Posted on 30 November
2011
New WWF camera traps have captured the images
of two rare snow
leopards in Russia. The photographs are
the first ever taken of snow leopards in
Russia's Altai mountains. WWF camera traps
last month also captured the first images
of snow leopards in Nepal.
Two snow leopards appear
in the new pictures. One of them was captured
in the daylight, which is unusual, because
the reclusive predator prefers to hunt in
the dusk. Snow leopards are endangered with
only an estimated 6,000 remaining in the
wild.
WWF was also lucky to
get the pictures of another very cautious
animal – Manul, or Pallas's cat. The camera
also captured snowcocks, a wolverine, steppe
polecat, stoat, and Siberian ibex.
Previously, experts could monitor this endangered
species only by prints and other signs such
as feces, bits of fur, claw or teeth marks
on trees and the ground. This type of monitoring
requires endurance, professionalism, and
luck, because snow leopard habitat is located
on mountain ridges up to 4000 meters high
that are difficult to access, and old snow
leopard tracks can often be confused with
lynx and wolverine tracks.
The camera traps are installed along the
whole Chikhacheva ridge in Russia and Mongolia.
Such simultaneous photomonitoring in different
parts of the habitat will allow us to get
information on snow leopard distribution
and help us plan conservation measures.
The snow leopard population on this mountain
ridge is considered to be key for the species
in Russia. It consists of 10-15 animals
and links Russian snow leopards with the
ones in Mongolia.
+ More
People in the streets
say NO to Brazilian Forest Law changes
Posted on 30 November
2011
Thousands of people occupied the great lawns
in front of the Brazilian National Congress
sending a resounding message to president
Dilma against granting amnesty for illegal
deforestation, exemption from the obligation
to recuperate devastated Permanent Protection
areas and restore legal reserve vegetation,
and vehemently repudiating the new pro-ruralista
legislation.
The demonstration that took place this Tuesday
(Nov 29) in Brasilia shows how far the House
of Representatives and Federal Senate are
failing to represent the interests of Brazilian
society as a whole in the discussions on
the proposed changes to the Forest Law.
Thousands of students, environmentalists,
researchers, family farmers, progressive
parliamentarians and representatives of
civil society occupied the lawns in front
of the Congress and the Três Poders
Square, in Brasilia, to show that Brazil
is not willing to accept modifications to
its environmental legislation that only
promote the interests of a favoured few,
in this case the big agribusiness and landholding
interests of the ‘ruralistas’.
The group unfolded a peaceful protest against
the legal text of the draft reform bill
that will come before the Senate for voting,
probably in the next few days. Criticism
is most vociferous against the proposal
to pardon environmental crimes committed
before July 2008, the proposed changes to
the form of calculating the size of Permanent
Protection and legal reserve areas, the
exemption from the obligation to recuperate
illegally deforested areas and the transfer
of the power of decision on a series of
environmental issues to the state and municipal
spheres of authority.
Former Senator and ex-Minister of the Environment
Marina Silva defended the mobilization of
the people to pressure senators to reject
the retrograde proposals and to call on
the President of the Republic, Dilma Rousseff,
to veto the provisions that promote amnesty
and reduce protection for the legal reserve
and Permanent Protection areas. “Dilma will
be more than justified in vetoing these
points of the law in keeping with the commitments
she made during the second round of the
presidential election campaign”, she insisted.
Senator for Amapa Randolfe Rodrigues (PSOL)
also spoke out during the demonstration.
He regretted last week’s approval of the
draft version presented by senator for Acre
Jorge Viana (PT). “The draft bill as it
stands only benefits a handful of big agribusiness
groups and large landowners and it will
actually be promoting and rewarding deforestation
in the Amazon. The text sets us against
the tide of history, it stands for economic
power alone, which destroys and debilitates
so many beautiful things”, he declared.
Via Campesina representative Luiz Zarref
feels that the people have been sending
very clear messages that they are not willing
to accept the changes proposed in the ruralistas’
draft bill. “Agribusiness has no serious
commitments to society as a whole. They
release their pesticides from their crop-dusting
aircraft onto the crops, families, cities
forests and wild animals below. Those that
only know how to produce commodities for
export see the forest as an enemy. Family-based
agriculture produces food crops without
resorting to the destruction of the forests”,
he explained.
University of Brasilia sociology student
Pedro Piccolo highlighted the grassroots
mobilization on this issue and declared
that society’s dissatisfaction with the
changes that are being pushed through in
the Senate and House of Representatives
is very clear. “The Congress and the Federal
Government are on their knees before the
big agribusiness interests. The supposed
concern for governability is casting out
our dreams of a better country”, he surmised.
There were also around 300 children in the
Tres Poderes square showing the Congress
and the President of the Republic that the
upcoming generations are the ones that will
be most highly jeopardised by the changes
to the Forest law. A petition with over
1.5 million signatures was handed in to
the President of the Republic expressing
society’s deep discontent with the direction
taken by the debate on the draft bill in
the Senate and House of Representatives
and calling on the President to veto those
provisions that contemplate amnesty for
deforestation and the reduction of Permanent
Protection and Legal Reserve areas.
Notes:
Legal reserves - a proportion of rural land
that should be maintained permanently as
natural forest
Areas of Permanent Protection - natural
vegetation in sensitive areas such as on
steep slopes and along the margins of rivers
and streams that should be protected and
it is prohibited to be deforested.
Forest law reform bill – On 2011, the Brazilian
House of Representatives (or Deputies) passed
a law that reduces the requirement for Legal
Reserves and Areas of Permanent Protection.
The proposed legislative reform is currently
under review in the Senate and should be
voted this week.
Environmental protection - In the last decade,
Brazilian terrestrial protected areas represented
some 70 per cent of all terrestrial protected
areas declared globally, and provided significant
fundamental environmental services for Brazil.
Globally these protected areas, specially
the Amazon rain forest is vital for biodiversity
and for the maintenance of climate and rainfall
patterns.
Climate Change - Brazil approved a National
Policy on Climate Change that defines a
greenhouse gas emission reduction target
of 36.1% to 38.9% by 2020. This reduction
represents 1.1 billion tons of CO2e per
year. Almost two thirds of this reduction
in emissions would come from reducing deforestation
in the Amazon and the Cerrado regions.
Brazil committed to reducing deforestation
in the Amazon by 80% and in Cerrado by 40%
by the year of 2020, in comparison to average
rates from 1996 to 2005.
Implications of the new Forest Code - Give
amnesty for land owners that illegally cleared
legal reserves and areas of permanent protection
until July 2008; reduce areas that should
be preserved under native vegetation cover
by including areas of permanent protection
and legal reserve. Reduce the width of areas
of permanent protection along rivers and
streams
Ruralistas – Brazilian parliamentarians
representing agribusiness and big landholding
interests.
Process – on 30 November probably voting
on the Senate Plenary. After, the proposed
Forest Code reformed will be sent to the
House of Representatives (Deputies). New
voting at the Plenary of House of Representatives
Than the law is sent to the President for
approval or veto. On 14 December, beginning
of congressional leave, lasting until mid-February.
