Indonesia Navy has difficulties monitoring waste dumping at Batam

Antara 30 Jan 10;

Batam (ANTARA News) - It is difficult to monitor foreign ships dumping waste in international waters that has eventually polluted the Batam coastline, navy chief of staff Vice Admiral Agus Suhartono said here on Saturday.

"Because the area is narrow it will be our waters that will suffer the pollution from wastes dumped by ships in the waters outside ours," he said.

He said the activity had so far been carried out in the waters outside our territory while our patrol boats only operated in the country`s territorial waters.

"We have the boats standing by in our territory," he said.

He said the naval patrol boats had never known the ships that had dumped wastes in the sea causing pollution on the coast and waters of Batam island.

"Our boats only find the waste but not the ships that have dumped it," he said.

He said the Indonesian navy was eager to seize the ships that have caused pollution in the country`s waters.

He said the navy would probably develop a radar system to monitor the movement of ships likely to dump wastes. "We will also stand by. We will implement it," he said.

Seven navy ships conduct patrol between Indonesia and Singapore waters and four others in the Malacca Strait every day.

He said the number is sufficient to patrol the narrow area.

Every north monsoon oil sludge flows in the Batam island waters. Tons of oil sludge polluted Tanjung Memban in January this year. When discovered the sludge had reached the coast and stucked to the sand so that it was difficult to remove. The waste has damaged the waters ecosystem of the coast of Batam island.(*)

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Malaysia's wetlands misused and abused

Tan Cheng Li, The Star 2 Feb 10;

Today is World Wetlands Day but there is little to cheer about as these habitats continue to dwindle. In Perak, the last freshwater swamp in northern Peninsular Malaysia is being sliced up for, among other things, a goat farm.

DOWNPOURS never used to bother oil palm smallholder Awang Lah. Nowadays, however, he worries about his 4ha estate in Jelai near Batuk Kurau in Perak, each time it pours. For the past two years, his plantation has been repeatedly flooded, and it gets worse each time. Last December, the water rose 2m in a matter of minutes, destroying the blooms and fruits of his five-year-old oil palms.

“I lost all my yields. I get about RM1,000 a month but for the past two months, nothing,” says Awang, 60.

He says floodwater started drowning his estate the same time that parts of the Pondok Tanjung Forest Reserve half a kilometre away were cleared for a Boer goat-rearing project.

“In the past, when it flooded, the water rose only up to 1m and receded very fast,” says Awang, who has worked the land there for over 20 years, first by planting durian trees and now, oil palm. “But after the logging started, the floodwater goes as high as 2m and takes two to three days to subside. This flooding has been happening four to five times a year. ”

Awang says five neighbouring plantations suffer the same fate. “We kampung folk do not object to the (goat rearing) project but there must be planning and consideration over how it can affect villagers,” he says dejectedly.

The consequences of turning forests into pastures – a scheme led by the Veterinary Services Department – should have been foreseen. Standing at the site of the goat farm, one is staggered by its scale. Over 1,400ha of barren land rolls into the distance – land which was once lush forest. Devoid of vegetation that stems runoffs, rainwater rushes off the land into streams, including Sungai Tebuang which flows through Awang’s estate.

Trees at the site were felled beginning in early 2008 and now, pens for the goats are being built and grass, planted. But shockingly, despite the vastness of the forest to be axed, land-clearing for the goat farm was never assessed for its environmental impact.

Carved up

The goat farm is just one in a litany of ills facing Pondok Tanjung Forest Reserve. Located some 20km from Taiping, it sprawled over 10,390ha when gazetted in 1913. Today, it has shrivelled to half its original size with parcels carved out for oil palm and rubber cultivation, settlements and development schemes. There is also illegal encroachment.

Two years ago, a birdwatcher found a huge banana plantation within the reserve and recently, a farmer was seen taking his cattle into the forest reserve to graze. To top it all, Pondok Tanjung continues to be logged as it is categorised as a “production” forest reserve.

A recent visit showed at least three active logging concessions of 80ha each. At one log landing site, highly prized timber such as cengal and meranti, and other commercial timber like kempas and jelutung, were piled up high, reflecting the commercial value of Pondok Tanjung forest.

Logging – for timber and the goat farm – has worsened floods in the area and will eventually threaten water supply, says Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman.

Drained by four streams and 10 tributaries, the Pondok Tanjung forest is an important water catchment for Tasik Bukit Merah, the main irrigation source for the 12,500ha rice fields of Kerian.

Meor Razak says in the past, only the downstream area of Kerian was prone to floods due to overflows from the lake but now, even upstream sites, such as where Awang’s oil palm estate sits, are flood-stricken.

SAM and also the Perak Environment Association have long called for an end to logging in Pondok Tanjung and for it to be fully protected for water catchment, flood control, wildlife protection and research. They pointed out that in the Perak Structure Plan 2020 and Lembah Beriah Local Plan, Pondok Tanjung is listed as a forest catchment and environment-sensitive area.

“It is also important to conserve the reserve as a buffer between upstream plantations and the lake. Silt that pours into rivers from oil palm cultivation in the upper part of the catchment is held back by the forest. If that vegetation is disturbed, Tasik Bukit Merah will be silted up further,” says Meor Razak.

The lake is already shallow as it is, the average depth being 2m to 10m. If it goes any shallower, grassy weeds will start sprouting, as is seen at its western edge. This will shrink the lake and jeopardise its water storage capacity. The Perak State Government intends to dredge the lake, at a cost of RM70mil to RM100mil, to alleviate downstream flooding,

Meor Razak, however, contends that dredging will be futile: “You will have to do it repeatedly for as long as the forest reserve is logged, sediment will enter the rivers and lake. The state government has to be more careful about future upstream development.”

