Sri Lanka govt, private outfits linked to illegal wild life trade
Organised criminals doing a thriving illegal wildlife trade in Sri Lanka are operating with the connivance of certain government and private sector institutions, a former senior Customs officer has charged.
Sri Lanka has become a transit point for the illegal trade in wildlife given its location on the main East-West trade route and good shipping connections, said Samantha Gunasekera, former Deputy Director of Customs.
The island is also one of the world’s top eight bio-diversity hotspots with criminals targeting many species because of their ornamental or medicinal value or colour, he told a forum on how to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife organised by Sri Lanka biodiversity enthusiasts.
“In Sri Lanka, certain government and private institutions are having connections with organised crime – wildlife criminals,” said Gunasekera, who was in charge of the Customs Biodiversity, Cultural & National Heritage Protection Division.
Many targeted plant species are well documented, especially medicinal plants, given their commercial value, he told the forum conducted jointly by the Biodiversity Sri Lanka, the Environmental Professionals of Sri Lanka and the Base for Enthusiasts of Environmental Science and Zoology, a student body at the University of Colombo.
The concentrated distribution of targeted species also made it easier for criminals, Gunasekera said.
Many endemic species are distributed in the south western part of Sri Lanka in small forest patches where the human population is high.
“That makes it easy to collect, especially by foreigners, who have contacts with locals, knowledgeable people who know where it is so they can collect within a few hours.”
The latest move by the local environmentalists comes as it was found that Sri Lanka is being used by the illegal wildlife traders operating between Africa and the East Asia region, as a point of their operations, the forum organisers said.
“Sri Lanka is strategically located in one of the busiest international shipping routes in the Indian Ocean and most of the container ships, particularly between Africa and the Gulf region, to the East Asian region, pass through the Colombo Port,” they said in a note.
“A growing illegal wildlife trade between Africa and the East Asian region takes place on this shipping lane.”
This is proven through detection and seizure in 2012 by the Sri Lanka Customs, of a blood ivory container with 359 pieces on board weighing 1.5 tonnes, en-route to Dubai from Kenya.
Another seizer of a massive consignment of 28 container loads of Madagascar Dalbergia timber (Rose Wood) worth US$ 7million, which was being transported from Zanzibar to Hong Kong via Sri Lanka in 2014 has also been recorded.
( Source : 13/06/2016 Economy Next http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_govt,_private_outfits_linked_to_illegal_wild_life_trade-3-5236-13.html )
Canada Wildfires Have Grown 200,000 Acres, Thousands Evacuated
(Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Canadian wildfires have grown over 200,000 acres and many people have been forced to evacuate.
As the fire grew, many people were forced to go into evacuation. On Thursday, the Alberta government said there were more than 1,100 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers were sent to fight a total of 49 wildfires, with seven considered out of control.Currently, Candian officials help 8,000 people to airlift from Fort McMurray. The officials are hoping that the motorway to the south will be become safe by Friday so they can help move the remaining 17,000 people, according to BBC.
Luckily, there were no injured people reported. Is climate change the reason for more wildfires?
There are 1.9 billion hectares of boreal forest around the world, and Canada is home to 552 million hectares or 28 per cent of the world’s boreal zone according to Global News. Boreal forest is the largest terrestial biome, is also known as taiga or snow forest that consist mostly of pines, larches, and spruces. These forests are under threat by a climate change because of continues warming of temperature. Currently, boreal forests have already warmed by 0.5 C to 3 C. The continues rising of temperature linked to drier conditions.
According to the latest report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the area of boreal forest burned in North America has doubled over the past 20 years.
The three key ingredients to propagate wildfire weather conditions are hot weather, wind , and low humidity. A warming climate may produce two of the three ingredients. It could be warm air, which is usually associated with drier conditions. The wildfire could erupt if there is wind and a forest fire.
(Source : 09-06-2016 Nature World News http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/ 21710/20160506/canada-wildfires-grown-200-000-acres-thousands-evacuated.htm)
Global Environment Facility IWC In Sri Lanka
The 8th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC) will be held in Sri Lanka from May 9 to 13 with representatives from over 80 countries. The week-long conference themed Scaling Up Investments from Source to Sea in the Context of Achieving the SDGs, is jointly organised by the GEF, the Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). IWC held for the first time Sri Lanka, will be graced by President Maithripala Sirisena and the CEO and Chairperson of GEF Dr. Naoko Ishii.
Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry Secretary Udaya Senevirathne, GEF International Waters Focal Area Environmental Specialist Christian Severin and UNDP Country Director Joern Soerensen joined a briefing to inform the media about the upcoming conference.
Udaya Senevirathne said “safeguarding and managing our water resources remain a priority for the President, who oversees this portfolio and with his guidance, we are keen to partner with GEF and UNDP to host this conference in Sri Lanka for the first time”. He said, “the conference will provide the international practitioners the opportunity to learn about good water management practices, coastal zone management, protected areas and alternative livelihoods in Sri Lanka”.
The conference is expected to bring 250 foreign delegates, including government ministers from Seychelles, Maldives and representatives of GEF beneficiary countries, non-governmental organizations, transboundary waters management institutions, United Nations Agencies, GEF International Waters project managers and staff, and the international private sector. Over 80 countries will be represented at the conference.
UNDP Country Director Joern Soerensen said “With the new global development commitments in mind, IWC organised under the theme Scaling Up Investments from Source to Sea in the Context of Achieving the SDGs will be very important. Especially as it will look at two SDGs—Ensure access to water and sanitation for all and Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources— with learning tracks devoted to catalysing transformation and scaling up investments; strengthening governance processes to sustain project interventions; and data to policy”.
The GEF Biennial International Waters Conference is the signature learning event for the GEF International Waters portfolio of projects. The IWC objectives are to facilitate cross-sectoral and portfolio-wide learning and experience sharing. Participants sum up progress achieved and also look to the future of programming within and beyond the GEF International Waters focal area.
GEF International Waters Focal Area Environmental Specialist Christian Severin noted, “this 8th IWC will represent about 70 active GEF International Waters projects and will strive to solicit advice from the existing GEF International Waters portfolio on burning issues related to international waters management, and to assist in building participant capacity in key management and technical areas”.
Christian Severin said, “At this conference we are proud to celebrate 25 years anniversary of the GEF and the International Waters Focal Area. With a GEF International Waters portfolio consisting of 242 projects with a portfolio amounting to a total of $10 billion in combined GEF and cofinancing, the GEF International Waters will continue to deliver substantial results and impacts on the local, national and regional level.
The GEF, as the largest financier of cooperation in shared waters systems, occupies a unique space in the International sphere to facilitate countries delivery towards a suite of the SDGs, with a specific focus of SDG 6 and 14”, in the process leading to sustainable management of shared aquifers, lakes, rivers, Large Marine Ecosystems and Open Oceans.
( Source 6 May 2016-Daily News-Sri Lanka)
Making A Difference on Earth Day
Ozo Colombo celebrated its commitment for a greener environment by organising a beach-cleaning activity on Marine Drive near the Wellawatte area, commemorating Earth Day.
Over 50 volunteers from Ozo Colombo and members of the Rotaract Club cleaned up more than 300 kilos of garbage – including plastic bottles, bags, slippers, shoes and all non-biodegradable items to provide a foundation of a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable coastal environment for us all.
Abdul Qadir Uvais, the country manager for Earth Hour Sri Lanka also joined the movement.
( Source 6 May 2016-Daily News-Sri Lanka)
Anantaya launches green campaign
The Anantaya Resort chain of Laugfs Leisure Limited has yet again embarked on another green i nitiative as part of its sustainability efforts.
Renowned for its ‘eco luxury’ concept, Anantaya recently launched a tree planting drive at its Chilaw resort, as part of a broader campaign to strengthen its commitment towards the environment and community within which it operates. The initial tree planting drive took place along the road leading up to the Chilaw resort premises, adding a fresh touch of greenery to the surroundings. This initiative will be also rolled out at the newly built Anantaya Resort & Spa in Pasikudah, which is expected to be launched soon.
Anantaya will also be one of the first hotels to initiate eco tours in Sri Lanka, deploying eco-friendly vehicles consisting of electric and hybrid vehicles for excursions. Its resort in Chilaw will soon be geared to offer its guests with visits to the Anawilundawa Bird Sanctuary and Wilpattu National Park, both located in close proximity to the resort, in state-of-the-art electric sport utility vehicles (SUVS). Its environmentally friendly vehicle fleet will also be utilized for airport pickups and drops, as well as daily travel needs of its guests.
