Boaters slam lockdown of Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Stalybridge after cracks ... Manchester Evening News British Waterways said repairs could run to Wednesday and urged boaters on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to moor at Armentieres Square near Stalybridge until further notice. The damaged lock, 1W at Ashton, marks the start of the canal.

The Government has rejected shale gas technology as a solution to Britain's energy crisis, conceding it will do little to cut bills or keep the lights on.

The Prime Minister is to be briefed on plans for a £30bn, 10-mile tidal barrage from Somerset to South Wales which could provide 5 per cent of Britain's total electricity. David Cameron signalled his backing, telling MPs: "A huge amount of renewable energy could be delivered through a barrage of this kind."

Destruction of the beaches and overfishing has brought drastic environmental consequences to Cape Verde

The beach in Ribeira da Barca, a village in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa, used to be a vast stretch of black, volcanic sand. Kids played football and their fathers hauled in the day's catch in their small, weathered fishing boats.

Today, the sand has gone, collected by local people and sold to build houses to feed the island's construction boom. The locals have no choice – the fish have disappeared, and with them the islanders' livelihoods. The reason for this can be seen bobbing out at sea: giant European trawlers that are legally allowed to fish the waters, according to an EU treaty ratified by the Cape Verdean government, but they often exceed their quotas.

Illegal overfishing alters the ocean's food chain, too. If major predators such as sharks decrease, smaller fish are no longer obliged to live near the coast and move off – out of reach of local boats. The result is that, some days, the local fishermen still trying to make a living come home without a single catch.

Collecting sand is hard, dangerous work. With the beach already harvested of all its sand, men have to wade into the choppy sea and shovel it up from the sea bed. They fill buckets carried by women who must sprint back to shore to avoid being smashed by the breakers, dropping their loads and being cut and bruised. It's illegal, but the authorities seem to turn a blind eye. The pay is poor, too – the truckers who buy the sand sell it on at three times the price.

The destruction of the beaches also has drastic environmental consequences. If the ocean has no physical barrier, seawater contaminates the groundwater with salt and damages crops. Although they are doing it to survive, the Cape Verdeans depleting their beaches of sand are doing more harm than good.

• More information at francescatosarelli.com/galleries/projects/sandgrains

• Photography
• Cape Verde
• Fishing
• Conservation
• Marine life
• Africa

Hannah Booth
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Destruction of the beaches and overfishing has brought drastic environmental consequences to Cape Verde

The beach in Ribeira da Barca, a village in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa, used to be a vast stretch of black, volcanic sand. Kids played football and their fathers hauled in the day's catch in their small, weathered fishing boats.

Today, the sand has gone, collected by local people and sold to build houses to feed the island's construction boom. The locals have no choice – the fish have disappeared, and with them the islanders' livelihoods. The reason for this can be seen bobbing out at sea: giant European trawlers that are legally allowed to fish the waters, according to an EU treaty ratified by the Cape Verdean government, but they often exceed their quotas.

Illegal overfishing alters the ocean's food chain, too. If major predators such as sharks decrease, smaller fish are no longer obliged to live near the coast and move off – out of reach of local boats. The result is that, some days, the local fishermen still trying to make a living come home without a single catch.

Collecting sand is hard, dangerous work. With the beach already harvested of all its sand, men have to wade into the choppy sea and shovel it up from the sea bed. They fill buckets carried by women who must sprint back to shore to avoid being smashed by the breakers, dropping their loads and being cut and bruised. It's illegal, but the authorities seem to turn a blind eye. The pay is poor, too – the truckers who buy the sand sell it on at three times the price.

The destruction of the beaches also has drastic environmental consequences. If the ocean has no physical barrier, seawater contaminates the groundwater with salt and damages crops. Although they are doing it to survive, the Cape Verdeans depleting their beaches of sand are doing more harm than good.

