Asian infrastructure boom could be end of the road for tigers

With massive infrastructure plans threatening all tiger landscapes and risking recent gains in tiger conservation, Asian governments must adopt a sustainable approach to infrastructure planning and construction or drive tigers toward extinction, according to a new analysis by WWF.
 
Released at the halfway point of an ambitious global effort to double the number of wild tigers between 2010 and 2022, The Road Ahead: Protecting Tigers from Asia's Infrastructure Development Boom highlights the unprecedented threat posed by a vast network of planned infrastructure across the continent.
 
Around 11,000 kilometres of roads and railways are on the drawing board, along with new canals, oil and gas pipelines, and power lines. Part of a projected US$8 trillion in projected infrastructure spending across Asia from 2012 through 2020, this infrastructure would cut through every existing tiger habitat, increasing habitat fragmentation, poaching and conflict with communities.
 
"The global collaboration to double wild tigers has transformed tiger conservation and given the species a real chance of survival, but the scale of Asia's infrastructure plans could destroy all the recent gains as well as hopes for the future of wild tigers," said Mike Baltzer, leader of WWF's Tiger's Alive Initiative. "Infrastructure is central to Asia's development, but we need to ensure it is sustainable and does not come at the expense of tigers and tiger landscapes."
 
The release of the analysis comes on the anniversary of the 2010 'Tiger Summit' in St Petersburg, Russia, where global leaders and representatives of all 13 tiger range governments committed to the Tx2 goal to double wild tigers by 2022.

The new analysis marks the midway point in this global effort, warning that new challenges lie ahead for tigers and Asia's rich natural heritage – a vital lifeline for millions of people across the continent. Governments need to act now or face all of their work unravelling as unsustainable construction breaks down the natural systems that tigers represent.
 
At the time of the summit, there were as few as 3,200 tigers in the wild – down from 100,000 just a century before. But over the past six years, tigers have shown signs of recovery in a number of critical landscapes and countries thanks to better management of protected areas, regional endorsement of the Zero Poaching approach, greatly improved monitoring capacity and enhanced efforts to tackle tiger trafficking.

There are now an estimated 3,890 tigers in the wild, with numbers inching up in India, Russia, Nepal and Bhutan. But the situation remains precarious. India has lost 76 tigers to poachers already this year, while China, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia, with less than 500 tigers between them, could lose their tigers in the next decade, especially if poorly-designed infrastructure plans are given the green light.
 
Produced for WWF by Dalberg Global Development Advisors, the analysis calls on Asian governments to pursue a sustainable path that promotes development, while also protecting tigers and their habitats, which benefit millions of people across the region.
 
According to the analysis, protecting tiger landscapes from harmful infrastructure will preserve their economic and environmental value, benefiting communities across the continent, including many indigenous groups.
 
"Countries must urgently integrate the conservation of tigers and tiger landscapes into their development planning," said Baltzer. "The good news is that solutions exist and it is not too late. But if countries do not act now, the damage will be irreparable."
 
WWF is calling for tiger range states to incorporate the protection of tigers and tiger landscapes into the design stage of all infrastructure planning. They must identify critical tiger habitats and designate them off limits to infrastructure in future, while preserving corridors that are essential to tiger movement.
 
Governments should also strengthen and enforce environmental safeguards as well as integrate habitat rehabilitation, zero poaching guidelines and wildlife monitoring into infrastructure planning and construction.
 
"Tigers are part of the cultural fabric of Asia and of our shared global heritage and represent vast areas of natural habitat that are critical to the well-being of millions of people in Asia," said Baltzer. "Governments should now use tigers and the health of their landscapes as a key indicator of the quality of their economic and development plans. If they do, their people and their tigers will benefit."
 

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Paris Agreement passes first stress test at COP22

MARRAKECH, Morocco  –   In response to the close of COP22, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader of WWF International's Climate & Energy Practice, issued the following statement:
 
"The UN climate talks continue to be filled with twists and turns, but they have delivered what they needed to this week – putting substance behind the promise of the Paris Agreement so it can be fully implemented. The Marrakech work has not been the most glamorous, but it's a key step in the chain reaction needed to roll out the agreement.
 
"Countries' commitment to the Paris Agreement also passed its first stress test this week with the US election results. Unequivocally, they restated that they are in this for the long haul. 
 
"The reality is that the world is moving ahead on this issue. This irreversible momentum will only build as market signals and commitments across all sectors of society continue pouring in.
 
"Already, 111 countries have ratified the Agreement – underscoring its historic importance. Nations also began submitting their long-term roadmaps for decarbonisation.
 
"But there's still work to do. The emissions gap continues to grow between what science tells us is needed to protect the planet from the worst impacts of climate change and the goals governments set in Paris. Urgently reducing emissions and preparing for the climate change impacts that are already affecting us is essential for the world's future prosperity, safety and security.
 
"In Marrakech, countries agreed to take stock of progress in two years and make every effort to come back with more ambitious targets and plans before 2020 to ensure we work quickly to close the widening emissions gap. This is a critical outcome this week that further solidified progress on the Paris Agreement.
 
