Thursday, April 12, 2018

MAP News Issue 440 - April 14, 2018

Mangrove Action Project

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The MAP News
440TH Edition                                                     April 14, 2018

MAP calls for attention to mangrove loss in Pitas, Sabah Malaysian
Mayasian Mangroves
MALAYSIA - The Pitas development is a government initiative through state subsidiary company Inno Fisheries Sdn in collaboration with Sunlight Seafood (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, is reported to entail a RM1.23 bn (c US $320m) investment and the creation of about 1,500 shrimp ponds. Around 20% of the total funding is from state sources. Yayasan Sabah’s Inno-Fisheries is a government agency whose website states its mission as being “to uplift the quality of life of Malaysians in Sabah”. Sunlight Seafood is one of the leading processors and exporters of frozen seafood products in Malaysia. Local people, however, do not see the benefits. Noridah Samad, a local youth and a member of the G6 collective says: “Seeing our land being destroyed in the name of profit making, impedes us from sustaining our traditional livelihoods and culture. With the destruction of the 2300 ac, many youths will never learn the ways of our grandfathers and traditional knowledge will be lost.” Another local farmer and fisherman, also a member of the G6 collective, says that the shrimp farm developments over 2300 acres have significantly depleted resources and affected the livelihood of subsistence farmers and fishermen in the area. Speaking at a press conference organised by Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA) in 2015, he said: “We now have remaining about 1,000 acres of mangrove land which has a sensitive biosystem and hold our livelihood as well as traditional practises like traditional medicine, building materials and sacred sites. “We are concerned that any further expansion of the farm into this land will permanently and completely destroy our source of income and livelihood on the very ground that we have lived on for eight generations now.” READ MORE

AFRICA

In Central African Republic, natural wealth so near and yet so far for most
Central Africa Republic
CAR - For Central African Republic to develop, the immense wealth of its tropical forests must be shared among its people. Despite its vast natural resources, in 2016 CAR was ranked last in the U.N.'s Human Development Index of 188 nations. Meanwhile 2.5 million out of a population of 4.6 million are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance, and average life expectancy languishes at 51.5 years. If the country is to be lifted from its plight, the forest sector must play a central role. The industry is the country’s second largest employer (after the state), while timber is CAR’s number one official export – its position assuming greater importance in the economy since the Kimberley Process cracked down on ‘conflict’ diamonds. But for change to occur, then the corruption that has plagued the forest sector for generations must end, along with the flow of illegal timber that still saturates the market. To grasp the scale of the challenge, it’s necessary to understand its context.READ MORE

ASIA

Editor’s Note: The young country’s amazing marine life has created hope that visitors could uplift its urgently poor economy. But preservation concerns remain.
Tourists Could Be East Timor’s Lifeline. But Will They Ruin Its Reefs?
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INDONESIA - On a rainy spring morning, Fizzy Moslim strapped on her weathered-chrome diving tank and slipped into the warm water. Few visitors make it out to the sleepy fishing village of Com, a backbreaking seven-hour drive from the capital, and usually no one except the locals ever dives into its waters. Below she found an underwater metropolis. Sea turtles swam beside hundreds of reef fish, feeding on the rich coral below. Two young dugong, a manatee-like sea mammal, sped away, and a blacktip reef shark swam along the ocean floor. “This isn’t even nearly the best of what I’ve seen,” said Ms. Moslim, an instructor for Compass Diving tours, as she came up from the depths. In March, Ms. Moslim and a team of divers and conservationists set out on a mission to chart these sea sanctuaries in hopes of bringing in a new kind of species here: tourists. “If these corals will stay strong, the people around them will need the money to keep them safe,” said Trudiann Dale, the East Timor country director for Conservation International. “Eco-tourism, if done right, could provide that.” READ MORE

