Several large supermarket and big-box chains have announced that they will eventually discontinue stocking their shelves with fish and seafood considered “unsustainable,” that is those vulnerable to over-fishing or capture methods that lead to environmental damage.

Self-proclaimed natural food store chain Whole Foods will expand its ongoing ban on orange roughy, shark, blue fin tuna and most marlin to include all “red-rated” seafood, including Atlantic halibut, gray sole, and skate among others.

In bans that will take effect over the course of two to five years respectively, Target will no longer stock farmed salmon in its grocery departments; Wegmans’ supermarkets will no longer offer seafood from the over-fished Ross Sea in the Antarctic; and Walmart will require its fish and frozen seafood to be sustainable and labeled as such.

Ratings on seafood are determined by nonprofit research organizations like the Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium, with whom Whole Foods partnered in 2010. A green “best choice” rating from the monitors refers to species that are abundant and caught in environmentally responsible ways. Yellow indicates some concerns with the strength of a species or a particular catching method, but is considered the next best option.

Feel-good measures or actual progress?

 Some scientists are now voicing doubts that such well-intentioned efforts really help the environment, saying that to the contrary, some of these ratings labels might lead customers to wrongly believe that the impact of choosing one fish over another is greater than it actually is. A recent Washington Post feature highlighted the questionable results of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the most widely used certification organization in the country. For example, the MSC has, to date, certified 148 wild-caught fisheries, which account for between six to seven percent of the global supply. However, in a study published online in the Journal of Marine Policy, it was alleged that 31 percent of those MSC-certified stocks are in fact over-fished with no relief in sight. While urging consumers to continue buying labeled seafood, Rainer Froese, a senior scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, nevertheless admonished certifiers to “sharpen their criteria and close any loopholes.”

Good News for Fish…for Fishermen, Not so Much

The sustainability labeling system may cripple many of the large fishing companies that sell to the participating supermarket chains. Fishermen working out of New England ports are particularly vulnerable given that they fish a region considered by federal monitors to have more over-fished stocks than any other. Dismissing the retailers’ bans as a marketing ploy, many affected fishermen are vowing to seek new buyers rather than roll back their quotas to please a bunch of bleeding-heart animal lovers.

Chickens Catch a Break, Too

There is no rating system in place as yet, but you may soon see a cage-free designation on more than just the token handful of egg-cartons in your local supermarket.

According to the Human Society, about 280 million hens are currently confined in battery cages so small, they can’t even spread their wings. That’s the way it’s worked since the advent of the factory farm. You might suspect that this system is all about the bottom line, but the marketing and lobbying end of the industry begs to differ. The United Egg Producers, an industry trade group, warns that cage-free egg production has some environmental downsides, including a larger “carbon footprint” because the hens require more water, acreage and cropland than their confined counterparts. The group also foresees threats to the health of the employees and to the birds themselves – which reportedly crowd together and suffocate if allowed to roam free – not to mention unfettered hens which have been known to peck each other to death.

Your Money or Your Chicken?

The UEP also said that cage-free eggs typically have a retail cost more than triple that of traditional eggs. A 2009 study commissioned by the group found that banning battery cages for hen-laying eggs would raise production costs by 25 percent, or $2.7 billion annually. What they didn’t say is that that cost overage will be passed on to consumers, but you can be pretty sure it will.

Even so, frozen food giant Sara Lee has joined other companies, like Hellmann’s mayonnaise, which has hatched a plan to convert 100 percent of the 350 million eggs it uses each year to cage-free. National restaurant chains including Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway, Denny’s, Red Robin, Quiznos, Sonic, Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. have all started using cage-free eggs. And supermarket chains including Walmart, Costco, Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Safeway have increased their sales of cage-free eggs.

What about Babe?

In addition to ramping up its use of cage-free eggs and chickens, Burger King has also announced that it’s going to start using the meat from stall-free hogs in its products. The change comes after customers let the company know of their concern for the humane treatment of the animals. In a press release, the third largest fast food chain says it is the first fast food brand to lay down rules to reduce cage confinement for its egg-laying hens and to call for the use of stall-free pork by their suppliers. Both Wendy’s and Bon Appetit, an outfit that runs more than 400 cafes across 31 states, have pledged to work with their U.S. and Canadian pork suppliers to phase out the use of gestation crates. And the powerful Compass Group, the largest food service company in the world, plans to phase out the use of meat from pigs raised in gestation crates by 2017. Compass Group operates dining operations at about 10,000 companies, hospitals, senior living centers, schools, colleges and universities.

