Five countries to mark first-time Carpathian Parks Day

Almost 30 national and nature parks in five countries across the Carpathian Mountains will celebrate for the first time on Sunday the immense biological diversity of Europe’s last great wilderness area.

Organized for the first time, Carpathian Parks Day will encompass iconic protected areas in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of protected areas in biodiversity conservation and sustainable socio-economic development as well as to increase tourism and contribute to the financial stability in the region.

“All of the parks taking part in this massive event have something spectacular and unique to offer. If you are a photographer, a biologist, a hiker of simply a mountain lover, you will see for yourself that these parks are genuine treasures”, said Alina Alexa, communications officer at WWF.

Among parks taking part are the Tatra National Park in Slovakia, Apuseni and Bucegi Nature Parks, and Piatra Craiului National Park in Romania, as well as Djerdap National Park in Serbia. Slovakia will have the largest number of parks involved, with 17 parks taking part. The programme for the day varies from country to country and from park to park, but will offer activities including guided tours, school type activities, and trail clean ups.

“Organizing an event like this is extremely challenging, because we are dealing with five countries with different language and different problems, each one having an interesting indigenous culture. But they are all lucky enough to share a very important treasure of Europe: the Carpathians”, Alexa said.

Included in WWF’s “Global 200” ecoregion list, the Carpathian Mountains are noted for their exceptional level of biodiversity, which is unsurpassed in Europe.

The Carpathians host Europe’s largest area of old-growth forests as well as the largest remaining natural mountain beech and beech-fir forests ecosystems. One-third of all European vascular plants (3,988 plant species) can be found in this region, a remarkable 481 of which are endemic.

The unique diversity of habitats of the Carpathians make them a haven for globally threatened species such as the European bison, the Tatra Mountain Chamois and the Imperial Eagle. The Carpathians are the last region in Europe to support viable populations of large carnivores. An estimated 8,000 brown bears , 4,000 wolves and 3,000 Lynx can still be found here.

The region receives twice as much rainfall as the surrounding area, and this freshwater feeds the Danube, Vistula and Dniester rivers and their major tributaries through to the Black and Baltic Sea. More than 80 percent of Romania’s water supply (excluding the Danube) and 40 percent of Ukraine’s water supply comes from the Carpathians.

Furthermore, the Carpathians form a ‘bridge’ between Europe’s northern forests and those in the south and west. As such, they are a vital corridor for the dispersal of plants and animals throughout Europe.

However, these European and global treasures are under threat as a result of the unprecedented change that the region is undergoing as it becomes increasingly integrated into the European and global economy. The ecoregion is undergoing unsustainable logging, overexploitation of large mammal species, habitat destruction from changing land use, habitat fragmentation from infrastructure development and destruction of freshwater habitats from river regulation and flood control.

To help generate high-level political support for sustainable development in the Carpathians, the Danube-Carpathian Summit organised by the Romanian Government and WWF in 2001 led to the development and signing of the Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Carpathian Convention) in 2003 and came into force in 2006.

The Carpathian Convention is a framework convention and the first significant political step ensuring environmental protection and socio-economic development in the Carpathian Mountains. The Convention obligates the signatories to enhance their efforts to achieve sustainable development of the Carpathian Mountains through a wide range of sector-related activities, such as biodiversity conservation, agriculture, forestry, water management, energy and transport.

“We hope Carpathian Parks Day will become an annual event and as such it will start building a Carpathian protected area identity”, said Alina Alexa.

As part of the event, Romania is hosting an open air photo exhibition of 28 large images from the country’s protected areas. They offer the public a colorful glimpse of the rich life in the wilderness. The images focus on the “gifts” we obtain from nature - fresh air, clean water, health, relaxation.

Sweden aims for a lasting Expo legacy in China

Shanghai, China: Sweden is working towards a lasting legacy from its participation in the Shanghai Exp 2010, with Swedish companies and organisations to tie contributions to projects in China with visits to the Swedish pavilion.

The pavilion itself is a temporary fixture in Shanghai – but the planting of
5,000 trees made possible through the contribution of industrial products manufacturer Alfa Laval will be helping restore earthquake damaged areas of Szechuan Province for years to come.

The trees will be planted at the WWF China project in the Minshan Mountains where the Chinese giant panda lives. The trees are vital for restoring this area, which was severely damaged during the May 2008 earthquake.

