Issue 5, December 2006

WWF
Highlights
Issue 5, December 2006
Introduction
The past six months have been a time of major conservation achievements for
WWF. Years of effort have yielded important breakthroughs, including Nepal’s
historic decision to transfer the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area to community
management, and the tri-national agreement between Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea and the Solomon Islands to better protect the endangered leatherback
marine turtle.
From the Amazon to the Southern Ocean, we have also seen vast new protected
areas come into place.
With our partners, and thanks to the generosity of our many supporters, WWF
efforts are producing exciting and important results.
This has also been a time of tragic loss for WWF. Seven extraordinary colleagues
― Dr Chandra Gurung, Dr Harka Gurung, Yeshi Choden Lama, Jennifer
Headley, Jill Bowling Schlaepfer, Matthew Preece and Mingma Norbu Sherpa ―
lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Nepal. They live on in our memories, and
we have created a Living Memorial Fund for the Eastern Himalayas to ensure
that their dreams for conservation in that region will also endure.
With warm regards,
James P. Leape, Director General
WWF International
Index
>> Page 1: Big Conservation Wins
In the mountains
In the forests
>> Page 2: More Conservation Wins
In the oceans
In the wetlands
>> Page 3: Big Discoveries
Flora
Fauna
>> Page 4: Forging Partnerships
With countries
With organizations
With industry
>> Page 5: Conservation Awards
Gift to the Earth
WWF Annual Conference awards
WWF Highlights - Issue 5, December 2006
Index
Big Conservation Wins
In the mountains
WWF played an instrumental role in the Nepalese government's
decision to hand over significant areas for conservation surrounding
Kanchenjunga ― the world's third-highest mountain ― to a coalition of
local communities.
Following the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of 24
people, including seven WWF staff, returning from the Kanchenjunga
hand-over ceremony, WWF is re-committed to stepping up its support
for conservation work in Nepal, particularly in working with local
communities to implement a conservation programme for
Kanchenjunga over the next five years.
The Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, covering an area of 2,035km2
in north-eastern Nepal, contains tracts of pristine forests, alpine
meadows and high-altitude wetlands, and is home to such endangered
species as the snow leopard and red panda.
" The hand-over will be held up around the world as a positive
example of people managing their natural resources and
enable others to learn how to make conservation more
equitable and sustainable. "
The late Dr Chandra P. Gurung, WWF Nepal Country Representative
Another success in the mountains took place on the volcanic slopes of
Mount Bosavi in Papua New Guinea, which saw local communities
celebrate the creation of three new protected areas.
The protected areas, covering 80,000ha of PNG’s Kikori River Basin,
were established on the customary lands of the Kosua and Orogo
people, with support from WWF and other partners, in order to help
safeguard the forests and their unique biodiversity.
WWF has been working in PNG since 1995, focusing its conservation
efforts on linking community action, science and effective policy to
ensure the protection and sustainable use of forests, freshwater and
marine resources across the island of New Guinea.
" This declaration is an important milestone in strengthening
the system of protected areas in Papua New Guinea and gives
a boost to the efforts of WWF and its partners in achieving big
conservation results in the Kikori region. "
Saina Jeffrey, WWF PNG Protected Areas Officer
In the forests
WWF welcomed the announcement by the Brazilian government to
create a new mega-park in the Amazon. The Jureuna National Park,
covering an area of 1.9 million hectares, will become Brazil’s thirdlargest park, adding to the protection of the southern Amazon
conservation corridor, which is home to jaguars, giant otters and
guariba monkeys. The creation of the park is part of the Amazon
Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Programme ― a large-scale
conservation initiative of which WWF is a part ― aimed at creating and
supporting a system of well-managed protected areas and sustainable
natural resource management reserves in the Amazon.
Thanks to stringent national legislation prohibiting the transformation
and conversion of forested areas in eastern Paraguay, massive
deforestation rates have been curbed. Through satellite monitoring,
WWF has verified that deforestation in Paraguay's Upper Parana
Atlantic Forest has been reduced by as much as 85 per cent.
