Dear Pankaj,

             Iam concerned with the sea level rise. In India along the
Kanyakumari coast.This sea level rise is evident as the sea erosion has already
eaten some villages. The Govt is trying to stop the advance of sea by erecting
sea walls. As a environmentalist I know it is a futile attempt. On the other
side the Govt is inviting foreign investments for automobile industry and many
foreign companies life Hyndai,Fiat and other Japaneese firms are coming to India
resulting in more cars and more carbon emission.
            We fail to see the end result of advancement of the sea as a
dangerous sign of impending danger.

   Yours Sincerely,

   (R.S.LAL MOHAN)

Pankaj Andaman <psekhsaria@...> wrote:
   Huge sea level rises are coming – unless we act now
NewScientist.com, 25 July 2007

by JAMES HANSEN
James Hansen heads NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New
York. A physicist and astronomer by training, he began his career
studying the clouds on Venus. Since the late 1970s he has been studying
and modelling the human impact on Earth's climate, and has published
more than 100 papers. He entered the public spotlight in the 1980s with
his outspoken testimony to congressional committees on climate change.
Last year he made headlines when he spoke out against attempts by the US
administration to gag climate scientists.

http://environment.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19526141.600&feedId=climate-\
change_rss20


I find it almost inconceivable that "business as usual" climate change
will not result in a rise in sea level measured in metres within a
century. Am I the only scientist who thinks so?

Last year I testified in a case brought by car manufacturers to
challenge California's new laws on vehicle emissions. Under questioning
from the lawyer, I conceded that I was not a glaciologist. The lawyer
then asked me to identify glaciologists who agreed publicly with my
assertion that sea level is likely to rise more than a metre this
century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow: "Name one!"

I could not, at that moment. I was dismayed, because in conversations
and email exchanges with relevant scientists I sensed a deep concern
about the stability of ice sheets in the face of "business as usual"
global warming scenarios, which assume that emissions of greenhouse
gases will continue to increase. Why might scientists be reticent to
express concerns about something so important?

I suspect it is because of what I call the "John Mercer effect". In
1978, when global warming was beginning to get attention from government
agencies, Mercer suggested that global warming could lead to disastrous
disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet. Although it was not
obvious who was right on the science, I noticed that researchers who
suggested that his paper was alarmist were regarded as more authoritative.

It seems to me that scientists downplaying the dangers of climate change
fare better when it comes to getting funding. Drawing attention to the
dangers of global warming may or may not have helped increase funding
for the relevant scientific areas, but it surely did not help
individuals like Mercer who stuck their heads out.

I can vouch for that from my own experience. After I published a paper
in 1981 that described the likely effects of fossil fuel use, the US
Department of Energy reversed a decision to fund my group's research,
specifically criticising aspects of that paper.

I believe there is pressure on scientists to be conservative. Caveats
are essential to science. They are born in scepticism, and scepticism is
at the heart of the scientific method and discovery. However, in a case
such as ice sheet instability and sea level rise, excessive caution also
holds dangers. "Scientific reticence" can hinder communication with the
public about the dangers of global warming. We may rue reticence if it
means no action is taken until it is too late to prevent future disasters.

So why do I think a sea level rise of metres would be a near certainty
if greenhouse gas emissions keep increasing? Because while the growth of
great ice sheets takes millennia, the disintegration of ice sheets is a
wet process that can proceed rapidly.

Sea level is already rising at a moderate rate. In the past decade, it
increased by 3 centimetres, about double the average rate during the
preceding century. The rate of sea level rise over the 20th century was
itself probably greater than the rate in the prior millennium, and this
is due at least in part to human activity. About half of the increase is
accounted for by thermal expansion of ocean water as a result of global
warming. Melting mountain glaciers worldwide are responsible for several
centimetres of the increase.
"While the growth of great ice sheets takes millennia, they can
disintegrate rapidly"

Greenland and Antarctica are also contributing to the rise in recent
years. Gravity measurements by the GRACE satellites have recently shown
that the ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica are each losing
about 150 cubic kilometres of ice per year. Spread over the oceans, this
is close to 1 millimetre a year, or 10 centimetres per century.
Runaway collapse

The current rate of sea level change is not without consequences.
However, the primary issue is whether global warming will reach a level
such that ice sheets begin to disintegrate in a rapid, non-linear
fashion on West Antarctica, Greenland or both. Once well under way, such
a collapse might be impossible to stop, because there are multiple
positive feedbacks. In that event, a sea level rise of several metres at
least would be expected.

As an example, let us say that ice sheet melting adds 1 centimetre to
sea level for the decade 2005 to 2015, and that this doubles each decade
until the West Antarctic ice sheet is largely depleted. This would yield
a rise in sea level of more than 5 metres by 2095.

Of course, I cannot prove that my choice of a 10-year doubling time is
accurate but I'd bet $1000 to a doughnut that it provides a far better
estimate of the ice sheet's contribution to sea level rise than a linear
response. In my opinion, if the world warms by 2 °C to 3 °C, such
massive sea level rise is inevitable, and a substantial fraction of the
rise would occur within a century. Business-as-usual global warming
would almost surely send the planet beyond a tipping point, guaranteeing
a disastrous degree of sea level rise.

Although some ice sheet experts believe that the ice sheets are more
stable, I believe that their view is partly based on the faulty
assumption that the Earth has been as much as 2 °C warmer in previous
interglacial periods, when the sea level was at most a few metres higher
than at present. There is strong evidence that the Earth now is within 1
°C of its highest temperature in the past million years. Oxygen isotopes
in the deep-ocean fossil plankton known as foraminifera reveal that the
Earth was last 2 °C to 3 °C warmer around 3 million years ago, with
carbon dioxide levels of perhaps 350 to 450 parts per million. It was a
dramatically different planet then, with no Arctic sea ice in the warm
seasons and sea level about 25 metres higher, give or take 10 metres.

There is not a sufficiently widespread appreciation of the implications
of putting back into the air a large fraction of the carbon stored in
the ground over epochs of geologic time. The climate forcing caused by
these greenhouse gases would dwarf the climate forcing for any time in
the past several hundred thousand years - the period for which accurate
records of atmospheric composition are available from ice cores.

Models based on the business-as-usual scenarios of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict a global warming of at least 3 °C
by the end of this century. What many people do not realise is that
these models generally include only fast feedback processes: changes in
sea ice, clouds, water vapour and aerosols. Actual global warming would
be greater as slow feedbacks come into play: increased vegetation at
high latitudes, ice sheet shrinkage and further greenhouse gas emissions
from the land and sea in response to global warming.

The IPCC's latest projection for sea level rise this century is 18 to 59
centimetres. Though it explicitly notes that it was unable to include
possible dynamical responses of the ice sheets in its calculations, the
provision of such specific numbers encourages a predictable public
belief that the projected sea level change is moderate, and indeed
smaller than in the previous IPCC report. There have been numerous media
reports of "reduced" predictions of sea level rise, and commentators
have denigrated suggestions that business-as-usual emissions may cause a
sea level rise measured in metres. However, if these IPCC numbers are
taken as predictions of actual sea level rise, as they have been by the
public, they imply that the ice sheets can miraculously survive a
business-as-usual climate forcing assault for a millennium or longer.

There are glaciologists who anticipate such long response times, because
their ice sheet models have been designed to match past climate changes.
However, work by my group shows that the typical 6000-year timescale for
ice sheet disintegration in the past reflects the gradual changes in
Earth's orbit that drove climate changes at the time, rather than any
inherent limit for how long it takes ice sheets to disintegrate.

Indeed, the palaeoclimate record contains numerous examples of ice
sheets yielding sea level rises of several metres per century when
forcings were smaller than that of the business-as-usual scenario. For
example, about 14,000 years ago, sea level rose approximately 20 metres
in 400 years, or about 1 metre every 20 years.

There is growing evidence that the global warming already under way
could bring a comparably rapid rise in sea level. The process begins
with human-made greenhouse gases, which cause the atmosphere to be more
opaque to infrared radiation, thus decreasing radiation of heat to
space. As a result, the Earth is gaining more heat than it is losing:
currently 0.5 to 1 watts per square metre. This planetary energy
imbalance is sufficient to melt ice corresponding to 1 metre of sea
level rise per decade, if the extra energy were used entirely for that
purpose - and the energy imbalance could double if emissions keep growing.

So where is the extra energy going? A small part of it is warming the
atmosphere and thus contributing to one key feedback on the ice sheets:
the "albedo flip" that occurs when snow and ice begin to melt.
Snow-covered ice reflects back to space most of the sunlight striking
it, but as warming air causes melting on the surface, the darker ice
absorbs much more solar energy. This increases the planetary energy
imbalance and can lead to more melting. Most of the resulting meltwater
burrows through the ice sheet, lubricating its base and speeding up the
discharge of icebergs to the ocean.

The area with summer melt on Greenland has increased from around 450,000
square kilometres when satellite observations began in 1979 to more than
600,000 square kilometres in 2002. Seismometers around the world have
detected an increasing number of earthquakes on Greenland near the
outlets of major ice streams. The earthquakes are an indication that
large pieces of the ice sheet lurch forward and then grind to a halt
because of friction with the ground. The number of these "ice quakes"
doubled between 1993 and the late 1990s, and it has since doubled again.
It is not yet clear whether the quake number is proportional to ice
loss, but the rapid increase is cause for concern about the long-term
stability of the ice sheet.

Additional global warming of 2 °C to 3 °C is expected to cause local
warming of about 5 °C over Greenland. This would spread summer melt over
practically the entire ice sheet and considerably lengthen the melt
season. In my opinion it is inconceivable that the ice sheet could
withstand such increased meltwater for long before starting to
disintegrate rapidly, but it is very difficult to predict when such a
period of large, rapid change would begin.

Summer melt on West Antarctica has received less attention than on
Greenland, but it is more important. The West Antarctic ice sheet, which
rests on bedrock far below sea level, is more vulnerable as it is being
attacked from below by warming ocean water, as well as from above by a
warming atmosphere. Satellite observations reveal increasing areas of
summer melt on the West Antarctic ice sheet, and also a longer melt season.
Warmer oceans

The warming atmosphere and increased absorption of sunlight are not the
only factors that will increase surface melt. If there is a significant
loss of ice, the surfaces of the ice sheets will be at lower altitudes,
where the air is warmer, causing additional melt: another positive feedback.

Most of the excess energy due to the planetary imbalance is going into
the ocean rather than the atmosphere, because it takes about 1000 times
as much energy to heat the oceans by 1 °C as it does to heat the
atmosphere as much. The acceleration of ice sheet disintegration depends
on how much of the extra ocean heat is transferred to the ice.

This transfer can occur in two main ways: by the speeding up of glaciers
resulting in more ice being discharged into the oceans, and by direct
transfer of heat from the water underneath and against fringing ice
shelves. Since fringing ice shelves float on water, their melting does
not raise sea level directly. However, ice shelves hold back the ice
sheets resting on land or on the seabed, so as the ice shelves melt or
break up, the ice streams draining the ice sheets accelerate, providing
another positive feedback effect.

An example was recently seen on the Antarctic Peninsula. The combined
effect of surface melt and ice shelf thinning from below led to the
sudden collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf, which was followed by the
acceleration of glacial tributaries far inland.

Positive feedback from loss of buttressing ice shelves will influence
some Greenland ice streams, but the West Antarctic ice sheet will be
affected much more. The local warming and melt that preceded the Larsen
B collapse was only a fraction of the expected warming in the West
Antarctic under business-as-usual scenarios. In fact, observations show
the ocean around West Antarctica is already warming, ice shelves are
thinning by several metres per year, and glaciers are discharging more
icebergs.

There are also some negative feedbacks, in the short term at least. As
the discharge of ice increases, regional cooling by the icebergs will be
significant. This cooling can lead to increased sea ice and cloud cover,
and thus increased reflection of sunlight. However, cooling of the ocean
surface by melting ice also reduces heat radiation from the water
surface. This increases the planetary energy imbalance, thus supplying
additional energy for ice melt. Models confirm that the cooling effect
of melting ice is temporary and that there will be a net increase in
ocean heat uptake around West Antarctica and Greenland as greenhouse
gases increase.

Another negative feedback is increasing snowfall on ice sheet interiors,
because of the higher moisture content of the warming atmosphere. Some
models predict that ice sheets will grow overall with global warming,
but those models do not include realistic processes of ice sheet
disintegration. Palaeoclimate data confirms the common-sense expectation
that the net effect is for ice sheets to shrink as the world warms, as
the GRACE satellites show is happening already.

The findings in the Antarctic are the most disconcerting. Warming there
has been limited in recent decades, in part due to the effects of ozone
depletion. The fact that West Antarctica is losing mass at a significant
rate suggests that the thinning ice shelves are already beginning to
affect ice discharge rates.

So far, warming of the ocean surface around Antarctica has been small
compared with the rest of the world, as models predict, but that limited
warming is expected to increase. The detection of recent, increasing
summer surface melt on West Antarctica raises the danger that feedbacks
among these processes could lead to non-linear growth of ice discharge
from Antarctica.

This problem is urgent. The non-linear response could easily run out of
control, both because of the positive feedbacks and because of inertias
in the system.

Ocean warming and thus melting of ice shelves will continue even if CO2
levels are stabilised, because the ocean response time is long and the
temperature at depth is far from equilibrium for current forcing. Ice
sheets also have inertia and are far from equilibrium. There is also
inertia in human systems: even if it is decided that changes must be
made, it may take decades to replace infrastructure.

The threat of large sea level change is a principal element in my
argument that the global community must aim to restrict any further
global warming to less than 1 °C above the temperature in 2000. This
implies a CO2 limit of about 450 parts per million or less. Such
scenarios require almost immediate changes to get energy and greenhouse
gas emissions onto a fundamentally different path.

Is my perspective on this problem really so different than that of other
relevant members of the scientific community? Based on interactions with
others, I conclude that there is not such a great gap. The apparent
differences may arise partly from a natural reluctance to speak out.

Reticence is fine for the IPCC. Individual scientists also can choose to
stay within a comfort zone, and not worry that they may say something
that proves to be slightly wrong. But perhaps we should consider our
legacy from a broader perspective. Do we not know enough to say more?
Using the fact that a glacier on Greenland slowed after speeding up as
"proof" that reticence is appropriate is little different from the
common misconception that a cold weather snap disproves global warming.

The broader picture strongly indicates that ice sheets will respond in a
non-linear fashion to global warming - and are already beginning to do
so. There is enough information now, in my opinion, to make it a near
certainty that business-as-usual scenarios will lead to disastrous
multi-metre sea level rise on the century time scale.

This article is based on a paper in the open-access journal
Environmental Research Letters (DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/2/2/024002)

From issue 2614 of New Scientist magazine, 25 July 2007, page 30-34




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*The Light of Andamans :: Issue 29 :: 23 July 2007*

*Editorial*

Never Ending Water Crisis

We are almost in August and yet the water crisis persists. Not that there is
no rain. Just that there is no rain in Port Blair and the catchments of
Dhanikhari Dam. Water is still supplied to the people of Port Blair in
accordance with the Court order.
The first balloon experiment to transport water from Rutland has ended in a
fiasco. The Sipighat Freshwater Lake scheme has started moving with the
commencement of acquisition process. The actual work is yet to start. Even
if started and completed in record time of five months, as claimed by the
Lt. Governor, it will need a very good monsoon (three in actualities) to
flush the embedded salt out of the system. And there is no rain.
The Lt. Governor had expressed confidence on June 4, 2007 at Dhanikhari Dam
site that he had credible contingency plans to tide over the crisis. Two of
those proposals, balloon and Sipighat do not seem to take off. He had not
spelt out his other plans. Nor does anyone else talk about it.
The pressure on the supply system has however eased a bit due intermittent
rain one or twice a week. People have realised that the official sources
would not be in a position to help them in a crisis. They have started
collecting and storing rain water as much as possible to supplement the
small quantity that they get through the pipelines. Because of that the
tankers find few takers. But that is the situation when there are
intermittent rains. What if it continues like this for the rest of the
Southwest monsoon. Southeast has been failing with frightening regularities.
The picture is bleak.
The administration is no more an open one as it should be in a democracy.
The relation between the administrator and the political bosses is less than
cordial. The administrator does not have time for his own bureaucrats for
official discussions let alone the common people. Exchange of ideas becomes
a far cry in such circumstances.
In an open atmosphere everyone can chip in with his view and ideas to tide
over the problem. People are requested to cooperate and bear with the
administration in hours of crisis. But they are not welcome to be a part of
the system to put their heads together and find out a solution. There are
traditional wisdoms that could be tapped had there been openness in the
system.
We had, though this column suggested to explore the possibilities of
transporting water from Rutland through barges to be acquired by the
administration within the financial powers of the Lt. Governor. It could
have been a viable option if only the administration would consider it
seriously.
Rain or no rain, it is the people who ultimately suffer. They have
cooperated wholeheartedly so far. They have a right to know what the
administration proposes to do to solve the problem. The veil of secrecy
around the proposed water projects creates suspicion about administrations
inaction.
A little transparency on the activities of the administration on the subject
would infuse confidence in the already beleaguered people of Port Blair.


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THE GIFT OF THE TSUNAMI

Following the devastation of December 2004, the Acehnese are going ahead
with rebuilding their province. JOHN KURIEN

The traditional village institutions had been quickly revived; proof
that despite the individual losses the village’s social capital was
quick to re-accumulate.

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/07/29/stories/2007072950050200.htm
Patek is a coastal village in Aceh Jaya district of Aceh Province,
Indonesia. Aceh Province, situated at the northern tip of Sumatra
Island, was relatively unknown to the world until its devastation in the
giant tsunami of December 2004. Patek is sit uated about 100 km east of
the epicentre of the earthquake, which triggered the tsunami, and bore
the brunt of the waves. Driving through the village recently, the
wayside verandahs were daintily festooned with dry fish dangling like
mobiles and swaying incessantly in the strong wind. Behind them elderly
women sat relaxed, waiting for the now frequent travellers like us to
make a sale.

Before the tsunami, Patek, like most places in Aceh province, was
strictly out of bounds to foreigners. Even Indonesians from other parts
of the archipelago needed to produce proof of purpose to visit. The
separatist movement known as Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or GAM, which was
fighting for Acehnese independence from Indonesia, was being hounded by
Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), the Indonesian armed forces. The
Acehnese population was thus under various forms of de facto military
rul e over the last three decades. Despite several conflict resolution
efforts — national and international — no solution was in sight. But
what humans could not resolve for decades, nature achieved in two hours
that fateful December morning.

The devastation wrought by the monster waves was incalculable. Half of
Patek’s population, most of the fishing boats, over two-thirds of the
houses and much of the coastal forests were devoured by the sea. Such
overwhelming death and destruction, spread all over the province, made
it hard to fathom how things could get any worse. Surprisingly, the
disaster triggered an immediate change in approach by both Jakarta and
GAM. GAM called for a cease-fire to facilitate the recovery of corpses.
Jakarta lifted its ban on foreigners from entering the province to allow
distribution of international aid. The hostilities ceased and the
widespread presence of media brought greater transparency to local
events and issues.

We stopped near the kedai kopi (coffee shop), the village institution so
typical of Aceh. Men sipping strong black coffee and pulling heavily on
cigarettes hardly took notice of our arrival, assuming that we were from
one of the man y aid agencies now ubiquitous in Aceh. I got off the
UN-FAO vehicle, entered the kedai kopi and performed the usual Acehnese
courtesy of shaking hands with everyone saying, ‘Salamat pagi’(Good
morning). T his cultural practice by itself is a great ice-breaker.
Foreigners visiting Patek are usually whites, so my brown skin, grey
French beard and FabIndia kurta evoked curiosity. Though facially I
looked every bit Acehnese, I clearly was a stranger. When I announced,
‘saya datan dari India’ (I am from India), there was a warm response.
Visitors from India are rare. But the ancient trade and religious links
with south India, as well as the current craze for H indi movies, made a
great starting point for conversation.
Ongoing efforts

After exchanging pleasantries about Amitabh Bachchan’s latest movies and
the popularity of the song ‘kuch, kuch hota hi’, we talked about the
ongoing rehabilitation efforts. The sea had devoured most of the old vil
lage. A whole new settlement was taking shape near a hill further
upland. The mosque was quickly rebuilt. The permanent wooden houses
nearing completion were well planned and sturdily built. The people were
happy with the results and the efforts of the participating
international NGOs. As eating out was a common practice, a restaurant
had been built and named after the birthplace of the owner’s wife who
had died in the tsunami.

The traditional village institutions had been quickly revived — proof
that despite the individual losses the village’s social capital was
quick to re-accumulate. This formed the basis of the community’s strong
collective resilience in the face of unimaginable individual tragedies.
Most men and women who had lost their spouses had been remarried through
the mediation of the imam, the village chief and other village elders.
Wherever possible, the orphans had been adopted by relatives. Others
were taken in by friends of the family.

We talked about fishery, the mainstay of the village economy. Many aid
agencies had gifted boats and nets. But there was a gross mismatch
between what the fishers needed and what was gifted. In their haste to
help, aid agencies, with no experience in fisheries, rarely discussed
the appropriateness of their assistance with the community. Any boat and
net was thought to be adequate for fishers to get on with their lives.
Most donors did not know that coastal morphology, wave and wind patterns
make some boats dangerous. Again not every type of net can be used to
catch fish in specific areas and seasons. Consequently, despite the
large material assistance on the fishery front, the fishers were still
not back to their old form. Boats and nets apart, the loss of able
bodied men created a major labour shortage.

We also talked politics. The Helsinki Agreement between GAM and the
Government of Indonesia, signed on August 15, 2005, finally brought
political peace to devastated Aceh. The goal of GAM to gain independence
from Indonesia was not achieved but it gave up its arms and Jakarta
withdrew the TNI. Aceh was assured greater autonomy to utilise the
earnings from its large natural resources — oil, gas, forests and fish.
The first truly free elections held in Aceh in December 2006 saw two
popular leaders, Irwandi Yusuf and Mohammed Nazar — one-time university
academics and guerrilla tacticians — elected as Governor and
Vice-Governor by an overwhelming majority. (Irwandi was languishing in a
jail in Banda Aceh when the tsunami flooded it and raised him to the
roof. He escaped into freedom and returned to Aceh after the agreement
was signed.) The prospect for a brighter future for the next generation
seems more clearly in sight today than ever before.
Lack of bitterness

After another round of coffee was served to all present in the kedai
kopi (note the Tamil influence), the discussion moved to the tsunami
itself. Why did this devastation happen to them? How did they cope with
the trauma of the even t and its aftermath? How did they react to the
fact that after the tsunami Aceh was peaceful, politically and
economically more autonomous and open to the world?

The role of their strong Islamic traditions and faith in Allah in coming
to terms with the tragedy — both individually and collectively as a
community — was apparent from the total lack of bitterness about the
events. They recalled the traumatic events with calmness and sagacity.
Pak Shaifuddin epitomised the feeling when he said, “The tsunami was not
God’s punishment. It was God’s training for us.”

Later, as we walked over for lunch to the village restaurant, the imam
told me that Pak Sahifuddin was the only one in the village who had lost
everything he could call his own — his wife and three children, his
parents, his house, all his fishing assets and his dog. He remained
unmarried, for he loved his wife dearly, and is gradually putting his
life back in order. I was humbled by the man’s indomitable faith.

The restaurant had a self-service system. You are served with rice in a
plate with a banana leaf placed on it. The rest of the dishes are yours
to serve — but they are exclusively composed of a large variety of fish,
other seafood, chicken and lamb in fried, roasted and curry form. (A
vegetarian would be hard pressed to survive in rural Aceh) Everyone eats
with their hands. Meals are always accompanied by an amazing variety of
fresh fruit juices. I chose mangga (mango).

