Good news about our oceans.

     Recent research shows that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)–spots in oceans around the world that have been set aside by governments for conservation–are effective at increasing the amount of living coral on the ocean floor.  

     And why does increasing the amount of living coral matter?  Coral reefs are far more than colorful treats for the eye.  They are nursery, home, and ‘farm’ to one-third of all marine fish species.  Coral reefs are often compared to rainforests for the vast biodiversity they support, and to old growth forests for the longevity of their ecological communities.  Yet coral is under threat.  Forty percent of the world’s coral reefs are in critical condition or are degraded beyond recovery. 

     Scientists have long known that the regulation of fishing and other potentially harmful activities in MPAs is effective in restoring fish populations within MPA boundaries.  Encouraged by that good news, two marine scientists at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill wondered if the thriving fish populations in MPAs might indirectly be improving coral health by restoring reef-based food webs.  

     So the two researchers, Dr. Elizabeth Selig and Dr. John Bruno, conducted the first comprehensive global study to gauge the impact of MPAs on coral.  The two looked at more than 8,000 live coral cover surveys of more than 450 coral reefs in 83 countries.  The surveys, all conducted between 1969 and 2006, compared the percentage of live coral cover in 310 MPAs to live coral cover in nearby unprotected areas.  The percentage of ocean floor covered by living coral is a key measure of the health of coral ecosystems.

      The scientists found that while the living coral just outside the MPAs declined over time, the coral within MPA boundaries remained constant or increased over time.  In some MPAs, coral continues its decline for some years after the MPA designation is  made, and then begins to grow.  In an Indo-Pacific MPA, for example,  coral cover declined for five years after the area was designated a Marine Protected Area.  And then the percentage of live coral cover began to increase, reaching a growth rate of 2% per year after two decades.

     Selig’s and Bruno’s research proves that ocean conservation efforts make a difference in restoring our coral reefs.  Around the world, coral reefs are threatened by overfishing and harmful fishing methods, sediment and nutrient runoff pollution from adjacent land, invasive species, and the the growing acidification of oceans as a result of global warming. 

     The creation of a Marine Protected Area is an important step a government of a coastal country can take to protect the health of our oceans.  To date, more than 4,500 MPAs have been created.  Although 70% of the earth’s surface is ocean, only about 1% of ocean is under any form of protection.–April Moore

Much of the information for this article came from Flora Lichtman and Joe Palka, Science Friday, National Public Radio.        

photo by Raja Ampatphoto: California Academy of Sciences

 

    

  

current Marine Protected Areas

     The National Audubon Society, long known for its work to protect our bird populations, has launched an exciting new initiative that is helping not only birds, but thousands of people as well. 

     For the last few years, Audubon has been establishing nature centers right in the middle of some of our largest cities.  As many cities have grown in population and sprawl over the last  decades, birds have had an increasingly difficult time finding the habitat they require.  And many urban areas are hostile to migrating birds.  As they fly through urban areas, the birds cannot find the trees, shrubs, and grassland they need, and so are forced to land on concrete and metal.

     The six urban nature centers Audubon has created so far–in Phoenix, Brooklyn, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Columbus– demonstrate that a wasted industrial site can be transformed into a productive ecosystem teeming with life, even in the middle of a big city!   In the heart of downtown Phoenix, for example, a landfill was replaced with a natural Sonoran Desert habitat that attracts more than 200 species of birds and other animals.  Species once seen only rarely in the area, like owls, roadrunners, hawks, herons, and hummingbirds, are now common sights there.  The newly created habitat includes an environmentally friendly structure, in which adults and kids alike can learn about the flora and fauna native to their area.

     Another urban nature center, New York City’s Prospect Park Audubon Center, is housed in an historic landmark boathouse in Brooklyn.  Around the building, natural habitat has been carefully restored.  As a result, hundreds of bird species have been spotted, including such rare birds as the pied-billed grebe and the American bittern.  The Center includes a cafe, interactive exhibits, a nature theater, and a learning lab.

