Acting for Biodiversity

Unfinished Business in fishing for Sharks

The urgent education needed for our ocean biodiversity preservation

The EU’s notorious not-so-distant past – characterised by severe population depletion, unregulated fishing and exceptionally weak regulations – is now finally being balanced by recent, significant strides toward limiting EU shark fisheries and securing international protections for the most vulnerable shark species.

By the looks of the video below, we can safely share with the Shark Alliance, that there lies no safe haven from the notorious actions against population depletion of shark species.

The Shark Alliance informs us that the fate of shark populations in Europe and all over the globe hang in the balance. The challenges in the EU faces demands for a cooperative, prompt and full implementation of the Shark Action Plan, starting with closing the loopholes in the EU ban on finning, enforcing science-based limits on shark fisheries before populations collapse, and providing special protections for endangered shark species.

Support the Shark Alliance by signing their petition: Sign the Shark fisheries Petition

At long last, we are in the final stages of the crucial finning debate, but your voice is needed - now more than ever - to ensure policy makers resist industry pressure and protect sharks, once and for all.

Update:

Since the publication of the video, we have received expression from Mr. Luca expressing remorse about the events and lack of consideration for 'Catch and Release' fishing practice, which most common and recommended by sport fishing pro's in Cyprus.  A recent interview this morning about this practice with Out of the Blue Charters confirms in fact that most Sharks are released back to the sea. This despite the fact that 'long line' fishing is also practiced, but  was qualified as completely useless.

Added information to the story is offered by the Cyprus News Report, with commentaries published at Nireas Marine research page and on the BiodiversityAct YouTube Channel.

A vision of healing with a green line in Cyprus

The Cyprus Green Line. From a Vision to a Reality

The Green Line project was first presented by the author to various stakeholders in Cyprus in 2006, including the UN, UNDP, and environmental NGOs. [1] The vision was inspired by historical and contemporary precedents worldwide, as well as by existing bi-communal cooperation between the two Cypriot communities.

This project aims to engage all stakeholders and civil society in Cyprus and harness social, cultural and environmental collaborations between both sides that continue to flourish and that seek to overcome the conflict by building a sustainable future for all Cypriots. It will seek to provoke a shift from the narratives of disputed land rights and reclamations to common issues of preserving the environment and to act as a catalyst for the reintegration of the divided communities. As a backbone for the reconstruction and reconciliation process, it could become an opportunity for innovative environmental landscape and urban design and offer sites for the establishment of new organizations and institutions that will participate in overcoming the psychological rift.  

Landscaping the imagination

The Buffer Zone in Cyprus links a unique succession of landscapes and constitutes a cross-section of the many landscapes and ecologies of the island. From the deltas and sandy beaches of the east coast (Famagusta-Varosha), it connects with the rocky shores of the West coast (the Morphou Bay and Kokkina enclave), passing through wetlands, fertile plains, hills and mountains. It is traversed by many winter rivers that flow from the Troodos Mountains into the plains and it connects a patchwork of national forests parks, as well future Natura 2000 reserves.

Since July 2007, the first scientific attempt to assess the flora and fauna was undertaken in the Buffer Zone by a team of 14 scientists from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. [2] The study sites covered different habitat types, including river, coastal, farmland, wetland, and forest, and some rare, endemic and vulnerable flora and fauna species were recorded, including the Cyprus Moufflon, on the verge of extinction a decade ago, and the Mediterranean Monk Seal, one of the most highly endangered species in the world today. 

Naturally, there are many barriers to such a vision being implemented, the first being the question of the land ownership and the right of return of displaced populations, which has been at the centre of the Peace talks and one of the obstacles to a viable solution. But these obstacles could be overcome with anticipatory and timely planning and with the instruments that are used to create and manage state parks or to build highways and other public infrastructure, and it will be necessary to develop specific policies to implement the Green Line project. Amongst the tools of urban and environmental planning, Eminent Domain is an instrument of expropriation that can be applied to acquire land for public works and this would require that the environmental qualities and potential of the Green Line be valued as a public good. Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) have recognized that land purchase is the only way to protect habitats from destruction in the long run, and they have started to buy unique habitats from private owners in six areas along the Green Belt. To this day, more than 10,000 people have become symbolic shareholders of the German Green Belt, having purchased around 280 hectares of the German Green Belt through Green Share Certificates.

