Malaysia: ‘No need to save up on fish stock’

lee yen mun The Star 17 May 14;

PUTRAJAYA: Freshwater fish harvest may be affected by an increase in salinity brought about by the El Nino phenomenon but the Government has given an assurance that there will be enough supply for local consumption during the expected drought.

Consumers need not worry as pre-emptive measures to beef up fisheries stock have been taken to prevent drastic price increases that may be caused by insufficient supply, said Fisheries Department deputy director-general (development) Datuk Ismail Abu Hassan.

He said fisheries products would also be sourced from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and India if the need arose.

“During drought, the salinity of the water may increase up to 40ppt (parts per thousand) from the usual 25ppt to 28ppt.

“Along with an increase in temperature, some species, particularly freshwater types such as tiger prawns and ikan siakap, have a higher risk of contracting disease, which may lead to a higher death rate,” Ismail said yesterday.

Malaysia produces 1.7 million tonnes of fish products annually, estimated at RM12bil, with local consumption of shrimps alone estimated at 100 tonnes per day.

Ismail urged aquaculture farmers and fishermen to take early measures to minimise losses that may be caused by the effects of El Nino and to carry out “break cycle” activities such as repair works during the dry season.

The World Meteorological Organisation has forecast that El Nino may occur from June to September. The Malaysian Mete­orological Department has said its effects may only be truly felt several months after that.

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Malaysia: Village reeling from pollution

mohd farhaan shah The Star 17 May 14;

Keeping a close eye: Kampung Air Masin chief Lim Thiam Hock (right, standing) observing his ‘kelong’ to check on the condition of his fish at Kukup in Pontian.

PONTIAN: The future of Kukup, the state’s biggest fishing village, is under threat from the constant water pollution that had affected the daily catch of fishermen there.

Kampung Air Masin chief Lim Thiam Hock said pollution from passing vessels and land-based pollutant discharges from rivers all play a role in the dwindling catch.

He pointed out that the 150-year-old village has more than a 100 fishermen with 76 kelong (fishing stations built on stilts) spread across the Malacca Straits, which is the highest in Johor.

On a good day, Lim said the fishermen here could easily catch more than 100kg of fish in the open sea, however, due to pollution and other factors including weather, the number has dropped.

“Nowadays, we are lucky to get more than 50kg, and have to rely on our kelong to supplement our catch.

“The oil from passing vessels and agrochemicals from plantations nearby rivers have made life difficult for fishermen,” he said in interview.

Lim added that there have also been cases of oily sludge getting trapped in the kelong nets that resulted in huge losses for the fishermen, and that an episode in 2012 that affected kelong in Tanjung Piai and Kukup caused millions of ringgit in losses.

“Our hope is that the pollution will stop as measures must be taken to ensure the village continues to prosper for another 100 years to come,” he said, adding that the villagers have voiced their frustrations to the relevant agencies on the future of the village.

When contacted, state Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the state environment department would send a team to investigate claims made by the villagers.

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Malaysia: Environmentalists - We don't want to lose Tanjung Aru beach; latest zoning slammed

muguntan vanar The Star 18 May 14;


(From left) The current draft plan, the current view of Tanjung Aru and the overlay of the current document with Tanjung Aru as it is today.

KOTA KINABALU: Environmentalists are seeing red over the latest zoning for the city’s iconic Tanjung Aru beach.

Describing the second and final Draft Kota Kinabalu Local Plan 2020 as going against the wishes of the people, the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) said it was totally unacceptable as the plan reduces public space and allows for sea reclamation along Tanjung Aru beach for hotels to be built.

“We are shocked with the new draft plan produced by the Kota Kinabalu City Hall for Tanjung Aru beach area which shows three areas on water - zoned as ‘Hotels & Resorts’ - that will definitely leave a small patch of beach for the public,” said Sepa president Lanash Thanda on Sunday.

She said that the needs of Sabahans should come ahead of big business, tourists and the wealthy as the people had already lost so much of the state’s nature to huge businesses.

“This new reclamation areas and zoning for Hotel & Resorts such as those described in the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) for example is unacceptable and goes against the wishes of the people,” Lanash added.

Sepa also wants the city hall to extend the May 22 deadline for people to submit their views and objections to the new plan that was made public on May 8.

“The deadline must be extended, as all necessary documents are not ready for the public to view and they have nothing online, which would ease public access to all the documentation,” said Lanash.

She said that Sepa wants a proper stakeholder consultation to be held with all groups and concerned individuals, with all material and documentation be given ahead of the meeting.

