The benefits of living in a green home should be available to everyone in the UK, but the reality is that many homeowners cannot afford to carry out green refurbishments, are confused about the best options for their home, or simply oblivious to the grants and advice that are currently available to them.

The benefits of living in a green home should be available to everyone in the UK, but the reality is that many homeowners cannot afford to carry out green refurbishments, are confused about the best options for their home, or simply oblivious to the grants and advice that are currently available to them.

For homeowners who want to make sense of it all, the Great British Refurb Campaign, fronted by Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud is presenting a series of seminars and ‘How To’ sessions at this year’s Grand Designs Live (London ExCel, 1 -9 May).

These events, featuring Kevin McCloud will give visitors to the show an opportunity to hear more about the campaign and add their support for greater financial incentives to help homeowners cover the cost of green refurbishment.

Tackling our old, inefficient housing stock is vital to help the UK cut its carbon emissions, as our homes are currently responsible for at least a quarter of the UK’s CO2 emissions. Greater financial incentives will help more people take action to make their homes more energy efficient, and the Great British Refurb Campaign is specifically proposing tax breaks to help drive national uptake. Experts will be on hand at the following events to highlight the benefits of a greener home.

Saturday 1 May: The Big Debate, 1-2pm
Kevin McCloud introduces a discussion on the Great British Refurb Campaign, with experts from WWF and Knauf Insulation providing information on how homeowners can go about retrofitting their homes – transforming them from old homes to “super homes.” Will Homoky, who won a green home makeover, discusses his experience of retrofitting from understanding different types of home insulation to fitting solar panels.

Friday 7 May: The Big Debate, 1-2pm
You’ve decided to retrofit your home, but where should you put your money? This discussion featuring representatives from the house building sector and the Great British Refurb Campaign, looks at the costs involved in achieving a low carbon home and the pros and cons of retrofitting an old property versus buying a new energy efficient home.

How To Sessions
Saturday 1 May, 3.30-4.15pm
Thursday 6 May, 12.45-1.45pm
Spokespeople from the Great British Refurb Campaign provide advice on How to choose the right retrofit options in this informal Q&A session.

For further information or images, please contact:
Debbie Chapman, Senior Press Officer, WWF-UK, tel: 01483 412397, 07900 670282 email: dchapman@wwf.org.uk

Notes to Editors
For more information on the Great British Refurb Campaign visit http://www.greatbritishrefurb.co.uk/

For information on Grand Designs Live, including tickets and venue information visit http://www.granddesignslive.com/

A new, warmer Arctic cannot continue to operate under rules that assume it is ice-covered and essentially closed to fishing, exploration, development and shipping, WWF said today. WWF is launching a set of reports on the protection required for this newly accessible, highly vulnerable environment with profound significance for global climate, economy and security.

The International Governance and Regulation of the Marine Arctic reports were launched in Denmark as Russian president Medvedev visits Norwegian capital Oslo for talks which will include Arctic issues and just before the Arctic Council meets in Greenland.

“The melting of the Arctic ice is opening a new ocean, bringing new possibilities for commercial activities in a part of the world that has previously been inaccessible,” said Lasse Gustavsson, incoming executive conservation director for WWF-International and currently CEO of WWF-Sweden. “What happens in the Arctic has a global environmental and economic impact. For instance, more than a quarter of the fish eaten in Europe comes from the region, and yet we do not have effective rules for fishing in newly accessible areas.”

The Arctic may well be ice free in the summers within decades. Commercial ships have recently successfully sailed the Northern Sea Route above Siberia, and ship yards are getting more and more orders for tankers capable of dealing with remnant ice.

Accelerating oil and gas exploration is raising the prospects of Exxon Valdez scenarios – spills in highly susceptible environments in the absence of clean-up rules and infrastructure. A related issue is the impact on marine mammals and fish from noise generated by shipping and seismic activity to locate hydrocarbon deposits.

There are three reports in the set. The first looks at how today’s international legal regime meets the challenges posed by the unprecedented rapid change taking place in the Arctic. It concludes there are large gaps in governance and management regimes, with loopholes that could allow irreparable damage to the marine environment, its biodiversity and Indigenous peoples. The responsibilities and mechanisms for keeping marine resource extraction within sustainable limits are unclear and so are the responsibilities and mechanisms for preventing or responding to pollution accidents and shipping disasters.

