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Last chance to save our seas?

2009-07-09

As the long-awaited UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill comes close to being finalised in parliament, new WWF research confirms how much of our marine life is under threat – from over-fishing, oil and gas drilling and climate change.

Our timely Marine Health Check Update reminds us just how vital it is that we get strong laws to protect our seas.

The species looked at include:

Harbour porpoise – despite being the most legally protected species in the UK, populations are still declining because of accidental capture or bycatch
Pink sea fan – this spectacular soft coral is one of our most exotic seabed species, but continues to be damaged by fishing gear and made more vulnerable to disease
Seagrass beds – provide rich habitats for an array of marine life, including seahorses, and an important source of food for wading birds, but are still being damaged by trawling and anchoring, and depleted populations show no sign of recovery
Atlantic salmon – continue to decline and the whole UK population is considered unstable. The number of salmon returning to British rivers from our seas is still a fraction of what is was 30 years ago

WWF Marine Policy Officer, Dr Lyndsey Dodds, says:
“We hope when we get the results of the next Marine Health Check in five years’ time, these species will have started to recover thanks to strong and effective legislation.”

We’re not convinced the legislation making its way through parliament right now will go far enough to secure the health of some of our most cherished marine species and habitats – so we’re asking the government to strengthen the bill in four key ways.

The seaside comes to Westminster

On Wednesday 8 July, a group of UK school children conveyed their concerns about UK marine species and habitats to the Marine Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies.

They’re seen here presenting him with their own hand-made seaside postcards, which highlight some of the threats facing our seas.

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find out more about how we’re protecting our seas

G8 leaders agree climate goal – but not the route

2009-07-09

The leaders of the G8 countries, meeting this week in Italy, have accepted the need to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees C.

It’s a sign that the world’s richest economies have woken up from a long phase of denial on the realities of climate change. But they have still completely failed to outline what immediate action they’ll take to achieve this goal.

We welcome the initiative, but we also know that without a clear path for emission reductions, the 2 degree statement will just join a long list of broken promises.

The lack of an agreement on ambitious midterm emissions reduction targets, clear financial commitments and a timetable for global peak and decline of emissions could turn the 2 degree commitment into an empty statement.

It could result in countries’ actual obligations being watered down, which means the goal of staying below 2 degrees will be impossible.

Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative, says: “World leaders have come down to earth. We welcome them back here, but why have they failed to tell us how they want to achieve what they promise?

“We need to know how much the leaders will reduce their emissions between now and 2020. Otherwise it seems as if they just paid a friendly visit without any results.”

We believe the group of industrialised countries should cut emissions by 40% by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels) and that global emissions should peak before 2017. The US should take a comparable target, in nature, legal form and effort.

We’re also asking developed countries to put forward a financial commitment of 160 billion USD a year to help emission cuts and adaptation to climate impacts in the developing world.

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help us campaign for a strong global climate deal

Anti-wind power arguments blown away!

2009-07-08

A new report dismisses technical objections to expanding wind power in the UK.

A landmark study, produced by experienced energy expert David Milborrow, concludes that there’s no reason why the National Grid can’t cope with large amounts of wind energy.

WWF, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the RSPB, who commissioned the report, say it “scuppers the final arguments against wind power”.

We’re now calling on the government to encourage more investment in wind power, and give it priority access to the energy market and electricity grid.

The report’s main conclusions are:

      • the National Grid can manage a variable input when the wind rises and drops – it’s already designed to do so

      • wind power doesn't need lots of extra backup from ‘conventional’ fuels

      • it won't add significant costs – only £2 to every £100 bill

      • prices will drop as new technologies develop – and more accurate wind forecasting could cut costs by 30%

      • wind power will create lots of new jobs in the UK – up to a million by the end of the decade

WWF’s Head of Climate Change, Keith Allott, says: “Britain isn’t short of renewable resources, or the engineers and technological know-how to create a sustainable, zero-carbon power sector.

“What we need is the market framework to make the clean energy revolution a reality.

“We have a fantastic opportunity now to transform the UK electricity network, especially with many old coal and nuclear plants retiring over the next 10 years or so.”

Britain’s wind power industry has been becalmed for too long, because our energy system has been weighted against renewables. Now it really has some wind in its sails...

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read the new report in full

find out more about our work to promote renewable energy

email your MP to limit power station pollution

Ugandan vet scoops top Whitley conservation award

2009-07-03

WWF was one of the chief sponsors of this year’s Whitley Awards, where a total of £250,000 was handed out to grassroots conservation projects in six developing countries.

