In country
Best municipal CRM programs named
Safe way to transport milkfish breeders developed
Ecotourism guidelines ok'd
Tuna sector holds national conference
No hunting permits to be issued - DENR
Farmers, fishers protest NIPAS, mining laws
No room for commercial fishers in Cebu waters
Cebu waters suffer "high water stress"
Cops need to study coastal laws, forum reveals
Smoked tilapia a hit in Tarlac

Overseas
Federal agencies flout manatee protection laws, says coalition
Fish farming bigger as ever and still growing
Updated Red List and Species Information Service unveiled
IUCN Congress in Amman: Loss of species is unacceptable
UNEP plans global catalogue of environmental data sources
European Commission adopts new ICZM strategy
Report says UK marine life in trouble
International conference on wetlands set
Symposium to tackle CRM in new millennium
"Uncuddly" reptiles and amphibians doomed to extinction?

In country

Best municipal CRM programs named
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) awarded last October 3 this year's best municipal coastal resource management (CRM) programs.

(L-R) PASAR Vice-Pres. Jose P. Leviste, PASAR Pres. Carlos G. Dominguez, DENR Sec. Antonio Cerilles, Mayor Antonio D. Tan (Sibulan, Negros Or.), Mayor Jinggoy Estrada (LMP President)

Named winners in the biennial Search for the Best Coastal Resource Management Programs in Philippine Municipalities were Altavas, Aklan; Calape, Bohol; Claveria, Cagayan; Sibulan, Negros Oriental; Palompon, Leyte; and LIPASECU, a bay management council composed of the municipalities of Libertad, Pandan, Sebaste, and Culasi in Antique. Altavas, Calape, Sibulan, and LIPASECU were awarded for excellence in the "Externally Assisted" Category and Claveria and Palompon were cited in the "Not Externally Assisted" Category.

Altavas, Aklan has been a member of the Central Panay Economic Unification (CPEU) since 1993. It received support for its "SAGIBIN SA DAGAT" CRM program from the Canadian International Development Agency/Local Government Support Program (CIDA/LGSP). Calape and Sibulan are included among the learning areas of the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP) of the DENR. Several CRM activities including the establishment of sanctuaries by local ordinances have been done in both municipalities through the initiative of barangay officials and the communities.

LIPASECU was formed in 1997 by the Antique Integrated Area Development (ANIAD) Foundation in partnership with the municipalities of Libertad, Pandan, Sebaste, and Culasi. The Council has implemented a bay-wide community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) program.

The municipality of Claveria, Cagayan initiated in 1995 the Fishery and Aquatic Resources Development Program (FARDP) to arrest the problem of overfishing in the area. To date, several CRM strategies are being implemented in the municipality, which has successfully increased fish catch.

Palompon, Leyte started its CRM program in 1995 to address fishery depletion caused by unregulated harvest. The local government established its Ecological Amelioration for Sustainable Development (EASD) program, which paved the way for increased fish catch, reduction of illegal fishing, and increased bidding price for fish corrals in the municipality.
Each winner received a plaque and cash incentive of P100,000 from PASAR.

PASAR's recent involvement in the Search is in line with the company's philosophy of promoting environmental protection. Over the last five years, PASAR has spent more than P55 million in environment-related programs, including the establishment of an aviary and marine sanctuary at its Isabel, Leyte plant.

Other donors include the Land Bank of the Philippines and Active Realty and Development Corporation, which awarded LIPASECU a special citation for inter-LGU cooperation.

Safe way to transport milkfish breeders developed
A safe and easy method to transport milkfish breeders has been developed by researchers of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD). The procedure "promises ease of operation" and reduces fish injury and mortality, said Dr. Arnil Emata, SEAFDEC-AQD scientist.

Emata noted that difficulties are often encountered when transporting live adult milkfish. In an Indonesian study, pond-reared milkfish were transported in a canvas tank installed on a wooden frame atop a truck from East Java to Bali, a 15- to 17-hour trip. Mortality was low during and after transport, but it was necessary to keep the number of fish transported at 10 pieces or 15 kg per cubic meter of water.

Another study in Hawaii reported that pond-reared milkfish broodstock were successfully transported between the islands of Hawaii and Oahu, an 18-hour trip, but the method entailed regularly changing the water in the tank, a laborious process.

