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MEDIA REPORTS
BIODIVERSITY AND
WILDLIFE
This page was updated
on: 01/13/10
2009
Biodiversity and Wildlife Media Reports Archives:
2010;
2008;
2007;
2006;
2005;
2004;
2003;
2002
DECEMBER 2009
FAO ADVISORY
PANEL RECOMMENDS LIMITING TRADE IN CERTAIN SHARK SPECIES
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened an advisory
panel of independent experts to formulate recommendations regarding six
proposals to limit international trade in a number of commercially
exploited aquatic animals under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The advisory panel,
which consisted of 22 international fishery experts from 15 different
countries, determined that sufficient evidence exists to warrant
controlling trade in the following species: the
Oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus);
Porbeagle (Lamna
nasus); the Scalloped hammerhead shark
(Sphyrna lewini);
the Great hammerhead shark
(Sphyrna mokarran); and the
Smooth hammerhead shark
(Sphyrna zygaena). The panel did not reach consensus regarding
the proposed ban in trade of the
Atlantic bluefin tuna
(Thunnus thynnus), but there was consensus that the evidence
available supports the control in trade of this species. Finally, the
panel assessed that Spiny
dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and all species of
the coral family Coralliidae
did not meet the CITES criteria required to control their trade. The
proposals will be considered for listing at the 15th Conference of CITES
parties, scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from 13-25 March 2010.
Link to further information
FAO press release, 14 December 2009
NOVEMBER 2009
US PATENT EXAMINERS GET
ACCESS TO INDIA'S TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY
The Government of India has granted the
United States Patent and Trademark Office access to its Traditional
Knowledge Digital Library. Access to the digital library will help US
patent examiners prevent the patenting, and thus misappropriation, of
existing and documented traditional knowledge. A similar agreement has
already been signed between India's Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research and the European Patent Office.
Link to further information
USPTO press release, 23 November 2009
CITES LISTING
PROPOSED FOR BLUEFIN TUNA, POLAR BEARS, SHARKS
Listing proposals submitted to the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES) for consideration at its 15th meeting of the
Conference of the Parties (COP-15) address, among other species,
Atlantic bluefin tuna, polar bears, sharks, corals and elephant ivory.
The proposal on Atlantic bluefin tuna submitted by Monaco has already
attracted considerable attention, after causing controversy within the
European Union. Scientists of the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) met from 21-23 October 2009, in
Madrid, Spain, to develop scientific advice for the ICCAT Commissioners
on the condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna with respect to the biological
criteria applied for listing commercially-exploited aquatic species
under CITES Appendices. According to media reports, the scientific
meeting indicated that a global ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing is
justified. A decision will be taken by the 21st Regular Meeting of ICCAT,
to be held from 6-15 November 2009, in Recife, Brazil.
Links to further information
Environment News service, 29 October 2009
CITES proposals
Mongabay.com, 29 October 2009
ICCAT scientific meeting report
OCTOBER 2009
CITES
COP TO DISCUSS ATLANTIC TUNA AND SHARKS LISTING PROPOSALS, MEETING
PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY
An Appendix-I listing
proposal for Atlantic bluefin tuna submitted by Monaco and proposals for
Appendix-II listings of eight species of sharks, red and pink coral, and
a range of waxes and oils used in cosmetics are among the proposals to
be considered at the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties
to CITES (COP-15), scheduled for 13-25 March 2010, in Doha, Qatar. The
full listing of species proposals will be posted on the CITES website.
The CITES Secretariat has posted additional information on COP-15,
including a registration form and hotel and visa information.
Links to further
information
Reuters, 15 October 2009
Notification 2009/045: Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the
Parties – general information
SEPTEMBER 2009
EU COUNTRIES REJECT BLUEFIN TUNA LISTING
PROPOSAL
EU Member
States were unable to reach the qualified majority needed to adopt the
European Commission's proposal to co-sponsor Monaco's attempt to list
bluefin tuna under appendix I of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as a result of
opposition from Spain, Malta, Italy, France, Greece and Cyprus.
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas regretted the
decision, while Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said it was now up to
the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
to assume its full responsibility to ensure the recovery of bluefin
tuna.