The competition’s top prize – the £60,000 Whitley Gold Award – was presented by HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) to wildlife vet Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, for her work with endangered mountain gorillas and local people in Uganda’s remote Bwindi region.

Dr Kalema-Zikusoka is already known to many UK and US TV viewers through her appearances in BBC documentary programmes like Gladys: The African Vet and Vets in the Wild.

The award recognises the work being done by Gladys and the Kampala-based charity she co-founded, Conservation Through Public Health.

Her aim is to change local attitudes to conservation and improve the lives of neighbouring communities by encouraging health and hygiene measures to reduce the risk of cross-infections, and helping them benefit more from the gorillas through tourism, without harm to the apes.

About the winner
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka has been an active wildlife advocate since her teens when she established a wildlife club at her school in Kampala.

It was through the club she first learned about the mountain gorillas of south west Uganda – their only major stronghold outside Rwanda – and her interest was further sparked when studying at the Royal Veterinary College in London.

On graduation, she fulfilled two ambitions when she was recruited as Uganda’s first wildlife vet and given a brief that included protecting the health of gorillas in Bwindi's so-called 'Impenetrable Forest', where eco-tourism was rising and increasing gorilla/human contact.

Just this year it’s been found there are even fewer gorillas in Bwindi than previously thought, and concerns have been raised about virulent new strains of polio and antibiotic-resistant bacteria transferring between humans, gorillas and livestock in the area.

Gladys first proved cross-infection is possible when she traced an outbreak of scabies in gorillas to people living around the park, where access to healthcare is very limited. The discovery inspired the formation of Conservation Through Public Health, and Uganda’s first field wildlife clinic.

Her Gold prize comprises a £30,000 Whitley Award donated by WWF-UK, a further £30,000 from the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a trophy and international profile-raising opportunities.

Other Whitley awards
The Princess also presented Whitley Awards and £30,000 project funding to each of five other conservationists:

Prithiviraj ‘Pruthu’ Fernando (Sri Lanka), head of the Centre for Conservation and Research, Colombo, who is working to safeguard wild Asian elephants by balancing their need to range outside of tight ‘protected zones’ with the needs of paddy farmers whose lives can be devastated by a single crop raid.
£30,000 project grant, donated by The Shears Foundation.

MD ‘Madhu’ Madhusudan (India), Director of the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, working to reduce wildlife-human conflicts – including with elephants and tigers – in the Western Ghats, the world’s most densely populated biodiversity hotspot, by showing farmers how to reduce crop raids, improve their incomes and avoid park encroachment.
£30,000 project grant, donated by HSBC Private Bank

Dino Martins (Kenya), of the centenary-celebrating East Africa Natural History Society, working in and around the Great Rift Valley and Taita Hills to improve local understanding and awareness of the vital role insects play in crop pollination and encourage more sustainable methods of agriculture.
£30,000 project grant, donated by The William Brake Charitable Trust

Jittin Ritthirat (Thailand), who is leading efforts to reduce conflicts between wild elephants, villagers and livestock, especially over access to water and grazing, and restore the monsoon forests of Salakpra, Thailand’s oldest nature reserve – used as a backdrop for the film The Deer Hunter, and a tourist magnet.
£30,000 project funding, donated by The Friends of the WFN

Emil Todorov (Bulgaria), who is leader of a Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds initiative to offer greater protection to the many thousands of wild migratory and breeding birds that depend on the lower reaches of the river Danube and its wetlands – partly by influencing planners and recruiting local people as guardians.
£30,000 project funding, donated by Paula and Mario Frering.

The Whitley Awards scheme is an annual competition, now in its 16th year, which identifies, funds and encourages inspirational conservation leaders and their teams in developing countries. To find out more about the charity and its work, visit the website, www.whitleyaward.org.

Watch a video on award-winner Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

Response to £10m rivers funding announcement

2009-06-29

UK Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies has announced an extra £10 million funding for England’s rivers, lakes and canals. WWF's freshwater policy manager, Dr Tom Le Quesne, responds:

"Any support to help tackle the problems facing our rivers and lakes and the species that rely on them is welcome. The government's further funding allocation can help make a positive difference to our water environment, and we look forward to seeing the improvements the funds will bring.

"As a result of pollution from agriculture and our towns and cities, currently only 15% of our rivers are in a good enough condition to support a healthy ecosystem. This year sees the finalisation of plans to reverse this long-term decline in this precious resource, through the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

"This represents a welcome first step, and we look forward to further substantive announcements."