WWF Highlights - Issue 5, December 2006
Mt Kanchenjunga (8586m) is located
on Nepal's far eastern border with
India. Because of its remote location,
the Kanchenjunga region has retained
much of its pristine beauty.
© WWF-Canon / Neyret & Benastar
WWF and the Critical
Ecosystem Partnership Fund
launched an investment
programme to pioneer new
ways to conserve the
immense natural wealth of the
Eastern Himalayas. The fund
will provide grants for nongovernmental organizations,
community groups and other
sectors of civil society to help
save such high-priority species
as Asian elephants and tigers,
as well as unique landscapes
in Bhutan, north-eastern India
and parts of Nepal.
Links on panda.org/highlights
>> WWF–CEPF Himalaya
Fund
>> Kanchenjuna
Conservation Area
>> New protected areas for
Papua New Guinea
>> More on Brazil's Jureuna
National Park
>> Deforestation rates
slashed in Paraguay
WWF took part in an expedition
through the Jureuna National Park.
Findings from the expedition will help
develop conservation plans for this
biodiversity-rich area and the traditional
communities that live there. Salto
Augusto Falls, Juruena River, Brazil.
© WWF / Zig Koch
Page 1
More Conservation Wins
In the oceans
Although oceans cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface,
only 0.6 per cent are protected. That is why WWF is working towards
the creation of a network of effectively managed, ecologically
representative marine protected areas (MPAs), which will cover at least
10 per cent of the world's oceans.
" MPAs are an essential tool that benefits people, their
cultures and their economies. They can improve fish catches,
resulting in increased food security and income. "
Dr Simon Cripps, Director, WWF Global Marine Programme
Australia committed to the creation of 13 new MPAs, totalling
226,000km2, covering the waters off the Australian states of Victoria,
Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia. These new marine
protected areas are a significant contribution to the protection of
marine biodiversity in Australia.
Indonesia announced plans to create a 1.2 million-hectare MPA off the
eastern coast of the Derawan Archipelago in the Sulawesi Sea. The
archipelago is an integral part of WWF’s Sulu-Sulawesi Marine
Ecoregion, containing some 450 species of coral and supporting one of
the world’s largest varieties of reef fish.
France announced the creation of a 1.57 million-hectare MPA in the
waters around the islands of Kerguelen, Crozet, Amsterdam and Saint
Paul in the Southern Ocean. The areas are a priority for WWF's
Antarctic initiative to protect marine biodiversity in the Southern Ocean.
In the wetlands
In New Guinea, WWF played a key role in formulating a conservation
vision for the TransFly region, one of the Asia-Pacific region's largest,
richest and most pristine wetlands. Straddling the border of Papua New
Guinea and Indonesia, the TransFly spans 10 million hectares, home
to more than half of New Guinea’s bird species, including 80 that are
endemic to the island.
In China, a WWF project has seen eight lakes reconnected to the
Yangtze River, a first step in restoring the natural ecological processes
of a degraded central and lower wetland ecosystem. The natural links
of more than 100 lakes hade been cut off from the Yangtze during the
previous five decades due to unsustainable practices such as land
reclamation and dyke building. This greatly disrupted the Yangtze,
once a vibrant, complex network of river, wetlands and lakes.
Marine protected areas are aimed at
reducing pressure on Australia's Great
Barrier Reef and enhancing its capacity
to overcome large-scale threats such
as coral bleaching, which is linked to
global warming. According to a study,
recovery rates of fish in the reef
increased significantly as a result of
more protected areas.
© WWF-Canon / Jürgen Freund
Pacific Island nations
attending a joint WWF/The
Nature Conservancy event in
Fiji re-commited their efforts to
develop marine and terrestrial
protected areas. This includes
a commitment from Fiji to
protect 30 per cent of its
coastal and offshore waters by
2020, a commitment from
Kiribat to create a large MPA
off the Phoenix Islands and
collective commitments by
Palau, Micronesia, the
Marshall Islands, Guam and
the northern Marianas to
conserve at least 30 per cent
of their marine and 20 per cent
of their forest environments by
2020.
