The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
October, 2002, Vol.5 No. 10
October, 2002, Vol.5 No. 10
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The Online Magazine for Sustainable
Seas
October, 2002, Vol.5 No. 10 |
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Coastal Alert |
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Philippines Small
fishers want fisheries out of WTO World Seas
in Asia, Northwest Pacific and West Africa at highest risk from land-based
pollution Philippines Small fishers want fisheries out of WTO One hundred leaders of 17 national fisherfolk federations, in what they called the Banilad Declaration, expressed fears that trade liberalization would jeopardize the livelihood of small-scale fishers and their families. Without government support, small-scale fishers would be unable to compete and survive in the global market because foreign fish imports are cheaper than those from local sources, they said, demanding that government uphold its avowed policies of promoting Philippine fisheries for the exclusive use of Filipinos, food sovereignty, income and livelihood security, ecological sustainability, social justice, and sectoral unity. They said government should support small-scale fishers, limit fish importation, restrict foreign investment in fisheries, and "categorically resist fish trade liberalization." "The Philippine fisheries sector is entirely unprepared to cope liberalization," they said. "The lack of effective regulatory mechanisms leaves it especially vulnerable to capitalist exploitation, while the near non-existence of subsidies to small fisherfolk leave them prey to foreign competition." The Banilad Declaration will be submitted to the Task Force on Fisheries Trade Negotiations created by the Department of Agriculture to prepare for the negotiations in the WTO. The Declaration is the result of a 3-day national consultation on fisheries subsidies and market access initiated by Kilusang Mangingisda. In a press conference, fisherfolk leaders also urged small-scale fishers to lobby with their respective local government units to implement the ban on commercial fishing within municipal waters. They said municipal waters are being overfished by commercial fishing operators. "Heightened demand from foreign markets and an influx in foreign investment will only hasten the collapse of the resource," they said. LAP in Sun.Star Cebu, 09.29.02 Fishers want more funds for coastal management During the symposium, fishers drafted a resolution that called for the delineation of municipal waters, the allocation of 20 percent of the local development fund to coastal management, and a crackdown on illegal fishing. They said local officials who refuse to implement fisheries laws must be charged before the Ombudsman for failure to do their duty. They claimed that the Republic Act No. 8550 (Fisheries Code) is being ignored by some local government officials engaged in illegal fishing, they suggested that the Code be amended to include a provision on citizen’s arrest that will allow concerned citizens to help curb illegal fishing. They also called for on government to launch a public information campaign on the Fisheries Code and municipal water delineation, and to provide every province with a laboratory equipped to analyze fish samples for noxious substances. A quick response team, representing people’s organizations from 13 provinces in the Visayas, was formed to press for action on the resolution. The symposium was coordinated by the Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) and supported by the German Development Service and Carl Duisberg Gesselschaft. The Freeman, 10.11.02; LAP in Sun.Star Cebu South China Sea "unites" RP, China -
President Arroyo "South China Sea is the sea that unites rather than divides the Philippines and China," presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said as the president held talks with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian. He said the Philippines was "ready to explore with China various areas of cooperation in the South China Sea," including "fisheries cooperation and marine environmental protection." Arroyo, he added, "was steadfast in our commitment to settle" territorial disputes peacefully. The statement came a day after the Philippines hauled to court 122 Chinese fishermen who pleaded guilty to poaching. The cases of 38 other fishermen are pending in court. Some of the 160 fishermen were arrested in the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China -- as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam -- have territorial disputes. The 122 Chinese were imposed a fine of Php2,000 (USD40) each for the offense by a local court, which also ordered a hefty penalty of USD100,000 for each of the six boats confiscated for poaching. Clerk of court Maria Teresa Navarro earlier said 45 of the fishermen would be slapped additional charges for using poison to catch fish and of possession of endangered species. Before the court case, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez and Chinese Ambassador Wang Chungqui quarreled over the fate of the fishermen. An angry Perez had called for the expulsion of Wang, accusing the envoy of trying to bully him into freeing the 122 fishermen. The two officials, however, buried the hatchet and have since taken conciliatory actions. The Philippines has "taken consistent procedures of exercising restraint and avoiding actions which may aggravate the situation," Bunye said in relation to the territorial disputes with their giant neighbor. Some 484 of 695 foreigners caught for poaching in Philippine waters from 1995 to June last year were Chinese, officials said. Others were Malaysians, Vietnamese, Indonesians and Taiwanese. AFP in Sun.Star Cebu, 09.29.02 RP-China fisheries body sought Sen. Edgardo J Angara said that the diplomatic irritant posed by the detention of Chinese fishers arrested while poaching in Philippine waters should not be overblown, as Cha is a major trading partner. With the right export product, China can be a big market for the Philippines, he said. "The Philippines has the marine resources and the skilled manpower, while China has modern fishing vessels and the processing facilities. Jointly, we can make the most of our marine resources," Angara, a former agriculture secretary, said. The senator said he had explored the possibility of establishing fishing ties with China during his term as agriculture secretary, and China agreed with the idea. Angara proposes the establishment of a Joint Fisheries Commission as an interim solution to intensified poaching in Philippine waters. "While the Philippines is modernizing its fishing fleet and processing facilities, the Fishery Commission is one way of getting real returns from marine resources that we cannot fully explore right now," he said. Angara is the author and principal sponsor of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, which is now the government's blueprint for the modernization of fisheries and agriculture. Manila Bulletin, 09.29.02 Court orders release of 122 Chinese fishers Judge Perfecto Pe in Puerto Princesa ruled that the fishermen could not be held even if they could not pay all of the USD100,000 fine for each of