Best of our wild blogs: 25 Oct 17

Out of Season Breeding of the Malaysian Plovers in Singapore
Singapore Bird Group

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Singapore-based company April can resume forestry operations: Indonesia

April halted forestry operations at PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper, and said thousands of jobs were at risk after the Indonesian environment ministry rejected its long-term work plan.
Straits Times 25 Oct 17;

JAKARTA (REUTERS) - Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (April) can resume forestry operations at its Indonesian pulp and paper subsidiary, government officials said on Tuesday (Oct 24), amid a dispute over environmental rules.

April halted forestry operations at PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) and said thousands of jobs were at risk after the Indonesian environment ministry rejected its long-term work plan.

One of Asia's biggest pulp and paper firms, April has been in talks with the government over the re-zoning of roughly half of its 480,000ha of plantation areas that sit on peatland.

"(RAPP) was never forbidden from operating," Environment and Forestry Ministry secretary-general Bambang Hendroyono told reporters, referring to discussions on the company's work plans that had been under review since May.

"That was just their interpretation."

Hendryono added that the company has until Oct 30 to resubmit its 10-year work plan, including plans for peatland areas.

Speaking at the same event on Tuesday, April corporate affairs director Agung Laksamana said the ministry had clarified the matter in a meeting.

Concerned about the forest fires that afflict Indonesia each year, environment minister Siti Nurbaya has said it is very important that forestry companies operating in peatland areas comply with the rules as peatland areas "burn easily".

"I invite RAPP to become a compliant company, to obey the rules of this country, like the other forestry companies," Nurbaya said in a ministry statement.

The sanctions that were handed down were intended to prevent RAPP from "planting in protected peatland forest areas", she added. "There should have been no problem."

April said that RAPP "obeys the applicable laws and regulations of the Republic of Indonesia" and it supported government efforts to prevent fires and was willing to work with the government to revise its long-term plans.

Criticism of palm oil plantation owners and companies like April intensified after catastrophic 2015 forest fires blanketed the region in choking smog.

According to its president, April operates a strict "no-burn" policy.

Forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia contributed to a record loss in global tree cover in 2016, equivalent to the size of New Zealand, an independent forest monitoring network said on Monday.

Indonesia's environment ministry announced on Sunday that stricter controls on burning and better coordination had resulted in a 71.5 per cent reduction in areas affected by forest fires in 2017 compared with 2016, when there had also been a significant reduction.


APRIL can resume Indonesian forestry operations: environment ministry
Bernadette Christina Munthe Reuters 24 Oct 17;

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL) can resume forestry operations at its Indonesian pulp and paper subsidiary, government officials said on Tuesday, amid a dispute over environmental rules.

APRIL halted forestry operations at PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) and said thousands of jobs were at risk after the Indonesian environment ministry rejected its long-term work plan.

One of Asia’s biggest pulp and paper firms, APRIL has been in talks with the government over the re-zoning of roughly half of its 480,000 hectares of plantation areas that sit on peatland.

“(RAPP) was never forbidden from operating,” Environment and Forestry Ministry Secretary General Bambang Hendroyono told reporters, referring to discussions on the company’s work plans that had been under review since May.

“That was just their interpretation.”

Hendryono added that the company has until October 30 to resubmit its 10-year work plan, including plans for peatland areas.

Speaking at the same event on Tuesday, APRIL Corporate Affairs Director Agung Laksamana said the ministry had clarified the matter in a meeting.

Concerned about the forest fires that afflict Indonesia each year, environment minister Siti Nurbaya has said it is very important that forestry companies operating in peatland areas comply with the rules as peatland areas “burn easily”.

“I invite RAPP to become a compliant company, to obey the rules of this country, like the other forestry companies,” Nurbaya said in a ministry statement.

The sanctions that were handed down were intended to prevent RAPP from “planting in protected peatland forest areas”, she added. “There should have been no problem.”

APRIL said that RAPP “obeys the applicable laws and regulations of the Republic of Indonesia” and it supported government efforts to prevent fires and was willing to work with the government to revise its long-term plans.