The second report outlines the various options for addressing the identified gaps in governance and the third proposes a new arctic framework convention as a legally-binding instrument that could help ensure the future protection of the Arctic region.

“It’s time to recognise that the current international rules just can’t cope with the complex challenges of the Arctic region.” said David Norman, Director of Campaigns at WWF-UK. “The ice has protected the Arctic Ocean for hundreds of years; we have collectively removed that protection though our contributions to climate change, and now we must work together to manage the new risks we have created.”

For further information:

Benjamin Ward, head of press, WWF-UK: bward@wwf.org.uk, +44 7837 134 193
Lasse Gustavsson, incoming executive conservation director at WWF International and currently CEO of WWF-Sweden: lasse.gustavsson@wwf.se, +46 70 105 30 55
Dr. Tatiana Saksina, arctic governance officer, WWF International Arctic Programme: tsaksina@wwfint.org, + 41 79 535 28 26

To download the full report: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/3in1_final.pdf

A proposal announced yesterday by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) would, if adopted, endorse the killing of whales in vital  feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean for the first time in almost 25 years.

In preparation for the G20 Summit scheduled for 26-27 June in Toronto, G20 finance ministers will meet in Washington DC from April 22-23. It is the group’s first meeting on climate following the December UN climate summit

It is also their first opportunity to respond to the outcomes of the Copenhagen climate negotiations, and in particular contribute to meeting the financial commitments made under the agreement reached by heads of government in Copenhagen.

Also on the Finance ministers’ agenda is the instruction from the June 2009 G20 summit for the development of a plan and time-line to phase out ‘inefficient’ fossil fuel subsidies, including production subsidies.

WWF is anxious to see G20 action to help lay the foundation for an adequate and equitable post-2012 global climate fund, which could move the world towards sustainable, low carbon growth.

Ending subsidies favouring fossil fuels in accordance with the G20’s own agenda, and resourcing renewable energy development instead, will be crucial to both the transition to a clean economy and countering climate change.
“G20 Finance Ministers must discuss the investments needed for the transition to a clean, low-carbon economy, while finding ways to help vulnerable countries build their resilience to the impacts of climate change,” said Mark Lutes, Finance Policy Coordinator for WWF International.
“Shifting subsidies from fossil fuels into renewable energy development is one of the ways forward towards a clean economy.”
“G20 Finance Ministers will need to act on this commitment and provide a plan and time-line to not just phase out but re-direct these subsidies.”

KEY ISSUES:

- This G20 finance meeting occurs in the same week as climate legislation is set to be introduced in the US Senate. The G20 Finance Ministers should remind the U.S Senate of the need for the U.S Climate Bill to include substantial, predictable and long term funding flows including REDD, adaptation and technology cooperation.

- The co-chair for the next G20 Summit in June is Canada. Canada is one of the few countries remaining to put forward a fast-track climate financing contribution. Canada must show leadership as host by providing its fair share of at least US$300–400 million per year in new funds from 2010 to 2012.

WWF urges the G20 Finance Ministers to work towards resolving the following issues:
- Redirection of Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Building on the agreement at the G20 meeting in 2009 to remove fossil fuel subsidies, countries should further agree to redirect those subsidies towards clean energy, adaptation, and reducing deforestation.
- Efforts to support low-carbon development in poor countries must be matched by similar steps to ‘de-carbonise’ the global economy. The G20 should put renewable energy investment and energy efficiency at the forefront of their efforts as part of a managed transition towards low-carbon economies.
- Focus on a full range of options on new and innovative sources of finance, including revenue from measures to tackle aviation and shipping emissions, auctioning of Assigned Amount Units (AAU) or allowances in cap and trade systems, special drawing rights (as proposed by IMF) and international Financial Transaction Taxes (FTT) or other instruments. The Finance Ministers are expecting a report on ways of generating revenue from the finance sector from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will discuss Financial Transaction Taxes. FTT entail very small levies on international financial transactions such as currency transactions, which could be a significant source of income for climate change action and other purposes.

- G20 Finance ministers should also discuss short-term climate financing and particularly consider how to ensure distribution of the promised USD 30 billion in order to deal with climate change from now to 2012, and ensure that this is truly additional to current Overseas Development Aid (ODA).

- G20 Finance ministers should discuss long-term climate financing, particularly sources of the $100 billion a year by 2020 as agreed in Copenhagen; these funds are to be used to support climate action in developing countries

For further information, please contact:

Jo Sargent
Senior Press Officer, WWF-UK
01483 412 375
07867 697 519

Millions of people around the world joined forces today to make WWF’s Earth Hour, an annual global event that highlights public support for action on climate change, the biggest switch off ever.

