The deputy minister of Environment, Mota Liz, on Wednesday warned that Angola should identify other sources of energy for the population, mainly for those ones in rural areas, if it wants to continue lessening the desertification phenomenon.
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The official, who said so in an ceremony to commemorate the World Day of Fighting Against Desertification and Drought, considered as worrying the situation in the country, mainly in the southern area, in which, he said, there is an excessive exploration of trees for wood and coal production, besides the destruction of plants for agricultural purposes.
He reminded that the cutting of trees for coal and wood production have an important meaning to desertification, suggesting, thus, the need for
replenishing forests with trees, in an intensive way, to avoid the spreading of deserts in Angola.
"If we have no response to give, like other sources of energy and the rational exploration of mineral resources, we might stimulate this tendency instead of contradicting it", he said.
Mota Liz reminded the fact that there is a growing absence of trees from Namibia desert to Angola's central Benguela Province.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Environment: Indian Prez appeals for conserving natural resources
On the World Environment Day, Indian President Pratibha Patil has called for greater efforts at ecologically sustainable development. International community, she told an audience which assembled at Rashtrapati Bhavan to witness the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskaar (IGPP) awards, is currently engaged in the process of negotiations on climate change. It is a challenging issue. Eradication of poverty and the imperatives of economic and social development are equally important. One is not to the exclusion of the other. The over-riding priority for developing countries is sustainable development and environment.
Underlining that the campaign demands financial resources and technology transfer, the Indian President said developed and developing countries should work together and come up with cost effective technological innovations.
Referring to theme for the World Environment Day this year, “Your Planet needs you – Unite to respond to climate change”, President Patil said she said that the new theme is a reminder of the need for collective efforts to tackle the threats from climate change. ‘This challenge impacts each one of us in our habitats and affects our way of life’.
She quoted a ‘shloka’ from Varaha Purana to drive home the message that as long as there are mountains and green forests on Earth, till then we and our future generations will survive and live happily.
President presented Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskaar (IGPP) to eminent to organizations and individuals who made a major impact in the protection of environment. For the year 2006, Bongaigaon Refinery and Petro-chemicals Limited, Assam and 130 Infantry Battalion (TA), Ecological, Uttrakhand were the joint recipients of the award in organization category. Dr. J. Raghav Rao from Chennai, Tamil Nadu and S. Annapurna from Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh received the award in the individual category.
IGPP Awards for the year 2007 went to BAIF Institute of Rural Development, Tiptur, Karnataka and Antyoday Nirbal Durbal Shoshit Mahila Evam Bal Kalyan Samiti, Luknow, Uttar Pradesh in the organization category.
Afzal Khatri and Nusrat Khatri from Mumbai jointly and Dr. Rachna Gaur, Rajsamand, Rajasthan got award in individual category.
The Young Environmentalist of the Year 2009 Award went to Master Aviral Saxena, a Class X student of Jawaharlal Nehru School, Bhopal. He received Rs. 10,000 in cash, a trophy, a certificate, a medal and a scroll. The selection was made on the basis of National Level Written Quiz Competition held on April 22 to mark the ‘Earth Day’.
New flora and fauna have been ‘discovered’ last year. Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have published these findings. Copies of ‘Animal Discoveries – 2008’ and ‘Plant Discoveries – 2008’ have been presented to President Patil.
The ZSI’s scientists have discovered 37 new species where one each is from Nepal and Sri Lanka. Two scientists outside ZSI have also contributed to new species and one new record of sea spider from India. Scientist from BSI and other institutions discovered three genera, 108 species, fourteen sub-species, twelve varieties and one forma as new to science. Twenty-Four species and three varieties have been discovered as new records for Indian flora.
Underlining that the campaign demands financial resources and technology transfer, the Indian President said developed and developing countries should work together and come up with cost effective technological innovations.
Referring to theme for the World Environment Day this year, “Your Planet needs you – Unite to respond to climate change”, President Patil said she said that the new theme is a reminder of the need for collective efforts to tackle the threats from climate change. ‘This challenge impacts each one of us in our habitats and affects our way of life’.
She quoted a ‘shloka’ from Varaha Purana to drive home the message that as long as there are mountains and green forests on Earth, till then we and our future generations will survive and live happily.
President presented Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskaar (IGPP) to eminent to organizations and individuals who made a major impact in the protection of environment. For the year 2006, Bongaigaon Refinery and Petro-chemicals Limited, Assam and 130 Infantry Battalion (TA), Ecological, Uttrakhand were the joint recipients of the award in organization category. Dr. J. Raghav Rao from Chennai, Tamil Nadu and S. Annapurna from Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh received the award in the individual category.