Criticism of palm oil plantation owners and companies like APRIL intensified after catastrophic 2015 forest fires blanketed the region in choking smog.

According to its president, APRIL operates a strict ‘no-burn’ policy.

Forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia contributed to a record loss in global tree cover in 2016, equivalent to the size of New Zealand, an independent forest monitoring network said on Monday.

Indonesia’s environment ministry announced on Sunday that stricter controls on burning and better coordination had resulted in a 71.5 percent reduction in areas affected by forest fires in 2017 compared with 2016, when there had also been a significant reduction.

Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Greg Mahlich

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Malaysia: Special armed wildlife enforcement team to be set up to counter poachers

KRISTY INUS New Straits Times 24 Oct 17;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Forestry Department wants to set up a dedicated wildlife enforcement team as poachers became more daring in forests and reserve areas.

Its Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Sam Mannan said this specialised squad will be supervised and coached by the existing enforcement team which is currently scattered statewide.

The squad of 50 people is expected to undergo training in Thailand and in the use of firearms, will be stationed at priority areas like the Tabin wildlife reserve, Kinabatangan and Ulu Segama will focus on endangered species like Borneo Pygmy Elephants and Sumatran Rhinos.

The Department hopes to roll this out as soon as it sorts out the estimated yearly funding of RM2 million.

“We have about 100 guns (in our enforcement personnel inventory) … But there were occasions that our staff were unwilling to take the risk to utilise them against poachers.

“So we need to take a stronger approach against poaching activities and recruitment must be done properly.

“We have started training some of our people and we are going to meet the Chief Minister (Tan Sri Musa Aman) soon, if he gives me the power than we can start this,” he said in a press conference after the launch of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) international conference 2017 here.

During the event, the Department also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with non-profit organisation Sabah Environmental Trust represented by chief executive officer and founder Dr Rahimatsah Amat and Yayasan Sabah represented by director Datuk Sapawi Ahmad to jointly establish a dedicated patrolling team within the Danum Valley-Maliau Basin-Imbak Canyon (DaMaI).

The MoU was among eight signed by the Department with various partners during the conference. The agreements inked are related to environmental conservation and forest sustainability.

On whether it was possible to train and use dogs for the wildlife enforcement, Rahimatsah explained that such efforts have been tested in the past but authorities found that more time was spent to care for the canines instead, due to the vast forest grounds to cover. However, he did not discount the possibility of using them in future.

Earlier in his speech, Sam said Sabah spent about RM150 million on forest management annually, where RM100 million went to running the department and RM50 million from both federal and state governments, went to development, reflecting the country’s seriousness in protecting its forests.

Meanwhile, when launching the event, Musa said Sabah has given much emphasis on best practices in agricultural sector.

One such initiative is the Sabah Jurisdictional Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, a 10-year programme launched in late 2015 to have all Crude Palm Oil (CPO) produced from this State to be Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO).

“It is my hope that by 2025, all oil palm plantations both large and smallholders are fully certified.

“I am grateful for the support of stakeholders such as Forever Sabah (NGO) and the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as technical advisors to guide the CSPO process which is crucial given its complexity and limited timeline,” he added.

Musa said the HoB conference, which includes Indonesia and Brunei as well as Sarawak, allows for a broad partnership programme at local and international levels in the management of natural ecosystems.



Sabah to set up special anti-poaching team
KRISTY INUS Straits Times 28 Oct 17;

KOTA KINABALU: THE Sabah Forestry Department wants to set up a dedicated wildlife enforcement team as poachers have become daring in forests and reserve areas.

Its chief conservator of forests, Datuk Sam Mannan, said this specialised squad would be supervised and coached by the department’s existing enforcement team, whose members were deployed statewide.

The squad of 50 people was expected to undergo training in Thailand. It included the use of firearms, and they would be stationed at priority areas like the Tabin wildlife reserve, Kinabatangan and Ulu Segama.

They would focus on protecting endangered species like Borneo Pygmy Elephants and Sumatran Rhinos. The department hoped to deploy the team as soon as it sorts out the estimated yearly funding of RM2 million.