SEAFDEC-AQD's new method combines the following features:

"These features effectively facilitated transport of 100 milkfish broodstock (4-13 years old, 2-6.7 kilos in weight) in an eight-hour trip, two hours by boat and six hours by land," said Emata. "We starve the milkfish two to three days before transport. This helps in preventing the fouling of the transport water by waste expelled by the fish."

According to him, placing the fish immediately in a holding tank containing water treated with anaesthesia makes handling easier. Moreover, sedating the fish during transport minimizes fish excitability, which can lead too loss of scales, injury or even death.

Upon reaching their destination, the milkfish must be placed in a recovery tank before they can be transferred to a permanent rearing facility. Emata said milkfish transported in this manner spawned naturally a year after being placed in their new surroundings. From this broodstock, 33 million eggs with 66% viability (percentage of eggs containing developed embryo) were collected in the first two months. RA Fernandez, Philippine Star, 10.15.00

Ecotourism guidelines ok'd
Philippine Tourism Secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta has approved the operating guidelines of Executive Order (EO) 111 for ecotourism development in the Philippines.

The guidelines, a product of a series of consultative meetings among various stakeholders in ecotourism development, provide the mechanism and support for the effective and efficient implementation of EO 111. Araneta is the current chairperson of the National Ecotourism Development Council (NEDC), the policymaking body that will map out the country's national ecotourism strategy.

NEDC Resolution 2000-01, which contains the newly approved operating guidelines, calls for the upliftment of the local host community in ecotourism pursuits. It also seeks environmental protection and cultural preservation in all tourism activities.

To ensure that these goals are met, a multi-sectoral Ecotourism Steering Committee (NESC) and Regional Ecotourism Committee (RECS) will be established.

The NEDC is composed of Environment Secretary Antonio Cerilles as co-chairperson; Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel A. Roxas III, Finance Secretary Jose Pardo, Education Secretary Andrew Gonzales, and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Felipe Medalla as members.

Private sector members include the Philippine Women University's Helena Benitez, Ten Knots Corporation's Alberto Lim, and Parks and Wildlife Foundation's Victor Consunji.

NGOs are represented by Domingo Cayosa of the NGO Integrated Protected Area, Dante Carandang of the Green Lawyers of the Philippines, and Mariano G. Pagang of the Zamboanga del Sur Tribal Council.

The NESC will be composed of four tourism officials, two DENR officers, and one DILG representative. Three slots will be occupied by Delfin Ganapin of the Federation for Environmental Concerns, Lorenza Tan of Bookmark, and Ignacio Pablo of the Hotel Training Institute of the Philippines, representing the private sector.

The NGO sector will be represented by Wilbur Dee of the NGO for Integrated Protected Areas; Sis. Luz Emmanuel Soriano of the Philippine Council for Peace and Global Education; and Julie Cabatu of the Cordillera Peace Forum. L.B. Valencia, Manila Bulletin, 10.22.00

Tuna sector holds national conference
The 2nd National Tuna Congress was October 27-28 at General Santos City, the country's "tuna capital". Organized by the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing Associations and Allied Industries (SFFAAI), the event brought together more than 300 participants from the region's tuna supply chain, including purse seine operators, processors, buyers, and members of small fishing organizations.

"This years congress focused on developing strategies to make the industry more competitive in the world market," said Renne Subido of the USAID-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, which assists the tuna industry.

"GenSan produces more than 300 metric tons of tuna a day and enjoys annual income of $130 million from its exports," said Ferdinand Hernandez, who chairs the congress secretariat.

He said the industry is directly supporting more than 40,000 fishing families in the growth area and is providing employment to about 7,000 persons working in the city's seven tuna canneries. GEM Program in Philippine Star. 10.22.00

No hunting permits to be issued - DENR
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has rejected a request for hunters to be allowed to hunt animals for sport in Philippine forests.

The Philippine Hunters Association, which filed the request, said hunting is a universal sport and a "basic human right." The group questioned the DENR's total hunting ban.

The DENR in a statement said, however, that it will not consider lifting the ban because "hunting is one of the greatest threats to our wildlife resources and runs counter to our thrust of biodiversity conservation."