     In the cities where urban nature centers have been established, adults and children alike have been observing the birds and wildlife there.  That’s a good thing, maintains Judy Braus, Audubon’s senior vice-president for Education and Centers.  Since most Americans today do live in cities, many, many peoople have little contact with nature.  But by visiting a nature center close to home, city dwellers can gain an awareness of the wealth and beauty of living things that surround them, and have an enriching experience, Braus explains. 

     Braus is especially pleased that the urban nature centers are increasing children’s opportunities to experience nature.  “We are especially worried that children raised in urban settings will grow up with no appreciation of or connection to the natural world,” she explains.  “And if our children have no appreciation for the value of nature,” she asks, “what will the future hold for our birds and wildlife?”  She is hopeful that by providing young people with greater access to nature,  these urban nature centers will help stimulate and develop a new generation of conservation leaders for the future. –April Moore

  

Prospect Park Audubon Center, Brooklyn

     More than 200 miles of shoreline and pristine beaches along Africa’s southeast coast are now protected.  The newly created Marine Protected Area is the largest such area in Africa, and it runs from southern Mozambique south into northeastern South Africa.      

     This international effort connects two existing reserves, Mozambique’s Maputo Special Reserve  and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa.  

     The Mozambique portion of the new Marine Protected Area is home to rare and endangered species, and to many mammals and ecosystems.  The area also includes sensitive breeding grounds of leatherback and loggerhead turtles, currently threatened by human encroachment and by uncontrolled harvesting of the  turtles’ eggs.  Southern Mozambique is also a major nursery for commercially important fish populations, with larvae and eggs carried in south-flowing currents into South Africa’s iSimangaliso Park.  

     iSimangaliso, translated as ‘miracle and wonder,’ encompasses three major lake systems and eight interlinking ecosystems.  The park also includes South Africa’s remaining swamp forests and the continent’s largest estuarine system.  iSimangaliso is home to more than 500 bird species.  And its 25,000 year old coastal dunes are some of the world’s highest. 

     The Marine Protected Area designation is vital to the preservation of southeastern Africa’s coastal ecosystems.  The new status means that such activities as using  explosives in fishing, fishing on coral reefs, industrial fishing, and driving motorized vehicles on the beaches will all be prohibited. 

     “All parties are to be congratulated on this transfrontier initiative which is desperately needed along a heavily exploited coastline, threatened under the weight of beach tourism,” according to the Zululand Wildlife eForum, a South African nonprofit organization.–April Moore

photo by John Nelson

     Kicking the fossil fuels habit and switching to clean, green energy sources is an essential step toward a healthy planet.  And we can’t wait to make that switch if we are to beat global warming.      

     My hat is off to New York City for leading the way and for setting an example for the rest of us.  Thanks to a joint effort between the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, residents and small business owners in the Big Apple can now easily switch from using electricity that comes from fossil fuels to electricity generated by clean, renewable energy sources.  

     By visiting the Green Power NYC website, http://www.greenpowernyc.com/  New Yorkers can purchase renewable energy certificates.  Then, for each kilowatt hour of renewable energy purchased, a kilowatt hour generated by wind–or wind combined with hydropower–is supplied to the grid, replacing a kilowatt hour that would have been generated by the burning of oil or coal.  And all the renewable energy purchased through Green Power NYC comes from wind and hydropower generated within New York State.

     The Green Power NYC website makes it easy to “switch from fossil fuels to clean energy,” says Brandi Colander, attorney in the Air and Energy Program at NRDC.  “This new project is exciting for energy providers, environmentalists, and New York City residents alike,” adds Carol Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York.  It is now “easier for New Yorkers to use alternatives to dirty fossil fuels,” she explains.

     The potential benefits of the Green Power NYC program and others like it are many:  a reduced carbon footprint as less electricity is generated by fossil fuels; decreased regional air pollution; greater energy security and independence;  and increased economic development in the clean energy sector.