their six vessels caught poaching in Philippine waters. The fishermen have completed their six-month jail terms and have paid USD50,000 out of the total USD600,000 for the boats, and individual fines of Php2,000 (USD38) each. The court earlier ordered their release after partial payment of the fines, but the order was questioned by the Palawan government and an environmental agency. The fishermen’s lawyer, Zoilo Cruz, said the court rejected arguments to keep the fishermen behind bars and reaffirmed the release order. The fishermen later flew to Manila. It was unclear when they might return to China. The fishermen were arrested in separate groups in Philippine waters in the South China Sea west of Palawan Island, an area that includes the disputed Spratly Islands, which are being claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. Their detention sparked a diplomatic row between the Philippines and China. After negotiations, the two governments agreed on a plea bargain, whereby the Chinese government allowed their nationals to plead guilty on charges of poaching, and the Philippine justice department waived a total of Php55 million in fines to the immigration, fisheries and customs. Environment groups decried the poachers’ release, calling it a travesty against the Philippine Republic and the laws it must uphold to protect its people. The offended party will always be the Filipino people, their children, and their children’s children, said WWF-Philippines, a conservation organization. Our own government shortchanged us. Instead of helping us, they became the obstacle. This is a big blow to our law enforcers, said WWF lawyer Norman Abes. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights called for the issuance of a hold departure order against the Chinese until they paid in full the fines. Senator Francis Pangilinan, chair of the committee, said the poachers should not be allowed to leave the country before the fines are paid in full, or until such time when the terms of the plea-bargaining agreement becomes public. Under the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, Section 87, the entry of any foreign fishing vessel in Philippine waters constitutes a prima facie evidence of poaching and violation of the law shall be punished by a fine of USD100,000, said Pangilinan. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10.05.02; G.G. Lacuarta in Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10.05.02 Fisheries bureau predicts fisheries will grow despite
El Niño Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Malcolm Sarmiento Jr.said both El Niño could affect both inland and coastal fisheries, but that BFAR has formulated contingency plans, especially for inland fisheries. Despite the El Niño, the fisheries sector is expected to sustain its growth this year, Sarmiento said, noting that fisheries production reached 1.7 million metrics during the first six months. He projected fisheries production to reach 3.4 million metric tons by the end of the year. B. Garcia, PAJ News & Features, in Philippine Star, 09.29.02 Creation of police environment desks proposed In the Philippines, environmental laws are classified as special laws and generally given low priority in police operations. By law, police may prosecute criminal cases but are required to refer administrative cases to authorities that have jurisdiction over the case. Environmental law violations, most of which are classified as both criminal and administrative, are enforced by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Coast Guard and the PNP Maritime Group. These agencies, however, are present only in certain areas and do not have enough personnel to provide a permanent presence in villages, where many environmental violations occur daily. The police, on the other hand, have uniformed men stationed throughout the country, said General Avelino Razon, head of the PNP Human Resource and Doctrine Development, who authored the proposal. These men, he pointed out, need only to be trained in environmental law enforcement and the correct procedures for gathering and preserving evidence to ensure successful prosecution. Upon graduation from the police academy, a policeman would typically have received only a total of 3-4 hours of instruction on environmental policing, and about 16 hours on environment-related subjects The police environment desk was launched in December 2001 in Cebu City in response to a call for the PNP to develop "environmentally educated policemen" made by local chief executives attending a coastal law enforcement summit sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in October 2000. DEND, through its USAID-funded Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), and the United States Coast Guard-International Training Division assisted in the drafting of the LOI creating the police environment desk. The LOI was endorsed for national implementation last September, and is expected to be approved at an en banc meeting of the NALECC on October 24. The LOI is currently being implemented in the four provinces of Central Visayas, namely, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Bohol and Siquijor. M. Guidote, CRMP, 10.07.02 6-year extension of fisheries modernization act
sought Agriculture officials said the extension of the AFMA implementation will allow government to help upgrade the competitiveness of the agriculture sector until a more extensive liberalization regime is put in place in 2010. M.B. Aguiba in Manila Bulletin, 10.20.02 Trade barriers on tuna may lead to terrorism, Philippine
official warns The tuna industry in Mindanao (southern Philippines) provides 100,000 jobs, Philippine foreign affairs secretary Blas Ople told the World Economic Forum’s East Asia Economic Summit in Kuala Lumpur last October 7. If you deny the market access to the US and Europe, this will aggravate the situation on terrorism in that part of the country because it will wipe out 100,000 well-paying jobs. This is one identifiable link between economic cooperation and the fight against terrorism, said Ople. The US and Europe allow duty-free imports of tuna from Andean countries but slaps tariffs on canned tuna from the Philippines, where tuna production is a USD200-million industry. The Philippines, along with Thailand, has challenged the European practice of granting preferential treatment to tuna exports of certain African, Carribean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The three parties last month agreed to World Trade Organization (WTO) mediation to resolve the dispute. An officer of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines said the Philippines has better chances of getting into the European tuna market by continuing to pursue a lowering of the EU tariff for Philippine canned tuna. He said allowing the entry of Philippine tuna via the EU-GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) would contravene legal provisions of the EU’s agreement granting duty-free access to tuna from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries. EU members appear to have softened their protectionist stand against Philippine and Thai canned tuna, he said. AFP in The Freeman, 10.08.02; M.V. Go in Philippine Star, 10.16.02 Carrageenan included in Asean-China Free Trade
