Australia - home to six of the seven species of marine turtle - is one of the most important global locations for marine turtle conservation, housing the largest nesting populations of green and hawksbill turtles on earth.

Concerned about the plight of these gentle giants, Telstra has announced that for the month of January, it will donate $2.95 (less GST) to WWF every time a Telstra customer downloads a wallpaper of this species to a compatible mobile phone.*

Brands and Marketing Communications Executive Director, Amanda Johnston-Pell, said that Telstra and WWF were working together to expand wildlife protected areas and help protect Australia's threatened species such as marine turtles.

"Mobile phone subscribers can simply SMS 'WWF' to 13POND (13 7663) to have a marine turtle hatchling wallpaper sent to a compatible mobile phone. Funds raised will go towards conservation programs to help safeguard species, like the marine turtle, that are suffering serious population decline," Ms Johnston-Pell said.

Globally, WWF has been a powerful voice in marine turtle conservation, encouraging the fishing industry to take up turtle excluder devices and circle hooks in commercial operations, to prevent turtles drowning as a result of by-catch in trawling nets. By-catch is thought to be one of the main reasons that species such as the hawksbill turtle have declined by up to 80 per cent over three generations.

WWF-Australia's Oceans Program Leader, Dr Gilly Llewellyn, said: "Australia's waters are a playground for turtles from around the world. We therefore need to work very hard at keeping our beaches safe for nesting turtles while managing the threats posed by hooks, lines and nets of fishing gear by working with the fishing industry.

"The Australian people can play a key role in helping this species by keeping our waters and beaches clean and by avoiding disturbance at nesting sites. By ordering a wallpaper via BigPond, this will help ensure WWF can keep working towards securing a future for this species."

In 2004, the 'no-take' area of protection for the Great Barrier Reef was extended from 4.6 per cent to 33 per cent, providing a safe haven for a great many species. WWF is now encouraging the Federal Government to declare the neighbouring Coral Sea area a Marine Protected Area, which will offer further protection for our ancient mariners.

WWF recommends the following tips help protect the marine turtles:

• Avoid driving on beaches during the nesting season
• Don't let your rubbish get into the sea
• Order your marine turtle wallpaper by texting "WWF" to 13POND (13 7663)

*Costs will be $2.95 (incl GST) plus standard SMS charges for Telstra customers and $3.55 (incl GST) for other customers with compatible handsets. For more information visit www.wwf.org.au/wallpaper.

WWF-Australia Media Contact
Adam Harper
Mbl: 0423 614 466

Telstra Media Contact
Katarina Farrell
Mbl: 0439 496 400

The Western Australian Premier, Colin Barnett, has controversially said that he would name his preferred development site in the Kimberley by the end of the year, before existing industrial areas to the south (in the Pilbara) are fully assessed for their suitability for processing Browse Basin gas.

Ana is the second turtle in less than a year to be satellite-tracked by WWF as it travelled from Indonesia to the Kimberley. Dorte, another green turtle, was tracked to Roebuck Bay near Broome, between April and October.

The waters of the Kimberley – one of the few near-pristine coastal areas left on Earth - are the destination for globally-significant Humpback Whale migrations and now also appear to be even more important than previously thought as a point of convergence for other iconic, threatened marine creatures, like turtles.

"Ana is an important reminder of the extraordinary marine values of the Kimberley that could be put at risk from inappropriate development. Will Australia protect the marine wildlife 'superhighway' to the Kimberley?" said Paul Gamblin, WWF Program Leader - West.

"Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development can involve the dredging of millions of cubic meters of rock which can smother and choke seagrass beds and coral reefs. Boating traffic and blasting can disturb and harm turtles, dugong and whales. Finding the right location, to avoid such impacts, is crucial because this is a major project which would be around for half a century or longer."

"We are not talking about building something the size of a shopping centre here; this is industrial development of a scale that would be clearly visible from space."

"The assessment process is not finished, yet the Premier has said that he would select a site anyway, even though the Environmental Protection Authority made clear this week that the next stage of the assessment should compare Kimberley options with areas outside that region, such as the Pilbara."

"The Rudd Government has also reaffirmed that its statutory assessment of this project will include evaluating Pilbara options."

