Download ENV1_1_6

FORUM: Environment Commission Sub-Commission 1
QUESTION OF: Implementing measures to save keystone species in Southeast Asia
SUBMITTED BY: Russian Federation
THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION,
Defining keystone species as species in which the ecosystem and food pyramid largely
depend on, with the result that extinction would drastically and negatively alter the
ecosystem,
Recognizing that illegal poaching and the prioritization of industrialization over the safety of
animal species has led to the destruction of the natural habitat of many keystone species,
Emphasizing that keystone species disappearance would start a domino effect as other species
in the habitat would also disappear and become extinct,
Alarmed that extinction is a natural phenomenon, which happens at an approximate rate of
385 species extinct per year, gone forever,
1. Calls for different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as but not limited to,
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to prioritize their attention
and funds to:
a) raise public awareness internationally by creating short multimedia clips, writing,
or posters and ensuring the wide accessibility of these public awareness projects
by posting it on the United Nations (UN) website and sharing it on different social
media websites such as Facebook and Twitter to inform people about the severity
of this issue and need for immediate assistance
b) educate people in Southeast Asian countries about ways to handle and deal with
endangered keystones species when witnessed and simple ways and incentives for
the conservation of the environment such as but not limited to decreasing the use
of vehicular transportation, consuming less, and recycling
c) designate specific areas as sanctuaries for keystone species in order to protect
them from human activities and interference;
2. Requests member nations to strengthen and increase judicial consequences for ensuring
the protection of keystones species in Southeast Asia by:
a) encouraging the creation of stricter law codes against individuals who engage in
activities related to illegal poaching, illegal logging, and deforestation by
imposing high fines
b) making sure that private landowners obtain a legal permit if taking a listed species
is incidental to some other lawful activity such as plowing a field or constructing a
building
c) creating a strict supervising and monitoring system to combat corruption of the
government because some carve out exemptions for particular species or
geographic areas as a giveaways to special interests, such as wealthy oil
companies, big agribusinesses, and land developers
d) making it mandatory by law for big industries and corporations to submit detailed
annual reports to ensure that the correct measures specified in the rest of this
resolution are enacted
e) encouraging for The Endangered Species Act to be passed in Southeast Asia, as
its success in the United States was a turning point in the prevention of the
extinction of wildlife animals such as bald eagles, gray whales, and the peregrine
falcon;
3. Further calls for the cooperation between member nations and the different NGOs
mentioned in operative clause 1 in order to maximize the potential of humanitarian aid,
which includes a medical system and conservation system, in ways such as but not
limited to:
a) creating a greater number of rehabilitation centers for orphaned or injured animals
so that they can recover safely and successfully with the help of humanitarians
and volunteers who have completed a satisfactory level of training or examination
that ensures they are knowledgeable and capable of contributing to solving the
issue of endangered species
b) making sure that the rehabilitation centers mentioned in operative clause 3 subclause a) are equipped with professional doctors, proper medical equipment and
medicine, food, water, shelter, and other basic necessities for not only the
endangered species but also for the humanitarian volunteers
c) ensuring the safety of these humanitarian workers helping out restoring the
population of such endangered species by:
i. equipping the humanitarian personnel with Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) specialized for the volunteers’ tasks in Southeast Asia
ii. equipping with humanitarian volunteers with pre-travel health care in
order to guarantee safety and protection of the humanitarian volunteers
from potential violent attacks from certain species and exposure to fatal
diseases
d) otherwise aiding the conservation of keystone species with the help of qualified
humanitarians and volunteers in ways such as but not limited to:
i. planting flowers to attract keystone species that pollinate, in order to
support their habitats and offer a food source
ii. organizing cleaning efforts to collect litter from habitats, therefore
preserving the homes of keystone species;
4. Encouraging economic conservation by providing negotiable tax breaks to big industries
and companies who agree to refrain from contributing to the destruction of the natural
habitats of species in Southeast Asia, leaving them with no home, in order to:
a) provide a clear incentive for big industries and corporations, which are the biggest
causes of environmental degradation, to reconsider and be more careful of their
actions
b) lessen the use of natural resources as many Southeast Asian nations are heavily
relying on natural resources for their economic stability and environmental
