From gbarry@forests.org Wed Oct 1 13:57:04 2003 Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 11:40:36 -0500 From: Glen BarryTo: gbarry@forests.org Subject: FORESTS VICTORIES: Parks Congress/Governments Embrace Spatially Extensive Forest [ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] VICTORIES! *********************************************** FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY Parks Congress/Governments Embrace Spatially Extensive Forest Conservation *********************************************** Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org, Inc. http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Portal http://www.EnvironmentalSustainability.info/ -- Eco-Portal http://www.ClimateArk.org/ -- Climate Change Portal http://www.WaterConserve.info/ -- Water Conservation Portal September 21, 2003 OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Forests.org The recently concluded IUCN World Parks Congress included major announcements by countries such as Madagascar, Senegal, and Brazil to establish new protected areas covering well over 200,000 square kilometers. Madagascar alone says it will triple their protected areas. Brazilian authorities say they are creating a "conservation corridor" linking 25 million acres of pristine wilderness. These actions embrace the importance of establishing massive and connected protected areas ^Ö both terrestrial and marine ^Ö in order to ensure sustainability of the Planet and all its life. It is heartening to see increased forest conservation policy actions based upon large and connected protected areas. This is something you are well aware Forests.org, in conjunction with you and others, has advocated on behalf of for over a decade. Brazil has also announced support of community based development of ecologically managed forests. Sustainable Development Reserves are to be established to support several local communities as environmentally benign stewards of their own resources. This is the only type of development appropriate for the World's remaining primary and old-growth forest expanses. Additionally, the emphasis upon marine protected areas is highly welcome. I concur with Russell Mittermeier, the president of Conservation International, that the Brazilian announcement of the huge conservation corridor ^Ö some 70% of the forests of Amapa ^Ö "has raised the bar in terms of its conservation commitment and has set a new standard for the Amazonia and the world." The new corridor is home to nine primate species and more than 500 bird species as well as predators like jaguars, and adds over two million hectares to the 7.8 million hectares of land already protected in the state. Scientific insights from conservation biology and landscape ecology are beginning to be implemented in forest conservation policy. Particularly, that large protected areas connected by corridors are vital for long-term strategies to preserve species, link fragmented ecosystems, and maintain ecological sustainability across scales. My main concern continues to be ensuring protected areas are adequate in size, and well enough resourced, to provide actual protection of all the Earth's ecological patterns and processes, as well as human sustainable development potential, in the long- term. The Parks Congress set a goal for marine protected areas of 20% to 30%, while terrestrial ecosystem protection goals generally remain at 12% of a given area. This flies in the face of accepted macro-ecological science regarding requirements for global forest sustainability. Some 40-60% of the World's last large, contiguous frontier forests must be strictly protected, and equal levels of other diminished forests restored to an old-growth condition, as the basis for long-term global sustainability. I am heartened to see progress is being made in this regard, though the forces of destruction ensure the window of opportunity is short and closing. g.b. P.S. My PhD dissertation is completed and to be submitted to my committee, and I defend it in a matter of weeks. Assuming it is accepted and after revisions are made, I intend to serialize at http://forests.org/ the document, entitled "Global Ecology, Persuasive Campaigns and Internet Advocacy: Assessing the Reach and Usefulness of the 'Forest Conservation Portal'". You may recall that your survey responses were a major source of data for the evaluation and I think you will find it interesting. Writing this voluminous 400 page document has engaged me for nearly two years. I look forward to additional time in order to continue innovating with the Portal and this email list. Thank you for your years of support and encouragement. Onward and forward! ******************************* RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE: ITEM #1 Title: Protected Areas Blossom at World Parks Congress Source: Copyright 2003, Environment New Service Date: September 18, 2003 DURBAN, South Africa, September 18, 2003 (ENS) - Some 3,000 delegates to the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress who gathered here from 154 countries during the past 10 days went their separate ways today, carrying with them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Held once every 10 years, the World Parks Congress allows conservationists, resource