Some 86 species of birds found in the Philippines are under various forms of threat. Of these, 45 are either extinct in the wild, critical or endangered. In addition, 49 of the 86 species are endemic, which makes the Philippines No.1 in the world among countries with threatened endemic bird species. CD Balana in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. 10.15.00

Farmers, fishers protest NIPAS, mining laws
Farmers' and fishers' groups staged a rally in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 7 office on October 20 to oppose the implementation of the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) and Mining Act. The groups said these laws greatly affect the lives of farmers and fishers. The Mining Act, in particular, can cause displacement of livelihood and the destruction of the environment, they said. JR Flores in Sun.star Cebu. 10.22.00

No room for commercial fishers in Cebu waters
If the law is strictly observed, nearly the entire territorial waters of Cebu province should be off-limits to commercial fishing.

Lourdes Arciaga of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Region 7 said the province is very close to Bohol and Negros islands that almost all of the waters surrounding it are considered municipal territory.

The longest distance between Negros and Cebu, she said, is only about 26 km. This means that municipalities or cities facing Tanon Strait between Negros and Cebu have municipal waters of up to 13 kms from the shore. Republic Act 8550, or the Fisheries Code of 1998 provides that local governments are responsible for the management of sea waters extending up to 15 km from the shores of its area of jurisdiction.

The law prohibits commercial fishing in this area. Under certain conditions, the local government, with concurrence of the Fisheries and Aquatic Management Council, may, through an appropriate ordinance, allow commercial fishers to operate in the area between 10.1 km and 15 km from the shoreline. LAP in Sun.star Cebu. 10.16.00

Cebu waters suffer "high water stress"
The absence of a comprehensive water sewerage treatment system places Cebu City under 'high water stress' and increases threat to human health.

Father Herman van Engelen of the University of San Carlos Water Resource Center said untreated liquid containing Cebu City's untreated household and industrial wastes have been flowing continuously towards the seawaters of Mactan Channel for decades that swimming in the area has become a health risk.

A Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) report indicated that lead contamination in Mactan Channel is above the tolerable limit of 0.2 parts per million (ppm) proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Crude sewerage pipes from the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu are said to dump mostly untreated wastewater into the channel. Lapu-Lapu City's Php200 million from the World Bank-funded water sewerage project, meanwhile has hit a snag due to controversies involving the collateral for the loan. LGK Parone Jr. in Cebu Daily News. 10.16.00

Cops need to study coastal laws, forum reveals
Ignorance of the law and lack of financial support are to blame for the failure of policemen to effectively protect coastal resources.

This was the consensus reached by officials during a forum on "Coastal Law Envorcement Alliance for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development."

Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Antonio Salvacion said policemen already have too many laws to enforce and thus would not be effective if tasked to implement another special law.

Salvacion and Bantay Dagat project director Jojo dela Victoria suggested that a special unit focusing on coastal law enforcement must be organized and trained.

Cordova Mayor Arleigh Mayor pushed for a proposal to include coastal jurisdiction in the computation of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) so that municipalities would have funds for coastal management programs, including coastal law enforcement. JP Malinao in Sun.star Cebu, 10.20.00

Smoked tilapia a hit in Tarlac
A new product that promises to please Filipino taste buds has been introduced in a village in Tarlac City: tinapang tilapia (smoked tilapia). Tinapa is a traditional Filipino breakfast fare that competes with tuyo (dried fish).

Traditionally, other fish species, including milkfish, are made into tinapa. Tinapang tilapia, according to those who have tried it, is tastier than any of the others.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) developed the following method of producing homemade tilapia:

Overseas

Federal agencies flout manatee protection laws, says coalition
The Manatee Coalition, a group of 17 international, national, and regional conservation and wildlife protection organizations, has served US federal officials with formal notice that they continue to violate the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other federal laws designed to protect the highly endangered Florida manatee.

The notice accuses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of giving the green light to still more damaging construction projects in areas where manatees are already being killed and injured in record-setting numbers because of excessive boat traffic associated with unchecked coastal development.

The Manatee Coalition is currently suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Interior Department Secretary Bruce Babbitt in federal court in Washington, D.C. for allowing hundreds of harmful development projects to be built in essential manatee habitat.

This year, according to the group, is shaping up to be the worst on record in terms of manatees killed by boat collisions. At least 68 manatees have been killed in Florida waters from boat collisions alone as of September 18 - well ahead of last year's record-setting pace of at least 82 manatees killed by boats by year's end.

