Fisheries to be hit hardest by climate change

Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, 16 May, 2009 (IUCN) – The World Ocean Conference was a significant step towards protecting our oceans, but human pressures on fisheries need to be addressed urgently, says IUCN.

The main highlights of the World Ocean Conference (WOC) hosted by the Government of Indonesia were the adoption of the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD), a joint statement to work together in safeguarding the function of the oceans in climate change mitigation and adaptation to be put forward in Copenhagen (COP15); and the Coral Triangle Summit where the Heads of states from the six countries involved in the Coral Triangle Initiative signed the first inter-state agreement in the coral triangle towards conservation efforts, supported by an NGO Consortium, as well as a concurrent three-day International Symposium on Ocean Science, Technology and Policy.

90 % of pollutions in Oceans comes from land, and 25 % of the CO₂ from human activities ends up in the ocean. Fisheries are on the frontline of climate change impacts and the coastal communities will be the ones hit the hardest. Coral bleaching as a result of sea temperature rise, increased run-off from land due to increase in percipitation coupled with human induced activities such as overfishing, destruction of mangrove forests and seagrass beds which are important fish spawning grounds will further jeoperdise fish stocks. 

“1.5 billion people depend on fish world wide… Killing the Environment is as serious as killing your neighbour”, says Rolph Payet, Special Advisor to the President, Seychelles and Chair and CEO, Sea Level Rise Foundation.

As fish stocks decline, fishers move out of their ecoomic exclusive zones (EEZ). Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a serious threat to the sustainability of fisheries globally.  According to a Study of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Arafura Sea by the Indonesian Minsitry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries launched at the conference, the overall loss from IUU fishing in the World Ocean Conference’s host country is USD 2 billion per year. In Indonesia the region most at risk from IUU fishing is the waters around North Sulawesi where the World Ocean Conference took place.

Traditional fishermen from North Sulawesi gathered in the Manado harbour during the conference, to protest against IUU and to urge the ministers and official delegates at the conference to touch on the important issues such as how to protect small scale traditional fisheries from IUU fishing and bigger companies.

The Global Ocean Policy Day provided and ample opportunity for a multistakeholder policy dialogue on oceans, climate and security among high-level government officials together with NGOs, industry and scientists to not only discuss the impacts of climate change but the adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as financing issues.

Bernard Giraud,Director for Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility, DANONE Group and IUCN Councillor, said “We need more private/public partnerships in order to mitigate climate change” in his speech at the Global Ocean Policy day.

“The message coming from Manado is clear-  the state of our oceans is a reality and it is only going to get worse in the face of climate change, but if we take consertive acion now  we may have a better chance of being able to cope with the effects of climate change. The Manado Ocean Declaration is proof of the willingness and commitment to do just that” says, Don Macintosh, Coordinator for the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Initiative.

For more information or to set up interviews, please contact:

Minna Epps, IUCN Asia Media Relations, m +66 87082 3331, e minna@iucnt.org

Photos/Audio/Video material are available at/from: www.iucn.org/asia

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Rolph Payet warns of fisheries over-exploitation and added consequences of climate change

Highlights for Thursday, 14 May 2009

From: Earth Negotiations Bulletin

On Thursday, 14 May 2009, the World Ocean Conference 2009 (WOC2009) continued its deliberations in Manado, Indonesia. At the Grand Kawanua Centre, participants attended the Ministerial/High Level Meeting, which included an opening plenary, thematic panels on issues surrounding oceans and climate change, and a closed session to adopt the Manado Ocean Declaration. Meanwhile, a variety of side events were held throughout Manado, including: the Manado Ocean Festival; the International Ocean Science, Technology and Industry Exhibition; UNEP Ecosystem-Based Management for Regional Seas; and an event on engaging the private sector in sustainable fisheries management. In the evening, delegates attended a gala dinner hosted by the President of Indonesia.

In front of a backdrop of ocean life, Freddy Numberi, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia, introduced the President

Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, spoke about the specter of climate change confronting our oceans, and his hopes for the Manado Ocean Declaration

Click "play" on the applet below to listen to the song "Save Our Planet" composed by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia and performed by the Manado State University Choir

Depending on the bandwith of your Internet connection you may have to wait a few minutes before the song starts.

President Yudhoyono inaugurated the World Ocean Conference

Flanks of media captured President Yudhoyono's address to those assembled for the World Ocean Conference

Mr. and Miss North Sulawesi 2008 contemplate the future of our oceans

Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Australia, urged delegates to take active steps to address oceanic impacts of climate change rather than leave this task for future generations

Ambassador Melba Pria, Mexican Ambassador for Indonesia, presented on the threats to the ocean

Rolph Payet, Special Advisor to the President of Seychelles, warned delegates that the consequences of fisheries over-exploitation may be further exacerbated by the implications of climate change

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Mary Glackin, Deputy Under Secretary, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), presented on the challenges of climate change

L-R: Laurent Stefanini, Ambassador for the Environment, France, Heherson T. Alvarez, Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change, the Philippines, Patricio Bernal, UNESCO, Freddy Numberi, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, US, addresses the audience in a televised speech

Delegates gathered for a plenary on the effects of climate change on the oceans and coasts

Images from "Skies and Oceans," an exhibition of artwork contributed by 100 children from 20 countries on the theme of ocean resources conservation (a joint initiative of the International Ocean Institute and the World Meteorological Organization)

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Theme Three Panel L-R: Rachmat Witoelar, Minister of Environment, Indonesia; Alfadil Ali Adam, Under Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Sudan; Patricio Bernal, Assistant Director General, IOC-UNESCO; Angela Cropper, Executive Director for UNEP; Freddy Numberi, Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia; Gellwynn Jusuf, Ministry for Marine Fisheries Research, Indonesia; Ida Kusuma, Ministry for Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia

Call to save 'dying oceans'

From Aljazeera

A minor rise in sea level could see most island nations under water within this century [AFP]

Indonesia's president has called for a concerted move to save the world's oceans from being destroyed by the effects of climate change, but made no mention of his own country's failings in nature conservation.

