Malaysia: Fishery Resources May Become Extinct

Bernama 5 Dec 11;

KANGAR, Dec 5 (Bernama) - Fishery resources may become extinct if fishermen don't cooperate with the government to retain existing resources, said director-general of Fisheries Department Datuk Ahmad Sabki Mahmood.

He said in 40 years, fishery resources in Malaysian waters have declined significantly from 2.56 tonnes per sq km in 1971 to only 0.21 tonnes per sq km in 2007.

"However, ikan kembung is still in abundant but other wildlife species like dugong has depleted," he told reporters at a Marine Resources Management Care Programme in Kuala Sungai Baru near here today.

Sabki said the lack of fishery resources not affects Malaysian waters as researchers in United States predicted that by 2048, there would be no more fish in the ocean.

"That's the forecast in the United States but in Malaysia, the government constantly strives to ensure that the existing fishery resources are retained."

He said although fish can reproduce naturally, uncontrolled catch activities can lead to the extinction of marine life.

Excessive exploitation of breeding grounds like coastal areas and pollution due to industrial waste and oil spills also lead to decline in marine resources.

To this end, the government has introduced the Rakan Ikan programme where fishermen would inform information authorities of activities that could harm fishery resources.

Sabry said last year, 160,000 tonnes of fish worth RM710mil were landed in Perlis to make the state the second largest producer of fish after Perak.

However, catch in the last four years has declined between 2.3 percent and 10.2 percent, from 193,800 tonnes in 2007 to 160,000 tonnes in 2010.

-- BERNAMA

No more fish by 2048?
Destructive techniques used by fishermen could wipe out marine resources
Sharanpal Singh Randhawa New Straits Times 6 Dec 11;

MALAYSIA'S waters could be left with zero marine resources if fishermen nationwide continue to make use of destructive ways and techniques to fish.

Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Ahamad Sabki Mahmood said research done by a team from the United States in international waters found that there would not be any fish or marine resources left by 2048.

He added that with the rapidly depleting marine resources caused by the destructive ways and techniques adopted by fisherman in Malaysia, it was not impossible for the country to face the same fate by 2048.

Local fishermen exploit fish breeding areas meant to boost fish population by using the pukat rawa sorong (drag nets) which are banned by the government.

The invasion of banned fishing zones by fishermen has also seen the fish population in the past 40 years declining rapidly, from 2.56 tonnes per sq km to 0.21 tonnes per sq km.

"Fish is known to breed naturally by themselves, but with the wrong and banned equipment used and without a systematic approach, marine resources will surely become extinct," he said at an awareness programme on marine resources held at Sungai Baru, near here, yesterday.

Ahamad Sabki said fishermen should be more responsible and aware that their actions would cost the government and the people in the long run.

"We have conducted and will go on conducting awareness programmes to educate fishermen on the best ways to fish and the best equipment to use."

He said the number of fishing boats in Malaysian waters was maintained at 47,000 and there were 129,000 fishermen nationwide.

Ahamad Sabki said the organisation Rakan Fish, whose members are fishermen, would play a role in reporting any misconduct or offences by fishermen.

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Marine Predators in Trouble

ScienceDaily 5 Dec 11;

Iconic marine predators such as sharks, tunas, swordfish, and marlins are becoming increasingly rare under current fishing trends, say University of British Columbia researchers.

In half of the North Atlantic and North Pacific waters under national jurisdiction, fishing has led to a 90-per-cent decrease in top predators since the 1950s, and the impacts are now headed south of the Equator, according to a new study published online December 5 in the journal Marine Ecological progress Series.

Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the French Consulate-General in Vancouver, researchers from UBC's Fisheries Centre modeled the impact of fishing around the world using global databases of fisheries catches from 1950 to 2006 and satellite images of phytoplankton, which are used to map where predators should be, based on food availability.

The scientists found that the exploitation of marine predators first occurred in coastal areas of northern countries, then expanded to the high seas and to the southern hemisphere. The decline of top-of-the-food-chain predators also means widespread and fundamental changes to both the structure and function of marine systems.

