The National Council opened its spring session on Monday evening with an agenda wholly focussed on the coronavirus crisis.
In order to “fight against the worst crisis the Principality has known since the Second World War”, the National Council has proposed certain legislature to protect the public interest in this unprecedented time.
The council approved two bills which involve a two-month suspension of administrative deadlines, with the possibility of extending this period, in order to deal with the crisis at hand. This is meant to ease the worries for those who had impending deadlines after 18th March to file legal documentation or other administrative actions, suspending their responsibilities to meet those deadlines until after the health crisis bans have been lifted.
A similar suspension for the judiciary was adopted, whereby for two months, jurisdictional matters, civil, commercial, social and administrative, are to be suspended retroactive to 16th March.
Another bill pertains to employees in the Principality, making unfair dismissals during the epidemic forbidden and making telecommuting compulsory for jobs where this is a possibility.
Finally, it put forth a legislative proposal that commercial renters be given leeway in the payment of rent due. It aims to secure a 20% reduction in rent from the private sector, provided the renter pays 50% of the monthly amount due during the previewed two months the government is keeping the population in lockdown. Balances due may be deferred into instalment payments over the following two trimesters under the proposal.
As the saga continues in the fight against the spread of Covid-19, in the neighbouring city of Nice cloth masks will soon be issued to all residents in an effort to further contain the virus.
In an address made by Christian Estrosi on Monday 6th April, the Mayor of Nice made clear he is ready to impose even tougher measures on people to stop the coronavirus from spreading.
In roughly 10 days’ time, he says all of the Alpes-Maritimes capital city’s residents will be kitted out with a cloth mask that will be reusable for up to a month. With a population of 942,000, this will be no small feat and at present there is no information on how the masks will be distributed, though assurances were made that word will be coming in a few days.
The masks will be mandatory for anyone who is outside, whether visitor or inhabitant, as many residents have been flouting the confinement rules. Prefect Bernard Gonzalez has even gone so far as to say that some people, including entire families, have turned eluding the police into a game, in a sort of dangerous cat and mouse scenario.
Hundreds of fines have been issued thus far, and some have even been placed in custody, as the police have been up against the wall facing violence and resistance from certain sectors.
In addition to mandatory masks, new curfew restrictions are also being put in place for certain districts, including Notre Dame, Trachel and Saint-Charles, where the night curfew now stands at 8pm.
Furthermore, exercise will be restricted to designated hours and will be from 6am to 12pm and again from 6pm to 8pm.
People across the globe, including sporting heroes and HSH Prince Albert II, have raised a white card in honour of International Day of Sport for Development of Peace this week.
The International Day of Sport for Development of Peace was celebrated on Monday 6th April and organisations the world over joined in. They were as diverse as the Australian Cheer Union, the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Engso Youth and the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, who all went online and held up their white card in solidarity and support for the campaign.
Locally, along with the creators and hosts of the event, Peace and Sport, MT Racing Monaco, Roca Jet Club, Stars n’ Bars and, of course, HSH Prince Albert II all made the effort to post their shots online. The Sovereign Prince took things a step further and made a speech on Facebook.
“Every crisis is also an opportunity,” said the Prince in his heartfelt address. “The universal and neutral nature of sports is sustaining the collective effort to fight the (COVID) epidemic. Athletes, sport institutions and civil society organisations are currently bringing hope and courage to communities worried about their future.”
He goes on to say, “Using sport to protect our planet and reinforce our bonds with each other is a huge responsibility we owe to our children and future generations. Today, sport through the White Card sends a message of connectivity, hope and solidarity on social networks. We must continue promoting the positive values of sport for peace, for our benefit today and for a fairer world in the future.”
The day was held, out of obvious necessity, exclusively online and webinars were featured throughout the day and included topics such as sport crossing barriers, correct and healthy lifestyles, sport mentoring and even a happy hour.
International Day of Sport for Development of Peace (IDSDP) is an initiative set up by the United Nations, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, to promote peace through sport. Its goals are to bring out the best in the people by teaching the values of sportsmanship, inclusion and solidarity.
One of the biggest initiatives for IDSDP, is Peace and Sport’s annual #WhiteCard digital campaign which encourages people to take photos while holding a white card symbolising their commitment for peace through sport, and to share them online using the hashtag #WhiteCard.
As a reference to the yellow and the red card in the sporting world, the #WhiteCard invites not to punish but to create positive real change. This year the theme was ‘Behind each #WhiteCard, there is a story’, highlighting the stories of individuals who have been positively impacted by sport.