“When Sutera Harbour was being built, the then Tourism and Environmental Development Minister promised all Sabahans that we would have a public park and a public beach, where is it?

"We refuse to lose Tanjung Aru beach, it’s the last of KK’s beaches and it belongs to all of us and not just the rich,” Lanash said, adding that Sepa together with many other non-governmental organisations and groups have also started a Facebook page, “Save Tanjung Aru Beach” to disseminate information to members of the public.

Lanash also questioned how the Royal Turf Club formerly used for horse racing was zoned for ‘Mixed Uses’’ when it was handed over for airport runway extension.

"Under the new plan, is it for development? This is just ridiculous and wrong,” she added.

Another issue was that members of the public were told to purchase a RM1 form from KKCH if they wished to lodge an objection.

However, the KKCH’s own brochure clearly states under clauses No. 9 and No. 13 that members of the public can lodge complaints via email, fax and letters.

“We called just to make sure and we were informed that it is mandatory to purchase the form if you want to make a objection. How can you call this public consultation?” asked Lanash.

Sepa urged members of the public to visit the Save Tanjung Aru Beach Facebook page to see how they could lodge an objection to the KKCH.

Sabah may lose public beach to private development
New Straits Times 19 May 14;

KOTA KINABALU: The latest zoning for Kota Kinabalu Local Draft Plan 2020 will see city folks losing more public space, including beaches, to make way for new hotels and resorts, said Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA).

Yesterday, SEPA President Lanash Thanda said the new draft planned by City Hall for Tanjung Aru beach near here showed three areas zoned as hotels and resorts.

"This leaves an extremely small patch of beach for members of the public. We are extremely shocked when we saw the draft."

Describing it as unacceptable, Lanesh said the needs of the majority of people should come first instead of big businesses and wealth.

"These new reclamation areas and zoning for hotels and resorts, such as those described in the Tanjung Aru Eco Development, for example, go against what the majority of people want."

SEPA wanted an extension to the timeline for feedback to be obtained from the public, non-governmental organisations and other quarters.

"All necessary documents are not for public viewing and they have nothing online that could ease our worries."

Lanash said a stakeholder consultation should also be held.

"When Sutera Harbour was built, we were promised that there would be a public park and a beach, but where are they?"

"We do not want to lose Tanjung Aru beach as it is the last of Kota Kinabalu's beach and it belongs to all of us, not just the rich.

"We would also want to ask why is the area in Tanjung Aru, where the Royal Turf Club used to have horse races, is now zoned as 'mixed uses'?

"The public was told that this space was being handed over for an airport runway extension and safety, but now, it is earmarked for development?"

Lanash urged the public to visit the Save Tanjung Aru Beach Facebook page to find out how they could lodge objections to the City Hall.

Sepa sees red over Kota Kinabalu plan
The Star 19 May 14;

KOTA KINABALU: Environmentalists are seeing red over the latest zoning plans for the city’s iconic Tanjung Aru beach.

Describing the second and final Kota Kinabalu Local Draft Plan 2020 as going against the people’s wishes, Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) said the plan would reduce public space and allowed for sea reclamation along Tanjung Aru beach so that hotels could be built.

Sepa president Lanash Thanda expressed shock with the new draft plan for the Tanjung Aru Eco Development area produced by Kota Kinabalu City Hall (KKCH).

“It shows three areas on the water, zoned as hotels and resorts, that will definitely leave the public with just a small patch of beach,” she said.

She said the needs of the people should come first instead of business.

Lanash said Sepa also wanted KKCH to extend the May 22 deadline for the public to submit their views to the new plan that was made public on May 8.

“Tanjung Aru beach is the last of Kota Kinabalu’s beaches, and it belongs to all of us and not just the rich,” she added.

Lanash also questioned why the public had to pay RM1 for an objection form from KKCH.

“KKCH’s own brochure stated that complaints can be sent via e-mail, fax or letter.

“We called up and found out that it is mandatory to purchase the form if you want to make a objection.

“How can you call this public consultation?” she asked.

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Indonesia: Three key problems encountered in preservation of coral reefs

Antara 16 May 14;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Peoples Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) highlighted the three key issues of illegal fish catching equipment, coastal reclamations, and mining activities being encountered in the preservation of coral reefs.

"The problems being faced in preserving the coral reefs in Indonesia are the three points mentioned above. The government has to handle the problem well," Kiara Secretary General Abdul Halim reiterated here on Friday.

He pointed to the widespread use of trawlers and explosives, which played a significant role in destroying the coral reef life.

