 |
“I think I would like to be a marine biologist,” declares Abeer, as we chat on board a boat surging across an aquamarine bay one hazy April morning. Hmm..Interesting! One is used to hearing IT specialist, doctor, banker, business manager, or “I don’t know yet.” But the clear choice for a green vocation is not commonly encountered. Abeer is part of a group of 11th graders from Al Worood School, Abu Dhabi, participating in a marine ecology field trip organised by the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA). “I care very much for the environment,” she amplifies.
click to view picture |
On this day, Abeer has a splendid opportunity to interact, one on one, with professionals from the field that she wants to opt for. She and her classmates – Dina, Hadir, Nadeen and Sandra – together with students from other schools - Abu Dhabi Grammar, Al Rayyan, and Abu Dhabi Indian - are spending a half day getting a feel of what marine environment researchers do in ERWDA; and to what end.
An introductory talk, field trip at sea to collect samples and monitor water quality, and laboratory analysis are three components of the half-day programme that serves to demystify what scientists are up to in their work rooms and out doors. Using, as we understand, sophisticated instruments, apparently complex techniques, and expertise to investigate various facets of habitats and life forms. Assessment of nature and natural resources is vital because, for their planning, sustainable management and protection one must know what, and how much, exists in the first instance. Over the ensuing hours, we share ERWDA’s work, in particular with researchers Nasser Shadoor and Steve Britsch who accompany us in the field, and Theri Bailey, environmental awareness officer, who conducts the class and some lab sessions.
click to view picture |
As we get on a boat at the marina adjoining the Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, we use a satellite-controlled GPS (Global Positioning System) that tells us, by the press of a button and in a matter of seconds, exactly where we are positioned and where we are headed – complete with latitude, longitude, altitude. We don life jackets and, as our boat streaks across the coastal waters bound south- southwest, we pass crabs swimming languidly on the water surface and islands and coastal plains with gently sloping, sandy beaches. Unfortunately the weather doesn’t permit us to venture to locations where there are fine corals and sea grasses. So we stop in the shallows to monitor water quality, using an instrument called a ‘hydrolab’ which, like the GPS, with the mere click of buttons helps us record the temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, salinity… of our water sample.
In the clear waters we can detect some coral formations and translucent jellyfish but it is only when we peer through a viewer that the under water world really opens up for us, crystal clear. Clinging on to the coastal shelf are delicately designed corals embellished with brown and green algae and sea urchins, crabs and fishes floating about them.
click to view picture |
Before we know it we are back in the ERWDA office. Here we experience what fish biologists and sea grass specialists would be doing. Some fish species have been purchased from the souq and we learn how to identify these. They are the spangled emperor and orange spotted grouper. Similarly, the sea grass samples which we wash, segregate, weigh and classify.
It is an enlightening and interesting experience even for those who are not necessarily keen about environmental matters. It has involved outdoor activity, learning from scientific experts and meeting career environmentalists. Many participating students have appreciated it for the sake of the knowledge gained. Most may not wish to follow an environmental career path. But there is still a chance of sparking an interest in the subject. If this happens with just one individual (like Abeer) per field trip, or every two, or even each season, then ERWDA’s communication and education department has reason to be pleased.
So has the earth. It could do with greater numbers of environmentally informed humans; and dedicated professionals working to help sustain it.
Environmental career opportunities exist in a number of areas, extending way beyond wildlife issues – soil, water and fishery conservation, environmental engineering, air and water quality control, solid-waste and hazardous- waste management,
click to view picture |
recycling, ecological restoration, law….and even public health. Day after day, the need for environmental professionals is growing. Even more so as humanity wrecks havoc on the earth and as saving the environment becomes this century’s greatest challenge. At the time of writing this, top news headlines are environment related – environment priority for UAE; oil slick may have long term impact; foot-and-mouth pyres create toxic dioxins; Greens’ bid to rescue climate change talks; Carter wins the first Zayed International Prize for the Environment …..
Global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation, desertification, mad cow disease (MCD)….environmentalists are being sought for stemming such perils and for policy, planning and governance. For instance, after the first reports of MCD in Germany, the prime minister replaced the agriculture minister with an environmentalist, and declared that agricultural policy and farm practices must resonate with environmental and public health goals. The European Union is poised for similar reforms.
MAD COW
Globalisation, economics and poor animal husbandry are responsible for our current animal-borne epidemics comment Worldwatch Institute researchers, Brian Halweil and Dani Nierenberg. Globalised trade in goods and services, the movement of animals across borders, and the frequency of intercontinental airline travel means that no country is immune to mad cow or foot-and-mouth or any number of existing or emerging diseases. Since 1986, the year mad cow disease and its human version were detected in the UK, British meat and feed products have been shipped around the world. Mad cows have already shown up in a dozen countries including Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Ireland and Spain.
Industrial animal farming not only allows, but also paves the way for the outbreak of disease. Thousands of genetically uniform animals crammed into unhygienic warehouses, generating a virtual frat party for microbes. Animal manure and slaughterhouse waste recycled as feed. Meat processed at breakneck speed in the presence of blood, feces, and other contagion. And long-distance transport of food creating endless opportunities for contamination.
In addition, factory farming generates mountains of manure fouling air and water, disrupting ecosystems and sickening rural communities. Then there is antibiotic overuse. A recent study found that America’s farm animals consume roughly 10 times as much antibiotics as the human population. Still, industrial animal farming is spreading.
There is, of course, another way to produce meat – one that treats farms as living systems rather than assembly lines. It is not surprising that mad cow has yet to be reported on organic farms throughout Europe. Organic farms prohibit feeding of slaughterhouse waste, give animals access to the outdoors, and emphasise good animal health in general. Sweden has been able to prevent an outbreak with good animal husbandry. And in Germany, the food scare has sparked an about face on agricultural policy.
|
ORGANIC COTTON
Conventionally grown cotton is a gargantuan consumer of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilisers. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is totally eco-friendly – it uses no chemical inputs. It comes as no surprise that global demand for organic cotton is growing, fueled by informed consumers ready to take environmental and social issues into account in their buying preferences. Global production of organic cotton increased from 8,250 tonnes in 1997 to 14,752 tonnes in 1999. An estimated 10 per cent of cotton production in the world was organic in 2000.
In India, 54 per cent of the total agricultural pesticides used are applied to cotton despite the fact that its cultivation accounts for a mere five per cent of the total land under cultivation. But some Indian farmers have started cultivating organic cotton, as in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Farmers use an inter-cropping method to divert pests from cotton to crops such as maize and also sorghum for pest management. Neem, garlic, chili and other local plants that have insect repelling characteristics are also used. The soil quality improves over time with organic cultivation. Growers say that before they switched to organic, the soil needed a lot of water and fertilisers. With organic cotton, soil fertility improved, water-holding capacity increased, as did the production. Organic cultivators are earning a premium ranging between 20 and 25 per cent over conventional cotton.
India has great potential for organic cotton, which is gaining wider recognition than ever before.
(Excerpted from Down to Earth, February 15, 2001, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi)
|
|
WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?
Use rechargeable batteries and give them in for recycling when their useful life is over.
|
|
Home |
Author's Note |
List of Articles |
EnviroLinks |
Our Friends |
What's New |
Contact Us |
|
|