Links to further information
EurAct.com, 22 September 2009
Environment News Service, 30 September 2009
CBD
SECRETARIAT STRENGTHENS COOPERATION WITH UNEP-WCMC, UNWTO
The Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Conservation Monitoring
Centre of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC) signed a Memorandum
of Cooperation that sets out a work programme of cooperation between the
CBD and UNEP-WCMC. The multi-year programme of work builds on an
agreement established in March 2006, on the existing collaboration
between UNEP-WCMC and the CBD Secretariat and Parties, in order to bring
the technical and capacity-building expertise within UNEP-WCMC to bear
on the improved implementation of the Convention and enhance the
preparation of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to be
held from 19-29 October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan.
On the margins of the third World
Climate Conference, the CBD Secretariat signed a Memorandum of
Cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),
aiming to raise public awareness of the inter-relationship between
biodiversity and tourism. Both parties will work towards maximizing
tourism's positive contribution to conserving biodiversity and enhancing
the quality of life of local people.
Links to further information
CBD communiqué, 3 September 2009
CBD-UNWTO joint press release, 4 September 2009
EUROPEANS CONSIDER
BLUEFIN TUNA CITES LISTING PROPOSAL
According to reports, European Ministers
are considering a proposal to add bluefin tuna to Appendix I of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES), in response to warnings of a fish stocks collapse
from scientists. Such a listing, if accepted by the upcoming 15th
session of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (13-25 March 2010,
Doha, Qatar), would automatically implement a temporary ban on all
international trade.
Links to further information
ICTSD Bridges Trade BioRes, 4 September 2009
EurActiv.com, 1 September 2009
SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS SVALBARD SEED VAULT
During his visit to the Arctic, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
visited the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. He recalled that the Vault
provides back-up protection for seed collections held by every country,
representing an essential insurance policy for the international
community within the framework of the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Stressing that the seeds
contain the essential characteristics that plant breeders and farmers
will need to ensure that crops become climate-ready and more productive,
he highlighted that the Vault is a creative initiative to fight for food
security in the face of climate change in a much longer term.
Link to further information
UN news release, 2 September 2009
TEEB UPDATE
HIGHLIGHTS ECOSYSTEM PRESERVATION'S KEY ROLE IN COUNTERING CLIMATE
CHANGE
Investing in the restoration and maintenance of the Earth's
ecosystems can play a key role in countering climate change and
climate-proofing vulnerable economies, says a new climate issues update
by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, which
was launched by Germany and the European Commission and is hosted by the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The issues update was launched by TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev,
with German Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, European
Commission Director-General for Environment Karl Falkenberg, and UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner. The update indicates that ecosystems
represent one of the biggest untapped allies against climate change, and
underlines the need for an agreement on funding for forests and for
addressing damage caused by rising temperatures and ocean acidification
to coral reefs.
Investing in ecosystem-based measures such as financing Reduced
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) could assist
in combating climate change and also be a key anti-poverty and
adaptation measure. Coral reefs, on the other hand, have a key role to
play in coastal defense against a predicted rise in storm surges and
other extreme weather events.
Links to further information
UNEP press release, 2 September 2009
TEEB website
GEF FUNDS INNOVATIVE
PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (PES) PROJECT
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is
funding a project in Colombia, Costa Rica and Nicaragua aimed at
improving ecosystem functioning of degraded pasture lands through the
silvo-pastoral systems that generate global environmental benefits while
providing socio-economic benefits. Perhaps one of the most innovative
outcomes of this project is the establishment of a differentiated
payment scheme according to the degree of environmental service being
provided, thus providing incentives for higher levels of conservation.
Link to further information
GEF press release
CBD MEMBERSHIP
REACHES 192
During August 2009, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) announced that Iraq acceded to the Convention and will
become its 192nd party on 26 October 2009.
Link to further information
CBD communiqué
EVALUATION OF COSTS OF ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE PUBLISHED
The International Institute
for Environment and Development (UK) and the Grantham Institute for
Climate Change, Imperial College London (UK) have published an
evaluation entitled "Assessing the costs of adaptation to climate
change: a review of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) and other recent estimates." The costs have been used as
the basis for discussion regarding the levels of investment needed for
adaptation to climate change and have
been influential in the debate concerning funding for climate change.
The purpose of the report is to assess these estimates and consider ways
to improve them in the future.
The report maintains that the
real costs of adaptation are likely to be two to three times greater
than estimates for the year 2030 made by the UNFCCC in 2007,
and it
indicates that this
underestimation could weaken the outcome of UNFCCC negotiations, which
are due to culminate in Copenhagen in December.
