WWF - News & Publications

New Fisheries Act Lays Basis For Sustainable Fisheries In Mozambique

2013-04-23

The Mozambican Parliament has by consensus approved a new Fisheries Act which will address rights-based management of fisheries, mainly for the direct benefit of local fishermen and pro-poor conservation. The approval of this Fisheries Act makes Mozambique the first country in the Western Indian Ocean region to officially adopt legislation that embraces rights-based management of fisheries.

Rights-based management (RBM) is a fisheries management tool that creates rules which define both the right to use allocation of fisheries resources and the responsibility to manage them. Thus, fishermen, fishing vessels, fishing communities and so forth can be awarded a license, quota or fishing right to stocks.

According to Mozambique's Minister of Fisheries Mr. Victor Borges, the new fisheries act approved last week by parliament replaces the former one dated 1990.

"The previous act was out-dated and, therefore, not able to combat various infractions committed in this sector. In this new act, rights will be given to nationals for a certain period, depending on the fishery resource in relation to which the rights are given," said the Minister.

More than 100,000 Mozambicans depend directly on fishing and more than 530,000 depend on it indirectly according to Mozambique's Ministry of Fisheries. The new Fisheries Act is expected to give more rights to these fishermen along with addressing infractions in the fisheries sector that skew the playing field against local communities in Mozambique.

Mozambique lost revenues of US$67 million in 2012 due to illegal fishing, basically of tuna and shrimp, by foreign and national fishing vessels within its jurisdictional waters, particularly the bays of Maputo and Sofala Bank, Mozambican newspaper Correio da Manhã reported.

WWF Coastal East Africa Initiative Leader Peter Scheren congratulated the government of Mozambique for passing the act but noted that it is expected by many players in the sector that this new act will address loss of revenue with the aim of ensuring more socio-economic benefits to local communities whilst conserving precious and sometimes inadequate fisheries resources.

"This is a huge step taken by Mozambique to promote sustainable fisheries management, not only in Mozambique but also in the Western Indian Ocean region. We believe that this new approach will effectively empower local communities to actively manage their artisanal fisheries, bringing more socio-economic benefits to them while conserving fisheries resources," noted Mr. Scheren.

Fisheries experts have warned that mismanagement of fisheries is costing African countries between 2 and 5 billion dollars every year. Illegal fishing alone accounts for the loss of fish valued at 1 billion dollars every year from the waters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The new Fisheries Act will aim at addressing such losses related to Mozambique.

By John Kabubu

Civil Society Organizations help drive Marine Fisheries Policy Reforms in the Coastal East Africa Region

2013-04-17

The days of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) being relegated to the periphery in key marine fisheries decision and policy-making processes are fast coming to an end following various interventions by WWF's Coastal East Africa Initiative (WWF-CEAI) and other stakeholders in the Coastal East Africa region.

The formation of the Tuna Fishery Alliances such as the Tuna Fishery Alliance of Kenya (TuFAK), have provided an opportunity for CSOs to have a broader understanding of marine fisheries related issues, which have placed them in a position where they can influence national and regional marine fisheries policy reforms and management from an informed point.

CSOs involvement in tuna fisheries policy and reforms is expected to drive the Coastal East Africa states of Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique towards a direction where they may derive more sustainable benefits from tuna resources. This, in turn, will support economic development through increased revenue generation, enhanced income to local communities and employment creation.

According to WWF Coastal East Africa Initiative's Fisheries Programme Officer Edward Kimakwa, CSOs are playing roles they never had the opportunity to play before:

"In Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, CSOs have been involved in the development of the respective National Tuna fisheries management strategies which have now been finalized with the support of WWF. We expect that the these strategies, once fully implemented by all key stakeholders, will play an important role in ensuring that tuna fisheries resources are utilized sustainably for the benefit of all," said Mr. Kimakwa.

Mr. Kimakwa further commended national fisheries management organizations and regional fisheries management bodies for giving CSOs and Non-Governmental Organizations this space. A similar process of developing the national tuna strategy with the participation of CSOs has been initiated in Madagascar.

In a rapid departure from the past where Civil Society Organizations were sidelined in important discussions and decisions involving marine fisheries resources, CSOs are now key fixtures in major forums through out Africa.

At regional level, the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) CSO tuna forum significantly influenced the outcomes of the 1st Conference of African Ministers for Fisheries and Aquaculture (CAMFA) that was held in Banjul, the Gambia in 2010. The 1st CAMFA adopted most of the recommendations that were presented by the CSOs, including those from the SWIO.

Also, during The 3rd session of the South Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Consultative Forum on tuna fisheries held on the 6th -7th of December 2012 in Mombasa Kenya and supported by WWF, SWIO range states Governments were urged to implement marine fisheries management and conservation decisions that they have since passed under the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) to the letter.

During the aforementioned meeting, the Chairman of TuFAK, Becha Hadley, noted that the current state of fisheries access arrangements does often not favour the SWIO states that own tuna resources:

"The present generation of fisheries access arrangements are of little benefit to SWIO coastal and island states that own invaluable tuna resources," said Mr. Hadley.

CSOs are therefore contributing to SWIO Coastal and Island states moving towards a common approach and voice that will help them secure a better deal in all external negotiations that relate to Tuna and other migratory species in the Indian Ocean region. Various studies have indicated that less than a tenth of the benefits of the fisheries flow to African countries.

SWIO governments are steadily buying into CSOs call and had a common position of "like minded coastal and island states" during the recent Tuna Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Quota Allocation (QA) Criteria technical session that was convened by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission in Oman in February 2013. This sent a strong signal to the whole world that it is no longer business as usual on tuna matters in the SWIO region.

By Peter Scheren, Edward Kimakwa and John Kabubu

Uganda unveils the world's first Earth Hour forest

2013-03-14

Kampala, Uganda / Singapore: Preparations across the globe kick off for Earth Hour 2013 with the creation of the world's first Earth Hour Forest in the East African nation of Uganda, to fight against the 6,000 hectares of deforestation that occurs in the country every month.

WWF Uganda identified close to 2,700 hectares of degraded land, and set a goal to fill it with at least 500,000 indigenous trees as part of their Earth Hour 2013 campaign. Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm on Saturday 23 March.

"We cannot afford to ignore this critical environmental threat we are facing today. So, we are calling upon every individual, business, government agency, friends and family members to join us in planting this new landmark for Uganda's environment," said David Duli, Country Director, WWF Uganda Country Office.

Businesses, government officials and individuals are quickly heeding the call and taking up the challenge set by WWF Uganda to reach their 2013 goal. Leading the way is Standard Chartered Bank - Uganda, which has already committed to plant close to 250,000 trees, and the Ugandan Minister of State for Water and Environment who has personally pledged to plant 1,000 trees.

"Earth Hour 2013 is the rallying point for millions of people in 152 countries and territories across the world to address the climate change challenge. It illustrates that it's within our reach and power to work together for a sustainable future," said Andy Ridley, CEO and co-founder of Earth Hour.

