| |
There are fewer hungry people in world but more are starving in poor countries, says FAO report
The number of undernourished people in the developing world has fallen by 40 million, from 830 million to 790 million between 1990/1992 and 1995/1997, reports the first edition of The State of Food Insecurity in the World, issued this month by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This decline, however, represents the extraordinary achievement of just 37 countries, which realized reductions totaling 100 million. Across the rest of the developing world, the number of people who are chronically undernourished actually increased by almost 60 million.
Although the decrease of 40 million undernourished, or an average of 8 million a year, is encouraging, it is not enough, FAO says. At the 1996 World Food Summit, 186 countries committed themselves to halve the number of undernourished to 400 million in the developing world by 2015. To achieve the Summit goal, the rate of progress needs to be stepped up by 150 per cent to 20 million fewer hungry people each year.
For the first time, FAO presents statistics on the number of undernourished people also in the developed countries. Around 34 million people - 26 million in Eastern Europe and the former USSR and 8 million in the industrialized countries -- are estimated to be undernourished.
Asia and the Pacific account for almost two thirds (526 million) of the undernourished. India alone has more undernourished people (204 million) than all of sub-Saharan Africa combined (180 million).
Progress in combating hunger has been very uneven, says FAO. Five West African nations - Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia and Nigeria - achieved the largest reductions in undernourishment worldwide. On the other hand, the proportion of undernourished increased significantly in Afghanistan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Burundi, Madagascar and Mongolia.
In Asia, a period of rapid economic growth resulted in major gains in food security. Cambodia led the way with a drop from 62 to 33 percent in the proportion of undernourished people. Up to 1997, undernourishment had increased in only two Asian countries, Mongolia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Since then, economic setbacks have resulted in increasing poverty and undernourishment for several Southeast Asian nations, particularly Indonesia.
Much of the data used in the report was compiled through the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS), a new programme for the improvement and linking of existing national and global information systems that gather and analyse data - ranging from health and climate to markets and household food security. The main purpose of the report is to focus the attention of the world's leaders and opinion-makers on the problem of undernourishment around the world and to spur development of innovative approaches to tackle it.
The report will be accessible directly from the FAO home page --http://www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/DEFAULT.HTM. FAO Press Release, October 14, 1999
Related link: Download book on "Coastal Resource Management for Food Security" Review of ban against commercial fishing sought
The Governor of Cebu Province in central Philippines called for a review of the law banning commercial fishing operations in municipal waters. Gov. Pablo Garcia said prohibiting the operation of fishing vessels above three tons within 15 km from the shoreline poses a risk to fish supply and prices in the Philippines.
"The geographical make-up of the archipelago, where municipal jurisdictions overlap with each other, render it impossible for commercial vessels to operate anywhere in the country," Garcia said.
Delegates representing a fisherfolk association and a municipal fisheries and aquatic resource management council expressed dismay over the governor's statements.
It is widely recognized that the encroachment of commercial fishing vessels on municipal waters is a leading cause of overfishing, habitat destruction, and the deprivation of livelihood for small fishers. R. Jaluag in Sun.Star Daily, 10.02.99 Villagers take lead in campaign against illegal fishing
The incidence of illegal and destructive fishing in the northern Philippine province of Cagayan is down, thanks to intensified patrols by community residents, officials from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) reported.
Continuous local patrol operations in the towns of Claveria, Sta. Teresita, Sta. Ana and Batanes, along with provision of training and "environment-friendly" fishing gear by DA-BFAR and the local government, has helped curb illegal fishing while improving local fishers' income.
DA-BFAR officials said fishing nets and several accessories were distributed to fishers during a training workshop for the establishment of integrated fishery projects for local fishes in Cagayan's six coastal towns.