Among supermarket chain stores, Safeway has announced that it is working to formulate a plan to sell pork only from suppliers that prohibit use of gestation crates. Hormel, the makers of SPAM, said it would eliminate most gestation crates in the next five years, and Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, will phase out its practice of using gestation crates for pregnant hogs by 2017

A Cage-Free Food Industry in America by 2017?

The key words in all these highly publicized pledges from the food industry are “phase out.” These changes won’t take effect for many years. Why so long? Spokespeople for the various producers and vendors say that it will take time and money to make these changes and ramp up production to meet the gargantuan demands from retail and fast food chains.

And then there’s always the chance that by 2017 you’ll have forgotten that the cage-free promises were ever made.

A school of large pelagic predator fish (bluefin trevally) sizing up a school of small pelagic prey fish (anchovies)

On June 20-22 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) will take place in Brazil. 20 years after the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, and a decade after the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), little has changed in the way we exploit and preserve the oceans. If we continue to fish and consume fish as we do now, scientific studies point to all of today’s commercial fisheries being wiped out by 2048. Oceans also play an important role in the global climate system by generating oxygen and absorbing about 30 percent of global CO2 emissions.

Many scientists believe this is the last chance to turn the tide. Under-developed nations are leading the calls for change, but unless Europe champions their cause against the might of the USA, Japan, and China their demands will go unheeded and fish stocks, and the oceans they live in, will be faced with a very bleak future.

How has it come to this?

“Overfishing”

A major international scientific study released in November 2006 in the journal Science found that about one-third of all fishing stocks worldwide have collapsed (with a collapse being defined as a decline to less than 10 percent of their maximum observed abundance), and that if current trends continue all fish stocks currently fished will collapse within fifty years. However, they also conclude that “available data suggest that at this point, these trends are still reversible”. Based on scientific research and data, this date is now predicted to be 2048.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (FAO) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2004 report estimates that in 2003, of the main fish stocks or groups of resources for which assessment information is available, “approximately one-quarter were overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion (16 percent, 7 percent and 1 percent respectively) and needed rebuilding.”

According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) figures in 2012, 76 percent of the world’s fisheries are already fully exploited or overfished, while billions of unwanted fish and other animals die needlessly each year.

Threat of Overfishing Not Limited to Target Species

The threat of overfishing is not limited to the target species only. As commercial trawlers resort to deeper and deeper waters to fill their nets, they have begun to threaten delicate deep-sea ecosystems and the fish that inhabit them, such as the coelacanth. In the May 15, 2003 issue of the journal Nature, it is estimated that 10 percent of large predatory fish remain compared to levels before commercial fishing.

From 1950 (18 million tonnes) to 1969 (56 million tonnes) fish food production grew by about 5 percent each year; from 1969 onward production has increased by 8 percent per annum. It is expected that this demand will continue to rise, and MariCulture Systems estimated in 2002 that seafood production would have to increase by over 15.5 million tonnes to meet the desire of Earth’s growing population over the following decade.

“According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) figures in 2012, 76 percent of the world’s fisheries are already fully exploited or overfished, while billions of unwanted fish and other animals die needlessly each year.”

Overfishing has depleted fish populations to the point that large-scale commercial fishing, on average around the world, is not economically viable without government assistance. By the 1980s, economists estimated that for every $1 earned fishing, $1.77 had to be spent in catching and marketing the fish. Every penny or cent you spend on commercially caught fish is increasing your tax bill. The total magnitude of fisheries subsidies in 2003 was estimated at US$25-29 billion. Fuel subsidies compose about 15-30 percent of total global fishing subsidies, and capacity enhancing subsidies sum up to US$16 billion or about 60 percent of the total. Governments continue to pump billions of dollars into the fishing industry each year, sustaining an otherwise unprofitable business, promoting overcapacity and allowing it to continue depleting marine resources.

As we have severely depleted nearby stocks, our tax contributions are spent buying commercial fishing rights in developing nations, particularly African ones, with serious and far-reaching repercussions on the lives of local subsistence fishing families. Without their age-old source of food and meager income, they turn towards Europe and clandestine entry and employment to feed their families.

Global Fleet

The world’s fishing fleet is able to catch up to 2.5 times the maximum sustainable yield. It has been estimated that if fish stocks were rebuilt, the current marine catch could be achieved with almost half of the current global fishing effort. Yet the cumulative power of the global fleet is still increasing at a rapid rate. Bringing fisheries to a sustainable level necessitates decisive measures to eliminate the excess capacity of the global fleet. Reduction efforts should be focused on large-scale vessels and be coupled with ensuring priority access to fish resources for low-impact, small-scale fisheries.

