MFF held its fifth Regional Steering Committee (RSC-5) meeting in the Seychelles on Mahé, the biggest Island. This represents a major juncture for MFF. The outcomes will dictate MFF’s direction for Phase II. MFF institutional partners and country representatives together with special invited experts joined hands to plan and decide on the future of MFF.
The meeting was opened by Mr Didier Dogley, Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Seychelles. Mr Dogley who made special reference to the December 2004 Tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history which affected the lives of more than 5 million people in the Indian Ocean region. Its impact on human lives and livelihood can still be felt today in many communities.The countries affected by the tsunamis contain 161,000 km of coastline with 40% of the world’s total mangroves and 30% of the world’s coral reefs. These ecosystems provide habitats to the rich biodiversity of the region and nursing ground to the marine life upon which many people depend for food and income. They are crucial in performing important life support functions by protecting communities against storms and tidal surges. However, these ecosystems are threatened by the increase in population growth and compounded by migration into coastal areas. The situation becomes worst when there is uncoordinated economic development and unsustainable extraction and exploitation of natural resources in these coastal areas leading to major degradation of the coastal zone. From all major disasters and human suffering there are also major lessons to be learned. Today we all know that healthy and well managed marine and coastal ecosystems are the most resilient environments and they can best adapt to such disasters. Mr Dogley, therefore saluted the efforts of the MFF Initiative to address some of the threats and challenges that our coastal ecosystems face.
“It is a unique initiative that brings together partners regionally and nationally to restore ecosystems and improve livelihoods in severely degraded coastal zones. It also makes provision for the inclusion of integrated ecosystem concerns into development processes at local and national levels” said, Mr Didier Dogley, Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Seychelles.
Mr. Denis Matatiken, Director General, Division of Nature Conservation, Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Transport and MFF Seychelles NCB Chair welcomed participants and specially invited speakers and guests. Mr Claudio Caldarone, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator, Mauritius/Seychelles made an intervention during the opening address and reminded participants of the very fundamentals of MFF and made special reference to “build back better”. Ms. Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN Regional Director for Asia and MFF Co-chair in her welcome address noted that, it was the first time that the Seychelles hosted a major MFF event, and that it was a full house. Ten countries, and all MFF agency and institutional partners, as well as our main donors, were present, as well as representatives from Kenya and Tanzania -two countries that recently requested to participate in the MFF initiative. Ms Kabraji in closing mentioned that this Regional Steering Committee meeting was particularly significant as we came together to shape the future of MFF.
The regional steering committee meeting evoked significant interest by the national media. On-line and printed media as well as TV and Radio covered the event making full use of the technical experts and country representatives resent.
The participants also got a chance to visit one of the first SGF in the Seychelles namely a turtle conservation monitoring and awareness raising project financed by the Banyan Tree group and implemented by the Marine Conservation Society for the Seychelles. The MFF SGF will be used to expand the monitoring to neighbouring nesting beaches and to raise awareness about turtles and the need to protect them.
MFF Announces the first call for project proposals in Indonesia at the World Ocean Conference in Manado
MFF together with partners from University of Rhode Island, NOAA, USAID and Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia held a one-day workshop on Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Actions for Coastal Areas as one of the key side events at the World Ocean Conference, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia 11 May, 2009.
More then 40 national and international participants joined the workshop. The aim was to gather coastal and marine conservation policy-makers who are trying to decide how to proceed in addressing adaptation challenges in the region without creating new laws or programmes, and planners and/or project managers who want some practical approaches to act immediately, as well as communications and outreach professional seeking to make the connection between information, needs, and action.
The one-day workshop provided an opportunity for sharing experiences and utilising participant real case studies. Group exercises were conducted to explore in more depth the different starting points for understanding strategies to mainstream adaptation measures into projects, places and national policy. This was based on the newly launched Guidebook developed by Rhode Island, NOAA and USAID, and the MFF Guidelines for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into project design.