Species at risk

With its multitudes of streams, Pondok Tanjung forest is largely a seasonally flooded freshwater swamp but it also contains lowland dipterocarp forest and a small portion of peat swamp. As the only remaining freshwater swamp in northern Peninsular Malaysia, and with only 1.2% of peninsula land cloaked in such habitat, it has earned high conservation value.

Scientists from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which has a research station in the reserve, have combed Pondok Tanjung for over 20 years and attest to its rich wildlife. The flora of freshwater swamps, having to adapt to a harsh environment that alternates between wet and dry, are often unique and rare.

Tigers once lurked within Pondok Tanjung but these days, one is more likely to see monkeys, wild boars, deer, pythons and sometimes, crocodiles and tapir. It still has rich avifauna of over 150 species. The presence of endangered birds such as the red-naped trogon, short-toed coucal, Argus pheasant, rhinoceros hornbill, blue-rumped parrot and lesser adjutant have nudged Pondok Tanjung onto the global list of Important Bird Areas.

Such finds have compelled scientists to call for the preservation of Pondok Tanjung. There were even talks of considering it as a Ramsar Site (wetlands of ecological importance) but nothing materialised. Instead, the reserve shrank further in size.

For USM botanist Dr Mashhor Mansor, Pondok Tanjung today is a shadow of the wilderness which he first explored in the early 1990s. “It was a very nice and rich forest then. Now, it is being replaced by plantations.” He says wild species have declined, including that of the Malaysian-endemic aquatic plant Cryptocoryne elliptica. “There used to be 10 sites where they grow. Now, fewer than five remain.”

This species thrives only in untouched swampy, shaded spots. So in places where pools and rivers have turned murky and the canopy broken, clumps of C. elliptica have perished. One of the lost population grew within what is now the Boer goat farm.

With only two known distribution – Pondok Tanjung and a smaller population in a disturbed swamp near Kulim, Kedah – Dr Mashhor believes C. elliptica is headed for extinction.

“Freshwater and peat swamps are special places for the evolution of species and also for carbon sequestration. We cannot earmark an area for development without thinking about the ecology of the site,” laments the scientist.

Gilded fish

The streams of Pondok Tanjung nurture relatively rich fish fauna of some 42 species. Of these, the most valuable has to be the highly prized aquarium fish, the Malaysian golden arowana that is found only in Tasik Bukit Merah. Locals say the fish is now scarce in the lake due to past over-collection. That, coupled with the destruction of its riverine breeding ground in Pondok Tanjung, is spelling demise for this species.

Though the fish can now be bred in ponds, wild stocks are still needed to maintain genetic diversity and integrity. For the 50 arowana breeding farms in Tebuk Panchor village beside the lake, there are other concerns. Ponds that are fed by the lake, are suffering from sullied waters. One breeder says since earthwork began on the double-track railway project (the rail line crosses the lake), the water has turned more alkaline on several occasions, killing prized arowana fry.

“I had 10 to 20 fry dying in a day. This has happened on and off last year ever since the project started,” says Sahibol Anwar Arba’e, chief executive officer of MU Arowana Aquaculture. But he is uncertain if devastation of the upstream Pondok Tanjung has contributed to the tainted water.

Now, the breeders watch out for signs of foul water. “Whenever we see dead eels floating in the lake, we’ll make sure that we don’t add fresh lake water into our ponds,” says Sahibol, whose company has 200 ponds in a 6ha site. “We are dependent on the lake. As the Malaysian golden arowana comes only from the lake, it needs the lake water.”

The Malaysian golden species is the most expensive arowana in the world; a 10cm fry can cost up to RM1,800 and a 30cm arowana, RM6,500. So lucrative is the arowana breeding business that fish ponds are fast replacing rice fields in the vicinity of Tasik Bukit Merah.

If the lake is fouled by logging and further land-clearing, this million-ringgit aquaculture industry is at stake, along with an irrigation and flood control network, a natural carbon sink, diverse wildlife (including endangered ones) and ultimately, local livelihoods.

Wet wonders
Tan Cheng Li, The Star 2 Feb 10;

WORLD Wetlands Day is celebrated every Feb 2. It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Celebrated for the first time in 1997, it is a time to recognise the importance of wetlands and learn about their values and benefits to man. This year’s theme is “Caring For Wetlands – An Answer To Climate Change”.

Wetlands encompasses bogs, marshes, peat swamps, freshwater swamps, lakes, mangroves and river systems, and are generally considered low-value lands, making them susceptible to reclamation for agriculture and other purposes. In truth, however, they are rich in species and provide man with numerous ecological services.

The benefits people obtain from wetlands are varied and include water supply, habitats for wildlife, fish breeding grounds, water purification and waste treatment, flood control, storm protection and recreation. These ecosystem services have been valued by some economists at US$14 trillion (RM49 trillion) annually.

In Thailand, intact mangroves are valued at US$1,000 (RM3,410) per ha based on the sale of mangrove fish and the additional value of non-marketed services such as storm protection and the sequestration of carbon. On the other hand, if the mangroves are converted to shrimp farms, their worth plunges to only US$200 per ha.

We cannot afford, for environmental, social or economic reasons, to lose wetlands; yet we have been doing just that. Losses range from 53% in the United States to a staggering 90% in New Zealand. The world has lost half its wetlands and still is, especially in developing countries.