Red snapper. Photo courtesy NOAA

Some species’ stocks are so depleted that less desirable species are labeled and marketed under the names of more expensive ones (“species substitutions”). For example, genetic analysis shows that approximately 70 percent of fish sold as the highly prized “red snapper” (Lutjanus campechanus) are other species. For 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of prawns, there is 4kg of wasted by-catch and for or every kilo of North Sea Sole caught by beam trawl, up to 14kg of other species are killed, not to mention the destruction to the sea floor. One passage of a beam trawler can be likened to sowing and planting a field seven times in one year.

Overfishing Examples

Anchovies. Photo courtesy U.S. Geological Survey

Examples of the outcomes from overfishing exist in areas such as the North Sea, the Grand Banks of North America and the East China Sea. In these locations, overfishing has not only proved disastrous to fish stocks but also to the fishing communities relying on the harvest.

• In the 1970s, the Peruvian coastal anchovy fisheries crashed after overfishing, following an El Niño season, which largely depleted anchovies from its waters. Anchovies had previously been a major natural resource in Peru; indeed, 1971 alone yielded 10.2 million metric tons of anchovies. However, in the following year, and the four after that, the Peruvian fleet’s catch amounted to only about 4 million tons. This was a major loss to Peru’s economy.
• The collapse of the cod fishery off Newfoundland, and the 1992 decision by Canada to impose an indefinite moratorium on the Grand Banks, is a dramatic example of the consequences of overfishing.
• The sole fisheries in the Irish Sea, the west English Channel and other locations have become overfished to the point of virtual collapse, according to the UK government’s official Biodiversity Action Plan. The United Kingdom has created elements within this plan to attempt to restore this fishery, but the expanding global human population and the expanding demand for fish has reached a point where demand for food threatens the stability of these fisheries, if not the species’ survival.
• 

  Sablefish

  Many deep-sea fish are at risk, such as orange roughy, Patagonian toothfish and sablefish. The deep sea is almost completely dark, near freezing and has little food. Deep sea fish grow slowly because of limited food, have slow metabolisms, low reproductive rates, and many don’t reach breeding maturity for 30 to 40 years. A fillet of Orange roughy at the store is probably at least 50 years old. Most deep-sea fish are in international waters, where there is no legislation. Most of these fish are caught by deep trawlers near seamounts, where they congregate because of food. Flash freezing allows the trawlers to work for days at a time, and modern fish finders target the fish with ease. In 2006, the UN Secretary General reported that 95 percent of damage to seamount ecosystems worldwide is caused by deep sea bottom trawling.

• In Tasmania, Sand-tiger sharks were overfished, allowing octopus to thrive, annihilating the lobster stock and related fishery.
• Ninety-seven percent of North Carolina’s Tiger Shark population has been wiped out. This lead to an increase in cownose rays. They ate all the scallops and the 150-year old scallop fishery collapsed. When there were no more scallops for them to eat, the cownose rays died or moved on. The scallops used to eat juvenile sea urchins, so the urchin population rocketed. Young urchins eat algae, a photosynthesizing plant (consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen).

One-third of the fish landed from the oceans is fed to poultry and pigs, those renowned marine predators. It is claimed by Paul Watson, the founder of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, that domestic cats worldwide eat more tuna than wild dolphins. It is also estimated that for every fish landed, one is thrown back into the ocean dead.

Tuna, the World’s Most Consumed Fish

Yellow Fin tuna

Tuna is one of the most consumed tinned fish products in the world and is a much sought after commodity as a fresh food source too. Years of poor management and over-fishing has left tuna in a perilous state. Of the 23 commercially exploited major tuna stocks identified, nine are classified as fully fished, four are classified as overexploited or depleted, three are classified as critically endangered, three are endangered and three are vulnerable to extinction. All 23 stocks are heavily fished.