IGPP Awards for the year 2007 went to BAIF Institute of Rural Development, Tiptur, Karnataka and Antyoday Nirbal Durbal Shoshit Mahila Evam Bal Kalyan Samiti, Luknow, Uttar Pradesh in the organization category.
Afzal Khatri and Nusrat Khatri from Mumbai jointly and Dr. Rachna Gaur, Rajsamand, Rajasthan got award in individual category.
The Young Environmentalist of the Year 2009 Award went to Master Aviral Saxena, a Class X student of Jawaharlal Nehru School, Bhopal. He received Rs. 10,000 in cash, a trophy, a certificate, a medal and a scroll. The selection was made on the basis of National Level Written Quiz Competition held on April 22 to mark the ‘Earth Day’.
New flora and fauna have been ‘discovered’ last year. Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have published these findings. Copies of ‘Animal Discoveries – 2008’ and ‘Plant Discoveries – 2008’ have been presented to President Patil.
The ZSI’s scientists have discovered 37 new species where one each is from Nepal and Sri Lanka. Two scientists outside ZSI have also contributed to new species and one new record of sea spider from India. Scientist from BSI and other institutions discovered three genera, 108 species, fourteen sub-species, twelve varieties and one forma as new to science. Twenty-Four species and three varieties have been discovered as new records for Indian flora.
INVITATION OF NOMINATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL AWARDS FOR
Nominations are invited for the National Awards for Prevention of Pollution and the
Rajiv Gandhi Environment Award for Clean Technology for the year 2008-2009 in the
following identified categories of highly polluting industries, of industries which have
made a significant and measurable contribution towards development or use of clean
technologies, products or practices that prevent pollution and find innovative solution to
environmental problems:-
Large Scale industries:
1 Sugar 2 Fertilizer 3 Cement 4 Fermentation and Distillery 5 Aluminium 6 Petrochemicals
7 Thermal Power 8 Caustic Soda 9 Oil Refinery 10 Sulphuric Acid 11
Tanneries 12 Copper Smelting 13 Zinc Smelting 14 Iron and Steel 15 Pulp and Paper 16
Dye and Dye Intermediates 17 Pesticides 18 Pharmaceuticals.
Small Scale Industries:
1. Tanneries 2 Pulp and Paper 3 Dye and Dye Intermediates 4 Pesticides 5
Pharmaceuticals.
Nature of Awards:
The National Awards for Prevention of Pollution will be bestowed on 23 industries (18
large scale and 5 small scale industries), one each for the above mentioned categories of
industries based upon their performance during the financial year 2008-2009. The Rajiv
Gandhi Environment Award for Clean Technology is given to the one which is the best
among these industries, particularly from the angle of adoption of the clean technology.
The Awards comprise a Cash Award of Rupees one lakh in addition to a silver Trophy
and a Citation.
ELIGIBILITY:
The industrial units belonging to the above mentioned categories of industries which
meet the prescribed standards would be eligible for nomination for the aforesaid Awards.
For details please refer to this Ministry’s website http://envfor.nic.in or contact the
undersigned or Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi or Chairman of
the respective State Pollution Control Board.
PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF NOMINATIONS:
Any past awardees of National Environmental Awards e.g. Indira Gandhi Paryavaran
Puraskar(IGPP) etc. or any organization connected with the industry and commerce, such
as, Industrial or Commercial Associations or Industrial Promotion Corporations, State
Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees may nominate any industrial unit
from the categories of Industries given above for the Awards along with an application
from the industry concerned, in the prescribed Proforma duly filled in, as given below:-
1. Name and address of the industrial unit, 2. Name and address of the proposer
(person/organization), 3. Category of the industrial unit (large/small scale), 4. Details of
previous awards received, if any, 5. Significant contribution made by the industrial unit (a
brief write up on the specific contribution on innovative clean technology, sustainability,
broader users or target groups etc.):
Self-nominations will not be considered.
The nominations duly certified by the proposer should be sent in duplicate to
Additional Director (Dr. R.K.Suri),
Control of Pollution Division,
Ministry of Environment & Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan,
CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003
(Telephone No. 011-24361668 email: rk_suri@yahoo.co.uk)
The last date for receipt of nominations is 31st August, 2009.
