Africa’s elephants are in crisis, with the number lost to poaching exceeding 30,000 a year. Sadly, these majestic animals are killed to feed the demand for unnecessary ivory trinkets.
This is driving a beloved species toward extinction and undermining the African economy as one of its primary tourism drivers disappears.
The African Wildlife Foundation, our followers and the worldwide conservation community, have already persuaded numerous governments to ban their domestic ivory trade.
Now it’s Taiwan’s turn. A total ban would support the resolution reached by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) COP 17 to prohibit all ivory trade. It would also prevent wildlife traffickers from using Taiwan’s legal ivory trade as cover for transporting other wildlife contraband.
Sign the pledge telling Taiwan to join the worldwide movement to protect elephants and set an example for others in the region to follow.
Africa’s elephants are in serious trouble. Sign the pledge so our children and our children’s children will be able to appreciate healthy populations of wild elephants long in the future.
TAIWANESE PresidentTsai Ing-wen has pledged to finally reveal the truth of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek’s “White Terror” on the 70th anniversary of the murderous crackdown.
“After 70 years, I believe that Taiwanese society now has the mature democratic mechanisms to discuss this matter,” she told victims, families and supporters in 228 Peace Memorial Park in central Taipei, named after the date of the uprising.
Ms Tsai said during her inauguration last May that she expected to see a full report on the suppression of the protests.
Authorities have closed the landmark Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in the capital. The government is drafting legislation to rename it and to remove the dictator’s statue from the premises.
As many as 28,000 people are believed to have been killed after General Chiang dispatched his Kuomintang (KMT) troops to massacre participants in the largely peaceful protests … .
Many more were imprisoned and killed in the decades of political persecution that followed. 228 Memorial Foundation chief executive officer Yang Chen-long said: “We are pretty dissatisfied and feeling impatient.”
His family received 6 million Taiwanese dollars (£157,000) in compensation for the persecution of his father and two other relatives.
“The compensation for me isn’t that important,” he said.
“Chiang Kai-shek should take responsibility.”
Marches have been held this week from the site where the initial protests broke out to Memorial Park, demanding swifter action on the government’s promises of justice.
China considers the uprising a part of the nationwide struggle that led to the victory of the revolution in 1949.
But Taiwanese nationalists insist it was a backlash against attempts to govern the island from Beijing.
Chiang Kai-shek, considered the founder of the so-called Republic of China in Taiwan, alternately fought and allied with the communists against Japanese invaders from the 1930s to the second world war.
The BirdLife Marine Programme’s work to reduce seabird bycatch in high seas fisheries will be familiar to followers of our efforts to save several albatross species from extinction. We have succeeded in encouraging all five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs – the bodies that manage high seas fisheries) to put seabird conservation measures in place, requiring vessels to deploy bycatch mitigation on board.
Our next task is to help ensure that these measures are actively implemented on vessels and track their efficacy in reducing seabird bycatch. To that end, and thanks to funding from the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, we have developed an instructional film for the skippers and crew of longline vessels, highlighting the issue of seabird bycatch and describing the simple and effective measures that can be taken to minimise fishing impacts on seabird populations. While this is mainly aimed at fishermen, it’s stuffed full of great albatross footage and neatly illustrates how to solve the problem of bycatch in longliners – so we thought we’d share it with you!
An estimated 100,000 albatrosses are killed in longline and trawl fisheries around the world each year. Longline fishing is one of the biggest threats to albatross survival worldwide and the BirdLife Marine Programme’s has worked tirelessly for over 10 years to reduce seabird bycatch in high seas fisheries and national waters, with some great successes for example in Namibia and South Africa.
We are building on this positive work. All five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations – the bodies in charge of managing high seas tuna fisheries – have now put seabird conservation measures in place, requiring longline vessels to deploy bycatch mitigation on board. The mitigation techniques include use of bird-scaring lines to keep seabirds away from baited hooks, weighting to help hooks sink quickly out of reach of foraging seabirds and setting hooks at night when albatrosses are less active.
The challenge now is to ensure that all longline fleets are aware of and implement these inexpensive and required measures, particularly those countries and fleets with large numbers of tuna longline vessels fishing in the south of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans where many albatross species live.
