The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that it has not licensed any Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) based products in the country.
NAFDAC Spokesperson, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh
NAFDAC Spokesperson, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, June 8, 2017 in Abuja while reacting on speculation that GMO products have flooded some markets in Nigeria.
Jimoh explained that the agency had not given any approval for GMO foods in the country.
He said that if any was found in any departmental store or supermarket, such was selling illegally without the consent of NAFDAC.
According to him, the Federal Government has created a new agency to regulate GMO-based products and the organisation had visited NAFDAC to seek for cooperation.
Jimoh said: “Hope you are aware that government created an agency recently purposely to regulate GMOs and the agency met with us.
“We asked them to be on the driver’s seat while we work with them, and they told us that they also had not given any approval for GMO products.
“Anybody that has any evidence on the presence of GMO based products in the country should report to NAFDAC.”
The spokesperson noted that NAFDAC works in partnership with agencies nationally and internationally on any regulated products within its purview.
He said that apart from GMO products that the Federal Government directed NAFDAC to work with Customs to monitor sometimes back, the agency has always being partnering with relevant organisations in all its regulated products.
Jimoh disclosed that NAFDAC was also in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service to drive federal government’s policy on economic diversification to ensure self-sufficiency in rice production to stop reckless importation of rice to the country.
Ayuba David, a public servant based in Abuja, in this piece, makes a case for the prevalence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria, in the light of dissenting voices over government’s efforts at regulating the technology. According to him, other countries across the globe are already using the technology to their own benefit and that Nigeria cannot be an exception
Critics fear genetically modified foods can cause environmental harm and damage human health. Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk
This week, sponsored protesters were at the outskirts of the National Assembly complex in Abuja, demonstrating against the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), saying that the law establishing the Agency is weak and that the Agency should be scrapped, among other things.
Out of curiosity, I asked one of the protesters, an aged woman, why she was protesting and she said she was only mobilised to come and join the protest.
Various attempts have been made by these paid agents to turn the country into a place where modern biotechnology would not be regulated with the intent to flood Nigeria with illegal Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
These international agents who do not mean well for Nigeria have been in the vanguard asking for the repeal of the NBMA Act for reasons that defile common sense and using all opportunities that come their way to misinform Nigerians with messages prepared for them by their international sponsors.
Most importantly, those leading the campaign today were part of the stakeholders review meetings that drafted what became the bill that was passed by the National Assembly.
The same people who drafted the bill are today leading the onslaught on the Agency for personal gains at the expense of our dear fatherland. They are operating under the guise of protecting the environment, protecting farmers’ interests, and avoiding the contamination of our natural habitat by products of modern biotechnology, but the question to ask is: Are they really protecting Nigeria and Nigerians or working for their daily bread?
The NGOs are always insisting that the law which mandated the NBMA to carry out its functions is defective, lacks bite, has no place for strict liabilities, is not inclusive, lacks stakeholder-input and, above all, was hurriedly passed.
Unknown to most Nigerians, the process that cumulated into the establishment of NBMA started in 1992. There were a series of meetings and public hearings in all the geopolitical zones of Nigeria before a bill was prepared, forwarded to and passed by the 6th and 7th National Assemblies and then signed into law in 2015. The activities of these activists call to question the integrity of our legislators and the nation’s legal system.
Could a law making process that spanned over 25 years be said to be in a rush? Suffice to note that most of those leading the agitation against the NBMA Act today were serious participants at the various meetings that produced the draft bill that was transmitted to the national assembly.
Government, in its wisdom, established the National Biotechnology Development Agency in 2000 to create awareness and promote modern biotechnology as one of the tools needed to ensure food security, tackle climate change and make farming profitable.
Government also established the NBMA 15 years later to ensure that the practice of modern biotechnology was properly regulated, monitored and controlled so that the country does not end up becoming a dumping ground for unwanted products of biotechnology.
But government’s efforts at regulating the technology have come under attack by the same NGOs who see such attacks as an opportunity to draw money from their international sponsors and collaborators that are bent on turning the country into a disaster zone for unregulated biotechnology practices (GMOs).
These groups are seriously focusing on Nigeria as their new launch pad, recruiting people to misinform Nigerians on genetically modified products and thereby paving way for the sale of their chemicals, which over the years have been responsible for polluting the environment and all the rivers and streams across the country.
Today, most Nigerians are forced to feed on fish produced in ponds because the polluted rivers and streams (from too much applied chemicals on farmlands) can no longer support fishes and their reproductive process.