Victims of domestic violence will now be able to seek help at pharmacies in Monaco, as authorities ramp up measures to protect vulnerable women during lockdown.
Céline Cottalorda, delegate for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights, told Monaco Life last week that the Prince’s government was exploring “additional arrangements” like those seen in France, particularly the introduction of covert contact points.
Amid warnings confinement could heighten domestic tensions and cut off escape routes, the government confirmed on Monday 6th April that it is implementing two new protective measures.
The first involves mobilising pharmacies as a location where victims can report violence and seek help. “The pharmacies of Monaco are now a place where you can be welcomed, guided and give the alert for emergencies,” says the government.
There is also a new email address specifically for victims of domestic violence: sos-violences@gouv.mc. This service is accessible 24 hours a day and is available in addition to the emergency numbers 17 and 93 15 30 15.
The move has been welcomed by women’s advocate Vibeke Brask Thomsen, director of She Can He Can. “It’s good news as it provides a way for women to leave the violent situation by going to the pharmacy and hopefully receive assistance,” she tells Monaco Life. “Some women of course won’t be able to leave the home so it won’t help, but it will help some. I hope that pharmacists are also trained to respond to first signs, which is not easy during this stressful time.”
Authorities have also stepped up a call for friends, family and neighbours to get involved. “If you witness violence, if you hear a beating, shouting, crying, or if a violent argument escalates, you can help by calling 17,” said the government.
“It is a gesture that can save a life,” added Chief Commissioner of Police Rémy Lejuste. “On the other hand, you must call the police and not try to intervene directly.”
The United Nations is calling for all countries to address the “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” directed towards women and girls, and linked to lockdowns imposed by governments responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. UN chief Antonio Guterres is urging “all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the crisis”.
And while it is encouraging to see countries like Monaco jumping to action, it is hoped that long-term solutions will also be formed in light of the crisis.
“I hope this crisis will encourage decision-makers to realise the importance of having gender-segregated data so we can better understand how crisis such as this one impacts and will impact women and men differently,” says Ms Brask Thomsen. “This includes the long-term effects of lost income, unequal share of unpaid care work and of course domestic violence. The effects of such a pandemic can last years and we need the tools to better understand and address this.”
Information on all support mechanisms in Monaco is available at www.dfm.mc and on www.covid19.mc, as well as social networks via # COVID19, # ViolencesFemmesJ’agis #DFM.
Border police stopped more than 120 cars from entering Monaco on the weekend as authorities reinforce strict movement controls for the Principality.
The government announced on Monday 6th April that it has strengthened police controls at the borders with Italy and France to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the Principality.
On Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th April, police carried out just over 3,500 checks, both at the borders of the Principality and on its territory. About 200 people were asked to return home for not respecting the notion of short distance travel.
Twenty fines were issued to people who could not properly justify why they were travelling on the highway.
During these checks, nearly 120 vehicles were refused access to Monegasque territory.
The Prince’s government has imposed strict controls on movement in Monaco with only “essential” trips authorised, such as food shopping or walking the dog.
“Travel to visit a family member or friends is not allowed. The same is true for trips to the countryside or on boats,” said the government in a statement.
People who fail to comply with the rules face a fine of up to €200.
Since 1996, Marc Ancrenaz, through his NGO HUTAN, has been identifying ways for people to co-exist and share habitats peacefully with orangutans in the Sabah rainforest, Malaysian Borneo.
Marc Ancrenaz DVM, PhD is at the top of his field, well versed in many related areas – primatology, sustainable development, conservation biology, wildlife conservation and climate change, to name a few, and is a useful source for many professionals seeking his expertise.
He spoke to animal advocate and Monaco Life contributor Kat Pirelli-Zucchetta.
Kat Pirelli-Zucchetta and Marc Ancrenaz at Kota Kinabalu, Borneo
Kat Pirelli-Zucchetta: Where in Borneo is your research centre located and why did you choose this location for your research?
Marc Ancrenaz: Our centre is located in the lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, in the village of Sukau. During our first visit to the area in 1994, both directors (Isabelle Lackman and myself) were impressed to see animals and people living together. I remember, for example, seeing an orangutan nest in a durian tree that was in the middle of the village. It was a unique opportunity to try to understand how wildlife and people could coexist. And this is something we have always been interested in – identifying ways for people and wildlife to live together. Where did orangutan get their name and what does it mean?
In Malay language, orang-utan literally means “People (or person) of the forest”. I think this is self-explanatory of orangutans, for example they are one of our closest living relatives. What is your objective and primary focus for 2020?
