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Saturday, September 29, 2012

MAP News Issue 298 - Sept 29, 2012

VerticalResponse
 
Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.
The MAP News
298th Edition                                 Sept 29, 2012
Action Alerts:
Sweden well ahead of the World on reducing shrimp consumption – See Why

Sign the petition to protect hawksbills in El Salvador CLICK HERE

The latest episode of World Ocean Radio entitled "186: Mangroves" is now available. You will find this five-minute audio broadcast online . You may also subscribe to the weekly podcast on ITunes or find us on PRX.org,Audioport.org and at Stitcher.com.

MAP Asia Intern Wanted – Closing Date Nov 16, 2012 View Job Description

Petition – Save the Forests Along the Western Coast of Balikpapan Sign the Petition
VIEW FILM


The Director of NGO EMACE, based in Sri Lanka is looking for a volunteer.  Main focus is helping us in documentation, grant writing and to implement the [Bolgoda] Lake conservation projects. Prior experience is unnecessary CLICK HERE
Petition – Save Panama Bay Mangrove Wetlands – CLICK HERE
 
Support Bimini Island’s Marine Protected Area by Clicking Here

End the Destruction of Sea Turtles in Grenada
The State of Grenada could help saving the last remaining turtles of the Caribbean by adopting serious anti-hunting laws and promoting economic advantages in sea turtle watching for tourists. We need your help.  Please take just a few seconds to sign the petition

Support MAP's Efforts

CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART
 READ MORE

MAP's 2012 Calendar Order Form Print form and mail in to MAPClick Here

MAP Calendar Sponsors Still Needed – Help support next year’s calendar now. READ MORE

Donate.jpg

Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE

URGENT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

MAP is looking for volunteer interns for its Thailand Headquarters – READ MORE


MAP’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE





MANGROVE ISSUES 

NEW BOOK – J. Primavera
The book Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines by J.H. Pimavera and R.B. Sadaba (ISBN 978-971-9931-01-0; National Library  CIP QK938.C6  581.75109599  2012  P220120602) is now available. A sequel to the Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines (2004), it:
•         introduces researchers and general public to beach forest species and mangrove associates; and describes their medicinal, traditional and commercial uses based on recent research and the older, hard-to-access literature
•         contains ~160 pages covering 140 species (97 species fully described/ illustrated + 43 species pictorials), plus Introduction, Glossary and References
•         standard species layout includes description and full color photos of habit, leaves, flowers, fruits, utilization and silviculture

SEE POSTER and order instructions


View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel
“Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the  PhotoPhilanthropy website here!

Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.
By Martin A. Keeley, Education Director, Mangrove Action Project
Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT

FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT THESE SIGHTS
SLIDE SHOW
VIMEO SHOW


Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO
 


"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog

Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfrodo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

Join MAP on Facebook

Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp

Donate.jpg

Not yet a MAP News subscriber?
Click here to subscribe.



Note to Our Readers:
We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, occassionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to
locate the original story.



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Help Mangrove Action Project submit 100 or more e-waste items by October 31st & we will receive a 10% donation bonus*!  List of Accepted E-waste Items:
Injet Cartidges, Cell Phones, Pagers, GPS, Radar Detectors, Mobile Hot Spots, Calculators, eBook Readers, iPods/MP3 players, Digital/Video Cameras/Camcorders, PDAs, iPads/Tablets/Laptops, Video Game Consoles, Handheld Video Games
Visit the Mangrove Action Project recycle website Click on the recycle button then click on the Download Shipping Label, and follow the instructions.


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FEATURED STORY

Special report Blood fish: why prawns should be blacklisted from all our shopping baskets
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A new investigation has revealed appalling labour conditions for Burmese migrants working onboard boats supplying 'trash fish' for use in feed given to farmed prawns. But this is just the latest scandal to engulf the global shrimp industry, says Andrew Wasley. A disturbing new investigation by the Ecologist has shone a light on the appalling labour conditions experienced by some Burmese migrants working onboard Thai fishing boats. The investigation – carried out by the Ecologist Film Unit in conjunction with Link TV and SwedWatch – has linked the problem to boats supplying so-called 'trash fish' for use in the manufacture of fish feed given to farmed prawns – or shrimp – that are cultivated in Thailand before being exported and consumed by diners across the world.  The findings are just the latest in a series of disturbing exposes highlighting the unsavoury nature of the global shrimp industry, which continues to re-brand itself as 'sustainable' and 'ethical'.  READ MORE

