Philippines

Aquaculture engineers plan 'mariculture parks'
A nationwide association of aquaculture engineers announced plans to establish 'mariculture parks' in strategic places in the Philippines.
The Society of Aquaculture Engineers of the Philippines (SAEP) created a multi-disciplinary task force to undertake a feasibility study on the project. One site that is being considered is Port Irene in Buguoy, Aparri, Cagayan.

A mariculture park, said the SAEP, is an area in marine waters designated for mariculture (growing marine species) and provided with the appropriate infrastructure to make mariculture systems easy to install and operate. It is designed to function like a marina, where private yachts can dock and avail themselves of service utilities for a fee. Like a marina, the park will have mooring facilities and, in some cases, a floating breakwater. On land, docking facilities will be provided to make it easy to land and market the fish harvest.

The SAEP said the park may also be considered as a marine equivalent of industrial parks, which have been set up by the government to encourage investors to set up manufacturing facilities by providing them with a pre-developed area complete with a road network, power, water and communication lines.

But while a marina is intended for pleasure craft and an industrial park is for big investors, the association explained, the mariculture park is designed primarily as a livelihood center for small, municipal fishers. RA Fernandez in The Philippine Star. 01.07.01

BFAR promotes rice-shrimp culture
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has directed all its regional offices to develop technology demonstration farms showcasing rice-shrimp culture systems, following the success of rice-fish (tilapia) culture in the past two years.

The regions were instructed to redirect portions of its research and development budget for rice-fish culture to rice-ulang (freshwater shrimp) culture.

The project will initially be implemented in Aurora and northern Luzon and, eventually, in rice farms around the country.

Restaurants and hotels are potential markets for the freshwater shrimp, a popular delicacy especially in tourist-oriented establishments in Thailand. R dela Cruz, The Philippine Star. 01.07.01

Aquaculture 'collaborating center' set up
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFDC) based in Bonoan Binloc, Dagupan City, Pangasinan has been chosen as the Philippines' 'collaborating center' for the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA).

Westley Rosario, BFAR officer-in-charge, told The Philippine Star that the NACA officials' choice was based of a recommendation from BFAR.

As NACA's national collaborating center, the NIFDC will undertake a development project in sand dune areas, particularly in Pangasinan, to make them productive and boost aquaculture in the province, said Rosario.

NACA coordinator Hassanal Kongkeo said the Philippines' full membership to the NACA will greatly enhance the program and status of the organization. E. de Leon, The Philippine Star. 01.21.01

Filipino lawyer elected to int'l environment body
The Board of Trustees of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) unanimously elected Antonio Oposa Jr., a prominent Filipino environmental lawyer, to serve a three-year term on its board. Oposa is the first Asian to assume such position.

CIEL is a public interest and non-profit environmental law organization with a mission to strengthen international environmental law and policy capabilities of governments, international agencies and non-governmental organizations around the world.

CIEL chairman Fredericks R. Anderson described Oposa as "one of the most accomplished environmental lawyers in the world."

One of Oposa's precedent-setting cases established the right to sue in behalf of future generations, first articulated by the Philippine Supreme Court in an action to halt forest destruction. The Supreme Court decision Minors, Oposa, et al v. Department of Environment and Natural Resources is now well known around the world. The Philippine Star, 01.21.01

DENR asked to investigate seaweed firm for environmental violations
The Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to investigate multinational company FMC Biopolymer-Marine Colloids Philippines, Inc., for possible violations of environmental laws.

SIAP president Benson Dakay claimed the company has been dumping two-thirds of its untreated water into Mactan Channel, an illegal practice that has affected other seaweed companies as it allowed FMC to cut costs and sell its products at "predatory prices."

Dakay is also chief executive officer of Shemberg Marketing Corporation, a seaweed processing company and FMC's business rival.

Dakay said SIAP's investigation revealed that the waters around FMC had a bio-oxygen demand (BOD) of 972, way above the limit of 120 BOD, and alkalinity, at pH 7.3, had reached a level that is toxic to marine life in the area.

Moreover, the investigation showed that the company's water consumption, relative to its export records, was "irregular."

According to records obtained by SIAP, FMC exported 3,011 tons of raw seaweeds and 2,443 tons of processed seaweeds (carrageenan) in the first half of last year (2000) alone. With this output, Dakay explained, the company is expected to use roughly 1,000-1,500 cu.m. of water daily. Every batch of seaweeds requires at least three washings of water, with each washing requiring 6,000 liters of water.

