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Raising public awareness about environmental matters can be a great challenge -- but once achieved, positive change can happen.
This month people around the globe observed World Water Day, underlining the growing scarcity of our freshwater resources. Earth Hour, a local campaign which has now gone global in only one year, encourages people to "switch off" for just one hour to see what a difference they can make in energy consumption.
See what a difference you can make -- and spread the word. Add events you know about here on the UN Atlas of the Oceans.
Contribute to and participate in the growing Atlas community by becoming an active Member of the UN Atlas today.
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Thank you,
The UN Atlas of the Oceans Editors
Visit the UN Atlas of the Oceans Web site
Comments? Please write to UN-Atlas-Oceans-Project@fao.org
- Warning on plastic's toxic threat : Plastic waste in the oceans poses a potentially devastating long-term toxic threat to the food chain, according to marine scientists. (News)
- World Water Day : March 22 is World Water Day -- the international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. (News)
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Lights off in a Deep Freeze (for Earth Hour Saturday 29 March 8 pm)
: Staff in our remote Antarctic bases are among the most enthusiastic campaigners for cutting energy use. After a summer of endless daylight, the sun will set just in time on Saturday for the members of the Australian Antarctic Division to have a candelit dinner for Earth Hour.
More than just an hour. Make Earth Hour part of your everyday life. (News) - Declining reliance on marine resources in remote South Pacific societies: ecological versus socio-economic drivers : This report selects the Lau Islands (Fiji) as a case study for how societies respond to ecological and socio-economic change, and identifies opportunities for adaptive sustainable ecosystem management. (Document)
- The MIMBU Papua New Guinea Marine Biodiversity Database 2007. Gaps in Knowledge and a Call for Action : Report by the Motupore Island Marine Biodiversity Unit (Document)
- French driftnetters will not fish in 2008 : The European Court of Justice refuses to grant this fleet a temporary exemption to permit the use of driftnets. (News)
- Tiny Mexican porpoise near extinct from fish nets : The vaquita, a tiny stubby-nosed porpoise found only in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, is on the brink of extinction as more die each year in fishing nets than are being born, biologists say. (News)
- Climate change affecting fish stocks : Climate change is emerging as the latest threat to the world's fast declining fish stocks, which could affect millions of people who depend on the oceans for food and income, says a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (News)
- Scaling up Marine Management. The Role of Marine Protected Areas : Assesses experiences in Chile, Brazil and Philippines case studies in marine protected areas (Document)
- Commission launches major control campaign to clamp down on overfishing of bluefin tuna : The European Commission announced the launch of a major EU control campaign aimed at preventing a repeat of last year's overfishing of Mediterranean bluefin tuna by a number of EU Member States. (News)
- Some algae may help corals withstand warmer waters : Certain types of algae can help corals withstand higher sea temperatures and prevent them from bleaching, scientists in Australia have found. (News)
- Liberia: Reviving fisheries could boost economy and health : Nine out of Liberia’s 15 counties lie along 570 km of the Atlantic Ocean and small scale fishing provides a major source of income and nutrition for coastal communities, but the sector has been neglected by the government and donors during and since the country’s ruinous civil war. (News)
- The State of Deep Coral Ecosystems of the United States : Provides new insight into the complex and biologically rich habitats found in deeper waters off the U.S. and elsewhere around the world. (Document)
- In Dead Water : Report describing the affects of global climate change on the world's oceans (Document)
- Census of Antarctic Marine Life : Michael Stoddart describes Australia's involvement in the census of Antarctic marine life and what the census hopes to achieve. The census is designed to allow more accurate monitoring of the oceans which are thought to be changing quickly. The data may also help confirm whether the oceans of Antarctica are a biological hotspot, an area from where species are thought to evolve. (News)
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Breakthrough Boosts Fishing Industry
: Southern bluefin tuna is one of Australia's most lucrative catches but in recent years reduced quotas have been imposed for fear wild stocks have reached critically low levels. Now after years of work and millions of dollars of investment, one company says it has achieved the industry holy grail by breeding the fish in captivity.
Website includes transcript of TV report, video (6.03 minutes). (News) - European Project on Ocean Acidification : European Union (EU) initiative to investigate Ocean acidification and its consequences. After its favorable evaluation, starting in May 2008 for a period of 4 years. (Project)
- IMO: IMO: 50 years, 50 treaties : Today (March 17th) marks the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the convention that established the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The past 50 years have seen the adoption, by IMO, of no less than 50 international conventions and protocols, covering maritime safety and security, prevention, reduction and control of pollution (both marine and atmospheric) from ships, liability and compensation, preparedness for and response to maritime accidents, and other issues including facilitation of maritime traffic and salvage. (News)
- IMO: Closing date nears for nominations for the 2008 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea : The closing date for nominations of candidates to be considered for the 2008 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea is 15 April 2008. Nominations, for actions performed during the period 2 March 2007 to 29 February 2008, may be made by: · United Nations Member States; · intergovernmental organizations (IGOs); and · non-governmental international organizations (NGOs) in consultative status with IMO. Individuals wishing to highlight an act of bravery should approach their national maritime Administration or one of the IGOs or NGOs to make the nomination. (News)
- IMO: New International Medical Guide for Ships (Third Edition) launched jointly by IMO, ILO and WHO : A new edition of the International Medical Guide for Ships has been published by the World Health Organization (WHO), on behalf of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and WHO itself. Copies of this book are now available from WHO and IMO. (News)
- IMO: Fourth IMO-EC meeting reinforces working relationship : Mr. Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport, visited the IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, at IMO Headquarters in London on Friday 14 March 2007, within the framework of co-operation between the two sides aimed at promoting maritime safety and security and environmental protection. (News)
- IMO: Ships' Routeing (2008 edition) now available : Details of all ships' routeing and mandatory reporting systems adopted by IMO, including traffic separation schemes, two-way routes, recommended tracks, deep water routes, precautionary areas and areas to be avoided, are included in the latest edition of the IMO Publication, Ships' Routeing. (News)
- General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean : Official Web site of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (Website)
- Tougher port controls to target illegal fishing in the Mediterranean : The FAO-established General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) has approved a new region-wide scheme for stronger "port State" controls targeting illegal, unreported and underreported (IUU) fishing. (News)
- Directory of Resources Regarding Tidal Power : Tidal power, sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that exploits the movement of water caused by tidal currents or the rise and fall in sea levels due to the tides. (Website)
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IMO: IMO Convention adopted 60 years ago
: Today (6 March 2008) marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the international convention that established the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The setting for this historic event was a conference held in Geneva, under the auspices of the United Nations. The IMO Convention subsequently entered into force in 1958, and the new Organization met for the first time the following year. (News)
- Reef Fish Lose their Way as Environment Turns Hostile : Environmental stresses, including warmer and more acidic seawater, may be affecting the development of the ear bones in young reef fish, causing the fish to get lost at sea during a crucial stage of their development. (News)
- Encyclopaedia of Life : The Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of websites that makes all key information about all life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. (Website)
- The story of the Friends of Nelson Haven and Tasman Bay : Case study of a community group in New Zealand that has had a significant impact on coastal pollution locally, and nationally (Document)