At the end of the workshop, MFF Secretariat and MFF Indonesia announced the first call for project proposal under the MFF programme. The majority of the participants were from Indonesia and elegible for MFF funding, and will now be able to effectively integrate climate change considerations into project design, implementation and evaluation.
The Sundarban Tiger Reserve Hosted the Fourth MFF Regional Steering Committee Meeting 19-22 January, 2009, Sundarbans, India
MFF’s Regional Steering Committee meets twice a year. This is where MFF’s overall future direction is steered and important decisions are taken. The Steering Committee comprises of two co-chairs Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN and Nicholas Rosellini, UNDP, the NCB chair from each focal country and representatives from dialogue countries and the respective MFF institutional partners, as well as the MFF Secretariat. The Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve (SBR) provided a unique opportunity to hold the fourth regional steering committee onboard a ship and to visit the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve.
The Sundarbans is the largest single mangrove area in the world and is known for its spectacular species diversity home to many rare animals such as crocodiles, Olive Ridley turtle, and the famous Royal Bengal tiger. Mangrove forests are extremely productive coastal ecosystems with a wide range of goods (such as Honey collecting, timber, fuelwood, crabs, fish) and environmental regulating and cultural services (preventing erosion and negative impacts from extreme weather events). Efforts to protect this remarkable mangrove forest date back to the 19th century and visitors are coming from all over the world to visit the Sundarbans.
“The Sundarbans is the single largest single mangrove forest in the world with 80 percent of the global mangrove floral diversity. MFF simply would not be complete without the Sundarbans... Bringing the MFF to have a first hand experience with the Sundarbans, illustrating the beauty and the challenges face in conserving the Sundarbans allowed for an opportunity for the forest department to show how India has successfully dealt with these challenges to the rest of the world.. “, says N.C. Bahuguna, Chief Conservator and Director, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve.
Mangroves for the Future Regional Training Course on Tools for Integrated Coastal Management, 27-31 October, 2008, Semarang, Indonesia
Background: Coastal ecosystems have been centres of human settlement for thousands of years because of their remarkable biological productivity. Coastal ecosystems provide us with essential goods and services which underpin substantial commerce benefiting local, national, regional, and global economies. They encompass our ports, trade and transport routes, all supporting economic activities- and have later become a magnet for tourism. Healthy coastal areas can also help protect us against extreme weather conditions and natural disasters which are becoming increasingly more frequent. Mangroves for the Future, MFF is a Regional Initiative which is building knowledge, strengthening empowerment, and enhancing governance. Indonesia is a focal country and has set up its own National Coordinating Body (NCB) to direct and steer activities being implemented in Indonesia. Climate change is a cross-cutting issue integrated into all MFF activities.
Key Issues: Many coastal ecosystems are under severe threat because of increasing populations, coastal development, and demand for coastal resources, such as fish and shellfish. Already, poor coastal communities are facing severe hardships because coastal resources no longer sustain their traditional livelihoods. Climate change exacerbates the existing threats.
Climate change impacts and human induced changes have already been witnessed in the Demak district of Central Java where thousands of hectares of mangrove forests have been converted to tambaks for shrimp and other aquaculture during the last decades. The sea has now invaded and flooded the tambaks as well as the low-lying residential areas between Pantai Moro Sari and Pantai Moro Demak. More than 200 households have already been relocated.
“Most of our families have left but we cannot move from here…fishing is what we know and we do not have any other skills, so we would still have to come back here for our livelihood” said a household member from one of the few households remaining in the most heavily flooded area near Moro Sari.
“The loss of mangrove forests, land subsidence, and sea-level rise are all likely to have contributed to the increase in flooding”, says Dr. Donald Macintosh, MFF Coordinator
The Indonesian NCB has selected Demak District as one of the key MFF project implementation sites. The Regional Training Course held at Novotel, Semarang this week, is a first step towards building capacity through technical assistance in the fields of livelihoods, community participation, climate change and disaster risk reduction. The course has brought 36 participants from eight countries in the region and Indonesian and International experts as trainers and facilitators. This intense week of training will focus on applying sustainable management tools to address environmental problems in Demak District and other vulnerable coastal areas.