In total, all seven continents, 125 countries, and more than 4,000 cities and towns took part in the event, which asked people to sign up and switch off their lights for one hour, to show that they care about tackling climate change.

The world’s great man-made marvels and natural wonders were plunged into darkness, from the Eiffel Tower, the Las Vegas Strip and the Empire State Building, to Table Mountain, Mount Rushmore and the Sydney Opera House. Key participating UK landmarks included Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Number 10 Downing Street, Edinburgh Castle, Belfast City Hall and Wales Millennium Stadium.

“The largest ever number of countries, people and landmarks joined forces for Earth Hour this year. It was a visible demonstration of the enormous level of support there is around the world, for a united effort to tackle climate change,” said David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK. “WWF now asks that World Leaders listen to the millions of people who took part, and finish the job they started in Copenhagen last year by creating a fair and ambitious global climate deal.”

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, praised the event, saying:

“Earth Hour is both a warning and a beacon of hope.  By switching off non-essential lights for an hour, people will join a symbolic display that can inspire the change we so urgently need.  As we watch the lights go out from continent to continent, let us reflect on the fragility and importance of our natural heritage and pledge to protect it for a sustainable future for all.”

Highlights of Earth Hour 2010 included:

• Earth Hour has consistently been trending in the top three topics on Twitter for the last 24 hours
• In the 24 hours before Earth Hour, Google registered 56.1 million mentions of Earth Hour
• Major icons in Paris went dark for Earth Hour including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Louvre as well as every single bridge across the Seine
• Brandenburg gate led Germany’s Earth Hour, joined by Munich, Hamburg and Cologne
• The Fontana de Trevi and Jet d’eau in Geneva joined the  Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum, Acropolis and the Parthenon
• The Bosphorous Bridge in Turkey connecting Asia with Europe went dark for EH
• The Pyramids and Sphinx, the Citadels in Oman and Cairo, the world’s tallest building in Dubai and city of Casablanca, Morocco all joined Earth Hour this year.
• The Blue House (residence of the President of Korea) takes South Korea’s involvement from 43 buildings in Seoul last year to more than 100 cities and towns this year.
• Mexico City and Cancun headed up EH in Mexico with 11 states participating and major icons going dark including Angel of Independence and House of Government
• In Brazil, both the Federal House of Representatives and the Federal Senate participated
• In Tuvalu the government asked that no vehicles should be on the road during Earth Hour.
• The Prime Minister and President of Pakistan turned off their lights for EH.
• 31 State Governors supported Earth Hour in the US and icons switching off include Empire State, Las Vegas Strip, Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Rushmore

IMAGES AND SPOKESPEOPLE AVAILABLE – PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION
 
- ends -

Editor’s notes

Interviews with WWF spokespeople are available – please contact:
Benjamin Ward, Head of Press, 07837 134 193

Where to source WWF photography of global switch-off:

Images will first be uploaded to the address below:
• Imagery and video showing the switch off around UK and the globe will be available to download from http://earthhour.panda.org and http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthhour_global immediately as available.
 
They will also later be available on the FTP site listed below:
• UK images will also be available by FTP.
  
            Host name: adl.wwf.org.uk
            Username: earthhour
            Password: wwfea2010

If there are any problems, please contact Jo Sargent, Senior Press Officer,  07867 697 519

About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global WWF climate change initiative.  Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour each year, in order to show their support for action on climate change.  The event began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. In 2008, more than 50 million people around the globe participated. In 2009, participation swelled to hundreds of millions as 4159 cities, towns and municipalities in 88 countries and many of the world’s best known landmarks participated.

About WWF
WWF-UK is the UK arm of the WWF Network, the world’s leading environmental organisation founded in 1961 and now active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Using our unique combination of practical experience, knowledge and credibility, our 300-strong staff work with governments, businesses and communities both here in the UK and around the world so that people and nature thrive within their fair share of the planet’s natural resources.

Jo Sargent
Senior Press Officer, WWF-UK
01483 412 375
07867 697 519

The Government’s Heathrow policy is in tatters this morning after the High Court ruled that ministers’ decision to give a green light to the proposed third runway does not hold any weight.  The judge dismissed the Government’s claims to the contrary as ‘untenable in law and common sense’.