The lunch time clientele was arriving slowly. A crowd of young women
arriving on Honda bikes livened up the place with their chatter and
laughter. Most of them sported T-shirts and blue jeans but wore black
jilbabs (head scarf) R 12; a reminder that Syriah law had been imposed
in Aceh by Jakarta before the tsunami.

The most interesting part of the meal is the manner in which the bill is
settled. The owner comes up to you and asks what you have eaten. You are
billed for whatever you declare; a reflection of the preponderance of
trust that marks rural life in Aceh.

The drive from Patek northwards to Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh
Province, took us along stretches of coastline that had been swallowed
by the sea . The whole coastal configuration had been radically altered.
The alternative road being built by USAID was complete only in parts.
Flash floods in the numerous rivers flowing to the sea continued to
damage the new road. The hills close by were densely forested. Many
detours and deviations later we were close to our destination. Suddenly
the vehicle began to shudder. I thought it was the bad road. Only when
the driver threw open his door and ordered us out did I realise it was
an earthquake. The iron bridge across the river swayed like a crib. A
few bystanders ran helter-skelter. Ten seconds and it was over. When the
initial excitement subsided it was business as usual. We were back on
the road and reached Banda Aceh safely at dusk.

Next morning the local newspaper Serembi announced that the quake was
6.9 on the Richter scale. Its epicentre was just west of where we felt
had the impact. But it was too deep in the sea to trigger a tsunami.
Knowledgeable persons informed me that the after shocks of the December
2004 quake will continue for much longer.

But I was sure that this will certainly not deter the Acehnese people
from going ahead purposefully with plans to rebuild their province in
the new found peace and freedom. In a way, this was a gift of the tsunami.

*THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS :: ISSUE 29 :: 23 JULY 2007*

*Vishal Jolly takes MR Bhakta head on*

By *Zubair Ahmed*

*The Bharatiya Janata Party has failed miserably to discharge its role of a
vigilant and responsible political party in opposition. In his press
conference, Vishal Jolly, State President, accused Manoranjan Bhakta, Member
of Parliament for all the sufferings of the people and reeled out a list of
demands before the press. On his own party's indifference towards the
burning issues of the day; he maintained a studied silence.  *

"Bharatiya Janata Party will strongly oppose Assembly if it is constituted
against the aspirations of the Islanders," said Vishal Jolly State President
BJP.   He said that the Committee formed to look into the viability of
Assembly have neither paid a visit to the Islands nor consulted the
stakeholders. He was speaking at a Press Conference held at BJP Bhavan to
brief the political resolution adopted by the party at the recently held
State Executive Meet.
Taking a dig on the demands submitted by the MP at the 11th IDA Meet
recently, Vishal Jolly demanded the resignation of Manoranjan Bhakta, MP. He
said that the priority of the MP has changed. Assembly has preceded all
other genuine demands of the Islanders like water and rehabilitation of
tsunami affected farmers.
On the issue of the Supreme Court order on the closure of Andaman Trunk
Road, Vishal said that the party is against closure of the road and also
informed that the Lieutenant Governor has assured him that the
administration will resist closure of the road. He also demanded the work on
the road to be transferred to APWD and immediate commencement of the work to
convert into a four-lane road.
When asked about the stand of the party vis-à-vis quarry and crusher
operations in Birchganj area, he said that the party stands behind the
agitating and aggrieved villagers and also demands the administration to
relocate the quarry to non-residential area. He said that the party is
against divisive politics and did not want the non-political agitation of
the villagers to be politicized.
He also questioned the double standard of the MP in stalling the process of
a separate Zilla Parishad for North and Middle Andaman and sought its
introduction. He also demanded separate District Planning Committee (DPC)
for the newly formed district.
Quoting from the MP's list of demands placed in IDA, Vishal blamed the MP
for pressing for private sawmills to be opened with imported timber. He said
that timber should be made available for local consumption through
Government Saw Mills in South Andaman, Little Andaman and Campbell Bay. BPL
Rates for timber should be enforced for the poor section of the Islanders as
per the decision of IDA in 2003.
He also read out a letter written by the MP to the PM regarding his
helplessness in getting things done post tsunami. Citing from the letter, he
said that Bhakta has accepted his failure to serve the Islands in the
letter.
Instead of pressing for just demands of the Islanders, Bhakta has attracted
PM's attention towards the un-cleared bills of contractors and businessmen,
he blamed.
Vishal blamed the administration for not compensating the tsunami affected
government employees posted at various Islands for the loss of household
items and valuables. He demanded appropriate compensation for them.
Speaking about the tsunami affected agricultural land; he said that the
administration is dragging its feet with not coming up with any concrete
solution and demanded immediate allotment of alternate land, already
identified by the Revenue Department at various places in South Andaman.
He also drew attention towards the plight of plantation owners, whose
coconut and arecanut crops have been badly hit by the summer and various
insect-borne diseases. He demanded immediate survey of depletion of water
level by appropriate authorities and suitable action for irrigation
facilities for the farmers in future. He also sought compensation for the
loss of crop.
Vishal said that the tsunami affected fishermen, who were provided fibre
coated dinghies, have been shocked to receive notice from financing banks
for repayment of loans. He blamed the department for providing sub-standard
boats, as most of the boats are unusable due to damages and lack of
maintenance facilities. He asked the administration to waive off the loans
of the affected fishermen and also sought an enquiry into the scam.
Vishal Jolly said that the Islands immediately need an independent Water
Board to explore the possibilities of water resources in the entire
Islands.  He said that even after 50 years of Independence, many rural areas
in South Andaman still get untreated water for drinking. He demanded the
administration to set up water treatment plants in rural areas.
On the educational scenario of the Islands, he said that the rural and urban
divide is widening. He blamed the administration for not improving the
quality of education in rural areas. He also lamented the lack of proper
infrastructure at various schools in the villages and shortage of trained
teachers. He asked the administration to supply CBSE books in vernacular
languages as per the direction of IDA in 2003.
Besides, he also demanded reduction of airfare for stretcher-borne patients
going to mainland for specialized treatment.
On shipping sector, he said that the black marketing of boat tickets in
inter-Island sector should be checked. He also demanded the administration
to increase ferry on Bambooflat-Chatham route and fine tune the schedule
according to commuter's convenience.


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Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Strikes Off Nicobar Islands, USGS Says

By Michael Heath
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aI7Rjw3HAH_I&refer=australia
July 26 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the Nicobar
Islands in the Indian Ocean, the U.S. Geologic Survey said in an
e-mailed alert. The statement didn't include a tsunami warning.

The earthquake hit at 5:07 a.m. Nicobar time, 133 kilometers (83 miles)
southwest of the islands, the USGS said. The quake struck at a depth of
24 kilometers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at
mheath1@... .

Tri-national leatherback conservation plan makes progress

http://www.ioseaturtles.org/feature_detail.php?id=206
18 Jul 2007

The Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion (BSSE) is a seascape that stretches
from the Vogelkop (Doberai) Peninsula of Papua, Indonesia, across the
Admiralty and Bismarck archipelagos of Papua New Guinea, to Makira
Island of Solomon Islands. The area covers approximately 2 million sq km
and is home to approximately 3 million people, 80% of whom rely on
coastal resources for their livelihoods. In addition to being a cradle
of coral biodiversity, the BSSE is home to a large number of critically
endangered Western Pacific Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea).

Windia Adnyana, of WWF-Indonesia, reports on a technical consultation
aimed at further developing a sub-regional conservation plan to conserve
leatherback turtles of the BSSE. The meeting, held in Jakarta from 10-11
July, brought together interested participants from Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea and Solomon Islands.

The three countries involved in the initiative signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) in August 2006 and established a tri-national
committee to oversee its implementation.

Priorities for work within the framework of a regional leatherback
action plan include:
(1) research and monitoring; (2) education and awareness and community
development; (3) capacity building; (4) development of funding mechanism
to implement the Memorandum of Understanding; (5) legal and policy
issues; and (6) coordination and collaboration.

As noted in the minutes of the meeting, the Jakarta consultation
received updates from each of the participating countries, and agreed on
a number of steps towards institutionalising the trilateral framework.
(See also the List of Participants.)  It was suggested that a Melanesian
Cetecean workshop, to be held in Papua New Guinea after October 2007,
might provide a venue for a side-meeting on the tri-national BSSE.


Other documents and presentations of interest include the following:

       Annex 1: Presentation on institutional developments (Herry Djoko
Susilo)

       Annex 2: Presentation of Papua New Guinea (James Sabi)

       Annex 3: Presentation of Solomon Islands (Fred Pattson)

       Annex 4: Presentation on Western Pacific Leatherback Turtles
(Creusa Hitipeuw)

       Annex 5: Draft Strategic Plan for the Conservation of Leatherback
Turtles of the BSSE


Thanks to Windia Adnyana for forwarding this documentation for posting
on the IOSEA website.

Financing Pacific leatherback conservation

23 Jul 2007
http://www.ioseaturtles.org/feature_detail.php?id=207

Terengganu, Malaysia, which once welcomed thousands of Leatherback
turtles to its shores, was the setting for a pivotal meeting to develop
a plan for financing the conservation of this highly endangered species.
A diverse group of specialists from several disciplines gathered from
17-20 July to consider and brainstorm fundamental issues of concern to
Pacific leatherback turtles. The meeting focused particularly on the
western Pacific leatherback population of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea
and Solomon Islands - and to a lesser extent Malaysia, Viet Nam and Vanuatu.

Working groups concentrated on four key areas: the cost of specific
actions to protect and manage critical nesting beaches; measures to
mitigate fisheries-turtle interactions; the establishment of a trust
fund to secure long-term financial support; and institutional
arrangements to coordinate these efforts.

There was – perhaps for the first time ever – a substantial discussion
of the modalities of establishing and operating a trust fund that would
receive and leverage contributions from a variety of potential donors,
including the private sector as well as governmental and nongovernmental
bodies.

Representatives of two existing US-based foundations – The Ocean
Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – explained how
such a trust fund might function, and worked with participants to
develop the outline of a business plan to create a "Pacific Leatherback
Sea Turtle Conservation Fund". This exploratory work will continue over
the coming months with guidance from a small steering committee.

The geographic area covered by the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU intersects,
at its eastern extremity, with the western Pacific population of
leatherback turtles. Indonesia and Viet Nam are already signatories to
IOSEA, with Malaysia expected to follow shortly. Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea and Solomon Islands are also cooperating within the framework of
the so-called Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion (BSSE) initiative. Several
of these countries could also be included in an eventual pan-Pacific
agreement for sea turtle conservation being contemplated by the SPREP
and the Convention on Migratory Species.

IOSEA Coordinator, Douglas Hykle, pointed out that these existing and
planned intergovernmental arrangements have an interest in securing
funding for measures agreed by their membership, and should therefore be
taken into account in the governance of any trust fund that might
eventually be created. A coordinated approach with genuine “buy-in” from
both Governments and major non-governmental organisations operating in
the region would use limited resources more cost-effectively, with less
duplication of effort.


The Malaysia meeting was a direct follow-up to the Bellagio Sea Turtle
Conservation Initiative, which produced the 2004 “Bellagio Blueprint for
Action on Pacific Sea Turtles”.


The gathering was co-hosted and sponsored by the Western Pacific
Regional Fishery Management Council, based in Hawaii.

Under water, under siege
29 Jul 2007, 0213 hrs IST,SWATI DAS,TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Sunday_Specials/Under_water_under_sie\
ge/articleshow/2241387.cms

Of all the brightly coloured fish and plants in the sea, the unlikeliest
of creatures has given the fishing industry down South a multi-million
dollar business. The slug-like sea cucumber — or Beche-de-Mer as its
processed form is called — has sparked off a thriving clandestine trade
all along the Ramanathpuram-Tuticorin coast.

So why is the sea mafia scraping the bottom of Gulf of Mannar — India's
only Marine National Park? Sea cucumbers or holothurians (kadal attai in
Tamil), slugs found on the sea bed along coral reefs, are in great
demand in countries like China, Japan and Malaysia where they are prized
as aphrodisiacs and for their medicinal value. Despite the fact that
India has banned commercial exploitation of the slug — Amendment (2002)
of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 — illegal exports continue due to the
high price ($110 for a kg) it commands in the international market.

The costliest available sea cucumbers in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay
are Holothuria scabra (sand fish or vella (white) attai in Tamil). There
are also the Holothuria atra (lolly fish or karuppu (black) attai) and
the Stichopus hermanni (warty sea cucumber or pavaikya (bitter gourd)
attai). The fishermen sell each cucumber for Rs 10 to Rs 100, depending
on the species and size, to processing agents who number around 500.
After processing, Beche-de-Mer is sold to traders. A 20 count per kg of
scabra fetches an agent Rs 3,000-3,500, 40 counts per kg Rs 1,000-1,500
and for anything above 40 counts, price is negotiable. Traders, of
course, get a much higher rate in the international market.

So lucrative is the trade that the Tatas recently purchased a hatchery
in Lakshadweep's Agathi Island, with government sanction, to culture and
export sea cucumber.

But it is the clandestine trade — with alleged LTTE links — that's
reaching alarming proportions. Labelled 'dried fish', sea cucumbers are
packed in containers and sent through returning Lankan refugee boats
from Rameswaram or smuggled via Tuticorin coast. Though India was the
first to ban sea cucumber fishing in the region, neighbouring Sri Lanka
and Mauritius have no such ban. “Boats bringing refugees from Sri Lanka
return with the 'attai'. Single motor boats carry about two tons while
double engine boats can carry as much as five-six tons. From Lanka, the
haul is taken to Singapore which is the wholesale market. The peak
season is December to March," said a fisherman in Mandapam, one of the
processing centres.

On July 10, there was a seizure in Rameswaram and about 100 kg sea
cucumbers were seized. Three persons were caught but the group leader
got away.

Beche-de-Mer is a cottage industry comprising fishermen, processors
(middlemen/agents) and traders (mafia). There have even been instances
of officials being assaulted while trying to prevent fishing and export
of sea cucumber.

"When it comes to their trade, they will stop at nothing," says V
Naganathan, eco-development officer of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere
Reserve Trust (GOMBRT) whose efforts to check smuggling resulted in the
conviction of kingpin Villayutham (known as Villa) last October. But
Villa managed to get bail and today, his territory reportedly extends
from Rameswaram to Periyapattinam.

And with the forest department under-staffed — one guard patrols 5 sq km
— personnel either ignore or assist in the illegal activities, say
sources. The mafia, meanwhile, continues to feed a growing appetite for
these sea slugs.

swati.das@...

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 29, 2007
Mock drill on disaster preparedness in Nancowry villages

Kamorta, July 28

    A mock drill exercise was organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan at
Champin village of Nancowrie island on Thursday. Altogether 20 task
force members took part in the exercise. The taskforce members form
Tapong & Badaenaka were also present to see the demonstration exercise.
They presented first aid skill, search techniques, rescue techniques and
early warning dissemination system.

    Similarly, mock drill exercise will be conducted in all 25 villages
of Nancowrie group of islands. The programme will be carry out by the
task force members of each village. This programme will be organized
under Children-led Disaster Preparedness Project implemented by Nehru
Yuva Kendra Sangathan and supported by Save the Children.

Do we have more information on the said project. What exactly is
happening?

Can somebody enlighten us piz.


Fahmeeda Hanfee
Sr. Coordinator- Marine Program
World Wide Fund for Nature - India
172 - B Lodhi Estate
New Delhi-110003
Phone  Dir:  011- 41504821
             Board :011-41504815-19
             Fax:    011-41504779/4795
Website: www.wwfindia.org
><(((:>    <:)))><     ><(((:>   <:)))><

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Huge sea level rises are coming – unless we act now
NewScientist.com, 25 July 2007

by JAMES HANSEN
James Hansen heads NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New
York. A physicist and astronomer by training, he began his career
studying the clouds on Venus. Since the late 1970s he has been studying
and modelling the human impact on Earth's climate, and has published
more than 100 papers. He entered the public spotlight in the 1980s with
his outspoken testimony to congressional committees on climate change.
Last year he made headlines when he spoke out against attempts by the US
administration to gag climate scientists.

http://environment.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19526141.600&feedId=climate-\
change_rss20


I find it almost inconceivable that "business as usual" climate change
will not result in a rise in sea level measured in metres within a
century. Am I the only scientist who thinks so?

Last year I testified in a case brought by car manufacturers to
challenge California's new laws on vehicle emissions. Under questioning
from the lawyer, I conceded that I was not a glaciologist. The lawyer
then asked me to identify glaciologists who agreed publicly with my
assertion that sea level is likely to rise more than a metre this
century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow: "Name one!"

I could not, at that moment. I was dismayed, because in conversations
and email exchanges with relevant scientists I sensed a deep concern
about the stability of ice sheets in the face of "business as usual"
global warming scenarios, which assume that emissions of greenhouse
gases will continue to increase. Why might scientists be reticent to
express concerns about something so important?

I suspect it is because of what I call the "John Mercer effect". In
1978, when global warming was beginning to get attention from government
agencies, Mercer suggested that global warming could lead to disastrous
disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet. Although it was not
obvious who was right on the science, I noticed that researchers who
suggested that his paper was alarmist were regarded as more authoritative.

It seems to me that scientists downplaying the dangers of climate change
fare better when it comes to getting funding. Drawing attention to the
dangers of global warming may or may not have helped increase funding
for the relevant scientific areas, but it surely did not help
individuals like Mercer who stuck their heads out.

I can vouch for that from my own experience. After I published a paper
in 1981 that described the likely effects of fossil fuel use, the US
Department of Energy reversed a decision to fund my group's research,
specifically criticising aspects of that paper.

I believe there is pressure on scientists to be conservative. Caveats
are essential to science. They are born in scepticism, and scepticism is
at the heart of the scientific method and discovery. However, in a case
such as ice sheet instability and sea level rise, excessive caution also
holds dangers. "Scientific reticence" can hinder communication with the
public about the dangers of global warming. We may rue reticence if it
means no action is taken until it is too late to prevent future disasters.

So why do I think a sea level rise of metres would be a near certainty
if greenhouse gas emissions keep increasing? Because while the growth of
great ice sheets takes millennia, the disintegration of ice sheets is a
wet process that can proceed rapidly.

Sea level is already rising at a moderate rate. In the past decade, it
increased by 3 centimetres, about double the average rate during the
preceding century. The rate of sea level rise over the 20th century was
itself probably greater than the rate in the prior millennium, and this
is due at least in part to human activity. About half of the increase is
accounted for by thermal expansion of ocean water as a result of global
warming. Melting mountain glaciers worldwide are responsible for several
centimetres of the increase.
"While the growth of great ice sheets takes millennia, they can
disintegrate rapidly"

Greenland and Antarctica are also contributing to the rise in recent
years. Gravity measurements by the GRACE satellites have recently shown
that the ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica are each losing
about 150 cubic kilometres of ice per year. Spread over the oceans, this
is close to 1 millimetre a year, or 10 centimetres per century.
Runaway collapse

The current rate of sea level change is not without consequences.
However, the primary issue is whether global warming will reach a level
such that ice sheets begin to disintegrate in a rapid, non-linear
fashion on West Antarctica, Greenland or both. Once well under way, such
a collapse might be impossible to stop, because there are multiple
positive feedbacks. In that event, a sea level rise of several metres at
least would be expected.

As an example, let us say that ice sheet melting adds 1 centimetre to
sea level for the decade 2005 to 2015, and that this doubles each decade
until the West Antarctic ice sheet is largely depleted. This would yield
a rise in sea level of more than 5 metres by 2095.

Of course, I cannot prove that my choice of a 10-year doubling time is
accurate but I'd bet $1000 to a doughnut that it provides a far better
estimate of the ice sheet's contribution to sea level rise than a linear
response. In my opinion, if the world warms by 2 °C to 3 °C, such
massive sea level rise is inevitable, and a substantial fraction of the
rise would occur within a century. Business-as-usual global warming
would almost surely send the planet beyond a tipping point, guaranteeing
a disastrous degree of sea level rise.

Although some ice sheet experts believe that the ice sheets are more
stable, I believe that their view is partly based on the faulty
assumption that the Earth has been as much as 2 °C warmer in previous
interglacial periods, when the sea level was at most a few metres higher
than at present. There is strong evidence that the Earth now is within 1
°C of its highest temperature in the past million years. Oxygen isotopes
in the deep-ocean fossil plankton known as foraminifera reveal that the
Earth was last 2 °C to 3 °C warmer around 3 million years ago, with
carbon dioxide levels of perhaps 350 to 450 parts per million. It was a
dramatically different planet then, with no Arctic sea ice in the warm
seasons and sea level about 25 metres higher, give or take 10 metres.

There is not a sufficiently widespread appreciation of the implications
of putting back into the air a large fraction of the carbon stored in
the ground over epochs of geologic time. The climate forcing caused by
these greenhouse gases would dwarf the climate forcing for any time in
the past several hundred thousand years - the period for which accurate
records of atmospheric composition are available from ice cores.

Models based on the business-as-usual scenarios of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict a global warming of at least 3 °C
by the end of this century. What many people do not realise is that
these models generally include only fast feedback processes: changes in
sea ice, clouds, water vapour and aerosols. Actual global warming would
be greater as slow feedbacks come into play: increased vegetation at
high latitudes, ice sheet shrinkage and further greenhouse gas emissions
from the land and sea in response to global warming.

The IPCC's latest projection for sea level rise this century is 18 to 59
centimetres. Though it explicitly notes that it was unable to include
possible dynamical responses of the ice sheets in its calculations, the
provision of such specific numbers encourages a predictable public
belief that the projected sea level change is moderate, and indeed
smaller than in the previous IPCC report. There have been numerous media
reports of "reduced" predictions of sea level rise, and commentators
have denigrated suggestions that business-as-usual emissions may cause a
sea level rise measured in metres. However, if these IPCC numbers are
taken as predictions of actual sea level rise, as they have been by the
public, they imply that the ice sheets can miraculously survive a
business-as-usual climate forcing assault for a millennium or longer.

There are glaciologists who anticipate such long response times, because
their ice sheet models have been designed to match past climate changes.
However, work by my group shows that the typical 6000-year timescale for
ice sheet disintegration in the past reflects the gradual changes in
Earth's orbit that drove climate changes at the time, rather than any
inherent limit for how long it takes ice sheets to disintegrate.

Indeed, the palaeoclimate record contains numerous examples of ice
sheets yielding sea level rises of several metres per century when
forcings were smaller than that of the business-as-usual scenario. For
example, about 14,000 years ago, sea level rose approximately 20 metres
in 400 years, or about 1 metre every 20 years.

There is growing evidence that the global warming already under way
could bring a comparably rapid rise in sea level. The process begins
with human-made greenhouse gases, which cause the atmosphere to be more
opaque to infrared radiation, thus decreasing radiation of heat to
space. As a result, the Earth is gaining more heat than it is losing:
currently 0.5 to 1 watts per square metre. This planetary energy
imbalance is sufficient to melt ice corresponding to 1 metre of sea
level rise per decade, if the extra energy were used entirely for that
purpose - and the energy imbalance could double if emissions keep growing.

So where is the extra energy going? A small part of it is warming the
atmosphere and thus contributing to one key feedback on the ice sheets:
the "albedo flip" that occurs when snow and ice begin to melt.
Snow-covered ice reflects back to space most of the sunlight striking
it, but as warming air causes melting on the surface, the darker ice
absorbs much more solar energy. This increases the planetary energy
imbalance and can lead to more melting. Most of the resulting meltwater
burrows through the ice sheet, lubricating its base and speeding up the
discharge of icebergs to the ocean.

