Posted
on 09 February 2010 - Ban of phosphates
in detergents, cleaning up remaining Helcom
hotspots and a network of marine protected
areas are among seven simple actions which
could help save one of the most threatened
sea areas in the world.
WWF and its partners
have published a set of recommendations
ahead of the Baltic Sea Action Summit which
will take place in Helsinki on the 10 th
of February.
Prime Ministers and
Heads of States, together with companies
and organisations will meet this week in
the Finnish capital to agree on ”practical
commitments to save the Baltic Sea”.
The Finnish president
Tarja Halonen and the Swedish king, Carl
XVI Gustaf, also president of the Council
of WWF Sweden, are among the participants.
“Strong leadership and
urgent action is needed from all countries
around the Baltic to save our joint sea.
Good ambitions and bold commitments are
very important, but words need to be followed
by concrete action to a greater extent than
today if we are to see any actual improvements
in the sea”, said Mats Abrahamsson, Director,
WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.
WWF has compiled a list
of seven simple things that can be done
right now in the short term to improve the
state of the Baltic Sea. Many of these measures
have already been “promised” by the Baltic
Sea governments.
“We certainly need to
continue to work within regional and European
institutions to establish solid long term
change processes that have a chance to match
the severity and complexity of the problems”
said Mats Abrahamsson.” However, while we
work on these long term processes, there
are several things that can be done now
in the short term to improve the state of
the Baltic Sea.
The seven simple things
proposed by WWF are: Ban all uses of phosphates
in detergents, introduce a tax on N and
P in mineral fertilizers, ban fishing of
eel until the stock is recovered and restore
inland migration routes, ratify the Ballast
Water Convention, clean up remaining Helcom
hotspots, provide adequate port reception
facilities for cruise ship sewage and establish
a network of marine protected areas
“These measures can
be achieved by with very small changes to
existing legislations and budgets. They
are far from what is needed to restore the
Baltic Sea to a good environmental status,
but we think they could be a good start,
concluded Mats Abrahamsson
Background: WWF, through its Baltic Ecoregion
Programme , is cooperating with governments,
businesses, scientists and other organisations
around the Baltic Sea to involve all nations,
all sectors and all stakeholders in a coordinated
process to plan the use of the sea and its
resources, in an ecosystem-based approach,
with the aim of both saving the environment
and facilitating economic development.
Governmental initiatives
include the 1977 Helsinki Convention and
all its ministerial declarations; the Baltic
Sea Environmental Declaration of 9 April
1992; the Baltic 21 agenda, initiated by
the Prime Ministers of the Baltic Sea countries
in 1996; the Baltic Sea Action Plan of November
2008; and lately the EU Strategy for the
Baltic Sea Region, adopted by the European
Council in October 2009.
+ More
China’s visionary ecologist
Chen Yiyu gets WWF top prize
Posted on 19 February
2010 - London, UK - Freshwater ecologist
and visionary environmentalist Chen Yiyu
has been awarded the 2009 WWF Duke of Edinburgh
Conservation medal.
His marine life expertise
and life-long devotion to conserving China’s
freshwater resources won Mr. Chen international
recognition.
“The Duke of Edinburgh
Award is a great honour for me. But this
is also an honour for nature conservation
in China, and for the many people who have
made contributions,” Mr. Chen said at the
award ceremony.
“I will continue to
work for the preservation of China’s environment,
and contribute everything I have to ensuring
we leave future generations a healthy, living
planet."
Chen Yiyu has been described
as a visionary advocate of environmental
policy in China, and is considered one of
the country’s most important figures in
the field of sustainable development and
on-the-ground conservation.
Early in his career
he led groundbreaking studies on the endangered
Baiji dolphin, a freshwater species only
found in the Yangtze River. He has also
championed research on Lake Hong’s ecosystems,
which have led to considerable improvements
in its water quality and helped balance
the way its resources are distributed.
“Thanks to Mr. Chen’s
leadership, China’s freshwater protection
policies have improved dramatically, particularly
in the areas of integrated watershed management
and ecosystem management," said James
Leape, Director General of WWF-International.
“The contributions Chen
Yiyu continues to make to freshwater conservation
in China are outstanding, and deserve to
be celebrated.”
The Duke of Edinburgh
Conservation Medal is awarded annually by
WWF for outstanding service to the environment.
Recipients of the award
receive a gold medal in a sustainably-sourced
rosewood box donated by the Chamber of Mines
of South Africa, a Rolex watch, and a certificate
signed by the Duke of Edinburgh and the
Director General of WWF International.
"For decades, WWF
has worked to protect China’s natural resources
– the Chinese people are grateful for this,"
Mr Chen said.
Mr. Chen has published
over 90 scientific papers and 10 books,
and is the current President of the Chinese
National Natural Science Foundation. He
is a former Vice President of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, an important national
scientific institution.