WWF's key role in securing
the Fiji commitment last year
helped provide the catalyst for
other Pacific Island nations to
follow suit.
Links on panda.org/highlights
Flowing a distance of 6,300km from its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau to the East
China Sea, the Yangtze is Asia's longest river. Today, the Yangtze River Basin is a
region struggling to contend with the environmental problems arising from population
pressure and rapid economic development. The construction of dams and dykes has
resulted in significant fragmentation and loss of wetlands.
© WWF-Canon / Michel Gunther
WWF Highlights - Issue 5, December 2006
>> New marine protected
areas for Australia
>> Pacific Island leaders
commit to marine
conservation
>> Great Barrier Reef fish
recover
>> Indonesia announces
plans to create MPA
>> Protecting the Southern
Ocean's living resources
>> A conservation vision for
New Guinea's wetlands
>> Reconnecting lakes helps
restore the Yangtze
Page 2
Big Discoveries
According to WWF’s 2006 Living Planet Report, launched in Beijing,
China, this past October, terrestrial species declined by 31 per cent
between 1970 and 2003. The report also shows that freshwater
species declined by 28 per cent and marine species by 27 per cent.
But not all is bad news. Several new exciting flora and faua discoveries
have been made around the world in recent months, bucking the
overall downward trend.
Flora
In Papua New Guinea, a series of expeditions by WWF scientists into
previously unexplored areas of tropical rainforest in the country's Kikori
region revealed new orchid species previously unknown to science. Of
some 300 species of orchids collected, eight have been confirmed as
new to science, while 20 more have yet to be verified as new. Along
with orchids and other plantlife, these forests are home to some of the
country's most unique wildlife, such as birds of paradise, giant
cassowaries and tree kangaroos.
The Living Planet Report is
WWF's biennial update on the
state of the world's
ecosystems. Built around two
indicators – the Living Planet
Index and the Ecological
Footprint – the report
describes the changing state
of global biodiversity and the
pressure on the biosphere
arising from human
consumption of natural
resources. It also serves as a
guide for future WWF
conservation acitivities.
" The sad reality is that many plants in the forests of Papua
New Guinea, including those which may contain cures to
some of the world’s most deadly diseases, may become
extinct before they have even been discovered. This gives
even greater urgency to ensuring the long-term conservation
of this remarkable region. "
Olo Gebia, WWF Kikori River Programme Manager
Fauna
Equally exciting were the discovery and re-discovery of several animal
species.
After nearly 50 years, the okapi was
rediscovered in Virunga National Park
in the eastern part of the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
© WWF-Canon / John E. Newby
In Indonesia, a team of biologists, including park rangers and WWF
staff working in Ujung Kulon National Park, found signs of four Javan
rhinos calves. These are the first known births of this critically
endangered rhino species in three years. With this new evidence that
the Javan rhino population in Ujung Kulon is breeding, WWF is working
with local park authorities to find ways to reduce the rhino's main
threats ― habitat loss and food competition with wild cattle within the
park, and invasive vegetation that limits the expansion of the rhinos’
favoured food sources.
Several months earlier, in the Indonesian part of Borneo, a new snake
species with the ability to spontaneously change colour was
discovered. Two specimens of the half-metre long poisonous snake
were collected in the wetlands and swamp forests around the Kapuas
River in the Betung Kerihun National Park, where WWF supports
conservation work.
Nine manta rays were recently spotted
for the first time in 20 years gliding
through an area in the Philippines
where WWF has been focusing its
efforts on marine conservation.
© WWF-Canon / Cat Holloway
Links on panda.org/highlights
The Kapuas mud snake was discovered in the swamp forests of the Heart of Borneo,
an area where WWF is assisting the island’s three nations (Brunei, Indonesia and
Malaysia) conserve more than 22 million hectares of rainforest.