Jovita Ayson, DA-BFAR director for Cagayan Valley, said the training is designed to help fishers improve their income and discourage them from using destructive fishing methods. B.M. Ebreo in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10.02.99 Atlantic salmon stocks continuing to decline
A biological report released jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service confirms that wild Atlantic salmon indigenous to the Gulf of Maine - the last remaining naturally reproducing wild Atlantic salmon known to exist in the United States - are in danger of extinction despite considerable efforts to ensure their survival.
In the biological review, Status Review for Anadromous Atlantic Salmon in the United States, a team of federal biologists from the Services documented changes in the status of isolated groups of wild Atlantic salmon. These salmon are found in several rivers and tributaries in the area of Maine that includes the Kennebec River basin and extends east to the St. Croix River near the U.S.-New Brunswick, Canada border.
The report concludes that fewer adult salmon are returning to spawn and young salmon in the rivers are surviving at a lower rate than expected. The prospects for the stocks in the downeast rivers is poor unless greater protection can be put in place. These include controls on water diversion to ensure flow in the rivers, restrictions on recreational fishing that catch wild salmon, and aquaculture safeguards. October 8, 1999, USFWS
For a copy of the biological status review, contact: Paul Nickerson, USFWS, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035 or Mary Colligan, NMFS Protected Resources Division, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Or connect to the USFWS site
UNEP photo contest "focuses on our world"
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is organizing a third International Photographic Competition on the Environment 1999 - 2000. The competition, aiming to further raise environmental awareness through photography, and again sponsored by Canon Inc., follows the success of the 1st and 2nd UNEP competitions 1991 - 92 and 1994 - 95, held in conjunction with the Earth Summit and the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations. The 3rd competition entitled, "Focus on Your World", invites entries from people of all nationalities, young and old alike, amateur and professional photographers, to illustrate how they see the planet and its environment at the end of one millennium and the dawn of the next.
The competition closes on April 30, 2000. Winners will receive their awards at a ceremony to be held in New York at the time of the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations in September 2000. Winning images will be displayed worldwide through traveling exhibitions and the Internet to draw attention to global environmental issues. Click here for more information.
Fisheries decline gets international community's attention: 3 international plans of action adopted
Following the celebration of the 1998 International Year of the Ocean, ministers and senior representatives from some 120 countries expressed their concern about "overfishing of the world's major marine fishery resources, destructive and wasteful fishing practices and excess capacity" during an international conference in Rome held last March by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They said that growing illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, including fishing by vessels flying 'flags of convenience', was also troubling, according to a statement released by FAO. The meeting endorsed three new action plans for more sustainable fisheries.
In a declaration adopted at the end of the two-day meeting, it was stressed that highest priority should be given to achieving sustainability of both capture fisheries and aquaculture, bearing in mind the special circumstances and needs of developing countries. The countries declared that they would develop a "global plan of action to deal effectively with all forms of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing including fishing vessels flying 'flags of convenience'".
The ministers endorsed the new voluntary International Plans of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity, for the Conservation and Management of Sharks and for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Long-line Fisheries, recently adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries.
The problem of over-capacity is that there are too many vessels or excessive harvesting power in a growing number of fisheries which leads to fewer fish in the sea for reproduction, FAO said. The world fishing fleet numbered about 3.8 million vessels in 1995, about 1.2 million were decked vessels, most of which operate in Asia.
The objective of the Plan of Action on Fishing Capacity is to achieve "an efficient, equitable and transparent management of fishing capacity". States should endeavor to limit initially at existing levels and progressively reduce the fishing capacity in affected fisheries. Between 2003 and 2005 each country supporting the International Plan of Action should develop a national plan to manage fishing capacity and to reduce it, if necessary, in some fisheries. Subsidies and economic incentives, which contribute to excessive capacity, should be reduced and progressively eliminated.
According to FAO, six percent of all major marine fisheries are underexploited, 20 percent are moderately exploited, 50 percent fully exploited, 15 percent overfished, six percent depleted and two percent recovering.