“We have about 100 firearms (in our enforcement personnel inventory). But there are occasions that our staff is unwilling to use them against poachers.

“So, we need to take a stronger approach against poaching and recruitment of rangers must be done properly.

“We have started training some of our people and we are going to meet the chief minister (Tan Sri Musa Aman) soon to get his approval for deployment,” he said after the launch of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) International Conference 2017 here recently.

During the event, the department also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with non-profit organisation Sabah Environmental Trust (represented by chief executive officer and founder Dr Rahimatsah Amat) and Yayasan Sabah (represented by director Datuk Sapawi Ahmad) to form a dedicated patrol team in the Danum Valley-Maliau Basin-Imbak Canyon (DaMaI) conservation area.

The MoU was among eight signed by the department. The agreements were related to environmental conservation and forest sustainability.

On whether it was possible to train and use dogs in wildlife law enforcement, Rahimatsah said such efforts had been tested in the past, but the authorities found that more time had to be spent to care for the canines because of the vast forest grounds to cover.

But, he did not discount the possibility of using them.

Earlier, Sam said Sabah was spending about RM150 million on forest management annually, where RM100 million was used to run the department, and RM50 million from the federal and state governments went to programme development.

When launching the event, Musa said Sabah had given much emphasis on best practices in the agricultural sector.

One such initiative was the Sabah Jurisdictional Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, a 10-year programme launched in late 2015 to have all Crude Palm Oil (CPO) produced from the state to be Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.

“It is my hope that by 2025, all oil palm plantations, both large and small, are fully certified.

“I am grateful for the support of stakeholders, such as Forever Sabah and the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), in providing technical advisers to guide the CSPO process, which is crucial given its complexity and limited timeline.”

Musa said the HoB conference, which includes participants from Indonesia and Brunei, as well as Sarawak, allowed for a broad partnership programme at local and international levels in managing natural ecosystems.

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Malaysia: Safeguarding the giant river prawn

Nur Aqidah Azizi New Straits Times 24 Oct 17;

JELEBU: Its price can fetch as high as RM100 per kilogram making the giant river prawns vulnerable to illegal anglers who use bombs and poisons.

Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Munir Mohd Nawi said, the illegal activity is often conducted in the species' breeding ground and habitat at the riverbed in rural areas.

"It is worrying because the activity will not only kill giant river prawns but also jeopardise other living species in the river. We try to make frequent surveillance but at times it is quite difficult due to its location," he said.

He added, some locations have been identified as the main locations for the illegal activities, including Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi; Sungai Pahang (Rompin) and Sungai Timun (Rembau).

"On going monitoring by enforcement authorities is among the measures taken to curb the illegal activity. We have also established a cooperation network comprising local fishermen in the area to control the situation.

"The demand for giant river prawn has been growing despite its expensive price in the market. This is also one of the contributing factors to this illegal activity," he said after launching the Friends of Giant Prawns Broodstock Multification Center (BMC) at Glami Lemi Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) here, today.

Also present were FRI Aquaculture Research director Dr Mohd Fariduddin Othman and State Fisheries director Halimi Abu Hanip.

Meanwhile, Munir said the 1,300 tonnes of giant river prawn produced every year through aquaculture farming is not adequate to meet consumers demand in the country.

"We are targeting to achieve a production of 2,500 tonnes of giant prawns in 2020 with the introduction of a new breed which is the DB giant river prawn which has gone through the genetic improvement process. This species has higher resistance to disease and change of weather," he said.

"The new breed will be distributed at breeding production centres which have been appointed as BMC partner before it is distributed to other aquaculture operators. We are confident this method will be able to increase the production of the giant river prawn," he said.

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Philippines: ‘Wildlife protection to boost ecotourism, job creation’

Rhodina Villanueva The Philippine Star 24 Oct 17;

MANILA, Philippines — Protecting wildlife species is good for the economy as it will boost ecotourism that will generate jobs, officials of the United Nations said during the world’s wildlife conference that opened at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City yesterday.