Farmers are the worst hit, as most of them have to spray their farms with various chemicals up to 10 times per farming season and this endangers their lives as a result of their exposure to these harmful chemicals.
The country’s decision to venture into genetic engineering can not be revised or jettisoned by a mere campaign of calumny sponsored by haters and wailers who never see anything good in the Nigerian project.
Other countries across the globe are already using this technology to their own benefit and Nigeria, recognised as one of the countries with the highest rate of travellers, cannot fold its hands and watch, considering our porous borders.
Ghana, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Sudan, South Africa, and Kenya are African countries already benefiting from this technology with the United States of America, Canada and other South American countries improving their people and economies from production of genetically modified crops and by-products.
The NBMA since its existence has remained consistent with the message that it is prepared, both in terms of human capacity and facilities, to regulate products of modern biotechnology in the country without compromise.
“We are prepared to discharge our duties to the best interest of Nigeria. We shall not, in the course of our duties, do or support anything that will threaten the health of Nigerians or the environment. Those calling for the repeal or scrapping of the Agency do not love Nigeria, they want to open Nigeria up for disaster,” Rufus Ebegba, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NBMA, noted recently.
Faith-based organisations have called on U.S. President Donald Trump to give a second thought to his decision to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Mattias Söderberg of the ACT Alliance
Representatives of the faith groups, who are preparing for an inter-faith gathering, on Thursday, June 8, 2017 expressed deep concern about the US decision.
“To care for creation, is a moral and ethical responsibility. We cannot treat creation with disrespect, and we must develop a sustainable way of living. I therefore call on the US to reconsider the decision to leave the Paris Agreement,” says Mattias Söderberg of the the ACT Alliance.
He continues, “I welcome how most world leaders, including six of the G7 countries, as well as cities, states and corporations in the US, have reconfirmed their commitments to take action on the Paris Agreement.”
On Friday June 9, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist leaders will meet for an Interfaith Forum on Environmental Protection, with an aim to agree on a Charter of Values and Actions, to be delivered to the ministers attending the G7 Environment Ministers Meeting from June 11 to 12, 2017.
Climate change is an important topic for many religions. This was stressed in a global statement made by more than 150 faith and spiritual leaders in the run up to the Paris climate summit in 2015.
“Many religions share a belief that humanity has an important task, to care for creation. However, when we look around us today, we are concerned. Our current way of living is not sustainable. We must change our way of living and enter a new and sustainable development path,” says Söderberg, who is representing ACT Alliance at the Forum.
“When earth was created there were no countries, no borders. The responsibility to take action is also without border. All countries, all people, have a responsibility to take action,” says Gianfranco Cattai, President of Federazione Organismi Cristiani Servizio Internazionale Volontario (FOCSIV).
Éamonn Meehan, President of Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité (CIDSE), says: “Those most affected by climate change are those who have done the least to contribute to it, which is an inherent injustice. There is a moral imperative for G7 countries to recognise and take responsibility for the global damage they have caused through their carbon emissions. Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and if world leaders, including the U.S. don’t begin to care for creation and see that the Earth is for all, then there will be little left for future generations to enjoy.”
Cecilia Dall’Oglio, representing the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GGCM) at the Forum, notes: “Christians worldwide are responding by coming together in unity to care for creation in prayer and action as announced on the occasion of World Environment Day. A new wave of climate action during the new edition of the Season of Creation will be running from September 1 to October 4, uniting the 2.2 billion members of the Christian family to care for creation. Besides local action in grassroots communities, Christians will also engage in advocacy initiatives such as a new Joint Christian Divestment Announcement on October 4.”
The G7 Meeting is a major international event, especially for the new head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, who is expected to face a lot of critique following the US decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist and Jewish leaders to join with indigenous forest guardians to express moral commitment and explore faith-based mobilisation to end deforestation
King Harald V of Norway
For the first time, leaders from many of the world’s religions will meet in Oslo, Norway to discuss the spiritual and ethical responsibility they share to protect rainforests, one of the planet’s most vital life-support systems.
Besieged by growing global demand for commodities, tropical rainforests are being cleared at a perilous rate, with an area the size of Austria chopped down each year, according to experts.
The meeting, which will take place Monday, June 19, 2017 in the presence of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, will discuss how to activate the collective moral influence of religious communities across the planet. Based on sheer numbers, they could prove decisive in protecting the world’s last standing rainforests.