managers, scientists, civil servants and business leaders to exchange experiences, learn from each other, and establish a common agenda. Many new protected areas were announced at the conference in countries such as Madagascar, Senegal, and Brazil, covering well over 200,000 square kilometers. More than US$35 million was pledged for conservation both on land and sea. The Congress launched the Africa Protected Areas Initiative, a major program to develop a well designed and managed system of protected areas that will meet the environmental and social needs of the continent. South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa said, "For South Africa, this is a very successful conference. It has translated many issues, such as sustainable livelihoods, sharing of benefits and the role of the private sector, that came out of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, into concrete goals and actions for the management of parks and reserves.^Ô The Durban Accord is the primary outreach product of the Congress - and it expresses great concern for the Earth's natural areas. "Everywhere, we are witnesses to great upheavals," the Accord states, "climatic changes, parceling out of the terrestrial and marine landscapes and the multiplication of invading exotic species. We see the population increasing, universalization, urbanization and decentralization and increasing pressure on the food resources, fibers, fuels and water," the delegates stated. The delegates are concerned about the three billion people on Earth who live in poverty, and declared, "We will forge synergy between conservation, the maintenance of vital life support systems, and sustainable development. Protected areas are, for us, a vital means of carrying out this synergy with effectiveness and in a profitable way," delegates said in the Accord. The Durban Accord celebrates the fact that about 12 percent of the Earth is now designated as protected areas, and pledges to work within the framework of existing multi-lateral agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity to ensure that designated areas are supported by sufficient funding and technical resources to be truly protected. The delegates promised not to allow globalization and trade agreements to become obstacles to the achievement of the essential objectives of protected areas, a statement directed towards the World Trade Organization, whose latest round of talks, also held last week, broke down without agreement. An important outcome of the conference for South Africa is the government's announcement of new legislation that will exempt all formally protected areas from land taxes known as ^Órates.^Ô The South African government is also teaming up with private land owners to bring private conservation land under government protection. This will bring the amount of conservation land in South Africa from the current 6.6 percent to over 10 percent. In April, South African National Parks proposed to establish five new national parks in the country. The head of South African National Parks, Mavuso Msimang, said areas in Graaf Reinet, Potchefstroom, Pondoland, Blyde River and in the Knysna Forest are under consideration for the new parks. Over 130,000 hectares will come under protection. At the World Parks Congress, the President of Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana committed to increasing the total area protected from 1.7 million to six millon hectares over the next five years. This will be accomplished by strengthening the existing system while creating many new sites. Additions will include marine protected areas and wetlands that are currently under-represented in the Malagasy protected areas system and will bring the total area under protection to 10 percent in 2008. Delegates recognized that few marine areas are protected by comparison to the percentage of protected lands, and several initiatives were taken to safeguard more coastal and marine areas. Senegalese Fisheries Minister Pape Diouf announced the creation of four marine protected areas in Senegal^Òs coastal zone covering more than 7,500 square kilometers to sustain fisheries and protect biodiversity. The MAVA Foundation pledged five million euros to build a network of protected areas on West Africa^Òs coast. The program will link existing marine protected areas, create new ones, and implement a unique regional system of cooperation between government and civil society. Dr. Luc Hoffmann of the MAVA Foundation said, "I am convinced that this collaboration of six African states and many more organizations will manage the coastal resources more effectively and help protect the livelihoods of millions in small-scale fishing communities." IUCN shark specialists issued a warning at the Congress that marine protected areas may provide the only hope for some threatened shark species. If certain species such as the sawfishes do not receive immediate protection, they may soon be extinct, the scientists said. Not all shark species have been discovered and some are being overfished before they are even documented. On land, six Latin American countries have joined forces with IUCN^ÖThe World Conservation Union, Conservation International, the Ford Foundation, and local partners to preserve the highland route known as the Great Inca