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Conservation |
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WWF - Environmental News & Opinions
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News, publications and job feeds from WWF - the global conservation organization
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Shot in the arm for Sumatran elephants and tigers
 The Indonesian government is to double the size of a national park that is one of the last havens for endangered Sumatran elephants and tigers.
Tesso Nilo National Park was created in 2004 with 38,000 hectares of forest. Today?s declaration will see that figure increase to 86,000 by the end of this year.
"This is an important milestone toward securing a future for the Sumatran elephant and tiger," said Dr. Mubariq Ahmad, WWF-Indonesia's Chief Executive. ?To ensure the commitment is effectively implemented we must redouble our efforts to eliminate poaching and illegal settlements within this special forest.?
With more than 4,000 plant species recorded so far, the forest of Tesso Nilo has the highest lowland forest plant biodiversity known to science, with many species yet to be discovered.
WWF has been supporting the government effort to extend and protect the park as the last block of lowland forest in central Sumatra large enough to support a viable elephant population. About 60 to 80 elephants are estimated to live there, along with 50 tigers.
Tesso Nilo forest is also an important watershed for more than 40,000 people living in the surrounding 22 villages.
?Tesso Nilo is still under serious threat from illegal activities, but if we can protect the forests there it will give some of Sumatra?s most endangered wildlife the breathing room they need to survive,? Dr Ahmad said.
?And while we greatly appreciate this precedent for more protection from the Indonesian government, there are other areas on Sumatra that need safeguarding for the sake of its wildlife, its threatened indigenous peoples and to reduce the climate impacts of clearing.?
WWF helped establish and supports the Tesso Nilo Community Forum, run by all 22 local communities living in the buffer zone of the national park. The forum supports joint actions to protect the Tesso Nilo forest and gives the communities a unified and more influential voice in park management.
WWF is working with local communities that suffer from human-wildlife conflict as a result of disappearing forests in the province. Hundreds of elephants have died in the last few years.
A successful Elephant Flying Squad uses domesticated elephants and mahouts to keep wild elephants inside the park from raiding village crops outside the park. WWF also promotes the planting of buffer crops that are not attractive to elephants.
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Baltic states failing to protect most damaged sea
 Nine Baltic sea states all scored failing grades in an annual WWF evaluation of their performance in protecting and restoring the world?s most damaged sea.
The assessment, presented today at the Baltic Sea Festival, graded the countries on how well they are doing in six separate areas - biodiversity, fisheries, hazardous substances, marine transport and eutrophication - and on how they have succeeded in developing an integrated sea-use management system.
The best grade (an F for just 46 per cent) was received by Germany, followed by Denmark (41 per cent) and the worst were Poland (25 per cent) and Russia (26 per cent).
?It is a shame no country could be given a satisfactory total score,? said Lasse Gustavsson, CEO of WWF Sweden. ?The Baltic Sea is influenced by a multitude of human activities, regulated by a patchwork of international and national regulations and authorities.
?What the Baltic Sea needs now is political leadership that can look beyond national or sectoral interests and take an integrated approach to solving the problems.?
Behind the bad overall scores there were some rays of hope. Germany received an A on the biodiversity score for their protection of marine areas with around 40 per cent of the country?s sea areas protected.
Latvia and Lithuania have taken measures to combat illegal fishing of cod, partly by giving inspectors the mandate to impose sanctions on site. Estonia has a narrow lead in lowering the impact of hazardous substances.
Also at the festival WWF awarded Tarja Halonen, president of the Republic of Finland, with the Baltic Sea Leadership Award for ?her persistent efforts to unite groups and encourage cross-border discussions on the future of the Baltic Sea?.
Finland is the only country in the region that has developed a cross-sectoral marine policy and several other countries are now taking steps to review their marine management.
?We now have an opportunity in the area of sea-use management with two current processes on the European level,? said Vicki Lee Wallgren, programme manager for WWF?s Baltic Ecoregion Programme.
She said initiatives such as the EU?s Maritime Policy and the EU Baltic Sea Strategy meant that ?there is hope for the Baltic Sea?.
The poor state of the Baltic Sea environment has received attention this summer because of the extensive algal blooms caused by eutrophication and for recent scientific reports on the vast ?dead zones? on the sea bottom. Seven of the world?s 10 biggest dead zones, where nothing can survive due to lack of oxygen, are found in the Baltic Sea.
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Climate change leadership baton passes to new hands
 WWF has welcomed the initiative taken by a new group of countries in showing the way forward as the latest round of UN climate talks drew to a close in Accra, Ghana today.
Confirming trends observed at previous talks, according to the WWF climate team Accra again demonstrated that the EU is losing its role as a climate leader to a range of developing countries and creative players such as Norway, Switzerland, Mexico, South Korea and India as well as the tiny Pacific island of Tuvalu.
By improving old proposals or fleshing out new ones, the global conservation agency sees these countries becoming reliable agents of progress. Together with big emerging economies they form the new engine of the talks, highlighted by South Korea?s pledge in Accra to set emission reduction targets and boost renewable energies.