This tree planting initiative is one of thousands of Earth Hour's I Will If You Will challenges taking place worldwide. I Will If You Will is a campaign that encourages everyone to take a positive action for the environment, beyond the Earth Hour hour. In 2012, nearly 10,000 challenges were posted on YouTube.com/EarthHour driving more than 4.6 million people to interact with the challenges and 200,000 to accept challenges on the platform alone.

The action might be a simple lifestyle change or something that leads to political change. It might require 10 people to do something, or 10,000. I Will If You Will allows anybody – from a kid in a classroom to a President of a nation - to become the inspiration to their friends, family, colleagues and communities by sharing what they're willing to do to protect the planet.

Uganda's Earth Hour Forest is the second huge environmental outcome of the I Will If You Will campaign. In December, the Russian Parliament passed a strengthened law to better protect the country's seas from oil pollution after a petition carrying the voices of 122,000 people was successfully presented to the State Duma.

Join the Earth Hour global community and help save the planet at www.earthhour.org/signup.

Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Benjamin Vozzo, Earth Hour Global E:benjamin@earthhour.org Ph: +65 8223 1728

Mai Tatoy, Earth Hour Global, E: mai@earthhour.org Ph: +65 8223 1654

To join the global community head to:

Earth Hour www.earthhour.org

Facebook www.facebook.com/earthhour

Twitter www.twitter.com/earthhour

YouTube www.YouTube.com/EarthHour

Google+ plus.google.com/+EarthHour

Governments fall short on immediate efforts to curb illegal ivory trade at wildlife trade meeting

2013-03-12

Bangkok, Thailand - World governments at the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) on Tuesday opted against immediate trade sanctions against several countries that have repeatedly failed to tackle the trade in ivory.

"We're disappointed by the lack of urgency from governments to speed up the sanctions process against countries that have failed to act for years to curb the illegal ivory trade in their countries, while the slaughter of thousands of elephants continues in Africa," said Carlos Drews, head of WWF's CITES delegation.

"However we will be watching to see that CITES holds these governments to account in the coming year."

Despite an early discussion in CITES on potential trade sanctions against countries failing to regulate their ivory markets, governments did not enact those rules against offenders including Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda.

Governments instead directed those countries to identify actions and deadlines to ensure progress in controlling illegal ivory trade before summer 2014, with the potential threat that they could face trade sanctions then if there was no significant improvement in the situation. The nine countries were given just over a year to show improvements in their performance.

"Governments have been aware for years about the lack of compliance by several countries. Forest elephants in Central Africa are declining rapidly and running out of time," Drews said. "We hope governments will speed up compliance measures against countries flouting restrictions on the ivory trade."

The worst offenders, including top demand countries China and Thailand, the host country for the meeting, as well as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malaysia, Philippines and Viet Nam, are expected to be discussed in a separate session on Thursday.

"We hope that governments will take a stronger stance against these countries considered the biggest problems when it comes to the illegal ivory trade, and that should include much more urgency than we saw today," Drews said.

Under treaty rules, CITES member states can recommend that parties stop trading with non-compliant countries in the 35,000 species covered under the convention, from orchids to crocodile skins.

Tuesday's decisions came as poaching of elephants has reached crisis levels. Up to 30,000 elephants are slaughtered every year to feed the illegal ivory trade. The ivory trade has been regulated under CITES since the early 1970s.

There were, however, several other measures adopted by governments to help curb the illegal ivory trade, including:

The creation of an Ivory Enforcement Task Force, which will allow for better law enforcement collaboration between countries
Better DNA-based forensic techniques to identify the origin of confiscated ivory
An acknowledgement of the need for demand reduction campaigns on ivory

For further information please contact:
Ian Morrison, ian.morrison@wwfus.org, +1 202 372 6373, +66 90 414 3853
Chris Chaplin, cchaplin@wwf.sg, +65 9826 3802

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Additional CITES media materials are available at www.panda.org/citesmedia . For updates from the conference follow us on Twitter @WWF_media.

Governments fall short on immediate efforts to curb illegal ivory trade at wildlife trade meeting

2013-03-12

Bangkok, Thailand - World governments at the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) on Tuesday opted against immediate trade sanctions against several countries that have repeatedly failed to tackle the trade in ivory.

"We're disappointed by the lack of urgency from governments to speed up the sanctions process against countries that have failed to act for years to curb the illegal ivory trade in their countries, while the slaughter of thousands of elephants continues in Africa," said Carlos Drews, head of WWF's CITES delegation.

"However we will be watching to see that CITES holds these governments to account in the coming year."

Despite an early discussion in CITES on potential trade sanctions against countries failing to regulate their ivory markets, governments did not enact those rules against offenders including Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda.

Governments instead directed those countries to identify actions and deadlines to ensure progress in controlling illegal ivory trade before summer 2014, with the potential threat that they could face trade sanctions then if there was no significant improvement in the situation. The nine countries were given just over a year to show improvements in their performance.

"Governments have been aware for years about the lack of compliance by several countries. Forest elephants in Central Africa are declining rapidly and running out of time," Drews said. "We hope governments will speed up compliance measures against countries flouting restrictions on the ivory trade."

The worst offenders, including top demand countries China and Thailand, the host country for the meeting, as well as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malaysia, Philippines and Viet Nam, are expected to be discussed in a separate session on Thursday.

"We hope that governments will take a stronger stance against these countries considered the biggest problems when it comes to the illegal ivory trade, and that should include much more urgency than we saw today," Drews said.

Under treaty rules, CITES member states can recommend that parties stop trading with non-compliant countries in the 35,000 species covered under the convention, from orchids to crocodile skins.

Tuesday's decisions came as poaching of elephants has reached crisis levels. Up to 30,000 elephants are slaughtered every year to feed the illegal ivory trade. The ivory trade has been regulated under CITES since the early 1970s.

There were, however, several other measures adopted by governments to help curb the illegal ivory trade, including:

The creation of an Ivory Enforcement Task Force, which will allow for better law enforcement collaboration between countries
Better DNA-based forensic techniques to identify the origin of confiscated ivory
An acknowledgement of the need for demand reduction campaigns on ivory

WWF statement on rhinos at CITES

2013-03-12

Carlos Drews, head of WWF's delegation at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) issued the following statement today in response to decisions from world governments to offer better protection for rhinos:

"Governments today made a clear choice at CITES to offer more protection to rhinos by agreeing on timelines that will help two of the worst offenders in the rhino horn trade, Viet Nam and Mozambique, clean up their act.

"This is a big step forward for the protection of rhinos, a prehistoric animal that are being butchered for their horns at alarming rates to feed demand primarily in Viet Nam.

"A record 668 South African rhinos were killed by poachers last year, and close to 150 have died so far in 2013 - we're already moving at a pace that could see even more rhinos killed for their horns than last year.

"The challenge now is to ensure that Viet Nam and Mozambique make progress on their CITES commitments within the agreed time frame to avoid trade sanctions in the summer of 2014."

Viet Nam is the main destination for rhino horn and is now required to implement a strategy to reduce demand in the country and ensure horn traffickers are prosecuted and strongly punished.