Area early harvest list The early harvest program will be drawn up after the framework agreement for the Asean-China Free Trade Area is signed in November. The prepared by the Department of Agriculture (DA) includes frozen shrimps and prawns, desiccated coconut, fresh or dried mangoes, tuna, nata de coco, canned pineapples, beer, and coconut milk, among others. A 12.5 percent tariff is presently imposed in carrageenan in China. In its offer list, China plans to impose a 5% tariff on Philippine carrageenan products from 2002 to 2004. E.M. Dago-oc, The Freeman, 10.05.02 Avail of loan facilities, seaweed farmers urged The Ginintuang Masaganang Ani-Countrywide Assistance for Rural Employment and Services (GMA-CARES) is a new facility that Quedancor opened to provide direct credit access to fish and seaweed farmers. The facility targets fisherfolks, cooperatives, non-governmental organizations, people’s organizations, integrators, sole proprietors, partnerships, corporations and other groups engaged in aquaculture, marine- and fishery-based projects, and agri-based livelihood projects for fisherfolks. The amount of credit is determined based on the project cost, although there is a Php3-million cap per borrower on loans intended for the acquisition of facilities and equipment. Interest rates are at 12 percent per year for retail lending, and 9.5 percent for wholesale lending. A non-refundable service fee of 2.5 percent of the outstanding principle will be deducted from the loan proceeds for the first year. Another facility, the Self-Reliant Team (SRT) model, offers a package of collateral-free loan, technology and market access for viable mono-crop (with up to one-year gestation) and multi-crop planting, integrated farm production activities, fish culture, seaweed culture and agri-based livelihood projects of self-reliant fish farmers and fishers in groups with 3-15 members. E.M. Dago-oc, The Freeman, 10.16.02 Court orders cleanup of Manila Bay The court reached the decision more than 3 years after a class action suit was filed against the Philippine Government for its failure to clean up Manila Bay. In January 1999, residents around Manila Bay, represented by Environmental Law students of the University of the Philippines (UP), sought to legally force the government to restore Manila Bay to its former swimmable condition using an antiquated and little-known law requiring "concerned government agencies to clean up a polluted body of water." Named defendants were 12 government agencies, namely, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), Metro Menila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police Maritime Group, DENR, and the departments of public works, agriculture, budget, health, and education. Architect and lead counsel of the case Tony Oposa commended the Court for its landmark ruling. "It is no doubt the first legal action of its kind in the Philippines, and probably in the world, where a court of law ordered a dozen government agencies to undertake a coordinated cleanup campaign for a body of water." He noted that the court even ordered the budget department to set aside funds for the cleanup and the education department to undertake environmental education campaigns. "Realistically, this is only the first step of a very, very long journey," Oposa said. "However, with this judgment, we can now legally force present and future department secretaries to comply with the court ruling under pain of contempt. And, believe me, we will not hesitate to cite them in criminal contempt of court." During trial, it was proven that the waters of Manila Bay contained as much as 100,000 units of fecal coliform, way above the standard of 200 units for a swimmable body of water. The defendant government agences are expected to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. "The government will be within its rights to appeal, we hope that they would not do so because it would only delay the long overdue cleanup of Manila Bay," the plaintiffs said. Maritime Command tightens watch against illegal
fishing Police confiscated their 26-GT vessel, F/B Andrea Jane, and fish catch worth Php2.8 million. The PNP and Philippine Coast Guard have also been put on alert to operate against foreign vessels poaching on Philippine territorial waters. R. Flaviano,Manila Bulletin, 09.22.02 Studies show deep-sea farming of seaweed feasible Seaeed farming is commonly done in shallow water, but the marine crops are subject to excessive grazing by herbivores such as rabbitfish (danggit), sea urchins and starfish, which hampers production. The research also assessed the practice of using multi-raft and long-line methods in three cultivation areas in Zamboanga del Sur in Western Mindanao. The results, said the AQD researchers, show that although the method is expensive, production is greater. RAF, Philippine Star, 09.22.02 Kapis makes comeback in Iloilo
waters But they may soon disappear again like they did in the early 1990s because it is difficult to control the harvesters who indiscriminately gather them and destroy their beds. Kapis, also known locally as lampirong, is a bivalve mollusk with translucent shell and small body. It used to abound in the coastal waters of the southern towns of Oton, Tigbauan and Guimbal along the Gulf of Panay. Bay-ad, a close cousin, is known to thrive in Banate Bay along the coasts of the northern towns of Leganes, Barotac Nuevo, Anilao, Dumangas and Banate. Both mollusks are valued for their meat. But more than its meat, kapis is prized for its shell, which can be made into window panes, lampshades, chandeliers, glass covers, wind chimes, wall panels, and flower vases, among others. In 1991, kapis shell ranked fifth among the country’s fishery exports, earning USD35 million. The demise of kapis resulted from the rise of prawn hatcheries, which flushed antibiotics-laced water to the sea, and indiscriminate harvesting. Kapis are handpicked in shallow areas, but in waters 10-100 meters deep, harvesters use compressors for dredging and raking, thus also gathering juveniles and broodstock. Efforts to revive kapis in the southern waters of Iloilo started in 1999, after studies made by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) revealed that the bluish soft mud in these areas could support the growth and development of the mollusk. The coastal waters of Namocon in Tigbauan, Trapiche in Oton, and Nalundan in Guimbal were reseeded with broodstock gathered from Negros Occidental, with SEAFDEC working with the mayors of these towns. The locals were asked to guard the areas from destructive fishing methods such as trawl and haul boat, and were requested to refrain from harvesting the mollusk for at least one year and a half to allow them to spawn for at least three generations. But news of the spawning success spread so fast that after the reseeding, fishers in Oton and Tigbauan mounted pressure campaigns on their mayors to end the moratorium on harvesting. Despite appeals from SEAFDEC researchers to allow them to harvest first so they could measure and weigh the mollusks, the kapis were harvested at night. In August last year, SEAFDEC moved its research effort to Tigbauan, where in installed a stainless steel pen, strong enough to