“Today environment concerns are mounting beyond imagination, with many adverse effects of environmental pollution felt all over the world. Present-day travellers are very much concerned about their environmental footprint through various product and service associations,” remarked Laugfs Leisure CEO Roshan R. Perera.
“Laugfs’ commitment to a sustainable future is ingrained in not just our approach to business but in also how we do business. The Anantaya Resort chain has also been following this philosophy from day one. Our ‘eco luxury’ concept at Anantaya Chilaw is a good example of this,” he further added.
The hotel architecture and landscape areas of Anantaya Resort & Spa i n Chilaw have been designed t o preserve t he surrounding natural environment, striking a fine balance between eco-friendliness and luxury. Many energy saving and conservation measures have been built into the design of the resort, with careful consideration given to functional details such as the type of air conditioning used, installation of solar panels wherever possible, use of natural light for public spaces and recycling of treated sewerage water for irrigation. This has helped Anantaya to achieve substantial savings in energy and water management, while preserving the natural beauty of the area.
The Anantaya luxury resort chain is owned and managed by Laugfs Leisure Limited, a subsidiary of Laugfs Gas PLC.
Source : 29-04-2016 Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
Agree to be Green
As many as 195 States were parties to the discussions in Paris on the COP 21 Agreement which was accepted in general by consensus. The Agreement will be deposited at the UN in New York and opened for one year for signature on April 22, 2016–Mother Earth Day. The Agreement will enter into force after 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification
It was recently reported that Cabinet approval had been given for Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha to sign on behalf of the Sri Lankan government the Paris Agreement adopted by the Conference of The Parties (COP 21) to The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC) held in September 2015. It is understood that Cabinet approval was granted not for the mere signature of the treaty (which is not sufficient for the treaty to be applicable to Sri Lanka) but for the ratification of this Agreement by which Sri Lanka will be bound by the principles enunciated in the Agreement. Minister Premajayantha is to participate in the high level signature ceremony on April 22 at The Headquarters of the United Nations in New York.
As many as 195 States were parties to the discussions in Paris on the COP 21 Agreement which was accepted in general by consensus. The Agreement will be deposited at the UN in New York and opened for one year for signature on April 22, 2016–Mother Earth Day.
The Agreement will enter into force after 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification. The overall aim of the Agreement is to maintain a global temperature rise in the 21st century to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to strive to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the lower level recognized as a buffer against worst case scenario impacts of climate change. Another important goal of the Agreement is to strengthen the capacity of States to effectively address and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Article 2 of the Agreement stipulates that the Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by: holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change; increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production; and making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
Article 2.2. is explicit in stating that the Agreement will be implemented to reflect equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.
The Agreement also recognizes the need to put in place appropriate financial tools in order to achieve the aforementioned ambitious goals with a view to enabling developing states to face the challenges of mitigating climate change at their own pace and in accordance with their own national objectives.
There was considerable hope that the agreement would truly promote sustainable development.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “We have entered a new era of global cooperation on one of the most complex issues ever to confront humanity.
For the first time, every country in the world has pledged to curb emissions, strengthen resilience and join in common cause to take common climate action. This is a resounding success for multilateralism.”
National climate action plans
The critical areas covered by the COP 21 Agreement are: mitigation – reducing emissions fast enough to achieve the temperature goal; a transparency system and global stock-take – accounting for climate action; adaptation – strengthening ability of countries to deal with climate impacts; loss and damage – strengthening ability to recover from climate impacts; and support – including finance, for nations to build clean, resilient futures. The Agreement espouses a long term direction that would enable States to reach a peak in their emissions as soon as possible and continue to submit national climate action plans that detail their future objectives to address climate change.
A UNFCCC Secretariat statement claims that, in the spirit of the Agreement, 188 countries have undertaken to contribute climate action plans in accordance with the new agreement, which is calculated to dramatically slow the pace of global greenhouse gas emissions. The basic philosophy of the Agreement is that future national plans will be no less ambitious than existing ones, which means these 188 climate action plans provide a firm floor and foundation for higher ambition. It has also introduced nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – updated plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – once every five years, which will regularly and consistently improve their strategy towards achieving their overall goals in the long-term.