• More information at francescatosarelli.com/galleries/projects/sandgrains

• Photography
• Cape Verde
• Fishing
• Conservation
• Marine life
• Africa

Hannah Booth
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Destruction of the beaches and overfishing has brought drastic environmental consequences to Cape Verde

The beach in Ribeira da Barca, a village in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa, used to be a vast stretch of black, volcanic sand. Kids played football and their fathers hauled in the day's catch in their small, weathered fishing boats.

Today, the sand has gone, collected by local people and sold to build houses to feed the island's construction boom. The locals have no choice – the fish have disappeared, and with them the islanders' livelihoods. The reason for this can be seen bobbing out at sea: giant European trawlers that are legally allowed to fish the waters, according to an EU treaty ratified by the Cape Verdean government, but they often exceed their quotas.

Illegal overfishing alters the ocean's food chain, too. If major predators such as sharks decrease, smaller fish are no longer obliged to live near the coast and move off – out of reach of local boats. The result is that, some days, the local fishermen still trying to make a living come home without a single catch.

Collecting sand is hard, dangerous work. With the beach already harvested of all its sand, men have to wade into the choppy sea and shovel it up from the sea bed. They fill buckets carried by women who must sprint back to shore to avoid being smashed by the breakers, dropping their loads and being cut and bruised. It's illegal, but the authorities seem to turn a blind eye. The pay is poor, too – the truckers who buy the sand sell it on at three times the price.

The destruction of the beaches also has drastic environmental consequences. If the ocean has no physical barrier, seawater contaminates the groundwater with salt and damages crops. Although they are doing it to survive, the Cape Verdeans depleting their beaches of sand are doing more harm than good.

• More information at francescatosarelli.com/galleries/projects/sandgrains

• Photography
• Cape Verde
• Fishing
• Conservation
• Marine life
• Africa

Hannah Booth
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Destruction of the beaches and overfishing has brought drastic environmental consequences to Cape Verde

The beach in Ribeira da Barca, a village in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa, used to be a vast stretch of black, volcanic sand. Kids played football and their fathers hauled in the day's catch in their small, weathered fishing boats.

Today, the sand has gone, collected by local people and sold to build houses to feed the island's construction boom. The locals have no choice – the fish have disappeared, and with them the islanders' livelihoods. The reason for this can be seen bobbing out at sea: giant European trawlers that are legally allowed to fish the waters, according to an EU treaty ratified by the Cape Verdean government, but they often exceed their quotas.

Illegal overfishing alters the ocean's food chain, too. If major predators such as sharks decrease, smaller fish are no longer obliged to live near the coast and move off – out of reach of local boats. The result is that, some days, the local fishermen still trying to make a living come home without a single catch.

Collecting sand is hard, dangerous work. With the beach already harvested of all its sand, men have to wade into the choppy sea and shovel it up from the sea bed. They fill buckets carried by women who must sprint back to shore to avoid being smashed by the breakers, dropping their loads and being cut and bruised. It's illegal, but the authorities seem to turn a blind eye. The pay is poor, too – the truckers who buy the sand sell it on at three times the price.

The destruction of the beaches also has drastic environmental consequences. If the ocean has no physical barrier, seawater contaminates the groundwater with salt and damages crops. Although they are doing it to survive, the Cape Verdeans depleting their beaches of sand are doing more harm than good.

• More information at francescatosarelli.com/galleries/projects/sandgrains

• Photography
• Cape Verde
• Fishing
• Conservation
• Marine life
• Africa

Hannah Booth
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Do you know how to improve the River Welland?.... If you've got good ideas, the Welland Rivers Trust would love to hear from you.


Welland wildlife habitats boost
www.bbc.co.uk
People are encouraged to get involved in work to improve stretches of the river Welland in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire.

