NOVEMBER 2007
SIX OUT OF EIGHT BEAR
SPECIES ON IUCN RED LIST
The world's smallest species of bear, the
sun bear living in mainland Southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo, has been
added in the Vulnerable category of the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species, following a meeting of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group in
November 2007. Despite conservation efforts, China's giant panda remains
endangered, while other vulnerable species include
Asiatic black bears and sloth bears, as well as Andean bears. Among the
eight species of bears, only the American black bear is secure
throughout its range. Brown bears are not listed as threatened globally
because large numbers still inhabit Russia, Canada, Alaska and some
parts of Europe, although some highly vulnerable populations exist in
southern Europe and central and southern Asia.
Link to further
information
IUCN press release, 12 November 2007
FIRST AFRICAN AND ARAB
GENE BANK CREATED IN TUNISIA, ONLINE DATABASE UNDERWAY IN LATIN AMERICA
The first African and Arab gene bank,
aiming at preserving genetic resources and promoting scientific
research, was recently inaugurated in Tunisia. The
gene bank is equipped with refrigerated rooms capable of hosting 200,000
samples of genetic resources, notably seeds, tissues or pollens, as well
as research laboratories.
In related news, the
Latin American Plant Initiative, an initiative to put thousands of
botanical specimens from Latin America into a single online database, is
underway following a meeting held in October 2007, at the Panama-based
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Links to further
information
Tunisia Online, 13 November 2007
SciDev.Net news story, 12 November 2007
PROTECTED AREAS: CANADA SETS LARGEST FRESHWATER CONSERVATION AREA, EC
EXTENDS NATURA 2000 NETWORK
As recently announced by
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the largest freshwater protected
area was established at Lake Superior, the biggest of the Great Lakes,
encompassing more than 10,000 sq. km and including lake bed,
islands and north shorelands.
In related news, the European Commission
(EC) adopted four decisions that significantly extend the Natura 2000 network
of protected areas in four biogeographical regions, concerning the
adoption of an initial list of Sites of Community Importance in the
Pannonian region in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, and the
updating of the existing lists in the Atlantic, Boreal and Continental
biogeographical regions.
Links to further information
Reuters News Service, 29 October 2007
EC press release, 13 November 2007
EU STUDY TO EXPLORE
ECONOMICS OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS
An EU study has been launched to support
the development of cost-effective policy responses to biodiversity loss.
Initiated by the German Presidency of the EU in March 2007 at the G8+5
summit of environment ministers in Potsdam, with a proposal to "initiate
the process of analysing the global economic benefit of biological
biodiversity, the costs of the loss of biodiversity and the failure to
take protective measures versus the cost of effective conservation," and
modeling the Stern Review on the economics of climate change, the first
phase of the study is expected to review relevant scientific and
economic knowledge and case studies, providing indications of the range
of costs and benefits related to biodiversity loss. In this regard, the
European Commission has launched a six-week-long call for evidence on
the economics of biodiversity loss (deadline is 31 December 2007). All
interested stakeholders in Europe and worldwide, including government,
academic, private sector, scientific, NGO and other experts, are invited
to submit contributions.
Links to further information
Euractiv.com, 16 November 2007
The
call for evidence
OCTOBER 2007
RAMSAR AND GRASP SIGN MOU
The Ramsar Secretariat and the UNEP-Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP)
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to produce a documentary
film to highlight the correlations between the sustainable management of
wetlands and the great apes. This awareness-raising tool, which will be
funded equally by UNEP and Ramsar, will focus on Petit Loango, a Wetland
of International Importance hosting great apes in the Republic of Gabon.
Link to further information
Ramsar Press release, 24 October 2007
BRAZIL PROPOSES
INCLUDING BIOFUELS IN WTO ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS NEGOTIATIONS
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Trade and Environment
special session (CTE-SS) met informally on 2 October 2007, to continue
advancing on its Doha mandate to negotiate "the reduction or, as
appropriate, elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to
environmental goods and services." At the meeting, Brazil proposed
including biofuels in the list of products identified for tariff cuts,
and proposed determining such list on the basis of a request-offer
process (JOB (07/146)). Brazil's proposal to list biofuels as an
environmental good was received with some skepticism by developed
countries, which place high tariffs on ethanol (like the US and the EU).
