Living Seas Marine Conservation Actions in Asia/Pacific Picture research: Michèle Dépraz WWF International Photolibrary Produced by the Asia/Pacific Programme WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc CH-1196 Gland Switzerland Tel: +41-22 364 91 11 Fax: +41-22 364 66 24 E-mail: [email protected] Acknowledgement: Scot Atkinson of WWF-US for helping to draft the text Printed on recycled paper by BTL Geneva, Switzerland Published June 1998 by WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), 1196 Gland, Switzerland. Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright owner. Let's leave our children a living planet LIVING SEAS Marine Conservation Actions in Asia/Pacific Contents Introduction 1 Regional WWF Actions 3 National WWF Actions 6 Cover photo credits Box, from top to bottom: Tropical rainforest, Taman Negara, Malaysia. WWF-Canon/Paul S. Sochacewski Tribal women carrying water, Gujarat India. WWF-Canon/Mauri Rautkari Sumatran tiger. WWF/Michel Gunther/BIOS Diversity of ocean life, French Polynesia. WWF/Denis-Huot/BIOS Background: Palmtree patterns, Malaysia. WWF-Canon/Mattias Klum Introduction "...(this) world is a water world, a planet dominated by its covering mantle of ocean, in which the continents are but transient intrusions of land above the surface of the all-encircling sea." Rachel Carson, author of The Silent Spring, 1951 More than 70 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered by sea. A vast and constantly moving environment, the sea teems with all kinds of life: from sharks to jellyfish, and corals to phytoplankton, microscopic plants that absorb carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases. Just as varied are the marine ecosystems, and some of these can rival tropical forests in species richness. For instance, the warm tropical oceans can house as many as 2,000 fish species, 5,000 molluscs, and countless others, such as crabs, sea urchins, and starfish. The sea is also a storehouse of food, medicines, and minerals. Marine fish and other animals provide 14 per cent of the world's animal protein while some 500 marine species contain chemicals which could help treat cancer. Minerals from the sea include oil and natural gas. In addition to these essentials, the sea also provides a number of "invisible" services. It is used to transport people and goods, provide recreation - the seaside is a favoured holiday choice - and it regulates weather patterns. Every year, the sea absorbs three billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, and marine ecosystems are amongst the first to be affected by global warming. Mangroves and coral reefs also protect tropical coastlines from storms while temperate shores are safeguarded by mudflats, salt-marshes, and sand dunes. Once thought to be immune to harm by humankind, today marine and coastal ecosystems are under enormous threat. Threats include pollution, mainly from land-based sources, damaging and poorly planned developments, destructive fishing methods, such as the use of dynamite, and overexploitation of resources. Some 70 per cent of the world's commercially important fish stocks are either fully fished, overexploited, already depleted or only slowly recovering. Marine resources are important to the Asia/Pacific region, with the majority of the region's economies dependent on these resources. Also, in many Asian countries, fish and seafood are an important source of protein. As the rapidly growing populations in Asia are putting enormous demands on marine resources, it is essential that those economies which are dependent on these resources, engage in marine resource conservation when addressing their future. The unsustainable use of marine resources for economic development not only erodes a country's resource base, but is also often the root cause of biodiversity degradation. WWF has been involved in marine conservation since its founding in 1961. In the early days, most of WWF's efforts were focused on establishing well managed, high priority marine protected areas, such as in the Galapagos Islands, and in protecting endangered marine species including whales and sea turtles. With the adoption of the World Conservation Strategy in 1980, WWF expanded its work in the marine area to address sustainable resource use issues. The organization works with governments, industry, local communities, and other stakeholders to promote sustainable resource use. Since the early nineties, WWF's marine programme also aims to introduce measures that ensure sustainable fishing practices. Another growing focus for the organization is the reduction and elimination of pollution from land, atmospheric, and other sources affecting marine ecosystems. In view of its limited resources, WWF is engaged in projects that are solution-oriented and which directly address resource conservation issues. The organization is developing and implementing several integrated coastal management projects, which demonstrate successful sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems, and that can be replicated throughout the region. Projects will also centre around high biodiversity areas, notably WWF Global 200 priority ecoregions. The WWF Global 200 is a list of areas selected for their importance for biodiversity conservation. It marks the first comprehensive effort to include outstanding examples of the broad range of the Earth's ecosystems. This document outlines some of WWF's existing as well as proposed marine conservation efforts in the Asia/Pacific, both at the regional and national levels, to meet some of the region's most pressing conservation problems today. It is hoped that this document will provide WWF fundraisers with an overview of the opportunities available for marine conservation in the region. For more information, please contact the Asia/Pacific Programme, WWF International, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland, tel: +41-22 364 9111, fax: +41 22 364 6624, e-mail: [email protected]. Regional WWF Actions Marine conservation is extremely complex. First, many marine species such as turtles and whales move across nationally controlled waters. Secondly, pollutants can be carried over long distances, affecting areas far away from the source of pollution. For instance, manure and fertilizers get washed into rivers and seas, while industrial processes such as metal smelting and paper, textile, and agrochemical manufacturing, all emit pollutants or "effluent", which are dumped directly into the water. Forest clearance is sometimes also a major source of marine pollution as it exposes soil, which is then washed by wind and rain into rivers and seas. Thirdly, macro-economic mechanisms, such as consumer demand for seafood in one area, can affect marine resources harvested far away, leading to rapid resource depletion. Thus, in many cases, marine conservation will depend heavily on measures undertaken in several areas or those that cut across national boundaries, and, to a large extent, in other ecosystems. WWF attempts to address such "cause and effect" relations through its policy and advocacy work. It aims to promote models which successfully demonstrate solutions to cross-boundary resource-use problems. To ensure a continuous learning process and that successful marine conservation actions are multiplied, the organization will pull together lessons learnt and disseminate these to WWF offices as well as governments, non-government organizations, grassroots bodies, industries and other stakeholders throughout the region. Annual budget required amounts to some CHF 200,000. Since 1995, WWF’s Endangered Seas Campaign has been working around the world to build up political will to end chronic overfishing, reduce the use of destructive fishing methods, rebuild devastated fisheries, and improve resource management. One of the campaign's targets is to create social and economic incentives for sustainable fishing. It also aims to achieve reduction and elimination of government subsidies that fuel overcapacity of fishing fleets, and has helped establish the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). An initiative developed in partnership with the private sector, the MSC aims to create economic incentives for sustainable fishing, and harness market forces through independent certification of fisheries and ecolabelling of seafood products. To expand these efforts to Asia and the Pacific, an annual budget of CHF 500,000 is needed. These funds would support a small team of MSC experts in forging partnerships with the region's business community for sustainable fisheries, and monitoring the implementation of certification standards. One area in the Asia/Pacific where WWF is moving ahead in reducing destructive fishing methods is Southeast Asia. Under its "Southeast Asia Campaign for Coral Reef Protection and Sustainable Fishing", the organization hopes to stop dynamite and cyanide fishing, which are highly damaging to coral reefs, and replace these with sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing methods. Launched in 1996, the campaign is focusing mainly on Indonesia and the Philippines, where such destructive fishing methods are common. Besides training in environmentally friendly fishing techniques, fishermen are also taught basic coral reef ecology and the value of protecting the reef environment. As cyanide fishing is used mainly in the live fish trade, the campaign also has programmes aimed at importers and consumers of this trade in Hong Kong. For instance, Hong Kong importers are persuaded to buy live fish direct from fishermen