NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2008
 
Dear UN Atlas Member,

As 2008 begins, we would like to mention various global initiatives which will contribute to the sustainable development of our oceans:

  • International Year of the Reef -- a worldwide campaign to be launched this month to raise awareness on the importance of coral reefs.
  • International Year of Planet Earth -- oceans cover 70% of our planet's surface!
  • International Year of Sanitation -- sewage discharge is a huge threat to oceans; improving sanitation disposal will help the ocean environment.
  • Water for Life Decade -- water is crucial for sustainable development, including our oceans and coastal communities, and relies on responsible management. Water for Life Decade (2005-2015) calls for continued and renewed worldwide action.
  • International Polar Year -- a global scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic continues until March 2009.
  • It's been ten years since the International Year of the Ocean -- over the course of this year the UN Atlas will be reporting on the state of our ocean ten years later.

    The editorial team of the UN Atlas of the Oceans would like to thank you for all your continued efforts in contributing to this Web site and making it a rich source of information on oceans -- please don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.

    If this newsletter may interest someone you know, please forward it.

    Contribute to and participate in the growing Atlas community by becoming an active Member of the UN Atlas today.

    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
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    Recently added content:
    • Dolphins and Whales - Tribes of the Ocean : IMAX film (Multimedia)
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    • Yemama : ICSF newsletter on gender and fisheries (Document)
    • FAO meet to enhance operations in West Africa : The First Meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) Sub-regional Office for West Africa (SFW) and Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) opened in Accra on December 10 to draw a blue print for activities in 2008. (News)
    • FAO calls for urgent steps to protect the poor from soaring food prices : FAO is urging governments and the international community to implement immediate measures in support of poor countries hit hard by dramatic food price increases. (News)
    • UNITED NATIONS MARKS TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF OPENING : December 10, 2007 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. On 10 December 1982, following several years of negotiations, the Convention was opened for signature in Montego Bay, Jamaica. (News)
    • An Ocean of Energy : Some look to the ocean and take in seascapes that calm the mind and soothe the senses, while others see a bounty of living resources and biodiversity. The oceans have supported great societies and civilizations, and have been the setting for innumerable historical events. But more and more, people are looking to the sea for something the land is increasingly unable to provide at the levels we demand: energy. (News)
    • Misconceptions, Outright Prejudice : Pre-existing fisheries-rights systems, under which many nearshore small-scale tropical operate, function in radically different milieu from those in temperate zones (Document)
    • Enmeshed: Australia and Southeast Asia's Fisheries : Southeast Asia's oceans are fast running out of fish, putting the livelihoods of up to 100 million people at risk, leading to more illegal incursions into Australia's northern fisheries and putting the future of shared stocks between Australia and Southeast Asia at grave risk. A new Lowy Institute Paper entitled 'Enmeshed: Australia and Southeast Asia's Fisheries' by Dr Meryl J. Williams looks at the sources of this depletion and what can be done regionally to address it before it becomes too late. (Document)
    • Report Finds Marine Conservation Can Reduce Poverty : Well-managed, locally-supported marine reserves in the Asia-Pacific region can significantly help reduce poverty and enhance the quality of life for residents of local communities, according to a new study, "Natures Investment Bank," released by The Nature Conservancy. (News)
    • Emissions cuts needed today to stop reef die-back : Even if the Bali meeting does agree on new, more aggressive cuts to carbon emissions, a group of eminent marine scientists says it may be too late to save the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs around the world. The 17 scientists, led by an Australian professor, say there's only one way to avoid massive marine dieback to coral reefs and that's to cut carbon emissions now. The group has published a paper about its predictions in today's edition of Science Magazine. Download the story in Audio or MP3 format from the ABC Radio website. (News)
     
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