ASIA

Kuki Groups Opposes Tiger Reserve in Karbi Anglong
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INDIA - The Kuki National Assembly, an association of Kukis, today asked the Karbi Anglong autonomous council not to go forward with the proposed tiger reserve spread over 1,650 square km area in eastern and central Karbi Anglong, as it might disrupt the livelihood of 50,000 people. The meeting took place near Karbi Anglong district headquarters Diphu. “Most of the areas which the forest department wants to include in the tiger reserve and for eco-tourism projects is nothing but the agriculture belt of Kukis living in the foothills of Singhason hill. If the tiger reserve is set up there, at least 50,000 poor Kuki people will have to leave their agricultural work, which is the main source of their livelihood,” said KNA general secretary Tongthang Touthang. READ MORE

Editor’s note: This article demonstrates once again that Western society seldom considers the true cost of their favorite seafood. This minimum wage hike would mean workers would receive Bt300 or approximately $10 per day.
Shrimp exporters want govt to reconsider minimum wage hike
THAILAND - Shrimp producers want the government to revise the policy to raise the minimum wage and help with outsourcing, penetrating new markets and eliminating non-tariff barriers. They also want the government to promote value-added development to ensure rising exports for the industry. A report from the Thai Trade Offices in North America, Europe and Latin America showed that Thailand is losing market share and export competitiveness to Vietnam due to that country's lower shrimp prices. Vietnamese shrimp is cheaper by 20-30 per cent. Amid the global economic slowdown and euro crisis, consumers are spending their money carefully and choosing cheaper goods from Vietnam, the report said. In the first seven months of this year. Thai shrimp exports dropped by 10 per cent to US$1.6 billion (Bt49.25 billion). The Commerce Ministry recently cut the growth target for shrimp exports this year to only 5 per cent from the earlier projection of 13 per cent to $3.25 billion. Kanokknang Pongsathaporn, senior marketing manager of Golden Sea Frozen Foods Co, said last week that the increase in the minimum daily wage to Bt300 and the shrimp price subsidy have pushed up production costs.  READ MORE

Vietnam shrimp exports on track to meet goal
VIETNAM - Shrimp exports are expected to reach the US$2.5 billion goal set for the year despite the ongoing challenges facing exporters, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). Solid supplies and increased demand were putting the industry on track to meet its target, although shrimp export value would have to continue on a pace to total US$800 million in the last quarter of the year, VASEP said. In the third quarter, shrimp exports surged 19 per cent over the same period last year to $690 million, bringing total export value in the first nine months to $1.7 billion. Obstacles to reaching the goal include a slowdown in demand on the European market and difficulty complying with strict food safety requirements being imposed by Japan. Japan is applying a maximum ethoxyquin residue limit of 0.01ppm for Vietnamese shrimp, a low rate for local shrimp breeders. READ MORE

Early Mortality Syndrome Threatens Asia’s Shrimp Farms
CHINA - The emerging disease early mortality syndrome (EMS) has caused large losses among shrimp farmers in China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Causing mass mortalities, its spread points to the need for increased awareness and cooperative reporting, writes Eduardo M. LeaƱo, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific. The Asia-Pacific region, the top producer of aquaculture products in the world, is continuously beset by emerging aquatic animal disease problems that can cause high mortalities and economic losses among small farmers as well as commercial producers. Over the last couple of decades, diseases such as white spot syndrome, yellowhead disease and Taura syndrome heavily impacted shrimp aquaculture in the region and caused the collapse of the Penaeus monodon industry. READ MORE

Japan Refuses to Buy ‘Toxic’ Shrimp from Odisha State
INDIA - Shrimp farmers in the Indian state of Odisha are worried as Japan has stopped buying their shrimp following the detection of ethoxiquin, a quinoline-based antioxidant used as a preservative and a pesticide, in shrimp exports to the country "Odisha has been affected badly as around 60 per cent of our shrimp is exported to Japan," said G Mohanty, president of Odisha Seafood Exporters Association. Exporters are not procuring more shrimps from farmers as they already have heavy stocks. As a result, shrimp farmers are forced to sell their produce to the middlemen of Andhra Pradesh. Seafood exporters in the neighbouring state are exporting the shrimp to US and European countries in larger quantities, sources said. In the face of heavy losses, small and middle category shrimp producers are unlikely to take up prawn culture next year, reports TheTimesofIndia. "Not only seafood exporters, but shrimp farmers in the state will also be badly affected if the situation persists for a few more months," said A Chandra Sekhar Rao, a shrimp producer in Ganjam district. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Ecuador's bold idea now as endangered as Eden's wildlife
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ECUADOR - A plan to preserve the most biodiverse region on earth from oil exploitation is foundering as enthusiasm cools. Ecuador is the only country to have recognised the rights of nature in its constitution. After the discovery of a $7.2 billion oil reserve inside a pristine corner of the Yasuni National Park, the government has proposed leaving the fossil fuel in the ground if other countries will give them half that amount. It has been hailed as an alternative to the ineffectual efforts of the United Nations to deal with climate change and biodiversity loss. The ITT Initiative, as the project is known, promises to the keep carbon in the ground in a 200,000-hectare corner of the park and, in the process, help to redistribute wealth from rich nations to the developing world and wildlife. ''This was a revolutionary idea. With a logic that I would call perfect: it implied a substantial change in the management of natural resources in the fight against climate change. It meant a transfer of resources from the richest countries - which are the biggest polluters - to poorer countries,'' he said. ''But what has happened since has been the opposite: because the US, UK and others can consume the assets generated by the Amazon jungle for free, they have committed absolutely nothing. The Yasuni ITT Initiative has raised a lot less than expected.'' READ MORE

