Plastic Bags and the marine environment

Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contributes to More 'Super Bacteria'

A new University of Minnesota study reveals that treated municipal wastewater even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology can result in significant quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "superbacteria," in surface waters.


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Wales is the only UK attendee at global sustainable development summit

Quebec is hosting a three-day global conference from August 29-31 on climate change and sustainable development, that is being attended by environment ministers and other representatives of subnational governments from over 35 countries - but Wales is the only attendee from the UK.


Wales' environment and sustainable development minister, John Griffiths, is attending the organisation's General Assembly. In a statement he said this was partly "to promote and develop Wales’ work on sustainable development and climate change".


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Human Feces Bacteria Could be the Cause of Death in Caribbean Elkhorn Corals

A mysterious disease that ravaged coral populations in the Caribbean and Florida Keys for more than a decade came from microbes living in human feces, a new study reveals. Elkhorn coral was once the most common coral in the Caribbean Sea, but now its populations have been reduced by nearly 90 percent over the past 15 years and it now faces great risk of extinction in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Turning the Tide

Preserving 4 Percent of the Ocean Could Protect Most Marine Mammal Species

Preserving just 4 percent of the ocean could protect crucial habitat for the vast majority of marine species, from sea otters to blue whales, according to research at Stanford University and the National autonomous University of Mexico.

Their findings were published in the Aug. 16 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Scientists call for protected areas to conserve deep sea environment

On Monday at the Census of Marine Life (COML) project, the 10 year assessment of the world's oceans completed in 2010, published their analysis of the impact humans are having on the deep sea. Their conclusions were stark: the largest habitat on Earth is being damaged by pollution, resource exploitation and climate change.

Lack of detailed scientific knowledge about the deep sea makes it a difficult environment to protect. One way to stop the damage is to create a network of marine protected areas.

The establishment of a network of marine reserves would safeguard the extraordinary and vulnerable deep sea environments that we are only just beginning to understand.

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Falmouth could become test site for wave devices

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) has submitted a licence application for an energy test site in Falmouth Bay, Cornwall. The application has been made to the Marine Management Organisation to undertake Marine Energy Works.

The Falmouth Bay test site, known as FabTest, would enable developers to cost-effectively trial wave energy devices in calm waters with easy access to the shore, prior to linking up to Wave Hub. It would not be connected to the grid.

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Diving the EX-HMAS Brisbane (July 2010)

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Scientists Say Marine Life Facing Mass Extinction

Growth of Cities Endangers Global Environment

The explosive growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades poses significant risks to people and the global environment, according to a meta-analysis published August 19 in PLoS ONE.

According to researchers at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies it is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse. These ares include forests, biological hotspots, savannas, coastlines, sensitive and vulnerable places.

Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. Research suggests that of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most vulnerable. People and infrastructure are at risk to flooding, tsunamis, hurricanes and other environmental disasters.

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Reform of EU fishing policy

The EU Commission has proposed major changes to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), designed to cut waste and stop overfishing in European waters.

Under the plan, the existing system of fishing quotas, which often leads to tonnes of perfectly good fish being dumped at sea, will be reformed.

The European Commission says the current policy is wasteful, 75% of stocks are still overfished and catches are only a fraction of what they were 15-20 years ago. Catches of cod for example have declined by 70% in the last 10 years.

For more details on changes to the fishing policy, please follow this link

What are the Potential Impacts on Biodiversity and Hydrological Processes resulting from the Production of Biodiesel from Palm Oil?

Brought to the spotlight in recent years, are the environmental concerns over the use of limited resources such as petrochemical sources, coal and natural gas. Doubled with the rising price of crude oil, the potential for the production of bio-fuels has gained increased interest worldwide (Abdullah et al., 2009; Koh & Ghazoul, 2008; Koh, 2007; Tan et al., 2007; Zhou & Thomson, 2009). As it stands, bio-fuels still only represent a small proportion of total fuel consumption in the world, but their share is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years (Fitzherbert et al, 2008; Koh, 2007; Zhou & Thomson, 2009). Currently, rapeseed oil accounts for more than 80% of the world bio-diesel productions. However, given that the cost of palm oil is at least $200 US dollars per tonne cheaper than rapeseed oil indicates that palm oil will, without doubt, become a more attractive candidate as a source of bio-diesel compared to other vegetable oils (Tan et al, 2007).