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find out more about our work to save the UK's rivers

Brown raises stakes for climate change deal

2009-06-26

Gordon Brown has made his strongest statement yet on the importance of a binding global climate deal at Copenhagen this December – and thrown down the gauntlet to other developed countries to come forward with clear proposals to help developing countries cut their emissions and cope with the impacts of climate change.

WWF’s Head of Climate Change, Keith Allott, responds: “The government has shown real recognition that tackling climate change needs to be the world’s top priority.

“Gordon Brown should be loudly applauded for being the first developed country leader to clearly recognise that without substantial finance to help developing countries, there will be no deal. Let’s hope this move can break the stalemate that’s dogged international talks so far.

“The UK’s proposal for financial support of around £60 billion per year is a good start, and shows a growing awareness of the level of financing needed to help the world adapt, and to lessen the future impacts of climate change.

“We also welcome the support for specific proposals to raise finance, including by bringing international aviation and shipping into a new agreement.

“The challenge now is for other developed countries to step up at the G8 meeting in Italy in July and match or even better Brown’s efforts.”

“However, if these proposals are to really have teeth, it’s vital that developed countries commit to making much deeper emission reductions at home. We are concerned that the UK proposals rely too strongly on carbon markets to deliver much of the finance – but there are no guarantees that this will deliver the global emission cuts we need."

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support our campaign for a strong global climate deal

Big funds for small whales

2009-06-26

As WWF launches a new report on the plight of the world’s dolphins, porpoises and small whales, Australia pledges AU$500,000 (£250,000) to help save these often-overlooked cetaceans.

At the 61st International Whaling Commission meeting this week, Australia’s Environment Minister Peter Garrett committed half a million dollars to the IWC’s Small Cetacean Fund.

The announcement coincides with the launch of WWF’s new report, Small Cetaceans: The Forgotten Whales.

The report points out that small whales are disappearing from the world’s oceans and waterways, falling victim to untargeted fishing gear, pollution, and habitat loss.

Small cetaceans have a critical role in their environment, ensuring a healthy and productive ecosystem. They’re also part of the highly profitable whale and dolphin watching industry, which generates over US $1.5 billion each year worldwide.

But while their larger cousins, the great whales, are now protected (to an extent) by the international commercial whaling moratorium, small cetaceans receive much less political attention, and hunts continue around the globe, largely unmanaged and unchecked.

For example, the hunt of 16,000 Dall’s porpoises every year in Japan is considered unsustainable, yet several of the pro-whaling nations object to discussing small cetacean conservation in the IWC.

A significant problem is a crippling lack of data on their numbers and habits. As Peter Garrett says, “For many small cetaceans the scientific information available is so limited that we are unable to make informed decisions on their conservation status.”

According to the IUCN Red List, population trends are unknown for 60 of the 69 small cetacean species. The nine remaining species are in decline.

WWF’s Species Programme Director, Dr Susan Lieberman, says: “It’s time someone stood up for the under-represented whales, dolphins and porpoises. Australia’s commitment is a step in the right direction, and we call on other governments to follow suit.”

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Scotland leads the world against climate change

2009-06-25

Brilliant news. After 18 months of lobbying by WWF and the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition, and a fair bit of political debating, the Scottish Parliament has unanimously voted in favour of strong legislation to tackle climate change.

They’ve agreed to set groundbreaking targets for reducing emissions of all greenhouse gases by 42% (based on 1990 levels) by 2020, and 80% by 2050.

Crucially, the finalised Scottish Climate Change Bill will cover aviation emissions right from the start, and also impose a limit on the use of carbon credits to meet the targets – so industries can’t simply buy their way out of their responsibilities.

WWF-Scotland – and all the supporters who wrote, emailed and lobbied – played a huge part in making this the strongest climate bill in the world.

It’s a great example for the rest of the UK, EU and other industrialised countries to follow – and an inspirational decision in the lead up to the big Copenhagen conference in December, when 190 countries will meet to discuss how to regulate global emissions.

Scottish emissions targets set a benchmark
Scotland’s decision is already resonating around the world – Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, says: "Scotland's ambitious and comprehensive targets encourage other nations to step up to the plate.”

Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s International Global Climate Initiative, celebrates the achievement, saying: "At least one nation is prepared to aim for climate legislation that follows the science.