Let this be the year that we begin building this vision of a reunified island along the backbone of the Green Line, and let us begin to imagine this beautiful scar as a landscape of memory for the many victims of the conflict and as a  haven for cultural and biological diversity in Cyprus.

Mediterranean Waterfront bringing the unexpected for the future of Mediterranean cities

New urban land exploration and connections to invert the energetic destiny of cities

Mediterranean Waterfront is an Eco Cluster Cooperation that offers a concrete vision to work for the future of Mediterranean cities and the regeneration of suburbs.MW started first than political changes ongoing, the new focus and hope of rebirth socio-cultural gave us an unexpected media interest, in synergy with many other urban emergencies. It proposes to challenge a new frontier where high population density becomes a resource. Starting from here a reverse engineering can open the covertibility of the existing. This vision transform interferences between systems into sinergies :

• air mobility with urban ropeways,
• monitoring and urban governement with social networks,
• water production of air conditioning to power hydroponics,
• networking of plans roofs with bridges,
• parking on the roof covered with solar greenhouses,
• apartments recombine and extend outward to their rooms,
• roof and ground levels are connected to exchange of people, products, cars,
• stairs and elevators are transformed into vertical streets,

New urban land and new connections to invert the destiny of cities as energy guzzlers, the end of the opposition between town and country, after the Garden City (Arts and Crafts) and the Ville Radieuse (Le Corbusier).

Now the Mediterranean traditions covers the plan roofs of the city with the countryside. Souq, Babel and Heliopolis will be ground attack, elevation and coverage of ultra-dense suburbs, new centers of productions of energy for life to feed the planet. Expò 2015 in Milan, could see the birth of Mediterranean Glocalopolis after a Mediterranean Diet, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Connecting with Mediterranean Waterfront: Mediterranean Waterfront - Eco Cluster Cooperation

Cyprus Tourism Organisation hands tied for development on beach front property

Movement to set Cyprus Tourism Organisation straight on set citizen priorities for #dasoudi in Limassol

All attempts for evasiveness by authorites have been in vain.

If the Cyprus Tourism Organization had any hope that the citizen defense of what is left of Limassol's natural reserve was to weaken in time,  then from the looks of  yesterday's demonstration, the strength and relentlessness of the movement has only been consolidated.

The movement has managed through its focus and relentlessness a singular feat in Cyprus, and supported by the facebook platform, S.O.S. - ΣΩΣΤΕ ΤΟ ΔΑΣΟΥΔΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΑ ΣΧΕΔΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΤ !! is currently managing support from 10,866 members. It has also managed that representatives from different stakeholders come together to defend legally the cause, the Limassol Architects Movement, Limassol Citizen Movement, Friends of Earth Cyprus, and the movement SOS – Save Dasoudi Forest.

A first demand is to clarify the relationship between the Forestry Department and the CTO; the leasing rights granted by the CTO to private investors; the procedure for issuing planning permissions, and the resulting studies justifying the project - what appears as the typical 'Old boys Network' of entities behaving with a complete disregard for citizen will.

The citizens of Limassol, defending themselves from being collateral victims to lack of transparent, clear and legal development procedures, seem to finally have placed the CTO in a position that will oblige it to invert its interests in favour of the natural assets of Limassol and Cyprus.

Day of Seafarers in Cyprus, we have much to be thankful for

Thanking all Cyprus Seafarers  - A day to be thankful for, even from Cyprus Tourism

Ancient evidence on the coast of Cyprus, may be the earliest evidence of long-distance, open-water seafaring in the Mediterranean, long before the Greek frescoes of sailing craft in antiquity and the legendary peregrinations of Homer's Odysseus, this suggests that people in small boats from what is present-day Syria and Turkey paid seasonal visits to the island of Cyprus possibly as early as 12,000 years ago.