Educational materials in appropriate languages are crucial to connect with fleets and communicate effectively with skippers to demonstrate the simple methods that are available to reduce unnecessary seabird deaths, as explained by Mayumi Sato, BirdLife Marine Programme Asia Coordinator:
“So far we have had a very positive engagement with the Taiwanese Fisheries Agency and industry groups on seabird bycatch. Videos such as this help us and our partners explain both the threats and solutions directly to fishers and fisheries officials. We hope that we can continue to expand our work with Taiwanese fleets to increase the uptake of seabird mitigation measures and work collaboratively to save albatrosses.”
You can also watch the video in English [top of the blog post] and it is coming soon in additional languages. It is geared towards fishermen, but includes some great footage of albatrosses and the simple solutions that can save them.
A breakthrough in marine conservation within the BirdLife Africa Partnership: the first steps: here.
Free traders and traitors, bankers and thieves
Are at it once again WTO just didn’t cut it
So now there’s no telling when
They’ll pass this latest treaty
From behind closed doors
And win another battle
In the transnational class wars
They want Fast Track Authority
So they can get the job done right
By which they mean no discussion
Don’t even pretend to put up a fight
As they take from us our government’s
Ability to regulate
What happens within the borders
Of what they used to call the state
In what they used to call democracy
The idea that people have a say
In whether we should be building windmills
Or fracking our lives away
Whether banking regulations
Are a good idea or not
Whether the food on your kitchen table
Comes from a Monsanto plot
Whether the poor should die
Or have affordable medication
Whether human life is less important
Than your corporation
Whether this world is a commons
Or just a free trade bill
That we need about as much
As another oil spill
So let’s do like we do in the WC
And flush the TPP
They say it’ll help the economy
And they’ve said all that before
Like when they implemented NAFTA
In 1994
The US lost a million jobs
Of this there is no doubt
And in Mexico, small farmers
Were almost completely wiped out
SOPA, PIPA, ACTA
They couldn’t get them passed
So now they’ve snuck them all into TPP
Try running that one up the mast
In the back rooms no one knows
Which corporation speaks
Except when secret documents
Get sent to WikiLeaks
And it’s only from the whistleblowers
We even know it’s there
One for Asia, one for Europe
Free trade everywhere
Free trade, free pollution
Freedom for the billionaires
Enslavement for the rest of us
But hey, they got theirs
~~~~~
Amari: Japan will not compromise alone on TPP
Apr. 14, 2015
Trade negotiators from Japan and the US will resume working-level talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Tokyo on Wednesday.
They are hoping to reach a bilateral agreement before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets President Barack Obama in Washington on April 28th.
But the Japanese minister in charge of the free-trade pact says Tokyo will not make one-sided concessions ahead of the summit.
Akira Amari said Japan does not consider the summit a deadline. He said he wants to focus on narrowing the gaps between the 2 sides to smooth the way for higher-level talks.
Amari said US negotiators would be mistaken if they believe that Japan will make compromises during the next 2 weeks.
But the Japanese minister said he is willing to meet with his US counterpart after the working-level talks to make further efforts at ironing out differences.
~~~~~~
Ma stresses need to regain trust in food safety
Apr. 14, 2015
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has stressed the need to restore Taiwanese consumers’ confidence in Japanese foods.
Ma made the comment in a news conference with the Japanese media in Taiwan on Tuesday, one day after Taiwan announced that it would tighten regulations on food imports from Japan, beginning as early as May.
The rules will include the provision of place-of-origin labels for Japanese food products. This is to make sure the products are free of radioactive contamination.
Taiwan already has an import ban on place for foods from 5 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, since the nuclear accident in 2011.
At the news conference, Ma referred to a revelation last month that foods from the 5 prefectures subject to the existing ban are being imported to Taiwan.
Ma said that consumers’ trust regarding the place of origin of Japanese foods must be restored. He said that if the trust is not regained soon, it could influence future business.
The president added that the import regulations will be neither too lax nor too strict, compared with other countries. He indicated that the regulations were determined by studying measures taken by other nations.
USA petition: Urgent! Block Fast Track of Trans Pacific Partnership NOW, Say NO to Radioactive Food from Japan: here.
Taiwan banned Japanese food imports from five prefectures including Fukushima in March 2011, a few weeks after the triple meltdown occurred and radioactive particles were detected in some imports.
Starting Friday, all food imports from Japan will be required to carry certificates proving that they are not from the five banned areas, while some will also need “radiation inspection certificates,” according to the Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare.
