PROTECT NURTURE RESTORE AUSTRALIANS FOR
an ma s
Reg. Charity No. CFN12644
JULY 2015 NEWSLETTER PO Box 414, Brunswick Heads 2483 Australia Tel: 61 2 6680 3674 Fax: 61 2 6680 3612 Email: suearnold@linknet.com.au
THE BONN UNESCO MEETING WAITING GAME By the me this newsle er gets out, we will know whether the mee ng of World Heritage Conven on members in Bonn from June 28- July 8 voted to retain the current status of World Heritage for the Great Barrier Reef. Or Conven on members will vote against the recommenda on of the World Heritage Secretariat and down-list the Reef to a World Heritage In Danger. The recommenda on by the World Heritage Secretariat is extremely disappoin ng but not surprising. Given the hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars spent by Environment Minister Greg Hunt in a emp ng to convince dozens of member na ons that the Reef is doing wonderfully well under the Abbo government, that's what money buys. We taxpayers paid for journalists to come from all over the world together with delegates from Conven on member na ons. They were taken to the outer reefs where damage is not so visible and the government ensured that none of the paid for visitors ever met a single representa ve from any conserva on or non-government organisa on. AFA is also aware that the Queensland Auditor General had issued a report which slammed
AFA TAKES ACTION WITH WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE
AFA has taken on a major task in our efforts to get underwater noise on the poli cal agenda. The charity has spared no opportunity to bring the issue to the a en on of the mainstream media, the poli cal par es and the poli cians.
the efforts by Queensland and the federal governments' programs to improve water quality and other government funded Reef projects. This report was issued before the World Heritage Secretariat made its recommenda on and was also made available to Minister Hunt. But this federal government does not believe in any objec vity in its passionate desire to ensure the message that “ coal is good for humanity” will prevail. Instead
WHAT FUTURE GENERATIONS THINK OF ABBOTT GOVERNMENT POLICIES
the Abbo government is conduc ng an inquiry into tax deduc bility by conserva on organisa ons whilst ignoring the same deduc bility for mining lobby groups. According to the Australia Ins tute “ the mining and gas industries have spent $500 million dollars funding its lobby groups in the last ten years. Those expenses are also – you guessed it – tax deduc ble.”
Overleaf is the sign on le er which AFA sent to the World Heritage Secretariat. As well this le er has been sent to every single World Heritage Conven on member country delega on. We have removed the references for sake of space but if anyone wants the le er in its en rety, please contact the office. If we had more me, it would have gained a lot more signatures from European members of Parliament but unfortunately, this is a cumbersome process. In due course we will circulate this le er to all major par es in Canberra. Unfortunately, there is no champion for this issue in the Australian Greens who seem more and more interested in social issues rather than the environment. Con nued
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITES australiansforanimals.org.au greatbarrierreef.org.au
www.australiansforanimals.org.au
JULY 2015 NEWSLETTER
Continued
AFA TAKES ACTION WITH WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE Dear Director Rao, We, the undersigned, are marine scien sts and nongovernmental organisa ons, united in our concerns over the failure of the Australian federal and Queensland governments to adequately address the impacts of anthropogenic noise resul ng from the current and projected resource industry development in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). Consequently, we are reques ng that the GBRWHA be designated as a World Heritage Area in Danger. Underwater noise sources in the GBRWHA include dredging, pile driving, infrastructure development, recrea onal vessels and an exponen al projected increase in shipping traffic including coal vessels and LNG tankers. Underwater noise can travel many hundreds of kilometres depending on geo-acous c parameters which are influenced by des, wind, seabed condi ons, salinity, duc ng and thermoclines. Such noise can have drama c impact on marine species. For example, as indicated in a resolu on adopted in 2012, par es to the Conven on on Biological Diversity noted that: “… anthropogenic noise may have both short- and long-term nega ve consequences for marine animals and other biota in the marine environment, that t h i s i s s u e i s p r e d i c te d to increase in significance, and that uncontrolled increases in anthropogenic noise could add further stress to oceanic biota.” Noise impacts of par cular concern are those affec ng cetaceans, dugongs, turtle, fish and coral larvae. For example: “Shipping noise may inhibit coral reef forma on and colonisa on where ambient underwater sound is an important orienta on and se lement cue for marine invertebrate larvae.” For cetaceans, par es to the C o nv e n o n o n M i g ra t o r y Species adopted a resolu on in 2011 that: “Strongly urges Par es to prevent adverse effects on
