Wetlands NewsLink
A Compilation of Wetland News from Around the World
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June 2001
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WETLANDS NEWSLINK –
A Compilation of Wetland News from Around the World
Wetlands NewsLink is a
monthly news service supported by the Association of State Wetland Managers,
Inc, The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, (International Affairs office),
and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Contents
of the June 2001 Issue
– Wetland Resources
For U.S.
Wetlands News go to: http://www.aswm.org/wbn
NOTE
FROM THE EDITOR
Dear Wetland Friends:
The
wetland news that gave me a chuckle this month was entitled “Lobsters Play
Biological Violins.” As reported in
the Environmental News Service, a Duke University graduate student has discovered that spiny lobsters make sound
using the biological equivalent of a violin.
When a lobster moves its antennae in a certain way, a nubbin of tissue
called a plectrum rubs over a file near its eyes, creating frictional pulses
of sound. For the full article go
to: http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-10-09.html
While
much U.S. environmental news has been distressing, this month there was one
piece of resoundingly good news for wetlands.
The state of Wisconsin formed an unlikely partnership of environmentalists,
real estate agents and lawmakers who together succeeded in restoring protection
to more than 1 million acres of Wisconsin's wetlands. To learn more about this go to: http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/2001/05/05092001/wetlands_43409.asp
Wetlands NewsLink is Available on the Web !!!
Go to: http://www.aswm.org/wetlandsnewslink
to find this issue, and past issues. Wetlands NewsLink continues to be committed
to high speed, (no frills) news retrieval – providing international news flashes
that can be explored in greater depth.
Your feedback is always appreciated. Happy wetlands reading.
Heidi
Heidi Luquer
Wetlands
NewsLink Editor
NEWS
FROM WETLAND FRIENDS
Ducks
Unlimited
For those
interested in the “Reserva” course organized by Ducks Unlimited of Mexico,
visit www.dumac.com.mx or contact David Alonzo Parra: dumacyuc@infosel.net.mx
and/or Eduardo Carrera: ecarrera@dumac.com.mx
Global
Environment Facility (GEF)
Provides
$11 Million Grant To Protect Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
May
22, 2001 Washington – The
World Bank today approved implementation of a project financed by a US$11
million GEF grant to the Central American Commission on Environment and Development
to promote the sustainable development and protection of the Mesoamerican
Barrier Reef System. "The
countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico recognize that as a regional
public good, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System warrants a concerted effort
to safeguard the ecological integrity and productivity of this shared ecosystem
and the rich-biodiversity it supports," said Donna Dowsett-Coirolo,
Country Director for Central America. For the full article go to: http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/news/pressrelease.nsf/
Ramsar…
New
Ramsar E-mail Discussion Group List Serve
This e-mail
list-serve is dedicated to wetland and Ramsar-related communications, education,
and public awareness techniques and activities. The List provides a mechanism for exchanging
news, views, announcements, information and advice on related issues between
any of the List's subscribers and all the others. The List Serve is primarily for those interested in education and
public awareness as a tool for the conservation and wise use of wetlands in
general, and more specifically, for implementing Ramsar, the Convention on
Wetlands. To learn more about this
go to: http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm
There are groups in English, French, and Spanish.
WWF
- Australia
Innovative GIS Project Model for the Natural
and Cultural Mapping of Wetlands
This project represents a unique marriage between Aboriginal traditional
ecological and cultural knowledge and the latest in western technology. One key problem addressed is access. It is very
difficult to get into the wetlands for most of the year and old and infirm
Aboriginal people find it difficult to travel to the remoter areas. The GIS system helps solve these problems.
Traditional owners or rangers 'travel' through their country on the
computer, and points that are “clicked” on call up a range of data and images.
An ecologist talks about the hydrology, flora or fauna of an area with
a senior Aboriginal Traditional Owner or Ranger, drawing on their traditional
ecological and local knowledge while never leaving the office! For more information go to the website: www.wwf.org.au
WWF
International
Blue Danube, Black Sea: a Portrait
of the Danube Delta
Bucharest, Romania – Nature's role call is impressive. As many as 500,000 wild geese, including all
the world's 60,000 or so red-breasted geese, the greatest congregation of
pelicans outside of Africa, along with spoonbills, glossy ibis and another
300 species of birds all live in and depend on this special place. And it is not just birds, 75 species of fresh
water fish, over half the total for Europe, are concentrated in this area.
