WWF - News

WWF: Governments fail on ambition, courage at UN climate change talks

2011-12-11

Durban, South Africa -- After two weeks of sparring and a day-long extension, governments once again failed today to provide the inspiration and ambition to tackle climate change and provide hope for hundreds of millions around the world who suffer and will continue to suffer from climate-related impacts.

Governments reached a weak agreement that established a Green Climate Fund with little money, postponed major decisions on the content of the Kyoto Protocol, and made an unclear commitment to a global agreement from 2020 that could leave us legally bound to 4 degrees of global warming.

Samantha Smith, leader of WWF’s global climate and energy initiative issued the following statement:

“Governments did just enough to keep talking, but their job is to protect their people. They failed to do that here in Durban today. Science tells us that we need to act right now – because the extreme weather, droughts and heat waves caused by climate change will get worse.

“But it is clear today that the mandates of a few political leaders have outweighed the concerns of millions, leaving people and the natural world we depend on at risk. Catastrophe is a strong word but it is not strong enough for a future with 4 degrees of warming.

“Unfortunately, governments here have spent the last two crucial final days of negotiations focused on only a handful of specific words in the negotiating texts, instead of spending their political capital on committing to more and real action to address climate change.

“Some countries here, like the United States, showed they were not interested in supporting an ambitious outcome in Durban. The US -- afraid of the politics at home – fought over a few words, but missed the bigger story: limiting dangerous climate change.

“Overall, the responsibility for this lies with a handful of entrenched governments – like the US, Japan, Russia, and Canada – who have consistently resisted raising the level of ambition on climate change. This is what brought us to this point.

“One crumb of comfort in Durban has been the emergence of a large group of high ambition countries, led by the most vulnerable nations and small island states, including many in Africa.

“We can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing, or we’re going to choke on our own carbon and run out of natural resources – and that means we won’t have food, water and energy for all.”

“We know climate change is a global problem and it needs a global response. This process didn’t deliver that today, but that doesn’t mean the global fight to tackle climate change has stopped, both within this process and outside of it.”

Tasneem Essop, head of international climate change strategy and of WWF’s COP 17 delegation:

“Greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels this year, so we need an aggregated response to this problem – one that includes continued action on climate change from progressive business, from governments at the national level, and from the public and civil society, who must keep up the call to arms.

“While negotiators and ministers were sitting behind closed doors, they weren’t hearing the people’s call, made by faith leaders, youth, women in protests and demonstrations, inside and outside the venue, to act with urgency. These people, including WWF, will hold them accountable.”

Jim Leape, WWF Director General said:

"Politicians here in Durban have shown an alarming inability to come to grips with the challenge of climate change. Encouraging words about finding solutions have turned into nothing but hot air.

FOR INTERVIEWS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Ian Morrison, ian.morrison@wwfus.org, +27-76-211-3097 or +1-202-372-6373
Steve Ertel, steve.ertel@wwfus.org, +27-79-284-4268 or +1-202-460-4641
Lang Banks, lbanks@wwfscotland.org.uk, +27-76-829-4173 or +44 7919 961961
Caroline Behringer, caroline.behringer@wwfus.org, +27-71-322-3810 or +1-202-344-0852
Quathar Jacobs, qjacobs@wwf.org.za, +27-82-538-7710
Martina Lippuner, mlippuner@wwf.panda.org, +27 729209392
Franko Petri, Franko.petri@wwf.at, +27-76-591-8317

People connected by a warming ocean

2011-12-08

Just 8 km South of the Kenya/Somali coastal border, 60 km parallel to the northern coast of Kenya lies Kiunga Marine National Reserve. It is, a marine reserve made up of a chain of about 50 coral islands, lying some 2 km offshore and inshore of the fringing reef.

This marine reserve is home to coral reefs, coral gardens, sea birds, rare endangered sea turtles, mangrove forests and a vibrant underwater world.

But this once pristine environment is slowly taking a beating from a dramatic change in climate.

Fishing has been the main economic activity in this area for centuries. But with the catch getting smaller every day, fishermen are worried.

“There has been a decline in the catch per given effort, and the quantity and size has dramatically reduced,” notes Dismus Kosieny, a Research Technician with the Kenya Marine Fisheries Institute.

As climate gets warmer, so does the water. This warm water causes the fish to have less or no offspring. As for the offspring, they grow much smaller in size.

The rise in water temperature also decreases the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in the water, making it hard for the fish to breathe. As a result many fish are forced to head further out to sea in search of cooler waters.

Kassim Shamina a local fisherman indicates that as a result of warmer water ”...our lobster catch has drastically reduced. Where we would catch a ton of lobster, we can now only average about 300 kilograms per day”.

But fish are not the only ones affected by the warm water. Here, the corals are dying off, the corals are bleaching. Corals shelter different type of fish and marine life. And when bleaching persists, the corals eventually die off, leaving no place for the coral- dependent ecosystem.

With 25% of the world’s marine species living in coral reefs, the results of coral bleaching could be disastrous.

But the exceptional reefs off the shores of Kenya are not the only ones being affected by frequent bleaching events. Sharing the same ocean, the Toliara Reef in Southern Madagascar is the third largest continuous reef system in the World while one of the most vulnerable in the Indian Ocean in terms of climate change.

“With increasing global temperatures, we will see massive bleaching events and the Toliara reef could become infested with green algae. The latter would smother the coral and therefore reduce feeding opportunities for fish” says Tiana Ramahaleo, head of the Climate Change Programme at WWF Madagascar. “A destruction of the reef would threaten tens of thousands of people, with severe impact on their main livelihoods and food supplies”

The reef system is vital for the community’s survival. The Southwestern littoral around Toliara is home to people from the group who traditionally migrate up and down the coast in line with seasonal changes. Nearly 20,000 traditional fishermen and 15,000 canoes operate on the Toliara reef system.

This traditional form of resource use is being threatened and migrants from inland areas affected by drought and deforestation increase competition for resources and pressure on the reef.

An increasingly unpredictable climate has made life difficult for the people in Nosy Hara, an marine protected area in Madagascar’s extreme North. The rainy season has been getting shorter every year, and it has become nearly impossible to farm due to lack of water. Therefore, farmers moved from cultivating the soil to the ocean; and they would have emptied the waters if not for the marine protected area rules set up by WWF.

"The park and the training we get to manage our marine resources better will help us secure our income and defend our traditional territories,” says Abdou Salehy, a local fisherman.

“It is developing countries like Kenya and Madagascar which have contributed the least to global warming that will suffer the worst consequences. If we can’t stop global warming, the collapse of reef systems is just one of many severe consequences for the local populations” adds Ramahaleo.

“Both marine and terrestrial ecosystems will be affected threatening people’s livelihoods and unique species. That’s why we desperately hope for a good deal in Durban”.

WWF joins thousands in Durban march as negotiators stall on climate change talks

2011-12-04

Durban, South Africa: As the first week of the United Nations climate change talks come to an end, WWF joined thousands of citizens on Saturday from around the world in Durban, South Africa to make a public statement to negotiators and global leaders that delaying action on climate change is unacceptable.

Tasneem Essop, head of international climate strategy from WWF said:

“Today’s march was an amazing moment of solidarity that showed people want real action from their governments on climate change – not just talk. The will of the people is strong. The problem is that the will of our leaders is weak.

“After six days of talks, we seem to be moving backward, not forward. It’s time for governments to bravely stand side-by-side with their citizens. The stakes are enormous as we fight to secure enough food, water and energy for all.”

Essop comment on the status of negotiation texts:

“The current state of the negotiating text is a reflection that the main political issues in the negotiations are still unresolved. The negotiators must continue to work to try and reach as much agreement as possible on key issues, including the issue of legal form, so that when heads of state and ministers arrive on Monday, they can focus on the big unresolved issues. These leaders are going to need to come with a huge bag of political will and a sense of responsibility in order to ensure that we have something to show for these two weeks of round-the-clock negotiations.”

