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Sea Turtles ImpactOkinawa base makes three endangered sea turtle species go extinct Center for Biological Diversity et. al 9 (letter written by a few hundred wildlife groups to President Obama, 12/3/09, The Okinawa dugong has extreme cultural significance to the Okinawan people, and only about 50 dugongs are thought to remain in these waters. The base construction will crush the last remaining critical habitat for the Okinawa dugong, destroying feeding trails and seagrass beds essential for dugong survival. Sea turtles: Three types of endangered sea turtle — the hawksbill, loggerhead, and green — also depend on this ecosystem. These turtles are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the global Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The turtles use nearby beaches to feed and lay their eggs. The construction and operation of the new base will cause water and air pollution, create artificial light pollution, and increase human activity — all of which are harmful to sea turtle survival. That leads to a chain reaction of species extinction Crossland 6- Sea Turtle Biologist and Scientific Advisor to MEDASSET (Suzanne, 2006, “Suzy’s Sea Turtle FAQ”. http://www.euroturtle.org/faq.htm#25) Sea turtles make substantial nutrient and energy contributions to beaches, promoting plant growth, stabilising beach and dune systems. Green sea turtles graze seagrass beds, increasing the productivity of those areas. Leatherback turtles are major jellyfish predators, providing natural ecological control of jellyfish populations. If the decline in sea turtle populations is allowed to continue, it could have severe consequences on many marine and terrestrial plant and animal species that depend on sea turtles for their survival. Dugong Add-onExpanding Okinawa's U.S. Military base will threaten the dugong. Center for Biological Diversity, n.d.- specialist center that works to create protection of species (n.d., Center for Biological Diversity, “Help Save Okinawa Dugong and Coral Reef Ecosystem,” http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/p/dia/action/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=1798 ) Okinawa is home to ecologically significant coral reefs that support more than 1,000 species of reef fish, marine mammals, and sea turtles. Creatures like the highly imperiled dugong, a critically endangered and culturally treasured animal, rely on these reefs for their survival. But the U.S. government is planning to build a new American military base atop a healthy coral reef that will likely destroy the diverse array of animal life the reef supports, including at least nine species threatened with extinction. Okinawa's coral reefs are already threatened by global warming and pollution: More than half have disappeared over the past decade. We must protect the reef and its inhabitants. American, Japanese, and international organizations have spoken out for this critical area and against the potential harm that the new military base would cause. Back in 1997, Japan's Mammalogical Society placed the mighty dugong, a distant relative of the manatee, on its "Red List of Mammals," estimating the population in Okinawa to be critically endangered. Our own Endangered Species Act lists the dugong and three sea turtles affected by the project as endangered. The U.S. government's Marine Mammals Commission is weighing in with fears that the project would be a serious threat to the dugong and other animals' survival, and the World Conservation Union's dugong specialists have expressed similar concerns. Construction of the offshore facility will devastate the marine environment and have dramatic consequences for oceangoing birds and coastal species as well. In addition to destruction of the coral reef off the coast of Henoko village, the planned base will deplete essential freshwater supplies, increase the human population in sensitive areas, and encourage more environmentally harmful development -- causing irreversible ecological damage to one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. The U.S. government must abandon this plan. Dugongs are key to marine ecology- even a few deaths can significantly affect the population National Geographic 4 (Jennifer Vernon, 1/23/04, “ Dugongs Draw Hungry Sharks to Australia Bay”, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/01/0123_040123_dugongcam.html) Dugongs can be found along coastlines throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, although their extensive range belies the fact that their numbers are dropping in most of these areas. Specifically, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified dugongs as "vulnerable," meaning that a 20 percent population loss over either a ten-year period or three generations is suspected. The biggest cause of this attrition is loss or degradation of their seagrass habitat. Other mortality risks include being hunted, a practice still prevalent throughout much of southeastern Asia, entanglement in fishing nets, and injury from boat propellers. Given that dugongs have a potentially long life span (up to 70 years) but a slow breeding rate, it only takes a few deaths to detrimentally affect a given population. Because the herbivorous dugong depends primarily on a diet of seagrass—which is itself especially vulnerable to environmental factors—the species dugongs choose to eat are of particular importance in developing conservation measures to protect vital dugong habitats. Conversely, seagrass forms the very foundation upon which an entire ecosystem is built. Being voracious but selective grazers, dugongs leave their mark on seagrass abundance and variety. Which types of seagrass are eaten, and how much is eaten, affects other creatures dependent on seagrass for food or shelter. So variations in a dugong population, due either to predation or human factors, directly affect the health of an entire seagrass ecosystem. It is this critical interdependency that makes the dugong such a vital species, one whose own health is inextricably linked to the health of an entire marine community. Preserving the dugong is essential to Okinawa's ecosystem. Feffer, 10- co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus (John, “Save the Dugong,” p. 1-2) The critically endangered and culturally treasured dugong is a manatee-like creature that lives in the pristine conditions of Henoko Bay. In 1955, Japan listed the Okinawa dugong as a "Natural Monument." Japan’s Mammalogical Society placed the dugong on its Red List of Mammals, and the dugong is recognized by the U.S. government as federally endangered. The Okinawa dugong has considerable cultural significance for the Okinawan people, and only about 50 dugongs are thought to remain in these waters. The base construction would imperil the last remaining critical habitat for the Okinawa