Today's success also means that Mozambique, a major transit country for rhino horn, must strengthen legislation and enforcement to reduce trade flows exiting the African continent. It is currently only a misdemeanour to smuggle rhino horns through Mozambique. The country shares a border with South Africa's Kruger National Park, home to most of the world's rhinos and also the epicentre of illegal killing.

Rhino poaching has hit record highs and is currently exacerbated by increasingly sophisticated criminal networks. There is also a marked increase in consumption in Vietnam, fuelled by claims that rhino horn cures cancer and hangovers.

For further information:
Ian Morrison, ian.morrison@wwfus.org, (US) +1 202 372 6373, (Bangkok) +66 904 143 853
Chris Chaplin, cchaplin@wwf.sg, +65 9826 3802

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

www.panda.org/news for latest news and media resources

Its Full speed ahead for Fisheries policy and institutional reforms in the South West Indian Ocean

2013-03-12

The Western Indian Ocean State's efforts to help bring about improved marine fisheries reforms and governance in the South West Indian Ocean range states are beginning to bear fruit following a recent decision to reform the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission from an advisory body to a full management body.

Through its Coastal East Africa Initiative, WWF has consistently lobbied the South West Indian Ocean range states of Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Yemen to strengthen their policy, legal and institutional framework in order to help bring about fisheries stock sustainability and increase socio-economic benefits to the over 65 million people that inhabit the coastal zone of the Western Indian Ocean.

During a special adhoc session of the South West Indian Ocean Commission (SWIOFC) held in Dar es Salaam Tanzania on the 27th – 28th of February 2013, members unanimously agreed and endorsed the decision to reform the SWIOFC from an advisory body to a full management body. This important transition will enable the Commission to facilitate binding and non-binding decisions that ensure adequate and professional management of fisheries in the region.

The member states furthermore decided to host the secretariat of the Commission in Mozambique, in an effort to bring the centre of coordination closer to the region.

Speaking during the meeting, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Tanzania Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries Dr. Johana Budeba welcomed the decision, noting, "The SWIOFC is an important Regional Fisheries Management Body and it is prudent that we put in place mechanisms and interventions to have it strengthened for improved fisheries governance".

WWF Coastal East Africa Initiative Fisheries Programme Officer Edward Kimakwa, speaking during the same meeting urged South West India Ocean member states to continue with their efforts to collectively promote sustainable development and management of the marine fisheries in the region.

"We need to see in the near future a situation where SWIO states are effectively controlling and equitably benefiting from sustainable marine fisheries stocks. Strengthening the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission as a fisheries management body will certainly go a long way in bringing about stock sustainability and increased socio-economic benefits to the SWIO coastal states," noted Mr. Kimakwa.

Fisheries experts have warned that mismanagement of fisheries is costing African countries between 2 and 5 billion dollars every year. Illegal fishing alone accounts for the loss of fish valued at 1 billion dollars every year from the waters of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The decision to establish a regional fisheries management commission comes at an opportune time considering that the South Western Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP) is coming to a close. The SWIOFP project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the World Bank, has been an important factor not only in establishing a much improved knowledge base on the fisheries of the region, but also in building up a strong coherence between the countries of the region.

The transformation of SWIOFC into a Fisheries Management Organisation is the icing on the cake for this project and provides an important basis for future interventions in the sector. WWF, in this regard, is engaged in discussions with the World Bank and other partners on a follow-up project that will build upon the success of SWIOFP and other initiatives.

By Edward Kimakwa, Peter Scheren & John Kabubu

Killing elephants threatens Kenya's Economic Security

2013-02-26

Kenya's tourism industry faces a gloomy future if the current killing of elephants is not contained.

This scale of illegal ivory trade was demonstrated early this year when a gang of heavily armed poachers entered Tsavo National Park and slaughtered eleven elephants. This event, and others like it, constitutes an invasion and a threat not only to wildlife but people, territorial integrity and stability.

"Illegal wildlife trade has risen to alarming levels across eastern and southern Africa. Through the proposed Wildlife Bill, Kenya has a unique opportunity now, to strengthen its governance and poor law enforcement and stop this menace," says Mr. Niall O'Connor, Regional Director for WWF's Eastern & Southern Programme.

"It is time for us all to 'Kill the Trade' that destroys our tourism potential. A strong will is needed to clamp down on the cartels involved in the transport and sale of ivory, including punitive measures when perpetrators of the trade are apprehended," he adds.

Elephants are being driven into a dangerous decline in Kenya due to poaching for their tusks, according to a report issued under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

It is estimated that tens of thousands of elephants are being killed each year for their tusks, which are in demand in Asia particularly China and Thailand. East Africa is identified in the report as the centre of illicit ivory transport to Asia, with an escalating number of illegal consignments exiting seaports there.

"Poaching of elephants is an economic crime because it jeopardizes the US$ 5 billion wildlife-based tourism contributes to the national GDP," says Sam Weru, WWF Kenya Country Office Conservation Manager (source: World Bank, 2011).

"Moreover poaching kills people (highly skilled wildlife protection units) and increases national insecurity with the possibility of the sophisticated weapons used by poachers landing into wrong hands." he adds.

According to Mr. Lamine Sebogo, WWF's African Elephant Programme Manager, 2011 recorded the highest number of large-scale seizures of illegal ivory ever. Such seizures indicate the involvement of organized criminal networks, but very few cases have been followed up with proper investigations, arrests, prosecutions or the imposition of credible penalties.

The Ivory Walk

WWF, Born Free Foundation, Elephant Neighbours (ENC) and other supporters have organised a campaign dubbed "Ivory belongs to the elephant". Part of this campaign includes sponsoring ENC's Jim Nyamu to walk from Mombasa to Nairobi to raise alarm over the illegal killing of elephants and to call upon the Kenya Government to stop cartels involved in the illegal trade of ivory to South-East Asia.

The walk started on 9th February 2013 and will ended Saturday 23rd February 2013 in Nairobi. The walk culminated with a public function at the Nairobi Arboretum to make an urgent call for Kenyans – citizens, private sector to policy-makers – to show there commitment to take practical action against this illegal trade and senseless killing of elephants and rhinos.

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY IN THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY

2012-12-19

Kenya's economic fortunes are bound to dramatically change following the discovery of oil and gas in some parts of the country.

However, civil societies warn that this could either be a blessing or a curse depending on how stakeholders handle this newfound wealth. WWF is working with CSOs across East Africa to ensure harmonious utilization of these resource and cordial coexistence between human beings and nature.

The Civil Society groups are urging players in the mining sector and the Government to enhance transparency, responsibility, accountability and good governance in the industry to ensure sustainable utilization of these resources.

They were speaking at a conference held in Nairobi on 4/12/12. The conference, dubbed "Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative" (EITI) was convened by WWF Kenya Country Office through the Coastal East Africa Initiative. The objective of the conference was to explain to the public and civil society organizations about Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative and how to participate effectively in it.

In attendance were representatives from the Kenya Government, the National Oil Corporation of Kenya, WWF, Kenya Oil Gas Working Group, and Community Action for Nature Conservation and Transparency International among others.