The 17 environmental and wildlife organizations that comprise the Manatee Coalition include Save the Manatee Club, The Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, United States Public Interest Research Group, Sierra Club, Animal Welfare Institute, Florida Audubon Society, Florida Defenders of Wildlife, Audubon Society of Southwest Florida, Responsible Growth Management Coalition, Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, Citizens Association of Bonita Beach, Florida Public Interest Research Group, Biscayne Bay Foundation, Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society, and The Pegasus Foundation. Source: The Humane Society of the United States

Fish farming bigger as ever and still growing
Aquaculture output, growing at 11% a year over the past decade, has become the fastest growing sector of the world's food economy, reports the Worldwatch Institute in its Issue Alert on fish farming, released on 3 October.

While the global population is growing by 80 million people each year, there is an increasing need for animal protein. Over the past century the world's diet has been sustained on livestock and wild fisheries, but the natural ecosystems that these food sources depend on are reaching a saturation point. When cattle needs to be fed some 7 kilograms of grain to add 1 kilogram of live weight, fish require less then 2 kilograms of grain feed to add 1 kilogram of weight. Considering that it takes 1000 tons of fresh water to produce 1 ton of grain, fish are evidently much more resource-efficient.

With overfishing now commonplace, developing countries see an appealing alternative in fish farming to satisfy their growing demand for seafood. Nearly 85 percent of fish farming is in developing countries, China and India being the leader with 21 million and 2 million tons per year, respectively. Industrialized countries come far behind: e.g. Japan 800,000 tons; U.S. 450,000 tons; Norway 400,000 tons per year.

But there is a dark side to increasing fish farming and environmental impacts are not to be neglected. It is e.g. estimated that the waste produced by farmed salmon in Norway is roughly equal to the sewage produced by Norway's four million people.

Whether farming genetically modified fish will be a solution, as some scientists claim, remains to be seen. They say that biotechnology could lead to stronger, faster-growing, more nutritious fish that can reproduce all year round. For further information read the full Issue Alert by Worldwatch Institute at http://www.worldwatch.org/chairman/issue/001003.html. Read about GM solution to overfishing. Coastal Guide News No. 20, 10.06.00

Updated Red List and Species Information Service unveiled
IUCN, the World Conservation Union, released last September 28 its list of threatened species for the year 2000, confirming that the global extinction crisis is as bad or worse than believed. A total of 18,276 species and subspecies of plants and animals are included in the 2000 Red List, of which 11,046 are listed as "threatened" (facing a high risk of extinction in the near future). Many marine species are also represented in the 2000 Red List, although the coverage is limited due to the lack of systematic assessment except for a few groups of species such as marine mammals, seabirds, and marine turtles.

The status of tortoises and freshwater turtles is rapidly deteriorating in Southeast Asia due to heavy exploitation for food and medicinal use. Studying 95 species of fishes provided evidence of a number of extinction risk factors. These are over-exploitation, habitat destruction and degradation, and the effects of disease and invasive species. Increased efforts in the future are expected to confirm that extinction risk in the marine environment is increasing and that marine species share many of the threats that so seriously affect terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

IUCN also launched the development of the Species Information Service (SIS), the most current and comprehensive information service about the status of plants and animals worldwide. The Red List Programme Joint Venture and the SIS will enhance conservationists' ability to confront threats to species before they escalate to extinction crises. The Joint Venture partners include the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN, BirdLife International, Conservation International, the Center for Marine Conservation, and the Association for Biodiversity Information. Users will be able to find out the number of species in a country, identify threats and actions in place, to determine what further actions are needed. The SIS will also make information readily accessible to policy-makers and establish linkages among diverse groups. It will allow for analyses at different geographical scales, and be adaptable to each user's needs.

For the first time the Red List is searchable on its own homepage at http://www.redlist.org . For more information on SIS, contact: Mariano Gimenez-Dixon +41-(0)763670961. Coastal Guide News No. 20, 10.06.00

IUCN Congress in Amman: Loss of species is unacceptable
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, held in Amman, Jordan last October 4-11, 2000, reported that the loss of biological species has assumed dramatic speed and magnitude as more species move into the critically endangered category or go extinct.