Abdul Halim also emphasized that illegal land reclamation was rampant in coastal areas. It has occurred in 22 districts and can have a damaging effect on the ecosystem.

In the meantime, illegal sand mining in the sea is believed to produce materials that affect the respiratory and photosynthetic capabilities of the coral reef life.

Indonesias coral reefs cover an area of 25 thousand square kilometers, which are about 50 to 60 percent of those found in Asia and the Pacific, or about 25 percent of the worlds coral reefs.
(Uu.A014/INE/KR-BSR/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Coral reefs as sustainer of food security
Otniel Tamindael Antara 16 May 14;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Coral reefs, the major topic of discussion in the World Coral Reef Conference (WCRC) in Manado, on May 14-16, 2014, are being looked at for sustaining food security and saving the world from global warming.

Officially opened by Indonesian Vice President Boediono, the conference in Manado, North Sulawesi, was attended by marine and coral reef experts from a number of countries, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Britain, and the United States.

In his opening remark, Vice President Boediono said WCRC was expected to yield an agreement on sustainable coral reef management for peoples welfare.

"All relevant parties in this conference should work together to reach an agreement on sustainable coral reef management," the vice president noted in his opening address here on Friday.

He remarked that all participating countries will discuss their plan of action in their efforts to save the coral reef ecosystem and ways to promote sustainable management of coral reefs.

The Indonesian vice president reiterated that coral reefs were part of the worlds ocean ecosystem with a rich biodiversity, and therefore, they should be protected in a sustainable manner.

"Indonesias coral reefs are home to schools of fish, different species of fish and other marine biota of various types that have to be protected for the welfare of all people in this country," Boediono affirmed.

He pointed out that the Indonesian waters have a rich variety of reefs, including fringing reefs, barrier reefs and patch reefs that need to be well protected.

According to the vice president, around 60 million people of Indonesia live alongside the coastline and entirely depend on the coral reefs for their livelihoods.

"With such a condition, it is understood that Indonesia is vulnerable to the degradation of the coral reefs on which it is highly dependent," the vice president emphasized.

Therefore, he said as part of Indonesias commitment to the coral triangle initiative, the country in 2010 declared part of its territorial waters as marine resources conservation areas.

Meanwhile, Marine and Fisheries Minister Sharif C. Sutardjo, a coordinator for the National Organizer of WCRC, said the conference is also expected to deliver the Manado Communiqu, an agreement aiming for the realization of sustainable coral reef management.

Furthermore, the event can drive the countries with long coastlines to initiate their own coral reef protection and conservation programs.

He said the conference was jointly coordinated by the central and regional governments following rising concerns about the degradation of coral reefs throughout the world.

The conference is important, specifically to take stock and compile the synchronization and establishment of policies and actions in the management and utilization of coral reef resources, WCRC national committee Chairman Sudirman Saad said.

The summit also aims to collect and formulate shared values, perceptions and purpose in the management of coral reef ecosystems as treasured natural resources to be inherited by future generations.

Moreover, the event also provides an opportunity to inform and adopt best practices, methods, approaches, knowledge, science and the latest technology to be applied to coral reef resources management, particularly of local coral reef ecosystems.

"WCRC is expected to lead to sustainable coral reef management, an action plan from coastal countries to save coral reef ecosystems and steps towards a sustainable coral reef management convention," Sudirman reiterated.

Manado city administration spokesman Haefrey Sendoh stated that WCRC is a summit of countries with coral reefs to highlight the importance of coral reef ecosystems to human life and ways to preserve them.

"We have made all the necessary preparations to host this prestigious international event in a bid to save the coral reef ecosystems," Haefrey stated in Manado recently.

He claimed that they were ready to ensure security and to make the city of Manado clean and comfortable for this international event.

The appointment of Manado to host this international event was inseparable from its extensive marine potential with the diversity of coral reefs that covers one third of the worlds coral reef areas.

In addition, naming Manado as the base of Permanent Regional Secretariat for Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI - CFF) on May 15, 2014, has confirmed Manado as world coral reef capital city.

CTI-CFF is a multilateral partnership of six countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Island, and East Timor, established on 2009 with the mission of eradicating the real threats faced by the Coral Triangle.

The Secretariat, which is to reside on a 1.5 hectare new complex in Manado, will act as the control centre and the main coordinating board to implement the CTI-CFF regional action plan.

Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Sutardjo said the action plan covers the establishment of seascapes towards the focus of the marine resource management, the development of the water conservation zones, the sustainable fishery management building, the adaptation reinforcement of the coastal areas to the climate change and the conservation of the endangered marine species.
(T.O001/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)

Editor: Priyambodo RH

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Indonesia Approves Blue Swimming Crab Harvest Control Rule

Antara 17 May 14;

Bogor, W Java (Antara News) - Indonesias blue swimming crab stakeholders have approved an adaptive harvest control rule to ensure a sustainable fishery in the country, an Indonesian Blue Swimming Crab Processing Association (APRI) official said.

The harvest control rule has regulated the minimum harvest size, fishing gear restriction and habitat protection for nursery and spawning ground, APRI Executive Director Arie Prabawa said in his written statement made available to Antara here Saturday.

The minimum harvest size that the trade association, fishers, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fishery, and the marine affairs and fishery offices had agreed was 10 centimeters while the escape vent size applied in fishing gear restriction using crab pot was 5,0 cm x 3,5 cm, he said.

The approval was recently made by the blue swimming crab stakeholders in a workshop and socialization of blue swimming crab harvest control rule in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi Province, he said.

Prabawa said the harvest control rule was widely needed by fishery management strategy toward to sustainability.

"The Marine Stewardship Council, an international Eco labeling certification, will recognize the sustainable fishery through sustainable fishery stock, fishery habitat and fishery governance," he said.

In supporting an effective harvest control rule, the management controls were needed by making such efforts as forming fishery management body; conducting public awareness campaigns, community education, and monitoring and surveillance; pushing government support with budget and creating alternative livelihood for the fisheries, he said.

About the demand of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus), Arie Prabawa said that it has been increasing significantly in the last two decades.

Quoting the 2013 statistical data, he said the fishery of blue swimming crabs value amounted to over 360 million US dollars or the third position after shrimp and tuna.

"This fishery is intensively sourced across Indonesia by thousands of fishers, and supported by thousands more women at

home industries as pickers. It has become the largest artisanal fishery involving most of fishery communities in Indonesia," he said.

In ensuring the fishery sustainability, APRI has launched a long term sustainability program, called Fishery Improvement Project (FIP). The FIP will be conducted by the Marine Stewardship Councils indicators and principles," he added.
(Tz.R013/f001 )

Editor: Fardah

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Indonesia: Littoral Nations Endorse Arafura Plan

Jakarta Globe 16 may 14;

Indonesia’s Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo, Timor-Leste’s Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Mariano Assanami Sabino and the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty on Thursday signed a declaration on the sustainable management of the marine and coastal ecosystem in and around the Arafura and Timor Seas.

The three officials endorsed a regional effort called the Strategic Action Program that will promote the restoration, conservation and management of marine and coastal ecosystems for the Arafura and Timor Seas — known as the ATS region, in recognition of the vital role the tropical region plays in the circulation of the world’s oceans.

The area is responsible for the livelihoods of millions of people and makes a substantial contribution to domestic food production and exports.

These seas contain the most pristine — and highly threatened — coastal and marine ecosystems in the world, underscoring the urgent need for trans-boundary management.

The waters also play an important economic and ecological part in the three countries bordering them as the area is extremely rich in marine resources as well as oil and gas reserves.

“This kind of regional cooperation and collaboration is so important to protect and manage this valuable global resource,” said Beate Trankmann, the country director of the United Nations Development Program in Indonesia, which is working closely with relevant ministries and providing technical expertise for the effort.

The declaration includes plans to recover and sustain fisheries, by restoring degraded habitats and reducing land-based and marine sources of pollution to allow sea life to flourish.

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As shrimp farms fail, mangroves make a comeback

Melinda Chickering, Mangroves Action Project Reuters 16 May 14;

Tanakeke Island, off the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, once had extensive mangrove forests. But more than two-thirds of the mangroves surrounding the island were destroyed to build more than 1,200 hectares of shrimp ponds.

Now, with two-third of the shrimp ponds failing or now disused, that process is being reversed, with a surge of mangrove planting.

Heavy rains have contributed to severe flooding on the island with increasing regularly over the past few years, helping to push sea water over the dike walls surrounding shrimp farms, and washing the crustaceans out to sea.

Many others were killed by a virus at the turn of the century that slashed once substantial revenues from shrimp farming.

For more than 20 years, 57-year-old Haeruddin Daeng Ngenjeng, has farmed shrimp and milkfish in aquaculture ponds to supply the seafood export market that developed in the 1980s and 1990s.