While the mandate to agree a new global climate treaty by 2009 remains a gigantic challenge, Accra showed that overcoming the muddle of conflicting views and crafting an effective deal to tackle climate change is possible and depends on the political will to show leadership.
?Currently the glory in the global fight against climate change is reserved for those progressive governments which are getting the debate further down to the essentials,? says Kim Carstensen, Director WWF Global Climate Initiative.
?The cumbersome talks in Accra did not stop a first group of determined negotiators from working towards a critical shift in the debate, but a success at the next climate talks in Poznan is far from secured and we need to see more countries engage seriously in lifting the political ambitions.?
According to WWF governments managed to push their critical discussions closer to conclusions on some key issues: strategies are shaping up to reduce CO2 emissions from the destruction of forests, while talks about financing deep emission cuts and adaptation to climate impacts have gained clarity. However, other tracks of the complex negotiations failed to progress in Accra and are falling dangerously behind schedule.
?Smoke grenades thrown by backward parties and an overdose of procedural discussions have paralyzed the climate talks and overwhelmed negotiators for too long,? said Kathrin Gutmann, Policy Coordinator WWF Global Climate Initiative. ?In Accra we start seeing the first positive examples of constructive dialogue led by innovative parties, which should become a solid trend in Poznan in December.?
?The EU disappointed in Accra, just like it disappointed at previous talks in Bonn, expressing regret for coming to the negotiation table with empty hands,? said Diane McFadzien, Programme Coordinator WWF Global Climate Initiative. ?Poznan should be a home match for the Europeans and a perfect opportunity to live up to their full potential - in order to avoid matching Canada, Russia, Japan, Australia and the US in their lack of ambition.?
For further information please see press release here
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Fishing Technology Letting Turtles Off the Hook
 Alternative fishing technology has been shown to save turtles while not affecting fish catches, according to a report released by WWF and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).
The report demonstrates how changing from the classic J hook to circular hooks, providing adequate training and tools to release turtles accidentally hooked and enhancing sustainable fishing practices, can dramatically reduce incidental catch (bycatch) of marine turtles without impacting fishing activity.
?The results keep demonstrating that changing to circular hooks is the right choice, since it favours turtle conservation without having an impact on the economy of artisanal fisheries," said Moises Mug, Coordinator of the WWF Bycatch Initiative for the Eastern Pacific. "Together with fishermen we are building a culture for sustainable fishing practices that will guarantee fish stocks in the long term.?
The report - Bycatch Initiative: Eastern Pacific Program, A Vehicle Towards Sustainable Fisheries - is a comprehensive analysis of data collected during four years of work in eight different countries in the Eastern Pacific - Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
?Our goal is to reduce the incidental catch of marine turtles from the long-line fishing operations without affecting the fisheries activity which is a main source of food and income for local communities,? explained Martin Hall, Principal Researcher for the IATTC.
Data gathered showed an overall significant trend of bycatch reduction, with a reduction of up to 89 per cent in the marine turtle bycatch per thousand hooks. Ninety-five per cent of all turtles caught in long-line fishing were recovered alive, while circle hooks performed as well as J hooks in the catch rates of tuna, billfishes and sharks fishery.
?This programme is going beyond an initial focus of saving sea turtles from bycatch, and is creating the groundwork toward sustainable artisanal long-line fishing in the eastern Pacific,? said Amanda Nickson, Global Leader of WWF?s Bycatch Initiative.
?By working co-operatively, collecting data and learning how to improve practices, this programme is living proof that conservation and industry can work together for sustainability.?
For further information please see the press release, here
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Polar bears found swimming miles from Alaskan coast
 An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska?s Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water ? with one at least 60 miles from shore ? raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival.
Geoff York, the polar bear coordinator for WWF's Arctic Programme, said that when polar bears swim so far from land, they could have difficulty making it safely to shore and are at risk of drowning, particularly if a storm arises.
?To find so many polar bears at sea at one time is extremely worrisome because it could be an indication that as the sea ice on which they live and hunt continues to melt, many more bears may be out there facing similar risk,? he said.
?As climate change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat.?
Scientists say the Arctic is changing more rapidly and acutely than anywhere on the planet, noting that 2007 witnessed the lowest sea ice coverage in recorded history.
Satellite images indicate that ice was absent in most of the region where the bears were found on August 16, 2008, and some experts predict this year?s sea ice loss could meet or exceed the record set last year.
The discovery of the nine bears at sea came as the US Minerals Management Service was conducting marine surveys in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in advance of potential offshore oil development.
In May, the US Department of Interior listed polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne cited the strong body of science pointing to the significant loss of Arctic sea ice habitat as the primary reason for protecting the bear with federal legislation.
However, the state of Alaska has opposed the listing and has sued the federal government over its decision to list the bear.
Professor Richard Steiner of the University of Alaska?s Marine Advisory Program said: ?While these bears are swimming around in an ice-free coastal Arctic Ocean, the only thing the State of Alaska is doing is suing the federal government trying to overturn the listing of polar bears.
?The bottom line here is that polar bears need sea ice, sea ice is decaying, and the bears are in very serious trouble. For any people who are still non-believers in global warming and the impacts it is having in the Arctic, this should answer their doubts once and for all.?
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Conservation 