If the Government wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion it must now go back to square one and reconsider the entire case for the runway.

The implications of today’s ruling are profound, not just for Heathrow but for airport expansion plans across the UK.  Lord Justice Carnwath ruled that the 2003 Air Transport White Paper – the foundation of expansion plans across the country – is obsolete because it is inconsistent with the Climate Change Act 2008.

The judge expressed real concern over the “hardship caused to the local community by uncertainty” over the third runway. The coalition which brought the successful legal challenge is now calling on the Government to end the uncertainty and scrap the runway plans once and for all.

The judge ruled that:

• If the Government decides to push ahead with the runway project it must now review the climate change implications of Heathrow expansion, the economic case for a third runway, and the issue of how additional passengers would get to a bigger airport.
   
• The Government’s entire aviation policy must now be reviewed to take into account the implications of the 2008 Climate Change Act. The judge found that “the claimants’ submissions add up, in my view, to a powerful demonstration of the potential significance of developments in climate change policy since the 2003 Air Transport White Paper. They are clearly matters which will need to be taken into account under the new Airports National Policy Statement.”(1)
   
• On the economic case for Heathrow expansion he would be ‘surprised’ if the recent tripling of the estimated cost to society of emitting carbon did not have ‘a significant effect’ on the economic case for the runway. The judge also said that “it makes no sense to treat the economic case as settled in 2003.”
   
• On the issue of surface access he said the claimants’ case – that there is no credible plan in place to transport millions of extra passengers to an expanded Heathrow – was ‘justified’. Significantly, he noted that the Government was “unable to provide a convincing answer” in court when it was pressed about over-crowding on the Piccadilly underground line that would result from construction of a third runway.
   

The judge is now inviting the Government to sign a legally binding undertaking that it will not base future aviation policy solely on its 2003 white paper. A further court hearing is expected to take place next month to examine the Government’s response to the judge’s request. At the same hearing the coalition will seek costs and fully expects to recover those costs from the Government.

Cllr Ray Puddifoot speaking on behalf of the local councils said:
“This is a spectacular victory for our residents. The Government had been trying to close down debate on the true economic impact of a third runway by presenting it as a done deal.”

Today’s ruling has blown that position apart. The Government just did not want to have to take on board the real consequences of new climate change laws. The judge made it clear the figures just did not add up.

“If after this ministers are still intent on pressing ahead with expansion they will have to go back to the beginning and justify the whole economic case in public. Knowing what we now know about rising carbon costs this is an argument they cannot win.

“The third runway is effectively dead because it cannot survive the proper economic and environmental scrutiny which the Government tried to avoid. As local councils we call on the Prime Minister to do to the decent thing and bury this discredited policy.”

Geraldine Nicholson, Chair of NoTRAG, said:
“As local residents, we now demand that the Government drops all plans for a 3rd runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow so that we can cast off the 8 years of blight and start to rejuvenate our communities.”

Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said:
“This ruling leaves the Government’s Heathrow decision in tatters. Ministers will now have to go back to the drawing board and conduct a broad consultation on key issues where their case is extremely weak. The third runway was already on life support, but with this ruling it’s hard to even find a pulse. This shows that David Cameron and Nick Clegg backed the right horse when they pledged to scrap the third runway, and it makes any Conservative U-turn after the election all but politically impossible.”

David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK, said:
“We are delighted with today’s judgement. It deals a body blow to the third runway, but more than that it makes it clear that the Government’s whole policy of airport expansion must be reviewed in order to bring it into line with the Climate Change Act.”

“Today’s landmark ruling has implications that could resonate far wider than the aviation sector. For a judge to tell the Government that it cannot build huge pieces of carbon-intensive infrastructure without considering the long-term consequences is a resounding win in the fight to tackle climate change. It is also a further indication of the need for the UK to make a swift transition to a low carbon economy. WWF would now urge the Government to focus on green investment, encouraging alternative ways of connecting with people wherever possible, such as high speed rail and videoconferencing, rather than relying on carbon-heavy methods such as flying.”

Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: 
“The Government said there could be no argument about the need for a third runway. This was undemocratic and it was wrong.

“We were forced to bring this legal case to give people the right to challenge the expansion of Heathrow. The High Court has now made clear that a fundamental review of aviation policy is needed. This not just a victory for people living around Heathrow or around other airports, it is a victory for everyone who wants a tranquil countryside and a democratic planning system.”