"Species such as tuna have been seriously exploited because of high market demand," says Laura Tremblay-Boyer, a PhD student at UBC Fisheries Centre and lead author of the study.

"A constant theme throughout our study of global marine ecosystems is that these top predators are today prey for human beings, assisted by some serious technology," says Tremblay-Boyer. "Top marine predators are more intrinsically vulnerable to the effects of fishing due to their life histories. Bluefin tuna, for instance, cannot reproduce until age nine."

In addition to low numbers in the northern hemisphere, the study shows a dramatic decline in the south seas, where wild-caught fish are sent to northern markets.

"After running out of predator fish in the north Atlantic and Pacific, rather than implementing strict management and enforcement, the fishing industry pointed its bows south," says co-author Daniel Pauly, principal investigator of the Sea Around Us Project at UBC. "The southern hemisphere predators are now on the same trajectory as the ones in the northern hemisphere. What happens next when we have nowhere left to turn?"

Under current fishing practices, biomass loss of predatory species is expected to occur in the southern hemisphere, but humans living in the south will not be able to rely on the north for their fish, the research team adds.

Journal Reference:

L Tremblay-Boyer, D Gascuel, R Watson, V Christensen, D Pauly. Modelling the effects of fishing on the biomass of the world’s oceans from 1950 to 2006. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2011; 442: 169 DOI: 10.3354/meps09375

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Pacific trade deal could help save species: U.S.

Reuters 5 Dec 11;

(Reuters) - Trade in illegally poached and harvested wildlife and wild plants could be curbed, possibly saving endangered species such as the New Zealand Kakapo parrot, by a proposed Trans-Pacific trade deal, a top U.S. trade official said on Monday.

"Whether it involves forest products manufactured from illegally harvested tropical timber, or body parts from threatened tiger species, or fins brutally torn from sharks at sea, more can be done to fight illegal trafficking in wildlife and wild plant products," Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis said in a speech.

The United States is pushing for "ground-breaking" conservation provisions in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and also wants to curtail marine subsidies that encourage overfishing, Marantis said.

Global trade in illegally poached and harvested wildlife and wild plant species is estimated at tens of billions of dollars a year, he said.

The cost of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is valued at $10 billion to $23.5 billion a year, in addition to subsidies that help decimate global fish stocks, he said.

The White House is negotiating the TPP with eight other countries - Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Peru and Chile - that represent some of the most biologically diverse areas of the Asia Pacific.

"Peru is the third most bio-diverse country in the world. But 560 of its species are threatened - 45 critically endangered. Many of New Zealand's species are unique to that country and also under threat, such as the Kakapo - a large, flightless, nocturnal parrot," Marantis said.

"Chile is home to 151 threatened species, including the Chinchilla and Darwin's Fox," he said.

Japan, Mexico and Canada also have asked about joining the talks, making the TPP "the biggest game in town" in terms of negotiations to liberalize trade, he said.

Bilateral U.S. free trade pacts with Peru, Colombia, South Korea and Panama already have strong provision, but the United States hopes to go even further in the TPP pact, he said.

"Perhaps the most ground-breaking element of our proposal for TPP on environment is the inclusion of a conservation framework in the TPP environment chapter. This framework would require TPP parties to act to inhibit illegal trade in wildlife and wild plant products," Marantis said.

The United States is also proposing measures to protect wildlife species of special concern, to curb marine subsidies and deter illegal and unregulated fishing and to protect forest ecosystems from illegal logging, he said.

Mark Linscott, assistant U.S. trade representative for the environment and natural resource, spoke shortly after Marantis and acknowledged there were still "big gaps" between the United States and some other TPP members in the talks.

There is a "good dynamic" among the negotiators and that many of the TPP countries have made their own proposals for addressing environmental concerns," Linscott said.

But "that can't paper over that there are still significant gaps that we need to bridge," he said.