dugong, destroying feeding trails and seagrass beds essential for dugong survival. The relocation would destroy a valuable ecosystem, including nearly 400 types of coral and the habitat for more than 1,000 species of fish. It would devastate the dugong habitat in Henoko Bay and nearby Oura Bay. It would also harm three endangered sea turtles, several threatened birds, and stands of mangrove trees. Construction of the base would also increase water and noise pollution in the area. Protesters of the base have used the dugong as a reason for delaying base expansion. Rowley, 9- journalist for Business Times Singapore in Tokyo (12/14/09, Anthony, “Rare mammal may save Okinawa coastline; Airbase plans violate a U.S. Perservation act as Henoko is the natural habitat of the endangered dugong,” Lexis Nexis) AMID signs that the Japanese government may be preparing to compromise on its tough stand against relocation of a US Marine air base within Okinawa, some protesters against a planned new facility there are pinning their hopes on a humble mammal known as the 'dugong' to spare their idyllic coastline from destruction by the move. They are looking to the San Francisco Federal Court to confirm a preliminary ruling that plans to construct a new US airbase in the Henoko area of Okinawa are 'illegal'. The ruling, in January 2008, was that the plans violate the US National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) because Henoko is the natural habitat of one of Japan's 'cultural assets' - the dugong, which is also classified as an 'endangered species' in the US. This rather bizarre development comes at a time when US and Japanese governments have hit a deadlock in negotiations over where to site a replacement facility for the Futenma air base in Okinawa, which is scheduled to close by 2014. Efforts exist to protect the dugong through international environmental organizations- the United States military is ignoring this effort. Washington Peace Center, 10- organization that analyzes global issues and controversies (4/15/10, WPC, “WPC objects to U.S. Military base in Okinawa,” http://www.washingtonpeacecenter.org/node/3050) The Washington Peace Center has signed on to the following letter protesting a massive U.S. military project threatens to destroy a critically important coral reef near Henoko, Okinawa. Dear President Obama and Prime Minister Hatoyama: If the proposal to relocate the military operations of U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to Camp Schwab and Henoko Bay moves forward as planned, it will destroy one of the last healthy coral reef ecosystems in Okinawa and push several nationally and internationally protected species to the brink of extinction. Under a 2006 bilateral agreement, the U.S. and Japanese governments agreed to relocate the contentious Futenma Air Station to Camp Schwab and Henoko Bay. However, this short-sighted plan did not take into consideration that the relocation would destroy a valued ecosystem, including the nearly 400 types of coral and habitat for more than 1,000 species of fish. It would also adversely impact imperiled sea turtles and the iconic, Okinawa dugong. The critically endangered and culturally treasured dugong, a manatee-like creature, relies on the pristine conditions of Henoko Bay. Japan’s Mammalogical Society placed the dugong on its Red List of Mammals, estimating the population in Okinawa to be critically endangered. The Okinawa dugong has considerable cultural significance for the Okinawan people, and only about 50 dugongs are thought to remain in these waters. The base construction would imperil the last remaining critical habitat for the Okinawa dugong, destroying feeding trails and seagrass beds essential for dugong survival. Not only is the Okinawa dugong locally revered, it has been internationally recognized as a species of special concern and status. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has designated the 2010 Year for Biodiversity as the year of the dugong. The IUCN has urged the Japanese government to establish a dugong protected area as well as an action plan that would avoid or minimize adverse effects caused by the U.S. Marine Corps facility. The World Conservation Union’s dugong specialists have expressed similar concerns and have placed the dugong on their Red List of threatened species. The Okinawa dugong is also a federally listed endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and the U.S. government’s Marine Mammal Commission fears the project would pose a serious threat to this mammal’s survival. The base plan would devastate dugong habitat in Henoko Bay and nearby Oura Bay. The recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and the Democratic Party of Japan have expressed the desire to renegotiate the 2006 agreement and cancel plans to relocate the base. Local residents have voted against the airbase project in a referendum, and now Okinawa’s Prefectural Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution asking Prime Minister Hatoyama to move the Marine Corps air operations off the island. The prime minister has announced he will wait until the end of May 2010 to decide whether to proceed with the relocation as planned in the 2006 U.S.-Japan realignment agreement, or whether he will attempt to negotiate with the United States for an alternate site. We urge you to renegotiate the terms of the 2006 realignment agreement and abandon this destructive project and ensure the Okinawa dugong has a fighting chance at celebrating its importance in 2010 and years to come. By canceling the plan to construct an airbase near Henoko Bay, you will protect a globally important ocean ecosystem and some of the best remaining habitat for the Okinawa dugong. You have the ability and duty to alter the course of this devastating plan, but time is of the essence. We urge you to direct the U.S. secretaries of defense and state to cancel this project immediately. Sincerely, A coalition of hundreds of groups representing millions of people, as listed on the following pages, has called for the cancellation of the base plan and the protection of the dugong and the precious ocean habitat of Okinawa. Directory: files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Integer programming and game theory files -> 4 Integer Programming files -> Bpa vehicle Window Repair Scenario #1 task: Procure vehicle window relacement. Objective files -> Pop Warner History files -> North Carolina Inclusion Initiative Mapping Where Children with ieps are Being Served Purpose files -> Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Program Data: Standard 1 Exhibit 4d files -> Hanban – asia society confucius classrooms network 2010 request for proposal files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations Download 1.23 Mb. Share with your friends:
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