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is grown in 43 countries worldwide with a total cultivated area accounting for nearly one-tenth of the world’s permanent cropland (Figure 1; Koh & Wilcove, 2008). The two largest oil palm producing countries – Indonesia (4.1 million ha) and Malaysia (3.6 million ha) are both located in South East Asia. Not only are they the largest producers of oil palm, but between them are home to 11% of the world’s remaining tropical forests (Koh & Wilcove, 2008).

The expansion of oil palm cultivation poses a significant threat to ecosystems, biodiversity and potentially, the global climate if not managed correctly (Koh et al, 2009). Accepting that there is the potential for many individual plant and animal species to be adversely affected by biodiversity loss and, dependent on region, there may be fewer or greater endemic or rare species. Also in ecological terms, there may well be much we don’t yet know or fully understand about the effects of oil palm production. My report aims to broadly identify the potential impacts on biodiversity from oil palm production and to highlight how biodiversity loss and plantation effects might further impact forest hydrological processes. The report also aims to discuss some of the benefits of oil palm production and to deliver some possible methods for responsible cultivation.

Most evidence on this subject seems to label the oil palm industry as anthropocentric and unsustainable, much like the oil industry. But it is easy to forget that palm oil provides nearly 30% of the world’s edible vegetable oil, and has been a major force for poverty alleviation and rural development worldwide (Corley, 2008).

As well as some socio-economic benefits, oil palm cultivation could have the potential to enhance soils in several ways. On lands which have been degraded by fires, erosion and salinization, planting oil palms could help to restore soil fertility and structure (Phalan, 2009). Furthermore, recent studies have shown that oil palm plantations may be more effective than rainforests in serving as ‘carbon sinks’, absorbing harmful gases like carbon dioxide (Tan et al, 2007). This is contrary to the claims by NGOs that oil palm plantation is bad for the carbon cycle in the atmosphere compared to virgin rainforest (Tan et al, 2007). The actual net assimilation of carbon dioxide for oil palm plantation compared to rainforest is 46.5 and 42.2 tonnes of C02 per hectare per year respectively (Tan et al, 2007).

Undoubtedly, there are many benefits to the production of oil palm, but evidence clearly hangs in the favour of minimising the ecological affects oil palm cultivation. The ecological impact of oil palm depends crucially on the extent to which it is able to support biodiversity, and on the extent to which its expansion causes deforestation (Fitzherbert et al, 2008).

For the industry to progress sustainably there is a need to create an adaptive management framework for strategic assessment, not just in regards to the environmental impacts of oil palm cultivation, but also of the social and economic impacts. A framework could be used as a guide for identification of appropriate locations and scale for oil palm development that will minimise negative impacts.

With regards to biology, oil palm plantations are clearly a poor substitute for native tropical forests. Evidence gathered reveals that they support fewer species of conservation importance, and effect biodiversity in adjacent habitats through fragmentation, edge effects and pollution.

Comparative studies on the hydrological effects of eucalyptus and pine plantations revealed that even after 3 years of establishment, runoff was still a major problem and thought to be a direct result of forestry management techniques. However, there are no studies to suggest that these trends would continue over a longer period, and also the assumption that these trends are like for like with oil palm plantations is purely speculative and cannot be considered accurate. Further research would be required to prove this theory.

Looking at the increase in oil palm development on peatland, it is conclusive that the effects of draining these wetlands prior to cultivation, does indeed impact the environment through the release of C0¬2. However, the fact that oil palm plantations are more effective than rainforests in serving as ‘carbon sink’ does pose the question of whether oil palm development might counteract the effects of degrading the peatland environment. Again, there has been no comparison of C0¬¬2 sequestion in oil palm plantations to peatland. Perhaps this would be another area for further research.