Director WWF Kenya Country Office Mr. Mohamed Awer promised continued support to the civil society movement in Kenya but emphasized that leadership of the movement must come from the movement itself.

"You are the watchdog of society and keep up the good work you are doing to prevent exploitation of natural resources by the elites at the expense of the locals," noted Mr. Mohamed.

A representative from Transparency International called for an effective mult-isectoral approach to harvesting of natural resources including the Government, the mining companies, locals and the civil society.

"Politicians must be true in explaining the harvesting of natural resources. All contracts must be posted on all media including websites to enhance transparency, responsibility, accountability and good governance. The Government must avail all information on their contracts with oil gas companies in good time to allow the CSOs to interrogate it further. The mining industry must publish what they pay," said the representative.

Mr. Peter Kazungu, chairman of Kipini Division Oil Gas Sensitization Group, Tana River County welcomed the EITI and noted that the common man would only benefit if all stakeholders worked together.

"If all players in this industry are involved and there is transparency in planning and implementation of oil and gas programs hostilities like the ones that happened in 1961 when some companies came and started surveys and exploration will be avoided," he said.

Kenya has been urged to join EITI to promote openness and accountability in the oil, gas and mining sector. This will make it easier to address challenges associated with extractive industry including deadly confrontations as witnessed in the DRC and Nigeria.

EITI has set rules and requirements that detail what candidate countries must do to join, achieve and maintain compliance with the initiatives global standards for reporting extractive revenues.

By Johnstone Mulary
WWF Kenya Country Office

New agreement between South Africa and Viet Nam - A turning point in tackling rhino poaching crisis, say WWF, TRAFFIC

2012-12-10

Ha Noi, Viet Nam, 10th December — A pivotal moment in efforts to tackle the current rhino poaching crisis took place today as the governments of South Africa and Viet Nam signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve co-operation between the two states on biodiversity conservation and protection including tackling illegal wildlife trafficking.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by H.E. Edna Molewa, Minister for the South African Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and H.E. Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam during a visit by Minister Molewa to Viet Nam. The main elements of co-operation outlined in the MoU include the field of biodiversity management, conservation, protection, law enforcement, compliance with CITES and other relevant legislation and Conventions. Based on equality and mutual benefit it comes into force on the date of signature and notes specifically that illegal wildlife trafficking remains a global challenge.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, H.E. Edna Molewa said: "South Africa is looking forward to receiving the close co-operation from Vietnamese partners to stop the illegal trade of rhino horns from South Africa to Vietnam."

H.E. Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam also recognised the importance of co-operation between the two countries, stating that: "Fighting against crime on wildlife regulations especially on the rare, precious and endangered species including rhinos and its derivatives are always of concern to the Vietnam government."

He stressed: "The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in co-operation with related ministries and agencies, are submitting the Prime Minister to issue a Decision on banning the import of all rhino specimens to Vietnam in 2012."

Although the MoU between South Africa and Viet Nam refers only in general terms to addressing illegal wildlife smuggling, there are clear indications that rhino horn trafficking will be top of the new agenda on co-operation between the two nations.

"WWF and TRAFFIC welcome the new agreement, which marks a turning point in efforts to protect Africa's rhinos and look forward to seeing action being undertaken by both countries to end the current rhino poaching crisis," said Stuart Chapman, WWF-Greater Mekong Conservation Director.

"South Africa and Viet Nam have publicly signalled their intention to get tough on the criminal syndicates behind the rhino poaching spree," said Chapman.

Currently hundreds of rhinos are being poached each year in South Africa, their horns hacked off and smuggled to meet the soaring demand in Viet Nam, where rhino horn is in demand as a supposed "miracle medicine", despite a lack of supporting medical evidence.

Asian-run criminal syndicates are believed to be behind much of the crime, with couriers paid to smuggle poached horns from Africa to Asia, where they end up in the hands of wealthy Vietnamese. TRAFFIC's report released in August 2012 identified Viet Nam as the prime destination for much of the illegal rhino horn.

Rhino poaching numbers in South Africa have surged from 13 in 2007, to over 600 in 2012. In addition, there have been 246 people arrested in connection with the poaching of rhinos and the illegal trade of rhino horn in South Africa in 2012 alone.

In 2010, TRAFFIC convened a meeting between South African enforcement officials and their counterparts in Viet Nam to establish links between the two as part of a major effort to address the rhino horn crisis. This meeting and a subsequent return visit by Vietnamese officials to South Africa, laid the foundation for today's intergovernmental agreement.

"Rhino poaching is a key burning conservation issue, and through the public commitments of the two governments at this signing ceremony today, we have seen promising beginnings of collaborative action. This commitment now needs to be turned into urgent action to turn the crisis around," said Dr. Naomi Doak, Coordinator of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia–Greater Mekong Programme.

"The world's rhino populations are hanging by a thread, and today the opportunity was taken to throw them another lifeline," said Dr. Doak.

###

WWF and its partner TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring network, are campaigning for greater protection of threatened species such as rhinos, tigers and elephants. In order to save endangered animals, source, transit and demand countries must all improve co-operation, law enforcement, customs controls and judicial systems. WWF and TRAFFIC are also urging governments to undertake demand reduction efforts to curb the use of endangered species products.

For further information or to schedule an interview with WWF or TRAFFIC, please contact:

WWF-Viet Nam and TRAFFIC in Viet Nam:
Tu, Nguyen Thi
WWF-Viet Nam
Email: tu.nguyenthi@wwfgreatermekong.org, Mob: +84 914419174

Brett Tolman
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia – Greater Mekong Programme
Email: brett.tolman@traffic.org, Mob: +84 1678020765

WWF International and TRAFFIC International:

Elisabeth McLellan
WWF International
Email: LMcLellan@wwfint.org,
Tel.: Mob : +41 79 212 9312

Richard Thomas
TRAFFIC International
Email: richard.thomas@traffic.org
Tel.: +44 752 6646 216

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with more than 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

To learn more about WWF and TRAFFIC's campaign visit panda.org/killthetrade and follow us on Twitter @WWF_media, and www.facebook.com/vietnamWWF

Tana River Delta Ramsar Site Status a Plus for Coastal East Africa

2012-11-23

Conservation efforts by WWF and other environmental organizations have continued to forge ahead following Kenya designating the Tana River Delta as a Wetland of International Importance. With the Ramsar Secretariat's announcing that the Tana River Delta is now a Ramsar Site, the 163,600-hectare delta (02°27'S 040°17'E) becomes East Africa's second most important river mouth wetland after the Rufiji Delta in neighbouring Tanzania.

Kenya already has 5 designated Ramsar sites in the Great African Rift Valley, namely lakes Naivasha, Elementaita, Nakuru, Bogoria, and Baringo; providing enhanced tourism, employment for Kenya's tourism sector, vibrant horticultural industry around Lake Naivasha, steam geysers in Lake Bogoria, and Kenya's first sanctuary for the critically endangered black rhino in Lake Nakuru National Park. In total, Kenya's 6 Ramsar Sites cover 265,449 hectares.

