Posted
on 24 June 2009 - Madeira, Portugal: Small
whales are disappearing from the world’s
oceans and waterways as they fall victim
to fishing gear, pollution, and habitat
loss – compounded by a lack of conservation
measures such as those developed for great
whales, according to a new WWF report.
Small Cetaceans: The
Forgotten Whales, released today, states
that inadequate conservation measures are
pushing small cetaceans – such as dolphins,
porpoises and small whales – toward extinction
as their survival is overshadowed by efforts
to save their larger cousins.
“Although great whale
species of the world are by no means secure
and still require conservation attention,
the situation is just as critical for these
smaller, seemingly forgotten species,” said
Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of the Species
Programme for WWF-International.
While great whales are
now protected (to an extent) by the international
commercial whaling moratorium, in effect
since 1986, small cetacean hunts continue
around the globe, largely unmanaged and
unchecked by the international community.
For example, the hunt
of 16,000 Dall’s porpoises every year in
Japan is considered unsustainable. Yet several
of the pro-whaling nations taking part in
the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
meeting this week object to discussing small
cetacean conservation.
“It is time for the
IWC and its members to take full responsibility
for the conservation future of all whales
great and small. The IWC – and the world
- must not ignore the small whales of our
planet until it is too late,” said Dr. Lieberman.
A significant disadvantage
smaller whale species face compared to great
whales is a crippling lack of data on their
numbers and habits. Forty of the 69 small
cetacean species, or 58%, are classified
by IUCN as ‘data deficient’, meaning that
there is not enough information available
to even determine whether they are threatened
or not.
“It must never be assumed
that “Data Deficient” means that the species
is out of danger - rather, it means that
the world’s top scientists just don’t know,”
the report says.
Only four out of 15
Species, or 27%, of great whales are listed
as data deficient, even though many of the
reasons why smaller whale species are difficult
to study also apply to the great whales.
According to the IUCN
Red List, population trends – whether the
species is increasing or decreasing in number
– are unknown for 60 of the 69 small cetacean
species. The 9 remaining species are in
decline.
Great whales also have
more protection in international conservation
efforts. Almost all great whale species,
for example, have the strongest level of
protection offered by CITES – a conservation
convention which regulates international
trade in protected wildlife species – compared
to just 17% of dolphin and porpoises species.
In addition, the Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS) protects 87% of great whale
species, but less than half of smaller whale
species.
Small cetaceans fulfill
a critical role in their environment, stabilising
and ensuring a healthy and productive ecosystem.
They also are part of the highly profitable
whale and dolphin watching industry worldwide,
which generates over US $1.5 billion each
year.
“If small cetaceans
are not central to negotiations on current
whaling, it is possible that conservation
successes achieved for great whales could
simply result in a shift of problems from
great whales to small cetaceans,” the report
states.
IWC 61 runs June 22
to 26 in Madeira, Portugal.
+ More
Russia is the weakest
link of climate change talks - WWF
Posted on 25 June 2009
- Russia’s announcement to reduce its emissions
by 10 to 15 percent by 2020 is disappointing
and sets a bad example for other countries
who are trying to negotiate a global deal
to save the world from dangerous climate
change.
On June 19, President
Dmitry Medvedev announced a 10 to 15 percent
emissions reduction by 2020. With a base
year of 11000, where emissions were much
higher than today, this really means that
the country’s emissions can actually increase
by 2 to 2.5 percent per year between now
and 2020.
“Russia’s announcement
is very disappointing. Today we can officially
say that Russia is the weakest link of climate
change negotiations,” said Kim Carstensen,
the leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative.
Russian greenhouse gas
emissions have been decreasing constantly
since the early 90s, reaching a minimum
in 1998 (60 percent from 11000 level).
From 1999 to 2008 –
with economic growth of 6 to 7 percent a
year – emissions increased by about 1 percent
a year. In 2007, they made up 66 percent
of what Russia emitted in 11000. Going up
to 85 to 90 percent of 11000 levels by 2020
– where Russia would get with a target as
announced by President Medvedev – means
an annual increase in emissions by 2 to
2.5 percent between now and 2020 – a significant
acceleration in emission growth at a time
when the world ought to talk about emission
reductions.
“What Russia has announced
means that it does not have to do anything
about climate change between now and 2020.
That’s worse than anyone else,” Carstensen
said.
Russia has been delaying
the announcement of its mid-term emissions
target and was the last of the developed
countries’ bloc to declare how much it wanted
to reduce.
Scientists say that
preventing the world from dangerous levels
of overheating and the consequent catastrophic
impacts, industrialized countries as a whole
need to reduce the emissions by 25 to 40
percent by 2020 compared with levels in
11000.
+ More
Norway, Japan prop up
whaling industry with taxpayer money
Posted on 19 June 2009
Economics and Subsidies
to Whaling found that Norway and Japan provide
commercial whalers with huge government
subsidies—even though killing whales is
unlikely to ever be profitable without taxpayer
support.
“In this time of global
economic crisis, the use of valuable tax
dollars to prop up what is basically an
economically unviable industry, is neither
strategic, sustainable, nor an appropriate
use of limited government funds,” said Dr
Susan Lieberman, Species Programme Director,
WWF International.
The analysis considers
a range of direct and indirect costs associated
with whaling and the processing and marketing
of whale products, such as whale meat. Researchers
conclude that these costs, combined with
declining demand for whale meat and the
risk of negative impacts such as trade or
tourism boycotts, make commercial whaling
unlikely to produce benefits for either
country’s economies or taxpayers.
In Norway, for example,
the government since 1992 has spent more
than US$4.9 million on public information,
public relations, and lobbying campaigns
to garner support for its whaling and seal
hunting industries, according to the report.
In addition, government subsidies for the
whaling industry have equalled almost half
of the gross value of all whale meat landings
made through the Rafisklaget, the Norwegian
Fishermen’s Sales Organisation.
The report notes similar
use of taxpayer funds by Japan. During the
2008-09 season, the Japanese whaling industry,
for example, needed US$12 million in taxpayer
money just to break even. Overall, Japanese
subsidies for whaling amount to US$164 million
since 1988.
Other major findings
in the report include:
Wholesale prices of
whale meat per kg in Japan have been falling
since 1994, starting at just over $30/kg
in 1994, and declining to $16.40 in 2006.
Norway has spent an additional US$10.5 million
covering the costs of an inspection programme
from 1993 until 2006, when it was scrapped
due to the losses it was causing the country’s
whalers.
Exploiting loopholes to continue whaling
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 founding treaty that allow
whaling under ‘objection’ to management
decisions (Norway) and “scientific” whaling
for research purposes (Japan).
Ahead of the 61st IWC
meeting next week, researchers point out
that killing more whales likely would hurt
whale-watching and tourism, trade, and the
international image of Norway and Japan
– impacts which would far outweigh any economic
benefits of whaling.
“It is clear that whaling
is heavily subsidised at present,” the report
states. “In both Japan and Norway, substantial
funds are made available to prop up an operation
which would otherwise be commercially marginal
at best, and most likely loss making.”
“Norway and Japan are
hurting tourism, a potential growth industry
in both countries in order to spend millions
of dollars obtaining whale meat, the sale
of which makes no profit,” said Sue Fisher,
WDCS US Policy Director. “How much longer
are they going to keep wasting their taxpayer’s
money?”
The analysis was conducted
by independent economists eftec and commissioned
by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Society.
The International Whaling
Commission's 61st meeting is being held
in Madeira, Portugal, from 22-26 June. Learn
about WWF's work with governments to find
the best possible solutions for the conservation
of whales, dolphins and porpoises.