© WWF-Germany / Mark Auliya
WWF Highlights - Issue 5, December 2006
>> WWF Living Planet
Report
>> Okapi rediscovered in
eastern Congo
>> Rays rediscovered in the
Philippines
>> WWF discovers new
orchid species in PNG
>> WWF discovers signs of
Javan rhino calves in
Indonesia
>> New snake species
discovered in Borneo
Page 3
Forging Partnerships
With countries
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands agreed to
protect the endangered leatherback turtle in the Pacific through joint
conservation activities. The tri-national partnership, supported by
WWF, will allow the three countries to enhance conservation of
leatherback turtles through information sharing, data exchange and
cooperative research. It also plans to establish a network of marine
protected areas covering critical leatherback habitats throughout parts
of the western Pacific Ocean.
" Sharing responsibility regionally will safeguard the turtles'
critical feeding areas, reproduction and nesting habitats. We
hope it will also lead to improved fisheries management to
reduce bycatch of these magnificent animals. "
An agreement between the
government of Peru, the
Achuar indigenous people and
Argentinian oil company
Pluspetrol will see the Abanico
de Pastaza wetlands in the
Peruvian Amazon cleaned up
after decades of pollution.
WWF, which has been
working with local indigenous
groups in the wetlands area
for several years, supported
several studies that helped the
Achuar reach the agreement
with the Peruvian government
and the oil company.
Mubariq Ahmad, WWF-Indonesia Executive Director
Links on panda.org/highlights
With organizations
WWF, together with the African Union, the World Bank and the UN
Food and Agriculture Organization, launched a region-wide partnership
aimed at restoring depleted fisheries and reducing poverty. The
partnership includes a US$60 million commitment from the Global
Environment Facility, to be matched 3:1 in funds from other donors for
some US$240 million over the next ten years. The new Sustainable
Fishing Investment Fund is the first of its kind and will focus on
sustainable fisheries in Africa's large marine ecosystems.
With industry
As part of its commitment to join WWF's Climate Savers Programme,
Sony will cut carbon dioxide emissions from its operations and product
range by 7 per cent by 2010. Sony also committed to increasing the
energy efficiency of many of its appliances.
WWF and Uniross, the European leader in rechargeable batteries,
entered into a three-year licensing partnership, extending across 40
countries. The partnership will focus on collecting and recycling old
batteries, and the ecological advantage of rechargeable nickel metal
hydride batteries and chargers. As part of the licensing agreement,
Uniross will launch a range of rechargeable batteries and chargers
endorsed by WWF.
In the forest sector, several companies signed up to WWF's Global
Forest & Trade Network (GFTN); a partnership between leading
NGOs, companies and communities aimed at eliminating illegal
logging, improving the management of valuable and threatened
forests and promoting credible forest certification.
>> WWF helps Peruvian
indigenous community
stop wetland pollution
>> Tri-national commitment
to leatherback turtle
conservation in the Pacific
>> WWF and Sony sign
climate saving deal
>> WWF and Uniross
announce licensing
partnership
>> Timber companies join
WWF's Forest & Trade
Network in Congo
>> Australian companies join
WWF's forest and trade
network
>> WWF and Danzer
promote sustainable
forestry in Africa
>> New fishing fund launched
to reduce poverty in Africa
>> More on South America's
first regional freshwater
dolphin survey
In a move to encourage Australian businesses to support
responsible forestry, six timber companies joined the WWF Australia
Forest & Trade Network.
In Africa, three major logging companies joined WWF’s Central
Africa Forest & Trade Network, agreeing to sustainably manage up
to 700,000ha of natural forest in the Congo Basin, and committed to
obtain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for their
operations and supplies.
WWF and the Danzer Group, a leading global producer of hardwood
veneer and lumber, agreed to work together in Africa to promote
sustainable forest management. Danzer announced it will join
WWF’s GFTN and will ensure that two of its subsidiaries in Congo
will certify 3.2 million hectares of forest, the largest concession in
Africa currently being prepared for FSC certification.
WWF Highlights - Issue 5, December 2006
Hundreds of pink river dolphins were
spotted during South America’s first
regional freshwater dolphin survey in
the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers and
their tributaries. The survey was a joint
effort by the Omacha Foundation,
Wildlife Conservation Society, Whale
and Dolphin Conservation Society and
WWF Colombia.