But records at the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) indicate that FMC consumed only 300 cu.m. of water per day.

Dakay claimed FMC is discharging 1,500 tons of untreated water into the Mactan-Cebu Channel through bypass pipes.

Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano has asked environment officials to look into SIAP's complaints.

FMC officials were not available to comment. D.C. Bongcac, Cebu Daily News; ROV, Sun.Star Cebu ; K.T. Lechonsito, The Freeman, 01.12.01

DENR reminder: Use of junk ship as artificial reef is illegal
The plan of the Boracay Association of Scuba Diving Schools to submerge a 40-year-old cargo ship is illegal, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

Joint Memorandum Order No. 2000-01, which was recently issued by the DENR, the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), lifted the moratorium on the deployment of artificial reefs made of concrete blocks or culverts and limestone or rocks. The moratorium on the use of scrap tires and junk vehicles or sea crafts for artificial reefs, however, remains in effect pending the completion of the environmental impact studies of the DENR.

The DENR Region 6 office was ordered to coordinate with the local offices of the DA and DILG to advise the Boracay Association of Scuba Association about the prohibition.

In a news item, the Boracay Association of Scuba Diving Association announced their plan to submerged the 40-year-old M/c Camia 110 meters under the waters of Boracay, at least 2km southwest of the island's front beach.

Artificial reefs are a strategy to protect and/or rehabilitate marine life. They were first deployed in 1977, primarily to help address problems resulting from the degradation of the country's coral reefs. Reefs account for 8 to 20 percent of total fishery production in the Philippines, so their degradation caused a decline in municipal fisheries production.

In September 1997, following reports that artificial reefs were being misused as fish aggregating devices, thus causing further over-fishing and depletion of fish stocks, DA, DENR, DILG and DND issued Joint Administrative Order No. 97-01, which set an indefinite moratorium on the deployment of artificial reefs nationwide and mandated the formulation of policy guidelines on the deployment and use of artificial reefs in the country.

Shemberg plans USD0.5M expansion
Shemberg Biotech Corporation (SBC) will invest USD500,000 to expand its plant operations following increasing demand for food-grade carrageenan from Europe. The company said its plant has been operating at full capacity, producing 3,600 tons of food-grade carrageenan last year. The expansion will increase its production capacity to 5,000 tons.

Meanwhile, the company has rejected Colgate Palmolive Company's (CP) proposal to reduce the volume of their orders by 72 percent, from 545 tons of toothpaste-grade carrageenan per year in the past years to 150 tons this year.

SBC president and chief executive officer (CEO) Benson U. Dakay will personally hand in his company's counter-proposal to the main office of CP in New York next week.

SBC said the reduction of CP's orders, from 545 tons for five years to 200 tons last year and 150 tons this year, is an unfair trade practice affecting about 200 workers and more than 5,000 seaweed farmers in Zamboanga. The company claims CP has no fair business reason to phase it out as a supplier, saying it has consistently met CP's requirements in terms of price, quality, delivery and technology. SBC insists that CP should restore its purchase volume to the 400-500-ton level valued at USD6.54 million. It also complained that it is being excluded from bidding for CP's future carrageenan requirements.

Until recently, CP maintained a manufacturing facility in the Philippines. The facility has been transferred to Thailand. EMD in The Freeman, 01.05.01, 01.06.01.

Fishers displaced by reclamation project promised aid
Some 620 fishers displaced by the Cebu South Reclamation Project of the Cebu City government have been assured of livelihood and financial assistance. City officials announced that the national government has allocated Php17 million to finance livelihood projects to be identified by members of the Cebu Fisherfolk Federation.

The city government will coordinate with the Department of Labor and Employment in the implementation of the livelihood assistance program. Specific projects will be evaluated based on their economic viability. R.C. Tecson in Cebu Daily News, 01.09.01

Wildlife park opens in Talisay City, Cebu
A nature and wildlife conservation park opened in Biasong, Talisay City, Cebu last January 7. The park, called 'Crocolandia' showcases crocodiles, freshwater turtles, exotic fishes, aquatic plants in simulated habitats, an aviary, a butterfly sanctuary with food plants, botanical gardens, an interactive wildlife museum, a library, a multi-media room and a zoo. Sun.Star Cebu . 01.10.01

Plan to dump garbage on Semirara suspended
A regional court temporarily halted the use of Semirara Island as a dumpsite for Metro Manila garbage. A petition to block a plan by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to open a garbage landfill on the island was filed earlier by local residents, who said they feared an environmental disaster.