The UNFCCC has
estimated the global costs of adapting to climate change to be US$40-$170
billion each year. But the report's
authors say that these estimates were produced too quickly and did not
include key sectors such as energy, manufacturing, retailing, mining,
tourism and ecosystems. Other sectors that the UNFCCC did include were
only partially covered. The report also evaluates estimates of the costs
of adaptation made by preceding studies by the World Bank, 2006; by Sir
Nicholas Stern, 2006; by Oxfam, 2007; and by the UN Development
Programme, 2007.
Links to further information
The
report
ENS News report,
27 August 2009
JULY 2009
FISHING NATIONS CALL FOR GLOBAL BLUEFIN TUNA BAN
Monaco, France, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany have announced that
they would support listing
the endangered Northern Bluefin Tuna under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). The 15th meeting of the
Conference of the Parties will be held in Doha, Qatar, from 13-25 March
2010, and parties are to
submit proposals for additions to its lists by 17 October 2009 in order
to be eligible for consideration.
Monaco was the first to communicate its willingness to sponsor a
proposal to ban international trade in the species and has launched a
formal CITES consultation process to seek the support of other range
States. Bluefin tuna's dramatic decline is caused by, inter alia,
overcapacity of fishing
fleets, pirate fishing, the use of illegal spotting planes to chase
tuna, under-reporting of catch, fishing during the closed season, and
management measures that disregard scientific advice.
Link to
further information
Traffic press release, 16 July 2009
ENOLA BEAN PATENT
REJECTED
On 10 July 2009, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled
that US patent 5,894,079 (the "Enola" bean patent), which claims a
yellow bean of Mexican origin, is invalid because none of the patent
claims meet the criterion of non-obviousness. It is recalled that the
patent was first challenged in 2000, as the "Enola" bean was similar to
a bean developed by farmers and widely known and used in Latin America.
Links to further
information
ETC Group news release, 14 July 2009
The Court's decision
SHARING GENETIC
RESOURCES KEY TO ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA
As temperatures in Africa rise rapidly, the
food security of many Africans will depend on farmers in one country
gaining access to climatically suitable varieties cultivated in other
African countries and beyond, a study published in Global
Environmental Change concluded. The study, conducted by researchers
at Stanford University's Program on Food Security and the Global Crop
Diversity Trust, warns that neglect of African crop collections held in
genebanks means that breeders do not have access to all varieties of
Africa's primary cereal crops that would allow farmers to adapt to
climate change.
Links to further information
Global Crop Diversity Trust press release, 19 June 2009
The
study's abstract
JUNE 2009
EU MINISTERS CALL
FOR INTEGRATION OF ECOSYSTEM GOODS AND SERVICES INTO SECTORAL POLICIES
Meeting on 25 June 2009, the EU Environment
Ministers expressed great concern following the European Commission's
recent assessment that the EU is unlikely to meet its 2010 target of
halting biodiversity loss. They asked the Commission to assess the
effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas; suggested
examining the impact of EU rural development and fisheries policies on
biodiversity; and stressed that ecosystem goods and services should be
better integrated into sectoral policies at the national and EU level.
Ministers also stressed the need for sustainability criteria for
biofuels, and asked the Commission to prepare a strategy on invasive
alien species by 2010.
Links to further information
Environment Council Conclusions, 25 June 2009
Euractiv.com, 29 June 2009
CBD SECRETARIAT LAUNCHES NEW OUTREACH INITIATIVE
On the occasion of World Environment Day,
celebrated on 5 June, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) unveiled a new communication initiative on biodiversity,
in partnership with Airbus and the National Geographic Society. Under a
campaign banner of "See the Bigger Picture," it is designed to
contribute to international efforts to raise public awareness on
biodiversity.
Link to further information
CBD press release, 5 June 2009
MAY 2009
WORLD MIGRATORY
BIRD DAY 2009 FOCUSES ON BARRIERS TO MIGRATION
Celebrated from 9-10 May 2009, the World
Migratory Bird Day took as its theme "Barriers to Migration." It aimed
to highlight the effects man-made structures such as wind turbines,
communication masts, tall buildings and windows, power lines and fences
have on migratory birds. Such structures can not only disturb the
migratory movements of birds, but it is estimated that bird-strikes due
to collisions with man-made structures are responsible for the deaths of
many millions of birds worldwide each year. World Migratory Bird Day is
a global initiative devoted to celebrating migratory birds and promoting
their conservation worldwide. It is organized by the African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS).