preservation
c) provide a monetary incentive to lessen human activities prevalent in Southeast
Asia such as building palm oil plantations in order to extract palm oil and other
natural resources, which leads to deforestation
d) create bilateral communication between the government and big industries;
5. Recognizing that the growing number of palm tree plantations in Southeast Asian
countries, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, is one of the biggest causes of forest
deforestation, extinction of Bornean orangutans and pygmy elephants, and extensive
carbon emissions, and thereby cooperating with the different NGOs aforementioned to:
a) encourage companies to adopt strong deforestation-free and peat-free sourcing
policies such as,
i. growing palm oil on degraded land instead of forested land,
ii. tending palm trees on mineral soil instead of peat soil, as the high
percentage of carbon stored in peat soil leads to heat-trapping emissions,
contributing to global warming
b) ensure that existing palm oil plantations can increase crop yields to reduce the
need for new planation expansion because palm oil is vital, used in the
manufacture of thousands of everyday products such as baked goods, ice cream,
household cleaning products, shampoo, and fuel tanks
c) hold meetings and conferences so that The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
(RSPO), an organization including oil palm producers, consumer goods
manufactures, retailers, and palm oil processors, to discuss other potential
solutions;
6. Calls upon the promotion of improvement, regulation, and expansion of ecotourism that
benefits keystone species in order to reduce excessive pollution production, disruption of
animal habitats, and abusive treatment of animal species, as many Southeast Asian
countries rely on their wildlife species and environments to attract tourists and provide
more revenue for local economies, in ways such as but not limited to:
a) implementing and funding more ecotourism programs in order to expand its
market, with the approval of experts to ensure these programs are beneficial to
keystone species, by adopting programs seen successful in different countries,
including but not limited to:
i. Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), a
promotional program focused on advocating sustainable tourism through
environmental conservation
ii. Earth Lodge Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian ecolodge contributing to and
advocating conservation, field research, and the support of local
communities
iii. Indonesian Ecotourism Network, focusing on the development of
ecotourism by working with other organizations on both an international
and regional level
iv. Mai Chau Ecolodge, a lodge in Vietnam focusing on sustainable travel,
local culture, and environmental protection
b) ensuring national parks and zoos as well as other ecotourism programs are not
harming keystone species, in ways such as but not limited to:
i. sending qualified experts and guards to inspect these parks and zoos for
satisfactory treatment of animals and safety regulations
ii. setting fixed regulations on the treatment of animals so they are provided
with sufficient medical care, food, water, and shelter
iii. fining zoos and parks that violate these regulations, with the fine to be
decided at the discretion of each individual member-state
c) cooperating with The United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and other NGOs aforementioned with the purpose of:
i. establishing and equipping new national park areas in order to reserve
more sanctuaries for wildlife species to live in protection
ii. recruiting, educating well-trained, multilingual naturalist staffs with skills
in natural and cultural history, environmental interpretation, ethical
principles, and effective communication in order to ensure that these staff
members can effectively guide the tourists in an eco-friendly manner
iii. supplying travelers with reading material about the country, environment,
local people, and a code of conduct for both the traveler and the industry
itself so that travelers build respect and awareness of the environment and
cultural practices of the host country
iv. help educate members of the surrounding community, school children and
the broader public in the host country by reducing entrance and lodge fees
for nationals and free educational tips for local students and those living
near the tourist attraction;
7. Cooperating with the NGOs aforementioned in order to increase policies regarding
coastal areas in order to ensure the protection of endangered marine species in ways such
as but not limited to:
a) placing a maximum limit per person on the amount of species that may be caught,
captured, or killed each day and making sure that this limit is adhered to by
establishing police guards to check every ship coming into the coasts
b) limiting the amount of ships that sink low enough to damage coral reefs or ships
that create a noise level over 100 decibels since it disturbs the communication and
destroys the natural habitat of marine species
c) requesting a ban on all sport fishing in coral reefs and other diverse areas, as sport
fishing is the fishing of endangered species as a superficial form of entertainment
d) making sure that the judicial consequences established in operative clause 2 sub
clause a) are also applied to marine poachers to ensure that fishermen who do not
comply with the local fishing laws are fined and supervised on a daily basis.