"We are calling on the Premier to keep the door open to a rational and efficient analysis of Pilbara options, to be undertaken in real dialogue with aboriginal communities and all key stakeholders. That is the only way a reasonable outcome will be forged for the community, the environment and industry."

"The stakes are high - this new finding using turtle tracking technology throws the spotlight on the true natural values of the magnificent Kimberley marine ecosystem and its link to the Coral Triangle to the north – the world's epicentre of marine biodiversity and the cross-roads of migration routes and breeding grounds for whales, turtles, dolphins and other precious marine species."

"The tropical seas of the Coral Triangle and surrounds, like the Kimberley, have global significance. Decision makers need to keep this in mind when considering where development might be permitted," Mr Gamblin said.

"Ana's journey has shown us areas where we need to focus our efforts. We need to tap into the secret lives of species such as turtles, so we can make decisions that conserve the full range of marine animal and plant life, and ensure their longevity."

For Tetha Creusa Hitipeu, National Turtle Program Leader of WWF-Indonesia, the monitoring work "confirms the existence of shared populations of turtle in Indonesia and Australia, and highlights the need for these two countries to work together towards the protection of the endangered sea turtles."

More information

Paula Schibeci,
WWF-Australia Press Office,
0406 381 137

Paul Gamblin,
Program Leader - West, WWF-Australia,
0410 221 508

To view Ana's journey across the Indian Ocean to the Kimberley, go to:
www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?tag_id=52947

For information on the Kimberley, go to: www.wwf.org.au/ourwork/oceans/kimberley/ and for information on the Coral Triangle go to: www.panda.org/coraltriangle

A report from the US Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts severe bleaching for parts of the Coral Sea, which lies adjacent to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and the Coral Triangle, a 5.4 million square kilometre expanse of ocean in the Indo-Pacific which is considered the centre of the world's marine life.

"This forecast bleaching episode will be caused by increased water temperatures and is the kind of event we can expect on a regular basis if average global temperatures rise above 2 degrees," said Richard Leck, Climate Change Strategy Leader for WWF's Coral Triangle Program.

The bleaching, predicted to occur between now and February, could have a devastating impact on coral reef ecosystems, killing coral and destroying food chains. There would be severe impacts for communities in Australia and the region, who depend on the oceans for their livelihoods.

The Coral Triangle, stretching from the Philippines to Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, is home to 75 per cent of all known coral species. More than 120 million people rely on its marine resources.

"Regular bleaching episodes in this part of the world will have a massive impact on the region's ability to sustain local communities. In the Pacific many of the Small Island Developing States, such as the Solomon Islands, rely largely on the coast and coastal environments such as coral reefs for food supply. This is a region where alternative sources of income and food are limited.

"Time is crucial and Australia needs to step up to the plate. Following the Government's lack of resolve to seriously reduce future domestic carbon emissions, Australia has a huge role to play in assisting Coral Triangle countries and people to adapt to the changes in their climate".

The Australian Government this week announced a 2020 target for reducing its greenhouse gas pollution by 5 per cent, which WWF criticised as completely inadequate. Reductions of at least 25 per cent by 2020 are needed to set the world on a pathway to meaningful cuts in greenhouse pollution.

Australia's Coral Sea, which will also be affected by coral bleaching and climate change, is a pristine marine wilderness covering almost 1,000,000 square kilometres and is extraordinarily rich in marine life, including sharks and turtles, with a series of spectacular reefs rising thousands of metres from the sea floor.

WWF is urging the Australian government to declare the Coral Sea a marine protected area, as well as working to establish a network of marine protected areas that will assist ocean environments to adapt to the changes caused by rising temperatures, and to absorb the impacts from human activity.

Media Contacts:

This tropical marine environment is in excellent condition and is frequented by threatened species like the dugong. The coastline also has sites of great cultural significance for local aboriginal communities.

"Most stakeholders have accepted that the Browse Basin gas fields off the Northwest coast will be exploited; the challenge is to find an environmentally- and culturally-appropriate location to liquefy the gas and to provide meaningful regional benefits to aboriginal people, wherever this processing occurs," said WWF's WA Program Leader, Paul Gamblin.

"The evaluation work is not finished and case has not been made for Kimberley development."