The proposed "request-offer" process to determine the list, however, was
contemplated as a possible way out for the current deadlock between
countries favoring a list of products and those proposing the end use
(for example waste management activities) to determine which products
will receive more favorable tariff treatment. The Brazilian proposal
will be further addressed in the next session of the CTE-SS scheduled
for 1-2 November 2007 (Source: ICTSD).
Link to
additional information
ICTSD Bridges, 10 October 2007
ARCTIC SEED VAULT TAKES SHAPE
Two weeks before the
second session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (29 October-2 November
2007, Rome, Italy), media reports indicate that construction of the seed
storage depository in Norway's Svalbard islands in the Arctic is
progressing, and opening is scheduled for February 2008. The Svalbard
Global Seed Vault, which duplicates seeds already stored elsewhere in
the world, aims to provide an additional safety net for the world's food
supply, protecting valuable plant genetic resources against diseases,
climate change, wars and natural disasters.
Links to further
information
Svalbard Global Seed Vault press brief and broadcast
Svalbard Global Seed Vault website
Reuters News Service, 21 September 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
UNESCO ADDS NEW SITES TO
BIOSPHERE RESERVE NETWORK
Following a recent meeting in Paris,
France, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) has added 23 sites to its Man and the Biosphere Programme. The
additional sites include, inter alia, habitats in three countries
that have not been part of the Programme before: mangroves in El
Salvador; limestone formations in Qatar; and sea grass beds and coral
reefs in the United Arab Emirates. Launched in 1970, the Man and
Biosphere Programme targets the ecological, social and economic
dimensions of biodiversity loss and uses its network of biosphere
reserves as vehicles for knowledge-sharing, research and participatory
decision-making. The biosphere reserves currently include 529 sites in
105 countries.
Link to further information
UNESCO press release, 20 September 2007
THEME FOR 2008
INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DAY ANNOUNCED
"Biodiversity and Agriculture" will be the theme of the
International Day for Biological Diversity, to be celebrated on 22 May
2008.
Link to further information
CBD press release, 20 September 2007
DEBATE HEATS UP
OVER BIOPIRACY, GENETIC RESOURCES RULES
Following the sentencing of Marc van Roosmalen, a Dutch-born
primatologist, to 16 years in a Brazilian jail for breaking laws
introduced to protect that country's natural resources, tensions seem to
have grown between scientists and conservationists, according to
SciDev.Net's David Dickson, who notes that "for many scientists the case
symbolises what they see as the unfair victimisation of the scientific
community by those seeking to preserve natural environments at any
cost." Dickson concludes that "nobody wins when regulations are either
ignored or overzealously applied, whatever the supposed justification."
In related news, a workshop held in
Beijing, China, in September 2007, concluded that developing countries
need to improve governance of their genetic resources, in order to
benefit from them. Particularly, governments should define what
constitutes "payable natural resource" and who owns it, the national
government or the local community.
Links to further information
SciDev.Net editorial, 14 September 2007
SciDev.Net News Release, 6 September 2007
IUCN RED LIST GROWS,
INCLUDES CORALS, DOLPHINS, APES, VULTURES
Widely recognized as the most authoritative assessment of the
planet's species, the IUCN Red List for 2007 was announced on 12
September 2007. It includes 16,306 species threatened with extinction,
while some of its highlights include: the decline of the great apes; the
first appearance of corals; the Yangtze River Dolphin listed as
critically endangered and possibly extinct; the decline of vultures and
the listing of 1,217 birds as threatened; and the listing of 723 North
American reptiles.
Links to further information
IUCN press release, 12 September 2007
2007 Red List web page
NEW PROTECTED
AREA DESIGNATED IN COLOMBIA, WILDLIFE DECLINING IN AFRICA'S PARKS
A new national park in Colombia, stretching from the Amazon Basin to
the Andean Mountains, will protect the area's rich biodiversity and also
enable indigenous communities, including the Inga and Yanaconas, to
conserve and consolidate their culture. In related news, according to a
study published in the African Journal of Ecology, wildlife populations
are decreasing inside Africa's protected areas, due in part to bushmeat
hunting, drought and farming in areas surrounding the parks.
Links to further information
Environment News Service, 31 August 2007
Inter Press Service News Agency, 8 September 2007
UNGA ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
On 13 September 2007, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. One hundred forty-three
member States voted in favor of the Declaration, while eleven abstained
and Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US voted against the
non-binding text, which addresses the individual and collective rights
of indigenous peoples, and their rights to culture, identity, language,
employment, health, education and other issues.