withstand water currents and uprooting by trawls and dredges, to protect the breeders. Since the larvae travel for 14 days at a maximum distance of 15 kms before settling in the muddy bottom, researchers hope that the breeders would be able to spawn the southern coastal waters, even up to Arevalo in Iloilo City. Our efforts these past years are paying off, but we have to ensure their sustainability, said Ildefonso Toledo, assistant chief of the fisheries division of Iloilo’s provincial agriculture office. But, he added, we have to admit that there is widespread poverty among coastal communities, and the people’s immediate impulse is to extract as much as they can, even juveniles, to ensure their own meals. Only Leganes, 11 kms north of Iloilo City, has so far imposed regulations on the harvesting of bay-ad. M.D. Labiste, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10.12.02 Bohol needs more environmental lawyers Aumentado cited the lack of government prosecutors in the province handling criminal cases docketed in the 10 Regional Trial Court salas. It is for this reason that the prosecution of most, if not all, violations of Republic Act No. 8550, Presidential Decree No. 705, and Republic Act No. 7942 are handled by prosecutors who are no match to the knowledge, ability, not to mention dirty tricks, of defense counsels, said Aumentado. C.A. Fuentes, Cebu Daily News, 10.10.02 Cebu’s traffic police go green As regional head of the Philippines' highway patrol in Central Visayas, Tira is responsible for the safety of the traveling public as they traverse the national roads connecting the towns, cities and provinces in the region. His agency, the Traffic Management Group (TMG), is tasked to ensure that vehicles using these roads and their cargo are covered by proper documentation, and that major intersections are free from traffic snarls. But Tira, an environmentalist, believed his group had something to contribute to environment protection, and in October 2001, in a letter to CRMP, he asked if traffic enforcers could be trained as environmental law enforcers. CRMP referred Tira’s request to a sub-committee of the CRMP-supported Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance in Region 7 (CLEARN7), whose members include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Maritime Police (MARIG), Office of the Regional State Prosecutor (ORSP), and a non-governmental organization called the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC). After consultations with Tira’s group and the national police training center, CLEAR7 developed a training design. About 60 highway patrol officers, along with their counterpart local traffic policemen, went through a one-day training in "Detection, Apprehension and Confiscation of Fishery and Forestry Products on the Road". The training was intended to familiarize traffic enforcers with fishery and forestry products and laws that govern them; national and international treaties on rare, threatened and endangered species; known methods of concealing prohibited products during transport; and correct procedures for handling of forestry and aquatic products as evidence for prosecution. CLEAR7 member organizations provided the lecturers, and a retired police general volunteered to speak on "The Police as an Environmentalist". One year after the training, Tira reported that highway patrol officers in northern Cebu intercepted a large haul of the endangered Tridacna gigas, locally known as taklobo, a local delicacy. Philippine law prohibits harvesting of taklobo, an offense punishable by imprisonment of 12-20 years or a fine of Php120,000, but most people, including many policemen, are not aware of this prohibition. In addition, motorcycle cops apprehended a van full of corals on its way to the airport. Quarantine officers called to the scene assisted the police in documenting the contraband. Tira observed that, after their training, highway patrolmen have become alert for the type of vehicles often used for transporting contraband wildlife. Besides keeping traffic smooth, they now consider it their duty to examine suspicious-looking vehicles for prohibited products. A key element in their group’s success in environmental policing on the road has been the establishment of a communication link between traffic officers and fishery officers of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The communication lines are kept open all day, even during weekends, giving traffic enforcers the confidence to assume their new role as environmental protectors. Tira, a bemedalled police colonel, said environmental law enforcement must recognize the connection between land and coastal violations. Corals are taken from the sea but, to get to the souvenir shops, they will have to hit the road first to be sold and processed. Our role is to ‘clean’ the road between the water and the market, and thus deny poachers any profits they may otherwise make from their illegal activities at sea, Tira said. M. Guidote, CRMP, 10.07.02 Whale stranding reported, rescue attempts fail Lt. Cdr. George Ursabia, chief of the local Coast Guard Station, said the rescue team failed to revive the whale, which had five deep cut on the head. The carcass was buried in Barangay Sinawal and will be exhumed after one year for research purposes. Some villagers said they saw the slain whale along with several others in the waters near Barangay Ladol. It was the first time that a pilot whale was sighted in Sarangani Bay, a protected area. Ursabia said the five persons responsible for the killing of the whale have been identified and will be charged in court for violations of a national law protecting marine mammals. A. Zonio, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10.07.02 World Seas in Asia, Northwest Pacific and West Africa
at highest risk from land-based pollution A report, detailing the global threat to coastal populations and the environment from untreated sewage discharges, has been prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in response to a target on sanitation agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). It will assist the UNEP Regional Seas Programmes in taking appropriate action to contribute to achieving the WSSD-target. This aims, by the year 2015, to halve the number of people that have no access to basic sanitation services. Almost 40% of the world population lives in coastal areas, less then 60 kilometers from the shoreline. Studies show that over 800 million people, or 40 per cent of the un-served population in coastal countries, are living in the South Asian Seas region. They have no access to basic sanitation services, putting them at high risk from sewage-related diseases and death. It also means that the level of untreated domestic wastes being discharged into South Asia's coastal waters are likely to be the highest in the world, increasing the risk of shellfish contamination and the chance of toxic, algal blooms poisoning fish and wildlife. Precious habitats, such as South Asia's coral reefs, are likely to be under increased stress as a result of the high levels of nutrients and suspended solids linked with the discharges. The report shows that the second most vulnerable region are the seas of East Asia. Here 515 million people, or 25 per cent of the un-served population in coastal countries, are without access to proper sanitation services, followed by the seas of the Northwest Pacific where 414 million people have no access to basic sanitation systems. The sea areas with the highest provision of sewage treatment, and thus the lowest threat to the health of coastal waters, include the Northeast Atlantic and the Arctic. Here, only a few people are ranked as being without proper sanitation services. New study reveals deadly link between consumer