The scheme, organised by the Swedish Committee for Expo 2010 and WWF Sweden, aims to raise RMB0.05 (about €5 cents or US 7 cents for each visitor to the country’s striking two piece geometric pavilion

It is estimated that the Swedish pavilion will receive an average of 15,000 visitors per day during the six months of World Expo.

The WWF China project area consists of coniferous forest with a diverse ground vegetation of bamboo, which is important for many animal species. The mountainsides are covered with deciduous forest and in the valleys the rhododendron grows and colours the landscape in a palette of blue, red and pink when it flowers in the spring.

Apart from the giant panda, other animals occurring in the area include black bear, brown bear, lynx, clouded leopard, thaki, mountain sheep and the fantastic golden monkey – a species that only exists in the panda’s habitat.

Contributions will also go to restoring infrastructure.

South Asia wildlife experts back new enforcement network

Kathmandu, Nepal - Experts from seven countries have laid the foundation for a South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) as a coordinated regional response to combat illegal poaching and trafficking.

This week, experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed during a special meeting in Nepal to establish a secretariat and an outline work plan for the new network.

South Asia contains a range of habitats of global significance that support a unique array of animal and plant species such as tigers and other Asian big cats, rhino, marine and freshwater turtles, pangolins and Red Sanders. However, this rich biodiversity makes it a major target for poachers and wildlife traffickers.

This often involves trans-boundary landscapes and habitats, movements of people and goods across porous borders, and is increasingly characterised by organised criminal syndicates working in more than one country.

In particular, tigers are in the spotlight this year during the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. There are possibly as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild and WWF is working this year to secure political commitments that will double the number of tigers by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.

The historic First Meeting of the South Asia Experts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade was convened with the objective of helping wildlife law enforcement agencies becoming better organized than the criminals they monitor. As a major step towards a co-ordinated and collaborative mechanism, the meeting’s Experts Group agreed that an action-oriented approach under the newly formed SAWEN should be pursued without delay.

The experts agreed the structure, functions and operational parameters for SAWEN, including ideas for developing multi-lateral activities based on strong co-operation at the national level between the various government bodies dealing with wildlife crime, including police, customs and anti-corruption bodies, as well as wildlife rangers and park managers.

"Co-operation and co-ordination between the government agencies supported by their international counterparts is of utmost importance to effectively tackle illegal wildlife trade in the region,” said Hon. Mr Deepak Bohara, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, in his closing address.

The Government of Nepal has offered to drive this process further in hosting the network and acting as an interim co-ordinator for the network. During the next six months, it will focus on co-ordinating key information and identifying further resources and expertise from member countries to develop joint operations, training programs, communication plans and fundraising to enable the network to begin interdicting major trafficking activities. The Government of Bhutan has offered to host the next meeting of SAWEN members.

"WWF is pleased at the outcomes of the meeting and looks forward to working with the network in the coming months to ensure the success of this crucial initiative, "said Mr. Diwakar Chapagain, Wildlife Trade Manager, WWF Nepal."We appreciate the leadership shown by the Government of Nepal and support by TRAFFIC International in organizing this meeting."

The First Meeting of the South Asia Experts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade was hosted by the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Govt. of Nepal, and supported by WWF Nepal and TRAFFIC International. Funding support for the meeting was provided by the U.S Government’s Department of State.

The Experts Group also benefited from inputs from the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), including from ICPO-Interpol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Customs Organization. Experiences from the neighbouring South-east Asia region through the work of ASEAN’s Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) was also valuable in providing lessons learned from a similar process of intergovernmental action against illegal wildlife trade.

Biodiversity Day is rallying cry for urgent political action - WWF

As the world prepares to celebrate the diversity of life on earth, WWF and other NGOs are calling on governments to make fundamental changes to economic planning to avoid the collapse of the world’s life support system.

On Saturday, the world will mark the International Day for Biological Diversity, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1993 to “increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.”

Biodiversity and healthy natural ecosystems underpin human well-being and the economy by providing a range of benefits or ‘services’ such as clean air and water, protection from natural disasters, medicine and food. Experts estimate the global economic value of biodiversity to be as high as US$ 33 trillion per year.

