Technical Bulletin - Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust

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Technical Bulletin Highlights of Humane Society International's program activities

Issue 23, 2013

Humane Society International Inc. | ABN 63 510 927 032 | PO Box 439 Avalon NSW 2107 Australia Telephone (02) 9973 1728 | Facsimile (02) 9973 1729 | Email [email protected] | Web www.hsi.org.au

Technical Bulletin Table of Contents The Coalition Government remains intent on destroying national environmental laws .................................2 Environment Minister Hunt clamps down on court access under the EPBC Act ...................................2 Commonwealth moves to weaken off-shore petroleum EPBC Act environmental approvals ...............2 Senate Committee report on threatened species and ecological communities........................................3 HSI gains first riverine listings under EPBC - almost ....................................................................................4 4 HSI nominated TECs make EPBC assessment list ......................................................................................5 TECs identified under NSW TSC Act potentially eligible for EPBC Act protection.....................................7 HSI helps purchase Daintree rainforest block.................................................................................................7 HSI’s Wildlife Land Trust set to flourish .......................................................................................................7 US WLT Program Update ..............................................................................................................................9 Washington WLT seeks to purchase mountain lion habitat ...................................................................9 US WLT Sanctuary Profile: Davis Wildlife Sanctuary, Georgia ...........................................................9 Australian WLT Sanctuary Profile: Ballow View, Qld ..................................................................................9 HSI supports Australian tour by US wild dog management expert ..............................................................10 HSI funds important species research ...........................................................................................................10 CCSBT talks fail the albatross ......................................................................................................................11 Success for HSI seabird bycatch project in Ecuador ....................................................................................12 HSI pushes industry towards zero seabird bycatch .......................................................................................13 AFMA publishes seabird identification guide ..............................................................................................14 Shark Protection Update ...............................................................................................................................14 Great white shark recovery plan ...........................................................................................................14 Australian Shark-Plan Representative Group .......................................................................................14 Australian Greens announce plan to stop cruel shark finning ..............................................................14 NSW decision to list smooth hammerhead shark delayed ....................................................................14 Grey Nurse Shark Symposium .............................................................................................................14 Airlines go shark free! ..........................................................................................................................15 India adopts ‘fins naturally attached’ policy ........................................................................................15 HSI hosts anti-shark finning event in Beijing.......................................................................................15 New Zealand releases draft national plan of action for sharks .............................................................16 HSI works with CITES to promote sustainable shark trade .................................................................16 HSI participates in CMS Strategic review ....................................................................................................16 HSUS successful cetacea lawsuit..................................................................................................................17 Russia blocks Antarctic marine protected areas ...........................................................................................17 HSI supports ongoing global ocean governance discussions ........................................................................17 HSI pushes for ‘free range’ egg definition in SA .........................................................................................18 Bird Flu – Humane Choice’s response to Barnaby Joyce .............................................................................19 NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Greyhound Racing ...................................................................................19 Major breakthrough as China changes cosmetics animal testing laws .........................................................20 APL misleads consumers on true meaning of “sow stall free” .....................................................................20 HSI supports second year of disaster relief work in Mali .............................................................................21 HSI disaster relief teams respond to Typhoon Haiyan..................................................................................21 Teaching humane handling to Cuban vets ....................................................................................................22 HSI supports lemur conservation in Madagascar .........................................................................................22 HSI supports INTERPOL to combat bear bile trade.....................................................................................22 Successful wild sloth bear release and smuggled bears rescued ...................................................................23 Tiger poachers caught ...................................................................................................................................23 HSI supports programs to help reduce rhino horn trade in Vietnam ............................................................24 Javan green peafowl successfully released in Indonesia...............................................................................24 Increased conservation efforts in Tanjung Puting National Park buffer zones .............................................25

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Technical Bulletin The Coalition Government remains intent on destroying national environmental laws

Read HSI Director Michael Kennedy’s ABC Opinion Piece: http://goo.gl/KBp7K4 Environment Minister Hunt clamps down on court access under the EPBC Act On November 14th, Environment Minister Greg Hunt tabled an EPBC Act amendment Bill, which aims in the first instance to frustrate attempts by Tasmanian NGOs to stop mine developments in the Tarkine. The Bill seeks to allow the Environment Minister to ignore the advice of the EPBC Act Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) when deciding to approve or not approve a development that may have a significant impact upon a Matter of National Environmental Significance (MNES). The Bill aims to make the amendment retrospective. If successful, this would not permit a challenge in the courts when the Minister is known to have ignored such advice. Together with the fact that “merits appeals” are no longer permitted under the EPBC Act, this would be a serious blow in relation to public access to the courts in Australia and a disaster for ongoing conservation efforts. It is hoped that this will be blocked in the Senate.

In recent months the Places You Love Alliance, of which HSI is a founding member, has continued to strongly oppose proposals to devolve Commonwealth environmental powers to state and territory governments. The Alliance was able to fight-off such plans by the then Labor Government, with both Prime Ministers Gillard and Rudd eventually committing to robust environmental laws and retaining approvals powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act). However, with the Coalition Government now in power, it is clear from the first few months that Prime Minister Abbott is determined to press ahead with approval bilateral agreements with all state and territory governments, so that these are in place within 12 months of the Federal election. On the 18th of October a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Commonwealth and Queensland, setting out the timetable for the development of a new assessment bilateral as well as an approval bilateral. This was swiftly followed by the signing of an MoU between the Commonwealth and NSW on the 5th of November. Draft bilaterals between the Commonwealth and Queensland and New South Wales Governments has also now been released for public comment.

The Bill was amended by the Government to apply only until 31 December, 2013, leaving the EPBC clause in tact post that date.

With Queensland the ‘first cab off the rank’ and NSW following swiftly behind, no doubt to be joined by other states shortly, the Places You Love alliance is putting significant effort into our plans for a long term vision for our environmental laws. We will be working hard in the coming months to ensure our viewpoint and concerns remain clearly heard by all levels of Government. In the meantime we are also considering all legal options available.

Legal appeals blocked in the Tarkine. Flickr/Greens MPs

Commonwealth moves to weaken offshore petroleum EPBC Act environmental approvals Consistent with their election commitment, the Government is moving swiftly ahead to establish a ‘one-stop-shop’ for petroleum environmental assessments and approvals. It is Page 2

Technical Bulletin proposed that decisions on environmental approvals for offshore petroleum activities would be transferred to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA). This commitment is being delivered through a strategic assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act) which is now underway after a brief consultation on the draft Terms of Reference for the strategic assessment.

under the EPBC Act, with little if any opportunity for public input. Given its legal framework, NOPSEMA is ultimately accountable to the Minister for Industry. HSI and our NGO colleagues working on this issue believe that this is a significant conflict of interest which will result in industry priorities triumphing over environmental concerns if the ‘one-stop-shop’ proposal goes ahead. HSI therefore does not believe that the abdication of Commonwealth responsibility with regards to offshore petroleum approvals is either appropriate or legal, as it would result in the acceptance of lower standards than are currently in place under the EPBC Act, and as a result we will be continuing to oppose this proposal. For further information about these proposals see: http://goo.gl/TGFVBd

HSI provided comments on the Terms of Reference, expressing our concerns with regard to the approach of streamlining offshore petroleum environmental approvals. We consider that the proposed streamlining approach represents an abdication of responsibility for those issues normally covered by the EPBC Act, given the significant gaps between the EPBC Act and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act, 2008 (OPGGS Act). We believe the process as outlined to be inadequate.

Senate Committee report on threatened species and ecological communities In August the Senate’s Environment and Communications References Committee released its long-awaited report into the “Effectiveness of threatened species and ecological communities' protection in Australia.” HSI put substantial effort into this Senate inquiry, providing Senators with a detailed submission and appearing before the Committee to provide further oral advice, and HSI is quoted extensively in the final report.

