James Suter / Black Bean Productions / WWF-US
Only a little more than one-third of the world's 246 longest rivers remain free-flowing, drastically reducing the diverse benefits that healthy rivers provide to people and nature everywhere, according to a new study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and partners.
<p>A team of researchers from WWF, McGill University, and other institutions studied about 7.5 million miles of rivers worldwide to determine whether they're well connected. They found that only 37 percent are free-flowing — meaning they're largely unaffected by human-made changes to its flow and connectivity. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/dams">Dams</a> built in the wrong place and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> are impacting river health worldwide, and the planet's remaining free-flowing rivers are largely restricted to remote regions of the Arctic, the Amazon Basin and the Congo Basin.</p><h2>Vanishing Free-Flowing Rivers</h2><p>Long free-flowing rivers are vanishing. Around the world, rivers are becoming increasingly fragmented by dams and other development — such as roads or dikes — endangering freshwater ecosystems and the people and wildlife that rely on them. Free-flowing rivers transport water, nutrients and species that sustain biodiversity and benefit millions of people. To help countries and communities better protect their freshwater resources, WWF and partners came up with a technical definition of a free-flowing river and then created a first-of-its-kind, scientifically backed map — a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1111-9" target="_blank">comprehensive inventory</a> of the world's last free-flowing rivers, rivers with good connectivity and impacted rivers.</p><h2>1. Mura River — Slovenia </h2>
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<p>Called the "Amazon of Europe," the Mura River provides critical habitat for endangered and rare species such as otters, Danube salmon and black stork. After urging from WWF and others, in February 2019, the Slovenian government signed an agreement to stop all hydropower plant development that would devastate the Mura.</p><h2>2. Usumacinta River — Mexico </h2>
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<p>In June 2018, guided by WWF and partners, Mexico established water reserves across nearly 300 river basins, guaranteeing water supplies for 45 million people for the next 50 years. Ninety-three percent of the water in the Usumacinta — the longest, most biodiverse river in Central America and one of Mexico's — is now federally protected.<br/></p><h2>3. Bita River - Colombia </h2>
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<p>The Colombian government named the Bita River basin a Ramsar site — a wetland of international importance — in June 2018, thanks in large part to the work of WWF and partners. Covering 825,000 hectares, it's the largest of the country's 11 Ramsar sites and one of the few in the world to encompass an entire free-flowing river watershed.<br/></p><h2>4. Paraguay Basin — Brazil </h2>
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<p>More than 100 dams planned for the Upper Paraguay Basin could hurt water supplies, biodiversity and local communities. After tremendous efforts from a coalition including WWF, Brazil's National Water Agency suspended new dam development there until May 2020. But the suspension only applies to rivers under federal jurisdiction — so just 20 of the 100 dams will be suspended.<br/></p><h2>5. Luangwa River — Zambia </h2>
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<p>The Luangwa, which is free but impacted by a dam on a nearby river, is at risk. A proposed dam at Ndevu Gorge threatens this wild waterway, which shelters abundant wildlife and human populations. In Zambia, WWF is advocating on behalf of people and nature, pushing the government to reconsider its energy plans and ensuring that local people maintain their rights to natural resources.<br/></p><h2>6. Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers — Myanmar</h2>
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<p>In Myanmar, an in-depth Strategic Environmental Assessment recommended that the main stems of the Irrawaddy and Salween rivers — two of the last long free-flowing rivers in southeast Asia — should remain free of dams. But there is still risk, making alternative energy such as solar and wind power even more important for people, rivers, and the country's economy.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/free-flowing-rivers/" target="_blank">Learn more about free-flowing rivers and WWF's efforts to protect them</a>.</strong></p>
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<h2>Mapping Downs</h2><p>Dams provide safe drinking water and electricity to millions of people. But when built in the wrong place — for instance, a river's main stem — they can impede a river's flow, causing drastic declines in biodiversity and affecting fish migration, agriculture and livelihoods. Today there are more than 60,000 major dams around the world — a number that's increasing to meet demand for hydropower. WWF is helping national governments, industries and developers consider both the long-term impacts on local people and habitats and other potential alternative options for meeting water and energy supply needs, as well as helping them identify the best opportunities for river restoration projects. Solar and wind prices are going down, making them attractive alternatives.</p>
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A monarch butterfly before migration to Mexico on Oct. 21, 2018 at the Mobile Botanical Gardens in Alabama. patricia pierce / CC BY 2.0
The yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico, released Wednesday, shows an increase of 144 percent from last year's count and is the highest count since 2006. That's good news for a species whose numbers had fallen in recent years, but conservationists say the monarch continues to need Endangered Species Act protection.
The count of 6.05 hectares of occupied forest is up from 2.48 hectares last winter. The increase is attributable to favorable weather during the spring and summer breeding seasons and during the fall migration. Monarchs have lost an estimated 165 million acres of breeding habitat in the U.S. to herbicide spraying and development.
<p>"This reprieve from bad news on monarchs is a thank-you from the butterflies to all the people who planted native milkweeds and switched to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/organic">organic</a> corn and soy products," said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a>. "But one good weather year won't save the monarch in the long run, and more protections are needed for this migratory wonder and its summer and winter habitats."</p><p>In 2014 conservationists led by the Center for Biological Diversity and the <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org" target="_blank">Center for Food Safety</a> petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service's initial decision was that <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species">endangered species</a> protection may be warranted, and a final decision will be issued by June.</p><p>"The question is whether the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration wants to do <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/monsanto">Monsanto</a>'s bidding or protect monarchs for future generations," said George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety. "This year's count is a temporary reprieve that doesn't change what the law and science demands, which is that we protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act before it's too late."</p><p>As recently as the mid-1990s, monarchs covered nearly 21 hectares of forest in their wintering ground, falling to less than 1 hectare in 2014. Scientists estimate that 6 hectares is the threshold to be out of the immediate danger zone of migratory collapse.</p><p>About 99 percent of all North American monarchs migrate each winter to oyamel fir forests on 12 mountaintops in central Mexico. Scientists from <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_offices/mexico" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund Mexico</a> estimate the population size by measuring the area of trees turned orange by the clustering butterflies.</p><p>Monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains overwinter on the coast of California. Their numbers dropped to fewer than 30,000 this year, down from 1.2 million two decades ago.</p><p>A recent study found that if current trends continue, the western population has a 63 percent chance of extinction in 20 years and more than an 80 percent chance of extinction within 50 years. The western population is now at the threshold of extinction. </p><p>The caterpillars only eat milkweed, but the plant has been devastated by increased herbicide spraying in conjunction with corn and soybean crops that have been genetically engineered to tolerate direct spraying with herbicides. In addition to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/glyphosate">glyphosate</a>, monarchs are threatened by other herbicides and by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids">neonicotinoid</a> insecticides that are toxic to young caterpillars.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">Climate change</a> also threatens to disrupt the monarch's migration and render its overwintering habitats unsuitable by the end of the century.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTEzNjQyOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjA2MjE3N30.oe5oOw7WcI-wa2e2-8981jfHaI7ka_87xgUfbxp7zgM/img.jpg?width=980" id="b06de" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8ca07e8f528c639da5531a2bb3520fee" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Graph by Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity</small></p>
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</p><div id="1695e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FGZGOT1576663068"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1067428243706470401" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">5 Ways to Make a Difference in the Life of a #Monarch @HFSciencePub @jnp_mn @BetteAStevens https://t.co/ZDP5MNdneR</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1067428243706470401">1543329699.0</a></blockquote></div>
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A young female Sumatran Tiger. Steve Wilson / CC BY 2.0
China alarmed animal rights activists around the world Monday when it weakened a 25-year-old ban on the trading of tiger bone and rhinoceros horn, the Huffington Post reported.