The area with summer melt on Greenland has increased from around 450,000
square kilometres when satellite observations began in 1979 to more than
600,000 square kilometres in 2002. Seismometers around the world have
detected an increasing number of earthquakes on Greenland near the
outlets of major ice streams. The earthquakes are an indication that
large pieces of the ice sheet lurch forward and then grind to a halt
because of friction with the ground. The number of these "ice quakes"
doubled between 1993 and the late 1990s, and it has since doubled again.
It is not yet clear whether the quake number is proportional to ice
loss, but the rapid increase is cause for concern about the long-term
stability of the ice sheet.

Additional global warming of 2 °C to 3 °C is expected to cause local
warming of about 5 °C over Greenland. This would spread summer melt over
practically the entire ice sheet and considerably lengthen the melt
season. In my opinion it is inconceivable that the ice sheet could
withstand such increased meltwater for long before starting to
disintegrate rapidly, but it is very difficult to predict when such a
period of large, rapid change would begin.

Summer melt on West Antarctica has received less attention than on
Greenland, but it is more important. The West Antarctic ice sheet, which
rests on bedrock far below sea level, is more vulnerable as it is being
attacked from below by warming ocean water, as well as from above by a
warming atmosphere. Satellite observations reveal increasing areas of
summer melt on the West Antarctic ice sheet, and also a longer melt season.
Warmer oceans

The warming atmosphere and increased absorption of sunlight are not the
only factors that will increase surface melt. If there is a significant
loss of ice, the surfaces of the ice sheets will be at lower altitudes,
where the air is warmer, causing additional melt: another positive feedback.

Most of the excess energy due to the planetary imbalance is going into
the ocean rather than the atmosphere, because it takes about 1000 times
as much energy to heat the oceans by 1 °C as it does to heat the
atmosphere as much. The acceleration of ice sheet disintegration depends
on how much of the extra ocean heat is transferred to the ice.

This transfer can occur in two main ways: by the speeding up of glaciers
resulting in more ice being discharged into the oceans, and by direct
transfer of heat from the water underneath and against fringing ice
shelves. Since fringing ice shelves float on water, their melting does
not raise sea level directly. However, ice shelves hold back the ice
sheets resting on land or on the seabed, so as the ice shelves melt or
break up, the ice streams draining the ice sheets accelerate, providing
another positive feedback effect.

An example was recently seen on the Antarctic Peninsula. The combined
effect of surface melt and ice shelf thinning from below led to the
sudden collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf, which was followed by the
acceleration of glacial tributaries far inland.

Positive feedback from loss of buttressing ice shelves will influence
some Greenland ice streams, but the West Antarctic ice sheet will be
affected much more. The local warming and melt that preceded the Larsen
B collapse was only a fraction of the expected warming in the West
Antarctic under business-as-usual scenarios. In fact, observations show
the ocean around West Antarctica is already warming, ice shelves are
thinning by several metres per year, and glaciers are discharging more
icebergs.

There are also some negative feedbacks, in the short term at least. As
the discharge of ice increases, regional cooling by the icebergs will be
significant. This cooling can lead to increased sea ice and cloud cover,
and thus increased reflection of sunlight. However, cooling of the ocean
surface by melting ice also reduces heat radiation from the water
surface. This increases the planetary energy imbalance, thus supplying
additional energy for ice melt. Models confirm that the cooling effect
of melting ice is temporary and that there will be a net increase in
ocean heat uptake around West Antarctica and Greenland as greenhouse
gases increase.

Another negative feedback is increasing snowfall on ice sheet interiors,
because of the higher moisture content of the warming atmosphere. Some
models predict that ice sheets will grow overall with global warming,
but those models do not include realistic processes of ice sheet
disintegration. Palaeoclimate data confirms the common-sense expectation
that the net effect is for ice sheets to shrink as the world warms, as
the GRACE satellites show is happening already.

The findings in the Antarctic are the most disconcerting. Warming there
has been limited in recent decades, in part due to the effects of ozone
depletion. The fact that West Antarctica is losing mass at a significant
rate suggests that the thinning ice shelves are already beginning to
affect ice discharge rates.

So far, warming of the ocean surface around Antarctica has been small
compared with the rest of the world, as models predict, but that limited
warming is expected to increase. The detection of recent, increasing
summer surface melt on West Antarctica raises the danger that feedbacks
among these processes could lead to non-linear growth of ice discharge
from Antarctica.

This problem is urgent. The non-linear response could easily run out of
control, both because of the positive feedbacks and because of inertias
in the system.

Ocean warming and thus melting of ice shelves will continue even if CO2
levels are stabilised, because the ocean response time is long and the
temperature at depth is far from equilibrium for current forcing. Ice
sheets also have inertia and are far from equilibrium. There is also
inertia in human systems: even if it is decided that changes must be
made, it may take decades to replace infrastructure.

The threat of large sea level change is a principal element in my
argument that the global community must aim to restrict any further
global warming to less than 1 °C above the temperature in 2000. This
implies a CO2 limit of about 450 parts per million or less. Such
scenarios require almost immediate changes to get energy and greenhouse
gas emissions onto a fundamentally different path.

Is my perspective on this problem really so different than that of other
relevant members of the scientific community? Based on interactions with
others, I conclude that there is not such a great gap. The apparent
differences may arise partly from a natural reluctance to speak out.

Reticence is fine for the IPCC. Individual scientists also can choose to
stay within a comfort zone, and not worry that they may say something
that proves to be slightly wrong. But perhaps we should consider our
legacy from a broader perspective. Do we not know enough to say more?
Using the fact that a glacier on Greenland slowed after speeding up as
"proof" that reticence is appropriate is little different from the
common misconception that a cold weather snap disproves global warming.

The broader picture strongly indicates that ice sheets will respond in a
non-linear fashion to global warming - and are already beginning to do
so. There is enough information now, in my opinion, to make it a near
certainty that business-as-usual scenarios will lead to disastrous
multi-metre sea level rise on the century time scale.

This article is based on a paper in the open-access journal
Environmental Research Letters (DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/2/2/024002)

  From issue 2614 of New Scientist magazine, 25 July 2007, page 30-34

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 30, 2007
Greater involvement of PRIs in conservation of isles natural resources
stressed

Rangat, July 29

     The need for greater involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in
the conservation of nature & natural resources in these islands for the
posterity was discussed at  a meeting organized by the Middle Andaman
Division of Forests & Environment Department in the new Panchayat
Community Hall here today. Altogether 48 PRI members including Zilla
Parishad & Panchayat Samity members of the area attended the meeting and
projected their problem & needs in the meeting. The common problems like
availability of sand, supply of jungle posts & ballies and sawn timber
etc were raised by the PRI members on the occasion.

     Chairing the meeting, the PCCF-cum-Secretary, Environment & Forests,
Shri S S Choudhury urged upon the PRI members to decimate the
information divulged in this meeting to the people of their respective
constituencies to get their support and cooperation for sustainable
development alongwith conservation of forest resources of the islands
for future generations. He said, the Department has already initiated
actions to supply the required quantity of NTFP ballies, posts, fire
wood from the sale depots in each Range Headquarter.

     Regarding sand issue, the PCCF informed that the Administration had
already approved sale of minor quantity of sand upto a maximum of 3 cum
to individual applicants. The issue of diversion of forest land for
construction of road and bund etc was also raised by the PRI members and
replying to this, the PCCF informed that the Department will always
support the developmental projects for which proper proposal from the
user agencies is a must as per the provisions of the Forest Conservator
Act and there is also provision to get the clearance at early date for
small projects related to irrigation, development of water source or
essential approach.

     For development of eco-tourism, the members were asked to submit
their proposals before the DFO and all necessary help and support would
be provided subject to feasibility of the proposal, it was assured.

     The PRI members also extended their cooperation to the Department
for protection and conservation of precious bio-diversity of the islands.

     Earlier, Shri A K Mondal, ACF (HQ) welcomed the gathering while the
vote of thanks was proposed by Shri B P Yadav, ACF (MA), a communication
received here said.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  [ wrmfriends ] WRM Bulletin 120
Date:  Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:49:16 -0300
From:  WRM - World Rainforest Movement <wrm@...>
Reply-To:  wrmfriends@...
To:  wrmfriends@...





*Issue** 120 - July  2007*

*OUR VIEWPOINT*

      * *Tenth anniversary of the bulletin: Thank you all very much!
        <#Tenth>*

*COMMUNITIES AND FORESTS*

      *

        *Benin: Large scale oil palm plantations for agrofuel <#Benin>*

      *

        *Bolivia: The Amazon peoples discuss their future <#Bolivia>*

      *

        *Central Africa: Deforestation brings HIV/AIDS to indigenous
        communities, mainly women  <#Africa>*

      *

        *Ecuador: Indigenous peoples close to extinction because of
        illegal logging <#Ecuador>*

      *

        India: A plan for the takeover of forest land by industry <#India>

      *

        *Mangrove Action Day (26 July) - A Global Call to Action <#Mangrove>*

*COMMUNITIES AND TREE MONOCULTURES*

      *

        *Brazil: Indigenous Peoples re-start actions to take back their
        land from Aracruz <#Brazil>*

      *

        *Chile: The short-lived lies of a “successful” forestry model
        <#Chile>*

      *

        *Congo, Republic: Thousands of hectares of land for eucalyptus,
        oil palm and mining <#Congo>*

      *

        *Indonesia: Agrofuel from oil palm –the poor pay with higher
        edible oil prices <#Indonesia>*

      *

        *Papua New Guinea: Women most affected by oil palm plantations
        <#Guinea>*

*NEW TRENDS*

      *

        *‘Reduced Emissions From Deforestation’ (REDD): Can Carbon Trading
        Save Our Ecosystems? <#REDD>*

      *

        *Voices from North and South against agrofuels <#Voices>*



*OUR VIEWPOINT*



*- Tenth anniversary of the bulletin: Thank you all very much!*



With this issue, the WRM bulletin reaches its tenth year. This
anniversary provides an opportunity to give visibility to the numerous
people who, in one way or another have made it possible – month by month
and year after year – to issue the bulletin.



It is important to start by saying that one of the most outstanding
features of the bulletin is that it is produced through a wide network
of people all around the world, who are willing to share the knowledge
they have about local, national and international realities. It is those
inputs that enable the bulletin to contain so much valuable and first
hand information. Only a few of these people are, or consider themselves
to be, journalists, but in fact they fulfil – and very seriously – this
function.



All these people, from the most diverse realities and cultures, have
something in common: a shared vision regarding the essential things in
life such as rights, equity, respect for nature and the search for a
better future for humanity.  In the specific case of forests, they share
the idea that not only is their protection necessary, but that it
necessarily requires the recognition of the territorial rights of the
people who live therein and who depend on them.



This explains another feature of the bulletin: its articles are never
neutral, but written from and at the service of peoplesÂ’ struggles. The
information they contain is objective, but the authors do not merely
describe what is going on, but place themselves on the side of those who
defend their rights.



Thus the bulletin is a tool, collectively produced and placed at the
service of struggles. These – and not the mere dissemination of
information – are the bulletin’s most important objectives:
collaboration and support to struggles.



The word “struggle” usually evokes images of people mobilized around
concrete claims. For example, those of local inhabitants opposing the
logging of their forests or the installation of a hydroelectric dam or
opposing eucalyptus plantations. And of course these struggles are
permanently brought to the forefront and supported by the bulletin.



However, the word “struggle” also includes wider scenarios, such as the
struggle for the recognition of indigenous and traditional peoplesÂ’
territorial rights, the struggle for changes in destructive production
and consumption models, the struggle in defence of climate and
biodiversity, and many others.



In every case, the bulletin attempts to provide information and serious
analyses, but at the same time comprehensible to all, as a way of
empowering people.  The struggle for changes – both at local and global
levels – requires people to be well informed. In turn, for this to take
place the communication language must be within everyoneÂ’s reach,
without loosing the necessary depth.



Of course for the bulletin to be disseminated every month, for people to
have the opportunity to share their knowledge, for the language to be
understandable, coordination and facilitation are required. This is what
we at the WRM secretariat are doing and we feel very honoured to be able
to fulfil this task.



However, the merit for the quality and usefulness of the bulletin not
only rests with those who facilitate it or who write its articles, but
also with its most important protagonists: the thousands and thousands
of people whose struggles inspire and give life to the bulletin.



Thank you all very much!

   *index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*COMMUNITIES AND FORESTS*



*- Benin: Large scale oil palm plantations for agrofuel*



The race for agrofuels has reached Benin. With heavy support from the
government and forming a key part of the “agricultural revival strategy”
promoted by the IMF restructuring programme, millions of hectares of
agricultural and forest land are to be turned over to agrofuel
production for export, with no discussion or concern for the impacts
that this will have on the Beninese, their food production and their
environment.



The research undertaken by Josea Doussou Bodjrenou of Nature- Tropicale
exposes how the discussion about new agrofuel developments has clearly
been about production for export and maximising profit. Information
about specific development plans, land targets, or deals with foreign
companies and governments have been difficult to obtain, and there is a
virtual vacuum of legislation in which these developments are going ahead.



BeninÂ’s Agricultural Revival Programme will entail significant palm oil
developments, as well as the scaling up of biodiesel from Jatropha,
peanuts, and bioethanol from sugarcane, manioc and other crops.



Oil palm is native to the wetlands of Western Africa. There are already
a number of palm tree monoculture plantations in the South of Benin, but
these should only serve as a warning against future developments, due to
the complications and difficulties experienced by communities attempting
to sell their palm products. The community cooperatives that coordinate
the palm sales with government have been plagued by a history of
corruption and conflict. Into this scenario, private companies have
stepped in, offering to buy the oil directly from the communities, at a
higher price. But when the communities switched over, and gave their
products to the industries, the companies failed to pay. Benin palm oil
cooperatives found themselves in trouble, but without sympathy or help
from government.



Now, the government aims to find 300,000-400,000 hectares of land in the
humid Southern Benin areas of Oueme, Plateau, Atlantic, Mono, Couffo and
Zou for oil palm plantations. This zone hosts 50% of the countryÂ’s
population on only 7.7% of the national territory. This suggests that
agrofuels will be competing with food production in the prime
agricultural lands of Benin. Much of the food crops will also be used
for agrofuel production. Industrial companies will be supported to
obtain land for these initiatives. Although policy is not clear on
where, or from whom, this land is to come, it is likely that small scale
farmers will be excluded where their interests conflict with industries.



Looking at demographic growth rates in Benin, especially in urbanised
areas, it is obvious that maintaining food supply will call for an
increase in food crops, especially root crops. But it is clear that the
production of biofuels will drive farmers to allocate less land to food
crops, leading to food insecurity. In Northern Benin, in the Banikoara
region, farmers abandoned production of food crops for cash crops:
cotton and peanuts. Today, food insecurity is rife. Where once they fed
themselves, the World Food Program (WFP) and the Catholic Relief
Services now feed populations. Most of the populationÂ’s purchasing power
is very low, and the increase in food prices due to decreased stocks,
will favour imports and distribution of poor quality foods, food aid
dependency, and possibly GMOs.



The government of Benin is not openly admitting that they will destroy
any ecosystems for biofuel production. But it is obvious that
encouraging large-scale industries as well as small-scale farmers to
find hundreds of thousands of hectares of land to grow agrofuels, will
involve huge increases in land under cultivation, for both food crops
and agrofuels as well as expansion into the remaining wetlands, sacred
and communal forests, fallow lands and rich biodiverse ecosystems in
Southern Benin.



Josea Doussou Bodjrenou notices in his research that Benin differs from
some of the other countries in Africa, in that the discussion about
biofuels has barely touched on the idea of meeting national energy
security needs. Instead, the government is clear that this is about
maximising profits for both state-owned and private companies. However,
those profits are unlikely to filter down to the rural poor of Benin.



The areas of land that are being talked about are enormous. Although it
is not easy to know what portion of the proposed new land in the
agricultural revival programme will be for agrofuels, it is planned that
3 million hectares of new land will be found for the scheme by 2011.



The scale of the plans for biofuel production in Benin leave no room for
doubt that enormous pressures will threaten the food security, land
rights, and ecological habitats of the Beninese. In a country already
struggling to cope with the exploitation and poverty brought about by a
focus on cotton production for export, a large-scale conversion to
agrofuels can only exacerbate the problems facing BeninÂ’s rural poor.



Article based on: “Biofuel case study: BENIN”, summary of research
undertaken by Josea Doussou Bodjrenou of Nature-Tropicale for the
report “Agrofuels in Africa –The impacts on land, food and forests”,
African Biodiversity Network, July 2007.
http://www.gaiafoundation.org/documents/ABN%20Agrofuels%20Africa.pdf

   *index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*- Bolivia: The Amazon peoples discuss their future*



A forum has been opened in Bolivia to discuss the issues and the vision
of the Bolivian Amazon and to give back to the indigenous peoples the
dignity stolen from them by the conquest of America.



Last June in the Amazon city of Guayaramerin, the Ministry of the
Presidency of the Bolivian Republic organized the First Amazon Forum
on “Macro-Regional Identity and Development.” One of the centres of the
debate was local identity and the present situation of indigenous
peoples that represent the countryÂ’s greatest ethnic-cultural diversity
and in particular, the critical situation of the most vulnerable
originating groups. Some of these are threatened by strong acculturation
processes and the violation of their human rights, others are in danger
of physical extinction and some live in voluntary isolation.



At the opening session, Evo Morales Ayma, the first President of Bolivia
to be born within an originating indigenous community, stated before
some three hundred participants – where a motley group of indigenous and
peasant leaders from the whole of the Amazon stood out – that “To defend
the Earth is to defend humanity. To save the environment is to save
humanity.”



At a forum the previous day, indigenous peoples and peasant communities
from the Amazon region had established the strategic outline for what
they understand must be the Amazon development policy. Among its
foundations, they affirmed that it “must be based on the special
protection of indigenous peoples in a state of extreme vulnerability and
particularly those who are at risk of disappearing, as they are the
Amazon’s cultural, historic and ethnic heritage.”



These positions were expressed in a proposal, denouncing the attempts by
transnational companies to pursue their avidity to privatize and
monopolize the AmazonÂ’s natural resources, presently allying themselves
with the Departmental prefectures of Beni and Pando.



Furthermore, the proposal defends the right of the indigenous peoples to
an autonomous and communal territory within the region, considered to be
one of the most important biodiversity reserves in the world.



The proposal also rejects the Brazilian governmentÂ’s intention of
building mega dams on the Madera River, which would place at risk the
environmental and social integrity of a large part of the Bolivian
Amazon. The Brazilian government has just granted an environmental
licence for dams at Jirau and Santo Antonio on the Madero River, going
against the position of the Brazilian and Bolivian representatives of
the Peasant Communities, Peoples and Organizations and other people
affected by the dams, gathered in the “Social Movement in Defence of the
Madero River Basin and the Amazon Region.”  The Madero River Complex is
a pilot project for a new management of the South American territory,
that intends to establish a kind of parallel state, with its private
sovereignty, its own rules, beyond the sovereignty of national laws.



On this occasion, the political minister, Juan Ramón Quintana, stressed
the fact that “it must be the indigenous peoples that, together with the
state negotiate sovereignty and territorial control in the Amazon to end
centuries of colonial exploitation and discrimination.”  According to
the official, genocide and aggression towards the indigenous Amazon
people has been a tool used to consolidate economic interests external
to the region such as those that marked the rubber boom at the end of
the nineteenth century. This continued through the second half of the
twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first century with
disregard for indigenous issues, projecting the power rationale of
vernacular right-wing political “caciques” and their present demands for
an isolating autonomy, counter to the demands of the indigenous
movements.



   “The Amazon must become a linking and integrating factor in a country
as diverse as Bolivia and within the Amazon, indigenous peoples must act
along the same lines to overcome feudal and racist stigmas that still
survive in the region,” stated Minister Quintana, who was responsible
for reading out the “Guayaramerin Declaration” (available at:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/countries/Bolivia/Declaration_Guayaramerin.html
<http://www.wrm.org.uy/countries/Bolivia/Declaration_Guayaramerin.html>),
closing the first Amazon forum.



The following sentences are taken from this declaration, signed by all
those present at the event: “from this forum is born an irreversible
process that will help to heal the wounds of history, both those that
bereaved our indigenous peoples and peasant communities, and those that
degraded and ransacked our nature and our biodiversity.” Further on it
adds “from today on a new history starts, the history of Amazon dignity.”



Article based on: “Primer Foro Amazónico en Bolivia defendió derechos de
los pueblos indígenas más vulnerables de la región” (First Amazon Forum
in Bolivia defended the rights of the regionÂ’s most vulnerable
indigenous peoples) Pablo Cingolani, e-mail:
pablocingolani@...  <mailto:pablocingolani@...> sent
by the author; “¿Liderazgo sudamericano de Brasil? La aprobación de las
represas del río Madera viola los principios para la convivencia
pacífica de las naciones” (South American leadership of Brazil? The
approval of the dams on the Madera River violates principles for
peaceful and harmonious cohabitation of nations), FOBOMADE, Foro
Boliviano sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo,(Bolivian Forum on
Environment and Development) e-mail: comunicacion@...
<mailto:comunicacion@...>, http://www.fobomade.org.bo

*index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*- Central Africa: Deforestation brings HIV/AIDS to indigenous
communities, mainly women  *



Indigenous peoples living in the tropical rainforests of Central Africa
are widely dispersed and identify their groups by a variety of names.
Numbering a total of 300,000 to 500,000 people, those members of
communities from several ethnic groups characterized by their small
stature are identified under the generic name of “pygmies” (see WRM
Bulletin Nº 119). Considered to be the original inhabitants of the
continent, pygmy populations have lived as hunter-gatherers in the
forests of Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
and the Republic of Congo (ROC) since time immemorial. They have enjoyed
a symbiotic relationship with the rainforest on which their livelihood,
medicinal practices and culture depend entirely.



But now, this delicate balance may be about to disappear. Intensive
commercial hunting, the opening of roads into the forests due to logging
activities, and systematic deforestation have devastated the rich
ecosystem of the tropical rainforest threatening the very existence of
the community. According to the Rainforest Action Network, “Between 1980
and 1995, Africa lost more than 10 percent of its forests, or
approximately 150 million acres. In the 1990s, the rate of
deforestation increased.”



In keeping with their traditions, pygmies have used to turn to the
rainforest in times of sickness. This relative self-reliance for health
services has allowed many groups to remain isolated from major epidemics
that have affected neighbouring communities, such as cholera, meningitis
or even Ebola. However, as the forests have receded under mining and
logging activities, its original inhabitants have been pushed into
populated areas to join the formal economy, working as casual labourers
or on commercial farms, thus being exposed to new diseases. This shift
has brought them into closer contact with neighbouring ethnic
communities whose HIV levels are generally higher. HIV/AIDS has spread
in the pygmy community.



Studies in Cameroon and ROC in the 1980s and 1990s showed a lower
prevalence of HIV in pygmy populations than among neighbouring ones, but
recent increases have been recorded. One study found that the HIV
prevalence among the Baka pygmies in eastern Cameroon went from 0.7
percent in 1993 to 4 percent in 2003.



Speakers at a recent conference held in Impfondo, 800km north of the ROC
capital, Brazzaville, noted that impoverished Twa pygmy women of
communities in Burundi, DRC, Rwanda and elsewhere were turning to
commercial sex work to make ends meet, but ignorance about the pandemic
meant many were unaware of the dangers of unprotected sex.