demand and third world resource wars "From Columbia to Angola to Afghanistan people are dying every day because consumer societies import and use materials irrespective of where they originate," says Worldwatch Institute senior researcher Michael Renner, author of The Anatomy of Resource Wars. "If you purchase a cell phone, for example, you may very well be paying to keep the war going in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where rival armies fight for control over deposits of coltan, a commodity that just over a decade ago had little commercial value, but is now vital for the one billion plus cell phones in use today." "The enormous expansion in global trade, coupled with lax or corrupt customs officials, has made access to key markets relatively easy for warring groups. Companies and rich nations that benefit from cheap raw materials have long turned a blind eye to the destruction at their source, and most consumers don't know that a number of common purchases bear the invisible imprint of violence," Renner says. Most of the violence in resource-related conflicts is directed against civilians. Grotesque practices like hacking off limbs serve to terrorize local populations into submission or flight. Young boys are often turned into child soldiers and girls into sex slaves for older fighters. Child and slave labor is used to extract the resources. More than 5 million people were killed in resource-driven conflicts during the 1990s. Another 5-6 million fled to neighboring countries, and anywhere from 11 to 15 million people were displaced inside the borders of their home countries. In addition to the human toll these wars take, many resource-related conflicts are being fought in or near areas of great environmental value, accelerating deforestation and decimating populations of gorillas, elephants, and other wildlife. Resource conflicts have revealed the limits of international peacekeeping and conflict resolution capacities. In order to curb resource wars and inform consumers about their purchases, Renner calls for the following actions:
The Anatomy of Resource Wars costs $5 plus shipping and handling, and can be purchased through the Worldwatch website or by calling 1-888-544-2303 (in US) or 1-570-320-2076 (from overseas) or by faxing 570-320-2079. CITES to decide wildlife trade rules and promote
conservation The conference, which runs from 3 to 15 November, will consider 59 proposals to amend the lists of species subject to trade controls. The proposals range from the highly charismatic minke whale and African elephant, to endangered Asian freshwater turtles and Latin American parrots, to commercially valuable bigleaf mahogany and Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass). "CITES seeks to promote a healthier and more sustainable relationship between people and wildlife," said CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers. "The Santiago conference is an opportunity to ensure that trade does no harm to plant and animal species. It will also address national efforts to conserve species that are not traded because they have become threatened or endangered," he said. "Protecting wildlife is vital to the broader goal of making environmental conservation and poverty reduction mutually supportive," said Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, which administers the CITES Secretariat. "Its well-honed regulations and practical programs put CITES on the front line of sustainable development." One group of proposals addresses Asia's declining freshwater turtles, which are collected and traded as pets, food, and medicinal preparations in Asia. The number of turtles on sale at Chinese food markets alone is estimated at between 12 and 20 million specimens annually, most of them originating in the wild. Experts fear that many Asian turtle species will soon face extinction. The conference will consider proposals for introducing trade controls on 26 species of freshwater turtles. Meanwhile, Japan is seeking to open up trade in most northern hemisphere populations of minke whale and a Pacific population of Bryde's whale. Its proposals stress the use of national legislation and DNA identification of individual whales to monitor catches and trade. Similar proposals were presented without success at the most recent CITES conferences in 1997 and 2000. This year's debate is likely to involve issues related to science, sustainable use, possible enforcement problems, and the International Whaling Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling. CITES was adopted in 1973 in Washington D.C. and will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year on 3 March 2003. Progress in reducing hunger has virtually halted FAO estimates, that there were around 840 million undernourished people in 1998-2000, 799 million in the developing countries, 30 million in the countries in transition and 11 million in the industrialized countries. Between 1990-92 and 1998-2000, the number of undernourished people decreased by barely 2.5 million per year and in most regions the number of undernourished people may be actually growing. FAO claims that unless trends are sharply reversed, the world will be very far from reaching the World Food Summit 1996 goal, to reduce the number of hungry by half by 2015. "The price we pay for this lack of progress is heavy," said FAO Director-General Dr. Jacques Diouf in the foreword to the report. "The hungry themselves pay most immediately and most painfully. But the costs are also crippling for their communities, their countries and the global village that we all inhabit and share. To reach the goal of the World Food Summit, the number of hungry people needs to be reduced by 24 million each year from now until 2015". Each year, chronic hunger and malnutrition kills millions of people. This "hidden famine" stunts their development, saps their strength and cripples their immune system. Where hunger is widespread, mortality rates for infants and children under five are high, and life expectancy is low. Over 2 billion people worldwide suffer from micronutrient malnutrition. Their diets supply inadequate amounts of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, iron, iodine, zinc and vitamin C. Micronutrients are essential for human growth and development. Children and women are most vulnerable to the lack of micronutrients. Between 100 and 140 million children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which can lead to blindness. Some 20 million people worldwide are mentally handicapped as a result of iodine deficiency. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the highest prevalence of undernourishment and also the largest increase in the number of undernourished people. Most of the increase took place in Central Africa, mainly in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the number of undernourished people has tripled. West Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, have reduced significantly both the prevalence and the number of undernourished people. But prospects are troubling for Central America, the Near East and East Asia, excluding China. Americans want US government to protect the world’s
