Big win: Zambia halts mega dam on a crucial free-flowing river

Big win: Zambia halts mega dam on a crucial free-flowing river

In a major boost for communities and wildlife in the Luangwa river valley, the Zambian government halted plans to construct a mega hydropower dam across the river, safeguarding the diverse benefits it provides to people and nature.

Almost 200,000 WWF supporters signed a petition calling for the legal protection of the Luangwa river, helping to safeguard it from the threat posed by dams, deforestation, and unsustainable agriculture—and ensure it can continue to drive the sustainable development of the area. The decision to halt the dam will also help to conserve the breadth of life and resources in the area. 

One of the longest free-flowing rivers in southern Africa, the 683-mile Luangwa river is a lifeline for communities and two of the most iconic national parks on the continent. Along with providing 25 chiefdoms with water, food, and livelihoods, the Luangwa supports a wealth of wildlife, including over 400 species of birds, the only refuge for reintroduced black rhinos in Zambia, and variety of fish species. Elephants, lions, hippos, leopards, African wild dogs, and endemic Thornicroft’s giraffe also make their home here.

Constructing a hydropower dam at Ndevu Gorge would have fragmented the Luangwa, threatening the future of the region’s wildlife as well as the freshwater fish stocks, agriculture, and tourism that communities depend on.

After lengthy consultations, the Zambian government has ended existing plans to build a dam on the Luangwa.

“Keeping the Luangwa river free flowing is the best decision for both people and nature, and WWF commends the government for halting the dam and instead seeking lower impact, renewable alternatives to power Zambia’s development,” said Nachilala Nkombo, WWF Zambia country director. “WWF is ready to support the government to develop a system-wide energy plan that meets Zambia’s climate and energy goals without damming our remaining free-flowing rivers.”

A recent WWF study revealed that just one-third of the world’s longest rivers remain free-flowing, primarily due to fragmentation by dams. And reduced connectivity is one of the major factors behind the 83% decline in freshwater species populations since 1970. Conserving and restoring river connectivity is key to boosting freshwater biodiversity.

“I wish to thank the government for listening to our plea as Luembe has the potential to become another area of wildlife tourism in a few years,” said Senior Chief Luembe of the Nsenga people. “The dam would have disturbed the free movement of wildlife in the Luangwa Valley. There are other means that can supply an equivalent amount of electricity like solar power and windmills that can be installed along the Muchinga escarpment, with less damage to the environment."

Published June 26, 2019 at 05:00AM

Our oceans are haunted by ghost nets: Why that's scary and what we can do

Our oceans are haunted by ghost nets: Why that's scary and what we can do

Ghost nets aren’t supernatural, but they are legitimately scary. A ghost net is a fishing net that’s been lost or abandoned in the ocean. They are one particularly egregious part of the global ghost fishing problem, which includes fishing gear abandoned in the water. Any net or line left in ocean can pose a threat to marine life.

That’s because a net is no longer used by fishers doesn’t mean it stops working. These nets continue to trap everything in their path, presenting a major problem for the health of our oceans and marine life.

Ghost nets don’t only catch fish; they also entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals, and more. These animals swim into nets, often unable to detect them by sight or sonar. The nets keep animals from moving freely, cause injuries, and keep mammals and birds from rising to the surface for air. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single net, you can see just how monumental this threat is. And ghost nets harm coral reefs too—breaking corals, exposing them to disease, and even blocking the reefs from needed sunlight.

Ghost nets are also a major contributor to the ocean plastics crisis. Most modern nets are made of nylon or other plastic compounds that can last for centuries. According to a 2018 study in Scientific Reports, ghost nets make up at least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that do breakdown never go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic. Marine animals mistake this microplastic for food and eat it, which can harm internal organs, keep them from eating, and expose them to toxic chemicals.

Exorcising ghost nets from our oceans will require commitment, cooperation, and innovation. WWF is one of many groups working to remove ghost nets from the sea. Our offices around the world are collaborating with local fishers and governments to identify target areas and remove as many nets as possible. In 2015, a single WWF-led mission in the Baltic Sea hauled up 268 tons of nets, ropes, and other material.

To stop these nets from becoming ghosts in the first place, WWF advocates for fishing gear that can be traced to its owner so anyone dumping nets can be fined and refundable deposits on nets to encourage returning or recycling rather than littering. We also help with tools like sonar reflectors that can make ghost nets easier to find and work with small-scale fisheries to develop more sustainable fishing gear and practices. By attacking this problem from all sides, together with conservation partners, fishers, and supporters, we can banish ghost nets and protect our oceans.