"Almost all indigenous women in Burundi are illiterate ... ignorant of
the fact that HIV/AIDS can also attack them," said Léonard Habimana,
Burundi's first Twa journalist and the promoter of a private radio
station, Radio Isanganiro, which educates people about the dangers of
sexually transmitted infections, sexual violence and HIV/AIDS in pygmy
communities.



"Because of poverty, sexual exploitation of indigenous women became a
common fact," said Kapupu Diwa, head of a network of local and
indigenous populations advocating for the sustainable management of
forest ecosystems in central Africa.



Commercial sex work has also been bolstered by logging and
infrastructure building, which often place large groups of transient
labourers in camps set up in close proximity to pygmy communities.



A widely believed myth that sex with a Twa woman has the power to
cleanse men of the HI virus places Twa women at additional risk. Human
rights groups have also reported widespread sexual abuse of indigenous
women in the conflict-ridden eastern DRC.



Despite these risks, pygmy populations generally have poor access to
health services and information about HIV. In 2006, the British medical
journal, The Lancet, published a study showing that the Twa consistently
had worse access to healthcare than neighbouring communities.



According to the report, "Even where healthcare facilities exist, many
people do not use them because they cannot pay for consultations and
medicines, do not have the documents and identity cards needed to travel
or obtain hospital treatment, or are subjected to humiliating and
discriminatory treatment."



Article based on: “Minorities Under Siege - Pygmies today in Africa”,
IRIN,
http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=9&ReportId=58605
<http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=9&ReportId=58605>;
Central Africa: HIV/AIDS a threat to indigenous forest communities,
PlusNews, http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72155

*index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*- Ecuador: Indigenous peoples close to extinction because of illegal
logging*



On 27 April 2007, following a visit to the Amazon region, the President
of the Republic, Mr. Rafael Correa decreed a ban on timber extraction
from this area because of the imminent disappearance of the countryÂ’s
native forests. In spite of this declaration, the extraction of cedar
wood in the Yasuni National Park (YNP) and in the Intangible Zone
continues non-stop.



The Yasuni National Park and the Intangible Zone are the territory of
the Tagaeri/Taromenane Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation (IPVI).
The invasion of their territories by oil and logging companies and
tourists has placed these peoples in danger of extinction. To date,
various measures have been set out on paper to avoid this happening, but
have not been implemented.



In a visit to the Intangible Zone, members of the Huaorani People
together with Accion Ecologica campaigners verified the presence of
various crews of loggers extracting cedar wood from the dense forest.
The situation of these men is so precarious that they have no other
alternative than placing their lives at risk in order to obtain an
income to survive on. Those who benefit and control the timber business
in Yasuni are not these daily labourers who risk their lives, but the
logging companies safe in comfortable and influential positions,
manipulating their strings of power.



At the bridge over the Shiripuno River, deep draught canoes loaded with
crews of labourers, fire-arms, chain-saws and mules easily penetrate
into the forest to extract cedar wood planks, a highly appreciated
timber because of its quality and scarcity.



In this part of the Amazon region, Presidential Declarations or
Delimitation of Intangible Zone Decrees or the ban on cedar and mahogany
logging issued by the Minister of the Environment on 11 February 2007,
do not count. They do not count because there is no-one to implement
these measures. So far no coordination has been established between the
responsible authorities and ministries, there are no checkpoints on the
highways nor at the Park entrance, nor at the ports, the forestry system
continues to be deficient and corrupt, and timber circulates merrily
towards Guayaquil to be exported or to Tulcan for the Colombian market.



Navigating along the Shiripuno River we found two large canoes calmly
going down river with their passengers towards the timber camps
installed in the forest. The signs of invasion are visible and clear in
the middle of the forest: plastic, trash and large blocks of cedar
planks floating along the river-side and semi-concealed along its banks.



A clandestine sawmill is located near the Cononaco River, the planks
were piled up waiting for “their owners” to come and collect them. Close
to this place various attacks by the Tagaeri/Taromenane have taken place
to defend their territory from the invaders. In spite of the risk of
further confrontations, cedar continues to be extracted from this site.



The trip continued along the Shiripuno until reaching the Huaorani
community of Boanamo. Opposite the landing stage was a canoe which was
being loaded with wooden planks that arrived in a smaller vessel along
the narrow Boanamo River. Three men unloaded the timber and then
returned upriver.



The people from Boanamo stated that another Huaorani called Ike from the
Tigüino community had ordered this timber to be removed.  They had not
negotiated with Boanamo and entrusted the guide for this trip to ask Ike
when he came out whether it was true the timber was his.



Fifteen people live in Boanamo. The chief of the community is Omayegue.
Neither he nor his wife speak Spanish. Nor are they in agreement with
the extraction of timber from their territory. During the afternoon and
the night we spent with the community, we spoke with Nantu Guaponi, our
guide for this trip, about his disagreement with timber extraction and
his willingness to find economic alternatives for the community.



According to the conversations held with this community, the Taromenane
live a few hours trek away from Boanamo.  Omayegue knows the routes and
even spends whole weeks travelling over the territory, just as the
Huaorani people have done for thousands of years.



We travelled some 15 minutes up-river along the mouth of the Tiwino
until we found an inhabited loggersÂ’ camp. There were clothes hanging on
a line and a campfire was burning. The camp had a black plastic roof and
appeared to house a lot of people. The conditions were rudimentary: we
could just see the roof placed on some logs. On the river close to the
camp was a medium-sized canoe carrying barrels of fuel. Large quantities
of planks were half-hidden about one hundred meters away from the camp.



On the way back, on the Auca route, no checkpoints were to be found to
control the trucks loaded with timber.



These facts prove that illegal cedar logging is an unsolved problem
within the Yasuni National Park, the Huaorani Territory and the
Intangible Zone. Urgent action is required to put an end to this
dangerous threat. The Intangible ZoneÂ’s specially protected condition is
known by all the actors (except by the free peoples living in voluntary
isolation) and even so, nobody respects it. Nor is there any desire to
enforce existing legislation. As the loggers say “say what they will in
Quito, here all is still the same.”



Urgent measures must be adopted, including checkpoints at the entry of
the Yasuni National Park, timber control points, permanent monitoring of
truck traffic, awareness and economic alternatives for the indigenous
communities involved in the trafficking, negotiations and job
opportunities to enable the loggers entering the YNP to leave it
peacefully, follow-up on complaints made to the prosecutorÂ’s office
against middle-men, thus leading to the heads of this mafia.



It is very important to reach agreements with the local populations so
that they become the main actors involved in the conservation of the YNP
and its resources.



Policies must be developed for the protection of Indigenous Peoples in
Voluntary Isolation in coordination with the indigenous peoples'
organization CONAIE. The Intangible Zone must be declared indigenous
territory of the IPVI, preserving its condition of intangibility
perpetually and measures promoting contact must be prohibited.



Additionally, no more licences must be granted for the extraction of oil
within the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve and the international community
should support the proposal to keep crude oil underground in the ITT
block, as suggested by the Ecuadorian Government.



By Nathalia Bonilla, Forest Campaign, Acción Ecológica e-mail:
foresta@... <mailto:foresta@...>,
www.accionecologica.org <http://www.accionecologica.org>

*index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



- India: A plan for the takeover of forest land by industry



In 2002, under the Tenth Plan, the Indian government set the national
goal of having 33 percent of the countryÂ’s geographic area under
“green cover” by 2012. The plan was even presented as part of India’s
commitment towards the Millennium Goal on environmental sustainability.
However, it is much more about industrial encroachment of forest land
for tree plantations.



The proposal looks simple: India has large tracts of lands without tree
cover. These are lands classified as forests but lying degraded. The
country needs to plant trees. But the government says it lacks funds.
Industry says that it needs raw material from forests. It has the
capital to pay for planting trees and the technology and managerial
ability to do massive afforestation. If trees are planted, the poor will
get jobs. This is a win-win option and is called a multi-stakeholder
partnership for forestation.



The proposal has been worked in close consultation with industry, in
particular the wood-consuming pulp and paper sector which needs to grow
-- according to estimates, in 10 years there will be a demand gap in
paper and paper-board of 5-6 million tonnes. It needs 1 to 1.2 million
ha of degraded forest land to grow its raw material. This will give it
its competitive advantage and it can increase its share in the global
market. If this happens, it will need another 1 million ha of degraded
forest land to produce “surplus” for export. It wants large, contiguous
areas so that it can achieve economies of scale.



The biodiesel industry is also a big player — its demand for forest land
has been incessant. It is desperately scouting for large areas to grow
its oil plants. Again, economics teaches it that the cheapest option is
to grow captive plantations and that is what it wants. Already big
players — Reliance, UK-based D1 Oil as well as British Petroleum — are
lobbying hard to change laws, which will allow captive plantations on
forest lands.



Also, there is the possibility of earning carbon credits, as trees
sequester carbon. There is money in forests. And industry wants it.



The industry has asked for the rules to be relaxed further. For
instance, it wants the criterion that the maximum parcel of land that
can be bid on be limited to 50 hectares (ha) to be removed. “Economics
of scale demand that industry should be given large parcels of land —
6,000-10,000 ha of contiguous lands,” said David Gardner of Jaakko Poyry
Consulting. In addition, the Confederation of Indian Industry wants a
tax exemption on the grounds that “it is re-greening the country and
bringing development”. It forgets that it is getting the mother of all
subsidies — free land — to underwrite its development.



There is an additional issue: Under existing laws, planting trees on
"forest land" by industry is not permitted. A 'suitable' re-definition
of forest land would help proposal proponents move ahead. The mission
'what-is-a-forest' started last year. A consultant to the ministry for
this project proposed a definition of a forest that already promises to
add new potholes in the already-bumpy road of forest management. This is
the definition: "An area under Government control notified or recorded
as 'forest' under any Act, for conservation and management of ecological
and biological resources." In this definition, there is no space for the
livelihood and ecological needs of local communities, who live on these
lands, but whose rights are often not recorded or asserted.



Many in India know that the proposal to increase forest and tree cover
had been pushed, each time with some changes in the detail of the
scheme, each time with bigger and bigger players in the fray -- the last
was in early 2000, when Reliance Industries almost secured rights over
forests of Andhra Pradesh. Each time the proposal has been rejected
because it is understood that it will do nothing for poor people who
depend on the forests and nothing even for the forests it aims to protect.



"The forests do not belong to the state or industry and cannot be owned
or traded," said Shankar Gopalakrishnan of the Campaign for Dignity and
Survival, an umbrella organisation of forest community groups. More than
40 million people depend on the country's resource-rich forest areas --
which make up around 25 percent of the landmass -- eking out a living
from cattle grazing, collecting firewood and simple farming, and they
will lose their homes and their livelihoods if the big corporates move
in and get their way.



For people crucially dependent on forest lands, this movement of
enclosure would be devastating. More and more it would lead to tensions
between the richer in the village — less dependent on the commons for
survival — who can afford to ‘agree’ to private control and those who
are landless and marginalised and have no alternative but to use these
lands.



Article based on: “Indian plan to lease degraded forests sparks anger”,
by Nita Bhalla, 29 Jun 2007, Reuters,
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL303993.htm; “Defining forest
in Indian context”, Archi Rastogi, Down to Earth,
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070611/1106301.htm; “Private Affairs”,
Down to Earth, A
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/section.asp?sec_id=9&foldername=20060415
<http://www.downtoearth.org.in/section.asp?sec_id=9&foldername=20060415>;

*index <#inicio>*

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*- Mangrove Action Day (26 July) - A Global Call to Action*



Since the year 2000, every July 26th has become an annual global
commemorative day for the mangroves. This year's theme is entitled "On
Behalf of Indigenous and Traditional Communities and Food Sovereignty."



In reference to this year's campaign, the Latin American Mangrove
Network, Redmanglar International states that International Mangrove
Action Day “proclaims a call for the rights of the indigenous and
traditional communities of the mangrove ecosystem based on the
recognition of our territory where we build our culture, our identity
and the base for our food sovereignty.”



Redmanglar explains that “The indigenous and traditional mangrove
communities of Latin America, have millenary lived, in a vital way,
related to the ecosystem. In this space we put dreams; we find our past,
our present and future. Here we live together with our grandfathers and
grandmothers, with our sons and daughters, with our brothers and sisters
from all the Americas and the world. Here we stand up together for our
territory, for our food, for our work, for our dignity.



This 26th of July we wish that the whole world hear our voices-- the
voices of the indigenous and traditional communities of the mangrove
ecosystem. We hope that these voices reach all of our societies, the
indolent authorities, the depredator enterprises. We desire that we can
hear each other-- all the voices of the South-- and that we continue
walking together on behalf of our ideals.”



Article based on information from: “On Behalf of Indigenous and
Traditional Communities and Food Sovereignty!, July 26th - International
Mangrove Action Day”, by Lider Gongora Farias, President C-CONDEM,
Executive Secretary Redmanglar International;
http://redmanglar.org/redmanglar.php?c=635

Alfredo Quarto, Executive Director, Mangrove Action Project,
mangroveap@... <mailto:mangroveap@...>,
http://www.mangroveactionproject.org

*index <#inicio>*

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*COMMUNITIES AND TREE MONOCULTURES *



*- Brazil: Indigenous Peoples re-start actions to take back their land
from Aracruz*



In an “Open Letter to the population and Brazilian authorities”, the
Commission of Tupinikim and Guarani Chiefs and Leaders state:



“Today (24/07/2007) we are starting to carry out several peaceful
actions with the aim of retaking possession of the 11,009 hectares of
lands that belong to us and that have already been thoroughly identified
by the FUNAI [the Federal Agency for Indigenous Issues] as lands
traditionally occupied by us, Tupinikim and Guarani.



Initially we plan to halt the cutting of eucalyptus trees and take the
non-indigenous persons, who are illegally in our lands, out of the area.
Then, we will organize collective working days to reconstruct some of
our villages (Olho d´Agua, Macacos and Areal), destroyed by Aracruz
Celulose when it invaded our lands. We will build houses and plant food
crops and native tree species in order to recover and reforest our lands.



Through a stop in the cutting of eucalyptus trees and taking out the
non-indigenous people, we aim at protecting the eucalyptus plantations,
so that they can be used as payments for due reimbursements to Aracruz
Celulose for the existing 'improvements' in the 11,009 hectares. The
halting of the eucalyptus cutting will also apply to us, indigenous
peoples, as one more proof of our desire to cooperate with a quick and
peaceful solution to the problem.



However, we want to reaffirm that our actions result from the delay of
the federal government in solving a dispute that has been going on now
for almost 40 years. We always complied with our commitments with the
government, but the government not always complied with theirs. It is
worth while to remember that the ex-Minister of Justice Márcio Thomas
Bastos, during a public meeting in the Espirito Santo State Parliament
in February 2006, promised to demarcate our lands by the end of 2006.
However, in January 2007, just before leaving the Ministry, he
irregularly sent back the land demarcation files to FUNAI, in spite of
the fact that he had all the necessary elements to sign the demarcation
decrees of our lands. Recently, 7 months later, the files returned to
the Ministry of Justice. How much more time will be necessary for
signing the demarcation decrees and other necessary measures?



Finally, we want to make clear that our struggle aims at recovering our
land and that we will not desist from this right. If the neglect and
delay of the federal government persists, we will intensify our actions
to consolidate the possession of the lands of our ancestors and of our
children and grandchildren, including restarting the cutting of
eucalyptus trees by the indigenous communities.”



24 July 2007, Commission of Tupinikim and Guarani Chiefs and Leaders

*index <#inicio>*

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*- Chile: The short-lived lies of a “successful” forestry model *



Chile is where the “forestry model” introduced into the countries of the
South – that is to say large-scale monoculture tree plantations, mainly
aimed at producing pulp for export – has been “sold” best.



The 1973 military regime created a framework for the introduction of
neoliberal policies of deregulation, privatization and unilateral
economic opening up, whereby the forestry sector was developed as one of
the pillars of Chilean macro-economy.  Forestry activities in Chile come
second in importance to copper mining and are among the ten main
products concentrating 50 percent of the total value of exports.



What is not said is that although the major forestry companies have
contributed to create an outstanding macro-economy, it is also true that
they have generated similarly outstanding levels of social inequality
and the replacement of native forests by exotic monoculture tree
plantations, impoverishing and evicting from their ancestral lands the
people who lived there. They have also caused landscape and
environmental degradation, in particular affecting water.



So, during the season of the year when there is the greatest demand for
labour, in the commune of Los Sauces, Province of Malleco in the South
of Chile, the Mininco forestry company gives work to only 19 people from
the commune and pays them very low salaries. In a region where wheat
once grew and there were native forests of oak, raulíes and lingues,
today the exotic plantations of Monterrey pine and eucalyptus occupy
almost two thirds of the arable land. The largest timber companies
-Mininco, Arauco, Cautín, Comaco, Casino and Tierra Chilena, among
others- settled in this predominantly rural commune, where twenty per
cent of the population are Mapuche indigenous people. Like in other
parts of the country, their enormous profits are expressed in a loss of
quality of life for the local people. Thirty-three point eight per cent
of the population live in either poverty or dire poverty.



Agricultural activities declined 22 % over the past 10 years, gradually
forcing over 1,400 people to migrate to towns where they build poverty
belts amid the opulence of the forestry companies. One of the reasons is
the lack of water as the plantations have dried up the soil. Every
summer the municipality has to deliver water by truck for domestic
consumption.



In addition to the lack of water is the problem of agrochemical
contamination. The neighbours in the rural sectors of Porvenir Bajo and
Porvenir Alto suffer from serious health problems due to plantation
spraying by the Comaco forestry company. Agrochemicals, in particular
herbicides (glyphosate and simazine), are mechanically or manually
sprayed before plantation and at various times during the first stages
of growth of the trees, polluting rivers, brooks and irrigation channels.



Maria Martinez lives with her husband on a small property next to a pine
plantation and their only source of water is the nearby stream. They use
it for family consumption, for the animals to drink and to water their
crops. “I have had pains in my stomach,” said Maria with concern. Ten of
her twelve sheep died and she is convinced that they were poisoned by
pesticides, “because the company has sprayed the banks of the stream.”



The neighbours denounced agrochemical spraying even along the border of
the public highway. An irrigation channel running parallel to the
highway drains murky waters of a suspiciously white colour and along its
edges the vegetation looks burnt. In the summer the forestry trucks come
and go at all hours, raising clouds of dust (with pesticide waste) that
goes into the houses, damages the grass the animals feed on and makes
the products of family vegetable plots inedible.



In Los Sauces there is a reason to fear chemical poisons. In 1997 a
woman of 70 and a boy of 14 both died, intoxicated by an anticoagulant
rat poison (bromadiolone) scattered by the Bosques Arauco company. At
that time, various persons were intoxicated, and domestic animals and
cattle died. Later a child died after having eaten wild mushrooms that
his family, like many others, used to gather and consume without any ill
effects. The father of this child was also intoxicated but managed to
save himself. As a discussion started on this issue, the municipality
entrusted a study to the Austral University of Valdivia, which indicated
that “uncontrolled dispersion of large amounts of toxic substances such
as pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) used in
agriculture can make normally edible wild mushrooms poisonous."



In the Mapuche community of Lorenzo Quilapi Cabeton, in the Queuque
sector of Los Sauces, most of the young people have emigrated in search
of jobs. “We suffer a great deal because of the forestry companies,”
says Pilar Antileo. Her family no longer has a vegetable garden,
because “you can’t plant without water." They used to have up to 150
hens that laid eggs”, some for use and some to sell, but now this is
impossible because the foxes that the forestry companies released to
catch the rabbits [that were affecting the pine trees], also eat the
hens.” After aerial spraying various people who consumed wild mushrooms
were intoxicated.  “A woman, Margarita Espinoza, died and a child of 13
found some dead rabbits and took them home. They eat them and were all
sick. The child died and the mother continues to be sickly even now.
Another woman, Mercedes Huenchuleo, went up to the hill to look at the
animals and smelt a bad smell. She got sick and died. They said it was a
heart attack,” said Pilar. There are other cases of questionable deaths
that people associate with pesticides.



In the Guadaba Abajo sector, spraying from planes was started three
years ago in the Forestal Cautin plantations. Ireni Polma, from the
Antonio Pailaqueo community says that her familyÂ’s bees died and that
since then she has had a permanent allergy on her face.



The most commonly used herbicides in Los Sauces are simazine and
glyphosate (Rango and Roundup). The former is sold in Chile with a
“green” seal (indicating supposedly low toxicity) but it has been
restricted in the European Union since 2002.



It would now seem that the forestry companies are resorting to even more
poisons as a hitherto unknown disease is attacking the large monoculture
Monterrey pine plantations. It is a fungus that attacks the treesÂ’
needles, drying them up so they look “burnt.” The gradual loss of leaves
not only leads to a lower growth rate but also makes the trees prone to
other diseases that eventually lead to their death.



The first attacks of “pine needle damage” were detected in 2003 but
alarm only spread at the end of last year when from affecting some
isolated plots only, the fungus covered nearly 100 thousand hectares.
Most of the damaged plantations are located in the southeast of the
Biobio Region, Province of Arauco, where half the area is covered with
Monterrey pine plantations.



One of the main plantation companies –Forestal Arauco- has already
started aerial spraying. This of course has caused various kinds of
damage to the communities neighbouring the plantations. Some inhabitants
affirm that following the spraying, adults and children showed symptoms
of eye irritation, headaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Several
bee-keepers even affirmed that the fungicides caused the death of almost
half their hives.



This is the bitter reverse of the “successful Chilean forestry model”:
destruction and environmental degradation, eviction, unemployment,
disease and death for the local communities – all this to support the
profits of a handful of companies.



The “successful” forestry model has very weak foundations and the lies
about its success are short-lived.



Article based on information from: “Chile: ¿un caso modelo? Desafíos en
los umbrales del siglo XXI”, (Chile: a model case? Challenges at the
threshold of the twenty-first century) Claudio Maggi/ Dirk Messner,
INEF1, http://www.meso-nrw.de/modelo.pdf; “Las plantas de celulosa y el
sector forestal. Visión de la agrupación de ingenieros forestales por el
bosque nativo (AIFBN)” (Pulp mills and the forestry sector. The vision
of the association of forestry engineers in favour of the native
forest), http://www.ecosistemas.cl/1776/articles-74477_recurso_1.pdf;
“Venenos en las forestales” (Poisons in the forestry companies), Revista
Enlace, Nº 76, April 2007; “La misteriosa enfermedad que inquieta a las
compañías forestales. La otra plaga de Arauco”, (The mysterious disease
troubling the forestry companies. The other pest in Arauco), Nación
Domingo, by Darío Zambra
(http://ln.fica.cl/muestra_noticia.php?id=3010), sent by Lucio Cuenca,
e-mail: l.cuenca@... <mailto:l.cuenca@...>_ _

*index <#inicio>*

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*- Congo, Republic: Thousands of hectares of land for eucalyptus, oil
palm and mining*



Between 1991 and 2001, Shell Renewables -a division of Shell Oil
International- implemented a forestry operation based on the planting
and harvesting of fast-growing cloned eucalyptus trees (see WRM Bulletin
46), with the aim of establishing a high-yield source of biomass for
future energy generation.



Later on, Shell sold its plantations. Very recently MagForestry -the
forestry division of MagIndustries, a Canadian company involved in
industrial and energy projects in Central-Africa (most notably the
Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo)- took over
control of the former ShellÂ’s 68,000 hectare eucalyptus plantation
through the acquisition of all the shares of Eucalyptus Fibre Congo S.A.
(EFC), the lessee of the industrial plantation.