Editor's Note: This letter was sent by Sr. Varela to his government in Honduras protesting illicit shrimp farm expansion along public coastal lands in Honduras; it is posted in its entirety on our blog
BETRAYAL OF SOVEREIGNTY IN HONDURAS
image_preview
HONDURAS - For more than a decade Messrs. shrimp aquaculturists in the Gulf of Fonseca pressed the government of Honduras to pass a law allowing them to legalize and treat as private property the lands that belonged to the government of Honduras, allowing them to rent concessions. A large section of civil society has opposed such intentions, considering that this is more an act of plunder, which actually takes place at the expense of the national treasury, allowing certain "aquaculturists" land speculation before the stimulus production, and without generating any compensation for the state in financial transactions that occur. Thus shrimpers have sold, mortgaged, and transferred under any title or concessions received condition. This lucrative speculation in "real estate" has stimulated the expansion of shrimp farming, and led to the destruction of mangroves, lagoons, mudflats and all kinds of wetland ecosystems in violation of the agreement in 1999 regarding the "Ramsar Site # 1000" and the declaration Protected Areas of the South in 2000. READ MORE

Letter to NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS regarding International Day of Struggle against Monoculture Tree Plantations
URAGUAY - Humankind faces an environmental, economic, and climate crisis that poses a threat to its survival. Destruction of ecosystems endangers not only communities that directly depend on them, but also the planet as a whole. Power centres have not questioned the production and consumption imperatives that are responsible. Instead, they are promoting false solutions that allow the same actors that created the crisis to continue accumulating wealth while the majority of the world’s population sees their living standards deteriorate. Today we are witnessing the confluence of two processes: incorporation of new aspects of life into the market economy and financialization of the economy itself, including speculation in new 'green' commodities. Capitalist societies have always appropriated human and nonhuman nature. Today a range of radically new products are being developed for sale: carbon, biodiversity, water and so on. At the same time, speculative financial markets have gained increasing power over the rest of economy and of life, in a response to the capitalist crisis that began in the 1970s. Enter the Green Economy, encouraged by the United Nations and rationalized by the claim that the only way to assure that nature is conserved is to price it. As fresh objects of commerce and speculation, so-called 'ecosystem service' commodities are recruited as saviours of an economy that remains centred on plunder and exploitation. READ MORE

MAP Updates Wikipedia to include info on Mangrove Restoration
USA – MAP restoration experts, supporters and members of Board of Directors have worked to update the Wikipedia information regarding mangrove restoration. Wikipedia is considered by many to be the first place interested parties will search out when looking for reliable internet information.  The article clarifies some of the misconceptions about replanting which have led to failure in the past. “Mangrove restoration is the regeneration of mangrove forest ecosystems in areas where they have previously existed. The practice of mangrove restoration is grounded in the discipline of restoration ecology, which aims to “[assist] the recovery of resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed” [1]. Since environmental impacts are an ongoing threat, to successfully restore an ecosystem implies not merely to recreate its former condition, but to strengthen its capacity to adapt to change over time” the article begins. READ MORE

OCEANA

Charting a Path to Ocean Prosperity
Rarotonga_Cook_Islands
COOK ISLANDS - A career in conservation can be alternately trying, rewarding and energizing, as we work with leaders and communities to innovate sustainable solutions that will balance the pace of economic development with the capacity of the planet and needs of a growing human population. I can honestly say that in my 40 years of doing this work, which I know is absolutely essential to safeguard our families' future, never before have I seen such cause for hope and partnership as I recently did during a week in the Cook Islands. Attending the 43rd annual Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga, I had a front row seat to what can only be described as a sea change in ocean management and stewardship, from leaders whom most Americans would likely be hard-pressed to name: President Anote Tong of the Republic of Kiribati, Prime Minister Henry Puna of the Cook Islands, and President Harold Martin of New Caledonia, to name a few. Among them was special guest Secretary Hillary Clinton, representing the United States' renewed interest in the Pacific region as a pillar of economic, cultural, regional and food security. READ MORE