“Japan’s huge appetite for tuna will take the most sought-after stocks to the brink of commercial extinction unless fisheries agree on more rigid quotas. –World Wildlife Fund”

Some varieties of tuna, such as the bluefin and bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus, are threatened by overfishing, which dramatically affects tuna populations in the Atlantic and northwestern Pacific Oceans. Other areas seem to support fairly healthy populations of some of the over 48 different species of tuna —for example, the central and western Pacific skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis—but there is mounting evidence that overexploitation threatens tuna populations worldwide. In 2006, the Australian government alleged that Japan had illegally overfished southern bluefin by taking 12,000 to 20,000 tonnes per year instead of their agreed 6,000 tonnes; the value of such overfishing would be as much as USD $2 billion. Such overfishing has resulted in severe damage to stocks. According to the WWF, “Japan’s huge appetite for tuna will take the most sought-after stocks to the brink of commercial extinction unless fisheries agree on more rigid quotas.” According to Charles Clover and the film “The End of The Line,” the Mitsubishi Corporation, the world’s largest Bluefin trader, may be stockpiling frozen tuna and deliberately making the species extinct to control the dwindling market. The Chicago Tribune reported that some canned light tuna such as yellowfin tuna is significantly higher in mercury than skipjack tuna, and caused Consumers’ Union and other health groups to advise pregnant women to refrain from consuming canned tuna.

Aquaculture

Unfortunately, farmed fish is yet to provide the answer as the species farmed are generally carnivorous. The popular and common salmon require between 1.7 and 4kgs of fish protein to create 1kg of salmon protein.

Up to 22kg of wild-caught fish is needed to produce just 1kg of farmed tuna; 4kg of wild-caught fish is needed to produce 1kg of farmed salmon, and up to 2kg of wild-caught fish is needed to produce 1kg of farmed marine shrimp.

The waste products from a large quantity of farmed fish concentrated in one area is also harmful to the environment where they are kept.

Why not just eat the fish caught to make fishmeal? Anchovy is the single most popular fish for fishmeal, but is also lovely grilled or filleted and marinated in olive oil and garlic and is not given growth hormones or injected with coloring.

Inadequate protection

Only 0.6 percent of the world’s oceans have been designated as protected – compared to almost 13 percent of our planet’s land area. Yet, of the small number of marine protected areas that have been established, most exist in isolation.

Worse, the vast majority suffer from little or no management at all. Fewer than 10 percent are currently achieving their management goals and objectives, and 90 percent are open to fishing. Poorer states such as Kiribati and Tanzania have created marine protected areas, yet have few resources to enforce protective legislation. The Galapagos archipelago, renowned for its high numbers of endemic species, is reliant on NGOs for protection.

Marine park managers – and the governments and non-profit organizations that support them – must often juggle conflicting national and local priorities coming from a variety of sectors, such as industry, artisanal fishers, commercial fishers, tour operators, local town councils, farmers, and scientific researchers.

In addition, park managers often have extremely limited budgets and staff, and frequently rely on community participation and volunteers to carry out much of the essential work.

This means that in most cases, park staff cannot adequately patrol marine reserves, carry out essential research or implement effective conservation strategies.

Ocean acidification

According to the UN, studies have shown that since the beginning of the industrial revolution, oceans have become 30 per cent more acidic and predictions show that by 2050, ocean acidity could even increase by 150 per cent. This would give marine ecosystems a very small timeframe for adaptation, as it would represent a rate of increase that is 100 times faster than that of any ocean acidity change experienced over the last 20 million years.

Tropical coral reefs offer habitat to 25 per cent of all known marine species, while constituting only less than one tenth of 1 per cent of the marine environment. About one fifth of the global coral reefs have already been damaged beyond repair and it is predicted that 90 per cent of coral reefs will be threatened by 2030 and all coral reefs will be threatened by 2050, if no protective measures are taken. A recent study assessing the world’s oceans, including the deep sea, highlighted the significant damage caused by pollution, resource exploitation and climate change.

Given the long gaps between international policy-making conferences, previous inability to implement durable solutions and the ever-accelerating and ever-more perilous state of our oceans, UNCSD is the planet’s last chance to save the oceans before the point of no return is reached.

But will the opportunity be seized, or scuppered by self-interest and greed?

During this year’s Be Kind To Animals Week, the Humane Society is putting out an urgent plea to protect more of the nation’s 10 billion+ farm animals, 3-4 million shelter animals who are euthanized yearly, and thousands of animals who are being hurt in natural disasters and cruelty cases.

“The need has never been greater,” says Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane Association. “We have made gigantic strides in the past century, pioneering many of the key advances in protecting our nation’s children and animals, but there are still huge numbers in critical need of lifesaving care. We are putting out a call to the American public during Be Kind to Animals Week to get involved and become part of a new 21st century Compassion Movement that will help millions more of our most vulnerable to be kept safe, protected, and loved. So many animals are still suffering and can’t wait any longer.”