But Haeruddin and many other villagers have now switched their focus to seaweed farming, which requires a considerably lower financial investment. Ropes tied to discarded plastic drink bottles float on the surface of the sea. Carageenan seaweed is draped over the ropes and floats just below the sea’s surface in the sunshine.

As incomes rebound due to seaweed cultivation, more people are engaging in mangrove restoration. Appreciation of their value as a buffer for coastal storms and as a habitat for wildlife is growing, and over the past five years, 400 hectares of mangroves have been rehabilitated.

Local efforts at rehabilitation began in the early part of the century after shrimp aquaculture began to wane, but it has picked up momentum since the arrival of Mangrove Action Project (MAP) Indonesia.

Villagers have been cooperating with scientists from MAP to implement Ecological Mangrove Rehabilitation (EMR), a multi-stage process pioneered by Roy Robin Lewis in Florida.

EMR efforts tend to succeed where other rehabilitation efforts have failed due to extensive pre-project assessments of local ecology, hydrology and community. Post-planting monitoring by the community and mid-course corrections based on their observations also help.

“Unfortunately, most mangrove rehabilitation projects worldwide are little more than publicity stunts, jabbing mangrove “seedlings” of one iconic species into the mud – usually below mean sea level, where mangroves never survive (they live between mean sea level and high tide),” according to Ben Brown, founder of MAP Indonesia.

“ EMR, on the other hand, offers a process of understanding what species of mangroves should be living in which locations, and addressing issues which are preventing them from naturally regrowing.”

MAP-Indonesia adopted the field-school model, which brings farmers together in training groups. Field schools have been operating in Indonesia successfully since the 1990s, initially focusing on rice cultivation.

Abdul Gaffar, head of the agricultural extension office, which works with farmers on implementation of agricultural technology, also applies the field school model to climate change adaptation.

The greatest adaptive resource at hand is the critical thinking skills of the locals, Gaffar said, and field schools develop habits of critical thinking.

“Long ago, farmers could adapt (to changing conditions),” Ratna Fadilah, a local project director at MAP said.

“The young generation is more interested in modern education than local wisdom. Perhaps a better balance between the two can be restored through the field schools.”

With healthier mangroves once again surrounding Tanankeke, MAP ecologists and villagers both expect improved fish stocks, the nutritional foundation of local diets. Villagers are also practicing more sustainable forestry management of their remaining and rehabilitated mangroves. Public notice boards encourage only selective cutting.

“You can see that [mangrove] rehabilitation is working,” said Iona Soulsby, a field ecologist from New Zealand with MAP who spent several weeks living and working with the residents of Tanakeke.

“The community definitely understands the value of their mangroves. Community education is a big part of the rehabilitation efforts,” she said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 16 May 14

Butterflies Galore! : Green Oakblue
from Butterflies of Singapore

Walking with Nature at SOTA Day 1: Mangroves and Marine with Ria Recap from The Leafmonkey Workshop

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Working round the clock to keep Singapore's port waters safe

Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 15 May 14;

SINGAPORE: Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world, with a ship departing or arriving in the port every two to three minutes.

And it's the job of the Maritime and Port Authority's (MPA's) officers to ensure things run smoothly and ships keep to their channels.

To avoid close calls, vessel traffic officers could issue up to two warnings to ships on some days.

At MPA's Port Operations Control Centre at the PSA Vista, vessel traffic officers like Lim Man Jia monitor traffic in Singapore port waters.

She ensures that rules are followed, and provides ship captains with information on their proximity to other ships.

It is not an easy task, considering there are at least 1,000 ships in Singapore port waters at any given time.

Sometimes, warnings to these ships and those around them have to be sent out.

Lim said: "In the case of conflicting situation where ships are actually crossing, you get a bit panicky if we are unable to get hold of them. The difficulty is to actually stay composed and get our messages across as timely as possible so that these mariners they can actually make use of all this information and avoid the conflicts."

The centre monitors 60 per cent of Singapore's port waters - along western Singapore and the Singapore Strait.

The other 40 per cent of port waters is handled by another operations control centre, situated at the Changi Naval Base.

MPA says the two centres can also serve as back-ups to each other, and each centre has the capability to take control of all of Singapore's Port waters when either one of them sees an emergency.

Port inspectors also brave inclement weather to conduct between 25 and 40 enforcement checks during each of their shifts.

Each shift sees about 12 staff working a maximum of two hours before taking a break.

After the break, they are assigned to a different console which includes being out at sea.

For port inspectors like Andi Johan Shah and his 44 port inspection officers, this is anything but a routine shift.