"Scotland made the first step to show it can be done. We now need others to follow.”

WWF-Scotland's Director, Dr Richard Dixon, says: "Scotland may be a small nation, but it has proved today that it’s prepared to stand up and be counted. This ambitious new law sets a benchmark that every industrialised country will need to live up to.”

WWF will now be among those keeping up the pressure to make sure the bill is implemented in full. As Mike Robinson of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland puts it: “This is a moral commitment... all MSPs now have a responsibility to do what is necessary to deliver on the 42% target.”

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help us push for a global climate deal

Spotlight on whaling

2009-06-22

The future of whaling will be a focus of international talks this week when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets in Madeira.

Around 2000 whales are killed every year by Japan, Norway and Iceland, who exploit loopholes about ‘scientific whaling’ or object to the IWC’s moratorium in order to continue commercial whaling.

We’ll be at the meeting (22-26 June) to try to secure the best possible outcomes to safeguard the long-term future of all cetaceans – whales, dolphins and porpoises.

We also want to see the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling updated for the 21st century so that member governments cannot opt out of agreements, and scientific whaling is eliminated.

Economics of whaling
WWF and WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) commissioned an economic analysis of whaling ahead of the meeting – the first time this type of study has ever been carried out – which shows that the governments of Norway and Japan are using taxpayer money to heavily subsidise their unprofitable whaling industries.

Other threats to whales
While the debate has continued over how best to manage commercial whaling, cetaceans face other threats such as marine and noise pollution, bycatch, overfishing, ship strikes, oil and gas development and climate change.

Some of these have begun to be addressed by the IWC, but WWF will continue to call on the Commission to tackle all the threats to all cetaceans, particularly those of bycatch (over 300,000 whales and dolphins are caught and killed in fishing nets each year) and climate change.

Climate change is predicted to impact the areas of the oceans in which whales live, and affect their migration patterns. Climate change, depletion of the ozone layer and the related rise in UV radiation may also lead to a fall in the population of krill, a primary food source for many marine species.

We want climate change considerations to be integral to the IWC’s conservation and management decisions.

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How Norway and Japan subsidise whaling

2009-06-19

The governments of Norway and Japan are using taxpayer money to subsidise unprofitable whaling industries, according to a new analysis of the economics of whaling.

Ahead of the 61st International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, unique research commissioned by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) considers a range of direct and indirect costs associated with whaling and the processing and marketing of whale products.

Researchers conclude that these costs, combined with declining demand for whale meat and the risk of negative impacts like trade or tourism boycotts, make commercial whaling unlikely to produce economic benefits.

WWF’s Species Trade and Policy Officer, Heather Sohl, says: “At a time of global economic crisis, spending valuable tax dollars on what is most likely an economically unviable industry is neither strategic, sustainable, nor an appropriate use of limited government funds.”

The financial truth about whaling
The Norwegian government has spent more than US$4.9 million on public information, public relations, and lobbying campaigns since 1992 to win support for its whaling and seal-hunting industries.

In addition, government subsidies for the whaling industry in that country have typically equalled almost half of the gross value of all whale meat landings made through the Rafisklaget, the Norwegian Fisherman’s Sales Organisation.

Data gathered on Japan shows a similar use of taxpayer funds. During the 2008-09 season, the Japanese whaling industry needed US$12 million in taxpayer money just to break even. Sales of whale meat, blubber, and other whale products in Japan have made financial losses for most of the last 20 years, requiring Japanese subsidies to the industry of US$164 million since 1988.

Japan and Norway, in defiance of the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling, kill up to 2,000 whales a year, exploiting loopholes in the IWC’s treaty.

The new research points out that killing more whales is likely to hurt the whale-watching and tourism trade, as well as the international image of Norway and Japan – impacts which would far outweigh any economic benefits of whaling.

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learn more about our work to protect whales

New coal plants not needed to test carbon capture

2009-06-12

We believe the best way to demonstrate ‘carbon capture’ technology is to retro-fit it to existing power stations, rather than building a new coal-fired plant for a small-scale test.

If the government gives the green light to big new coal-fired power stations like Kingsnorth in Kent or Tilbury in Essex – even if it’s in order to test small-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects – it would increase the country’s overall carbon emissions, rather than reducing them.

The power sector is currently responsible for more than 30% of the UK’s CO₂ emissions, and around 70% of this comes from burning coal.

