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Sable Shenanigans

iLC Writers — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:40:33 GMT

Text & photographs by Ian Michler

First published by Africa Geographic www.africageographic.com

In Zambia’s newest national park, on the outskirts of its capital

Lusaka, live more than 200 sable antelope. Coralled in conditions

that are far from ideal, the animals have languished there

for almost three years, the victims of bureacracy, unscrupulous

operators and a disregard for conservation imperatives. Investigative

journalist Ian Michler filed this special report.

In November 2009, Africa Geographic published a notice (Sable Alert; Vol. 17, No. 10) warning of the illegal importation of sable antelope Hippotragus niger, most likely of the subspecies H. n. kirkii, from Zambia and Malawi into South Africa. With a number of wildlife breeders reputed to be involved, there were murmurings of animals being smuggled, some bound by their feet, across international boundaries in light aircraft using unregistered airstrips and via road shipments through small or remote border posts.

During the first half of 2010 there were subsequent reports in the wider press of a deal involving the sale of sables by the Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) to a South African consortium. These accounts also covered disputes between government and private-sector agencies over the importation of these animals and the subsequent transfer (without notice) of three officials for the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries--apparently for refusing to sign permits authorising the sables' irregular importation.

To read more and see photos

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ian Michler is a photojournalist, columnist and blogger covering conservation, ecotourism and wildlife management issues across Africa for Africa Geographic magazine. He also runs a safari company and is based in South Africa.

ABOUT AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC
Reporting on Africa's wildlife, conservation and travel, Africa Geographic is a beautifully photographed, thought-provoking read for anyone who loves Africa and wants to learn more about its people, animals and spectacular places.

Frome wins 2011 Wilderness Writing Award

iLC Writers — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:06:16 GMT

Michael Frome of Wisconsin (USA) is a passionate protector of America's National Parks and a prolific conservation writer. Having written nearly 20 books--Strangers in High Places: The Story of the Great Smoky Mountains, Regreening the National Parks, Green Ink, and Rebel on the Road: And Why I was Never Neutral--among them. He has also contributed to or been a columnist for several magazines as well: Field & Stream, Changing Times, Women's Day, American Forests, Living Wilderness, Defenders of Wildlife, and Western Outdoors. Frome has been a visiting professor at numerous universities both in the US and abroad. The University of Idaho established an award in his honor--the Michael Frome Scholarship for excellence in conservation writing. Former Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson declared in Congress: "No writer in America has more persistently and effectively argued for the need of national ethics of environmental stewardship than Michael Frome." We salute Michael Frome, the 2011 Wilderness Writing Award recipient. More information about the award.

Rare Hippo Dies in Kenya

iLC Writers — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:34:50 GMT

By Carolyne Tomno

A rare and secretive female pygmy Hippo recently died at the Nairobi Safari Walk in Nairobi Kenya The 29 year old Hippo named Elizabeth, was part of a pair of pygmy Hippos donated by the President of Liberia, the late William Tubman, as a gift to Kenyans through the late President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, in the 1970s. The death was attributed to an age-related bout of pneumonia, According to a post-mortem examination report prepared by Dr Edward Kariuki, a Kenya Wildlife Service Veterinary Doctor, the unique wild animal succumbed to a bacterial infection at the animal welfare facility.

Unlike the Nile hippo, which is indigenous to East Africa, the Pygmy Hippo is found in isolated pockets of West African forests and swamps of the Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and possibly Nigeria and Guinea.

Pygmy hippos are severely threatened due to deforestation and bush meat hunting with an estimated 2,000-3,000 individuals remaining, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Pygmy hippos were unknown outside of West Africa until the 19th century. Introduced to zoos in the early 20th century, they breed well in captivity and the vast majority of research is derived from zoo specimens.

According to IUCN, the survival of the species in captivity is more assured than in the wild. Pygmy hippos are primarily threatened by loss of habitat, as forests are logged and converted to farm land, and are also vulnerable to poaching for meat and natural predators. The name Hippopotamus came from the Greek, and it meant horse. They called it the river horse but they are more closely related to the pig then a horse.

Two hippo species are found in Africa. The large hippo, found in East Africa, which occurs in large numbers in south of the Sahara. The other, much smaller species of Hippo is the pygmy Hippopotamus Which is limited West Africa. It is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and now rare. At first glance, the pygmy hippopotamus looks like a mini version of its larger relative, the Nile hippopotamus (also known as the river, or common, hippopotamus).

But on closer examination there are other differences besides size. The pygmy hippo has adaptations for living in the water but is much less aquatic than the Nile hippo. Not only is the pygmy hippo much smaller, it is much more rare, found only in the interior forests in parts of West Africa They are more pig-like in shape than Nile

Hippopotamuses, with proportionately smaller heads and proportionately longer legs and necks.

Parts of the rare pygmy hippo which died recently , have been specially preserved for the mounting and stuffing in readiness for taxidermy to keep Elizabeth at the Nairobi Safari Walk museum for posterity. The popular Elizabeth was part of a pair of pygmy hippos donated by former President William Tubman of Liberia as a gift to Kenyans through the President, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, in the 1970s. She leaves behind Bob, a hippo grandson, aged about nine years. Other relatives of Elizabeth are found in Mt Kenya Game Ranch and Oj Jogi Ranch in the expansive wildlife-rich Laikipia County.

Unlike the Nile hippo, which is indigenous to East Africa, the Pygmy hippo is found in isolated pockets of West African forests and swamps of the Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and possibly Nigeria and Guinea. Pygmy hippos are severely threatened due to deforestation and bush meat hunting with an estimated 2,000-3,000 individuals remaining, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Pygmy hippos are primarily threatened by loss of habitat, as forests are logged and converted to farm land, and are also vulnerable to poaching for meat and natural predators.

The name Hippopotamus came from the Greek, and it meant horse. They called it the river horse but they are more closely related to the pig then a horse. Two hippo species are found in Africa. The large hippo, found in East Africa, which occurs in large numbers in south of the Sahara. The other, much smaller species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus is limited West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and now rare.

At first glance, the pygmy hippopotamus looks like a mini version of its larger relative, the Nile hippopotamus (also known as the river, or common, hippopotamus). But on closer examination there are other differences besides size. The pygmy hippo has adaptations for living in the water but is much less aquatic than the Nile hippo. Not only is the pygmy hippo much smaller, it is much more rare, found only in the interior forests in parts of West Africa They are more pig-like in shape than Nile hippopotamuses, with proportionately smaller heads and proportionately longer legs and necks. The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal.

Elizabeth signified a diplomatic bridge between Kenya and Liberia and her passing was a sad moment. However, the remaining siblings are living testimonies of the friendly relations between Kenya and Liberia. In her lifetime, her early years in Kenya were spent in the Nairobi Animal Orphanage as it was called then. It was transferred to a private conservancy in Ol Jogi in Laikipia to pave way for the modern Nairobi Safari Walk.