What WWF wants out of negotiators in Durban:

The Cancun agreements must be implemented.
Must commit to a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol.
Lay the foundation for negotiating a legally binding global agreement that includes all countries by 2015.
Create the Global Climate Fund and let the money flow.
Use the opportunity of COP 17 to increase ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Watch the video of WWF in the march:

WWF OFFICAL SPOKESPEOPLE:

Jim Leape, Director General, WWF International
Samantha Smith, Leader WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative
Tasneem Essop, Head of international climate strategy, WWF Global Climate and Energy Initiative

We also have specific spokespeople on REDD+, adaptation, finance, emission reductions, and on African climate issues.

FOR INTERVIEWS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Ian Morrison, ian.morrison@wwfus.org, +27-76-211-3097 or +1(202) 372-6373
Steve Ertel, steve.ertel@wwfus.org, +27-79-284-4268 or +1(202) 460-4641
Lang Banks, lbanks@wwfscotland.org.uk, +27-76-829-4173 or +44 7919 961961
Caroline Behringer, caroline.behringer@wwfus.org, +27-71-322-3810 or +1(202) 344-0852
Quathar Jacobs, qjacobs@wwf.org.za, +27-82-538-7710
Florence Anouboudem Tsobgine, FAnouboudem@wwfcarpo.org, +27 720248704,
Kimunya Mugo, kmugo@wwfesarpo.org, +27 76 4495795
Martina Lippuner, mlippuner@wwf.panda.org, +27 729209392

Low energy light bulbs in Madagascar - a significant step towards energy efficiency

2011-11-30

Energy is essential to poverty reduction. Yet the way we produce energy is one of the biggest contributors to climate change.

We have an obligation to provide energy to those who need it, but burning more fossil fuels in the form of coal, oil and gas is going to worsen global warming and threaten food and water security further.

In Madagascar, households consume 30 percent of the electricity produced by the JIRAMA - the national electric company. For an average family, lighting represents 10 to 20 percent of their electricity bill.

Last October WWF, along with the Malagasy Ministry of Energy, the Telma foundation and the JIRAMA, launched a project called Lumitsits with the aim of creating a market for energy efficient light bulbs within the country, thus enabling energy savings and access to safe energy for all.

Energy efficient light bulbs, or low energy light bulbs, consume five times less electricity for an equal level of light produced than their ‘traditional’ homologue, who transforms 95 percent of the energy consumed in heat and only 5 percent in light, making them more eco friendly.

‘Low energy light bulbs are the cheapest most efficient available solution for homes’ says Voahirana Randriambola, coordinator of the WWF Footprint Programme.

To kick start the project and stimulate the market, some 6’000 Lumitsits light bulbs (or efficient light bulbs) were distributed in Ambositra, a town of 32’000 citizens in the central highlands of the island, which is the pilot city for the project. Other towns will follow with the objective of distributing 600’000 efficient light bulbs in eight of the biggest towns of the country.

A framework was also agreed upon in order to promote the energy efficient light bulbs at an affordable price and ban, in the long term, the presence of traditional light bulbs in the country.

‘We are hoping for a reduction of 15MW of the average electric power call during the highest traffic time. This would represent an economy of around 10 million USD per year due to a serious reduction in terms of fossil fuel consumption for electricity production by the national electricity company JIRAMA’ Voahirana Randriambola added.

Today Ambositra counts 3’000 households who are subscribed to the JIRAMA. The shift to low energy light bulbs is predicted to decrease their average electricity bill by at least seven percent, a significant economical gain for most households. Moreover, it is expected to increase the available electrical power allowing more homes to have access to electricity.

Eugénie found out about low energy light bulbs thanks to WWF last October when the Lumitsits project was launched. Along with many others she queued in the long lines to get her first Lumitsits light bulbs.

‘Our last energy bill was 40.000 Ar’ said Eugénie Rabetakalo, who lives in the district of Ampitantsena. ‘Even if we share the cost with two other families, the bill is always very hard to pay because of our low income.

‘Thanks to the three Lumitsits light bulbs I received, at this rate in a year’s time I will have been able to save 34 000 Ar, a significant amount of money that would surely improve my family’s well being’ explains
Rabetakalo who put the three light bulbs in her kitchen, children’s room and living room.

But the introduction of low energy light bulbs not only made energy more affordable for her, it changed her views on electricity.

‘I had never made the link between climate change and our consumption of electricity’ she said. ‘The great thing about these light bulbs is that they benefit both the environment and people – they consume less but at the same time increase the access to energy.’

‘People are starting to ask themselves the right questions and thinking about way they can do, at their own level, to be more energy efficient’ explains Irène, a member of the Vintsy Nato Sacré Cœur club. ‘And it’s only the beginning.’

For WWF, who launched it’s ‘Energy Vision Campaign’ last February, the Lumitsits initiative illustrates and endorses the vision that it is possible to develop and live better on a daily basis thanks to a fair and rational use of energy.

To curb and control global warming, we need to keep the Earth below a 2°C (3.4°F) increase in global average temperatures compared to pre-industrial times. There are a multitude of technologies, including energy efficient light bulbs, already available which can help achieve this.

The potential for energy efficiency around the world is tremendous and brings many benefits - whether it is cost savings, reduction of imports and therefore greater energy security, local health and environmental benefits or a slowdown in climate change.

However, technologies form just one part of the jigsaw. As important is the political framework – to ensure that the relevant technologies can really take off and be scaled up. Similarly, it is crucial that businesses and investors are sufficiently informed and prepared to drive forward change rather than wait until it is too late.

We need a revolution in the supply and consumption of energy to achieve this. We need to make a drastic switch from the current reliance on fossil fuel energy to a super-efficient system with low- and zero-carbon technologies.

UNIMA Group and WWF Madagascar join forces to promote best practices in the private sector

2011-11-25

This partnership, fruit of a common vision between the two entities, wants to promote a sustainable development within the private sector in Madagascar that benefits the communities as well as species and landscapes.

UNIMA Group, a world renowned pioneer in the aquaculture industry in Madagascar, has developed a set of best management practices to support local communities and improve environmental protection. They meet and often surpass Madagascar’s environmental protection standards and are the only shrimp production company so far having obtained the “Label Rouge”, a French label for outstanding quality.

UNIMA has also played a crucial role in helping establish the shrimp fishing association and good environmental management on their sites. Their leadership in terms of market transformational change make them an ideal partner for WWF Madagascar. The agreement signed today follows and reinforces a partnership already established in 2007.

UNIMA has opted for low density farming with 5 to 10 shrimp per square meter, instead of intensive farming with over 100 shrimp/m², a model that is common in many Asian countries. The farm is spread over 700 hectares of natural clay soil and produces over 2,500 tons of shrimp annually.

Apart from their core business, UNIMA has built schools on all of their four production sites. Well-equipped health clinics were also constructed and are open to everyone. For the symbolic price of 0.50 Euro, a whole family can get treatment and medicine for a whole year. A community library, laundry facilities and police stations complete the array of investments made in the surrounding villages.

By replanting 45 hectares of formerly depleted land with fast growing tree species, people in the villages can benefit from a renewable cooking energy source as an alternative that will help protect the unique natural dry forests and mangroves.

WWF working with private sector for a sustainable development

WWF has been present in Madagascar for 48 years. It prioritizes the preservation of biodiversity across priority landscapes and seascapes. The mangrove forests in Madagascar’s west are one of these priority seascapes and the Madagascar fish eagle, one of WWF Madagascar’s flag ship species, can be found on the UNIMA sites.

WWF also strives to integrate environmental issues into sectoral policies in Madagascar. This involves the promotion of policies that integrate environmentally sound business and social practices within industries - in this case, the aquaculture industry - to promote environmentally sustainable business practices alongside social gains for the local population.

In 2009, WWF has developed a Biodiversity Action Plan assessing all the unique species and extraordinary ecosystems that can be found on the UNIMA sites and specifying what actions need to be taken to protect them.

“WWF Madagascar has found in UNIMA the ideal partner to promote best practices that are socially acceptable and in favor of biodiversity conservation all while being economically viable” says Martin Nicoll, WWF’s Senior Conservation Advisor in Madagascar. “Many companies think it costs a lot to be good guys. We want to prove the contrary!”

Indeed, UNIMA benefits from its social and environmental engagement. Intact ecosystems are crucial for the production of their high quality shrimps. Clear water is a must for growing the shrimp post-larvae. Intact forests protect the sites against external contamination of every kind. Healthy labor forces are performing well and turnover is low. And the product itself sells well. A kilo of shrimps is being sold for over 30 Euro on European markets.