EFC currently holds an exclusive 50 year forestry concession agreement
with the Government of the Republic of Congo, which is renewable by EFC
for an additional 21 years. This enables MagForestry to appropriate
thousands of hectares of land to carry out not only a forestry activity
that produces very few jobs, but also to secure long term land rights
for its mining branches: MagMining's brine well mining field,
MagMinerals' potash plant and MagMetals' magnesium smelter.



The eucalyptus plantations lay near the CongoÂ’s Atlantic port city of
Pointe-Noire, from where MagForestry can send its shipments to the
seaports of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, ready
to be distributed all over Europe or to be re-exported to anywhere in
the world.



Another budding business adds to the package. The biomass fuel boom
prompted MagForestry to begin the construction of a 500,000 tonne per
year wood chipping plant on those lands, aiming at becoming a major
supplier for the rapidly growing global biomass market.



At the same time, the Spanish company Aurantia is investing in a cluster
of palm plantations in the Republic of Congo with the aim of producing
biodiesel from the oil. Feasibility studies are already underway to
analyse the different plantation and mill sites, and to assess the state
of the existing logistical infrastructure in the country.



The actual size of the investment has not been disclosed and the company
did not offer any insights into how it sees itself within the context of
sustainability and of the fragility of Congo's environment, neither into
how it would guarantee its palm oil is produced in an environmentally
friendly manner.



Meanwhile, dangerous outcomes from a study commissioned by the EU and
carried out by the CIRAD, announce that Congo “has around 12 million
hectares of land suitable for the establishment of woody energy crop
plantations (such as eucalyptus and acacia)”. This may entail that
private groups take over those 12 million hectares of land to carry out
their business.



Big business in the CongoÂ’s landsÂ… for big companies.



Article based on: “500,000 tonne mill for energy wood chips in the
Republic of Congo”, Biopact,
http://biopact.com/2006/11/500000-tonne-mill-for-energy-wood.html; “Une
société espagnole veut investir dans l'exploitation de l'huile de
palme au Congo”, Congoplus.info,
http://www.congoplus.info/tout_larticle.php?id_article=2269; “Spanish
company Aurantia to invest in Congo's palm oil sector for biodiesel”,
Biopact,
http://biopact.com/2007/03/spanish-company-aurantia-to-invest-in.html

*index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*- Indonesia: Agrofuel from oil palm –the poor pay with higher edible
oil prices*



Despite announcements from the authorities, the cooking oil price in the
Indonesian domestic market has not gone down. On the contrary, the first
week in June has passed and the price continued soaring.



A year ago, the world's top palm-oil producers, Malaysia and Indonesia,
decided to set aside nearly 40 percent --six million tonnes-- of their
crude palm oil output for biodiesel production. Industry analysts had
warned that the move could further boost edible-oil prices, making it
expensive for both food and energy users to buy vegetable oils.



Increased demand for fuel use as well as high prices of other vegetable
oils like soybean oil in the US has also pulled palm oil prices. This
has led poor households in Indonesia to consume waste oil --the oil that
has been used for cooking and is later reused. Ironically, “biofuel”
will feed cars.



The agrofuel boom does not prove to trickle down on local people. The
cooking oil price jumped up until it reached the highest rate of
Rp9.000/kg. And the most serious condition is the case of an Indonesian
village of Tebo district, an oil palm plantation center in Jambi
Province, where the cooking oil price reached Rp 10,000 (USD 250)/kg in
June.



Oil palm companies are bound to send a proportion of crude palm oil for
it to be processed as cooking oil. However, in Riau Province, around 18
companies never complied with the rule. In the Sumatra region, the
company is more interested in selling crude palm oil to the
international market than to sell it at the cheaper domestic price.



Cooking oil is one of nine staple foods in Indonesia. The soaring price
of edible oil has undermined peoplesÂ’ livelihood, impacting on family
industries like fried chips, fermented soybean cake, and tofu, which
have started to go bankrupt.



Edible oil high prices have affected not only peoplesÂ’ income but also
their health. Poor communities which cannot afford to buy palm cooking
oil buy oplosan edible oil -- cooking oil already used. In other cases,
cooking oil sellers aiming at keeping their income levels mix the oil
which has been used for cooking and will be reused with a chemical
product to clear up the color of the oil. The result in both cases is
far from health standards.



Indeed, itÂ’s a high price the poor have to pay for the agrofuel fever.



   Article based on: “Biofuel for machine, ‘Jelantah Oil’ for human”,
SETARA, sent by Rivani Noor CAPPA, e-mail: rivani@...
<mailto:rivani@...>, www.cappa.or.id <http://www.cappa.or.id>

*index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*- Papua New Guinea: Women most affected by oil palm plantations*



Extensive areas of PNGÂ’s tropical forests have been cleared to give way
to export-oriented oil palm plantations, which have been established
under the “Nucleus Estate Smallholder Scheme”. This means that a central
company having its own plantation also contracts small farmers to supply
it with oil palm fruit. The structure of the Nucleus Estate Smallholder
Scheme and the nature of oil palm itself are raising serious concerns
amongst civil society.



Most of the social and environmental impacts of oil palm plantations
have been well documented (see WRM bulletins 104, 86, 74). However, one
issue that has received little attention is that oil palm plantations
have differentiated gender impacts.



For instance, the oil palm companies only pay the men, although women
–and even the whole family- also work in harvesting the oil palm fruit.
This means that the men can spend the money they receive in whichever
way they see fit, while women are left without payment. Additionally,
the fact that women work long hours doing back-breaking work for little
reward within oil palm plantations, means that at the end of the day
they are too tired to carry out properly the extra burden of cooking and
taking care of the children.



Growing, collecting and hunting of food is an important part of PNG
culture. Women sell goods in the village markets, thus obtaining an
income. At the same time, this activity provides for a valued time for
socialising with other village women. When customary lands are converted
to oil palm, many of these age-old traditions are lost and women find
themselves left without both the income and the opportunity of socialising.



Concerned about the changes that oil palm is generating in their
community and about pollution from the oil palm mill affecting their
rivers and their childrenÂ’s health, local women established the Sorovi
WomenÂ’s Association. The Association aims at bringing women together to
discuss and find practical solutions to these issues.



The activities of the Association includes capacity building regarding
the social and environmental impacts resulting from oil palm plantations
and palm oil processing. At the same time, the Association is also
working to help women to develop small-scale income generating
activities that they can undertake to reduce their reliance on growing
oil palm to earn a living and support their families.



There is no need to convince local people of the value of their natural
resources – they depend on them every day for their survival. They need
land to make bush gardens, which still supply the majority of Papua New
Guineans with their daily food needs. They need access to forests to
gather fuel wood and timber for building houses and canoes. They depend
on healthy rivers for drinking, cooking and bathing. The saying in Papua
New Guinea is ‘Graun Em Laip’ – land is life! As long as you have land
and forests youÂ’ll always have a roof over your head and youÂ’ll never go
hungry! Unfortunately, oil palm plantations have negative impacts on all
these aspects and it is women who suffer the most.



Article based on information from: Australian Conservation Foundation,
http://www.acfonline.org.au/default.asp?section_id=96, "Anatomy of a
Campaign", by Andrea Babon,
http://www.acfonline.org.au/uploads/res_Habitat_AP_3.pdf

    *index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*NEW TRENDS *



*- ‘Reduced Emissions From Deforestation’ (REDD): Can Carbon Trading
Save Our Ecosystems?*



At the Climate Change Convention's COP13 in Bali this year the working
group on reducing tropical deforestation is due to report back. It is
expected from discussions conducted so far that proposals based on
Costa RicaÂ’s Payments for Environmental Services (services contributed
by forests such as carbon sequestration, sustaining biodiversity and
feeding the rainfall cycle) will be advocated in a new policy proposal
known informally as ‘avoided deforestation’. ‘Avoided deforestation’
will be proposed under the title of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation
in Developing Countries or REDD.  The ‘reduction’ figure has not been
decided but a formula described as the 50-50-50 option; reducing
deforestation rates by 50% by 2050 and then continuing deforestation at
that rate until 2100, ultimately it is claimed saving 50 billion tonnes
of carbon emissions (advocated by Dr Peter Canadell of CSIRO Marine and
Atmospheric Research and the Global Carbon Project) appears to be
gaining support.



One factor in the choice of a lower than 100% figure appears to be the
size of the compensation payments; for example the 2006 Stern Review
cited payments of $5 to $10 billion per annum for a 70% reduction in
deforestation.  Other factors include the vested interests of
corporations and governments supporting ‘avoided deforestation’ who are
simultaneously backing the ongoing use of old growth forests for forest
products and monoculture plantations including the production of biofuel
crops.  ‘Avoided deforestation’ of course legitimises such destruction
for all forests not covered by payments.



The World Bank is spear-heading the set-up of a $250 million ‘avoided
deforestationÂ’ pilot project to pay governments for not turning parts of
their forests into plantations. This is also part of a much bigger plan
for a mega-fund called the Global Forest Alliance, a partnership between
the World Bank, logging and plantation companies, science institutes,
business donors and large conservation NGOÂ’s such as WWF, Nature
Conservancy Council and Conservation International.  WWF are already in
negotiation with the Indonesian government to use similar funding to
protect 1 million hectares of classified ‘conservation forest’ in West
Papua as the remaining 9 million hectares of conservation forest by
default become sanctioned for deforestation.



   From a systems perspective such proposals deal with the surface or
symptomatic problem – uncontrolled deforestation - without dealing with
the fundamental problem that the biosphere is in a state of critical
carbon sink deficit (we emit 50% more emissions than are absorbed by
carbon sinks) and some ecosystems are on the verge of collapse.



The following 7 arguments summarise how such non-systemic thinking
permeates the entire debate and risks making ecosystem destruction and
climate change rapidly worse.



1. The Amazon, now in its third year of drought may well be on the verge
of large-scale ecosystem collapse. This would trigger emissions of up to
120 billion tonnes of carbon along with abrupt and catastrophic climate
change. Anything short of a complete halt to deforestation in the Amazon
increases the likelihood of this outcome.  This makes a mockery of the
50 billion tonnes of avoided carbon emissions projected under the
50-50-50 proposal discussed earlier.



2. A systemic view of the ‘compensation principle’ would include equity
considerations.  35 to 65 million people stand to be displaced from
their forest homes as a result of biodiesel plantations in Indonesia
alone, yet ‘avoided deforestation’ would seek to compensate corporations
and governments instead for their lost revenue!



3. Stern estimates that it would cost $12-93 million per annum to
administer, monitor and enforce a ban on forest destruction. This is
less than one hundredth of SternÂ’s estimated of $5 to $10 billion p.a.
costs for protecting just 70% of global forests.  Such large payments
could only be maintained in a strong economic environment making such a
protocol vulnerable to a global recession or inflationary pressures both
of which are likely and either of which could make REDD impossible to
sustain.  The implications of dwindling ‘avoided deforestation’ payments
are obvious. So far there isn’t a single example of successful ‘payments
for environmental servicesÂ’ scheme that is based solely on carbon
trading or solely on market-based approaches. Schemes lauded as
successful include at the most 10% carbon finance.



4. The REDD proposals are inherently incompatible with a maximum global
emissions quota for carbon. Without a scientifically predetermined
maximum or ‘cap’ on emissions, reductions are ad hoc and meaningless
from a point of view of stabilising climate.



5. Assigning a monetary value to forests and carbon trading requires
precise emission figures and carbon inventories. Assessments can have a
10-fold variability making them unreliable and open to abuse.



6. Setting a target for avoided deforestation is likely to thwart
essential alarm calls from indigenous peoples, conservation
organisations and scientists for greater forest protection as unfunded
forests become legitimately open to land-use change.



7. Although undecided, if ‘avoided deforestation’ excludes ‘selective’
industrial logging it will again accelerate degradation.  Selective
logging can reduce the carbon held in forests by up to 70% and leads to
major biodiversity losses, dehydration and susceptibility to fire.



In contrast to all the above, a systemic approach considers root causes
and attempts to offer fundamental solutions.  Guaranteeing the land
rights of indigenous communities and supporting community ownership and
forest management for example have each been shown to successfully halt
deforestation.  The role played by indigenous peoples and particularly
women who have a long history in safeguarding forests acts as an
amplifying loop, one which could be extended to include the restoration
of degraded and deforested lands.



A ban on deforestation is also a systemic approach because it recognises
that our reduced carbon sink capacity is already dangerously in
overshoot i.e. is inadequate to maintain the majority of life on earth.
When the Paraguayan government instituted a moratorium over the eastern
half of the country, deforestation was cut by 85%.  Successful
moratoriums on deforestation have also been conducted by Costa Rica,
China and Thailand.



Supporting land rights, funding restoration, introducing education and
awareness raising initiatives and implementing penalties for violating a
ban would both weaken the hold of corporations and skewed government
policy whilst simultaneously generating the virtuous cycles necessary to
restore ecosystems and stabilise climate.



Synthesis by Almuth Ernsting <almuthbernstinguk[at]yahoo.co.uk> and
Deepak Rughani, <dee.rughani[at]btinternet.com>, Full report on 'Reduced
Emissions From Deforestation': Can Carbon Trading Save Our Ecosystems?
by same authors, available at:
http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/docs/Avoided_Deforestation_Full.pdf,
<info[at]biofuelwatch.org.uk>

    *index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*- Voices from North and South against agrofuels*



While the promotion of agrofuels -wrongly called biofuels- continues
increasing and resulting in the establishment of more and more
plantations in Southern countries to produce them, many voices of
representatives from North and South denounce their impacts and intend
to influence those who are taking decisions to promote them.



One of the decisions that is already causing a considerable increase in
the production of agrofuels, is the one taken by the European Union
which established the target that by the year 2020, 10 % of  transport
should be using agrofuels.



It is important to underscore that this decision was taken in spite of
the documentation provided to the European Union proving that this
decision would be affecting the majority of the worldÂ’s population, that
lives in Southern countries.



By the end of June this year, more than 15 representatives of
non-governmental organisations, Indigenous PeoplesÂ’ organisations and
other social movements met with the European Parliament in Brussels, the
Dutch Parliament in The Hague and with other representatives of European
organizations and govermental representatives and participated at the
XII  Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice of the UN Convention of Biodiversity in Paris. Many
were the testimonies about the direct and indirect impacts of agrofuel
production on the global South.



Among others, representatives from Asia stated that oil palm plantations
are a tremendous disaster for indigenous peoples and local communities
in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea



Representatives from Latin America, described how sugar cane, soy and
eucalyptus monocultures have caused massive migration, expulsion of
small farmers from their lands and have increased rural and urban
poverty in Brazil; how in Colombia agrofuel plantations are exacerbating
the problems of sovereignty and land tenure, that are a key cause of
conflict in the country; and how tree plantations -even the ones
certified by FSC- are having negative impacts on people and the
environment in Uruguay.



African representatives pointed out that water resources, biodiversity,
local communitiesÂ’ security, health and economies are being affected in
those African countries where monoculture tree plantations are already a
reality.



During the same days, organisations from the North and the South called
for a moratorium on European Union imports of agrofuels from large scale
monoculture plantations; and on their promotion through targets and
incentives, including tax breaks, subsidies, and financing through
carbon trading mechanisms, international development aid, or loans from
international financial institutions such as the World Bank. Such a
moratorium will allow time for the in depth study of the tremendous
impacts of large scale monocultures already felt by their expansion
serving other industries as pulp and paper.



In Paris, at a meeting of a UN scientific advisory body on biodiversity,
the majority of government delegates expressed serious concerns about
the risks of large-scale production of biofuels to forests, ecosystems,
indigenous peoples and local communities. A large number of NGOs and
Indigenous Peoples Organizations from around the world present at this
meeting also expressed their concerns about the risks and made a call
for their evaluation before continuing with the promotion of agrofuels.



While all this was hapenning in Europe, representatives from
organizations at an International Meeting on Agrofuels and Food
Sovereignty held in Quito from June 27 to 29 presented personally a
letter to the Minister of Energy containing a strong message to his
government:



“The present government faces two alternatives: to support a production
model based on diversity, sustainability, that garantees food
sovereignty, the continuity of the way of life of Indigenous Peoples,
afro-descendents and peasants and the conservation of the biodiversity,
or support agri-business. We hope that the governmentÂ’s decision will be
in favor of the people”.



That same letter is valid for all governments –North and South- that are
currently taking decisions on the issue of agrofuels. The decision they
take will show if they are in favour or against the people.



Article based on information from the Report of the Debate “Biofuels –
implications for the South” Dutch Parliament, The Hague, June 29, 2007,
by GFC and CEO, available at http://www.wrm.org.uy
<http://www.wrm.org.uy>; information published by WRM during the SBSTTA
meeting in Paris available at:

http://www.wrm.org.uy/actors/BDC/SBSTTA/news_SBSTTA.html, and the Quito
declaration at:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/temas/Biocombustibles/Declaracion_Quito.html

    *index <#inicio>*

------------------------------------------------------------------------



*Monthly Bulletin of the World Rainforest Movement *

*This Bulletin is also available in French, Spanish and Portuguese*

*Editor: Ricardo Carrere*



*WRM International Secretariat *

*Maldonado 1858 - 11200 Montevideo - Uruguay
tel:  598 2 413 2989 / fax: 598 2 410 0985
**_wrm@..._ <mailto:wrm@...>_ _*

*_http://www.wrm.org.uy_*








--

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

- Central Africa: Deforestation brings HIV/AIDS to indigenous
communities, mainly women
Article based on: “Minorities Under Siege - Pygmies today in Africa”,
IRIN,
http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=9&ReportId=58605;
Central Africa: HIV/AIDS a threat to indigenous forest communities,
PlusNews, http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72155


Indigenous peoples living in the tropical rainforests of Central Africa
are widely dispersed and identify their groups by a variety of names.
Numbering a total of 300,000 to 500,000 people, those members of
communities from several ethnic groups characterized by their small
stature are identified under the generic name of “pygmies” (see WRM
Bulletin Nº 119). Considered to be the original inhabitants of the
continent, pygmy populations have lived as hunter-gatherers in the
forests of Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
and the Republic of Congo (ROC) since time immemorial. They have enjoyed
a symbiotic relationship with the rainforest on which their livelihood,
medicinal practices and culture depend entirely.



But now, this delicate balance may be about to disappear. Intensive
commercial hunting, the opening of roads into the forests due to logging
activities, and systematic deforestation have devastated the rich
ecosystem of the tropical rainforest threatening the very existence of
the community. According to the Rainforest Action Network, “Between 1980
and 1995, Africa lost more than 10 percent of its forests, or
approximately 150 million acres. In the 1990s, the rate of deforestation
increased.”



In keeping with their traditions, pygmies have used to turn to the
rainforest in times of sickness. This relative self-reliance for health
services has allowed many groups to remain isolated from major epidemics
that have affected neighbouring communities, such as cholera, meningitis
or even Ebola. However, as the forests have receded under mining and
logging activities, its original inhabitants have been pushed into
populated areas to join the formal economy, working as casual labourers
or on commercial farms, thus being exposed to new diseases. This shift
has brought them into closer contact with neighbouring ethnic
communities whose HIV levels are generally higher. HIV/AIDS has spread
in the pygmy community.



Studies in Cameroon and ROC in the 1980s and 1990s showed a lower
prevalence of HIV in pygmy populations than among neighbouring ones, but
recent increases have been recorded. One study found that the HIV
prevalence among the Baka pygmies in eastern Cameroon went from 0.7
percent in 1993 to 4 percent in 2003.



Speakers at a recent conference held in Impfondo, 800km north of the ROC
capital, Brazzaville, noted that impoverished Twa pygmy women of
communities in Burundi, DRC, Rwanda and elsewhere were turning to
commercial sex work to make ends meet, but ignorance about the pandemic
meant many were unaware of the dangers of unprotected sex.



"Almost all indigenous women in Burundi are illiterate ... ignorant of
the fact that HIV/AIDS can also attack them," said Léonard Habimana,
Burundi's first Twa journalist and the promoter of a private radio
station, Radio Isanganiro, which educates people about the dangers of
sexually transmitted infections, sexual violence and HIV/AIDS in pygmy
communities.



"Because of poverty, sexual exploitation of indigenous women became a
common fact," said Kapupu Diwa, head of a network of local and
indigenous populations advocating for the sustainable management of
forest ecosystems in central Africa.



Commercial sex work has also been bolstered by logging and
infrastructure building, which often place large groups of transient
labourers in camps set up in close proximity to pygmy communities.



A widely believed myth that sex with a Twa woman has the power to
cleanse men of the HI virus places Twa women at additional risk. Human
rights groups have also reported widespread sexual abuse of indigenous
women in the conflict-ridden eastern DRC.



Despite these risks, pygmy populations generally have poor access to
health services and information about HIV. In 2006, the British medical
journal, The Lancet, published a study showing that the Twa consistently
had worse access to healthcare than neighbouring communities.



According to the report, "Even where healthcare facilities exist, many
people do not use them because they cannot pay for consultations and
medicines, do not have the documents and identity cards needed to travel
or obtain hospital treatment, or are subjected to humiliating and
discriminatory treatment."





index

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 28, 2007
10 more poachers apprehended

Port Blair, July 27

     The anti-poaching operations by the Coast Guard in Andaman Seas has
yielded apprehension of 10 more poachers today.   This is the third
incident in the past three days wherein the Coast Guard has apprehended
Myanmarese poachers in A & N region. According to a CG release Coast
Guard helicopter was launched for anti-poaching mission in armed
configuration in the early morning today. At about 0900 hrs the Pilots
sighted a yellow coloured boat off Defence Island with 03 personnel
onboard. On investigation, it was reveiled that they were Myanmarese
Poachers.

     On sighting the Coast Guard Helicopter the poachers jumped overboard
and fled into the Jungle. The aircrew diver, who was lowered on the boat
through the winch, incapacitated the boat. SP South Andaman has been
requested to carry out the search for the poachers.

     The helicopter returned to Port Blair for refueling and was
re-launched at 1045 hrs.  While flying over the Interview Island, the
pilots sighted a boat hidden in creeks.  While hovering over the boat
the pilots forced the hidden poachers to come out in the open with hands
raised in submission.  These 10 Myanmarese poachers were then
apprehended and taken to Diglipur, Where they were handed over to the
police.

> http://www.PetitionOnline.com/rizana1/
> <http://www.petitiononline.com/rizana1/>
>
> Dear Pankaj,
> you had posted about this (saving a young girl from being beheaded)
  in
> the group mail but the petition was missing. Just got it,
> regards and wishes
> chanda




---------------------------------
  Yahoo! Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less, sign up for
your freeaccount today.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Research assistants needed for project on Trawl Fishing along the
Coromandel Coast

As part of the UNDP Post Tsunami Environment Initiative Project, the
Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) in Mysore is looking for three full
time research assistants to study fisheries along the Coromandel Coast
(Pulicat to Point Calimere) with the main emphasis being on the trawl
fishing sector.
The eligibility requirements of the project include: Fluency in English
and Tamil; Msc in Fisheries, Marine Science, Wildlife Science,
Environmental Science or any other life science; License for two and/or
four wheelers; Computer operational skills (MS Office); Good taxonomic
skills for the identification of various marine species; Good Public
Relations skills will be an added asset; Demonstrated ability for
organized data collection and demonstrated ability to work independently
as well as in teams

Contact: Aaron Lobo, NCF, 3076/5, IV Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore 570002,
Tel: 082-515601 Mobile: +919840854261 Email: aaronlobo@...
Dr. Rohan Arthur. Email: rohan@...

CG assists police nab 14 Myanmar poachers

Port Blair, July 25

     In a joint anti-poaching operation, the Coast Guard has assisted the
police in apprehending foreign poachers from Long Island. On receiving
information from Police about sighting of poachers at Long Island, Coast
Guard Ship Kanaklata Barua immediately sailed on 23 July 2007 with 63
IRBn personnel for anti-poaching operation.