While at Ol Jogi, Elizabeth gave birth to a number of offspring, which she has left behind. Her return to the refurbished Nairobi safari Walk was a joyous occasion, not only to her handlers but to the many fans, to whom she had endeared herself. Until her death, she was a star attraction at the Nairobi Safari Walk where she enjoyed the prime of place in the first enclosure as one enters the captive animal husbandry facility.

Pygmy hippos are severely threatened due to deforestation and bush meat hunting with an estimated 3,000 individuals remaining, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Pygmy hippos were unknown outside of West Africa until the 19th century. Introduced to zoos in the early 20th century, they breed well in captivity and the vast majority of research is derived from zoo specimens. According to IUCN, the survival of the species in captivity is more assured than in the wild.

At first glance, the pygmy hippopotamus looks like a mini version of its larger relative, the Nile hippopotamus (also known as the river, or common, hippopotamus). But on closer examination there are other differences besides size. The pygmy hippo has adaptations for living in the water but is much less aquatic than the Nile hippo. Not only is the pygmy hippo much smaller, it is much more rare, found only in the interior forests in parts of West Africa. They are more pig-like in shape than Nile hippopotamuses, with proportionately smaller heads and proportionately longer legs and necks. The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal.

Power of One

iLC Writers — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:34:23 GMT

By ILCW member Simon Jackson

I was seven-years-old when I was lucky enough to discover my passion for bears and learned first hand, through a lemonade stand and a couple of letters in support of protecting Alaska’s Kodiak bears, that each person – no matter their age – can make a difference for all life. It was the most important lesson I ever learned and it was the foundation from which I built my involvement in the quest to give a voice to the spirit bear – through my organization, the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition – at the age of 13.

I believe that every campaign – much like life – is ninety-nine percent hard work and about one percent good luck. My efforts ran into roadblocks every step of the way. Teachers didn’t want their students getting engaged in politics. My parents were nervous about how this campaign would affect my studies. I lost my friends, not because they didn’t support me, but because saving a bear was different. However, I believe strongly that if you believe in your message and stay the course, no challenge is insurmountable.

On those dark days when all I wanted to do was give up – to not go through the hell that was my high school life or deal with the ugly politics of the issue – I’d remember: it wasn’t about me, it was about a bear – a bear that had no idea what was in store for its future. If I gave up on this bear, I would have to be prepared to grow up in a world where this bear wouldn’t exist – something I could never do. And it wasn’t that I was the best equipped or the smartest person to lead this fight, but I was one of the most passionate and I knew, more than anything else, this bear needed – deserved – a passionate defender that wouldn’t capitulate to political whims or issue fatigue. So I always kept going.

Finally, that one percent of good luck came knocking at the door: Time Magazine had selected me as one of their 60 Heroes for the Planet, one of only six young people selected from around the world. I didn’t – and still don’t – think I’m a hero, but I gladly accepted the honor for what it was: an acknowledgement that young people can make a difference and that their voices, in these issues, do count.

The recognition, seemingly overnight, transformed the Youth Coalition. It gave us the ability to speak to government with credibility and the opportunity to share our message with the world. The issue went from the wilderness of public awareness to the forefront of boardrooms, cabinet meetings and the public eye. What began with 700 hundred letters from a middle school in Vancouver became the most supported conservation initiative in Canadian history. And with support coming in from all corners of the globe, the issue’s varied stakeholders, including the Youth Coalition, began working with the BC government to create a sustainable future for the BC coast and, in the doing, the spirit bear.

Today, the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition spans more than 75 countries and enjoys the support of more than 6 million young people, all of whom have helped protect of two-thirds of the spirit bear’s last intact habitat. We’ve reunited the team responsible for Lion King to help us produce The Spirit Bear: a major CGI Hollywood animated movie. When released to theaters worldwide, the movie will ensure a portion of every ticket sold goes directly back toward helping save its namesake by investing in local communities to ensure no one is saddled with the burden of conserving this bear. And if we can create a meaningful sanctuary for the spirit bear – free from trophy hunting, inclusive of the unprotected third of its critical wilderness, and protected from proposed oil tanker traffic through its waters – we know that this remarkable subspecies will forever be wild and free.

The journey from middle school letter writing campaign to our forthcoming Hollywood animated movie has been both remarkable and humbling, but began with that belief in a single, but powerful idea: that each person can make a difference.

Anyone could have done what I’ve done for any issue that they believe in – whether it’s trying to protect a peregrine falcon’s nest in their neighborhood or trying to rid the world of cancer, there are simply no insignificant endeavors. Every time someone stands up to help improve the lot of others, they are helping to create a better world. I was driven by my passion and the good fortune of knowing, thanks to my luck with the lemonade stand at the age of seven, that I could succeed. And in creating an organization that has united the unengaged teenager in New York City with the isolated student in rural Klemtu, British Columbia with the voiceless child in the war-torn suburbs of Baghdad, Iraq, in order to give a voice to a creature that did not have one, I’d like to think we helped create a mechanism of hope.

I believe our greatest challenge must be to illustrate that the greatest sin is not trying and that by trying, together - as one voice - our dreams are possible and our missions are most certainly winnable. After all, we are the voices for the sick, the poor, the children, the dreamers - and the bears. It is our most important endeavor and our greatest tool for a better tomorrow.

For me, it begins by saving this undeniably, irreplaceable bear and if together we can succeed in saving the spirit bear, we will have succeeded in something far greater: We will have been able to prove that a young person with no remarkable skills, or intellect, but simply with a passion, can take hold of a cause and unite the world.

And that’s the power of one.

Simon Jackson is the founder and chairman of the volunteer, youth-run Spirit Bear Youth Coalition and is the Executive Producer of THE SPIRIT BEAR – the forthcoming CGI animated movie. For his efforts, he has been named a Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine and was the inspiration for a recent made-for-TV movie – Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story. www.spiritbearyouth.org

Measuring the success of Indonesia's Involvement in Durban

iLC Writers — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:25:24 GMT

ILCW member, Fitrian Ardiansyah, Canberra

From the Jakarta Post, Mon, 12/05/2011 8:04 PM

A | A | A |

The global climate change negotiations, underway from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in Durban, South Africa, once again undoubtedly highlights a fundamental question as to whether countries around the world will reach agreed solutions to tackle climate change.

It is also an appropriate event to assess the involvement of developing countries like Indonesia, and particularly to understand whether their involvement in this UN climate conference will significantly contribute to a successful outcome.

Durban, hosting the 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will certainly pick up what has been left at last year’s UN climate change negotiations in Cancún, Mexico, and the subsequent inter-sessional meetings.