The Agreement also provides for action to be taken even before 2020 where States are required to continue to engage in a process on mitigation opportunities and will put added focus on adaptation opportunities. Furthermore, since reaching the ambitious target of 1.5% below industrial levels would mean keeping at least 75% of the current flow of fossil fuels on the ground, and using renewable energy instead, States will raise climate finance up to $ 100 billion by 2020 that would assist developing countries to develop such energy resources. States will, in this regard, work towards defining a clear roadmap on ratcheting up climate finance to USD 100 billion by 2020 while also before 2025 setting a new goal on the provision of finance from the USD 100 billion floor.
A roadmap in this regard will be developed by States. There will also be put in place a robust transparency and accounting system that would allow for special circumstances and respective capabilities of States to be recognized and taken as part of the equation. Support and cooperation are the main themes of this philosophy. The Agreement also strengthens international cooperation on climate-safe technologies and building capacity in the developing world to address climate change.
Developing countries
All States are required to submit adaptation communications, in which they may detail their adaptation priorities, support needs and plans. There is also provision for developing countries to receive increased support for adaptation actions, for which there will be an assessment of the adequacy of this support that will be given. As already mentioned, the Agreement has incorporated a robust transparency framework for both action and support. The framework will provide clarity on countries’ mitigation and adaptation actions, as well as the provision of support. At the same time, it recognizes that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States have special circumstances.
According to the UNFCCC Secretariat, the agreement includes a global stock-take starting in 2023 to assess the collective progress towards the goals of the agreement. The stock-take will be done every five years and the agreement includes a compliance mechanism, overseen by a committee of experts that operates in a non-punitive way.
From a technical standpoint, COP 21 addressed a number of issues which go to say that under the Kyoto Protocol – which is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) man-made CO2 emissions have caused it – there is now a clear and transparent accounting method for carry-over credits for the second commitment period, creating a clear set of rules; and the first round of international assessment and review process (IAR) that was launched in 2014 was successfully completed. A number of technical and implementation issues related to the existing arrangements on technology, adaptation, action for climate empowerment and capacity building were also successfully concluded.
The Stern Review of October 2006 titled The Economics of Climate Change stated that if no action is taken to reduce emissions, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could reach double its pre-industrial level as early as 2035, virtually committing us to a global average temperature rise of over 2 degrees centigrade. In this context, Sri Lanka’s ratification of the Paris Agreement shows an abiding sense of responsibility and awareness on the part of the State.
Source :26-04-2016 Dailly News http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=2016/04/26/features/79789
For Sadaharitha every day is Earth Day
Each year, more than one billion people participate in the Earth Day-related activities aimed at building a healthy and sustainable environment, address climate change and protect the Earth for future generations. Started in 1970, this designated day of April 22 has become an annual reminder of our responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth. This year’s Earth Day is focusing on the urgent need to plant new trees and forests worldwide. Our planet is currently losing over 15 billion trees each year (equivalent to 48 football fields every minute). Individuals and the nation need to get planting and help towards the global effort of 7.8 billion trees in the ground by Earth Day 2020: one tree for every person on the planet.
A tree planted today can remove up to a ton of CO2 from the atmosphere during the 40 years it takes to mature from sapling into a towering green giant. As a tree removes CO2, it also continuously returns enough (O2) to the atmosphere to support two people. Trees and forests are the most vital weapon we have against climate change. They absorb odours and pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and ozone, as well as filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. Tree planting has a direct correlation to increased property values, reduced litter, higher social cohesion and a number of other social and psychological benefits.
Planting trees also helps communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability. Increasingly, more people are turning to commercial forestry for its environmental and social advantages. Sustainably managed forests and plantations can be harvested to provide a profitable venture on a long-term basis. It increases foreign exchange earning potential for the country and creates new employment opportunities and economic development in rural areas.
On the Earth Day, many businesses turn their attention to issues concerning the environment and sustainability. For Sadaharitha, Sri Lanka’s leading commercial forestry company, every day is Earth Day. As a socially conscious company, Sadaharitha has enhanced the quality of life of its stakeholders through the provision of secured and sustainable investment and income opportunities that generate profits whilst safeguarding the environment.
Planting a tree provides an opportunity for people to get back in touch with the world around them and reflect on the steps they can take on a daily basis to reduce their environmental footprint. Over the years, the company has sold approximately 237466 plants to its customers. To date, the company has been instrumental in planting 279402 teak trees across 740 acres; 65020 sandalwood trees across 402 acres and 53200 agarwood trees on 133 acres thereby contributing towards a greener tomorrow.
-23 Apr 2016, Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) http://dailymirrorepaper.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx