02
Feb 2009 - Spain’s Doñana National
Park, a historic wetland now dangerously
isolated by strawberry farms, is the centrepiece
of today’s World Wetlands Day celebrations.
World Wetlands Day,
held each year on the anniversary of the
1971 signing of the first ever global environmental
treaty in the Iranian city of Ramsar, this
year has the theme of Upstream, downstream:
Wetlands connect us all.
A highlight of the day
is a scheduled balloon overflight of Doñana,
highlighting the risks posed to the wetland
and its wildlife by encroaching mainly groundwater-fed
agriculture – as well as the innovative
steps that WWF-Spain and partner organizations
are undertaking to keep the wetland connected
with surrounding areas.
Doñana has a
special place in the history of environment
activism, with WWF owing its origins to
a fund set up to save the wetland vital
to millions of migrating birds from 1950s
proposals for extensive eucalypt plantations.
Scientists and philanthropists prominent
in saving Donana then went on to lobby governments
for a framework to protect wetlands of international
significance and the International Convention
on Wetlands (the Ramsar Convention) was
the result.
Guest of honor on the
overflight will be Dr Luc Hoffmann, a key
figure in the original fight to save Doñana,
a founder member of WWF and key lobbyist
for the Ramsar Convention.
“The most important
impact of the wetlands convention is that
wetlands today are no longer considered
as wastelands,” Dr Hoffmann said.
While was pivotal to
this change of perceptions, it is now under
threat from developments crowding up to
the National Park’s boundaries. Legal and
illegal water extraction for intensive agriculture
is threatening surface and groundwater flows
through the wetlands and the farms are forming
a barrier to the passage of wildlifeincluding
the last populations of Iberian Lynx and
Spanish Imperial Eagles.
“Doñana is a
world-wide conservation icon,” said James
Leape, Director General of WWF International.
“WWF is proud to have played a role in securing
the protection of this extraordinary resource.
“Forty years later,
it is clear that protection has ensured
enduring benefits to the surrounding communities,
to Spain, and to Europe, far beyond what
development would have offered."
“We are currently working
to maintain that benefit and to ensure that
it is not lost through Doñana becoming
isolated by development.”
WWF Spain – celebrating
40 years of association with Doñana
– has had to contend with a devastating
mining spill, and proposals for roads, pipelines
and increased shipping off the coast in
what it describes as “Spain’s last wild
coastal areas and one of the most important
European bird sanctuaries”.
In a pilot project for
the WWF One Europe More Nature programme,
WWF is working with farmers, the tourism
industry and government authorities develop
nature corridors through the farms to Donana,
to reduce water and chemical use on the
farms and to restore degraded areas.
Ramsar Convention Secretary
General Anada Tiega, also participating
in the Doñana flyover, said: “This
year’s World Wetlands Day emphasis on wetlands
connecting us all captures very well the
experiences in Doñana: that our local
wetlands depend upon, and are influenced
by, the actions of others within the river
basin.”
“Maintaining the health
of the rivers, lakes and marshes that provide
connections through basins requires: finding
common ground between the water sector,
the wetland sector, farmers, industrialists
and the many other users of water and wetlands.
This is the challenge facing and many other
wetlands.”
+ More
Earth Hour 2009 setting
new records in climate concern
05 Feb 2009 - Already
twice the participating countries of Earth
Hour 2008
Archbishop Desmond Tutu leads call for action
on climate change
Obama artist Shepard Fairey likens flicking
switch to climate vote
With eight weeks still
to go, citizens, businesses and public authorities
in 375 cities across 74 countries have already
committed to turning off their lights for
one hour at 8.30pm on 28 March in a graphic
show of support for decisive action on climate
change.
The list of cities confirming
their participation in Earth Hour 2009 includes
37 national capitals and some of the great
cities of the world, including London, Beijing,
Rome, Moscow, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro,
Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Athens, Buenos
Aires, Toronto, Sydney, Mexico City, Istanbul,
Copenhagen, Manila, Las Vegas, Brussels,
Cape Town and Helsinki.
The WWF-sponsored event
continues to show amazing momentum, from
being a Sydney, Australia awareness-raising
event in 2007, to the astounding 371 cities
across 35 countries total last year. As
participation for Earth Hour 2009 storms
past this level of municipal involvement
in more than twice the number of countries,
discussions are under way or nearing completion
in hundreds of other cities.
WWF Director General,
Mr James Leape, said he is optimistic about
the campaign’s potential to drive key decision
making on the issue of climate change.
“With hundreds more
cities expected to sign up to switch off
in the coming months, Earth Hour 2009 is
setting the platform for an unprecedented
global mandate for action on climate change,”
he said.
Along with the great
metropolises of the world, Earth Hour 2009
will also see the lights go out on some
of the most recognised landmarks on the
planet, including Christ the Redeemer in
Rio de Janeiro, Table Mountain in Cape Town,
Merlion in Singapore, Sydney Opera House,
CN Tower in Toronto, Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff and the world’s tallest constructed
building Taipei 101.
A host of high profile
ambassadors across the world have also lent
their support to the campaign, most notably
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond
Tutu and Academy Award-winning actress Cate
Blanchett.
Shepard Fairey, the
artist noted for his graphic portrayals
of Barack Obama during the recent US Presidential
Election, has likened flicking the switch
to casting a vote on climate change in artwork
for the Earth Hour campaign.
Earth Hour Executive
Director, Mr Andy Ridley, said the 2009
campaign as an opportunity for the people
of the world to cast their vote on this
important global issue.
"Earth Hour by
its very nature is the essence of grassroots
action. This is the opportunity for individuals,
from all corners of the globe to unite in
a single voice and demand action on climate
change”, said Mr Ridley.
2009 is a critical year
for action on climate change, with the world’s
leaders due to meet at the UN Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen in December to
sign a new deal to supersede the Kyoto Protocol.
