Island Update Spring/Summer 2019 Protecting the Unique Habitats and Cultures of Islands Worldwide
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Island Update Spring/Summer 2019 Protecting the unique habitats and cultures of islands worldwide IN THIS ISSUE Letter from the Chair ..........2 People .................................2 Dominican mangroves .......3 Borneo’s rainforest .............4 Project updates ...................5 New projects .......................6 Seacology supporters .........7 Solidarity with Sri Lanka .....7 2019 Seacology Prize Ceremony: Save the date On Thursday, October 3, we will present the Seacology Prize, Mangroves on the world stage our organization’s highest honor, to an exceptional conservation Sri Lanka mangrove project leader who has worked to preserve island habitats and receives international attention cultures. The always inspiring for innovative climate strategy award ceremony will be held at the David Brower Center in or years, Seacology has been stressing the downtown Berkeley, California. importance of protecting mangrove forests— As always, the Seacology Prize Fand it feels like the world is finally noticing. Ceremony is free and open to At the end of 2018, the United Nations awarded the public. We’ll announce more Seacology a prestigious “Momentum for Change” details in the coming months award for our project in Sri Lanka, which aims to at seacology.org/prize and on conserve all of that nation’s mangrove forests. Top: Women plant mangroves in Sri Lanka’s Kalpitiya Lagoon. social media. Above: Seacology’s Karen Peterson discusses the Sri Lanka Mangrove Conservation project at COP24 in Poland. Momentum for Change awards promote innovative strategies for dealing with the climate crisis. That’s “It was thrilling to be surrounded by thought leaders Donate with confidence what made the UN pay attention to our mangrove from around the world, all gathered in the name program in Sri Lanka, which incentivizes Sri Lankan of tackling our planet’s most pressing challenge,” At Seacology, we pride ourselves communities to protect these carbon-sequestering, said Karen Peterson, Seacology’s Senior Manager on being careful stewards not tsunami-blocking trees by offering poor women for Special Initiatives, who oversees the Sri Lanka only of the environment, but also skills training and microloans. Seacology was one project and represented Seacology at COP24. of the generous gifts that make of only 15 recipients of the award from around “To have the program recognized among other our work possible. Seacology the world, and one of four in the Planetary Health groundbreaking initiatives in the Planetary Health recently earned GuideStar’s category. category was wonderful recognition of the real “Platinum Seal of Transparency” impact our project is having on coastal habitats for publicly sharing financials, One consequence of this honor was that Seacology and communities.” progress, and results, year after was invited to the annual United Nations Climate year. Change Conference, or Conference Of Parties Karen addressed conference attendees about This endorsement complements (COP). Diplomats, nongovernmental organizations, the myriad environmental benefits of mangrove another top rating from business leaders, and activist groups attend these forests. She explained how our project is based on Charity Navigator. Seacology gatherings, which have become the world’s most the recognition that coastal communities not only earned four stars—its highest prominent venue to present the latest findings have the most to lose by the destruction of these rating—meaning our work in climate science and to negotiate international ecosystems, but also represent the most important “exceeds industry standards and agreements to tackle climate change. The 2018 outperforms most charities in its meeting, called COP24, took place in Poland. COP24 Continued on page 7 cause.” 2 From the Chair Dear friends, n a remarkable evolutionary convergence between plants and people, many mangroves throughout the world have developed the habit of giving live birth: SEACOLOGY ISeeds germinate while still in the trees, so the unit of dispersal dropped into seawater is the entire seedling, which floats. Paddling a canoe through a forest Board of Directors of Rhizophora mucronata in Sri Lanka or Rhizophora mangle in the Dominican Donald M. Arntz Republic, one feels hushed—as if entering a hospital nursery—by seeing all of Paul Alan Cox, Ph.D. Chair the baby mangrove trees hanging from their mothers. Just like human children Scott S. Halsted enjoy standing on stilts, young mangrove trees, once established, immediately Douglas Herst President Shanna Jamieson Treasurer start growing stilt roots into the estuarine mud, Masayuki Kishimoto allowing them to stand against the buffeting Ken Murdock Vice Chair of waves. Some