Thailand: Turtle egg find floats hope of leatherbacks returning to Phuket

Phuket Gazette 13 Dec 12;

PHUKET: Hopes that turtles are returning to their traditional nesting sites along the Andaman Coast soared as a second clutch of leatherback turtle eggs was discovered on Tai Muang Beach in Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, within an eight day period.

The discovery of the nest on Tuesday follows a leatherback turtle being spotted laying eggs on the beach on December 3.

However, officers at the Khao Lampi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park, where both nests were created, believe that the two clutches of eggs were laid by different turtles.

“The turtle spotted on December 3 was 2.12 meters long, but tracks left in the sand from this second turtle indicate that it is much smaller than the first one,” said park officer Witoon Detpramuanphol.

The nest discovered by local villagers early Tuesday morning was located about 500 meters from where the first turtle was spotted on December 3.

“We found 109 eggs in the nest, but we did not see the mother,” said Mr Witoon.

“The nest contained 109 eggs: 99 of them are good, 10 are undeveloped. The good eggs have been transferred to a safe place. We expect them to hatch in about 60 days,” he added.

Mr Witoon said that he and fellow park officers will be monitoring the area in the hope that the turtles will return to lay more eggs.

“We believe that the first turtle will come back to lay more eggs sometime between today and Saturday, as leatherback turtles usually lay eggs twice, about 10 days apart,” he said.

“The first turtle laid 131 eggs – 99 of them had been fertilized, and 32 were undeveloped. We removed the fertilized eggs to a safe place near our checkpoint so our officers can look after them and keep them safe from predators, man or otherwise,” Mr Witoon explained.

“The number of people visiting Mai Khao and development in the area have forced many turtles to lay their eggs elsewhere,” he added.

The continual rise in tourist numbers and the expansion of beachfront development have deterred leatherbacks from returning to their traditional nesting sites along the Andaman Coast, resulting in turtle nest sightings becoming increasingly rare in the region.

“Leatherback turtles used to lay eggs every year at Mai Khao Beach in Phuket and here at Tai Muang, but the last time we saw this was in January 2010,” Mr Witoon said.

However, the recent return of leatherbacks to Tai Muang Beach is being heralded as good news, and Mr Witoon believes that more leatherbacks have already returned to the area to lay eggs.

“We have seen tracks from other turtles on the beach, so we may see more turtles coming ashore to lay eggs here,” he said.

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Cook Islands' shark sanctuary creates world's largest

BBC News 13 Dec 12;

The Cook Islands has approved a shark sanctuary in its waters, making for the largest such sanctuary in the world.

The South Pacific island chain declared a 1.9 million-sq-km sanctuary, contiguous with one established last week by neighbouring French Polynesia.

That sees a ban on shark fishing and possession or sale of shark products in an area now totalling 6.7 million sq km - nearly the size of Australia.

As top predators, overfishing of sharks disrupts complex oceanic food webs.

And about a third of ocean-going sharks appear on the internationally-recognised Red List of Threatened Species.

"We are proud as Cook Islanders to provide our entire exclusive economic zone... as a shark sanctuary," said Teina Bishop, Cook Islands minister of marine resources.

"We join our Pacific neighbours to protect this animal, which is very vital to the health of our oceans, and our culture."

Other island nations with sanctuaries also include Palau, the Maldives, Tokelau, Honduras and the Bahamas.

Last week's move by French Polynesia overtook the Marshall Islands' area, outlined in late 2011, as the world's largest - and the Cook Island's claim adds 40% more area to that title.

As with the Marshall Islands' declaration, the Cook Islands' effort was with the help of the Pew Environment Group, which advocates island nations' involvement because of the vast scope of their territorial waters.

Pew worked for more than a year with the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative ahead of Thursday's announcement.

"This is hopeful news for the world's sharks and our efforts to protect them," said Jill Hepp, director of shark conservation for the Pew Environment Group.

"We are thrilled to see the Cook Islands become part of this global movement during a time when so many shark populations are threatened."