LAST WORD

For the Future of Mangrove Conservation
Volunteers_exhibition_centre

“Nature Classroom – Forest, Water and Us” is a partnership project between the local environmental based NGO, Water Watch Penang (WWP) and international organisation, UNEP Eco-Peace Leadership Centre (UNEP-EPLC). This project is aimed at educating the general public particularly the young generation on the importance of conserving our remaining wildlife and natural habitats. For this reason, educational field trips and on-site environmental activities are conducted for school children at the mangrove wetland of Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia. The love for nature and caring for environment will be nurtured among the participants by discovering themselves the interesting biodiversity of mangrove forests. The project has come to a milestone in June 2012 when the exhibition centre for showcasing the mangrove ecosystems was set up with the help of volunteers, local people and student participants. We are moving forward with great hope that the mangrove conservation will be positively developed for a sustainable future in this beautiful Balik Pulau.
Wong Yun Yun (Ms.)
Project Manager of
“Nature Classroom – Forest, Water and Us”
Water Watch Penang (WWP)
Penang, Malaysia.
http://www.facebook.com/penangmangrove

 

~ If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com


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Please cut and paste these news alerts/ action alerts on to your own lists and contacts. Help us spread the word and further generate letters of concern, as this can make a big difference in helping to halt a wrongdoing or encourage correct action.


Mangrove Action Project

BETRAYAL OF SOVEREIGNTY IN HONDURAS

by 1999 Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Jorge Varela Marquez

   For more than a decade Messrs. shrimp aquaculturists in the Gulf of Fonseca pressed the government of Honduras to pass a law allowing them to legalize and treat as private property the lands that belonged to the government of Honduras, allowing them to rent concessions.

   A large section of civil society has opposed such intentions, considering that this is more an act of plunder, which actually takes place at the expense of the national treasury, allowing certain "aquaculturists" land speculation before the stimulus production, and without generating any compensation for the state in financial transactions that occur. Thus shrimpers have sold, mortgaged, and transferred under any title or concessions received condition. This lucrative speculation in "real estate" has stimulated the expansion of shrimp farming, and led to the destruction of mangroves, lagoons, mudflats and all kinds of wetland ecosystems in violation of the agreement in 1999 regarding the "Ramsar Site # 1000" and the declaration Protected Areas of the South in 2000. Moreover, it has also violated the Constitution in Article 107, to allow a large area of ​​coastal concession to now possibly be "donated" to transnational fishing and aquaculture.

   The media report that shrimpers claim legalizing transactions past, present and future by a decree that Congress would approve to allow the above transactions be legalized, pseudo benefit of entrepreneurs and Deputies who need fresh money to pay their political campaigns in this election period. If this goes through, the congressmen would be giving away all and sundry natural resources of the nation (as seems to have done with the "Model Cities" and the granting of rivers among others).

  We propose that better legislation in favor of the majority who will give or deny the vote according to his ways. In contrast, we request the issuing of a decree stating: "The concessions shrimp companies to be declared bankrupt, or declare UNABLE TO CONTINUE OPERATING, MUST END CLOSING THEIR COMMITMENTS, AND RETURN TO THE STATE, AFTER THESE LANDS are made available to the LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR ONCE THESE trained and initial funding, to take responsibility for managing the FARMS, PAYING WITH PRODUCTION improvements that have been made and are involved and to allocate 10% of their profits to fulfill their corporate social responsibility. NON-STATE COMMUNITY INTEREST EXITIR should proceed to a public auction, and if it fails then the state PROCEED TO RESTORE THE ENVIRONMENT FOR SERVICE OF HUMANITY.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

MAP News Issue 297 Sept 15

VerticalResponse
 
2012Banner
Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.
The MAP News
297th Edition                                 Sept 15, 2012
Action Alerts:

Sweden well ahead of the World on reducing shrimp consumption – See Why

Sign the petition to protect hawksbills in El Salvador CLICK HERE

The latest episode of World Ocean Radio entitled "186: Mangroves" is now available. You will find this five-minute audio broadcast online . You may also subscribe to the weekly podcast on ITunes or find us on PRX.org,Audioport.org and at Stitcher.com.

MAP Asia Intern Wanted – Closing Date Nov 16, 2012 View Job Description

Petition – Save the Forests Along the Western Coast of Balikpapan Sign the Petition
VIEW FILM


The Director of NGO EMACE, based in Sri Lanka is looking for a volunteer.  Main focus is helping us in documentation, grant writing and to implement the [Bolgoda] Lake conservation projects. Prior experience is unnecessary CLICK HERE
Petition – Save Panama Bay Mangrove Wetlands – CLICK HERE
 
Support Bimini Island’s Marine Protected Area by Clicking Here

End the Destruction of Sea Turtles in Grenada
The State of Grenada could help saving the last remaining turtles of the Caribbean by adopting serious anti-hunting laws and promoting economic advantages in sea turtle watching for tourists. We need your help.  Please take just a few seconds to sign the petition