Rajiv Gandhi Environment Award for Clean Technology for the year 2008-2009 in the
following identified categories of highly polluting industries, of industries which have
made a significant and measurable contribution towards development or use of clean
technologies, products or practices that prevent pollution and find innovative solution to
environmental problems:-
Large Scale industries:
1 Sugar 2 Fertilizer 3 Cement 4 Fermentation and Distillery 5 Aluminium 6 Petrochemicals
7 Thermal Power 8 Caustic Soda 9 Oil Refinery 10 Sulphuric Acid 11
Tanneries 12 Copper Smelting 13 Zinc Smelting 14 Iron and Steel 15 Pulp and Paper 16
Dye and Dye Intermediates 17 Pesticides 18 Pharmaceuticals.
Small Scale Industries:
1. Tanneries 2 Pulp and Paper 3 Dye and Dye Intermediates 4 Pesticides 5
Pharmaceuticals.
Nature of Awards:
The National Awards for Prevention of Pollution will be bestowed on 23 industries (18
large scale and 5 small scale industries), one each for the above mentioned categories of
industries based upon their performance during the financial year 2008-2009. The Rajiv
Gandhi Environment Award for Clean Technology is given to the one which is the best
among these industries, particularly from the angle of adoption of the clean technology.
The Awards comprise a Cash Award of Rupees one lakh in addition to a silver Trophy
and a Citation.
ELIGIBILITY:
The industrial units belonging to the above mentioned categories of industries which
meet the prescribed standards would be eligible for nomination for the aforesaid Awards.
For details please refer to this Ministry’s website http://envfor.nic.in or contact the
undersigned or Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi or Chairman of
the respective State Pollution Control Board.
PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF NOMINATIONS:
Any past awardees of National Environmental Awards e.g. Indira Gandhi Paryavaran
Puraskar(IGPP) etc. or any organization connected with the industry and commerce, such
as, Industrial or Commercial Associations or Industrial Promotion Corporations, State
Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees may nominate any industrial unit
from the categories of Industries given above for the Awards along with an application
from the industry concerned, in the prescribed Proforma duly filled in, as given below:-
1. Name and address of the industrial unit, 2. Name and address of the proposer
(person/organization), 3. Category of the industrial unit (large/small scale), 4. Details of
previous awards received, if any, 5. Significant contribution made by the industrial unit (a
brief write up on the specific contribution on innovative clean technology, sustainability,
broader users or target groups etc.):
Self-nominations will not be considered.
The nominations duly certified by the proposer should be sent in duplicate to
Additional Director (Dr. R.K.Suri),
Control of Pollution Division,
Ministry of Environment & Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan,
CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003
(Telephone No. 011-24361668 email: rk_suri@yahoo.co.uk)
The last date for receipt of nominations is 31st August, 2009.
CHE Partner Spotlight: A Small Dose of Empowerment
The hardest part of being a neurotoxicologist – someone who studies the effects of toxins on the brain – is not the studying-the-brain part. At least, not for longtime CHE Partner Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT, Director and Founder of the Seattle, WA-based Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders (INND) and Managing Editor of Toxipedia.org. For Dr. Gilbert, the hard part is figuring out how to manage his time.No longer active in research, he works on different ways to explain to the public what is already known about how environmental toxins affect our health. For example, in 2006, he created Toxipedia, a Web-based encyclopedia of toxicology that uses modified open-source wiki technology to make information more freely available. He writes and publishes papers (most recently, a book review in Environmental Health Perspectives). He is working on the second edition of his book, A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals (Informa HealthCare, 2004). “There are a million things to do,” he said in a telephone interview, explaining his ongoing struggle with time management. “What’s the most effective way to use your time? If you really want to change what’s going on, what’s the best way to do that?”
I N D I A : A D D R E S S I N G ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE POWER SECTOR
In India, coal is abundant and still
considered to be the cheapest fuel to
generate power. However, the wide
use of coal raises concerns over the
environmental impact. In particular,
the burning of coal pollutes the air
and contributes to greenhouse gas
emissions; while the accumulation of
ash at power stations makes land inappropriate
for other uses and endangers
both ground and surface water. Also,
when more coal is burned, more must
be produced, which in turn degrades
more land, displaces population,
destroys forest cover, depletes more
water resources, and causes more
water pollution.
The Government of India recognized
the need for an independent assessment
of the environmental consequences
of coal burning in power
plants and asked the World Bank and
ESMAP to look into the issue, in
consultation with all affected groups
and people.
ESMAP's Work
In 1996, with funding from the
Department for International
Development (DFID) of the United
Kingdom, ESMAP, launched a far
reaching examination of environmental
issues in the power sector. The
objective was to develop a decisionmaking
tool, which would enable
government officials and institutions
in India to evaluate alternative
options for power development. The
activity ended in June 1998, and the
results are now being disseminated to
several states.