HSI is concerned at the lack of detail regarding environmental requirements under the OPGGS Act. In addition, NOPSEMA allows significant flexibility in this plan of how environmental management should be undertaken and how ‘tolerable risks’ are managed. For an issue such as offshore petroleum exploitation which involves a number of high risk activities that risk impacting upon matters of national environment significance listed under the EPBC Act, we do not consider this to be adequate. HSI considers the process standards in place under NOPSEMA to be wholly unacceptable, requiring significant improvement to meet EPBC Act standards. HSI is also concerned at the closed nature of the proposed handing over of environmental approval processes to NOPSEMA, as NOPSEMA has no public consultation process. In light of HSI’s process based concerns, this suggests that NOPSEMA will have too much discretion over matters of national environmental significance listed

The orange-bellied parrot is a species further threatened by weakened environment laws. © Dave Watts

The report lists 44 recommendations and HSI will seek further clarification from the new Government on the priorities for taking these recommendations forward. Whilst we do not Page 3

Technical Bulletin agree with all the recommendations in the report we were particularly pleased to see the focus on critical habitat protections. The full report can be viewed at: http://goo.gl/NzTOcd

nursery habitat for a range of fisheries species, stabilising the coastline, and, importantly, carbon sequestration - saltmarshes are among the most efficient ecosystems at sequestering carbon in the world.

In late 2012, the Places You Love Alliance (of which HSI is a founding member) commissioned an analysis into state and territory threatened species and planning legislation. This analysis was undertaken by the Australian Network of Environmental Defender's Offices. The report, published in December 2012, found that no state or territory’s threatened species or planning laws currently meet the suite of federal environmental standards necessary to effectively and efficiently protect the environment.

Unfortunately the road to recovery has not been as straightforward for the River Murray and Macquarie Marshes communities, with a vocal minority of industry groups pushing the Federal government to disallow the listings. This is despite the TSSC considering there was “overwhelming evidence” to list the communities at the highest possible threat level of Critically Endangered after close to five years of assessment, with both meeting several listing criteria for a threatened status (only one is required to warrant a listing). They are among the most threatened communities on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act) schedules.

ANEDO Report: An Assessment of the Adequacy of Threatened Species & Planning Laws in Australia (December 2012) http://goo.gl/Jel32t

HSI gains first riverine listings under EPBC - almost Following advice from the Commonwealth’s independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC), it fell to former Environment Minister Mark Butler to make positive listing decisions on a total of four Threatened Ecological Communities (TECs) prior to the Federal election in August of this year. The majority of these were three TECs nominated by HSI: ‘River Murray and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems, from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’; ‘Wetlands and inner floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes’; and ‘Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh’.

These listings are pioneering (the first) examples of aquatic/riverine ecosystem conservation, and take a whole-of-system approach to provide the connectivity essential to protect and improve the ecological functioning and health of these nationally iconic ecosystems. The River Murray community in particular spans three state jurisdictions in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and achieves more than the three Ramsar and various threatened species listings under the EPBC Act that already exist in the region, recognising the critical role of connectivity to the future health and sustainability of the ecosystem.

Subtropical and Temperate Saltmarsh was listed at the Vulnerable threat level due to a range of impacts including clearing and fragmentation, altered hydrology, invasive species, pollution, and eutrophication. Extending across six states with an approximate latitudinal boundary of the Tropic of Capricorn on the east coast and at 26o on the west, the TSSC’s conservation advice includes several priority actions to assist the survival of this ecosystem and preserve the ecosystem services it provides, such as filtering surface water prior to it entering the sea, providing

Widespread and ongoing declines or losses of key functional species throughout the various components of both TECs have occurred since at least the 1980s, and combined with significant and often catastrophic recruitment failure have led to serious ecological decline. Clearance of native vegetation, changes to flow regimes such as river regulation and increased water extraction, as well as impacts from invasive species (both faunal and floral) and climate change have degraded water Page 4

Technical Bulletin quality, increased salinity and impacted heavily upon both communities. Furthermore, a plethora of additional significant threats have degraded the River Murray system including toxic algal blooms stimulated by excess nutrients and low flows, acid sulphate soils, and blackwater events from build-ups of organic matter during periods of low flow.

for threatened listings in the 2013 round. Of these, two were importantly included on the recently released Finalised Priority Assessment List (FPAL) for the assessment round that commenced on October 1, being ‘Eucalyptus ovata woodland and forest in Tasmania’ and ‘Poplar/bimble box grassy woodland on alluvial plains’ (a vegetation type largely consistent with the Pilliga Forest, a hotspot of Coal Seam Gas development activity). These FPAL inclusions trigger detailed assessments by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC).

The potential disallowance motion (already tabled in Parliament) is an extremely worrying precedent, and purely politically motivated. With the listings not only protecting the ecologically integrity of both systems but the continued livelihoods of those relying on the sustainability of the rivers and marshes such as graziers, irrigators and vignerons, the Government is playing a dangerous ecological and political game by ignoring the need for immediate conservation action.

Despite their lack of inclusion on the FPAL, the TSSC indicated that the remaining three communities nominated (‘Western Australian Banded Ironstone Vegetation Complex’, ‘East Coast Floodplain Vegetation Complex’, and ‘Tropical Freshwater Floodplains of Northern Australia’) are likely to meet the thresholds warranting listing should definition issues be addressed. These communities will form the basis of HSI’s nomination priorities for 2014 following an investigation into the viability of several smaller submissions demonstrating tighter ecological linkages.

An extensive media debate has ensued over the listing and proposed disallowance and correspondence between HSI, Greg Hunt and Senator Birmingham has been extensive. Rural reporters and farmers have been active in scaremongering tactics, with the front page of The Land Newspaper and The Weekly Times lambasting the listing. HSI and the National Irrigators Council have also been exchanging views through ABC Online “Opinion Pieces”, while the original call for Parliamentary disallowance came from Barnaby Joyce. Read HSI Director Michael Kennedy’s ABC Opinion Piece: http://goo.gl/H8qkgA

Tropical Floodplains. © Shutterstock/Ivonne Wierink

Also included on the FPAL was ‘Weeping myall-coobah-scrub wilga shrubland of the Hunter valley’, a listed Threatened Ecological Community originally nominated by HSI that is undergoing definitional changes to better ensure effective conservation, as well as another in ‘Southern Highlands shale woodland’ that is being revisited by the TSSC following an HSI nomination in 2003. As such, HSI has involvement in the majority (4/7) of ecological communities prioritised for assessment this year. To see all inclusions on the 2013 FPAL, visit: http://goo.gl/Qli38R.

STOP PRESS HSI has disappointingly just witnessed the River Murray and Macquarie Marshes communities being disallowed in parliament.

4 HSI nominated TECs make EPBC assessment list In response to the Federal government’s annual call for Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act) ecological community nominations, HSI submitted five habitat types to be considered Page 5

Technical Bulletin

Indicative distributions of ‘River Murray and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems, from the junction of the Darling River to the sea’ (top) and ‘Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh’ (bottom). Available online at http://goo.gl/JgjgUl and http://goo.gl/ovfwIm respectively. © Federal Department of Environment

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Technical Bulletin TECs identified under NSW TSC Act potentially eligible for EPBC Act protection

plant species and 5 threatened species. HSI’s National Heritage nomination for the EPBC Act listing of all the Daintree Lowland Rainforests (approximately 8,500 hectares additional to existing reserves) is still with the Commonwealth awaiting prioritised assessment.

HSI has identified 24 Threatened Ecological Communities (TECs) listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995 (TSC Act) that are endemic to the state and likely warrant listing under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act) due to their potentially national significance. Four of these TECs (denoted by * in the table on the following page) were listed under the TSC Act following HSI submissions in 2000.

HSI’s Wildlife Land Trust set to flourish Humane Society International’s private land conservation network, the Wildlife Land Trust (WLT), is on the verge of a national membership campaign which is set to bolster an already burgeoning membership. For close to four years the rate of sanctuaries joining the program has held steady at approximately one per week, and following the launch of a radio advertisement running on rural stations and an upcoming membership drive aiming to increase the number of landholders involved in protecting habitat on their land, this is set to rise.

It is our view that the most efficient and sensible way to assist the survival of these recognised TECs, and any further TSC Act listed communities endemic to and found wholly within New South Wales, is automatic inclusion under the schedules of the EPBC Act. They have already undergone comprehensive assessment by the NSW Scientific Committee, and this information should be utilised at a Federal level.

The program recognises that preserving habitats and ecosystems is essential to the survival of native wildlife, and working under the guiding principle of humane stewardship seeks to support conservation-minded landholders who dedicate extraordinary amounts of time to deliver what is essentially a public good.