They could be inspecting anything between 25 and 40 harbour and pleasure crafts that operate in Singapore port waters, on any given day during each of their shifts".

Andi and his team conduct enforcement and safety checks, and they could see violations ranging from manning a craft without proper licences to being overloaded.

They are also the first to respond to incidents such as oil spills, collisions, as well as search and rescue missions.

"The port waters have become smaller because of the reclamation works. Singapore is expanding. It's very challenging because you've got to be kept updated on where you can go and where we can't go," said Andi.

He added: "When reclamation works are ongoing, the waters also change, the depth of waters also changes so vessels do run aground based on that."

However, Andi said their training and keeping abreast of changes keeps them a step ahead all the time.

- CNA/fa

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New framework for marine habitat protection in the Coral Triangle will help secure food and livelihoods – WWF

WWF 14 May 14;

14 May 2014, Manado, INDONESIA: WWF applauds the governments of the six Coral Triangle countries for launching the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS) Framework and Action Plan today at the World Coral Reef Conference.

“Healthy marine habitats, through the effective protection and management of key areas, are vital for people’s food security, livelihoods, and economic stability. WWF welcomes this significant accomplishment of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security,” says Jackie Thomas, WWF Coral Triangle Programme Leader.

“With effective management and investment, these areas can help reduce pressure on fish stocks by preventing overfishing, destructive fishing, and habitat degradation—the very threats causing fish stocks to decline. They will lead, over time, to increases in fish populations, size, and biomass, allowing spillover to nearby fishing grounds,” adds Thomas.

The CTMPAS Framework and Action Plan, endorsed in 2012 by the six Coral Triangle countries, contains criteria for the effective management of Marine Protected Area (MPA) and guides the development of a system of MPAs in the region.

The launch recognizes the first set of regionally-significant MPAs in the Coral Triangle region.

Biggest MPA in Malaysia
One of the flagship marine areas being touted as part of this regional system of protected sites is the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) in Sabah, Malaysia—a globally-significant priority conservation area in the Coral Triangle, threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing, and pollution.

The Malaysian State of Sabah has made the commitment to gazette TMP by 2015 and WWF is currently advocating for the Sabah government to meet this target.

“TMP’s rich marine biodiversity creates productive fishing grounds that support more than 80,000 people in coastal and island communities within this area. Fisheries is the economic driver of this area with approximately 100 tonnes of daily fisheries landing valued at USD200,000 a day,” says Robecca Jumin, WWF-Malaysia Marine Programme Manager.

“The CTMPAS Framework and Action Plan provides a much needed boost for gazetting this site and will help secure food and jobs for communities that are mostly made up of fishermen and fish traders,” adds Jumin.

An exemplary regional platform for food security and livelihoods
The six Coral Triangle countries–Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste—came together in 2007 to form a multilateral partnership to safeguard the marine and coastal resources of the Coral Triangle region. The landmark initiative is now known as the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).

The CTI-CFF is an example of a regional framework under which governments, private sector, civil society, donors and development partners collectively aim for the sustainable management of marine resources with the goal of protecting the critical marine ecosystems essential to support food security and livelihoods in the Coral Triangle.

With more than 120 million people directly dependent on the region’s finite marine resources, protecting and managing key areas that are critical to food and livelihoods has been one of WWF’s priorities in the region.

“Ignoring marine habitat protection means risking the future of humanity. We urge governments from other parts of the world to follow this exemplary initiative of Coral Triangle countries and provide more investments in ocean protection for people’s wellbeing,” says Thomas.

6 Coral Triangle Iniative (CTI) Countries Establish Permanent Regional Institution
Antara 16 May 14;

MANADO, North Sulawesi, May 15, 2014 (ANTARA) -- Six state members of Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI - CFF) commemorated its 5th anniversary by officially establishing a Permanent Regional Secretariat which is absed on Manado, Indonesia. CTI-CFF is multilateral partnership of six countries, spanning of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Island, and East Timor, established on 2009 with the mission of eradicating the real threats faced by the Coral Triangle.

The Secretariat, which is to reside a 1.5 hectare of new complex in Manado, North Sulawesi, will act as the control centre and the main coordinating board to implement the CTI-CFF Regional Action Plan. Sharif C. Sutardjo, the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, said, "The Action Plan covers the establishment of seascapes towards the focus of the marine resource management, the development of the waters conservation zone, the sustainable fishery management building, the adaptation reinforcement of the coastal areas to the climate change, and the conservation of the endangered marine species."