The work started with an initial questionnaire
and a series of seminars and
workshops in Delhi, to encourage the
participation and interest of a wide
audience. One workshop, for Indian
and international technicians, discussed
the modeling tools available to
help in the analysis. Another involved
non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) who were invited to voice
their views and to nominate their representatives
to attend subsequent
workshops for the duration of the
study. These preliminary workshops
were followed by a major Inception
Seminar in July, 1996, attended by
key decisionmakers from the Indian
ministries and from the industry.
The decision-making tool was developed
through two state-level case studies,
supplemented by a set of special
studies. The case studies were done in
the states of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and
Bihar. The special studies provided
generic data and covered: demand-side
management; interfuel substitution
considered to be the cheapest fuel to
generate power. However, the wide
use of coal raises concerns over the
environmental impact. In particular,
the burning of coal pollutes the air
and contributes to greenhouse gas
emissions; while the accumulation of
ash at power stations makes land inappropriate
for other uses and endangers
both ground and surface water. Also,
when more coal is burned, more must
be produced, which in turn degrades
more land, displaces population,
destroys forest cover, depletes more
water resources, and causes more
water pollution.
The Government of India recognized
the need for an independent assessment
of the environmental consequences
of coal burning in power
plants and asked the World Bank and
ESMAP to look into the issue, in
consultation with all affected groups
and people.
ESMAP's Work
In 1996, with funding from the
Department for International
Development (DFID) of the United
Kingdom, ESMAP, launched a far
reaching examination of environmental
issues in the power sector. The
objective was to develop a decisionmaking
tool, which would enable
government officials and institutions
in India to evaluate alternative
options for power development. The
activity ended in June 1998, and the
results are now being disseminated to
several states.
The work started with an initial questionnaire
and a series of seminars and
workshops in Delhi, to encourage the
participation and interest of a wide
audience. One workshop, for Indian
and international technicians, discussed
the modeling tools available to
help in the analysis. Another involved
non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) who were invited to voice
their views and to nominate their representatives
to attend subsequent
workshops for the duration of the
study. These preliminary workshops
were followed by a major Inception
Seminar in July, 1996, attended by
key decisionmakers from the Indian
ministries and from the industry.
The decision-making tool was developed
through two state-level case studies,
supplemented by a set of special
studies. The case studies were done in
the states of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and
Bihar. The special studies provided
generic data and covered: demand-side
management; interfuel substitution
Environmental Issues in India
Mismanagement and overuse of India’s once abundant forests has resulted in desertification, contamination, and soil depletion throughout the sub-continent. This has serious repercussions for the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Indians that live off the land. In Rajasthan alone, it is approximated that nearly five million tribal people (as of 2004) rely on the collection of forest produce as their only source of income or nourishment. Without continual access to forest products such as fruit, honey, or firewood these communities experience debilitating hunger and are reduced to extreme poverty.
Drought is having severe consequences for the people Rajasthan who’ve endured chronic shortages of water. In 2003, one fifth of the villages in Rajasthan reported they had no access to a reliable water source and approximately half relied on a single source for the entire area. This impacts availability of safe drinking water, the success of the livestock population, and basic food security. Without water, health and agricultural productivity, Rajasthani people are forced to struggle for their survival.
Numerous NGOs in Rajasthan focus on environmental issues as they are extremely pressing concerns for this region. FSD works with NGOs that have been enormously effective in protecting natural resources and minimizing the effects of drought. For example in 2006, an FSD intern, Elizabeth Thys, worked with the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) to build a Rain Water Harvesting System. This water tank improved the quality and accessibility of drinking water for approximately 150 people in a rural area of Rajasthan.
Other FSD partner organizations frequently conduct research projects on topics such as soil stabilization, organic farming, erosion prevention, and protection and management of forested lands. These organizations search for feasible solutions to environmental problems and then provide the local community with the necessary funding and infrastructure. Aid from environmental organizations has become an invaluable way for the poor to improve the condition of their local environment, directly affecting the quality of their livelihood.
Drought is having severe consequences for the people Rajasthan who’ve endured chronic shortages of water. In 2003, one fifth of the villages in Rajasthan reported they had no access to a reliable water source and approximately half relied on a single source for the entire area. This impacts availability of safe drinking water, the success of the livestock population, and basic food security. Without water, health and agricultural productivity, Rajasthani people are forced to struggle for their survival.
Numerous NGOs in Rajasthan focus on environmental issues as they are extremely pressing concerns for this region. FSD works with NGOs that have been enormously effective in protecting natural resources and minimizing the effects of drought. For example in 2006, an FSD intern, Elizabeth Thys, worked with the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) to build a Rain Water Harvesting System. This water tank improved the quality and accessibility of drinking water for approximately 150 people in a rural area of Rajasthan.