Support MAP's Efforts

CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART
 READ MORE

MAP's 2012 Calendar Order Form Print form and mail in to MAPClick Here

MAP Calendar Sponsors Still Needed – Help support next year’s calendar now. READ MORE

Donate.jpg

Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE

URGENT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

MAP is looking for volunteer interns for its Thailand Headquarters – READ MORE


MAP’s VOLUNTEER INTERNS HELP MAP MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE
READ MORE





MANGROVE ISSUES 

NEW BOOK – J. Primavera
The book Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines by J.H. Pimavera and R.B. Sadaba (ISBN 978-971-9931-01-0; National Library  CIP QK938.C6  581.75109599  2012  P220120602) is now available. A sequel to the Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines (2004), it:
•         introduces researchers and general public to beach forest species and mangrove associates; and describes their medicinal, traditional and commercial uses based on recent research and the older, hard-to-access literature
•         contains ~160 pages covering 140 species (97 species fully described/ illustrated + 43 species pictorials), plus Introduction, Glossary and References
•         standard species layout includes description and full color photos of habit, leaves, flowers, fruits, utilization and silviculture

SEE POSTER and order instructions


View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel
“Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the  PhotoPhilanthropy website here!

Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.
By Martin A. Keeley, Education Director, Mangrove Action Project
Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT

FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT THESE SIGHTS
SLIDE SHOW
VIMEO SHOW


Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO
 


"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog

Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfrodo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

Join MAP on Facebook

Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp

Donate.jpg

Not yet a MAP News subscriber?
Click here to subscribe.



Note to Our Readers:
We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, occassionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to
locate the original story.



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Dear Mangrove Action Project members,
We have just made it easier for you to send in your ewaste items. Now any one of that visits our Mangrove Action Project recycle website, can easily print out a pre-paid shipping label.

Visit the Mangrove Action Project recycle website Click on the recycle button then
click on the Download Shipping Label, and follow the instructions.

Make sure you have at least 20 items. Once we receive and inspect your shipment your fundraising money will be sent directly to Mangrove Action Project. Check it out now by clicking on the dowload shipping label.


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FEATURED STORY

Govt to issue land deeds to mangrove encroachers
30184808-03_big
THAILAND - The Marine and Coastal Resources Department plans to ask the Land Department to issue land title deeds to people who have encroached on mangrove forest reserves nationwide. Under this plan, the department's director general Boonchob Suthamanuswong said his agency would allocate about 450,000 rai of mangrove forest reserve areas to people currently living illegally and encroaching on mangrove forest areas in 23 coastal provinces. Thailand has only 1.5 million rai of mangrove forest. The department estimated that about 30 per cent of mangrove forests in all coastal areas were encroached upon by local people with illegally issued landownership deeds. Most encroached upon mangrove land - especially in the Andaman Sea provinces of Phuket and Krabi - is occupied by wealthy people. Some mangrove lands were abandoned shrimp farms eroded by the sea. "The department expects that this plan to issue land ownership deeds to those people who illegally utilize and live in the mangrove forest will stop them encroaching on these areas," Boonchob said. READ MORE 

Editor's Note: See our LAST WORD for more on this.

ASIA

Editor's Note: Garbage is also a threat to the health of our planet's inter-tidal zones and coastal wetlands, and mangroves are becoming littered with tons of plastic bags and other human generated debris. There is a great need for volunteer beach clean-up such as this depicted below. What to do with all of this garbage remains another serious concern. Obviously, prevention of such waste buildup in the first place is in order.
Student volunteers collect garbage washed ashore by typhoon in Paranaque city
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PHILIPPINES - Student volunteers collect garbage washed ashore by the typhoon surge brought on by monsoon rains during a cleanup drive at a bay in Paranaque city, metro Manila August 25, 2012. According to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), at least 200 truckloads or over 500 tons of garbage, washed away to shore by the typhoon surge in the last two-weeks, was collected around the Manila bay area. VIEW SOURCE

Quarto attends “ Best Practices in Mangrove Restoration/Rehabilitation” Colloquium
INDIA - MAP's Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto attended the "MFF Regional Colloquium on Best Practices in Mangrove Restoration/Rehabilitation" August 30th-31st in Mahamallapurum, Tamil Nadu, India with field trip to the Pichavaram Mangrove Wetlands Sept.1-2 and then Sept. 3-7 here in Thailand visiting potential EMR sites. Please find attached the book of abstracts from the colloquium and Quarto's paper "ECOLOGICAL MANGROVE RESTORATION: RE-ESTABLISHING A MORE BIO-DIVERSE AND RESILIENT COASTAL ECOSYSTEM WITH COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION"