“The coastal communities in these areas depend on coastal resources for their survival. The stakes are high, the issues complex and challenging, but we must restore and continue to protect our coastal ecosystems. A failure to do so would be disastrous” says, Prof. Johannes Hutabarat, Dean of Faculty of Fisheries & Marine Science, UNDIP.
When and Where: Members of the Press are invited to the Opening Ceremony, Monday 27 October, 2008 at 09.00- 10.00 am 1st Floor, Novotel, Hotel, Semarang, and to a project field visit Wednesday 29 October, at 7.45 am departing from Novotel Hotel.
Materials for the Media:
www.mangrovesforthefuture.org
www.undip.ac.id
Spokespersons:
Prof. Dr. Johannes Hutabarat, Dean of Faculty of Fisheries & Marine Science, UNDIP
Prof. Dr. Donald Macintosh, MFF Coordinator
Mr. Galih Riyonu, Head of Marine Affairs and Fisheries representing the Governor of Central Java Province
Dr. Nur Hygiawati Rasiono, BAPPENAS and MFF Indonesia NCB Representative
Dr. Sergio Feld, UNDP, Regional Centre in Bangkok
Dr. Muhamad Nur, Vice Rector for Development & Cooperation, UNDIP
Media team: Minna Epps, Communications Officer, IUCN Asia Regional Office, m +66 870823331, e minna@iucnt.org
Nur Taufiq,. Vice Dean Student Affair, UNDIP, +62 (0)81 2290 4287, E-mail: taufiqspj_1999@yahoo.com
Seventh General Assembly of the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, ISME.
MFF coordinator Dr. Donald Macintosh shared the early experiences concerning the Mangroves for the Future initiative at the ITTI/TEI/DMCR the 7th General Assembly of ISME.
The Seventh General Assembly of ISME, 22 August 2008 was followed by a workshop, 23 August, 2008 on “Restoration of Mangroves and other coastal forests damaged by Tsunamis and other natural hazards in the Asia-Pacific Region: Review of lessons learned and proposals”, held at the TK Palace Hotel, Bangkok. The workshop was hosted by ISME in cooperation with Thailand Environment Institute, TEI and Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, DMCR.
The workshop was moderated by Dr. Barry Clough. The speakers presented case studies on rehabilitation of coastal ecosystems and the role and function of mangroves, which needs to be re-evaluated in concern to mitigate natural hazards. Invited participants featured several capacities on ecosystem rehabilitation and management, among these Dr. Maung Maung who gave an insight to the devastating impact the 2008 cyclone storms caused on coastal areas in Myanmar.
The last day of the assembly and workshop was a field trip to Siridhorn International Environment Park, which presented the participants the chance to see at first hand the importance and the effect of ecosystem sustainability.
ISME is an international, non-governmental scientific society, with its headquarters in Okinawa, Japan. ISME was established in 1990 and aims to promote research, training and conservation activities of mangrove ecosystems, both at international and regional levels. At present, ISME membership includes 38 institutional members and 1 000 individual members from 86 countries.
MFF is considering ISME as an Institutional partner, bringing them into the cooperating matrix of the IUCN, MFF and affiliated organizations who are working for rehabilitation, improvement and the sustainability of coastal ecosystems.
Workshop on developing concept notes and large proposals for funding, 28-29 August, 2008
35 members from the MFF Thailand National Coordinating Body (NCB) gathered at the Maruay Gardens Hotel to attend a workshop on how to review and develop large proposals for submission.
The workshop was organized by the Department Marine and Coastal Resources, DMCR supported by the MFF Secretariat and conducted by SIDA funded consultant, Tim Greenhow. The two- day workshop was intended to discuss and familiarize the NCB participants with the MFF planning guidelines for large proposals development in Thailand. The workshop programme focused on developing capacity to review and develop large proposals.