Other FSD partner organizations frequently conduct research projects on topics such as soil stabilization, organic farming, erosion prevention, and protection and management of forested lands. These organizations search for feasible solutions to environmental problems and then provide the local community with the necessary funding and infrastructure. Aid from environmental organizations has become an invaluable way for the poor to improve the condition of their local environment, directly affecting the quality of their livelihood.
By the skin of their teeth
Stephen Nash is a tall, burly Canadian, with a flowing white beard and a wry sense of humour. He introduces himself as someone who is often mistaken for Santa Claus. But he is a veteran wildlife specialist who has caught deadly snakes in his native country and has handled many other vicious creatures. As he notes, "I have been bitten, scratched and impaled over the past 32 years!" He once hosted our very own Romulus Whitaker, who started the Snake Park in Chennai and now runs a Crocodile Park outside it.
Nash heads the Capacity Building Unit at the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Geneva. The convention has been in operation for 33 years and fuses wildlife and trade issues with a legally binding instrument to achieve conservation and sustainable use. In other words, it tries to ensure that under no circumstances should smuggling endanger wild fauna and flora.
Tackling illegal trade at customs
At a workshop organised by the World Customs Organisation at the sprawling campus of the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) in Faridabad (May 18-22), he briefed customs officials from several Asian countries on the objective of CITES, and how to handle threatened animals and plants. One can well imagine the consternation of customs officials who unsuspectingly open a consignment and have to deal with poisonous snakes, spiders and countless other pesky creatures
Endangered species are divided into three categories. Appendix I - this is a favourite category in UN parlance, since it also refers to industrialised countries in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change - are the most threatened, and international commercial trade in this category (as distinct presumably from exchange or research), is generally banned. This covers some 530 animals and 300 plants. Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but for which trade must be controlled to avoid any such denouement. This is obviously a bigger category, covering 4400 animals and more than 28,000 plants. The third and last category comprises some 255 animals and 7 plants which countries ask CITES to help them protect.
India is most interested in the enforcement of CITES to curb the smuggling of tiger parts to China and other countries in South-East Asia, where people believe that these have curative properties. Indeed, while there is a great deal of controversy over who is responsible for the disappearance of tigers in this country - whether poachers (foreign or national or both) and/or tribals living within national parks and sanctuaries - there is no doubt that, were there to be effective surveillance by the customs at land, sea and airports, the trade would be considerably curbed. Just the sharing of information and better monitoring and coordination by the customs authorities of countries in this region would work wonders.
UNEP has launched the Green Customs Initiative to control what it terms "environmental crimes", among which the turnover in the trade in flora and fauna is estimated to range from $5 to $20 million a year. However, two of the biggest traded items - timber and fish - aren't covered by the treaty because these are not on the endangered list. The Faridabad workshop was to inform and instruct top customs officials from the region about different environmental treaties, most of which deal with harmful chemicals, and how the customs has a major role to play in compliance and enforcement.
Protecting plants
Readers may look somewhat askance at the need to protect plants. However, one has only to consider the enormous value to humans of many plants - as food, fuel and fibre, among other uses. We derive all our foodgrains from five or six staple plants, but there is no telling how many more there are, undiscovered in the wild, which can feed millions across the world. The threat of such plants dying out before they are even identified is similar to precious libraries of original manuscripts being burnt before anyone has read them.
Even today, some 30 per cent of all pharmaceuticals are derived from plants, although genetic engineering may gradually lower the proportion. In India, ayurveda is under serious threat because species are disappearing. Conservationists refer to rare plants in West Africa from which a substance several times sweeter than sugar can be extracted, but scientists have not yet been able to commercially exploit it.
During the protracted controversy over the Silent Valley hydel plant in Kerala in the early 'seventies, wild varieties of rice were discovered in Palghat district which possessed genes to withstand attacks of the brown plant hopper, a deadly pest which was devastating tracts of the dwarf Taichung varieties of rice grown throughout South and South-East Asia. Rice geneticists "married" genes from these Palghat (and Sri Lankan) varieties to the new dwarfs and the new variety was able to withstand the pest. This provides a glimpse of the tremendous value of wild plants.
Cultural beliefs
The tiger is particularly problematic for India because it is an iconic animal - so much so that the celebrated BBC Indian wildlife TV series, hosted by Valmik Thapar a few years ago, was titled Land of the Tiger. The CITES website (www.cites.org) in fact has a photograph of a majestic tiger on the prowl. The problem is compounded by the fact that Thailand has started breeding tigers on farms in order to "harvest" them for medicinal purposes.