Celebrities including Betty White are heeding the call. She is this year’s chairperson of “Be Kind to Animals Week,” which the charity launched back in 1915. “As far as I am concerned, every week should be ‘Be Kind to Animals Week,’” said Ms. White. “To make that possible for more animals, please join American Humane Association’s new membership program. In fact, as a challenge for my 90th birthday – I would like 9,000 new members to join this very week!”

Be Kind to Animals Week is celebrated with Shelter information and the annual Be Kind to Animals™ Kid Contest that recognizes children who go above and beyond to create a better world for animals.

During the year, the Humane Society urges you to:

Speak out for animals

Get informed about policies and legislation that can impact the animals in your community and throughout the country. Also, register to receive Action Alerts from American Humane — you’ll be able to speak out for animals with just the click of a mouse. Advocacy for animals can make a huge difference in their safety and well-being.

Report Animal Abuse

Animal cruelty and abuse is not only tragic for animals, but also an indicator that other forms of abuse such as domestic violence could be happening. If you see something that looks suspicious — a dog chained in your neighbor’s yard that looks underfed, a child putting a cat in a box and kicking it around the yard — don’t hesitate. Let someone know.

Appreciate Wildlife

All animals deserve to be treated humanely — family pets and animals in the wild. Create an inviting space in your yard and garden for butterflies, hummingbirds and other creatures. If wildlife comes too close to home, look for ways to coexist with animals or to protect your property humanely.

Adopt a Pet from a Shelter or Rescue

Every year, an estimated 3.7 million animals must be euthanized at our nation’s shelters because they could not be adopted into loving homes. Help animals find a second chance at happiness by adopting your next pet from your local shelter or rescue group. American Humane has tips to find the animal companion that’s right for you and develop a bond that will last a lifetime.

Take Care of Your Pet

Pets are like children who never grow up. They need you to help keep them healthy and safe throughout their lives. Keep your animal’s vaccinations up-to-date. Make sure he’s wearing proper identification. Take your pet to the veterinarian regularly. Know what it takes to be a responsible pet owner.

Source: American Humane Society

Dr. John Long, Director of the Interdisciplinary Robotics Research Laboratory at Vassar College and his team use biochemical methods and mechanical engineering to create artificial axial skeletons that match the morphology and mechanical behavior of the axial skeletons from sharks and fish. They use these biomimetic structures to build biomimetic robots and to understand the mechanical design of the targeted biological system.

In this video, the team creates artificial vertebral shark columns that are used to mimic the live animals’ movements.

For the whole 13 part broadcast visit You Tube.

Leopards are elusive but seen in the Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy. Photo wikipedia commons

South African Conservancies

Around the world, people are mobilizing to celebrate Earth Day, April 22. But for many, Earth Day is every day. These are the people who make things happen, the movers and shakers in their communities, as it seems these days, that if anything is to be done to protect and conserve our environment, it is being done on a local level. What the earth is experiencing is a real international grassroots effort that often slips below the radar.

One such effort that is making an enormous impact in South Africa is the Conservancy movement.

What is a Conservancy?

A conservancy is the entry-level to community-based conservation. Unlike other conservation initiatives, conservancies do not require you to set aside vast tracts of land and to actively stock wild animals. Conservancies can be anywhere and any size. Although South African Conservancies don’t have any legal rights to enforce laws, each is a registered entity with the province’s government agency responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity.

All around the country, concerned citizens are making a difference by conserving their local environments. In a country internationally acclaimed for its wide variety of ecosystems, plants and wildlife, it is heartening to see the positive effects the Conservancies are having.

As an emerging nation with a fast growing population that is plagued by unemployment, poverty and a deteriorating infrastructure, the government seems to have more pressing responsibilities than taking care of the environment. South Africa has the most comprehensive and democratic environmental laws and constitution in the world. Unfortunately, these are not being effectively put to use, so citizens are stepping into the void, doing what needs to be done.

Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy

Bird watchers score when they sight a Narina Trogon. Photo wikipedia commons

One such conservancy is the Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy in KwaZulu Natal. The Conservancy extensive with fairly rugged terrain. The vegetation ranges from dense valley bushveld in the valleys, through thicket bushveld on the upper slopes and savanna grasslands higher up. In some areas, the vegetation consists almost exclusively of acacia thorn trees. The area is home to wide range of rare and endemic species of animals, plants, birds, butterflies and insects and worms. Leopards prowl the bush where a variety of antelope share the space with rare aloes and birds.

When the conservancy was started several years ago, the area was declared an area of non-significance, the lowest on the ecology scale according to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the province’s government regulatory agency. The Government is heavily promoting development in the South Africa, as development creates jobs. However, more often than not, the planning and permitting process is faulty and unless concerned citizens take a stand, pristine environments are bulldozed and unsustainable developments mushroom, often without permits, Environmental Impact Assessments or even funding to complete the projects.

The Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy has been an effective deterrent to out-of-control development, with volunteers attending meetings and generally pointing out to elected officials the errors in the planning and permitting processes. However, as this was an area of non-significance, much of their early work fell on deaf ears.

Then they got serious and Conservancy members began inventorying what actually lives and grows in this unique environment.

The rare aloe pruinosa is endemic to the Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy area

Sightings of rare and endemic species grew, and with each submission to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the area grew in ecological importance. According to Mike Jewitt, who currently heads up the Conservancy, “KZNWildlife have sighting forms which need to be filled in and sent to them. The more sightings, especially the species like Blue Duiker, the easier it is to get the areas protected.”

Jewitt is just one of the active Conservancy members who are fighting development in the valley. He continued, “Ashburton was originally declared an area of no environmental significance, but after a few years of submitting sighting forms to KZN Wildlife, it is now declared irreplaceable. Not only animals and birds, but frogs, creepy crawlies and rare endangered plants make a huge difference to what is known as the “C” plan, which has to be consulted for all development applications.”

Moreover, according to Jewitt, the Conservancy area is one of the only areas in South Africa where a wide variety of animals roam free without fences.

With the important “irreplaceable” designation, the Conservancy has more influence and has managed to halt or delay several large developments in the area that, on close inspection, had not completed Environmental Impact Statements. They have even halted projects that had broken ground and construction begun without any approvals or permits at all.

Clansthal Conservancy

The 1905 lighthouse at Green Point is within the Clansthal Conservancy. Photo Susan Colby

Another Conservancy making a huge impact is the Clansthal Conservancy on the South Coast of KZN. This is a big coastal area, 2,190 ha in extent that lies between latitude 30° 12′ and 30° 16′ S, and longitude 30° 44′ and 30° 48′ E and includes the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area (MPA). The Conservancy was registered with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in 2006.

Besides the everyday work the Conservancy members perform, such as removing invasive alien plants and keeping the beaches clean, the big push currently is to expand the MPA to include the entire Conservancy’s shoreline. “Currently,” said Keith Cunningham, a member of the Conservancy board, “Aliwal Shoals is the most used MPA in the country, and the worst managed.”

In the past, fish and other marine life was abundant along these shores. Today, many anglers report no fish or fish of limited size, all due to overfishing the area and to poaching. Crayfish are one of the marine animals that used to be plentiful along the rocky shore, but today, even with limits placed on the catch, they are severely diminished. And their decline is made worse by poaching.

In South Africa, as in other parts of the world, stringent rules apply to the MPA designation, with strict zoning of both marine and coastal protected areas. This creates Controlled zones which allow for limited fishing, Restricted zones which allow for the controlled development of tourism while protecting fish, as well as Sanctuary zones in which complete protection is be applied.

This Conservancy has persevered through the numerous hoops and navigated a tangle of red tape to get to where they are now, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the works. The project will include assistance from Ezemvelu Wildlife and the e’Thekwini municipality (formerly Durban) which forms the western boundary of the Conservancy.

Some members and homeowners in the area have expressed reservations about the beaches becoming part of the MPA, overall sentiment is in favor of the conservation program, which will designate some biodiversity hot spots as Sanctuaries, while the majority of the beach areas will be controlled, catch and release areas.

Helping Hands

Although the Conservancies are grassroots organizations, often funding for projects and improvements come from outside the communities. For instance, funding for wetlands rehabilitation in Clansthal is coming from WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), South Africa’s oldest and largest non-government, membership-based environmental organization. The LMV Conservancy has recently received a grant from the National Lotteries Board of South Africa for several projects, including the removal of invasive alien vegetation and a recycling center. The Midlands Conservancies Forums, a group of 12 active, local conservancies recently receive a grant from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint program of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, theMacArthur Foundation and theWorld Bank.

As South Africa ranks as the third most biologically diverse country in the world, it is no wonder that concerned citizens of all countries are involved in the establishment and protection of these unique and irreplaceable ecosystems.

“If you ask anyone, what is morality based on? These are the two factors that always come out: One is reciprocity … and a sense of fairness, and the other one is empathy and compassion.” (Frans de Waal)

Frans de Waal Profile

Earth Day Network’s goal of A Billion Acts of Green® pledged before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the so called Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro this June is closing in on the finish line with more than 890,000,000 environmental actions already pledged. Individuals, governments, faith-based and civic organization and businesses around the world have registered their pledges.