China said the controversial parts would now be allowed to be used for medicine and research at certified hospitals. The government further said the parts would only be sourced from farmed animals, but conservationists say that it is hard to tell whether parts come from legal farming or illegal poaching.
<p>"With this announcement, the Chinese government has signed a death warrant for imperiled rhinos and tigers in the wild who already face myriad threats to their survival," <a href="http://www.hsi.org/" target="_blank">Humane Society International</a> wildlife program and policy senior specialist Iris Ho said in a <a href="http://www.hsi.org/news/press_releases/2018/10/humane-society-international-102918.html" target="_blank">statement</a>. "It sets up what is essentially a laundering scheme for illegal tiger bone and rhino horn to enter the marketplace and further perpetuate the demand for these animal parts. This is a devastating blow to our ongoing work to save species from cruel exploitation and extinction, and we implore the Chinese government to reconsider."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="c82e3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="163CO51576662284"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056983851237588992" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">SHOCK expressed by @HSIGlobal as #China lifts 25-year-old ban on #tiger bone and #rhino horn trade… https://t.co/Y8bj49gCde</div> — HSI United Kingdom (@HSI United Kingdom)<a href="https://twitter.com/HSIUKorg/statuses/1056983851237588992">1540839562.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The are currently only 3,900 tigers and 30,000 rhinos left in the wild, and poaching is the greatest threat to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a>.<br></p><p>Tiger bones and rhino horns are both valued for their use in traditional Chinese medicine, but no data has confirmed their health benefits. The World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies issued a statement in 2010 saying there was no proof that tiger bone had medicinal properties, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/29/asia/china-tiger-rhino-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. The group also removed both tiger bone and rhino horn from its list of approved treatments, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/10/wildlife-watch-news-china-rhino-tiger-legal/?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">National Geographic reported</a>. </p><p>The decision also goes against China's recent attempts to improve its environmental policies through actions like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ivory-trade-china-banned-2521801274.html" target="_self">banning</a> its domestic <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ivory" target="_self">ivory</a> trade at the end of 2017. </p><p>Environmentalists are not entirely sure what prompted Monday's reversal, but think it could be related to the growing number of tiger farms in the country.</p><p>"We've been concerned for a long time about the tiger farms in China and the increasing numbers of farms there," <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a> director of wildlife policy Leigh Henry told National Geographic. "Captive tigers are incredibly expensive to feed and care for, so as these numbers grew, so did pressure on the Chinese government to allow a regulated trade in tiger products. China's decision is what many of us have feared for over a decade."</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="216697178820079b72d94f7c0028a960"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/unitedforthewild/photos/pcb.627269340748086/627269287414758/?type=3&theater"></div></div><p>As of 2013, the <a href="https://eia-international.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Investigation Agency</a> said there were at least several thousand tigers at hundreds of farms in the country, and reports have indicated that China is importing rhinos for farming as well.<br></p>
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Humanity 'Sleepwalking Towards the Edge of a Cliff': 60% of Earth's Wildlife Wiped Out Since 1970
30 October 2018
Animals
A hippo in Okavango Delta National Park, Botswana. Buena Vista Images / Stone / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
Scientists from around the world issued a stark warning to humanity Tuesday in a semi-annual report on the Earth's declining biodiversity, which shows that about 60 percent of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been wiped out by human activity since 1970.
<p>The World Wildlife Fund's <a href="file:///Users/juliaconley/Downloads/lpr2018_full_report_spreads.pdf" target="_blank">Living Planet Index</a> details how human's uncontrolled <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/overconsumption">overconsumption</a> of land, food and natural resources has eliminated a majority of the wildlife on the planet—threatening human civilization as well as the world's animals.</p><p>"We are sleepwalking towards the edge of a cliff," Mike Barrett, executive director of science and conservation at WWF, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/30/humanity-wiped-out-animals-since-1970-major-report-finds" target="_blank">told</a> the<em> Guardian.</em> "If there was a 60 percent decline in the human population, that would be equivalent to emptying North America, South America, Africa, Europe, China and Oceania. That is the scale of what we have done."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="51a62" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="IBY9J21576662284"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1057156563914407936" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#BREAKING: 60% global wildlife declines show nature needs life support. We're living beyond the planet's means and… https://t.co/NBugPHSb7j</div> — WWF-UK (@WWF-UK)<a href="https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/statuses/1057156563914407936">1540880740.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Killer whales were named as one species that is in grave danger of extinction due to exposure to chemicals used by humans, and the Living Index Report highlighted freshwater species and animal populations in Central and South America as being especially affected by human activity in the past five decades.<br></p><p>"Species population declines are especially pronounced in the tropics, with South and Central America suffering the most dramatic decline, an 89 percent loss compared to 1970," reads the report. "Freshwater species numbers have also declined dramatically, with the Freshwater Index showing an 83% decline since 1970."</p><p>Destruction of wildlife habitats is the leading human-related cause of extinction, as people around the world are now using about three-quarters of all land on the planet for agriculture, industry and other purposes, according to the report.</p><p>Mass killing of animals for food is the second-largest cause of extinction, according to the report, with 300 mammal species being "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/19/worlds-mammals-being-eaten-into-extinction-report-warns" target="_blank">eaten into extinction</a>."</p><p>"It is a classic example of where the disappearance is the result of our own consumption," Barrett told the Guardian.</p><p>The report stresses a need to that shift away from the notion that wildlife must be protected simply for the sake of ensuring that future generations can see species like elephants, polar bears and other endangered animals in the wild.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODc4MjEwNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTQ0MDQ5NH0.57LPz5FCHZ-srKPm_1DudFKXKZ3k4BsuJ_TmS2ARu-4/img.jpg?width=980" id="4ea7b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a73d105084c4256f7d88e6cde72625aa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Underwater Polar Bear in Hudson Bay, Canada.</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Paul Souders / Stone / Getty Images</small></p><p>Rather, the survival of the planet's ecosystems is now a matter of life and death for the human population, according to the WWF.<br></p><p>"Nature contributes to human wellbeing culturally and spiritually, as well as through the critical production of food, clean water, and energy, and through regulating the Earth's climate, pollution, pollination and floods," Professor Robert Watson, who contributed to the report, told the<em> Guardian.