What are we doing to cause losses in wetlands?
■ Habitat loss through wetlands claimed for agriculture and for urban and industrial development.
■ Excessive freshwater withdrawals especially for irrigation, and for domestic and industrial water needs. This leads not only to less freshwater availability inland but less freshwater flow to coastal areas from rivers, thereby impacting coastal ecosystems.
■ Siltation in coastal areas from the outflow from silt-laden rivers.
■ Invasive species have disrupted the abundance and survival of native species. These alien species can arrive as “hitch-hikers” on ship hulls and in ship ballast waters or as escapees from the aquarium and ornamental plant trades. Sometimes species are introduced for agricultural, aquaculture and forestry purposes.
■ Pollution through: agricultural runoff that releases pesticides and fertilisers into rivers; toxic industrial wastes; and untreated or partially treated sewage.
■ Over-exploitation of fish, shellfish, prawns, seaweed and wetlands timber, which reduces the capacity of the ecosystem to function.
■ Nutrient loading from nitrogen, phosphorous and other chemicals – mostly from agriculture but also from poorly treated domestic waste – causes excessive algal growth and the resulting reduction in other species.

The effect of climate change on wetland ecosystems and species

Wetlands found in prairies, tropical and boreal forests, arctic and alpine ecosystems, and coral reefs and mangroves, will be especially vulnerable to climate change because they have a limited capacity to adapt to change.

■ Expected increases in sea surface temperature of about 1°C to 3°C are likely to result in more frequent coral bleaching events and widespread mortality of corals.
■ Coastal wetlands, including salt marshes and mangroves, are likely to be negatively affected by sea-level rise, especially where there are inland physical barriers (such as sea walls and dykes); many areas will be damaged by coastal flooding through storms and tidal surges.
■ Changes in the timing and volume of freshwater runoff from inland wetlands will affect salinity, nutrient levels and moisture regimes in coastal ecosystems – all of which will impact coastal ecosystem functions.
■ Certain invasive species might spread further with increasing temperatures.

What can be done for wetlands?
■ Maintain the health of our intact wetlands.
■ Address the key drivers of wetlands loss and degradation (habitat loss, pollution, excessive water withdrawals, invasive species and over-exploitation).
■ Identify vulnerable species and ecosystems, and implement action plans for their recovery.
■ Prioritise and plan wetlands management and restoration programmes for more variable climate in future.
■ Restore degraded wetlands since healthier wetlands are more resilient than degraded ones.
■ Address the additional impact of climate change on wetlands species and ecosystems through climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

(Mitigation requires us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to encourage the removal of such gases already in the atmosphere by “trapping” them in soils and vegetation.

Wetlands species under threat
■ Waterbirds are more threatened than all birds and their status has deteriorated faster in the last 20 years.
■ Of the 1,138 waterbird populations whose trends are known, 41% are in decline. Some 140 out of 826 waterbird species are threatened.
■ 38% of the freshwater-dependent mammal species that have been assessed are globally threatened; these include groups such as manatees and river dolphins.
■ 33% of the world’s freshwater fish species are threatened.
■ 26% of the world’s freshwater amphibian species are considered threatened and at least 42% of all amphibian species assessed are declining in population.
■ 65 of the 90 freshwater turtles species that have been assessed are globally threatened. Six of the seven species of marine turtles are threatened.
■ Three out of five crocodile species assessed are threatened.
■ 27% of coral-building species that have been assessed are considered threatened.
■ Source: Ramsar Convention Secretariat / Data from the IUCN Red List, BirdLife International and Wetlands International

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Fishing intruders nabbed in Pulau Redang marine park

R.S.N. Murali The Star 2 Feb 10;

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Ma­­rine Parks Department has thwarted attempts by six fishing vessels to encroach into prohibited areas around Pulau Redang near here since the beginning of the year.

In all the cases, the boats were locally registered but the fishing crew were foreigners.

Department director-general Abd Jamil Mydin said yesterday the vessels entered prohibited waters despite knowing that they were barred from doing so.

Terengganu has 13 gazetted ma­­rine parks and fishermen are not allowed to cast their nets in these place.

In the latest incident, two Johor-registered fishing vessels with cat­ches worth about RM8,000 were seized for trespassing into waters gazetted as marine parks near Pulau Redang, Abd Jamil said.

Six Thai nationals were detained at about 10.30pm on Friday night some 2.4 nautical miles from Tanjung Gua Kawah marine park, and 1,200kg of catch were seized.

An hour later, another vessel with five Thais was spotted fishing illegally about 3.1 nautical miles from Tanjung Lang Marine Park, also in waters off Pulau Redang. Their catch of 1,300kg was confiscated.

The crew of the two boats had switched off the navigation lights in a bid to avoid detection.

Abd Jamil said the crew of both vessels will face charges under Section 8 (b) of the Fishery Act 1985 which provides for a maximum RM20,000 fine or two years’ jail.

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Forestry Ministry to Scrutinize Permits For Luxury Villas in National Park

Arti Ekawati, Jakarta Globe 1 Feb 10;

The Forestry Ministry said on Monday that it would investigate the building of luxury villas inside Gunung Halimun Salak National Park in Bogor, West Java. It is illegal to build inside conservation areas.

“Looking at the land status, which is national park, I think they built them without any permit,” Zulkifli Hasan, the minister of forestry, said after launching a new online system for the forestry industry in Jakarta.

The villas occupy 250 hectares of land, which was previously held by state-owned forestry company PT Perum Perhutani. But the company transferred the land to the Veterans Foundation (Yayasan Veteran) through a land-swap mechanism about 20 years ago.

Zulkifli said the Veterans Foundation had promised to exchange land in Subang, West Java, for the land in the park, but apparently no such swap was ever completed.

“Since there was no land swap from the foundation for the land in Halimun, we regard the deal between Perum Perhutani and Yayasan Veteran to have been cancelled and we regard the area to be a national park,” Zulkifli said.

He added that the ministry would soon form a team to investigate the matter, including the question of building permits and the land-swap mechanism.

“If there has been a land swap, we will check where the other land is. If there is no land, we will coordinate with the police,” he said.