This is the world’s largest environmental campaign to date, which started in 2010 in the months preceding the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day is April 22 this year and EDN is using the day to promote the 2012 theme, Mobilize the Earth™.

“There are so many wonderful stories from this campaign, from the mother who started a recycling program in a small Louisiana town – to the guy who said that he broke up with his girlfriend because she wouldn’t recycle,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “And once we reach a billion, we’re going to take all of them all to world leaders to show them the breadth of support for strong, coordinated action to protect the environment.”

Celebrities, including director James Cameron and actors Edward Norton and Leonardo DiCaprio who have all pledged Acts of Green.

Pledges Around the World

Pledges are across the spectrum – from Morocco pledging to plant one million trees to 40 government and village leaders in Afghanistan worked to implement recycling programs and educational programs about environmental sustainability, to simple individual acts such as eating local, pledging to recycle and to teaching children about protecting the earth for the future of their own children. Pledges don’t have to be huge. A simple pledge to turn off the lights when they aren’t needed or using your reusable grocery bag all add up to something big.

“This campaign is so moving because it highlights what people, governments and organizations can do every day to protect the environment; it gives people a chance to stand up and be counted, and all those little actions add up to something big,” said Rogers. “It’s hard to ignore a billion actions.”

According to earthday.org, “The A Billion Acts of Green® website quantifies acts of green through an easy-to-use online registration tool. Communities and organizers can register Earth Day events such as community environmental meetings, tree plantings, large-scale light bulb changes and workplace renewable energy retrofits. And individuals can register the actions they’re taking to protect the environment – from riding a bike instead of driving and washing laundry in cold water to planting a garden and volunteering with a community clean-up.

Other notable contributions to A Billion Acts of Green® from the website:

School Greenings: Earth Day Network has worked to retrofit 40 schools across the globe with green technologies and resources. From installing solar panels to planting school gardens, Earth Day Network helped these schools to significantly reduce their carbon footprints.

Ocean Conservancy: More than 10 million green acts came from the Ocean Conservancy, following their annual International Costal Clean-Up Day, which has seen nearly 9 million volunteers from 152 countries work to clean shores, streams, rivers and the ocean.

Siemens: As part of their 2010 corporate sponsorship, employees of Siemens completed 789,041 Acts of Green through the donation of thousands of generators, flashlights and skyhydrants to victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Earth Hour: Millions participate in Earth Hour every year on March 26. Each person who turned off their lights is counted as an Act of Green.

200 Catholic Congregations contributed 100,000 Acts of Green through local service projects.

Earth Day Philippines: Through massive tree plantings, water projects, river clean-ups, recycling drives and school greenings, Earth Day Philippines contributed over 12 million Acts of Green.

Women from Mulagi community in Kyankwanzi District. They planted trees where they are getting firewood and feeds for their goats. Photo courtesy Trees for the Future

Avatar Home Tree Initiative: Through a partnership with Twentieth Century Fox and the Avatar Blu Ray and DVD, Earth Day Network and 16 partners planted 1,006,639 trees in 16 countries, directly involving over 31,000 individuals.

Peace Corps: In partnership with the Peace Corps, Earth Day Network worked with local volunteers to implement environmental and civic education programs, tree-plantings, village clean-ups and recycling seminars in rural areas of Ukraine, Georgia, Albania and Paraguay, helping to build environmental awareness in some of the world’s most underserved communities.

P&G Future Friendly collected thousands of green acts at Earth Day on the National Mall and through support of Earth Day Network’s iPhone and Facebook apps.

Kolkata, India: Plans for a small series of sponsored events evolved into a nationwide presence, 17 cities large.  Earth Day Network partnered with global and local NGOs and local government officials to coordinate city and village clean-ups, environmental rallies and educational programs for underprivileged children.  Earth Day Network has now established an office in Kolkata.

In China, Roots and Shoots Shanghai planted 600,000 trees across inner Mongolia to preserve depleted rainforests. Educators hosted eco-fairs where students learned about the importance of sustainability.

In Louisiana, Green Light New Orleans worked to assist residents with the installation of free, energy-efficient light bulbs.  They worked house by house and installed over 300,000 new bulbs across the city.

In Afghanistan, Earth Day Network worked with more than 40 government and village leaders across the country in environmental sustainability practices including recycling programs and the need for clean water and alternative energy.

In Kenya, Guatemala, and Haiti, Earth Day Network partner The Paradigm Project has committed to installing 5 million new fuel efficient stoves that fight off deforestation, respiratory disease, poverty and hunger.