WWF has argued that developed areas of the Pilbara should be fully assessed as an alternative location for these large gas facilities, and that the selection of any sites before the full joint State-Federal strategic assessment is complete would be premature and lead to great uncertainty. The EPA is expected tomorrow to provide advice on the site assessment process thus far, before the next intensive phases of impact assessment begin.

"WWF is calling on Premier Barnett to leave the door open for the consideration of Pilbara sites before he makes any final decisions. After all, the oil and gas industry itself is keeping alive the Pilbara option," Mr Gamblin said.

"The previous WA Government and the Rudd Federal Government worked with the community, scientists and industry to assess a range of development options for gas development. It was a fast- tracked, 'look-before-you-leap' approach based on science, dialogue and informed consent for aboriginal communities. Unfortunately these principles may now be compromised, and the main assessment only got as far as the Kimberley."

"The logic was that if there were no suitable sites found in the Kimberley, then appropriate Pilbara options would be examined. Now that scientific assessments, many Traditional Owners, and key regional business interests are raising serious concerns about locating large gas processing infrastructure on the Kimberley coast, Premier Barnett has the opportunity to finish the job and to work with the community to openly and efficiently assess Pilbara options."

For more information

First Contact in the Greater Mekong reports that among the 1068 species newly identified by science, between 1997 and 2007, were the world's largest huntsman spider, with a leg span of 30 centimetres, and the startlingly hot pink coloured cyanide-producing "dragon millipede".

While most species were discovered in the largely unexplored jungles and wetlands, some were first found in the most surprising places. The Laotian rock rat, for example, thought to be extinct 11 million years ago, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market, while the Siamese Peninsula pitviper was found slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.

"This region is like what I read about as a child in the stories of Charles Darwin," said Dr Thomas Ziegler, Curator at the Cologne Zoo. "It is a great feeling being in an unexplored area and to document its biodiversity for the first time... both enigmatic and beautiful," he said.

The findings, highlighted in this report, include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad. The region comprises the six countries through which the Mekong River flows including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan. It is estimated thousands of new invertebrate species were also discovered during this period, further highlighting the region's immense biodiversity.

"It doesn't get any better than this," said Stuart Chapman, Director of WWF's Greater Mekong Programme. "We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books. This reaffirms the Greater Mekong's place on the world map of conservation priorities."

The report stresses economic development and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand to provide for livelihoods and alleviate poverty, and ensure the survival of the Greater Mekong's astonishing array of species and natural habitats.

"This poorly understood biodiversity is facing unprecedented pressure... for scientists, this means that almost every field survey yields new diversity, but documenting it is a race against time," said Raoul Bain, Biodiversity Specialist from the American Museum of Natural History.

The report recommends what is urgently needed to protect the biodiversity of the region is a formal, cross-border agreement by the governments of the Greater Mekong.

"Who knows what else is out there waiting to be discovered, but what is clear is that there is plenty more where this came from," said Chapman. "The scientific world is only just realizing what people here have known for centuries."

For further information contact:

The draft decision for the Underwood Avenue site in Shenton Park recommends rejecting the proposal by University of Western Australia (UWA) to develop the site for residential purposes.

The development application was referred to the Environment and Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull in April 2007 as the site included habitat used by Carnaby's black cockatoo - a federally listed threatened species. This triggered the implementation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

The proposed development site is classified as regionally significant bushland as part of the State Government's Bush Forever initiative, which identifies diverse bushland on the Swan Coastal Plain for permanent protection.

Despite this, approval was given by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) of Western Australia in October 2007 to clear 25 of a total of 37 hectares of high-value banksia woodlands in this area.

"State planning processes often breach their own policies, and this represents a direct and ongoing threat to important bushland areas and the hundreds of species that inhabit them," said Michael Roache, WWF's Threatened Species Regional Manager.

"Where state planning processes have failed to protect our unique natural heritage, we are now relying on intervention by the Australian Government as a last line of defence for our threatened species," he said.

The decision states there is a limited amount of habitat remaining in the Perth metropolitan area for Carnaby's black cockatoos and that the UWA proposed development would contribute to a cumulative loss of this habitat.

"All remaining banksia woodlands in the Perth region are important resources for the cockatoos that rely on them for food during the summer months," Mr Roache said.

The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is concerned that the cumulative impacts of clearing proposals such as these will have an adverse impact on this endangered species.