Link to further information
UNPFII website
AUGUST 2007
CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
TO SAVE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED BIRDS
In an effort to raise funds to save all 189 of the world's critically
endangered birds from extinction, Birdlife International has invited
companies, organizations and individuals to become BirdLife Species
Champions by contributing the necessary funding. The champions will fund
the work of Species Guardians for each bird – the organizations and
people identified as best carrying out the conservation work needed to
prevent a species' extinction.
Links to further information
BirdLife Species Champions webpage
ENS news release, 16 August 2007
UN MISSION TO INVESTIGATE KILLINGS OF GORILLAS IN DRC
An expert mission supported by the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will visit the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) to probe the recent, apparently senseless, slaughter
of mountain gorillas, a highly endangered species inscribed on UNESCO's
World Heritage in Danger list. The mission will investigate the reasons
for targeting the animals and propose measures for their protection and
for improving the conservation of the site. Some 700 mountain gorillas
are estimated to still live in the area of the DRC's border with Uganda
and Rwanda.
Link to further information
UN News release, 10 August 2007
INTERNATIONAL DAY RECOGNIZES INDIGENOUS PEOPLES'
CONTRIBUTIONS
In his message marking International Day of the World's Indigenous
People, observed on 9 August, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled
the theme for the Second International Decade of World's Indigenous
People (2005-2015), "Partnership for action and dignity," and called for
effective participation of indigenous peoples in achieving the
international development agenda, respect for their human rights and
elimination of discrimination, marginalization and poverty.
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang,
noted that indigenous peoples are often located in biologically rich
areas and have accumulated a wealth of knowledge about the functioning
of these environments, which can play a crucial role in adapting to and
redressing climate change impact.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 9 August 2007
UN Secretary-General's Press Release, 3 August 2007
UN Press Release, 7 August 2007
JULY 2007
UNDP-GEF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
PROJECT REPORTS PROGRESS
The UN Development Programme-Global Environment
Facility's (UNDP-GEF) project Biodiversity conservation in coffee,
which seeks to protect coffee farmers and biodiversity in Latin America,
is making strides, according to a project report dated 14 June 2007. The
project focuses on establishing new, environmentally and socially
responsible ways of doing business, and one of the main strategies is to
transform productive practices in the coffee sector by increasing market
demand for certified sustainable coffee. The project works with major
coffee traders, roasters and importers to increase the volumes of
Rainforest Alliance certified (RAC) coffee, one of the most rigorous and
complete sustainability standards in the coffee industry. An early
success has been the announcement that 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in
the UK and Ireland will exclusively sell RAC coffee.
Link to further information
UNDP-GEF Project report
DEADLINE SET FOR
COMPLIANCE WITH WTO BIOTECH RULING
The EU has agreed with Argentina, Canada and the US on a 21 November
2007 deadline for compliance with the World Trade Organization ruling in
the case of the EU approval procedure for genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). The ruling had claimed that the application of EU-wide and
national moratoria on the approval of GMOs at the time the case was
filed was illegal under WTO law. Meanwhile, EU member states continue to
be divided over the approval of new GMOs, while Greece has just extended
its ban on GM maize.
Link to further information
Bridges Trade BioRes, 6 July 2007
KENYA AND DANISH COMPANY ENTER INTO
BIOPROSPECTING AGREEMENT
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Danish company Novozymes
have entered a five-year memorandum of understanding, giving the company
rights to exploit the country's microbial biodiversity within the KWS-controlled
areas. KWS will receive royalties from the sales of any products
developed from microorganisms originating in Kenya. The company will
also assist Kenya through technology transfer, institutional capacity
building and training of Kenyan students.
Link to further information
SciDev.Net, 5 July 2007
JUNE 2007
EBAY TO BAN IVORY TRADE
Online auction house eBay announced it will ban
international trade of elephant ivory on its sites, following a study by
the International Fund for Animal Welfare which found that nine out of
ten ivory items sold on the internet are probably illegal.