The Plan of Action for Shark Management says that it is necessary to better manage sharks' fisheries and certain fisheries in which sharks constitute a significant bycatch. Countries adhering to this agreement should regularly assess the status of stocks and to adopt a national plan of action for conservation and management of shark stocks by the year 2001. Catches should be sustainable and incidental catches and discards from shark fisheries as well as waste should be minimized.
Shark fishing is expanding worldwide as the international trade in shark fins and other exotic shark products (liver-oil, skin, teeth and cartilage) grow rapidly. Many shark populations are now believed to be endangered, but no international treaty exists so far for the management of sharks.
The Plan of Action on Incidental Catches of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries calls upon countries to assess and reduce the bycatch of birds through the implementation of national plans. The incidental bycatch of seabirds affects mainly albatrosses and petrels of the Southern Ocean. It can be significantly reduced if catch lines are set under water so that baited hooks are out of reach to seabirds, if bird scaring lines are used or if lines are set at night.
All three agreements should be implemented in the framework of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. This voluntary code provides principles and standards applicable to the conservation, management and development of all fisheries. It also covers the fish capture, processing and trade of fish and fishery products, aquaculture, management of fisheries within coastal areas and fishery research.
The ministers called upon all producers, managers and users of fisheries resources to apply the Code of Conduct. Developing countries should receive technical assistance and financial support for the implementation of the Code.
In a related development, FAO said freshwater fish, a major source of food and protein, is increasingly threatened worldwide by environmental degradation.
More than 7.7 million tonnes of fish were caught in lakes, rivers, swamps, marshes, water reservoirs and ponds in 1997, according to preliminary FAO estimates. That is around 6 percent of the total global fish production of 122 million tonnes. Yields may be much higher since data from subsistence fisheries are greatly under-reported.
Most inland fish is consumed locally, marketed domestically, and often contributes to the subsistence and livelihood of poor people. It contributes significantly to animal protein supplies in many rural areas.
"Industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, mining, and agricultural land and water use often cause degradation of aquatic environments, which is the greatest threat to inland fish production," according to FAO. "Fishery resources are being affected by destruction and fragmentation of aquatic habitats, aquatic pollution, due to the release of industrial and urban effluents and run-off of agro-chemicals, impoundment and channelization of water bodies, excessive water abstraction or diversion, soil erosion and manipulation of hydrological characteristics of rivers, lakes and flood plains."
Land and forest degradation, loss of biodiversity, scarcity and pollution of freshwater are all increasing in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Europe and and the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States are also experiencing increasing biodiversity loss and habitat degradation. Pressures on Asian watersheds are intensifying, which causes concern because they correspond to the most important areas of inland fish production globally.
FAO recommended that inland fisheries should be better integrated into water and land management. At community level fish production could be enhanced, for example, through periodic stocking of natural and artificial water reservoirs. Most reservoirs are not used for fish production.
At farm level, there are many opportunities to combine different types of fish farming and livestock production. Using wastewater, fish production in small-scale irrigation schemes and fish farming in rice fields, could also enhance fish production.
At state and national level, environmental and fishery agencies should work together to prevent and reverse environmental degradation and to rehabilitate aquatic habitats. Fishers and fisheries administrators should participate in policy and decision making over allocation and use of water and land resources. FAO Press Release. More info
Book review: Marine Turtles and Terrapins: Integrated Coastal and Estuarine Area Management
 This handbook, compiled by Muhamad Nasir Abdul Salam and Dr. Dionysius S.K. Sharma and published by World Wildlife Fund Malaysia (May 1999), is an essential resource for coastal communities and planners, fish farmers and the general public who wish to learn more about marine turtles and terrapins, their importance to the environment, as well as the current threats to their survival.
The book begins with a general description of the species of marine turtles and terrapins which are listed endangered. Not too detailed, it easily sparks interest, showcasing numerous pictures and citing engaging facts on the species.