Darori, the ministry’s director general of forest protection and nature conservation, said the ministry would determine who exactly owned the luxurious villas.

“If they belong to locally born people, we will change the status of the area to ‘conservation village’ since it is impossible to evict inhabitants from their native areas,” Darori said.

However, he said the ministry would destroy the buildings if the villas were determined to belong to people who were not native to the area.

Darori said that anyone building a house or villa in a conservation area without the correct legal documents could face a fine of Rp 5 billion ($535,000) and 10 years in prison.

Meanwhile, State Minister for the Environment Gusti Muhammad Hatta denied that his ministry was responsible for issuing permits for the construction of houses in conservation areas.

“We need to set the record clear. The state ministry does not have the authority to issue such permits. If there have been any [violations] then check at local government levels and if it’s going on in conservation areas, then it would be in the hands of the Forestry Ministry,” he said.

He added that the Environment Ministry had already approached the mayor of Bogor to discuss the building of villas in the district.

“Of course, we can not just immediately close down all villas at the same time, but we have come to an understanding that it [the growth] should decrease every year,” he said.

Additional Reporting by Fidelis E Satriastanti

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Indonesian Ministries Establish Group to Drive 'Green Curriculum'

Fidelis E. Satriastanti, Jakarta Globe 1 Feb 10;

In order to introduce environmental awareness to school students that could be implemented in their real lives, the State Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of National Education joined together on Monday to establish an environmental education working group.

The two ministries have also signed off on a Memorandum of Understanding on environmental education, which has been established since June 2005.

“We (the State Ministry of Environment) want to stress the importance of preventive actions when it comes to the environment, because it is much better to prevent (problems) rather than have to find cures,” said State Minister for the Environment Gusti Muhammad Hatta.

Hatta added that the environmental education program was stipulated by the 2009 Environmental Protection and Management Law.

Gusti said that the ministry has already reached out to schools through its own initiative called Adiwiyata, an award program for green schools, and he was hoping to see an increase in the number of participants from year to year.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Muhammad Nuh said that there were around 55 million students in the country who were going to be potential champions for environmental awareness if they were introduced to it early in their education.

“It is very important that for us to strengthen our institutions, especially through environmental centers, which are still weak on some levels, so this new working group is aimed to make sure that we don’t only ‘sign’ a document here but also make a breakthrough with more practical steps,” Nuh said, adding that the country only has 32 environmental centers at present, which are based in universities.

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Peru backs massive Amazon protected area

WWF 1 Feb 10;

Lima, Peru: The Peruvian National Protected Areas Service has decided to allocate funds to help protect a large swath of the Amazon this year, which is home to several endangered species and indigenous groups.

The Protected Areas Service pledged to allocate USD 280,000 for surveillance activities in the massive area – encompassing a region larger than El Salvador – formed by the Alto Purus National Park and the Purus Communal Reserve. The protected area was officially created in 2004 in part through the support of WWF.

The area spreads across some of the most pristine forests in the southwestern Amazon and shelters jaguars, pink dolphins, arapaimas and other endangered species. It is also home to at least eight ethnic groups, including an unknown number of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation.

For years, activities such as illegal logging – mainly for mahogany – and poaching damaged these unique forests and disturbed the indigenous communities.

“This represents a major success for all Peruvians regarding the government’s commitment to the conservation of the Peruvian Amazon and will aid to build long term conservation strategies for roughly 3 million hectares of some of the richest forests in the world,” said Biologist Jorge Herrera, Director of WWF´s Amazon Headwaters Initiative (AHI) who has been working in the area for more than five years.

“The recently announced government support will not only help sustain a team of more than 20 park guards, and the heads of the reserve and park, but will also promote capacity building strategies,” said Herrera. “This will enable WWF to focus on other complementary actions and ensure that from now on, Purus is safer than ever before.”

Since 2004, WWF Peru – with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation -has supported control and surveillance activities carried out by the park and reserve authorities, equipping and helping them implement seven strategic control posts and form an efficient park guard team, made up of experienced technicians and local indigenous peoples with broad knowledge of the rivers and forests which they now protect.

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Huge Hydroelectric Dam Approved In Brazil's Amazon

Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Peter Murphy PlanetArk 2 Feb 10;

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's government has granted an environmental license for the construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the Environment Minister said on Monday.

The $17 billion project on the Xingu River in the northern state of Para is to help the fast-growing Latin American country cope with soaring demand for electricity but has raised concern over its likely impact on the environment and on native Indians.

"It may have been the slowest and most complicated process under my management, after all, it is the third largest in the world ... and a very controversial project," Environment Minister Carlos Minc told reporters in Rio de Janeiro.

The 11,000-megawatt Belo Monte dam is part of Brazil's largest concerted development plan for the Amazon since the country's military government cut highways through the rain forest to settle the vast region during its two-decade reign starting in 1964.

Dams, roads, gas pipelines and power grids worth more than $30 billion are being built to tap the region's vast raw materials, and transport its agricultural products in coming years.

Minc said 250 square kilometers (96.5 sq miles) of land would be flooded by the Belo Monte dam and that this had been reduced from 5,000 in the original plans for ecological reasons.

Environmental groups say the Belo Monte project, which also includes creating a waterway to transport agricultural commodities grown in the Amazon, would damage the sensitive ecosystem with the flooding and threaten some fish species.

Rock star and environmental activist Sting traveled to Brazil in November to call for more debate over the building of the dam. The head of the indigenous Kayapo population, Chief Raoni Txucarramae, said he feared the dam could affect areas where his kin lived.

Among the utilities wanting to build and operate the dam are Brazil's state-run Eletrobras.

The winning bidder would have to pay 1.5 billion reais ($803 million) to create national parks, help monitor forests, and benefit communities affected by the dam.

Minc was to present details of the environmental license later on Monday.