There is growing consensus among the world’s religions that environmental concerns are closely linked to social justice, a position reinforced by Pope Francis’ Laudato si and high-level declarations from many other faiths about the spiritual imperative of protecting the planet and its most vulnerable people.
The multi-faith summit marks the first significant engagement by the world’s religions with an issue that climate scientists and development experts argue is a lynchpin for global efforts to address climate change, poverty, food insecurity and violations of human rights. It also heralds the first time that religious leaders from a broad spectrum of faiths will work hand-in-hand with indigenous peoples, the historical guardians of rainforests, on an action agenda to end deforestation.
Hosted by Vidar Helgesen, the Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway, the meeting is being convened by Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University, GreenFaith, Parliament of the World’s Religions, Religions for Peace, the REIL Network, and the World Council of Churches.
Among the questions to be addressed at the event are:
How do religious and spiritual teachings support the care and protection of rainforests, and how do they relate to environmental, socio-cultural and economic justifications for ending deforestation?
How can religious and spiritual communities contribute to the battle to protect rainforests and stop deforestation? What are the specific actions on the ground undertaken by spiritual groups and mainstream religions to protect forests?
Where are forests most under threat and what do spiritual and religious leaders, and their communities and constituencies, propose to do to protect them?
What can indigenous forest communities teach that can help influence a world that judges the value of forests through the lens of price, utility, or efficiency?
How does this initiative complement and add to other interfaith efforts?
Why are the Norwegian government and civil society convening this event? Why now?
What are the planned next steps for this initiative?
Indigenous peoples leaders to grace the event are: Sônia Guajajara, National Coordinator, Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil – APIB (Brazil); Joseph Itongwa, executive Committee Member, Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee – IPACC (Democratic Republic of Congo); Abdon Nababan, Vice Chairperson, National Council, Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, AMAN (Indonesia); and Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The religious leaders include: H.E. Metropolitan Emmanuel, Exarch, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Christian); Dr. Nanditha Krishna, Founder, The C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation (Hinduism); Abbot Phra Paisal Vongvoravisit, Co-Founder, Sekiya Dhamma (Buddhism); Sir Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee and Director, Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding (Judaism); H.E. Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (Catholic); Bishop Emeritus Gunnar Stålsett, Honorary President, Religions for Peace (Lutheran); Dr. Din Syamsuddin, Chairman, Center for Dialogue and Cooperation Among Civilisations (Islam); and The Right Reverend Bishop Pierre W. Whalon, Bishop-In-Charge, Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (Episcopal).
Interfaith leaders are: Reverend Henrik Grape, Coordinator, Working Group on Climate Change, World Council of Churches; Reverend Fletcher Harper: Executive Director, GreenFaith; Dr. Kusumita Pedersen, Vice Chair, Parliament of the World’s Religions; Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker: Director, Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University; and Dr. William F. Vendley: Secretary General, Religions for Peace.
Academics and experts: Lars Løvold, Director, Rainforest Foundation Norway; Dr. Antonio Donato Nobre, Visiting Scientist at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA); and Frances Seymour, Distinguished Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute.
Winners of the 2017 $7 million Access Co-Development Facility (ACF) competition have been unveiled. The announcement was made on Thursday, June 8, 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Access Power , a developer, owner and operator of renewable power projects in emerging markets, in partnership with EREN Renewable Energy, a global independent power producer.
The winning entries entailed solar, hydro and wind power projects
The three winning projects, hailing from Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana, were selected from a technologically and geographically diverse pool of 82 entrants from 23 countries after having presented to a live panel of industry expert judges. The panel based their final selection on the commercial, technical and environmental merits of the projects presented, as well as the local regulatory environment and capability of the project teams.
The winners will share the $7 million as well as technical support and expertise provided by the ACF, an innovative funding and support platform for renewable energy projects in Africa.
This year’s winners are:
Tanzania: 30MW, Kondoa, Solar PV project
Rwanda: 9.7MW, Rukarara, Hydro project
Ghana: 48MW, Winneba, Wind project
When completed, the projects will collectively provide over 85MW of electricity, enough to power more than 420,000 homes and business across Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana. The winners were announced at the 19th annual Africa Energy Forum, following a presentation by the five shortlisted developers to a panel of expert judges.