These gentle yet magnificent creatures have captivated marine specialists, conservationists and the general public over the years, yet they remain pretty much a mystery, even to the most dedicated turtle biologists. Tough and hardy (these unique reptiles have been in existence since the era of dinosaurs) but delicate at the same time (only about one out of every thousand hatchlings survive to adulthood), they face many threats today, as stressed in book's second section. Highlighted in this section is the issue of coastal development, which cuts the reptiles away from their life support systems: the coral reefs, seagrass and sandy beaches which are rapidly being destroyed by commercial activity.
The final section of the book offers recommendations for the conservation of these species and management of the coastal and estuarine areas. By sparking awareness and appreciation of their plight, the authors convey an important message: the survival of the world's remaining populations of marine turtles and reptiles requires the collective effort not just of conservationists and environmental planners, but also of governments and the public at large.--Nicola Escario CRMP News Marine sanctuaries key to improving fisheries -- EarthWatch expedition
The internationally-recognized Earthwatch Institute, in collaboration with the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the United States Agency for International Development, Sulu Fund for Marine Conservation Foundation, the Municipality of Panglao, Bohol, the Province of Bohol and the Philippine Tourism Auithority, has cited properly managed marine sanctuaries as the key to improving fish catch and sustaining income from fisheries and tourism in southern Bohol islands.
In its report on coral reefs surveyed in Bohol and Sumilon, Oslob, Cebu from May 1-22, 1999, an Earthwatch expedition noted that most municipalities have legislated and designated sanctuary areas in their waters, but implementation, enforcement and community support are either lacking or need improvement.
The expedition, composed of volunteer marine biologists, scientists, businessmen, divers and snorkelers from seven countries reported fairly healthy coral growth in the areas surveyed, namely the reefs off Balicasag, Pamilacan, Panglao and Cabilao Islands in Bohol and Sumilon Island off Oslob, Cebu.
Principal investigator Alan White, Deputy Chief of Party of CMRP said, however, that the healthy coral growth has yet to be translated to recovery of fish stocks, as fishing pressure is still a concern in the areas surveyed. In most sites surveyed, the abundance of fish was lower than that found in coral reefs where fishing pressure is less.
"Where there is an active sanctuary management regime which is recognized by and respected by the community, there is normally also a high potential for reversing the decline," White explained.
Community management of a sanctuary is best observed at Pamilacan Island reefs where community members repeatedly warned the Earthwatch researchers to get permission to dive in the sanctuary area. "This vigilance is unusual anywhere in the Philippines and is commendable," the report stated.
This sanctuary reef in Pamilacan, despite not having been blessed with favorable natural conditions for coral growth, has a total of 548 individual fish valuable to fishermen within 500 square meters. This, along with the sanctuary at Balicasag Island, is among the highest reef target species density recorded.
"It helps a lot when residents are involved in the management of marine sanctuaries. But it is also important that local government units, particularly the barangay leadership, provide them support in guarding their resources from possible destruction and exploitation, both from fellow residents and fishers from other municipalities," White said.
In Bolod Beach, Panglao, near the Bohol Beach Club, fish abundance is lowest among all the sites surveyed. Despite having a marine sanctuary designated by municipal ordinance, respondents to interviews claimed a total lack of awareness of the existence of the sanctuary. They reported continued dynamite fishing, over-fishing and harvesting of stocks in commercial quantities within municipal waters.
Sumilon Island is also reeling from the non-enforcement of its sanctuary laws. Where there was 46% of living coral cover noted in the 1980s, there is now merely 20% owing to destructive fishing practices and typhoon damage experienced in 1988. Enforcement of sanctuary laws ceased in 1984. Since then fish-traps dropped on top of corals and boat anchorage have caused major breakage of the delicate corals in the area.
Fish abundance, however, is good in Sumilon. Earthwatch attributed this bounty to the the reef's natural productivity and oceanographic setting and the relative lack of illegal fishing activities. Better management, the group said, would harness and allow full utilization of Sumilon's tourism potential and increase fish yield.