cetaceans and on other migratory marine species by restric ng the emission of underwater noise, understood as keeping it to the lowest necessary level with par cular priority given to situa ons where the impacts on cetaceans are known to be heavy; and where noise cannot be avoided, urges Par es to develop an appropriate regulatory f ra m e wo r k o r i m p l e m e nt relevant measures to ensure a reduc on or mi ga on of manmade underwater noise;” The North East Shipping Management Plan developed by the Australian Mari me Safety Authority, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland government reveals that: “Noise may also impact on fish species communica ng during spawning and territorial fights, or when compe ng for food or being a acked by a predator with possible consequences for ecosystem func on and flow on commercial and recrea onal impacts.” Addi onal research details impacts on marine mammals which indicates that: “Anthropogenic sounds can affect marine mammals in a number of ways, including (a) disrup on of behaviour, (b) masking of important sounds, (c) temporary or permanent hearing loss, (d) physiological stress or physical injury, and (e) changes to the ecosystems that result in a reduc on of prey availability.” Masking is defined as the reduc on in the area over which
marine mammals can hear and communicate. “It degrades marine-mammal acous c habitat much like fog or smoke obscures important visual signals for terrestrial animals.” Commercial shipping is a s ig n ifi ca nt co nt r ib u to r to masking noise. Dredging is a further source of anthropogenic noise and: “In the next decade 60 million cubic metres of dredging is already in the pipeline.” Despite the documented impacts, iden fying anthropogenic noise as the cause of mortality is inhibited by the lack of any mandatory noise related necropsy protocols at the federal and state level as well as a lack of trained regional
veterinary staff. No ng that the GBRWHA is designated as a Par cularly Sensi ve Sea Area, and aware that the United Na ons Conven on on the Law of the Sea includes energy and therefore underwater noise, in its defini on of “marine pollu on”, we are concerned by the lack of legisla on at the Australian state or federal level which deals with impacts or sets regulatory limits on the levels of anthropogenic noise. Indeed successive UN General Assembly resolu ons have noted “ocean noise has p o te n a l ( fo r ) s i g n i fi ca nt adverse impacts on living marine resources.” (See e.g., UN General Assembly Resolu on A/RES/69/245).
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JULY 2015 NEWSLETTER Indeed, to date, no soundscape analyses have been undertaken in the GBRWHA despite the value of such monitoring. According to researchers at the University of Auckland: “Acous c monitoring can allow for detailed progress reports on habitat health in real me. Certain types of sound, whether natural or unnatural, may provide clues that help ecologists dis nguish between healthy or deteriora ng environments including effects of anthropogenic ac vity, habitat fragmenta on, introduced diseases, popula on deple on through hun ng, chemical pollu on, noise pollu on and many others may alter the status quo of animals acous c behaviour, thereby altering the overall acous c signature of an area. Several studies show that varia on in the soundscape can be “an early warning indicator of disturbances to the natural environment.” Furthermore, we note, that the Great Barrier Reef Dra Strategic Assessment states “There has been no comprehensive study of the effect of man-made noises on GBR species.” In addi on, Chapter 6-47 in the Dra Strategic Assessment states: “Given the increases in manmade underwater noise and the observed effects on marine life around the world, there is an urgent need for greater understanding of the effects of anthropogenic noise.” Finally, despite the Australian government's Reef 2050 Long Te r m S u s t a i n a b i l i t y P l a n recommenda on to “Develop a guideline specific to the GBR on assessing and managing impacts of underwater noise on s p e c i e s ” n o m e f ra m e , cos ngs, or poten al funding sources are included to achieve this objec ve. Based on the foregoing evidence and no ng that the Criteria for Inclusion in the World Heritage In Danger List specifies that “a poten al danger is a major threat which could have deleterious effects on the inherent characteris cs of the property “and that examples of