(Editing by Raymond Colitt and Marguerita Choy)

Huge Brazil dam moves step closer
Gary Duffy, BBC News 2 Feb 10;

Brazil's government has granted an environmental licence for the construction of a controversial hydro-electric dam in the Amazon rainforest.

Environmental groups say the Belo Monte dam will cause devastation in a large area of the rainforest and threaten the survival of indigenous groups.

However, the government says whoever is awarded the project will have to pay $800m to protect the environment.

The initial approval was a key step before investors could submit bids.

Resignations

The proposal to build a hydro-electric dam on the Xingu river, a tributary of the Amazon in the northern state of Para, has long been a source of controversy.

The initial project was abandoned in the 1990s amid widespread protests both in Brazil and around the world.

The government says the scheme has been modified to take account of fears that it would threaten the way of life of the indigenous peoples who live in the area.

Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc revealed that those who win the bidding process to build and operate Belo Monte will have to pay millions of dollars to protect the environment and meet 40 other conditions.

However, critics say diverting the flow of the Xingu river will still lead to devastation in a large area of the rainforest and damage fish stocks.

They say the lives of up to 40,000 people could be affected as 500 sq km of land would be flooded.

When it is completed, Belo Monte would be third largest hydro-electric dam in the world, after the Three Gorges in China and Itaipu, which is jointly run by Brazil and Paraguay. It is expected to provide electricity to 23 million Brazilian homes.

With Brazil's economy continuing to show signs of growth, ministers say hydro-electric plants are a vital way to ensure power supplies over the next decade - and at least 70 dams are said to be planned for the Amazon region.

Critics say the Belo Monte plant will be hugely inefficient, generating less than 10% of its capacity during the three to four months of the low-water season.

The project has even caused division and resignations within the government's own environment agency Ibama, which, after much delay, has now given its initial approval.

Having passed this critical test the dam is now much closer to becoming a reality, but the controversy surrounding it is also unlikely to go away.

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The case of the mysterious seafood

An unknown percentage of the fish we eat isn't what's it's purported to be – FAO meeting explores how forensic techniques could help address the problem.
FAO 2 Feb 10;

1 February 2010, Rome - The first victim was a Caucasian male in his late 30s. He popped down to the pub for lunch and ordered fish and chips. As he enjoyed his meal alongside a pint, he thought to himself that he'd never tasted haddock so fresh. But he was wrong. What he was eating wasn't haddock at all.

The second victim was a young Japanese woman in her early twenties. On a business trip to the U.S., she ordered tuna sashimi for lunch. It seemed fishy to her—and she was dead right.

The third was a South African fisherman we'll call "Nate." He never ate a thing, but as he plied the waters of the new fishery he'd recently started working, elsewhere poachers harvested protected spiny lobster and exported them with false documents—further damaging recovering fishing grounds Nate hoped to one day fish again.

Seafood identity theft?

In each of these three hypothetical cases the culprit was mistaken or misrepresented identity—of seafood.

"Identifying unprocessed fish is usually fairly easy," says Michele Kuruc of FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. "But today seafood is transported far abroad, to places where it may not be well known. Plus, as the industry has globalized, it is common that fish products are processed on floating factories before they come to shore. What inspectors see often doesn't look much like a fish in the wild."

In some instances, accurately identifying fish may be beyond the abilities of inspectors. Innocent clerical errors can end up turning one type of fish into another.

Or unscrupulous fishers and traders game the system to avoid restrictions or taxes.

According to Kuruc, those involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing use many methods to conceal their illegal activities and get their ill-gotten goods to market. "Fraudulent product substitution and use of false labels and documentation are frequently employed to transport and market products illicitly," she says.

The result? An unknown percentage of seafood on the shelves simply isn't what's it's purported to be.

Big stakes

This is a problem. Today's more conscious consumers are aware of the multiple health benefits of eating seafood—but are also keen to be sure they're eating fish that has been caught or farmed responsibly and is safe to eat.

And there's much more at stake.

In recent years a number of major food retailers have committed to stocking only seafood certified as sustainable. As of January 1, 2010, the world's biggest seafood market, the European Union, has put in place regulations aimed at blocking imports of fish not harvested legally.

With 110 million tonnes of seafood consumed globally per year, international trade in fish is valued at a record high of $86 billion annually and is a major source of employment and government revenue for developing countries, where many of the fishing grounds that feed the first world are found.

Additionally, concerns about the wellbeing of many fish stocks necessitates diligent oversight of what fish are being taken and where.

Forensic science can help

Forensic technologies based on genetics and chemistry are already being used by some countries to monitor and control trade in produce, animals and timber. So FAO recently convened a workshop of experts, inspectors, law enforcement officials, scientists and academics to discuss how they might be more widely deployed in fisheries enforcement.

"We're interested in promoting wider use of available forensic techniques, in particular by developing countries, Kuruc says."Some countries have successfully used various forensic methods in investigations and court cases, but many fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance personnel still remain unaware of their existence."

DNA analysis can reveal the species of a suspect white fillet. Chemical tests on fish earbones reveal absorbed nutrients and pinpoint the region where they were caught.

"We need to push the envelope, because we can be sure that those involved in IUU fishing are doing so," Kuruc added. "One workshop participant related how a group convicted of illegally trading abalone confessed that they learned techniques for destroying evidence by watching CSI: Miami."

In addition to surveying the state of the art and brainstorming how forensics might be used in fisheries and identifying needs—especially for capacity building in developing countries—the meeting also looked at best practices in handling evidence, how inspectors should be trained, and identifying laboratories capable of handling testing. (In many cases, labs in developing countries currently testing for food quality could be upgraded to conduct forensic work.)