"While parties work to finalise the Paris Agreement "fine print" by the next major political moment in 2018, more needs to be done in the next few years to clarify consistency of national targets. In addition, there are still gaps in finance and adaptation, despite some announcements here on financing for adaptation and capacity building. We expect to see developed countries up their game significantly on finance and other support beyond current projections, and are very encouraged to see China and other countries stepping up their south-south cooperation.
 
"This work was bolstered by the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a group of around 50 countries that committed to reviewing and improving their current emissions-cutting goals in 2018 and shifting to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050 or before.
 
"Here in Marrakech the negotiations kick-started a critical discussion about the rules for implementing the agreement and accelerating climate action. It set the path for the next sets of negotiations to complete those rules and raise ambition, paving the way to tighten national commitments, improve preparedness at home and provide financial support in line with science and equity.
 
"Over the coming years, we expect to see the trends of falling costs for renewables and scaled action by all actors – private sector, cities, investors, and by governments all over the world – continue to accelerate the inevitable shift to low carbon, climate-resilient development."

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Surge in seizures of captive-bred tigers strengthens call for Asia to close all tiger farms

With commercial tiger breeding in Asia threatening the future of the world's remaining wild tigers, governments must announce concrete steps to close all the continent's tiger farms within the next three years at the international conference on illegal wildlife trade starting tomorrow in Viet Nam.

A full TRAFFIC report released today on tiger trafficking found that an estimated 30 per cent of tigers seized between 2012 and 2015 were reported to come from captive breeding facilities, highlighting their growing role in the illegal trade. While complicating enforcement activities, tiger farms also legitimise the sale of tiger parts and products, which drives up demand.

"There is no longer any doubt that tiger farms are stimulating and expanding the illegal tiger trade or that they should all be closed down," said Michael Baltzer, Leader of WWF's Tigers Alive Initiative. "The Hanoi Conference is the perfect platform for governments to commit to shutting Asia's tiger farms, which would contribute enormously to the survival and recovery of tigers in the wild."

Tigers will be high on the agenda at the conference in Viet Nam. Despite enhanced regional efforts to stop the poaching and trafficking, the Reduced to Skin and Bones Re-examined report indicated that an average of 109 tigers were killed and traded each year since 2000. And the true number is surely higher since these figures come from reported seizures, while much of the trade goes undetected.

Viet Nam has also become an increasingly significant hub for tiger trafficking and home to a growing number of tiger farms – close to 40 per cent of the country's reported seizures came from captive facilities. Its role in the illegal tiger trade was highlighted by the Wildlife Justice Commission at its public hearing this week in The Hague. Overall, there are estimated to be more than 7,000 tigers in farms in Asia, mostly in China, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam.

"The rising number of tigers suspected to be from captive sources is a sure indication that these farms are leaky. This is most prominent in Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam," said Kanitha Krishnasamy, author of the TRAFFIC report.

In October, Laos announced that it would close its tiger farms, while Thailand has initiated investigations into all of its captive breeding facilities after shocking discoveries at the Tiger Temple earlier this year, including finding the corpses of 40 tiger cubs preserved in jars.

"Thailand and Laos have already signalled an end to tiger farming: Viet Nam should join them and help lead efforts to ban commercial tiger breeding across Asia," said Thinh Van Ngoc, Country Director of WWF Viet Nam. "There are no more excuses for allowing tiger farms to operate. The evidence is clear, while technical and financial assistance is available – all that's needed is the political will."

On November 23rd, the world will mark the 6th anniversary of the groundbreaking "Tiger Summit" in St Petersburg and the halfway point of the global Tx2 campaign to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022 – the most ambitious and visionary recovery programme created for a single species.

For the first time in a century, global wild tiger numbers have increased slightly. But with only an estimated 3,890 in the wild, the species is still far from safe, particularly as poaching shows no signs of abating. Indeed, India has reported 76 tigers poached this year – its highest figure for 6 years.

"Decades of campaigning and on-the ground efforts to halt tiger poaching have achieved some significant successes, but the threat remains as grave as ever," said Baltzer. "Ending tiger farming would ease the pressure and help law enforcement agencies focus on the poachers and traffickers of wild tigers."

Along with announcing plans to close all tiger farms, Asian governments can also take a series of immediate, concrete steps to ensure captive-bred tigers do not enter the illegal trade chain before the closures take effect.

All governments should support an Indian government proposal to create a regional stripe pattern database that can compare images of seized tiger skins with camera trap photos of wild tigers and photos of captive tigers; compile sets of DNA markers from both wild and captive tiger populations within their country; and launch focused, evidence-based behavioural change programmes to reduce demand for tiger parts and products.

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New report shows the critical situation of water in Doñana, WWF warns

The health of Spain's Doñana National Park is fully dependant on water. But the aquifer that feeds Doñana's marshes is drying up at an alarming speed, and its deterioration is affecting rivers, marshes, lagoons, as well as the plants and animals that make Doñana unique.