Supporters hope the talks will be concluded next year, but U.S. officials have avoided a firm deadline.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; editing by Philip Barbara)

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Poachers killed 23 rhinos in Zimbabwe this year: report

AFP Yahoo News 5 Dec 11;

The number of rhinoceros killed in Zimbabwe parks decreased to 23 this year from 30 in 2010 as parks authorities stepped up high-tech efforts to track poachers, state media reported Monday.

"We have just above 700 black and white rhinos and 23 have been poached this year," Caroline Washaya, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority public relations manager told The Herald newspaper.

"We managed to arrest 37 poachers and illegal dealers in rhino horns to date," she added.

Zimbabwe and its southern neighbour South Africa have been hard hit by rhinoceros poachers motivated by the lucrative market for the horn in Asia where it is used for medicinal purposes.

Washaya said parks authorities had been using methods such as placing tracking chips in the rhinos' horns, or removing the horns altogether, to prevent poaching.

"This year, a total of 100 rhinos were immobilised for ear notching and horn implanting to facilitate individual identification and monitoring in the field," she said.

Last month a US-based animal protection group, the International Rhino Foundation, launched Operation Stop Poaching Now to raise funds to equip rangers in Zimbabwe and South Africa with kits to better track rhino poachers.

The so-called "crime-scene kits" contain a camera, a metal detector, a GPS system, finger-printing materials and sealable evidence bags, according to the Foundation.

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Amazon forest loss at lowest in 23 years: Brazil

Reuters Yahoo News 6 Dec 11;

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon region fell to its lowest in 23 years in the year through July, the government said Monday, attributing the drop to its tougher stance against illegal logging.

Destruction of the Brazilian portion of the world's largest rain forest dropped 11 percent to 6,238 square km (2,400 square miles) over the 12-month period, satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research showed.

That is less than a quarter of the forest area that was destroyed in 2004, when clear-cutting by farmers expanding their cattle and soy operations reached a recent peak.

Brazil has stepped up its monitoring and enforcement policies in the Amazon in recent years but the improvement has partly been driven by slower global economic growth that has reduced demand and prices for the country's farm produce.

Overall improvement in 2010/11 masked worrying rises in some Amazon states such as Rondonia, where deforestation doubled from the previous year. Forest clearing in the farming state of Mato Grosso rose 20 percent.

"Some states are still extremely sensitive," Environment Minister Isabel Teixeira told reporters. "Rondonia needs to be clarified, we need to understand what has caused the change in its profile."

Two large hydroelectric dams are being built in Rondonia, boosting the local economy and attracting migrant workers.

The drop in deforestation comes as Brazil's Congress debates an overhaul of the land law that environmentalists say would severely set back conservation efforts. The Senate is expected to approve the new forest code in the coming days.

Brazil's influential farming lobby says the reform, which would ease conservation requirements for land owners, is needed to end widespread uncertainty over the current regulations that farmers say is a burden on production.

(Reporting by Hugo Bachega; writing by Stuart Grudgings; editing by John O'Callaghan)

Brazil says Amazon deforestation down to lowest level
AFP Yahoo News 6 Dec 11;

Brazil said Monday that the pace of deforestation in its Amazon region fell to its lowest level since authorities began monitoring the world's largest tropical rainforest.

The head of the National Institute of Space Research (INPE), Gilberto Camara, said deforestation dropped to 6,238 square kilometers (2,408 square miles), between August 2010 and July this year, down 11 percent compared with the same period in 2009-20100.

"It's the lowest deforestation rate measured since INPE began its monitoring in 1988," Camara told a press conference.

"It's a great victory for Brazil. It's the lowest deforestation rate. The Amazon is a great instrument for carbon sequestration," one of the tools to combat global warming, said Aloizio Mercadante, the minister of science and technology.

Still, the area deforested in the year ending in July is four times the size of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, according to the state Agencia Brasil.

Between August 2009 and July 2010, the Brazilian Amazon lost 7,000 square kilometers (2,700 square miles) of rain forest, until then the smallest loss recorded.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached a historic peak of 27,700 square kilometers (10,700 square miles) in 2003-2004.