</em> "The Living Planet report clearly demonstrates that human activities are destroying nature at an unacceptable rate, threatening the wellbeing of current and future generations."</p><p>"Nature is not a 'nice to have'—it is our life-support system," added Barrett.</p><p>Many scientists believe that studies like that of the WWF demonstrate that a sixth mass extinction is now underway—a theory that would mean the Earth could experience its first mass extinction event caused by a single species inhabiting the planet. The loss of all life on Earth could come about due to a combination of human-caused effects, including a rapidly warming planet as well as the loss of biodiversity.</p><p>"The Great Acceleration, and the rapid and immense social, economic and ecological changes it has spurred, show us that we are in a period of great upheaval," reads the study. "Some of these changes have been positive, some negative, and all of them are interconnected. What is increasingly clear is that human development and wellbeing are reliant on healthy natural systems, and we cannot continue to enjoy the former without the latter."</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/30/humanity-sleepwalking-towards-edge-cliff-60-earths-wildlife-wiped-out-1970" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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83% Decline of Freshwater Animals Underscores Need to Protect and Restore Freshwaters
30 October 2018
Animals
Terry Whittaker / WWF
This year's Living Planet Report shows that populations of animals—including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians—plummeted by 60 percent between 1970 and 2014. But those living in freshwater are experiencing a far more drastic decline: 83% since 1970. It's a sobering statistic and one tied directly to the ever-increasing pressures that people are putting on natural habitats.
<p>We can learn a lot about the health of freshwater habitats overall by studying the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/animals/">animals</a> that live in them. If freshwater animals are on the decline, that's a sign that the entire ecosystem is in trouble. Freshwater habitats face a host of threats, including increases in the amount of water we take from them; drainage of wetlands; pollution from industry, sewage and farms; invasive plant and animal species; <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>; and infrastructure development in and along waterways. </p><p>Perhaps the most urgent threat to freshwater animals and their homes is the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/dams">dams</a>, bridges, roads and other infrastructure that interfere with the natural flow and connectivity of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/rivers">rivers</a>. Many freshwater fish, for example, rely on free-flowing rivers to eat, reproduce and access nutrients necessary for their survival.</p><p>Connected rivers help people, too. Free-flowing rivers move sediment to floodplains and deltas downstream, providing nutrients and soil for floodplain agriculture, allowing for healthy fisheries and supporting the resilience of delta habitats under a changing climate.</p><p><strong>Keeping Rivers Connected and Flowing</strong></p><p>There are currently nearly 60,000 large dams on rivers around the world and more than 3,700 more hydro dams—structures that give us energy from the flow of water—are planned globally. While <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hydropower">hydropower</a> plays an important role in today's <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> revolution, it must be carefully planned so as to minimize loss of river health. </p><p>This means considering the health of an entire river basin to find energy opportunities with the least amount of impact on the environment and people. Into the future, the dropping prices of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> power, along with innovations in the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/battery-storage/">ability to store power</a>, provide the possibility for countries to meet energy demands with less hydropower and therefore fewer dams.</p><p>We can also set aside a certain amount of water in a river basin exclusively for the protection of nature and for people. Called a "water reserve," this concept requires a careful calculation of how much water people can use for energy, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agriculture">agriculture</a> and other purposes and how much must remain in the river to sustain a healthy ecosystem. </p><p>This summer, Mexico authorized water reserves in nearly 300 river basins, including in one of the country's longest remaining free-flowing rivers, the Usumacinta. WWF worked with Mexico's National Water Commission to calculate how much water could be allocated to human activity and how much water should remain in the river to sustain a healthy ecosystem. This science-based planning and policies backing it up ensure water quality and quantity for 45 million Mexicans for the next 50 years—all while protecting the river's plants and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a>.</p>
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<p><strong>You Can Help</strong><br></p><p>The decline in groups of freshwater animals is staggering, but we can help reverse the trend. <a href="https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=971" target="_blank">Join WWF's Freshwater Force</a> to take action to stop bad dams and infrastructure development in freshwater habitats, raise awareness of the importance of freshwater, and champion the wildlife and communities that depend on free-flowing, clean rivers for survival.</p>
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</p><div id="2a9ef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DGC64O1576661888"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="978590006607536129" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Earth Hour 2018: Globe Unites to Celebrate People’s Connection to Planet https://t.co/B66o5zcVjS @GreenpeaceUK @wwwfoecouk</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/978590006607536129">1522149013.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Greenpeace activists at the Suwung landfill in Bali, Indonesia. Jurnasyanto Sukarno / Greenpeace
The biggest food, drink and consumer brands—including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever and H&M—joined a global campaign on Monday to tackle plastic waste.
The "New Plastics Economy Global Commitment," spearheaded by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was "cautiously welcomed" by some environmental groups, who say the initiative does not go far enough to halt the planet's mounting plastic crisis.
<p>
The pledge was signed by more than 250 businesses, governments and other organizations around the world, under a vision of eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastics, as well as building a circular economy for the material. It sets a 2025 target to make 100 percent of all plastic packaging either reusable, recyclable or compostable.
</p><p>
The announcement was officially unveiled at the start of the fifth-annual
<a href="https://ourocean2018.org/" target="_blank">Our Ocean Conference</a> in Bali, Indonesia. The <a href="https://newplasticseconomy.org/projects/global-commitment#whos-involved" target="_blank">signatories</a>—which also include L'Oreal, Walmart, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pepsi" target="_self">PepsiCo</a>, SC Johnson, plastics producers Amcor and Novamont, the governments of Austin, Texas, the UK, Chile and more—will report on their progress annually. Their targets will be reviewed every 18 months and will become increasingly ambitious over time.
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</p><div id="13558" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="N3X2261576683788"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056814856513482752" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today we announce the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Over 250 businesses, governments and other organisati… https://t.co/f7S0emusdY</div> — New Plastics Economy (@New Plastics Economy)<a href="https://twitter.com/NewPlasticsEcon/statuses/1056814856513482752">1540799271.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
In a
<a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/line-sand-global-commitment-eliminate-plastic-pollution-source" target="_blank">press release</a>, UNEP head Erik Solheim called the global commitment "the most ambitious set of targets we have seen yet in the fight to beat plastics pollution."
