The Grave Barrier Reef: The callous and tragic destruction of a magical ecosystem

"The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger, do we really care so little about the earth which we live, that we don't wish to protect one of it's greatest wonders from the consequences of our behaviour". Sir David Attenborough

 

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living organism on this planet. It boasts the largest coral reef system on earth, stretching over an area of 344,000 square kilometres off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is a wonderful ecosystem, home to over 30 species of whale, 1,500 species of fish, 134 species of sharks and ray, six of the seven threatened marine species of turtle and the rare dugong (the sea cow).  There is a mosaic of over 2,900 beautiful reefs, filled with over 411 types of remarkable hard coral. The structure of the reef is so magnificent; it can be seen from space. The Barrier Reef also provides around $5.8 billion to the Australian economy each year and generates over 69,000 jobs.

Tragically, the entire Barrier Reef system is now in mortal danger. Scientists have concluded that over 93% of the entire Great Barrier Reef is now bleached because of climate change. This year already, a quarter of the entire reef has already been killed off. The largest ecosystem on earth, is rapidly dying; the beautiful ecosystems that once occurred here are rotting.  

 

                                            (Credit: Oceanography)

 

What is causing this?

 

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the main cause of coral bleaching is manmade climate change. Much of the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere, dissolves in our oceans. In fact, our oceans have absolved nearly half of carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels (Sabine et all 2004). This in turn, has led to a increase in both global and sea level temperatures. Coral is extremely vulnerable to even the slightest temperature change.

 

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority have stated that "temperature increases of only one degree Celsius for only four weeks can trigger bleaching events. If these temperatures persist for longer periods (eight weeks or more) corals begin to die." Bleaching breaks down the "relationship between the coral host and zooxanthellae, a substance which give coral much of their colour".  While some corals are able to feed themselves, most corals struggle to survive without their zooxanthellae.

 

Scientists have warned that by 2100, we could see global temperature increases of up to 6C. The consequences for the planet would be cataclysmic. Currently today, three quarters of all our fish stocks are now over-depleted, over exploited and over-used. The United Nations has warned that by 2048, we could see fishless oceans.

 

                                                   (Credit: Oceanography)

      

 How can you help?

By advocating and raising awareness about the plight of the Reef, it is my hope that we can all come together and put pressure on the Australian government to make sure that the Reef is properly protected and enforced. The Reef can recover, but it is going to take decades of hard work, dedication and care. The Paris Climate talks last year are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels.

 

You can take immediate action today by writing to both the Australian Government and the United Nations asking them to reconsider the decision taken last year to not place the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage endangered list. You can also  sign a number of petitions below which will be presented to the Federal Environmental Minister of Australia.

 

We have a short moment in history now to stop this, if we fail to take action today, there will be nothing left for our children and grandchildren. This remarkable ecosystem and the creatures that inhabit it will simply disappear, for me that would be a complete tragedy.

 

Petitions to Sign:

https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/save-the-reef

https://fightforthereef.org.au/

https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/coal-seam-gas/unesco-great-barrier-reef/sign-the-petition


References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGNXcnncHPc

 https://www.environment.gov.au/sustainability/publications/economic-contribution-great-barrier-reef-march-2013                     
                                         
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/threats-to-the-reef/climate-change/what-does-this-mean-for-species/corals/what-is-coral-bleaching

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/07/the-great-barrier-reef-a-catastrophe-laid-bare

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/global-warming-experts-say-temperatures-could-rise-by-6c-by-2100-with-cataclysmic-results-10193506.html

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/314/5800/787

Blowpipes and Bulldozers: The illegal loggers war against the last Indigenous Tribes of Brazil

The Amazon  rainforest in Brazil, is currently witnessing unprecedented levels of deforestation, with levels increasing 400% per month since October 2014. The indigenous people that inhabit these forests are under threat like never before.

 

Much of the deforestation in Brazil is down to the cattle and beef industry. Brazil is the largest exporter of beef in the world, and ranchers slash and burn vast amounts of rainforest each year to make place for their farms. Unbelievably more than 200,000 acres of rainforest around the world is lost every day.  Logging illegally cuts out wage regulation, permits and taxes, making it hugely profitable for the cattle and beef industry. 70% of logging in Para' Brazil's largest state is illegal. Federally protected indigenous land is often targeted for its rich virgin forests by illegal loggers, forcing indigenous people to fight back often resulting in death and violence on both sides.

 

 

 

 

However, the Tembe Tribe in Para is fighting back. Discovered as an isolated tribe by catholic missionaries in the 17th century, the Tembe have long had their lands exploited and settled by illegal squatters. They say around 40% of their land has been cleared but the government has ignored their pleas and has done nothing about it. Due to Brazils extremely slow judicial system, the Tembe are often unable to obtain eviction notices from the courts to kick ranchers off their ancestral lands. The ranchers have reportedly hired gunmen  known as pistoleros to hunt members of the tribe who stand in their way. Members of the tribe have described seeing their own families and children massacred.