By signing a mutual agreement to promote a model for sustainable development, both partners commit to further work together to integrate best practices the in private sector. The implementation of WWF’s Biodiversity Action Plan on and around UNIMA’s production sites is one of the first common priorities.

Others include the development of a “carbon footprint” action plan to improve UNIMA’s carbon balance from currently 78% to 100% emission compensation. This should be achieved through the creation of a protected area in the vast mangrove forests of the Mahajamba Bay.

900’000 trees planted in Madagascar’s dry South West

2011-11-22

It’s not an easy life in Ankilimalinike, a small town in Madagascar’s arid spiny forest ecoregion. Most people are farmers and struggle to get by with the small yield they get from their depleted fields. They depend heavily on the surrounding natural forests, mainly to produce charcoal.

“You cannot just forbid people to extract wood and to produce charcoal. They need to cook; they need to feed their families! But we can show them an alternative to cutting down the unique spiny forest” says Rina Andrianarivony, Fuelwood & Alternatives Programme Officer at WWF Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean.

Acknowledging that people do need wood as a daily energy source, planting fast growing tree species is a possibility to reduce pressure on natural forests. Acacia sp and Eucalyptus, for example, can be exploited after only five years of being planted.

With its SEESO project (Energy Environment Synergy in the South West), WWF aimed to introduce the sustainable management of the wood energy production chain in the Atsimo Andrefana region (around Toliara) taking into account the social and economic importance of wood energy. The project was finished this September after 41 months of intervention. What appears on the balance sheet now?

850 hectares reforested in three years

Three reforestation campaigns were organized by the project, with local stakeholders, for wood energy. The SEESO project was able to mobilize 800 people from five municipalities, organized into 34 groups. The production of 1 million plants, of which 900,000 were planted, was provided by 18 local tree nursery gardeners. The seedlings consist of 500 000 acacia trees and 300 000 Eucalyptus trees. The rest are indigenous tree species.

The control of the wood energy sector in the project sites is nowadays based on official documents developed during the project phase, in collaboration with all stakeholders. These documents are among others: the Regional Decree, the official notes of the Regional Direction of Water and Forests (DREF) on marketing, bylaws and the municipal Dina (law on village level). To reinforce the regulatory system, monitoring tools were developed and distributed, materials needed for monitoring have been granted, training was provided to stakeholders at all levels, and awareness and information campaigns were held. The regulatory system is operational in four pilot municipalities.

The SEESO project fought against the increase of coal activities and worked towards the establishment of a system, which favours professional coalmen and makes it more difficult for untrained coalmen to work in this business. The number of people migrating to the forests to produce charcoal has drastically decreased and the wood exploitation for coal has decreased by half in the project’s intervention sites.

In partnership with Lalona, a national NGO, WWF trained 400 coalmen in improved carbonization. The training itself has been institutionalized and is now being continued by the coalmen themselves. 70% of the trained coalmen apply these new techniques now, representing 35% of all registered coalmen. Indeed, the technique of improved carbonization can produce twice as much charcoal than the traditional method, which reduces the amount of wood needed, to produce the same amount of charcoal, by half.

“It is crucial to regulate the charcoal trade and in order to do that in an effective way, all environmental actors must be reading from the same page and have a common approach” says Andrianarivony, Fuelwood Programme officer at WWF Madagascar. “We have therefore established a committee including government officials as well as NGOs in the energy wood sector and we are able to coordinate our actions a lot better”.

And the planting continues…

To guarantee a certain continuity, in order to reinforce and monitor the regulatory system put in place, other WWF projects in the region will take over some of the activities that, until now, have been provided by the SEESO project. Teaming up with the Tany Meva foundation, which will take care of the reforestation campaign 2011/2011, over 1000 ha of reforested areas will be reached.

To scale up the projects achievements, two other so far uncovered communities will be taken over by a new WWF project “Regulation of the wood energy sector” starting in December while Rina Andrianarivony’s staff continue to provide support in the old project sites.

By the end of 2012, 200 coalmen will be trained within the new project and another 265 hectares will be planted during the next reforestation campaign.

Other beneficial side effects from planting trees

If a renewable wood source is available to people to help meet their daily needs for construction and charcoal, they will no longer cut down far away natural forests. But the benefits go much further than that.

Reforested areas stabilize the soil and therefore prevent erosion which silts up coral reefs in bay areas. Forests are important carbon sinks improving the microclimate as well as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Wood energy plantation can take place on depleted fields that have been abandoned for agriculture. Certain species such as acacia are actually re-fertilizing the soil allowing farmers to grow crops between the trees.

“Forest areas, even new ones cannot be sold to third parties according to the Malagasy law” says Rina Andrianarivony, “people are very interested in that. It is a possibility for them to protect their land from intruders. WWF will work on that in the future, making sure that local people can gain ownership over newly planted land”.

Adapting farming to combat climate change in Madagascar - the story of Emile Jean

2011-11-11

Emile Jean lives in Tsiandriona Nord, a small village belonging to the rural community of Itampolo in the very south of Madagascar, between the forest of the lower Plateau Mahafaly and the Mozambique canal. He is part of the Mahafaly tribe and the Temitongia clan.

Like most people in the south of Madagascar, including his father and grandfather, Emile is a farmer and cattle-breeder. He owns a few Zebu, but mainly lives of the maize and vegetables he plants, half of which is sold, the other half being grown to feed his family of thirteen.

Indeed, Emile is 54 years old and lives with his wife and eleven kids, six boys and five girls, in a house with three rooms. But don’t be fooled, by local standards Emile Jean is not poor. Admittedly he had to swap his cup of morning coffee for a cup of Rohondroho, a drink somewhat like coffee but stronger, but many of his peers are in much worse situations.

The prices of food products people depend on in their daily lives, such as cassava, maize, rice, oil and sugar have doubled, and many cannot afford to buy them anymore. This is mainly due to the shortening of the rainy season and the harsh weather conditions.

During the past years there have been noticeable changes in the rainfall patterns. Five years ago, the annual rainfall fluctuated between 800 to 900 mm while it rarely reaches 500 mm nowadays. The distribution of rain has changed unpredictably. Storms have become less frequent and more intense.

The temperatures have also been increasing yearly, particularly in the inland areas north and east of the plateau Mahafaly. The weather shifts result in a longer dry period (7 to 8 months) and a shorter rainy season (2 months from February), which make it harder for farmers to plant and live off their crops all year round.

‘When my father was young, they had a bad year every seven years’ said Emile Jean. ‘Now, it’s every two years. And we even risk having many bad years in a row’.

A bad year is a year when the dry season - hot or fresh - is longer than normal. It occurred less regularly 30 to 20 years ago but bad years are now more frequent, and the former bad years are now becoming the normal years.

‘For some years now, we have been losing a part of our manioc yield. We used to be able to plant in the Lohatao season but now the rain comes too late’ explained Emile.

Many farmers used to start planting in the Lohatao season, which starts with the first rain when the temperatures decrease, in order to bridge the gap between two harvesting periods. Now, this is impossible as the temperatures don’t decrease before the rainy season and there is no Lahatao, or first rain.

When a serious drought occurs, not only do farmers have no maize and vegetables to sell on the local market, they don’t even get enough of their harvests to feed their families. That is sadly how famine arises.

During food crises, Governments and Organizations such as the World Food Program, organize food supplying. Despite those efforts, the poorest families most of the time have no other choice then to temporarily migrate to the forestry areas where they produce charcoal and look for food by hunting and picking.

So as natural cycles changed, farmers such as Emile Jean, had to accept the changes in the seasonal calendar and adapt as they went along - they reduced planting harvests which require a lot of water like maize and switched to drought resistant crops; they now also wait for the rainy season to plant to avoid losing their seeds.

In some regions like the Mahafaly plateau, WWF has not only been encouraging farmers to plant drought resistant crops but has been extensively promoting improved agriculture techniques such as drip irrigation and market gardening.