The group also agreed to operate as an ad hoc FAO reference network that can be tapped by authorities around the world for guidance and advice.

"Fish can be properly identified if samples are handled properly, get to the right labs, and checked using forensic techniques," said Kuruc. "So the idea is to help countries that don't have such facilities and know how can access so them so they can identify and prosecute cases of malfeasance."

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Taiwan to use DNA to protect whales, dolphins

Yahoo News 1 Feb 10;

TAIPEI (AFP) – Taiwan plans to use DNA from whales and dolphins as evidence to convict poachers and protect the endangered marine animals, an official said Monday.

The tactic is meant to outwit poachers who try to cover their tracks after catching whales and dolphins by cutting off the animals' heads, tails and fins, said Hsia Jung-sheng, an official from the Council of Agriculture.

"What they don't know is that the government has set up a comprehensive databank on DNA from whales and dolphins," she told AFP.

"Using molecular biotechnology, experts can easily pin down the species of whales or dolphins even if the sample is just a scrap of meat."

Taiwan's coastguards last week discovered a haul of dolphin meat weighing more than 1.3 tonnes in the northeastern fishing port of Suao.

All species of whales and dolphins are protected by Taiwan's conservation law, and any person found violating the law faces a prison term of up to five years and a fine of up to 1.5 million Taiwan dollars (47,000 US dollars).

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'Manage flights' to cut emissions

BBC News 2 Feb 10;

The quickest way to cut emissions from aircraft could be better flight management rather than new technology, an Oxford University study has found.

Better air traffic control determining how, when and where planes fly could help quickly achieve significant emission cuts.

These include more direct flight paths to airports and less waiting to land.

These are the "low-hanging fruit" compared to technology improvements and existing biofuels, said Dr Chris Carey.

"And they are measures that governments could make a condition of using their airspace," said Dr Carey, aviation expert at Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

Chris Goater of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (Canso) agrees.

"Air Traffic Management plays an important role in reducing emissions," he says, pointing out that emissions could be cut by between 5% and 8% as a result of improved logistics.

Other initiatives should help the aviation industry ensure "emissions are reduced to 50% of 2005 levels by 2050", he said.

Cheap and easy



Better traffic control systems should also help aircraft reduce the time spent with their engines running while still on the tarmac, Dr Carey said.

At the same time, better flight control systems should help them spend less time flying.

"The inaccuracy of current control systems means planes must be given a wide berth to avoid collisions," he said.

"If that was improved, landing and take-offs could be quicker, stacking would be reduced and planes could fly closer together by taking advantage of prevailing winds, just as Concorde did."

Such improvements would be cheap to introduce quickly, Dr Carey insisted.

"They should be implemented as soon as possible if we are serious about cutting aviation emissions," he said.

Slow and risky

In contrast, technological advances, such as better engines or reduced weight, tend to take a long time before they have an impact, because aircraft have lifetimes of 30 years or more.

In the long run, innovations that help reduce drag will help reduce emissions, as might a shift away from fossil fuels towards biofuels made from algae.

"But none of those measures can be introduced quickly and most new technology is not retrofitable," said Dr Carey.

"These are all long-term innovations that we won't see for at least 30 years."

Moreover, investing in new technology is both expensive and risky, Dr Carey said.

"But major technological innovations are a massive financial risk because you could be making a plane that no-one's going to buy," he said.

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Indonesia submits emission cuts target to UN

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 1 Feb 10;

Indonesia has lodged an official report on its emission reduction target to the UN on Sunday as doubts remain over the possibility of countries to reach an ambitious deal this year.

In its seven-page report, Indonesia reaffirmed its pledge to cut emissions by 26 percent from current levels by 2020 to combat climate change.

“We have met the deadline and confirmed our target in the report to the UN,” head of the National Council on Climate Change (DNPI), Rachmat Witoelar, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

“Everything we promised in the report will be carried out.”

A non-binding Copenhagen accord set a Jan. 31 deadline for countries to confirm their participation in a deal brokered by the US in last month’s climate talks in Denmark.

The US, which rejected binding targets under the Kyoto Protocol, has also submitted its official report to cut 17 percent of emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels.

The Copenhagen accord was made after a deadlock on emission cut targets between rich nations
and emerging economies to fight climate change. The accord stipulates that countries should limit the rise of global temperature by 2 degrees Celsius.

DNPI secretary Agus Purnomo said Indonesia’s report did not include details on how it would meet the 26 percent emission cut.

“We already have a detailed concept on how to meet the target. The report to the UN, however, only stipulates that emission cuts would be from seven areas,” he said.

The seven sectors include deforestation, peat land, sustainable energy sources, energy efficiency, public transport and waste management.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono vowed to cut emissions last year before the Copenhagen talks, making Indonesia the first developing country to promise to voluntarily cut emissions despite plans to increase country’s economic growth.

With the 26 percent commitment, Indonesia has to allocate Rp83 trillion to cut 767 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) said that Sunday’s deadline for countries to lodge targets and details of emission reduction programs was opportunities for nations that pushed for the climate accord to show they were serious about it.

“Sunday is the self-imposed deadline for countries to lay out what they are actually going to do to keep the world out of the danger zone.” Kim Carstensen, leader of the WWF’s global climate initiative, said in a statement.

Carstensen said for the great majority countries, this implied a considerable increase in commitment so far.

“Emissions reductions on the table at Copenhagen were clearly setting us up for a world three or more degrees warmer, even without taking into account various large loopholes allowing for dubious emissions reductions claims and double counting of claims,” Carstensen said.

Meanwhile, UN climate chief Yvo De Boer said in Davos that he could not guarantee the upcoming deal in Mexico would reach the much-awaited legally binding treaty.