In modern times, in order that this link to the sea and the people living from it, may not fall from the agenda of tourism authorities such as Cyprus Tourism Organisation, we would like to echo the international call agreed to by IMO Member States, that the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole, should be marked annually with a ‘Day of the Seafarer’.

The date chosen was 25 June, the day on which milestone revisions to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (the STCW Convention) and its associated Code were adopted at a Diplomatic Conference in Manila, the Philippines.

IMO Member states: History of International Maritime Organization

Day of Seafarer: Campaign 2011 'Thank you Seafarer'

Overtaken on World Environment Day

Cyprus Tourism and local government made to rethink meaning of 'Nature at your Service'

Never could it have been anticipated that this year's WED theme, 'Forests: Nature at Your Service', could have been so undermined and misinterpreted by a multiplicity of public agents linked to local tourism development.  

'Forests: Nature at your service', was never meant to be understood as license for jeopardizing urban integrity without public consultation, when coming to deforestation.

During the past 2 weeks in Limassol, The Cyprus Tourism Organization, the municipality and the Forest department's neglect have achieved that citizens mobilize themselves to highlight the need for citizen participation in establishing these urban priorities. This is to highlight that the crucial role of citizen activism in establishing the social roles of Forests as well as the environmental, economic importance at a local level.

The Forest in a Green Economy report to be released in New Delhi on 5 June, in the face of continuing deforestation (currently estimated at 5.2 million hectares worldwide per year), the report outlines how increased public and private investment in forest management and forest resources can boost employment, drastically reduce deforestation and help tackle climate change.

Forests represent many things to many people including spiritual, aesthetic and cultural dimensions that are, in many ways, priceless. But they are also cornerstones of our economies, whose full economic value has all too often been invisible in national accounts of profit and loss. On this day, let us spread the support as to the wider world of the importance of forest  to our lives and livelihoods throughout the special year 2011 but also for the years to come.

A positive shift for Cyprus Nature: A Terra Cypria Report

A timely touch of realism of the broader economic consequences of a comfortable neglect of natural assets

The Terra Cypria report provides an overview of the economic consequences and losses for a evolving society which is coming to terms with valuing its natural assets and it's integration of modern European society.  This is published as an advance version of an upcoming report to be presented to media.

Introduction

The geographical position of Cyprus has such an important role during the annual migration of birds that situates Cyprus on the migration routes from northern and central Europe, Russia and Asia. Some 300 different bird species use Cyprus as a station during migration periods. BirdLife Cyprus estimated that in 2010 wiped out illegally 1,700,000 birds, many of which are ambelopoulia and other endangered species requiring protection.

These actions affect global biodiversity. Aside form being Illegal under European and International Law, the report wishes to only address the consequences of lawlessness to the economy of Cyprus. The impact on businesses and workers in tourism, housing industry and similar activities, which almost affect all of our economy.

The slaughter of birds is impressive and impactful from a communication standpoint and the negativity associated with Cyprus comes with a big cost. The effort of the Terra Cypria Foundation was to make an estimation of what these costs mean seriously? What is the benefit of the continued illegality?

Year 2010: 1.7 million birds were trapped and killed (BirdLife Cyprus report, 2010). There is no extensive data on the type of birds but assuming that 1 million of ambelopoulia were sold and knowing that the dish runs € 60 a dozen, so the € 5 per ambelopoulia. This means for an income of € 5 million for illegal trappers and restaurateurs. The question arises in calculating what were the 'other' loses in the meantime?

Principally, losses of the foreign exchange arise from those visitors who decided not to book a holiday in Cyprus because of our attitude toward birds. Not only are teams ptinoparatiriton are many other individuals and couples who refuse to Cyprus as a personal statement dislikes about our attitude.

A Formula for calculating sectorial losses

There is no sure way to evaluate estimations of unrealized intentions of travel. If we relied on those negative comments sent electronically to the relevant Cypriot ministers. Until December 2010, 5,200 people from 81 countries wrote critical messages, 75% (3900 people) were from countries of origin of our tourism.

> Adding some elements of the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO)

Estimations 5200 people x 75% = 3900 + travel companions about 2000 people (by 3900 2) = 5900 persons x € 70 (average daily consumption) x 10 days (average stay) = € 4.130.000.