To identify ways for people and animals to live peacefully inside and outside of protected areas. This also means making deeply transformed landscapes more resilient for wildlife and people too. Orangutans are only found in the rainforest areas of Borneo and Sumatra. Do you conduct work in Sumatra as well as Borneo?
No, mostly in Borneo, however the conclusions and findings of our research can expand much wider than Borneo. Indeed, we look at ways to reconcile agricultural development and wildlife survival. This is a common and global theme. I also work with several international organisations that try to promote sustainable agriculture with different types of commodities. How do the characteristics differ from Indonesia, Malaysia or Sumatra orangutans?
Although there are three different ‘OU’ species, two in Sumatra and one in Borneo, in terms of behaviour and ecology, they are quite similar. All orangutan species live in a diffuse social system: they don’t live in family groups and spend most of their time alone. However, in an established population, they know their neighbours and interact together once in a while. Sumatran orangutans appear to be more social than in Borneo. OU is a very resilient species, able to adjust and adapt to deep transformation of its environment. For example, they can walk on the ground over large distances, they can shift their diet to what is available in new man-made landscapes, they can use palms and other exotic tree species to build a nest, etc. As long as we don’t remove, either by translocating or shooting, the OU from where they are found, they show an amazing ability to survive in non-forest habitat.
Photo: HUTAN
With that in mind do you believe it’s possible for humans in Sabah to eventually coexist with orangoutangs?
Yes. I’m also convinced that this is the only way for orangutans to survive in the long-term. Indeed, conserving large-ranging species like the orangutan must be envisioned at the scale of a whole landscape. Conservation strategies must incorporate protected and unprotected forest as well as agricultural and private lands. Hence the need to identify and implement ways for people and wildlife to live together in these non-protected areas. Orangutans are smart, peaceful and are not responsible for many conflicts: there is no reason why people could not accept a peaceful co-existence with this species. Can you describe your current projects with orangutans?
We try to better understand OU ecology and adaptation to forest degradation by following wild habituated individuals in the forests of Kinabatangan. We also look at how OU can adapt and survive to agriculture landscapes: is it possible, how? So, we also follow OU in palm oil dominated landscapes where animals survive and breed in a mosaic landscape. How many wild orangutans are left on the planet?
OU is a critically endangered species, meaning that their numbers are declining fast, however this doesn’t mean that they are going to be extinct any time soon. Indeed, this species is resilient and if animals are not killed they can adjust and survive in man-made landscapes, as long as some forest patches and corridors are retained within these landscapes.
OU can move back and forth between forest patches and nearby palm oil plantations. Photo: HUTAN
Today we estimate that not more than 80,000 individuals are still found in Borneo (one species, three sub-species); 15,000 individuals of the Sumatran species and less than 1,000 individuals of the newly described Tapanuliensis species also found in Sumatra. How are rescue and protection of these animals fairing right now?
Rescue and translocation are commonly seen as a major OU conservation strategy. These tools mostly address a welfare component. However, recent analysis shows that only a portion of the animals can be successfully rehabilitated despite all efforts and care allocated by orphanages.
As a conservation biologist, I consider that conservation efforts should primarily target wild OU populations and their habitat in Borneo and Sumatra. Indeed, there are still large enough numbers out there to ensure that the species can survive in the wild in perpetuity, but the time to act is now, since their numbers keep on declining.
An issue that starts to be better understood is what we call wild-to-wild translocation: several hundred OU have been translocated over the past 10 years in Borneo (and to a lesser extent in Sumatra) from situations that were deemed not viable for them by the people in charge of their management. These animals, following capture, were subsequently released in nearby forests. Recent information indicates that this approach creates more problems than it solves. First, this is a costly and risky endeavour. Second, there is no post release monitoring and we don’t know if the animals can survive the stress of a translocation and how they survive in a forest where they don’t know where food is and they don’t know the resident orangoutangs. Last, often, after the orangoutangs are removed from a forest patch, these patches are clear cut and replaced by other types of land-uses. We lose all the biodiversity that was surviving in these fragments. Translocation should only be undertaken when there is no other option and very often, there are. What would you say are the biggest threats to their survival?
1) Hunting and killing – for bushmeat, in conflict situations and for the pet trade
2) Habitat loss – forest conversion and fires
3) Risk of disease transmission Today we estimate that not more than 80,000 individuals are still found in Borneo (one species, three sub-species); 15,000 individuals of the Sumatran species and less than 1,000 individuals of the newly described Tapanuliensis species also found in Sumatra. How are rescue and protection of these animals fairing right now?
Rescue and translocation are commonly seen as a major OU conservation strategy. These tools mostly address a welfare component. However, recent analysis shows that only a portion of the animals can be successfully rehabilitated despite all efforts and care allocated by orphanages.
