05 Mar
2008 - WWF-UK is celebrating the successful
culmination of four years of campaigning
today, after Sakhalin Energy announced the
withdrawal of its request for government
backing for its controversial oil and gas
project in the Russian Far East.
"WWF is delighted
that Sakhalin Energy's application for financial
backing from the UK government has proved
unsuccessful," said James Leaton, Oil
and Gas Policy Advisor for WWF-UK.
"The fact that
the company has been unable to secure financial
support despite four years of deliberation
demonstrates the flaws that are built into
this project," he added.
Western Gray Whale faces
extinction
The Sakhalin II project,
a multi-billion dollar undertaking to construct
oil and gas platforms and an 800km pipeline
across the island of Sakhalin, is threatening
the critically endangered Western Gray Whale
with extinction.
It also cuts through
the breeding grounds of at least two other
critically endangered species.
For the last four years
Sakhalin Energy, a conglomerate of oil companies
led by Shell (and latterly Gazprom), has
sought UK government support for the project
and the announcement that it has withdrawn
its application for support is a major environmental
win.
Environmentalists critical
of UK department
WWF-UK has been lobbying
the UK Government to ensure that the project
did not receive support from the Export
Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) - the
government body responsible for underwriting
British industry overseas.
"The Sakhalin II
project has raised a number of issues around
how ECGD conducts its business," Leaton
continued.
"It is imperative
that ECGD reviews how it can prevent wasting
resources on unsustainable oil projects,
and ensure it contributes to Government
commitments on sustainable development,"
he explained.
Now that the company
is no longer seeking financial backing from
the ECGD, or from the US Export-Import Bank,
WWF-UK urges other financial institutions
to refuse any requests that may be made
for their financial support of the project.
"Sakhalin Energy
has tried for four years to get UK and US
public finance for this project, but it
has failed to meet the various standards
required," said Leaton.
"Now that the company
has indicated that it will be seeking finance
from elsewhere, WWF-UK stresses that it
is vital that any bank considering giving
finance to Sakhalin II is aware of the ongoing
social and environmental problems facing
the project. There are no effective techniques
for cleaning up an oil spill in the winter
ice conditions in Sakhalin and the world's
120 remaining Western Gray Whales are being
further threatened by the project. Essentially,
any bank who considers supporting this project
into the future will be inheriting an environmental
disaster waiting to happen," he concluded.
+ More
A Watershed for Conservation - WWF and Thailand
Celebrate World Wetlands Day with a New
Protected Site
02 Feb 2008 - Protecting
an ecologically important mash and the livelihoods
it provides are top priorities for WWF and
several governmental agencies in Nong Khai.
On February 2nd they will join together
and celebrate World Wetlands Day by putting
Goot Ting Marsh on the map as an internationally
significant Ramsar Site.
The Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands is an international treaty for
cooperation in the conservation and wise
use of wetlands. Recognized as the first
global treaty of its type, it was signed
in Ramsar, , in 1971. joined in 1998 and
is one of 155 countries participating in
the Convention. WWF has supported and participated
in Ramsar since its inception.
Goot Ting Marsh is gaining
Ramsar recognition for its high biodiversity.
The site is home to more than 120 species
of freshwater fish including: the endangered
Giant golden barb. The World’s third smallest
living vertebrate, the Dwarf minnow, is
native to Goot Ting.
Over 100 bird species also occupy areas
around Goot Ting. An estimated 3,000 Lesser
Whistling Teals and Gargeney live on its
shores. Endangered species such as the Baer’s
Pochard, the Hen Harrier and the Western
Marsh Harrier are also present.
“The Ramsar committee’s
acknowledgement of Goot Ting Marsh as a
protected site, is proof of the marsh’s
value. To join Ramsar a wetland must be
very important in terms of biodiversity
and as a source of living for local communities,”
said Dr. Chavalit Vidthanyanin, WWF’s ’s
Senior Freshwater Biologist.
The area’s human inhabitants
have long been aware of Goot Ting’s significance.
Some 23,000 villagers in 40 communities
live around the marsh. They and their ancestors
have made a living off its bounty for centuries.
Various products, such as the traditional
delicacy ‘Pla Ra’ or fermented fish, sustain
Goot Ting’s people throughout the year.
An official survey in 2006 found that 33,541
kilograms of fish, plus thousands of tons
of shrimp and edible marine plants were
collected from the marsh. In the area’s
three largest villages - Nong Fang Daeng,
Don Ho, and Huay Kam Phaeng - most families’
income derives from the marsh.
“If local villagers
whose living depends on the marsh are engaged,
they will help preserve and use it in a
sustainable way,” said Dr. Chavalit.
His philosophy is shared
by the villagers. “My family and all villagers
here have received direct benefits from
Goot Ting for years. Almost everything the
marsh provides is important to our survival.
We collect water plants to eat daily. Some
types of weeds are used to weave as a sleeping
mat which we can sell,” said Thongsoon Khamrat,
a villager at Ban Non Som Boon. “To have
Goot Ting announced as an important place,
makes us glad and inspires us to protect
it for our children.”
Mr. Yanyong Sricharoen,
Manager of WWF’s Community Management of
Wetlands in and the Mekong River Basin Project,
revealed that there will be a parade event
organized by private and governmental offices
in the province. Students and local people
who live around Goot Ting Marsh will arrange
games and competitions to celebrate the
marsh’s Ramsar recognition. A round-table
discussion about conservation between local
villagers, government officials and NGOs
will also take place.
“In recent years, excessive
fishing and chemical use near the water
have threatened Goot Ting. In response,
WWF officers have sought cooperation among
all stakeholders including government and
private sectors involving the use of the
marsh. Things are improving.” said Mr. Yanyong.
Goot Ting Marsh will
become the newest of 12 Ramsar sites in
. Festivities will take place at Beung Karn
School, with Nong Khai’s governor presiding..
Nong Khai is the only province in that contains
2 Ramsar sites. The other is Khong Long
Lake, which was recognized in 2001.
WWF has been working
in Nong Khai Province since 2005 through
its Regional Participatory Wetlands Management
Project. The Project’s main objective is
to support local communities as they manage,
preserve, and utilize the wetland’s natural
resources in a sustainable way.
Napaporn Yuberk, Assistant Marketing &
Communications Manager, WWF
Dr. Chavalit Vidthanyanin, Senior Freshwater
Biologist, WWF