Published June 25, 2019 at 05:00AM

Our oceans are haunted by ghost nets: Why that's scary and what we can do

Our oceans are haunted by ghost nets: Why that's scary and what we can do

Ghost nets aren’t supernatural, but they are legitimately scary. A ghost net is a fishing net that’s been lost or abandoned in the ocean. They are one particularly egregious part of the global ghost fishing problem, which includes fishing gear abandoned in the water. Any net or line left in ocean can pose a threat to marine life.

That’s because a net is no longer used by fishers doesn’t mean it stops working. These nets continue to trap everything in their path, presenting a major problem for the health of our oceans and marine life.

Ghost nets don’t only catch fish; they also entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals, and more. These animals swim into nets, often unable to detect them by sight or sonar. The nets keep animals from moving freely, cause injuries, and keep mammals and birds from rising to the surface for air. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single net, you can see just how monumental this threat is. And ghost nets harm coral reefs too—breaking corals, exposing them to disease, and even blocking the reefs from needed sunlight.

Ghost nets are also a major contributor to the ocean plastics crisis. Most modern nets are made of nylon or other plastic compounds that can last for centuries. According to a 2018 study in Scientific Reports, ghost nets make up at least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that do breakdown never go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic. Marine animals mistake this microplastic for food and eat it, which can harm internal organs, keep them from eating, and expose them to toxic chemicals.

Exorcising ghost nets from our oceans will require commitment, cooperation, and innovation. WWF is one of many groups working to remove ghost nets from the sea. Our offices around the world are collaborating with local fishers and governments to identify target areas and remove as many nets as possible. In 2015, a single WWF-led mission in the Baltic Sea hauled up 268 tons of nets, ropes, and other material.

To stop these nets from becoming ghosts in the first place, WWF advocates for fishing gear that can be traced to its owner so anyone dumping nets can be fined and refundable deposits on nets to encourage returning or recycling rather than littering. We also help with tools like sonar reflectors that can make ghost nets easier to find and work with small-scale fisheries to develop more sustainable fishing gear and practices. By attacking this problem from all sides, together with conservation partners, fishers, and supporters, we can banish ghost nets and protect our oceans.

Published June 27, 2019 at 05:00AM

World leaders can keep more fish in the ocean by ending this one practice

World leaders can keep more fish in the ocean by ending this one practice

World leaders can keep more fish in the ocean by ending this one practice

Though the ocean seems endless when viewed from the shore, we know, that this isn’t the case. The same is true for the resources found in the ocean. Populations of fish once thought to be limitless can in fact be exhausted. Today, one third of assessed fish stocks have been pushed beyond their limit, and the rest can’t handle the added pressure of more fishing.

Overfishing is one of the biggest problems facing the oceans and it comes with environmental, economic, and social consequences. In recent years many governments have advocated for protecting ocean life and livelihoods by fishing sustainably. But fiscal policies and actual spending tell a different story.

Money is a motivator—but that’s not always positive

In fishing, money is a strong motivator that can incentivize people to improve practices and fund the management necessary to reduce fishing’s footprint on the natural world. But spending money in the wrong ways can also exacerbate the consequences of overfishing.

As much as $20 billion is spent globally by governments every year to offset the cost of expenses such as fuel, fishing gear, and building new vessels. Oftentimes these pay-outs are harmful to the environment, supporting too many boats fishing too hard on already stressed stocks. They also prop up large fleets and companies, including huge distant water fleets, at the expense of local communities dependent on fishing for survival.

Some of those billions handed out every year even find their way to illegal operators, compounding the harm to fishermen who follow the rules. Illicit operations are often associated with transnational crimes such as tax fraud, drug and human trafficking and slavery at sea, posing an increasing security risk to the world.

 

Nature pays a steep price

Recently the Netflix documentary series Our Planet explored the toll overfishing takes on wildlife, which goes well beyond depleting the fish that feed 3 billion people. Other vulnerable species are also caught up in nets and hooked by lines, including sharks, turtles, and whales.

Taking action now can make a difference. Recently, humpback whale populations have been recovering. Three decades ago the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whale hunting after some species nearly went extinct. Now we are seeing species such as humpback whales showing positive signs of recovery. This is proof that international agreements can make an important contribution in addressing the biggest threats facing our ocean.

International action is needed to eliminate harmful subsidies

A few years ago, the World Trade Organization (WTO) set a goal to adopt an agreement on ending harmful subsidies in the fishing sector by 2020. It’s an important target that our planet can’t afford to miss.