The big remaining challenge, however, is to see whether governments involved in Durban will build on the progress achieved in Cancún or withdraw from this promising path and allow short-term national interests to shroud the already exhaustive negotiations.

The Cancún Agreements represent key steps forward, forming the basis for the largest collective effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with national plans captured formally at international levels under the banner of UNFCCC, in a mutually accountable way.

The Agreements, among other things, bring about the most comprehensive package ever agreed to by governments to help developing nations deal with climate change and lay the foundation to build their own sustainable futures.

The package encompasses finance (Green Climate Fund and fast-start financing), the Cancún Adaptation Framework, a Technology Mechanism (to support action on mitigation and adaptation, and speed up for low-emission economies) and a formal incorporation of REDD+ (stating clearly that it is not only about reducing emissions but also halting and reversing forest loss).

It is, therefore, critical for governments involved in the negotiations, especially Indonesia, to lock in the progress as stated in the Cancún Agreements and moreover push further for the agreements to be implemented.

Indonesia, as a resource-rich country striving to develop its economy, alleviate poverty and at the same time deal with climate change, has a lot at stake getting involved in these climate change negotiations.

For this country, for instance, it is critical to negotiate the further implementation of the Cancún Adaptation Framework, firstly in ensuring the establishment of the Adaptation Committee.

The establishment of this committee will send a strong signal to vulnerable countries affected by climate change, including Indonesia, that governments around the world are serious to help these countries confronting the increasingly dangerous impacts of climate change.

Indonesia needs to also work hard, with other parties, to negotiate and urge the realization of fast-start finance and Green Climate Fund.

The fast-start finance is pledges made by developed country parties to mobilize new and additional resources, amounting to US$30 billion for the period 2010-2012, to help mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

The Green Climate Fund was decided in Cancún to support projects, programs, policies and other activities in developing countries using thematic funding windows.

With a short-term challenge of financial crisis being faced by a number of developed countries, negotiations on finance and its realization are highly likely to be difficult ones.

Indonesia and other developing countries thus have a challenging task to remind developed countries about their promise, the progress made in achieving the goal of this financing and procedures to access these resources.

Specific to the Green Climate Fund, it is necessary for Indonesia to work together with other tropical forest nations as well as like-minded countries to lobby for a special window for REDD+ under this fund.

REDD+ has been initiated and piloted in tropical forest nations such as Indonesia. In fact in this country the government has produced several policies and strategies to guide REDD+ development and implementation, including the introduction of the moratorium of new permits to convert forests and peatlands to other land uses.

Such policies, strategies and relevant regulations may not be sufficient to transform current land use changes and practices, which result in the reduction of deforestation.

Tackling deforestation involves different actors, sectors, as well as layers of governments. These entities are known to have competing interests over land use. Without the provision of clear incentives, it is a Herculean task to persuade them to change the patterns of land use in Indonesia.

A special window of funding for REDD+ at a global level would certainly provide more than a moral boost for tropical forest nations to advance their REDD+ development at a national level and on the ground.

Adding to already tough negotiations on finance, Indonesia and other developing countries are required to advocate parties at the Durban conference not to forget the importance of identifying the sources for long-term finance, which are needed to cut GHG emissions and to support adaptation efforts of vulnerable countries.

Climate change is going to be a long-term phenomenon and countries like Indonesia will indeed suffer if actions in mitigation and adaptation are formulated only for a short time frame. If there is no indication in which resources are allocated to fight climate change over a long period, reducing carbon emissions and creating a sustainable future will be merely a dream for global communities.

With discussions on the need for long-term commitments and actions on climate change, Durban is seen as crucial to produce an agreement or at least a convincing direction toward a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol.

The first commitment period of the Protocol, which regulates the commitment of developed countries to cut their GHG emissions, will end in 2012. Hence, it is urgent for Indonesia and other countries to achieve real progress on this matter.

The agreement on second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol is not only important to demonstrate a strong commitment among developed countries in significantly reducing their emissions, but it can also help persuade big emerging economies and other countries to set out a clear mandate for a comprehensive legally binding
agreement.

In Durban, the climate talks are at a crossroads, and governments, including that of Indonesia, and other parties have a lot of work to do to demonstrate to the world that they are serious about addressing dangerous climate change.

The costs of climate change, socially, environmentally and economically, are high and will be higher for the world and this country. A delay to act will prove costly.

Therefore, Indonesia’s delegations have no choice but to commit to continuous hard work and provide real leadership to guarantee a successful outcome in Durban’s climate negotiations.

Fitrian Ardiansyah is a doctoral candidate at the Australian National University, and the recipient of the Australian Leadership Award and Allison Sudradjat Award.

Somali media to expand coverage of climate change

iLC Writers — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:00:05 GMT

November 20, 2011 - Mogadishu, Somalia

What a historic day for Somali media activities as the Somali Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (SOMESHA) organized a one day national media conference for expanding media coverage on climate change.

The conference was held November 20 at Tre-piano Building conference room in Mogadishu, Somalia. The conference was organized by SOMESHA in collaboration with the African Federation of Environmental Journalists and supported by the International Federation of Environmental Journalist (IFEJ). Among the media represented at the meeting were from 20 media stations nationwide including TV, Radio, Newspapers and journalists associations.

"We have the right to set up how we can play our role as there are a great many environmental journalists around the globe who continually face a struggle to fairly report on issues that should be disseminated to a wider audience" said Daud Abdi Daud, SOMESHA Secretary General.

During the one-day conference, the journalists discussed biodiversity, climate change, droughts, water issues, and urban environmental problems in mega-cities, environmental journalism education, broadcast journalism and investigative reporting in newspapers.

Abdulahi Mohamed Shirwa, who heads the National Climate and Disasters Management Network, also said "Now you need to express the destruction of your land as your people are continuing to die every hour due to famine although the famine displaced people started returning back to their home regions after rains started".

Mr. Shirwa also briefed the participants on the humanitarian aid that Somalia's national climate and disaster management agency has so far handled all over Somalia and its future plans to help the people affected by famine.

It was July 20 when the United Nations declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia owing to the worst drought in decades, and appealed for urgent resources to assist millions of people in desperate need of help. It is the first time since 1991-92 that the UN has declared famine in a part of Somalia.

For more information contact:

Somali Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (SOMESHA), email: somesha2010@yahoo.com, or website: www.somesha.wordpr.

Magsaysay and the environment

iLC Writers — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:51:54 GMT

This article originally ran in The Jakarta Post, Sunday 7 August 2011
By ILCW member Fitrian Ardiansyah

The Ramon Magsaysay Award 2011 (considered as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize), recently given to two Indonesians, clearly acknowledges that there are leaders in this country who significantly bring about positive changes to the environment.

Indonesia is a resource-rich country but is striving to develop its economy, alleviate poverty and at the same time secure energy, reduce deforestation and tackle climate change.

