12 Dec 2007 - Indonesia’s
new 10 year action plan for conserving orangutans
will have important benefits in mitigating
climate change, according to WWF .
These benefits were underlined by the launch
of The Orangutan Conservation Strategy and
Action Plan (2007 – 2017) during the Bali
Climate Change Conference. Deforestation,
for timber, pulp and palm oil plantations,
have pushed Indonesia into the status of being
a major carbon emitter, while threatening
globally significant wildlife populations.
"In the last 35 years about 50,000 orangutans
are estimated to have been lost as their habitats
shrank. If this continues, this majestic creature
will likely face extinction by 2050,"
said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
at the launch of the plan.
"The fate of the orangutan is a subject
that goes to the heart of sustainable forests
... To save the orangutan we have to save
the forest."
As a mostly fruit eating primate, the orangutan
also has a key role in forest regeneration
as it disperses seeds which help regenerate
more fruit trees, which in turn helps keep
the forest healthy. Although the main threat
to the orangutans – often called “the red
man of the jungle” – comes from forest destruction
and habitat conversion, orangutans are also
still being hunted, traded and also smuggled
out of the country for pets
“It’s opportune this Action plan is finalized
this week, as the world gathers in Indonesia
to make critical decisions on climate change”,
says Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF’s
Global Species Programme. “Protecting orangutan
habitat, especially in the peat swamp forests
which contain significant carbon sinks, means
both a secure future for the orangutan, and
avoiding carbon emissions from the forest.”
As part of the orangutan conservation plan
developed by the forestry ministry and NGOs,
Indonesia will aim to stabilise orangutan
populations and habitat from now until 2017
and return orangutans housed in rehabilitation
centres to the wild by 2015.
The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry led the
finalization for this blue print for orangutan
conservation and involved key players and
a range of experts at both the national and
international level. WWF has been actively
involved in developing the plan and is part
of the small team that finalized the document.
+ More
New conservation network set up to protect
wetlands in China
09 Nov 2007 - Beijing, China – A new wetland
conservation network has been established
along the central and lower Yangtze River,
providing a platform for management organizations,
research institutions, social groups and the
public to protect wetlands and battle climate
change.
Wetlands are critical to mitigating climate
change — they have an important and underestimated
role in carbon storage and greenhouse gas
regulation.
Supported by the WWF-HSBC Partnership Programme,
the network of 20 wetland conservation areas
is the first of its kind in China.
“With this new initiative, the overall protected
area will see a remarkable increase if the
separated wetlands are networked together,”
said Li Lin, Head of Conservation Strategies
at WWF China.
“This will significantly boost conservation
effectiveness.”
The 20 wetland sites, covering an area of
some 1 million hectares, represent a diverse
range of habitats and are home to numerous
species. The wetlands, however, are threatened
by ecological degradation and water pollution
as a result of economic development and urbanization.
WWF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Wetlands Conservation Network, offering
training to monitor waterfowl and climate
data, as well as to work together on policy
advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns.
Yang Man, Communication Coordinator
WWF China, Wuhan Office