In 2002, the Sri Racha (a corruption of 'Raja') Tiger Zoo sold 100 tigers - originally bred from a Royal Bengal pair - to Sanya Love World in China. They were widely alleged to have been bred there in captivity and slaughtered from time to time to be sold for their meat in Love World's restaurant. The Chinese denied this, since it would have violated CITES which only permits exchange of animals between zoos or for scientific purposes. Customs officers in many parts of the world may in future have to decide whether a particular consignment is genuinely from a farmed animal or has been poached.
Many conservationists like Nash take a pragmatic view of such trade and believe it can help assuage the seemingly insatiable demand for such animal parts. However, this should in no way come in the way of proper education of people who hanker over such products for purely traditional and usually irrational reasons. There is an almost exact parallel when it comes to Indian wildlife with the whale shark, one of the largest fish in the world, whose fins were cut off by fishermen off the Gujarat coast and shipped to South-East Asia for the renowned delicacy, shark's fin soup, a favourite on auspicious occasions. The helpless beasts were left to die in the ocean after their fins were cut off.
Fortunately, after a furore by Indian conservationists, this senseless slaughter and trade has been banned. The irony is that the fins actually don't impart any flavour to soup, which has to be augmented by species like abalone, but consumers blindly follow tradition.
Regulating the trophy trade
Nash told India Together that certain countries in east and southern Africa have issued a restricted number of hunting permits to cull old black rhino males. This serves two purposes: first, it earns the country a considerable amount of foreign exchange because the heads of these magnificent beasts are highly valued as trophies all over the wealthy world. Second, according to Nash, it eliminates old males and thereby helps to improve the genes of the species - a modern-day variant of "survival of the fittest"! However, Kenya has objected to this on the ground that smugglers who poach such rhinos in that country can attempt to export them through neighbouring countries by producing fake hunting licences.
Closer home, Pakistan has issued a restricted number of hunting licences - around six a year - to hunt the markhor goat, its national animal, which exists in the high Himalaya. US customs, have however, once confiscated such a trophy, assuming that it was poached, which is understandable when it comes to any rare species. Such concessions will always enrage die-hard conservationists, even as others argue that it raises revenues to protect the goats, restricts the number of licences to a manageable limit and thereby cuts down, if not eliminates, poaching. The jury is still out, but the common sense approach would be devote sufficient manpower and resources on protecting such species, which will reinforced by much stricter customs vigilance.
It should be noted that the original treaty regarding wild trophies was the London Convention of 1903, which was to govern hunting game in Africa and India. Times have changed and no civilized person today should be flaunting the heads, tusks or skins of animals from exotic corners of the world as some form of conquest, or even a form of neo-colonialism.
CITES, however, doesn't govern only living animals and plants but tusks and skins of dead animals as well. India has two such items - one as an import and the other which was both and import and export.
Jewellery made from red coral has been in existence for 5000 years, but the trade has dropped as smuggling is under surveillance. In 1984, some 450 tonnes were seized, which went down to 40 tonnes in 1990. Between 1990 and 2005, only an estimated 28 to 54 tonnes in all have been seized. From the Middle Ages, coral found its way from Rome (presumably harvested in the Mediterranean) to India. From the 17th century, there was a flourishing trade between Naples and Marseilles to India and West Africa. However, it is extremely difficult for customs officers to distinguish between three types of red coral, of which only Corallium is very rare and expensive.
The other item, which goes back some aeons, is ivory. Contrary to popular belief, ivory doesn't only consist of elephant tusks but also those of the narwhal (a long-toothed Arctic whale), killer and sperm whale, warthog, hippos and walrus. Cave paintings from the Cro-Magnon era depict people hunting mammoths for their tusks. The first ivory masterpiece in historical records is an arch which dates back to 2000 BC in Egypt. Even more surprisingly, such tusks are being recovered from the icy wastes in the extremities of the globe. In Alaska, carvings out of fossilized walrus ivory are in fact permitted today. Tusks of mammoths, which became extinct 16,000 years ago, are sought after.
However, faced with the dire threat to herds of African elephants, which declined by a half between 1970 and 1985, 119 countries at a CITES meet in 1989 decided to ban hunting elephants. African elephants are more sought after than their Indian counterparts because their tusks are bigger (as, indeed, are the elephants themselves). Indian craftsmen were far more adept at carving such tusks and till the ban, used to import African ivory. Most of this trade is now prohibited. There is some unhappiness in East and southern Africa, where herds are in fact increasing and the ban is sometimes thought of as a western imposition, without any concession to the revenue it could earn for poor countries in that part of the continent.
