It’s not as easy to find sustainable fish as WWF would like, Deb told me. “The Marine Stewardship Council is the organization that we think has by far the most credibly certified seafood in the world.” And the program has and continues to expand. “Ten years ago it was next to impossible to find credibly certified seafood and responsibly managed fisheries in many cases. And that has changed dramatically over the years, especially in the last 5 years.”

WWF Canada works closely with Loblaw, and the retailer is “completely transforming their purchasing operations so one day in the not too distant future consumers will be able to come in and know that all the seafood they purchase is sustainably certified. They want to take the guesswork out of it” so when consumers purchase seafood they can trust that Loblaw will supply them with responsibly managed and fished seafood.

When consumers can enter a store and know that when they’re shopping they’re doing the right thing, and don’t have to question the label, it “will make a big difference for shoppers, and other retailers will take note,” Deb continued.

WWF has been “instrumental in establishing the Marine Stewardship Council”, the “International Seafood Sustainability Foundation for canned tuna” and “for the aquaculture side, the Aquaculture Dialogues and Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Each of these three organizations is really founded on the concept of sustainable, of credible certification. So there’s independent third party verification according to rigorous standards.”

“Each of these organizations are part of WWF’s big umbrella plan to really bring back fisheries and oceans and […] to minimize the footprint of aquaculture.” WWF Canada looks at sustainable seafood broadly, with the certifications being responsible management. They think that “all certified fisheries should contribute to reversing the decline of fish stocks. So the stocks they fish from should be healthy. That they deliver improvement to the marine ecosystem. […] WWF Canada’s goal is healthy oceans.”

The poll also found support from two-thirds (66%) of people for reform of the controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in order to ensure the recovery of fish stocks and also allow future generations to make a living from the sea, WWF writes.

If the politicians listen to the polled people, they might implement longer viewed fishing policies than what has existed up till now. And all fish will be caught sustainably, not just that which gets the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo.

WWF is calling for a meaningful reform of the European Common Fisheries Policy including sustainable management, long term planning, regional management, ecosystem health, and improved quality. And the new policy would apply to all European fisheries and fishing boats anywhere in the world.

The poll states that the UK people are ready for the change. Hopefully the politicians will listen and act accordingly.

Oil exploration activities are banned in national parks under Congolese law. Yet company maps indicate that Soco was planning to drill for oil throughout the park. The Minister quoted rule of law and international commitments in his letter that blocked the company’s activities.

Virunga National Park contains the largest number of species of any protected area in Africa. It’s also Africa’s oldest national park.

The Environment Minister did the right thing, but now we must continue to seek a firm declaration guaranteeing there will be no exploration in this iconic and fragile park now or in the future, states WWF.

WWF has a letter writing campaign in which you can send a letter to the CEO’s of Dominion Petroleum and SOCO International, urging them to give up on their plans to drill for oil in Virunga National Park. The campaign is on WWF’s website.

The Priority Conservation Areas in the study are 10 of the 19 places that WWF has determined are priority places for conservation. They are parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South America.

Rural areas retain the highest levels of fertility on the planet, but also suffer high rates of maternal and infant mortality, morbidity, a host of tropical illnesses, and malnutrition, and generally receive little or no access to health care. Women may want planned families, but there are no services to help them achieve it. Also, subsistence farming often involves child labor and thus parents want lots of kids.

The study reports that despite unprecedented rates of rural out-migration in recent years, the destruction of the world’s most biodiverse forests has continued unabated. While many local communities in remote areas of high biodiversity have been stewards of their environment for generations, population growth often places new pressure on natural ecosystems. As new areas for agriculture or subdivisions become developed land, greater pressure is placed on natural resources.

While the basic ideas in the study are not new, applying them specifically to the highest priority conservation areas is new. Now WWF and other NGO’s can identify which areas need social services the most, as part of their ongoing efforts to preserve biodiversity.