'Since 2003, WWF has promoted agro-ecological practices to help communities to better adapt their agricultural activities and techniques to the harsh climatic conditions' says Soarinosy Gladys Ranalisolofo, project manager for WWF’s sustainable land management programme (SLM). 'For example, we teach farmers how to use vegetative cover seeding to reduce evaporation by retaining the maximum of moisture on the plants and soften heat effects.'

'We also promote culture association - where you plant leguminous with graminous crops - and culture rotation, as they help to increase productivity and preserve the soil for a longer period of production' she added.

But the most important step forward in adapting to climate change in the south of the island was the transfer of forest management to Community Based Organizations (CBO).

Villagers from the Mahafaly Plateau believe that changes in climate, as with many other natural things, occur because God and the spirits living in the forests are angry. They think that God gives rain to places where animals live for them to drink, and that the rain also benefits the surrounding villages, and therefore the humans who live in them.

‘We sacrificed a zebu to ask God for his protection during these difficult times’ said Emile Jean. ‘In exchange we promised to protect nature and the forest. It was like a contract and God helped us through difficult times.'

According to theTemitongoa's beliefs, there is less and less rain because the animals are being killed or have to run from their forums, due to forst cover loss. By protecting the forests - and resorting to community based forest management - the Temitongoa believe they will make up with God and the spirits and which will call back animals to forests.

The village elders still look out for signs of rain, hoping that their many sacrafices have made God happy. But sadly, the rain still isn't coming.

To start building database of rainfall which will help to have more precise trend of future rainfall, WWF has distributed 30 rain gauges to communities across the Mahafaly Plateau, including Emile Jean's villageTsiandriona Nord, to allow villagers to collect rainfall data themselves.

In 2010, the villagers were also trained to be able to interpret the data, in order to translate it into understandable information for them. Thanks to this, they now know what to plant and when. These activities have helped make great advancements in adapting to climate change and have therefore been scaled up in 2011.

But despite the efforts and successes Emile Jean is still shaken - things will never come back to the way they were before. For farmers like him, what once was is no longer so.

Emile Jean's eleven kids all go to school. And in light of the not so bright future, his biggest wish is for them to not follow in their father's footsteps. He'd much rather they become intellectuals, so that they don't have to depend on natural resources like him.

A day of hope for Madagascar’s rainforests

2011-09-30

Antananarivo – After two years of continuous lobbying against illegal logging of precious hardwoods, which hit some of Madagascar’s most unique national parks, new international trade regulations enforcing more transparency promise a further breakthrough.

The CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) secretary in Geneva has announced two days ago, that it will extend its trade controls of 89 Malagasy precious wood species by listing them on CITES appendix III as of 22 December 2011, “in an effort to curb the increase in illegal timber trade by enabling verification of legal origin under CITES standards”.

The CITES secretary listed five species of rosewood (Dalbergia) and 84 species of ebony (Diospyros) on Appendix III. All export of these newly listed species must now be accompanied by a document certifying its legal origin.

“CITES will support Madagascar’s effort to control their timber trade and ensure that such trade remains legal and traceable. Regulating trade in these high-value timber species under CITES will help ensure that the benefits of trade flow to local people and it will also serve the global community by helping conserve these species, which will be to the benefit of entire ecosystems" said CITES Secretary-General, John Scanlon.

A day worth remembering

“This day is worth remembering and the listing of rosewood and ebony from Madagascar on CITES Appendix III means a lot to help Madagascar better control its wood exports and enforce its laws with the help of CITES member countries especially after the increase of illegal export between 2009 and 2010” says Tiana Ramahaleo WWF Madagascar’s Species and Conservation Planning Programme Coordinator.

Since the promulgation in 2010 of a decree forbidding cutting, transporting, selling and exporting of rosewood and ebony species, exports had already drastically decreased.

The current Minister for Water and Forest, Herilanto Raveloarison, has taken a firm stance and forced the well-known handful of timber barons to declare their existing precious wood stocks. Several individuals have been arrested under his initiative.

Madagascar has furthermore added more than 5 million hectares of protected area with at least temporary protection in the last 3 of years. The decision to include 89 Malagasy wood species on CITES Appendix III is another sign of willingness to go into the right direction.

WWF MWIOPO (Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Programme Office) representatives with the Malagasy scientific community have lobbied for one and a half years to mobilise local decision makers such as the Ministry for Water and Forests and the CITES authorities in Madagascar. This is the first inclusion of Malagasy precious woods on the CITES list.

But with CITES Appendix III being the weakest of all CITES protections, this memorable success is just a stepping stone towards the re-establishment of good governance in the forest sector in the long term.

“The Madagascar Environmental community now needs to make sure that custom officers and foresters at the borders know what they need to do. WWF will lobby for listing Malagasy rosewood and ebony species on CITES Appendix II where they will be better protected. We will also continue to engage national stake holders in developing a vision for a sustainable management of forest resources in Madagascar” says Ramahaleo.

The results of the investigation on the rosewood trafficking carried out by Global Witness during the peak of the environment crisis (June 2009) showed that virtually all rosewoods collected from Madagascar’s National Parks went to China where some of it was resold to other countries such as Germany and the US.

In setting up good management of these species, China will play a central role. WWF hopes that with the listing on CITES Appendix III, TRAFFIC Asia (a joint programme of WWF and IUCN) and the Chinese CITES authority, the import of these endangered Malagasy precious wood species to China will decrease.

Research on the threat status of rose wood and ebony species as well as WWF’s lobbying efforts in Madagascar were made possible through funding from WWF Switzerland.

Enterprising women in peanut fields

2011-09-21

Madame Philomène stands in the middle of a steep peanut field. She pulls out weeds and checks the small plants. “The soil is not the best,” she says, looking slightly worried. “The rain should come, too”.

The Holistic Conservation Programme for Forest (HCPF) helped the women from Tsaratanana create their own association. It is called Tsara ezaka (“good effort”) and led by Madame Philomène. Its 24 members received training in vegetable farming.

Good money

As a result, they have started growing tomatoes, eggplants, peanuts and cabbage. Philomène and her friends are selling their products on the market in Vondrozo. And they are making good money – they earned 370,000 Ariary (about 150 Euro) for their first season!

Four women who live in the village take care of the gardens and water the plants every other day. The other women take care of the maintenance of the peanut fields which are a bit further away from Tsaratanana.

“When there are too many weeds, we call our husbands to help us,” says a giggling Philomène. “But we don’t need them for the rest”.

Communal granary

The next project of the women association is the creation a communal granary. Buying the rice while it is cheap and storing it will help avoid famine and spending too much money when there is hardly any rice on the market.

Then, they will farm other types of vegetables. “Our main objective is to improve everyone’s livelihood and make sure our kids don’t starve,” says Philomène.

Massive growth

And what is the link with forest conservation? After WWF field staff started raising awareness on the importance of protected forests and explained the law to the Tsaratanana people, many of those who used to clear land inside the forest corridor left it and settled down in the village.

As a result, the Tsaratanana population grew from 10 households to over 60. To keep them in the village and make sure they see the benefits of forest protection, the HCPF is investing much time and effort to develop alternative livelihoods, working closely with local associations.

By acknowledging the villagers’ ambitions and helping them realize their projects, WWF ensures this development is sustainable and the results last long after the end of the project

Here comes the forest police!

2011-08-15

Better law enforcement and the promotion of alternative activities are crucial to halt the clearing of forest for land and slash-and-burn agriculture. Hence the creation of a forest police in community-managed areas.

You cannot tell poor farmers not to clear forest for land without offering them sound and credible alternatives, encouraging and training them to manage their natural resources, and ensuring the law is implemented. This is major challenge but also a priority for WWF.

By creating community based forest management associations (COBA), WWF helps villagers take over the responsibility for the management of their own natural resources.

”Polisin’ ala”

And ”Polisin’ ala”, the forest police, is patrolling and checking the woodlands to makes sure no one takes what is supposed to stay there.

In Vohimary-Nord, near Vondrozo, WWF helped create a COBA in 2006. At that time, a dozen hectares of natural forest were being cleared and burnt in the village vicinity to grow rice.

Four colleagues

Together with four colleagues, Kotobatovisa forms the forest police. “When we decided about our own ‘dina’, the local laws, we fixed the penalty for slash-and-burn in the forest at 250,000 Ariary (about 100 Euros),” he says. “This is a lot, but we purposely wanted it to hurt and be dissuasive. You are not supposed to burn down our natural resources!”