The island, about 290 km south of Manila, has been declared a marine turtle sanctuary and could be a sanctuary for migratory birds.
Government officials have allowed two companies to develop a former coalmine on Semirara into a garbage landfill to take Manila's garbage for at least two years. Under the proposal, the trash is to be loaded on barges for a three-day journey to the island, passing near some of the country's best known beach resorts and fishing grounds.

But island residents obtained a court order in early January to suspend the plan for 20 days. Two garbage-laden barges have been ordered back to Manila, officials said.

Environmentalists warn that waste fluids leaking from the barges could pollute the water along their route. They also feared the barges could capsize, scattering garbage in the sea and damaging the marine environment.

MMDA officials appealed the court order. AP in Cebu Daily News. 01.12.01

Fishers say grouper culture a moneymaker
Fishers in the island town of President Carlos P. Garcia, Bohol have found a lucrative business in grouper culture. Live grouper is currently selling at a wholesale price of US$9-24 per kilo in the world market. Domestically, the market price is Php270-310 a kilo.

At least four fishers associations on the island are raising grouper in net cages using a technology introduced by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 1995. The fish was cultured in cages measuring 40 meters by 50 meters using fry and juveniles caught from the wild.

In 1995, the island had two fish cage modules; today it has 10. Cultured grouper can be harvested in 5 to 6 months, when it weighs between 500 and 600 grams.

The slow-growing grouper is a priced food fish. It is exported live to Hong Kong at a farmgate price of Php280 per kilo.

Conservationists, however, caution against promoting grouper culture as an "alternative" livelihood for fishers saying it does not address the problem of over-harvesting of the species. In fact, they say, the harvesting of fry and juveniles from the wild to meet rising demand from an increasing number of fish cage operations can only exacerbate the depletion problem.

Studies indicate that grouper stocks have become depleted in most areas in the Philippines. With a report from JD Campos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 01.12.01

Vessel found carrying blasting caps
Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group (Marig) operatives in Region 7 seized in early January 2,500 blasting caps aboard an Ozamiz City-bound ferry at Cebu City Port. The items, believed intended for blast fishing, will be submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory and firearms and explosives office for examination. Authorities suspect the caps were made locally.

In May 1999, the Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission seized similar blasting caps and 50 bags of ammonium nitrate from a vessel off the coast of Talisay City, Cebu. The Commission filed a criminal complaint against one Pabling Santos, an ammonium nitrate dealer and the alleged owner of the contraband items. The case is still pending before the Court of Appeals. GC in Sun.Star Cebu . 01.10.01

2 dynamite fishers walk free
Two fishermen were arrested for dynamite fishing this month but were soon released because Maritime police failed to submit crucial evidence when they filed the case against them.

The Cebu Provincial Prosecutor's Office did not file the results of the laboratory tests on the explosives allegedly recovered from the suspects. Nevertheless, the prosecutor's office insisted on lodging a criminal complaint against the suspects for violation of the Fisheries Code. The respondents are now considered at large.

Police said it would take the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime laboratory at least two weeks to complete its tests. GN, Sun.Star Cebu . 01.12.01

Cage operator killed over dispute on fishing grounds
A conflict between three large fishermen's groups over territorial control of fishing grounds in Taal Lake, Batangas resulted in the killing of a fish cage operator by a still unidentified gunman. Investigators recovered at least 10 spent bullet shells from the crime scene.

Police said similar incidents happened in the past, and most of them rose from the rivalry between these groups. In 1991, three men were killed and three others injured. None of the cases has been solved as, according to police, local residents refused to cooperate with investigators. M. Magsino in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. 01.07.01

World

New evidence confirms rapid global warming, say scientists
SHANGHAI, January 22, 2001 - Leading climate change scientists and government officials from around the world have finalized a major report confirming that the evidence for humanity's influence on the global climate is now stronger than ever before.

The new assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is jointly sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Meteorological Organization, projects a potentially devastating global warming of 1.4 - 5.8°C over the coming century.

"The scientific consensus presented in this comprehensive report about human-induced climate change should sound alarm bells in every national capital and in every local community. We must move ahead boldly with clean energy technologies, and we should start preparing ourselves now for the rising sea levels, changing rain patterns, and other impacts of global warming," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer.

The IPCC's Third Assessment Report is being written and reviewed by hundreds of climate change experts on the basis of the most up-to-date, peer-reviewed research available. In addition to today's Volume I with the title "Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis," the IPCC Report will include a Volume II on impacts (to be finalized in mid-February) and a Volume III on response strategies (early March).