Links to further information
World
Migratory Bird Day webpage
UNEP/CMS/AEWA press release, 8 May 2009
APRIL 2009
NORDIC COUNTRIES,
RUSSIA AND ESTONIA TO COOPERATE ON GENETIC RESOURCES
The Nordic countries, the Russian
Federation and Estonia have signed a memorandum of understanding aiming
to develop a framework of cooperation to support and streamline the
preservation and utilization of genetic resources.
Link to further information
Norden press release, 22 April 2009
UNEP-WCMC CARRIES OUT SURVEY TO EVALUATE CBD INDICATORS
The World Conservation
Monitoring Centre of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC) is
carrying out an online survey aiming to facilitate the scientific
and technical
evaluation of the current set of indicators used by the CBD and draw
conclusions for biodiversity monitoring beyond 2010. The survey will be
open until 30 April 2009.
Link to further
information
The
survey
WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2009 TO FOCUS ON OBSTACLES TO MIGRATION
The Secretariats of the
African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Convention
on Migratory Species (CMS) have announced the countdown for World
Migratory Bird Day 2009. The two-day awareness-raising campaign will
take place globally from 9-10 May 2009. Its central theme will be
"Barriers to Migration," highlighting the threat posed by man-made
obstacles to birds during their annual migration.
Link to further
information
AEWA press release
MARCH 2009
ARCTIC COUNCIL AND CBD SIGN MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION
The Arctic Council
Working Group on Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna and the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signed a memorandum of
cooperation aiming at increasing cooperation and addressing the
increased challenges to arctic flora and fauna as a result of climate
change.
Link to further
information
Arctic Council press release, 31 March 2009
PROJECT TO STRENGTHEN WATERBIRD AND WETLAND CONSERVATION IN NORTH
AFRICA
A new three-year project on
"Strengthening waterbird and wetland conservation capacities in North
Africa (WetCap)" is embarking on its first year of implementation.
Within the framework of this project, capacity-building activities will
take place in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Mauritania. The
WetCap project is linked to the ongoing UNEP-GEF African-Eurasian Flyway
Project ("Wings over Wetlands"). It will be implemented under the
umbrella of the UNEP Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), in cooperation with BirdLife International,
SEO/BirdLife, Wetlands International and the Ramsar Convention.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 23 March 2009
IMO AND UNDP LAUNCH BIOINVASIONS ALLIANCE
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Development
Programme, the Global Environment Facility and four private shipping
corporations launched the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) on 2 March
2009, at IMO headquarters in London, UK, to tackle the threats of marine
bio-invasions caused by the transfer of alien plants and animals in
ships' ballast tanks. According to the IMO, approximately 10 billion
tons of ballast water are carried around the globe each year, and over
3,000 species of plants and animals are transferred daily. The GIA aims
to harness the skills and expertise of its partners to develop concrete
solutions to this global environmental hazard and develop cost effective
water treatment technologies and new ship design options.
Links to
further information
GIA Website
IMO Press Release, 2 March 2009
GEF AND WORLD BANK SUPPORT NEW TIGER CONSERVATION
PROJECT
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and World Bank, along with the
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), announced a US$2.8 million project
to involve all tiger range states in high-level discussions for tiger
conservation. The project will complement existing efforts under the
Global Tiger Initiative and will support the broad participation of
other conservation organizations, including TRAFFIC, WWF and IUCN. Other
project activities include assistance to local governments in China and
Vietnam to reduce illegal wildlife trade, one of the main threats facing
wild tigers.
Links
to further information
GEF press release, 26 February 2009
Global Tiger Initiative
FEBRUARY 2009
SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED
VAULT CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a facility
storing copies of seeds in existing collections to guard against loss in
the case of major natural disasters and operating in the framework of
the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture, celebrated its first anniversary on 26 February 2009. To
mark the anniversary, international researchers gathered for a seminar
on "Frozen Seeds in a Frozen Mountain – Feeding a Warming World." The
Vault has already received more than 320,000 seed species from all over
the world, with one the latest shipments coming from the US Department
of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.
