08 May 2007 - The EU has
failed to grasp its final opportunity this
year to save bluefin tuna from collapse
in the Mediterranean. WWF, the global conservation
organization, calls for an immediate closure
of the fishery.
Yesterday’s European Fisheries Council
meeting in Brussels has been unable to reach
agreement on the management of the seriously
imperilled bluefin tuna fishery, postponing
discussions to its next meeting mid-June.
However, this will be too late for tuna.
Following this non-agreement, the current
provisional quota in force for the EU is
9,398 tonnes. WWF points out that this quota
is expected to be reached in the next days,
and calls therefore for an imminent closure
of the fishery by the EU. The European Commission
is legally bound to respect its commitment
to this provisional quota.
“The only option now is an emergency closure
of the fishery,” says Dr Sergi Tudela, Head
of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.
“It is shocking that in the face of scientific
opinion, and the voice of growing numbers
of retailers and thousands of world citizens,
the EU has failed yet again to impose vital
measures to save bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.”
Meanwhile WWF congratulates fishing nation
Norway’s bold move last week to ban the
fishing of bluefin tuna by its fleets as
a last-ditch attempt at conservation, in
light of the critical situation of the stock.
“In its bold refusal to accept the gross
mismanagement of this fishery, Norway has
put EU fishing nations to shame,” added
Tudela.
“International scientists have stated repeatedly
that Mediterranean bluefin tuna is at substantial
risk of stock collapse – yet the EU continues
to close its ears. The EU must stand up
for sustainable fishing and close the fishery.”
+ More
Organized crime fuels illegal ivory surge
in Africa
10 May 2007 - Gland, Switzerland – Asian-run
organized crime syndicates based in Africa
are being implicated in the increase in
illegal trade in elephant ivory, according
to a new study by TRAFFIC, the wildlife
trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN-The
World Conservation Union.
The study identified the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria as the
three nations most heavily implicated as
the sources of ivory in this illegal trade.
TRAFFIC’s report is based on an analysis
of almost 12,400 ivory seizure cases from
82 countries recorded since 1989 in the
Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS)
— the world’s largest database of elephant
product seizure records.
“With myriad conflict zones, Central Africa
is currently hemorrhaging ivory, and these
three countries are major conduits for trafficking
illicit ivory from the region to international
markets, particularly in Asia,” says Tom
Milliken, Director of TRAFFIC’s Africa programme
and the principal author of the study.
The illicit trade is directly correlated
to the presence of large-scale, poorly regulated
domestic ivory markets in parts of Africa
and Asia. These markets are in direct contravention
of decisions adopted by Parties to the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), aimed at
prohibiting unregulated domestic sale of
ivory.
“Four years ago, CITES drew up an action
plan for tackling these domestic ivory markets,
but so far, it appears to have had little
impact,” says Milliken.
One exception is Ethiopia, which has effectively
clamped down on its domestic ivory market
by implementing the plan.
“Ethiopia has set a fine example for other
countries to emulate,” says Dr Susan Lieberman,
Director WWF’s Global Species Programme.
“It shows what other countries could do
if only they had the political will to do
it.”
Markets in China create a high demand for
illicit ivory, which arrives either directly
or through ports such as Hong Kong, Macao
and Taiwan. Japan and Thailand are also
important final destinations, whereas the
Philippines mainly acts as a transit country
linked to the major importers. Together,
these seven countries and territories account
for 62 per cent of the ivory recovered in
the 49 largest seizure cases recorded by
ETIS.
World-wide, the number of ivory seizures
averages 92 cases a month, or three per
day. Large-scale ivory seizures (of 1 tonne
or more) have increased both in number and
in size in recent years — from 17 between
1989 and 1997 to 32 between 1998 and 2006.
“This demonstrates greater sophistication,
organization and finance behind the illegal
movement of ever larger volumes of ivory
from Africa to Asia,” says Dr Lieberman.
“This is clearly a negative consequence
of the ongoing globalization of African
markets and economies.”
There has been significant improvement
in law enforcement efforts and policing
of local markets in mainland China, but
ETIS records show that Chinese citizens
have been arrested, detained or absconded
in at least 126 significant ivory seizure
cases in 22 African elephant range states.
“It is imperative that China reaches out
to the growing Chinese communities in Africa
with a clear message that involvement in
illegal ivory trade will not be tolerated,”
adds Milliken.
END NOTES:
• The establishment of ETIS was mandated
under CITES in 1997 to monitor illicit trade
in ivory and to assess whether any limited
resumption of ivory trade would have negative
impacts on elephant populations. Since its
inception, ETIS has received funding from
the UK Department of Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the CITES Secretariat
and the European Union.
• The analysis was carried out with the
assistance of the Statistical Services Centre
of the University of Reading, UK.
• The TRAFFIC report will be a formal agenda
item at the upcoming meeting of CITES Parties
in the Hague, Netherlands, from 3–15 June
2007.
• Between 1989 and 1997, all elephant populations
were listed in Appendix I of CITES, which
imposed a global ban on international commercial
trade in elephant products. Subsequently,
CITES Parties have twice approved limited,
conditional one-off sales of ivory from
four southern African countries (South Africa,
Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe) whose elephant
populations have been transferred to Appendix
II.
Tom Milliken, Director
TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
+ More
Europe’s Dirty 30
10 May 2007 - Brussels, Belgium / Gland,
Switzerland – A new ranking of Europe’s
worst climate-polluting power stations reveals
the least efficient power stations in Europe
with the biggest emissions of carbon dioxide.
The WWF ranking — the Dirty Thirty — lists
Greece’s Agios Dimitrios and Kardia (owned
by DEH) as the dirtiest power stations,
followed by Niederaußem in Germany
(owned by RWE).
In 2006 the “Dirty Thirty” were responsible
for 393 million tonnes of CO2, which is
equal to 10 per cent of all EU CO2 emissions.
Europe’s dirtiest power stations are all
coal-fired, with the worst ten running on
particularly CO2-intense lignite. As CO2
emissions are considered the main cause
for global warming and devastating climate
impacts, it is essential to have a stronger
EU Emissions Trading Scheme that delivers
significant emissions reductions by encouraging
investment in cleaner and more efficient
plants.
“The facts are clear. The power sector
needs to phase out dirty coal as soon as
possible,” says Stephan Singer, Head of
WWF’s European Climate and Energy Unit.
“This must be done through an improved
EU Emissions Trading System, helping the
EU achieve its target of up to 30 per cent
reduction in emissions by 2020.”
The WWF ranking results from the analysis
of 2006’s data included in the European
Emissions Registry, managed by the European
Commission. The global conservation organization
looked at the absolute CO2 emissions of
power stations in EU countries (million
tonnes of CO2 per year) and ranked the 30
biggest emitters according to their level
of efficiency (grams of CO2 per Kilowatt
hour).
Most of the “Dirty Thirty” are located
in Germany and the UK (10 plants each),
followed by Poland (4 plants). Just four
companies account for most of Europe’s dirtiest
power stations. More than half of the 30
plants analysed are run by RWE (Germany),
Vattenfall (Sweden), EDF (France) and EON
(Germany). RWE and Vattenfall are also the
EU’s largest corporate climate polluters.
“We cannot tolerate a power sector where
the dirtier get richer,” adds Singer. “The
EU must ensure that only those who clean
up their power stations reap monetary rewards.”
For further information:
Dr Stephan Singer, Head, European Climate
and Energy Unit
WWF European Policy Office
Sanjeev Kumar, Emissions Trading Scheme
Coordinator
WWF European Policy Office