Some of the report's key findings are:

• There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.
• Since the IPCC's 1995 Report, confidence in the ability of models to project future climate has increased. For example, there is now a longer and more closely scrutinized temperature record.
  Reconstructions of climate data for the past 1,000 years, as well as model estimates of natural climate variations, suggest that the observed warming over the past 100 years was unusual and is unlikely to be entirely natural in origin. However, there are still many remaining gaps in information and understanding about climate change.
• An increasing body of observation gives a collective picture of a warming world. Globally it is very likely that the 1990s were the warmest decade, and 1998 the warmest year, in the instrumental record, since 1861. New analyses of data from tree rings, corals, ice cores and historical records for the Northern Hemisphere indicate that the increase in temperature in the 20th century is likely to have been the largest of any century during the past 1000 years, and it is likely that the 1990s were the warmest decade and 1998 was the warmest year.
• Since 1750, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31% from 280 parts per million to about 367 ppm today. The present CO2 concentration has not been exceeded during the past 420,000 years and likely not during the past 20 million years.
• The globally averaged surface temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 - 5.8°C from 1990 to 2100. This is higher than the 1995 Second Assessment Report's projection of 1 - 3.5°C, largely because future sulphur dioxide emissions (which help to cool the Earth) are now expected to be lower. This future warming is on top of a 0.6°C increase since 1861.
• Global average water vapor concentration and precipitation are projected to increase. More intense precipitation events are likely over many northern hemisphere's mid- to high-latitude land areas. The observed intensities and frequencies of tropical and extra-tropical cyclones and severe local storms, however, currently show no clear long-term trends, although data are often sparse and inadequate.
• Sea levels are projected to rise by 0.09 to 0.88 metres from 1990 to 2100. Despite higher temperature projections these sea level projections are slightly lower than the range projected in the SAR (0.13 to 0.94 metres), primarily due to the use of improved models, which give a smaller contribution from glaciers and ice sheets.
  Over 150 delegates from about 100 governments participated in the working group meeting. The full report is over 1000 pages, has been three years in production, and was written by 123 lead authors, assisted more than 516 contributing authors. The delegates unanimously accepted the report and approved the Summary for Policymakers.
  
  The report's Summary for Policymakers is available at http://www.ipcc.ch.

Report notes 'loss of political momentum' on environmental issues
Global environmental trends have reached a dangerous crossroads as the new century begins, according to State of the World 2001, which was released today by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based research organization. Signs of accelerated ecological decline have coincided with a loss of political momentum on environmental issues, as evidenced by the recent breakdown of global climate talks. This failure calls into question whether the world will be able to turn these trends around before the economy suffers irreversible damage.

"Governments squandered a historic opportunity to reverse environmental decline during the prosperity of the 1990s," said Christopher Flavin, President of the Institute and co-author of the report. "If in the current climate of political and economic uncertainty, political leaders were to roll back environmental laws or fail to complete key international agreements, decades of progress could unravel."

New scientific evidence indicates that many global ecosystems are reaching dangerous thresholds that raise the stakes for policymakers. The Arctic ice cap has already thinned by 42 percent, and 27 percent of the world's coral reefs have been lost, suggesting that some of the planet's key ecological systems are in decline, say the Institute's researchers. Environmental degradation is also leading to more severe natural disasters, which have cost the world $608 billion over the last decade-as much as in the previous four decades combined.

One sign of ecological decline described in this year's State of the World is the risk of extinction that hangs over dozens of species of frogs and other amphibians around the globe, due to pressures that range from deforestation to ozone depletion. Co-author Ashley Mattoon describes amphibians as "an important bioindicator-a sort of barometer of Earth's health-more sensitive to environmental stress than other organisms."

Environmental decline is also exacting a toll on people. Even after a decade of declining poverty in many nations, 1.2 billion people lack access to clean water and hundreds of millions breathe unhealthy air. And poor people in countries such as the Philippines and Mexico are pushed to destroy forests and coral reefs in a desperate effort to raise living standards.

"Mobilizing the worldwide response needed to bring destructive environmental trends under control is a daunting task," said coauthor Gary Gardner. "But people have surmounted great challenges before, from the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, to the enfranchisement of women in the early twentieth. Change can move quickly from impossible to inevitable."