Wild World tells you about the Global 200: Priority Areas for Conservation. Toxic Pinball shows the path of pollutants – with household toxins affecting soil, groundwater, and sea life.  Fish Stew carries a conservation message – it reminds us that when we buy fish at the market, the type of fish we select has an environmental impact.

Character Patient Charts takes you into the hospital emergency room, where you can visit Branche du Bois who has trunk trauma, Miss Carol Coral who has bleached, and their friends.

Altogether, Biodiversity 911 offers you 3 downloadable videos, and 12 games or puzzles.  More than enough ways to pass time while learning about our world.  Thanks to WWF.  Enjoy!

© Miguel Murcia & WWF

The WWF Solar’s 62 square meter roof is fitted with photovoltaic panels.  The boat’s average speed is 5 knots, and when fully charged the batteries can run for around 18 hours, during which time the boat can travel 90 nautical miles.

The WWF Solar catamaran has been seen before.  In 2007, the boat carried a crew of 5 people across the Atlantic Ocean from Switzerland to New York City.  The trip set a Guinness World Record by marking the first motorized crossing of the Atlantic Ocean using only renewable energy.  Upon completion of the voyage, the boat’s Swiss developers donated it to WWF.

Historically, there were electric boats in Europe around the turn of the 20th century, before the internal combustion engine became popular, according to Solar Navigator.com.  The website has some good photos of solar boats.  As well, at the bottom of the website is a link to a story about a Lost Whale, but be careful you click on it only once and then don’t click on the story – when I doubleclicked I was taken to another section and the story was nowhere in sight.  At that point, the story itself became lost!

The Javan rhino population dipped in the 1960’s to just 20 individuals living in Ujung Kulon.  The World Wildlife Fund stepped in, and boosted the population to 50 rhinos in the 1990’s.  While I’m not sure what this means for their genetic health, I still think it’s great news.

Then in recent weeks 3 Javan rhinos have been found dead.  Two apparently died from natural causes, and one from poaching.  This has raised the alarm bells, because a population as small as 50 individuals can’t afford to lose any members.

It’s time for more good news, and ProPrint brings us some.  The Asia Pulp & Paper company and the Indonesian Rhino Foundation have agreed to undertaking a joint venture to protect the Javan rhino and its habitat.  The endeavor will involve making the Javan Rhino Sanctuary in Ujung Kulon National Park safer for the rhinos.  This includes widening its habitat and keeping it safe from domestic animals and nearby population growth.

Also, a 7 mile (12 km.) long electric fence is now being built around a new 10,000 acre sanctuary and breeding ground beside Ujung Kulon.  The plan is to herd some rhinos into the area after the fence is completed, later this year.

As well, conservation groups and the Indonesian government are planning to relocate some rhinos to a safer area.  The new area has to keep the rhinos happy – thus, pools and wallows are on the shopping list.  Happy rhinos breed, which suits the bottom line that their population needs to grow.  The target growth rate is 3 percent a year.

Good Luck to the conservationists and the Javan (and other) rhinos.  These positive actions are what all endangered species need.

(c) Alison Sheepway / WWF-Canada

Among NGO’s, the World Wildlife Fund’s Panda Bear is likely the best known logo/mascot.  Chosen in 1961 when WWF was started, the panda was selected in honor of Chi Chi, who lived at the London Zoo and was the only giant panda in the Western world at that time.  You can see how WWF’s logo changed through the years on their website.  The Panda’s most recent appearance was lounging in a chair on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill as part of the G8/G20 Global Day of Action, urging world leaders to act on climate change at the G8/G20 summit that is scheduled for Ontario later this month.

Other mascots also carry important messages, such as the blue drop that supports water conservation for the Whatcom Water Alliance.  The Alliance is a regional group in Washington state that promotes water conservation by coordinating public information and related conservation activities.  It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest – so the mascot is named Wayne Drop!  He has an online photo gallery of his time at Discovery Days.