Bridge damaged The Oxford Times The lorry got stuck on the bridge off Wolvercote Green, which is not suitable for heavy vehicles, at 11am, British Waterways said. Five planks were replaced and damage caused to a strengthening bar under the bridge. It reopened at 1.30pm. and more »

Environment Minister to attend inaugural wildlife event

The rate at which the rabies virus evolves in bats may depend heavily upon the ecological traits of its hosts, according to new research. Rabies viruses in tropical and sub-tropical bat species evolved nearly four times faster than viral variants in bats in temperate regions.

The rate at which the rabies virus evolves in bats may depend heavily upon the ecological traits of its hosts, according to new research. Rabies viruses in tropical and sub-tropical bat species evolved nearly four times faster than viral variants in bats in temperate regions.

The rate at which the rabies virus evolves in bats may depend heavily upon the ecological traits of its hosts, according to new research. Rabies viruses in tropical and sub-tropical bat species evolved nearly four times faster than viral variants in bats in temperate regions.

Intricate, often invisible chains of life are threatened with extinction around the world. A new study quantifies one of the longest such chains ever documented.

Intricate, often invisible chains of life are threatened with extinction around the world. A new study quantifies one of the longest such chains ever documented.

Intricate, often invisible chains of life are threatened with extinction around the world. A new study quantifies one of the longest such chains ever documented.

The four chicks from the celebrity pair of peregrines nesting on top of Chichester Cathedral have now been ringed with surprising results.

After the huge success of its Big Garden BirdWatch at the start of the year, the RSPB is asking people in West Sussex to take part in its summer survey, Make Your Nature Count, which runs from the 2-10 June.

After the huge success of its Big Garden BirdWatch at the start of the year, the RSPB is asking people in Surrey to take part in its summer survey, Make Your Nature Count, which runs from the 2-10 June.

After the huge success of its Big Garden BirdWatch at the start of the year, the RSPB is asking people in Kent to take part in its summer survey, Make Your Nature Count, which runs from the 2-10 June.

After the huge success of its Big Garden BirdWatch at the start of the year, the RSPB is asking people in Kent to take part in its summer survey, Make Your Nature Count, which runs from the 2-10 June.

Wet weather delaying and confusing butterflies

Sea Shepherd group vows to fight founder's possible extradition from Germany to Costa Rica over 2002 incident at sea

A veteran anti-whaling activist arrested in Germany on a decade-old charge will be released from jail on bail next week.

Paul Watson, president of the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, had gained notoriety for his direct action tactics against the Japanese whaling industry. However, his current legal difficulties relate to a confrontation with illegal shark fin poachers in Central America back in 2002.

He has been told he must remain in the country pending a decision on whether or not to extradite him to Costa Rica.

Frankfurt's higher regional court announced on Friday that it had put him under preliminary arrest after deciding that an extradition would be permissible under German law. The authorities in Costa Rica now have three months to send the necessary extradition papers to Germany. However, the court said it was ultimately up to the federal justice ministry to decide whether or not to send him to Costa Rica.

Sea Shepherd's spokesman, Peter Hammarstedt, told the Guardian that Watson would spend the weekend in jail and be released once the €250,000 bail funds were available on Monday.

The group has vowed to continue to campaign to have the extradition blocked, saying the charges are politically motivated and that Watson would not get a fair trial in Costa Rica. They are also trying to convince the German authorities that his life would be in danger if he were sent there.

"I am confident that they will understand our plea for his human rights and recognise that if Captain Paul Watson were to be extradited to Costa Rica that would be the same as a death sentence," Hammerstedt said.

"We know that the shark fin mafia put a hit on Captain Paul Watson a couple of years ago," he claimed, adding that Taiwanese poacher gangs had a "long reach in the penal system in Costa Rica".

The 61-year-old Canadian, who was one of the original founders of Greenpeace, was arrested last Sunday at Frankfurt airport at the request of Costa Rica, which wants to see him extradited over a 10-year-old charge of "violating ships traffic".

The incident at the heart of the extradition request occurred back in 2002 when Watson and his crew had a confrontation with a Costa Rican ship in Guatemalan waters.