Speaking during a press conference on the sidelines of the 12th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), UN Environment Program deputy executive director Ibrahim Thiaw said “there is a need to protect our ecosystem” because it “serves as a foundation of our economy.”

“It will help bring tourists to a country and generate employment,” he added.

Bradnee Chambers, executive secretary of CMS, called for the formulation of international guidelines on the protection of wildlife species as it will help achieve its goals.

“As we recognize the importance of ecotourism, we should also recognize certain guidelines that will help set limits as to how we deal with whales for example, like maintaining a certain distance during whale watching, among others,” Chambers said.

He also noted that the COP comes at a critical time for wildlife conservation.

“Our wildlife is not an optional extra, but the basis upon which all our livelihoods and progress depend. Only by integrating wildlife conservation with sustainable development will we be able to protect the remaining species on Earth, species from which we benefit in so many different ways,” he said.
For Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, the COP is a great opportunity to show to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community and to the rest of the world the importance of why the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region should protect migratory species and safeguard their habitats.

Cimatu said the Philippine delegation will also push for the Manila Declaration that would call on world leaders to take broad and coordinated action to protect the habitats of migratory species within their respective territories.

The Philippine delegation will also call for the adoption of a resolution urging member countries of the ASEAN to implement marine biodiversity conservation initiatives through the promotion of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) at the local and regional levels.

MPAs are portions of bodies of water where human activity is restricted to conserve natural resources in these areas. Protection measures are defined usually through local ordinances.

“While there has been notable increase in the number of MPAs in the region, the need to build up a regional connectivity of these areas among ASEAN member-nations remains a challenge,” Cimatu said.

He also called on member-countries to help in the fight against wildlife trafficking and illegal trade.

The Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources estimated that the Philippines has been losing around P12 million because of illegal wildlife trade.

“It is underestimated at the moment because it is being based on the taxes that we lose. The value of the species itself in terms of ecosystem services, has been integrated in the accounting,” BMB director Theresa Mundita Lim said.

Global action vs marine pollution

Environment ministers and representatives from international organizations, the business sector and civil society also called for a global unified action to combat marine pollution during the COP.

Chambers said marine debris, lead ammunition and pesticides are the biggest contributors to marine pollution.

“Marine debris impacts more than 800 wildlife species and this number may still go up as complex issues, including microplastics, still need to be investigated,” Cimatu said.

Cimatu noted that the current efforts to solve the marine debris problem in the Philippines include incorporating integrated coastal management strategies into resource use and development plans of local government units (LGUs).

He said several bills were filed in Congress to ban, phase out, tax or regulate the use of plastic bags in the country. While these measures are pending, some LGUs initiated the use of commercially viable and environment-friendly alternatives to plastic.


Expert rallies vs marine plastic pollution
Catherine Teves, Philippine News Agency Philippines Canadian Enquirer 25 Oct 17;

MANILA — An expert raised urgency for international action against marine pollution from plastics, warning this degradation increasingly threatens humans and the environment.

“This must stop,” UNEP Executive Director Dr. Erik Solheim said Wednesday (Oct. 25) in Manila at the continuing Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) 12th Conference of the Parties (COP 12).

He said concerted efforts of both public and private sectors would make a difference in addressing pollution from plastics. Governments worldwide must mobilize to make the right action, he noted. “Mobilize citizens for the right practices,” he said.

Right practices include not throwing plastics into oceans, he said. Manufacturers of plastic must also look into the possibility of using environment-friendly alternatives for making their products, he added.

He said plastic is a very useful material but its improper disposal would affect health, the environment, and species. A 2016 UNEP report said global production of plastics in 2014 hit 311 million tons.

Estimates show between 4.8 million to 12.7 million metric tons of plastic reached oceans, noted UNEP.

“Plastic debris and microplastics are transported by ocean currents across borders,” UNEP said, citing poor waste and wastewater management, preventable accidental losses and illegal dumping as possible reasons for this leakage.

UNEP said such leakage had serious environmental, social and economic consequences as it harms wildlife, safety of sea transport, fisheries, tourism, and recreation.