Bangladesh climate project gets 'Earth Care Award'
BANGLADESH - The Ministry of Environment and Forests has won the “Earth Care Award 2012” for pioneering Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change through Coastal Afforestation Project. The $10 million project is being implemented by the UNDP under Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) of the Global Environment Facilities (GEF) to reduce climate vulnerability in four coastal districts -- Barguna, Bhola, Noakhali and Chittagong. The Times of India sponsored this year's award given in the category of "Community-based Adaptation and Mitigation”, according to a GEF release. "The project has a strong community-based adaptation component, and benefited a total of 18,269 households by involving them in afforestation, agriculture, livestock, and fishery-based livelihood adaptation," the statement said. READ MORE

Govt lawsuits likely to hurt shrimp production
BANGLADESH - Lawsuits by a government agency against quite a large number of shrimp farms in the country's southern districts have put the third largest foreign currency earning sector in trouble, official sources said. The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) filed the cases recently against the shrimp farms in the country's shrimp production hub -- Khulna and Satkhira districts -- accusing them of facilitating the entry of saline water into the farms by damaging roads, dams and culverts and assaulting its officials. In Khulna 20 cases were filed against 236 shrimp farmers and in Satkhira 11 cases were filed against 524 farmers while 729 more notices were served upon other farmers, creating panic among them. READ MORE

PTT launches 'Visit Rayong' campaign to help communities
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THAILAND - PTT Plc has introduced a new programme called Siam Yol Rayong ("Visit Rayong") in a bid to encourage visitors to enjoy the province's way of life, communities and local products. Rayong has been the home of various industrial projects over the past three decades. Last year, environmentalists petitioned the Administrative Court to halt 76 projects in Rayong with total investment value of 400 billion baht. However, most companies have been able to continue their investments, albeit amid local community concern. The Siam Yol Rayong project has been ongoing for two years. Its objective is the showcasing of the good sides of Rayong and improving the image of the province in the eyes of the public. Kin Nawong, chairman of a conservation group focused on the Rayong River and mangrove forests, initiated a programme eight years ago to protect the last mangrove forest with trees older than 200 years. There are now 300 rai of mangrove in Rayong municipality. READ MORE

EUROPE

Report: Mangroves protect our coasts against wind and swell waves
mangrove
NETHERLANDS  – A new report by The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International proves that mangrove forests protect coastal populations and infrastructure against wind and swell waves. Preventing damage to coastal infrastructure and flooding, mangroves reduce wave height by as much as 66% over 100 metres of forest. With coastal populations vulnerable to the impacts of extreme events such as storms and hurricanes, these organisations say mangrove management needs to be included in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction efforts in coastal areas worldwide. Coastal populations are particularly exposed to extreme events such as storms and hurricanes. These pressures may increase with climate change and sea level rise. Coastal wetlands such as mangrove forests strongly contribute to the safety, food security and income of tens of millions of people throughout the tropics. This new report by global NGOs The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International brings together the latest scientific research from leading engineers and ecologists on coastal protection against waves. The report concludes that "mangroves can reduce the height of wind and swell waves over relatively short distances: wave height can be reduced by between 13 and 66% over 100 m of mangroves". Lead author Anna McIvor (TNC) says: "Waves are most rapidly reduced when they pass through a greater density of obstacles. This means that mangroves with aerial roots attenuate waves in shallow water more rapidly than those without". She adds: "When the water gets deeper, waves may pass above aerial roots, but then the lower branches can perform a similar function." The report outlines that the slope of the shore and the height of the waves also affect wave reduction rates through mangroves. READ MORE

Oslo urges Brazil, Indonesia to keep forest protection
NORWAY - Norway's environment minister on Friday urged Brazil and Indonesia to avoid backtracking on policies to protect tropical forests, saying up to $2 billion in aid promised by Oslo hinged on proof of slower rates of forest clearance. Norway, rich from oil and gas, has promised more cash than any other donor nation to slow rainforest clearance from the Amazon to the Congo. Protecting forests slows climate change, since plants soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas. Environment Minister Baard Vegar Solhjell, whose country is failing to meet goals for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, said he was closely following debate in Brazil that might brake what he called a "huge success story" in slowing deforestation. Oslo has promised up to $1 billion each to Brazil and Indonesia, the two main beneficiaries of a forest initiative worth 3 billion Norwegian crowns ($514.75 million) a year to help combat global warming. READ MORE

