|
|
In country
Green
soap bill passed
The Philippine House of Representatives approved House Bill 9158,
which prohibits the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale
of laundry and industrial detergent soaps containing hard surfactants,
and provides appropriate penalties.
“We are committed to preserving and protecting our environment
and will pass the needed legislation achieve this end,” said House
Speaker Manuel Villar. He said this was the seventh pro-environment
bill passed by the House since 1998. The other bills include the Clean
Air Act, Sustainable Forest Management Act, Solid Waste Management Act,
a bill to protect inland bodies of water, and another bill to protect
the coastal environment.
Environmental groups and the Soap and Detergent Association of the Philippines
(SDAP) hailed the passage of the bill and cited its authors, Representatives
Edmundo Reyes Jr., Celso Lobregat, J. Mayo Almario, and House Committee
on Ecology Chairman Vicente Sandoval. J.C. Infiesto
in The Freeman.
04.07.00
Red tide alert up, BFAR-7 organizes red tide watch
The national inter-agency Red Tide Task Force issued a ban on shellfish
harvested in red tide-affected waters in Manila Bay, Masinloc in Zambales,
Mandaon in Masbate, and Dumanquilas, Siboguey and Illana Bays in Zamboanga
del Sur.
The Task Force also collected water samples from Banago in Bacolod City,
Victorias in Negros Occidental, and Sapian Bay and Tinagong-Dagat in
Capiz. Test results show these areas to be free from red tide.
A shellfish ban is declared when the ride tide cell density hits 500
or more cells per liter of sea water and the red tide toxin level in
shellfish is 40 ug per 100 g of shellfish meat.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Region 7 (BFAR-7) has intensified
its monitoring of the possible recurrence of red in Central Visayas.
Director Corazon Coralles requested mayors to alert their municipal
agriculturists and report immediately any discoloration of water in
their areas. She said BFAR-7 would closely monitor the shellfish areas
in Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova in Cebu.
Also being watched are the municipalities of Talibon and Ubay and other
parts of northern Bohol. R.D.T in Sun.Star
Cebu, 04.13.00; J.D. Campus in Cebu Daily News, 04.13.00
Bohol Marine Triangle management plan proposed
Dumaguete City-based Silliman University Marine Laboratory (SUML) and
the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE) are proposing a
project aimed at developing and implementing a protection and management
plan for the ecologically sensitive Bohol Marine Triangle in Central
Visayas.
The Bohol Marine Triangle, composed of the islands of Pamilacan, Balicasag
and Panglao, is home to many plant and animal species that are considered
to be locally and globally significant. Among these are five dolphin
species, six whale species, three families of rays (manta, sting and
eagle), five families of sharks, and 22 shell species.
The implementation of management and protection measures in the Triangle
has become critical as these resources have suffered a noticeable decline
from years of over-harvesting and continue to be threatened by a host
of problems, including sedimentation, seaweed overgrowth, blast fishing,
infestation by coral-eating snails and crown-of-thorns, garbage, bleaching,
diseases and anchor damage.
The management program will involve the government’s tourism agencies,
resorts, local communities, local governments, people’s organizations,
and non-governmental organization. It aims to establish community-based
coastal resource management and implement strategic interventions, such
as the declaration of marine reserves, coastal law enforcement, installation
of an information management system, and development of linkages among
affected sectors.
SUML and FPE have applied for funding under the Global Environment Facility
for the planning project. SUML chief Dr. Hilconida Calumpong said they
hope to get the funds late next year.
Meanwhile, different government agencies and NGOs have committed resources
in support of the conservation and management of the Triangle. A strategic
planning conference held recently drew participants from the business
sector, Department of Tourism, Philippine Tourism Authority, Department
of Environment and Natural Resources, Bohol Province, Panglao local
government, and a number of NGOs. LAP in Sun.Star
Cebu, 04.10.00
Overseas
New report reveals widespread decline in world's
ecosystems
Summary findings of a new report issued April 17 in Washington D.C.
reveal a widespread decline in the condition of the world's ecosystems
due to increasing resource demands and warn that if the decline continues
it could have devastating implications for human development and the
welfare of all species.
"Many signs point to the declining capacity of ecosystems,"
says the Guide to the World Resources 2000-2001: People and Ecosystems:
The Fraying Web of Life. The full report, to be released
in September, is published by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank and the
World Resources Institute (WRI). Over 175 scientists contributed to
the report, which took more than two years to produce.
At the heart of the report is the first-of-its-kind Pilot Analysis of
Global Ecosystems (PAGE). The report examines coastal, forest, grassland,
freshwater and agricultural ecosystems. It analyzes their health on
the basis of their ability to produce the goods and services that the
world currently relies on. These include production of food, provision
of pure and sufficient water, storage of atmospheric carbon, maintenance
of biodiversity and provision of recreation and tourism opportunities.