</p><p>
The commitment is supported by the
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wide Fund</a> for Nature (WWF), and is endorsed by the World Economic Forum and The Consumer Goods Forum, which represents about 400 retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries, and 40 universities, institutions and academics.
</p><p>
<span></span>"This Global Commitment is a step-change we urgently need in order to move from a linear to a circular economy. We want to act and lead by example. We will do our part to ensure that none of our packaging, including plastics, ends up in the natural environment," Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said in a press release emailed to EcoWatch.
</p><p>
<span></span>Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Danone were recently identified as some of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/worst-plastic-polluting-companies-2611144880.html" target="_blank">world's biggest producers of plastic trash</a> in global cleanups and brand audits organized by <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/" target="_blank">Greenpeace</a> and the <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/" target="_blank">Break Free From Plastic</a> movement.
</p><p>
"While elements of the EMF Global Commitment are moving in the right direction, the problem is that companies are given the flexibility to continue prioritizing recycling over reduction and reuse," Greenpeace Indonesia global project leader Ahmad Ashov said in a statement provided to EcoWatch. "Corporations are not required to set actual targets to reduce the total amount of single-use plastics they are churning out. They can simply continue with business as usual after signing the commitment."
</p><p>
"Our recent report '<a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/publication/19007/a-crisis-of-convenience-the-corporations-behind-the-plastics-pollution-pandemic/" target="_blank">A Crisis of Convenience</a>,' reveals that 11 of the largest consumer goods companies' current plans allow them to increase their use of single-use plastics and none have set clear elimination or reduction targets," Ashov added.
</p><p>
Greenpeace is calling on the signatories to deliver on all of the following actions:
</p><ul class="ee-ul">
<li>Set ambitious and accountable targets to reduce single-use plastics.</li>
<li>Act immediately to eliminate excessive and problematic plastic packaging.</li>
<li>Prioritize investment in reuse and alternative delivery systems.</li>
<li>Embrace transparency and report annually on their plastic footprint.</li>
</ul><p>
<a href="https://oceana.org/" target="_blank">Oceana</a> similarly said that "recycling and vague promises are not enough to solve the plastics crisis."
</p><p>
"I hesitate to even call today's corporate announcements a step in the right direction. Plastic pollution has grown into a major global crisis for our oceans, and it threatens our health. To have an impact, these companies must reduce the amount of single-use plastic at the source—in the factory—before it gets to consumers," Oceana chief policy officer Jacqueline Savitz said in an emailed statement.
</p><p>
<span></span>"It's not rocket science," Savitz continued. "Our grandparents lived without plastic and these companies must discontinue their unnecessary use of plastic. Every company that signed the declaration should commit to a meaningful, time-bound and specific percent-reduction of the amount of plastic it is putting into the market, and to find alternative ways to package and deliver its products. A circular economy is a nice utopian idea, but this crisis is unfolding today, and we need to see meaningful commitments to end the plastics crisis these companies have created."
</p><p>
Pavan Sukhdev, the president of WWF International, commented that "the plastics crisis can only be solved with the combined efforts of all key players in the system."
</p><p>
"WWF therefore endorses the The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment as we consider it an important step forward to join the efforts of businesses and governments around the world towards system-wide solutions," Sukhdev concluded.
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</p><div id="e82c5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OLOLHZ1576683788"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1056047917864230912" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Complex and Frustrating Reality of #Recycling #Plastic https://t.co/biv2TMR4WI @PlasticPollutes @PlasticOceans</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1056047917864230912">1540616418.0</a></blockquote></div>
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This gibbon is named after a certain Star Wars hero. Lei Dong
October 24 marks International Gibbon Day, a global celebration of these adorable, singing and acrobatic primates. This day is also important because they are the most endangered of group of apes, according the World Wildlife Fund.
There are 20 different species of gibbons and they are endemic to the tropical and subtropical rainforests of south Asia. This includes the Hainan gibbon—the rarest primate in the world and found only on Hainan Island in China. Their numbers dipped as low as 8 in the 1980s. But through conservation efforts, there are now 27 individuals in the wild, said Wenbo Zhang, who works with Cloud Mountain Conservation, an NGO that focuses on gibbon conservation in China.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Hainan gibbon</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Chao Zhao</small>
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In fact, most of these tree-dwellers are listed as endangered or critically endangered due to their rapidly disappearing habitats, as well as poaching and the pet trade.
</p><p>
So what makes these creatures so special? Gibbons are known to be the smallest and fastest of all non-flying arboreal mammals. These apes are intelligent, sing unique songs (some even sing in duets) and use grooming to increase bonding between family members, Zhang told EcoWatch. Most of them are also strictly monogamous and form long-term relationships with their partners.
</p><p>
Last year, a Chinese-led team and experts from the Zoological Society of London discovered an entirely new gibbon species in southwest Asia—the Skywalker hoolock gibbon. Its "Star Wars"-inspired name reflects the gibbon's high treetop home.
<span></span>
</p><p>
Unfortunately, there are less than 150 Skywalkers left in the wild, Zhang said.
</p><p>
"The Skywalker hoolock gibbon … faces the same grave and imminent risk to its survival as many other small ape species in southern China and Southeast Asia due to habitat loss and hunting," Samuel Turvey, a senior research fellow at the Zoological Society of London, said in
<a href="https://www.zsl.org/science/news/scientists-use-the-force-to-discover-skywalker-gibbon" target="_blank">press release</a> about the species. "Increased awareness of the remarkable ecosystem of the Gaoligong mountains and improved conservation is essential, to ensure we have time to get fully acquainted with this exciting new species before it's too late."
</p><p>
This day is all about raising public awareness about this little-known animal in order to save it from extinction. </p><p><strong>Check out these amazing apes below:</strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODc2MTQ3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTE2MzM4NH0.sfUUD742d_YpYoBgwXDFJO3G8POJwmpNabsI3ZDq_v0/img.jpg?width=980" id="9cd6e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="10c003cec6d13a71b3243f26594bd04c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Chao Zhao
A female eastern black crested gibbon with offspring.
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Russian and U.S. students carry bug spray for the mosquitoes, bear spray for the grizzlies and notebooks for the salmon science, while studying in Alaska's backcountry. John Simeone on behalf of WWF
By Amy McDermott
At the height of the Alaskan summer, a troupe of students hiked up the middle of a shallow creek. Undergraduates and grads from the University of Washington, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Kamchatka State Technical University in eastern Russia carried handheld clickers to count the multitudes of salmon thrashing upstream to spawn. Some of the students spoke English, others Russian, but they all came to see salmon: fish that their two countries share.
