[UNEP press release; also on Keralanex; YubaNet; ReliefWeb; ...]

The Guardian (UK): Iraq's marsh wetlands still at risk

BAGHDAD
Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005

The illegal methods are wiping out wildlife, polluting water, endangering human health and undermining the recovery of one of the world's great wetlands, they say.

The marshes are part of what British troops stationed there call Iraq's "wild, wild east," a remote, lawless region where impoverished communities have a tradition of defying authority.

Since the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein two years ago there has been a boom in the use of electroshocking -- nets attached to car batteries -- to catch fish, says Iraq Nature, an environmental group.

Many of the fish not caught are left sterilized or dead, the rotting bodies spawning organic matter which uses up oxygen that in turn allows bacteria to flourish, upsetting the ecological balance.

The damage is made worse by farmers using chemicals intended to treat lice in sheep as pesticides for their crops and by hunters using poison to catch birds.

The deputy health minister, Amer al-Khuza'i, on Monday urged Iraq's most revered cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to issue a fatwa against misuse of the chemicals and poison.

Originally twice the size of the Florida Everglades, the 20,000km2 of marshes were fed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and were home to hundreds of species of birds and fish.

The 5,000-year-old marsh Arab culture, based on artificial islands and houses made from tall reeds, is considered a cradle of civilization.

The marsh Arabs were accused of helping and harboring rebels and outlaws during the failed Shiite uprising against Saddam after the 1991 Gulf War, prompting a devastating crackdown.

Thousands were killed and a gargantuan dyke-building programme drained the marshes to just 7 percent of their original extent, a catastrophe compared to the drying up of the Aral sea in central Asia and the deforestation of the Amazon.

When coalition troops overthrew the regime, the surviving marsh Arabs broke many of the dykes and water flooded back, restoring much of the wetland. Earlier this year the journal Science reported the return of giant reeds, water birds and otters, prompting optimism that recovery was under way.

But Iraq Nature researchers who have visited the region each month for the past year said thousands of fishermen were boosting their catch by connecting cheap car batteries with cables to 2m poles with nets. The 12-volt shock electrocuted fish within a 5m radius, yielding 20kg of fish each day per fisherman.

"They know it is wrong but they are poor and say it is the only way to feed their families," said Raied Hameed, one of the researchers. "It is a very serious problem for the marshes."

The Iraqi police and army seldom venture into the countryside and the British forces know better than to inflame protests by intervening, he added.

With few schools, clinics, roads or jobs the region sees little reason to obey authorities which historically have been at best neglectful, at worst murderous.

The Journal of Turkish Weekly: Bartholomeos wins UN environmental honor

Following UNEP Director Klaus Toepfer's opening speech, the seven recipients were honored with the title of "Champions of the Earth."

Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos was one of the winners of the award because of his commitment to environmental causes. U.S. Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios accepted the award and delivered a speech on behalf of Bartholomeos.

The UN Press Office previously announced that Bartholomeos, sometimes called the "Green Patriarch" in Europe, is one of seven people to be honored with the title of "Champion of the Earth." Symposiums organized by Bartholomeos on conservation, especially of the seas, were given as examples of his positive efforts. His latest symposiums were "The Caspian Sea: Gathering People and Traditions" and "Religion, Science and the Environment." Besides aiming to protect the environment, Bartholomeos also works to create a dialogue and understanding between Islam and Christianity.

The New Anatolian
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Athens News Agency: Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos among 7 recipients of UNEP 'Champions of the Earth' award
  

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos was among seven recipients -- including monarchs, government and religious leaders, and indigenous and youth group representatives -- of the inaugural UNEP "Champions of the Earth" awards, presented at a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday evening. The award was accepted on the Patriarch's behalf by Archbishop Demetrios of America.

    In presenting the awards to this unique group of seven environmental leaders, representing each region of the world, Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), hailed them for their efforts to "fight for, defend and protect the natural riches that we have for too long taken for granted".