HACAN Chair John Stewart said:
“This is an utterly damning verdict for the Government.  It not only raises very serious concerns about a third runway at Heathrow, it also calls into question the Government’s entire aviation policy.  This really could be the final nail in the coffin for a third runway.”

Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Head of Sustainable Development, said:
Right from the start, we have argued that building a third runway at a time when we are battling to reduce our carbon emissions made no sense.

“Climate change threatens many species with extinction and we are already seeing its impacts with catastrophic declines in seabird numbers in parts of the North Sea.

“Concerns about climate change are at the heart of today’s judgement. The clear message from the High Court is that Government must now take those concerns into account.”

ENDS

Contacts:
For the London councils: Steve Mayner 020 8871 7524 / 07860 481 368/ Emma Marsh 01895 556 064 and 07780913334
For Greenpeace: Ben Stewart – 07801 212 967
For WWF: Jo Sargent – 01483 412375/ 07867 697519
For local residents: John Stewart – 07957 385 650/Geraldine Nicholson – 07710 523369
For Campaign to Protect Rural England: Ralph Smyth – 020 7981 2825/ Jack Neill-Hall 07739 332 796 (out of hours)
For RSPB: John Clare on 01767 680551

NOTES TO EDITORS

National Policy Statements (NPSs) are a key part of the new planning system that was established by the Planning Act 2008. They are strategic planning documents will set out the  national  need for major infrastructure developments  such as power stations, ports, airports, roads  and transmission lines. When an application is submitted for such a development above a certain threshold, there will be a presumption in favour of granting permission. The Government has said it intends to publish a draft Airports NPS next year.

Six local authorities in West London (Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Richmond upon Thames, Wandsworth and Windsor & Maidenhead) are claimants to the challenge, alongside   the local residents group (NoTRAG) and the national campaigning group against airport expansion HACAN. WWF-UK, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Greenpeace are also claimants. Transport for London is an independent party supporting the claim. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is an expert witness. The challenge is also supported by Kensington and Chelsea and the Mayor of London. The local authorities are all members of the 2M Group which comprises 24 local councils opposed to Heathrow expansion with a combined population of 5 million.

The legal challenge was launched in April 2009 and the case was heard in the High Court at a rolled-up hearing on the 23^rd – 25^th February 2010.

In February 2007, Greenpeace won a Judicial Review against the Government’s energy review which backed a new generation of nuclear power stations. As a result the government was forced to re-run the public consultation.

If a third runway at Heathrow airport were to be built, the airport would become the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide in the UK. Unrestrained airport expansion would make it impossible for the UK to play its part in tackling climate change. The Government has committed the UK to cuts of at least 80% in CO2 emissions by 2050. Research from the respected Tyndall Centre shows that if the industry is allowed to expand as predicted, aviation emissions alone would make it impossible to meet this target.

Aviation has a number of high-altitude impacts that increase its total warming effect on the climate. The Committee on Climate Change has recently suggested that aviation has a Global Warming Potential of around two, meaning that its total warming effect is twice that of its CO2 emissions alone.

In December 2009, the Committee on Climate Change published a report with recommendations of how the Government target to reduce aviation emissions to 2005 levels by 2050 could be met. The Committee recommended that aviation growth needs to be limited to around half of that planned in the White Paper, but warned that the target may need to be further tightened in the future.

All the claimants are represented by Harrison Grant (solicitors) instructing Nigel Pleming QC of 39 Essex Street, Nathalie Lieven QC and David Forsdick of Landmark Chambers.

To mark World Water Day, WWF and M&S have launched a Water Stewardship guide, offering agricultural businesses practical information on assessing and reducing the impacts of their water footprint.

The guide ‘Good Water Stewardship: guidance for agricultural suppliers’ outlines how suppliers can go beyond on-site water efficiency measures to address the full range of water-related risks to their businesses. It also identifies the simple steps that will assist in reducing a business’s environmental impact, demonstrating the business rationale behind these measures.

Dave Tickner, head of freshwater programmes at WWF, said: “Globally, agriculture uses more water than any other economic activity. This means that food and farming businesses are having considerable impacts on rivers and wetlands around the world. Equally, the continued success of many of those businesses depends on well-managed water supplies. By publishing this guide we are offering solutions that will lead to improvements in water efficiency along the M&S supply chain. We hope that these improvements will ultimately contribute to reducing the pressure on some of the world’s most valuable freshwater ecosystems.