For the full article go to: http://www.panda.org/news/features/
WETLANDS NEWS – IN
THE NEWS – FROM AROUND THE GLOBE (by most recent date)
Go
Fish - Three Major Organizations Unite to Discuss How to Save the World’s
Salmon
June 3, 2001, Earth
Times News Service, Duane Gallop – World Wildlife Fund, along with the Atlantic
Salmon Federation will be participating in a conference with the North Atlantic
Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) dedicated to finding ways to ensure
the survival of salmon around the world.
The NASCO conference, to take place in Madrid, Spain June 4-8, will
introduce a moratorium on certain types of fishing and better watershed management.
The WWF says that wild Atlantic salmon have vanished from over 300
river systems in Europe and North America. For
the full article go to: http://earthtimes.org/jun/environmentgofishthreejun3_01.htm
Biggest U.S. Water Polluters Not Punished
May 28, 2001, Environmental News Service,
Washington, DC – More than one in four - 26 percent - of the
nation's largest industrial, municipal and federal facilities were in "significant"
violation of the Clean Water Act at least once during a recent 15 month period,
a new report indicates. The report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) describes
shortcomings in the monitoring of water pollution and efforts to deter polluters.
The annual report shows a drop in the number of significant polluters
since last year but this year, there is an important difference - the report,
"Polluters' Playground: How the Government Permits Pollution," comes
just weeks after the Bush Administration proposed slashing the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's budget for environmental enforcement.
http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-28-06.html
Regional Hawksbill Turtle Conservation Plan Mooted
May
26, 2001, Earth Times News Service, Geneva
– Diplomats
and experts meeting in Mexico City have agreed on the need for a hawksbill
turtle conservation strategy and management plan for the Caribbean region.
The issue of whether or not hawksbill turtle populations in the Caribbean
are healthy enough to permit controlled harvesting and trade has generated
extensive discussion amongst the member States of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) over the past
few years. http://earthtimes.org/may/environmentregionalmay27_01.htm
Fresh Initiative
Taken to Refresh Nairobi River
May 25, 2001, Environmental News Network, Robert Otani, Nairobi, Kenya – The Nairobi River, one of the most polluted
rivers in Kenya, is the focus of an intense cleanup campaign by the United
Nations Environment Programme which is headquartered in Kenya's capital city
of Nairobi, through which the river runs.
http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-25-01.html
Endangered Sea Turtles Butchered on the
Beaches of Tobago
May
23, 2001, Environmental News Service, Black Rock, Tobago – Conflicting
laws governing the protection of critically endangered sea turtles in Trinidad
and Tobago have created a loophole that allows poachers to slaughter the giant
turtles for their meat when they come up on island beaches to lay their eggs. During the latest incident, poachers picked
the wrong beach on which to kill a giant leatherback turtle. For the full story go to: http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-23-01.html
Wildfires Char Florida Wetlands, Pine Forests
May
22, 2001, Reuters, Miami, Florida – Fire raged through Florida's Big Cypress National
Preserve as the state continued to grapple with a growing threat of wildfires
in the midst of one of its worst droughts in a century. Parts of Florida are struggling with the worst
dry spell in more than 100 years of record-keeping. Fifty-three of Florida's 67 counties have drought
indexes above 500, which marks a significant threat of wildfires. For the full story go to: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/05/22/environment.fires.reut/index.html
Floods Racing Down Siberian Rivers Worst
in 100 Years
May 21, 2001, Environmental News Service, Yakutsk, Russia – Two people are dead and thousands have been evacuated
from towns in Eastern Siberia as a massive snow melt in the Sayany Mountains
has resulted in the worst spring flooding in a century. Explosives and bombs are being used to break
apart huge chunks of ice jamming the Siberian rivers and causing them to flood.