<p><a href="http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=714" target="_blank">Five</a> species—sockeye, coho, pink, chum and chinook salmon—live in the freezing ocean between the U.S. and Russia, and swim up rivers in both countries to reproduce. Even though some fish spawn in Alaska and others in the Far East, they ultimately seed the same stock in the Bering Sea. It sits at the top of the North Pacific, the largest, most valuable and most abundant <a href="https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mcf2.10023" target="_blank">wild Pacific salmon fishery</a> in the world.</p><p>Salmon are enormously economically important to both Russia and the U.S. They contributed <a href="https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/6/pub/00%20_ECON_Q2.pdf" target="_blank">$406 million</a> to Alaska in 2016, according to the state's Department of Fish and Game. And in Kamchatka, salmon in the Kol Refuge pull in <a href="https://www.wildsalmoncenter.org/content/uploads/2016/02/WSC_Kol_Valuation_Report.pdf" target="_blank">$981 thousand to $3.7 million</a> annually, with ecosystem services from the fish and their habitat estimated at <a href="https://www.wildsalmoncenter.org/campaigns/kamchatka/" target="_blank">$784 million to $2.38 billion</a>, according to the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, Oregon.</p><p>Despite so much on the line, Russia and the U.S. rarely coordinate management efforts and research is largely siloed, said fisheries ecologist Megan McPhee, an associate professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. "Because of the language barrier," she said, "there's a lot of research that goes on without the other side knowing about it."</p><p>That's where the students come in. From June through August, budding fisheries scientists from both sides of the Pacific live and study at a rustic field camp near Bristol Bay. It's part of a summer field course, taught jointly by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Washington and Kamchatka State Technical University, and championed by the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a> in Anchorage. Hiking up creeks to count salmon is one way to learn the ropes, and to lay the foundation for future collaboration.</p><p>"The idea is to build greater understanding of the similarities and differences in management on both sides of the Bering Sea," McPhee said. It's "an opportunity to learn from each other."</p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Students and professors walk Hansen Creek, a tributary of Lake Aleknagik near Bristol Bay, to count and measure living and dead salmon.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">John Simeone on behalf of WWF</small></p>
<p><strong>Mind the Gap</strong><br></p><p>There is plenty to learn on both sides.</p><p>"The Russians have a lot to offer," said Milo Adkison, a fisheries professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks who teaches the field course. "They're excellent naturalists and do a lot of research on salmon," which is often complimentary to research in the U.S., he said. For instance, Russian scientists were the first to realize that steelhead and rainbow trout <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0633.2007.00248.x" target="_blank">can interbreed</a>, even though steelhead spend their adult lives at sea, while rainbow trout live in fresh water.</p><p>Russia, too, might learn from Alaska's model of salmon management. Bristol Bay saw <a href="http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/dcfnewsrelease/989536277.pdf" target="_blank">the largest sockeye salmon run</a> in its 125-year commercial fishing history this summer. "I'd argue that means our methodology is pretty successful," said biologist Tim Sands, who manages the salmon fishery on the west side of Bristol Bay. "I think a lot of people look to the way we do things here, because it's working."</p><p>When students come over from Kamchatka, they also get an education in Alaska's salmon culture, which borders on obsession. <a href="http://salmonfestalaska.org/" target="_blank">Salmon festivals</a> punctuate the summer, and fish motifs feature heavily in local art. "Obviously it's a source of food and income," McPhee said, "but I think it's also tied up in the identity of many Alaskans."</p><p>The same is not true across the Bering Sea, she said, where salmon are less of a touchstone, likely because Kamchatka was historically a Soviet military outpost, and even today people tend to keep to the city. Yet, coastal far-eastern Russians and Alaskans face parallel challenges. They both have abundant salmon habitats threatened by mineral and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> development, and they're both limited by the language barrier. The hope for Russian and North American students is a future that embraces their common ground.</p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODY1NjExMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTQ3Nzk5N30.6XzRAbVqRFHGUBtSum8WfyFsrSDx6sqk1LjqpT9Csxo/img.jpg?width=980" id="316e5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af4c8bd87c8e157dc4f4bb55f5acb34c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Elena Zhelezniakova, an undergraduate at Kamchatka State, encircled by sockeye (top). The fish swim up Hansen Creek in summer. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">John Simeone on behalf of WWF</small></p>
<p><strong>Far Afield</strong></p><p>The University of Washington and University of Alaska have offered field courses near Bristol Bay for years. But it's only since 2016, with the help of funding from the World Wildlife Fund, that they've brought in students from Kamchatka. A handful have spent summer weeks living in bunk houses, attending lectures and field trips and working through homework assignments with U.S. peers.</p><p>Biologist Sands, who oversees the local salmon fishery, occasionally guest lectures for the field course, but isn't formally affiliated with the program. He sees potential for students to learn from one another, and one day, to build better fisheries. "We do things the way we do things, and we don't necessarily change," Sands said. "But when you interact with professionals from other places … you can get ideas about how maybe we could do something a little different."</p><p>Students from both countries can be shy at first, especially with language skills, said John Simeone with the World Wildlife Fund in Anchorage. Walls crumble as they work through homework assignments and shared meals, he said. "Early on the barriers seem hard, and by the end they're hugging each other and sad to see each other go."</p><p>The hope is that friendships evolve into professional collaborations, as participants grow into leaders of salmon conservation. McPhee and a professor from Kamchatka are already joining forces on an educational curriculum that includes the most important salmon studies from both sides of the Bering Sea.</p><p>For students hiking Alaska's shallow creeks, their pant legs sopping, the summer was an immersive education. Salmon was just one part of it. Knowingly or not, they were also laying the foundation to bridge the divide across the Bering Sea.</p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODY1NjExNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTA1MDk3OH0.y_ucPbk9ZlwAJjIaQ2uNcF5RURpCDrh5RbPOLxDPEBE/img.jpg?width=980" id="9f2a5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d99c0b60427c7708e6b185e239d754cb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Students wade into a pool of the creek, which can be as shallow as ankle deep, to count and measure living and dead salmon.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">John Simeone on behalf of WWF</small></p>
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A tiger in Dhikala, Nepal. Ranjith Kumar 2016 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, Nepal now has an estimated 235 wild tigers in the country, a nearly twofold increase from its baseline of 121 individuals in 2009, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) announced Sunday on the occasion of Nepal's National Conservation Day.
The South Asian nation is now on track to become the first country to double its tiger population as part of WWF's "TX2" goal to double the world's wild tiger population by 2022—the next year of the tiger on the Chinese zodiac.