The scorecards that accompany the World Resources 2000- 2001 describe
most of the ecosystems in fair, but declining conditions. The statistics
it contains are staggering:
Half of the world's wetlands were lost last century.
Logging and conversion have shrunk the world's forests by as much
as half.
Some 9 percent of the world's tree species are at risk of extinction;
tropical deforestation may exceed 130,000 square kilometers per year.
Fishing fleets are 40 percent larger than the ocean can sustain.
Nearly 70 percent of the world's major marine fish stocks are overfished
or are being fished at their biological limit.
Soil degradation has affected two-thirds of the world's agricultural
lands in the last 50 years.
Some 30 percent of the world's original forests have been converted
to agriculture.
Since 1980, the global economy has tripled in size and population
has grown by 30 percent to 6 billion people.
Dams, diversions or canals fragment almost 60 percent of the world's
largest rivers.
Twenty percent of the world's freshwater fish are extinct, threatened
or endangered.
"For too long in both rich and poor nations, development
priorities have focused on how much humanity can take from our ecosystems,
with little attention to the impact of our actions," said Mark Malloch
Brown, UNDP administrator. "With this report, we reconfirm our commitment
to making the viability of the world's ecosystems a critical development
priority for the 21st century."
However, World Resources 2000-2001 warns that halting the decline
of the planet's life-support systems may be the most difficult challenge
humanity has ever faced.
"Our knowledge of ecosystems has increased dramatically, but it has
simply not kept pace with our ability to alter them," said Klaus
Toepfer, UNEP executive director. "We can continue blindly altering
Earth's ecosystems, or we can learn to use them more sustainably."
World Resources 2000-2001 recommends that governments and people
must view the sustainability of ecosystems as essential to human life.
It calls for an ecosystems approach to managing the world's critical resources,
which means evaluating decisions on land and resource use in light of
how they affect the capacity of ecosystems to produce goods and services.
"Governments and businesses must rethink some basic assumptions about
how we measure and plan economic growth," said James D. Wolfensohn,
World Bank president. "The poor, who often depend directly on ecosystems
for their livelihoods, suffer most when ecosystems are degraded."
According to World Resources 2000-2001, one of the most important
conclusions of PAGE is that there is a lack of much of the baseline knowledge
that is needed to properly determine ecosystems conditions on a global,
regional or even local scale.
"The dimensions of this information gap are large and growing, rather
than shrinking as we would expect in this age of satellite imaging and
the Internet," said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. "If we are
to make sound ecosystem management decisions in the 21st century, dramatic
changes are needed in the way we use the knowledge and experience at hand
and the range of additional information we need."
Copies of A Guide to World Resources 2000-2001: People and Ecosystems:
The Fraying Web of Life can be downloaded at http://www.wri.org/wri/wrr2000.
UNEP, 04.18.00
Cost of reef destruction can reach US$1.2 million
per km, says report
The world loses from US$137,000 to US$1.2 million for every kilometer
of coral reef over a 25-year period, a new book, Sullied Seas,
reports.
The estimates are based on assessments of reefs in Southeast Asia, the
world’s most species-diverse and also the most threatened, conducted
by the World Resources Institute, International Center for Living Marine
Aquatic Resources, and the World Conservation Monitoring Resources.
The study includes an evaluation of losses in economic rents - mainly
from fisheries, tourism, and shoreline protection - as a result of the
destruction.
“Globally, 58 percent of the world’s reefs are at risk, with
about 27% at high risk,” says the report. “And 41 per cent
of Pacific Reefs are threatened.”
The serious decline has prompted international concern. About 80 countries
signed up for the International Coral Reef Initiative started in 1995.
The book encourages communities and governments to practice good stewardship,
“which involves a combination of planning, management, law enforcement,
environmental education and legal protection,” and cites Australia’s
Great Barrier Reef, the largest in the world, as an example of the potential
of good management. J.L. Mercado, DEPTHNews, in The
Freeman, 04.04.00
Japan, conservationists clash on commercial whaling
ban
Japan has said that it will not abandon its bid to overturn an international
ban on commercial whaling. This is despite losing four separate proposals
at CITES, three of which were to introduce a limited trade in gray and
minke whales, and a fourth, submitted with Norway, proposing synergy
between IWC and CITES.
Japanese whaling ships returned home this year having hunted 439 minke
whales in the Antarctic under the guise of scientific whaling, despite
the global moratorium that was put in place by the IWC in 1986.
"We will continue to assert our position that the ban on commercial
whaling should be lifted," Jiro Hyuga, an official at the Fisheries
Ministry. Minke whales in the Antarctic are so numerous that they threaten
the survival of other marine species and hamper the population growth
of whales with low fertility rates, he said.