Plastic pollution also threatens marine ecosystems, UNEP noted. CMS is an inter-governmental treaty under UNEP and provides the global platform for conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and habitats of these species.

Parties to CMS agree to protect and conserve migratory species particularly those at high risk of extinction. “Their future is our future – sustainable development for wildlife and people” is CMS COP 12’s theme and highlights the link between migratory species’ conservation and sustainable development.

“That future starts now,” CMS Executive Secretary Dr. Bradnee Chambers said at COP 12’s opening this week, highlighting the urgency for more international cooperation on migratory specie conservation.

He cited the need for elevating conservation efforts so people can continue benefiting from services migratory species provide. Migratory species are animals that cyclically and predictably cross one or more national jurisdictional boundaries in response to seasons, availability of food or need to reproduce, said the Philippines’ Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB).

“Animal migration can be found in all major animal groups including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects and crustaceans,” BMB said.

Experts cited food, pollination and pest control as among migratory species’ benefits. Such species also have potential as medicinal sources and eco-tourism draws, they added. (PNA)


Philippines, countries called to protect marine ecosystem for shark species
LEANDER C. DOMINGO Manila Times 26 Oct 17;

MARINE conservation groups have urged the Philippine government to pass a comprehensive law to protect and conserve all shark species in the country even as it called the world’s nations to ensure protection of whale sharks and wedgefish, which are on the verge of being extinct.

According to the United Nations-Food and Agriculture Organization, global shark population is experiencing an unprecedented decline because humans are driven by an annual trade value of $1 billion resulting in almost 100 million sharks being killed each year, with fishing rates exceeding the ability of shark populations to recover.

Sharks are vulnerable to fishing pressure because they can take decades to mature and they produce few young, and they are also targeted for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia.

While the 12th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) way taking place place in Manila on October 23-28,

conservation groups took the opportunity to call for the protection of shark species numbering more than 200 in the country.

Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, said the country ranks fourth next to Australia, Indonesia and Japan, and is in a unique position globally when it comes to shark species biodiversity. But only a few species are protected in the country.

“To demonstrate that we are serious about our call to the global community, it is important for the Philippine government to pass a comprehensive law to protect and conserve all shark species in the country,” Cinches said.

Important to ecosystems

He added that sharks are important species in maintaining the health of the marine ecosystem, but it is threatened with illegal, unregulated, unreported and destructive fishing.

Anna Oposa, Save Philippine Seas executive director, said the Philippines has been at the frontline of protecting whale sharks for nearly two decades.

Oposa said at the COP, the Philippines is again leading the protection of the species by being the proponent for up-listing from Appendix II to Appendix I and that “we have shown the world that sharks are truly more valuable alive than dead.”

“By listing them on Appendix I, parties are urged to strictly protect them throughout their migratory range,” she added.

In 1998, whale shark was the first shark to be nationally protected through Fisheries Administrative Order 193 banning its taking or catching, selling, purchasing, possessing and exporting.

But in 2016, whale sharks were re-classed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List from “Vulnerable” to “Endangered,” which is a step closer to “Extinction” while wedgefishes are in the “Vulnerable” status.

Commonly targeted because of their high-valued fins, wedgefishes are threatened by overexploitation, giving the white-spotted wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae) a “Vulnerable” status under the IUCN.

Oposa said since the species are highly mobile that makes it a shared resource, there is a need to take steps to improve the status through the cooperation among countries within its range.

According to the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP), the Philippines has proposed the listing of wedgefish on Appendix II at the COP to strengthen the country’s efforts to conserve sharks and rays in the long-term.

Arnel Yaptinchay, MWWP executive director, said the Philippines has encouraged the parties to the CMS to support this proposal.

He added that they are looking at the CMS meeting as an opportunity to call on the Philippine government to fill in legislative gaps in the protection of shark species.

“The Philippines has over 200 shark species. They mature late, reproduce slowly and easily succumb to fishing pressures compared to their bony-fish counterparts,” Yaptinchay said.