Link to further information
Reuters News Service, 6 June 2007
MAY 2007
INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DAY CELEBRATED
This year's International Biodiversity Day, on 22 May 2007, focused on
biodiversity and climate change. Celebrations were held in a number of
countries, while in Montreal, Canada, the seat of the Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), celebrations took place at the
Botanical Gardens with the participation of government officials and
international participants. In his message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
noted that "the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is an
essential element of any strategy to adapt to climate change." CBD
Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf stressed that "the relationship
between biodiversity and climate change runs both ways. Climate change
is an important driver of the loss of biodiversity. At the same time,
the loss of biodiversity and the deterioration of natural habitats also
contribute to climate change."
Links to further information
CBD press release, 22 May 2007
UN Secretary-General's statement
CBD Executive Secretary's statement
EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS
INVITED TO SIGN CONSENSUS STATEMENT ON MARINE RESERVES
Biologist Callum Roberts at York
University, UK, is inviting European scientists to sign a consensus
statement to affirm the need for no-take marine reserves and express
concern for what the statement terms a "lack of progress in implementing
marine reserve networks in European waters." The statement is timed to
inform discussions in preparation for the ninth Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (to be held in Germany
in 2008) and ongoing negotiations for a new EU law for the protection of
Europe's seas. Roberts intends to release the statement on 8 June 2007,
World Oceans Day.
Link to further information
The
European statement
EUROPEAN PATENT
OFFICE REVOKES MONSANTO SOY PATENT
On 3 May 2007, the European Patent Office appeal board revoked a patent
held by Monsanto on a technique for genetically modified soybeans, on
the grounds that it lacked novelty and sufficient disclosure. The
patent, which is credited with giving Monsanto unprecedented control
over GM soybeans, was first granted to US biotech company Agracetus in
1994. It was since opposed by various environmental groups and
agribusiness companies, including Monsanto, until the latter acquired
Agracetus in 1996 and took control of the patent.
Links to further information
ETC Group press release, 3 May 2007
Bridges Trade BioRes, 11 May 2007
WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD
DAY HIGHLIGHTS CLIMATE CHANGE
On 12-13 May 2007, a series of events took place around the world to
celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, focusing on the impacts of climate
change on migratory birds. World Migratory Bird Day was organized by the
African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Convention
on Migratory Species (CMS).
In related news, CMS Deputy Executive
Secretary Lahcen el Kabiri, in his address to the 26th Session of the
UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation, announced a new initiative,
led by the UK and the United Arab Emirates, to negotiate a CMS Agreement
for African and Eurasian birds of prey, for which climate change is one
of several threats
Links to further information
World Migratory Bird Day website
CMS press release, 7 May 2007
RAMSAR, UNESCO AND
IUCN SIGN MOU WITH AIRLINE GROUP
On 14 May 2007, the Ramsar Convention,
UNESCO-Man and the Biosphere (MAB) and IUCN-the World Conservation Union
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Star Alliance
airline group, thereby launching "Biosphere Connections." This new
programme will develop over the next years as a key means to communicate
to the wider public the activities of the three organizations. In
addition, under the partnership, the Star Alliance will assist field
workers from the three environmental agencies with transport to relevant
meetings.
Links to further information
Ramsar Press Release, 14 May 2007
IUCN press release, 14 May 2007
Biosphere connections website
UNEP/CHINESE INITATIVE TO CURB ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
An initiative to assist customs officers in China deal with
multi-billion dollar environmental crime has been initiated by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), secretariats of multilateral environment
agreements (MEAs), the Chemical Weapons Convention, the World Customs
Organisation and Interpol. The effort seeks to equip customs officials
with the necessary skills and know-how to address this growing problem.
A wide range of chemicals are controlled, banned or subject to phase
outs under MEAs, nonetheless, environmental crime and illegal trade is
estimated to be valued at tens of billion dollars a year.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 16 May 2007
EQUATOR PRIZE
AWARDED TO FIVE COMMUNITY GROUPS
The UN Development Programme announced the winners of the Equator
Prize on 22 May 2007 during a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York,
US. Five community groups from tropical regions in Africa, Asia and
Latin America won the US$ 30,000 prize for their initiatives to
alleviate poverty while conserving local biodiversity. The honor
recognized efforts to: sustainably manage an octopus fishery in
Madagascar; conserve grasslands and savannah as part of an ecotourism
venture in Kenya; conserve nut forests in Guatemala; promote the
alternative use of marine resources and control invasive plant species
in Ecuador; and deliver information to locals about sustainable
agricultural practices and market prices in Bangladesh.