Despite lobbying efforts this remains an unlikely scenario in the foreseeable future, with the task of prioritising and submitting formal nominations for these communities individually, falling to willing organisations or members of the public. HSI is currently assessing those communities most in need of further protection with a view to submitting them for EPBC Act listings in early 2014.

The following graph (see next page) maps the growth of the Australian Wildlife Land Trust in 6-monthly lots since its inception in 2007, with changes in the proportion of various state representations evident. While New South Wales clearly accounts for the majority of WLT members across the country, not displayed are the trends in sanctuary size, with perhaps the most notable disparity occurring in Queensland where 29.5% of sanctuaries account for nearly 60% (20,882/35,829 hectares) of the total land covered. Tasmania has the greatest relative rate of membership growth over recent months, accounting for nearly 20% of new members since July despite an overall proportion of less than 4%.

See the following page for a table of the TECs.

HSI helps purchase Daintree rainforest block Earlier this year, working with Rainforest Rescue, HSI has contributed to the purchase of a pristine rainforest block in the remaining Daintree lowland forests of north Queensland. Located in Forest Close, it has been purchased by Rainforest Rescue along with three other adjacent blocks, forming an almost continuous track of rainforest, containing 128 different Page 7

Technical Bulletin NSW Listed Endemic Ecological Community

TSC Act Status

Aquatic ecological community in the natural drainage system of the lowland Endangered catchment of the Lachlan River Araluen Scarp Grassy Forest in the South East Corner Bioregion Endangered Blue Mountains Shale Cap Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered *Brogo Wet vine Forest in the South East Corner Bioregion Endangered *Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion Endangered Duffys Forest Ecological Community in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered Genowlan Point Allocasuarina nana Heathland Endangered Gnarled Mossy Cloud Forest on Lord Howe Island Critically Endangered Howell Shrublands in the New England Tableland and Nandewar Bioregions Endangered Hunter Valley Footslopes Slaty Gum Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Vulnerable Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered Illawarra Subtropical Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered Kurnell Dune Forest in the Sutherland Shire and City of Rockdale Endangered Low Woodland with Heathland on Indurated Sand at Norah Head Endangered Maroota Sand Swamp Forest Endangered McKies Stringybark/Blackbutt Open Forest in the Nandewar and New England Endangered Tableland Bioregions Mt Canobolas Xanthoparmelia Lichen Community Endangered O’Hares Creek Shale Forest Endangered Pittwater Spotted Gum Forest Endangered Quorrobolong Scribbly Gum Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered *Robertson Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered *Southern Highlands Shale Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Endangered Southern Sydney Sheltered Forest on Transitional Sandstone Soils in the Sydney Endangered Basin Bioregion Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion Critically Endangered Table: The 24 Threatened Species Conservation Act listed ecological communities that may warrant Federal listing.

Australian Wildlife Land Trust Sanctuary Growth 250

Number of Sanctuaries

200

150

TAS SA WA

100

VIC QLD NSW

50

0

Time (6 month intervals) Graph: Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary growth and changes in distribution over the last seven years.

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Technical Bulletin US WLT Program Update

areas such as the Davis Wildlife Sanctuary assist with alleviating their conservation concern.

Washington WLT seeks to purchase mountain lion habitat The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust (HSWLT), the Australian Wildlife Land Trust’s US affiliate, recently identified a critical parcel of land adjacent to one of their existing sanctuaries that has become available for acquisition, and is calling for funding assistance to assist in conserving its critical biological values in-perpetuity. The 255 hectare block lies next to 1,200 hectare Greenwood Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary in Oregon, and is home to mountain lions (Puma concolor), black bears (Ursus americanus), bobcats (Lynx rufus) and other large predators. With a total of more than 400 species being identified on the property, the goal of US $550,000 has to be raised by December 10, 2013.

Other wildlife species for which the HSWLT sanctuary provides habitat include white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), wood ducks (Aix sponsa), black bears (Ursus americanus), wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Extensive bottomland hardwoods provide critical habitat for neotropical songbirds of concern, such as Swainson's warblers (Limnothlypis swainsonii), prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea) and yellow-billed cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus).

Australian WLT Sanctuary Profile: Ballow View, Qld Ballow View Nature Refuge is a 51.86 hectare Wildlife Land Trust member sanctuary located in the foothills of Main Range, adjacent to the Queensland - New South Wales border. Owned by Hugh Wackwitz and Mary and Philip Rowland, its significant conservation values are protected in perpetuity by a Conservation Agreement with the Queensland Government under the Nature Conservation Act, 1992.

US WLT Sanctuary Profile: Davis Wildlife Sanctuary, Georgia Such funding for the purchase of critical habitats complements the core HSWLT activity of private sanctuary management on properties such as the Davis Wildlife Sanctuary, which was established in the summer of 2000 when Opal Davis donated 48.5 hectares in Hawkinsville, Georgia to the HSWLT. The entirety of the sanctuary and wildlife species that depend on it are now permanently protected from development, as well as all recreational and commercial hunting and trapping.

While about 30% of the Nature Refuge has been largely cleared in the past the remainder is heavily timbered, featuring many old growth eucalypts with hollows and intact open forest with significant stands of forest sheoak (Allocasuarina torulosa), which provide an essential and plentiful food source for glossy black-cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus lathami). A vegetation survey conducted by Paul Grimshaw on behalf of the Scenic Rim Shire Council in May of this year identified two Queensland Regional Ecosystem types as being represented by the remnant vegetation within the sanctuary: ‘Open forest complex often with Eucalyptus acmenoides, E. major, E. siderophloia +/- Corymbia citriodora on sedimentary rocks’ and ‘Open forest with Eucalyptus acmenoides or E. helidonica on Cainozoic igneous rocks especially trachyte’.

Preserving wildlife habitat in the region is particularly important for a number of wildlife species that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has identified as being of concern, perhaps the most prominent of which are a variety of bats. Although some bat species have the capacity to somewhat adapt to surrounding human development, others struggle with specific habitat needs such as caves with suitable temperatures and humidity levels, or large, hollow bottomland trees. Populations of these species are more vulnerable to habitat alterations and protected Page 9

Technical Bulletin The vegetation survey also identified a special feature of the Nature Refuge as being the large number of autumn-flowering, terrestrial orchid species noted in some of the more sheltered and moist parts of the open forest. Five species were seen flowering: pixie caps (Acianthus fornicates); small wasp orchids (Chiloglottis sylvestris); white caladenia (Caladenia catenata); white helmet orchids (Corybas barbarae); and nodding greenhoods (Pterostylis nutans). The wide range of wildlife species known to occur on Ballow View include the spotted-tail quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), rufuous bettong (Aepyprymnus rufescens), yellow-tailed black (Calyptorhynchus funereus) cockatoo, greater glider (Petauroides volans), koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) and eastern horseshoe (Rhinolophus megaphyllus), little bent-winged (Miniopterus australis) and Gould’s wattled (Chalinolobus gouldii) bats. A profuse amount of claw marks on the relatively smooth bark of grey gums on the sanctuary indicates that it supports a high number of arboreal mammals.

HSI supports Australian tour by US wild dog management expert During November, two public seminars and two seminars/landholder workshops were held during the tour by US wild dog management expert, Suzanne Stone. The tour was supported by the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, the NSW Catchment Management Authority (HawkesburyNepean), the University of Western Sydney and others. The following is extracted from the tour brochure: “The Defenders of Wildlife (DoW), USA, Wood River Proactive Wolf Project has shown wolves and livestock can coexist, with benefits to biodiversity. Suzanne Stone oversees DoW programs for wolf management in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. She has managed large carnivores since 1988, including serving as a member of the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction team. Suzanne Stone facilitates

wildlife conflict resolution management techniques.

&

non-lethal

L to R: E. Quartermain (HSI), B. Purcell (UWS), S. Stone (DoW), A. Wellbelove (HSI) and D. Ramp (UTS).

Local dingo expert Brad Purcell and Suzanne are facilitating workshops around the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area with the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority to show how non-lethal management tools can reduce livestock predation. In their role as apex predators, dingoes maintain landscape productivity and are fundamental to the long-term viability of the Australian pastoral industry.”