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Malaysia: Public urged to refrain from throwing rubbish into drains and rivers

Faik Zolkepli, Winnie Yeoh, Han Kar Kay and Nigel Edgar The Star 14 Dec 12;

KUALA LUMPUR: Even with a RM828mil allocation this year for flood mitigation projects, local authorities are fighting against time to clear clogged drains and prevent flash floods during the current rainy season.

However, there is a better, cheaper and more obvious solution stop people from throwing rubbish wantonly.

According to Drainage and Irrigation Department's senior director Datuk Zainor Rahim Ibrahim, public awareness and civic consciousness in maintaining clean drains were low.

“The garbage snagged on log booms that are used to trap debris in the rivers prove that people are simply discarding things into drains, which then flow into rivers,” he said.

He said a DID study pointed to Kajang, Sungai Buloh, Klang, Seri Kembangan and Sungai Besi as “hot spots” for flash floods.

“Clogged drains are one of the main causes for floods in these places,” he said.

Zainor said that although drains were designed and built to prevent flooding, deluges could still occur if rainfall exceeded the design's limit.

The DID has taken several steps to prevent floods, including the construction of new water retention ponds and upgrading existing ones.

“The department also helps local authorities by providing technical advice,” Zainor said.

“But the operation and maintenance of urban drainage systems are under the control of the councils.”

Zainor said there should be higher public awareness on the importance of maintaining clean drains.

He said all the public had to do was to refrain from throwing waste into drains, waterways and lakes, adding that communities could also hold gotong-royong sessions to clean up the drains in their neighbourhoods.

“Recycling of waste should also be done voluntarily to reduce waste at landfills,” said Zainor.

“As for housing developers, they should implement the Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan (ESCP) to reduce clogging of drains and waterways from silt and sediment, “ he said.

Zainor said the DID had been working with non-governmental organisations to spread the word on keeping drains clean.

Among the NGOs active in this are the GAB Foundation, Global Environment Centre and Pemandu's River of Life project here.

“I hope more will join in the cause.”

‘River Rangers’ have their hands full with clean-up work
The Star 14 Dec 12;

GEORGE TOWN: Local councils and communities here have been busy working to clear clogged drains and rivers during the wet season, which is expected to last until the end of the month.

State Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director Anuar Yahya said the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) had also met representatives of all relevant agencies to discuss the issue of clogged drains recently.

“We also have a River Ranger project involving two categories Rukun Tetangga (RT) members and schoolchildren.

“Members are required to clear the drainage systems and clean up rivers to prevent floods,” he said.

State Agriculture, Agro-based Industries, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Law Choo Kiang identified Jalan P. Ramlee, Kampung Dodol, Kampung Masjid and Jalan Mahsuri as the most flood-prone areas on the island.

“The mostly likely areas to be flooded on the mainland are Alma, Kampung Titi Hitam in Jawi and Jalan Permatang Rawa.

“There are several ongoing flood mitigation projects, including in Alma, Seberang Perai and Jalan Barrack in George Town,” he added.

Bayan Baru RT chairman Chai Tsing Boo said residents in the area were planning to hold a gotong-royong session soon to ensure smooth flow of the drainage system.

In Kuching, Sarawak Disaster Relief Committee Chairman Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang urged the public to stop discarding rubbish into drains to prevent clogging and flash floods.

Jabu, who is also Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, said that besides clogged drains, the other common causes of flash floods in Kuching were silt and sediment from construction sites and road projects in urban and suburban areas.

Kajang council doing its best to unclog drains
The Star 14 Dec 12;

PETALING JAYA: The Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) is trying its best to clear the drains as quickly as possible during the current rainy spell to ensure that flash floods do not recur.

The latest flash flood which occurred in Country Heights in September served as a reminder that the area surrounding the town is flood-prone.

Kajang councillor Lee Learn Eng said the local authority had been pro-active in its flood preventive measures, including widening monsoon drains in housing areas.

“Realistically speaking, the council has been trying its best to widen and clear the drains but I don't think it is enough.