Links to further information
UNDP news release, 22 May 2007
Webcast of announcement
UNEP ANNOUNCES THAT
BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN HIT GOAL ON INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) campaign to secure pledges to
plant one billion trees has achieved its goal seven months early. To
mark International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2007, Senegal
pledged to plant 20 million trees, taking the campaign over its target.
The campaign will now switch to ensuring that the pledges result in one
billion planted trees by the end of the year.
Link to further information
UNEP news release, 22 May 2007
APRIL 2007
UNESCO
URGES DRC TO END KILLING OF ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN WORLD HERITAGE SITES
In a letter from Koïchiro
Matsuura, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's
(UNESCO) Director-General, to Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Jean-Marie Guehenno, UN
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Matsuura urges that
measures be taken to stop the poaching and killing of endangered animals
in the five World Heritage sites of the DRC. The letter follows reports
that several hundred hippopotami and at least two mountain gorillas have
been killed in recent months in the Virunga National Park, which was
inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and on the World Heritage
List in Danger in 1994. Matsuura also calls for extending the mandate of
the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) to include protection of the DRC's World
Heritage sites and other protected areas.
Link to
further information
UNESCO World Heritage Conservation press release, 26 April 2007
EUROPEAN COMMISSION CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR
BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS
The European Commission adopted a Communication on the mid-term review
of the EU's Strategy on Life Sciences and Biotechnology 2002-2010 on 11
April 2007. The Communication notes that the original design of the
Strategy followed a holistic approach that is "still relevant today,"
but the mid-term review "refocuses the Action Plan on sector specific
issues and prioritises actions in those areas where the potential
benefits of biotechnology can be maximised." The review proposes to
refocus the EU's action plan on five interdependent priority actions:
promote research and market development for life sciences and biotech
applications; foster competitiveness by facilitating knowledge transfer
and innovation from the science base to industry; encourage informed
societal debates on the benefits and risk of life sciences and
biotechnology; ensure a sustainable contribution of modern biotechnology
to agriculture; and improve the implementation of the legislation and
its impact on competitiveness.
In response, the European biotechnology industry welcomed the review and
urged ministers to implement the strategy in a coherent and timely
manner. Friends of the Earth Europe stated that the Commission ignored
the wishes of the majority of the European public as well as its own
research, which shows that the use of GM crops is an economic failure.
Link to further information
Euractiv.com, 24 April 2007
GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST SECURES FUNDS TO
SAFEGUARD CRITICAL FOOD CROPS
The Global Crop Diversity Trust, which aims to ensure the conservation
and availability of crop diversity for food security in formal
relationship with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture, announced, in partnership with the UN
Foundation, a joint initiative to safeguard 21 of the world's most
critical food crops through securing their seeds. The initiative is
funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the government of
Norway. Among the crops covered are many "orphan crops," crops
particularly important to the poor but largely neglected by modern plant
breeding, despite the need for high-yielding, nutritious varieties.
Link to further information
Global Crop Diversity Trust press release, 19 April 2007
MARCH 2007
FUNDING AGREEMENT TO SAFEGUARD RICE BIODIVERSITY
An agreement between the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the
International Rice Research Institute announced aims to safeguard the
biodiversity of rice. Under the agreement, the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) will invest US$400,000 annually in its Genetic
Resources Center in the Philippines, while the Global Crop Diversity
Trust will donate US$200,000. The pledges allow for interest rate
fluctuations and will remain in force indefinitely.
Link to further information
SciDev.net, 13 March 2007
NEW SYSTEMS TO BOOST ACCESS TO GENETIC RESOURCES IN
BRAZIL AND PERU
The Brazilian government has announced a new system that will issue
licenses to collect biological material for scientific research and
teaching purposes more quickly.
The new Biodiversity Authorization and Information System (Sisbio)
allows licenses to be granted up to 45 days after an online application.
Peru has also created an online system for the country's biodiversity.
It includes a database showing in real time the national and
international research being done with genetic resources native to Peru,
as well as a register of researchers who have applied for a permit to
work in protected sites, forests and wildlife habitats. If a research
application is accepted, a permit will be automatically issued within
two weeks.