According to the CTO for each person is written complaint are 25 other people have not done the trouble to write, but took their decisions. We say, let's say you are not 25 but only 10 are''silent protest. This means:

 5.900 people x € 70 (daily consumption) x 10 days (average stay) = € 4.130.000

5.900 x 10 silent protesters x € 70 x 10 days= € 41.300.000!!!

59.00 x 25 silent protesters x € 70 x 10 days= € 1 billion !!!!!!!!

Domestic consumption in the economy offers in Paralimni, and elsewhere Vrisoula equal to € 5 million, but lost of income can be somewhere between € 40 million and € 1 billion

Conclusions

• While there is demand, the ambelopoulia illegal offer will continue.

• The continued toleration of the authorities to the illegal trapping will generate more intense protests of activists and the more negative impacts on public image.

• The impact is not only legal and environmental, it directly affects our economy

• In addition to the amounts of losses due to ''bad treatment''for the birds, waste and failure to situate Cyprus as a ''center'' for bird-watching

• We must change our mentality!!

Proposal

The Foundation Terra Cypria proposes a new course of action:

- Change attitudes of Cypriots in the forefront of high-ranking place and the media

- Improving the image of tourism and development of bird migration

- Strengthening of institutional measures

The CTO should be aware of and better define its strategy. It can be stated that Cyprus will become a destination for environmentalists, while holding back on anti-environmental behavior.

Action points:

The Foundation Terra Cypria proposes a series of actions that lead to an alternative path, as

 (A) Public statements by the President of the Republic, Ministers and the Federation of Hunters to condemn the capture and eating of ambelopoulia.

(B) Consultation with the CTO's tourism partners in order not to remain passive spectators when the culling of birds.

(C) Consultation with government agencies and local organizations with environmental and cultural NGOs, to create body for formulating and implementing sustainable measures that will lead to awareness of the media, citizens and businesses for migratory birds through education , social pressure and profitable operations.

(D) Organization of the body of the first island-wide festival host of migratory birds in the autumn of 2012.

This is an option which deals with development of migrating birds in a fair manner. It should be noted that birdwatching is referred to as the second most rapidly growing interest in Europe and the first in America, where citizens are aware and are turning to alternative forms of tourism. In the U.S., 61 million people, or 21% of people involved in birdwatching and in Europe famous as a destination is the island of Lesbos. Most bird-watching trips take place mainly during the migratory bird seasons, i.e spring and autumn, which in Cyprus today is a period of low-average tourists, thus stimulating the birdwatchers would be welcome. The theoretical annual income from visits to national park as Kuşcenneti (site Ramsar) in Turkey, is estimated at € 76,770.000. Cyprus with its privileged situation to the arrival of birds has  three attractions: Akrotiri, Larnaca Salt Lake, Cape Greco could already anticipate the welcoming of organized festivals in Europe for bird watchers.

In times of economic downturn, prolonging a situation that builds up negative image is not wise option and consequently understandable to everyone. Everyone needs to put the financial interests of the country over the enjoyment of our stomach. A positive image will not only attract birdwatchers, but also many who now do not come because they avoid the situation. Apart from the financial gain, there's another reason why our country needs to cultivate a positive image. Cyprus has a political problem, and needs as many friends from Europe. Let not prevent them in advance with our behavior. Let me that fosters respect and demand our rights from the international community, we are fulfilling our obligations selectively.

For reasons that are not limited to ornithology or romantic view of nature, but have broader economic consequences in our country, attitudes of Cypriots should be changing. To express their abhorrence, for trapping to be isolated and to ostracized those who prioritize their stomach instead of welfare of our compatriots. According to the principle of supply and demand, if eliminated or limited,  the pressing demand will disappear and with it the reason for trapping.

Note:

We would like to thank Terra Cypria for sharing in advance this preliminary notification, so as to enable more people to understand the dynamics and future proposals for positive action.  For more information do contact: Terra Cypria

Why zero footprint means short changing the environment

A quick overview as to why pursuing zero footprint or carbon neutrality may mean forgoing setting more ambitious goals in favor of the environment.