HSI funds important species research HSI has once again teamed up with the Paddy Pallin Foundation, Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife and the Royal Zoological Society of NSW to offer six science grants in 2013 for PhD candidates and early career researchers, two of which were funded by HSI. PhD candidate Sarsha Gorissen of the University of Sydney was awarded $7,000 towards her project on the little-known Blue Mountains Water Skink, Eulamprus leuraensis, found only within the endangered highland swamps of the Blue Mountains and the adjacent Newnes Plateau (part of an endangered ecological community successfully nominated by HSI). This endangered lizard is restricted to about 40 isolated swamps, most of them small, fragmented, and close to urban areas. This unique habitat type is threatened by processes acting on a local scale (e.g., urbanisation, weed invasion, introduced animals, forestry and mining) as well as on a landscape scale

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Technical Bulletin (e.g., changes in climate and in fire regimes). In particular, the effects of fire on the Blue Mountains Water Skink remain unknown. Sarsha’s research project aims to produce guidelines for more effective management of the endangered swamp ecosystem; show how the threatened species in this system are likely to respond to threatening processes (especially, alterations in fire regimes); and, clarify the ecology of the distinctive biotic assemblages that rely upon these swamps, with a focus on the Blue Mountains Water Skink. We urgently need to know more about this iconic threatened species if we are to protect it from extinction.

The rare Blue Mountains Water Skink will benefit from HSI funded research. © David Fischer

Research student Alexander Wray-Barnes of the University of Newcastle was awarded $7,000 towards his collaborative project with the NSW Department of Primary Industries which focuses on determining the age and growth rates of the smooth hammerhead shark Sphyrna zygaena, plus investigating the factors affecting their distribution and abundance off the coast of NSW. Using commercial catch data supplied by Fisheries NSW, Alexander will be using state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems to overlay shark catch data with environmental data such as sea surface temperature and ocean productivity (using chlorophyll a as a proxy) in an attempt to determine the environmental and spatial factors affecting smooth hammerhead shark distribution and coastal movements. This internationally unique study will provide data crucial to providing scientific advice for the management and conservation of this important oceanic predator.

In addition to HSI’s grants, our project partners have funded research into sea cucumbers in Australia’s tropical coral reefs, research into the conservation status of Western Australia’s sea snakes, research into how predation by feral cats along with habitat simplification by large, intense fires and feral cattle are affecting the decline of northern Australia’s small mammals, and research into the movement and foraging ecology of great and lesser frigate birds in the Browse Basin, off the north-west coast of Australia.

CCSBT talks fail the albatross In recent months HSI has attended a number of meetings of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) including the Ecologically Related Species Working Group meeting held in Canberra in August which discussed bycatch issues, as well as the Compliance Committee and Extended Commission Meetings of the CCSBT held in October in Adelaide. HSI senior staffer Alexia Wellbelove and HSI Consultants Alistair Graham and Nigel Brothers were in attendance. HSI’s primary focus was on seabird bycatch, but also having significant interest in the state of the southern bluefin tuna (SBT) stock itself, as well as the bycatch of sharks, turtles and other animals. HSI believes that with the management procedure now in place for southern bluefin tuna, and many years of focus directed at the tuna themselves, that it is now time for the Commissioners to focus on the wider impacts of SBT fishing, particularly on seabirds. HSI remains completely opposed however to the allocation of any quota for the SBT commercial fishery. HSI’s concerns are that with an increase in quota comes an increase in the numbers of seabirds, sharks and other animals unnecessarily killed as bycatch because simple mitigation measures have not been implemented on fishing vessels. This includes 14 threatened albatross and 4 threatened petrel species, many of which cannot stand the loss of even small numbers of individuals.

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Technical Bulletin Without mitigation to reduce this bycatch HSI has calculated that one albatross is killed each year for every two tonnes of southern bluefin tuna caught on longlines, meaning that any increase in quota will result in hundreds more albatross deaths every year. Part of the talks at this year’s meeting were aimed at making these mitigation measures mandatory, which would have given HSI more comfort that at least efforts were actually being made to prevent bycatch. HSI was therefore extremely disappointed at the outcomes of the Commission meeting, which agreed to increase quota levels and failed to take steps necessary to put in place binding measures to protect seabirds, sharks, and other bycatch species. The meeting agreed to increase the quota in line with the Management Procedure for 2014 and 2015 but that further quotas for 2016 and 2017 should be reviewed following the proposed 2014 stock assessment. HSI expects that as a result of these quota increases, thousands of threatened seabirds will continue to be caught and killed in the southern bluefin tuna longline fisheries – a situation that will continue until such time as binding conservation measures are agreed. In fact, using the formula of seabird bycatch noted above, HSI calculates that the increase in quota means an additional 515 albatrosses will be killed on legal longlines in 2014 alone, and more in future years whilst bycatch mitigation measures fail to be binding. This is totally unacceptable and incredibly frustrating when clear progress towards bycatch elimination is desperately required and simple to achieve. HSI will be continuing to urge Commission members to redouble their efforts to focus on important issues of bycatch, before it is too late for many seabirds already threatened with extinction.

Success for HSI seabird bycatch project in Ecuador

seabird expert Nigel Brothers, the man responsible for first ‘blowing the whistle’ on the huge problem of albatross being killed in longline fisheries. For the past three years HSI has been working in collaboration with the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Ecuadorian NGO’s. Following a recent trip, Nigel Brothers and his colleagues have finally discovered a way to prevent the deaths of critically endangered waved albatrosses, pink footed shearwaters and Parkinson’s petrels, which have been killed as bycatch in local longline fisheries. A novel device has been invented which allows the fishermen to set their longline hooks for hake much more safely and considerably faster – so fast in fact that there isn’t enough time for seabirds to get caught. The new system will be popular with fishermen not just because it helps to save birds, but because it enables them to now do what is traditionally a difficult, dangerous and time consuming job, safely and with ease. Simplicity is the secret of the fast setting device which can be constructed at very little expense, from a combination of two long PVC pipes in a special configuration carefully cut from end to end, enabling hundreds of baited hooks to be kept in the correct setting sequence. This allows the fishermen to set his line at 13 knots compared to the conventional 5 knots. It is hoped that with further assistance from ABC and colleagues in Ecuador the new fishing device will very soon be available to fishermen so that they can get on with catching fish, not birds. Meanwhile, further efforts are continuing in several other fisheries of Ecuador and neighbouring countries to prevent waved albatrosses and pink-footed shearwaters along with many other seabird species being killed, and the break-through in Ecuador demonstrates that this is truly achievable.

We are hopeful of a big win for seabirds in Ecuador, following work undertaken by HSI’s Page 12

Technical Bulletin HSI pushes industry towards zero seabird bycatch For many years HSI has been a leading proponent within Australia of the need to reduce the bycatch of seabirds in Australia’s fisheries. In recent editions we have reported on the need to prevent the deaths of seabirds as bycatch in trawl fisheries, and we are pleased to report that work is underway to analyse the performance of mitigation measures put in place in trawl fisheries as a result of our efforts.

These recent breaches of the longline TAP demonstrate the need for the plan to continue, and we are pleased to hear that the Australian Government has also agreed that this is the case. As part of a public three month consultation, HSI recently provided a detailed submission outlining how we would like seabird bycatch on longlines dealt with in the next five years of the longline TAP. Currently the longline TAP permits a low level of seabird bycatch, with an objective to attain ‘near-zero bycatch’. In its response to the consultation, HSI has called on the Australian Government to aim higher and to move towards a zero bycatch level.

Flesh-footed shearwater. Flickr/Brian.Gratwicke

Many Australian fisheries are in practice already achieving zero bycatch for seabirds and it is important that this is acknowledged, and those fishing vessels recognised by the continued right for them to participate in the fishery. Equally, for those vessels that are failing to implement the necessary measures to avoid seabird bycatch, HSI considers that penalties should be applied, with an individual accountability approach meaning that those vessels catching seabirds not be permitted to fish.

For many years, HSI has also led the way on seabird bycatch in longline fishing, HSI’s work resulting in a Threat Abatement Plan for the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations (the longline TAP) which is currently in its second version. In recent months, HSI has been working with the Australian Government as part of the standard five year review of the plan, the most recent of which was published in 2006. In reviewing the plan, the Australian Government undertakes an analysis as to whether the longline TAP is still necessary, and whether any of the text requires updating. Whilst much progress has been made to reduce seabird bycatch, unfortunately in recent years the number of seabirds caught on longlines has been higher than that permitted by the longline TAP. This is particularly disappointing, as in many cases it has been a result of mitigation methods such as bird scaring lines not being correctly deployed – simple easy measures which fishing vessels can put in place to avoid seabird deaths. We are advised that these issues have since been rectified.