Links to further information
SciDev.net, 13 March 2007
SciDev.net, 22 March, 2007
GLOBAL MAP OF PLANT BIODIVERSITY PRESENTED
Biologists at the University of California in San Diego, US, and the
University of Bonn, Germany, have published a global map of estimated
plant species richness. The map, which is said to be the most extensive
one of biodiversity distribution on the planet to date, highlights areas
of particular concern for conservation, and identifies the likely impact
of climate change on the services plants provide to humans.
Link to further information
Science Daily, 22 March 2007
CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS PATENTING OF SEEDS AND
ANIMALS
The "Global Appeal Against Patents on Seeds and Farm Animals," a
coalition of environmental and development NGOs and farmers'
organizations, has recently launched an initiative against a push by the
European Patent Office to allow for patents on seeds, conventional plant
varieties and animal species.
Link to further information
The
coalition's website
UNDP ANNOUNCES
FINALISTS FOR BIODIVERSITY PRIZE
On 12 March 2007, the Equator Initiative, a
partnership between the UN, civil society, business, governments and
communities led by UN Development Programme (UNDP), announced the
finalists for its 2006 Equator Prize, honoring 25 efforts to conserve
and sustainably use the equatorial region's biodiversity with a view to
reducing poverty. The finalists' projects range from innovative
ecotourism to sustainable crocodile-egg harvesting.
Link to further information
UNDP press release, 12 March 2007
ACCOBAMS TO CONSIDER
WHALE PROTECTION FOR STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR
The third meeting of the Parties to the
Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea,
Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS), to be held in
October 2007, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, will consider a new proposal to
protect the Strait of Gibraltar and the adjacent Alboran Sea, areas used
by fin, sperm, Cuvier's beaked and killer whales, as well as bottlenose
and common dolphins and harbor porpoises for feeding and breeding.
Links to further information
The
ACCOBAMS website
Environment News Service, 5 March 2007
WITH CITES COP
APPROACHING, ELEPHANTS CONTROVERSY LOOMS
Controversy among the countries favoring
strict conservation of elephants, such as Kenya and Mali, and those
proposing sustainable trade of their ivory stockpiles, including
Botswana and Namibia, has intensified on the eve of the 14th Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to be held in June 2007, in The
Hague, the Netherlands. A number of recent media reports focus on the
threat that ivory trade poses on the future of the African elephant,
while others point to the fact that South Africa's conservation efforts
have been so successful that the country is now proposing to implement
measures to limit fertility or cull elephants.
Links to further information
ICTSD Trade BioRes, 2 March 2007
Reuters News Service, 26 February 2007
The Times, 27 February 2007
Environment News Service, 27 February 2007
Environment News Network, 28 February 2007
SPECIES (RE)DISCOVERED
IN INDONESIA, CAMBODIA, THAILAND
According to recent reports, twenty new
species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia in a
five-year survey of catches at local fish markets undertaken by the
Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
In related news, Large-billed Reed-warbler, a bird species not seen for
140 years, was rediscovered in Thailand; while in Cambodia, as a result
of conservation measures, the rare Mekong dolphin seems to be coming
back from the edge of extinction.
Links to further information
Environment News Network, 1 March 2007
Reuters News Service, 7 March 2007
Reuters News Service, 8 March 2007
FEBRUARY 2007
RAMSAR ENHANCES COLLABORATION WITH GRASP
On the sidelines of the
24th session of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing
Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-24/GMEF)
in Nairobi, Kenya, Ramsar Secretary General Peter
Bridgewater and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, in the presence
of Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) Team Leader Melanie Virtue,
signed an exchange of letters to enhance their collaboration. The GRASP
Partnership is a World Summit on Sustainable Development Type II
Partnership lead by UNEP and UNESCO, intended to lift the threat of
imminent extinction faced by gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and
orangutans across their ranges in equatorial Africa and southeast Asia.
The project partners include: Ramsar; great ape range States and donor
governments; the biodiversity-related multilateral environmental
agreements; UN institutions; international and national great ape
conservation NGOs; the global great ape scientific community; and
private sector entities. The letters provide that the Ramsar and GRASP
Secretariats will, when feasible, cooperate: in the elaboration of
management plans for Ramsar sites with great apes; towards the
designation of new Ramsar sites with great ape habitats; on projects in
or around transboundary sites with great apes habitat; and towards
capacity building of Ramsar and GRASP focal points and site managers.