Sea Shepherd says that Watson came across the Varadero I as it was engaging in illegal "shark finning", the practice whereby sharks are caught and their fins – a delicacy in Asia – cut off. They are then thrown back into the ocean to die. According to the WWF, about 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins.

Sea Shepherd says it had been instructed by the Guatemalan authorities to arrest and detain the crew. When they reached port in Costa Rica, however, Watson was accused of trying to ram the other ship and kill its captain.

When a prosecutor saw a film of the incident, shot by a documentary team that happened to be on board Watson's boat, the charges were dropped.

Yet, in another twist, the maritime violation charges were reinstated by another prosecutor and were then re-activated in October last year, resulting in an Interpol arrest warrant.

Sea Shepherd claims this is due to pressure being exerted by the Japanese whaling industry, which is currently filing a civil suit against the organisation in the US.

"Ten years later they have decided to reissue the warrant at exactly the same time as we are really battling it out with the Japanese whaling industry," Peter Hammarstedt told the Guardian.

Critics have accused Watson of being a pirate or even eco-terrorist because of his aggressive exploits and he has run afoul of the powers that be before. In 1993 he was arrested by Canadian authorities for chasing trawlers off the coast of Newfoundland.

Watson successfully defended his actions on the basis of the United Nations World Charter for Nature, which says that an organisation or individual has the authority to intervene to uphold international conservation rules.

• Whaling
• Germany
• Costa Rica
• Canada
• Marine life
• Conservation
• Wildlife
• Animals
• Whales
• Activism
• Protest
• Animal welfare
• Americas
• Guatemala
• Europe
• Greenpeace
• Japan

Siobhán Dowling
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Sea Shepherd group vows to fight founder's possible extradition from Germany to Costa Rica over 2002 incident at sea

A veteran anti-whaling activist arrested in Germany on a decade-old charge will be released from jail on bail next week.

Paul Watson, president of the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, had gained notoriety for his direct action tactics against the Japanese whaling industry. However, his current legal difficulties relate to a confrontation with illegal shark fin poachers in Central America back in 2002.

He has been told he must remain in the country pending a decision on whether or not to extradite him to Costa Rica.

Frankfurt's higher regional court announced on Friday that it had put him under preliminary arrest after deciding that an extradition would be permissible under German law. The authorities in Costa Rica now have three months to send the necessary extradition papers to Germany. However, the court said it was ultimately up to the federal justice ministry to decide whether or not to send him to Costa Rica.

Sea Shepherd's spokesman, Peter Hammarstedt, told the Guardian that Watson would spend the weekend in jail and be released once the €250,000 bail funds were available on Monday.

The group has vowed to continue to campaign to have the extradition blocked, saying the charges are politically motivated and that Watson would not get a fair trial in Costa Rica. They are also trying to convince the German authorities that his life would be in danger if he were sent there.

"I am confident that they will understand our plea for his human rights and recognise that if Captain Paul Watson were to be extradited to Costa Rica that would be the same as a death sentence," Hammerstedt said.

"We know that the shark fin mafia put a hit on Captain Paul Watson a couple of years ago," he claimed, adding that Taiwanese poacher gangs had a "long reach in the penal system in Costa Rica".

The 61-year-old Canadian, who was one of the original founders of Greenpeace, was arrested last Sunday at Frankfurt airport at the request of Costa Rica, which wants to see him extradited over a 10-year-old charge of "violating ships traffic".

The incident at the heart of the extradition request occurred back in 2002 when Watson and his crew had a confrontation with a Costa Rican ship in Guatemalan waters.

Sea Shepherd says that Watson came across the Varadero I as it was engaging in illegal "shark finning", the practice whereby sharks are caught and their fins – a delicacy in Asia – cut off. They are then thrown back into the ocean to die. According to the WWF, about 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins.

Sea Shepherd says it had been instructed by the Guatemalan authorities to arrest and detain the crew. When they reached port in Costa Rica, however, Watson was accused of trying to ram the other ship and kill its captain.