Reda El Chaar, Executive Chairman of Access Power said: “We are very excited to begin working with today’s winners in partnership with EREN and help bring their projects to fruition. Each of these projects has the power to dramatically improve the lives of the communities around these renewable energy facilities.
“By partnering with us, these local entrepreneurs will gain access to not only our pot of $7 million but also our network of contacts and technical experts, underlining the unique nature of the ACF in creating a clear route to market.”
The winning projects will now enter into Joint Development Agreements with Access Power, who will take an equity stake. Winners will also be able to leverage Access Power’s organisational, financial and technical knowledge, as well as access to our network. They will also receive assistance with the funding of third-party development costs including feasibility studies, grid studies, environmental and social impact assessments and due diligence fees.
This year’s competition was notable for the dominance of solar, with just under half of this year’s entries and three of the five shortlisted projects falling under the category, but also for the high number of applications from countries with low levels of electrification. Of the 23 countries represented in this year’s edition, 18 have electrification rates below 30%. This year’s application process also further highlighted the rise of East and West Africa as hotspots for renewable energy development, with nearly 80% of all applicants hailing from both sides of the continent.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon announced on Monday, June 5, 2017 in a speech delivered at the United Nations headquarters that his government has created a network of 20 marine protected areas, consisting of nine marine parks and 11 aquatic reserves covering 26% of the nation’s territorial waters.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon
“As I have often argued, we cannot approach sustainable management solely from the point of view of conservation. On the contrary, we must also tackle this issue through rational use of the environment in order to give more meaning to its preservation by the people who live in it”, said the President.
The creation of these areas had been preceded by the approval of the project by the Head of State, who is also President of the Strategic Committee of the National Marine Council, the body created in April 2014 with responsibility for formulating national marine policy.
An innovative initiative on the African continent, the creation of this network of marine protected areas confirms President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s commitment to preserving the environment, as well as to implementing effective and sustainable management of the nation’s marine natural resources. The policy aims to rehabilitate fish stocks, increase the sustainable production of the available fishery resources and protect the marine environment, and will have multiple positive outcomes for the people of Gabon.
With a network of 13 national parks, representing true treasures of global biodiversity, and more than 800 kilometres of coastline, Gabon – more than 90% of which is covered with forest – is seeing a significant acceleration of its sustainable development policy under the determined drive of President Ondimba.
This policy is based on a new model of socio-economic development that is beneficial both to the Gabonese population and to the international community. Its practical implementation can be seen, in particular, in the signing of major environmental agreements such as the Paris Agreement, signed in the context of the COP21 summit.
An exemplary country in the field of sustainable development, Gabon had the honour, in January 2017, of being chosen to coordinate the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
During his term in office at the head of CAHOSCC, Ali Bongo Ondimba intends to continue the work of his predecessor, the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, and “to open up new areas of development in this field that are so crucial to our future in the face of climate change.”
Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Convenor of Mission 2020, was on Thursday, June 7, 2017 announced as Global Ambassador of the Under2 Coalition – a leading network of international sub-national governments that are working together to find shared solutions to climate change.
Christiana Figueres
The announcement was made in Beijing, China during the Under2 Clean Energy Forum – a side event of the eighth Clean Energy Ministerial, The forum explored, through a series of high-level roundtables and keynotes, how sub-national governments and businesses can work together to deliver the Paris Agreement, following the announcement of the US intention to withdraw.
The event brought together high level delegates from across the world, including Governor Edmund. G Brown, State of California; Rachel Kyte, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All; and Katie Hill, Head of Global Supplier Clean Energy Programme, Apple.
Figueres said: “I’m delighted to have been named as Global Ambassador for the Under2 Coalition. It has never been more important for states and regions to work together to help promote clean energy economies and limit global temperature rises. To give us the best chance of staying below two degrees of warming, we will need to bend the curve of emissions by 2020, so I look forward to playing an active role in raising awareness of the Coalition’s ambitions.”
Set up in 2015 by the States of California and Baden-Württemberg to galvanise sub-national leadership on climate change, the Coalition now encompasses 175 governments, spanning six continents and 35 countries, comprising over 1.2 billion people and more than US$28.8 trillion of the global economy. Coalition signatories are committed to either reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 80% to 95% below 1990 levels or limit emissions to less than two metric tons per capita annually by 2050.
Governor Brown, a founder of the Coalition stated: “Christiana Figueres has been a strong ally in the global effort to curb carbon pollution and we welcome her work to expand our Under2 Coalition to even more cities, states, regions and countries throughout the world.”