White said Earthwatch and the CRMP aim to assist with management and protection of coral reefs in the Philippines. It is the group's objective to keep the existing reefs from being overfished or exploited. "Not only do we view the reefs as sources of food. We place a lot of value in them for their potential to attract tourists, divers and underwater photographers. These activities, in the end, would mean even more income for the communities that are managing these resources," White said. Rosario Marino-Farrarons, CRMP Lapu-Lapu cleans up
The City of Lapulapu is a valuable economic and commercial hub for Cebu province. It is the home of posh resorts and tourism support facilities, an international airport, the province's export processing zone, a military base and all the regular accouterments of a first-class city.
Still one of the country's most sought-after resort destinations, Lapu-Lapu, which sits on Cebu's Mactan island, derives substantial benefit from the "beaches of Mactan" - white sand stretches and renowned dive spots. And while capitalists and service practitioners pursue their "more advanced" interests, Lapulapu's coastal population engages in their basic livelihood - fishing. The sea is, to a great extent, the lifeblood of the city.
All of the activity on Mactan island coupled with the resultant population pressure has threatened its coasts - garbage litters the beaches and is fished out from underwater. What used to be lush mangrove forests, the breeding area of fish and crustaceans, are now mere patches of ugly stumps - decimated for man's more superior needs.
In its pursuit of economic development and industrialization, Lapu-Lapu allowed itself to be stripped of its natural bounties. Fortunately, it has realized its folly and is now beginning the long and tedious process of reversing the decline of its coasts and seas - the better to sustain economic activity and secure the future of its constituents. This effort was given recognition at a recent "Clean Coast" contest, which embodied local government initiative and strong grassroots involvement in the effort to revive the city's ailing coastal and marine environment.
The competition saw the barangays (villages) of Lapu-Lapu City expend their best efforts in the area of habitat conservation and further raising the appreciation of residents for the benefits of a clean and healthy environment.
The city government, through the City Council's Environment and Sanitation Committee, left no stone unturned in promoting the contest and the values of proper waste disposal to the barangays. Councilor Alexander Gestopa, Jr., chairman of the committee said, "We saw in the contest a medium for enjoining our people to maintain a clean environment."
The committee, supported by the Office of Mayor Ernest Weigel, Jr., teamed up with the General Services Office (GSO), City Agriculture Office and the Association of Barangay Councils to form the local government unit's counterpart to national agencies and private sector organizers. In a show of concerted effort, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Education, Culture and sports, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and Philippine Navy, together with the Coastal Resource Management Project, Keppel Cebu Shipyard and General Milling Corporation successfully effected a turnaround in people's perceptions and attitudes about their coastal environment.
"It meant changing the perception of people, of the barangay chairmen, especially, because they would lead their constituents not only for the contest, but beyond," said Cleofe Solis, head of the City GSO.
We set out to encourage the barangays to adopt proper waste disposal methods and these were met with opposition at the outset," Solis added.
The Clean Coast Contest, also supported by House Representative Efren Herrera and six commercial and industrial establishments operating in the city, provided the positive reinforcement that made it easier for the organizers to impart the lessons of coastal and marine resource management. Thus, the concepts of waste segregation and solid waste management were introduced to the residents of Lapulapu City.
Already making headway in the campaign for cleanliness, Barangay Agus romped off with the top prize in the final countdown. Barangay Canjulao came in a close second, followed by Barangay Punta Engaño. Barangay Suba-basbas won the award for "Best Streamer" for its streamer made entirely of recycled waste materials.
The enthusiasm of the contestants was even more evident during the awarding ceremonies. Barangay Marigondon, though not queued for any prize, came in with the Early Bird Award - proof that the barangays were fully convinced of the values of environmental conservation. Barangay Canjulao brought the biggest delegation.