Some early signs of progress have emerged in the past year. In December, negotiators from 122 countries agreed to a historic legally binding treaty that will severely restrict 12 persistent organic pollutants. Organic farming, which avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, has surged to a worldwide annual market of $22 billion-and may get a further boost from strict organic farming standards issued by the U.S. government in December.

Industry is one key to environmental progress. Last year, Ford Motor Company Chairman, William Ford, questioned the long-term future of both the internal combustion engine and the personal automobile, as his company stepped up its efforts to develop new transportation technologies. At the same time, three oil companies announced that they are moving "beyond petroleum" to a broader portfolio of energy investments. In many regions, renewable energy is now the most economical and inflation-proof energy source available, and can be installed much faster than the three-year minimum for a natural gas-fired power plant.

Co-authors Hilary French and Lisa Mastny note that failure to enforce many existing international environmental agreements is hampering progress on many fronts. State of the World 2001 calls for stronger enforcement of treaties, and for increased North-South cooperation, particularly among the environmentally and economically influential E9 countries: China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Japan, South Africa, and the European Union. "Globalization must go beyond commercial relationships to embrace strengthened political and civil-society ties between diverse nations if we are to avoid a shared catastrophe," said the report.

One example of the potential influence of the E9 countries is the effort to slow climate change. These nine nations account for nearly three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. A collective commitment by the E9 to new energy systems could have a dramatic impact on energy markets and reduce the rate of global warming.

"The prospect of a new U.S. President entering office has raised questions about whether the United States will choose to be a leader or an impediment to global environmental progress in the decade ahead," said Flavin. "The U.S. has the world's largest economy and its environmental impact is second to none, so the signal it sends is crucial."
International negotiators are worried by the anti-environmental rhetoric of the Bush campaign, but hopeful that once in office, the new administration will follow through on the climate treaty and other policies that were launched by the earlier Bush administration a decade ago.

"The question now is one of leadership," Flavin said. "Will the United States help lead the world to a sustainable economy in the twenty-first century-as it led the way through global crises in the last century? Or will it be left to other countries to show the way to a sustainable economy in the new millennium?"

EC take further measures to prevent marine pollution
The European Commission will set up a Community framework for co-operation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution for the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2006, with a budget of 7 million EUR. It is intended to support and supplement the Member States' efforts for the protection of the marine environment. Within the framework, a Community Information System for the purpose of exchanging data on the preparedness for and response to accidental or deliberate marine pollution will be established. The Commission will open a website "the Community homepage", and each Member State will open within six months a national homepage, which will be connected with the whole system.

The European Commission has also submitted a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Committee on Safe Seas and amending the Regulations on marine safety and the prevention of pollution from ships. This will be an improvement of the pertinent Community legislation on maritime safety by creating a single committee, to be known as the Committee on Safe Seas, and by facilitating the process of amending the legislation. The role of the Committee on Safe Seas is to centralize the tasks of the committees set up under the Community legislation on maritime safety. The Committee shall be composed of representatives of the Member States.

For further information, point your browser to
http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-
lex/en/dat/2000/l_332/l_33220001228en00010006.pdf
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/civil/index.htm
http://europa.eu.int/eur-
lex/en/dat/2000/ce365/ce36520001219en02760279.pdf
http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/themes/maritime/english/mt_en.html
Coastal Guide News

UNEP urges use of "green energy"
Paris/Nairobi, January 10, 2001 - Green energy must be put at the heart of sustainable development if the threats of climate change and the need to tackle poverty and ill health in the developing world are to be truly addressed, Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) told a meeting of the G-8 Task Force on Renewable Energy in Paris.

"Sustainable development, or not cheating on your children, means things like ensuring our ever-growing cities function as stimulating and vibrant places to live and work; to ensuring that the poorest people in the world are not forced to chop down forests full of precious wildlife for wood to cook or keep warm," he said. "I cannot frankly see how these problems can be overcome without the widespread introduction of non- or lesser-polluting forms of energy which conserve the planet's finite resources of coal, oil and other fossil fuels."

Toepfer's exhortations came in the run-up to UNEP's 21st session of its Governing Council in which ministers from around the world will meet in Nairobi from 5 to 9 February 2000.

Renewable and sustainable energy will be among the key issues on the Council's agenda.

UNEP believes that the reality of the promise of green and less-polluting energy schemes, able to bring heat and light to rural communities or help pump water to rural communities and rapidly expanding cities, may hinge on developing a pioneering network of advice centers across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Such centers will also be able to act as brokers, helping to bring together governments, communities, development banks, other loan agencies and technical experts, to overcome financial and other hurdles which can slow down the introduction of renewable energy projects.