This is the main conclusion of a report that WWF has published today. With the help of top researchers, the report gathers most of the available scientific information about the state of water in this World Heritage site.

The report finds that Doñana's aquifer would need between 30 and 60 years to recover completely from the current overexploitation. That would first require strong measures to be taken to end illegal and unsustainable water use, the report warns. 

Hundreds of thousands of birds that are flying from Europe to spend the winter in Spain's Doñana National Park will find the marshes almost empty of water.

The Spanish government admits in official reports that the huge underground water deposit that feeds the marshes has suffered a dramatic decline since the 1970s. Right now, water governance around Doñana is so weak that the amount of water extracted each year from the aquifer is unknown. 

The report published today by WWF is one of the most thorough scientific analyses ever made about the state of water in Doñana, and the effects that the lack of this precious resource is having on ecosystems.

For instance, it has been noticed that the populations of wintering ducks that rely on a healthy marsh –such as the endangered marbled teal- are declining.

Temporary lagoons, one of the natural features that makes Doñana unique in Europe, are drying up at an appalling rate. As a result, 40 per cent of the species of dragonflies that lived in Doñana, associated to those lagoons, have been lost.  

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Mediterranean swordfish on the verge of collapse: WWF raises the alarm

Rome – WWF is calling on 48 fishing nations gathering on Monday in Vilamoura, Portugal to end over three decades of overfishing of the Mediterranean swordfish and urgently adopt an ambitious recovery plan to avoid the collapse of the species.

Countries that are part of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), including the United States and Japan, plus the European Union (EU), will decide from 14 to 21 November on management schemes for key species such as Mediterranean swordfish, bluefin tuna, and sharks. WWF is seriously concerned about the current rate of depletion of swordfish and calls for actions to prevent the stock collapse witnessed for the Mediterranean bluefin tuna in the recent past.      

"The future of the Mediterranean swordfish is seriously at risk," said Giuseppe Di Carlo, Director of WWF's Mediterranean Marine Initiative. "Catches have decreased by almost 50 per cent in the last twenty years and too many juveniles are caught before they can reproduce and secure the survival of the species. We cannot afford to delay actions and repeat the same mistake that brought bluefin tuna to the verge of collapse in the past."
 
According to ICCAT's scientific committee, swordfish stock spawning biomass  – the combined weight of all individuals in the stock that are capable of reproducing - is 88 per cent lower than the levels considered safe to maintain the stock, fish catches are twice as high as they should be and 70 per cent  of the fish caught is juvenile.
 
"There is the need for urgent action to reverse the decline of the stock," added Di Carlo. "It is critical for ICCAT to implement an ambitious recovery plan for the Mediterranean swordfish to bring the stock back to a sustainable level. This will ensure the survival of large Mediterranean fisheries communities whose livelihood and prosperity depend on it."

Mediterranean swordfish is a highly valuable species for many countries in the Mediterranean and the EU fleet accounts for 75 per cent of the total catch, with Italy, Spain and Greece reporting the largest catches. WWF calls on the European Commission and key EU fishing nations to significantly reduce the amount of swordfish caught to allow the stock to recover.
 
Regarding bluefin tuna, WWF acknowledges that the situation of the stock is improving and recommends to adopt a precautionary approach and maintain the current recovery plan of 23,155 tonnes in 2017.
 
WWF is also concerned about the fate of sharks, especially the blue and shortfin mako that are vulnerable to overfishing. WWF urges ICCAT governments to establish long-term management plans including setting precautionary catch limits to ensure these iconic species stay in our seas. ICCAT should also agree on a no-shark-finning policy as well as improving compliance to existing bans that oblige fishermen to land sharks with their fin attached.
 

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Paris Agreement enters into force

GLAND, Switzerland – Less than a year ago, 197 countries came together to deliver a universal climate agreement and, with it, a promise to work together to limit global temperature rise to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
 
On 4 November, that agreement became the "law of the planet," says Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader of WWF International's Climate & Energy Practice. "It is a historic achievement that deserves to be celebrated. The atmosphere around the Paris Agreement's entry-into-force is one of hope, trust and confidence in each other. A spirit of collaboration helped foster the partnerships between state and non-state actors, bridge North-South relations and enhanced South-South cooperation that that I am convinced helped ensure a deal in Paris was possible."
 
By transcending old lines of conflict with science and equity in mind, the Paris Agreement has established a new way of working together, he says. "It has created a unique framework for partnership among governments, businesses, civil society, faith groups and communities to collaborate and rally behind this crucial common cause for the planet. Collectively these have kept the momentum to change climate change going."
 
Now, we need to turn the promise of Paris into equally momentous action, says Pulgar-Vidal. "With the next round of UN talks on climate change in the spotlight in Marrakech, we must continue this momentum by pushing for concrete, scaled up actions so we can give the earth the maximum opportunity to slow climate change."
 
Read the blog by Manuel Pulgar-Vidal on the Paris Agreement's entry into force here: http://bit.ly/2f6HMtr

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