When a prosecutor saw a film of the incident, shot by a documentary team that happened to be on board Watson's boat, the charges were dropped.

Yet, in another twist, the maritime violation charges were reinstated by another prosecutor and were then re-activated in October last year, resulting in an Interpol arrest warrant.

Sea Shepherd claims this is due to pressure being exerted by the Japanese whaling industry, which is currently filing a civil suit against the organisation in the US.

"Ten years later they have decided to reissue the warrant at exactly the same time as we are really battling it out with the Japanese whaling industry," Peter Hammarstedt told the Guardian.

Critics have accused Watson of being a pirate or even eco-terrorist because of his aggressive exploits and he has run afoul of the powers that be before. In 1993 he was arrested by Canadian authorities for chasing trawlers off the coast of Newfoundland.

Watson successfully defended his actions on the basis of the United Nations World Charter for Nature, which says that an organisation or individual has the authority to intervene to uphold international conservation rules.

• Whaling
• Germany
• Costa Rica
• Canada
• Marine life
• Conservation
• Wildlife
• Animals
• Whales
• Activism
• Protest
• Animal welfare
• Americas
• Guatemala
• Europe
• Greenpeace
• Japan

Siobhán Dowling
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Sea Shepherd group vows to fight founder's possible extradition from Germany to Costa Rica over 2002 incident at sea

A veteran anti-whaling activist arrested in Germany on a decade-old charge will be released from jail on bail next week.

Paul Watson, president of the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, had gained notoriety for his direct action tactics against the Japanese whaling industry. However, his current legal difficulties relate to a confrontation with illegal shark fin poachers in Central America back in 2002.

He has been told he must remain in the country pending a decision on whether or not to extradite him to Costa Rica.

Frankfurt's higher regional court announced on Friday that it had put him under preliminary arrest after deciding that an extradition would be permissible under German law. The authorities in Costa Rica now have three months to send the necessary extradition papers to Germany. However, the court said it was ultimately up to the federal justice ministry to decide whether or not to send him to Costa Rica.

Sea Shepherd's spokesman, Peter Hammarstedt, told the Guardian that Watson would spend the weekend in jail and be released once the €250,000 bail funds were available on Monday.

The group has vowed to continue to campaign to have the extradition blocked, saying the charges are politically motivated and that Watson would not get a fair trial in Costa Rica. They are also trying to convince the German authorities that his life would be in danger if he were sent there.

"I am confident that they will understand our plea for his human rights and recognise that if Captain Paul Watson were to be extradited to Costa Rica that would be the same as a death sentence," Hammerstedt said.

"We know that the shark fin mafia put a hit on Captain Paul Watson a couple of years ago," he claimed, adding that Taiwanese poacher gangs had a "long reach in the penal system in Costa Rica".

The 61-year-old Canadian, who was one of the original founders of Greenpeace, was arrested last Sunday at Frankfurt airport at the request of Costa Rica, which wants to see him extradited over a 10-year-old charge of "violating ships traffic".

The incident at the heart of the extradition request occurred back in 2002 when Watson and his crew had a confrontation with a Costa Rican ship in Guatemalan waters.

Sea Shepherd says that Watson came across the Varadero I as it was engaging in illegal "shark finning", the practice whereby sharks are caught and their fins – a delicacy in Asia – cut off. They are then thrown back into the ocean to die. According to the WWF, about 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins.

Sea Shepherd says it had been instructed by the Guatemalan authorities to arrest and detain the crew. When they reached port in Costa Rica, however, Watson was accused of trying to ram the other ship and kill its captain.

When a prosecutor saw a film of the incident, shot by a documentary team that happened to be on board Watson's boat, the charges were dropped.

Yet, in another twist, the maritime violation charges were reinstated by another prosecutor and were then re-activated in October last year, resulting in an Interpol arrest warrant.