As a conservation biologist, I consider that conservation efforts should primarily target wild OU populations and their habitat in Borneo and Sumatra. Indeed, there are still large enough numbers out there to ensure that the species can survive in the wild in perpetuity, but the time to act is now, since their numbers keep on declining.
An issue that starts to be better understood is what we call wild-to-wild translocation: several hundred OU have been translocated over the past 10 years in Borneo (and to a lesser extent in Sumatra) from situations that were deemed not viable for them by the people in charge of their management. These animals, following capture, were subsequently released in nearby forests. Recent information indicates that this approach creates more problems than it solves. First, this is a costly and risky endeavour. Second, there is no post release monitoring and we don’t know if the animals can survive the stress of a translocation and how they survive in a forest where they don’t know where food is and they don’t know the resident orangoutangs. Last, often, after the orangoutangs are removed from a forest patch, these patches are clear cut and replaced by other types of land-uses. We lose all the biodiversity that was surviving in these fragments. Translocation should only be undertaken when there is no other option and very often, there are. Because the majority of orangutans are found in degraded forests, does this contribute to the decline by opportunistic hunters due to their vulnerability?
The fact that most forests inhabited by OU are more easily accessible to hunters make OU more susceptible to hunting. There is no specific poaching for OU, it is rather an opportunistic by-product. OU are killed by hunters when hunters come back from a hunting expedition empty handed.
An adult female and her young in the forests of Kinabatangan. Photo: HUTAN
As in Indonesia, is wildlife crime – the killing of adult orangutans and live capture of babies for sale – an issue on the Malaysian side of Borneo?
The orangutan trade is not a real issue in Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian states of Borneo. Possessing a baby orangutan is definitely not part of the Malaysian way of life, and in several places in Sabah, orangutan is not killed for its meat either. This creates the ideal conditions to secure a future for the orangutans. Are palm oil plantations in these areas moving to sustainable palm oil?
Sustainable palm oil is a solution. Unfortunately, today only 20% of the market is RSPO certified. Some companies that are RSPO certified are actually home to OU. In many areas, most forests outside of these estates have been clear cut by local communities and other stakeholders and the last OU of the landscape have taken refuge in the High Conservation value forests left in these estates.
Kusai, a Flanged male that moves back and forth between the forest and the palm plantations copy. Photo: HUTAN
Do you have any idea how many orangutans were killed in 2019?
Researchers from Borneo Futures estimate that between 1,500 and 2,000 OU are killed every year. Because orangutans are loved by so many people and have been used in the film industry do you have many celebrities involved in your conservation efforts?
OU is attracting a lot of attention worldwide. However, at HUTAN, we believe that local communities are the key guardians of their natural resources (including OU). Our priority is to involve local people on the conservation of OU and their forest. A lot of people, including celebrities, want to have a close encounter with orangutans and they post pictures and “selfies” holding a bay in their arms. Here I would like to ask everyone to stop this kind of behaviour. First, being in a close proximity with wild animals creates a risk of disease transmission. Second, this really gives a bad example of how people think about wild animals and is an incentive for the pet trade, which is one of the worst threats faced by wildlife today. Please, do not post these kind of pictures.
Celebrities visit the wild orangutans that we are studying once in a while: last year for example we had the pleasure to welcome Dame Judy Dench at our study site. What can people do in Monaco and France to help save this species from extinction in the wild?
Boycott of palm oil is not a solution. Indeed, there is not an easy solution to a complicated issue, and palm oil is a complicated issue. Support RSPO certified palm oil. Support projects that try to design solutions to sustain wild OU populations. Get informed and we advise people to please STOP posting selfies with baby orangutans. Is there anything you would like to add?
50 years of OU conservation has failed to save the OU from a rapid decline. We need to come up with new thinking, new approaches to save the OU. Engaging with palm oil plantations to make agricultural landscapes able to sustain OU in the long term is a very thought-provoking and new approach. Indeed, I do believe that engaging with all stakeholders is part of the solution. Engaging with the palm oil industry, engaging with local communities and local politicians. We need to build new models of conservation that are mostly led and implemented by local community members, not by foreigners. Note: The European Palm Oil Industry has announced a plan to provide 100% certified sustainable palm oil by the end of 2020, which is sourced 50% Indonesia and Malaysia, 30% from India and 10% China. You can also look for this logo…
To learn more about sustainable palm oil: https://www.rspo.org/
Top photo: Pood, unflanged male followed by HUTAN team into an palm oil plantation, courtesy HUTAN
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