John Christensen, Head of the UNEP Collaborating Center on Energy and Environment based at the Riso National Laboratory in Roskilde, Denmark, said an informal network with two centers in each of the three key regions has been established and is already helping countries such as Tanzania develop less-polluting forms of energy.

"We have identified regional centers of expertise and now wish to formalize these relationships. We have found that working this way, we can move rapidly and more flexibly to deliver sustainable energy schemes in some of the places where they can make a real difference to people's lives", he said.

Two new reports indicate dramatic slowdown in loss of US wetlands
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2001 -- Two United States federal agencies released jointly released two new reports that both indicate there has been a dramatic slowdown in the loss of wetlands over the past decade.
The new report by the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service`, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 1986 to 1997, shows the rate of wetland loss in the United States has decreased down to an estimated annual loss of 58,500 acres an 80 percent reduction compared to the previous decade. The national goal of no net wetlands losses still has not been met, however. The study shows that between 1986 and 1997, forested wetlands and freshwater emergent wetlands continued to show the most losses. Open water ponds have been increasing, yet there is concern that the long-term trend in the loss of vegetated wetlands may result in long-term adverse consequences.

The Department of Agriculture's National Resources Inventory, a report on the health of America's private lands, also shows significant reduction in wetland losses. Prepared by the department's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the report found an average annual net loss from all sources of 32,600 acres of wetlands from 1992 to 1997.

The western half of the United States is nearing no net loss while the eastern part saw the largest wetlands loss.

Wetlands are biologically diverse and dynamic ecosystems. Found in every state, wetlands support diverse populations of fish, wildlife and plants, providing habitat for more than forty percent of the nations endangered and threatened species. Often called "nature's sponges," they also help protect water quality by filtering out pollutants, provide natural flood control by absorbing excess water, buffer coastal areas from erosion, and offer aesthetic and recreational opportunities.

The findings of the reports reflect the culmination of more than a decade of progressive work and accomplishments in wetland conservation.

Since 1993, federal agencies have adopted policies accentuating fair, flexible approaches to wetlands conservation and stewardship, placing strong emphasis on educating the public about wetland values, benefits, and the sustainable use of wetland resources. The data in the new reports indicate that policies and programs in the 1990s have helped slowdown wetland resource losses while increasing wetland restoration, creation, and enhancement.

The DOI Status and Trends report is available on the web at http://wetlands.fws.gov/bha/SandT/SandTReport.html ; and the USDA National Resources Inventory is available at http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/NRI .

Sweden wants to tackle problems of "Northern Dimension"
Sweden wants to use its current EU presidency to put the environment and the so-called Northern Dimension on top of the European policy agenda.

The Northern Dimension concept focuses on a region of approximately 140 million inhabitants and covers the North West region of Russia and the countries bordering the Baltic Sea. Kaliningrad is paid particular attention to because of its unique future position as a Russian enclave within the enlarged Union and its high level of environmental pollution and health problems. The European Commission is currently preparing a Communication on Kaliningrad, to carry work forward.

The 15 EU Foreign Ministers and their colleagues from the seven Northern Dimension Partner Countries will meet in Luxembourg on April 9, 2001 to review progress on the implementation of the Action Plan tabled by the Commission. The Commission has three specific funding instruments for the region, each comprising a cross-border co-operation chapter: Phare, Tacis and Interreg.

For more information visit the External Relations Directorate-General website at http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/news/patten/north_dim.htm. Coastal Guide News

IUCN opens Mediterranean office
The IUCN, the Spanish Government and the Regional Government of Andalucía signed an agreement to establish a Mediterranean IUCN Office in Malaga, Spain. With the opening of this office, IUCN intends to provide a forum and service to its 160 Mediterranean members and to work out the IUCN Mediterranean Programme containing coastal and marine issues such as islands, fisheries, integrated coastal zone management, and protection of wetlands. The new office will build on the IUCN network in bringing together the expertise of its member organisations in the West Asian, North African and European Regions.

For more information contact: Mr. Francis Parakatil, IUCN headquarters, at frp@hq.iucn.org or Mr. Andrez Alcantara in Malaga, Spain, at iucnma@ari.es. Coastal Guide News

New US law on migratory birds signed
A landmark executive order on migratory birds was signed in early January requiring Federal agencies to avoid or minimize the negative impact of their actions on migratory birds, and to take active steps to protect birds and their habitat.