Link to further information
Ramsar press release, 9 February 2007
EU CITIZENS CALL
FOR GMO LABELING OF MEAT AND EGGS
A petition containing 1,000,000 signatures calling for the labeling
of milk, meat, eggs and other products of animals fed with genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) was delivered by Greenpeace to Markos
Kyprianou, European Commissioner for Health. Upon receiving the
petition, Commissioner Kyprianou said "A petition supported by one
million citizens shows strong interest in this issue. We will look into
the matter again. We will look into the science ... to see if what is
asked of us would be justified." Until now, such labeling is not
required under EU law.
Links to further information
Greenpeace press release, 5 February 2007
EurActiv News, 5 February 2007
Bridges Trade BioRes, 16 February 2007
Reuters News Service, 6 February 2007
USDA GMO APPROVALS
CRITICIZED BY COURTS
US federal courts have recently published two decisions noting that
the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) did not properly evaluate the
environmental impact of genetically engineered crops before permitting
field trials. The courts ordered the USDA to halt approval of all new
field trials of genetically engineered crops until more thorough
environmental reviews are conducted, and ruled that past approvals were
illegal. Both cases were filed by the Center for Food Safety and a
coalition of farmers, consumers and environmentalists, and involved
trials of herbicide-resistant grass and Roundup-ready alfalfa.
Links to further information
Center for Food Safety press release, 6 February 2007
Center for Food Safety press release, 14 February 2007
Reuters News Service, 15 February 2007
Bridges Trade BioRes, 16 February 2007
NORWAY PRESENTS
DESIGN OF SVALBARD SEED VAULT
The Norwegian government presented the final design of the Svalbard
International Seed Vault, a back-up seed bank that seeks to safeguard
the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war
and climate change. The seed vault, which is being organized by the
Global Crop Diversity Trust, is scheduled to open in 2008.
Links to further information
BBC News, 9 February 2007
Environment News Service, 9 February 2007
STANDARD SET FOR
WILD MEDICINAL PLANT HARVESTING
The World Organic Trade Fair, held from 15-18 February 2007 in
Nuremberg, Germany, launched a new standard to promote sustainable
management and trade of wild medicinal and aromatic plants and protect
these plants from over-exploitation. The standard, which is set forth by
the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival
Commission, is based on six principles: maintaining medicinal and
aromatic plant resources in the wild; preventing negative environmental
impacts; legal compliance; respecting customary rights; applying
responsible management practices; and applying responsible business
practices. It was set forth by the Medicinal Plant Specialist.
Links to further information
Environment News Service, 20 February 2007
The standard
SHARKS ADDED TO THE
IUCN RED LIST
At a February 2007 meeting, an international expert workshop
convened by the IUCN Species Survival Commission focused on assessing
the global status of pelagic and semi-pelagic sharks and rays against
the IUCN Red List Criteria. Experts highlighted the vulnerability of
these species to overfishing and concluded that several species are now
Threatened with extinction on a global scale.
Links to further information
IUCN press release, 22 February 2007
Reuters News Service, 23 February 2007
CITES ANNOUNCES
SMALL EXPORT QUOTA FOR BELUGA CAVIAR
The Secretariat of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) published, on 5 February 2007, export quotas for beluga and
Heilongjiang/Amur River sturgeon caviar. States bordering the Caspian
Sea have agreed to reduce the catch quota for beluga by 29% in 2007, in
comparison with 2005, the last year for which quotas were approved. A
limit on export of 3,761 kg of beluga has been established, according to
which the quota was published by the Secretariat. According to
information presented by the Caspian States, populations continue to
fall. The Secretariat will refer the matter to the CITES Animals
Committee, which has been given the authority by the CITES Parties to
undertake reviews of the sustainability of trade authorized under CITES
rules.
Link to further information
CITES press release, 5 February 2007
JANUARY 2007
WILDLIFE UPDATE: MADAGASCAR PROTECTS UNIQUE
BIRDS; CONGO GUERILLAS AGREE TO STOP KILLING GORILLAS
In a move hailed by conservationists, Madagascar has decided to
establish a protected area of almost 3,000 square kilometers of tropical
wetlands, forests, savannas and caves, to protect a number of its unique
birds. The area was granted protected status for two years, as a first
step towards declaring permanent protection.
In other positive news, according to a report by Wildlife Direct,
Congolese guerillas accused of killing and eating at least two of the
world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas, have agreed to stop the
killings.