“Most of the old housing areas in Kajang have small drains, which often overflow due to rubbish clogging the drains,” he said.

Lee said there were still many drains to clean and many were not linked to Onside Stormwater Detention Ponds (OSDs).

“We are looking to install the OSDs in the drains but this is a long process. Some monsoon drains are not suitable for the OSDs but we are trying to explore other ways,” he said.

“Our efforts are not 100% effective but we are trying to do as much as possible,” he said.

He said the council understood the people's fear of flash floods.

“We need the cooperation of the public, especially in not dumping rubbish into the drains. We can do our part in cleaning the drains, even widening it but the people must also play their part,” he added.

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Best of our wild blogs: 13 Dec 12

New articles on Nature in Singapore website
from Raffles Museum News

Some Critters @ Bukit Brown
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Random Gallery - Blue Glassy Tiger
from Butterflies of Singapore

Sunbirds sipping nectar from flowers
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Endangered or not, RWS dolphins' welfare a concern

Louis Ng Chief Executive, ACRES Today Online 12 Dec 12;

I refer to the report "Genting Group chairman says bottlenose dolphins are 'not endangered'" (Dec 8).

Whether or not an animal suffers in captivity and whether it is ethical to remove an animal from the wild is not dependent on whether the animal is endangered. Nevertheless, the fact remains that some populations of this species are endangered.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) acquired its dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) despite information stating that the trade in these dolphins might be detrimental to the survival of this species in the Solomon Islands.

Researchers estimate that only 86 to 162 dolphins remain in Guadalcanal, from where the dolphins were removed. Based on a recent scientific study, it seems likely that a large portion of the resident T aduncus population was removed because of live captures.

Furthermore, RWS acquired 27 dolphins within a one-year period. According to the study, for the trade to be sustainable, no more than one dolphin every five years should be removed from Guadalcanal.

While the report stated that "the Singapore Government allowed their import", we should note that RWS is facing indirect contempt of court charges in the Philippines for exporting the dolphins while the case on their re-export was being heard.

Lastly, Genting Group's chairman stated that the dolphins were "part of the company's proposal when bidding for the integrated resort".

RWS was contractually obligated to have whale sharks but scrapped these plans in 2009, stating that it may not be able to care for the animals. It could do likewise now, having not lived up to its promise of providing the dolphins "with top-class care and to treat them with respect".

The deaths of three of its dolphins, the conditions they are housed in and the firework display allowed near the dolphins indicate that it is not caring for these animals.

RWS should make the right decision: Work with the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) and Earth Island Institute to rehabilitate and release the dolphins back to the Solomon Islands.

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China development threatens wildlife: WWF

(AFP) Google News 12 Dec 12;

BEIJING — From tigers to dolphins, animal populations in many of China's ecosystems have plummeted during decades of development and urbanisation, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) study said Wednesday.

The conservation group highlighted about a dozen species in different natural habitats across the country in its third China Ecological Footprint Report, saying numbers have fallen dramatically over the years.

"The populations of more than 10 flagship and keystone species in China have undergone marked decline that was particularly severe between the 1960s and 1980s," the report said.

According to findings compiled by WWF from various sources, the Yangtze river dolphin population crashed by 99.4 percent from 1980 to 2006, while that of the Chinese alligator fell by 97 percent from 1955 to 2010.

Amur tiger numbers slumped by 92 percent from 1975 to 2009 due to hunting, deforestation, habitat loss and intensified human activities, it said.

But the study noted that four animal types, including China's "star species" the giant panda, had seen gradual recoveries due to greater conservation and reintroduction efforts.

"You may know that the efforts to protect these four types have been much greater, and their numbers may have started to rise," said Li Lin, WWF's deputy country representative.

"But for the other animals you can see that, in a striking and sad way, their populations have gone down."

The study is part of a broader effort to compile decades of population data -- including size, density and capture rates -- for hundreds of species to build a "living planet index" for the country.

In a separate set of indicators updated from its latest report in 2010, the study said China was using resources such as cropland and forests at 2.5 times the rate than they could be regenerated.