Sea Shepherd claims this is due to pressure being exerted by the Japanese whaling industry, which is currently filing a civil suit against the organisation in the US.

"Ten years later they have decided to reissue the warrant at exactly the same time as we are really battling it out with the Japanese whaling industry," Peter Hammarstedt told the Guardian.

Critics have accused Watson of being a pirate or even eco-terrorist because of his aggressive exploits and he has run afoul of the powers that be before. In 1993 he was arrested by Canadian authorities for chasing trawlers off the coast of Newfoundland.

Watson successfully defended his actions on the basis of the United Nations World Charter for Nature, which says that an organisation or individual has the authority to intervene to uphold international conservation rules.

• Whaling
• Germany
• Costa Rica
• Canada
• Marine life
• Conservation
• Wildlife
• Animals
• Whales
• Activism
• Protest
• Animal welfare
• Americas
• Guatemala
• Europe
• Greenpeace
• Japan

Siobhán Dowling
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Sea Shepherd group vows to fight founder's possible extradition from Germany to Costa Rica over 2002 incident at sea

A veteran anti-whaling activist arrested in Germany on a decade-old charge will be released from jail on bail next week.

Paul Watson, president of the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, had gained notoriety for his direct action tactics against the Japanese whaling industry. However, his current legal difficulties relate to a confrontation with illegal shark fin poachers in Central America back in 2002.

He has been told he must remain in the country pending a decision on whether or not to extradite him to Costa Rica.

Frankfurt's higher regional court announced on Friday that it had put him under preliminary arrest after deciding that an extradition would be permissible under German law. The authorities in Costa Rica now have three months to send the necessary extradition papers to Germany. However, the court said it was ultimately up to the federal justice ministry to decide whether or not to send him to Costa Rica.

Sea Shepherd's spokesman, Peter Hammarstedt, told the Guardian that Watson would spend the weekend in jail and be released once the €250,000 bail funds were available on Monday.

The group has vowed to continue to campaign to have the extradition blocked, saying the charges are politically motivated and that Watson would not get a fair trial in Costa Rica. They are also trying to convince the German authorities that his life would be in danger if he were sent there.

"I am confident that they will understand our plea for his human rights and recognise that if Captain Paul Watson were to be extradited to Costa Rica that would be the same as a death sentence," Hammerstedt said.

"We know that the shark fin mafia put a hit on Captain Paul Watson a couple of years ago," he claimed, adding that Taiwanese poacher gangs had a "long reach in the penal system in Costa Rica".

The 61-year-old Canadian, who was one of the original founders of Greenpeace, was arrested last Sunday at Frankfurt airport at the request of Costa Rica, which wants to see him extradited over a 10-year-old charge of "violating ships traffic".

The incident at the heart of the extradition request occurred back in 2002 when Watson and his crew had a confrontation with a Costa Rican ship in Guatemalan waters.

Sea Shepherd says that Watson came across the Varadero I as it was engaging in illegal "shark finning", the practice whereby sharks are caught and their fins – a delicacy in Asia – cut off. They are then thrown back into the ocean to die. According to the WWF, about 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins.

Sea Shepherd says it had been instructed by the Guatemalan authorities to arrest and detain the crew. When they reached port in Costa Rica, however, Watson was accused of trying to ram the other ship and kill its captain.

When a prosecutor saw a film of the incident, shot by a documentary team that happened to be on board Watson's boat, the charges were dropped.

Yet, in another twist, the maritime violation charges were reinstated by another prosecutor and were then re-activated in October last year, resulting in an Interpol arrest warrant.

Sea Shepherd claims this is due to pressure being exerted by the Japanese whaling industry, which is currently filing a civil suit against the organisation in the US.

"Ten years later they have decided to reissue the warrant at exactly the same time as we are really battling it out with the Japanese whaling industry," Peter Hammarstedt told the Guardian.

