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Ecosystem-based adaptation in Marine and Coastal ecosystems

Biodiversity Conservation

Available Online

Zeitin Lynne

Renewables global status report: 2009 update

Available Online

REN21

Since 2004, when the Renewables Global Status Report was first launched, many indicators of renewable energy have shown dramatic gains. Annual renewable energy investment has increased fourfold to reach $120 billion in 2008. In the four years from end-2004 to end-2008, solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity increased sixfold to more than 16 gigawatts (GW), wind power capacity increased 250 percent to 121 GW, and total power capacity from new renewables increased 75 percent to 280 GW, including significant gains in small hydro, geothermal, and biomass power generation. During the same period, solar heating capacity doubled to 145 gigawatts-thermal (GWth), while biodiesel production increased sixfold to 12 billion liters per year and ethanol production doubled to 67 billion liters per year.

A review of ecosystem approach to fisheries within The Nature Conservancy's Community Engagement Process in Melanesia

Biodiversity Conservation

Available Online

Foale, Simon

In many ways The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is already successfully implementing a great many of the imperatives of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in their work in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The following TNC platforms are much in line with the EAF: 1) The Marine Managed Areas / Marine Protected Areas (MMA/MPA) approach, backed up by local level legislative support, 2) collaboration with a range of other relevant institutions, particularly in relation to the mitigation of sedimentation from terrestrial developments, 3) consistent and sustained outreach, and 4) involvement of local people in monitoring and enforcement. TNCs marine resource management work is clearly one of the most culturally, politically and ecologically enlightened programs in the region. This can be attributed in large part to the presence of high calibre teams at all of the project sites I visited, which include a large number of highly experienced, motivated and effective staff, many of whom TNC has recruited from the governments, primarily the fisheries departments, of both countries. The group also benefits from a strong support team in Brisbane, with a similarly impressive collective experience, and a broad range of regionally relevant expertise.

The coral triangle and climate change: ecosystems, people and societies at risk: a comprehensive study involving over 20 experts and based on 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles

Climate Change Resilience, Biodiversity Conservation

Available Online

Hoegh-Guldberg ... [et al.]

This study brought together the experience, viewpoints and analysis of over 20 experts from the climate, biological, economic, policy and social sciences. The major focus of the study was to examine how the future might unfold for one of the most ecologically rich yet most populated regions of the planet. In doing so, this report has developed a series of policy recommendations which must be taken on board if we are to avoid a major environmental and human catastrophe. If we dont do this, hundreds of thousands of unique species, entire communities and societies will be in jeopardy.

Trends in global shark catch and recent developments in management

Available Online

Lack Mary

Sant Glenn

In 2006, 2007 and 2008 TRAFFIC reported on total shark3 catch and the top 20 shark-catching countries (Lack and Sant, 2006; Anon, 2007; Lack and Sant, 2008). Those analyses have been based on the Fishstat Capture Production Database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The purpose of these analyses has been to monitor overall trends in shark catch and to identify the main shark-catching countries. TRAFFICs focus on shark catch has been prompted by the growing international concern for the status of shark stocks. This concern stems from the recognized vulnerability of sharks to overfishing because of their slow growth and their relatively late age of maturity and low fecundity. In addition, many species of sharks are top order predators and play an important role in marine ecosystems and it is only through the adoption of ecosystem-based management (EBM) principles, including the application of the precautionary approach, that shark species can be managed sustainably and unintended ecosystem effects avoided.

North Pacific blue shark stock assessment

Biodiversity Conservation

Available Online

Kleiber, Pierre ... [et al.]

A stock assessment of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) population in the North Pacific was conducted using catch and effort data from commercial longline and large mesh driftnet fisheries from the years 1971 through 2002 as well as small mesh driftnet fisheries operating primarily in the 1980s. Because reporting of shark catch has not been required in these fisheries, which target primarily tunas, a system for identifying the more reliable longline catch reports was utilized. Two different assessment models were utilized, a surplus production model, and an integrated age and spatial structured model tested with a variety of structural assumptions. The two models were found to be in general agreement. The trends in abundance in the production model and all alternate runs of the integrated model show the same pattern of decline in the 1980s followed by recovery to above the level at the start of the time series. The integrated model analyses indicated some probability (around 30%) that biomass at the end of the time series was less than BMSY (overfished) and that there was a lesser probability at that time that fishing mortality was greater than FMSY (overfishing occurring). There was an increasing trend in total effort expended by longline fisheries toward the end of the time series, and this trend may have continued thereafter. It would be prudent to assume that the population is at least close to MSY level and fishing mortality may be approaching to the MSY level in the future.