At a symposium of cockatoo experts held in Perth earlier this month, it was established that continued clearing of cockatoo habitat, both in urban and rural areas, represents the greatest threat to the survival of the species.

Carnaby's black cockatoo feed on banksia woodlands across the Swan Coastal Plain during summer and autumn months before migrating to the wheatbelt in winter to breed. They are listed as endangered by the Australian Government due to a 50 per cent population decline over the last 45 years.

For more information:

With funding from the Australian Government, WWF is supporting Foxground Landcare Group in its bid to save these unique Australians, also known as the spotted-tailed quoll.

The tiger quoll is the largest surviving marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia. Captain Cook collected quolls along the east coast in 1770, and recorded 'quoll' as an Aboriginal name for these animals. Like tigers, quolls are a top order predator in Australia and therefore perform an important role in stabilising ecosystems.

'Tiger quolls numbers have declined by up to 50 per cent since European settlement, predominately because of habitat loss due to land clearing,' said Samantha Vine, WWF’s Threatened Species Regional Manager.

'They are now classified as endangered by the Australian Government and are a WWF flagship species therefore a top priority.'

Historically, tiger quolls have been seen in the Foxground area of New South Wales and a number of recent sightings have inspired the Foxground Landcare Group to work with private landholders to survey their land.

Quolls are secretive and cryptic, making it difficult to know where they are and how many survive in an area. Increasing awareness of the tiger quoll and getting the community involved in surveys are priorities in the battle to prevent its extinction.

The group plan to capture quolls on film using motion detection cameras at night. The quolls have a large home range and can travel more than six kilometres overnight in search for prey.

"Quolls have the interesting trait of establishing 'latrines' within their home range, which they use for communication," said Ms Vine.

'These areas are visited during the night making them idea places to monitor for activity,' she said.

Quoll droppings collected from the latrines hold a wealth of information and can unlock secrets about diet, population numbers, genetic make-up and relationships of the individuals in the area.

"Involving the local community in this project is vital so they develop an understanding of the significance of our quoll population and why they are under threat," said Erika Birmingham, Project Coordinator, Foxground Landcare Group.

'The project will also help locals understand issues surrounding quolls in the region including avoiding injuring quolls on the road and securing livestock like chickens at night, especially during the breeding season when the quolls are more active,' she said.

Motion detection cameras will be set up over the Christmas period to capture any quoll activity, which would be a great present for this hard working community group.

For more information:

The global conservation organisation calls on developed nations to provide financial and technological support to poor countries so that they can raise their people from poverty and adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change.

As ministers arrive in Poznan, WWF stresses their two biggest challenges: convincing developing countries that they are seriously pursuing an ambitious climate deal, and providing certainty that they will be delivering finance and technology for emission cuts in developing countries.

Ministers from rich countries must break the paralysing silence of the first week and signal that they are willing to set tough targets for themselves and provide sufficient support for the developing world.

"While developing countries have inspired Poznan with relevant proposals, rich countries came here fainthearted and empty-handed", says Kim Carstensen, Leader, WWF Global Climate Initiative.

"If ministers from rich countries finally responded to proposals from these developing nations and pledged to deliver their share of the effort, agreement would be at hand and a devastating split avoidable."

Despite the urgency of the climate threat, countries like Australia, Japan, Canada and Russia still aimed to weaken rather than strengthen emission targets for industrialised countries. They blocked the inclusion of a strengthened reference to 25 to 40% emission cuts by 2020 in the Poznan conclusions, which would have gone beyond the agreement made at talks in Bali last year.

However, governments managed to agree a work plan for 2009 which is meant to result in clarity on reduction targets in time for the UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen next December.

"Scientists tell us that a catastrophe is looming, and people across the globe demand quick action, but irresponsible countries still advocate regress where the planet needs progress", says Carstensen.

"The world is watching and demands to see the opposite: solidarity instead of selfishness, ambition instead of apathy, and solutions instead of stalemate."

Media contacts:

The organisation slammed the target of 5-15 per cent by 2020, saying heavy industry was being let off the hook despite having known for more than a decade they would have to reduce emissions.

"This target is completely unacceptable," said Paul Toni, WWF-Australia Program Leader Sustainable Development.