Critics have accused Watson of being a pirate or even eco-terrorist because of his aggressive exploits and he has run afoul of the powers that be before. In 1993 he was arrested by Canadian authorities for chasing trawlers off the coast of Newfoundland.

Watson successfully defended his actions on the basis of the United Nations World Charter for Nature, which says that an organisation or individual has the authority to intervene to uphold international conservation rules.

• Whaling
• Germany
• Costa Rica
• Canada
• Marine life
• Conservation
• Wildlife
• Animals
• Whales
• Activism
• Protest
• Animal welfare
• Americas
• Guatemala
• Europe
• Greenpeace
• Japan

Siobhán Dowling
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

New Delhi, India – Tiger range countries in their first meeting to review efforts on doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022, reported significant progress, but recognized that urgent and elevated action is still needed to halt poaching.

“Steady progress is being made towards meeting the goal of doubling wild tiger numbers,” said Mike Baltzer, Leader of WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. “But tiger range governments must urgently and seriously step up action to eliminate poaching if they do not want their investments to go to waste.”

In November 2010 at the “Tiger Summit” in St. Petersburg hosted by the Government of Russia and the World Bank, the 13 Tiger Range Governments and partners committed to doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022 (TX2). They presented the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP), which represents the plans towards meeting this goal.

The meeting in New Delhi, held from 15-17 May 2012, was the first time since the Tiger Summit that senior government officials from all 13 countries have met to review progress on implementation of the GTRP and plan the next steps.

Before the meeting, WWF released results of a preliminary assessment of 63 legally protected areas in seven tiger range countries that showed only 22, or 35%, maintain WWF’s minimum standards of protection. This indicated that tigers in most of the protected areas are still very vulnerable to poaching.

Poaching of tigers, to feed consumer demand for their body parts and products, is now the main factor reversing the gains made by governments, donors and other partners working towards the 2022 goal. Nearly all tiger range countries spoke of the poaching problem and efforts they are taking on the ground to tackle it. These include strengthening capacity and introducing new, innovative law enforcement monitoring tools, such as M-STrIPES and SMART, to better manage protected areas with tigers. They also considered new approaches to reduce consumer demand for tiger derivatives.  

“We are pleased that the approaches we recommended on demand reduction are being considered to support implementation of the GTRP,” said Sabri Zain, Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, TRAFFIC International. “It is critical that we implement new approaches to changing consumer behaviour if we are to successfully stem out poaching in the long run and therefore in achieving TX2.”

During the meeting, TRAFFIC also presented new figures from its latest research into the rising number of tiger part seizures taking place in Asia. With 53 seizures occurring each year, levels remain high. The analysis also identified persistent tiger trade hot-spots such as Kathmandu, Hanoi and the Russia/Northeast China border. It is essential that a tiger trade monitoring system be established as information such as this can assist enforcement efforts in the field where it is most needed.

In a sign indicating tiger range countries are increasingly working together to save the tiger across their borders, the meeting witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement on trans-border cooperation between India and Nepal and another between India and Russia.

''This gathering of tiger range states shows that the momentum to save tigers is indeed building, but the pressure on the species continues,” said Ravi Singh, Secretary-General and CEO, WWF-India. “Coordinated anti-poaching measures across tiger range states are called for. These need to be scaled up and implemented urgently to achieve zero poaching."

WWF is supporting tiger range countries in their enforcement efforts through both training and helping to develop computer-based, law enforcement monitoring systems. It has also identified three actions tiger range governments can take immediately to launch an elevated operation towards Zero Poaching. These include identifying and delineating the most important sites requiring good protection from poaching, and ensuring these sites have sufficient numbers of enforcement staff who are well trained to monitor and improve their effectiveness by using monitoring systems. WWF also suggests that the police and judiciary need to help to ensure strict punishment on poaching and to actively engage local communities living adjacent to important tiger conservation areas.

