Australia bans waste dumping on Great Barrier Reef

Australia has ordered a ban on dumping dredge waste on most of the Great Barrier Reef, the environment minister said on Saturday (Jan 24), as part of a push to stop the UN declaring the site in danger.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt said he had ordered the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to develop regulations to stop waste from capital dredging being dumped in the park "once and for all". "We are ending a century-old practice of dumping in the marine park," he said, referring to waste created by enlarging shipping channels, berths and marinas.

Conservationists say dumping waste in reef waters damages it by smothering corals and sea grasses and exposing them to poisons and high levels of nutrients.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has threatened to put the reef, which is a World Heritage area, on its danger list. The body has given Australia until Feb 1 to act and Hunt said he would travel to Europe next week to consult on long-term plans for the natural wonder.

Hunt said the government had put together "a strong defence of the management of the Great Barrier Reef ... concluding that it should not be listed as in danger".
The reef also faces threats from climate change, nutrients washing into the sea and the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish, and the government was working on each of them, he added in a statement. But he said water quality was improving, coral-eating starfish were being culled and stricter management regimes have been put in place for shipping and developments, including ports.

"Australians are proud of the reef and it remains one of the great natural wonders of the world," he said. "We are determined to protect and manage the Great Barrier Reef not just for the coming decades, but for coming centuries."

The park where the ban will apply almost totally overlaps with an expanse designated as a World Heritage Area, but it does not include most islands and ports, as well as lakes and other waterways in the heritage area.

Environmental groups have urged the minister to go a step further and prohibit the dumping of dredge soil throughout the World Heritage Area, not just within the marine park.
The ban will now be subject to public consultation, with final approval expected by mid-March.

- AFP/al

 channelnewsasia.com

24/1/15

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• Poor outlook warned for Great Barrier Reef (five-yearly review to address UNESCO)

• Australia hails Barrier Reef deferral. Environmentalists call UNESCO decision "final warning"

• UNESCO to decide if Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in danger 

• UNESCO condemns dredge waste dumping in Barrier Reef waters

• Unesco warns Australia over Great Barrier Reef...

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• The battle for Tasmania's wilderness

• Υπό εξαφάνιση ο μεγαλύτερος κοραλλιογενής ύφαλος

• Μαζική Επέλαση Από Αστερίες Απειλεί τον Μεγάλο Κοραλλιογενή Ύφαλο της Αυστραλίας.

• Αχτίδα ελπίδας για το Μεγάλο Κοραλλιογενή Ύφαλο

  

US to create world's largest marine reserve in Pacific

The United States is to create the world's largest marine reserve, stretching over about 1 million 270,000 square kilometres of the Pacific ocean, the White House press service said.

US President Barack Obama will sign the bill on Thursday, setting out plans for a new environmental zone encompassing seven desert islands and coral atolls existing under US juridiction.

The current Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument territory between the Hawaiian islands and Samoa will be expanded sixfold to become a marine-protected area (MPA).The zone will ban any business activity there, including commercial fishing and mining operations.

American scientists believe the region has a tropical marine environment with unique animal and vegetal life that needs protection, seeking to defend deep-sea coral reefs thought most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
http://en.itar-tass.com/non-political/751198
25/9/14
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Related:

• Obama to create world's largest marine sanctuary in Pacific(18/7/14)

• Philippines to pursue compensation from US on reef damage

Rosneft to study Arctic’s fauna to protect it during oil exploration

Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft will monitor marine fauna in the Northern Sea Route in 2014 in a bid to preserve marine life during oil exploration, the company’s press release says.

“The objective of the said studies is collection of data on marine fauna in Rosneft License Areas with a view to building a complete and detailed picture of the baseline environment state and developing a set of environmental controls to be applied during hydrocarbons exploration and production,” Rosneft said in a press release released Wednesday.

Rosneft and ExxonMobil’s joint Arctic Research Center will be charged with organizing the study. The monitoring activities will be conducted on two icebreakers and the research will cover the animals, birds and mammals of northern seas.

The company outlined a set of surveys to be performed, including “marine mammal activity monitoring and registration throughout daylight hours,” “monitoring and registration of other marine animal species' activity,” and “keeping record of visual observations of marine mammals and their activity.”

The survey activities are planned in all northern seas of the Arctic.

In 2011, Rosneft and ExxonMobil signed a strategic cooperation agreement for joint development of the three East Prinovozemelsky blocks in the Kara Sea. As part of the partnership, the Arctic Research and Design Center for Offshore Developments (ARC) joint venture was established to focus on research and development, and to become Russia's first center capable of tackling the difficulties Rosneft will face when exploring shelf deposits.

Earlier this month, ARC and The Marine Mammals Council, a public organization, called entered in a research and development contract for staging polar bear studies in the areas of potential hydrocarbon development projects.
 http://indian.ruvr.ru
23/7/14
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Related:

• The Battle for the Arctic /Η αντιπαράθεση με το λιώσιμο των πάγων στην Αρκτικη

• Arctic should not be arena of conflicting interests (Russian lawmaker)

• Greenpeace sends new protest ship as first Russian Arctic oil arrives

• Russia to create united naval base system for ships, subs in Arctic

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  • Greenpeace Ship Sails to Arctic Kara Sea Despite Ban

Obama to create world's largest marine sanctuary in Pacific

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced plans to create what could be the world's largest marine sanctuary in the south-central Pacific Ocean in an effort to protect the ocean and its marine ecosystems.

Obama announced his executive actions in a video message to those present at the second and final day of the two-day "Our Ocean" conference hosted by the U.S. State Department, which focused on sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and ocean acidification. "We've already shown that when we work together, we can protect our oceans for future generations. So let's redouble our efforts," Obama said.

The White House in a background statement said the Obama administration is considering how to "expand protections near the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the south- central Pacific Ocean, an area which contains some of the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world."

The administration will consider the input of fishermen, scientists, conservation experts, elected officials, and other stakeholders "before making decisions about the geographic scope and details," it added.

The Washington Post, however, reported that Obama is looking at expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument from almost 87,000 square miles (225,328 square kilometers) to nearly 782,000 square miles (2.03 million square kilometers) and that the plan will affect seven islands and atolls controlled by the United States.

The newspaper also said that the plan, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, is likely to spark a new political battle with Republicans over the scope of Obama's executive powers.

Obama also said he is directing federal agencies to develop a comprehensive program aimed at deterring illegal fishing, addressing seafood fraud, and preventing illegally caught fish from entering the marketplace by increasing traceability and transparency.

According to the White House statement, black market fishing constitutes up to 20 percent of the wild marine fish caught each year around the world, and drains up to 23 billion U.S. dollars from legitimate fishing enterprises.

Kerry explained at the ocean meeting that the announcement by Obama to deal with illegal fishing will ensure that "all seafood sold in the United States is both sustainable and traceable, meaning customers will know exactly who caught it, where and when. "

"We can all do more, and if there's no market, we have an ability to really to be able to diminish the impact of illegal and undocumented, unwarranted fishing, and we want to do that," Kerry said.

He said nations at the conference have pledged to invest a total of 1.4 billion dollars towards protecting our ocean. In addition, including Obama's announcement, marine protections will be extended to cover more than 3 million square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean.

"We need to do more," Kerry told the heads of state, ministers, scientists, and industry representatives from about 80 countries at the conference. "But that is a terrific start."WASHINGTON, June 17 (Xinhua)
[cntv.cn] 
18/6/14
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