In March, Taiwanese authorities recalled hundreds of Japanese food items that had falsified labels hiding the fact that they came from regions affected by radioactive fallout, they said.
“The measures are necessary to . . . protect Taiwanese consumers’ health and welfare. The government and (food) companies should work together to provide safe food products,” the ministry said in a statement.
Japanese food products are popular in Taiwan. The local Apple Daily newspaper reported that stocks of some best-selling chocolates and prepackaged french fries could run out within three months due to delays caused by the new requirements.
…
Taiwan and Japan maintain close trade ties even though Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1972.
Taiwan is the third-largest export market for Japanese foods and agricultural products, after Hong Kong and the United States, with ¥83.7 billion worth of shipments last year.
Taiwan’s government has been stepping up food safety measures after the nation was rocked by a string of food scandals in recent years.”
Taiwanese officials are stepping up their regulation of food imports from Japan. That’s to make sure the products are free of radioactive contamination.
Taiwan has banned shipments of food from 5 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, since the nuclear plant accident in March 2011.
And now, Taiwanese health authorities are implementing additional measures. They said on Monday they will require proof of origin to accompany food imports.
Officials will also demand radiation checks on specific items, including baby food.
Taiwanese officials proposed the new regulatory steps last year. But they put them on hold because of opposition from Japan.
The officials apparently changed their minds after revelations last month that some processed foods from the 5 Japanese prefectures are being sold in Taiwan.
The officials say they will release details of the new regulation soon, and put the measures into effect as early as May.
Japanese food exporters are worried about possible boycotts and higher costs. Taiwan is one of the largest importers of Japanese food products, following Hong Kong and the United States.
Fukui Court Blocks Reactor Restart of Tokahama NPP
A group of 9 citizens had filed for the injunction to keep the plant’s No.3 and 4 reactors offline, citing safety problems.
Officials of the plant’s operator, Kansai Electric Power Company, said they had taken thorough anti-quake measures based on lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011.
At the Fukui District Court on Tuesday, presiding judge Hideaki Higuchi said Kansai Electric is too optimistic in assuming that no major earthquake would hit Takahama, as 5 unexpectedly large quakes have hit nuclear plants across Japan in less than a decade.
The judge also said the Nuclear Regulation Authority‘s new requirements should be as tough as possible to eliminate any risk of disaster, but are too lax to ensure the safety of nuclear reactors.
Tuesday’s injunction takes effect immediately, so Kansai Electric will not be able to restart the reactors unless the court decision is overturned.
KANSAI Electric Power was banned from reopening two nuclear reactors in western Japan yesterday on safety grounds.
Fukui District Court judge Hideaki Higuchi ordered the firm to keep its No 3 and No 4 reactors offline at Takahama plant in Fukui prefecture, home to some 12 reactors.
The court criticised Nuclear Regulation Authority safety standards for being too lax, even with stricter requirements imposed after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, which saw a major earthquake partly destroy reactors … .
The court ruling said that meeting the new standards does not guarantee the safety of Takahama’s reactors.
It noted that four of Japan’s 17 nuclear power plant complexes had suffered through earthquakes exceeding their anticipated seismic motions in the past decade and suggested Takahama could be next.
“Excluding the Takahama plant from the risk of such earthquakes is merely groundless optimism,” it ruled. “An accident at the plant could cause irrevocable damage.”
The judge cited spent fuel storage pools without proper containment and a moratorium on a compulsory radiation-free emergency command centre as examples of regulators’ “lack of rationality.”
A group of residents requested the injunction in December, saying that a massive earthquake exceeding the facility’s resistance standards could cause damage similar to the Fukushima crisis.
Kansai Electric said that it plans to appeal against the ruling, calling it “extremely regrettable and unacceptable.”
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pro-business government has been pushing for a restart, saying that prolonged stoppages are bad for the economy.
Radiation measured at deadly 9.7 sieverts in Fukushima reactor — The Japan Times: here.
An investigation carried out by The Independent newspaper reveals that there is a risk that food manufactured around the Fukushima nuclear disaster site may be entering the United Kingdom, raising the prospect of mildly carcinogenic ingredients entering the food system: here.
Expected surge in workers hitting radiation limit leaves No. 1 plant’s decommissioning in jeopardy — The Japan Times: here.