such major threats include “the management plan is lacking or inadequate or not fully implemented” we believe the failure to address anthropogenic noise warrants an In Danger lis ng for the GBRWHA. Yours sincerely, Sue Arnold Australians for Animals Inc. Ÿ On behalf of: Ÿ Dr. Luke Rendell, University of St
DON'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ OR HEAR IN NEWS LTD MEDIA
Andrews, Scotland. Ÿ Mr. Graeme Kelleher, AO, FTSE,
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FIEAust., FEIANZ and former CEO of GBRMPA (1979-1994) Dr. David Bain, University of Washington Dr. Matt Landos, BVSc(HonsI), Sydney University Dr. Reese Halter, Distinguished Conser vation Biologist, Los Angeles, California Dr. Richard Steiner, Oasis Earth, Anchorage, Alaska Acoustic Ecology Institute - USA Animal Welfare Institute – Washington DC Augusto Carneiro Institute -Brazil Australians for Animals - Australia Brazilian Marine, Coastal and Water Resources Network Cetacean Society International USA Divers for Sharks - Brazil Environmental Investigation Agency - UK Fondation Franz Weber -Switzerland The Group of 100 - Mexico legaSeas – New Zealand Marine Animal Connection - UK M.E.E.R e.V. - Germany Natural Resources Defense Council - USA No Whales in Captivity - Canada OceanCare - Switzerland Ocean Conservation Research USA Ocean Mammal Institute - USA Oceanomare Delphis Onlus -Italy Vivamar Society for the Sustainable Development of the Sea Pro Wildlife - Germany Whale and Dolphin Conservation UK The Whaleman Foundation - USA Bas Eickhout, Member European Parliament, Dutch Greens Hon Paolo Bernini -Movimento Cinque Stelle , Italian Parliament Hon Mirko Busto - Movimento Cinque Stelle , Italian Parliament
Crikey.com.au (Australia's leading nongovernment independent online news source), said this last week about News Corp: ‘The company – through its d i r e c t o r, s h a r e h o l d e r, management or “associate” proxies, now owns or has the key influence over: The vast majority of metro newspapers; • T h e va st m a j o r i t y o f suburban newspapers; • The majority of regional daily newspapers; • Two key radio networks; • One of three free-to-air TV networks; and • Australia's only pay-TV network.' • How could any poli cian or government resist this kind of influence? Without independent media like the ABC, SBS, Crikey, everyone will start to believe that mainstream media tells the truth.
• Ev e n m o re m o n e y i s siphoned offshore to mul na onals who pay li le or no tax. Apart from News Corp, other major shareholders of APN are mul na onal corpora ons. And if you think online media will fix the problem, just consider how much tax Google pays in Australia (virtually none). Communi es thrive on small businesses circula ng money locally, not large companies sending it out of the area. Huge online companies are ge ng too much power. Google, Facebook, Twi er, etc monitor your every online move, because if you can be told what to think you can be told what to buy.
www.greatbarrierreef.org.au
JULY 2015 NEWSLETTER
COOK ISLANDS – MOVING SLOWLY TOWARDS ANIMAL WELFARE LEGISLATION Cook Islands News May 08, 2015
The Cook Islands could be the first Pacific Island na on to adopt 21st century animal welfare laws. Hasher animal abuse penal es are among the amendments being made to the Cook Islands animal welfare laws to help prevent and deter cruelty against animals in the islands. The Cook Islands Society for the Preven on of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is leading the charge in dra ing the amendments to the animal welfare law, which it believes is outdated and ineffec ve in deterring cruelty. CISPCA president Sharon Reichart has received expert direc on in upda ng the legisla on from animal lover and regular visitor to the island, Sue Arnold of Australians For Animals Inc. Arnold has been visi ng Rarotonga for seven years and over that me she and her husband have not only adopted and cared for island pets but have also seen abuse against animals.
