Posted on 06 July 2010
Polar bears, walruses,
sea otters, and other endangered species
are all set to benefit from a Russian decision
to boost its national protected areas to
nearly 3 percent of its territory by 2020,
a move which helps the country to meet its
international obligations to protect biodiversity.
The Russian government’s
decision establishes 9 new nature reserves
and 13 national parks covering a total area
of over 3.8 million ha by 2020. Russia is
also introducing marine buffer zones of
over 1 million ha.
“For the first time,
development of protected areas in Russia
will be based on the analysis of all available
data on biological diversity of Russia”,
said Vladimir Krever, WWF-Russia biodiversity
coordinator.
“The creation of protected
areas is crucial to save Russia’s diverse
and unique biodiversity,” he added.
An existing 9 reserves
and 1 national park will see their areas
increased by 500 thousand ha.
The decision was based on an analysis of
WWF in cooperation with The Nature Coservancy
and MAVA Foundation, carried out between
2006-2008, and is aimed at fulfilling Russia’s
commitment under the Convention on Biodiversity
to establish effective protected area systems
that safeguard biodiversity.
The UN has declared
2010 the International Year of Biodiversity,
culminating in October at the 10th Conference
of the Parties in Nagoya. WWF is calling
on governments in Nagoya to adopt a clear
roadmap and allocate additional financing
to halt biodiversity loss by 2020.
Stopping the loss of
the planet’s biodiversity should be given
the highest priority by governments because
it is the foundation for human life providing
food, medicine and clean water as well as
reducing the impact of natural disasters
and climate change. Natural habitats and
species underpin the global economy and
directly supports billions of people who
dependent on forests, fisheries and wetlands
for their livelihoods.
In 2002 governments
pledged to reduce the rate of biodiversity
loss by 2010 but despite individual conservation
successes, such as in Russia, governments
have not met their commitment and biodiversity
continues to be lost at alarming rates,
international studies show.
“We need to understand
that protecting biodiversity means not only
protecting nature but also our economy and
wellbeing. “ By allowing biodiversity loss
to continue we are undermining our future
,” said Rolf Hogan, Biodiversity Manager
at WWF International.
Over 300 experts provided
original data for the analysis and took
part in the discussion. On the basis of
this data WWF assessed representativeness
of the existing system of federal protected
areas and worked out a framework for its
further development.
As a result, WWF recommended
the creation of 70 extra nature reserves
and 71 national parks in Russia. Experience
has shown that creating more than 2 federal
protected areas a year is difficult, so
implementation of WWF recommendations will
be extended over a few decades. WWF through
its members and corporate partners will
raise funds to help the Ministry implement
the framework.
+ More
Bill to slash Amazon
protection passes crucial vote
Posted on 07 July 2010
Brasilia, Brazil: Amendments to Brazil's
Forest Code that could sanction dramatic
increases in deforestation passed a crucial
vote in the Congress's Special Committee
on Forest Law Changes last night, an outcome
lamented by scientists, environmental and
social NGOs and indigenous groups.
Gradual strengthening
of the Forest Code and more recent improvements
in enforcement have been credited with playing
a major role in Brazil's success in winding
back horrifying levels of deforestation
in the Amazon and other areas over recent
years.
However, the new alternate
bill threatens to open up an additional
85 million hectares for legal clearing in
the Amazon, reduce the level of forest cover
protecting river and stream banks and steep
slopes, and pass much of the control of
landclearing into the hands of regional
and local authorities much more under the
influence of large landowners and agribusiness
interests.
The bill also proposes
amnesties on existing fines for illegal
clearing, a measure some associate with
the January establishmnet of an improved
land registry that in combination with satellite
imagery is making enforcement more effective.
Research presented at a seminar in May by
scientists and NGOs including WWF showed
clearing exceeding the legal requirements
by over 40 per cent.
The bill now goes to
the Congress generally where it is expected
to pass, following which it will be subject
to Presidential assent or veto. When this
happens will largely be influenced by Brazil's
elections, due in October. While the bill
threatens an informal understanding that
controversial legislation generally takes
a back seat in the immediate run-up to elections,
there is also a tradition of sometimes outlandish
legislative proposals being pushed through
as the old parliament continues to sit for
the remainder of the year.
In WWF-Brazil's opinion,
the changes were hardly debated and, if
the bill is passed by the Lower House as
is, it will nullify all the efforts that
the Brazilian Government has been making
to conserve Brazil's forests.
While detractors of
the Forest Law argue that the existing legislation
is outdated, WWF-Brazil's Conservation Director
Carlos Alberto de Mattos Scaramuzza underscores
that this is a forward-looking law insofar
as the existing Forest Law protects Brazil's
agricultural production and huge biodiversity
against the impacts of climate change by
means of the ecological services provided
by the so-called permanent protection areas
(APPs) and legal reserves (RL).
"The existing law
not only seeks to ensure natural resources,
fertile lands and high-quality, abundant
water are available, but also to reduce
risks associated with climate changes and
the resulting increase in extreme climate
events. Compliance with the Forest Law staves
off soil erosion and landslides, and protects
sources and rivers, which are vital for
agriculture," said Carlos Alberto Mattos
Scaramuzza, WWF-Brazil's Conservation Director.
WWF-Brazil stressed
that more adequate alternatives for balancing
environment and development have been put
forward by researchers, civil society, and
the Ministério Público (Office
of the Public Prosecutor), but a choice
was made for a backward option without any
consideration of the consequences.
"It is up to WWF-Brazil
to call on Brazilian Congressmen, NGOs,
researchers, and farmers so that the very
imperfections and redundancies in the alternate
bill do not translate into real obstacles
to Brazil's economic and social development
as a result of degraded soils, water resources
and natural resources," Scaramuzza
said.
Also under threat are
Brazil's impressive commitments on climate
change which mainly relay on continued reductions
in deforestation, responsible for about
75 per cent of the country's emissions.