One of the two award recipients was Tri Mumpuni, acknowledged for her work leading IBEKA (the People-Centered Business and Economic Institute) in building community-run hydropower plants in rural Indonesia.

The award for Tri would offer a sense of optimism, particularly to approximately 70-80 million people, or almost one-third of Indonesia’s population, who currently lack access to electricity. These people mostly live in rural areas and the outer islands.

Developing micro-hydro power plants as a renewable energy resource serves the objectives of advancing this country’s economy, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and alleviating poverty (for example by providing basic access to electricity).

IBEKA has demonstrated that by building 60 micro-hydropower plants with a capacity to generate 5 to 250 KW of electricity and provide electricity to 500,000 people in rural Indonesia, it has contributed to achieving these objectives.

This organization works closely with local communities to ensure that projects are sustainable in the long term and that electrification will have a maximum impact on the development of the communities. This success gives true hope to millions of Indonesians, in that such a complex challenge can be overcome.

The award is also expected to convince the government to intensify its current work in renewable energy development.

The central government has already had a general energy policy that advocates the diversification of energy sources and conversion from coal and petroleum-based fuels to renewable energy sources in a bid to reduce emissions.

However, the promotion of renewable resource development over the last five years has moved at a snail’s pace. At present, renewable energy production (hydropower, geothermal and biomass) makes use of only 3.4 percent of total potential reserves.

This is rather ironic, considering that this massive archipelago possesses a variety of renewable energy resources, including geothermal, solar, micro-hydro, wind and bio-energy.

Further breakthroughs are urgently required such as by reforming and correcting policy and pricing incoherence (for example by phasing out subsidies for fossil fuels), removing structural impediments and promoting investments in renewable energy.

The success story of IBEKA and others who are harnessing renewable energy, therefore, needs to be magnified and/or replicated.

The other award recipient is another source of inspiration of similar magnitude. Tuan Guru Haji Hasanain Juaini, has made his mark, not only through establishing a progressive Islamic boarding school, but also in motivating and organizing students, community members and fellow Indonesians to actively contribute to forest and water conservation.

Tuan Guru, meaning “esteemed master”, is an honorific title used by Muslim leaders in Lombok Island (east of Bali), West Nusa Tenggara. As a local religious leader, Hasanain is a key non-state actor of considerable influence in Lombok society.

Hasanain and his progressive Narmada Islamic School gained great respect by advocating the importance in preserving the remaining forests and water catchment areas in Lombok. They also demonstrated that conservation can start with a school.

Lombok has experienced the worsening seasonal water crisis. Droughts have brought misery to many and clean water is still a luxury only available to some. During the rainy season, some parts of the island suffer from flooding and landslides. With a majority of Lombok’s people still living in poverty, deforestation and the water crisis have worsened local people’s livelihoods.

A collaborative action plan — between governments, local communities, NGOs, the local public water enterprise (PDAM) — was formulated to show that there are solutions to this resource problem, and Hasanain has been lending his voice to support it since.

The solutions include forest restoration in upper catchment areas, payment for watershed services, river conservation and social economic development for local communities.

To back up his call for conservation, starting from Narmada, his students and teachers have established a number of nurseries providing approximately 1.5 million seeds and seedlings, and are also involved in restoration activities that have successfully rehabilitated 36 hectares of degraded forests.

His own house also provides a good example of conservation, which can start from each individual household. A semi-structured nursery and a humble green garden clearly symbolize the intentions of the owner.

Verses from the Koran on the house wall, including the first revelation (i.e. Iqra! or Read, Recite!), appear to reaffirm the commitment of Hasanain and his school to learn more and understand many things, including from nature.

These two Indonesian winners of this year’s Magsaysay Award have shown that ordinary Indonesians can overcome big challenges. Amid negative political, economic and environmental issues faced by this country, their leadership and success are a demonstration of the confidence, strength and capabilities of our people.

These two figures show that there is in fact a bright light of hope for this nation to prosper.

Fitrian Ardiansyah is a doctoral candidate at the Australian National University, and the recipient of Australian Leadership Award and Allison Sudradjat Award. More of his articles can be found on his blog.

More Protection Needed for Nature

iLC Writers — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:48:22 GMT

An Economist for Nature Calculates the Need for More Protection

By JOHN MOIR (ILCW member)

Published: August 8, 2011 by The New York Times

COTO BRUS, Costa Rica — Dawn is breaking over this remote upland region, where neat rows of coffee plants cover many of the hillsides. The rising tropical sun saturates the landscape with color, revealing island-like remnants of native forest scattered among the coffee plantations.

But across this bucolic countryside, trouble is brewing. An invasive African insect known as the coffee berry borer is threatening the area’s crops. Local farmers call the pest “la broca”: the borer.

Despite the early hour, Gretchen Daily, a Stanford University biology professor, is already at work studying this complex ecosystem. Amid a cacophony of birdsong, Dr. Daily and her team are conducting experiments that demonstrate the vital connection between wildlife and native vegetation. Preliminary data from new studies suggest that consumption of insects like la broca by forest-dwelling birds and bats contribute significantly to coffee yields.

Since 1991, Dr. Daily, 46, has made frequent trips to this Costa Rican site to conduct one of the tropics’ most comprehensive population-level studies to monitor long-term ecological change.

“We are working to very specifically quantify in biophysical and dollar terms the value of conserving the forest and its wildlife,” she said.

By Charles J. Katz, Jr.

A GLOBAL FOCUS Gretchen Daily, a Stanford biology professor, in Palo Alto, Calif.

In recent years, Dr. Daily has expanded her research to include a global focus. She is one of the pioneers in the growing worldwide effort to protect the environment by quantifying the value of “natural capital” — nature’s goods and services that are fundamental for human life — and factoring these benefits into the calculations of businesses and governments. Dr. Daily’s work has attracted international attention and has earned her some of the world’s most coveted environmental awards.

Part of Dr. Daily’s interest in natural capital emerged from her research in Costa Rica, where she became intrigued with an innovative government initiative known as Payment for Environmental Services. The program, initiated in the 1990s, pays landowners to maintain native forest rather than cut it and has contributed to a significant reduction in Costa Rica’s deforestation rate.

The Costa Rican program helped inspire Dr. Daily to co-found the Natural Capital Project in 2006. NatCap, as the program is known, is a venture led by Stanford University, the University of Minnesota and two of the world’s largest conservation organizations, the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund. It aims to transform traditional conservation methods by including the value of “ecosystem services” in business, community and government decisions. These benefits from nature — like flood protection, crop pollination and carbon storage — are not part of the traditional economic equation.