coral reefs The survey, conducted by the national research firm Edge Research in collaboration with the Coral Reef Foundation and SeaWeb sampled 1,000 American adults between May 29th and June 3rd, 2002. This comprehensive poll surveyed the public's knowledge and attitudes towards coral reefs and the growing threats to their survival. Seventy-eight percent of Americans support designating coral reefs as protected areas, including creating some areas that would prohibit all extractive activities, and 56% favor this concept "strongly." Support for designating coral reefs as marine protected areas (MPAs) is almost identical to public support found in the SeaWeb national survey conducted in 1999 to establish areas of the ocean in U.S. territorial waters as MPAs (75% support, 10% oppose, 15% undecided). Americans believe a significant percentage of reefs are fully protected from damaging activities. On average, the public believes that 27% of reefs worldwide are fully protected from the activities that can damage them. The reality in the US and around the world is that less than 1% of ocean waters are fully protected from extractive and destructive activities. According to the poll, even though few Americans have experienced coral reefs first hand, many plan to and will take reef protection into account when vacationing in reef locations. While Americans place much of the responsibility for reef protection on government, they are also willing to make personal consumption choices or contributions to reef conservation when visiting these areas. When asked to consider the total cost of a vacation to a coral reef area, Americans are willing to add meaningful sums to support the conservation of the coral reefs in that area, assuming they knew the money was dedicated to the protection and scientific research of the reef. Seventy-two percent would pay an additional $10 fee per person, 65% would pay an additional $20 per person and fully 51% would pay an additional $50 per person. A surprising third (35%) would pay as much as $100 more per person. When it comes to cruise vacations, 78% of Americans surveyed would be less likely to travel on a cruise ship that causes pollution on coral reefs through the discharge of waste and bilge water. For a complete report of the data, visit the Coral Reef Foundation's website First national study of US coral reefs released The 265-page report, The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States, was developed by 38 coral reef experts and 79 expert contributors led by NOAA's National Ocean Service. Prepared under the auspices of the US Coral Reef Task Force, the report establishes a baseline that will now be used for biennial reports on the health of US coral reefs. NOAA has also released A National Coral Reef Strategy, a report to Congress outlining specific action to address 13 major goals, including continuing mapping and monitoring, to safeguard reefs. Working with public and private partners in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, NOAA scientists successfully mapped coral ecosystems around those islands using a novel 26-category classification system and mapping process "The new classification is a vital management tool that tells us where the reefs are, what lives on them, and what relationships may be to neighboring habitats and human activities," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "We now have a complete snapshot of the US Caribbean region, a clear, consistent baseline for future mapping, and a solid model to implement good management in other regions." The mapping process developed in the US Caribbean is currently being applied in Hawaii, and then Guam, American Samoa and other US territories with coral reefs. Clear action is needed because an estimated 27 percent of the world's shallow water coral reefs may already be beyond recovery. An estimated 66 percent are now severely degraded. Craig Manson, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, Department of the Interior, called release of the first national study of U.S. coral reefs "an important first report card on the health of U.S. reefs. It's a valuable tool for raising public awareness about the global decline of these unique treasures," he said. The report indicates that, in all areas, some US reefs are in good to excellent health. But it also states that every U.S. reef system is suffering from both human and natural disturbances. US reefs share problems with reefs globally, especially the effects of rapidly growing coastal populations. Over 10.5 million people now live in U.S. coastal areas adjacent to shallow coral reefs. Every year, 45 million people visit these areas. Overall, Florida and the US Caribbean were found to be in the poorest condition, mainly because of nearby dense populations and the effects of hurricanes, disease, overfishing and a proliferation of algae. Live coral cover in the Florida Keys has declined 37 percent over the past five years. Of 31 coral reef fishery stocks in federal waters, 23 are overfished in the US Caribbean. Coral disease is especially high in the Caribbean, where over 90 percent of the once abundant long-spine sea urchins died in the early 1980s. Vital in keeping coral from being overgrown and killed by algae, they have since recovered to just 10 percent of their original numbers off the coasts of Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. In 20 years, white-band disease has killed nearly all the elkhorn and staghorn corals off the coasts of St. Croix, Puerto Rico and southeast Florida. www.reefrelief.org US moratorium on fishing quotas expires, Senate
urged to adopt national standards We are concerned that privatizing this public resource will facilitate the corporatization of our ocean fisheries with potentially devastating impacts on coastal communities. We are equally concerned that poorly regulated IFQs will do little to improve the conservation of ocean fish, Reef Relief said. Congress is currently considering legislation to establish national standards for the design and conduct of IFQ programs. The Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network) believes that such national standards, at a minimum, must:
Legislation being introduced by Congressman Tom Allen and other members of the House Oceans Caucus embodies these standards. Unfortunately, the 107th Congress may end before Congress adopts meaningful IFQ standards. That must not happen! If Congress does not adopt standards that adequately address the issues raised above, it must extend the IFQ moratorium for an additional year. Inadequate standards are as bad as no standards, Reef Relief said. European Commission proposes roadmap for conservation