The welcome address was given by Dr Sonjai Havanond, followed by Tim Greenshaw, who provided a general overview of large project proposal review issues: project cycle management, key elements such as causes of failure versus success and the importance of communication and participation and consultation by all parties. This was followed by a group discussion and further development of concept papers for the submission.
Another important issue raised was the need to develop a communication strategy in line with the Regional MFF Communications Strategy. The last day focused on developing a communication strategy and what steps are next in order to secure further funding for large proposals. Thailand is the first MFF country to tackle large projects, as well as to set up a working group for completing and implementing a communications strategy.
Restoring natural habitats in Myanmar a reconstruction priority, says IUCN
23 May 2008 | News - Press Release
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) offers to share its broad environmental experience to help with the reconstruction efforts in Myanmar. A vital long-term environmental need is to restore coastal ecosystems, following the catastrophic damage caused by the recent cyclone.
“While we, like the rest of the world, are worried about the pace of the relief effort, we also believe we have to take a longer view as the planning for reconstruction starts.” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre,
Director General of IUCN. “We believe that restoring healthy ecosystems, particularly mangroves, should be on top of the reconstruction priority list.”
Flooding in open Delta flood plains is inevitable, but the buffering effect of healthy ecosystems disappears when natural barriers such as mangroves, lagoons, coral reefs, beaches and strand forests are destroyed or degraded.
In order to avoid further problems later on, special attention should also be paid to environmental issues in the immediate relief phase, as disposal of debris and waste resulting from infrastructure reconstruction efforts can lead to more difficult and costly longer term environmental restoration. By approaching the reconstruction with due consideration for the natural environment, disasters such as this can be better mitigated in the future. IUCN strongly believes that restoring mangroves and other coastal ecosystems is an important investment to make for the future.
“Destruction of coastal systems, especially mangrove forests in Myanmar, left coastal areas exposed to the devastating force of the cyclone,” says Aban Kabraji, IUCN’s Regional Director for Asia . “Especially in river deltas, mangroves prevent waves from damaging the more productive land that are further inland from the sea. Restoring mangroves should be a priority for all involved."
IUCN and UNDP are lead partners in the regional Mangroves for the Future (MFF) initiative which promotes investment in coastal ecosystems to protect people when natural disasters strike and to ensure sustainable use of coastal resources in normal times. In addition, the Mangroves for the Future initiative, created in response to the 2004 tsunami, has already established a forum for dialogue among several coastal countries of the Indian Ocean. This network could be vital to supporting the longer term restoration and reconstruction efforts in Myanmar.
“Climate change and habitat destruction are making natural phenomena like cyclones and floods more frequent and severe,” says Marcia Kran, Head of Policy and Programmes, UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok. “To avoid the catastrophic loss of lives and livelihoods we have witnessed in Myanmar, it is crucial that we restore and protect the coastal ecosystems that act as a natural barriers when tidal waves strike; healthy coastal ecosystem also provide other valuable goods and services essential to sustain livelihoods.”
UNDP has requested IUCN to advise on the rehabilitation of damaged coastal areas, and to provide guidance on environmental safeguards for post-disaster relief operations, in Myanmar. Working through the UN system, IUCN and UNDP in their capacity as MFF co-chairs together with the other MFF partners, bring a wealth of knowledge from the post-tsunami experience in addressing coastal ecosystem restoration needs, particularly with respect to the role of mangroves in providing buffers to future natural disasters.
IUCN is fully aware that the first priority must be to get emergency help to those still in need. Once this is done, however, the government and international aid agencies should give priority to restoring healthy mangroves forests in the Irrawaddy Delta. Investing in coastal ecosystems is fundamental to sustainable socio-economic development in the region, besides reducing the vulnerability of coastal people to extreme events such as cyclones.
For more information:
Minna Epps
Communications Officer
Asia Regional Office
IUCN