“Governments rarely take the economic and social benefits of nature into account in their policies and activities,” said Rolf Hogan, Biodiversity Manager at WWF International. “This leads to the destruction of natural ecosystems and the undermining of our future. It is reaching a crisis point.”

Simultaneously, the world’s governments have failed to meet the promise they made in 2002 to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity.

Recent studies, including the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, show that massive further loss of biodiversity is becoming increasingly likely. Several “tipping points” are approaching, in which ecosystems shift to less productive states from which it may be impossible to recover, according to the studies.

In a statement delivered to a scientific meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity earlier this week, 24 international NGOs including WWF - representing civil society, conservation and indigenous peoples - told governments that they have failed because they have “not addressed the underlying causes of biodiversity loss.”

“Current economic and governance systems and policies promote the over consumption of natural resources by some countries and segments of society,” according to the statement. “This is driving the destruction of habitats and undermining the rights and livelihoods of millions of people who depend on them.”

“We are at a turning point. Fundamental change is urgently required.”

“The International Day for Biological Diversity should act as a reminder that heads of state need to heed this call by NGOs to make concrete commitments when they meet at the United National General Assembly special session on biodiversity in September,” said Hogan.

“We cannot expect environmental ministries to take this on alone. Conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity must move from the political fringes and into the centre stage if we’re to prevent a catastrophic loss of biodiversity.”

The NGO statement also makes several recommendations, including that the true value of biodiversity and ecosystem services is integrated into economic planning and actions to fight against climate change, and that the rights of indigenous peoples are recognised.

Copy from WWF

Nairobi, Kenya – WWF is saddened by the death of four mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. The mother and three infant gorillas were part of an estimated 380 members of the highly endangered Virunga mountain gorilla population.

On Sunday, May 16, trackers from the Karisoke Research Centre visiting the Pablo group reported they had found a dead female and her baby—Mutesi— alive but very weak. As the trackers went to find the rest of the group they then discovered another dead baby gorilla. Fortunately, the second baby’s mother was found a day later with no signs of illness.

The trackers immediately alerted the Rwandan Development Board which mobilized veterinarians to try and save the ailing baby Mutesi. In the quickly fading daylight, the veterinarians decided to move towards the park to link up with the trackers. Their valiant efforts to administer antibiotics and warm her up were futile. Baby Mutesi was hardly breathing; she died about two hours later.

“Each baby mountain gorilla is a source of great hope and is monitored very closely,” says Eugene Rutagarama, Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, and W WF. “We are all shocked and saddened by the death of these baby gorillas as well as the adult female, and by the grave implications for the mountain gorilla population as a whole.”

Results of latest census may provide hope for the future

The news of the gorilla deaths is casting a pall over enthusiasm being generated by a mountain gorilla census being conducted across the Virunga Volcanoes. Facilitated by IGCP and funded by WWF, a team of 80 park officials and other experts over two months collected data on gorilla activity as well as faecal samples for genetic analysis and health.

The results are now being analyzed and are expected to be released in October 2010. The last census of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes, conducted in 2003, revealed the population had increased 17 percent since the previous census in 1989. Conservationists are hoping to see another rise this time around.

Ecological Footprint takes center stage at WWF’s Shanghai Expo pavilion

Shanghai, China – Visitors of the Shanghai World Expo have the opportunity to evaluate their ecological impacts on the planet with the Ecological Footprint calculator available at the WWF pavilion. Ecological Footprint (a measure of human demand on the planet’s ecosystems) and sustainable ways of living are the theme of the first of six monthly campaigns run at the WWF pavilion during the Expo.

Visitors are invited to calculate their demand of natural resources with the aid of a customized footprint calculator, available on site and online. Calculations are based on information such as the types of food people eat and the means of transport they choose in their daily lives, the amount of energy and water they consume, and the amount of waste they produce. WWF is also suggesting ways to reduce impacts, such as taking a shower rather than a bath, or unplugging unnecessary electronic appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

“Gosh, I am consuming 2.3 Earths,” said a 6-year-old boy after completing the online questionnaire with the help of his mum. He committed to pay more attention to his water use in the future.

Ecological impacts in daily activities, such as use of cars, are also highlighted with sand painting shows which aim at illustrating that goods we use in our daily life have an impact on the planet – sometimes far away from home.

As children are invited to join the show by painting on sand, a 8-year old Chinese girl said: “I want to draw a planet which is lying sick on a bed because of environmental pollution. If we do not want to send the planet to hospital, we need to take care of it.”

During the first ten days of the Shanghai’s World Expo over 40,000 people visited WWF’s pavilion, which is in the shape of the “tai qi” showing the balance between ying and yang to represent humans living in harmony with nature.

Sacred Himalayan sites bring together religious leaders, conservationists

A first-time workshop in Bhutan today is bringing together religious leaders, government officials and conservationists to discuss how to better protect sacred natural sites in the region.

The workshop comes amid renewed interest from religious leaders worldwide in supporting conservation efforts.

For example, during the last two years Malaysia's Muslim preachers have been enlisted in the fight for wildlife conservation, using passages from the Koran to raise awareness and help protect some of the world's most endangered species.

Ahead of the climate talks in 2009, the Christian Orthodox Church’s most senior leader in September 2009 issued a statement urging world leaders to join him and his more than 200 million followers in pushing for a strong and fair climate deal.

In many countries, religion and culture have played a significant role in the preservation of not only cultural riches, but also forests, rivers and in some cases mountains in the form of “sacred natural sites” that are revered by the local communities as abodes of their local deities or gods.

These beliefs have directly or indirectly helped in preservation of nature, according to WWF. This kind of reverence is seen amply in Bhutan and in the region but a direct link to nature conservation from these beliefs has never been studied till now.

WWF and its Living Himalayas Initiative are organizing the workshop, called “Sacred Natural Sites, Biodiversity Conservation & Climate Change in the Eastern Himalayas” in Bhutan from 17-19 May.

“The workshop on Sacred Natural Sites, bio-cultural diversity, and climate change is a first step in the region to get a group of academics, religious leaders and practitioners, government agencies, and conservationists together to discuss the issues and start to take action” said Tariq Aziz, Leader Living Himalayas Initiative.

The overall aim of this workshop is to document the sacred natural sites in the Eastern Himalayan region (Bhutan, India & Nepal) and detail their importance to the conservation of the region’s bio-cultural diversity; to engage faith groups further in practical conservation; and to explore the increasing threats and adaptation needs of faith communities in the face of rapidly changing climatic conditions.

Officials from WWF’s Network, religious leaders, experts in the field of religion and culture and climate change and related government officials from the Eastern Himalayan region are attending this two day meeting.

“In the Himalayas – the whole place is sacred, but there are many more specific places that have an even more special status for the different traditions that are prominent here” said Liza Higgins Zogib, Manager, People and Conservation, WWF International.

Through this effort WWF hopes to gather the varying opinions of the participating groups and find a solution to better protect those sacred natural sites

WWF-Rhino

The Sumatran rhino – once widespread on Borneo – is now confirmed to exist only in the northeast state of Sabah (Malaysia) and is possibly extinct from its former habitat in the state of Sarawak (Malaysia) and Kalimantan (Indonesia). Currently, Borneo’s Sumatran rhino population is estimated to be less than 30 animals. Click for a map of the region

Saving the rhino…..

WWF-Malaysia is working closely with Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department Sabah Foundation and the Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA), with the support from the Royal Malaysian Police, to ensure the safety and survival of this species. This coordinated enforcement has already yielded results, as WWF and partners have identified two rhino calves in the region.

Data gathered from continued rhino monitoring and surveying show numerous threats. The home range of the rhinos is affected by oil palm expansion near the coastline. The conversion of natural forests into palm oil and other mono crops further fragment rhino populations, reducing its chances of survival. WWF-Malaysia is engaging land developers and forest managers to restore wildlife corridors and address illegal encroachment to protect Sabah’s rhinos. The Sabah Wildlife Department is also working closely with WWF-Malaysia and the Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) to finalize a Rhino Action Plan. The plan will focus on habitat protection and enforcement as well as a breeding program for isolated rhinos.

Did You Know?

