MARINE SCIENTISTS APPEAL TO WTO TO HALT OVERFISHING
A group of international marine scientists have appealed to WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, asking him to push for deep cuts to the fisheries subsidies that they blame for declining marine fish stocks worldwide.
Signed by a group of 125 fisheries experts from 27 countries, the declaration was delivered to the WTO head on 24 May in Geneva. It calls on Lamy to use his ’skill and leadership’ to encourage a successful outcome to the fisheries subsidies talks. As part of the Doha Round, Member governments are negotiating new disciplines on fisheries spending (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 11 May 2007). Proposals for sweeping prohibitions on fisheries subsidies have been introduced by the US and Brazil, and backed by a strong coalition of countries, including New Zealand and Chile.
Supporters both within the WTO and outside it believe the recent proposals represent an historic moment to directly address environmental concerns through trade negotiations. "The WTO has a once in a lifetime chance to demonstrate that it can not only balance trade and the environment, but make one of the greatest contributions to protecting the world’s oceans," said Andrew Sharpless, the CEO of the marine conservation group Oceana.
Not only is fish a heavily traded commodity, it also plays a vital role in sustaining the welfare and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Yet, scientists have reported that fish stocks are dramatically decreasing - in significant measure due to government subsidies that provide incentives for too many boats to catch too many fish. It is estimated that if overharvesting is not halted soon, the world’s fish stocks face irrevocable collapse within 50 years.
Signatories to the letter addressed to Lamy assert that the WTO has the opportunity to reverse this cycle through implementing stronger fisheries disciplines globally. "The WTO needs to seize the opportunity presented by the fisheries subsidies negotiations to address global overfishing, because as the world’s leading scientists have declared, if we wait it will be too late," said Sharpless.
Delegates to the WTO are to meet on 11 June to continue negotiations on fisheries subsidies under the Doha Round talks.
The letter to Lamy is available at http://oceana.org/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/reports/Scientists_Letter_FINAL_5_24_07.pdf.
ICTSD reporting; "Scientists urge WTO to act to slash fishing subsidies," REUTERS, 24 May 2007; "Leading Scientists Appeal to World Trade Organization to Stop Destructive Fishing Subsidies," OCEANA, 24 May 2007. TIMBER COUNCIL TACKLES PERSISTENT ILLEGAL LOGGING, TRADE IN THREATENED SPECIES
Illegal logging and trade in threatened timber species featured prominently at a major international forest policy meeting held in Papua New Guinea (PNG) from 7-12 May.
With an eye to improving the conservation and management of the world’s forests, delegates to the 42nd session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-42) discussed forest law enforcement and governance and developments in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The council is the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).
Giving special attention to the meeting’s host country, delegates considered illegal logging in PNG, where the government has recently come under fire from several environmental that claim it has failed to crack down on illegal logging within the country’s borders.
As outlined in a summary report released at the gathering, participants in an ITTO-sponsored workshop recommended that the PNG government crack down on illegal logging by imposing tougher penalties on offenders, building stronger regional information networks, and providing training for all stakeholders in how to monitor illegal logging activities.
Though the workshop focused on the particular experiences of PNG, its findings highlight measures that many timber-producing countries could implement to combat illegal logging.
Continuing a theme from previous sessions, delegates considered the ITTO’s growing collaboration with CITES on the regulation of trade in tropical timber products. The two organisations have made significant progress in this regard, having recently launched several joint projects aimed at helping nations build their capacity to enforce CITES regulations.
Such developments come at a time when CITES is becoming increasingly involved in the regulation of the tropical timber trade. Indeed, the upcoming conference of the parties (CoP-14) to CITES, scheduled to take place in the Netherlands in early June, will place a special focus on timber.
ICTSD reporting; "Summary of the forty-second session of the International Tropical Timber Council," EARTH NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN, 14 May 2007; "ITTO releases 20 year report," ITTO NEWS RELEASE, 7 May 2007; "US$5.3 million in new funds for tropical forests," ITTO NEWS RELEASE, 12 May 2007; "CITES branches out," FOREST UPDATE, 2007 No. 1.