 

 

 

The tribe has now taken matters into their own hands, arming warriors to participate patrols around the reserve, capturing and arresting illegal loggers and burning their diggers. They are even starting to reclaim some of the stolen land from the grasps of the ranchers. Isadarous a chief from the Tembe tribe notes that "if we stop doing the patrols, paying attention and defending, that will be good for them, then they will invade and it will all be over. We have to make them leave and if they want to kill us, then kill us but we will die fighting for what is ours".

 

 

 

 

The Awa, the worlds most critically endangered tribe, is also at the mercy of encroaching loggers.   The Awa is one of the last 100 uncontacted tribes on earth, that have never been contacted by the outside world. They have lived for centuries as hunter gatherers deep in the forest, but are now on the run, hiding from the outside world. Their homes are currently being bulldozed to the ground, their culture decimated and their families murdered; the genocide of an entire people whose plight is ignored by the international community.  After a series of massacres, the numbers of Awa are limited to only 350 today.

 

 

 

                             (one of the only pictures ever captured of the uncontacted Awa)

 

Two centuries ago indigenous people lived in most of the earth's ecosystems. Today they have the legal right to use only "6% of the planet's land and in many cases, their rights are partial or qualified. "For indigenous people, land is not only a means of production and survival but is central to how they define their identity. In many instances, indigenous people and their natural habitats are inextricably linked. For example the Maasai herding grounds in Kenya/Tanzania, the Inuit with their kayaks in Greenland, the Maya in the Andean mountain range, the Ifuago in the multi-tiered rice terraces of the Cordilleras (Philippines), the Saami with their reindeer in the Artic reaches of northern Norway (also Sweden, Finland and Russia) and Jumma farmers in the jhum (Swidden fields) of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. Indigenous lands have long been threatened by colonialism, settlement, encroachment and exploitation, and land dispossession continues to this day".

 

Indigenous people today are also facing chronic health problems and endure "some the worst of the diseases that accompany poverty" and endure "serious mental health problems and high levels of substance abuse and suicide." Survival International states that the Pikangikum Indians of Ontario, have a suicide rate nearly 40 times the national Canadian average. A study by Kunitz in 1994 stated that in general, the most devastating consequences for indigenous people seem to have been associated with dispossession from the land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a globalised world, even with the threat of climate change and the loss of biodiversity on a unprecedented scale, it is crucial that we continue to protect indigenous populations and the ecosystems that they inhabit. Indigenous people have in many places, lost their land and resources but have yet kept their dignity, pride and generosity. We in Britain, have our own language, culture, custom, literature and history. For the tribes of Para, the fight to protect their heritage is clear. It is now time for us to put our mark on the history of mankind, so the last jungle nomads and their culture do not disappear from our earth forever.

 

 

 

An article by Harry Wright

 

Fore more information about how you can help please visit the fantastic charity Survival International which works with protecting the rights of indigenous people throughout the world, including the uncontactable Awa http://www.survivalinternational.org/ 

 

References:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkM9hdGqdrQ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAgoyQs8GYk 

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160120-brazil-illegal-logging-indigenous-people-Amazon-Basin-Awa-ibama/

 

http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm#.VtDnlDFWLIU

 

 

Making the Declaration Work: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples edited by Claire Charters and Rdolfo Stavenagen

 

 

 

 

The Battle for Virunga National Park: A tale of human tragedy and hope

 

Created in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium, Virunga National Park is Africa's oldest national park and is the continent's most biologically diverse protected area. The park is a world heritage site in the East Democratic Republic of Congo on the border of Rwanda and Uganda. It boasts a vast 7,800 square kilometres (790,000 ha) which includes forests, savannahs, active volcanoes, erosion valleys and the glaciated "peaks of the Rwenzori mountains".

 

 

Virunga is home to some of the world's most extraordinary and highly endangered species. Its fauna includes 200 of the remaining 800 mountain gorillas, the okapi (an endangered species that resembles a zebra but is more closely related to a giraffe), forest elephants, chimpanzees, lion and large colonies of hippopotami. 

 

Despite the park's majesty, it is under great threat. The park is surrounded by some of the densest human populations and they have very considerable needs. Emmanuel de Merode, director of the Virunga National Park, explains that "it is an area that has been impoverished by years of political unrest, those communities and their economies needs to be revived." According to statistics from United Nations world Food Programme, the Republic of Congo is one of the poorest places on earth, with over 71% of the population living in extreme poverty, "three million children under five years of age suffering from malnutrition and almost half the countries children under five are stunted (short for their age)."

Virunga has served for the past 14 years for what some people term "Africa's World War, a multi-layered conflict that at its height, involved nine African national armies and a dozen rebel outfits, which sparked a humanitarian crisis and left an estimated five million people dead". In 1994, over 800,000 Rwandan's were killed in the space of just 100 days. Most of the dead were Tutsis and the majority of people that perpetrated the violence were Hutus. The tragic loss of life and political instability continues to have a huge impact on the park and the people living there.