”We would encourage other organisations to follow our lead to help address the devastating impacts that mismanagement of water can have both on their business and on the environment.”

The guide, which is the latest output from the ongoing partnership between M&S and WWF, details how the risks associated with water usage in the supply chain are shared with other water users. It sets out practical case studies of how businesses across the world have worked together collectively, engaging stakeholders beyond farm gate and factory walls to address shared risks.

Dr Tom MacMillan, executive director, Food Ethics Council “As the world’s biggest water users, food and farming businesses are very exposed to risks from water scarcity and have a key role to play in addressing it. The point of water stewardship is that you can’t go it alone. We all share water with our neighbours, so it’s vital that we work with them to look after it.

WWF is helping M&S assess its water footprint and identify key risk areas geographically and supporting their development of practical solutions to drive change in its supply chain in these “high risk” regions

Through it’s Plan A initiative, M&S has shown its commitment to encouraging good water stewardship in its supply chain by working with suppliers to address direct water usage and engaging in community dialogue to ensure sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Tanzania, Zambia ivory sales requests fail at CITES

Tanzania, Zambia ivory sales requests fail at CITES

Doha, Qatar – Requests from Zambia and Tanzania to hold one-off sales of their ivory stockpiles failed during a United Nations species trade meeting today that comes during a worldwide poaching crisis.

Governments participating in the United Nation’s Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) rejected proposals by Tanzania and Zambia to relax trade restrictions on their elephant populations by moving them from Appendix I – the highest level of protection under the Convention banning all international commercial trade – to Appendix II.

The two countries had also initially, asked in addition to their downlisting requests, that they be able to hold a one-off sale of their ivory stockpiles.

No commercial ivory sale is permitted if their elephants remain in Appendix I, but are possible with the Appendix II listing, which allows some regulated international commercial trade.

But neither country was given permission to sell their ivory at this stage or relax trade controls on their elephant populations. The decisions come amid a poaching crisis destroying elephant populations in Asia and Africa.

Governments rejected Tanzania’s downlisting and ivory sales request. They also voted against Zambia’s request to move their elephant populations off Appendix I – a decision which came despite an amendment by Zambia to remove the request for a one-off sale of their ivory stockpiles from their original proposal.

“While the issue of whether sales should be allowed to proceed or not has dominated much of the discussions here in Qatar, WWF and TRAFFIC believe the key driving force behind the ongoing elephant poaching is the continued existence of illegal domestic ivory markets across parts of Africa and Asia,” said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) also was formally presented to delegates at the meeting.

The report found that the illicit trade in ivory, which has been increasing in volume since 2004, moved sharply upward in 2009 and there continues to be a highly significant correlation between large-scale domestic ivory markets in Asia and Africa and poor law enforcement, suggesting that illicit ivory trade flows typically follow a path to destinations where law enforcement is weak and markets function with little regulatory impediment.

“Poaching and illegal ivory markets in central and western Africa must be effectively suppressed before any further ivory sales take place,” said Elisabeth McLellan, Species Programme Manager, WWF International.

ETIS, one of the two monitoring systems for elephants under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) but managed by TRAFFIC, comprises the world’s largest collection of elephant product seizure records. The latest analysis was based upon 14,364 elephant product seizure records from 85 countries or territories since 1989.

In the middle of a poaching crisis

According to new data released today from park rangers and WWF field staff on the ground in Cameroon, for example, there has recently been an increase in poaching and use of high-calibre weapons.

In February, two unarmed game guards and 14 elephants were gunned down in Bouba Ndjidda National Park in northern Cameroon. During the past few months at least 40 elephants in and around protected areas were killed for their ivory and it is estimated that about 400 elephants have been killed within the last four years in three national parks in Cameroon alone.

The grim situation in Central Africa will not be addressed until domestic markets in that region are brought under control, WWF said. The sight of ivory openly on sale in many cities of Central and Western Africa sends a potent signal to poachers, smugglers and consumers that it is legal to buy and sell unregulated ivory.

Monday’s decisions follow the release last week of a new analysis of elephant trade data showing that coordinated enforcement in Central and West Africa and South-east Asia is crucial to addressing the illicit ivory trade.

Detailed regional summaries of the data held in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), the world’s largest database on ivory seizures, highlighted the failure of law enforcement in key elephant range states facing an increasing threat from organised crime and the presence of unregulated markets.