This imbalance of China's ecological demand versus supply would impact the rest of the world, said Jim Leape, the director-general of WWF International, at a press conference in Beijing.

"That consumption is putting much more pressure on resources here in China than its resources can sustain" and on "resources on other continents than those continents can sustain", he said.

By comparison the world was using resources at a rate 50 percent faster than they could be regenerated, the study said.

The factors behind China's ecological footprint reflected its economic growth, urbanisation and spending on infrastructure, the report said.

The per capita ecological footprint in cities was double that of rural areas, and higher in the east -- which is more developed with greater population densities -- than in the rest of the country.

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Best of our wild blogs: 12 Dec 12

12-12-12
from Butterflies of Singapore

Research Assistant position at NTU Marine Ecology Research Group
from ecotax at Yahoo! Groups

Job Vacancies at ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society)
from Green Business Times

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Clementi 'farm' project delayed

Bad weather, snags push launch date back from late 2012 to end of January
Grace Chua Straits Times 12 Dec 12

ONCE an illegal farm, it is now a sprawling patch of bare earth, with puddles of water slicked with anti-mosquito chemicals doused by pest control workers.

The area in Clementi has been earmarked to become an official community garden, with plans including paved paths, solar lighting and a water supply.

But the date for its completion has been pushed back from late this year until the end of January after hitting a series of snags.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) previously managed the state land and it is now leased to the Bukit Timah Citizens' Consultative Committee.

An SLA spokesman said illegal structures had to be dismantled and removed, the land had to be cleared, ponds had to be filled and the ground had to be levelled before the handover.

There is also a major active gas pipe running under the stretch of land, so "the contractor was instructed to take special care in carrying out their works. In addition, the contractor was told to preserve as much of the greenery as possible," the spokesman said.

"The site preparation works were further aggravated by the rainy season, resulting in an unforeseen delay of six weeks from the original target date (for the site preparation) of end-August 2012."

The 1,800 sq m plot between Sungei Ulu Pandan and the former Malayan Railway track, near Clementi avenues 4 and 6, used to be farmed illegally by residents, mostly elderly.

Once, labourers and retirees gathered to chit-chat near a small shrine they had built there.

Other farmers had installed ponds and an outhouse, and grew bananas, sweet potatoes and other vegetables and fruit.

In March, nearby residents complained of smoke from burning leaves.

Bukit Timah Member of Parliament Sim Ann, who oversees the area, stepped in and helped develop the plan for the official community garden, and the farmers moved out in June.

The 18 farmers who registered to garden on smaller plots at the redeveloped site will be able to do so for $60 a year.

Mr Lester Yeong, 35, whose father is one of those registered, said he reckoned the new garden, smaller than the old farmland, would be done by late January.

But around the edges of the empty patch, beyond the official community garden site, there are signs of planting coming back: cramped rows of sweet potato leaves and long beans, squat banana trees jostling for space with papaya trees.

"I thought I might as well clear the long grass," said Madam Siow Siew Eng in Mandarin. She is 72 and sells her all-organic harvest to residents for spare cash.

"Doing this here, it makes me very happy."

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Malaysia: RM60m ivory tusks seized

G. Surach New Straits Times 12 Dec 12;

PORT KLANG: THE Selangor Customs Department on Monday foiled an attempt by an international syndicate to smuggle 24 tonnes of elephant tusks and ivory handicraft worth RM60 million at the North Port here.

State Customs director Datuk Azis Yacub said enforcement officers seized two containers scheduled for transshipment to China following surveillance since Friday.

They discovered 1,500 African elephant tusks hidden in a secret compartment under several pieces of wooden blocks. The goods were declared as "Acajou-type" mahogany wooden floor tiles on the shipping bill of loading.

Azis said syndicates were using Malaysian ports as a transit point to ship such goods to the far east, noting that several cases of ivory smuggling had been detected in the past two years.

"In the latest case, the goods came from the port of Lome in Togo and were heading to China when we intercepted them."