“Currently, there is no price for most of the ecosystem services we care about, like clean air and clean water,” said Stephen Polasky, professor of ecological/environmental economics at the University of Minnesota. He says that because economic calculations often ignore nature, the results can lead to the destruction of the very ecosystems upon which the economy is based.

“Our economic system values land for two primary reasons,” said Adam Davis, a partner in Ecosystem Investment Partners, a company that manages high-priority conservation properties. “One is building on the land, and the second is taking things from the land.”

“Right now, the way a forest is worth money is by cutting it down,” Mr. Davis said. “We measure that value in board-feet of lumber or tons of pulp sold to a paper mill.” What has been missing, he says, is a countervailing economic force that measures the value of leaving a forest or other ecosystem intact.

Early on, Dr. Daily recognized that new tools were needed to quantify nature’s value. “We began by developing a software program called InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) to map and value nature’s goods and services that are essential for humans,” she said.

The software, which is available as a free download, enables the comparison of various environmental scenarios. What is the real cost of draining a wetland or clearing a coastline of mangroves? InVEST models the trade-offs and helps decision makers better understand the implications of their choices.

“Our dream was not to try to capture the full value of nature’s services, because that’s so hard to do,” Dr. Daily said. “Our goal is to begin making inroads in the decision-making process by including at least some of the value of nature in the economic equation.”

The Natural Capital Project now works in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and North America. In China, NatCap is working with the government on an ambitious program to protect natural capital. After deforestation caused extensive flooding in 1998, China committed $100 billion to convert vast areas of cropland back into forest and grassland. The government is building on this success by helping to develop and test the InVEST software to put in place a new reserve network that is projected to span 25 percent of the country. The reserves will help with flood control, irrigation, drinking supply, hydropower production, biodiversity and climate stabilization.

At a NatCap site in Hawaii, Kamehameha Schools, the state’s largest private landowner, used InVEST to evaluate future land use for a 26,000-acre site on the North Shore of Oahu. In the past, the landholding had been used for aquaculture, crops and habitation. After examining the alternatives modeled by InVEST, Kamehameha Schools selected a diversified mix of forestry and agriculture intended to improve water quality, sequester carbon and generate income.

About seven months ago, Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google.com, unveiled a powerful new tool that enables global-scale monitoring and measurement of changes in the earth’s environment. Called Google Earth Engine, it features a huge trove of satellite imagery of the earth’s surface. NatCap is now moving the InVEST software onto the Google Earth Engine platform.

“Right now, when we do a NatCap project or use InVEST, we send people to a country or state, and they spend weeks accumulating the data and putting it in the right format,” said Peter Kareiva, vice president and chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy. Google Earth Engine will greatly speed the analysis process, Dr. Kareiva said.

Luis Solórzano, program director of environmental science at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, who worked on Google Earth Engine, says that the new tool can map trends and allow scientists to forecast such things as soil fertility, erosion and deforestation. “It’s the kind of tool policy makers need to make informed decisions,” Dr. Solórzano said.

Because the natural capital concept is anthropocentric, Dr. Daily sometimes is asked whether quantifying ecosystem services runs the risk of ignoring nature’s intrinsic worth or overlooking difficult-to-measure aspects of the natural world, like aesthetic or spiritual benefits.

Dr. Daily acknowledges that certain properties of nature defy quantification. “The beauty of the natural capital approach is it leaves the vast, immeasurable aspects of nature in their own realm while focusing in a very practical way on environmental benefits that we can and should incorporate into our current decisions.”

The precarious state of the world’s environment has concerned Dr. Daily since her teenage years, when her family lived in West Germany and she witnessed the destructive power of acid rain on the country’s forests. “I realized then that I wanted to be a scientist,” she said. This early fascination with nature led to her passion for the forests of Costa Rica, and that in turn set the course for her international leadership with natural capital.

Dr. Daily’s work took on a special urgency with the 2005 publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which was developed under the auspices of the United Nations. This report found that recent and rapid human-caused changes have produced a “substantial and largely irreversible loss” in the diversity of life on earth and that two-thirds of the world’s ecosystem services were declining.

“The loss of earth’s biodiversity is permanent,” Dr. Daily said. “And it is happening on our watch. We need to convey with compelling evidence the value of nature and the cost of losing it. I find it stunning that until the next asteroid hits the planet, it is humanity that is collectively deciding the future course of all known life.”

Writers to Meet at South Dakota Ranch

iLC Writers — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:53:04 GMT

ILCW member Linda M. Hasselstrom (USA) Founding Fellow, will host several creative writing faculty members and about 15 MFA students from the Creative Writing and the Environment program at Iowa State University (Ames) at her Windbreak House retreats (windbreakhouse) on the edge of the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, USA. This will be the fourth year students from the writing program visit Linda's ranch.

During the three-day September event, Hasselstrom will lead walks through the Great Plains grassland of her cattle ranch, observing and discussing wildlife, climate, grazing, terrain and human occupation. She will provide handouts on various topics, talk about native grass in relation to agricultural cultivation, and provide a cow skeleton diagram so students can put together their own souvenir cow at the cattle graveyard. And she will provide students with a literal "taste of the ranch," so they can sample the flavor of foods grown in arid grasslands soil, so different from that of Iowa's rich loam.

Linda and the group of students head back to the ranch headquarters after a grasslands hike. (Sept. 2010)

Students explore Battle Creek. In 2004, Linda worked with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (www.rmbo.org) to enhance the bird and wildlife habitat along the creek, fencing the riparian area to separate it from surrounding cattle pasture. (Photo taken Sept. 2010)

Climbing Towards Sustainability

iLC Writers — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:42:03 GMT

By Laura Hartstone

ILCW Member

All photos © the Peaks Foundation

There is nothing more inspirational than a good trail. Add on a field of wildflowers, a deer in the meadow, a forest of century-old pines or a view from the summit to make the hike more rewarding. I strapped on my boots and chose the latter.

In 2004 after working and studying in East Africa, I felt a desire to support grassroots organizations working with the people and places of the region. My studies were focused on wildlife and ecology and brought attention to issues of human-wildlife conflicts and anthropogenic influence on both land and water.

Together with a friend, we set off to raise awareness about environmental concerns, the importance of education and the need for good health care. Our idea was not to go work for a nonprofit or career search at the UN, but instead to climb mountains.

We gathered 8 of our girlfriends to climb 3 of Africa’s highest mountains, Mount Kenya, Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. And to make it even more of a challenge, we gave ourselves only 21 days to complete the task. We hoped that these climbs would help generate awareness and funds for local grassroots organizations working with these issues.

To make a long hike, short…all ten of us were successful in reaching the summit of all three mountains and in doing so had raised over $385,000 USD for three hard-working nonprofits at the base of each mountain.

With the desire to expand our reach, we have now launched the Peaks Foundation (www.peaksfoundation.org) offering climbs for women across the globe to get involved in the betterment of other girls and women. We support projects like community conservation initiatives that involve women, maternity healthcare and providing the opportunity for girls to get an education.