<p>
The news was celebrated by environmentalists including actor <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/leonardo-dicaprio">Leonardo DiCaprio</a>, who is a WWF-US board member. His <a href="https://www.leonardodicaprio.org/" target="_blank">foundation</a> has funded tiger conservation in Nepal's Bardia National Park and elsewhere since 2010.
</p><p>
"This significant increase in Nepal's tiger population is proof that when we work together, we can save the planet's wildlife—even species facing extinction," DiCaprio stated in a press release received by EcoWatch. "Nepal has been a leader in efforts to double tigers within its own borders and serves as a model for conservation for all of Asia and the world. I am proud of my foundation's partnership with WWF to support Nepal and local communities in doubling the population of wild tigers."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="a6e0c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7PZKVJ1576683797"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1043945736356925440" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I am proud of @dicapriofdn’s partnership with @World_Wildlife to support Nepal and local communities in doubling th… https://t.co/2Qs8iRqkoV</div> — Leonardo DiCaprio (@Leonardo DiCaprio)<a href="https://twitter.com/LeoDiCaprio/statuses/1043945736356925440">1537731033.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Due to years of illegal poaching and habitat loss, <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger" target="_blank">there are roughly</a> 3,890 of the iconic big cats roaming the planet today, a dramatic decline from the 100,000 about a century ago, according to WWF. As top predators, they are crucial to the ecosystems they inhabit.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Every tiger counts, for Nepal and for the world," WWF-Nepal's Ghana S. Gurung stated in a press release received by EcoWatch. "While Nepal is but a few tigers away from our goal to double tiger numbers by 2022, it also underscores the continued need to ensure protection, and improved and contiguous habitats for the long-term survival of the species."
</p><p>
Under the TX2 goal set at the 2010 St. Petersburg summit, all 13 tiger range countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam—pledged to increase the number of wild tigers in the world to more than 6,000 by 2022.
</p><p>
"With four more years to go, the TX2 goal of doubling tiger numbers globally can only be achieved if all the tiger range countries step up and commit to a similar level of [Nepal's] excellence," WWF said.
<span></span>
</p><p>
To estimate its tiger population, Nepal conducted surveys between November 2017 and April 2018 by using camera traps and other techniques. The last survey in 2013 counted 198 tigers.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODY1MjQ5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MjYxMjQ5N30.k-HMAymde-zilG1dZWL4saf-M4Y_TDYalfT2ui8BWPg/img.jpg?width=980" id="e2815" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c417ff0581e132acc0ef20f98c260120" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Camera traps were used to survey Nepal's wild tiger numbers.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">DNPWC/WWF Nepal </small></p><p>
Nepal's success story can be attributed to its political commitment towards tiger conservation. For one, Nepal was the first country to achieve global standards in managing tiger conservation areas, an accreditation scheme governed by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards, according to WWF.
</p><p>
"Protecting tigers is a top priority of the government, and we are thankful for the able support of our partners, enforcement agencies, local communities and the international community for a common purpose," Bishwa Nath Oli, secretary of Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment, stated in the press release.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="4809c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TRPKTS1576683797"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="958895199702474758" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New Sightings of 'Putin's Tigers' Are Good News for Conservation in Russia https://t.co/kRv066FbyG @environmentca @ConservationOrg</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/958895199702474758">1517453405.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Ola Jennersten / WWF-Sweden
Yahoo Japan is the single biggest online platform for elephant ivory sales in Japan, according to a new TRAFFIC investigation, which recorded a staggering 4,414 ivory items plus 35 whole tusks for sale over a four-week period in June and July 2018.
<p>The latest findings were revealed Thursday in "<a href="https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/system-error-reboot-required-review-of-online-ivory-trade-in-japan/" target="_blank">System Error, Reboot Required: Review of online ivory trade in Japan</a>," which finds the overall number of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/elephants">elephant</a> ivory items for sale on Yahoo Japan had fallen by 55 percent—from 9,788 to 4,414—compared to a similar survey in 2017. However the study found that the combined total value of ivory traded fell by only 16 percent, to JPY 37.8 million (USD 340,626) over the same time period, largely because of an increase in the sales of whole tusks, from 22 to 35. </p><p>Under current Japanese legislation, only sales of whole ivory tusks have to be registered, but two of the tusks were sold without appropriate documentation.</p><p><span></span>The buoyant ivory sales on Yahoo Japan were in marked contrast to other major Japanese retail platforms, notably Rakuten-Ichiba, Rakuma and Mercari—all of whom introduced voluntary ivory bans in 2017 following international concerns about the sale of ivory in domestic markets fueling demand and leading to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/poaching">poaching</a> of elephants. Shops selling ivory were no longer identified on Rakuten-Ichiba and there was a significant reduction in ivory advertisements on Mecari (up to 98 percent) and on Rakuma, although a number of cryptic advertisements, use of code words, and rapid turnover in ivory products indicated some ongoing persistent trade.</p><p>"The major online retail outlets in Japan have aligned their policies with those of the international community—apart from Yahoo Japan, who appear to undervalue the impact and risk of continuing to trade ivory," said Tomomi Kitade, head of TRAFFIC's Japan office and lead author of the report.</p><p>Some 88 percent of the trade in ivory observed on the Yahoo Auction website, part of the Yahoo Japan group, lacked proof-of-legality. The platform has also previously been identified as a source in the illegal export of 3.2 tonnes of ivory to China over an 18 month period up to April 2012.</p><p>TRAFFIC's surveys also attempted to assess the impact of new regulations that came into force in Japan in June 2018, which call upon any businesses, as opposed to private individuals, selling ivory to display their registration details. However, according to the study, "Non-compliance with the requirement to display business registration was relatively high overall, ranging from 22% to 52%. Furthermore, discerning whether the legal requirement applies to the many anonymous sellers on auction, CtoC (Customer to Customer) and SNS (Social Networking Sites) platforms presented a serious challenge."</p><p>Although there is a government scheme for voluntary product certification, the study found its use sparse amongst online retailers and nearly non-existent on other platforms.</p><p>"The Japanese government should urgently introduce measures that effectively ban unregulated CtoC trade, while all e-commerce companies should introduce voluntary bans on ivory products and collaborate with initiatives such as the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online," said Kitade.</p><p>"Ivory Towers: An Assessment of Japan's Ivory Trade and Domestic Market," a TRAFFIC study released in December 2017 revealed how poor regulation of the domestic ivory market in Japan had led to illegal exports of ivory, particularly to the Chinese market.</p><p>Japan's lack of adequate regulation of its domestic ivory market means the country is failing to live up to its commitments under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which calls on countries to take every measure to ensure domestic ivory markets do not contribute to elephant poaching or illegal trade.</p><p>"WWF through its representatives in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America will be calling upon Yahoo Japan to institute an immediate voluntary ban on trading elephant ivory through its platforms. Japan is in urgent need of policy reform to eliminate unregulated ivory trade effectively from its domestic market and to live up to international expectations," said Margaret Kinnaird, WWF wildlife practice leader.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="7740f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="L3DC0R1576663175"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="959723887809515520" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hong Kong Bans #ivory Sales, UK Considers Similar Move @EcoWatch https://t.co/YvMSdzZKsD https://t.co/BQpHMSWkYF</div> — WildAid (@WildAid)<a href="https://twitter.com/WildAid/statuses/959723887809515520">1517650980.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Some of the world's most prominent climate leaders will descend this week in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) hosted by California Gov. Jerry Brown.