Sharif continued, "Four of six CTI-CFF countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, and Solomon Island, have already ratified the agreement. The agreement therefore is already kicked off."

In addition to the inauguration of the Coral Triangle Center, the CTI-CFF Ministerial Council also approved the application for the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS) and the CTI-CFF Women Leaders Forum as well as ratifying a few last steps of the admission process of Brunei Darussalam as the new CTI-CFF member. the Ministerial Council consists of the Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sharif C. Sutardjo; Department Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Papua Nugini Gunther Joku; Undersecretary for Policy and Planning,Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines, Manuel Gerochi; The Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology, Solomon Island, Bradley Tovosia; and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, East Timor, Mariano Assanami Sabino.

The CTI-CFF is supported by a number of governmental, organizational, and NGO partners, such as The Government of Australia, the Government of United States, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Global Environment Facility, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, Worldwide Fund for Nature, and Coral Triangle Center.

For more information, please contact:

Anang Noegroho
Head of Statistic and Data Center
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries
+62-21-351-9070

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El Nino's threat to major food crop yields

Mark Kinver BBC News 15 May 14;

El Nino events can have a significant impact on the yields of certain major food crops, a study has shown.

Researchers say the climatic phenomenon, which triggers changes in temperature and rainfall, can reduce maize yields by more than 4%.

El Nino episodes are caused by changes in the sea surface temperature in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Writing in Nature Communications, the team said the data could be used by governments to manage food supplies.

They wrote: "Results show that El Nino likely improves the global-mean soybean yield by 2.1-5.4% but appears to change the yields of maize, rice and wheat by -4.3% to 0.8%.

"The global-mean yield of all four crops during La Nina years tend to be below normal (-4.5% to 0.0%)," they observed.

The periodic warming (El Nino) and cooling (La Nina) of sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific Ocean are phases in the naturally occurring phenomenon El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

These phases cause a shift in the position of the jetstream, which - in turns - alters temperature and rainfall patterns in many regions around the world.

These changes result in extreme weather conditions, such as drought or abnormal rainfall, in the affected areas. This has a knock-on effect on crop yields, which are heavily influenced by temperature and precipitation levels.

Food forecasts

"This new work tells us that we can predict when the bad years will be, ahead of the harvest," explain co-author Prof Andy Challinor from the University of Leeds, UK.

The researchers found that the high reliability of ENSO forecasts presented an opportunity to link it with global crop yields data.

This, in turn, would be potentially beneficial for food monitoring and famine early warning systems.

The team mapped the impact of ENSO on the yields of four major food crops: maize, rice, wheat and soybean.

These crops account for almost 60% of the world's food calories produced on croplands.

The team observed: "Our results reveal that ENSO's impacts on the yield vary among geographical locations, crop types, ENSO phase and technology used by the crop-producing regions.

"Consequently, minimising the negative impacts or maximising the positive impacts of ENSO on global yields are increasingly important not only to ensure short-term food availability but also to maintain positive yield trends."

The scientists suggested that the forecasts could help mitigate impacts by influencing planting dates, crop choices, as well as considering other inputs such as chemical treatments and irrigation.

"An improved response to ENSO could reduce the risk of malnutrition; allow for an increase in agricultural investment in positively impacted years; and improve the adaptation capability to climate variability and change."

Earlier this year, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted a warming of the tropical Pacific, with a majority of models indicating that an "El Nino may develop around the middle of the year".

This week, data collected by Nasa satellites showed that conditions in the eastern Pacific at the beginning of May 2014 were similar to those experienced in May 1997 - a year that saw one of the powerful El Nino episodes in the 20th Century, which claimed an estimated 2,100 lives and caused US $33bn damage to properties.

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Brazil laundering illegal timber on a 'massive and growing scale'

Greenpeace uncovers evidence that illegally logged timber is being sold on to buyers in the UK, US, Europe and China
Jonathan Watts and John Vidal theguardian.com 15 May 14;

Illegally logged timber in Brazil is being laundered on a massive and growing scale and then sold on to unwitting buyers in the UK, US, Europe and China, Greenpeace claimed on Thursday.

After a two-year investigation, the environmental campaign group says it has uncovered evidence of systematic abuse and a flawed monitoring system that contradicts the Brazilian government's claims to be coping with the problem of deforestation in the Amazon.

In a report released on Thursday, Greenpeace cited five case studies of the fraudulent techniques used by the log launderers, including over-reporting the number and size of rare trees, logging trees protected by law, and over-extraction. It notes how forest management officials are implicated in the wrongdoing and several have previously been fined or detained for similar crimes in the past.