Every fortnight, Kotobatovisa and his team are spending three days in the forest to check every corner of it.

Lemurs and villains

They follow three paths and report on anything they can spot, from stumps of freshly cut trees to sights of lemurs and birds. And they sometimes catch villains.

Their presence and controls have proven to be very effective: slash-and-burn inside the forest has almost disappeared.

However the problem is not entirely solved: “People are still burning their pastures around the forest,” Kotobatovisa adds. “Sometimes they don’t pay attention, the winds change direction and the fire spreads to the woodland.”

Ineffective court

In 2009, the forest police arrested a man who wanted to clear again 10 hectares of forest regrowth. Since he couldn’t pay the fine, they brought him to court, where nothing ever happened.

“Maybe he had friends there,” says Kotobatovisa. “That’s a real problem: the COBAs do their work but the courts are still not functioning properly.”

Helping forest restoration

The Holistic Conservation Programme for Forests is supporting the efforts of the forest police as they also contribute to increase the passive restoration of the forest – the natural regeneration of it, without planting trees – which is one of the objectives of the project.

Passive restoration only works if there are still patches of natural forest around, containing tree seeds. Then, all you have to do is to protect the area from new clearing attempts – a perfect job for the “Polisin’ala”.

A national duty!

“It has become a national duty for me to protect our forests, as they are the source of food and water,” adds Kotobatovisa. “And COBAs with large forests can obtain funds for the future of their people. I am interested in that.”

Malagasy authorities arrest smugglers, seize 196 endangered tortoises

2011-07-29

Antananarivo, Madagascar. July 29, 2011 – Two men are on trial in Antananarivo for trying to smuggle nearly 200 of some of the world’s rarest tortoises out of the country.

Malagasy authorities arrested a local man and an Indian national at Ivato Airport in Antananarivo on Monday morning just before they were to depart for Nairobi. 195 endemic baby tortoises and one adult Ploughshare tortoise were found inside three suitcases which had managed to bypass airport security but were then scanned just in time to allow authorities to make the arrests.

WWF Regional Representative in Madagascar Richard Hughes said “We applaud the government and authorities for the increased vigilance in enforcing the law, as in this case, and encourage that this and other cases be followed through to full and effective prosecution.”

“The Malagasy Transitional Government has recently shown signs of a political will to address trafficking issues, especially for precious woods such as rosewood and ebony” says Ndranto Razakamanarina, WWF Policy Advisor in Madagascar.

“This political will should be extended to the enforcement of Malagasy law and all crimes against protected species endemic to Madagascar such as tortoises. “

Three Main Threats

A WWF survey published last year showed that ten or more zebu carts filled with around 1000 tortoises each are leaving the Mahafaly Plateau in south Madagascar every week, and pointed to ongoing political instability as the driver for the large jump in illegal collection of Spider Tortoises and Radiated Tortoises.

Madagascar’s endemic tortoises face three main threats. International commercial trade in Spider Tortoises, Ploughshare Tortoises or Radiated Tortoises is already banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), but they are still being heavily exploited to satisfy demand in Asia and Europe where they are being sold as pets.

WWF estimates that as many as 60,000 tortoises are being extracted from the wild every year.

Radiated tortoises are also eaten by the local population, especially during Easter, Independence Day and Christmas, but with increased poverty and food insecurity consumption is on the rise. Lastly, their habitat is being destroyed because of the ongoing cutting and burning of Malagasy forests.

High risk of extinction

Two species of tortoises endemic to the south and south-east of Madagascar, the radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) and the spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides), are part of the flagship species of the spiny forest eco-region. They are at a high risk of extinction if the current rate of poaching continues.

Aware of this tragic possibility, WWF MWIOPO (Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Programme Office) developed an action plan for the conservation of these two tortoise species in 2010.

These actions have already produced encouraging results in WWF project sites. From December 2010 to January 2011, 393 tortoises - 277 radiated tortoises and 116 spider tortoises, destined for international trafficking were seized by forest service officers and members of the police force.

Nevertheless, seizures like the one last Monday show that endemic Malagasy tortoises are still leaving the country illegally and despite the efforts of authorities most are probably going unnoticed.

“It is saddening to see Madagascar’s natural resources leave the country at such a high rate” says Richard Hughes. "The middle-men and traffickers are exploiting the local populations, to the detriment of the country's natural riches."

“The laws are in place, but weak enforcement, penalties out of proportion to the money at stake in illegal trafficking, and opportunities for corruption have rendered them largely ineffective.”

Ndranto Razakamanarina adds “Strong measures should be taken to ensure that the application of penalties is effective and appropriate and that there is no possibility of compromise or exception.”

Malagasy Frontier Police seize Indonesia-bound shipment of ‘world’s rarest’ tortoises

2011-07-27

Frontier Police found 26 Ploughshare Tortoises Astrochelys yniphora, 169 Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata and one Spider Tortoise Pyxis arachnoides in a box and three large bags that were transported directly to the tarmac, circumventing security scanners, according to local media reports.

Upon scanning the bags, authorities discovered the tortoises hidden inside and proceeded to arrest two men, one of whom had already boarded the flight. The two arrested were a Malagasy and an Indian national.

Local media have quoted Brunel Razafintsiandraofa, Chief of Border Police, as saying that the smuggler’s final destination was Indonesia, via Nairobi and Dubai. He also told press that the principal destination of wildlife trafficked from Madagascar was to South-East Asia.

The shipment includes a stunning number of Ploughshare Tortoises, of which there are only a few hundred left in the wild, making it one of the world’s rarest tortoise species.

All three tortoise species seized are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered—considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild—and fully protected by law in Madagascar. All three occur naturally only in Madagascar.

Their international commercial trade is also banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), yet these species frequently turn up in seizures and are seen for sale in markets of South-East Asia.

This June, TRAFFIC released the results of its investigations in Thailand, which found over a hundred Radiated Tortoises, dozens of Spider Tortoises, and three Ploughshare Tortoises for sale in markets and online.

In February this year, authorities in Bangkok arrested an Indonesian national with seven Radiated and one Ploughshare Tortoise in his bags at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

In August 2010, TRAFFIC also observed these species for sale at an expo in Jakarta. Several large-scale seizures of these tortoises were also made in Malaysia and Thailand in 2010. Most were found stuffed and hidden in luggage smuggled through airports.

A WWF survey published last year showed that ten or more zebu carts filled with around 100 tortoises each are leaving the Mahafaly Plateau in south Madagascar every week, and pointed to ongoing political instability as the driver for the large jump in illegal collection of Spider Tortoises and Radiated Tortoises.

“Those involved in apprehending these criminals in Ivato are to be congratulated,” says Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Regional Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

“Responsibility does not lie with Madagascar alone, but also with importing countries. The authorities in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia should take firm and immediate action against those trading in these species and put an end to this illicit trade.”

Press reports say the turtles were given over to the Water and Forest Services.

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This press release was published by TRAFFIC on July 27th 2011.
TRAFFIC is a joint programme of and

New WWF MWIOPO newsletter

2011-07-18

WWF MWIOPO is pleased to present its newsletter "Newsbites" for April-June 2011.

- aerial surveillance: fight against deforestation;

- political situation in Madagascar;

- new species discovered, launch of Madagascar species report;

- transferring natural resources management to communities;

- international year of the forest on the Mahafaly Plateau;

- new strategic planning for MWIOPO.

And much more!

Happy reading!

Want to get Newsbites every three months? Drop us an email at Newsbites@wwf.mg!

Sustainable development - what does it really mean?

2011-07-15

Written by 2010 Explore! Volunteer Cara Brook - Sustainable development. It’s a term that I heard so often thrown around in my university lectures and seminars. I used it myself in catch phrases and presentations, but never once did I stop to really reflect on what those words really mean…

Sustainable—capable of being carried out on a long term timescale, and in the case of WWF’s work, on a long term timescale without lasting impact on the environment.
Development—the act of progress and growth. In the case of the “developing world,” the idea of bringing third world countries up to a first world standard of living with regard to technology, economy, and everyday comforts.