The order directs each federal agency taking actions having or likely to have a negative impact on migratory bird populations to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop an agreement to conserve those birds. The protocols developed by this consultation are intended to guide future agency regulatory actions and policy decisions; renewal of permits, contracts or other agreements; and the creation of or revisions to land management plans. In addition to avoiding or minimizing impacts to migratory bird populations, agencies will be expected to take reasonable steps that include restoring and enhancing habitat, preventing or abating pollution affecting birds, and incorporating migratory bird conservation into agency planning processes whenever possible.

Most bird species in the United States are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, the domestic law that implements the United States' commitment to four international conventions for the protection of shared migratory bird resources. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) protects species or families of birds that live, reproduce or migrate within or across international borders at some point during their annual life cycle. Federal courts have affirmed that Federal agencies are subject to the MBTA's prohibitions on "take" of migratory birds.

The executive order is designed to assist Federal Agencies in their efforts to comply with the MBTA. It will serve to enhance coordination and communication among Federal agencies and build upon the progress that has been made in recent years on conservation of migratory birds.

During the past 30 years, about one-fifth of the bird species native to the United States have declined at rates equal to or exceeding 2.5 percent per year. A trend of this magnitude represents a cumulative decline of more than 50 percent over a span of 30 years. Declines this large are considered to be biologically meaningful, even for species that are widely distributed and relatively abundant. These losses are not restricted to just one or two groups of birds; birds of grassland, wetland, scrubland, and woodland habitats have all been affected. Non-migratory permanent residents have been affected, as have long-distance neotropical migrants.
Aside from their environmental importance, bird-related activities are also some of America's most popular pastimes. Bird watching outpaces golf and rivals gardening in terms of the number of participants. In 1996, more than 63 million people went bird watching, fed birds, or went on trips to watch birds and other wildlife. They directly spent an estimated $29 billion on these activities, generating almost $85 billion in related economic activity, creating more than one million jobs and producing $5.2 billion in federal and state tax revenues.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. FWS, January 11, 2001

Lawsuit settlement may help save Florida manatee from extinction
WASHINGTON, January 4, 2001 -A coalition of 18 environmental, animal welfare, and public interest groups reached a landmark settlement in its lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Secretary Interior Bruce Babbitt, that may help pull the Florida manatee back from the edge of extinction.

"We originally filed the suits because the agencies were not implementing and enforcing existing manatee protection laws resulting in an escalating number of manatees killed by watercraft each year. This settlement agreement provides much better protection for manatees and their habitat, both in the present as well as the long-term," said Helen Spivey, co-chair of the Save the Manatee Club (SMC) board of directors.
The settlement commits the FWS to a firm and rapid schedule for the designation of an extensive network of new manatee refuges and sanctuaries throughout Florida. Under this groundbreaking settlement, the new refuges and sanctuaries must be proposed for public comment by April 2, 2001, and must be adopted by September 28, 2001.

"Manatees will now have a network of protected areas where they can be free from harassment and human activity to rest, breed, feed, and nurse their calves," said Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), one of the plaintiff groups.

The FWS and the Corps have also committed to adopting "small take" regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) within the next 28 months. Under the MMPA, such regulations could only be issued if the Secretary of the Interior ensures that the "taking" being authorized - a legal term that includes not only mortalities, but also sub-lethal injuries from collisions, as well as harassment - has no more than a "negligible" effect on the species. If the effect is judged to be more than negligible, the authorization must be denied.

The lawsuit was originally filed in United States District Court in January 2000, largely because of the escalating number of manatees killed by boats, especially in recent years, and the loss and degradation of manatee habitat from development. Preliminary figures from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission indicate that a total of 235 manatees have died in Florida waters this past year.

Environment ministers to attend UNEP meeting in Nairobi
NAIROBI, 23 January 2001 - Up to 100 Environment Ministers are expected to attend the 2nd Global Ministerial Environment Forum/21st session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (GC21) at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, from 5 to 9 February 2001. GC21, which will build on last year's landmark Ministerial Forum held in Malmo Sweden, will set UNEP's budget and work programme and, importantly, provide input to Earth Summit II, scheduled for South Africa in 2002.

"With the active participation of the world's environment ministers, senior figures from business and civil society and top UN officials, such as the Director-General of UNESCO, we are seeing a new dimension to UNEP's Governing Council," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director. "The UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum is clearly now the world's leading international forum for governments to address current and emerging environmental policy issues."