mangrove species such as Kimberly Leilani Myers Hewlett Vice President Bruguiera gymnorhiza also share our love of Peter Read Kristin M. Reed Vice President birds; as the beak of a bird probes for nectar Michael Staffieri in the nondescript flowers, an explosive pop Sandie Tillotson Vice President ensures that the pollen will be placed on the Jake Walker bird’s head to be carried to the next plant. Michael Ward Mangroves also love crabs; their stilt-like roots Marsha Garces Williams provide a tangled, but safe nursery for many Staff types of shellfish and juvenile fishes. Duane Silverstein Executive Director Kevin Claassen Accounting Manager Island villages that protect their mangroves Joseph Clerici Communications Associate often escape destruction from the waves and Erin Coyne Institutional Giving Officer Teng Wei wind of tsunamis, while those that denude Amanda Kirkhart Program and Administrative Assistant these areas are directly exposed to the force Karen Peterson Senior Manager of Special Initiatives Propagules hang from a mangrove tree Mary Randolph Program Manager of the giant waves. Another ecological service Michael Scott Individual Gifts Officer in Sri Lanka. provided by mangroves is their sequestration of carbon. Second only to submerged seagrasses, Field Representatives mangroves sequester more carbon dioxide than any other form of vegetation. Leela Padmini Batuwitage Sri Lanka Tyrone Buckmire Grenada Unfortunately, mangroves and seagrasses are among the most endangered Leida Buglass Dominican Republic vegetation types in the world. If perhaps the most visible effort one can personally Pisit Charnsnoh Thailand make to fight global warming is to plant a tree, planting or protecting a mangrove Mykl Clovis Fuller Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Kitts Claudio Delgado Chile may be the most effective. Krishna Desai Jamaica The United Nations, recognizing the tremendous positive impact that mangrove Simon Ellis Micronesia Ximena Escovar-Fadul Colombia conservation has on climate change, last October chose Seacology to receive Sione Faka’osi Tonga a “Momentum for Change” award. I was very proud to be in New York City to Farwiza Farhan Indonesia see Seacology Director Duane Silverstein accept this award on behalf of our Marisol Rueda Flores Mexico organization—and indeed, on behalf of all of you. Crystal Vance Guerra Honduras Vineeta Hoon India, Bangladesh In this newsletter, you will read how Seacology’s Karen Peterson presented our Ferdinand Marcelo Philippines Irman Meilandi Indonesia work on mangroves in Sri Lanka to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Enrique Michaud Peru You will also read about Seacology’s efforts to foster mangrove conservation half a Dishon Lionel Murage East Africa world away in the Dominican Republic. These efforts simply could not have been Erik Patel Madagascar launched without your support. Sam Moko Papua New Guinea Pettine Simpson Fiji Cordially, Cecilia Suárez Uruguay Tuaine Tuara Cook Islands Christopher Wright Malaysia Scientific Advisory Board Paul Alan Cox, Ph.D. Paul Alan Cox, Ph.D. Jared Diamond, Ph.D. Chair, Seacology Board of Directors Sylvia Earle, Ph.D. Thomas Elmqvist, Ph.D. Robert Jansen, Ph.D. John McCosker, Ph.D. John Ogden, Ph.D. William E. Rainey, Ph.D. Seacology welcomes... Peter H. Raven, Ph.D. Edward O. Wilson, Ph.D. Crystal Vance Guerra Honduras Field Representative Crystal Vance Guerra is a historian, journalist, and organizer who has found her niche in the environmental conservation work taking place 1623 Solano Avenue Berkeley, CA 94707 USA in Honduras. She is a Chicago native, with roots in Mexico, who has 510.559.3505 worked on Honduras’ Bay Islands for three years in environmental [email protected] education, co-managing projects and communications. She is a www.seacology.org graduate of Brown University. 3 Seacology’s crowdfunding campaign will DOMINICAN bolster efforts to protect sensitive REPUBLIC mangrove habitats through sustainable tourism Grupo Jaragua rotecting mangroves in the Dominican Republic is a way to both Ptackle climate change (mangroves sequester much more carbon than do other types of habitats) and improve conditions in DR communities. Seacology has launched three projects with established local NGOs to protect key mangrove habitats through ecotourism. Now we’re inviting our supporters to directly support these important projects. On Earth Day, Seacology launched a crowdfunding campaign to expand our Top: A flamingo takes flight at Oviedo Lagoon. Above left: A class of local students visits the mangrove boardwalk at projects in the Dominican Republic. The Samaná Bay. Above right: Visitors explore the mangrove forests of Montecristi Province in Seacology-funded kayaks. campaign will let us help our partner • In Montecristi Province, Seacology is enforcement of environmental regulations.