© Fernando Trujillo / Fundación
Omacha
Page 4
Conservation Awards
Gift to the Earth
WWF recognized the efforts of China's Sichuan and Gansu Provinces
to preserve giant panda habitat in Minshan as a Gift to the Earth, the
global conservation organization's highest accolade for significant
conservation achievement. To date, more than 100 Gifts to the Earth
have been recognized since 1996, including more than 60 major
commitments by governments.
" We recognize the two provinces for their long-time
cooperative contribution to biodiversity protection of one of the
world's most biologically diverse temperate forest landscapes.
We hope that the nature reserves here will expand and more
endangered wild species will be protected. "
Renowned American climate
scientist Dr James Hansen,
Director of NASA’s Goddard
Institute for Space Studies,
was awarded WWF's
prestigious Duke of Edinburgh
Conservation Medal for his
outstanding contributions to
the scientific understanding of
climate change and to raising
awareness among decisionmakers and the public.
Links on panda.org/highlights
James P. Leape, WWF International Director General
The commitment by the south-western provinces of Sichuan and
Gansu to establish almost 1.6 million hectares of new protected areas
in the Minshan Mountains will connect isolated panda populations,
further helping to ensure the future health and survival of this iconic
species. The commitment is expected to protect more than 700 giant
pandas, almost half the total surviving in the wild.
In Chile, WWF presented the Chilean timber company Masisa and the Mapu Lahual
Indigenous Association with a WWF Leaders for a Living Planet award in recognition of
their conservation efforts to protect the coastal forests of the Valdivian Ecoregion.
Located on the south-west coast of Chile, the Valdivian Ecoregion is characterized by a
rich coastline and a land area covered with glaciers and numerous lakes. It is home to
such unique species as the pudú, the world’s smallest deer; the monito del monte, an
ancient marsupial; the huillín, a river otter; and Darwin's fox.
© WWF-Canon / Edward Parker
>> NASA scientist wins WWF
conservation medal
>> Gift to the Earth: China
>> WWF honours Chileans
for coastal forest
conservation
>> Smart Gear competition:
Saving sharks with
magnets
>> Swedish fisheries
awarded MSC eco-label
Pikeperch fisheries in
Sweden’s Lake Hjalmaren
became the world’s first
freshwater fisheries to be
certified as sustainably
managed under the WWFcreated Marine Stewardship
Council. This brings the
number of fisheries engaged
in the MSC programme to
about 50, representing
catches of over 3.5 million
tonnes of seafood annually.
WWF Annual Conference awards
Each year, WWF honours those who have made outstanding
contributions to or achievements in conservation.The following awards
were presented at this year’s WWF Annual Conference, held in June in
Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland:
The Erlenmeyer, Karl Mayer and Stammbach Foundations won the
WWF Golden Panda Award for their institutional support of numerous
WWF conservation projects and activities around the world.
The WWF Conservation Merit Award for individual achievements was
conferred upon: Dr Mathis Wackernagel, Executive Director and
Founder of the Global Footprint Network, and Drs Urs Max
Breitenmoser and Christine Breitenmoser-Wursten, Co-Chairs of the
IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group.
Dr Anton Rupert, founder of WWF-South Africa and several other
national offices, and Nikita Glazovsky, the first president of WWFRussia, were added to the WWF Roll of Honour, granted posthumously
in recognition of an individual’s outstanding contribution to WWF.
WWF Highlights - Issue 5, December 2006
Thousands of sharks could be saved
from being caught and killed on fishing
lines thanks to the winning entry of this
year's WWF-sponsored Smart Gear
competition. Michael Herrmann, a
research associate at the US-based
company Shark Defense, found that
placing strong magnets above the
hooks of longline fishing nets can repel
certain shark species.
© WWF-Canon / Cat Holloway
Page 5
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Martin HARVEY
Cat HOLLOWAY
Edward PARKER
Erling SVENSEN
Isaac VEGA
Anton VORAUER
Yifei ZHANG
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Published by WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund), Gland, Switzerland.
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Written by Mark Schulman © text WWF. All rights reserved.
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