Sustainable development, then? In a nutshell, it is the question of how to give the people of places like rural Madagascar a quality of life that rivals that of the developed world without threatening the natural environment in the process. That sounds like a difficult task, indeed. I graduated from Stanford University in June of 2010 with my head full of ideas and ambitions but with little background in practical, on-the-ground field conservation. I arrived in Madagascar, wide-eyed, eager, hopeful, and ready to make a difference in the world. But upon my first sight of the Malagasy countryside, I was shocked.

Only 10-20% of the Madagascar’s original forest land remains, and my volunteer group’s three-day transit from the capital city, Antananarivo, to our field site in the remote, southeastern town of Vondrozo bore witness to deforestation of massive proportions. Some 80-90% of Madagascar’s land area is burned on an annual basis, a staggering figure that reflects the Malagasy people’s widespread use of tavy, a slash-and-burn agricultural practice, and doro-tanetry, a method of landscape burning meant to make way for grasses on which to graze zebu, Madagascar’s emblematic cattle. The once-verdant landscape between Tana and Vondrozo is, today, a red and barren wasteland. Madagascar sits at a delicate point in its development history, for the threats to its fragile and unique ecosystem are many and very real. However, through the work of conservation groups like WWF, I believe that a sustainable, developed future for the Malagasy people is still a possibility.

My horror at Madagascar’s widespread environmental destruction was tempered by an astonished awe at the country’s diverse ecology and incredible people. I saw sights the likes of which few westerners have seen before—wild, overgrown valleys, plummeting waterfalls, twinkling fireflies in inky, black skies. There were sunrises and sunsets and lemurs climbing ravinala palms and chameleons changing color to match the sleeve of my raincoat. There were inspiring Malagasy boys who showed us secret forests full of wildlife that they longed to protect and old Malagasy men who talked of the trees’ importance in regulating climate and young Malagasy women who told us that by asking what about Madagascar’s environment was important to them, we were encouraging people to reflect and learn about themselves.

And I, too, was learning—more than any classroom had ever taught me. “Ecology has a synonym which is ALL,” wrote American author, John Steinbeck in his ecological treatise, The Log from the Sea of Cortez . And Madagascar unveiled to me the truth of those words.

I learned that conservation is not just about ecological transects and data tables but also about planting sustainable crops, cooking on wood-conserving stoves, and maintaining a well-balanced diet. I learned that the future of Madagascar’s environment rests in the hands of bureaucrats in Tana, professors in New York, volunteers in Vondrozo, kind men and women in the forest-community of Vohimary Nord, and so, so many others. I learned to think holistically, for the environment encompasses both the natural world and the people who inhabit it, and if we are to preserve the former, we must also maintain the livelihood of the latter. In short, I learned the true meaning of sustainable development.

In my time in Madagascar, I saw landscapes so beautiful that they brought tears to my eyes, I worked with colleagues so remarkable that I felt proud just to have known them, and I felt a fierce sense of injustice in the freedom I had to return after three months to my comfortable home in California when the people of Vondrozo had no choice but to continue trying to eke out a living in the poor, rural community in which they were born. I maintain no illusions about the difficulty of the path ahead, but I feel a desperate need to go back to this wondrous, extraordinary place and make sustainable development a living, working reality. Our Explore! group saw models of ecotourism at its finest in some of Madagascar’s iconic national parks, but it was the beautiful yet unprotected ecosystem of the Vondrozo Forest Corridor and its subsistence-level human population that truly astonished me. It is to Vondrozo that I long to one day return and further explore its potential for conservation along with sustainable human development.

And so, I learned more in Madagascar than I could ever do justice in words. I discovered new things about myself, about my colleagues, about their fascinating countries—Canada, Austria, Spain, France, even Madagascar itself—and about how our fates and the fate of our natural world are all inter-related and inter-dependant. It is true that I have physically left Madagascar, but there is much that ties me to the country still. In the words of John Steinbeck, I have “become forever a part of it…truly and permanently a factor in the ecology of the region.”

Madagascar: Risk and Possibility from WWF Volunteers on Vimeo.
Volunteers from the 2010 Vondrozo, Madagascar team discuss risk and possibility for Madagascar's environmental future.

Version française:

Madagascar: Le Risque et La Possibilité from WWF Volunteers on Vimeo.

Un documentaire qui discute l'histoire environnementale de Madagascar et ce qu'on peut prévoir au futur à condition qu`on fasse de bons choix.

About WWF's work in Vondrozo:

The Vondrozo Forest Corridor is 70km long and approx 10km wide and links the Reserves of the Vondrozo Forest and the Pic D’Ivohibe.

The Vondrozo Forest Corridor is rich in biodiversity with approx. 65 plant species, 7 species of lemurs and more than 60 bird species, most of which are endemic to Madagascar.

However, local communities are very dependent on the forest and a lot of slash and burn (“tavy”) and hunting takes place in this area.

The aim of the WWF project is to assist and motivate the local communities to identify ways to manage their natural resources in a more sustainable manner.

One of the main activities is to create awareness on the importance of the forest and the transfer of forest management to the local communities.

About the Explore Volunteer Programme

The WWF Youth Volunteer Programme enables committed and outstanding young people, aged 20-27, to have 3-6 month volunteer experiences working with WWF in such countries as Madagascar, India, Paraguay, South Pacific and Bhutan.

The goal of the volunteer programme is to provide you with a powerful, direct experience of the unique challenges developing nations face in protecting their environment and its assets.

The aim is also is to enable you to effectively communicate your experiences to others (there's more on this below and under The Deal is This).

Overall, WWF wants to provide you with an insight into the world of conservation work on the ground, in the field. In doing so it hopes and believes that you will be inspired and motivated by what you see and what you do, and that you will carry this through the rest of your life.

www.panda.org/explore

Madagascar wildlife on sale in Thailand

2011-06-16

Bangkok, Thailand —Thailand’s pet dealers are supplying large numbers of Madagascar’s most threatened reptiles and amphibians to local and international markets, despite unanswered questions over the legality of the imports, a new TRAFFIC report has found.

A 15-day survey of 32 vendors in Bangkok and eight Thai provinces by TRAFFIC investigators found 591 specimens of Malagasy reptiles and amphibians available for sale.

“Of particular concern was the large scale trade in endemic Malagasy chameleons,” states their report, Trade in Madagascar’s endemic reptiles and amphibians in Thailand.

The investigators found 233 chameleons representing 16 species for sale in markets, shops and internet traders’ homes, including the Antsingy Leaf Chameleon, a species whose international commercial trade is prohibited under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

While some chameleon species from Madagascar can be legally traded with permits, up to 78 percent—some 3,738 individuals—imported to Thailand between 2004 and 2005, had been declared as “captive-bred” in Kazakhstan or re-exported from Lebanon, notes the report.

However, analysis of official trade data showed that Kazakhstan had reported no imports of chameleons from Madagascar, nor had any country reported exports of Malagasy chameleons to Kazakhstan. Clearly imports of Malagasy chameleons are a pre-requisite to establishing captive breeding populations and many of the exports went to Lebanon, from where they were re-exported to Thailand.

“If large-scale captive-breeding operations of Malagasy chameleons are indeed taking place in Kazakhstan, where did they source their breeding stock and why are many of the exports going via Lebanon, a country that is not a party to CITES?” asks Chris Shepherd, Deputy Director of TRAFFIC South-East Asia.

Official trade data show Lebanon legally imported 32 Madagascan chameleons in 2005 from CITES Parties.
“Even at the highest theoretical hatching and survival rates, it is impossible for 32 chameleons to produce the thousands of offspring Thailand declared as imported from Lebanon in subsequent years, so how is the shortfall accounted for?” asks Shepherd.

Other species discovered during TRAFFIC’s investigations in Thailand included over a hundred Radiated Tortoises, dozens of Spider Tortoises, and three Ploughshare Tortoises—three of the world’s rarest tortoise species. All are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered and international commercial trade in all is banned under CITES. The Radiated Tortoise population is believed to have shrunk to 30% or less of its former range in south-west Madagascar since 2009.