Monday's announcement came a day before the Brazilian Senate was due to adopt a reform of forestry legislation which could reduce the protected area.

The bill, which would have to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies, has the backing of Brazil's powerful agribusiness sector.

The current forestry code, which dates back to 1965, limits the use of lands for farming and mandates that up to 80 percent of the Amazon remain intact.

Authorities say key reasons for Amazon deforestation are fires, the advance of agriculture and stockbreeding and illegal trafficking in timber and minerals.

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Gorillas, Tigers At Risk Due To Climate Change

Agnieszka Flak PlanetArk 5 Dec 11;

Several animal species including gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a U.N. report showed on Sunday.

Launched on the sidelines of global climate negotiations in Durban, the report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation shows how higher temperatures, the rise in sea levels, deforestation and excessive land use have damaged the habitats of certain species, especially in Africa.

"Many ecosystems have already been stressed by increasing population, historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices and even invasive species," Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assistant director general at the FAO's forestry department, said at the launch of the report.

The most affected areas include mountains, isolated islands and coastal areas, which limit the possibilities for animals to migrate elsewhere and create new habitats.

"The remaining populations become enclosed in very small ecosystems, they have inbreeding problems ... and at the end these species may disappear," he added.

CONFLICT

Wildlife migration may also lead to conflicts with humans as happened with the tigers in Bangladesh, Rojas-Briales said.

"Lifestock and even humans were attacked and of course there was retaliation by the local population, and the success that was achieved by protecting this species is now being reversed by habitat degradation," he said.

Other examples of affected animals included elephants in Mali, lions in the Serengeti and crocodiles in Malawi.

The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming and a significant proportion of endemic species may become extinct by 2050 as a consequence.

Other consequences could include the spread of invasive species and infectious diseases, it said.

The report urges more focus on restoration of damaged ecosystems, especially those key to tackling climate change such as mangroves, inland waters, forests, savannahs and grasslands.

The FAO also called for the creation of migration corridors for animals in areas where their movement was constrained.

The organisation said while more resources were flowing to biodiversity conservation, more action at the government and policy level was needed.

It also urged local communities to develop projects that mitigate the impact of climate change on wildlife, naming eco-tourism activities as an example.

(Editing by Sophie Hares)

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Best of our wild blogs: 5 Dec 11

Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [28 Nov - 4 Dec 2011]
from Green Business Times

10 Dec (Sat): Talk on "Forests of the Sea" by Siti M. Yaakub
from teamseagrass

Why Sketch? (Also a post on SBAW)
from Diary of a Boy wandering through Our Little Urban Eden

Sungei Buloh 18th Anniversary Walk 2011
from lekowala!

Palm-sized Melibe
from Pulau Hantu

Videos: Fishes on our shores
from Psychedelic Nature

绿鹭Little heron@星和园Japanese garden
from PurpleMangrove

Eel
from Monday Morgue

Protections for indigenous rights, biodivesity weakened in latest REDD+ text from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

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Making Botanics a garden of learning

Transport for elderly visitors also on new director's agenda
Straits Times 5 Dec 11;

HE HAS been on the job for just over two months but the new director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Dr Nigel Taylor, already has big plans.

The 55-year-old Briton is planning to introduce transport in the gardens for the first time, to help elderly visitors get around.

During the week, he does his daily rounds in the 74ha gardens either on foot or in a buggy. At weekends, he visits with his wife and teenage daughters, traipsing over from their home in nearby Tanglin.

These rounds help him keep his ear to the ground.

'Elderly people who may not be able to walk far have repeatedly said they wish there was some transport,' he said. 'So we are looking into it.'

But the gardens' narrow paths mean any type of transport, if introduced, would have to steer clear of visitors who prefer not to use it.

The National Parks Board (NParks) is soliciting public feedback for ideas on its website.