The Tana Delta forms an area of rich biodiversity for sea species including fish and prawns, five species of marine turtles. There are a host of terrestrial animals such as the African Elephant, Tana Mangabey, Tana River Red Colobus, and White Collared monkey. In addition to more than 600 plant species, the Tana Delta is a home for many bird species and is a critical transit point for migratory water birds such as waders, gulls and terns.

According to Coastal East Africa Initiative leader Peter Scheren, the importance of the Tana Delta to Coastal East Africa cannot be underscored enough considering the numerous challenges facing the region.

"The Tana Delta is an important ecosystem for Coastal East Africa which continues to face several challenges. Statistics indicate that a mere 10% of the original coastal forests of Eastern Africa remain, fragmented into 400 patches that cover 6,250km² in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. The fact that the Tana Delta is now the latest Ramsar Site in Africa is a boost in efforts to conserve the remaining forest cover and help secure the livelihoods of communities' dependent upon this important ecosystem," noted Mr. Scheren

Currently, over 20 million people live in and along coastal forests and landscapes in eastern Africa. The survival of these people is highly dependent on the availability of basic natural resources such as timber, wood-fuel and charcoal, which are extracted from forests, causing a serious dilemma; their dependency and consequent exploitation of these resources destroying the very basis of their existence. The pressures are rapidly rising as the population is expected to double by 2030 putting a serious and already present strain on the meager natural resources present in Coastal East Africa.

WWF implements several conservation projects at the Kenyan coast including the rehabilitation and protection of the Kaya and Boni Dodori forests, the conservation of sea turtles and livelihood enhancing activities.

By John Kabubu
Communications Officer
WWF Coastal East Africa Initiative

Tana River Delta Ramsar Site Status a Plus for Coastal East Africa

2012-11-23

Kenya already has 5 designated Ramsar sites in the Great African Rift Valley, namely lakes Naivasha, Elementaita, Nakuru, Bogoria, and Baringo; providing enhanced tourism, employment for Kenya's tourism sector, vibrant horticultural industry around Lake Naivasha, steam geysers in Lake Bogoria, and Kenya's first sanctuary for the critically endangered black rhino in Lake Nakuru National Park. In total, Kenya's 6 Ramsar Sites cover 265,449 hectares.

The Tana Delta forms an area of rich biodiversity for sea species including fish and prawns, five species of marine turtles. There are a host of terrestrial animals such as the African Elephant, Tana Mangabey, Tana River Red Colobus, and White Collared monkey. In addition to more than 600 plant species, the Tana Delta is a home for many bird species and is a critical transit point for migratory water birds such as waders, gulls and terns.

According to Coastal East Africa Initiative leader Peter Scheren, the importance of the Tana Delta to Coastal East Africa cannot be underscored enough considering the numerous challenges facing the region.

"The Tana Delta is an important ecosystem for Coastal East Africa which continues to face several challenges. Statistics indicate that a mere 10% of the original coastal forests of Eastern Africa remain, fragmented into 400 patches that cover 6,250km² in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. The fact that the Tana Delta is now the latest Ramsar Site in Africa is a boost in efforts to conserve the remaining forest cover and help secure the livelihoods of communities' dependent upon this important ecosystem," noted Mr. Scheren

Currently, over 20 million people live in and along coastal forests and landscapes in eastern Africa. The survival of these people is highly dependent on the availability of basic natural resources such as timber, wood-fuel and charcoal, which are extracted from forests, causing a serious dilemma; their dependency and consequent exploitation of these resources destroying the very basis of their existence. The pressures are rapidly rising as the population is expected to double by 2030 putting a serious and already present strain on the meager natural resources present in Coastal East Africa.

WWF implements several conservation projects at the Kenyan coast including the rehabilitation and protection of the Kaya and Boni Dodori forests, the conservation of sea turtles and livelihood enhancing activities.

African religious leaders join forces to help stop illegal wildlife trade

2012-09-21

WWF and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) today announced a first-ever partnership with faith leaders from across Africa to unite against the killing of endangered species caused by illegal wildlife trade. In an unprecedented move, 50 African religious representatives from different faiths and countries have come together to call for the end of illegal wildlife trade which is annihilating the continent's elephant and rhino populations.

WWF and ARC have worked with leaders from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist and traditional faiths to align around the wildlife crisis facing Africa and held several meetings including a wildlife safari in Nairobi National Park during which the religious leaders discussed the role of religion in Africa to halt the trade. The leaders gave a moving tribute to all the wildlife exterminated due to the trade and also prayed for the wellbeing of local communities and for the many hundreds of rangers that have lost their lives protecting wildlife across Africa.

"Halting wildlife trade is a moral issue," says Dekila Chungyalpa, WWF's Sacred Earth program director. "Faith leaders are the backbone of local communities, providing lessons and guidance that shape how people live their lives. Having religious leaders from all major faiths come together to call for the protection of wildlife on religious grounds and urge their congregations to view the slaughter of elephants and rhinos in Africa as a serious crime may turn the tide of the disaster we face today."

Illegal wildlife trade is the greatest threat to many endangered species, jeopardizing decades of conservation work and threatening their survival. 2011 saw the highest recorded rates of killings on the continent in more than two decades and the largest scale illegal ivory seizures than anytime in recorded history (equaling the tusks from more than 4,000 dead elephants). Rhino poaching in South Africa has increased more than 3,000 percent in the last five years. Poachers wipe out tens of thousands of African elephants every year. Tanzania and Kenya function as major conduits through which large-scale illegal ivory goods are moved through the Congo Basin to international Asian markets including Vietnam, Thailand and China.

"Wildlife poaching is a highly organized crime backed by international syndicates who also back other crimes such as gun and drug trafficking. The victims of illegal wildlife trade include not only rhinos and elephants but also rangers and local communities. At a wider scale, we should recognize that illegal wildlife trade undermines social stability and peace-keeping efforts in Africa," said Chungyalpa.

"ARC has been working with religions over the past 20 years to help them explore how to take real action to protect wildlife. Religious leaders are seeing wanton destruction of the great species (and the habitat that nurtures them) as an attack on both creation and the creator. This is a really welcome initiative coming from Africa," said ARC Secretary-General, Martin Palmer

Abstracts from the Faith Statements include:

Christian:

When we look with eyes of faith at the wonders of all that God has created: at the strength of the lion, the beauty of the gazelle, the swirling patterns of the birds of the air and the fish in the waters. When we see the flowers of the field greater in their beauty than even Solomon in all his riches, we should rejoice that God has placed us in the midst of such a glorious world. Therefore, when we see this glory diminished by our sin, greed and foolishness, we should he horrified and speak out against this wanton destruction of the wonder that God has created. We should both repent and seek to do all in our power to protect all that God has created.

In the light of this, our faith, we call upon all Christians, but especially those of our tradition, to protect the gifts of God in nature. In particular, in this time of deep crisis of creation, caused by human folly and sin, we ask all Christians to protect and defend our most endangered species in Africa, such as the rhinoceros, gorillas and the elephant.