WWF is one of nearly 60 organizations (hyperlink to letter) calling on the WTO to reach an agreement by the end of the year. Taking action now could have a dramatic positive effect on ocean health, contributing to greater balance that benefits both natural systems and communities.

There’s something you can do too.

Send a message to world leaders by taking the Pledge for Our Planet.

Published June 18, 2019 at 05:00AM

The problem with plastic in nature and what you can do to help

The problem with plastic in nature and what you can do to help

It's important to regularly step back and think about how our everyday actions impact the planet. Right now, there are 150 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans—and we're releasing an additional 8 million metric tons each year. Plastic pollution exists almost everywhere in the ocean, from the remote seas of the Arctic to the floor of the deep sea.

This shocking amount of plastic impacts ocean wildlife, too. Sea turtles mistakenly eat plastic bags that they confuse with jellyfish. Sea birds, whales, dolphins, and other marine animals often turn up dead with stomachs full of plastic or get caught in abandoned plastic fishing nets. Even land animals are now forced to live among plastic pollution.

Luckily, we can take small steps in our everyday lives to reduce plastic waste and make a big impact on the environment. If every American sipped out of just five fewer straws per year, we could keep more than 1.5 billion straws out of landfills—and our ocean. Here are three other ways we can reduce plastic waste: 

• Cut back on single-use plastics. While plastic bags, bottles, and other items that we use just once and then throw away may be convenient at the moment, but using canvas bags or reusable bottles helps cut plastic pollution. By using glass and/or metal jars for storage, packed lunches, soaps, and beauty products, you can also cut back on your plastic waste.
• Choose to reuse. Skip the plastic utensils at your favorite lunch spot. Instead, opt for a set of reusable forks, spoons, and knives that you can use every day of the week. 
• Recycle... Plastic bottles, paper, electronics, and batteries—among other items—can often be recycled. Learn how to properly dispose of or recycle these products and reduce consumer waste.

As we reduce our plastic waste and businesses begin to find solutions to how they source, use, and dispose of plastics, we also need to demand urgent action from our government. Join the fight against plastic pollution to stop the leakage of plastics into our oceans by 2030.

Published June 06, 2019 at 05:00AM

What is forest degradation and why is it bad for people and wildlife?

What is forest degradation and why is it bad for people and wildlife?

Deforestation and forest degradation are urgent matters when it comes to our world’s forests: about 47 percent of the world’s forests are at high risk for deforestation or degradation by 2030. While both are damaging to forest health, there is a difference between deforestation and forest degradation.

Deforestation refers to the clearing of a forest, entirely removing it to put something else in its place. The main driver of deforestation is unsustainable and illegal agriculture – making room for cash crops like palm oil and rubber. The realities of deforestation are staggering; we’re losing forests at a rate equivalent to 27 soccer fields per minute.

When a forest is degraded it still exists, but it can no longer function well. It becomes a shell of its former self; its health declines until it can no longer support people and wildlife by, for example, filtering the air we breathe and water we drink or providing animals with food and places to live. Forest degradation, in terms of land mass, is an even bigger problem than deforestation: about 6.5 million square miles of forest are at high risk of degradation in the next 10 years.

There are a few main drivers of forest degradation. One is climate change: higher temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns increase the risk and severity of forest fires, pest infestation, and disease. But the main cause of forest degradation is unsustainable and illegal logging. It’s a multi-million-dollar industry, built on the increased demand for cheap lumber, paper products, and fuel.

When not done responsibly, loggers bulldoze roads into forests, extract as many high-value trees as possible, and drag the wood back out of the forest to sell. A forest degraded by illegal and unsustainable logging will have bare clearings, a spiderweb of roads, ravaged vegetation and undergrowth, and trenches carved into the forest floor.

Forest degradation is also a stepping-stone to deforestation. Once one logging company starts making roads deep into a forest, others follow behind. More loggers will come, but also miners, ranchers, and farmers who would not otherwise have had access.

There is hope for stopping forest degradation. WWF is working around the world to establish a coordinated, no-tolerance response to unsustainable and illegal logging. We work internationally to strengthen and enforce laws, and in the US to keep illegal wood products out of the country. WWF also assists some of the world’s biggest companies to invest in and demand wood that is harvested, processed, transported and traded legally and responsibly, shifting the entire market toward better practices.  

And the good news is that consumers can do their part by purchasing wood and paper products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC label guarantees that trees were harvested in an environmentally and socially conscious way, including provisions to ensure adherence with local, national and international laws. This simple action, when combined with the work of governments, businesses, and organizations like WWF, is the best way to stop forest degradation and ensure our forests remain healthy and productive for people and wildlife.

Published June 04, 2019 at 05:00AM