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Climate accord gets boost, but key elements still missing

Marlowe Hood Yahoo News 2 Feb 10;

PARIS (AFP) – Fifty-five nations including the world's top carbon polluters have registered their commitments to combat global warming, the UN climate chief said late Monday.

The pledges from both industrialised and developing countries for cutting greenhouse gases up to 2020 cover nearly 80 percent of total emissions, and provide a much-needed boost to December's Copenhagen Accord.

"This represents an important invigoration of the UN climate change talks," said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

"The commitment to confront climate change at the highest level is beyond doubt," he said in a statement Monday night.

But more than a month after the nearly scuttled climate deal, rich nations have yet to say when and how they will deliver emergency funds to help poor ones begin to green their economies and cope with climate impacts.

The 30 billion dollars in so-called "fast start" financing is meant to cover the period 2010 to 2012.

Also missing for now is the list of countries that have chosen to "associate" themselves with the controversial Copenhagen Accord, which fell well short of the binding and comprehensive climate treaty once hoped for.

The UN climate forum shepherding the talks simply "took note" of its provisions after several countries refused to back it in December.

The UNFCCC's 194 member nations were later invited to endorse the deal by Sunday, January 31, and to list the actions they plan for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

It is still not known how many countries have opted to formally back the accord.

On the action plans, there were no surprises. The United States, the European Union, Japan and other rich nations all renewed pledges made in the run-up to the climate summit.

Rapidly developing countries led by China, India, Brazil and South Africa also reiterated voluntary national plans for curbing the carbon intensity of their economies.

But registering the commitments was widely seen as a critical step in jump-starting the troubled negotiations.

"The machine has been forcefully set in motion, it's going to put some new wind in our sails," commented French Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo.

The Copenhagen Accord calls for limiting warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the threshold for dangerous impacts such as increased floods, drought and extreme weather, according to scientists.

"This is the first time that countries have ever committed to this goal. That's the good news," said Alden Meyer, a policy analyst at the Washington-based Union of Concerned Scientists.

"The bad news, of course, is that the pledges that have been put on the table to date don't put us on track to meet that goal, and would make it very difficult -- both economically and politically -- after 2020 to catch up."

The accord also commits developed countries to paying out 10 billion dollars per year to developing nations over the next three years, to be ramped up to 100 billion dollars annually by 2020.

"But it remains far from clear where the funding will come from, if it is genuinely new and additional, and how it will be allocated," said Saleemul Huq, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London.

Many of the poor nations most vulnerable to climate change complained of being sidelined in Copenhagen, and delays in providing the financing could increase tensions as talks proceed.

Japan has taken the lead in promising some 15 billion dollars over the next three years, while the European Union has said it will stump up 10 billion.

The United States has yet to announce what share of the 30 billion it will shoulder, but analysts say it is likely to be substantially less, in the 3.5 to 4.5 billion range.

But so far none of this money has materialised.

"Looking at past experience of overseas development aid and climate funding, it may take several years to disburse even the 'fast-start' finance promised for 2010 to 2012," Huq said.

Borloo agreed that it would take some time to get the wheels turning.

"All the mechanisms have yet to be invented," he said of the 30-billion dollar fund.

"Simple bilateral aid is out of the question. We have to invent a new partnership and establish the fast-start modalities."

National climate goals set since Copenhagen
Reuters 1 Feb 10;

(Reuters) - Major greenhouse gas emitters have outlined plans for fighting climate change under a January 31 deadline set in December's "Copenhagen Accord.

Following are details of national plans published on the website of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat on Monday:

INDUSTRIALISED NATIONS -- GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS CUTS BY 2020:

UNITED STATES - "In the range of 17 percent (from 2005 levels), in conformity with anticipated U.S. energy and climate legislation." The cut is about 4 percent below 1990 levels.

EUROPEAN UNION - The 27-nation bloc will make a unilateral 20 percent cut below 1990 levels, or a 30 percent cut if other developed countries make "comparable" reductions and developing countries contribute.

RUSSIA - A cut of 15 to 25 percent below 1990 levels.

JAPAN - A 25 percent cut from 1990 levels as part of a "fair and effective international framework" involving all major economies and agreement on ambitious targets.

CANADA - A 17 percent cut from 2005 levels "to be aligned with the final economy-wide emissions target of the United States in enacted legislation."

AUSTRALIA - A unilateral cut of 5 percent below 2000 levels, deepening to a 25 percent if the world agrees an ambitious global deal. The range is 3-23 percent below 1990 levels.

CROATIA - A 5 percent cut from 1990 levels

KAZAKHSTAN - 15 percent below 1990 levels

NEW ZEALAND - A cut of between 10 and 20 percent below 1990 levels "if there is a comprehensive global agreement."

NORWAY - At least 30 percent below 1990 levels, with a 40 percent cut if major emitting parties agree a strong deal.

DEVELOPING NATIONS ACTIONS FOR 2020

CHINA - Will endeavor to cut the amount of carbon produced per unit of economic output by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels. This "carbon intensity" goal would let emissions keep rising, but more slowly than economic growth.

INDIA - Will endeavor to reduce the emissions intensity of gross domestic product by 20 to 25 percent in comparison to 2005 levels.

BRAZIL - Aims to cut emissions by between 36.1 and 38.9 percent below "business as usual" levels with measures such as reducing deforestation, energy efficiency and more hydropower.

SOUTH AFRICA - Will cut emissions by 34 percent below business as usual levels projected for 2020 and by 42 percent below projected 2025 levels.

INDONESIA - Reduce emissions by 26 percent by 2020 with measures including sustainable peat management, reduced deforestation and energy efficiency.

SOUTH KOREA - Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below business as usual projections

COSTA RICA - Plans a long-term effort to become "carbon neutral" under which any industrial emissions will be offset elsewhere, for instance by planting forests.