Hindu:

Hindus are guided to act according to dharma, striving to do the right thing in the most responsible way. As a pathway to dharma, Hindus are encouraged to always act in goodness, sattva. Aspiring for the highest, purest and most excellent form of action. An essential principle of goodness is ahimsa, non-cruelty to others. The practice of ahimsa inspires us to avoid harm to any living being, to offer respect to all and to develop the virtue of compassion in our hearts. .

All Hindus are encouraged to be respectful of all life on earth and to protect those who are under threat from exploitation, poaching and extinction. We particularly encourage Hindus to defend the most endangered, including the elephants and rhinos of Africa and the tigers of India.

The beauty and diversity of life are sparks of God's splendour to be cared for in a mood of service.

Muslim:

In the light shed by the Qur'an and by the Hadith we call upon all the Ulumma of the faithful to remember that on the Dreadful Day of Judgement, we must answer for any wasteful use of creation, any destruction of a part of nature that was not necessary.

We therefore ask all the faithful to protect those species in our own lands that are most threatened, such as the elephant, gorilla and rhinoceros, and to assist in the prevention of poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in order that on the Dreadful Day of Judgement, when the community of creatures stand before Allah, we will not be condemned by their words.

The richness of this world is a gift and a blessing from Allah. May we in turn be a blessing to all that Allah has made and given to our care.

Shared risk and opportunity in water resources

2012-08-27

Kenya's Naivasha basin involves a broad group of stakeholders including large horticulture companies and their employees, smallholder farmers, local government and basin inhabitants, and those dependent on the broader Kenyan economy and trade.

For an agriculture-based economy that is completely dependent on its water resources for economic production, the social, economic, financial (investment), regulatory and reputational risks associated with a deteriorating bio-physical environment are significant. Given its links to the national economy and the
international export markets, these risks are not localized within the basin, but extend through to the rest of Kenya.

The central aim of this paper is to articulate the risks for each of these groups and to highlight the commonalities between them, or in other words, the shared risks between corporate, government and civil society stakeholders. In so doing, these stakeholders can recognize the incentive for a common path to achieving improved water resource management in the basin and the future economic and environmental sustainability of Lake Naivasha.

Towards a Green Economy in Coastal East Africa

2012-06-14

The economies of Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique are largely based on natural resource use and extraction (natural gas, oil, minerals, agriculture, tourism, fisheries, timber, etc.). There is an increasing recognition that the "Green Economy" principles are therefore highly applicable to these countries as a basis for stimulating economic growth, well-being and job creation. New revenue to be generated by growing oil, gas and mineral extraction sectors can play a strong role in supporting sustainable development and the transition to a Green Economy. In addition, the potential for renewable energy generation (wind, geothermal, hydro, solar, etc.) in the region is enormous. Various initiatives in this regard are already underway.

Given the similarities of the economies of the three countries including shared resources and cross border trade, the countries have embarked upon a sub-regional initiative geared towards sharing experiences and lessons learned on Green Economy between the three countries and beyond. Partners in this process include UNDP, UNEP, ILO, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Institute of Environment and Development, the Millennium Institute, WWF, Care International, UN-HABITAT and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). This partnership was solidified during a sub-regional Conference on Green Economy held in Maputo, Mozambique from the 23rd to 25th April 2012.

AfDB and WWF to launch Africa Ecological Footprint Report

2012-05-31

Arusha, Tanzania: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and global conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) have launched today a joint report on the state of Africa's environment.

The Africa Ecological Footprint Report: Green Infrastructure for Africa's Ecological Security takes stock of the health of Africa's ecosystems, as well as trends in resources use patterns. It also lays out recommendations on implementing green development pathways for Africa.

This report is intended to stoke up thinking on greener development in Africa and to rally action by policy-makers and investors in the lead-up to Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development taking place later this month in Brazil.

"Africa has choices", underlines AfDB President, Donald Kaberuka. "Embracing a more sustainable approach to development can generate benefits in terms of environmental security, human wellbeing, and increased competitiveness."

The Africa Ecological Footprint Report 2012 outlines two alarming trends, which if not addressed by policy-makers and investors are likely to lead to important social and economic impacts. First, by tracking the changes in wildlife populations as a proxy for ecosystem health, the Africa Living Planet Index shows a decline of nearly 40% in biodiversity in the last four decades. This decline reflects a degradation of the natural systems upon which Africa's current and future prosperity depends.

Second, rapid population growth and increasing prosperity are changing consumption patterns, with the result that Africa's ecological footprint – the area needed to generate the resources consumed by the people who live here – has been growing steadily. While Africa's total ecological footprint is set to double by 2040 in a business-as-usual scenario, the good news is that Africa is in an advantageous position to act. It is endowed with tremendous natural resources, which, if managed properly, will be able to meet the needs of a growing population. And its relatively low footprint may be maintained if forward-looking and large-scale solutions can be mobilised in the areas of renewable energy, urban planning, and sound management of forests, water and marine resources.

The opportunity and urgency to act to ensure adequate and equitable access to water, fuel and food in the coming decades is highlighted by Jim Leape, WWF Director General.

"Our ecological infrastructure – terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems – is as essential to human development as are industrial and social infrastructures such as roads, schools, hospitals and energy provision," said WWF's Jim Leape. "The Africa Ecological Footprint Report showcases successful and scalable initiatives across Africa in renewable energy, integrated water resource management, ecotourism and forest conservation. The report offers concrete recommendations for maintaining Africa's natural capital as the foundation for sustainable and inclusive development and I urge decision-makers to act on them."

Donald Kaberuka and Jim Leape launched the report together on 1 June as part of the AfDB's Annual Meetings in Arusha. The event, attended by AfDB senior staff, government ministers, NGO representatives, African business and financial leaders, and the African and international media, is intended to inspire interest and action from these key decision-makers. The report will also be featured at a side event of the Rio+20 conference in June.

AfDB and WWF formally entered into a partnership last July, agreeing to initially focus on three areas of cooperation: developing win-win partnerships with emerging economies and strengthening South-South cooperation; catalysing knowledge sharing and knowledge products for green growth and sustainable development; collaborating on energy and water resource management; and climate change. This report is the first joint product of this partnership.

With a recent tripling of its capitalisation to USD 100 billion, the AfDB is the most important multilateral institution financing development in Africa. As the continent faces rapid economic and population growth, and growing resource and climate pressures, the AfDB plays an essential role in ensuring sustainable and equitable development.

WWF is the world's largest environmental non-governmental organisation and has been active in Africa since its foundation more than 50 years ago. WWF works together with governments, businesses and local communities to deliver conservation and sustainable development worldwide.

To download the report, and to find out more, go to: www.panda.org/lpr/africa2012 or www.afdb.org.

Towards a Green Economy in Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya

2012-04-26

In June 2012, Rio de Janeiro will be the stage for the UN Summit "Rio + 20" that will reflect on achievements spanning 20 years since the "Earth Summit" – The UN Conference on Environment and Development – held in the same city in 1992. One of the key themes of this Summit will be the progress to "Green Economies for Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation".

It is within this paradigm that the conference 'Towards a Green Economy in Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya and the Role of Strategic Environmental Assessment' took place in Maputo, Mozambique between 23rd and 27th April 2012.