Towards a climate agreement strong enough to protect communities, ecosystems and future generations

Climate Interactive Scorecard

Biodiversity Meetings in Nagoya - 12 days for self discovery

We are allowing nature to escape from our hands and therefore we are losing ourselves.

Naturalist Edward O. Wilson may well summarized the importance on the The summit of  Biological Diversity in Nagoya Japan, celebrated this past October aimed for a comprehensive protections plan for Species by 2020.  Despite the less ambitious goals as perceived by conservation experts, it has become clear that the main contentions of the protocol revolve around access and benefit sharing between developing countries rich in Biodiversity and industrialized nations whose advanced technology permit extracting benefit from rapidly vanishing species.

Developing countries seem to have won major concessions and in landmark agreement  under the ABS (Access and Benefit sharing and access and benefit sharing), these will seem to be benefiting from ''derivatives' generated by Industrialized nations and industries such as the Pharmaceutic were more hopeful for limited agreements, seeing that actual agreements could affect them economically.

Another reality: One in five species is endangered.

Halting biodiversity loss and covering costs for effective action however may not seem to have advanced much more.  The agreement appears to have defrauded on targets and specific species - conservation organizations and experts seem to coincide in that the goals of Protecting 17% of Land Space and 10% of Marine environment are not significant advancements over those objectives that already existed before the summit.

The director of World Wildlife Fund, Jim Leape, said that despite the limitations of the agreement "reaffirms this critical need to preserve nature as the foundation of our health and our economy. Governments have given a strong message that protect the planet is a central theme of international politics.

"The forests in our countries are vital for the planet and expect financial assistance in order to preserve the common good of humanity," said Johansen Voker, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia.

Developed countries agreed to establish mechanisms to collect relief funds for 2020, which can mean a significant flow of funds to developing nations but these plans which should be in place by 2012, when Rio de Janeiro will host the second Earth Summit, will need to add to the existing pledges already set for $100 billion for fighting climate change. With an accumulation of Environmental Challenges, it is unclear that governmental can be the unique sources funding, but more importantly, it appears that fighting Biodiversity Loss may have to be placed on higher priority than that of Carbon Emissions.

With the 10th conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) closing, everyone goes back to work on plans for establishing new priorities that can effectively overcome the biggest issue made now evident:  biodiversity loss, is now at a thousand times higher rate than it should be naturally. 

It couldn't  be clearer that we have a phenomenon on our hands that has escaped our control and or/ accountant's capability to pin down benefits for enterprise and governments. Zero Tolerance to extinctions may be a step ahead but for sure it must be a call for action that cannot escape anyone's attention.

Read about the Strategy for 2011-2020

More articles on the Nagoya Meetings:

• We've been conned. The deal to save the natural world that never happened by Geroge Monbiot of the Guardian
• We've been conned.  by Chris Milton of the sustainability forum
• Acuerdo Mundial Sobre Biodiversidad by BBC Mundo
• News for Nagoya by Patrick Mulvany at Practical action

The future of Biodiversity starts with Alliance for Zero Extinctions (AZE)

A Global Strategy to Halt Extinctions is newly released by Conservation Scientists and Institutions as Nations Decide Future Of Biodiversity 10/20/2010

The Alliance for Zero Extinctions by Sixty-eight biodiversity conservation institutions from twenty countries aligned today around new data identifying 587 Sites Worldwide home to 920  where endangered wildlife is on the brink of extinction. These places identified will orient governments to focus on Zero Tolerance and prioritize conservation efforts so as to avert  an imminent global extinction crisis.

"AZE enables us to instantly pinpoint the locations of the world's key wildlife extinction epicenters. It allows us to see at a glance where we need to focus efforts to prevent imminent extinctions and preserve Earth's precious biodiversity,"said American Bird Conservancy Vice President and AZE Chair, Mike Parr. "Protecting the remaining unprotected AZE sites, through locally appropriate means, is an urgent strategic global biodiversity conservation priority" added Parr.