In conclusion, unless governments in producer countries become better at controlling oil palm development, ensuring that crops are planted only in appropriate areas, the impacts of oil palm expansion on biodiversity and hydrology can expected to be substantial.

The Effects of Mafia Island Marine Park Protection Status on the Distribution and Abundance of three Commercially Important Fish Species

A study of the coastal fish assemblages in the Mafia Island Marine Park (just off the Rufiji River delta on the south east coast of the Tanzanian strip, located 120 km south of Dar Es Salaam) was conducted from July 2007 to September 2007. The principle aim of the research was to establish how the distribution and abundance of three commercially important fish species; Serrinidae, Lethrinidae and Lutjandae (groupers, emperors and snappers) have been affected by the introduction of a zoning scheme and protection status. Under-water visual census using SCUBA were carried out in three zones of the Marine Park (two Specified-use Zones & one Core Zone). Thirty minute observations were made at slack-water at 10-24.3m depth ranges. A comparison and analysis of species composition, water depth and water temperature within the three zones was performed using ANOVA (analysis-of-variance). The studies suggest no correlation between commercial fish distribution and abundance and a degree of protection, but do point out complex social, biological and physical system that might effect overall distribution and abundance. Recommendations were made to routinely report fishing intensity, habitat characteristics, and effectiveness of enforcement and also make efforts to observe the intensity of exploitation in areas adjacent to and outside the protection zones, with ideal studies including multiple control locations, descriptions of long-term trends, with the inclusion of detailed descriptions of the system before reserve establishment.

Exploitation of Reef Fishes for the Live Reef Fish Trade

Every year, enormous numbers of ornamental marine fish, corals, shrimp, starfish and other exotic animals are taken from coral reefs for the live reef fish trade. This includes hundreds of thousands of kilograms of hard corals and live rock, and 15 to 20 million coral reef fishes with over 100 different species. My report aimed to examine the nature and extent of threats to reefs related to the international trade in coral reef resources and recommends strategies and actions to address these threats. GMAD trade records from importers for years 1996-2001 offer an insight into the trade, using the example of Amphiprion ocellaris, one of the most traded species of ornamental fish in the world. Recommendations for key issues to be addressed were; collection of baseline data, improving monitoring resources, developing management plans, building a support network for management and monitoring, development of an accurate LRFT database and, development of awareness information.

Summary of CZM 2007-2008 and My Future Aspiration in the Environmental Sector

To summarise the work that we have covered in Coastal Zone Management 2007-2008 we were set the task of undertaking a conflict resolution analysis using the work of the Devon Maritime Forum and another actual or fictional example and evaluating how in both strategic and procedural terms resolution could best be achieved.

For this study I chose to look firstly at the DMF and the reasons behind the strategic management of the coastal zone i.e. social, economic and environmental balance, followed by the United Republic of Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resource and Tourism’s general management plan for Mafia Island Marine Park. My second year thesis was based around some of the management strategies for the marine park and having worked side by side with the marine park and other organisations such as WWF, which were responsible for the terrestrial and community based assessment, I considered my personal knowledge on the strategies for management within this area to be sufficient to evaluate how resolution could be or has been best achieved.

The same rules apply to pretty much every coastal zone area world-wide (balancing the social, economic and environmental needs within that particular area). How different bodies, organisations or governments achieve this is dependent on their own individual needs. Mafia Island Marine Park is based on a small Indo-Pacific Island of the East Coast of Tanzania and local marine resource use, social and economic need and the environmental understanding and awareness of the people is still very basic, therefore their strategies for management must focus heavily on not just dictating what activities or practices are to be prohibited, but also to raise community awareness about why detrimental activities have to be minimised or completely abolished. Stubborn mindedness with regards to the acceptance of change is still a problem in the UK, EU and small island communities such as Mafia, and I believe that resolution lies is the hands of the future generation, in teaching them the art of good evironmental practice, after all, it will soon be them that will have to deal with the outcome of years of environmental degradation.