Dr Taylor is also keen to make people's experience of the 16-year-old National Orchid Garden more educational, with more displays explaining the biology, geography and diversity of orchids, and using live specimens wherever possible.

He said: 'As a botanic garden, I would like there to be more botanical learning, to add to the experience that colourful mass plantings of orchids and those named after famous visitors currently provide.'

But while changes are afoot, there are some things that must be preserved, he said, such as the iconic bandstand area and Swan Lake.

This move towards a more educational and immersive experience is something he is applying from his 34 years at the world-famous Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in Britain.

For example, a Learning Forest, with thematic walks featuring giant trees and a conservation collection of rare fruit and nut species - to be ready here in 2013 - will hopefully offer a 'Kew-like experience', said Dr Taylor.

Kew Gardens, as it is known, is one of the world's leading botanical institutions. Dr Taylor joined as a horticultural taxonomist when he was 21 - his job was to name the plants. He rose through the ranks to become head curator of horticulture.

He left in September to fill the director's position at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, taking over from Dr Wong Wei Har, who is on an indefinite leave of absence due to family commitments. She had been director since last year.

NParks went on an international executive search, which took six months. Dr Taylor fit the bill as he was of 'notable and credible international standing as an accomplished botanical scientist', and was able to 'lead and motivate a group of professionals to contribute to the continued success of the Gardens', said NParks. He is in charge of about 100 people at the Gardens.

One other reason he snagged the job might be that he can communicate well - he was one of the main spokesmen at Kew. 'I love plants but I also love interacting with people,' he said.

This gift of the gab makes connecting plants with people easier. 'We have to get people into the gardens; that is very important,' he added.

He is not the first expatriate director of the Gardens. The first director, Henry Nicholas Ridley, served for 23 years from 1888. Another famous director was Professor Eric Holttum, also from Kew Gardens, who joined in 1925. He pioneered experiments in orchid breeding and hybridisation here.

Asked why he gave up his job at Kew, Dr Taylor said: 'The job had become too easy and I needed more of a challenge.'

In Singapore, he has to oversee the science and the scientists, visitor services, the visitor attractions and centre, and events such as the Singapore Garden Festival. And after years of dealing with temperate plants, working with plants that flourish in a humid, tropical atmosphere is an eye-opener, he says.

But there is another, more practical, reason: Bad times at home pushed him towards an economically stronger Asia. 'The British government was cutting funding to all its major institutions and Kew suffered in this respect. The economy here is much stronger, with more opportunities,' he said.

Searching for greener pastures meant uprooting his family of four: his wife, a botanist at Gardens By The Bay at Marina, and their two daughters, aged 14 and 16.

But a first glimpse of his new home on a taxi ride from Changi Airport boded well for his new job. 'There's this extraordinarily well-manicured row of plants in the middle of the highway, and you think, 'This cannot be real'. It is the most impressive arrival experience anywhere,' he said.

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Malaysians urged to brace for the worst in face of changes in weather pattern

Sira Habibu and Yvonne Lim The Star 5 Dec 11;

PETALING JAYA: The changing weather pattern is disrupting the daily routine of Malaysians as heavy rains lashed most of Klang Valley and other parts of the country yet again.

Malaysians have been advised to brace for the worst, as flash floods could occur even in areas not usually known to be flood-prone, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.

Attributing the unpredictable weather to global climate change, he said the public should be prepared for any eventualities, citing how Kajang, Selangor, was unexpectedly hit by floods on Friday.

Yesterday evening, almost 100 trees were uprooted in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor as strong winds ravaged the city.

The rains were so heavy that many motorists had to stop their cars, afraid to drive further due to poor visibility.

Douglas said he had also called on relevant agencies to be on stand-by to implement mitigation measures quickly.

“They must also ensure that the flood warning system in all states are in proper working condition,” he said.

As at yesterday, 870 flood victims were evacuated to seven relief centres in five states, as the National Security Council issued flood alerts in Ledang (Johor), Manjung and Kerian (Perak), Alor Gajah (Malacca), Sepang (Selangor) and Sri Aman (Sarawak).

