18. WWF finds U.S.

grocery retailers stocking toilet paper linked to rain forest destruction

Wildlife Conservation Society February 8, 2012 New report highlights several retailers that have already dropped Paseo products, made from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) fiber American companies and consumers are inadvertently contributing to Indonesian rain forest and tiger habitat destruction by buying toilet paper and other tissue products made with fiber from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), according to a World Wildlife Fund report released today. Dont Flush Tiger Forests: Toilet Paper, U.S. Supermarkets, and the Destruction of Indonesias Last Tiger Habitats finds that APP, the fifth-largest tissue producer in the world, is rapidly expanding into the U.S. market with paper linked to rain forest destruction, originating from areas that are the last home for critically endangered species such as Sumatran tigers, elephants, and orangutans. Products made with APP fiber, such as toilet paper, paper towels and tissue, are increasingly landing in grocery stores, restaurants, schools and hotels across the country under the Paseo and Livi brand names. Eight large retailers BI-LO, Brookshire Grocery Company, Delhaize Group (owner of Food Lion chain), Harris Teeter, Kmart, Kroger, SUPERVALU, and Weis Markets have decided to stop carrying tissue products made with APP fiber during the last several months. We applaud the decision by these companies to remove these products from their stores, said Jan Vertefeuille, head of WWFs Tiger Campaign. Since it began operating in Indonesia in 1984, WWF estimates that APP and its affiliates have pulped nearly 5 million acres of tropical forest on the island of Sumatra, which equals an area roughly the size of 4 million football fields or larger than the state of Massachusetts. Consumers shouldnt have to choose between tigers and toilet paper, said Linda Kramme, a WWF forest expert. Were asking retailers, wholesalers and consumers not to buy Paseo or Livi products until APP stops clearing rain forests in Sumatra. Fastest-growing toilet paper brand in the U.S. APP distributes its tissue, paper and paper-based packaging products through a number of North American-based subsidiaries and affiliates, including Solaris Paper, Mercury Paper, Paper Excellence, Global Paper Solutions, and Eagle Ridge Paper. In recent years, APP has greatly expanded into the U.S. tissue market, including through Paseo and Livi tissue products. Oasis Brands, which markets Paseo, announced in 2011 that Paseo had become the fastest-growing brand of toilet paper in the U.S. Paseo and Livi are also marketed as "away-from-home" products used in public restrooms in restaurants, office buildings, schools and hotels. More than 50 percent of shoppers say they consider sustainability when they shop,

but Americans may not be aware that products used every day, like paper and tissue, can be linked to devastating impacts on forests in faraway places, the report states. To produce the report, WWF researched Paseo sales to U.S. grocery chains and found Paseo products being carried in grocery chains across the country in 2011. WWF contacted 20 grocers sourcing the largest amounts of Paseo to make them aware of Paseo's link to rain forest destruction. We urge companies to be responsible stewards of the planet and stop carrying Paseo products until APP stops clearing rain forest, Kramme said. Trying to improve the pulp and paper sector Paseo is produced with pulp from APP, a subsidiary of China-based Sinar Mas Group and one of the worlds largest pulp and paper companies. APP owns two pulp mills on the Indonesian island of Sumatra one of them among the worlds largest and is responsible for more deforestation in Sumatra than any other company, according to field investigations, government data and satellite imagery. The research into APP and its Paseo and Livi tissue paper brands is part of efforts by WWF to encourage a more responsible pulp and paper sector, specifically by addressing the increase in the United States of pulp and paper products produced with rain forest fiber or from plantation fiber from converted rain forest. WWF is working to ensure that North American paper sourcing no longer negatively impacts Indonesian natural forests and instead drives demand for paper from responsibly developed and managed Indonesian plantations. WWF also is working with other Indonesian pulp and paper producers willing to adopt better practices to bring more options to the marketplace. Many responsible companies are already showing leadership. One of the easiest ways that companies and consumers can help is by buying tissue products made with fiber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or 100 percent recycled fiber to ensure they arent contributing to forest destruction, and urging retailers to stop selling brands linked to destructive practices.