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Forest fires contributed to record global tree cover loss

AFP Yahoo News 24 Oct 17;

Washington (AFP) - A sharp increase in forest fires stoked record losses in global forest cover equivalent to the area of New Zealand in 2016, a Global Forest Watch report said Monday.

The alarming pace of destruction -- 51 percent higher than the prior year with a loss of 73.4 million acres (29.7 million hectares), according to data from the University of Maryland -- was partially due to climate change that has increased the risks and intensity of wildfires by triggering temperature rise and drought in some places, the monitor said.

The 2015-2016 weather phenomenon El Nino, one of the strongest on record, also played a role, having created particularly dry conditions in the tropics.

Many of those tropical areas are not naturally prone to catching fire -- but vulnerability increased due to poor management and was exacerbated by El Nino.

Deadly blazes in Brazil and Indonesia were among those contributing to the loss. This year, deadly blazes have again devastated regions of Portugal as well as California.

Brazil's Amazon region lost 9.1 million acres of tree cover -- more than three times that of 2015.

And Portugal saw some four percent of its forests go up in smoke in 2016, the highest proportion of any other country.

Nearly half of all forests burned in the European Union in 2016 were in Portugal, where fire-prone eucalyptus and pine plantations along with poor soil encouraged the deadly flames.

The country is set to break the record for destroyed forests in 2017, with recent disasters killing dozens of people.

Early 2016 saw one of the largest fires ever recorded in Central Africa, destroying 37,000 acres of forest in the Republic of Congo.

Last year's Fort McMurray fire in Canada ravaged more than 1.5 million acres, causing $8.8 billion in damage.

Deforestation resulting from agriculture, logging and mining also contributed to the losses.

The report urged improving fire and forest management, including early warning systems, fire bans during dry seasons and more augmented investment in forest protection and restoration.

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Floods could hit New York every five years: study

AFP Yahoo News 25 Oct 17;

New York (AFP) - New York, America's financial capital and most populous city, could be hit every five years by the kind of floods that once occurred every 500 years, a new study predicts.

The report was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ahead of the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, which paralyzed New York in October 2012 and killed more than 150 people across the eastern seaboard.

Sandy clocked up damages worth $42 billion just for New York state alone.

The study warned that the likelihood of floods of 7.4 feet (2.3 meters) that happened once every 500 years pre-industrialization before 1800, and once every 25 years between 1970 to 2005, could occur every five years by 2030-2045.

The study's projections are based on rising sea levels and potential partial collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet.

While scientists generally agree that sea levels will continue to rise, there is uncertainty over how much.

The study predicted they would likely rise about five to 11 inches (13 to 28 cm) in New York between 2000 and 2030.

Over the longer term, sea-level rise in New York could exceed eight feet by the end of the century if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet rapidly melts.

But the studys presumed that greenhouse gas emissions will rise until the end of the century -- considered a "worst case" scenario many scientists question.

The overall flood heights associated with tropical cyclones in New York would "to increase greatly," in coming centuries compared with preindustrial or modern flood heights, the study warned.

Researchers from Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution took part.

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Elephant poaching drops in Africa but populations continue to fall

New report also reveals rise in large-scale illegal ivory shipments which could be due to panic sell-off by traffickers as countries implement domestic bans
Press Association The Guardian 24 Oct 17;

Elephant poaching in Africa has declined for the fifth year in a row, experts have said.

But elephant populations continue to fall due to illegal killing and other human activities, while seizures of large-scale illegal ivory shipments were at record highs in 2016, a new report reveals.

In east Africa, where elephant populations have nearly halved in a decade, illegal killing has dropped back to pre-2008 levels.

In southern Africa, elephant numbers are stable or increasing, but in central Africa illegal killing remained very high, the report from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) said.

The report also revealed that global illegal ivory trade transactions remained as high as in the previous years, which could be down to a panic sell-off by traffickers as domestic bans come into place in key countries.

With the US, China, the UK and Hong Kong among countries implementing or planning the closure of domestic ivory markets, there are also reports that the price of ivory has plummeted 50% in the past few years.