WWF’s Head of Climate Change, Keith Allott, says: “Building a new power station on the scale of Kingsnorth, with CCS technology covering only a small portion of its output, will raise the country’s carbon emissions by millions of tonnes.

“A much smarter way of demonstrating and testing the technology is to use an existing power station – this would actually reduce our emissions, and also avoid locking us in to a new generation of polluting coal stations.”

Carbon capture comparisons
The idea of CCS is to reduce emissions from burning coal and gas by capturing CO₂ and then transporting it to underground storage sites.

So far the process hasn’t been proven on a commercial scale, but in April the government announced it will fund up to four demonstration schemes to test different carbon capture technologies.

To help the government make the right decisions, WWF commissioned IPA Energy + Water Economics to compare the potential impacts of testing the CCS process on an existing or a new coal-fired power station.

The new report shows that if the technology is tested at the 300MW scale proposed by the government, on a brand new 1,600MW coal power station, overall emissions from the power sector could increase by 32 million tonnes of CO₂ between 2014 and 2025.

By comparison, fitting carbon capture to an existing power station, such as Scottish Power’s plant at Longannet, would reduce overall emissions by 14.5 million tonnes of CO₂ over the same period.

Emissions performance standard
As Keith Allott adds: “Technical problems with CCS, or claims of excessive cost, mean there’s a real possibility that retrofitting an entire power station would prove unfeasible and unattractive to power companies further down the line.

“That’s why a safety net, such as an Emissions Performance Standard (EPS), must also be in place from the outset.”

An EPS would set a legally enforceable limit on emissions, which could be tightened further in future. This would ensure any demonstration project must ultimately lead to full-scale CCS, and that eventually all existing coal stations will face full CCS costs.

“The Committee on Climate Change has advised the government that the power sector should be almost completely carbon-free by 2030. But if current proposals for a new generation of largely unabated coal-fired power stations are approved, it would present a huge challenge to the UK’s prospects of meeting emission reduction targets, and to any aspirations of continuing to show leadership in tackling climate change.”

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help us push for a new global climate deal

find out more about our work to reduce energy sector emissions

Antarctic success

2009-06-05

The South African government has announced it will create a vast protected area around the remote Prince Edward Islands in the Southern Ocean – and WWF is taking a lead in providing technical and management advice.

At 180,000km², the Prince Edward Islands region will become one of the biggest Marine Protected Areas in the world. It’s an environmental achievement of global importance, which will help protect a suite of spectacular wildlife.

WWF’s director general, Jim Leape, says: "South Africa has made a globally significant commitment to our oceans.

"South Africa plays a key role – along with countries such as Australia, France, UK and New Zealand – in protecting the amazing biodiversity and commercially important fisheries of the sub-Antarctic."

Located almost 2000km south of Cape Town, in the Southern Ocean, the islands are home to:

     • 450,000 King penguins (and two other penguin species)
     • 33% of the world’s sub-Antarctic Fur Seals (and two other types of seal)
     • 44% of all Wandering Albatrosses (and four more kinds of albatross)
     • 14 species of petrel

The islands have been threatened by illegal and irresponsible fishing practices in the past – for instance vessels targeting Patagonian toothfish have often killed albatross as bycatch.

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find out more about our work in the Antarctic

WWF and M&S unite to save fish stocks

2009-05-28

One of the most unethical and uneconomic issues in our fishing industry is discards – unwanted fish dumped overboard. But it’s a problem that some forward-thinking fishermen are trying hard to resolve by using new types of ‘selective’ fishing nets.

WWF wants this sort of selective fishing gear to be compulsory in European fisheries, and along with M&S we’ve produced a new guide to the options available to the industry, including advances in trawl net technology.

Bottom trawling (dragging huge nets along the sea bed) can be particularly damaging for marine ecosystems – it creates more than 80% of the discards in our seas.

But there are low-cost solutions that can reduce discards and minimise impacts. For instance, the WWF guide shows that using selective gear has led to a 60% reduction in discards for some trawling fisheries in the south west.

And North Sea roundfish trawlers have seen a 90% reduction in accidental cod catches using the ‘Eliminator trawl’, an innovative piece of fishing gear that won WWF’s Smart Gear prize in 2007. (It’s based on observing fish behaviour: haddock tend to swim upwards when disturbed, and are caught in a fine mesh, while cod swim down and escape through larger holes.)

The economic benefits are clear, when you consider that the south-west beam trawl fishery discarded 68 million fish between 2002 and 2005, and North Sea roundfish trawlers up to 10.5 million fish in just two years.