Comments: Easy way to help save the forests. Surprising number of people consider sustainability when they shot. I wonder how these same people would react if they heard how destructive eating meat was to the environment

19. Whooping cranes to finish migration by road

Wildlife Extra News February 12, 2012 Cranes refuse to fly further south Nine juvenile whooping cranes on their first ultralight-led migration south will now be taken to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alabama in the next few days. The nine whooping cranes will be loaded up in travel enclosures onto vehicles as soon as possible, driven about 70 miles from Winston County to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. They will be placed in a secure pen, equipped with identification bands and tracking transmitters, then later released in the company of other whooping cranes that have been wintering there. We are fortunate to be in a position to help by standing in for our sister refuges at Chassahowitzka and St. Marks in Florida,' said Dwight Cooley, from Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. While we hope they will visit us again in coming winters, where they eventually winter is not nearly as important as their survival, and the hope they will complete many more migrations in years to come. Their continued safety is our highest concern.' A winter home to 11,000 sandhill cranes He went on to say the refuge hosted more than 11,000 sandhill cranes at the refuge this winter, as well as seven whooping cranes. The original plan was to have the Operation Migration pilots use ultralight aircraft to guide the birds further south to St Marks National Wildlife Refuge and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida - their originally planned wintering sites. The migration had been sidelined for over a month by an issue involving FAA flying policies, reported by Wildlife Extra last month. FAA granted a waiver for the flight but the cranes apparently decided Alabama was far enough, refusing to follow the ultralights. The cranes had been imprinted to follow the pilots of the ultralights who are dressed in whooping crane costumes. The warm winter may also have had an impact on the cranes refusal to fly further south. The nine whooping cranes are part of an effort to establish an Eastern Migratory population for one of the most endangered birds in the world. Cranes have been taught variations of the eastern migratory route for the past decade. There are now about 104 cranes in the eastern population. One crane that had dropped out of the migration in the first few days ended up joining migrating sandhill cranes, ultimately wintering in Florida.

Comment: Guys dressed up in whooping crane costumes thats dedication driving a plane. I heard it was also partly flying regulations and the air-traffic control people being sticklers.

20. Big boost for wildlife conservation: 23 new SOS projects

International Union for Conservation of Nature February 9, 2012 Beginning in January 2012, top species conservation experts from around the world have determined the allocation of $US 3.3 million to 23 species conservation projects. Gorillas, cockatoos, and frogs are just a few of the multitude of threatened species that are receiving a helping hand from SOS (Save Our Species), a global species conservation fund initiated by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the World Bank and the GEF (Global Environment Facility). Drawing on species conservation knowledge accrued over decades by IUCN, for the first call for proposals SOS focused on species groups that were completely assessed on IUCNs Red List of Threatened Species and already had specific conservation action plans in place. According to IUCNs Red List, one in three amphibians, one in eight birds, and one in four mammals are at risk of extinction in the wild. Nineteen different organizations will use these funds to conserve threatened animal and plant species and their habitats. The dire situation facing the worlds biodiversity calls for an action and response. SOS is seeking to bring knowledge, expertise and funding together in order to address the plight of threatened species, says Julia Marton-Lefvre, IUCNs Director General. Through these exciting projects we hope to show that, if properly implemented, conservation works. A high variety of different species is crucial for ecosystem health and SOS aims to conserve a multitude of threatened creatures, focusing on Asian and African mammals, amphibians and birds with the new round of funds. SOS supports a variety of mammal projects such as conservation programmes targeting the critically endangered Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis) in Africa, in addition to the endangered Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in Pakistan. Mammals represent the largest portion of the SOS portfolio, but they are not the only species at risk. SOS also supports bird and amphibian projects, protecting the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) in Asia; a project to re-introduce the Philippine Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia); and an initiative preserving the Golden Mantella Frog (Mantella aurantiaca) in Madagascar. Ignoring species conservation means ignoring a world in which species are currently disappearing at a rate 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal. The loss of wild plant and animal species is a real threat to human well-being, sustainable development and poverty reduction. In these times of economic turmoil, it would be wise not to further damage natureour ultimate safety net, says Jean-Christophe Vi, Deputy Director of IUCNs Global Species Programme and SOS Director. By implementing on the ground conservation action, the projects SOS select help protect entire habitats which both people and wildlife depend on. In October 2010, SOS was established with more than $US10 million in financing commitments in order to build a global coalition to protect threatened species and their habitats. This unique international alliance aims to raise awareness of biodiversity conservation and looks for participation from innovative companies across all industries. Nokia was the first company to join SOS.