Just north of the border, the Vancouver Aquarium has a beluga whale mascot named Bee Bop.  The Aquarium is proud to be home to several beluga whales, and offer visitors a chance to get close to them.  A Beluga Encounter is an interactive experience that offers a view into beluga communication, while visiting the animals in the behind-the-scenes marine mammal habitat.

Mascots sometimes party together.  Gordo, the Royal Ontario Museum’s dino mascot, and the Toronto Zoo’s Explorer Bear joined Toronto Public Library’s Dewey Decimal mascot in a public appearance  together earlier this Spring.  They were announcing the expansion of the popular Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass Program (MAP).

Overseas, mascots can be found in a wide range of animals including gazelles, parrots, cockatoos and other mostly attractive species.  The value of flagship species and adorable mascots would make this article too long, so suffice it to say that Time Magazine got it right on in their recent article about why Madagascar needs a mascot.

Do you have a favorite mascot that you’d like everyone to know about?

Field research on the reclusive giant panda had started with China’s Ministry of Forestry doing the first panda survey between 1974 and 1977.  WWF was invited and participated in the mid 1980’s in a study that identified priority conservation areas.  By the end of 2003, China had established 40 panda reserves that protected 60% of the giant pandas.

China is also a home to the Siberian Tiger and Amur Leopard.  Human pressures, including poaching, pollution and logging of their forest, have threatened their population.  Since 2001, WWF has worked with three Chinese provinces to protect almost 8.4 million acres.  They have now identified High Conservation Value Forests in the region, and are working on improving and managing the existing and new protected areas.

China’s main river, the Yangtze, is home to the endangered Yangtze dolphin and Chinese sturgeon.  A worsening cycle of flood and drought are challenging the people living along the river.  WWF has been applying their “Living River” management model, that sees the Yangtze’s branches, and connected lakes and wetlands, as part of a web of life.  With WWF’s encouragement, provincial governors and key ministers for the area’s water, environment, forest, and agriculture sectors gathered in 2005 to develop a common strategy and action plan for protecting the entire Yangtze basin.

WWF has also worked with Chinese communities to restore farmland to its former wetland state, while developing conservation-friendly alternative livelihoods for the local people which tripled their household incomes.  A similar program near Dongting Lake has witnessed the return of over 10,000 birds and 50 species of fish.

The next 30 years will likely see continued amazingly fast economic development and growing population.  WWF has a conservation vision focused on the health and survival of the region’s natural treasures, as well as the prosperity of its local communities.  Their view includes sustainable sourcing, production, and consumption across global supply chains.

We wish WWF the best of luck in creating more conservation successes in China.

More details are available in WWF’s press release.

News reports the other day mentioned finding 20 dead endangered turtles along the shoreline.  These included some Kemp’s Ridley Turtles, which the World Wildlife Fund says are the most endangered turtles/tortoises.  The species has a restricted range and lives only in the Gulf of Mexico.

The WWF website  mentions the threat of shrimp trawling.  Then they ominously add that the “juvenile population of the Kemp’s Ridley is also threatened by pollution in the Gulf of Mexico around the mouths of the Alabama and Mississippi rivers, important development habitats for these animals”.  The shallow sand and mud in the estuaries are the turtle’s favorite habitat.

The US and Mexico have been conserving the Kemp’s Ridley Turtles since the nesting beach of Rancho Nuevo was declared a National Reserve.  They’ve had some success, and recently there were as many as 1,000 turtles.

Apart from sporadic nesting elsewhere, nesting takes place only on one 20 km beach at Rancho Nuevo in Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico.  Luckily, that’s not where the oil is heading.

Nesting season is from April through July.  So the females are probably there now, hopefully safely.  However, WWF reports that an unusual feature of this species is that the males appear to be non-migratory.  So they are likely to be where the oil is expanding.  A worst case scenario is that the adult males will be wiped out – and all the male Kemp’s Ridley turtles of the next few years are currently being born on the beach in Mexico.  This leads me to ask if maybe some of the baby turtles should be captured and held until it’s safe for them to go to the Mississippi area.  That would be a good Plan B.