From gbarry@forests.org Wed Oct  1 13:57:04 2003
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 11:40:36 -0500
From: Glen Barry 
To: gbarry@forests.org
Subject: FORESTS VICTORIES: Parks Congress/Governments Embrace Spatially
    Extensive Forest

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VICTORIES!
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FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY
Parks Congress/Governments Embrace Spatially Extensive Forest 
Conservation
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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!
 
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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.

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