Helicopters are rescuing hundreds of people trapped on their rooftops
by the rising waters. For the full story go to:
http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-21-01.html
Australia Continues to Support a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary
May 20, 2001, Earth Times News Service, Mark Schulman, Canberra – The Australian government is continuing to push for a South Pacific whale sanctuary, despite the rejection of their proposal by the International Whaling Commission at their last meeting. The Australian-New Zealand initiative to establish a 23 million sq. km. sanctuary in the South Pacific ocean, received support of more than half of the member-states that attended the last commission meeting in Adelaide, Australia in July 2000, but fell short of a three-quarters majority of voting members needed to ratify the proposal. Japan and Norway, with the support of the Caribbean Island countries, were largely responsible for blocking the proposal. For the full story go to: http://earthtimes.org/may/environmentaustraliamay20_01.htm
Marshlands of the Tigris-Euphrates Delta
90 Percent Gone
May 18, 2001, Environmental News Service,
Washington DC – The once fertile crescent created by the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers is rapidly drying up. Drainage and damming has destroyed close to 90 percent of these
Mesopotamian marshlands, according to thousands of previously unpublished
satellite images donated today by the United States government to the United
Nations Environment Programme UNEP. http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-18-01.html
German Court Allows Airbus Factory to
Fill in Wetland
May 18, 2001, Environmental News Service,
Hamburg, Germany – - The German Federal
Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) has declined to grant an injunction
to stop the filling of Mühlenberger Loch, Europe's largest freshwater tidal
mudflat, for the construction of an Airbus Industrie A380 production factory.
Environmentalists worldwide mourned the loss. http://www.ens-news.com/ens/may2001/2001L-05-18-05.html
MIGRATORY
BIRD NEWS
May
29, 2001, Reuters, Hong Kong – Close to the gleaming tower blocks of Hong Kong
and the urban sprawl of mainland China's booming South lies an unlikely haven
for tens of thousands of migratory birds. Hong Kong's lush Mai Po wetlands are a key rest stop for many birds
on their exhausting 16,000 km (10,000 mile) migration from summer breeding
grounds in Siberia and northeast China to wintering areas as far south as
Australia. The mangroves, ponds and
mudflats dotted with birds are incongruously situated opposite the towering
buildings of Shenzhen, one of modern China's major boom towns. Some 50 percent
of coastal wetlands have been lost in China while nearly 1,000 lakes have
disappeared, according to China's State Forestry Administration. For the full article go to: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/05/29/hongkong.wetlands.reut/index.html
Critical
Habitat Designated for Endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover
WETLAND RESOURCES
United
States Wetlands Interactive Mapper
The
National Wetlands Inventory Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched
via its World Wide Web site the Wetlands Interactive Mapper, a browser-driven
application that allows users to view more than 1 million square miles of
digital U.S. wetland data as well as conduct simple processing functions (e.g.,
zoom, pan, identify, etc.) and print custom maps using their desktop printers:
http://wetlands.fws.gov/mapper_tool.htm
WETLAND PUBLICATIONS
Manual on the Conservation and Management
of Wetlands in Mexico // Manual para el manejo y conservacion de
los humedales en Mexico
Edited by Francisco J. Abarca and former Ramsar
Bureau member Monica Herzig, this publication is in its second edition.
For a copy by e-mail write Dr Francisco
Abarca at the Arizona Game and Fish Department, in the United States, fabarca@gf.state.az.us
Shorebird Guide of the Neotropical Region
By Pablo Canevari, Gonzalo Castro, Michel Sallaberry
and Luis Naranjo. 2001. 141 pages.
The Guide presents general aspects on the biology and systematics of
these birds, and a bibliography list relevant to the study of shorebirds. The 70 species that appear in the guide are
shown in 17 color illustrations painted by Pablo Canevari and Marcelo Betinelli.
The text includes common names, distribution and habitat, biology and
conservation, for each species, among other aspects.
Ornithological and conservationists organizations may receive up to
100 free copies of the guide for their research, educational, and conservation
programs by sending a justified request to CALIDRIS.