But the marine ecosystem is much more complex than the Japanese Fisheries
Ministry suggest, the Whale
and Dolphin Conservation Society, an international charity dedicated
to the conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises,
said in a news release dated April 19.
“The argument that 'whales eat fish' is a gross over-simplification.
Global fisheries are in a critical state due to poor management and
regulation, resulting in overfishing of the relatively few populations
that are being targeted,” the report said. “WDCS believes
that the Japanese representation of the issue is actually a spurious
scientific argument that is being used to 'cloud' the issue. According
to Norwegian and Japanese estimates there are no more than 1.8 million
great whales in total left in our oceans since commercial whaling began.
Before exploitation estimates indicate that there were nearly 5 million
great whales. The remaining whales represent only 22% of the previous
biomass of great whales.”
The Society issued a call for Japan “to cease using poor science
to justify its commercial whaling industry.” It explained, “Whales,
to a large extent, do not eat those fish that are targeted by commercial
fisheries. In fact, removing whales from the environment could lead
to an increase in their prey, possibly devoted predators of targeted
fish. WDCS believes that fish stocks can only be saved through dedicated
fisheries management. Reduction in fishing effort and intensive research
are required through effective legislation to restore fisheries worldwide.”
Another fish species joins threatened list in US
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has listed the Santa Ana sucker, once one of the most common
fish in southern California, as threatened under the Endangered Species
Act. A species is designated as threatened when it is likely to become
endangered in the foreseeable future. An endangered species is at risk
of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
The Santa Ana sucker historically inhabited small, shallow streams and
tributaries throughout the Los Angeles basin. It is now restricted to
small reaches of Big Tujunga Creek (a tributary of the Los Angeles River),
the headwaters of the San Gabriel River, and the Santa Ana River in
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The Santa
Clara River population that exists in portions of Los Angeles and Ventura
counties was not listed because biologists believe it is an introduced
population.
"Biologists considered the sucker a common fish only 30 years ago,
but it has experienced a sharp decline and now is absent from 75 percent
of its historic range," said Michael J. Spear, manager of the Service's
California-Nevada Operations Office. "Because the species reproduces
abundantly and tolerates a broad range of habitats, its decline is an
indication of how badly the streams and tributaries of the Los Angeles
Basin have been degraded."
Threats to the species include water diversions, channelization and
concrete lining of streams, erosion, pollution, recreational gold-mining
with suction dredges, and introduction of non-native species that compete
with or prey on the fish, Spear said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is working cooperatively with State and
Federal agencies, cities, counties and other interested parties, such
as water and flood control districts, to conserve the fish and correct
the causes of its decline.
Historically, the Los Angeles Basin supported seven native species of
freshwater fish, including the Santa Ana sucker. Four of these species
-- the steelhead, the Pacific Lamprey, Pacific brook lamprey, and the
unarmored threespine stickleback -- have been eliminated from the Basin
since the 1950s, and the Santa Ana speckled dace and the arroyo chub
are now considered rare. The State of California considers the Santa
Ana sucker "a species of special concern" but the designation
provides no protection.
All of the streams known to support the Santa Ana sucker have dams that
isolate and fragment the remaining populations. Reservoirs have provided
habitat for recently introduced non-native fishes that prey on and compete
with Santa Ana suckers.
Women in fishing want better recognition and status
for their work, says report
Major findings in a report of women in the fishing industry claim that
women perform 50 per cent of administrative tasks and contribute between
26 and 50 per cent of the family income and, while most respondents
were satisfied with their role, 50 per cent want to obtain better recognition
and status for their work. Because of this, women's organisations play
a role in setting the policy agenda in agricultural industries. If governments
are to provide the best possible policies and programs they need access
to a broad range of ideas, advice and perspectives.
Prepared by Australia’s Bureau of Rural Sciences, Fishing for Women:
Understanding Women's Roles in the Fishing Industry is an important
part of The Action Plan -- Empowering Fishing Women to Capitalise on
Networks, a plan for women in the seafood industry in Australia. It
provides the preliminary research necessary to better understand the
role of women in the fishing industry. One of the major findings of
the report was that women's roles in the fishing industry were poorly
reflected in statistics, including women's contributions to output and
productivity.
The Action Plan responds to findings in the BRS report and provides
a national framework for women in the seafood industry to work from
and set goals towards.
In a speech (Full
text) at the launching of the Action Plan, Senator Judith Troeth,
Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said
these findings are familiar to most Australian rural industries but
with support from the Federal Government and women's networks, rural
women can improve their position and achieve greater recognition and
representation.
"Similar statistics have also been identified across a broader
range of agricultural industries through the Missed Opportunities research
report released in 1998 by the Federal Government and Rural Industries
Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)," said Senator Troeth.