Sustainable fishing methods
Avoiding capture of unwanted fish is vital to let dwindling fish stocks recover. In the seas around the UK, about one million tonnes of fish, cephalopods (mainly squid) and commercial shellfish are discarded each year. In England and Wales, around 40% of fish caught by commercial vessels is then thrown away.

WWF’s Marine Programme Manager, Sally Bailey, says: “Tackling discards has to be a priority for the whole of the supply chain, including governments and the fishing industry. We advise all seafood retailers and processors to insist their suppliers use the most appropriate selective gear in their fisheries.”

M&S is one retailer that’s moving away from sourcing fish caught by beam trawls in favour of lighter, less destructive methods, such as Danish seine nets.

Mike Barry, Head of Sustainable Business at M&S, says: “Marks & Spencer has always sought out the most sustainable sources of seafood for our customers. We hope the examples in this report will show there are ways to reduce the problem of discarding, and encourage others to make the most of the new net designs available.”

WWF has launched the 2009 Smart Gear competition to find yet more innovative fishing gear to reduce the number of marine mammals and seabirds caught each year as bycatch. See www.panda.org/smartgear

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Shipping can profit from emissions cuts

2009-05-27

A new report explains how international shipping – which produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the whole UK, and isn’t covered by any reduction agreements – could cut emissions by 20% and increase profits as a result.

The report, for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), was produced to help the shipping industry decide how to incorporate its emissions into a global climate deal at Copenhagen this year.

WWF’s Head of Transport Policy, Peter Lockley, welcomes the report, saying: “The shipping industry is responsible for almost 3% of global emissions – more than the UK or Canada – but so far has managed to avoid the high levels of public scrutiny faced by the aviation sector.

“This report confirms shipping is a substantial source of emissions, but also shows the industry has nothing to fear from joining the global climate regime, and could actually make financial gains if it gets serious about addressing its carbon emissions.”

Efficient new shipping technologies
Shipping emissions could double or even triple by 2050 if we carry on ‘business as usual’, the report says. But new technologies and more efficient practices could reduce emissions by anything from 25% to as much as 75%. And because of the fuel they save, many of these measures soon pay for themselves, and cut costs in the long term.

The report considers a range of encouraging options, including upgrades to hulls, engines and propellers, speed reductions to save fuel, and the use of towing kites – essentially huge paraglider-type sails attached to the ship, flying several hundred metres above it, where the wind is stronger and more regular.

Many national shipping associations also support Emissions Trading Schemes or a Bunker Fuel Levy as cost-effective policies to tackle emissions, although others still think they can escape regulation.

We want to see consensus support within the shipping industry for a global scheme that sets an overall cap on their sector, which would give a major boost for the next IMO meeting in July.

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find out more about our transport campaigns

Climate call from Everest

2009-05-26

Here’s an amazing photograph of record-breaking mountaineer Apa Sherpa – who’s just climbed Mount Everest for the 19th time in 19 years – making an urgent plea for climate action from the very top of the world.

Famed Nepalese climber Apa Sherpa reached the summit of the planet’s highest mountain on 21 May and unfurled a WWF banner saying: "Stop Climate Change – Let the Himalayas Live!"

As part of the Climate for Life Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of climate change impacts in the Himalayas, the expedition reminds world leaders of their responsibility towards preserving the region as a global heritage.

And it calls on them to reach a global climate deal at Copenhagen this December.

Himalayan impacts of climate change
Apa admits he’s found the mountain harder to climb in recent years due to unseasonal melts – in places it’s meant walking on bare rocks while wearing crampons designed to grip in ice and snow.

As WWF’s Director General James Leape points out: "Climate change is already wreaking havoc in the Himalayas and glaciers are in retreat across the range.

“Some scientists predict that if climate change is not controlled, the glaciers could be gone in just 25 years. This and many other climate change impacts are threatening not only the lives of people and rich biodiversity of the region, but also the development aspirations of hundreds of millions of people downstream."

The other message of this ‘eco’ Everest expedition was to highlight the human pollution of the Himalayan region: Apa’s team removed huge quantities of rubbish dumped in the mountains by previous climbers and tourists over the years.

Apa deliberately left one thing on the summit on this occasion: a ‘bumpa’ – a sacred vase, blessed by a Buddhist spiritual leader and containing 400 sacred ingredients – which is intended to restore the sanctity of the Himalayan region against the negative impacts of rapid environmental changes.