     While it now costs more to purchase renewable energy certificates than to stick with the fossil fuel-based status quo, it is hoped that as demand for green energy grows, economies of scale will reduce the cost of renewable energy sources.–April Moore 

    

     The Weekend of Action was just that.  In countries as diverse as the U.S., Mauritius, Slovakia, and the Maldive Islands, people organized events this past weekend to call for a binding agreement at the global warming summit, now taking place in Copenhagen. 

     I organized a candlelight vigil in Woodstock, Virginia, and was thrilled that 35 people turned out on a very cold night to join the call.  I invite you to click on the link below to see several photos from the Woodstock vigil.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/350org/page12/

     The photos were taken by Jeanne Russell.

     While at the site, you might want to take a look at the many pages of photos from actions all around the world.  I find it so heartening to feel part of such a large and growing movement of people who are insisting that the governments of the world act to address global warming.  I know that for me, action is the antidote to despair and fear. 

     Below is a short summary I wrote about our local vigil:

  A crowd of 35 enthusiastic people, ranging in age from senior citizens to high school students, braved a very cold night to form a circle around the statue of Rev. Peter Muhlenberg in the heart of Woodstock, VA.  In 1776, Muhlenberg, a Woodstock minister, did a surprising thing in the middle of his sermon.  He threw open his clerical robe to reveal his military uniform beneath.  Because the cause of liberty could not wait, he challenged his congregants to join him as he stormed out of the church to fight for liberty.  Just as liberty was the cause of his day,  a sustainable planet is the cause of our time, and it is a cause that, like Muhlenberg’s, cannot wait.

      As we all held our lighted candles, I gave a short introduction.  Then we went around the circle reading short segments from a moving speech by Maldives President Nasheed.  We added some comments of our own and concluded by singing in unison, “This Little Light of Mine.”  As we departed, a member of the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley distributed fliers with a list of things individuals can do to reduce carbon emissions.

     One member of our group had made a large sign calling for a reduction in atmospheric carbon to 350 ppm.  The sign helped passersby on the busy main street to understand why we were assembled there. 

     There was quite a bit of advance coverage of our event, including short pieces in two newspapers and an interview with me that aired several times on the largest radio station in the area.–April Moore

 

 . . . .His beak can hold more than his  ‘belican.’

     I am very happy to report that this big, brown shorebird with its famed beak-pouch that can hold whole fish, is no longer endangered!  Once nearly exterminated as a result of hunting and the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, the brown pelican has just been removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened species.

     “This is truly a success story that the whole nation can celebrate,” says Sam Hamilton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director.  “We once again see healthy flocks of pelicans in the air over our shores,” adds Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

     The brown pelican, a resident of southern U.S. shores, was first declared endangered in 1970.  For years, it had been hunted for its feathers, and the widespread use of DDT had led to a build-up of the pesticide in ocean fish consumed by the pelican.  Many pelicans died from ingesting the toxic fish.  And the eggs of the pelicans who survived were rendered so thin-shelled by the DDT that they were crushed under the weight of incubating birds.

     Once DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972, brown pelican populations began to rebound.  By the 1990s, the brown pelican population had returned to pre-DDT levels.  Today, about 650,000 brown pelicans are flying, swooping, and swimming across Florida, along the Gulf and Pacific coasts, and in the Caribbean and South America.

     Even after ‘graduating’ from the endangered species list, the brown pelican will still receive federal protection through the Migratory Bird Act and a federal program that continues to verify that delisted species remain secure from the risk of extinction.

     The brown pelican is indeed a marvelous bird.  It captures fish by spotting them from the air and diving into the water to catch them.  The pouch under the bird’s beak serves as a net to scoop up the fish from the water.  After capturing a fish, the pelican rises to the water’s surface, points its  beak upward and swallows the fish whole. 

     The brown pelican is about four feet long, with a wing span of seven feet.  A graceful flyer and a strong swimmer, the pelican moves clumsily on land.  The pelican is long-lived;  the oldest recorded age for the bird is 43 years.  