Trail. Spanning Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile and Colombia, the network of protected areas will conserve the cultural and natural heritage of the ancient empire and sustain the livelihoods of Andean communities. IUCN, The Nature Conservancy and WWF International announced at the Congress that they have joined forces to establish a Global Fire Partnership that aims to prevent the kind of destructive forest fires that raged throughout North America, Europe and other parts of the world this past summer. To address issues of water scarcity, the Mandela Institute, School of Law, University of Witwatersrand, is being specifically recognized by the IUCN Commission of Environmental Law as a center of excellence in water law. Starting in 2004, the center will be hosting certificate and masters level courses in water law, tailored to the needs of lawyers and other professionals. The state government of Amazonas, Brazil announced the establishment of six new protected areas covering 3.8 million hectares - an area equal to the size of Belgium holding some of the world^Òs richest biodiversity. Conservation International is supporting this initiative with at least US$1 million. Also in Brazil, the state of Amapá announced the creation of a 10 million hectare biodiversity corridor that covers 71 percent of the state, an area slightly larger than Portugal. This newly protected area includes the world's largest tropical rainforest park and safeguards hundreds of unique plant and animal species. According to the agreement, the government of Amapá will invest US$15 million over the course of four years and Conservation International will invest US$1.6 million through its Global Conservation Fund to guarantee the corridor^Òs success. Dr. Kenton Miller, chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, sees the Congress as a success. ^ÓNations the world over have adhered to the overarching agenda set in Caracas, Venezuela, at the previous World Parks Congress [in 1993], and many targets set then have been attained and surpassed," he said. "The fact that more than 10 percent of the globe^Òs surface is protected illustrates the commitment carried forward by such events," said Dr. Miller. "Today^Òs agenda recognizes the benefits and ensures that they are equitably shared. In 2013 we will be able to look back and hopefully be proud of our new achievements." ITEM #2 Title: World Parks Congress: New Amazon Reserves Created Source: Copyright 2003, Reuters Date: September 10, 2003 DURBAN, South Africa, September 10, 2003 (ENS) - Protection for the precious heart of the Brazilian Amazon was announced today at the IUCN World Parks Congress, where some 2,500 government officials, indigenous leaders, businessmen, and conservationists from 170 countries are seeking ways to safeguard unique natural areas and at the same time benefit resident indigenous peoples. Jorge Viana, governor of Brazil's Acre state, announced the creation of a new state park encompassing 2,600 square miles, an area larger than the state of Delaware. Located on Brazil's border with Peru, the newly designated park contains critical habitat for rare and endangered species such as the jaguar and Goeldi's tamarin. Its creation is expected to discourage illegal logging activity in the southwest Amazon by reducing cross-border traffic in illegally extracted timber. The new park, named Chandless State Park, honors William Chandless who explored rivers in this part of Brazil in the mid- 1800s. "The creation of Chandless State Park by the government of Acre builds momentum for achieving a shared vision for safeguarding the Amazon," said Guillermo Castilleja, vice president of Latin America and Caribbean for World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The conservation organization has been working to triple the amount of Amazon rainforests in protected areas. "This amazing area, home to rare spider monkeys and harpy eagles, will form part of a park system that ultimately will preserve the natural heritage of the Amazon for future generations," Castilleja said. "People everywhere depend on Amazon rainforests to regulate our climate and rainfall, and provide us with products like building materials and medicine." In a related announcement, Governor Viana set aside three state forests in Acre for responsibly managed production of forest products to benefit local residents economically. Together with Chandless State Park, which is reserved for nature protection, these new areas will serve to block widespread forest clearing in Brazil's "deforestation arc" across the southern Amazon, the WWF said. The strategy leading to the creation of these areas is the culmination of an intensive three year effort by WWF, working closely with partners at the federal, state and local levels, to develop solutions for the region's conservation and development challenges. Chandless State Park will now receive funding, scientific support, and management assistance from WWF's Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) program, which aims to create a system of parks and sustainable natural resource management reserves encompassing some 193,000 square miles. A partnership between the government of Brazil, WWF, The World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and the German