Citizens, NGOs fighting to save mangroves, wetlands across Mumbai
Mumbai Forests
INDIA - With land mafia eyeing mangroves and wetlands across Mumbai, citizens, NGOs, state machinery as well as courts are focusing on conserving these green spaces in the financial capital of the country. According to non-profit Mangrove Society of India (MSI), intertidal regions are in high demand as they can be potential hotspots for construction and infrastructure development. HT has been consistently reporting and breaking stories related to mangrove and wetland destruction over the past year, with major cases and conservation-related developments over the past month. “A battle is underway in Mumbai,” said Arvind Untawale, executive secretary, MSI. “Citizens, NGOs and state government bodies are on one side against the space-starved builder lobby eyeing mangrove and wetland patches, some of the last remaining open areas that protect the city from flooding. Many cases in private areas, especially involving the builder lobby, have gone undetected where structures such as housing complexes, apartments and several private projects are currently built. With increasing awareness, citizens have forced the state machinery to act against them, and we are currently witnessing a contest between development and conservation.” READ MORE

Open University collaborate for Thailand’s coastal resources
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THAILAND - Mangroves for the Future (MFF) and Marriott Resort and Hotels have joined hands with Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University to improve the sustainability of communities’ livelihoods and bolster conservation efforts in Bangkaeo Sub-district of Samut Songkram Province, Central Thailand. Co-funded by MFF and Marriott Hotels and Resorts, an IUCN partner, the initiative is part of MFF’s Small Grant Facility for Private Sector Engagement, in which MFF matches cash funding from the private sector to implement small projects in MFF countries. The objectives of the initiative, which started in March, are primarily to establish an Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) network, develop a community-based land use map and sustainable management plan, and utilise the management plan to restore mangroves and create sustainable livelihood opportunities. READ MORE

Mangrove forest to make way for road upgrade
Malaysian mangroves
MALAYSIA - Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is worried about the effects from a road upgrading project cutting through the mangrove forest in Sepang. According to the staff at MNS’ Sepang Environmental Interpretive Centre, the 10km-long Jalan Besar Salak (B48) will be upgraded in stages starting from the junction at Simpang Tiga Jenderam up to Pekan Sepang Lama. The project by Selangor Public Works Department (JKR) will widen the single-lane road to four-lane dual carriageway. Residents have been complaining about heavy congestion anytime in the day. “We received a notice that trees will be chopped down from March 19 onwards,” said MNS executive director Shanmugaraj Subramaniam. He said about 70 trees would be felled. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Teen Plants Hundreds of Mangroves to Replace Trees Trampled by Hurricane Irma
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USA - After Hurricane Irma ravaged the South Florida landscape in 2017, an 18-year-old took it upon himself to protect and preserve the environment – and he did it from the roof of his house. Though the tropical storm wreaked havoc on buildings and properties, Theo Queenee was primarily shocked by how many mangroves had been damaged by the tropical storm. Mangroves are an essential part of a marine eco-system. In addition to providing a healthy and complex habitat for fish, sharks, and turtles, they also protect the coastline from erosion. ”After the hurricane there was a massive amount of [mangrove] seedlings mixed within the seaweed/debris mixture,” Queenee told Mother Nature Network. “Everything was then going to be gathered and thrown in a truck to dump at a landfill. I realized that all of South Florida would ultimately kill thousands of mangroves in the clean-up process.” READ MORE

The tropical family tree: Tracking forests’ evolutionary past
mangroves
USA - Scientists have traced the evolutionary history of the world’s tropical forests, with some surprising results – and new insights that may help improve responses to climate change. To the uninitiated, tropical forests in Africa, Asia and Latin America might look the same: exuberant green vegetation from the forest floor to the canopy. Look closer, and they are actually quite different. Just 4% of tropical tree species are found on all three continents. There are very few palms in the African forests, for example, while in Asia and Latin America palm fronds are found throughout the understory. Based on the few shared species, scientists initially made a distinction between the ‘old world’ forests of Africa and Asia and the more distantly related ‘new world’ American forests. But a new study has used a technique called ‘community phylogenetic similarity’, which involves digging back into plants’ evolutionary past to uncover new connections. READ MORE