     The Police personnel posted at LOP Long Island had sighted some
poachers, who on seeing the police party managed to escape in the thick
and dense mangrove jungle. The Police team apprehended the dinghy used
by the poachers and sought for re-enforcement for thorough combing
operation, as the area to be searched was very large.

     The Coast Guard Ship arrived and anchored off Long Island on 24th
July, 2007. The IRBN personnel were disembarked to the Island by Ship’s
Gemini Boat. The CG vessel then cordoned off the seaward area and
commenced barrier patrolling off Long Island to close all the escape
routes for the poachers.

     Meanwhile, the police conducted extensive combing operation for
about 10 hrs in which 14 Myanmarese poachers were apprehended. These
poachers were hiding at various places in groups of 3-4. The CG ship
then re-anchored off Long Island and embarked the police personnel & 14
Myanmarese poachers and brought them to Port Blair today and
subsequently all the poachers were handed over to police authorities for
further action, a communication from Coast Guard said here.
--

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

AGITATION AGAINST CZM GATHERS STRENGTH

The Central Government's continuing move to implement the Costal Zone
Management (CZM) will destroy the traditional rights and privileges of the
fishing community violating the Coastal Zone Regulation Act
of 1991, according to activists. The agitation is generating wider
response under the `National Campaign Against CZM Notification' while the
coastal community has decided to intensify the agitations.

As part of the campaign, the Kerala Campaign Committee Against CZM has
conducted a seminar on the topic 'CZM and Fish workers' on 23 rd July
2007. The seminar was conducted at Press Club Auditorium in Trivandrum,
involving representations from different sections of social order.

In order to draw the attention of the first lady of the country, a big
banner with a caption `Do Not Implement CZM' will be displayed in front of
the Government Secretariat in Trivandrum on 28th July. The leaders of the
fishing community and the leaders from the different socio cultural sector
will sign under the banner declaring their solidarity to the campaign  and
to express their responses on this issue. The signed banner will be sent
to Smt. Prathiba Patile, the newly elected
President of India.

To strengthen the campaign, banners, display boards, posters and leaflets
will be disseminated in all the villages of the State, especially among
the areas of the fishing community.

From August 1 to 8, 2007,  a vehicle campaign will be
conducted in the districts of Trivandrum, Kollam, Ernakulam and Calicut.
During the campaign, a documentary film directed by  K P Sasi –
'Resisting Coastal Invasion' will be screened.

On August 9th, the recall day of Quit India, protests initiated by the
National  Campaign
Against CZM Notification will be organized in different parts of the
country. As a part of this initiative,
the Kerala Campaign Committee Against CZM will conduct a
massive rally to Rajbhavan.

The Kerala Campaign Committee Against CZM is requesting everybody to stay
united to strengthen the protest.

In Solidarity,

T.Peter, Convenor, Kerala Campaign Committee Against CZM
email: peter.ksmtf@...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*From:* HAILS Sandra [mailto:hails@...]
*Sent:* 25 July 2007 20:21
*To:* ramsar-cepa-eng@...
*Subject:* [Ramsar-CEPA-Eng] Wetlands, poverty reduction and sustainable
tourism



Hello everyone:

The development of tourism is increasingly considered as a solution to
poverty in wetland areas, but there are threats as well as
opportunities. To address these issues, Wetlands International has
launched the 20-page brochure/ Wetlands, poverty reduction and
sustainable tourism development: Opportunities and constraints/ in
English, French and Spanish. This has been developed through cooperation
between Wetlands International, IUCN Netherlands Committee (IUCN NL),
the Dutch development organisation Cordaid, the travel organization TUI
Nederland, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, and the Tourism &
Environment Group of the Wageningen University and Research Centre.
Together these organisations, along with many others, support the wise
use and conservation of wetlands and the alleviation of poverty, through
- among other means - the development of sustainable tourism.

You can download this publication as a PDF file here
http://www.wetlands.org/publication.aspx?ID=8d31d63c-edef-4daa-b309-9674d6af52fa

As a reminder to list members, I have created a web page that brings
together a range of materials on sustainable tourism here
http://ramsar.org/about/about_sustainabletourism.htm.

Best regards, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat
********************************************************

Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 999 0176; Fax: +41 22 999 0169
E-mail: hails@...
Web Site: http://ramsar.org <http://ramsar.org/>
CEPA mini-Web site: http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm






************************************************

The Ramsar CEPA List is an unmoderated mailing list maintained as a
service to the public by the Ramsar Convention Bureau in Gland,
Switzerland. Facts or opinions posted here do not represent the views of
the Convention Bureau or Contracting Parties. To unsubscribe, send a
blank message to ramsar-cepa-eng-leave@.... For help,
contact the list manager (ramsar-cepa-eng-owner@...).

Web archive of this list: http://www.ramsar.org/outreach_news.htm
This message was sent to you at: taejmundkur.wi@...

The services and facilities to support this list are provided by The
Information Management Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.


--

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

**THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 24, 2007
***
Call to address the problems of authors & publishers in isles
*
**
**Staff Reporter
Port Blair, July 23

    With a view to listen to the difficulties of the authors and
publishers' as also to look into the needs of the bibliographers in
these Islands, a one -- day meet for the authors, publishers and
librarians was held at the conference room of the State Library here.
Organized by the Director, National Library Kolkata, (NLK), Government
of India, the meet was inaugurated by the Adhyaksh Zila Parishad, Shri R
Chidabaram in the presence of the Spl. Secretary-cum-Director (School
Education), Shri S N Jha, Prof Sudhendu Mandal, Director, National
Library, Kolkata, Dr. Ramachandran, Principal Library & Information
Officer (NLK) and a host of authors librarians and publishers.

   Addressing the gathering, the chief guest expressed his happiness over
organizing such a meet for the benefit of the people engaged in writing
books, publishers and also the librarians. He urged the Education
department for opening libraries in every panchayat and providing books
on functioning of panchayats and other related matters. Besides, the
general books for the benefit of the students as well as people can also
be provided. The Adhyaksh also urged the Director NLK to help the
authors in getting their books printed, who, according to him, had
written many books on post tsunami episodes.

     Speaking on the occasion, Shri S N Jha said the meet will help in
address the problems of the publishers and also look into the need of
the readers here. Books should be developed in such a way so that it is
accepted by the readers from their bottom of their heart, he added. Shri
Jha apprised the Director NLK of the delay in getting NCERT books from
mainland which hampers the study of the students, especially of the
class Xth and XIIth in these islands. Dr. R Ramachandran presented
publications of the NLK to Shri Jha.

   Earlier, Smt. Leela Varghese, AD (E&Plg.) welcomed the gathering,
while Shri PT Thomas, Incharge, State Library proposed the vote of
thanks in the inaugural session of the meet. Later, two sessions were
held in which resource persons from Kolkata as also from these islands
discussed threadbare on the development of library and related issues.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

*_
_*

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 23, 2007*_
Compensation to tsunami affected people _*
*__*
*: Lok Adalat in Carnic disposes of some cases*
Car Nicobar, July 22

    Mr Justice S S Nijjar, Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court and Mr.
Justice P.C.Ghose, a Judge of Calcutta High Court visited Car Nicobar
today in connection with holding of Lok Adalat to dispose of cases in
respect of compensation as well as to consider fresh claims, if any, in
this regard. The Lok Adalat was presided over by the Chief Justice and
the High Court Judge alongwith Chairman, Tribal Council as well as an
Advocate as its members. Shri Dharam Pal Commissioner (Relief & Rehab.)
also participated in the proceedings on behalf of the Administration.

    In all, four cases of claims from the tsunami affected persons were
disposed of by the Lok Adalat. Three of the claimants appeared in person
and explained their cases before the adalat.

    Secretary, State Legal Service Authority, Shri PG Dutta on the
occasion explained about the importance of holding of Lok Adalat for
tsunami victims in pursuance to orders of the Supreme Court in a PIL
Petition. A souvenir giving details about the genesis and functioning of
State Legal Service Authority was given by Justice P.C Ghose to members
of public who had assembled on the occasion. Deputy Commissioner
(Nicobar), Shri Kailash Chandra, in his address, explained in brief
about the relief and rehabilitation programme being undertaken by the
Govt. in respect of tsunami affected people in the Nicobar islands.

    After the Lok Adalat, the dignitaries inspected the building for
Judicial Magistrate Court, which has been renovated after tsunami. They
also visited the Tsunami memorial and laid wreath at the memorial. They
also inspected some rehabilitation projects currently in progress here.
At Mus, they saw the Breakwater damaged in tsunami disaster and
subsequently by tidal waves as well as the repair work currently underway.

    At Kinyuka village, the Judges visited the permanent shelter being
constructed by CPWD. The structure on stilts is a twin dwelling unit
built with eco-friendly material like wood panels, engineered bamboo for
walls and floors with tin sheet for roof. The unit also has water
harvesting facility. 271 shelters are coming up at Kinyuka with proper
layout plan on the lines of a model village with provision also made for
community facilities tike Health Centre, Community Centre, Birth/Death
House & small shopping complex.

    Shri Aberdeen Blair, Chairman Tribal Council also met the Judges and
shared his views with regard to facilities to be provided for better
living. He emphasized the need for a jetty at Big Lapathy. After
completion of visit, Judges returned to Port Blair.

Dear Julia,
The perspective presented by you on the HIV/AIDS related discussion is
interesting. While professionals in Andaman may look at the links between
tourism and HIV/AIDS, I would recommend that one also does a study on the impact
of migration on prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

Post-Tsunami, multitudes of migrant labourers have been brought into the islands
for construction purposes. I remember my brief experiences in Mirik district of
North Bengal where migrant labourers had led to 'flying sex tourism'. If am not
wrong, NACO is looking at this aspect with seriousness.

I hope the authorities in A&N look at this angle, and might be come up with
mechanisms of medical certificates (or examinations) for all these migrant
workers and tracking their entry and more imortantly their exit from the
islands. It's very important to stop this influx immediately.

Regards
Sharbendu De


----- Original Message ----
From: Julia Schonharl <contours@...>
To: andamanicobar@...
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 4:36:20 PM
Subject: [andamanicobar] HIV/AIDS and Tourism - threats on the Andamans?

Dear Forum members, I am taking on the notice posted some time ago
regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS on the Andamans. I tried to get int
touch with people mentioned but was not lucky so far.
Therefore, I am posting now message and hope for some interesting
replies.

Medium and long-term impact of HIV/AIDS in the tourism context

Tourism has the potential to exacerbate the HIV-AIDS endemic and
further complicate matters for vulnerable people in tourist destinations.
At the same time, tourism has the potential to be a vehicle for raising
consciousness about the issue of HIV-AIDS as well as forging links of
solidarity between people and people thus contributing to the eventual
solutions.
The most immediate medium-term social and economic effect of
HIV/AIDS isthat it will begin to destroy the tourist industry if a country
becomes identified or stigmatized as having high levels of HIV/AIDS.
This may discourage visitors even if they are not "sex tourists", because
they will worry about the safety of hospitals, blood supplies, dentists
and emergency medical services.
Beyond this immediate impact, the longer-term impact of infection
channeled from the tourist sector into the wider economy and society
may be very
profound indeed. It may include the loss of highly skilled specialists, of
teachers (and thus the education of the next generation), of careers for
the
young and old; It may lead to decline in production in important
economicsectors and people die prematurely.
ECOT (www.ecotonline. org) is currently gathering information from all
around the world about HIV/AIDS prevention activities linked to
tourism / in tourism destinations, and to identify initiatives and projects
run by civil society groups and others to prevent the increase of AIDS in
the tourism context.

If you have any information or thoughts about this issue please write to
Julia (Program Coordinator of ECOT) at julia@ecotonline. org.






________________________________________________________________________________\
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*THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 23, 2008

Nature study tour for school children*
Baratang, July 22

A “nature study tour” to inculcate the spirit of inquisitiveness & to
create scientific temper among the children of rural area was organized
by the Science Centre at Baratang yesterday. The programme was
coordinated by the Department of Environment & Forests & the Department
of Education as part of observances of the 58^th Vanamahotsava 2007.

A sapling was planted by Smti Rita Banerjee, Vice Principal of Govt. Sr.
Sec. School Oral Katcha in the premises of Forest Club, which was
followed by mass tree planting by the school children of various schools
located in Baratang area. Shri Sarath, Range Officer of Nilambur Range
briefed the school children about the importance of celebration of
Vanamahotsava every year.

After mass tree planting the school children were taken on tour to the
site of Mud Volcano at Jarawa Creek, where they were briefed about the
scientific reasons behind the formation of these volcanoes & their
constituents. Thereafter the school children visited the sea beach at
Balu Dera to study the coastal ecosystem. Altogether 75 students from
various school participated in the nature study tour which was followed
by a feedback test on the knowledge gained by them during the tour.

Accordingly, in the Senior group Aditya Chakraborty of Govt. Sr. Sec
School, Oral Katcha secured first position & Malkin Barwa of Govt.
Middle. School, South Creek secured second position while Reema Kispotta
of Govt. Middle School, Jarawa Creek & John Tigga of Govt. Sr. Sec.
School, Oral Katcha were adjudged third and consolation prize winners
respectively. Whereas in the Junior group Mukti Xalxo of Govt. Sr. Sec.
School, Oral Katcha secured first position & Priya Kumari of Govt.
Middle. School Jarawa Creek secured second position while Ramesh Ram
Nagbanshe of Govt. Middle School, South Creek and B. Kavita of Govt. Sr.
Sec. School, Oral Katcha were adjudged third & consolation prize winners
respectively. Prizes to the winners of the above events shall be
distributed in the valedictory function of 58^th Vanamahotsava by the
Divisional Forest Office, Baratang, a communication received here said.

*THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 20, 2007*
***
Coast Guard to conduct National Level SAR Exercise in Andaman sea*
Port Blair, July 19

A presentation on Maritime Search and Rescue organizations in these
islands was delivered in the conference room of the Coast Guard Regional
HQ (A&N) today. The Commander-in-Chief of Unified Command Air Marshal PP
Raj Kumar presided over the forum. After the presentation, the
Commander-in-Chief emphasized the importance of the exercise and
co-ordination of all agencies in the Maritime Search and Rescue Operations.

The aim of the presentation was to brief about the Search and Rescue
organization existing in Coast Guard and responsibilities of agencies
during the SAR exercise and in real time distress situation. The members
of other agencies interacted during the discussions and appraised their
preparedness, for a co-ordinated Search and Rescue effort.

Senior officers of other services, DIG Police, Asst Secretary (Home),
Chief Port Administrator, Deputy Director (GB Pant Hospital), Asst
Director (Fisheries), AGM (BSNL) and Officers from Custom, Director
Shipping Services, Airport and Shipping Corporation of India attended
the presentation.

Meanwhile, a national level SAR exercise is tentatively planned during
Nov 2007 in the Andaman and Nicobar region, wherein rescue from a
passenger ship off Port Blair will be simulated. In this exercise
various other government agencies will also take part in the
co-ordinated Search and Rescue effort and the response will be reviewed.
Today’s presentation was a prelude this exercise, a communication
received here said.

*
THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, July 21, 2007

Call** for creating greater legal awareness among masses*
**Staff Reporter
Port Blair, July 20

Speakers at a seminar on the topic “Access to Justice” held at the
conference room of the JNRM underlined the need for creating greater
awareness among the masses about their rights and responsibilities so
that they are not deprived of their fundamental rights enshrined in the
constitution. Mr. Justice SS Nijjar, Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court
and Patron-in-Chief, A&N State Legal Services Authority (SLSA)
inaugurated the seminar by lighting a traditional oil lamp while Mr.
Justice PC Ghose, Judge, Calcutta High Court and Executive Chairman, A&N
SLSA presided over the function.

Addressing the gathering, especially of students in the seminar, which
was organized by the SLSA, High Court Legal Services Committee (Circuit
Bench) and DLSA, Justice Nijjar, said that the youths have a greater
role to play in creating legal awareness not only to the individuals but
also to the locality from where they come from. We have got some
fundamental rights and nobody not even the govt. can take those rights
away from us. One can fight for the rights only when, he knows about it,
the Chief Justice said, urging the students to make themselves available
in such seminars and symposia to acquire more knowledge.

In his address on the occasion, Mr. Justice Ghose said, “it is our duty
to educate people about their fundamental rights and also to see the
manner in which one can reach the un reached segments of the society to
create awareness among them. Every individual in the society has the
responsibility to carry forward the awareness about their rights as
citizens”, he added.

In his address on the occasion, the Chief Secretary (i/c), Shri Arvind
Ray said judiciary is playing a pivotal role in providing legal
assistance to the people. He said judiciary here has organized many
legal awareness camps to educate the people about their rights.

In her address, the Chairperson SSWB, Smt. Shanta Singh said that her
office registers 5 to 6 cases related to atrocities on women on a daily
basis. She urged for allotment of land to construct a short stay home
here to accommodate women with their children who are reportedly driven
away from homes by their husbands.

In his address on the occasion, Shri PG Dutta, Secretary (Law) and
Member Secretary, A&N SLSA said SLSA is performing its duties by
organizing Lok Adalats and pre-litigation camps for the benefit of the
justice seeking people here. Shri Dutta also presented welcome address.

Speaking on the occasion, the IGP i /c , Shri Taj Hassan said access to
justice is an important and emotional issue for the poor which should
not be denied. Listening to the people and providing help to those who
come to the police stations can be described as access to justice, he said.

While Smt. Uma Bharthy, a social worker, urged for looking into the
grievances of the women in a more sympathetic manner, the HoD Political
Science, JNRM, Dr. RN Rath suggested for utilizing the services of the
college students during summer vacation for creating awareness among the
rural masses about their rights.

The students of govt. Girls’ school presented welcome song. The seminar
concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Secretary, High Court
Circuit Bench Legal Services Committee, Shri Manas Kumar Pal.

Dear Forum members, I am taking on the notice posted some time ago
regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS on the Andamans. I tried to get int
touch with people mentioned but was not lucky so far.
Therefore, I am posting now message and hope for some interesting
replies.

Medium and long-term impact of HIV/AIDS in the tourism context

Tourism has the potential to exacerbate the HIV-AIDS endemic and
further complicate matters for vulnerable people in tourist destinations.
At the same time, tourism has the potential to be a vehicle for raising
consciousness about the issue of HIV-AIDS as well as forging links of
solidarity between people and people thus contributing to the eventual
solutions.
The most immediate medium-term social and economic effect of
HIV/AIDS isthat it will begin to destroy the tourist industry if a country
becomes identified or stigmatized as having high levels of HIV/AIDS.
This may discourage visitors even if they are not "sex tourists", because
they will worry about the safety of hospitals, blood supplies, dentists
and emergency medical services.
Beyond this immediate impact, the longer-term impact of infection
channeled from the tourist sector into the wider economy and society
may be very
profound indeed. It may include the loss of highly skilled specialists, of
teachers (and thus the education of the next generation), of careers for
the
young and old; It may lead to decline in production in important
economicsectors and people die prematurely.
ECOT (www.ecotonline.org) is currently gathering information from all
around the world about HIV/AIDS prevention activities linked to
tourism / in tourism destinations, and to identify initiatives and projects
run by civil society groups and others to prevent the increase of AIDS in
the tourism context.

If you have any information or thoughts about this issue please write to
Julia (Program Coordinator of ECOT) at julia@....

MAP NEWS, 187th Ed., Part 1 of 2, July 23, 2007Because of lesser regional
relevance I will not be sending Part 2 of this bulletin to andamanicobar--MM

Dear Friends,


This is the 187th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News - 23, July 2007.


For the Mangroves,

Alfredo Quarto
Mangrove Action Project
MAP's Mission:
Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and
local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal
ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal
resources.

All news items and notices published in the MAP News can also be accessed
directly from our home page www.mangroveactionproject.org, with links to the
full story and the original source. New items are posted daily and are available
as an RSS feed!

MAP News Archive
Note: Can't wait to get your next issue of the MAP News in your inbox? It's now
possible to read the news on MAP's new website, as it breaks. All news items and
notices published in the MAP News can be accessed directly from our home page
<http://www.mangroveactionproject.org>www.mangroveactionproject.org, with links
to the full story and the original source. New items are posted daily!
Contents for MAP NEWS, 185th Edition, 10 June 2007
===================================================

FEATURE STORY
***ACTION ALERT!!!***
  MANGROVE ACTION DAY-A GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION!!!
" On Behalf of Indigenous and Traditional Communities
and Food Sovereignty!"
International Events on Mangrove Action Day -July 26th

MAP WORKS
MAP, Indonesia Busy on Mangrove Action Day
MAP News Archives Available Now!
Check Out MAP's New Adopt A Program On MAP's New Website!!
New  Ecological Mangrove Restoration Workshop In Florida Scheduled

AFRICA

Ghana
Restoration Success Stories from Ghana

ASIA

S.E. ASIA

Malaysia
'Sabah's forest management far better'
Malaysian trawler fishermen asked to switch to aquaculture
Mangrove "Protectors"

Indonesia
Landmark Law Saves Rainforest
Mass tourism threatens beaches, coasts in Indonesia's Bali

Vietnam
Inclusion of mangroves in conservation treaties does not improve their health
Ecosystems of Vietnam's Long Coastline are in Peril

S. ASIA

India
Greenpeace dismisses allegations, renews call to stop work on Dhamra port
***ACTION ALERT!!!***
YOUR LETTERS ARE STILL NEEDED TO HELP STOP DESTRUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF DHAMRA
PORT FACILITY IN ORISSA

E. ASIA

China
CMCN's Mangrove Curriculum Takes Off In China--SMEEP Final Report of CMCN
A Slippery, Writhing Trade Dispute
=======================================================================

FEATURE STORY

***ACTION ALERT!!!***
  MANGROVE ACTION DAY-A GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION!!!

Please join us all on July 26, 2007 for the Annual Call On Mangrove Action Day!
- this year's theme is " On Behalf of Indigenous and Traditional Communities and
Food Sovereignty!"
We are now collecting news about other planned events to commemorate the global
call for action for the Mangroves that your organization is organizing for July
26th. Please write us to share your own plans for this international day for the
mangroves!
A CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION ON JULY 26th, THE DAY OF THE MANGROVES!: MAP wishes to
lend our full support to the plans and actions of all our network members for
Global Action on July 26th, 2007. We ask that you and/ or your organizations
please join us all in a global protest against the ongoing losses of the
mangrove forest ecosystems and the local communities that depend upon the
mangroves for their lives and livelihoods. Please send us your regional or local
plans for actions that are meant to commemorate this international Day for the
Mangroves! We would like to again share your plans and ideas with our global
network. We look forward to hearing from you soon in this regard! (The Editor)
=======
Note: The following was sent by the Latin American Mangrove Network, Red
Manglar, in reference to this year's campaign:

" On Behalf of Indigenous and Traditional Communities
and Food Sovereignty!"

July 26th - International Mangrove Action Day

The 2007's campaign "On Behalf of Indigenous and Traditional Communities and
Food Sovereignty" organized to celebrate July 26th, International Mangrove
Action Day proclaims a call for the rights of the indigenous and traditional
communities of the mangrove ecosystem based on the recognition of our territory
where we build our culture, our identity and the base for our food sovereignty.

The indigenous and traditional mangrove communities of Latin America, have
millenary lived, in a vital way, related to the ecosystem.  In this space we put
dreams; we find our past, our present and future. Here we live together with our
grandfathers and grandmothers, with our sons and daughters, with our brothers
and sisters from all the Americas and the world. Here we stand up together for
our territory, for our food, for our work, for our dignity.