SOS was established to use the charisma of wild animals to explain the role of nature, generate interest in the plight of threatened species, and shed light on the complexity of conservation work, says Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF and Chair of the SOS Donor Council. Today, with our core funding we are adding 23 new projects covering a large number of threatened species, including around 60 that will be closely monitored. So far we are on track. The only thing missing now is the private sectors commitment to join our endeavour to save the planets captivating wildlife before it is too late. This decade has been declared by the United Nations as the Decade of Biodiversity. Issues surrounding species survival will be discussed at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Republic of Korea, from 6 to 15 September 2012.

Comment: Its always the big mammals and popular birds that get the majority of conservation efforts. More should be placed into insects and other invertebrates. They represent a large portion of global biomass.

21. Wildlife suffering as countryside dries out

Wildlife Extra News February 7, 2012 Farming and wildlife likely to come into conflict as limited water directed to domestic supply Nature experts warn that this summer could be the worst for wildlife in more than 30 years if the current period of low rainfall continues. Rainfall has been so low that in many areas the level of moisture in the soil is currently worse than in 1976, when the UK suffered one of the most severe droughts on record. All creatures need water to survive and reports from around the UK indicate wildlife is already being affected. At WWT's Welney Wetland Centre in Norfolk there has not been enough rainfall to flood the grassland habitats, which has meant less food for grazing ducks such as wigeon. It is a similar situation at WWT's London Wetland Centre, where the low flow of water through the reserve has reduced the number of waterfowl. 'We need to tackle this before it gets out of hand' Although water supply to most homes may not be affected as water companies have measures in place to collect and store enough water for domestic supply, this comes at the expense of the countryside. Farming is already under pressure to produce crops with an uncertain water supply. If supplies dwindle as predicted this summer, the conflict is likely to be pitched as farming vs. wildlife when really both are victims of the way water is used and managed. WWT's Head of Wetland Conservation, Rob Shore, has been hearing reports from WWT's wetland reserves around the country. He said: We haven't yet had the dreaded hosepipe ban warnings but wildlife is the proverbial canary in the cage. We want government to tackle this problem before it gets out of hand - not just relieving the problem this year but by putting plans in place to prevent this happening again.

We have the technical solutions and have identified regulation, from farming subsidies to water company regulation, which could be tweaked to keep more water on the land to help wildlife and farmers. Ultimately it will benefit all of us as consumers.' Creation of small wetland areas may helpOne solution being proposed is to create lots of small wetland areas to capture rainwater when it does fall. By slowing the flow of water off the land these allow more water to percolate into soils and aquifers. The added benefit is that they prevent soil, nutrients and other pollutants from being washed into our rivers, which in turn reduces the costs of water treatment. Rob Shore continued: We're struggling to keep our wetlands wet in winter which is virtually unheard of. The knock-on effect will be on the birds breeding in spring, so it is easy to see how quickly this can escalate. What we are proposing are small but sensible changes, which bring very tangible benefits for all of us.' Despite some recent rain, the majority of river systems in England or Wales are currently flowing at below average levels and many are critically low. The situation is even worse for our groundwater supplies, which have not been replenished over the autumn and winter. Rain has generally fallen in short, heavy bursts and run straight off the dry, compacted land and very quickly ended up in the sea. This is already raising the threat of flooding at the same time as drought. Climate change is predicted to bring heavier and less frequent rain making this a more common occurrence.

Comment: Well said about addressing this problem on a long-term scale, rather than band-aid approach depending on what the weather throws at them each year.