segunda-feira, 30 de julho de 2012

Inconsciencia consciente

    O conceito de sustentabilidade é amplo e pacífico de interpretação. Por mais que achamos que agimos sustentavelmente, sempre deixamos nossas pegadas - o que é natural para qualquer espécie. Contanto, algumas pegadas são mais dificeis de ser reparadas do que outras. A construção civil é uma dessas ações de amplo impacto e, por consequência, isso faz o segmento ser o que é. Imóveis/construções seguras e com muitos anos de duração são metas a serem cumpridas.
    Na minha concepção, bioconstrução é uma linha dentro da construção civil que poderia ser melhor buscada em função da redução de impactos ambientais. A casa da foto é um exemplo. A foto foi feita na Ilha de Ataúro e apesar de não ter sido uma "opção" do construtor, esse tipo de casa estará totalmente reinterado ao meio-ambiente caso "os moradores à deixem". A segurança, conforto e disposição de cômodos não são analizados, mas ponho desta forma pois nesta construção só há materiais locais como palha de coqueiro, bambu, viga de eucalipto, etc. Mesmo que inconscientemente, é uma construção de reduzido impacto ao meio ambiente.



segunda-feira, 16 de julho de 2012

Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle

Full Article



About 85 percent of the Coral Triangle's reefs are threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing, coastal development, and pollution.

With more than 75 percent of the world's coral species and twice the number of reef fish found anywhere else in the world, the Coral Triangle is the center of the world's marine biodiversity. Stretching from central Southeast Asia to the edge of the western Pacific, 130 million people in the Coral Triangle region depend on marine resources for food and livelihoods. In this way, the region's coral reefs and associated fisheries are vital to people and national economies, but they're also severely threatened by overexploitation.

Recognizing the critical role that coral reefs play in people's lives and the regional economy, the governments of the six countries that make up the Coral Triangle—Indonesia,, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste—came together in 2009 to form the largest marine governance initiative in the world, the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). Their common goal is to manage their valuable marine resources so that they can continue to provide benefits to people in the future.

Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle


In support of this ongoing initiative, the World Resources Institute and the USAID-funded Coral Triangle Support Partnership have just released a new report, Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle. The report provides both a region-wide and country-level perspective on the risks to reef ecosystems.

Ultimately, Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle found that 85 percent of the region's reefs are threatened by local human activities such as overfishing, destructive fishing, coastal development, and land-based pollution. When factoring in projections of climate-related ocean warming and acidification, all of these reefs will likely be threatened by 2030 if actions are not taken to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

At the national level, reefs in the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Timor-Leste are most at risk; in each case, at least 95 percent of the country's reefs are currently threatened by a combination of overfishing, coastal development, and pollution. Our analysis of nations' social and economic vulnerability to reef degradation and loss found that the Philippines is the most threatened country due to people's high collective dependence on reef resources for food and income, as well as fewer options for alternative livelihoods.

Hope for the Future


The coral reefs of the Coral Triangle are the most threatened in the world. However, given the unity of governments around CTI-CFF, there is also a lot of hope surrounding their future. Since the establishment of CTI-CFF, the six national governments involved have adopted regional and national plans of action aimed at managing pressures on their resources. Also, the past few years have seen a rise in the number of marine protected areas in the region, as well as increased awareness about the beneficial effects reef management can have on fisheries production and tourism potential.

Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle serves as a status report on the well-being of coral reefs in the region—identifying where reefs are most threatened and providing baseline data to help groups like CTI-CFF establish and prioritize specific management strategies. While there is still much work to be done to preserve the Coral Triangle's reefs, many of the most important elements—particularly multi-government cooperation arounnd a common environmental goal—are in place for continued, positivve action.

domingo, 15 de julho de 2012

Philippines highlights Coral Triangle efforts in Southwest Pacific meeting

Friday, July 13th, 2012 By Fat Reyes
Source: ETAN

Philippines­ Foreign ministers from the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Timor Leste expressed their strong support for the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), a project which aims to support the conservation and sustainable management of marine resources in the region.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio led the discussions on Maritime Cooperation and Conservation at the 10th Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SWPD) meeting held at the sidelines of the 45th Asean Ministerial Meeting on July 11.

The SWPD is a forum for dialogue of the foreign ministers to exchange views and information on various issues within the region. The statement noted that the recently held dialogue focused on connectivity, maritime conservation, and democracy issues concerning the regions.

“The Philippines said that effectively addressing challenges such as border security, piracy and freedom of navigation and ensuring the conservation and management of marine resources are shared responsibilities of all countries, especially in Asia and the Pacific,” the statement said.

The statement noted that the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI)  on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security, aimed to contribute to the improvement of conservation and sustainable  management of marine resources resulting in food security and sustainable livelihoods. It said the Coral Triangle, which includes the Philippines, was a global center of marine biodiversity  and one of the world’s top priorities  for marine conservation.

On May 4, 2012, representatives from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, presented before the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other institutional donors marine and coastal projects designed to protect the triangle.

In earlier reports, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje noted how the Coral Triangle was vital to the Philippine economy saying that the country proposed to the ADB and donor countries five projects worth $136 million to protect the Coral Triangle and promote sustainable fishing. The projects included the rehabilitation of mangroves, establishment of a marine database, and  implementation of a national coastal and marine management program.

Meanwhile, a report published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that Professor Terry Hughes, an Australian expert on marine biology and coral ecosystems, said massive coral bleaching was “entirely likely” in some reef areas, including Southeast Asia, due to the El Niño phenomenon, which is forecast to occur in the latter part of the year.
The DFA statement also noted that the Philippines accepted the offer to chair the next meeting of the SWPD at the next ASEAN meeting in Brunei Darussalam in 2013.