Douglas said the severe floods in Thailand that lasted for weeks was also a result of global climate change.

“We will look into concerted efforts to address this change,'' said Douglas, who is in Durban, South Africa, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Meteorological Department director-general Dr Yap Kok Seng said the current La Nina phenomenon provided “favourable conditions” for thunderstorms.

The department has issued a warning on strong winds and rough seas.

“Thunderstorms over waters off Selangor, east Johor (Kota Tinggi), Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kuching, Labuan, Sabah (interior, west Coast and Sandakan), Straits of Malacca and Layang-layang are expected to continue.”

Freak storm and strong winds wreak havoc across the Klang Valley
Steven Daniel The Star 5 Dec 11;

KUALA LUMPUR: A freak thunderstorm and strong winds referred to as a “mini-hurricane” by many, tore through the capital and parts of Selangor, wreaking havoc, uprooting trees and damaging properties.

The hardest hit areas in the 5pm storm were Kepong, Bandar Menjalara and Hartamas.

Road users on the MRR2 highway near Kepong turned to Twitter to report that the rain was so ferocious that many motorists stopped their vehicles by the roadside to wait it out.

A spokesman from the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) said while there was very heavy rain, it was the ferocity of the wind which caused more damage as trees were uprooted, branches snapped, billboards and signboards fell, and roof tiles and tents for functions were blown off.

“There were also reports of cars crushed by fallen trees and branches but fortunately, there was no loss of life or injury. We had earlier been warned by the Meteorological Department of the possibility of storms in the Klang Valley and had been prepared for this,” he said.

Officials from the FRD and City Hall rushed to clear the debris and remove trees blocking the roads to get the traffic moving.

Massive traffic jams up to 9pm were reported all over the capital and highway entry points into the city as motorists were forced to slow down due to fallen trees, debris and minor accidents.

It was learnt that vehicles were stuck near KM23.9 of the LDP in Puchong because of flash floods and several motorists had to be rescued by FRD officials. Areas in Kepong, Hartamas and Subang Jaya were also flooded for a while.

City Hall officials said they received reports that more than 50 trees fell mainly in Kepong and the city centre. They noted that there were several cases involving buildings with zinc rooftops being blown away.

Batu MP Tian Chua said in his Twitter message: “Horrific storm: Batu residents suffer some losses several houses in Kampung Chubadak lost atap; a few fallen trees in Jln Kolam Air”.

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Malaysia: Contractors to restore degraded forest in Sabah

Muguntan Vanar The Star 5 Dec 11;

KOTA KINABALU: The Forestry Department is stepping up its efforts to rehabilitate degraded forest in Sabah's Ulu-Segama Malua forest reserve to save the orang utan.

The department awarded reforestation contracts to four contractors to rehabilitate some 800ha of the degraded forest in the state's east coast.

The area would be replanted with indigenous tree species and wild fruit trees within a year, Sabah forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan said yesterday.

He said the area was part of the 2,400ha to be restored jointly by WWF-Malaysia and the department.

In 2007, the northern Ulu Segama area was found to have a large population of orang utan.

Mannan said the orang utan were entrapped in a poor secondary logged forest environment, with limited sources of food and shelter.

He said the objective of the programme was to improve the forest's condition.

“In the years to come, the forest will regenerate rapidly to provide fruits and nesting sites for the orang utan population and ensure their survival,” he added.

WWF-Malaysia forest restoration manager Joseph Gasis said by nature the orang utan built their sleeping nest each night and only sleep at one per night.

He noted that without sufficient food and suitable trees for building nests, the orang utan would need to travel long distances, and ultimately become extinct.

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6 Chinese arrested for turtle catch in Philippines

(AP) Google News 4 Dec 11;

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Six Chinese fishermen have been arrested in western Philippine waters for catching endangered sea turtles, officials said Sunday.

The fishermen, from China's southern island province of Hainan, were arrested Friday in waters off western Palawan province's Balabac township, said Maj. Niel Estrella, a Philippine military spokesman.