Apart from supporting mountain communities worldwide, we encourage women to step out from behind their desk, leave the baby at home with their spouse and/or challenge themselves with a life-changing experience.

We hope you will join us in this exciting endeavour.

For more information about the Peaks Foundation: http://www.peaksfoundation.org/
All photos © the Peaks Foundation

Asian euro, the ASIO

iLC Writers — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:52:06 GMT

(This is the English translation for the article that appears below. From ILCW member M. Madasamy, India)

M. Madasamy, an environmental activist from Peermade Kerala, India has sent a representation to prime minister of India and to the finance minister regarding the introduction of a common currency in Asia much like the euro in European countries.

If a common currency is introduced in Asia it will unleash more revenue through investment, trade, financial convergence, among countries and reduce exchange risk. It will also give a way to a reduced inflation rate of several nations. The name of the currency will be "asio". After the introduction of euro, the currency has led a remarkable profit through tourism among European countries.

The ministry of finance of India has sent a reply for this commendable initiative to bring this issue before the government of India and has given assurance that the government will take necessary steps in this regard soon.

The Hermit's Call (poem)

iLC Writers — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:16:00 GMT

The Hermit's Call

There's always been

Someone

in these woods.

Look for what

I am

You always have.

—Bernard Quetchenbach

M Madasamy Article from DEEPIKA

iLC Writers — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:02:00 GMT

Environmental article written by ILCW member M Madasamy from the DEEPIKA Daily, India. In the Malayalam language.

How Cold is Cold?

iLC Writers — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:35:00 GMT

© Boyd Norton; an excerpt from Into the Boondocks, a book-in-progress.

In the summer of 1990, on my second visit to Lake Baikal, I spent time at the northern tip of the lake. While there I became intrigued by a name I found on a map – a village called Holodnia, located about 20 kilometers north of Baikal’s northern shores. Now holodnia, in Russian, means cold. What on earth is it like to live in a place called Cold, Siberia? I had to find out.

After two days of finagling I managed to get a vehicle and driver to take me and a few colleagues to the village. There we found a charming collection of old, typically Siberian log homes, two small stores and a biblioteka (library). It was a hot day, with temperature in the high 80s – not the typical picture (or temperature) that most of us associate with Siberia. The streets were lined with lovely old shade trees. Except for a few Russian made vehicles, mostly beat up old Ladas, and an ancient tractor, this could have been a bucolic town right out of mid-America circa 1940s. The only thing missing from the picture was a makeshift stand with kids selling lemonade.

We walked leisurely up one street and down another. On one of those side streets a man stood in his yard behind a picket fence tending a garden. He waved and we stopped to chat. He was incredulous when he discovered we were Americans. Amerikanski! Apparently no one here had ever seen a non-Russian, let alone an American. With great excitement he invited us in for tea. Here was my chance to find out about life in Cold, Siberia.

We sat in his tiny kitchen. The tea was typically Russian, dark, strong and bracing. He served some small cookies as well. We made small talk. My friend Susie Crate, a Russian scholar, translated for us. He asked many questions about us. Where did we live? How did we get here? He was still astonished that we were Americans – sitting right here in his kitchen! The conversation went on and I was getting impatient. Finally, I could contain myself no longer. When a lull came in the conversation, I asked, “What is it like to live in a place called Cold, Siberia?” Susie translated.

His brow wrinkled and a puzzled look came over his face. Then he realized that I was asking how cold is Cold. He laughed and made an aw-shucks-it’s-nothing wave of his hand. “We sometimes have minus forty degrees here. It’s not bad,” he said. (Minus forty degrees Celsius is the same as minus forty degrees Fahrenheit.) Then, pointing to the north with his finger he said, “Ah, but Pereval [a village 50 kilometers north of Holdnia], they get down to minus fifty five degrees.” (Which translates to an incredible 67 degrees below zero Fahrenheit!) He paused and smiled to let that sink in. You wouldn’t catch him living in a place as cold as Pereval. No sir. Holodnia was a much balmier climate.

The place called Cold wasn’t so cold after all.

Preserving Nature Worldwide

iLC Writers — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:44:00 GMT

by mdwallacebooks

Photo of Wangari Maathai courtesy:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/maathai.html

I love inspiring stories. At a recent book review meeting of librarians, educators and authors, member Annette Goldsmith (whose work includes the review of international children’s literature) shared a memoir about an amazing woman, Wangari Maathai, who spear-headed a tree-planting campaign in Kenya and received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

Wangari went to college in the United States and returned to Kenya where she formed the Green Belt Movement, encouraging other women to help her plant what is now over 30 million trees as she worked toward reestablishing the country’s forest ecosystem.

My own writings about nature focus on North America. But as I am now a founding fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers, this is a good time to look beyond America’s shores.

Here are four books about this African environmentalist:

Mama Miti, written by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (ages 4-8)
Wangari’s Trees of Peace, by Jeanette Winter (ages 4-8)
Planting the Trees of Kenya: the Story of Wangari Maathai, by Claire A Nivola (ages 4-8)
Unbowed, A Memoir, by Wangari Maathai (adult biography)

Do mother birds play God?

iLC Writers — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:32:00 GMT

by Neil Losin

(Note: Losin recently won the NESCent blogging competition for a travel grant to Science Online 2011)

Imagine that you’re considering having children. Upon visiting a genetic counselor, you discover that you and your partner both carry the same rare, recessive genetic mutation. While neither you nor your partner shows any symptoms, there is a 25% chance that your child will suffer from a debilitating genetic disorder. Then imagine that the counselor tells you that new embryo-selection technology can ensure that you’ll have a healthy baby; with early-stage genetic testing, doctors can pick a candidate embryo with the right genes and discard the others. This day is probably closer than you realize, and the ethical issues surrounding such technology will no doubt be contentious; some will argue that we shouldn’t “play God” with our reproduction.

But there is a bird in Australia that does just that.

The Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is an almost comically beautiful bird of open woodlands in northern Australia, but ironically, it is perhaps better known as the bird featured in the ViewSonic logo — a fitting emblem for a company that sells LCD displays. As if its rainbow-colored body plumage weren’t spectacular enough, the Gouldian Finch comes in three head-color morphs: black, red, and yellow. These morphs occur side by side in natural populations, although the yellow-headed morph is quite rare. Dr. Sarah Pryke, a behavioral ecologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, studies Gouldian Finches, focusing on how the common red- and black-headed morphs coexist in nature.

Gouldian Finches don’t mate indiscriminately with respect to head color. Instead, red-headed females tend to pair with red-headed males, and likewise for black-headed individuals. Biologists call this pattern assortative mating. But what does a Gouldian Finch gain from being choosy about its mate’s head color?