Place forests under local control to increase incomes and sustainability
SWITZERLAND - To increase the incomes of many of the billion forest-dependent people worldwide the current model for investment in forests must be turned on its head. An initiative of unprecedented scale, led by The Forests Dialogue (TFD), IUCN and  the Growing Forests Partnerships (GFP), has found that optimizing the benefits and productivity of forests requires moving from a ‘resource-led’ model to a ‘rights-based’ system of ‘locally controlled forestry’, that places local control of forests at the heart of the investment process. Over the last 3 years, The Forests Dialogue (TFD), partnering with IUCN, organized a series of country level dialogues engaging over 400 forest owners, investors, NGOs, governments and intergovernmental agencies. The resulting report, “Investing in Locally Controlled Forestry”, launched today at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, shows that with the right processes in place, and under the right conditions, almost any individual or group can build a successful forest enterprise. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Now That is Restoration!
Editor's Note: Last year, MAP partnered with the Berkeley-based NGO ECoViva to undertake a four-day Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) workshop led by MAP Asia Coordinator Jim Enright. During the workshop participants visited several potential sites where EMR could potentially take place, and this one site at El Lloron on Jiquilisco Bay was chosen for later restoration using newly learned EMR techniques. The site had become flooded because of blocked channels, so the natural hydrological function at El Lloron was ineffective in allowing proper water flows in and out of the site, thus causing over a hundred acres of mangrove forest to die by drowning. MAP Board member Fiona Wilmot, who had attended the EMR workshop last year, revisited the site to see what had happened there. This is her story!
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EL SALVADORE - Manuel, Geovanni and I went up the waterway to El LlorĆ³n, and the others met us round the corner…. Amazing, [it was] amazing. I could only imagine all the blood, sweat, tears, bugbites, cuts, bruises and fungal infections that went into [physically restoring the water channels]. To me it’s up there with the Panama Canal. [There’s] still a couple of patches that get snarled up when the tide is flowing out….  But otherwise, [it’s] a tidal creek, restored.  A couple of martin pescadores [kingfisher birds] and a raptor tigre [bare-throated tiger heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum)] later, and we were getting out in a fizz of jumping shrimp at the place where we held the workshop last year. What I saw at La Quemada… was what CERP [a multi-million dollar mangrove restoration project in Florida] has only dreamed of in terms of indicator species [species whose presence gives an indication of the health of the ecosystem as a whole].  We’d seen a few pairs of Great White Egrets in the shrimp ponds earlier, but this was [a massive number,] a white-out. Needless to say, as we approached we flushed a lot of them way into the distance. But still, sitting up a tree were two pairs of roseate spoonbills and, I kid you not, a pair of woodstorks. Not just one random, lost bird, but three pairs of very picky waterbirds right at the edge. The water was clear, odorless, and full of life, and I was only bitten by one mosquito. That is restoration! READ MORE

MAP  Receives Disney Conservation Grant for work in Belize
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BELIZE - The Mangrove Action Project (MAP) has been selected as a recipient of a grant from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) for its project, Mangrove Curriculum Transfer to Belize.  This grant is part of the Fund’s $20 million milestone in conservation giving since the DWCF began in 1995. Since that time MAP has received three grants from DWCF totaling more than $39,000.00. Mangrove Curriculum Transfer to Belize is among 80 projects selected this year for their efforts to inspire people and collaborations to protect the world’s wildlife and to connect kids and communities to nature. Belize marks the ninth country ranging from China to Brazil, from Sri Lanka to Guatemala, that will be the recipient of MAP’s Marvelous Mangroves curriculum. The grant will enable MAP to work with its partner in Belize, the Southern Environmental Association (SEA), to adapt the curriculum for use in that country. READ MORE

Mangrove deforestation 3x worse for climate than rainforest loss
MONGABAY WEBSITE  -  Degradation and destruction of the world's seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves may generate up to a billion tons in carbon dioxide emissions annually, reports a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE. The research looked at the world's 49 million hectares of coastal ecosystems and attempted to estimate emissions from conversion. Due to high levels of uncertainty about the extent of these ecosystems and the rate of conversion as well as the variance in carbon stocks, the study came up with a broad range of emissions: 150 million to 1.02 billion tons of CO2 per year. At the high end, emissions from destruction and degradation of costal ecosystems would approach the annual emissions of Japan, the world's fifth largest greenhouse gas emitter. READ MORE

Shrimp, Cows or Candy Wrappers
ECUADOR - “Alright guys, if you look out the windows to the right, you will see enormous, multi-acre shrimp ponds that were all once mangrove forest.” Thus I begin a talk on the importance of this ecosystem to a group of 24 United States college students, most of whom are studying environmental science or related fields. They have travelled to Ecuador for a semester abroad, and have already seen the Amazon jungle and the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains. A trip to the Galapagos Islands is planned for later in the semester. Today, we are riding a bus towards Isla CorazĆ³n (Heart Island), a wildlife refuge located on the Ecuadorian coast. The estimated coverage of Ecuador’s mangrove forests in 1980 was 203,000 hectares; by 2000, that area had been reduced to approximately 150,200, a loss of 26%, mostly from conversion to aquaculture shrimp ponds (FAO 2007). Massive areas of forest were bulldozed, filled in and squared off in the process. Shrimp farming was a lucrative business in Ecuador until a disease called la mancha blanca (white spot) and foreign competition crashed the industry in the late 1990s. However, the business remains a major Ecuadorian export and domestic source of income. The students are exposed to this information and more through lectures and this field trip. READ MORE