"Australia's big polluters have forced the Government to sacrifice ordinary Australians' future prosperity for their short term profits today. We are glad to see that Scheme is scheduled to commence in 2010, however, we need a cut of at least 25 per cent to stand any chance of avoiding the catastrophic impacts of climate change."

"The Australian Treasury's economic modelling has shown that cuts of 25 per cent are affordable and achievable if part of an international agreement. This should be the government's aim."

Mr Toni said the pain Australian families were experiencing due to the global financial crisis would only worsen in the future if the Government was not ambitious with its pollution reduction target now.

"If we do not act now the economic burden imposed on everyday Australians will be immense - with rising food costs, higher insurance premiums and massive job losses in tourism and agriculture. Ironically, both climate change and the financial crisis are direct results of selfish, short-term planning and mismanagement by big business," Mr Toni said.

WWF was also critical of the Government's plan to compensate the biggest polluters, and said a plan must be established to stop Australia's pollution levels rising by 2010.

"Compensation for heavily polluting industries robs the clean industries of the future of vital funding. If Australia wants to dramatically reduce emissions we must invest in new technologies such as wind, ocean, geothermal and solar, so we can start cutting emissions this decade."

WWF said 2009 would be a defining moment in the planet's history and urged the Australian Government to take the initiative on a global pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Our actions from this point on will be judged by future generations. It is WWF-Australia's hope our children will take pride in our actions rather than be ashamed by what this generation lost through self-interest and equivocation," Mr Toni said.

For more information:

Paul Toni
Program Leader - Development and Sustainability,
0410 086 986

Jonathan Larkin
Communications Officer, WWF-Australia,
0410 221 410

Around 250 live Asian Elephants have been smuggled from Myanmar in the past decade, mostly destined for "elephant trekking" tourism activities in neighbouring Thailand, a new report by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reveals today.

Meanwhile blatant illegal ivory trade continues in Myanmar, with TRAFFIC surveys of 14 markets and three border markets in Thailand and China finding 9000 pieces of ivory and 16 whole tusks for sale.

Retailers generally displayed ivory and other elephant parts quite openly and rarely hesitated in disclosing smuggling techniques and other illegal activities to TRAFFIC staff posing as potential buyers.

The smuggling of live elephants, ivory and other elephant parts out of Myanmar and into neighbouring China and Thailand occurs in blatant contravention of national laws and CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Chris Shepherd, Senior Programme Officer with TRAFFIC said the report confirmed a serious lack of law enforcement and a blatant disregard for international conventions and national laws in Myanmar and neighbouring states.

"Females and juvenile elephants are particularly targeted to supply the demand from the tourism industry in Thailand, where they are put to work in elephant trekking centres," said Shepherd. "Our research found evidence of corruption allowing the illicit smuggling of ivory and elephants to take place."

No cross-border trade of live elephants has been reported to CITES by either Myanmar or Thailand. Some traders questioned claimed elephants had disappeared from parts of Myanmar, owing to numbers captured for the live trade.

"Anecdotal reports of elephant disappearances, together with the large volume of ivory and elephant parts consistently observed for sale at markets over a period of several years suggests that trade poses a significant threat to the survival of Asian Elephants in Myanmar," said Vincent Nijman, a co-author of the report.

TRAFFIC and WWF call on authorities in Myanmar to work closely with enforcement officers in neighbouring Thailand and China to address the illegal trade in live elephants and ivory.

"Both Thailand and China must do much more to increase enforcement and crack down on this insidious trade," said Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International's Species Programme.

"Myanmar has the potential to become a major stronghold for Asian Elephants; it's a pity that illegal capture and killing are pushing elephants towards extinction there," said Ajay Desai, Co-Chair of the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group, adding: "Neighboring countries need seriously to reconsider their policy on the use of captive elephants and also enforce laws to stop illegal trade in wildlife products."

Both Thailand and Myanmar are also members of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network, a regional network established to promote cross-border collaboration to tackle illegal wildlife trade. The findings are published today in Elephant and ivory trade in Myanmar.

For further information:

Richard Thomas, Communications Co-ordinator, TRAFFIC.
Tel: +44 1223 279068,
mob + 44 752 6646 216.
E-mail richard.thomas@traffic.org

Sarah Janicke, Species Communications Manager, WWF,
Tel: +41 22 3649250,
Mobile: +41 79 528 8641,
E-mail: sjanicke@wwfint.org