 

With so much extreme poverty, the Democratic of Congo has one of the highest birth rates in the world. This explosion in the human population has had a detrimental effect on the park, leading to huge increases in deforestation levels, an explosion in the bush meat trade and pollution of rivers. From 2002 to 2013 the elephant population in the park has dropped from roughly 62,000 to less than 5,000. The critically endangered mountain gorilla (now numbering less than 800) is facing the fight of its generation.

A more recent pressure which is of very great concern for the future of the park is petrol. Emmaneul notes that "it is believed that there are large oil deposits under the park". Conservationists in 2014 were granted a huge victory, when the British company SOCO international agreed to halt all oil exploration  in the world heritage site. The WWF argued that if oil was found and exploited it could have led to the poisoning of the Lake Albert where "50,000 families depend for fishing" and could further destabilise the region by "exacerbating the conflict between rival militias". To date no oil exploration has happened in the park, but the threat of future international oil companies exploiting the park remains inevitable.  

 

 

How can we stop this?

Conserving the national park and reducing levels of poverty are both interlinked. A study by Lori Hunter from the Colorado University, found that where there are increased levels of resource scarcity there are also increased levels of "HIV within a community". Resource scarcity helps deepen poverty and robs "households of viable livelihood options". Additional evidence from a study by Hunter, Twine and Johnson on "The Role of Natural Resources in Coping with Household Mortality" suggests that "impoverished households affected by adult mortality are more likely than other households to use fuelwood rather than electricity or paraffin for cooking. Such intensified resource dependence can increase environmental degradation, particularly in areas being overharvested". Protecting the national park and having an environmental policy which encourages the sustainable use of local environments, can help reduce poverty and benefit the communities health.

 

Another sustainable way of protecting the park and bringing in wealth to the area is through eco-tourism. Eco-tourism has had a huge impact on the park and 2015 was the strongest year on record, with thousands of people coming from around the world to view its spectacular wildlife. Eco tourism has helped to create vital jobs, hospitals and schools for the local people living around the park. Emmaneul de Morede is hoping to create 100,000 jobs within the park in the next ten years through the Virunga Alliance Programme. This will offer a "critical pathway to a post-war economy in eastern Congo based on poverty reduction, environmental protection and peace building".

For the sake of its beautiful wildlife, biodiversity and the millions of people depending on the park, it is imperative that governments, conservationists and international bodies continue to place an economic value on the park to ensure its long time survival. In a capitalistic society the only way of saving something is to give it a monetary value. The park, through its majesty and beauty, offers a greater benefit to humanity then any guzzling oil company or destructive corporation could ever offer.

By supporting the fantastic work that Emmanuel de Merode does at the Virunga National Park (details below) and charities such as the Africa Wildlife Foundation there is still hope that we can save this magnificent place and preserve it for future generations to come.
 

An article written by Harry Wright  

In memory of ranger Sebinyenzi Bavukirahe Yacinthe who was murdered late last month by poachers protecting Virguna. He leaves behind his wife Jeaninne,  and his eight children ages 2 to 16.

 

 

Please visit the Virunga National Park site here: https://virunga.org/who-we-are/ and the Africa Wildlife Foundation here to see how you can help http://www.awf.org/landscape/virunga.

 

 

References:

 

https://virunga.org/news/8499/

 

 

https://www.wfp.org/stories/10-facts-about-hunger-democratic-republic-congo

 

http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2006/HIVAIDSandtheNaturalEnvironment.aspx

 

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/nov/29/virunga-national-park-congo

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_kY03aK2TI 

 

 

 

The Story of Terri the lost Loggerhead Turtle

Terri the Turtle, a beautiful endangered loggerhead turtle was washed up on the shores of Jersey in the Channel Islands on 10 January 2016. She urgently needs our help.

According to the New Era Veterinary Group, when Terri was found she was "cold and stunned" and efforts were made immediately to try and raise her temperature.  Whilst the Veterinary hospital has been able to provide medication and shelter to the turtle, efforts are now urgently needed to transport her to a warmer climate for further medication/rehabilitation and eventual release.

Loggerhead turtles are incredible creatures and have a cosmopolitan distribution, nesting over the broadest geographical range of any sea turtle. They live in temperate to tropical regions and migrate huge distances to find nesting areas. Adelita (a female loggerhead turtle) became the first animal of any kind to be tracked across an ocean basin, she travelled an extraordinary 9,000 miles from Mexico across the pacific to nesting grounds in Japan.

However, loggerhead turtles are facing a number of threats in the wild, ranging from becoming entangled in fishing gear and plastic, to the destruction and encroachment of habitat by humans and are classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. They desperately need our help.  

 

 

The New Era Group is looking to raise £22,000 to help transport this amazing turtle to a warmer climate for further rehabilitation. Please visit the link here http://gogetfunding.com/get-terri-the-turtle-home/ to see how you can help donate and return this amazing creature back to the wild. 

Thank you.

A blogpost written by Harry Wright

References:

http://gogetfunding.com/get-terri-the-turtle-home/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-35253213

http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbs.org%2Fwnet%2Fnature%2Fepisodes%2Fvoyage-of-the-lonely-turtle%2Finterview-wallace-j-nichols%2F2508%2F&date=2010-05-29