CRMP News
Conservation International confers CRMP ‘Highly
Commended’ Status for ecotourism project
The Coastal Resource Management
Project (CRMP) has been chosen to receive Highly Commended Status
for the Conservation International Ecotourism Excellence Award for initiating
and nurturing the Olango
Birds and Seascape Tour (OBST), an ecotourism project managed by
the community of Olango with support from CRMP and the governments of
Lapu Lapu City and the Municipality of Cordova.
As one of the finalists receiving Highly Commended Status, CRMP is recognized
for its “commitment and leadership, which has made a significant
contribution to biodiversity conservation and to the protection of our
planet's natural heritage,” said Eileen Finucane, Coordinator for
Ecotourism Enterprise Development and Support of Conservation International,
in a letter to CRMP.
The OBST serves as a model of how an ecotourism enterprise can catalyze
community awareness and cooperation in protected area conservation,
showcase best practices in coastal resource use, community business
ownership, and tour management capability. It has been cited on several
occasions as a pioneering environment conservation initiative involving
the participation of the community.
This year, Conservation International received the largest number of
applicants for an ecotourism industry award. A panel of distinguished
judges evaluated applicants from all over the world on their environmental
commitment, sensitivity to local environmental issues, cultural sensitivity,
efforts to increase benefits locally, innovation, leadership, and overall
vision. From the finalists, the panel of judges chose two winners and
awarded nine Highly Commended Status awards.
Winners of the award and the Highly Commended Status will be announced
on April 28 during the Toronto
Travel and Leisure Show. Tour operators, travel agents, travel media,
and other travel industry organizations, as well as embassies, and consultants
are expected to attend the award presentation.
Municipality Gets Patrol Boat For Achievements
in Coastal Resource Management
A custom-built patrol boat was awarded today to the municipal government
of Gen. Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo), Bohol in the first of a series of
turnovers to the winners of the 1998 Search for Best Coastal Management
Programs of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Pitogo is one of three winning municipalities awarded in the Externally-Assisted
Category, along with Malalag, Davao del Sur and Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon.
Calabanga and Pasacao in Camarines Sur and Tanauan, Leyte are the awardees
under the “Municipalities Receiving External Assistance” category.
The Government of Japan through the Overseas Development Assistance
funded the construction of the patrol boats. Counselor Eiji Ito of the
Consular Office of Japan presented the boat to Pitogo Acting Vice-Mayor
Moises Abing. He was joined by Bogo Mayor Celestino Martinez III, President
of the LMP-Cebu Chapter, Undersecretary Roseller de la Peña of
the DENR and Alfred Nakatsuma, Supervisory Natural Resources Officer
of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The boats are expected to boost coastal law enforcement efforts already
gaining momentum nationwide. Made primarily of fiberglass, the vessels
also serve to demonstrate an environmentally sound, lower maintenance
and more durable alternative to the traditional wooden outriggers and
pump boats.
The municipal government of Pitogo conducts sea-borne patrols to deter
destructive fishing and the encroachment of commercial fishing vessels
into municipal waters, but destructive fishing remains a challenge.
Pitogo is among 17 municipalities nominated to the search launched by
the LMP and the Coastal Resource
Management Project (CRMP) in 1997.
Each of the six winners also received a Php50,000 cash prize.
Coastal Law Enforcement Procedures Presented in
Training
International procedures in coastal law enforcement made up the bulk
of the topics discussed during a series of training courses conducted
by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Mobile Training Team this month.
The courses included practical exercises on arrest procedures off the
Ouano wharf in Mandaue City. These exercises helped reinforce classroom
instruction by giving each participant an opportunity to apply lessons
to simulated fisheries boarding situations.
Several courses were offered. The Boarding Officer Course was participated
in by officers and personnel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR), Philippine National Police Maritime Group (PNP-Marigroup),
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission and
the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI-7) who are actually performing
fisheries law enforcement duties or serving as instructors to field
personnel performing law enforcement duties. Lecture subjects in the
course included interpersonal communications, international law, boarding
preparations, boarding procedures, the use of force, fishing vessel
identification and inspection of fishing equipment.
The Patrol Planners’ Course discussed operations center organization,
patrol planning, developing an interdiction plan and stress and crisis
management. Intensive table-top exercises were done by the participants
of this course. Medium to high-level supervisors and directors of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Justice,
Fisheries Resource Management Project, BFAR, PNP-MARIGROUP, PCG, PNP-Regional
Office and Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission who participated in the
course formulated an operations plan for coastal law enforcement.
The USCG Training Team also conducted an Instructors’ Course for
Boarding Officers and a Joint Boarding Officers’ Course. The trainings
were conducted as a joint undertaking of the USCG and the Coastal Resource
Management Project with support from the United States Agency for International
Development, DENR and BFAR. The trainings complement the plans and programs
of the newly-formed Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance for Region 7 (CLEAR-7).
|
|