He said the syndicate behind the smuggling operations had used ship-switching tactics by first sailing from Togo via the ship Marivia before embarking at the port of Algeciras in Spain.

"In Spain, they switched the containers to the CMA CGM Titus ship prior to sailing here," he said, adding that the containers were about to be switched to another ship when Customs enforcement officers intercepted them.

Azis dismissed the involvement of locals in the syndicate but added that a Klang-based company was being investigated under Section 133 (1)(a) Customs Act 1967 for false declaration.

He said the seized tusks would be handed to the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

In January, an attempt by an international syndicate to smuggle 500kg of elephant tusks worth RM2.4 million was foiled by Customs officers while in December last year, another attempt to smuggle 15 tonnes of elephant tusks and ivory handicraft worth RM4 million was foiled at the West Port.

Massive African ivory seizure in Malaysia
TRAFFIC 11 Dec 12;

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 11th December 2012 – Royal Malaysian Customs have made their largest ever seizure of ivory in transit through the country, finding 1,500 pieces of tusks hidden in wooden crates purpose-built to look like stacks of sawn timber.

The ivory, stashed in ten crates which were divided between two containers, were shipped from the port of Lomé in Togo and were headed to China, the Selangor State Customs Director Dato’ Azis Yacub told a press conference today.

The shipment also transited through Algeciras in Spain before it headed for West Port in Port Kelang, one of Peninsular Malaysia’s busiest container terminals.

The two containers, declared to be carrying “wooden floor tiles acajou”, were held on December 7th and inspected last night. After removing the top layer of the crates, officers found the ivory in a secret compartment measuring about one metre deep.

A Malaysian company based at the port is being investigated and if convicted, the company could face up to RM500,000 in fines and individuals a maximum of five years in jail, or both.

Togo is known to be a major source of ivory exiting Africa. Although it has never reported a seizure to ETIS (the Elephant Trade Information System, managed by TRAFFIC on behalf of Parties to CITES), the country is regularly implicated in reported seizures.

This is the fourth seizure of African elephant ivory at Port Kelang and the sixth in the country since July 2011. In September 2011, 695 elephant tusks weighing close to two tonnes were seized in Port Kelang and in January this year, another seizure in December 2011 yielded 1.4 tonnes of ivory, and in January this year, a consignment weighing 492 kilogrammes was also seized there, seizures have also were been made in other ports of Penang and Johor. Tentatively, the Customs Department has estimated the weight of yesterday’s seizure at a staggering 20 tonnes.

Concern over Malaysia’s role as a transit point for illegal ivory shipments was highlighted at a meeting of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) this July: the country was asked to report on what action it has taken to address the issue.

Azis called on the public to continue providing the department with information that would help them stop more shipments like these. He assured that informants identities would be kept confidential and a financial reward would be paid if the information led to a successful case.

“TRAFFIC commends the Customs Department on its vigilance and hopes to see it pursue all leads towards finding the criminals that are using Malaysia as a transit point for ivory,” said Dr William Schaedla, TRAFFIC’s Director in South-East Asia.

“We also urge authorities to ensure proper systems are in place to catalogue and stockpile the seized ivory,” Schaedla.

TRAFFIC also encourages all the countries implicated in the seizure to investigate the case thoroughly, so that those behind the shipment can be traced and brought to justice.

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China at the centre of 'illegal timber' trade

Environmental groups accuse ports and cities of being a centre for illegally logged wood despite international conservation treaties
Laurence Caramel and Harold Thibault Guardian Weekly 11 Dec 12;

China is at the centre of a vast global traffic in illegally logged timber that is destroying entire swaths of forest around the world.

Academic research and NGOs such as WWF and Global Witness have already revealed the existence of illegal trading networks in central Africa, Burma and Russia leading directly to Chinese ports or cities. Now for the first time fingers are pointing directly to Beijing and holding public enterprises and local government officials responsible for this highly lucrative illegal trade.