But there is also evidence that ivory is being processed in Africa for Asian markets, with smaller volumes of “worked” ivory already made into ornaments which can be carried through air check-in and carry-on luggage or by couriers.

John Scanlon, general secretary of Cites, said: “Eastern Africa has been badly affected by the surge in poaching over the last 10 years and has experienced an almost 50% reduction in elephant population.

“There has, however, been a steady decline in poaching levels since its peak in 2011, and the analysis from 2016 concludes that overall poaching trends have now dropped to pre-2008 levels. This shows us what is possible through sustained and collective frontline enforcement and demand reduction efforts, coupled with strong political support.”

Scanlon said the rising amount of illegal ivory being seized could be down to more enforcement, a time-lag between poaching and trafficking, or stockpiles entering the illegal trade.

“But the spike in seizures of illegally traded ivory in 2016 may also be an indication that ivory trafficking has been influenced by the prospect of greater controls, the imminent domestic ban in several countries, and anticipation of continued drop of price.

“As a result, international syndicates behind poaching and smuggling may be involved in a panic sell-off as they realise that speculating on extinction was a bad bet, with an ever-increasing risk of getting caught,” he added.

Colman O’Criodain, WWF’s wildlife policy manager, said: “The news that poaching is in decline may appear positive, but the reality for elephants is far more complex.

“While some regions are showing promising signs that frontline efforts to prevent poaching are working in hotspots such as Central Africa, the killing of elephants for their tusks continues unabated.”

He said that while strides were being made to close legal ivory markets, the emphasis now was on enforcing such legislation and closing loopholes that allowed trade to continue.

“With an average of 55 elephants being killed every day, there is no time to waste; we must act now,” he urged.

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Food ruined by drought could feed more than 80m a day, says World Bank

Bank calls for water to be treated as valuable resource as study into impact details lack of water’s devastating lifelong scars on children
Larry Elliott The Guardian 24 Oct 17;

The food produce destroyed by droughts would be enough to feed a country with a population the size of Germany’s every day for a year, the World Bank has reported.

In a new study, it said, the “shockingly large and often hidden” consequences of prolonged periods without rain threatened to stunt the growth of children and condemn them to a lifetime of poverty.

The report said the lost food production related to drought would feed more than 80 million people every day for a year, adding that while floods and storm surges had an immediate impact, droughts were “misery in slow motion”.

The World Bank said women that were born in droughts bore the marks for their entire lives, growing up mentally and physically stunted, undernourished and unwell.

New data shows that women born during droughts had less access to education, had more children and were more likely to suffer from domestic violence. Problems caused by droughts were passed on to the next generation, leading to a vicious cycle of poverty.

Droughts reduce crop yields, forcing farmers to expand into nearby forests, the Bank said, adding: “Since forests act as a climate stabiliser and help regulate water supplies, deforestation decreases water supply and exacerbates climate change.” For firms, the economic cost of a drought was four times as big as a flood, it said.

Guangzhe Chen, senior director of the World Bank’s water global practice, said: “These impacts demonstrate why it is increasingly important that we treat water like the valuable, exhaustible, and degradable resource that it is. We need to better understand the impacts of water scarcity, which will become more severe due to growing populations and a changing climate.”

The World Bank said that many of the countries affected by drought overlapped with areas already facing large food deficits and that were classified as fragile, heightening the need to tackle the problem.

Its report recommended constructing new water storage and management infrastructure, coupled with a strategy to control the demand for water. It urged tougher regulation of utility companies operating in cities so that they are given incentives to invest and improve their performance. Safety nets should also be put in place to help families cope when droughts turned into economic shocks.

“If we don’t take deepening water deficits and the bigger and more frequent storms that climate change will bring seriously, we will find water scarcity spreading to new regions of the world, potentially exacerbating issues of violence, suffering, and migration,” said the report’s author Richard Damania. “Current methods for managing water are not up to the challenge. This sea-change will require a portfolio of policies that acknowledge the economic incentives involved in managing water from its source, to the tap, and back to its source.”

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