Sometimes, even with endangered species, truth can be stranger than fiction. In the current crisis over climate change, the sight of a lone polar bear struggling to keep afloat on a tiny ice floe has become the iconic image that goads countries and individuals to take action before it is too late. According to Nash, however, of 27 polar bear populations in the Arctic, 26 are actually increasing. ⊕
Darryl D'Monte
Nash heads the Capacity Building Unit at the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Geneva. The convention has been in operation for 33 years and fuses wildlife and trade issues with a legally binding instrument to achieve conservation and sustainable use. In other words, it tries to ensure that under no circumstances should smuggling endanger wild fauna and flora.
Tackling illegal trade at customs
At a workshop organised by the World Customs Organisation at the sprawling campus of the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) in Faridabad (May 18-22), he briefed customs officials from several Asian countries on the objective of CITES, and how to handle threatened animals and plants. One can well imagine the consternation of customs officials who unsuspectingly open a consignment and have to deal with poisonous snakes, spiders and countless other pesky creatures
Endangered species are divided into three categories. Appendix I - this is a favourite category in UN parlance, since it also refers to industrialised countries in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change - are the most threatened, and international commercial trade in this category (as distinct presumably from exchange or research), is generally banned. This covers some 530 animals and 300 plants. Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but for which trade must be controlled to avoid any such denouement. This is obviously a bigger category, covering 4400 animals and more than 28,000 plants. The third and last category comprises some 255 animals and 7 plants which countries ask CITES to help them protect.
India is most interested in the enforcement of CITES to curb the smuggling of tiger parts to China and other countries in South-East Asia, where people believe that these have curative properties. Indeed, while there is a great deal of controversy over who is responsible for the disappearance of tigers in this country - whether poachers (foreign or national or both) and/or tribals living within national parks and sanctuaries - there is no doubt that, were there to be effective surveillance by the customs at land, sea and airports, the trade would be considerably curbed. Just the sharing of information and better monitoring and coordination by the customs authorities of countries in this region would work wonders.
UNEP has launched the Green Customs Initiative to control what it terms "environmental crimes", among which the turnover in the trade in flora and fauna is estimated to range from $5 to $20 million a year. However, two of the biggest traded items - timber and fish - aren't covered by the treaty because these are not on the endangered list. The Faridabad workshop was to inform and instruct top customs officials from the region about different environmental treaties, most of which deal with harmful chemicals, and how the customs has a major role to play in compliance and enforcement.
Protecting plants
Readers may look somewhat askance at the need to protect plants. However, one has only to consider the enormous value to humans of many plants - as food, fuel and fibre, among other uses. We derive all our foodgrains from five or six staple plants, but there is no telling how many more there are, undiscovered in the wild, which can feed millions across the world. The threat of such plants dying out before they are even identified is similar to precious libraries of original manuscripts being burnt before anyone has read them.
Even today, some 30 per cent of all pharmaceuticals are derived from plants, although genetic engineering may gradually lower the proportion. In India, ayurveda is under serious threat because species are disappearing. Conservationists refer to rare plants in West Africa from which a substance several times sweeter than sugar can be extracted, but scientists have not yet been able to commercially exploit it.
During the protracted controversy over the Silent Valley hydel plant in Kerala in the early 'seventies, wild varieties of rice were discovered in Palghat district which possessed genes to withstand attacks of the brown plant hopper, a deadly pest which was devastating tracts of the dwarf Taichung varieties of rice grown throughout South and South-East Asia. Rice geneticists "married" genes from these Palghat (and Sri Lankan) varieties to the new dwarfs and the new variety was able to withstand the pest. This provides a glimpse of the tremendous value of wild plants.
Cultural beliefs
The tiger is particularly problematic for India because it is an iconic animal - so much so that the celebrated BBC Indian wildlife TV series, hosted by Valmik Thapar a few years ago, was titled Land of the Tiger. The CITES website (www.cites.org) in fact has a photograph of a majestic tiger on the prowl. The problem is compounded by the fact that Thailand has started breeding tigers on farms in order to "harvest" them for medicinal purposes.
In 2002, the Sri Racha (a corruption of 'Raja') Tiger Zoo sold 100 tigers - originally bred from a Royal Bengal pair - to Sanya Love World in China. They were widely alleged to have been bred there in captivity and slaughtered from time to time to be sold for their meat in Love World's restaurant. The Chinese denied this, since it would have violated CITES which only permits exchange of animals between zoos or for scientific purposes. Customs officers in many parts of the world may in future have to decide whether a particular consignment is genuinely from a farmed animal or has been poached.