In Mozambique, the president led a tree-planting initiative in schools across Maputo.

In Colombia, Earth Day Network partner Proyecto Tití worked to remove over 30 million plastic bags from the tropical forests of the region. The bags were then fashioned into reusable “Eco-Mochilas” tote bags and then sold by local villagers.

Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

For the fourth year in a row, the Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn is commemorating the event by packaging the official White House 2012 Easter Eggs in gift boxes made from paperboard certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The eggs come in four colors, stamped with the President’s and First Lady’s signatures and are crafted from Forest Stewardship Council-certified U.S. hardwood, highlighting the recognition and importance of multiple forest certification standards.

“I am thrilled that the National Park Foundation chose to package their famous White House Easter Eggs in SFI-certified boxes,” said SFI president and CEO Kathy Abusow. “This action is an excellent example of making environmentally responsible decisions and will hopefully inspire others in the public and private sector to think creatively about their own sustainable practices.”

Over 35,000 visitors will attend the Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move-themed event, which honors First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative to fight childhood obesity. The day will be filled with games, stories, egg dyeing, sports, music and dancing as well as the traditional Easter egg hunt and egg roll.

And at the end of the festivities, kids under 12 will get a keepsake egg with a picture of Bo Obama, the family pet emblazoned on it. Bo is the first White House pet to be immortalized on the eggs, but not the first to attend the egg roll. Hector, Grover Cleveland’s dog attended as did First Lady Grace Coolidge’s pet raccoon, Rebecca.

New data released by the Ocean Conservancy highlights the need for humans to clean up their acts.

The numbers, generated during the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup last September, are staggering.

With 598,076 volunteers around the world who picked up 9,184,428 pounds of trash from 20,776 miles of shorelines, rivers and lakes, it’s not surprising what is the most prolific item found – cigarette butts. If you are wondering how Ocean Conservancy knows down to the last one, how many butts there were, each volunteer is issued an inventory control sheet to keep tabs.

By now you are probably feeling a little ill, seeing just how much junk is floating around and landing on the world’s shores. But what about the damage being done to our wildlife? We know better — they don’t.

Stop Trash at the Source – You

“Our top 10 list consistently shows that what you use, eat and drink in our everyday life ends up in the ocean,” Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of Ocean Conservancy said. “We need to stop trash at its source, and the biggest impact we can have involves the choices each of us make every day. You can make a big difference for our ocean by taking personal responsibility for your own trash, and that can start with small changes, such as properly disposing of trash and choosing reusable bags, bottles and picnic supplies.”

More Facts and Figures from Ocean Conservancy

Over the past 26 years, more than nine million (9,361,453) volunteers have removed one hundred and fifty-three million (153,790,918) pounds of trash from more than three hundred and twelve thousand (312,290) miles of coastline and waterways in 153 countries and locations.

Volunteers found:

• Enough clothing (266,997 items) to outfit every expected audience member of the London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.
• Enough food packaging (940,277 pieces) to get takeout for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for the next 858 years.
• Enough light bulbs (24,384 bulbs) to replace every light on the Eiffel Tower.
• Enough beverage cans and glass beverage containers that, if recycled, would net $45,489.15.
• Enough balloons (93,913) to provide one to every person expected to attend the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship.
• Enough cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons (707,171) to host a barbeque for every student enrolled at Ohio State University, University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, and University of Kansas, to celebrate their teams’ appearance in the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.
• In the past 26 years of cleanups, volunteers found:
• Fifty-five million cigarettes butts, which if stacked vertically, would be as tall as 3,613 Empire State Buildings.
• Enough glass and plastic bottles to provide every resident of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia a cold beverage on a hot summer day.
• Enough appliances (125,156) to fill 37,434 single-axle dump trucks.
• More than 870 thousand (870,935) diapers – enough to put one on every child born in the UK last year.
• Enough cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons to host a picnic for 2.15 million people.

You can make a difference by choosing to avoid single-use plastic items like water bottles and picnic utensils that end up as ocean trash. If you have to smoke, don’t toss the butts, dispose of them properly in a bin, or better yet, quit!

Partners:

The Coca-Cola Company has supported Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup for the past 17 years. Other national sponsors include National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Altria Group, Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, Landshark Lager, Glad, The Walt Disney Company, Brunswick Public Foundation, Teva and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Ocean Conservancy is the world’s foremost advocate for the oceans. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, it informs, inspires and empowers people to speak and act for the oceans.