Officials from New Taipei City‘s Department of Health, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and other law-enforcement authorities, seized the mislabeled products, although a substantial portion had already been sold to consumers.
Authorities inspected warehouses in New Taipei City belonging to food companies such as Sheng Yu (盛裕), Li Tuo (勵拓), Sun Friend (上煬) and Tai Crown (太冠).
Health Department officials said Sheng Yu imported soy sauce labeled “Tokyo-made” last month. In reality, they were manufactured in areas that have import restrictions, such as Chiba (千葉), Gumma (群馬), Fukushima (福島), Ibaraki (茨城) and Tochigi (櫪木) prefectures.
The department also investigated Li Tuo, Sun Friend and Tai Crown’s warehouses in Taishan, Xinzhuang and Xindian districts. They discovered several products from areas with import restrictions: seven from Li Tuo, 25 from Sun Friend and 19 from Tai Crown.
Further investigation revealed downstream companies that stock the imported products include well-known Japanese department stores, food chains and boutiques, including Wellcome (頂好), JPMed (日藥本舖), Matsusei (松青), Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越), B&Q (特力屋) and HOLA.
Officials have discovered a total of 2,391 kilograms of problematic products and will continue to investigate.
Food and Drug Administration chief Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) pointed out there has been a rise in reports of products from the five areas that were affected by the Fukushima crisis. The administration and police investigated areas including Hsinchu County, Taichung City, Tainan City and Kaohsiung City from March 19 to 21.
Investigators found around 3,000 products with mislabeled origins at the Port of Keelung. More than 300 products were reported to have been imported from the five prefectures exposed to radiation.
The investigations have proven to be difficult because Japanese and Taiwanese companies have different management practices, Chiang said. The administration has resolved to crack down on the 10 companies involved with the mislabeled products.
The Health Department has also said the companies will take responsibility and full refunds will be provided for consumers with products and receipts for purchases made on or after March 11, 2011.
Products found in violation of the law have been pulled from the shelves. The import companies have also been ordered to inform downstream sellers to cease the sale of all the said products within a week.
I wonder: did Japanese corporations export these ‘radiant’ Fukushima food products fraudulently to other countries besides Taiwan? And how about selling this radioactive food in Japan itself?
Setback at Fukushima No. 1 plant threatens reactor 3 rod removal — The Japan Times: here.
Tepco compensation to cost taxpayers more than previously estimated — The Japan Times: here.
US restricts food import from Japan over radionuclide contamination concern — People’s Daily Online: here.
Two years ago, after a 13 year search, scientists concluded that the leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura) had gone extinct in Taiwan.
But a new paper by the same scientists states the island’s ecology has improved so much since the leopards disappeared that they might once again thrive there.
Clouded leopards disappeared from Taiwan decades ago, probably in the 1980s after intense overhunting for their furs followed by destruction of their forest habitat and declining populations of the cats’ prey species.
However, Taiwan has been so successful in slowing deforestation and protecting its other wildlife over the past few decades that the island could once again support populations of leopards.
As Po-Jen Chiang of the Institute of Wildlife Conservation in Taiwan and his fellow authors point out, Taiwan banned commercial hunting in 1973 and stopped logging its natural forests in 1991.
Although poaching and habitat loss continue, populations of some mammalian species, such as the Formosan macaque and Reeves’s muntjac have grown – so much so that they are now considered pests on farmlands.
The authors suggest that lack of predation by the now-missing clouded leopards could have something to do with this overpopulation of some mammalian species.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s natural forests have had time to regenerate. The researchers concluded that the island now has enough broadleaf, conifer and cypress forests, along with natural vegetation to support the prey mammals.
All told, the researchers calculated that 24 per cent of Taiwan – more than 8,500 square kilometres – contains suitable habitat for between 500 and 600 clouded leopards.
The cats of mainland Asia would make strong candidates for reintroduction.
Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2011 indicate that the cats on Taiwan probably weren’t a unique subspecies after all, so mainland clouded leopards would not be out of place on the island.
The main clouded leopard species (N. nebulosa) is currently considered vulnerable to extinction, with a total population of fewer than 10,000 individuals and no populations larger than 1,000 animals.
Their habitats are “undergoing the world’s fastest regional deforestation rates” according to the IUCN Red List and trade in their skins and bones continues to devastate their populations. So, Taiwan could become a much-needed refuge for clouded leopards in the future.