Also at the event, states and regions reaffirmed their commitment to climate action. Five new endorsers and signatories to the Under2 Coalition were announced, including Denmark, the State of Chhattisgarh (India), Region of Brittany (France) and South African Provinces KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.
Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, said: “While the Trump administration is talking about the credibility of Paris, the rest of the world is moving on to action and delivery. States, regions and businesses are leading actions to limit warming and they are already seeing the economic and health benefits.
“Today’s announcement of the continued growth of the Under2 Coalition, with new signatories and Christiana as Global Ambassador demonstrates the continued momentum.”
Ulla Tørnæs, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, said: “I am pleased that Denmark now formally is an endorsing partner of the Under2 Coalition. Achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement will require strong action at all levels – not least at local and regional levels. Regions have a decisive role to play in moving the political ambitions from Paris into real action. The Under2 Coalition has already built a strong coalition of regions behind this work, which I very much welcome, especially in light of recent developments. The need for strong alliances working to achieve the climate targets is more needed than ever.”
Mahesh Gagda, Minister of Forests, Law and Legal Affairs, Government of Chhattisgarh, said: “Today our world is facing the big challenge of climate change and we all bear the burden of sharing the responsibility of addressing it. A challenge of this magnitude cannot be fought only at the national level. I am of the firm belief that sub-national collaborations between state governments and provinces, provides a great opportunity to further bridge the gap between nations, their people and culture. Chhattisgarh State will undertake all possible efforts to fulfill India’s NDC commitment. Let us all resolve to contribute our bit in the fight against climate change.”
Dominique Ramard, Vice President, Brittany, said: “Brittany, as a French and European region is deeply committed to climate protection. It is an engagement for the planet as well as a robust business strategy that provides guidelines for the transition to a more sustainable society.”
Anton Bredell, Provincial Minister for Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Western Cape, said: “The decision to join the Under2 Coalition of global provinces, states and regions committed to driving ambitious climate action was not a difficult one as it aligns with the Western Cape Government’s aspiration of being a low carbon province.”
T W Mchunu, Premier, KwaZulu-Natal, said: “The signing of this Under2 MoU signals our commitment in implementing the Paris Agreement as signed by our national government. Work that led to this Paris Agreement began in our very own city of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal in 2011 when we hosted COP17.”
The Under2 Clean Energy Forum was hosted by The Climate Group, in partnership with the State of California, the People’s Government of Sichuan Province and the Energy Foundation.
Portugal captain and Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, who topped the Forbes magazine list for the first time 12 months ago, has retained the position as the highest-paid sports person for the second successive year.
Cristiano Ronaldo
He is worth staggering earnings of $93 million (£72.05 million), according to Forbes annual list of the world’s 100 wealthiest athletes.
The 32-year-old saw his earnings rise by $5 million (£3.87 million) a year on, a £44. 8 million salary from his club Real Madrid, whilst £27 million came from endorsements.
Second in line is basketball star LeBron James who pocketed $86.2 million (£66.79 million) in 2017, whilst Ronaldo’s fierce rival Lionel Messi took home $80 million (£61.98 million).
Also on the top five list is tennis star Roger Federer, earning $86 million (£49.5 million) in fourth position, while another basketball heavyweight, Kelvin Durant, earns $60 million (£49.58 million) in fifth position.
The list of elite athletes consists of players from 11 different sports.
Basketball dominates with a record 32 NBA players among the top 100, up from 18 in 2016, followed by Baseball with 22, and American football with 15 and football with nine.
The top 100 athletes earned a total of $3.11 billion (£2.4 billion) over the last 12 months, a slight decrease from last year’s earnings of $3.15 billion (£2.43 billion).
Overfishing and the degradation of coral reefs across the Caribbean and Pacific islands are pushing many fish, including food sources like tunas and groupers, towards extinction, according to two regional Red List reports published on Thursday, June 8, 2017 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Overfishing: In the Caribbean, the vulnerable red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is among the threatened species targeted by fishers
The Conservation status of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Islands of Oceania Red List report includes assessments of 2,800 marine species across the 22 island states and territories of Oceania, from Papua New Guinea to the Cook Islands – a vast, species-rich but largely unexplored area. The report shows that 11% of all assessed marine species in the region are threatened with extinction, including fish that are important food sources.