She says that while her group mainly focus on marine animals, they advocate against cruelty to all animals. She describes current Cook Islands animal welfare law as s ll being in the ‘dark ages’. SPCA has also received support from the World Animal Protec on group who are also working in Fiji and Samoa to improve animal welfare laws. SPCA is using a template animal welfare law to guide them in making improved amendments to the current law. Reichart says the lawmakers can
THE WHEELS GRIND SLOWLY The wheels grind slowly, but there's a huge amount of community support for a law that reflects 21st century standards for protec ng animals from abuse. and has agreed to champion the legisla on ! AFA has had to keep a very low profile in this campaign as its vitally important that the Cook Islands SPCA takes the lead. New legisla on will insist on enforcement powers being given to the SPCA. But AFA was pre y shocked on returning back to Australia to find that although we were under the impression (given by poli cians) AFA spent the best part of two that there was an exis ng old law w e e k s m e e n g w i t h that needed to be updated, in fact representa ves from the tourist there is NO legisla on which i n d u st r y, t h e C h a m b e r o f protects domes c animals. All Commerce, the Bishop who heads that exists is an extremely old law up the Religious Council which which is called the Wandering represents all the churches in the Animals Act, covering cows, pigs, islands, poli cians, media and horses, and goats. No wonder animal cruelty has disappeared local businesses. into a void. We met with Hon. Albert Nicholas who is Minister for Internal Affairs We've been working closely with World Animal Protec on who are
use their amendments to guide them in crea ng the final legisla on, which they hope will include heavy penal es to deter cruelty to animals. Part of the process in amending the law has been to seek the Gautam Adani support from the community. Reichart and Arnold have met with and received posi ve feedback and support from Religious Advisory Council president Bishop Tutai Pere and Catholic Bishop Paul Donoghue as well as the Tourism Industry Council. The animal welfare ac vists have met with and received the support of newly-appointed Cabinet minister Albert Nicholas who will champion the legisla on when parliament next sits. The women say the most important part of the new legisla on will be harsher penal es for cruelty to animal perpetrators as well as more enforcement powers. The harshest fine in the legisla on is just $20 and to prosecute someone will incur $30 court costs.
In comparison, last year in New Zealand a businessman was convicted and fined $10,000 for animal cruelty a er SPCA officers were forced to euthanize 77 of the man’s sheep. “If the maximum fine for cruelty to animals is only $20, why would police respond to a callout when the court fees are higher?” asks Arnold. With a stronger rela onship with the Cook Islands Police Service, SPCA hopes to have more powers in enforcing animal welfare legisla on. SPCA has also been brainstorming about the best use for the funds generated from dog registra on fees. They believe the funds could be used more wisely if they were held in a trust fund that could be accessed to pay for the costs involved in prosecu ng animal abusers. Implemen ng the rules and regula ons around dog registra on and ownership also need to be strengthened. Parliament is expected to sit at the end of June and Reichart is hoping fo r p o s i ve s u p p o r t f ro m government on the much-needed amendments to animal welfare laws.
doing the hard yards ge ng legisla on up in Samoa and Fiji. But as our two groups realise that nothing happens in western me in the Pacific Island na ons, it can be a frustra ngly slow experience. AFA is now working with a lawyer in Melbourne who will dra up the legisla on and we will take this back to the Cook Islands later this year so that it can go through the Parliament. However, the current
government is a hung government and there's every likelihood of a new general elec on! If the Democrat party which is currently in opposi on gets in, we should be able to get legisla on through fairly promptly. If it's another hung Parliament, it's going to require a few more deep breathing exercises and persistence un l AFA and the SCPA succeed.
AUSTRALIANS FOR
an ma s PROTECT NURTURE RESTORE
PO Box 414, Brunswick Heads 2483 Australia Tel: 61 2 6680 3674 Fax: 61 2 6680 3612 suearnold@linknet.com.au Reg. Charity No. CFN12644
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