Ma. Fe Portigo, Learning Area Coordinator of the CRMP, attributed the success of the Clean Coast Contest to the collective involvement of partners, organizers and participants. She credited local government officials for their contribution. "They have been very responsive and in this we see that there is a better future for Lapulapu City. Gone are the days of passivity. Lapulapu has taken notice and taken the reins for the sake of its future," she said.
The judges saw innovation and singularity of purpose in the facilities which the barangays put up to address the need for proper waste management. Homegrown waste segregation facilities such as welded round bars outfitted with hooks holding nylon sacks for various types of garbage have become a familiar sight. And residents have also taken notice.
It will not be an overnight undertaking, this making and keeping Lapu-Lapu City a clean and healthy place to live in. It will be pursued with dogged determination - even beyond the Clean Coast Contest - so vowed all the partners involved in the Clean Coast Contest, local government officials and barangay leaders. Rosario Marino-Farrarons, CRMP ILOM News: Cebu to plant "A Million Mangroves for the Millennium", Davao sets Celebrity Dive
Two special events aimed at increasing public awareness of marine and coastal issues are being organized in Cebu and Davao for November. "A Million Mangroves for the Millennium", a mangrove rehabilitation project, and "Celebrity Dive Davao", a special media event aimed at drawing public attention to the need for conservation of the dolphins and endangered dugong found in Davao Gulf, are set for November 27 and November 20-21, respectively.
The Cebu event is being organized by the I Love the Ocean Cebu Association Inc., while that in Davao is spearheaded by I Love the Ocean Davao, with the support of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Navy, and private sector partners, among others.
The initial phase of mangrove project involves the development of a mangrovetum, an area to be planted with different mangrove species for the scientific study of mangroves and for mangrove seed production. It will be implemented on a six-hectare foreshore lot in Barangay Jugan, Consolacion, Cebu. "The site is idea for the mangrovetum because of its proximity to Cebu City," the organizers said in a statement. "The coastal area supports a community who relies on fishing and gathering of shellfish for food. It is also a habitat of migratory birds."
Celebrity Dive Davao meanwhile will be held at the Island Garden City of Samal. Invited celebrity divers include Jim Paredes, Wowie de Guzman, Giselle Toengi, and Judy Ann Santos.
I Love the Ocean Cebu Association Inc. and I Love the Ocean Davao are members of the I Love the Ocean Movement. ILOM-Manila embarks on seabed cleaning project
By Jose Ma. R. Gutierrez
About five years ago, in support of the government's artificial reef building program, a concerned group of scuba divers seeded old tires in the fish and coral sanctuary area of Dalig Point (in front of Dive and Trek Resort) in Anilao, Batangas. The tires were secured together in a pyramid formation, with each pyramid holding about 40 tires and seeded at about 90 feet deep.
Over time, some pyramids became loose and the individual tires broke free of their pyramid formation. These tires are now scattered in a wide area of the seabed. During bad weather, when wave action produced underwater disturbance, these tires are thrown toward the coral reef area. Some tires have already reached the 15-feet depth and, as a consequence, corals are destroyed by their crushing action.
The tires have also become an eyesore to divers and snorkelers.
Last August 29, ILOM-Manila organized a sea bed cleaning activity to remove some of the tires. The activity required scuba divers to collect the tires and bring these to the surface using an inflatable lift bag. At the surface, the lift bag and its load were pushed toward the shore by other ILOM members. Once on land, the tires were disposed of by Dive and Trek Resort staff.
Only two divers were present during the cleanup and only two dives were accomplished during the day. With these limitations, only four truck tires and three automobile tires were brought to shore for disposal. Nevertheless, it was a satisfying day for all, and ILOM-Manila members look forward to the next sea bed cleaning activity.
Our thanks to Dive and Trek Resort Manager Jan Anthony L. Acosta and his staff for their support in the marine conservation effort of ILOM-Manila.
Here's how the sea bed cleaning was done:
(You need to have a Macromedia Flash Player plugin installed on your browser to view the presentation)
|
|