HSI is confident that this is a fair and easily achievable goal over the five year period of the new TAP, and we look forward to working with the Australian Government to reach this goal. The following is a link to the draft longline TAP: http://goo.gl/RjGxjs STOP PRESS HSI has recently learnt that in recent weeks 27 Short-tailed shearwaters have been killed by auto-longline fishers as well as a number of Flesh-footed shearwaters. This is extremely disappointing, and clear evidence of the need to continue HSI’s important work in this area. We are however pleased to hear that seabird management measures have kicked in and for the remainder of the summer season the boats concerned will have to either use weighted lines or set their lines at night to avoid further seabird bycatch.

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Technical Bulletin AFMA publishes seabird identification guide HSI has welcomed recent efforts by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to help commercial fishers identify seabirds. We commend the recent publication of AFMA’s Seabird Identification Guide to help fishers identify seabirds often seen in the fishing grounds off south east Australia. The guide includes seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, with life size pictures of seabird bills that can be printed and used on-board vessels to assist with identification. For more information: http://goo.gl/7GrMKV

Shark Protection Update Great white shark recovery plan As the original nominator for listing, HSI welcomed the recent finalisation of the great white shark recovery plan, a plan that had been in review for more than four years. HSI sat on the recovery team involved in the review, and we look forward to continuing to play an active role in new recovery efforts and we are currently seeking further clarification on arrangements for the team’s progress. See current recovery plan: http://goo.gl/N1QcPW Australian Shark-Plan Representative Group HSI is pleased to have been selected as one of two NGO representatives on the new SharkPlan Representative Group. This group includes representation from the Australian Government, state and Northern Territory government agencies, the commercial fishing industry, environmental non-government organisations, scientific and research organisations and recreational fishing groups, and will advise government on the implementation of actions identified in Australia’s second National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (Shark-plan 2). The first meeting will be held on the 21st of November.

Australian Greens announce plan to stop cruel shark finning HSI welcomed the election commitment of the Australian Greens party to get greater consistency between Commonwealth and State laws and end shark finning, and particularly their promise to implement bans on the sale and possession of imported shark fins in Australia. HSI wrote to all political parties in early 2013 with a request for them to adopt a policy to ban the sale, trade and possession of shark fin products and we will continue to advocate for this position in the coming session of Parliament. NSW decision to list smooth hammerhead shark delayed HSI was concerned to learn recently that the NSW Government has chosen to delay by one year the proposed listing of the smooth hammerhead shark, Sphyrna zygaena, following a proposed determination to list the species under the NSW Fisheries Management Act, 1999. We understand that following a public consultation period the Scientific Committee chose to delay the final decision – the smooth hammerhead review had been initiated by the Committee. Grey Nurse Shark Symposium HSI was pleased to be part of the organising committee for a Symposium on the conservation of the grey nurse shark, held in Brisbane in September, where we gave a presentation. The Symposium was initiated by Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

Grey nurse shark, southern NSW. Flickr/PacificKlauss

A broad range of stakeholders came together at the Symposium to discuss the conservation Page 14

Technical Bulletin challenges facing the grey nurse shark and in particular the critically endangered population on the East Coast of Australia. An open discussion was held on what efforts are required to assist with the recovery of the grey nurse shark, particularly given the review of the grey nurse shark recovery plan, which is currently in a period of public consultation. The Symposium addressed key issues such as research requirements, reporting and compliance issues, the importance of viewpoints from all stakeholders and the need for further education and engagement by all parts of society. It is hoped that this symposium will be a basis for more coordinated work across all sectors in future, towards the benefit and recovery of the grey nurse shark. HSI was the original nominator of the grey nurse shark for Commonwealth and state legislative protection. Current recovery plan: http://goo.gl/Qm0WZD Airlines go shark free! HSI has recently been part of a successful international campaign, led by Alex Hofford, Executive Director of MyOcean in Hong Kong, encouraging airlines to ban the transport of shark fin products. A broad coalition of organisations wrote to a number of airlines around the world asking them to end the transport of shark fins on their flights. So far the campaign has had great success, with the following airlines having agreed to implement a blanket ban: Lan Chile / LATAM Airlines Group (Chile), Aeromexico (Mexico), Eva Air (Taiwan), Qantas (Australia), Air New Zealand (NZ), Emirates, Korean Air, and Asiana Airlines. In addition Evergreen Line, a Taiwanese shipping company, has also committed to going shark fin free. In addition, Cathay Pacific (HK) and Fiji Airways have committed to only transport fins that have come from identified sustainable sources. We are currently seeking further clarification on this definition.

STOP PRESS In more good news for this campaign, Garuda Indonesia has announced that as of the 8th of October 2013 they no longer accept shark fins as cargo. This is an important development given Indonesia is one of the world's top shark catching nations.

Shark fins drying in Hong Kong. © Alex Hoffard

India adopts ‘fins naturally attached’ policy HSI’s Indian office has been in discussion with the Indian Ministry for some time about the need to implement shark conservation measures. We were therefore very pleased when in August this year India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests announced that it had issued a ‘fins naturally attached’ policy, requiring fisheries to land sharks in coastal states with their fins intact. The policy is a strong tool in the fight to end shark finning, when shark fins are cut off and the still-living animals are thrown back into the water to die slow and painful deaths. With recent studies citing India as the world’s second largest shark catching nation, this is an important development that HSI and our partner organisations will continue to follow closely. HSI hosts anti-shark finning event in Beijing Earlier this year, a citywide "Bye Bye Shark Fins! Cycling for Sharks" event in the heart of Beijing raised public awareness and support for sharks, whose numbers are declining worldwide due to the cruel shark finning trade. The event, hosted by HSI and the Roots & Shoots Beijing Office of the Jane Goodall Institute China, took place on the 8th of August, which in Chinese sounds phonetically

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Technical Bulletin similar to the English phrase ‘bye bye.’ A dozen cyclists in shark costumes biked through China's capital and stopped at several restaurants across Beijing belonging to a popular chain to interact with dining guests and passersby and aimed to recruit 10,000 ‘No Shark Fin’ pledges. Cyclists ended their trip at a popular shopping area in Beijing and were joined by celebrities, where they urged members of the public not to consume shark fins. New Zealand releases draft national plan of action for sharks HSI has welcomed the release of New Zealand’s draft National Plan of Action for Sharks, which is currently open for consultation until the 8th of December. More information at: http://goo.gl/K4ZHtR Particularly welcome is the Government’s commitment to ban the finning of sharks, the process whereby sharks are killed, their fins sliced off and their carcasses thrown back to sea which is still legal in NZ waters. This announcement by the NZ Government has been supported by NGOs, as well as seafood companies such as Sealord which have committed to adopting a policy of no shark finning and stated that they have not sold shark fins for 18 months as they did not want to encourage the market in shark fins. This is welcome news, and HSI will be providing a submission to this consultation to ensure the NZ Government adopts this policy and it is put into place as soon as possible. HSI works with CITES to promote sustainable shark trade More than 70 participants representing 28 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Recife, Brazil, from the 2nd to the 4th of December 2013 to participate in a workshop focused on the implementation of new controls for international trade of five shark species, adopted by CITES. HSI Washington was intimately involved in the workshop and its preparation. Read more at: http://goo.gl/d9QR4i

HSI participates in CMS Strategic review HSI has recently provided input to the strategic review being undertaken by the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), working closely with Wild Migration and IFAW. Comments were requested by the end of September 2013. This work follows on from the excellent document prepared by Dr Margi Prideaux of Wild Migration titled “A Natural Affiliation: Developing the Role of NGOs in the CMS Family” to which HSI also contributed. The review builds upon work undertaken at the CMS Conference of Parties in 2011. According to Dr Prideaux: This Review has sought to articulate NGO perspectives on CMS as a mechanism, on CMS’s influence and implementation as well as NGO contributions to this influence and implementation. By better defining the existing relationship between the NGO community and CMS in its present form we hope to help guide that relationship into the future. The Review finds that NGOs would be prepared to increase engagement with the CMS Family if the right 'collaborative governance' dynamic can be created. A series of focused recommendations have been developed for further consideration by the CMS Strategic Plan Working Group.