Apa’s achievements on Everest – which is called Sagarmatha in Nepali – have also helped raise thousands of dollars for educating local children.

Congratulating Apa and WWF, Nepal's Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Mr Ganesh Sah, said: "The well-being of the Himalayas is crucial for economic development in Nepal. It's only by coming together that we can deliver this message emphatically to the world."

WWF-Nepal’s Anil Manandhar says: "The time has come for the world to redirect its attention towards the Himalayas."

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Paper threatens tigers

2009-05-20

A huge logging operation planned by a major paper company will destroy the forest home of endangered Sumatran tigers, orang-utans and elephants – unless the local government’s conservation commitment is put into practice.

WWF and other groups working in the Jambi province of Indonesia have learned that Asia Pulp & Paper (part of the Sinar Mas Group) – already known for legally questionable forest conversions in central Sumatra – have been given permission to clear most of the area’s remaining unprotected natural forest.

Only 29% of the forest is protected (as Bukit Tigapuluh National Park), despite last year’s commitment by local governors to consider the remainder as the “Bukit Tigapuluh Ecosystem” and manage it sustainably.

It’s one of the most important areas for biodiversity in Indonesia, an island country already suffering perhaps the fastest deforestation rate in the world.

Between 1985 and 2007, Sumatra lost 12 million hectares of natural forest – a 48% loss over 22 years.

Threat to rare Sumatran species
The unprotected Jambi forest is essential habitat for an estimated 100 of the last 400 critically endangered Sumatran tigers left in the wild, as well as 100 rare great apes – part of the only successful reintroduction program for Sumatran orang-utans.

As Peter Pratje of the Frankfurt Zoological Society says: “These lowland forests are excellent habitat for orang-utans, which is why we got government permission to release them here beginning in 2002. The apes are thriving now, breeding and establishing new family groups. It could take APP just months to destroy an important part of their new habitat.”

On the fate of the tigers, the Zoological Society of London’s Dolly Priatna adds: “APP’s plan is devastating, and will almost certainly lead to more fatalities, since tigers and people will be forced into closer contact with each other as the tigers’ forest disappears.
“Tigers struggling to survive as Jambi’s forests shrink have already killed nine people in the area this year.”

The Bukit Tigapuluh area is also home to around 40-60 endangered Sumatran elephants, which spend most of their time outside the national park, as well as two indigenous tribes that depend on natural resources from the forest and river.

What we can do to save the forest
APP/SMG could start their forest conversion early next year, so we’ve written to the Ministry of Forestry asking them not to allow this, and instead protect these forests.

WWF-Indonesia’s Ian Kosasih says: “We're ready to support the Jambi governor to implement his public commitment to protect Sumatra’s high conservation-value areas.

“He must halt APP/SMG’s plan and identify alternative financing that would provide money and still save the forests, such as credits in the emerging forest carbon market.”

WWF’s Forests and Trade Network Manager, Julia Young, says: “It’s tragic that these precious habitats are being lost to provide cheap paper, which is sold in the UK.

“By simply asking questions about the source of a product, and pressuring producers for responsible forest management, this devastation can be avoided and businesses can ensure they are not part of the problem.”

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Making the marine bill count!

2009-05-15

At the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday 13 May, more than 200 supporters from all over the UK joined WWF, RSPB, the Marine Conservation Society and The Wildlife Trusts to lobby their MPs for a stronger marine bill.

A wave of seahorses, dolphins, puffins and starfish made their way to Westminster as the supporters carried iconic sea creature placards through the streets.

The Marine and Coastal Access Bill will be debated in the House of Commons in the next few weeks, before becoming law later this year.

But we believe the bill as it stands isn’t strong enough to safeguard our seas and their impressive 8,000 marine species, such as bottle-nosed dolphins, seahorses and corals.

WWF’s Senior Marine Policy Officer, Natasha Barker, says: “This event showed MPs from all around the UK that people care about the future of our seas.

“We need world-leading legislation that recognises the value of our seas in sustaining coastal communities, tackling climate change and providing wildlife habitats.”

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find out more about our marine bill campaign

”Gruelling but successful” Arctic survey ends

2009-05-15

After 73 days, covering 434 kilometres of treacherous ice and freezing ocean, the Catlin Arctic Survey team of Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley are on their way home.

The WWF-backed scientific expedition – measuring the thickness of floating sea ice, to track the impacts of global warming in the region – ended slightly ahead of schedule to ensure a safe pick-up for the team.