ETIS is compiled by TRAFFIC on behalf of CITES, and comprises more than 15,400 ivory seizure cases compiled over the last 21 years.

The re-analysis of the data was made by region rather than by country, and was carried out to align the data with another CITES-tool used to monitor poaching, which also shows that the Central African region is losing the most elephants.

For more information, please contact:
Rowan Walker, Press Officer WWF-UK, tel: 01483 412 387

About WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN and WWF.
www.traffic.org

Atlantic bluefin tuna trade ban fails

Doha, Qatar – Discussion of a long-awaited proposal to ban international commercial trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna was cut short today at the largest wildlife trade convention when an immediate vote was pushed through.

Member governments of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) chose to vote today on the proposal. 72 out of 129 CITES members voted against the trade ban, 43 voted in favour, with 14 abstentions. WWF will proactively call on restaurants, retailers, chefs and consumers around the world to stop selling, serving, buying and eating this endangered species. Already a growing body of the global seafood market sector is choosing to avoid Atlantic bluefin tuna to give the exhausted fish stocks a chance of recovery – including such groups as Carrefour Europe.

“After overwhelming scientific justification and growing political support in past months – with backing from the majority of catch quota holders on both sides of the Atlantic – it is scandalous that governments did not even get the chance to engage in meaningful debate about the international trade ban proposal for Atlantic bluefin tuna,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean and observer at the CITES Conference of the Parties in Doha.

Once the Principality of Monaco had tabled the proposal this afternoon and a number of countries had given brief interventions, Libya called for an immediate vote on the proposal.

“The regional fisheries management organization in charge of this fishery – the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, ICCAT – has repeatedly failed to sustainably manage this fishery,” said Dr Tudela. “ICCAT has so far failed miserably in this duty so every pressure at the highest level must come to bear to ensure it does what it should.”

“It is now more important than ever for people to do what the politicians failed to do – stop consuming bluefin tuna,” Dr Tudela said.

The Principality of Monaco – the CITES member country that submitted the proposal for a CITES Appendix I listing of the species – became last year the first country in the world to be entirely bluefin tuna free. WWF is urging other countries to follow suit.

For more information please contact:

Jo Sargent
Senior Press Officer, WWF-UK
01483 412 375
07867 697 519

BT has become the first company to successfully cut 20 per cent of its business flights as part of WWF’s One in Five Challenge, a programme that helps companies to reduce their reliance on flying, in favour of lower carbon alternatives.

In a single year, BT was able to reduce the number of business flights from 85,130 to 65,510 – a reduction of nearly 20,000 flights.  By making these cuts, BT was also able to reduce their CO₂ emissions by more than 1,700 tonnes in avoided flights.

“What BT has achieved in such a short period of time is fantastic. They have shown real leadership and proved that it is possible for a business to make significant cuts in their flights. BT is setting a great example to other companies in demonstrating a pioneering approach to managing its travel by actively promoting the use of conferencing services to further reduce carbon emissions.” said Lucy Bertenshaw, Campaign Manager at WWF-UK.

WWF’s One in Five Challenge aims to help companies cut their flights by one fifth over a period of up to five years. The programme, which is independently audited by JMP Consultants Ltd, was launched last year and so far has 9 participating organisations, including Marks & Spencer, Skanska and Capgemini.

“BT sustainability and climate change programme manager Gabrielle Ginér said “We are delighted to be the first company to receive this prestigious award and be recognised for the proactive steps we are taking to reduce our business travel and minimise our impact on the environment.

She added: “In addition to promoting the use of conferencing services, we have been piloting a smart travel planner to help BT employees understand the carbon impact of business travel.

BT’s target is to reduce its group worldwide CO₂ emissions by 80% – from 1997 levels – by 2020. By travelling less and recognising the impact of travelling on CO₂ emissions, BT employees are helping the company meet its target and combat climate change in general.

For further information please contact:
Jo Sargent, Senior Press Officer, WWF-UK
Tel: 01483 412 375, Mob: 07867 697 519 email: jsargent@wwf.org.uk

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Notes to Editors
WWF-UK is the UK arm of the WWF Network, the world’s leading environmental organisation founded in 1961 and now active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Using our unique combination of practical experience, knowledge and credibility, our 300-strong staff work with governments, businesses and communities both here in the UK and around the world so that people and nature thrive within their fair share of the planet’s natural resources. BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services.

BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2009, BT Group’s revenue was £21,390 million. British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.

BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbtwww.bt.com/aboutbt