The Conservation status of marine bony shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean Red List report includes assessments of 1,360 marine bony shorefishes – a group that includes most fish species found near the shore – across 38 Caribbean countries and territories. Around 5% of marine bony shorefishes in the Caribbean are threatened, the report shows, due to overfishing, invasive lionfish predation and the degradation of coral reefs and estuaries, which provide habitats and feeding grounds for many species. Species threatened by overfishing are commonly associated with reef habitat.
“These new reports ring alarm bells for marine life across the Pacific and Caribbean, hard-hit by unsustainable fishing and the destruction of habitats. These are the latest in a series of IUCN Red List reports covering more than half of the global ocean, which collectively reveal a looming threat to life below water. It is essential that we use this new science and analysis to effectively conserve marine resources, which provide us with food, enhance our health, sustain the global economy and protect us from the worst effects of climate change,” says IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen.
In the Pacific islands of Oceania, around a third of reef-building coral species are threatened with extinction. Overfishing and the destruction of habitats – including coral reefs – are causing the decline of many fish species, the report’s authors warn. For example, four species of grouper, which are an important food source, are listed as Vulnerable – with populations affected by overfishing and the degradation of nearshore habitats, including mangrove, seagrass and reef habitats.
In the Caribbean, the vulnerable red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and the Endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) are among the threatened species targeted by fishers. Fewer individual coral species – around a fifth – are threatened with extinction in this region, although overall Caribbean reefs are in worse shape than those in Oceania due to human pressures adding to the effects of ocean warming. Various local- to broader-scaled threats are flattening reefs across much of the Caribbean, particularly affecting the Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). These endemic, branching corals, which are among the most important reef-building coral species in the Caribbean and vital for the survival of reefs, are both classed as Critically Endangered.
“We know that well-managed marine protected areas can increase the resilience of marine species in the Caribbean and the Pacific in the face of mounting threats. In an extremely species-rich region dominated by Small Island states, inter-governmental cooperation between countries should be boosted to ensure protected areas are managed effectively, and destructive fishing practices are minimised,” says Kent Carpenter, manager of the IUCN Marine Biodiversity Unit.
Some species, such as the vulnerable migratory bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) need larger, more geographically inclusive marine protected areas for effective conservation, the report recommends. Other recommendations include using IUCN Red List data to identify and conserve threatened species ‘hotspots’, improving resources for regional fishery agencies, and protecting spawning areas for species of key socioeconomic importance.
Islanders in both the Pacific and Caribbean regions rely heavily on reef fisheries and other marine resources for food security and income generation. In Oceania, fish consumption rates are high at about 50 kg annually per person, as compared to about 8 kg for people living in continental areas such as Australia.
The release of the two reports coincides with the on-going UN Ocean Conference in New York, where IUCN has been calling for urgent action on climate change and marine plastic pollution.
The Conservation status of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Islands of Oceania Red List report can be accessed here.
The Conservation status of marine bony shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean Red List report can be accessed here.
In a show of support for the Paris climate agreement, Gov. David Ige and Hawai’i county mayors and representatives on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 gathered for the signing of two bills and a mayors’ agreement that support the commitments and goals of the Paris climate accord.
Gov. David Ige of Hawai’i signs the Paris Agreement related bills into law
Hawai‘i is the first state in the nation to enact legislation that implements portions of the Paris agreement.
Gov. Ige signed SB 559 (Act 032) which expands strategies and mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide in alignment with the principles and goals adopted in the Paris agreement.
The governor also signed HB 1578 (Act 033) which establishes the Carbon Farming Task Force within the Office of Planning to identify agricultural and aquacultural practices to improve soil health and promote carbon sequestration – the capture and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change.
“Hawai‘i is committed to environmental stewardship, and we look forward to working with other states to fight global climate change. Together, we can directly contribute to the global agenda of achieving a more resilient and sustainable island Earth,” said Gov. Ige. “The Hawai‘i State Legislature understands the importance of taking action, and I applaud its work this session to ensure that we continue to deliver the island Earth that we want to leave to our children.”
“The measure adopted relevant sections of the Paris agreement as state law, which gives us legal basis to continue adaptation and mitigation strategies for Hawaii, despite the Federal government’s withdrawal from the treaty,” said Sen. J. Kalani English, senate majority leader who introduced SB 559.
In addition, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and representatives for Hawai‘i Island Mayor Harry Kim, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, and Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho signed a statement declaring their commitment to continue supporting of the Paris agreement.