    "UNEP is honoured to recognize the achievements of those who have, to a large extent, set the environmental agenda and laid the foundations for the many areas of progress we are able to see and celebrate today", he noted.

    The Champions of the Earth award was created by UNEP in 2004 to honour individuals or groups who have made a significant and recognized contribution, regionally or beyond, to the protection and sustainable management of the Earth’s environment and natural resources. Laureates have been rewarded for their creativity, vision and leadership, and for the potential that their work and ideas can be replicated across the globe.

    The award is a sculpture, made of recyclable metal, representing the four elements of nature.

    According to a UNEP press release:

    For North America, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, who was on hand to receive the honour in person, was recognized for her energies in speaking out on behalf of the 155,000 Inuit of the Arctic. As Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, she has been a highly effective spokesperson on the international stage on a wide range of Arctic and indigenous issues. These range from the devastating effects of climate change and its relentless assault on the Inuit’s traditional way of life to global efforts to eliminate persistent organic pollutants, which pose a particular threat to Arctic peoples and ecosystems.

    His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Vartholomeos), spiritual leader of the over 300 million Orthodox Christians, and known as the Green Patriarch, was honoured with the Champions of the Earth award for mobilizing moral and spiritual forces, not just in Europe, but globally, towards achieving harmony between humankind and nature. As leader of the Orthodox Church, he has worked energetically to promote mediation between East and West, and to challenge people and leaders of all faiths to vigorously pursue peaceful and innovative solutions to the challenges of the new millennium. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America accepted the award on behalf of the Patriarch. Among his many environmental achievements is a series of symposia on the conservation of the seas, as part of 'Religion, Science and the Environment', with the latest being 'The Caspian Sea -- Linking People and Traditions'. The symposium also aims to encourage understanding and a dialogue between the Christian and Islamic Faiths.

    Also present was Julia Carabias Lillo, representing the Latin American and Caribbean region, who was honoured for her efforts in coordinating research and rural development programmes in extremely impoverished peasant communities throughout her native Mexico. She was also recognized for her outstanding service to her Government as its Environment Minister in the 1990s and, internationally more recently, as Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility.

    President Thabo Mbeki and the people of South Africa received the Champions of the Earth award for their commitment to cultural and environmental diversity. They were also honoured for their efforts towards achieving the goals and targets encapsulated in the 2000 Millennium Declaration and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Plan of Implementation, particularly in the area of clean water and sanitation. Their world leadership in conservation practices, including spearheading of the groundbreaking sponsorship of the Peace Parks concept to support cross-border conservation of critically important wild habitats, has also been exemplary. Mr. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, was on hand to accept the award.

    The next honour went to a leader in the West Asia region, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, for his lifetime work to protect his country’s environment, and for his widely acclaimed contributions to agriculture, afforestation and species protection. The presentation of the award recognizing the late Sheikh’s environmental achievements was made Tuesday in Dubai to his eldest son Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, during an official visit by Mr. Toepfer.

    From Asia and the Pacific, the King and the People of Bhutan were presented the award in recognition of their commitment to placing the environment at the centre of the country’s constitution and all its development plans. Bhutan’s track record is quite impressive, with more than 74 per cent of its land under forest cover, and 26 per cent of this cover designated as protected areas. Also notable are the country’s long-standing legislation and policies that ensure the sustainable use of resources, promote community involvement in environmental activities, improve land use planning, and integrate traditional with modern natural resource use practices. Mr. Daw Penjo Bhutan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, accepted the award on behalf of the King and the people of Bhutan.

    A special award was given to Mr. Zhou Qiang and the All-China Youth Federation in recognition of Mr. Zhou’s outstanding achievements as honorary chairman of the Federation and leader of the China Mother River Protection Operation, which mobilised 300 million Chinese youth to protect the environment. The Federation, the national umbrella organization for youth associations in China, has undertaken almost 900 afforestation projects covering nearly 200,000 hectares. Mr. Zhou was in attendance to accept the award.