In an address to the World Ocean Conference in the Indonesia city of Manado on Thursday, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono called for a global effort to "rescue the oceans" describing it as "a life and death issue for the community of nations".

He said the world's oceans faced a raft of threats from over-fishing, over-exploitation, the extinction of marine species, pollution, and the impact of climate change causing sea temperatures and sea levels to rise.

"We must save them from the ravages of abuse and over-exploitation by humankind, from the havoc due to pollution and dire effects of climate change," he said.

"Today it is time for the world to hear yet another important message: that we can only survive the 21st century if we are united in caring for and preserving our oceans."

Indonesia's failings

Pollution in Indonesia has reached
alarming levels [EPA]

Yudhoyono however avoided mentioning his own country's failings in conserving its environment, ranging from rampant illegal logging to overfishing and the destruction of coral reefs through the use of bombs.

Greenhouse gas emissions from extensive logging of Indonesia's tropical forests have pushed the country to become the world's third-largest emitter behind the US and China.

Illegal fishing and pollution are also widespread, with garbage and diesel oil clogging the waters at Manado's harbour close to the conference venue.

Scientists have warned that hundreds of millions of people will be at risk unless drastic action is taken on climate change.

Hundreds of officials and experts from 70 countries are in Manado for the conference, the first global meeting on the link between oceans and climate change.

The five-day conference is being billed as a prelude to talks in December in Copenhagen which is expected to adopt a new commitment on emission cuts to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Islands going under

Earlier this week envoys from several island states warned that the issue of rising sea levels, which threatens to wipe whole nations off the map and displace millions of people, was being overlooked in climate change talks.

Overfishing is just one of many threats facing the marine environment [AFP]

The Pacific island states of Kiribati and Tuvalu face a serious risk by even small rises in sea levels, while major cities and densely-populated coastlines from Bangladesh to West Africa could go under this century, the envoys said.

In 2007 the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that up to 150 million people could be displaced by the effects of climate change by 2050, which include sea level rises of as much as 59 centimetres.

Representatives from island nations say major emitters are pushing for greenhouse gas emissions cuts that are too low to prevent devastating sea rises.

The Alliance of Small Island States is pushing for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of 85 per cent by that deadline.

Rolph Payet, a presidential adviser from the African island nation of the Seychelles, said the issue of what will happen to millions of people fleeing rising waters and droughts, and how to resettle whole nations which could vanish under the waves has been ignored.

"Dealing with environmental refugees will have a much more serious impact on the global economy and global security in fact than what wars have ever done to this planet," he said.

"We have been talking about war refugees, crisis refugees, but not environmental refugees ... it is not an accepted UN word."

Scientists: Rising Seas Pose Serious Threat for Island Nations

From: Voice of America News

By Solenn Honorine
Manado, Indonesia
13 May 2009

A boat is seen against condominiums in the waters off the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, 13 May 2009

Small island nations and coastal states are on the frontlines of global warming: as temperatures and sea levels rise, some countries could be lost entirely. Scientists and politicians have gathered in the Indonesian city of Manado for the World Ocean Conference to discuss ways to reduce the damage from climate change.
Life and death issue
For the inhabitants of small islands, climate change may be a matter of life or death. Rolph Payet, an advisor to the president of the Seychelles, says that in his country, rising sea levels will be catastrophic.
"In the Seychelles for example we have 90 percent of the people who live on the coastline. This is where all the infrastructure is, where the housing are, all the communication, shipping, the airport is there. So it's as if you have to start the whole community from scratch, and that's going to cost a lot of money. We're always the ones losing out, and it's always the same people winning," said Payet.
What role do seas play in global warming?
Scientists and government officials from around the world are meeting this week in Manado, Indonesia, at the World Ocean Conference. They hope to work together to better understand the role of the seas in global warming, and reducing its effects.
For small island nations, the problem is called the climate divide. Rich countries emit the most greenhouse gases, which are thought to contribute to global warming. But it is mostly poor, developing countries that will pay the heaviest cost of global warming.
Dessima Williams, president of an association that represents 44 small island nations, says that rich countries should not turn a blind eye to their fate.
"We are on the frontline, as small island states, we are going to get the brunt of it first .... But everybody is getting some of it. So we are not taking a high moral ground, we are simply taking a practical position that is: 'we are first [to suffer from global warming], but yours is coming. So you address ours, you reduce yours.' It's common sense," said Williams.

Environmental refugees could be huge concern
Rolph Payet says that the world should be wary of the creation of millions of potential "environmental refugees" - people who will have to flee as the seas rise above their homes.
"Climate change will have a huge impact on world security," said Payet. "I mean, you can just imagine: most of the world's cities and capital are built along the coast! So what we're dealing with today in Iran or Afghanistan may be peanuts compared with what will happen from a great mobilization and a great migration of thousands of people who live by the coast."
Small island nations are asking that stricter carbon emission caps be in the agreement that will replace the Kyoto protocol on climate change. But it is not clear that larger nations will agree to cut enough to slow global warming. They hope to find common ground in December in Copenhagen where the world will discuss the future policies on climate.