The right to survive: the humanitarian challenge for the twenty-first century

Climate Change Resilience

Schuermer-Cross, Tanja

Taylor, Ben Heaven

Each year, on average, almost 250 million people are affected by natural disasters. In a typical year between 1998 and 2007, 98 per cent of them suffered from climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods rather than, for example, devastating but relatively rare events such as earthquakes. According to new research for this report, by 2015 this could grow by more than 50 per cent to an average of over 375 million affected by climate-related disasters each year. Any such projection is not an exact science, but it is clear that substantially more people may be affected by disasters in the very near, not just distant, future, as climate change and environmental mismanagement create a proliferation of droughts, landslides, floods and other local disasters. And more people will be vulnerable to them because of their poverty and location. Some of these environmental changes will also increase the threat of new conflicts, which will mean more people displaced, and more need for humanitarian aid. One recent report estimated that 46 countries will face a high risk of violent conflict when climate change exacerbates traditional security threats. Already, there is evidence that the number of conflicts is again on the rise,5 while the threat of long-running conflicts creating vast new humanitarian demands was painfully shown by the upsurge of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008. In short, by 2015, an unprecedented level of need for humanitarian assistance could overwhelm the worlds current humanitarian capacity. Already, many governments fail to cope with threats like storms, floods and earthquakes. They fail to act quickly or effectively enough in response to these events, or to take preventative action to reduce unnecessary deaths and suffering. Indeed, the very actions of some governments and their national elites place marginalised people at risk from disasters by discriminating against them, like those forced to live in flimsy slum housing so easily destroyed by floods and landslips. At the same time, international humanitarian assistance is often too slow or inappropriate, and the UN-led reforms since 2005 to improve it have only begun to make a difference.

Evaluating the role of science in community based adaptive management of coastal resources in Fiji

Available Online

Seidel Henrike

Community-based adaptive management (CBAM) has generally been accepted as an effective means to sustainably manage coastal ecosystems and small scale fishing activities. This particularly applies to areas where indigenous communities have significant control over their resources through customary marine tenure (CMT) such as the South Pacific. In Fiji CBAM is employed as a national strategy for coastal area management with over 300 communities involved. Activities are coordinated by the Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network which aims to integrate modern scientific knowledge with traditional management and governance systems for improved coastal area management. The use and degree of natural science required to support CBAM, however, is not well defined and viewpoints vary greatly between stakeholders and managers. This thesis highlights the actual and the potential use of natural science to be integrated into CBAM and support sustainable management at various levels of governance. Particularly, existing approaches such as participatory community-based biological monitoring are discussed. Statistical analysis of generated data was used to review the quality of this key scientific input to CBAM. Interviews were conducted with managers, scientists, government personnel, and community members to determine different stakeholder priorities and information needs for the CBAM approach. This allowed to examine how current efforts are addressing these priorities and needs at various governance levels and where potential use for future science interventions lie. Existing biophysical data from Fiji were compiled to propose suitable methods for predictive coordinative planning such as modelling approaches. In addition, alternative monitoring and evaluation methods are discussed. The study suggests that the supporting function of natural science to CBAM has not been fully exploited to date. Current procedures to generate site based scientific knowledge tend to be limited in their scope, and appear to be having limited direct impact on management of coastal resources. The main issues that prevent effective use of existing scientific knowledge are a lack of clearly defined objectives, a lack of capacity, deficient communication of scientific outputs, and a need for increased community education and training. These limitations combined with the degree and capacity to which communities can effectively benefit from the collection and interpretation of data based on scientific methodologies without continuous external input, need to be revised. At mid and national level and for improved project facilitation, there is potential to use novel approaches. This however, will require the amelioration of capacity and support functions.

fiji

Marine capture fisheries management in the Pacific Ocean: status and trends

Biodiversity Conservation

Available Online

FAO

In the first half of the 1990s, in response to increasing concern about many of the world's fisheries, and following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), a number of international fisheries instruments provided an impetus for countries to strengthen their fisheries management. A key step in supporting such efforts is the development of more-detailed, systematic and comparable information on fisheries management trends. In 2004, FAO developed the State of World Marine Capture Fisheries Management Questionnaire in response to this need, in 2007, FAO used this questionnaire to conduct a study of the trends in marine capture fisheries management in 29 Pacific Ocean countries.

Degradable plastics / compiled by Esther Richards

Available Online

Richards, Esther

Plastics have been an integral part of our lives for several decades in the form of convenient and useful commodity items. Plastic products are usually inert, chemically stable, resistant to corrosion, water-proof, durable and light-weight. Ironically, the same features which make them ideal as a raw material for such a wide range of products are also responsible for the environmental problems cited by many environmentalists. Furthermore, the fact that conventional plastics are derived from fossil fuels and are also responsible for greenhouse gas emissions during their manufacture is often a sore point. In particular, the plastic bag has in recent times come under attack for its prolific presence in the environment, and its impact on said environment.

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