"The main objectives of the three-country Conference on Green Economy were to advance road maps to a green economy and agree on post-Rio regional process, collaborate on their implementation, as well as to promote integration of Strategic Environmental Assessment in future green economy planning processes," said Dr. Peter Scheren, Regional Coordinator of WWF's Coastal East Africa Programme.

The economies of the three countries are largely based on natural resources extraction (natural gas, oil, minerals, agriculture, tourism, fisheries and timber trade). The management of this 'natural capital' is crucial in order to allow the countries lift out of poverty, create jobs and ensure long-term livelihood of the population.

Currently, this 'natural capital' is under-valued as key economic assets and consequently over-exploited for short-term benefits. Fortunately, all countries in the region are already working, to varying extent, towards implementation of Green Economy principles. The heightened attention raised by the 'Rio +20' conference offers an opportunity to scale-up this progress.

"At this moment, Mozambique is in the process of preparing its country report to the Rio +20 Summit. The country is also preparing its roadmap for a green economy with a focus on three sectors that will be considered more in-depth; agriculture, energy and urban planning," said Her Excellency Alcinda de Abreu, Minister for the Coordination if Environmental Affairs, Mozambique, during the conference's opening session.

One of the key conclusions of the Conference was that some key sectors provide excellent opportunities to drive Green Economy at country level. These sectors are agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, urban development and renewable energy.

In regard to the latter, the Conference concluded that the potential for renewable energy (wind, geothermal, hydropower, solar, etc.) in the region are enormous and there was an urge for Governments to create the necessary enabling conditions (policies, regulations, tax incentives, etc.) to advance investments in this sector.

There are commonalities between the economies of the three countries–including the aspect of shared resources and cross-border trade. The delegates recommended further regional cooperation and exchange of experiences and lessons between the countries. They further defined and agreed upon a regional roadmap towards a Green Economy, including the roles of various partners therein.

Considering the profile and importance of Rio +20, it was recommended that a regional side event would be organized at the Conference. Here, government delegates and partners could solidify and launch a regional partnership for a Green Economy. In the same regard, it was recommended that further opportunities should be investigated to advance the regional partnership through side events at the upcoming Conference of African Ministers of Environment (Dar es Salaam, September 2012) and the Nairobi Convention Conference of Parties (Maputo, December 2012).

The Conference brought together representatives from various key Government Ministries in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, including Planning, Finance, Environment, Fisheries, Forests, Agriculture, Tourism, Mining and Energy, and Education, to discuss prospects and progress made in the implementation of Green Economy principles in their respective countries. The Conference furthermore involved a number of key partners in support of this process: UNDP, UNEP, ILO, the African Development Bank, the International Institute of Environment and Development, the Millennium Institute, WWF, Care International and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED).

Palm oil industry shifts gears, commits to market transformation

2011-11-24

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – The 9th annual Meeting of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) concluded today with a vote at the General Assembly (GA) where most RSPO members present supported a new vision for the organization – to transform the palm industry into one where sustainability becomes an everyday practice for all.

To date RSPO members have produced over 5.2 milion tonnes of palm oil certified to strict standards that help ensure that forests, species and communities are not harmed by palm oil production.

"The entire value chain needs to be part of the solution and not the problem," said Adam Harrison, Senior Policy Officer for WWF UK and WWF's representative on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Executive Board. "The RSPO has moved from just certifying growers to transforming the whole industry, which says to me that the organization is growing up and is starting to deliver on the ambition it set for itself. Nevertheless, in order for the RSPO to deliver on this transformation, companies along the entire value chain need to be more transparent and take control of the oil palm they are producing, trading, using and selling."

More transparency, better traceability

According to WWF, one of the major hurdles facing the future of CSPO is the industry's overall lack transparency and limited efforts to implement proper traceability. The WWF's Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard 2011, which was released in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday, identified both of these as major challenges, saying that the lack of collective will to solve these problems is risks becoming a major disincentive to further certification.

WWF says that buyers of CSPO need to take control of their supply chains and declare how much certified sustainable palm oil they are using. This would provide growers with the reassurance they need to say in business, and show consumers that they are serious about their commitments and acting responsibly.

Transforming the market also requires strong support from traders, who wield considerable influence. Traders must ensure the traceability of the palm oil they are buying and supplying to their customers, which could act as a major catalyst for future market growth and offer the assurances currently lacking along the supply chain.

Meanwhile, growers would benefit from increased transparency and better traceability by gaining a stronger sense confidence, more control over their management units, and an overall increase of returns on their commitment to providing certified sustainable palm oil.

Palm oil industry shows resolve in addressing climate change

Another key recommendation that emerged at the 3-day meet was that the RSPO's Principals & Criteria should include a 0 net carbon emission clause, setting a new benchmark for companies that aim to produce palm oil in a responsible manner.  

"Reducing greenhouse gases is a huge challenge facing the industry in the region, and it is a very welcome sign that the RSPO has reached consensus on how to tackle GHGs and made a recommendation to change the organization's standards to accommodate this critical issue," said Irwan Gunawan, WWF Indonesia's Corporate Engagement Manager.

***

Update: The RSPO has announced that due to insufficient quorum, eligible members that could not attend the General Assembly are expected to cast their ballots via email:

On November 24th 2011, the 8th General Assembly for the RSPO Members was held at Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu. Due to the insufficient quorum (50% of the total Ordinary Membership required: 549 in total), the 224 attending members voted that the following procedure be adopted:

    1.           I.          A balloting/voting process by the attending members of all the resolutions proposed
    2.         II.          Thereafter, an email will be circulated to all eligible members who could not attend the General assembly, to cast their ballot on the individual resolutions.
    3.        III.          All votes received via email will be reconciled with those that were cast during the GA8 and all members will be informed on the final results which will also be published on the website.

No specific timeline was given for the results of the final vote.

For more information, please visit http://www.rspo.org/?q=content/announcement-8th-general-assembly-24th-november-2011

Forest gives rise to village bank

2011-11-14

by John Kabubu, WWF Coastal East Africa Initiative

The Kaya Kinondo forest of Kwale, Kenya, is awash with all the beauty and splendor a coastal forest should have. It is one of the oldest forests on Kenya's south coast. Rare bird and plant species populate this awesome ecosystem, along with huge indigenous trees that are imposing in nature and magnificent in splendor.

Forty-five butterfly species – 5 per cent of those known in Kenya – are found in this great forest. The extremely rare Zanj elephant shrew, along with the threatened colobus monkey, make their homes in this magnificent landscape. The Kaya Kinondo forest is also of great cultural and spiritual importance to the Digo people in Kenya.

This dynamic environment also boasts something that doesn't fly or run, has no roots or leaves, but has become an essential part of daily life for the residents of Kwale, and may even help keep the forest healthy. It's a village bank.

'Very good trees'
Client after client comes into the Kaya Kinondo Financial Services Association to either deposit or withdraw money. This bank has no ATMs or free pens, but it does provide effective and efficient financial services to community members within and around the Kaya Kinondo forest area.

