Sofia, Bulgaria: Bulgarian
authorities have confirmed that a one year
ban on sturgeon fishing in the Danube river
is to be extended for a further four years.
Bulgaria's original ban ended the anomaly
of sturgeon receiving protection only on
the Romanian side of the Danube, following
that country's 2006 announcement of a 10
year sturgeon fishing ban.
“It is of utmost importance
that Bulgaria has finally joined Romania
in this very important measure”, said Vesselina
Kavrakova, Programme Manager of the WWF
Danube-Carpathian Programme in Bulgaria.
“The Romanian moratorium came into force
in April 2006, but considering that the
Danube serves as a national border between
Bulgaria and Romania, a one-sided ban was
not effective”.
Originating 200 million
years ago, sturgeons have outlasted the
dinosaurs, but today most species are critically
endangered according to the IUCN red list.
Bulgaria and Romania hold the only viable
populations of wild sturgeons in the European
Union, but five of the six native sturgeon
species in the Danube are critically endangered.
“Overfishing because
of persistent illegal trade in their caviar
involving Bulgaria and Romania, is the biggest
cause for concern, but habitat alteration,
including hydropower, and pollution are
also contributing causes”, Kavrakova said.
Caviar is one of the most expensive wildlife
products. Among the sturgeon species native
to the Danube basin is the Beluga sturgeon
famous for its expensive caviar.
Dams such as the Iron
Gates between Serbia and Romania have cut
off the migration routes of sturgeons, which
has led to loss of spawning habitats, impacting
sturgeon populations. According to the World
Sturgeon Conservation Society, the Danube
is the only large river system in Europe
where protection of existing but dwindling
sturgeon stocks is still possible.
“What we need now, is
to see various activities conducted in support
of sturgeon populations, for example restocking
and monitoring of the status of sturgeons.
We need to see an effective information
campaign among fishing communities and a
true enforcement of the ban”, Kavrakova
said.
“We want to see that
both Romania and Bulgaria raise awareness
among enforcement agencies of the illegal
caviar trade and strengthen their capacity
to control and monitor the trade”, she added.
The Danube, as one of
the major feeder rivers and estuaries of
the Black Sea, is crucial for sturgeons.
Most sturgeons live in estuaries and coastal
waters but swim upstream to spawn. The Black
Sea is one of the most important sturgeon
fisheries in the world, second only to the
Caspian Sea.
+ More
Indonesia signals intent
to conserve Borneo’s “lungs of the world”
Jakarta - Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed
a decree on Jan 5 authorising conservation
of at least 45 percent of its share of the
island of Borneo, known as Kalimantan.
The decree covers a
massive area of more than 250,000 km2 encompassing
vast tracts of rainforest in the Heart of
Borneo and landscapes beyond.
"At least 45 percent of Indonesian
Borneo will serve as the lungs of the world…
with the plan ensuring that local ecosystems
are protected and the biodiversity of the
island is allowed to flourish," a presidential
press release said. ?
Indonesia is rated as the world's third-worst
emitter of greenhouse gases with emissions
mainly due to deforestation caused by expanding
palm oil, timber and pulp & paper industries.
"We hope with the decree, Indonesia
will be able to meet its target of reducing
gas emissions by 26 percent by 2020,"
forestry ministry secretary general, Hadi
Daryanto, told the international media.
The regulation looks to promote the sustainable
use of the island’s resources while ensuring
an ambitious network of conservation areas
are linked together by a series of “ecosystem
corridors". In addition, existing protected
areas are to be strengthened and degraded
areas rehabilitated.
A new measure of capital???
The Presidential press release also noted
that Kalimantan would become a center for
plantations of palm oil, rubber and other
sustainable forest products, an issue which
has raised concerns amongst some international
organizations.??
Adam Tomasek, head of the WWF’s Heart of
Borneo Initiative, believes the new decree
offers a fantastic opportunity to secure
the future of Borneo as a place where sustainable
development exists in balance with a practical
and beneficial conservation regime. However,
the targets set out in the regulation will
not be met unless the values of ecosystems
and biodiversity, or ‘natural capital’,
become key features of future economic development
planning.
“WWF has been working
for a long time with both National and local
governments to develop spatial plans, and
engage businesses and communities to drive
conservation and sustainable development
in Borneo. The decree is a leadership statement
from the President of Indonesia that will
help ensure the previous commitments on
the Heart of Borneo will be met,” Mr Tomasek
said.