ETHIOPIA - Actions including hydropower dams, wind farms, geothermal energy, biofuels, solar power and reforestation.

GEORGIA - To try to build a low-carbon economy while ensuring continued growth. It said, however, that the legacy of the 2008 war with Russia limited its ability to act.

ISRAEL - Will strive for a 20 percent reduction in emissions below business as usual projections. Goals include getting 10 percent of electricity generation from renewable sources.

JORDAN - Shift to renewable energies, upgrade railways, roads and ports. Goals include modernizing vehicles use by the armed forces.

MACEDONIA - Improving energy efficiency, boosting renewable energies, harmonization with EU energy laws, improved transport.

MADAGASCAR - Shift to hydropower for major cities, push for "large scale" reforestation across the island, improve agriculture, waste and transport.

MALDIVES - Achieve "carbon neutrality" by 2020.

MARSHALL ISLANDS - Cut carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent cut below 2009 levels.

MOLDOVA - Cut emissions by "no less than 25 percent" from 1990 levels.

MOROCCO - Develop renewable energies such as wind, solar power, hydropower. Improve industrial efficiency.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Improved agriculture, controls on vehicles in major cities, better forestry management.

SINGAPORE - Aims for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent below business as usual levels if the world agrees a strong, legally binding deal.

SIERRA LEONE - Increase conservation efforts, ensure forest cover of at least 3.4 million hectares by 2015. Develop clean energy including biofuels from sugarcane, corn, rice husks.

India reaffirms opposition to binding carbon cuts
Yahoo News 1 Feb 10;

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India reaffirmed to the United Nations that it would reject any attempt to impose legally binding climate change goals, but pledged to reduce emissions intensity.

In an endorsement of December's much-criticised Copenhagen Accord, the environment ministry in New Delhi said it had submitted plans to reduce emissions intensity by 20 to 25 percent by 2020 compared to 2005 levels.

India's proposal, first made in parliament in December ahead of the Copenhagen summit, came before a UN deadline on January 31 for nations to re-state their climate change policies.

In a statement late Saturday, India said its UN submission "clarified that its domestic mitigation actions will be entirely voluntary in nature and will not have a legally binding character."

The cut in emissions intensity means that each dollar of gross domestic product (GDP) in India -- a rapidly developing economy -- must generate 20 to 25 percent fewer emissions by 2020 compared to 2005.

India is part of a coalition including Brazil, China and South Africa which lobbied successfully at the Copenhagen meeting against any binding emissions caps.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh hailed the accord and said the country had emerged from the negotiations a winner.

But environmentalists condemned the failure to agree on any measures that would force countries to reduce emissions.

India -- one of the world's top-five carbon emitters in terms of volume -- has insisted that rich countries, which are responsible historically for global warming, should bear the burden of mitigating the future problem.

Only a handful of nations, including the United States, have submitted their papers ahead of the deadline to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

US calls climate plans 'important step'
Yahoo News 2 Feb 10;

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States on Monday voiced optimism about fighting global warming after nations making up more than three-quarters of global emissions submitted plans to the United Nations.

Todd Stern, the US special envoy on climate change, said that the United States was "pleased" to be among 55 nations representing nearly 80 percent of emissions that met Sunday's deadline to submit plans to the United Nations.

"In supporting the accord, we are taking an important step in the global effort to combat climate change," he said.

The Copenhagen climate summit in December asked nations to endorse the accord by January 31 and to list actions they plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

Stern urged holdouts -- largely smaller nations -- to come forward and submit plans to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Copenhagen accord brought about pledges for 30 billion dollars in short-term financing for poor nations to cope with climate change.

But the controversial agreement fell well short of the binding and comprehensive climate treaty once hoped for.

China's Wen Seeks Binding Climate Deal In Mexico
Chris Buckley, PlanetArk 2 Feb 10;

BEIJING - China backs a climate change accord struck at a contentious summit late last year and wants a binding global agreement from talks culminating in Mexico later this year, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said.

The Chinese leader endorsed the "Copenhagen Accord" in letters on January 29 to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Danish Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country hosted the rancorous summit that produced the controversial, last-minute document on fighting global warming, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

Since then, China and over other 50 nations have outlined their plans for reducing greenhouse gases and addressing climate change under a January 31 deadline, aiming to set in motion negotiations seeking a full pact in Mexico late in 2010.

In its submission, China repeated what it calls a voluntary domestic goal to cut the amount of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, produced for every unit of economic output by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared to levels in 2005.

This "carbon intensity" goal would let China's greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, but more slowly than economic growth.

But Beijing's official submission did not mention the Copenhagen Accord, which was thrashed out after sometimes bitter negotiations in which China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases from human activity, was accused by some negotiators of frustrating stronger agreement.

The U.N. had asked all to take sides on the Accord by January 31.

Now Premier Wen has publicly backed the Accord, and said his country wants a binding deal to emerge in Mexico -- a goal that many observers say will be difficult to achieve.

"(Wen) stated that China positively assesses and supports the Copenhagen Accord," said the Xinhua report, citing his letters to Ban and Rasmussen.

China wants the negotiations culminating in Mexico to "reach a comprehensive, effective and binding outcome," the report cited Wen as saying.

But Wen stressed that outcome should be bound to a UN convention and to the Kyoto Protocol, the treaty governing countries' duties to fight global warming that runs until the end of 2012.

Those agreements say that developing countries, including China, should not shoulder the same absolute goals to cut greenhouse emissions that apply to rich countries.

As the world's biggest emitter, China has faced growing pressure from developed countries and some poor ones to set firmer and deeper goals to curb its greenhouse gases.

China says that its emissions have historically been much lower than the developed world's, and its emissions per capita are still much lower than those of wealthy societies.
(Editing by Alister Doyle)

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