OCEANA

World's largest marine park unveiled
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COOK ISLANDS -  The Cook Islands announced the creation of the world's largest marine park, as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) opened with a spectacular Polynesian welcoming ceremony. Heralded by traditional drummers and blaring conch shells, leaders of the 15-nation grouping were carried to the summit venue in the capital Avarua on litters while flag-waving locals cheered enthusiastically. Prime Minister Henry Puna capitalized on a rare moment in the international spotlight to declare his nation of 11,000 people had created an enormous marine park almost twice the size of France. The 1.065 million square kilometer (411,000 square mile) reserve would help save one of the last pristine ocean eco-systems, Puna said. "(It is) the largest area in history by a single country for integrated ocean conservation and management," he said. READ MORE

LAST WORD

Comments on our featured story
We at MAP are shocked that Thailand's Marine and Coastal Resource Dept. (DMCR) is actually planning to reward those who illegally encroached on about 72,000 ha, or approximately 23%, of the country's protected mangrove wetland area by offering them legal title to these same lands. This is akin to rewarding a bank robber with the money stolen from the bank, suggesting somehow this will prevent future bank robberies! This Illogical plan to award legal title to these land encroachers to those same lands stolen by them represents a serious breach of public trust that should in all honesty be a great embarrassment to both the government of Thailand and all Thai citizens. I urge the Thai government to rethink this policy of rewarding wrongdoers, and instead reclaim those same lands for the Thai people and rehabilitate these so that they can again function as healthy, productive and protective mangrove wetlands. It is a much better idea that these lands be restored so as to offer again that important nursery for a healthy wild fishery as well as a protective buffer against future cyclones and tsunamis.

Alfredo Quarto
Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
 




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Mangrove Action Project

Mangrove Action Project Receives Disney Conservation Grant

The Mangrove Action Project (MAP) has been selected as a recipient of a grant from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) for its project, Mangrove Curriculum Transfer to Belize.  This grant is part of the Fund’s $20 million milestone in conservation giving since the DWCF began in 1995. Since that time MAP has received three grants from DWCF totaling more than $39,000.00.

Mangrove Curriculum Transfer to Belize is among 80 projects selected this year for their efforts to inspire people and collaborations to protect the world’s wildlife and to connect kids and communities to nature.

Belize marks the ninth country ranging from China to Brazil, from Sri Lanka to Guatemala, that will be the recipient of MAP’s Marvelous Mangroves curriculum. The grant will enable MAP to work with its partner in Belize, the Southern Environmental Association (SEA), to adapt the curriculum for use in that country.

“DWCF support during the past six years has proven invaluable in bringing our Marvellous Mangroves curriculum to different countries,” said MAP’s Global Education Director, Martin Keeley. “Now we begin work with SEA on adapting the resource materials to suit the flora, fauna, geology and geography of Belize. Once that is done we will develop and implement an SEA field directors training on mangroves in primary and secondary institutions throughout Belize.”

About DWCF
The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund works to save species and habitats and to connect kids to nature to help develop lifelong conservation values.  To date, DWCF has granted more than $20 million to support conservation programs in 112 countries.  Projects chosen for funding must address a critical conservation need, contribute solid field science, and incorporate community conservation education and engagement.  To see the complete list of 2012 DWCF grant recipients, visit disney.com/conservation. 

Learn more about Disney’s citizenship efforts at www.disney.com/citizenship

About MAP
In 2012 MAP celebrates 20 years of dedicated action for the mangroves and the people who depend on them.
The Mangrove Action Project is dedicated to reversing the degradation and loss of mangrove forest ecosystems worldwide. Its main goal is to promote the rights of traditional and indigenous coastal peoples, including fishers and farmers, to sustainably manage their coastal environs. At the same time MAP strives to use the formal education process to introduce mangrove ecology on a scientific and social level to students in their classrooms
Through its global network and offices - International (U.S.A. Office),  Asia Regional (Thailand Office),  Indonesia, and Latin America - MAP is stimulating the exchange of ideas and information on the conservation and restoration of mangrove forests, while promoting sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities.
Learn all about MAP’s work at:  www.mangroveactionproject.org.

MAP News Issue 593, March 9, 2024

MAP News Issue #593 - March 9, 2024 Nigeria has Commenced Large-Scale Mangrove Restoraion in Ogoniland Eastern Niger Delta NIGERIA - The...