     It is a particular joy to me to know that the brown pelican population is once again abundant.  Although I lived near the Florida coast from 1964 to 1974, I never in those years saw a single pelican.  Not until 2000 when I was back visiting did I see pelicans flying about the shore.  Now, nine years later, it makes me happy to think that the pelican population is truly thriving.–April Moore

photo by Arthur Morris

 

an AP photo

 

        

photo by Rodney Cammauf

 

  

photo by Tom Grey

     On Saturday, October 24, people in more than 180 countries came together in what was the most widespread day of environmental action ever.  At more than 5,000 events in cities and towns across the planet, people gathered to call for strong leadership and bold action to deal with the world climate crisis.

     I am greatly encouraged that so many people all over the world are insisting, loudly and clearly, that the world’s governments get with it and take the decisive actions necessary to avert the worst effects of global warming.  And I am happy that these actions were witnessed by lots more people, who are now more aware than they were before, of just how important it is that we address this planetary emergency. 

     People organized attention-grabbing events and showed in many vivid ways that we must lower the proportion of carbon in our atmosphere to 350 parts per million (ppm) if we are to maintain a planet that resembles the one on which we were born.  Currently, we are at about 385 ppm of carbon, and that proportion is on the rise. 

     Here are a few examples of the events that took place on the International Day of Climate Action:

• In the Maldive Islands, scuba divers demonstrated that their island nation is rapidly disappearing under rising seas by descending beneath the waves with signs and banners calling for a sustainable 350 ppm of carbon in the atmosphere.  
• In Kitale, Kenya, people held a bicycle parade through town, complete with banners and signs, followed by the formation of the numerals 350 by hundreds of people in a field.
• In Johannesburg and Sydney, people spelled out giant 3s with their bodies.  Then in London and Zurich, people made immense 5s, followed by people in Copenhagen and Quito forming huge zeros.  “CNN will have to do our work for us,” says 350.org founder Bill McKibben, “putting together the puzzle to show that you can’t solve this problem without crossing borders, without thinking of the planet as, well, a planet.”
• The Handmowers League scythed ‘350′ into numerous hayfields in Vermont, Nova Scotia, and Scandinavia. 
• In Afghanistan’s first ever public climate change action, young people created a 300 square meter message on the slopes of  the Paghman Mountains that read “SAVE OUR WORLD–AFGHAN YOUTH FOR 350.”
• In Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia, 1,000 schoolchildren participated in a fun run and a massive tree planting.
• At 8 pm in Barcelona, churches throughout the city rang their bells 350 times. 

     To enjoy a short video of some of the actions that took place all around the world on October 24, click on the link below. 

A Day of Action and Celebration

     How can I not be heartened by such a show of love and caring for our planet?  Yay!–April Moore

     The world’s two largest protected marine areas are now joined in a partnership that will enhance the conservation of 300,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean.

     One of the two areas, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, in the northwest Hawaiian Islands, was made a U.S.  national monument in 2006.  Encompassing 140,000 square miles, the monument was, at that time, the largest protected marine area in the world.  The monument’s coral reefs are home to 7,000 marine species, one-fourth of which are found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago.

     The other protected marine area is the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, an archipelago in the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kee-ree-boss), located near the Equator.  When it was set aside by the Kiribati government for special protection last year, its 158,500 square miles of ocean and islands became the world’s largest protected marine area.  The coral reefs and bird populations of the Phoenix Islands are unique and have been hardly touched by humans. 

     Representatives of the U.S. and Kiribati governments met in New York on September 29 to sign the agreement to jointly manage the two sites which, together, comprise 25% of all protected marine areas in the world. 

     “The United States is very pleased to engage in this marine conservation partnership with the Republic of Kiribati,” stated Eileen Sobeck, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior, who signed the agreement on behalf of the U.S.  “In the face of challenges like climate change and increasing societal demands on ever scarcer marine resources,” she said, “challenges that transcend national boundaries and dwarf the ability of any single nation to address–partnerships like this one are critical to the success of our efforts to preserve this natural heritage for future generations.”

     The two sites provide “ocean insurance for the Pacific against the depletion of marine life that has accelerated across the globe,” added the Republic of Kiribati’s director of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area Tukabu Teroko.  “Together we can more effectively address the complex challenges of managing such large ocean areas,” he added. 