Links to further information
Norden press release, 25 February 2009
Agricultural Research Service press release, 19 February 2009
Environment News Network, 26 February 2009
Environment News Service, 26 February 2009
INDIA
LAUNCHES TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE DATABASE, GRANTS ACCESS TO EPO EXAMINERS
In an effort to protect its
traditional knowledge, mainly traditional medicine and yoga postures,
from misappropriation through patents granted abroad, India has
finalized the world's first-ever Traditional Knowledge Digital Library,
containing 30 million pages of ancient medical knowledge translated to
five languages, including English. The Indian government has already
granted the European Patent Office (EPO) access to the Digital Library,
to allow EPO examiners to evaluate patent applications and to better
treat attempts to patent traditional knowledge as "new" inventions.
The move to protect
traditional knowledge in India mirrors the country's efforts, supported
by other countries, to ensure disclosure of origin of genetic resources
and associated traditional knowledge in patent applications in several
international forums, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights (TRIPS) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Links to further
information
ICTSD Bridges Weekly, 25 February 2009
EPO news release, 11 February 2009
KENYA
BLAMES ELEPHANT POACHING ON 2008 IVORY SALE
One of Kenya's major
national parks, Tsavo National Park, has seen a rise in elephant
poaching, with five elephants killed in six weeks. According to reports,
Kenyan officials have attributed the rise to the 2008 ivory sale that
was authorized by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to take place under strict
conditions in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
Link to further information
The Independent, 25 February 2009
EC'S DIMAS HIGHLIGHTS
CHALLENGES TOWARDS THE 2010 BIODIVERSITY TARGET
Addressing the Environment Committee of the
European Parliament, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has put
enforcement of the EU plan to halt biodiversity loss by 2010 at the top
of his political priorities for 2009. He highlighted challenges ahead,
including consolidating the Natura 2000 network of protected areas,
ensuring sustainable fishing, strictly applying sustainability criteria
for biofuels, and addressing European consumption patterns, soil
protection and invasive alien species.
Link to further information
EC press release, 12 February 2009
RECORD WILDLIFE
SEIZURE IN VIETNAM
Vietnamese authorities have made their
largest-ever seizure of illegally-harvested wildlife products of direct
interest to the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Vietnam's Environmental Police
discovered a stockpile of two tons of tiger bones, bear paws and gall
bladders, as well as bones from various increasingly rare wild animals,
and arrested three people.
Link to further information
Bridges Trade BioRes, 6 February 2009
EU LAUNCHES PLAN TO
PROTECT SHARKS IN EUROPEAN WATERS
The European Commission has recently
released a plan of action for the conservation of sharks. The first-ever
conservation plan for one of the world's most vulnerable predators aims
to improve information about shark fisheries, end shark overfishing, pay
special attention to threatened shark species and close loopholes in the
EU ban on shark finning. It includes actions at national, EU and
international levels. EU Fisheries Ministers are expected to agree
"Council Conclusions" on the Plan at the Fisheries Council meeting in
April 2009. Negotiations on a memorandum of understanding on migratory
shark conservation are currently ongoing under auspices of the
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Links to further information
Shark Alliance press release, 5 February 2009
The Guardian,
6 February 2009
AUTHORS ARGUE THAT
ABS NEGOTIATIONS COULD STIFLE ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Scientists must speak up in the access and
benefit-sharing (ABS) negotiations taking place under the auspices of
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) or risk losing access to
critical biological resources, say Sikina Jinnah and Stefan Jungcurt.
The authors argue that several outstanding issues in the negotiations
impact academics, including whether samples extracted exclusively for
non-commercial academic research will be exempt from the ABS
regulations.
Link to further information
SciDev.net, 30 January 2009
Jinnah and Jungcurt, "Could Access Requirements Stifle Your Research?"
Science 23 January 2009: 464-465
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY OBSERVED
International Customs Day
was observed on 26 January 2009, with the theme "Customs and the
Environment: Protecting our Natural Heritage." Celebrations at the World
Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels, Belgium, highlighted the growing
problem of illegal trade in environmentally sensitive items, including
ozone depleting substances, as well as measures developed by the WCO to
put in place relevant international agreements' provisions related to
the trade of ozone depleting substances and other
environmentally-sensitive items.
Link to more information
Information note
JANUARY 2009
OCEAN
FERTILIZATION EXPERIMENT PROCEEDS DESPITE PROTESTS
Despite concerns voiced by environmental
organizations and the German Environment Ministry, the German
Minister of Research decided to re-authorize the LOHAFEX ocean
fertilization expedition, and the German vessel RV Polarstern is
reported to have began dumping six tons of iron sulphate in the Scotia Sea
near Antarctica to induce an algal bloom. The German Environment
Minister "took note with regret" of the re-authorization decision,
noting that the project is not compatible with the decision taken at the
ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) since it is not carried out in coastal waters and
independent monitoring is not guaranteed.