A Consumer's Guide to Shrimp Certification
Consumer-Guide
USA - A Consumer's Guide to Shrimp Certification is a much needed document for anybody who is a 'stakeholder' in the business of Shrimps, Prawns, or in fact any kind of Aquaculture product. Now how do we define who a stakeholder is? Obviously, the consumer, the person eating Shrimps, either bought at the Supermarket, the neighbourhood store, local market, restaurants etc. Stakeholders are also fishers, the workers on shrimp farms, the people evicted from their lands, forcibly or willingly, the shrimp farmers themselves, the agents buying the shrimp. the processing industry, the retailers, the importers, the exporters and those that are 'selling' the idea of 'safe' and 'responsibly produced' shrimps. It is a big big business as we found out along with the people who one day suddenly found out that they were left out in the cold, due to this enormously profitable business. They lost their homes, their livelihoods and often their lives. While working with these communities, the fishers, the farmers, the agriculture workers, we found the issue to be beyond borders. Shrimp Aquaculture can be used as an example whenever you want to describe a skewered and negative form of production in the name of 'food security', development or creating 'innovative' alternative production systems and livelihoods at the cost of local communities, fishers, a system that increases greatly wide income and wealth disparities, unequal growth, unsustainable models, environmental degradation leading to ecological stress and most of all a very high level of human rights violation. This is true in all the tropical shrimp producing countries. This very Comprehensive Guide is exactly what it states: a consumer's guide to shrimp certification. READ MORE
 

 
 
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ACTION ALERTS

Sign on: letter to the Chief Minister of Sabah, Malaysia - To stop the destruction of communities’ mangrove area in Pitas and support indigenous communities to protect and conserve the last remaining 1000 acres of their forest - SIGN HERE

President Abdulla Yameen: Stop Destruction of Kulhudhuffushi Mangroves! CLICK HERE


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We invite all school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and those who love mangroves, to create art for the 2019 Children's Art Calendar DEADLINE IS APRIL 15 CLICK HERE



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MANGROVE ISSUES 

Want to learn more about mangroves?mangrove-action-project-presentation-1-1024.jpg?cb=1424228039
Our short presentation will give you a better understanding of the issues we are working to solve. WATCH PRESENTATION


What is CBEMR? Easy to follow fact sheet – CLICK HERE

What is EPIC? - 
The Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC) project:  the role of ecosystems as protective barriers against climate induced hazards

MANGROVES APP AVAILABLE

A pictorial field guide for easy identification of various mangrove species and learning about the mangroves ecosystem. CLICK HERE
View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel
Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign!  
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

The Value of Mangrove Forests View Video

CBEMR Experience Exchange MAP 2017 English Subtitles
VIEW THE VIDEO

Mangroves: Guidebook to Malaysia – Click Here
 
Mangrove rehabilitation in Asia – Local Action and cross-border Transfer of Knowledge for the Conservation of Climate, Forests and Biodiversity VIEW VIDEOS HERE
SHARE MAP'S VISION 
CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea".
Our short documentary, Reducing the Risk of Disaster through Nature-Based Solutions : Mangroves
EPIC-Film 2
 
Exclusive Interview with Alfredo Quarto, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mangrove Action Project - See more
 

Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum

The Marvellous Mangroves Education Forum is an online hub for those utilizing the Marvellous Mangroves (MM) Curriculum. It gives students, teachers and anyone interested in mangroves, the opportunity to learn and share ideas themed around the curriculum, to connect and communicate with others around the globe whilst exploring mangroves from your computer or on the go. VISIT

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The award-winning Marvellous Mangroves (MM) curriculum educates children on the importance of mangroves and their ecological functions, teaching them about modern challenges and mechanisms for sustainability. VIEW VIDEO


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MAP Education Director Martin Keeley’s most recent book is Marvellous Mangroves: Myths and Legends, a compilation of stories from “Mangrove Peoples”—those who live on shorelines where mangroves thrive—from around the world. READ MORE

Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum in Bangladesh - WATCH VIDEO
MARVELLOUS MANGROVES IN BRAZIL
En Portuges


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Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.


FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT
Education in the Mangroves - China
VIMEO SHOW

VISIT OUR "MM" WEBPAGE

Check out our presentation for more details on Marvellous Mangroves

Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT
 
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine - Read More

FREE MAP Mangrove e-cards CLICK HERE
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MAP’s e-Cards offer you a unique way to spread the word about MAP’s good works, while sharing beautiful photographs of the mangroves

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

Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE

 Volunteer Opportunities with Mangrove Action Project CLICK HERE

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"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition

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

Information sheds clear light on shrimp-mangrove connection

Question Your Shrimp
SEE DETAILS MANGROVE/SHRIMP


Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp

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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.

 
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