According to Richard Hughes, WWF’s Representative in Madagascar: “We know there is a significant ongoing illegal trade in protected species from Madagascar, mainly destined for Asia, which has been exacerbated by the current political situation in the country leading to weaker enforcement of existing laws and safeguarding of protected areas.”

TRAFFIC’s investigations found that trade in Malagasy reptiles and amphibians, once concentrated in Bangkok’s Chatuchak market, has now spread to provincial towns and is rife on the Internet, with evidence to suggest a network of dealers who supply both national and international clients.

The report urges Thai authorities to investigate and put a stop to imports from questionable sources through international co-operation. It also calls for stern action against traders who sell illegal reptiles and amphibians.
“Traders who sell illegally acquired reptiles and amphibians show total contempt for the law and undermine Thailand’s enforcement efforts,” said Shepherd.

For example, last week, more than 800 protected reptiles were interdicted by Thai authorities at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

“Seizures of Malagasy chameleons by airport authorities are testament to the continuing illegal trade, but as the current report amply demonstrates, only through making regular visits to markets stalls and other vendors can we hope to unearth the true scale of the illicit trade and its potential impact on wild chameleon populations,” said Dr Richard Jenkins, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Chameleon Specialist Group.

In 2013, Thailand will host the next meeting of the conference of the Parties to CITES, which representatives of 175 governments are expected to attend to discuss wildlife trade issues.

New Madagascar species discovered weekly, many already endangered

2011-06-06

Scientists in Madagascar discovered more than 615 species, including 41 mammals between 1999 and 2010 but many of the exciting and colourful creatures are already endangered.

Madagascar’s unique habitats are facing numerous threats, but deforestation is among the most serious, with experts saying that the island has already lost 90% of its original forest cover.

New finds since 1999 include 385 plants, 42 invertebrates, 17 fish, 69 amphibians, 61 reptiles and 41 mammals.

Treasure Island: New biodiversity in Madagascar, a WWF report compiling discoveries made in one decade shows the immense diversity of the natural wealth on the world’s fourth largest island, but offers one more dramatic reminder of the increasing threats to this fragile environment.

“This report shows once again how unique and irreplaceable the different ecosystems in Madagascar hosting all these different species are”, says Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, WWF Madagascar’s Conservation Director.

“WWF works every day to establish a representative protected area network and to promote sustainable livelihood alternatives to allow people in Madagascar to live in harmony with the natural world surrounding them”.

Although just found, many of the species, including Berthe’s Mouse Lemur, are already endangered due to rapidly progressing environmental degradation, driven mainly by deforestation.

The magnificent Tahina Palm(Tahina spectabilis), a massive fan palm which flowers only once in a lifetime with a spectacular, giant inflorescence that forms from the centre of the crown, is undoubtedly among the most exciting scientific discoveries. After fruiting, the palm dies and collapses.

But for all those who know Madagascar thanks to its famous lemurs, one of the planet’s most charismatic animals, the discovery of the Berthe’s Mouse Lemur (Microcebus berthae) in 2000 was the most exciting news.

Weighing only 30 grams, the cute reddish-brown coloured creature resembling one of the characters of the blockbuster film Madagascar is not only the tiniest of the mouse lemurs but also the smallest primate in the world.

Paradise in danger

One of the greatest tropical wildernesses left on Earth and home to some of the most spectacular wildlife, the island is home to 5% of the world’s plant and animal species, of which more than 70% are found nowhere else on earth.

The wildlife includes the aye-aye, radiated and spider tortoises, marine turtles, flying fox, fossa, tenrec, chameleons, crocodiles and many others.

But this biodiversity paradise is in danger with many species on the brink of extinction. As deforestation and habitat fragmentation continue, so do erosion and sedimentation of coral reefs, leaving communities more vulnerable than ever. Droughts force people to abandon their fields and move towards the ocean where they practice unsustainable fishing methods causing fish stocks to dwindle away even faster.

In the aftermath of a coup in March 2009 and subsequent political turmoil, Madagascar's rainforests were pillaged for precious hardwoods, especially rosewood. Tens of thousands of hectares were affected, including some of the island's most biologically diverse national parks Marojejy, Masoala, Makira and Mananara.

These logging activities also resulted in the rise of commercial bush meat trade. Specialised restaurants in Madagascar’s north sold lemur meat for as little as 3 Euro a plate. The political instability and increased crime rates, resulting in part increased poverty hurt the once flourishing tourism industry, one of very few livelihood options for people around national parks.

Among other discoveries was an exceptionally-coloured new snake species discovered in 2010 within Makira National Park, where illegal logging has possibly reduced these snake populations already.

Scientists also discovered a new colour-changing gecko, resembling the bark of a tree. It can quickly change its colour from a subtle brown to a colourful bright blue during courtship.

“These spectacular new species show what’s at stake in Madagascar and what can be lost if we don’t save it. WWF Madagascar will put all its effort and money towards protecting priority land- and seascapes and priority species” says Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana.

“By protecting the environment and the island’s biodiversity, we are helping both the local communities and national government to attain more sustainable long-term development goals, and helping the world to protect irreplaceable natural resources.”

The Female Liberation Movement in Ivohibe

2011-05-31

In 2006, a woman called Razafindrafara Honorine became president of a COBA (a community based forest management association) in Ambatovita, 5 kilometres (more than 3 miles) from Ivohibe in the eastern moist forest. She was democratically elected after two years of mismanagement by the COBA’s first president.

“I could not believe my eyes” says Janvier Robert, a WWF field agent in Ivohibe. “You know, we are Bara, a very proud and traditional people. In our society, women are at home taking care of the household, cooking food and looking after the children. They aren’t even allowed to speak when men are around. This is very promising!”

Razafindrafara Honorine is a petite woman with kind eyes. She doesn’t seem like a revolution leader; nevertheless her presidency is a sign of a changing society, a society, where women can have a job and responsibility and are well respected.

“You know, it just didn’t work” she says.

“When WWF came here in 2004 to help create our COBA, we were all motivated to take over responsibility for the management of our dwindling forest. But then, he ended up being president, vice president, treasurer and counsellor. He wouldn’t let us members do a thing. Money disappeared. It was not how it was supposed to be.

"Madame Honorine complained and talked to her neighbours about the unsatisfying situation. Everyone agreed: things had to change! In an extraordinary meeting the COBA members forced their president to resign. The same morning, they proposed Madame Honorine as a candidate, which shocked her, as she says. “I was afraid to take this role over and didn’t want to have problems with the old president.” But her community didn’t concede. It was clear to them that she was the right person for the job.

“It is WWF’s constant presence since 1995 and its work with female associations that slowly changed people’s mindsets” says Honorine and giggles.

She seems quite comfortable in her role now. Every Tuesday she puts on a nice blouse and walks the 7 kilometres (more than 4 miles) to Ambatovita, near the corridor. As soon as she arrives in the village, the COBA members gather and sit down in a circle, usually under the shade of a tree. The president salutes everyone and they discuss for half an hour or so. One of their next plans is to build stock houses.

The COBA members in Ambatovita have already received training in apiculture, fish farming, vegetable growing and tree nursing by WWF staff. In 2010 they have planted 10,000 young trees. 7,744 have survived. The forest is on its way back in Ambatovita.

Edmond Salomon Rasolondraibe is a social field agent for WWF’s project Civil Society Empowerment in Ivohibe. He is also amazed by what happened in Ambatovita. “It is particularly joyful to work with Madame Honorine and the reorganised COBA. They are so motivated” he says.

“With the new project, we will fight against analphabetism in Ambatovita and surroundings. We will show farmers how to read the scale, so no one can take their rice bag for half the price anymore. We will continue to work with and create new associations for women as these prove to care for their children’s future much more than men. ”

Transferring natural resource management to local communities

2011-05-16

Everyone in Fiadanana and Ankarinoro showed up when the two local communities celebrated their newly acquired right to manage their forest resources themselves. Heads of administrative units as well as managers of technical organizations of the region Amoron’i Mania, mayors, forest authorities, WWF agents from Antananarivo and Fandriana, traditional leaders and of course the local population came in their numbers to attend the official ceremony.

Before any celebration could take place, traditional rituals were duly performed. Both the former governmental forest manager and the newly empowered community based forest management association had to request blessings from the village elders and the ancestors. Several people thereafter held speeches after which contracts were actually signed.