They are expected to be charged in court Monday for violating the Philippines' wildlife act and fisheries code provisions against catching endangered animals, said Adelina Villena, chief lawyer at the government's Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.

The fishermen's speedboat was intercepted by a joint team from the navy, coast guard and environment department.

Glenda Cadigal, a wildlife specialist at the Palawan Council, said the catch included 12 green sea turtles. Three turtles were alive and have been released, while nine were dead.

Villena said that if found guilty, the fishermen face a jail term of up to four years for violating the country's wildlife act, and up to 20 years for violating the fisheries code.

Estrella said the arresting team suspects that the Chinese fishermen's mother ship may have escaped when the speedboat was intercepted.

Palawan is the nearest Philippine province to the disputed Spratly Islands, which are claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.

Endangered sea turtles are often caught for food and for use in traditional medicine.

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Mozambique's new forests may not be as green as they seem

Johannes Myburgh AFP Yahoo News 5 Dec 11;

Foreign companies are spending billions of dollars to plant forests in Mozambique, but conservationists fear the investments aren't as good for the environment as they might initially seem.

Mozambique has about 400,000 square kilometres (155,000 square miles) of largely untouched forests, an area larger than Germany that covers half of the country, making it a prime target in the African land rush that has seen foreign firms staking large claims for agri-business across the continent.

Three of Mozambique's biggest forestry investors tout their "green" credentials, with schemes to plant trees to filter carbon from the atmosphere and help slow global warming.

But the projects have drawn the ire of local communities who sometimes claim they were never consulted, and of activists who fear the consequences of replacing natural forests with commercial plantations of pine and eucalyptus.

Norwegian forestry group Green Resources and Portuguese paper producer Portucel have started on eucalyptus plantations, investments each worth more than $2.2 billion covering a total of 250,000 hectares (600,000 acres).

Both companies say their programmes comply with international schemes that aim to remove carbon from the atmosphere while creating economic benefits for Mozambique by processing wood for paper and building materials.

"The forestry plantations are planted in areas degraded by (human activity), therefore no felling of valuable indigenous trees will be required," Portucel spokeswoman Ana Nery told AFP.

But environmentalists argue the plantations will threaten Mozambique's biodiversity, saying degraded forests should be allowed to regenerate naturally.

"It is easy to say it is degraded zones. There is still so much biodiversity left and it recovers quickly," said Philip Owen, president of South African environmental NGO Geasphere.

When companies create new plantations, "especially with eucalyptus and pine, it has a terrible impact on resources", he said.

The Global Solidarity Forest Fund, run by churches in Norway and Sweden, holds around 23,000 hectares for pine and eucalyptus in a similar programme.

But Geasphere has accused the Fund of chopping down trees "at an alarming rate to give space to monoculture tree plantations."

The group criticised "the extremely high water consumption of the alien plants," with a single eucalyptus able to suck up 50 litres (13 gallons) of water a day, and the occupation of fertile land "vital to the food security" of small farmers.

The Swedish Cooperative Centre, a charity that supports small farmers, accused the Fund of bribing local leaders known as regulos to win approval for the plantations, resulting in conflicts with nearby communities.

"The community consultation was not done properly and the community does not feel involved," said Kajsa Johansson, the charity's chief in Mozambique.

Over the past three years small farmers have set fires to plantations out of frustration, she said.

"They uprooted plants. They also burnt the storage room of the company," she added.

The Fund has since replaced its management team.

"We are aware that afforestation has to be done very carefully," Fund spokeswoman Kinna Brundin told AFP.

"We are taking measures in identifying possible problems and will strengthen the consultation."

Globally, programmes to encourage poor countries to preserve large forests are a key part of the UN climate talks underway in the South African city of Durban, after the last round of talks in Mexico agreed to standards on the protection of forests.

South African agronomist Coert Geldenhuys said the trick is to find a balance between natural and planted forests.

"The question is, the new trees need to be integrated in the landscape," he said.

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