Many conservationists like Nash take a pragmatic view of such trade and believe it can help assuage the seemingly insatiable demand for such animal parts. However, this should in no way come in the way of proper education of people who hanker over such products for purely traditional and usually irrational reasons. There is an almost exact parallel when it comes to Indian wildlife with the whale shark, one of the largest fish in the world, whose fins were cut off by fishermen off the Gujarat coast and shipped to South-East Asia for the renowned delicacy, shark's fin soup, a favourite on auspicious occasions. The helpless beasts were left to die in the ocean after their fins were cut off.
Fortunately, after a furore by Indian conservationists, this senseless slaughter and trade has been banned. The irony is that the fins actually don't impart any flavour to soup, which has to be augmented by species like abalone, but consumers blindly follow tradition.
Regulating the trophy trade
Nash told India Together that certain countries in east and southern Africa have issued a restricted number of hunting permits to cull old black rhino males. This serves two purposes: first, it earns the country a considerable amount of foreign exchange because the heads of these magnificent beasts are highly valued as trophies all over the wealthy world. Second, according to Nash, it eliminates old males and thereby helps to improve the genes of the species - a modern-day variant of "survival of the fittest"! However, Kenya has objected to this on the ground that smugglers who poach such rhinos in that country can attempt to export them through neighbouring countries by producing fake hunting licences.
Closer home, Pakistan has issued a restricted number of hunting licences - around six a year - to hunt the markhor goat, its national animal, which exists in the high Himalaya. US customs, have however, once confiscated such a trophy, assuming that it was poached, which is understandable when it comes to any rare species. Such concessions will always enrage die-hard conservationists, even as others argue that it raises revenues to protect the goats, restricts the number of licences to a manageable limit and thereby cuts down, if not eliminates, poaching. The jury is still out, but the common sense approach would be devote sufficient manpower and resources on protecting such species, which will reinforced by much stricter customs vigilance.
It should be noted that the original treaty regarding wild trophies was the London Convention of 1903, which was to govern hunting game in Africa and India. Times have changed and no civilized person today should be flaunting the heads, tusks or skins of animals from exotic corners of the world as some form of conquest, or even a form of neo-colonialism.
CITES, however, doesn't govern only living animals and plants but tusks and skins of dead animals as well. India has two such items - one as an import and the other which was both and import and export.
Jewellery made from red coral has been in existence for 5000 years, but the trade has dropped as smuggling is under surveillance. In 1984, some 450 tonnes were seized, which went down to 40 tonnes in 1990. Between 1990 and 2005, only an estimated 28 to 54 tonnes in all have been seized. From the Middle Ages, coral found its way from Rome (presumably harvested in the Mediterranean) to India. From the 17th century, there was a flourishing trade between Naples and Marseilles to India and West Africa. However, it is extremely difficult for customs officers to distinguish between three types of red coral, of which only Corallium is very rare and expensive.
The other item, which goes back some aeons, is ivory. Contrary to popular belief, ivory doesn't only consist of elephant tusks but also those of the narwhal (a long-toothed Arctic whale), killer and sperm whale, warthog, hippos and walrus. Cave paintings from the Cro-Magnon era depict people hunting mammoths for their tusks. The first ivory masterpiece in historical records is an arch which dates back to 2000 BC in Egypt. Even more surprisingly, such tusks are being recovered from the icy wastes in the extremities of the globe. In Alaska, carvings out of fossilized walrus ivory are in fact permitted today. Tusks of mammoths, which became extinct 16,000 years ago, are sought after.
However, faced with the dire threat to herds of African elephants, which declined by a half between 1970 and 1985, 119 countries at a CITES meet in 1989 decided to ban hunting elephants. African elephants are more sought after than their Indian counterparts because their tusks are bigger (as, indeed, are the elephants themselves). Indian craftsmen were far more adept at carving such tusks and till the ban, used to import African ivory. Most of this trade is now prohibited. There is some unhappiness in East and southern Africa, where herds are in fact increasing and the ban is sometimes thought of as a western imposition, without any concession to the revenue it could earn for poor countries in that part of the continent.
Sometimes, even with endangered species, truth can be stranger than fiction. In the current crisis over climate change, the sight of a lone polar bear struggling to keep afloat on a tiny ice floe has become the iconic image that goads countries and individuals to take action before it is too late. According to Nash, however, of 27 polar bear populations in the Arctic, 26 are actually increasing. ⊕
Darryl D'Monte
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