As it turns out, it gains quite a lot. In a paper published in the journal Evolution last year, Pryke showed that offspring of mixed pairs (e.g. a red-headed female paired with a black-headed male, or vice versa) were severely compromised compared to offspring whose parents both belonged to the same head-color morph. Mixed-morph eggs were less likely to hatch and, once hatched, mixed-morph chicks were more likely to die in the first 140 days of life. Among mixed-morph offspring, female embryos and chicks were especially likely to perish. To understand why, you need to know a little bit about bird genetics.

In humans, females possess two X chromosomes, while males have an X and a Y. This makes males the heterogametic sex – “heterogametic” because they have two different sex chromosomes. In birds, however, the situation is reversed; males are ZZ and females ZW. Back in 1922, evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane showed that when a genetic incompatibility existed between parents (e.g., the male and female belonged to different species, or to different morphs within a species), heterogametic offspring typically suffered the greatest viability or fertility disadvantage. This trend became known as Haldane’s Rule, and although its genetic mechanisms are still debated, Haldane’s Rule holds true in most animals.

A female Gouldian Finch, therefore, should pair with a male of her own color morph if she can. But if she can’t find a male with her head color, she may be forced to pair with a less desirable male — in fact, as many as 30% of wild Gouldian Finch pairs are mixed-morph pairs. In theory, one way a female finch could make the best of this unfortunate situation is to produce mostly male chicks, since male offspring of mixed-morph pairs are far more likely to survive than female offspring. But can a female Gouldian Finch control the sex ratio of her brood?

Pryke tested this idea in an experiment published last year in the journal Science. She paired females with red- and black-headed males, and examined the resulting offspring. Amazingly, females paired with mates of a different head-color morph produced significantly male-biased broods — 82% male, on average! Does this prove that females can manipulate the sex ratio of their offspring? Not quite… Male-biased broods could result from female embryos dying early in development, and this wouldn’t constitute sex ratio manipulation on the female’s part.

To resolve this uncertainty, Pryke painted the heads of red-headed males black, and paired these phony black-headed males with red- and black-headed females. In this situation, black-headed females produced broods with an unbiased sex ratio, despite their genetic incompatibility with their mates. And red-headed females, mating with compatible males painted to look like incompatible males, produced more sons than daughters. Sure enough, in an effort to maximize their reproductive success, females were actively manipulating the sex ratio of their brood. And they were doing so based on nothing but the appearance of their mates!

The physiological mechanism by which females accomplish this feat is not yet known; this is one of many unanswered questions about these remarkable birds. But our opportunities to answer these questions are dwindling. Gouldian Finches once occurred throughout northern Australia, but they have declined dramatically in the last half-century, mostly because of large-scale habitat alteration by humans. Now only about 2,500 Gouldian finches remain in the wild. Dr. Pryke’s experiments often involve captive birds, minimizing impacts on remaining wild populations.

Studying the reproductive biology of an Australian finch might seem an esoteric pursuit. But in evolutionary biology, lessons learned from one species can be applied to others. And if the Gouldian Finch is any indication… Well, maybe “playing God” isn’t so unnatural after all.

References: 

Pryke, S. R. and S. C. Griffith. 2009. Postzygotic genetic incompatibility between sympatric color morphs. Evolution 63(3):793-798.

Pryke, S. R. and S. C. Griffith. 2009. Genetic incompatibility drives sex allocation and maternal investment in a polymorphic finch. Science 323(5921):1605-1607.

N.B. Please do not interpret this post as an endorsement of eugenics. It is not.

To view the colorful images of these beautiful birds go to: http://www.daysedgeproductions.com/neil.blog/?p=562

Gangster Birds of the Kalahari Desert

iLC Writers — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:00:00 GMT

By moheim

A drongo in the Kalahari.

(Photo/Andy Radford, University of Bristol)

Drongos, African Kalahari Desert birds with a penchant for thievery, are taking a turn towards the avian equivalent of organized crime, a new study finds.

The victims in this case, pied babblers, have long contended with the risk of drongos popping in to make off with the babblers’ hard-earned insect prey. Now it seems a set of behaviors have evolved that are taking this interaction from a purely parasitic relationship to one of more mutual benefit. Researchers found that the drongos form protection squads for foraging babblers, keeping an eye out for trouble and strong-arming danger when it arrives.

“Like any good gangster,” says Andrew Radford, a scientist with the University of Bristol who led the research team, “as well as lying and stealing, the drongos also provide protection by mobbing aerial predators and giving true alarm calls on some occasions.”

That means pied babblers can spend less time watching for predators and more time looking for prey. The relationship is not without its caveats. Drongos still aim to take advantage of babblers, crying wolf to scare the babblers and grab the insects. The babblers likely put up with it, the researchers say, because the benefit of not having to worry about predators outweighs the cost of the drongos’ antics.

The research, which is a collaboration with the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Cape Town, is published online in the current issue of Evolution.

For more photos and information go to the author's blog
http://naturefiles.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/gangster-birds-of-the-kalahari-desert/

A Visit to a Siberian Eastern Medicine Clinic

iLC Writers — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:59:00 GMT

A Visit to a Siberian Eastern Medicine Clinic
(Excerpt from a book in progress, Into the Boondocks © by Boyd Norton)

Ulan Ude is a city of 360,000 people lying more than 4000 kilometers (and five time zones) east of Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Founded as a Cossack outpost in 1666, the city sits astride the Selenga River whose origins are in Mongolia 200 kilometers to the south. The Selenga empties into Lake Baikal about 100 kilometers west of the city.

Lake Baikal

Were they to return today, I’m afraid the Cossacks would be in for a bit of a shock. Strategically located on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Ulan Ude was transformed into one of those ugly Soviet industrial cities that sprang up in the Stalin era, from the 1930s through the 50s. With its belching factories and rows of sterile high rise apartments, the city could serve as poster child for the Ministry of Really Ugly Architecture in Moscow.

Several of my trips to Lake Baikal have been through Ulan Ude because it gives easy access to some of the most beautiful parts of the lake along its eastern shore. On those excursions I’ve stayed at an Eastern medicine clinic in Ulan Ude. It’s kind of a combination hospital and hostel, run by a wonderful Buryat gentleman named Baer Balzhirov. The clinic is located in a forest, typical Siberian taiga, on the eastern outskirts of the city. Quiet and peaceful, it’s a place to relax, away from the noise and traffic of Ulan Ude.

On one of my first visits Baer made arrangements for some of us to have a medical diagnosis made by one of the Eastern medicine practitioners at the clinic. I must admit that I’m something of a skeptic about certain alternative forms of medicine and some modern day folk remedies. Perhaps it’s my scientific background, but when I read wild claims made for certain herbs I’m suspicious. Good scientific testing of the effectiveness of these medicines seems to be lacking. On the other hand, I realize that in the natural world there are still some amazing substances awaiting discovery, complex derivatives from flora and fauna that may yield cures for many human maladies. So when Baer asked me, I agreed. What the hell, I thought. I’m game to give it a try and see if he diagnoses something interesting.