• A male kangaroo is called a buck. It is also commonly called a "boomer" or an "old man".
• A female kangaroo is called a doe, or a flyer.
• A baby kangaroo is called a joey.
• Kangaroos have good eyesight but only respond to moving objects.
• They have excellent hearing and can swivel their large ears in all directions to pick up sounds.
• Kangaroos are social animals that live in groups or "mobs" of at least two or three individuals and up to 100 kangaroos.
• Kangaroos are the only large animals that move by hopping.
• Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together - and not one at a time.
• Male kangaroos "box", either in play, when asserting their dominance or in serious competition over females. The punching of the front legs is pretty harmless, but the powerful hind legs with their long sharp toenails are a dangerous weapon.
• Kangaroos can disembowel opponents, be it other kangaroos or predators like dogs.
• A female kangaroo can have three babies at the same time: an older joey living outside the pouch but still drinking milk, a young one in the pouch attached to a teat, and an embryo awaiting birth.
• In Greek, macropod means “long foot”, which is appropriate as most macropods have very long hind feet with long strong toes.
• The Western grey kangaroo males are known as stinkers due to their strong,curry-like smell.

A Javan rhino was found dead late last week in Cat Tien National Park in, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, further endangering the population of one of the world’s rarest large mammals.

It is now uncertain how many, if any, Javan rhinos are left in Vietnam, WWF said.

The rhino is suspected to have been killed by poachers after a scientific examination by WWF and national park authorities found the animal had been shot and the horn had been removed. Rhino horn is a highly valued commodity in the illegal wildlife trade, with the skin and feces used for alleged medicinal purposes.

“This is devastating news for rhino conservation and Vietnam,” said Dung Huynh Tien, National Policy Coordinator of WWF Vietnam. “The loss of this rhino is symbolic of the grim situation facing endangered species like the rhino and tiger across Vietnam.”

Local people first reported finding the body of a large mammal to National Park authorities on April 29. A forest patrol team was immediately deployed to the site where they confirmed the dead animal was a Javan rhino.

“WWF urges the Vietnamese Government to launch an urgent and extensive criminal investigation into this animal’s death,” said Dung Huynh Tien.

It is a criminal offence under Vietnamese law to trade, use or consume any part of an endangered animal such as the Javan rhino. Those convicted of this crime can face imprisonment and large fines.

Rhino poaching worldwide hit a 15-year high in 2009. The illegal trade is being driven by an Asian demand for horns, made worse by increasingly sophisticated poachers.

Vietnam was highlighted as a country of particular concern at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES) meeting in March, and Vietnamese nationals operating in South Africa have recently been identified in rhino crime investigations.

Vietnam’s Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) are one of only two populations of the species left on Earth. Official estimates say there are fewer than 60 Javan rhino left. The largest population of approximately 40-60 is found in Ujung Kulon National Park, Java, Indonesia. There are no Javan rhinos in captivity in the world.

WWF recently finished a field survey using highly trained sniffer dogs from the US to locate rhino dung. These dung samples will undergo DNA analysis to determine the exact population status of the species. Results from this study will be available later this year.

WWF will send samples taken from the dead rhino to Queen’s University in Canada for analysis to see if the DNA of the dead rhino matches any of the dung samples taken during the population status survey.

China study shows huge potential of low carbon telecom solutions

Beijing, China - an joint China Mobile and WWF study has shown the huge potential low carbon telecommunication solvents accept to reduce carbon emissions, on savings by Chinese telecom solutions in 2008 estimated at being similar to the total CO2 emissions of countries like Sweden, Denmark or Finland.

Low Carbon Telecommunications Solutions in China: Current Reductions and Future Potential, which was presented today at the Telecommunications Sector Conference for Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction in Beijing was carried out by the Service Management Science Research Institute of the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

It estimates direct CO2 emissions savings from low carbon telecom solutions provided by China Mobile in 2008 at 48.5 million tonnes or just over six times the company’s own emissions. For 2009, the savings were 58.2 million tonnes, almost six and a half times company emissions.

“It is important to pay attention to the companies that deliver the solutions society needs, and not only focus on those that are big emitters,” said Dermot O’Gorman, the Country Representative of WWF China. “We want to support China and Chinese companies to take the lead in a solution approach that can deliver results not just in China, but globally.”

The estimates were based on detailed analysis of direct savings from 14 low carbon information communication technologies (ICTs) offered by China Mobile which were categorised into smart logistics (like matching truck journeys to load needs), dematerialisation (saving paper and other materials), smart work (reducing commuting and travel needs) and smart appliances (remotely monitored and controlled for energy savings).