The British NGO, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), published a detailed report at the end of November called "China, appetite for destruction". It reveals just how China's appetite for wood has grown in the past decades as a result of consumption by the new middle classes, as well as an export-driven wood industry facing growing demand from major foreign furniture and construction companies.

China has become the leading importer, consumer and exporter of the world's timber. Its own forests provide less than 40% of its needs. According to the report, "in response to severe flooding in 1998, China adopted a Natural Forest Conservation Programme […] and embarked on a massive programme of reforestation […] The government spent $31bn on tree planting between 1999 and 2009."

But the gap between domestic supply and demand has continued to grow. In 2011 China imported 180m cubic metres of wood products, 28% more than in 2010 and 300% more than in 2000. According to the EIA, last year one-third of all the timber sold worldwide was bought by China, with little regard to its origin.

Unlike the US, the EU and Australia, which, under pressure from public opinion, have adopted legislation banning illegal timber imports, China has made no such move. The government has only signed bilateral agreements with the US, Europe, Indonesia and Burma, the benefits of which have yet to be demonstrated.

After analysing trade data for 36 supplier countries, the EIA has concluded that approximately 10% of the logs and sawed timber is illegal, representing "turnover" of $3.7bn. Public enterprises, often controlled by provincial governments, play a strategic role in this trade, says the EIA, citing illegal imports from Indonesia and Mozambique. The report describes corruption networks in countries with weak governments such as Burma, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Rosewood trafficking is especially lucrative. Although rosewood is classified as an endangered species by the International Trade Convention, trade in that wood has risen dramatically, triggered by demand from well-off Chinese households for reproductions of Qing and Ming dynasty furniture. It is now sourced in Madagascar, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Belize, and rosewood imports to China rose from 66,000 cubic metres in 2005 to 565,000 cubic metres in 2011.

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International Trade in Live Corals Could Help Preserve Wild Corals and Coral Reefs Ecosystems, Study Suggests

Science Daily 11 Dec 12;

The international trade in corals used to be primarily a curio trade of dried skeletons, but now focuses on live corals for the marine reef aquarium trade. A team of Roger Williams University (RWU), Boston University (BU), Conservation International(CI), and the New England Aquarium (NEAq) researchers has been studying this relatively new development and have published their findings about this unique trade and its long-term implications.

The article, "Long-term trends of coral imports into the United States indicate future opportunities for ecosystem and societal benefits," appears in the December issue of the journal Conservation Letters.

Assessing 21 years of live coral import data for the United States, the researchers found that the coral trade increased over 8% per year between 1990 until the mid-2000s, and has since decreased by 9% annually. This decrease is mostly due to the current economic climate. The timing of the peak and decline varies among species, and is a result of the rising popularity of mini-reef ecosystem aquariums, the global financial crisis, and an increase in domestic aquaculture production.

The live coral trade for home aquariums has traditionally been viewed in absolute terms as a threat to these undersea areas of high biodiversity. However, realities are often grey. In the case of coral reefs, supplying the home aquarium trade with locally cultivated corals can provide real economic benefits to small island communities, and thus, an incentive to protect the reefs from which the mother colonies are obtained.

In their article, the researchers highlight this dichotomy and demonstrate that recent changes in the trade of live corals for the reef aquarium hobby are resulting in new opportunities for conservation. "The trade has moved from a wild harvest to mariculture production, a change sparked by long-term efforts to produce a sustainable income to small island countries such as the Solomon Islands and also by the government of Indonesia," says Andrew Rhyne, lead-author and Roger Williams University assistant professor of marine biology and research scientist at the New England Aquarium. This shift from a wild fishery to a mariculture product poses new opportunities and challenges for conservationists.

Coinciding with the publication of this study, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just proposed to protect 66 stony corals under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). An unintended consequence of this ESA listing would be to eliminate the benefits of the trade revealed by the study, which include elevated value for intact coral reefs, and an income source that is sorely needed in these island nations where hundreds of millions of people rely on reef resources for subsistence.