Links to further information
Reuters News Service, 24 January 2007
Reuters News Service, 25 January 2007
"HEART OF BORNEO"
INITIATIVE OFFICIALLY ENDORSED – WWF ANNOUNCES DISCOVERY OF NEW SPECIES
The "Heart of Borneo," a tri-country
conservation initiative that was launched during the CBD COP-8 in
Curitiba, Brazil, to protect one of the most important centers of
biodiversity in the world, was officially endorsed by the Governments of
Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia during the Third Summit of the
East Growth Area of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The initiative seeks to establish a network of transboundary protected
areas across the borders of these three countries to maximize linkages,
forest connectivity and sustainable land-use practices for effective
management and conservation. According to CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed
Djoghlaf "the endorsement of the Heart of Borneo conservation initiative
is a firm step toward achieving the 2010 biodiversity target, and
implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity's programmes of
work on protected areas and forest biological diversity."
Covering an area of 220,000 km2 of
mountainous regions, and lying within both terrestrial and freshwater
Global 200 ecoregions prioritized for biodiversity of global
significance, the Heart of Borneo is home to tremendous biodiversity,
including ten primate species, over 350 bird species, 150 reptile and
amphibian species, and 10,000 plant species. According to a recent WWF
report, over 50 new species were discovered in Borneo in 2006, including
30 fish, two tree frog, 16 ginger and three tree species.
Links to further information
CBD press release, 15 January 2007
WWF press release, 19 December 2006
EU WILD BIRDS BAN CAUSES
FRICTION
On 11 January 2007, the CITES Secretariat
published a press release to express its disappointment at the
announcement by the EU of an indefinite ban on imports of wild birds. As
noted in the press release, "the EU ban has been adopted on the grounds
that it will help prevent the spread of avian flu and other diseases in
human beings, but as it only concerns the import of wild birds, it risks
casting the wrong impression that the international bird trade is not
effectively controlled. However, this trade is carefully regulated by
the 169 member countries of CITES." The CITES Secretariat highlighted
that the EU measure risks driving the market underground and making it
less transparent; undermining the impoverished communities who depend on
the environmentally sustainable trade in birds, and removing their
economic incentives for protecting bird habitat.
Conservationists, however, applauded the EU
decision to ban wild bird trade, noting that trapping
for the international bird trade has been identified as a contributing
factor in the threat status of one in 20 threatened and near-threatened
bird species, with parrots being particularly affected.
Links to further information
CITES press release, 11 January 2007
BirdLife International press release, 12 January 2007
Times Online, 12 January 2007
GOVERNMENTS
SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR CITES LISTINGS
Proposals to amend the CITES appendices
have been submitted by parties to the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in time for CITES
COP-14, to be held in June 2007, in The Hague, the Netherlands. The
proposals suggest changing the trade status of flora and fauna ranging
from charismatic mammals such as the African elephant and leopard, to
commercially valuable marine species such as sharks, eels and coral.
Links to further information
Proposals for amendments of Appendices I and II
WWF press release, 17 January 2007
RARE GIANT TURTLE
REDISCOVERED IN THAILAND
The conservation group WWF has reported
that a villager fishing in a mangrove in western Thailand found a rare
mangrove terrapin, a species that had not been observed in the wild for
over 20 years. The species is considered to be critically endangered in
Thailand as well as in Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia, as it faces
threats from: hunting; egg harvesting; loss of habitat and nesting
beaches; and the incidental drowning in fishing nets.
Link to further information
WWF Press Release, 10 January 2007
CITES AUTHORIZES EXPORT
QUOTAS FOR CAVIAR
In contrast with 2006, the CITES
Secretariat published export quotas for caviar and other sturgeon
products from the Caspian Sea for 2007. In 2006, quotas were not
authorized because the five States concerned –Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan – did not provide
sufficient information about the sustainability of their sturgeon catch.
The 2007 combined quotas for caviar exports are 15% lower than for 2005,
following an agreement among the Caspian Sea States to reduce the
combined catch quotas for the six sturgeon species, recognizing that
sturgeon stocks have declined in recent years. However, quotas for
beluga have not been published, as the information provided by the five
range States is not yet complete. The Secretariat has granted the range
States an additional month to provide the missing information before a
final decision is made.
Links to further information
UN News Release, 2 January 2007
CITES Press Release, 2 January 2007
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