The estimates are also conservative, disregarding the potential for indirect savings. For instance, while the energy implications by savings in paper from putting newspapers, sales brochures and invoicing online are calculated, no account is taken of the reduced needs for transport, storage and waste disposal or the knock-on infrastructure implications of such reductions.

“We are happy to present this joint report with WWF that clearly demonstrates the important role of the mobile telecom sector in helping China to move towards a low carbon economy,” said Jianzhou Wang, the President of China Mobile Communications Corporation.

“Many of our solutions are transformative and help people get better service with dramatically reduced emissions.”

The largest single current savings in carbon emissions lay in reducing commuting through teleworking, which could save an estimated 340 million tonnes of CO2 emissions China-wide in 2020. However, the savings from virtual meetings will increase at a much greater rate to an estimated 623 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030 when such meetings reduce the demand for commercial aviation by nearly 40 per cent.

The potential savings from smart logistics, dematerialization, smart work (including smart meeting and smart commuting) as a whole in 2010 is 399 million tons, 615 million tons in 2020 and 1298 million tons in 2030.

“This would be a significant contribution to the global greenhouse gas emission reductions and an important contribution to China’s target to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 40 to 45% by the year 2020,” said Yanli Hou, the Director of Climate Change and Energy Programme of WWF China.

“With the already existing savings and the great potential we look forward to continuing to explore the opportunities for China Mobile to contribute to a low carbon society,” said Guangze Qin, the Director of Working Group of Green Action Plan of China Mobile Communications Corporation.

The report recommends the recognition of the contribution of low carbon ICT solutions in China’s next five year plan, along with targets for the emissions reductions to be delivered.

“The government should stipulate emissions limits for certain services to support innovation and heighten the sense of industrial discipline in order to increase the incentive to use low carbon ICT solutions,” said Mr. Qin.

River sediment may counter Bangladesh sea level rise

Bangladesh may avoid losing a predicted fifth of its land to rising sea levels because of accumulated sediment being washed down by Himalayan rivers, according to scientists.

Researchers at the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), in capital city Dhaka, said that the Himalayas — relatively young mountains with a loose structure — have been losing more than a billion tonnes of sediment every year, some of which has been building up the land in the river estuaries below.

The team presented its work at a seminar on the impact of climate change on rivers organised by BRAC, Bangladesh's largest non-governmental organisation, in Dhaka last month (22 April).

The scientists say the results challenge predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that a one-metre sea level rise could submerge a fifth of the country.

Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the CEGIS study focussed on a 15,000-square-kilometre area where two major Himalayan rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Ganges, meet before draining into the Bay of Bengal.

The scientists analysed how the two rivers and the land around them changedin response to the changing climate from 1943 to 2008.

They found that the rate of sediment addition was more than the rate of soil erosion during this period — the country gained nearly 1,800 square kilometres of new land, almost five times the area of Dhaka.

The IPCC's 2007 report estimated that a one-metre rise in sea level could sink nearly one fifth of Bangladesh's land mass and displace 20 million people.


But IPCC scientists did not consider the sediment factor, Maminul Haque Sarker, deputy executive director at CEGIS, told SciDev.Net.

"If we can use these sediments in a planned way we can tackle 60 centimetres to one metre sea level rise over next 100 years," he said.

But IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri warned against "jumping to conclusions" on the basis of "one study alone".

"The IPCC looks at a range of publications before we take a balanced view on what's likely to happen," he told the news agency AFP.

Saleemul Huq, director of the climate change cell at the UK-based International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED), said that improved understanding of sediment deposition and erosion in river deltas will help develop better adaptation strategies.

However, the CEGIS team cautioned that future sediment deposits would not match the land additions of the last 65 years. The sediments from that period resulted from a massive earthquake measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale in Assam in northeast India in 1950, which dislodged about 45 billion tonnes of sediments.

Global Warming

Global warming — arising temperatures assorted with greenhouse gas emissions — endangers to change rain approach pattern* in developing countries, pretending yields, biodiversity and the range by disease transmitters.

REDUCING FOREST EMISSIONS

In the chalk up to these yr clime talks of the town in Danish capital, governances the Earth all over are purporting agencies to reduce afforest emissions. But is they backed up by technological evidence? You bet can development countries ascertain they benefit?