In related news, a study published in
Nature three days after the German Ministry of Research granted its
approval, measured the amount of carbon dioxide that is sequestered in
the deep ocean by plankton when it dies, and found the amount to be 80
times lower than estimated during an earlier study. The researchers say
the results reveal the complexity of the ocean carbon cycle.
Links to further information
German Environment Ministry press release, 26 January 2009
ETC Group press release, 28 January 2009
The Independent, 29 January 2009
Mongabay.com, 29 January 2009
OCEAN FERTILIZATION EXPERIMENT SUSPENDED
An Indo-German iron fertilization experiment (LOHAFEX) near Antarctica
has been suspended, pending an independent assessment of its
environmental impact. The suspension follows intervention by the German
Ministry for Education and Research following pressure from
environmental groups. The Montreal-based ETC Group, the Indian
Biodiversity Forum and others had protested against the experiment on
the ground that it was fraught with severe ecological consequences and
violated the moratorium on ocean fertilization decided upon by the ninth
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD). The experiment envisaged dumping of about 20 tonnes of iron
sulphate in the Scotia Sea near Antarctica to induce an algal bloom.
Links to further information
ETC Group news release, 8 January 2009
ETC Group news release, 13 January 2009
Environment News Network, 10 January 2009
The Hindu, 17 January 2009
Nature, 9 January 2009
UNEP/CMS PROJECTS UNVEILED DURING YEAR OF THE GORILLA
ICE-SKATING EVENT
Three projects aimed at countering the gorilla's slide towards
extinction were spotlighted as the international Year of the Gorilla (YoG)
2009 got underway with a "Gorillas on Thin Ice" event. The projects,
which were drawn up by the UN Environment Programme Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS), seek to
boost the prospects for the Cross River Gorilla, which is Africa's
rarest ape.
Link to further information
UNEP Press Release, 15 January 2009
GEF DEVELOPS FIVE NEW PROGRAMMATIC APPROACHES
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has
highlighted its shift in the focus of its portfolio to a programme-based
approach, in an effort to secure larger-scale and a more sustained
impact on the global environment. In this regard, five new programme
approaches approved by the GEF Council during its 34th
Council meeting in November 2009 include: a GEF Strategic Programme for
West Africa on Biodiversity, led by the World Bank, to scale-up
biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in the region in support
of poverty alleviation and growth; a GEF Strategic Programme for West
Africa on Energy led by UNIDO, to scale up investments in renewable
energy and energy efficiency in the region; a Framework for Promoting
Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Buildings led by UNDP, aimed at promoting
low-energy and low-emissions buildings, with projects submitted by UNDP
and some by UNEP; a programme to Reduce Industry's Carbon Footprint in
Southeast Asia through Compliance with a Management System for Energy,
led by UNIDO, which aims to promote sustainable energy efficiency
improvement in the industrial sector through training at the level of
systems and facilitating the introduction of energy management
standards, involving five national projects in Indonesia, Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia; and a Strategic Programme for
Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin led by the World Bank,
aimed at strengthening the protection and sustainable management of
forest ecosystems, and also contributing to long-term innovative finance
architecture for sustainable forest management in the region by
supporting payment schemes for ecosystem services, public-private
partnerships and the establishment/strengthening of trust funds.
Links to
further information
GEF Press Release, 9 January 2009
GEF Council documents
"ENORMOUS EFFORTS" NEEDED FOR THE
EU TO HALT BIODIVERSITY LOSS BY 2010
With regard to the internationally agreed 2010 target to
significantly reduce biodiversity loss, the European Commission has
published its first comprehensive assessment of progress in implementing
its Biodiversity Action Plan aimed at halting biodiversity loss in the
EU by 2010. Its key conclusion is that the EU will fail to meet its
target unless there is significant additional effort over the next two
years. Despite some encouraging results, notably with the further
extension of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas and important
investments in biodiversity, the integration of biodiversity and
ecosystem concerns into other sectoral policies remains an important
challenge. The new Communication from the European Commission identifies
priorities for further action.
Links to further information
EC Press Release, 16 December 2008
Communication from the Commission: A mid-term assessment of implementing
the EC Biodiversity Action Plan
EurActiv.com, 17 December 2008
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