St.lucia Coastal Waters Documentary (An example of coastal zone issues)






My Future aspiration in the Environmental Sector

My future aspirations for a career in the environmental sector are ever evolving and the more I learn about the subject the bigger the list of aspirations gets. Ideally, I would like to be involved in research, and at this moment in time, money is not one of my major drives. I suppose running my own research project is where I would like to see myself in a few years. Maybe creating a plan for global management! Who knows! I kind of like the whole Indiana Jones scenario. Work as a university professor by week, and go off on the quest for holy environmental grail by weekend!

Sr. Project Manager - Environmental
Redding CA

Move To Ban Scallop Dredging in Falmouth Bay

12 years ago the Fal and Helford River in Cornwall was designated an EU protected reserve or Special Area of Conservation (SAC). At this time a voluntary agreement amoung fishermen to aviod dredging for scallops was established. The agreement failed, and now the government is being accused of allowing the destuction of important biological features within the SAC. As a result proposals have been put forward to close the SAC and re-establish the area as an Experimental Marine Protected Area (MPA). This will mean a complete ban of beam trawing, trawling and scallop dredging from November 2008, however, fishing with a hook and line will still be permitted. The intention of this move is to better manage scallop stocks within the SAC and to investigate whether there may be benefits to scallop populations and fishing outside the SAC.

This a fantastic move forward for UK environmental policies, and will be interesting to see how this effects the biodiversity of the SAC and indeed marine resourses which depend on it. The area is well renound for its excellent diving, and mabye this move will put Falmouth on the world wide diving map, and hopefully provide the local economy the boost it needs.

Proposal for the Closure of Fal and Helford SAC to Scallop Dredging

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS

There are a number of international environmental agreements established to protect the environment in different ways. Many of these are legally binding.

International environmental agreements include:

• Alpine Convention together with its nine protocols
• ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution
• Antarctic Treaty
  • Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora^[1]
• Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate
  • Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals^[2]
  • Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources^[3]
  • Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
• Barcelona Convention
• Basel Convention
• Carpathian Convention Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians^[4]
• Climate Change Agreement
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas
• Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
  • EMEP Protocol
  • Nitrogen Oxide Protocol
  • Volatile Organic Compounds Protocol
  • Sulphur Emissions Reduction Protocols 1985 and 1994
  • Heavy Metals Protocol
  • POP Air Pollution Protocol
  • Multi-effect Protocol (Gothenburg protocol) ^[5]
• Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
• Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
• Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter
• Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques
• Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat
• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
• International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983 (expired)
• International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994
• Kyoto Protocol - greenhouse gas emission reductions
• Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
• North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation
• Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants.
• Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water
• Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty 1996
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Western Regional Climate Action Initiative

Habitats Directive

The Habitats Directive (together with the birds Directive) forms an integral part of the European conservation policy. The Natura 2000 network of protected sites and the strict system of species protection form the two pillars that the directive is built around. The directive protects 1000 animals and plant species and around 200 “habitat types of European importance”, such as forest, wetlands and meadow.

The Nature 2000 network of protected sites include Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and these form a national and internationally important network of protected areas around the European Union.

The Habitats Directive has now been transposed into an English and Welsh law as the Habitats Regulations and the Environment Agency is acting as one of the Competent Authorities responsible for implementing them.

The Habitats Directive is an essential piece of legislation. It enable us to honor and protect the natural world, giving us the tools to holistically manage our environment and sustain features of biological and geological importance. Without such legislation there is the potential for environmental degradation and exploitation and it is in my opinion that more areas need to be classified under the protection and conservation status, and the limits to which we are aloud classify such areas be extended.

The Precautionary Principle

"In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."

The Precautionary Principle is seen as an integral principle of sustainable development, that is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the abilities of future generations to meet their needs. It has become an underlying rationale for a large and increasing number of international treaties and declarations in the fields of sustainable development, environmental protection, health, trade and food safety.

Within the United Nations system, the Precautionary Principle is included in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environmental Development, and in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.