     This strengthened protection for the two vast sections of the Pacific Ocean comes none too soon.  The Papahanaumokuakea National Monument has been invaded by 13 alien algae, fish and marine invertebrates, say scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, probably  through ’biofouling,’ which is when organisms collect on the hulls of ships and thus travel to new areas.  In the Phoenix Islands, coral reefs are recovering from a 2002-03 thermal event that killed off a great deal of coral.–April Moore 

coral in the Phoenix Islands

Papahanaumokuakea National Monument

 

     One of the world’s most biologically rich–and among its most threatened–ecosystems is about to receive much needed protection.  When the leaders of Hungary and Croatia signed an agreement recently to establish a transboundary UNESCO biosphere reserve, they ensured that 300 miles of one of Europe’s most important river systems–that includes the Danube, Mura, and Drava Rivers–will receive international protection.

      The conservation benefits of the agreement are great.  The two nations agree to act cooperatively on threats to the river system and will work together to protect endangered habitats and species within the river system.  The area is home to Europe’s highest density of white-tailed eagle breeding pairs and to such endangered species as the little tern and the black stork.  Wetlands in the river system are an important stopping place for more than 250,000 migrating waterfowl every year.  

     The agreement will have socio-economic benefits as well, including clean drinking water, flood protection, sustainable fisheries, and eco-tourism, according to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF). 

     The declaration by the two countries is the result of a decade of work by both governments, with help from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and European environmental organizations.  And the cross-border agreement “is not only a significant advance for the region but can serve as an example of how nature conservation visions can bring countries together,” said James Leape, director general of WWF International.  His organization has honored the Hungarian and Croatian governments with a Leaders for a Living Planet award.

     Hungarian and Croatian leaders, along with environmentalists throughout Europe, hope that the two countries will be joined in the agreement by the three other nations that are also part of the river system.  They are Austria and Slovenia to the north of Hungary and Croatia and Serbia to the south.  If all five countries sharing the river system sign the agreement, it will mean the completion of a green belt protecting the heart of Europe, according to WWF.  A five-way agreement would also make this biosphere reserve the world’s first to be shared by five countries.

     There is good reason to hope that Austria, Slovenia, and Serbia will join in the agreement.  Each country is already providing some protection for its portion of the river system through national park or other protected status designation.–April Moore

the Mura River

the Black Stork

 

 

the Drava River

    

 

        

     I have some interesting news about fish, some good and some bad.  And the good news is so promising that it makes me hopeful. 

     But first the bad news.  A recent study, the most detailed ever conducted of the world’s oceans and its fish populations, showed that 14 of the 170 fish species studied were in a state of ‘collapse,’ meaning that their numbers had been so decimated by overfishing that only 10% or fewer of their original numbers remain.  Researchers predicted that the world’s oceans will be completely overfished by the middle of this century if current trends continue.  

     Now for the good news.  The study documented that, thanks to wise management efforts, some of the world’s fisheries are rebounding.   

     For example, in the United States, strict federal regulations against overfishing are working.  Haddock, a species whose numbers had been dwindling just a few years ago, have recovered so well that experts say the haddock population off the New England coast is as healthy as it’s ever been.

     And in Kenya, two actions taken by traditional fishermen, working with fisheries scientists, resulted in the recovery of overfished species.  First, a type of fishing gear that captured fish before they were mature enough to reproduce, was banned.  Then the fishermen agreed not to fish at all in a certain area.   Fish reproduced safely within that area and  then began to spread out to repopulate the overfished seas.  Kenya’s fish recovery also meant that in less than 10 years the fishermen doubled their income.  

     The U.S. and Kenyan examples show that careful management of our fisheries works.  We can see that employing the knowledge that scientists already have, while also working with fishermen, can bring about sustainable fishing practices that bring declining fish populations up to healthy levels.  And doing so is not just good for the fish and for the ecosystem, of course, but for the fishermen as well.

     In other words, if we have the will to prevent the collapse and even extinction of many kinds of fish, we can succeed!–April Moore