“This is a big day for these communities”, says Appolinaire Razafimahatratra, head of project in Fandriana. “It took 2 two years of raising awareness in the villages, sustainable forest management training for resource users and paper work to get the official contract signed today. We are all proud to be here and confident that with this community based management model, the course for a more sustainable future is set.”

The Holistic Conservation Programme for Forests (HCPF) works on 5 different sites from Andapa in Madagascar’s north to Fort Dauphin in the southeast. The transfer of forest management to local communities is a key element in its conservation strategy. “If you explain to people what happens if the forest disappears, if you empower them by giving them training and a perspective on how things can be done differently, they do get on board” says Maminiaina Rasamoelina, the Tana-based HCPF coordinator.

The new board members of the community based forest management association will still need WWF’s support, at least over the two coming years. “It’s a ‘learning by doing’ approach” says Appolinaire Razafimahatratra, “and we reinforce their capacity to become sustainable resource users by working with them at eye-level. As they go we detect problems and help them overcome those all while encouraging them for their efforts.”

The human cost of climate change in southern Madagascar

2011-05-11

According to the World Bank, Madagascar has seen a 10 percent increase in temperature and a 10 percent decrease in rainfall in the past 50 years, with a devastating impact on the farming and fishing communities. Years of drought in the south of the country have left people there facing chronic hunger and high rates of malnutrition. In this film, we look at the charcoal industry in the south, and discover how the prolonged drought has driven farmers - whose barren fields can no longer support them - into the forests in search of a livelihood. In a country that relies almost exclusively on charcoal as a cooking fuel, wood is one of the few resources left for them to exploit.

Watch the film about charcoal production and WWF's work here

In Madagascar, an estimated 65 percent of the population of 19 million live on little more than US$1 a day and the country has long been plagued by political crises. Climate change adds insult to injury. Farther south, communities are under siege from the relentless march of sand; dunes sweep in on the wind and claim the void left by farmland choked dry by years of drought. In villages such as Androka, the sand and floods have forced hundreds of people to flee. Some have taken refuge in new towns, but remain hostage to the ravages of climate. Just outside New Androka, a farmer sweats over the rather pathetic looking maize crop that he has managed to coax out of the sand.

Watch the film about shifting sands here

Source: IRIN humanitarian news and analysis
In collaboration with WWF MWIOPO and WWF Toliara

Sustainable Land Management in the Arid South of Madagascar

2011-05-05

The arid south of Madagascar, from the calcareous plateau of Mahafaly to the Greater south of the Antandroy district, is caught in a vicious circle of “poverty-environmental degradation-poverty” that sees a shockingly high 95% of the population living below the poverty line. There, the compounded effect of an arid climate, fragile and poor soils, increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns, recurrent droughts, low education, limited options outside the natural resources and low levels of development poses serious challenges for the local populations. The area nevertheless forms one of the most unique and biologically rich drylands areas on Earth, with a large number of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. The natural habitat constitutes of spiny forest and harbors the highest level of plant endemism both at the generic (48%) and species (95%) in all of Madagascar.

To stop, prevent and reverse further degradation, WWF/UNDP/GEF will be implementing ‘’Sustainable Land Management (SLM)’’, an approach that was pioneered by the World Bank, FAO and Terre Africa initially in sub-Saharan Africa to meet rising food demands while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods, in the South of Madagascar. SLM can be defined as a knowledge-based process that helps integrate land, water biodiversity, and environmental management. Whist many aspects of SLM are certainly not novel to Madagascar such as participatory approaches and improved farming systems, nevertheless, SLM itself tries to combine four principles for an integrated approach. This includes: 1. land-user-driven and participatory approaches; 2. Integrated use of natural resources at ecosystem and farming systems levels; 3. Multilevel and multi-stakeholder involvement; 4 Targeted policy and institutional support, including development of incentive mechanisms for SLM adoption and Income generation at the local level.

Location and characteristics of the zone for SLM

The location for applying SLM will be south of Plateau Mahafaly, in a cultural transition zone from Mahafaly communities to Antandroy, a hotspot of social conflicts, migration and severe land degrdation. Three subagricultural zones cover this area with very different bio-physical characteristics and social dynamics affecting degradation patterns and causes.
Firstly, the littoral zone on white sands in the commune of Androka. The zone was originally vegetated with a variety of shrubs and trees. Though there are many coastal villages dependent on fishing, most of the Antandroy and Mahafaly populations living in this zone practice a combination of agriculture and animal husbandry. Most of the original vegetation has therefore been cleared to make room for cultivation and/or overgrazed. These soils are inherently poor and require high levels of input and careful management to sustain productivity over long periods. Unfortunately, the current methods of agriculture are not adapted to the fragility of the soils. Many of the littoral communities are migrating to the interior zone.

The Second zone is the Limestone Plateau or calcareous agro-ecological region, found within the commune of Ampanihy and Maronlinta. This area support relatively thick vegetation and a host of locally endemic succulent plants that have evolved under extremely hot, arid, and poor soil conditions. This area was inhabited principally by pastoralists until the latter half of the past century. However, since the early fifties, seasonal migrants have been settling in forest pockets where soils were slightly deeper and agriculture could be practiced. Originating from the littoral zone, the number of settlers has increased from 200 families in the early 1990s, to about three thousand families today. Markets for both maize and, more recently, tobacco are fuelling slash-and-burn farming in this zone. Given the already low soil fertility, the farmers produce only one crop before clearing more land, hence fuelling further encroachment into natural habitats. The agriculture practiced in this zone is one of the most extreme forms of unsustainable agriculture that is found anywhere. Abandoned areas are most often devoid of any vegetation. It is within this zone that there is also the greatest social conflict relative to land use practices. The original inhabitants who were pastoralists resent the clearing of forest areas they consider as secure pasture zones. Several sacred forest areas on calcareous soils are also being reduced in size, and respect for traditional taboos that protect certain sacred natural areas and species is eroding. As markets for cash crops develop, especially corn and tobacco, the livelihoods of the original pastoralist population is changing. There a careful anthropological approach looking into social conflicts will have to be taken to reduce land degradation.

The third agro-ecological region is located in the interior and is considered the agricultural breadbasket of the region in years with plentiful rainfall. Traditionally coastal people cultivated these soils for part of the year, but like in the other two zones, permanent settlement has increasingly become the norm particularly by people with fewer options in the increasingly degraded, low precipitation littoral sands. The soils are being farmed intensively, and fallow periods are rare. Soil fertility maintenance has become a major constraint, as nutrient recycling from crop residues is lost due to burning and subsequent water-borne or wind erosion. The introduction of the plow, the removal of field trees, and the lack of natural vegetation cover over large swaths of land has also facilitated rapid oxidation of soil organic matter and accentuated wind erosion, thus further decreasing the production.

Approaches

For the first year of the project, WWF will work with its partners for a comprehensive analysis of the region looking into land-use, root causes of degradation and social and local dynamics such as land tenure, natural resources ownership, transhumance and migration. Further, the South faces many barriers for development: therefore, the analysis will include looking into incentive measures, sustainable alternative livelihoods opportunities, and markets. Based on such deep understanding of the region and the dynamics that lead or prevent development and land degradation, the project will develop models for sustainable agro-ecological and pastoral practices, adapted to conditions in the South, taking into account some of the most appropriate and novel agricultural methods being developed by WWF and its partners (conservation agriculture, micro-irrigation, community water management, use of improved varieties resistant to climate change, biochar).

In subsequent years, the project will test and apply the SLM models in the five pilot communes, working through a network of farmers based on participatory, farmer-centered SLM approach. In addition, novel income generating activities and microfinance to facilitate entrepreneurship and better livestock management will be investigated and invested in. Throughout the project, gender and vulnerable aspects will be integrated into our activities and our approach.

Through a multilevel and multi-stakeholder involvement, the project will work with key institutions to facilitate policy enabling environment streamlining SLM from local to regional and national approaches and priorities. Capacity-building for SLM will also be strengthened through farmers to school and university programmes. The final result is that SLM moves from project-centered to become an integrated and adopted approach that is appropriated from local farmers to national institutions.