This 26th of July we wish that the whole world hear our voices-- the voices of
the indigenous and traditional communities of the mangrove ecosystem. We hope
that these voices reach all of our societies, the indolent authorities, the
depredator enterprises. We desire that we can hear each other-- all the voices
of the South-- and that we continue walking together on behalf of our ideals.

Lider Gongora Farias
President C-CONDEM
Executive Secretary Redmanglar International -
<mailto:redmanglar@...>redmanglar@...

===

International Events on Mangrove Action Day -July 26th

COLOMBIA

In commemoration of International Mangrove Day, 26 July, ASPROCIG (Asociación de
Productores para el Desarrollo Comunitario de la Ciénaga Grande del Bajo Sinú),
is holding an event on climate change in the local coastal zone communities. It
will take place in the Casa de la Cultura of the city Lorica with the presence
of delegates from local communities, state entities, and academics.

Submitted by:  Juan Jose Lopez
ASPROCIG
yupanqui@...

-------------------

MAP WORKS


Check Out MAP's New Adopt A Program On MAP's New Website!!

Adopt a Program Section
MAP's new Adopt-a-Program has been posted to the website. Please help MAP by
forward the link to anyone who might be interested in donating!
<http://www.mangroveactionproject.org/get-involved/donate/map-adopt-a-program>ww\
w.mangroveactionproject.org/get-involved/donate/map-adopt-a-program

AFRICA

Ghana

Restoration Success Stories from Ghana
By Anuradha S. Rao

Mangrove restoration projects have been or are taking place in several areas in
Ghana, following overharvesting for fuel wood and other purposes, or clearing
for farmland and housing.  Some restoration projects have been particularly
successful.  The project leaders have several lessons to shareS

Gaining the support of local Chiefs is crucial, as they can pass laws and name
activities such as mangrove cutting as taboo.  However, according to Development
Chief Joseph Obir Taylor and Chief Obir Tetteh III of Nsuekyir and Sankor
villages, respectively, near the town of Winneba, community involvement and
support are key to a project's success.

Obtaining community support can require months of perseverance, continual
meetings - formal and informal, films and discussions, plus oral reminders for
many years following the end of the project.  This had to be made relative to
the community's own experience and explained uniquely for each person based on
their learning style.  Having three or four keen community participants is also
helpful, as they can be given or provide additional ideas.

Many people's primary concern was food and money, and they did not see how they
could survive if they spent time preserving mangroves and not harvesting them. 
It was necessary to demonstrate that with more mangroves comes more fish.  It
was also necessary for the community leaders to quietly provide incentives to
people, for example to pay for medicine and other immediate needs.  It took a
long time before everybody was on board.  But eventually all saw that when
mangroves were conserved, people were catching many fish and previously lost
species were returning.  Furthermore, during a rainstorm this year, the roofs
blew off of houses located behind a gap in the mangroves, whereas the houses
behind continuous mangrove forest were undamaged.

Also vital are viable alternatives.  In these parts of Ghana, people are quite
poor, so the projects began with the alternative:  planting of a woodlot so
people would no longer need to go to the mangrove forest for wood.  The project
leaders divided the community into groups, each given a lot to plant.  They held
a competition - those groups who finished planting their lot were given another
to plant.  The lots belong to those who planted them.  The community also
planted vegetables for food and sale among the trees.  Mangrove planting took
place after the planting of the woodlot.  The most successful seedlings were
those that were transplanted from adjoining areas.  One day per week was
designated for project work.  Men and women worked in exchange for meals and
basic equipment such as cutlasses and rubber boots.

Involving women was key to project success not least because they smoke the fish
and would put the demand on men to provide (or not) mangrove wood for that
purpose.  Fish smokers are now using coconut husks, sugar cane and other fuel
wood as alternatives.

The community of Nsuekyir has now conserved 90% of its mangrove forest, and
people are only allowed to cut in extreme cases (e.g. to re-create a water
passage between two parts of the village), and can only harvest in certain areas
with the permission of the Development Chief.  Poaching is discouraged through
vigilance by the community and the Forestry Department.

What now?  The Development Chief of Nsuekyir would like to limit fishing among
the mangroves to a certain period each year to allow the fish to grow and
multiply.  He is also hoping to eventually develop a sustainable mangrove
harvesting method, following models from other countries.  The Chief of Sankor
is interested in using the mangrove forests as an "eco-attraction," and
developing other areas for farmland.

For more information about these and other mangrove restoration projects in
Ghana, contact the Resource and Environment Development Organisation: 
http://redoghana.org/about_us.htm

From: Anuradha Rao <masrao@...>

=====================================================

ASIA

S.E. ASIA

Malaysia

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS

'Sabah's forest management far better'
06 July, 2007
CM Datuk Seri Musa said the management of coastal areas and mangrove forests
needs the expertise of various agencies including non-Governmental organisation
(NGOs) involved in forest, land, drainage and research.
He hoped that corporations and NGOs would contribute towards the effort to
conserve and protect coastal areas due to the high cost to maintain and to
conserve them.
"The State Government will always support any positive efforts to ensure that
the forests in Sabah are maintained and conserved."
"Of the 340,000 hectares of mangrove forest in Sabah, 320,000ha had already been
gazetted as Permanent Forest Reserve," he said. He said the initiative to
replant mangrove species in non-gazetted areas such as Lok Kawi would surely
assist the Government towards managing the mangrove forest reserve on a
permanent basis.
Musa, who is also Finance Minister, said the forest management in Sabah was far
better than any other developing countries. However, he stressed the need to
enhance public awareness on the function of mangrove forests.
"The love for the natural environment must be instilled in all levels of the
society particularly students and children," he said.
Therefore, all relevant government agencies and society in general ought to
create community-related programmes such as forestry and environmental
education.
Reminding the public of the devastating tsunami on Dec 26, 2004, that hit the
shores of 18 nations including Malaysia, he said the tragedy was forever etched
in the people's minds.
He noted that although humans could not prevent tsunami from happening, they
could minimise the damaging impact by forming natural barriers through the
mangrove trees.
The mangrove cultivation project aims to provide support towards the restoration
of degraded mangroves, management planning activities, stabilise the ecosystem
and promotion of public awareness.
It is for this reason, the Federal Government has allocated a special fund of
RM40 million under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) period for the restoration of
mangroves at sheltered coasts.
A total of RM5 million have been allocated to the Sabah Forestry Department for
the planting of mangrove trees and other suitable species in Sabah. Musa also
launched a book on "Sabah's Mangrove Forests" that contains the documentation of
Sabah's mangrove ecosystems and other species.

From: LESrrl3@...
===========================================================

Malaysian trawler fishermen asked to switch to aquaculture

Trawler fishermen in Malaysia are being encouraged to give up their operations
and move into aquaculture or deepsea fishing.

Perak Fisheries Department director Salehan Lamin said the move was to increase
the catch for those fishing in waters between five and 12 nautical miles from
the shore. "There are too many trawler boats and fishermen are encouraged to
leave the industry," he said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

He said the Government was setting up an "exit programme" for trawler fishermen.
"If we can reduce the number of trawler fishermen by 20%, then they would be
able to increase their catch," he said, adding that there were 1,003 trawlers in
Perak.

Salehan said statistics showed that the catch of trawler fishermen had dropped
tremendously because of depleting fish resources. "For example, they used to be
able to catch 100kg of fish in an hour but now it has fallen to 50kg," he said.

The programme, he said, would encourage affected fishermen to be trained in
skills like aquaculture. He said trawler fishermen were also encouraged to go
into deepsea fishing, between 12 and 30 nautical mile from the shore. Salehan
also said the department had identified 1,700ha of land to rear cockles so that
the State could export cockles to countries like China and Indonesia.

Source:
<http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/11/business/2007071118284\
8&sec=business>The Star

From: icsf@...

==================================================

Mangrove "Protectors"

20 July, 2007

MUAR: More than 2,000 fishermen living along Johor's west coast have pledged to
become the eyes and ears of the authorities to check the illegal harvesting of
mangrove trees. Parit Jawa Fishermen's Association chairman Ser Boon Huat said
the fishermen had a vested interest in curbing harvesting of the trees in rivers
and islands as they were the nurseries for shrimp and fish.

"The mangrove is our rice bowl and the state government has pledged to protect
them."

Source: The New Strait Times
<http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20070514080806/Article/p\
ppull_index_html>http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20070514\
080806/Article/pppull_index_html


===========================================================

Indonesia

Landmark Law Saves Rainforest

Jun 12, 2007
Indonesia's new Ecosystem Restoration Decree will stop the logging of the
110,000 hectare Harapan rainforest. Uniquely, this major change in the law,
which could be adapted by other countries, permits the management of forests to
obtain benefits labelled ecosystem services. These include storing carbon,
controls on pollution and protection for wildlife.
Burung Indonesia, along with Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
and Bird Life International have won the right to manage the forest - home to
267 bird species, the Sumatran tiger, the Asian elephant and the newly
identified clouded leopard.
Graham Wynne, RSPB Chief Executive, said: "It is difficult to express just how
significant this breakthrough is. Harapan rainforest is to become a beacon of
hope for forests across Indonesia and beyond."
A year ago the Coalition of Rainforest Nations demanded that it should be paid
to stop cutting down forests. Brazil has now put forward its own proposals for a
rainforest credit scheme.
"Deforestation accounts for up to 25 per cent of global emissions of the
heat-trapping gases, while our transport and industry account for 14 per cent
each," says the VivoCarbon Initiative Report, which calls for increased
incentives for sustaining rainforests, and mechanisms to pay for it.
Andrew Mitchell, founder of the Global Canopy Programme, says: "Why do we argue
over air travel when carbon from the next five years of burning rainforests will
be greater than that for the entire history of aviation!
"The focus on technological fixes for the emissions of rich nations - which
gives no incentive to poorer nations to stop burning the standing forest - means
we are putting the cart before the horse!"
No new technology is needed, just the political will and a system of enforcement
and incentives that will make the trees worth more to governments and
individuals standing rather than felled.
For details of the Global Canopy Programme's 'Canopy Experience Days' and the
VivoCarbon Report: 'Forests First in the Fight Against Climate Change' contact:
Global Canopy Programme,
John Krebs Field Station, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 8QJ.
Tel: +44 (0)1865 724 222
Website: www.globalcanopyprogramme.org

From: LESrrl3@...

==========================================================

Mass tourism threatens beaches, coasts in Indonesia's Bali
By Prodita Sabarini

Mass tourism on the Indonesian island of Bali over the last three decades has
caused considerable environmental damage to its beaches and coastal areas, an
environmentalist said.

"There are too many people living on the island and too many buildings are being
erected along the shorelines," Marthen Welly, an outreach officer from the
Nature Conservancy, said.

Bali now has a population of around three million, with most people living on
the coasts. One of Bali's most polluted beaches is Sanur. Once a pristine beach,
it is currently suffering serious sea erosion and water pollution.

The office of the Coordinating Team on Environmental Pollution Management in
Bali has reportedly inspected the waste management systems of a number of hotels
in the area. The team found the Inna Sindhu Beach Hotel, the Mercure Accor Hotel
and a number of other hotels did not have good waste management systems. Inna
Sindhu Beach Hotel only had septic tanks. "The water in Sanur is murky. Water
pollution in this area is due to a lack of good waste management systems,"
Marthen said.

Mustika, a marketing official at Inna Sindhu Beach Hotel, said the hotel was
waiting for the Denpasar Sewerage Development Project to be implemented, which
was suppose to begin this year. "We're waiting for that project to begin so we
do not waste our money," he said.

Beach erosion in Sanur has occurred due to the loss of offshore coral reefs. "In
the past, coral reefs were used as building materials for hotels," Welly said.
Although the practice has been banned, the loss of coral reefs, which act as a
natural barrier against large waves, has left the coast unprotected and has
resulted in beach erosion.

A defunct project on Serangan Island developed by Hutomo Mandala Putra -- better
known as Tommy Soeharto, the son of former president Soeharto -- has also
resulted in a change in wave patterns and has caused further erosion to Sanur
Beach. The Serangan Island project involved expanding the island to three times
its original size, through dredging sand from the ocean floor.

Around 20 per cent of Bali's coastal areas have eroded. Two kilometers of the
island's coastal areas are reportedly damaged annually. According to data from
the Public Works Ministry's Agency for the Conservation and Restoration of River
and Coastal Areas, the length of eroded beaches increased from 51 km in 1987 to
90 km in 2006.

Source:
<http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbali.asp?fileid=20070713.D08&irec=0>The
Jakarta Post

From: icsf@...

==========================================================

Vietnam

Inclusion of mangroves in conservation treaties does not improve their health

Washington, July 4: Inclusion of a coastal mangrove habitat within a wetland
preserve in an international environmental treaty does not significantly improve
its health, a new study by a Stanford University researcher has revealed.

For the study, Karen Seto, assistant professor of geological and environmental
sciences and a fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford
University, and her colleagues focused on Vietnam, a signatory of the Convention
on Wetlands of International Importance, drafted in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

The goal of the treaty was to protect wetlands by promoting sustainable use of
resources found there.

Prof. Seto and her colleagues concentrated on Xuan Thuy Natural Wetland Reserve,
which was designated a Ramsar site in 1988, to save coastal mangrove forest
habitats in the Red River Delta from over-exploitation due to aquaculture, and a
nearby reserve not included in the Ramsar treaty.

Analysis of a series of Landsat images taken between 1975 and 2002 of the two
areas revealed that both reserves experienced increased fragmentation of
mangrove forest habitat with increased aquaculture.

Contrary to expectations, aquaculture developed at a faster rate at the Xuan
Thuy treaty site than at its non-Ramsar neighbour.

Prof. Seto said the findings mirrored statements by local residents in 2001,
when they interviewed one-third of the households living and farming within the
boundaries of both reserves, who told the scientists that aquaculture had been
going on in the region since the early 1980s.

''The exciting thing is really for the first time, using a time series of
satellite images, we can monitor Earth in a way that we haven't been able to.
It's not just about urban growth or wetlands-it could be about desertification
or deforestation-but it's really just this issue of human modification of the
Earth," said Prof. Seto.

The study, "'Mangrove Conversion and Aquaculture Development in Vietnam" appears
in the online edition of Global Environmental Change.

Source: Dailyindia.com/ANI
<http://www.dailyindia.com/show/154557.php/Inclusion-of-mangroves-in-conservatio\
n-treaties-does-not-improve-their-health>http://www.dailyindia.com/show/154557.p\
hp/Inclusion-of-mangroves-in-conservation-treaties-does-not-improve-their-health

From: ecorets@...

=====================================================

Note: The following is an excerpt:

Ecosystems of Vietnam's Long Coastline are in Peril

<http://www.planetark.com/mail_dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=43116>Mail this story
to a friend |
<http://www.planetark.com/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=43116>Printer
friendly version

VIETNAM: July 17, 2007

NHA TRANG, Vietnam - It was the destruction of coral reef and over-fishing that
moved artist Nguyen Lieu to paint brightly coloured canvasses warning Vietnamese
that their coastal environment is in peril.

"Nha Trang is the most beautiful bay recognised worldwide but exploitation there
is chaotic," Lieu, 53, said at Galerie DEWI, where 15 of his oil paintings were
exhibited in June and July.

His home town on the south-central coast has smooth sandy beaches, islands and
mountains, but it also carries the burden of the ugly side of rapid development
and fast-growing tourism.

It is a story being repeated up and down the impoverished country's 3,200 km
(2,000 mile)-long coastline, despite awareness among officialdom and
non-governmental groups to harmonise conservation and making a living from the
sea.

Oil slicks, dead rivers and polluted air are part of an often-bleak
environmental picture as Vietnam's 85 million people head toward
industrialisation.

Lieu's art is unusual in communist-run Vietnam in that it displays a
consciousness about a contemporary global issue. Seen through his eyes, there is
a dire need to preserve and protect coral reefs and marine life for future
generations.

For good reason, environmentalists say. Research shows Vietnam is a
"biodiversity hotspot" with ecosystems under threat. Less than 25 percent of
coral reefs surveyed have living coral and 75 percent are at high or very high
risk, eight times the southeast Asian averageS.

From LESrrl3@...

==================================================

S. ASIA

India

5 Jul 2007

Greenpeace dismisses allegations, renews call to stop work on Dhamra port

Bhubaneshwar, July 5, 2007: Greenpeace renewed its call to stop work on the
Dhamra port in view of the clear evidence of rare species on the port site and
turtle presence in the off-shore waters. It rubbished the allegations of 'report
doctoring' leveled at it by the North Orissa University, by establishing   that
the report in its entirety including the foreword, summary and recommendations
were published with the prior informed consent of the University's research
team. In fact, Dr. S.K . Dutta jointly released the report with Greenpeace in
Mumbai on June 8, 2007.

"The real issue here is that rare species have been discovered at the port site
and there is now evidence of turtle movement in the offshore waters. Instead of
trying to hide behind baseless allegations, the TATA Group must address the real
and valid concerns that these findings raise," said Sanjiv Gopal, Oceans
Campaigner with Greenpeace. (1) "Mr. Ratan Tata had promised to ensure that no
harm came to the turtles or the environment, it is now time for him to keep his
word and ensure that the TATAs withdraw from Dhamra. This area must be protected
for posterity from any and all destruction."

Taking serious exception to the allegations leveled, G. Ananthapadmanabhan,
Executive Director, Greenpeace India, said, "We have established that these
allegations are baseless. The real question to be asked is who or what is
prompting these allegations to be raised now, almost a month after the report
was released. The Orissa Government needs to do its constitutional duty to
protect the environment rather than act in a blatantly partisan manner to
protect private, corporate interests."

Greenpeace put forward a point by point rebuttal of the allegations leveled
against it. (2) Contrary to the Vice-Chancellor's allegation that the report
submitted by the university was for the 'Dhamra estuary' and not Dhamra port
site, Greenpeace presented proof that the study, as per the agreement signed
between Greenpeace and North Orissa University, was for the 'Dhamra Port Area'.
Moreover, the GPS coordinates of the study area clearly show that the area
studied extended from Chandnipal Point northwards and included the port site
itself, as well as the Kanika Sands.

Ironically, there appear to be severe contradictions within the Orissa state
government. While Mr. Priyabrata Patnaik has jumped to the defence of the TATA
port, Greenpeace made public a proposal submitted by the Additional PCCF and
CWW, Forest department (Wildlife), to the Department of Forest and Environment,
which calls for the notification of an ecologically sensitive zone for a radius
of 10 km. around Bhitharkanika National Park, Bhitharkanika Sanctuary and
Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.(3) This would include the Dhamra Port Site Area, a
recommendation that has also been made in the report published by Greenpeace.

The study conducted by Dr. S.K. Dutta, who has continued to stand by his
findings, has provided evidence to suggest that turtles are found in the waters
off the port site, and that the port site and surrounding mudflats are habitat
for horseshoe crabs and rare species of frogs and snakes.(4) Prathyush
Mohapatra, an independent researcher who was part of the study team, has also
verified the authenticity of the findings as published by Greenpeace, including
the discovery of a piece of coral near the Defence establishment at Chandnipal.

For more information contact :

Sanjiv Gopal, Oceans Campaigner
<mailto:sgopal@...>sgopal@...
Saumya Tripathy, Greenpeace Communications
<mailto:saumya.tripathi@...> saumya.tripathi@...

From: "ashish fernandes" ashish.fernandes@...

================================================

8 Jul 2007

***ACTION ALERT!!!***

YOUR LETTERS ARE STILL NEEDED TO HELP STOP DESTRUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF DHAMRA
PORT FACILITY IN ORISSA

Tata Port Development Threatens Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Background of the Dhamra Port issue(See 186th Edition of MAP News)

====
SAMPLE LETTER:

Sample  Letter to be written to the TATAs:

Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman,
Tata Sons
India
<mailto:coffice@...>coffice@...

day / month / year


Dear Mr. Ratan Tata,

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue that concerns the reputation of
the TATA group internationally. The TATAs' plan to build a mega port at Dhamra
on the Orissa coast of India in the turtle mating and feeding grounds is
shocking, particularly for a company that seems to pride itself on its benign,
philanthropic and environment friendly image.

The area has been proven to be inhabited by significant numbers of the
endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles in the offshore waters. The mass nesting
beaches of Gahirmatha less than 15 km. away, are the world's largest mass
nesting beaches for the Olive Ridley turtle and I am sure that you will
appreciate the international importance of this area for marine turtle
conservation. The Bhitarkanika Sanctuary is just about 5 km. away from the port
site. Horseshoe crabs and rare frogs and snakes have been recorded from the port
area as well. It is impossible for a large project of this sort to be
constructed in an ecologically significant area and yet have no impacts on the
environment and the species it holds.

As a respected household name in India, and one of India's fast growing groups
internationally, particularly with your acquisition of Corus Steel, and as a
member in the Global compact, which binds you to the precautionary principle, I
urge you in the interests of the sea turtles, and to protect TATAs own public
image, to immediately drop plans to build a port there and instead be proactive
in working with the Orissa government to ensure the area is protected from other
corporations that might not have the good conscience that you hopefully have.

In anticipation of a prompt response,

Yours Sincerely,

Your Name
Your Organization
Your Address

Letter to go to:
Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons, India
<mailto:coffice@...>coffice@...
Copy to:
Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons,
<mailto:gopal.gopalakrishnan@...>gopal.gopalakrishnan@...
Mr. Arun R. Gandhi, Executive Director Tata Sons
<mailto:director@...>director@...
Mr. Alan Rosling, Executive Director
<mailto:alan.rosling@...>alan.rosling@...
Mr. Jamshed J. Irani <mailto:jjirani@...>jjirani@...
Mr. B. Muthuraman, Managing Director, Tata Steel
<mailto:muthuraman@...>muthuraman@...

Postal address for all of the above Tata officials:
Bombay House
24, Homi Mody Street,
Mumbai 400 001
Tel: +91 22 6665 8282
Fax: +91 22 6665 8143 and 44

Also CC:
A.M. Naik
Chairman & Managing Director
Larsen & Toubro Limited
L&T House, Ballard Estate
Mumbai 400 001, India
Tel: +91-22-22685656
Fax: +91-22-22685858
E-mail: <mailto:ccd@...>ccd@...

Also CC:
Dr. Hrusikesh Panda, IAS
Principle Secretary,
Department of Forest and Wildlife
The Secretariat, Govt of Orissa
Tel: +91 674 232 2947 / 253 6822
Fax: +91 674 239 5820


For More Information, Please Comtact,  Ashish Fernandes of Greenpeace, India at:
<<mailto:ashish.fernandes@...>ashish.fernandes@...>

From: "zakir kibria" zakir.kibria@...