Far more than half of the wood from the two biggest timber producing regions of Brazil probably comes from illegal sources, it says, citing figures from the Brazilian environmental research NGO, Imazon, that 78% of the wood shipped from the vast Amazonian state of Pará is illegally felled, while the figure is 54% in Mato Grosso.

"Logging in the Brazilian Amazon is absolutely out of control. The current control system is being used to launder illegal timber," said Marcio Astrini, a campaigner who was part of the two-year investigation.

Widespread abuse of the current regulations for timber extraction allow illegal loggers to acquire dubiously obtained credits, according to environmental campaigners and federal prosecutors.

With little oversight, big landowners obtain permission to cut down more trees than they intend to log and then sell on unused credits to lumber mills and other farmers.

The investigation is likely to increase pressure on the government to tighten its monitoring and certification systems to minimise the damage done to the Amazon, the world's biggest forest.

Logging is often the first step towards deforestation. The extraction of the most valuable trees, such as Apé, reduces canopy cover and opens up paths into the forest that are often later used to start fires for illegal land clearance.

Estimates of the scale of the problem are based on satellite date analysis by Imazon. Using publicly available images, the organisation traces the degree of degradation of key areas in the Amazon, estimates the amount of timber felled in unauthorised areas and then compares this with official figures for timber sales.

According to Paulo Barreto of Imazon, the situation is rapidly getting worse. He says the area illegally logged increased by 151% in Pará and by 63% in Mato Grosso between 2011 and 2012.

Greenpeace says this data and the findings of their investigation point to alarming gaps in the government's control system.

"The government is failing to inspect, or verify when they grant permission for logging," said Astrini. "The government system is weak, insecure and incapable of assuring customers that they are buying sustainable timber. As a result, buyers in Brazil and overseas are involuntarily financing crime."

The government has recognised problems in the system, though it disputes the scale of the illegal logging. Last month, the Brazilian Environment Ministry said fraud in Pará was responsible for the unlawful sale of 26.8 million cubic metres of forest products.

It admitted that the control system used by the state is also flawed. In Santarem - one of the biggest cities in Pará – the authorities are also investigating a local environment ministry chief who is alleged to have colluded with logging firms.

Government officials say they have identified the loopholes and are acting to tighten the system. But federal prosecutors in Pará are unconvinced by the results so far.

"Certainly the situation is not improving. It may be the same as before or it may be getting worse," said Bruno Valente, the federal prosecutor in Pará State.

He said the authorities needed to tighten the control system and increase the number of monitors checking the veracity of logging claims.

Greenpeace also alleged that UK high street building supply chain Jewson had been selling Ipe wood from Para state without being able to show the documents that prove it is not illegal.

"Jewson sources its timber, including the rare species Ipe, from International Timber," said a Greenpeace spokesman. Both are owned by the French multinational, Saint Gobain.

Greenpeace's spokesman added: "We asked Jewson what steps it was taking to ensure its Brazilian timber was legal. The company said it 'fully recognised the importance of auditable and independent certification' and said its 'priority was always to ask for Chain of Custody certified product wherever possible'."

The environment group group has asked the UK National Measurements Office to conduct urgent checks on Jewson and other companies known to be importing Brazilian Amazon timber into the UK.

A spokesman for Jewson said: “Jewson fully recognises its obligation in regards to the important issue of the importation of timber and acts strictly in accordance with the EU timber regulation. Jewson primarily acts as a trader in relation to these regulations and as such its obligation relates primarily to keeping detailed records of the sources of all timber purchased and where this timber is then sold.

"Jewson also complies with the UK government’s timber procurement policy, which additionally requires that only timber and wood-derived products originating from an independently verifiable legal and sustainable source will be purchased for use on the government estate, with documentation required to prove it.

"With regards specifically to Brazilian timber we are committed to ensure the legality of our timber, and take extensive steps to gather all the necessary evidence from suppliers regarding its legality including the collection of the following documents: The validated authorisation of the landowner with the document which defines the longitude and latitude areas and volume of the area, together with the sale agreement between the landowner and logger: GF3 and DOF and PEFC or FSC if appropriate.

"Jewson is very happy to work closely with Greenpeace and other similar organisations in order to address any specific questions they may have in a constructive and collaborative way.

"At this stage, however, Jewson have not been presented with any specific, detailed questions, or allegations about illegal timber. If they were, this would be treated extremely seriously and would be investigated and appropriate action taken immediately.”

International Timber were contacted by the Guardian but had not replied before publication.

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