The Sept. 12 to 14 gathering will feature numerous seminars, notable speakers such as former vice president Al Gore and former secretary of state John Kerry, and will culminate Friday with a call urging international governments to commit greater efforts in averting dangerous global warming under the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
<p style="">Collective action on tackling climate change is more important than ever, especially in light of
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump">President Trump</a>'s intention to withdraw the U.S. from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a> and his continued efforts to push polluting, planet-warming <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>.<br></p><p style="">
"We're running out of time," as Gov. Brown
<a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/about-the-summit/" target="_blank">says</a> on the event website. "There's been some backsliding since Paris, and our summit ... aims to increase the commitments that have already been made in Paris, to make them even greater, and thereby build the momentum going into the conference of the parties at Poland," aka the <a href="http://cop24.gov.pl/" target="_blank">COP24</a> climate talks, this December.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="38e00" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1HNGER1576663357"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1039188942212325376" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">People from all over the world are gathering this week in San Francisco for @GCAS2018. Against the indifference of… https://t.co/6Ikl3M5nvB</div> — Jerry Brown (@Jerry Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov/statuses/1039188942212325376">1536596925.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>In an op-ed this week for the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/We-must-mobilize-climate-action-at-the-local-level-13210402.php" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle</a>, Brown wrote: "We all know that Donald Trump has declared war on every effort to stop global warming and that his congressional acolytes have abetted his insane crusade. Tragically, even the leaders of nations who joined in the 2015 Paris climate accord are also failing to do what it takes to reverse global warming. Greenhouse gas levels are still rising, and they are producing an unsustainable human future." </p><p>Fittingly, the theme of GCAS is to take "Take Ambition to the Next Level."</p><p>"The summit in San Francisco is bringing together grassroots activists, mayors, governors, heads of industry and international leaders for the express purpose of mobilizing climate action at the local level and to demand that their national governments get serious and raise their ambitions," Brown added. </p><p>Once the meeting gets going, we should expect significant climate action announcements from a major food and beverage company, a large utility and a major healthcare company, according to a press release received by EcoWatch.<br></p><p>
Several companies will also make commitments to roll out more zero-emissions vehicles and charging infrastructure, the release said.
</p><p>
Ahead of the gathering, Kaiser Permanente—the nation's largest nonprofit integrated health care system and GCAS sponsor—announced a major renewable power purchase agreement on Monday that will allow the organization to become carbon neutral in 2020.
</p><p>
"Climate change is here. We are seeing the effects of it in devastating wildfires, hurricanes and droughts already impacting people's lives," said chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson in a statement received by EcoWatch. "At Kaiser Permanente we understand that one of the most effective ways to protect the health of the more than 68 million people in the communities we serve is by ensuring healthy environmental conditions. By investing in renewable energy and becoming carbon neutral, Kaiser Permanente is helping to prevent climate-related illness for people worldwide."
</p><p>
<span></span>The gathering will celebrate existing climate commitments and achievements, and will ask the world to step up their efforts in five key challenge areas: <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/healthy-energy-systems/" target="_blank">Healthy Energy Systems</a>; <a href="http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/inclusive-economic-growth/" target="_blank">Inclusive Economic Growth</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/sustainable-communities/" target="_blank">Sustainable Communities</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/land-stewardship/" target="_blank">Land and Ocean Stewardship</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/transformative-climate-investment/" target="_blank">Transformative Climate Investments</a>. <span></span>
</p><p style="">
The
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a>, a leader of the Land and Ocean Stewardship challenge, issued the <a href="http://climatelandchallenge.org/" target="_blank">30X30 Forests, Food and Land Challenge</a> that calls on businesses, governments and citizens to take action for better forest and habitat conservation, food production and consumption and land use.
</p><p>
"To curb climate change, we must address the second-greatest source of emissions: our use of land," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, head of WWF's global climate and energy practice in an online
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/forests-food-and-land-can-deliver-30-of-solutions-needed-to-tackle-climate-crisis-by-2030" target="_blank">press release</a>. "By taking concrete action, businesses and local leaders also can encourage national governments to more aggressively reduce carbon emissions using every resource available, including trees, grasses and soil."
</p><p>
Alongside the summit itself, there will be more than 325
<a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/events-calendar/" target="_blank">affiliate events</a> in San Francisco and elsewhere. Many of these panels, workshops, tours, exhibits and other special events are open for the public or can be attended virtually.
</p><p style="">
Click here for the full <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/program/" target="_blank">GCAS program</a>. Some events will also be live-streamed on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCor3JbUn8yqq5npEsf7Cl1g" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GlobalClimateActionSummit/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gcas2018" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
</p>
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New Caledonia is home to the world's third-largest coral reef structure, a UNESCO World Heritage site. NASA
The French overseas territory of New Caledonia announced Tuesday the highest possible levels of protection for some of the world's last unspoiled coral reefs.
All types of extraction, including commercial and industrial fishing, has been banned in the Chesterfield, Bellona, Entrecasteaux, Pétrie and Astrolabe coral ecosystems, according to a Tuesday press release from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has long pushed the reefs' protection.
<p>
The New Caledonia government voted to set up marine protected areas (MPAs) surrounding the five reefs, safeguarding 28,000 square kilometers (10,810 square miles) of waters in all, <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20180814-new-caledonia-protects-huge-swathe-coral-reefs?ref=tw_i" target="_blank">AFP</a> reported.
</p><p>
President Philippe Germain believes the action has created the largest wilderness reserve in the world, he said in a press conference, as quoted by <a href="https://ladepeche.nc/2018/08/14/la-plus-grande-reserve-integrale-au-monde/" target="_blank">La Dépêche</a>.