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

TRINET Weekly News July 23, 2007

GENERAL
New Method Of Tsunami Forecasting Found :

U.S. scientists have developed a method of forecasting tsunami hazards
from data produced by tide gauges near an earthquake. University of
Hawaii and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers researchers note giant
earthquakes -- those that rupture slowly or those with large fault areas
-- can pose serious tsunami hazards that can be difficult to immediately
deduce from real-time analyses of seismic networks. However, the
scientists found existing networks of tide gauges and deep-ocean
pressure sensors can provide important information for tsunami
detection. The study is reported in the journal Geophysical Research
Letters.
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/science/article_21292382.shtml



South/Southeast Asia and East Africa: Earthquake and Tsunamis - Fact
Sheet No. 30 : In the tsunami-affected countries, the International
Federation recognizes that resilient homes in safe locations
complimented by resilient communities are central to success in any
recovery operation. This realization is encapsulated in the Tsunami
Regional Strategy and Operational Framework and on a wider scale, the
International Federation’s first Global Agenda goal to reduce the number
of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters. At the project level,
this has resulted in the incorporation of disaster risk reduction into a
range of tsunami recovery efforts. In the context of reconstruction,
while acknowledging the “building back better” agenda, the Red Cross Red
Crescent prioritizes the alignment of its work with national priorities
and local hazard standards. Community participation is also a key
element in many of the reconstruction projects. These approaches ensure
that projects are sustainable locally, as unequal standards can
sometimes lead to inter-community tensions, while communities that are
involved in the rebuilding process are more likely to understand the
importance of and maintain the structures better.
Full report:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/9EFA8833D0D\
263934925731E001FC34A-Full_Report.pdf/$File/Full_Report.pdf
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-75A8T7?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA

COASTAL MATTERS
Low magnitude quake recorded: Ramanathapuram: A low magnitude earthquake
hit the Indian Ocean on Wednesday. Collector R. Kirlosh Kumar said
according to the Indian Meteorological Department, the epicentre of the
quake was around 750 km east off Rameswaram. There was no report of loss
of life or property in any part of the region.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/19/stories/2007071954300400.htm



Coastal afforestation programme gets under way : Karaikal: The Centre
for Environment Education (CEE) in Karaikal under the Union Territory of
Puducherry, supported by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests,
has launched ‘green coast’ afforestation programme on Saturday. The
exercise is aimed at protecting the coastal people against natural
disasters such as tsunami. A. Sampath Kumar, Project Associate of CEE,
Karaikal, said that the programme was launched at Kilinjalmedu village
in Karaikal district and a large number of villagers, self-help group
members, youths and women from fishing community planted nearly 10,000
casuarina saplings.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/16/stories/2007071659020600.htm



Chief Wildlife Warden’s response : Chennai: In response to the news item
“CEE launches Green Coast project in Karaikal”, which appeared in these
columns on Monday, P. Devraj, Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife
Warden, Puducherry writes: “The coastal shelterbelt plantation is
conceived by the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Puducherry, for two
regions — Puducherry and Karaikal. The project has been implemented in
most of the villages except a few due to non-cooperation of the
fishermen since 2005. It was meant to protect the coastal community
against natural calamities such as cyclone and tsunami. In Killinjamedu,
the department has planted more than 10,000 saplings such as casuarina,
coconut, pungan, punnai, thespesia and walnut in 2005. For planting the
saplings, the authorities involved women SHGs of fishing community.”

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/18/stories/2007071861750700.htm



Puffer fish wreaking havoc : Thiruvananthapuram: Shoals of puffer fish
are wreaking havoc off the coast of the State, damaging fishing nets and
causing extensive loss to traditional fishermen. Several fishermen have
had their nets irreparably damaged by the sharp beak unique to the
species. Though the mass migration of the predatory species has been
reported mainly from Kollam, fishermen fear it will spread to other
parts of the coast in no time. Local fishermen maintain that the mass
migration of puffer fish is a post-tsunami phenomenon that has to be
studied in detail. They infer that the seabed disturbance caused by the
tsunami covered the natural reefs with sand, depriving puffer fish of
their natural habitat. This, they assume, leads to mass migration to the
coastal waters. The Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation has
called for a scientific study to assess the causes of mass migration of
puffer fish. “The Government should come up with steps to mitigate the
problems,” says Mr. Peter (State president of KSMTF).

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/18/stories/2007071861230300.htm



Compensation for damaged fishing nets sought : Nagapattinam: More than a
hundred fishermen on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the
taluk office at Tarangampadi demanding the district administration to
take steps with the management of a private power plant at
Pillaiperumanallur near Tirukkadaiyur to get compensation for the
fishing nets that were damaged by a vessel off Tarangampadi coast two
months ago. According to the fishermen, a vessel carrying cargo to the
power plant, had damaged fishing nets in the sea worth more than
Rs.50,000 but the management of the power plant did not pay any
compensation despite repeated representations.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/19/stories/2007071953390300.htm



Fishermen told not to cross Indian waters : Nagapattinam: The Director
of Fisheries, S. Vijayakumar, on Saturday asked the fishermen not to
cross the Indian waters while fishing. Addressing a meeting of
presidents of coastal hamlets and panchayatdars of Nagapattinam district
and also representatives of various fishermen associations, organised by
the South Indian Fishermen Federation here, Mr. Vijayakumar said the
fishermen would face problems if they crossed the boundary. He asked the
fishermen to carry their ID cards so that they would not face problems
if they were checked by Coast Guard personnel. Mr. Vijayakumar pointed
out that the Central and the State Governments had allocated about
Rs.200 crore for the Fisheries sector and for the welfare of fishermen.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/22/stories/2007072260210800.htm



Study to conserve Gulf of Mannar’s eco system : Tuticorin: Suganthi
Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) here and Annamalai
University will conduct a joint study of the inter-relationship and
mutual dependency of mangrove, coral and sea grass eco systems in the
Gulf of Mannar. The aim of the study is to develop holistic strategies
to conserve the three eco systems, which will be helpful for different
stake holders involved in the management of marine resources in the
region. The final report would feature a set of codes for the
improvement of health of eco system.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/19/stories/2007071950330100.htm



Stop dredging, say protesters : Ramanathapuram: The Movement against
Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project conducted a rally at Rameswaram on
Friday. They wanted the State and Central Governments to immediately
stop the dredging work. The rally started at the railway station and
culminated at Agnitheerthakadarkarai. N. Markandeyan, former
Vice-Chancellor of Gandhigram University, led the agitation. Nearly 500
people participated. The protestors alleged that the authorities had
done data sampling only at 10 locations along the navigation route.
Similar study was not undertaken in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National
Park. They said that dredging in Adam’s Bridge area would result in
severe environmental disturbance. Whales and other marine species would
be affected owing to the dredging work. According to scientists, mammals
might have died owing to emission of sonar waves by ships .

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/21/stories/2007072152670300.htm

HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
37 houses handed over : Nagapattinam: The Society for Education Village
Action and Improvement (SEVAI), a non-governmental organisation, handed
over to the district administration 37 permanent houses built by it on
Hook’s Road here on Friday. The District Revenue Officer (Tsunami),
Nagapattinam, K.S. Kandasamy, distributed the keys of the houses to the
beneficiaries at a function. Latha Caleb, Director of ‘Save the
Children,’ Chennai, who presided over the function, said tthe NGO had
extended financial assistance for carrying out a tsunami rehabilitation
activities.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/21/stories/2007072161250600.htm


Residents of temporary shelters to get permanent houses soon :
Nagapattinam: All the tsunami-hit families now accommodated in the
temporary shelters in various parts of the district will be provided
with permanent houses before the commencement of the northeast monsoon
in October, said M.F. Farooqui, Special Commissioner and Commissioner
for Revenue Administration, Disaster Management and Mitigation
department, here on Tuesday. Mr. Farooqui, who inspected the permanent
houses built and under construction by the Government and also by
several non-governmental organisations in various parts of the district
including Sellur, instructed the district administration to take quick
steps to complete the construction before the start of northeast monsoon
and hand them over to the beneficiaries. He also instructed the
Collector and officials concerned for providing basic amenities like
drinking water supply, drainage, power supply and toilet to the colonies
of permanent houses before handing them over to the beneficiaries.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/18/stories/2007071851660300.htm



Speed up works, says Minister : Nagapattinam: The Union Minister for
Panchayati Raj, Mani Shankar Aiyar, on Monday, urged the Nagapattinam
district administration to speed up the development works taken up under
the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana scheme as 25 per cent of the works had so
far been completed in the rural villages this year. Addressing the
district monitoring committee meeting at Mayiladuturai and reviewing the
progress of various development works being carried out by the local
bodies in rural areas, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar appreciated that the
district administration for completing most of the development works in
time in the district. The Collector, Tenkasi S.Jawahar, who presided
over the function, said that nearly 91 per cent of the development works
had been completed and pointed out that Rs.84 crore had been spent for
11,815 works out of the 13,435 works taken up during 2006-07.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/17/stories/2007071753600300.htm



Tamil Nadu to expedite construction of Tsunami affected houses :
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday instructed
officials to expedite the construction of 20,000 houses in the tsunami
affected areas of the state. The Chief Minister who reviewed the
progress of works under the Rural Development department also asked the
officials to expedite providing telephone connections to panchayats and
providing education to members of women self help groups. The houses
included 8500 group houses being constructed within 1000 metres from the
caost and 11500 houses within 200 metres and 2113 houses by NGO groups,
an official press release here said adding that the total cost of
construction would be Rs 476 crore.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Tamil_Nadu_to_expedite_construction_of_\
Tsunami_affected_houses/articleshow/2223621.cms

Rs.990-crore World Bank aid sought : Cuddalore: Special Commissioner for
Revenue Administration M. Farooqui has said that the State Government
has sought Rs.990-crore financial assistance from World Bank for
undertaking development works in the coastal areas. Mr. Farooqui, along
with District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo, visited the tsunami-affected
areas such as Pichavaram, M.G.R. Thittu, Chinna Vaikkal, Pillumedu,
Killai, Vadakku Muzhukkuthurai, Ponnanthittu, Mudasal Odai, and
Parangipettai in the district on Thursday to inspect the progress of
works on construction of permanent houses and roads. Later, Mr. Farooqui
told the presspersons that under the Rajiv Package Scheme, the
Government had earmarked Rs.550 crore to the tsunami-hit areas for the
construction of houses, roads and taking up rehabilitation measures.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/20/stories/2007072051970300.htm

WOMEN
Teen marriages on the rise since the tsunami : Chennai: Transit school
teachers in the northern fishermen’s hamlets of Chennai are complaining
that girls in the area are being married off before the legal age of 18
years since the tsunami. According to the women who run transit schools
in these slums, the girls are married off early because the parents are
out at work and believe that their teenage daughters are “safer” in a
marriage, rather than staying alone at home. The incidents have risen
since 2004 because the sense of insecurity was high after the sudden
calamity, the teachers said. In some of the slums the young women are
conversant with the law and claimed they were 18, but when asked about
the babies in their arms, they conceded that they were married before
the legal age. “Getting them married off is a better option as parents
work as small hawkers or daily wage earners, and don’t have time to
monitor their wards,” said K. Rita, who teaches at the Indira Nagar slum
in Kasimedu. In some cases, the mothers do not care to invest time in
bringing up their girl children. Other transit school teachers concur
with her. All the married adolescents are school dropouts.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/21/stories/2007072161000400.htm



CHILDREN
School for tsunami affected children inaugurated in Tamil Nadu :
Porayar: A state-of-the-art matriculation school, providing free
education for tsunami affected children of Tarangambadi in Nagapattinam
district and with facilities for vocational training, yoga and computer
courses, was inaugurated at a village by Nagapattinam Collector Tenkasi
S Jawahar. The school, 'Sri Sri Vidya Mandir', part of an integrated
education complex, has been built at Anaikoil village at a cost of Rs
1.75 crore by the International Association of Human Values (IAHV), a
sister organisation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art Of Living Foundation,
with financial aid from organisations in the USA and Holland.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/School_for_tsunami_affected_children_in\
augurated_in_Tamil_Nadu/articleshow/2222476.cms



Kanimozhi meets ‘Narikorava’ children : Nagapattinam: Rajya Sabha MP
Kanimozhi’s maiden visit to the tsunami-hit Nagai district, turned out
to be a memorable occasion for her as she was bowled over by the talents
of 95 children belonging to the nomadic ‘Narikorava’ community. She
visited a residential school, run by an NGO, at the nearby Maraimalai
Nagar, where 95 children belonging to the nomadic tribal families
(Narikorava and Athiyan clans) were studying. All the families were
affected by tsunami. The children get free food, shelter and education
in the school. Distributing writing materials to the children, she said,
“This is a very satisfying visit and the children belonging to this
underprivileged section are getting very good education.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20070716012028&Page=T&Title=South\
ern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0

INDONESIA
Mexican donors visit Indonesian tsunami zone to see UN-HABITAT housing
project : Aceh Jaya, Indonesia - Representatives of a Mexican alliance
which raised more than 4 million dollars for survivors of a tsunami that
devastated several Indian Ocean countries in 2004 recently visited
Indonesia's Aceh district to see at first hand how the money they raised
had benefited hundreds of local people who lost their homes.  Members of
the Alianza por Asia (Alliance for Asia) attended a colourful ceremony
to celebrate the completion of 1,140 houses in Pidie, Aceh Jaya south of
Banda Aceh. They were accompanied by the Vice Governor of Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam Province, Mr. Muhammad Nazar and the Mexican Ambassador to
Indonesia Mr. Pedro Gonzales Rubio.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-757SCW?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA

Divers, villagers join forces to rebuild reefs : Experienced volunteer
divers, along with the assistance of local villagers, have constructed
an artificial reef in the Sunda Strait under the Build Your Own Reef
project organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia. These
"man-made" reefs will accelerate the restoration of the area's marine
life and ecosystem while supporting the local fishing communities. The
WWF organized the first Build Your Own Reef weekend over May 19-20 in
the strait, the waterway between the islands of Java and Sumatra famed
for being the site of the very active Krakatau volcano group, as well as
the vast Ujung Kulon National Park. Pulau Badul, located in the bay of
the park on the southwestern tip of Java, was chosen as the site for
this project.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20070715.I22&irec=22



Java tsunami scars still clear and present 12 months on : A year after a
quake-triggered tsunami devastated southern coastal areas of Java,
traces of the disaster can still be seen along Pangandaran Beach, which
bore the brunt of the damage. Debris from smashed fishing boats and the
ruins of destroyed buildings bear silent witness to the moment the
tsunami, triggered by an underwater magnitude 7.2 quake, smashed into
the coast.

A year has gone by and several hotels and tourist-related businesses
have begun rebuilding. Others, however, uncertain of what the future
offers, have sold their land and moved on. Buildings owned by the local
administration, as well as a 2.5-kilometer-long coastal barrier, have
been barely touched by reconstruction work.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070717.B08&irec=7



Qatar Charity builds homes for Tsunami victims : Doha • Qatar Charity is
building residential units to house 210 Tsunami victims in the north of
Indonesia. The first phase of the project comprising 100 housing units
was completed a few months ago, Qatar Charity said in a release
yesterday. The next phase consists of 70 units. The residential units
are being built in the Indonesian province which was worst hit by
Tsunami. The families are living in makeshift camps.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=\
Qatar+News&month=July2007&file=Local_News2007071865054.xml



Aceh tsunami victims moving into "China-Indonesia friendship village" :
Hundreds of houses with red roof and yellow wall are bathing under the
summer sunshine at a small hill facing the sea in this Indonesian city
of Banda Aceh. The hand-over ceremony of "China-Indonesia friendship
village" donated by Chinese Charity Association and Chinese Red Cross
Association to Aceh tsunami victims was held here on Thursday.

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6219869.html

SRI LANKA
Earthquake off east coast of Sri Lanka causes no damage; no tsunami
warning : Colombo, Sri Lanka: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Indian
Ocean off Sri Lanka's east coast Wednesday morning, shaking buildings in
the capital Colombo, but causing no damage to the island nation, a
government official said. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Bay
of Bengal, about 510 kilometers (320 miles) east of Colombo, said Ramya
Siriwansa, a senior official at the National Disaster Management Center.
"There is no threat of tsunami due to this earthquake," he said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/18/asia/AS-GEN-Sri-Lanka-Earthquake.php



Sri Lanka: Recovery amid conflict : Sri Lanka's Ampara District hasn't
had time to recover from the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: even as
rebulding began, violent conflict engulfed the area, plunging
already-shaken families into further turmoil and uncertainty. Mercy
Corps, which has helped more than 350,000 Sri Lankans since the tsunami
struck, realized that its work had to adapt to meet the challenges posed
by disaster recovery and an ongoing conflict. As a result, the agency's
Economic Development and Conflict Prevention Program is helping families
from different income levels and ethnic backgrounds to find gainful and
sustainable employment. By actively working to avoid exacerbating
conflict, the program has been successful in helping participants from
all three of the district's ethnic groups while supporting peaceful and
prosperous communities.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/TKAI-7593NA?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA



Minister inspects tsunami housing in Ampara : Ampara: Housing and Common
Amenities Minister Ferial Ashraff undertook an inspection to assess the
progress of tsunami housing construction in the Ampara district. The
tsunami housing construction in the district has been entrusted with the
Minister by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Minister inspected the
completed houses and the houses under construction. Work on 3000 housing
units has been completed while the construction on 2000 housing units is
under way. She inspected the Islamabadh tsunami housing scheme Kalmunai
funded by the Hemas Organisation and Maruthamunai housing scheme funded
by the Islamic Relief Fund and the Periya Neelawanai housing project.
These three housing schemes comprise 200, 100 and 600 houses respectively.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/18/news27.asp



New housing project : Galle: Having felt deep in the hearts the need to
ensure sunshine again for the lives of the people of Galle displaced by
tsunami, the people of Velsen in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, through
“Velsen Helps Galle Fund” and “Netherlands Alumni Association of Lanka
(NAAL) laid the foundation for a housing project at Aththiligoda, Galle
recently. For the tsunami victims of the Galle city 38 two story houses
will be built at Eththiligoda Sadhu Janamawatha with the funds provided
by the City of Velsen in the Netherlands at a cost of Rs.60 million,
said NAAL President Kumarasinghe. Land was provided by the RADA through
the Galle District Secretary Asoka Jayasekera and the Divisional
Secretary Bandula Harischandra, said NAAL President Kumarasinghe.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/19/news58.asp



Houses for Kalutara’s tsunami hit : Kalutara:The Lagoswatta housing
scheme with 68 houses in the Kalutara district constructed for families
affected by the tsunami was dedicated to the people by Chief Justice
Sarath N. Silva on Wednesday. The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society initiated
the scheme and Spanish Red Cross has spent Rs. 90 million to build the
houses and for the provision of infrastructure that includes water,
drainage and sewerage systems and electricity connections to each house.
The 68 families and the host community will also be supported through
livelihood programmes.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/21/news33.asp



Creating a Foundation for the Future : Following a long, curved stretch
of red clay road leading into the village of Faizal Nagar, Kinniya, in
the Trincomalee district of eastern Sri Lanka, stands a row of homes in
varying states of completion. Some need doors and windows; others need
walls and a roof. Yet, inside of each house are smiling, determined
faces of families working under the hot sun to finish their homes. These
new houses will replace ones that were destroyed by the December 2004
tsunami. The families are part of an owner-driven housing program that
is being supported by the American Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross. “I
like my house because it is my design, and it fits my needs,” said
Thambi Sellaiyah, one of the homeowners in this area. Sellaiyah is
designing his house to include an area where he can resume selling goods
for the first time since his shop was destroyed by the tsunami. Working
in partnership with the Swiss Red Cross, the American Red Cross is
empowering families to design and construct homes to meet their own
specifications and desires.

http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_6868,00.html

THAILAND
Work of tsunami victim centre hits a dead end : Phuket. The centre in
charge of identifying the bodies of the 2004 tsunami victims is
frustrated that its work is hitting a dead end because of lack of
cooperation from relevant authorities. Nitinai Sornsongkram, head of the
Thai Tsunami Victim Identification and Repatriation Centre in Phangnga,
bemoaned the slow pace of the identification process. He said the
centre's identification work has been stalled by lack of interest on the
part of the concerned authorities. He said more than two years have
passed since the Dec 26, 2004 tragedy and 390 bodies still remain
unidentified at the centre in Bang Maruan cemetery in Phangnga's Takua
Pa district. In addition, there has been no progress in sending DNA
samples from the corpses to China for testing, Mr Nitinai said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/16Jul2007_news03.php

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* On the edge of time *

KALYANI CANDADE

An account of a disturbing drive t
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/07/22/stories/2007072250040400.htm


*
*

It was the first time in my life I could not bring myself to take a
picture. A million thoughts skittered around in my head — voices of the
writer, photographer, anthropologist inside… telling me I was a fool to
miss such a fantastic phot o opportunity. I remained frozen.

DIGNITY PERSONFIED

Outside our window, within 10 feet of us, stood an ebony-coloured woman,
bare-chested, beads around her neck and a string skirt around her waist,
proud, unselfconscious, and a dignity as old as the islands itself.
JARAWA! I gulped. We were face to face with one of the last stone-age
tribals in the world, and there was a strange queasy feeling in the pit
of my stomach. The driver slowed down. “I’m not permitted to stop,
ma’am, but you can take a quick photo without a flash,” he offered. I
didn’t move, couldn’t take my eyes off her face.

We were driving down the Andaman Trunk Road, through the Jarawa Reserve
between Jirkatang and Middle Strait. “You might see Jarawa if you’re
lucky,” we were told at the tourism centre. “Real, live, stone-age
tribals — one of the last in the world — right on the roadside. You have
to get a permit, though, and be sure you don’t get late for the convoy.”

CODE OF CONDUCT

We left before dawn to make it to the entry point by 6 a.m. There was a
long line of vehicles, trucks, buses, tourist taxis. Outside was a board
with convoy timings. And another with rules. Vehicles were not to stop
inside the reserve. Jarawa were not to be photographed. They were not to
be given lifts. Breaking the rules might lead to damage of property and
danger to life. The intent was clear; we were to leave them alone. And
oh yes. They were not to be fed.

Actually, that was when the strange queasiness began. As the vehicles
revved up and the convoy started moving, my daughter had a question.
“Mom, why am I feeling like we’re entering a wildlife sanctuary?” I felt
the same way. The vehicles moved together, so the pace was slow. We saw
an abandoned Jarawa community dwelling. And then, the woman,
expressionless. In one hand she held a bunch of bananas. My uneasiness grew.

Soon we passed a couple of children, who tried to wave us down. “Can’t
stop, the police vehicle is right behind us,” the driver informed us. As
we passed them, something landed in my lap. Two pinkish berries! We held
on to the berries for a long time, savouring the experience of this
offering from another era, almost another time zone.

WRENCHING EXPERIENCE

But there was more to come. Another group of children, teenagers with
arrows, youngsters in tow. A teenager signed for us to halt. A youngster
jumped on to the running board. We watched, dumb. “/Kuch do/!” said the
youngster. When we didn’t respond, he tried again. “/Khana do/”. We
looked at each other. “Give him some banana if you have,” said the
driver. “Our snacks make them sick. They can’t digest oil and salt. ”
Not knowing if we were doing the right thing, we handed over some
bananas. Somewhere deep inside of me, something wrenched.

Another curly mop, ebony face in another window. “/Paan hai/?” I watched
in dismay. The child must have been around eight. He surveyed the
interior of the car curiously. They seemed friendly enough now. But we
had just hea rd that they had just killed a group of settlers who had
dared to venture into their fishing territory…

Meanwhile, the driver was busy striking a deal with one of the older
boys. It was simple — anything you wanted that they could get for you,
in exchange for one Rs.10 note. Coins were not acceptable. This time the
deal was for an arrow. The boy was to keep it ready, and the driver
would take it the next day. “/Kab/?” asked the boy. “/Rangat Rani ke
saath/?” What will he do with the money? I wondered. Take it to Rangat
and buy /paan/?

The driver turned to me. “Take your pictures quickly, we must move”. I
looked at the glorious subjects and decided I didn’t want to take
pictures. Not because the board said I shouldn’t, but because I didn’t
want to add to the indignity we were already heaping on to this
once-hostile community that is now cornered, desperate, and reaching out
to us.

We left the Jarawa behind soon, but in my mind was a frozen image. An
ebony-coloured little boy standing on the edge of time.

Is slow degradation and death the only road ahead for him? Or is there a
way in which he can make a dignified choice?