Pen Hadow described it as “a gruelling but successful expedition. We’ve captured around 16,000 observations and taken 1,500 measurements of the thickness and density of the ice and snow.”

The average thickness of the sea ice turned out to be only 1.77 metres – which revealingly suggests it was almost all new, first-year ice.

“Our science advisors had told us to expect thicker, older ice on at least part of the route,” says Pen, “so it’s something of a mystery where that older ice has gone.”

The data collected on the survey is now being handed over to scientists to be comprehensively analysed.

Extraordinary teamwork
The survey was a seriously hard physical and technical challenge. In the early weeks, temperatures hovered around -46 degrees Celsius, with a wind chill factor that took it down to -70.

Hartley had frostbite in his right big toe, Hadow got a chest infection, and Daniels famously reported scary nights on breaking ice flows.

And then much of the team's hi-tech measuring equipment (specially designed for the job) failed to stand up to the extremely hostile conditions, which meant the survey work had to be continued without it.

As Hadow had to conclude at one point, “Sometimes you can’t beat a tape measure and a manual drill.”

The team leader also had some moving words of heartfelt tribute for his fellow team members, expressed in one of his last blog entries from the ice:

“The teamwork has been extraordinary, and I cannot think of two other people I'd prefer to undertake an expedition with. My thanks to them both for being great friends, colleagues and unswervingly professional explorers.”

WWF would also like to congratulate the team for their supreme efforts and skill, and their valuable contribution to the scientific understanding of climate change.

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read more about the Catlin Arctic Survey

visit the Catlin Arctic Survey project’s website

campaign with us for a strong global climate deal

Saving the ‘Coral Triangle’

2009-05-14

Coral reefs – dubbed “the rainforests of the sea” because of the huge diversity of wildlife they support – could disappear in many countries by the end of this century.

A new report, commissioned by WWF, shows that climate change will seriously threaten the delicate ecosystem of the ‘Coral Triangle’, affecting the coasts, reefs and seas of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.

The region covers just 1% of the earth’s surface but includes 30% of the world’s coral reefs, as well as vital spawning grounds for economically important fish such as tuna.

Around 100 million people rely on the area for their livelihoods, but it’s predicted that the coastal regions’ capacity to feed the population will decline by 80% due to climate change and overfishing.

It’s not too late to change that outcome.

Adapting and investing

According to Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the University of Queensland, who led the study, there are two possible scenarios for the area:

“In one scenario, we continue along our current climate trajectory and do little to protect coastal environments from the onslaught of local threats.

“In this world, people see the biological treasures of the Coral Triangle destroyed over the course of the century by rapid increases in ocean temperature, acidity and sea level.

“Food security plummets, poverty increases, economies suffer and coastal people migrate increasingly to urban areas.”

But as the report shows, there’s also an opportunity to build a more resilient Coral Triangle – but this would require major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to be backed up by international and local investment to protect and strengthen the region’s natural environments.

WWF’s Marine Climate Change Officer, Emily Lewis-Brown, says: “The effects of climate change on the oceans are global, so only strong and urgent action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions can hope to mitigate this threat.

“A fair ‘global climate deal’ also has to provide the necessary support and resources to help the people who depend on these ecosystems to cope with any changes, some of which are already inevitable."

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Wildlife poachers caught in Cameroon

2009-05-07

After WWF raised concerns about wildlife poaching in south-east Cameroon, west Africa, an unprecedented police raid has seized more than 1,000kgs of illegal bushmeat and arrested 15 poachers.

The Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife organised a major week-long anti-poaching operation alongside the national military and police.

The operation was carried out in targeted villages in and around two national parks, with the help of local rulers and communities.

The animal remains found included several protected species, like gorillas, elephants and chimpanzees. More than 30 guns and automatic rifles were also confiscated.

Anti-poaching successes
WWF is now calling for swift prosecution of the 15 people arrested – who include a municipal councillor suspected of being an elephant poacher.

As WWF’s Species Trade Officer Heather Sohl says: “We must avoid a situation where these people are back in the forest the next day to continue illegal activities.”

WWF-Cameroon’s national director, Martin Tchamba, adds: “We need to urgently assess the causes of the poaching upsurge and determine appropriate actions to safeguard key wildlife species in and around the parks.”

Anti-poaching efforts, supported by WWF, have produced significant results in the area: 59 people were charged with forest and wildlife-related crime in 2008, most receiving fines or prison sentences of up to three years.

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read more about our work tackling wildlife poachers