According to the researchers, the trade is still rapidly evolving, creating challenges, such as the addition of new species that outpace effective management strategies. "New species in the live coral trade initially command high prices, but as they become common the price drops with feedback effects to the trade," said Les Kaufman, co-author and Boston University professor of biology and research fellow at Conservation International.

"The live coral trade offers opportunities for coral reef ecosystem conservation and sustainable economic benefits to coastal communities," says Rhyne. Co-author, Michael Tlusty of the New England Aquarium adds, "that the realization of these externalities will require effective data tracking."

Coral reefs are under numerous human induced threats. These include the global threats of warming oceans that are becoming more acidic, and local threats such as improper land use resulting in increased nutrient loading, and overfishing, which can trigger an ecological cascade resulting in blooms of seaweed that inhibit coral growth.

While western countries are the source of the major threats to these corals reefs (because of globally-distributed carbon emissions), island nations have more than income at stake. Trade can be a powerful conservation incentive, but this emerging local conservation tool is at risk of being lost due to the well-intended but rigid rules of the ESA, here invoked to protect corals and coral reefs globally from the billions of tons of carbon released into the atmosphere by developed nations. A more selective regulatory approach that gives credit to local efforts to manage reef resources wisely may be warranted.

Journal Reference:

Andrew L. Rhyne, Michael F. Tlusty, Les Kaufman. Long-term trends of coral imports into the United States indicate future opportunities for ecosystem and societal benefits. Conservation Letters, 2012; DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00265.x

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Illegal wildlife trade threatens national security, says WWF report

WWF 12 Dec 12;

NEW YORK - Perceived by organized criminals to be high profit and low risk, the illicit trade in wildlife is worth at least US$ 19 billion per year, making it the fourth largest illegal global trade after narcotics, counterfeiting, and human trafficking, according to a new report commissioned by WWF.

Besides driving many endangered species towards extinction, illegal wildlife trade strengthens criminal networks, undermines national security, and poses increasing risks to global health, according to the report, Fighting illicit wildlife trafficking: A consultation with governments, which will be unveiled today at a briefing for United Nations ambassadors in New York.

“Wildlife crime has escalated alarmingly in the past decade. It is driven by global crime syndicates, and so we need a concentrated global response,” says Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.

“It is communities, often the world’s poorest, that lose the most from this illicit trade, while criminal gangs and corrupt officials profit. Frontline rangers are losing their lives and families that depend on natural resources are losing their livelihoods,” he said.

Much of the trade in illegal wildlife products is run by sophisticated criminal networks with broad international reach. The profits from wildlife trafficking are used to purchase weapons, finance civil conflicts and underwrite terrorist-related activities, the report finds.

The involvement of organized crime syndicates and rebel groups in wildlife crimes is increasing, according to interviews with governments and international organizations conducted by global advisory group Dalberg on behalf of WWF.

Report respondents agree that the absence of credible law enforcement, prosecution, penalties and other deterrents to wildlife trafficking reduces the perceived risks for criminal groups. They also say that consumer demand is exacerbated by the increased accessibility of illegal wildlife products through the internet.

“The demand for illegal wildlife products has risen in step with economic growth in consumer countries, and with the ‘easy money’ and high profits to be made from trafficking, organized criminals have seized the opportunity to profit,” said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

Report interviewees stressed that illegal wildlife trade is almost always seen by governments as exclusively an environmental problem and is not treated as a transnational crime and justice issue.

“Governments need to address wildlife crime as a matter of urgency,” Leape said. “It is not just a matter of environmental protection, but also of national security. It is time to put a stop to this profound threat to the rule of law.”

Government officials say that a systematic approach is needed to fight illicit wildlife trafficking including greater resourcing, inter-ministerial cooperation, and the use of modern intelligence-led investigative techniques to identify and prosecute wildlife criminals.

Finally, governments and non-governmental organizations have an important role in holding countries publicly accountable for delivering on their international commitments, the report says. The Elephant Trade Information System, executed by TRAFFIC, and the recent WWF Wildlife Crime Scorecard provide examples of reporting initiatives that highlight countries failing to uphold their commitments.

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