of marine ecosystems The Commission's initiative is an important element in delivering on the commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, in particular those relating to marine protection and fisheries. It introduces an ecosystem-based approach to management, and is linked strongly to the Commission's proposals for the reform of the common fisheries policy. Coastal Guide News, 10.18.02 Pro-whaling Iceland allowed to rejoin IWC Iceland, which left the IWC in 1991, has repeatedly sought to re-join without being bound by the moratorium on commercial whaling it originally adopted in 1986, and has already announced that it will resume commercial whaling by 2006 regardless of IWC regulations. Whale conservationists criticized Iceland's attempts to re-affiliate with the IWC while ignoring previous IWC decisions. "Iceland can't have it both ways. It's back in, so it must now again abide by IWC decisions," said Vassili Papastavrou, whale biologist of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a long-time whale conservation advocate. "The Icelandic Government wants to pick and choose which IWC decisions to respect. This bad faith approach flies in the face of Iceland's honorable conduct in other international conventions and should not be tolerated by IWC member states," Papastavrou said. "Going whaling now could seriously damage Iceland's interests, inside and outside the IWC." "The results of this meeting set a very dangerous precedent for all international treaties," said Kitty Block, United Nations and treaties special counsel for The Humane Society of the United States. "If a country doesn't want to be bound by the restrictions of a conservation measure to which they have already agreed, they can just quit and rejoin without being bound to that measure." Iceland left the IWC in 1991, after having agreed to be bound by the moratorium on commercial whaling. Today's decision to admit Iceland follows unsuccessful attempts to re-join at the London meeting of the IWC in 2000 and the Shimonoseki, Japan meeting of the IWC in May of this year. While its fisheries ministry works to pave the way for an eventual resumption of commercial whaling, Iceland hosts some 60,000 tourists from around the world each year who participate in whale watching in the country. "Iceland didn't oppose the commercial whaling moratorium when it was first adopted, but it was the first country to resort to so-called "scientific" whaling to avoid the commercial ban," Papastavrou noted. "Now that they are back in, the Icelandic Fisheries Agency would like to tear up the rule book of the IWC. Responsible member states need to work together to ensure this doesn't happen," he said. This week's special intercessional meeting of the IWC was initiated by the United States, which successfully sought to push through the Commission a joint proposal with Russia to allow aboriginal subsistence hunting of bowhead whales from the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas. The proposal had been defeated by Japan's blocking of a consensus in a bad-tempered response to not getting their way at the IWC meeting in Shimonoseki in May. "The United States must shoulder much of the blame for what's happened here in Cambridge," said Block. "The U.S. was so eager to get the subsistence whaling proposal passed that it created the opportunity for Iceland's re-admittance with a reservation. Some countries that would have voted against this could not attend the meeting or could not vote, leaving the way open for Japan and its bloc to gain another pro-whaling advocate and to gather strength in the attempt to undermine the IWC." In an apparent quid pro quo deal with Japan, the United States voted in favor of a coastal whaling proposal by Japan in exchange for that country agreeing not to block a consensus on the aboriginal subsistence hunt of bowhead whales. The U.S. has never supported Japan's coastal whaling in the past. Though Japan's proposal was defeated, U.S. actions have set the stage for Japan to reintroduce its coastal whaling proposal at the next meeting of the IWC in Berlin next year and have angered many of its allies at the Commission. Greenpeace demands EU close their harbors to pirate
ships The conference was held on-board the Greenpeace flagship, the MV Esperanza, where the environmental organization urged the European Union (EU) to strengthen its plan of action against pirate fishing. In the coming months the EU will be finalizing its action plan to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Greenpeace presented its critique of the EU plan of action to the press by saying that although it contains very positive elements to fight against this environmentally and socially destructive practice, the plan still needed strengthening. Greenpeace urged the EU to:
After the press conference, Greenpeace inflateable boats were used to ferry journalists to see for themselves the FoC vessels and ships involved in pirate fishing and transport in the Las Almas port. "These vessels bring their illegally caught fish into the European Market with complete impunity. The cost paid represents an overexploited ecosystem, wretched working conditions, lack of security, and unfair competition with local African fishermen who cannot do anything to stop the pillaging committed in their own waters", declared Helene Bours, Greenpeace Fisheries Campaigner. "The EU Plan of Action contains very positive aspects to stop the problem, but it has to strengthen port control activities and the transfer activities on the high seas." WWF launches virtual demonstration against overfishing To view petition, go to at http://www.panda.org/stopoverfishing/petition. Norwegian whalers hit for largest whale kill in
10 years Norway continues to hunt whales commercially, despite a global moratorium that came into effect in 1986. Norway also sets its own limit for the number of whales it takes each year. Until 2000, Norway claimed that their catch limits adhered to an International Whaling Commission (IWC) sanctioned formula, the Revised Management Procedure, designed to prevent whale populations from being overexploited. Yet, experts note that this year's catch is much higher than would have been allowed by the agreed formula. "The killing of whales in defiance of a global moratorium on commercial whaling is nothing to brag about," says Vassilli Papastavrou, IFAW Global Whale Campaign Leader. "Each year Norway increases the number of whales it kills while claiming a scientific basis for its calculations. However, Norway turned its back on science long ago and can no longer claim to be using the IWC's agreed mechanism for calculating catches," adds Papastavrou. While whale meat is consumed in Norway, whale blubber is not. For this reason, Norwegian whalers plan to freeze the 63 tons of blubber from this whaling season, in the hope that they will be able to export it as a delicacy to Japan, along with more than 300 tons of blubber currently in storage. Hundreds of tons of old blubber have also been either dumped at sea or burned due to lack of demand in Norway. In an effort to secure the approval of IWC members for their proposed trade, Japan and Norway have been working on DNA registration systems, which allow the origin of whale products to be determined. The two countries claim that with such testing regimes in place, they can resume a controlled and monitored