The AZE data are accompanied graphical illustrations locating the sites around the world. The new data result from the efforts of a network of hundreds of scientists and conservationists around the world. At the present time, only half of the sites identified have some formal type of protection, and of those, half are only partially protected. The new AZE data and map are being released in conjunction with the October 18-29 conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Nagoya, Japan is a clear statement made out to the 193 of the world's governments present. The conservation tools represent a straightforward means for countries and international donors such as the Global Environment Facility and the World Bank to cost-effectively address the issue of imminent and predictable species loss, a central component of biodiversity conservation. The message given by scientists and institutions is clear - Decisions at the Nagoya meetings provide the momentum not for more awareness but action.

AZE not yet in Cyprus -

Reported by early taxonomists to be common in Cyprus, the endemic subspecies Cyprus Grass Snake (Natrix natrix cypriaca) was thought to have been driven extinct by 1960. Only in 1992 were a small number rediscovered, localized to a small number of streams and dams where its main food source – frogs – are also found.  The threat comes from collectors, but worse is the competition from fishing in the local dams where the non-native trout that have been introduced at the risk of endangered species . Read more Migrations

The local Cyprus Grass Snake is desperately trying to be saved with a captive breeding program proposed to the Government.

More About AZE

AZE was formed in 2000 to further efforts to prevent imminent species extinctions by identifying and safeguarding the places where species evaluated to be Endangered and Critically Endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) for inclusion on their Red List of Threatened Species, are restricted to single remaining sites. To date, AZE has identified sites for mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, conifers, and reef-building corals, providing a strategic tool to defend against many of the most predictable species losses. Country-based initiatives, representing partnerships of government agencies and non-government organizations, have been developed in Brazil and Colombia to accelerate the protection of AZE sites. Other countries, such as Mexico and Peru, are in the process of developing similar initiatives.
Protecting an AZE site can often prevent multiple extinctions, since some of these sites host more than one highly threatened species. Studies show that AZE sites are particularly important for providing ecological services too, so their protection brings an even wider range of benefits. The sites with the most AZE species are the Sierra de Juarez with 22 species, and Veracruz Volcanoes with 16 species, both in Mexico. Massif de la Hotte, Haiti is third with 15 species, followed by Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park, Colombia, with 12 species. Japan, the host nation for the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting this month, has six AZE sites; one of which, Yambaru, hosts five AZE species, including the Okinawa Rail and Okinawa Woodpecker.
The countries with the most AZE sites are: Mexico (68), Colombia (46), Peru (34), Indonesia (31), Brazil (27), and China (23). Having a large number of sites does not necessarily reflect on a nation's environmental performance, however since a disproportionate wealth of biodiversity, such as that found in countries with a broad array of ecoregions in a small range, ultimately poses an extraordinary conservation challenge.

Websites: View the map of sites around the world on the AZE website.

Conservation Scientists Release Global Strategy To Halt Extinctions As Nations Decide Future Of Biodiversity - Conservation International

Learning from Europe2020 as Businesses and NGOs Unite for new energy savings and efficiency

eurOcean for a unified view of European maritime wealth

Synchronizing World Tourism Day with Local time in Cyprus

Each year  World  Tourism is presented with an opportunity to uphold a cause in benefit of positive impact to our local environment.  The opportunity with these types of synchronized actions is that it permits to gain global scale through local engagement. Tourism has the privilege of being an all encompassing sector and as such an emerging leader in achieving awareness and effectiveness.

As the world comes together on September 27th to celebrate World Tourism Day in the support of sustained Biodiversity, the call by the UNWTO that showcases China to be a leading example in the fight against climatic change is also an important moment to raise public awareness about the role of tourism in the conservation of life and of the importance sustaining biodiversity for local development and tourism.

We are all invited as this is an open celebration, freely organized by organizations, public institutions to create events or support local ones so that we can fulfill our wished to be associated to a global cause and thus contribute to the enhancing the social, cultural, political and economic values of travel and tourism. Synchronize your local time for global action on Biodiversity - participate!

Other articles in the series

The unpredictability of Ecosystems. How would you qualify you're own understanding about the environment and the solutions required?  If scientists can admit that we actually know more today about the Moon than about our earth - so where do where should we invest ourselves to be helpful for climate change....more