According to 50-year-old mother of six Zainab Ahmed, the success of their village bank would have been put in serious jeopardy had the community not realized what immense economic potential their forest has, and acted on it.

"Kaya Kinondo has very good trees. We were beginning to use the forest badly, cutting many trees from it to make charcoal. This was badly affecting the forest and slowly destroying it."

It is at this point that Zainab and her neighbors realized that there is indeed a better way to co-exist with and even benefit from the forest.

"In 2003, we decided to come together and start an eco-tourism project. We sold carvings and introduced our rich culture to tourists along a trail in the Kaya Kinondo forest," Zainab says.

Through this simple venture, the community in and around Kaya Kinondo began to see the economic value of forest conservation. Money begun streaming in, and the community faced a new challenge.

"We were getting all this money, but we had nowhere to take it because at that time, banks were really expensive and inaccessible," says Zainab.

Banking on nature
It was at this point that WWF, supported by the UN Development Programme's Global Environmental Facility, the Ford Foundation and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, introduced the idea of banking in the village, for the village, by the village. In addition to the bank component, the project worked with people who earned their living by making charcoal or selling firewood with the aim of helping them shift to more forest-friendly enterprises such as growing tree seedlings, eco-tourism and various agricultural projects, such as chicken farming.

"We helped create Kaya Kinondo Financial Services Association in order to help communities in Kwale invest their revenue in environmentally viable businesses that would keep their forests profitable while also conserving them," says WWF's Elias Kimaru, who works on the project.

Training was carried out for community members to help them invest wisely and ensure that the bank is sustainable and continues to benefit the community and the environment.

"In every village, WWF trained one person on how to set up and run a village bank. This was an important move because we had previously seen other village banks start and then die because of mismanagement. We did not want our bank to fail. After the training, we started the bank with 153 members who bought shares at $3 each," explains Zainab.

Client numbers were low at first because villagers were not convinced that their money would be safe in a village bank. As Zainab recalled, other banks had been set up and had folded; the families of Kwale can't afford that kind of financial risk.

Growing strong
Two years down the line, in 2005, the bank was still open, and more and more members enrolled.

But the community realized they needed to learn more and expand the menu of financial services offered, if they were to stay competitive with other micro-finance institutions that had moved into the area.

"In 2005, WWF offered us training on how to manage loans as a bank, and we began providing business loans of up to $50 to our members," notes Zainab.

By 2011, more than 130 members had taken loans amounting to $60,000. From a desire to protect their forest and promote their culture, the members of Kaya Kinondo Financial Services Association have created a strong and growing community institution. With 153 members with a net worth of $3,000 in 2003, to 689 members with a net worth of close to $100,000 today, the village bank is indeed a testament to the fact that human beings can live in harmony with nature.

Seized ivory burned in Kenya

2011-07-20

Nearly five tonnes of African elephant ivory confiscated in Singapore is being destroyed in Nairobi on Wednesday. The tusks are being burned to ensure that they do not again enter international trade, which is illegal. Destroying the stockpile is one step toward curbing the long-running elephant poaching problem in Africa, but there is also an urgent need to strengthen law enforcement efforts.

While most of the worlds' attention will be focused on the blazing pile of ivory in Kenya on the first African Elephant Law Enforcement Day, WWF is urging the range states of African elephants, and the international community, to embrace the broader challenge and to step up their efforts to stamp out illegal and poorly regulated domestic ivory markets, in both Asia and Africa.

While some populations of elephants in southern and eastern Africa are stable or recovering, forest elephants in Central Africa are in grave danger from poaching, fuelled by demand for illegal ivory. According to a recent report on trade in elephant ivory submitted to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), "the situation facing elephants in Central Africa appears to be grave and is probably worsening". The report warns that elephants are "in crisis" in that region.

"Alarmingly, poaching of African elephants and illegal trade in their ivory have been steadily increasing in recent years," said WWF International's African Elephant Coordinator Lamine Sebogo, citing the report submitted to CITES.

"We share the view of most experts that illegal or poorly regulated domestic ivory markets in some countries – Thailand, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in particular – are the main drivers of this increased elephant poaching," said Dr Colman O'Criodain, WWF International's Wildlife Trade Policy Analyst. "Unregulated domestic markets in these countries are providing a means for poachers to launder ivory, which often then finds its way into the international market in defiance of CITES rules."

Since 1989, commercial trade in ivory has been banned under CITES, although exceptions were made on two occasions to allow one-off auctions of ivory retrieved from natural mortality or carcasses of problem elephants from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. However, under CITES rules, it is not legal to allow confiscated ivory to re-enter the market.

The ivory being burnt in Nairobi today is part of a consignment of ivory which was seized in Singapore in 2002. The Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), under CITES agreement, took custody of the entire consignment, and in 2010, agreed to repatriate some of the ivory to its country of origin, and destroy the rest (4.9t of raw and processed ivory) through incineration.

"There have been instances in which government-held ivory stockpiles in some countries – including confiscated ivory – have been stolen and subsequently entered illegal trade," said Dr O'Criodain. "Such a symptom of poor regulation can also encourage speculative poaching."

"Accordingly, it is essential that stockpiles of confiscated ivory are put beyond use. In this respect, WWF welcomes the decision by the LATF to destroy this ivory. However, WWF believes that, as a matter of good practice, the quantity of ivory in question should always be independently verified before an incineration, in the interests of transparency and accountability," Dr O'Criodain said.

"It is imperative that all countries with stockpiles ensure that their stockpiles are secure and that domestic trade is tightly regulated to avoid the laundering of poached or stolen ivory," said Sam Weru, WWF-Kenya Conservation Manager.

WWF urges range states and the international community to view this incineration as the start of a determined effort to strengthen enforcement and shut down unregulated domestic markets.

WWF - News & Publications

New Fisheries Act Lays Basis For Sustainable Fisheries In Mozambique

Civil Society Organizations help drive Marine Fisheries Policy Reforms in the Coastal East Africa Region

Uganda unveils the world's first Earth Hour forest

Governments fall short on immediate efforts to curb illegal ivory trade at wildlife trade meeting

Governments fall short on immediate efforts to curb illegal ivory trade at wildlife trade meeting

WWF statement on rhinos at CITES

Its Full speed ahead for Fisheries policy and institutional reforms in the South West Indian Ocean

Killing elephants threatens Kenya's Economic Security

The Ivory Walk

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY IN THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY

New agreement between South Africa and Viet Nam - A turning point in tackling rhino poaching crisis, say WWF, TRAFFIC

Tana River Delta Ramsar Site Status a Plus for Coastal East Africa

Tana River Delta Ramsar Site Status a Plus for Coastal East Africa

African religious leaders join forces to help stop illegal wildlife trade

Abstracts from the Faith Statements include:

Christian:

Hindu:

Muslim:

Shared risk and opportunity in water resources

Towards a Green Economy in Coastal East Africa

AfDB and WWF to launch Africa Ecological Footprint Report

Towards a Green Economy in Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya

Palm oil industry shifts gears, commits to market transformation

Forest gives rise to village bank

Seized ivory burned in Kenya

Watch a local news report about the event