whale trade. However, despite requests from the IWC, Japan and Norway have not shared this data with other IWC member countries, and have denied international access to and monitoring of this system. Additionally, citizens groups in Japan have expressed concern that whale blubber contains pollutants and toxins that render it unsafe for human consumption and have protested against the resumption of trade in blubber between Norway and Japan. Minke whale products from the North Atlantic, hunted by Norway, have much higher levels of contaminants than products from Southern Ocean minke whales, which are sold in Japan. North Atlantic swordfish show dramatic recovery In 1998, Give Swordfish a Break, organizers SeaWeb and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with other conservation organizations, successfully advocated for recovery measures to restore north Atlantic swordfish. North Atlantic swordfish had been severely depleted after decades of overfishing and mismanagement. The new report is the first assessment of north Atlantic swordfish since those measures, which included reduced international quotas and protection of swordfish nursery areas in the United States, were adopted. The campaign officially ended in August 2000 when the U.S. government closed nursery areas in US waters, thus meeting the second goal of the campaign. International quota restrictions were adopted in 1999. Give Swordfish a Break was the first large effort to mobilize chefs and consumers to support stronger fish conservation. Over the course of the campaign, hundreds of chefs signed the Give Swordfish a Break pledge, while others the Peabody hotel chain, cruise lines, grocery stores, airlines, and uncounted others agreed to remove north Atlantic swordfish from their menus and dining choices. "When SeaWeb and NRDC first approached me about this campaign, I knew I had to participate," said Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora and Asia Nora in Washington D.C. "I knew there was a problem just watching swordfish get smaller and smaller in the markets; changes had to be made. It is wonderful that the initial results of these changes are positive, but we need to continue to stay the course. I can't wait to see the large fish come back." "We saw striped bass come back in the 1980's after we stopped fishing them for a time. Now it's swordfish," said Rick Moonen of restaurant RM in New York. "As a restaurateur, I need to make sure my seafood supply is stable into the future. This is a victory for consumers who love seafood and we need more victories like this." Next month, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas will meet to decide whether to maintain lower quotas that sped the recovery, or to permit overfishing of swordfish to resume. Members of the commission include the United States, Japan, Spain, and other major fishing nations. US import restriction on live snakehead fish, eggs
takes effect Publication of the final rule was the last step in a process that began July 23 when Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced that the Service planned to invoke a provision of the Lacey Act, which allows the Secretary to add a species to the list of injurious wildlife if it is deemed injurious, or potentially injurious, to the health and welfare of people, as well as to agriculture, forestry, horticulture or to wildlife or wildlife resources of the United States. Service Director Steve Williams said some species of snakehead are voracious eating machines that can devour anything in their path. When they run out of other fish, amphibians or even small mammals, they will cannibalize their own. Snakeheads have the ability to dramatically alter almost any ecosystem. Some species of snakehead are prized as a food fish in other parts of the world and have been shipped to ethnic markets and restaurants in the US, although some snakehead have also gone to pet stores. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors at US ports of entry who discover snakeheads or their eggs will require the shipments to be returned to the originating country, or the shipments will be destroyed at the owner’s expense. Toxic chemicals a major threat to the Arctic --
report The AMAP's new report Arctic Pollution 2002 demonstrates that Inuit in Greenland and Canada have among the world's highest exposures to certain toxic chemicals as a result of long-range transport. The study also reveals that polar bears, Arctic fox, seals, killer whales, harbor porpoises, and birds such as glaucous gulls and peregrine falcons, are among the Arctic species contaminated with the highest levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are known to damage the nervous system, development and reproduction, and are able to travel great distances. In order to combat the threat they pose, WWF is calling on Russia and the US to ratify the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, a new international treaty which will phase out and ban some of the most dangerous pollutants. Several other Arctic rim countries, including Canada, Norway, and Sweden, have already ratified this important convention. One of the alarming issues highlighted in the report is the increase in levels of organic mercury found in some parts of the Arctic. The trend is primarily due to increased burning of coal for energy production in Southeast Asia, showing once again the tight links between the Arctic -- as a recipient of pollutants -- and the rest of the world. Research suggests fish disease affects more than
salmon Since finding the bacterium in white sea bass, Hedrick now believes that P. salmonis exists in the world's oceans and is neither unique to salmon nor sea bass. Consistent with this, scientists have found similar bacteria in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Hedrick is now working to detect bacterial DNA and antibodies of the bacterium in hatchery and wild white sea bass. If successful, this will further support the conclusion that the bacterium is present in naturally occurring populations of marine fish and possibly lead to ways to reduce its impact in aquaculture operations. Clay sprays may control harmful algal blooms Scientists are unsure of exactly what causes the blooms, but a Woods Hole Sea Grant research team may have come up with a way to treat the increasingly common occurrences. Don Anderson and Mario Sengco are testing the use of clay to manage and control HABs. Clay, mixed with seawater, is sprayed over the algal bloom, where it binds with the harmful organisms and sinks to the bottom. In laboratory experiments meant to mimic field conditions, results showed that the clay removed 80 to 90 percent of the toxins in 2-hour treatments. Korea and Japan have used clay to control HABs periodically. In Korea clay is used mainly in aquaculture operations, which provide about 30 percent of Korea's fish. The concept has not caught on yet in the US, mainly due to water quality concerns. The WHOI project uses only native clay types, many of which come from the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Further research on water quality issues and the future feasibility of clay use to treat HABs is currently taking place. |
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