Development Cooperation Bank, the ARPA program is a 10 year effort to bring 10 percent of the Brazilian Amazon under strict protection and establish a $260 million trust fund to finance the effective management of protected areas in perpetuity. In Brazil's Amazonas state, the government has just established six reserves extending over some 16,250 square miles, and doubling the size of the state's protected area system. One of the new Amazonas reserves was created as a tribute to the late Dr. José Márcio Ayres, a forest ecologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) who died of lung cancer earlier this year at the age of 49. At some 2.5 million acres in size, the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve supports several local communities that are now stewards of their own resources. It contains a number of different ecosystems, including a large area of várzea, a type of forest that is seasonally inundated by the Purus River, a tributary of the larger Solimões-Amazonas System. Giant otters, manatees and river dolphins live in the new reserve, a productive area for fishing and agricultural activities. "These new reserves represent a giant step towards saving the very heart of the Amazon," said Dr. Steven Sanderson, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society and delegate at the World Parks Congress. "Piagaçu-Purus in particular uses the same model developed by Dr. Ayres in the Mamirauá and Amanã Sustainable Development Reserves, where residents balance conservation and development in a manner we should all strive to achieve," Sanderson said. "These reserves realize his vision." The Mamirauá and Amanã Reserves were designated as a World Heritage Site shortly after Dr. Ayres passed away. "Implementing sustainable development models that work is the key to saving wildlife and people." said Dr. Andrew Taber, director of WCS's Latin America Program. "Making the residents of Piagaçu- Purus masters of their own fate encapsulates what Marcio was aiming for - a workable blend of science and pragmatism." Besides the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve, the new Amazonas state reserves include Samaúma and Cuieras State Parks, the Cujubim Sustainable Development Reserve, the Rio Urubu State Forest, and the Catuá-Ipixuna Extractive Reserve. During a symposium at the World Parks Congress today on community and parks, Otimio Castillo of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin called for governmental recognition of indigenous rights. Indigenous representative Luz Maria de la Torre presented to the Congress the Indigenous Peoples^Ò Declaration. The declaration calls for an approach to sustainable development and nature conservation based on the rights of indigenous peoples. The declaration demands indigenous peoples^Ò free, prior informed consent as a prerequisite to establishing protected areas, and full indigenous participation in the management of those areas. ITEM #3 Title: Madagascar says it will triple amount of protected space Source: Copyright 2003, Reuters Date: September 17, 2003 Byline: Ed Stoddard, Reuters DURBAN, South Africa ^× Madagascar said Tuesday it planned to more than triple the size of its nature reserves to help protect some of the planet's weirdest and rarest creatures. Long isolated from the rest of the world, the African island's wildlife has evolved in unique and startling ways, making it an ecological treasure trove. Known for species such as its large hissing cockroach, Madagascar's unusual wildlife includes dozens of species of lemurs, ancient primates that are distant relations of humans. Madagascar also has dozens of colorful species of chameleons. The Indian Ocean island, the world's fourth largest, is home to some 10,000 endemic plant species, 316 endemic reptile species, and 109 species of birds found nowhere else in the world. President Marc Ravalomanana said his government would increase the amount of protected area on the island to 15 million acres from 4.2 million. "In five years we'll do it," he told journalists at the 5th World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa. Diplomatic sources said the plan would involve about $150 million of donor funds. Ravalomanana also said the government hoped to plow funds from an expected growth in ecotourism back into conservation. "This historic decision is a gift to the Earth that clearly signals Madagascar's commitment to saving its unique and spectacular wildlife and habitats," said Claude Martin, director general of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The island has only been inhabited by humans for around 2,000 years, but the toll from human activities has been huge. Conservationists estimate the country's forests have shrunk to 9 million acres from 50 million, felled by the timber industry and growing and poor rural communities. Many of Madagascar's lemur species are on the brink of extinction, and many reserves are too small to sustain a large variety of animals. Others are poorly protected and suffer from human encroachment. The 10-day parks congress, organized by the World Conservation Union, will end Wednesday with the adoption of a Durban Accord outlining broad goals for the preservation of the planet's natural heritage. ITEM #4 Title: New Green Corridor Creates