Overall at least 11,000 species are threatened with extinction according to IUCN's Species Survival Commission. Scientists believe that hundreds of thousands more are at risk. The Congress concluded its 8-day session with the approval of an ambitious new IUCN Action Plan and Programme, with over 100 specific resolutions that will shape IUCN's environmental agenda for the years to come. The resolutions address issues such as:

· Linking climate change to biodiversity to ensure that reforestation activities designed to prevent global warming also give due consideration to critical biodiversity and habitat issues;

· Development of comprehensive approaches to conservation of marine ecosystems, including species-protective measures such as controlling overfishing, and reducing the loss of seabirds and turtles to long-line fishing;

· Urging all coastal Baltic Sea States to establish national protected area and marine reserve systems, and that Baltic Sea countries in economic transition receive support for their establishment from countries with funds and expertise;

· IUCN and Spain agreed to open an IUCN office for the Mediterranean in Málaga, as a platform for interconnecting and supporting the work of NGOs and governmental agencies to preserve a wide range of Mediterranean ecosystems. This promises to become a major focal point for environmental action, especially in North Africa and the Middle East.
For further information, contact Josué Anselmo, Head - Communications Unit, IUCN - joa@hq.iucn.org, or visit the IUCN World Congress site at http://www.iucn.org/amman/index.html. Coastal Guide News No. 21, 10.20.00

UNEP plans global catalogue of environmental data sources
Environmental information managers, policy advisors and lawyers participating in an international conference of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) last September adopted the Dublin Declaration on Access to Environmental Information. This declaration calls on governments to support UNEP in the development of a global environmental portal on the Internet. National consortia are encouraged to establish protocols and standards for delivering an integrated information service in each country.

UNEP plans to evolve its GRID networks towards a network of sub-regional data centers and thematic centers of excellence that analyze and synthesize data and information. Allied to this initiative is the restructuring of UNEP-Infoterra national-level networking infrastructure that identifies and certifies primary information and data resources for GRID. Through this network, UNEP plans to develop a global catalogue of data sources (CDS) in partnership with the European Environment Agency and the Global Environment Facility.

The Global CDS will be an Internet-based meta-information system developed and updated by a regional network of GRID nodes working in collaboration with the Infoterra national consortia. For further information, contact Tore J. Brevik, UNEP, cpiinfo@unep.org or Beth Ingraham, UNEP, beth.ingraham@unep.org. Coastal Guide News No. 20, 10.06.00

European Commission adopts new ICZM strategy
The European Commission adopted last September 27 the "Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on Integrated Coastal Zone Management: a Strategy for Europe"(COM(2000) 547 final) including the "Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Recommendation concerning the implementation of ICZM (integrated coastal zone management) in Europe.

The Commission stressed the need for environmentally sustainable management of the coastal zone in order to maintain the integrity of this resources base of critical importance. It acknowledged that the Structural Funds have not paid enough attention to the general principles of sustainability and integrated planning and management, and that they should do so in the future.

A summary and the Strategy can be downloaded at http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/iczm/comm2000.htm. Coastal Guide News No. 20, 10.06.00

Report says UK marine life in trouble
The health of the UK's marine environment is in serious decline as a result of decades of pollution, neglect and over-exploitation, according to a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report.

Marine Health Check, commissioned as part of WWF's Oceans Recovery Campaign (ORCA), draws on 16 case studies of key species and habitat indicators, representing different levels in the marine food chain. It assesses not only the health of native species and habitats, but also the threat posed by an invasive species -- wire weed.

All the coastal habitats studied have suffered extensive damage from land reclamation, aggregate extraction, oil and gas exploration, climate change, and pollution. In addition, two thirds of fish stocks were found to be over-exploited and heading toward commercial extinction.

Chris Berry, author of the report, said: "As a marine scientist, I am aware that the UK seas aren't flourishing. However, having carried out this research, I was shocked to see what a sorry state the UK marine environment is currently in, with no coordinated legislation to conserve and improve it in the future."

Marine Health Check also found that, as traditional fish stocks decline, some fishing fleets are beginning to exploit deep-water species such as the orange roughy. These species breed much more slowly than shallow-water fish and are less able to sustain the current fishing pressure. Orange roughy stocks have fallen by 75 per cent in only ten years.

Among the habitats found to be in severe decline are eelgrass meadows, home to the seahorse, which have disappeared from 85 per cent of the UK's estuaries, and saltmarsh, which has undergone a 75 per cent decline. Britain's mudflats, among the world's most productive ecosystems, have been severely affected by development, and are still being lost. Many of them contain such high levels of pollution from man-made hormone disrupting chemicals that male flounder are displaying female characteristics and even producing eggs.