2001 is the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations and there will be a ministerial discussion on this topic. Nobel Prize laureate, Wole Soyinka, will facilitate the debate on an issue where more than 2500 of the world's languages are threatened with extinction, partly due to the loss of the natural environments in which their speakers live.
Renewable energy, especially in the African context, is also high on the agenda. Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, group managing director of the Royal Dutch Shell, will add the business perspective to ministerial discussion on this topic.

Meeting documents are available on the Web at http://www.unep.org/GC_21st/

South Africa records highest recorded anchovy population level
South Africa's total allowable catch for anchovy has been increased from the 123,000 tons initially awarded for the 2000 fishing season to a starting amount of 378,000 tons for the 2001 season, a 207 percent increase, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism reported.

Anchovy has been the main contributor to South Africa's purse-seine fishery in most years since 1964, during which period more than 8½ million tons of the species has been caught. Most of the catch is processed into fish oil and fishmeal. One of the more important uses of fishmeal is to supplement the protein diet of domestic animals, especially poultry but also cattle.

Since 1984, the Anchovy fishery has been managed on the basis of ship-based acoustic surveys that estimate the biomass of the adult component of the population in November and December. Anchovy has a high natural mortality rate, which results in it being short-lived. The adult component of the population comprises only the few most recent cohorts. As cohorts vary widely in abundance from one year to the next, so does the biomass of the adult component of the Anchovy population.
Each mature Anchovy female has the potential to spawn several times in a spawning season, and she may produce thousands of eggs in her short life. To sustain the population, only a few of these eggs need survive to adulthood. Most will perish in the harsh marine environment, perhaps contributing to the diet of the many small predators in the ocean or being swept offshore by currents, away from necessary planktonic food, to starve. It only requires a small change in the survival rate of the many eggs and larvae produced to create large changes in the sizes of annual cohorts, and ultimately in the parent stock biomass.

In 2000, results from the ship-based biomass survey indicated that the spawner stock had attained a level of four million tons, more than double the highest previously recorded (1.75 million tons in 1986) since the surveys were initiated in 1984. This is excellent news for both fishermen and predators. The total allowable catch for anchovy has been increased from the 123,000 tons initially awarded for the 2000 fishing season to a starting amount of 378,000 tons for the 2001 season. The allocation will be re-evaluated during the season and may increase further.

In 2000, South Africa imported approximately 500,000 tons of Soya cake as a supplementary protein feed for domestic animals, including poultry. The increased availability of Anchovy in 2001 can be expected to decrease this demand.

South Africa restricts linefish catch
South Africa's Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism announced December 29 that an emergency in linefish sector, excluding tuna and hake, had occurred. The government has imposed restrictions on the total allowable effort, and bag limits for recreational fishers and subsistence fishers will be announced within this first quarter of 2001.

Over half a million people participate in linefishing in South Africa using hook and line to target approximately 40 different key fish species for recreation or for commercial gain. Surveys and stock assessments demonstrate that at least 20 key linefish are dangerously over-exploited.
The main reasons for stock depletion are a combination of slow growth, long life spans and high fishing effort from both recreational and commercial fishers. The substantial decline in stock abundance has necessitated stricter control measures and a change in linefish management policy.

The management measures are aimed at ensuring a reduction in fishing mortality (catch rates) to protect the resource from further over exploitation, while still maintaining fishers' access to the resources.
To minimize the socio-economic impact of these intended new regulations, some of the present commercial effort will be redirected to more resilient resources. The future commercial linefishery will be split into three sectors traditional linefish sector, hand-line hake sector, and tuna sector with albacore tuna (longfin) as a traditional target.

For more information, contact tabane@iafrica.com

IUCN launches biodiversity web site
Gland, Switzerland, December 15, 2000 (IUCN) - IUCN - The World Conservation Union has today launched an innovative public web site designed to raise widespread awareness of the urgency of the global species extinction.

Entitled "Biodiversity is life" (http://iucn.org/bil), and sponsored by Volkswagen France, the web site is devised to allow a wide audience to access vital information on the conservation of biodiversity. The Biodiversity web site includes a new creative graphic designed by the communications agency "DDB". This graphic portrays the planet in the shape of an egg, illustrating the fragility of life.

"Throughout the world, we have witnessed the loss of biological diversity at an unprecedented and ever accelerating rate. The current rate of species' extinction is believed to exceed the one the earth experienced before the onset of the human era -- during the extinction episode of 70 million years ago when dinosaurs disappeared", says Maritta Koch-Weser, IUCN's Director General.