For the full report see: http://goo.gl/6Jlsnu HSI looks forward to continuing to work with the CMS Secretariat through our Partnership Agreement, to ensure that efforts to conserve migratory species around the world continue.

HSI provides input for the protection of migratory species such as orcas. © Shutterstock/Monika Wieland

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Technical Bulletin HSUS successful cetacea lawsuit HSI Australia’s parent organisation, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), recently forced Federal agencies to review fishing impacts on threatened cetacea. The following is an extract from and HSUS press release on the topic: Lawsuit forces review of fishery impacts on endangered Atlantic whales and new rules to protect the species from entanglements “BOSTON (August 8, 2013) – The National Marine Fisheries Service has agreed to formally review the impact of commercial fishing operations on endangered whales and to issue new rules to protect the species from entanglement in fishing gear, as a result of a settlement in litigation filed by The Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife and Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Each year, critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and endangered humpback whales, fin whales and sei whales suffer death or serious injury from entanglement in fishing gear. The agency’s promised review, referred to as a “Biological Opinion” under the Endangered Species Act, will evaluate the impacts of the American lobster fishery on the survival and recovery of the species and determine whether additional risk-reduction measures will be required. The groups filed a complaint earlier this year in the federal District Court of Massachusetts, alleging that the agency’s management of the American lobster fishery violated the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act by allowing unlawful entanglements of endangered whales, and because the agency had failed to properly consider the threats the fishery poses to the species. In addition to requiring a new ‘Biological Opinion,’ the agreement also requires the agency to issue final rules to prevent future entanglements in vertical lines – lines running from buoys at the top of the water all the way down to lobster pots and other gear at the ocean

floor – by next year. The agency first admitted these new rules were needed in 2003, and many whales have been killed or seriously injured by commercial fishing gear during the last decade that the new rules have been languishing.”

Russia blocks Antarctic marine protected areas At the recent CCAMLR meeting in Hobart (Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources), a revised US and New Zealand proposal was tabled that reduced the Ross Sea proposed MPA by 40%, with Australia, the EU and France revising their MPA proposals from 7 to 4. However, despite earlier signs that Russia might actually negotiate the much reduced proposals, they and Ukraine blocked both schemes from reaching the Conservation Measures drafting group. The sudden blockage by Russia stunned participants. Despite the setback, there remains some optimism that the CCAMLR meeting in late 2014 might see the very first MPA dedication in the region. HSI is a Board and Council Member of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and a Partner in the Antarctic Oceans Alliance (AOA). Both ASOC and AOA were bitterly disappointed at the outcome. HSI consultant, Alistair Graham, was a member of the Australian Government Delegation. The failure to agree on new MPAs was further compounded by the tragic death in a Hobart diving accident during the conference of Antarctic activist Elyssa Rosen. Elyssa was a key member of the lobbying team representing the Pew Foundation. HSI sends it’s sincerely condolences to Elyssa’s family and friends. ASOC website: www.asoc.org/ AOA website: http://antarciticocean.org/

HSI supports ongoing global ocean governance discussions A seminar entitled ‘Developments in Global Oceans Governance and Conservation’ was held on the 7th of November at the University of Sydney Darlington Centre Conference

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Technical Bulletin Room, sponsored by the Australian Committee for IUCN, the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney and HSI. The seminar is the follow up to a workshop held in Sydney earlier this year, when ex Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill, representing the Global Oceans Commission (GOC), briefed NGOs on the current state of negotiations for a new global agreement on biodiversity conservation on the high seas. The United Nations General Assembly is due to decide how to move forward on this issue late next year, and this second seminar was an important opportunity for further public debate on the best options for the future and a new international regulatory regime. Speakers included the Hon. Robert Hill AC, ex Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, HSI’s Alistair Graham, Senator Simon Birmingham, “Oceans Elder” Graeme Kelleher, and Donna Petrachenko from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment. HSI will be pursuing talks with the new Abbott Government in relation to a new international oceans agreement. More at: www.globaloceancommission.org

HSI pushes for ‘free range’ egg definition in SA South Australian’s signed 18,000 postcards demonstrating their overwhelming support for a definition of ‘free range’ eggs, capping the outdoor stocking density at 1,500 hens per hectare. South Australian Minister for Business Services and Consumers, John Rau, proposed his new voluntary code whereby farms stocking 1,500 birds per hectare or less could label their cartons “South Australian Free Range”. However, as there is no legislation, this voluntary code would still allow other producers to continue to label eggs free range that were produced at much lower animal welfare standards.

government should be committing to mandatory legislation to ensure any eggs marked ‘free range’ would have to meet the South Australian definition of the term. A guarantee would finally be secured giving consumers the choice to pay a premium for higher animal welfare practices, rather than being continually misled.

SA farms set for recognition as true free-range producers.

Greens’ Animal Welfare and Consumer Affairs spokesperson Tammy Franks introduced the Food (Labelling of Free Range Eggs) Amendment Bill through the Legislative Council in October. This Bill would see an end to producers who have up to 20,000 birds per hectare or more labelling their eggs ‘free range’, in clear breach of consumer expectations and hijacking the market from genuine producers. With support from the Greens, the Liberals and Independent cross-benchers Kelly Vincent, John Darley and Ann Bressington, the Greens Bill successfully passed the Upper House, a major victory for free range farmers across South Australia. The next stage will be the crucial one, when the Bill will be considered in the Lower House where it must pass before becoming law. HSI urges Minister Rau and the South Australian government to support this bill in favour of their own option of a voluntary code. Mandatory legislation would guarantee the end of consumer confusion, and long-awaited clarity to free range egg labelling.

HSI believes the wholehearted unity shown by consumers on this exhaustive issue deserves better recognition, and the South Australian Page 18

STOP PRESS The ACCC has upheld one of HSI’s numerous complaints against egg producers and we have hopes this will trigger mandatory national standards.

Technical Bulletin Bird Flu – Humane Choice’s response to Barnaby Joyce

environment for bird flu to spread rapidly and possibly mutate into something more deadly.

In response to the latest outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in Young NSW, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, seized the opportunity to lay the blame for the outbreak on the free range egg industry. A very timely opportunity given his public outrage at plans by Woolworths to cease selling eggs from caged production facilities by 2018.

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Greyhound Racing

The statements made by Mr Joyce have been very prejudicial to the free range industry and unjustly so as there is no evidence that free range hens were the vector for this disease outbreak. While we do acknowledge the possibility that bird flu could infect a free range farm, further investigation has revealed that Mr Joyce’s comments are ill informed and premature. Humane Choice is perplexed by the statements that Mr Joyce has made in general to the media as they do not mirror the findings of the National Avian Influenza Surveillance Dossier (Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, 2010). This extensive document does not reveal any evidence of any outbreaks of AI being caused by or even affecting genuine free range egg producers. Egg farmers that follow the guidelines of the Model Code of Practice and stock hens at 1500 hens per hectare or less and provide pastures for hens to graze that include good shade, shelter and rotation have remained free of the disease. Biosecurity is an issue that needs to be addressed by the intensive egg industry and the genuine free range farmer. This is particularly so, as the growth of backyard egg production expands along with the number of small family farms that are taking advantage of the growing market for free range or pastured eggs. However, the disease burden of free range hens is significantly lower than birds kept in highly intensive conditions that are conducive to disease providing the ideal

Animal welfare is one of the key focuses of a Parliamentary inquiry into greyhound racing by the Legislative Council of New South Wales (http://goo.gl/51TpR8). In August, Greens MP John Kaye successfully moved a motion in parliament which prompted an inquiry to investigate the state’s $50 million-ayear greyhound racing industry. Described by some as being ‘in a state of crisis’ the controversial industry is shrouded with allegations of mismanagement, inappropriate distribution of TAB proceeds, and the widespread mistreatment of dogs. Australia represents the 3rd largest greyhound racing industry in the world, dominated by New South Wales where 34 of the 77 national race tracks are located. Thousands of greyhounds are killed each year either because they are underperforming, or from injuries sustained during racing. Lack of proper monitoring or reporting means that exact numbers are unknown, but an estimated 17,000 greyhounds are killed in Australia annually. Greyhound Racing NSW claim that around 3,000 unwanted dogs are euthanised each year in NSW, but it is feared this figure may be grossly underestimated given lack of monitoring and widespread allegations of unreported inhumane killings.