Plankton, one of the world's most important sources of oxygen, and the basis of all marine found chains, is showing signs of rapid change. This has the potential to undermine the stability of the global climate and the entire marine ecosystem.

Marine mammals are at particular risk. It is feared that so many harbor porpoises are being entangled in fishing nets in the Celtic Sea, that this population will not survive. The bottlenose dolphin may also be in decline, and at least one resident population is under threat of extinction. Pollution is a serious hazard, as some chemicals accumulate in their body tissues -- a Welsh bottlenose dolphin calf was declared recently as one of the most polluted mammals ever found.

"The findings of this research are deeply worrying", said Matthew Davis, leader of WWF's Oceans Recovery Campaign. "Not only is our precious marine environment badly damaged, but the damage is getting worse. Life in the sea is draining away and is the most neglected area of our natural heritage. Rapid action by the government is needed now, otherwise recovery for many of these species may not be possible."

"WWF has identified a number of solutions that will help to kick-start this recovery, such as Marine Protected Areas and pilot Fishing-Free Zones. When used alongside other solutions they can provide protection for the seas and ensure that coastal communities have a sustainable fishing industry for the future," he added.

In addition to these measures, WWF's Oceans Recovery Campaign is also calling for the introduction of an Oceans Act -- coordinated legislation to provide the best support for protecting and managing our precious marine environment, for the benefit of wildlife and coastal communities. WWF-UK Press Release, 09.20.00

International conference on wetlands set
An international conference on "Changing Wetlands: New Developments in Wetland Science" wil be held on September 11-13, 200i in Sheffield, United Kingdom. For details, fax +44 114 279 7912; email wetlands@sheffield.ac.uk; or visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/~g/wetlands/.

Symposium to tackle CRM in new millennium
FutureCOAST2001 has been set for May 15-16, 2001 in Cornwall, United Kingdom. FutureCOAST is an annual symposium set up by the Centre for Marine and Coastal Zone Management, Department of Geography, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Now on its second year, the symposium will focus on the successful management of the marine and coastal environment in this new Millennium, in particular, on the use of Geographical Information Systems, Remote Sensing and the Internet in marine and coastal zone management.
Those interested may contact David R. Green / Stephen D. King, Centre for Marine and Coastal Zone Management (CMCZM), Department of Geography, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UF,, SCOTLAND, Tel. (01224) 272324, Fax. (01224) 272331; Email. d.r.green@abdn.ac.uk / s.d.king@abdn.ac.uk. Or visit the FutureCoast Website.

"Uncuddly" reptiles and amphibians doomed to extinction?
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2000 (ENS) - Asia's freshwater turtles are being
"eaten out of existence," warned conservation groups in a new report. For full text and graphics visit http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2000/2000L-10-03-12.html

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The Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR) owns and operates the only copper smelter and refinery in the Philippines. It was established in 1976 to provide local mines with an alternative destination for their concentrates, add value to the country's copper exports and pave the way for the development of downstream industries.

On June 14, 1999, PASAR was privatized, the first company to be privatized under the Estrada Administration, with PASAR Holdings Inc., a consortium formed between the Dominguez Group and Glencore International AG of Switzerland, gaining majority control thru a public bidding.

The PASAR Copper Smelter and Refinery complex is located in the Leyte Industrial Development Estate (LIDE), in the town of Isabel, Leyte. Its plant includes pollution abatement facilities, port and bulk handling facilities, an airstrip, a medical facility, and housing, recreation and educational facilities for company personnel and dependents. The new management is committed to modernize the plant and further enhance the environmental management activities of PASAR.

PASAR's primary product is Electrolytic Copper Cathode, the principal raw material for manufacturing various kinds of copper and copper-alloy products such as telecommunication wires and cables. Its main market is Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and South East Asia.

PASAR has shown its commitment to protecting the environment, wildlife and the aquatic resources in LIDE by investing more than P55 Million in environment management-related programs over the past five years. PASAR spearheaded the reforestation of the once-denuded mountains of LIDE and the re-greening of LIDE, Isabel and adjacent municipalities. Together with the DENR, PASAR established an aviary and sanctuaries for wildlife and aquatic resources. The wildlife sanctuary has since attracted all kinds of wildlife and is now a regular bird migration station; the aquatic sanctuary is now teeming with marine life and has become a hatchery and breeding ground for fish and other aquatic life.

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