The practitioner looked the part of a Buddhist monk, with shaven head and maroon robe. Rather than sandals he wore an ordinary pair of street shoes. The wingtips seemed to clash with the rest of his outfit, but I suppose this footware made more sense in the climate of Ulan Ude. His dark eyes had a piercing quality, giving the impression he could use his vision to penetrate skin and bone to root out sickness. He was introduced and we shook hands. He bowed slightly and I awkwardly bowed to him. With a sweep of his hand he asked me to be seated. I sat in a straight-backed chair and he seated himself opposite me on a sofa.

I had been briefed on the procedure. The practitioner had been trained over many years to detect slight variations in the human pulse, I was told. According to the Eastern medicine theory there are something like one hundred and eighty different pulse variations that can be detected by skilled practitioners. By understanding the meaning of changes in these pulses one can make diagnoses of illness or afflictions. I tried not to let my skepticism show.

He leaned forward, grasped my forearms and rotated them so that my palms were facing upward. He placed his fingertips on my wrists in much the same way a doctor or nurse might when checking a pulse. However, rather than a fixed position, he moved his fingers to different spots and applied varying pressure. Also, he used both hands, one on each of my wrists. Sometimes his fingertips barely touched my skin, giving a tickling sensation. At other times the pressure was firm and hard. He spent several minutes doing this, moving his fingers from place to place on my wrists and forearms. All the time there was a look of intense concentration on his face and he cocked his head in such a way that it appeared he was listening for something as well.

Suddenly he looked up at me and asked if I had any particular medical problems. The question took me by surprise. Hey, I thought, he’s supposed to root out my problems on his own. I mulled over his question for a moment. I’m in pretty good health and, aside from an occasional cold or bout of the flu, I’ve had almost no medical – Oh, wait a minute. Yes, I explained to him, I do have one problem. You see, I went on, I’m a photographer and often I carry a lot of camera equipment, up to 15 kilos (over 30 pounds) -- sometimes more. On days when I do a lot of walking while carrying that camera gear, well, at the end of the day my hip joints ache. Sometimes I cannot sleep well at night because of that pain.

He nodded in understanding and once more grasped my wrists. Again he used his fingertips to probe my pulses. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Then he looked up at me about to speak.

I must admit I got excited. Even though I was skeptical about the procedure, I recalled articles I had read about various new medicines derived from old, traditional herbs and remedies from ancient cultures worldwide. Maybe there is something to this. Siberia is noted for its wild ginseng and other herbal medicines. Surely he is about to prescribe some ointment or salve or tea made from the extract of leaves or bark or roots of a hitherto unknown but magical Siberian plant. And this would cure my aching joints. He cleared his throat and then spoke.

“You’re getting old,” he said.

He didn’t even crack a smile.

Boyd Norton, a former nuclear physicist, has been a photographer and writer for over 45 years. He is a founding Fellow of ILCW and of ILCP. He is the author/photographer of 15 books including Baikal: Sacred Sea of Siberia (with Peter Matthiessen; Sierra Club Books) and Divided Twins: Alaska and Siberia (with Yevgeny Yevtushenko; Viking Penguin), and Safari Journal published in 2007 (Fulcrum Publishing). His next book, Serengeti: the Eternal Beginning will be published in 2011 by Fulcrum Publishing. Boyd Norton’s Outdoor Digital Photography Handbook was released in Spring 2010 by Voyageur Press. The above is an excerpt from a book-in-progress about his worldwide journeys documenting wilderness.

FIERCE, poem by ILCW member Ian McCallum

iLC Writers — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:44:00 GMT

FIERCE
By Ian McCallum

I like the word, fierce –
the way it aligns itself with
nakedness and solitude:
a fierce nakedness ...
a fierce solitude ...
And I like the way it holds
the word, fire.

I like the word, fire –
the way it ignites
the cutting edge of poetry
refusing to be nothing less than
a fiery edge …
a fiery tongue ...
And I like the way it is linked
to the word, wildness.

I like the word, wild –
how it weaves its way
between yes and no,
how it announces itself as
a wild anger …
a wild joy …
And I like the way it nurtures
the word, fierce.

I like the word, fierce ...

Kids for Tigers programme has reached 5 million children

iLC Writers — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:04:00 GMT

ILCW Note: One of the major objectives of all of us who work as environmental writers is to teach younger people about the land and the environment. Thought you might enjoy this message from Bittu Sahgal, the editor of Sanctuary Asia.

LAST WORD
IT IS EASIER TO BUILD STRONG CHILDREN
THAN TO REPAIR BROKEN MEN

That stark sentence from Frederick Douglass more or less sums up the raison de etre of Cub magazine, launched soon after Sanctuary Asia began publication in 1981. Not satisfied with reaching conservation message to children through print alone, the Sanctuary team, headed by Noel de Sa, an educationist, Anish Andheria, a remarkable wildlifer and I, combined heads and hearts to launch Kids for Tigers, a programme fashioned around the proposition that children exposed to nature will grow up to be adults that will respect and protect nature.

At the time, in 1999, Sunil Alagh, (see his article below) a long time friend who headed a company that manufactured "Tiger" biscuits, sat me down and worked out a straightforward strategy: "Don't make Kids for Tigers boring... no long lectures. Don't give teachers even one hour of more work to do... in fact see how you can save them time. Don't charge schools anything... get the money from your sponsors. Do bring nature into schools through slide shows and films. Do strengthen school nature clubs. Do involve children's guardians and make them a part of your massive campaign to save the tiger. Do take the most enthusiastic and intelligent kids and teachers out on nature walks and camps. That's it. Do this, your job is done."

We followed his advice. Ten years later, looking back, we realise we have touched over five million kids, taken over 50,000 children out on nature walks. Mentored over 1,000 Tiger Ambassadors, capable of explaining at least one simple rationale for protecting tigers to adults: "We cannot save the tiger, without saving its forests. If we save the forest we save every creature residing therein, plus the sources of over 600 of India's purest rivers. In the process, the forest will sequester and store carbon and help us fight off some of the worst impacts of climate change."

Today many of the kids we mentored are young men and women in whom the seeds of nature appreciation have been sowed. Perhaps over 70 per cent of Sanctuary's financial and intellectual resources are dedicated to the proposition that reaching conservation message to young India, (plus the two parents / guardians that normally come bundled with them!) is the finest way to build strong children, so that tomorrow’s conservationists do not have to go through the painful process we must go through today -- repairing broken men. --Bittu Sahgal