The greyhound racing industry is responsible for a huge number of deaths. © Shutterstock/Francois Loubser

HSI is strongly opposed to the continuation of greyhound racing. The second and third public hearings are planned in February 2014 and the Committee’s final report will be released on the 28th of March 2014.

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Technical Bulletin Major breakthrough as China changes cosmetics animal testing laws In October this year HSI welcomed the news when China’s Food & Drug Administration (CFDA) announced they plan to remove China’s mandatory animal testing requirements for domestically manufactured cosmetic products, effective June 2014. This major milestone in HSI’s Be Cruelty-Free campaign means that, for the first time ever, Chinese companies producing “non-special use cosmetics” including shampoo or perfume will instead be able to use existing safety data to substantiate product safety, or European Union-validated non-animal tests. Although the new rules apply only to cosmetics manufactured in China, the CFDA have indicated that, in time, it may be expanded to include imported brands and other cosmetic products. This is a significant breakthrough given HSI’s estimation that as many as 300,000 rabbits, mice and other animals are subjected to cosmetics testing annually in China alone.

Animal testing for some cosmetics will soon no longer be mandatory in China. © HSUS/Meredith Lee

HSI’s Be Cruelty-Free campaign launched in China last May with a team based in Beijing working with Chinese policymakers and regulators to promote the use of non-animal tests and move on from experiments using live animals. The campaign prompted a review of China’s cosmetics laws, one which hadn’t been undertaken for 20 years. An advanced technical proposal was submitted to CFDA, aligning China’s animal testing policy with that of Europe, Israel and India, where such testing is banned for cosmetic products and ingredients. To date, China’s strict policies have created an increasing divide between the

Chinese market and the growing number of countries who have banned cosmetics animal testing, with some brands going so far as to not sell their products in China until their animal testing requirements are removed.

APL misleads consumers on true meaning of “sow stall free” Sows are allowed to be enclosed permanently in sow stalls until 2017 in Australia. After this date the time a sow spends in a stall will be limited to 6 weeks before each pregnancy. However, sows will still be confined in a farrowing crate for a further 6 weeks to give birth, usually twice each year. Breeding sows are kept in sow stalls for part, or sometimes all of their 16 week pregnancy, whilst some are enclosed in sow stalls for most of their adult lives. In an announcement in late 2012 Australian Pork Limited (APL) indicated that Australia’s sow herd would be ‘sow stall free’ for the duration of the sows’ pregnancy. However, APL later corrected their statement once the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) alerted them that they may be misleading consumers who interpreted them to mean that sows spend no time at all in stalls during pregnancy. In their corrected statement APL now claim that ‘sow stall free’ indicates that sows are not confined in sow stalls during pregnancy, but they may be housed for short periods in mating stalls after being mated (for a maximum of five days), and in farrowing crates before farrowing (for a maximum of seven days). This means in effect that sows which are claimed to be ‘sow stall free’ do not live their lives without ever being subjected to confinement in a sow stall. HSI is working towards an end to intensive farming practices where such close confinement in sow stalls or farrowing crates is completely banned, and replaced with traditional farming methods where they can display their natural behaviours and live true free range lives outdoors.

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Technical Bulletin HSI supports second year of disaster relief work in Mali Last year, HSI was approached by SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) to fund the cost of two vets into war torn Mali to help bring relief to the working animals caught up in the internal armed conflict. Due to the ongoing security situation in the country, it has been impossible to get continual access to assess the work being done, but a few weeks ago, a settling of the crisis made it possible to get two SPANA vets inside to check on the progress of this project. There had been difficulty finding suitable veterinary candidates in Mali, which is in part be due to a serious lack of available university education in the country. The Veterinary Association of Mali also confirmed that vets were in short supply as very few non-nationals want to travel to such a troubled country. Filling the positions took much longer than anticipated and the two vets who were eventually employed initially showed great promise, but a recent assessment by SPANA suggested that the new recruits did not meet expected standards of clinical expertise. In response, the veterinarian that heads up SPANA’s mobile clinic in the region, Dr Doumbia, has proposed that two young animal health technicians replace the vets. Not only are they both highly skilled, but they have also demonstrated a real passion for animal welfare.

SPANA's vets treat working animals such as donkeys in war torn Mali. Flickr/SPANA Charity

Animals are always the forgotten victims of war, but without the working animals it would

be impossible for Mali to rebuild. If we can help keep the animals healthy then the lives of the people become easier and life can begin to get back to normal. Organisations like SPANA work in some of the most frightening destinations on the planet and we are honoured to be able to help support the vital work they do.

HSI disaster relief teams respond to Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, slammed into six central Philippine islands in November leaving a wide path of destruction and claiming thousands of lives. Haiyan was reportedly stronger than 2012’s Hurricane Sandy in the U.S. and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina combined. Tacloban, once a bustling city of 220,000, was one of the hardest hit areas. Whilst humanitarian aid was organised by authorities, Humane Society International prepared an animal-focused response. An HSI disaster response team was quick to arrive at the scene, communicating with local and federal officials, agencies and other NGOs to obtain further information on the unfolding humanitarian response. Initially, given the considerable civil unrest and security concerns in Tacloban, HSI responders set up their base in Cebu to help the animals abandoned after people had been evacuated. HSI’s strategy was to help as many animals as possible, providing them with direct care including vaccinations, deworming, wound care and food supplies. A number of feeding and water stations were set up across the hardest hit areas and a mobile veterinary clinic offered relief to animals found roaming the streets. Survivors of the disaster have been welcoming of HSI assistance, grateful of the offerings of food, water and veterinary care for their animals. Smiles from the children have been particularly heart-warming as they clung onto their beloved pets amidst the ruins surrounding them. By establishing a local

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Technical Bulletin rescue “hotline” number, the HSI team has been doing everything possible to find lost pets and safely reunite them with their families. See more at: http://goo.gl/LTRIS6 HSI’s Asia Director, Rahul Seghal, also formed a second team of mostly veterinarians who worked their way through Bantayan where numerous factory farms are located. A large-scale chicken operation was badly impacted by the typhoon and many birds perished. Fortunately, most of the pigs survived, but suffered from exposure to the sun and heat requiring veterinary care. HSI has had teams stationed in the Philippines for the past four years as part of our worldwide street dog welfare campaign, so we were already familiar with the country, and close to its people. This has only helped to strengthen efforts to help the animals in desperate need of help following this crisis.

Teaching humane handling to Cuban vets In 2011 vets visiting Havana observed that despite the high standard of veterinary training in Cuba, there is very limited access to post graduate work. It was also noted that the handling of animals was rougher than necessary, that animal suffering was a real problem, and that there was a growing street dog problem. HSI is currently running a major global initiative to spay neuter and vaccinate 80% of the world’s 300 million street dogs, so there was an opportunity to not only commence the program in Cuba, but also to train local vets in HSI’s spay neuter protocols, so we could enlist their help in treating the Cuban street dog population. We could also use the opportunity to run humane handling workshops to train the vets in best practice for all livestock. Invitations to a conference were issued by the CCV (Cuban Scientific Veterinary Council) including representatives from each of the provinces, and a cross section of those vets

working within Havana. As a result, an overwhelming 187 veterinarians from across the island attended. These included delegates from as far afield as Santiago, who had spent 48 hours travelling by road just to be there. Our financial contribution made it possible to offer accommodation to the vets who travelled from outside of Havana and to provide all the delegates over the two days of the conference. We are very grateful to Dr Bruce Fogle and Dr Dick White, the two vets who initiated the program, and travelled from the UK to volunteer their time and expertise. The outcomes have already been very significant.