</p><p>
Tourist activity is also expected to be rigorously controlled, making it harder for the 600,000 tourists who visit New Caledonia each year to access the sites, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-newcaledonia-environment/new-caledonia-restricts-tourism-bans-fishing-at-pacific-reefs-idUSKBN1KZ0KQ" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported. Small eco-tourist groups and researchers may apply for permits for access.
</p><p>
<span></span>The reefs and the surrounding waters provide vital habitats for dugongs, seabirds, nesting green turtles and humpback whales. It's also home to 1,700 species of fish and 473 different types of coral, according to <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-bertarelli-ocean-legacy-new-caledonia" target="_blank">Pew Charitable Trusts</a>.
</p><p>
"We welcome New Caledonia's announcement of the classification of its near-pristine coral reefs. These ecosystems are full of life—the ocean's equivalent of tropical forests—and France, through its overseas territories, carries an international responsibility for their protection," Hubert Géraux, WWF-France's manager of the New Caledonia office, said in a statement.
</p><p>
<span></span>The new protected reefs sit within the Natural Park of the Coral Sea of New Caledonia, one of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/historic-moment-in-marine-conservation-new-caledonia-creates-worlds-la-1881907187.html" target="_blank">largest protected areas</a> on the planet, spanning 1.3 million square kilometers (501,933 square miles). Its protections, however, are not as strict as it would be under an MPA.
</p><p>
Christophe Chevillon, head of the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy in New Caledonia, which helped draft the plans, said more could be done.
</p><p>
"Although we believe this to be a major breakthrough, we are convinced that New Caledonia can still go further and lead the way for other Pacific countries," he told AFP.
</p><p>
"In fact, the 28,000 square kilometers protected only represents two percent of the Coral Sea Natural Park."
</p><p>
The world's coral reefs are under grave threat from pollution, overfishing and the effects of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a>. The world has already lost about half of its shallow water coral reefs, WWF said.
</p><p>
<span></span>Former U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, a visiting distinguished statesman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, applauded New Caledonia's efforts to fully protect Chesterfield, Bellona, Entrecasteaux, Pétrie and Astrolabe reefs from industrial and human impact.
</p><p>
"Your commitment to preserve all of the remote reefs within the Coral Sea Natural Park, some of the healthiest and most intact reefs found on Earth, is commendable," Kerry wrote in a <a href="https://ladepeche.nc/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/photo_2018-08-14_18-35-07-e1534232387672.jpg" target="_blank">letter</a>, published by <a href="https://ladepeche.nc/2018/08/14/la-plus-grande-reserve-integrale-au-monde/" target="_blank">La Dépêche</a>, to President Germain.
</p><p>
Kerry urged the president to expand protections within the park to help strengthen conservation, cultural and economic benefits for New Caledonia.
</p><p>
<span></span>"I encourage you to continue to establish fully-protected areas within the [Coral Sea Natural Park], safeguarding the seamounts and pelagic areas, to ensure longevity of fish populations for the local people and help preserve New Caledonia's waters for years to come," he wrote.
</p><p>
John Tanzer, oceans practice leader of WWF International, called on other governments to follow New Caledonia's example.
</p><p>
"This is the kind of leadership we need to see in coral reef conservation and we applaud it," Tanzer said in a statement. "With good management, these marine protected areas will help maintain fish populations and ecosystem health that will build the reef's resilience to the impacts of climate change in future. This leadership must inspire similar action by other governments."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0512e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="JDHDQT1576662717"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1029238954401267712" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New Caledonia has committed to stronger protection of its near-pristine coral #reefs. This is the kind of leadershi… https://t.co/82Y32dCzPc</div> — John Tanzer (@John Tanzer)<a href="https://twitter.com/WWFLeadOceans/statuses/1029238954401267712">1534224663.0</a></blockquote></div>
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A man holds his son as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens, on July 23. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP / Getty Images
Wildfires that ignited in Greece Monday have killed at least 60 people in the area around Athens, prompting Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to declare three days of national mourning, BBC News reported.
<p>The fires, which have injured at least 150, are the worst Greece has seen in more than a decade. </p><p>"Today Greece is mourning, and in memory of those who were lost, we are declaring a three-day period of mourning," Tsipras said, as <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/biblical-disaster-greek-official-wildfires-killed-50/story?id=56774845" target="_blank">ABC News reported</a>. "But we mustn't let mourning overwhelm us, because these hours are hours of battle, unity, courage and above all solidarity."</p><p>The Spanish government sent two planes to help fight the blazes, ABC News reported. France, Italy, Germany and Poland also answered Greece's request for help with equipment and firefighters, BBC News reported. The firefighters need to work quickly, since temperatures in the area are expected to rise later this week. </p><p>Greece is prone to wildfires in the hot, dry summer months, according to BBC News, but this year's are the worst since 2007 blazes killed dozens. There is some speculation among officials that the fires could have been sparked by arsonists looting old homes.</p><p>A dry winter also helped create the conditions that allowed the current blazes to spread, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/greece-major-forest-fires-rage-athens-homeowners-flee-180723181521809.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera reported</a>. </p><p>A 2009 <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a> and <a href="http://www.noa.gr/index.php?lang=en" target="_blank">National Observatory of Athens</a> <a href="https://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogDocumentEn/WWF_Climate_change_impacts_in_Greece_in_the_near_future.pdf" target="_blank">assessment</a> on the near-future impacts of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a> in Greece projected increased temperatures and drier winters would augment fire risk.</p><p>One fire that started Monday especially devastated the village of Mati in the Rafina region, which is a popular holiday destination, according to BBC News.</p><p>It subsided with lower winds on Tuesday, but was not entirely under control, Al Jazeera reported.</p><p>Villagers ran towards the sea for relief from the flames, but some did not make it, according to BBC News.</p><p>In one tragic incident, the bodies of 26 adults and children were found hugging each other feet from the sea. </p><p>Those that did make it to the water's edge, where they were rescued by both government and private boats. </p><p>"We're talking about a biblical catastrophe in this wonderful area of Mati," fire survivor George Vokas told BBC News. Vokas and his family survived, but the flames destroyed their car and home. Two women he had tried to help had died, Vokas told BBC News.</p><p>Vokas wasn't the only one to lose his possessions. The streets of Mati were lined with burned out cars, Al Jazeera reported.</p><p>"Mati doesn't even exist as a settlement anymore," Al Jazeera reported that a woman told Greece's Skai TV. "I saw corpses, burned-out cars. I feel lucky to be alive."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="691ea" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9PSKKO1576663380"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1021745296110493696" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">In Greece, today, people are jumping into the ocean to escape rapidly advancing wildfires.
So far, this is Greece'… https://t.co/uMbrDc5LqD</div> — Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus)<a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/statuses/1021745296110493696">1532438036.0</a></blockquote></div>
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