For further information:

Soh-Koon Chng, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative, +65 9772 2552, skchng@wwf.org.my

Aarti Khosla, WWF-India, +91-98111-99288, akhosla@wwfndia.net

Dilpreet B. Chhabra, TRAFFIC India, +91-98990-00472, dchhabra@wwfindia.net

The government yesterday (May 17th) made clear how it intends to translate into domestic legislation a new European Directive governing the conduct of animal experiments across the European Union. The government’s plans were laid out in its respo...

We’re all part of the story of planet Earth. Now here's your chance to be in the book!

It’s a big year in the story of our planet. The UN Earth Summit in Rio is just weeks away - a rare window for world leaders to improve the relationship with our one and only planet. Before it gets any worse....

Let's remind them how much the natural world matters to us all. We need to show that the places and animals we love are not abstract things, that can be signed away with one brush of a pen in a conference hall. They’re a very real and vital part of our lives, and we need them to stay that way.

We want your voice to be heard. That’s why we’ve launched Earth Book.

It’s the perfect chance to say what you love most about the natural world - and what you couldn’t bear to lose.

Over the coming weeks the Earth Book will be filled with stories about the amazing experiences and connections people have with the natural world. It’ll develop into the story of our brilliant planet, as told by all of you. Add your own story today.

If ever there was a time to speak up for our precious and threatened natural world, it’s now. According to WWF’s latest Living Planet Report, people are using 50% more resources than our planet can sustainably produce - in other words we’re living like we had more than one planet at our disposal. It’s time to come together to change things.

One of the first contributions to our Earth Book comes from the unique perspective of astronaut and WWF ambassador André Kuipers - who has sent us a very relevant message while orbiting the planet in the International Space station.

“We only have one Earth. From up here I can see humanity’s footprint, including forest fires, air pollution and erosion… While there are unsustainable pressures on the planet, we have the ability to save our home, not only for our benefit, but for generations to come.”

Click here now to add your own story to WWF’s Earth Book and show your support and love for your planet. Join the growing list of people who care – standing together for a sustainable future.

And don’t forget to share your story, and this unique opportunity, with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's Andre’s message from space...



Share your own connection to the natural world by adding your story to WWF's Earth Book.

 

Leucistic fallow deer near Dunkeld

Leucistic fallow deer near Dunkeld

Ian Buchan, of Peterhead, pleaded guilty to illegally landing and selling £4.5m worth of mackerel in 'black landing' scam

A Scottish trawler skipper has had £1m seized by the courts after pleading guilty to a major role in one of Europe's largest illegal fisheries scandals.

Ian Buchan, 55, from Peterhead, was given the £1m confiscation order after he admitted illegally landing and then selling nearly £4.5m worth of mackerel in a highly sophisticated "black landing" scam to evade European fishing quotas.

The confiscation order, made at the high court in Edinburgh on Friday under legislation introduced to combat organised crime, is one of the largest ever made against an individual by the Scottish courts.

The record remains a £1.3m fine against Michael Voudouri, for a £3m VAT evasion in 2006, while the engineering firm Weir Group was fined £3m and had £13.9m of profits confiscated for evading sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.

Buchan was among four skippers given confiscation orders for their part in landing over-quota fish at two processing factories in Peterhead, which have also been convicted and fined for handling tens of millions of pounds worth of illegally caught mackerel and herring.

By March this year, 27 skippers and three processing factories, including Shetland Catch outside Lerwick, Shetland, pleaded guilty to illegally landing £63m worth fish over a five-year period. By that point, the largest single confiscation order was £425,900.

The master of the vessel Quantus, Buchan landed at Fresh Catch in Peterhead, which had fitted an underground pipe and switching valves, operated from an anonymous and clandestine hut known as the Wendy House, which was disguised with fake "Danger: high voltage" signs on its door.

The confiscation orders issued on Friday against the other three skippers totalled £187,281.

• Fishing
• Food
• Wildlife
• Conservation
• Animals
• Marine life
• Food & drink industry
• Scotland
• Crime

Severin Carrell
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