Brazilian 'Super-Park' Source: Copyright 2003, Reuters Date: September 17, 2003 Byline: Ed Stoddard DURBAN, South Africa - Brazilian authorities said this week they were creating a "conservation corridor" linking 25 million acres of pristine wilderness in a decision hailed by environmentalists. The governor of the northern state of Amapa, Waldez Goes, unveiled plans for the corridor linking 12 protected areas at the 5th World Parks Congress being held in Durban, South Africa. The move, creating a megapark including the world's largest protected patch of tropical rain forest and covering 70 percent of the state, is seen as a huge victory for green groups who feared the area could fall under the logger's axe. "Amapa has raised the bar in terms of its conservation commitment and has set a new standard for the Amazonia and the world," said Russell Mittermeier, the president of Conservation International. Amapa, at Brazil's northern tip, is one of the planet's last great wild frontiers, and researchers estimate that 96 percent of its original vegetation remains intact - far higher than other parts of the Amazon basin. The total park system will cover about 70 percent of Amapa state's territory. Tropical rain forests are considered to be the planet's biological jewels and are home to the greatest diversity of plant and animal life on Earth. The new corridor is home to nine primate species and more than 500 bird species as well as predators like jaguars. The corridor adds over two million hectares to the 7.8 million hectares of land already protected in the state. Scientists say corridors are a vital tool in any long-term strategy to preserve species, as they link fragmented ecosystems. Many scientists hold that a single, large reserve can contain and protect a greater variety of species than several smaller ones which are not connected. "Corridors enable large predators to move through big areas unhindered," said Mittermeier. They also allow migratory animals to follow ancient, seasonal routes which may otherwise have been disturbed by human activities. The parks congress, a once-a-decade event assessing the state of the world's protected areas and mapping out strategies for preserving natural heritage in the future, ends on Wednesday. ITEM #5 Title: Parks congress sets 10-year plan to protect planet Source: Copyright 2003, Reuters Date: September 18, 2003 Byline: Ed Stoddard, Reuters DURBAN, South Africa ^× The World Parks Congress adopted the Durban Accord and an action plan on protected areas Wednesday, blueprints that environmentalists hope will set the conservation agenda for the next decade. It also noted hundreds of recommendations to make the planet a greener and cleaner place. "The Durban Accord sets a new vision: one that is clear, and one that is feasible for the world to implement," said David Sheppard, the secretary general of the 10-day congress, which ended Wednesday. The gathering of scientists, conservationists, and environment ministers assessed the state of the planet's protected areas ^× and in many cases the news was good. The broad target of setting aside 10 percent of the planet's surface for protection, adopted at the last conference in Venezuela in 1992, was surpassed over the past decade and now stands at around 12 percent. Many of these areas are so-called "paper parks," where poaching and logging are rampant, but conservationists say it is still a major step in the right direction. Looking ahead, the conference urged governments to greatly increase the amount of protected marine and coastal areas. Only a tiny fraction of the world's oceans are protected at present. It recommended that a global system of marine and protected areas be established by 2012 and said these networks should "include strictly protected areas that amount to at least 20 to 30 percent of each habitat." The sorry state of the planet's fisheries is one big piece of bad news clouding the environmental outlook. Many of the planet's major fish stocks are at breaking point or, as in the case of the once teeming schools of cod off Canada's east coast, have already collapsed. Heavily subsidized fishing fleets are widely blamed for this, and the accord urged a "commitment to redirect perverse subsidies toward support mechanisms for protected areas." The action plan calls for all globally threatened or endangered species to be conserved 'in situ' by 2010. The World Conservation Union, which organized the conference, estimates that there are more than 11,000 species of animals and plants worldwide threatened with extinction. The congress has been held once a decade since 1962, and its recommendations, while not binding, serve as conservation guidelines for governments and policymakers. ###RELAYED TEXT ENDS### In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving forest conservation informational materials for educational, personal and non-commercial use only. Recipients should seek permission from the source to reprint this PHOTOCOPY. All efforts are made to provide accurate, timely pieces, though ultimate responsibility for verifying all information rests with the reader. For additional forest conservation news & information please see the Forest Conservation Portal at URL= http://forests.org/ Networked by Forests.org, Inc., gbarry@forests.org