Leyte. READ MORE China shrimp firm eases reliance on US with domestic product range CHINA - U.S. countervailing duties against Chinese shrimp imports may ironically lead to higher prices in the longer term for U.S. buyers as the one of the top Chinese suppliers seeks to reduce its exposure to the U.S. market by ramping up sales at home. Demand from Chinese consumers will ultimately cause competition and higher prices for U.S. shrimp buyers, said a company source speaking to SeafoodSource. Announced last year, the U.S. duties — amounting to 18.6 percent — forced Zhanjiang Guolian to speed up R&D efforts and invest in marketing to switch product to local sales according to Li Zhong, company CEO, who has been promoting new products this month at a week-long set of events in the company’s base in southern Chinese province of Guangdong. READ MORE Thai government condemned in annual US human trafficking report THAILAND – In January this year the Thai embassy in Washington signed a $400,000-plus deal with leading US law firm Holland & Knight. The money was for lobbying to persuade the White House, Congress and US departments of state and defense that Thailand is a country that fights human trafficking and forced labour. It seems not to have been money well spent. Recently, Thailand was downgraded to the lowest ranking in the state department's annual report on Trafficking in Persons. The money invested in lobbying therefore represents both a defeat and a serious embarrassment for the Thai authorities. Shares in Thai seafood companies had already fallen on the Thai stock exchange amid news that Europe's largest retailer, Carrefour, together with Norwegian supermarket chain Ica, has stopped purchasing its products added to pressure. READ MORE AMERICAS Fewer Freezes Let Florida’s Mangroves Move North USA – The mangrove forests that line much of Florida’s eastern coast are moving north because of climate change, scientists led by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center report December 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The migration isn’t because of rising average temperatures, however. Instead, it’s driven by a reduction in the number of extremely cold days. Mangroves are a group of about 80 different trees and shrubs that grow in tropical regions around the world. They’re usually characterized by their roots, which grow partially above the ground, giving the plants the appearance that they’re held up by a tangle of stilts. That nest of roots holds the trees above the water, which rises and falls with the tides. Mangrove ecosystems are complex, providing homes and food for a diverse array of species both on land and in the water. And they’re valuable economically--mangrove forests provide an array of services worth some $1.6 trillion per year, including serving as nurseries for commercially important fish, protecting coasts from destructive storm waves and providing places for recreation. READ MORE Proposed billionaire’s playground could endanger the marine habitat BELIZE - A consortium of environmental organizations has raised an alarm about a proposed megaresort in Belize that received maximum glam cred in May at what the Daily Mail described as the “most exclusive party” at the Cannes International Film Festival. John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston were the spokespersons for Italian developers of an eye-popping getaway that could pose a threat to the ecologically fragile Lighthouse Reef Atoll, a world-famous coral reef system. The atoll is home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the famed Great Blue Hole. It's an important part of Belize's marine biodiversity, which includes more than 500 species of fish, three sea turtle species and one of the world’s largest remaining populations of the endangered West Indian manatee. READ MORE Uh Oh. We Just Found Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in the Worst Place Possible CANADA - Officially begin worrying now, North Americans. Something has entered your food supply that threatens true calamity — and there’s not much you can do about it. You wouldn’t think a Chinese grocery store in Saskatoon, Canada, would be the epicenter triggering so much concern within the medical community, but that’s how it happened. The problem was squid. Well, not the squid so much as what researchers found hiding inside it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced earlier this month that imported squid, most likely from South Korea, contained a bacterium that is resistant to carbapenems — the antibiotics of last resort. “Carbapenems are a type of antibiotic, and carbapenemases are enzymes that some organisms can produce to render these antibiotics ineffective,” said the CDC in a bulletin released on June 11. “Carbapenem-resistant organisms have been found in the environment and in animals used for food; but in the United States and Canada, they had not been found in food itself—until now.” READ MORE Slavery and the Shrimp on Your Plate EDITORIAL by New York Times’ Editorial Board USA - The revelations about Thailand should persuade major global corporations, including Costco, Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco, that their business models have to change. They should refuse to import from fishermen or companies that have been reliably identified by watchdog groups as using slave labor. They also need to pressure the Thai government to ensure that abusers who hire trafficked employees are prosecuted and that the victims are protected and treated with respect. Under American law, aid and other assistance can be withheld if countries do not crack down on trafficking; Washington should not hesitate to use this tool when it can be effective. Consumers have a role to play, too, by refusing to purchase products produced with slave labor. READ MORE EUROPE Family forests and farms key to national sustainable development goals Building strong relationships between small-scale family forest and family farm producers and governments through forest-and-farm producer organizations can achieve astounding improvements in rural livelihoods, forest cover and forest management and contribute to sustainable rural development. This was a conclusion of an in-session seminar titled “Family forestry is family farming”, held today during COFO 22 at FAO headquarters. Seminar participants heard from diverse voices, including leaders from: a village-level organization in Myanmar; a federation in Nepal representing more than 11 million people; the National Farmers’ Platform of the Gambia, representing more than 200 000 farmers; a women’s producer group in Guatemala; the Farmers Union Network in Liberia, representing more than 35 000 forest farmers; and a national forest producer organization in Mexico, representing 670 000 producers. In each case, considerable success had been achieved through the organization of local forest farmers into producer groups and their subsequent increased role in national policy development and implementation. READ MORE Carrefour Suspends Purchases from CP Foods UK - On June 13, 2014, British retailer Carrefour, a multinational retailer headquartered in France and one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world, announced that it was temporarily suspending all direct and indirect purchases from CP Foods. Carrefour called it “a precautionary measure” as a result of articles in the British newspaper, The Guardian, about slave labor being used to source the fishmeal used in CP’s shrimp feeds. Carrefour was a major buyer of shrimp from CP Foods. Carrefour said it would not purchase from CP Foods “until light has been shed on the situation.” The retailer said it conducted a “social audit” of CP’s processing plant in July 2013, “as it has done regularly,” and found “nothing abnormal at the time.” The Environmental Justice Foundation praised Carrefour for its action, but cautioned that a boycott of a single supplier will not solve a problem that the EJF said is systematic throughout the Thai fishing industry. READ MORE LAST WORD From The Executive Director: It looks like the shrimp farm industry in Thailand is in very hot water now, as are the sellers of shrimp in the retail outlets! I think we need to get behind this campaign in the US and EU, and ask that we all spread the word about this via our websites and social media. Putting pressure on the largest grocers in the world is a good way to bring these issues home to the consumers! Some of the largest grocers in the world -- Walmart and Costco -- were named specifically in a new investigation by the Guardian for selling prawns raised on food tied to the slave trade. One week later, those companies are still refusing to take two simple steps to rout out slavery from their supply chains -- and that’s where we come in. Join me in taking action: CLICK HERE ~ 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 BACK TO TOP Not yet a subscriber? Click here to subscribe. 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. |
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The community of adults and youth in Cayman Islands has come together recently to release a series of educational videos. Each is geared to...
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By: Isabel Robinson, MAP Volunteer Intern Some months ago I decided to come to Thailand and do an internship in mangrove conservation, ...
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J.H. Primavera, Ph.D. Among others, Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami have highlighted the importance of m...
MAP News Issue #594 - March 23, 2024
Saving Lamu Mangroves: From Futile Photo Ops To Real Progress KENYA - Hundreds flock Lamu County, not only for the beauty of Kenya’s oldes...