If it is approved, the organization will have to cover shipping costs
from Colombia beforehand (approximately $150 for every 100 books). For copies or further information contact: Luis Fernando Castillo,
Calidris Executive Director, E-mail: calidris@nemo.univalle.edu.co
Atlas of Oder
/ Odra Floodplan from the Czech Republic Downstream Through Poland and Germany
to the Baltic Sea
The
Floodplains Institute of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Auen-Institut)
in Rastatt (a small German town in the floodplain of the Upper Rhine) has
published a stunning, A3-sized, 3 kg-heavy atlas of this region. Back in 1996, WWF embarked on a project to
prepare a baseline inventory of the natural floodplain infrastructures and
biodiversity-relevant habitats and ecosystems.
This was done in the context of emerging plans to develop the Oder/Odra
river as a major navigation route, including a planned Danube-March-Odra canal.
WWF compiled baseline data about the hydrological and biodiversity
functions of the entire Odra floodplain in order to inventory the existing
values and functions and to prevent potential environmentally very damaging
impacts of planned river engineering works. For more information go to: http://www.panda.org/europe/freshwater/newsroom.html
WETLAND RELATED
MARKETING IDEA --- - Here’s a Neat Idea !!!
Free Placemats Illustrate Rhode Island Watershed
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental
Management, in partnership with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, has produced
paper placemats to help educate the public about watersheds and their importance.
The placemats are available at no charge to local restaurants, community
groups, watershed organizations and others who wish to use them for educational
purposes. The placemats are double
sided. One side contains a colorful map of Rhode Island's 26 major watersheds,
a watershed diagram and a list of steps people can take to protect watersheds.
The other side has games and coloring activities for children. Sponsored placemats can be customized to include
the name of the sponsor and to highlight a particular watershed.
Free Wetland Screen Saver – Active
until the end of June –
download now
In celebration of National Wetlands Month and
the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, USA, Wetlandfest, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has prepared a wetland screen saver, compliments of its National Wetlands
Inventory (NWI) Program. It contains
more than 20 images of wetlands across the country. The screen
saver can be downloaded from the web at: northeast.fws.gov/wetlandfest2.html
After July 1 the screen saver may be available at:
wetlands.fws.gov Enjoy and relax to the beauty of wetlands! Go to: http://northeast.fws.gov/wetsaver.html
WETLANDS JOB & INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
The USDA Forest Service Offers Funding For
at Least One Visiting Professional from Latin America and the Caribbean
The Forest Service's International Programs
is a co-sponsor of the International Seminar on Forest and Natural Resources
Administration and Management. This
year the seminar will be held from 26 August through 13 September, with an
itinerary that includes Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina, and Washington
DC. The cost is $5000 tuition, plus
travel into the country and incidental expenses. For more information and applications go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/global/is/isfam. English proficiency is required.
BirdLife South Africa requires a Co-ordinator
to run BirdLife International's "Save the Albatross Campaign" which
aims to reduce the mortality of seabirds caused by longline fishing on a global
scale by advocacy and raising awareness of inter-governmental organisations,
governments and the fishing industry, and through empowerment of NGOs. The successful applicant will be based in Cape
Town, South Africa in new regional offices of BirdLife South Africa, and will
be supported by a seabird specialist. The
Co-ordinator will report to the Director of BirdLife South Africa.
A three-month probation period will apply.
Information on the Global Seabird Programme is available on www.uct.ac.za/depts/stats/adu/seabirds. The deadline for applications is 31 May 2001.
Please contact their office immediately to see if a late application
might be considered: info@birdlife.org.za
Ramsar Bureau Seeks Internship in the Asian Region Beginning 5 November 2001
The Ramsar Bureau welcomes applications for
the position of Intern for the Asian Region/Assistant to the Regional Coordinator
for Asia, a one-year posting (possibly extendable to 18 months.)
With an age limit for applicants of 30 years old, the post offers an
opportunity for young graduates to become acquainted with the workings of
an intergovernmental treaty dealing with the conservation and sustainable
use of natural resources. Candidates for this internship should be nationals
of countries in Asia and have lived most of their lives in the region. Full
ability to work in English is required for this post, while a practical knowledge
of French would be an asset -- the ability to communicate in at least one
Asian language would also be of value. To learn more about this opportunity
go to: http://ramsar.org/about_internships.htm
THE END
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