HSI supports lemur conservation in Madagascar Earlier this year, IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s Primate Specialist Group, in cooperation with Conservation International (CI) and other NGOs, launched the “Lemurs of Madagascar – A Strategy for their Conservation 2013 – 2015”. A component of the Strategy was the establishment of the “Lemur Action Fund: A Rapid Response Fund for Lemur for Lemur Conservation”, a proposed $600,000 kitty to be used for urgent and targeted projects where speedy conservation action is required. HSI has committed $100,000 to the three year program. Today 93 of the 103 lemur species are threatened with extinction. For the full strategy: http://goo.gl/hHHbCL

HSI supports INTERPOL to combat bear bile trade Despite national laws, international legislation concerning imports and exports, and a CITES protocol, illegal harvesting and trade of Asian wild bears, their parts and derivatives, continues across Asia on a large scale. Corruption, poor legislation and ineffective enforcement opens the door to the illegal wildlife trade. Enforcement efforts to combat the illegal trade in bear bile products in Asia are of paramount importance to ensure that trade dynamics do not threaten the survival of

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Technical Bulletin bears in the region. Through Project Ursa, the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme aims to combat the illegal sourcing and trade of wild bears, their parts and derivatives, and to support the conservation of wild bear populations. HSI’s financial contribution will help INTERPOL support compliance and enforcement in Asian countries through essential collaboration and cross-border intelligence and information exchange. More at: http://goo.gl/hmi0hd

Successful wild sloth bear release and smuggled bears rescued A bear released into the wild by HSI’s major Indian project partner, Wildlife SOS, is reportedly thriving in his new-found environment. The sloth bear, originally rescued from a human conflict situation in May this year, was released in July by Wildlife SOS and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Forest Department officials into a protected ecosensitive zone in the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary. Estimated to be around four years old, the healthy well-conditioned male was reintroduced into the Sanctuary as soon as he was declared fit for release. The bear had been temporarily housed at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility (ABRF), the largest sloth bear holding facility in the world. In a first of its kind operation, the translocated bear was released fitted with a radio collar to collect behaviour data to assist in mitigating human-bear conflict. The bear’s movements in the forest continue to be documented by a team of Wildlife SOS field researchers and acts as an important study into human-wildlife conflict. The team are monitoring the bear’s movements as well as habitat use and ranging patterns. So far, radio signals indicate he has settled in a densely forested area near a large water reservoir, safely away from human settlements. The signals also indicate he is deliberately avoiding human settlements, which is a reassuring find.

An improved understanding of this bear’s behaviour is vital as human-wildlife conflict is on the rise in many parts of India. This research is recognised as a valuable scientific addition for the future safety of these bears given that only 5,000 to 7,000 are estimated to remain living in the wild in South Asia. Read more at: http://goo.gl/HUPO4N Wildlife SOS also recently led a successful operation to rescue two sloth bear cubs from poachers. These cubs were destined for the “dancing bear” trade in Nepal. In a night-long anti-poaching raid conducted by Police, the Forest Department and Wildlife SOS, based on intelligence provided by Wildlife SOS, a poacher was arrested and the two young endangered sloth bears were rescued, a female aged about 18 months and a male aged about 24 months.

Tiger poachers caught Wildlife SOS were also fully involved in a historic and landmark judgment issued by the Karnataka High Court in India, when eight tiger poachers belonging to the Bawaria Tribe from Kalka in Haryana, were convicted and sentenced to three years gaol. The combined and persistent efforts over a 13 month period of the Karnataka Forest Department, with assistance from Wildlife SOS, resulted in this critical conviction. The six professional tiger poachers were arrested with jaw traps in the BRT Tiger Reserve in Kollegal district of Karnataka in July 2012.

Wildlife SOS assisted in the conviction of eight Begal tiger poachers. © Shutterstock Denise Allison Coyle

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Technical Bulletin This is a prime example of the very crucial work undertaken around the clock by Wildlife SOS’s “ForestWatch”, with financial support from HSI Australia.

HSI supports programs to help reduce rhino horn trade in Vietnam Through its “Wildlife Action Partnership Grant Initiative” developed in cooperation with Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) and announced in Technical Bulletin 22, one of the programs inaugural projects is highlighted in an extract from an ENV press release below: “Hanoi, September 20, 2013 – A Vietnamese National Assembly member, a well-known journalist, a movie star and a senior Environmental Police officer have returned to Hanoi after a tenday working visit to South Africa, where they directly observed the impacts of the international illegal rhino horn trade. The delegates came together today at a press conference in Hanoi to discuss and reflect on the issue. The delegation included Mr. Vo Tuan Nhan (National Assembly member and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment), Vice Chief of the Hanoi Environmental Police Mr. Nguyen Viet Tien, journalist Mr. Do Doan Hoang, and actor and comedian Mr. Nguyen Xuan Bac, along with representatives from the Vietnamese wildlife conservation organization, Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV). During their time in South Africa – the world’s main source country for illegal rhino horn – the delegates visited Kruger National Park, where they directly witnessed the consequences of the increasingly destructive global trade. The increasing demand for rhino horn is a major threat to South African rhinos. Vietnam is considered the world’s second largest market for rhino horn, where many people still falsely believe in its healing properties as a traditional medicine and consider it a status symbol. ENV partnered with the South African non-profit the Rhinose Foundation, which sponsored the tenday trip to allow the influential Vietnamese delegates to witness the problem first-hand and bring their stories and experiences back home.

ENV would like to thank the Rhinose Foundation and Humane Society International for making this trip possible and supporting our delegates to travel to South Africa. We would also like to thank Save the Rhino International for its support of the event today.”

NB: HSI Washington has also been undertaking work in Vietnam to help curb the rhino horn trade. In July this year, HSI signed a three year Cooperation Agreement with the Vietnamese CITES Management Authority, aimed at reducing rhino horn consumption. Work is already underway with public opinion surveys, a workshop with the CITES management author, and the publication of a children’s book, “I’m a Little Rhino” to celebrate World Rhino Day.

Javan green peafowl successfully released in Indonesia HSI has been supporting the work of the Friends of the National Parks Foundation (FNPF) for nearly 14 years, and their most recent success was the release of five Javan green peafowl (Pavo muticus muticus) through the Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre (BWRC) managed by FNPF and funded by HSI. One male and four females were granted their freedom in November, in the Alas Purwo National Park in East Java, after spending a year at the BWRC waiting for permission to be released from the Forestry Department. The team travelled overnight from the BWRC to the selected location which provided natural forest and is protected from illegal logging – a safe environment for these rare birds. Following a blessing in a traditional Balinese Ceremony, it was time to open the cages and release them, and they immediately flew to their freedom high into the forest. As a result of being hunted for their meat and feathers, and serious loss of habitat, the Javan green peafowl is evaluated as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and are listed on Appendix II of CITES. Despite such a rapid population decline, this majestic

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Technical Bulletin species can still be found in areas of Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, China, and Indonesia. The BWRC, one of only seven such centres in Indonesia, care for and rehabilitate native endangered wildlife, and those that are fit and well are subsequently released into the wild. Most of these animals are victims of illegal trade and poaching, with some forced out of their natural habitat as a result of deforestation for palm oil or rubber plantations. The BWRC remains a vital link in the process of returning distressed wildlife back to their natural homes, including birds, reptiles, sun bears, leopards and orangutans. For more information: www.fnpf.org

Increased conservation efforts in Tanjung Puting National Park buffer zones HSI’s primary conservation partner in Kalimantan, the Friends of the National Parks Foundation (FNPF), with addition financial support from Save Indonesia’s

Endangered Species Fund (SIES) and HSI, is about to implement a new community development support program, aimed at securing important rainforest habitats in Kalimantan. FNPF has been helping create alternative income sources through a holistic approach to conservation at the Tanjung Harapan village, immediately adjacent to Tanjung Puting National Park, for more than 12 years. With the increasing threats to the Park’s integrity through the clearance of orangutan habitat in the buffer zone, as some community members opt for the dubious lures of the major palm oil companies, FNPF is acting to mitigate this threat. The area around Tanjung Puting is known to be conducive to cow farming, and FNPF is therefore working with 12 farmers from Tanjung Harapan village to provide them with donated cows in an effort to secure an income at least equal to that dispensed by the palm oil companies. Their lands will thereby be off-limits to developers, assisting with the maintenance of the buffer zone and protection of the orangutans that still live there.

Humane Society International Inc. ABN 63 510 927 032|PO Box 439 Avalon NSW 2107 Australia|Telephone (02) 9973 1728 Facsimile (02) 9973 1729|Email [email protected]|Web www.hsi.org.au ISBN 978-0-9874641-6-3 Page 25