Global warming, for example, halves the incubation period for the malarial virus, increasing the spread of the disease to areas that have not been affected before. “We need to realise that our (human) practices are the drivers of diseases and by altering our practices, we can drive positive influences to health,” said Dr William Karesh, a veterinarian at WCS.

Neglect, and abuse, of the environment have led to floods, droughts and global warming – symptoms that, the panel of experts believe, are the “key drivers related to health”.

“Health is about being able to send your kids to school, it’s about being able to put food on the table, it’s about being free of diseases,” said Dr Michael Kock from the WCS. Climate change and variability, coupled with the breakdown of barriers between wildlife, livestock and humans, as well as the prevalence of infections like HIV, are combining to pose a pressing threat to healthy life as we know it, Kock added.

Rampant global wildlife trade is also a major concern as it not only threatens the existence of vulnerable species, but has spawned diseases of global public health and economic significance. It is estimated that some two billion pounds of bush meat is consumed annually in Centrally Africa alone, greatly increasing the chance of introducing HIV to humans.

Dr Kristine Smith, WCS, blames human activity like wildlife trade and natural habitat destruction for the “breaking down of natural barriers” which has led to “an increased exposure to (animal-based) pathogens”.

However, one of the main challenges, Smith says, is dealing with prejudices that arise from misinformation. “Our challenges really have been that there is still misconception regarding emerging infectious diseases. Because humans share 60 to 70 per cent of diseases with animals, many think animals are the problem. But the problem is really because of the way humans are interacting with these animals,” Smith said.

For this reason, Smith adds, it is important to take an “unbiased, holistic, and scientific approach” in outbreak response. “Health is a powerful tool to bring people together. Over the years, WCS has seen many new partners and new constituencies joining us in working toward these goals,” said Karesh.

The South African National Parks (SANP) has raised some 500,000 dollars through collaboration with NGOs and funding organisations like The Rockefeller Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and USAID to conduct research. “This figure might appear small, specially if you compare to what the Lehman Brothers is getting, but for us this is really a milestone,” said Dr Nichola Shongwe, manager of Animal Health for the Environment And Development (AHEAD), SANP.

With resources scarce in wildlife conservation, Smith believes “we need to pool resources and come up with common solutions” while Kock says immediate action must be taken to stop the spread of diseases, especially among the rural communities, who end up being the worst victims of climate change. “We need to consider how to be better custodians of the earth, and work towards the goal of achieving one world, one health,” said Shongwe.

(TerraViva)

“When talking about lighting, a lot of people don’t know this, but 20 per cent of the electricity worldwide is used in lighting,” said Henk de Bruin, a Senior Vice President Philips. Lighting, then, becomes one of the most efficient ways to cut carbon dioxide to the environment, he added.

Already the leading electronics company in Europe, Philips is set to power into the future with its environmentally sustainable innovations and aims to double its investment in the area to one billion euros by 2012.

Curiously, even traditional detractors, NGOs rallying against light pollution around the world, seem to be giving these efforts the thumbs up.

“We support the actions of these eco-friendly companies that are doing their part for the environment,” said Andrej Mohar, from Dark-Sky Slovenia. The group blames unshielded and over-powered lighting for the destruction of natural heritage and biodiversity, as well as the increase of greenhouse gas emissions.

And while Mohar feels that Philips’s lighting installations on display were “still too bright” for his liking, he points out the need for NGOs, governments, and the commercial sectors to come together to work toward more eco-friendly solutions.

Events like the IUCN World Conservation Congress, he says, provides an ideal platform for representatives from the various organisations to exchange their views in an otherwise power-imbalanced relationship where lobbyists are often left in the dark.

Meanwhile, Philips is targeting developing and emerging markets around the world, sectors the company has earmarked as markets for growth. Among its green products for the third world: a dynamo multi-LED torch, powered by kinetic energy; and a solar rechargeable lantern, aimed at brightening the lives of approximately 1.6 million people worldwide without access to electricity and burn up some 77 billion litres of kerosene for lighting each year.

The company has sold more than 5.3 billion euros worth of eco-friendly products last year, and targets a 50 per cent increase in green product sales by 2012.

“We see sustainability as a great business opportunity and a strategic driver in the company,” said de Bruin. “With a heritage in innovation for more than 100 years, it’s in our DNA to continue to invent solutions in new business opportunities.

(TerraViva)

The Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 had sent shockwaves through the world as the powerful under-sea earthquake claimed more than 225,000 lives in 11 countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, and devastated entire coastal communities. The stripping of mangrove plantations along coastal regions “leaves millions of people more vulnerable to extreme weather events,” said Dr Don Macintosh, Coordinator, Mangroves for the Future (MFF) – a joint initiative of the IUCN and the United Nations Development Programme.

The Greater Indian Ocean Region, conservationists say, encompasses some of the world’s most extensive and diverse tropical coastal ecosystems. With a total coastline over 140,000-km long, the region boasts a vast network of estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs, sandy beaches, sea-grasses and wetlands that encompass some of the world’s most extensive and diverse tropical ecosystems.

On top of recognising the important role of mangroves in reducing the damage caused by tsunamis and the implications on livelihoods because of mangrove forest destruction, MFF conservationists are extending their programmes from “reef to ridge”, and working to save other marine and coastal ecosystems as well. These vulnerable ecosystems provide essential habitats for many rare and valuable marine species, which underpin substantial commerce benefiting local, national, regional, and global economies. The humanitarian implications of failure to protect coastal ecosystems are extremely serious.

“Investing in coastal ecosystems to support sustainable development requires a long-term perspective, and local, national, regional and global commitment across all sectors”, said Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN Asia Regional Director and co-chair of the MFF Regional Steering Committee.
While mangroves account for the supply of more than ten per cent of the essential dissolved organic carbon in the world, less than one per cent of the mangrove population worldwide is protected adequately, the MFF reports. In some parts of Asia, more than 60 per cent of mangrove has been lost in recent decades.

More than half of the coral reefs in South-East Asia are under threat. Close to 20 per cent, conservationists say, have already been damaged beyond repair. Other marine life like sea-grasses, for example, provide indispensible nursery grounds for fish, but have declined at an alarming rate, and even disappeared altogether in some part of the Indian Ocean.

By adopting new approaches that reorient the limited focus on coastal investment by moving from a reactive response to disasters, to progressive activities that address long-term sustainable management needs, organisations like the MFF “can help empower coastal communities, influence business practices and shape sustainable government policies,” said Professor Sanit Aksornkoae, President, Thailand Environment Institute (TEI).

(TerraViva)

“The threat of extinction is real. Over the last three centuries, 153 bird species are believed to have been lost forever. Three species have vanished since 2000 alone,” said Dr Leon Bennun, director of science, policy and information at UK-based NGO Birdlife International. The organisation which released the results of its study on Thursday, at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, highlighted some 180 species facing “an imminent risk of extinction” – the highest risk categorisation level.

It could get worse. Usually the mass extinction of species occurs some years after the wholesale destruction of habitats. Studies in Kenya and parts of South-East Asia show that the current predictions of impending doom are underestimated. In Singapore, for example, where forest cover is now less than five per cent of its original area, 61 of the territory’s 91 forest-dependent bird species have disappeared since 1923.

The threat to some of these bird species, experts say, could have immense impact on the ecological system and humans. India’s White-rumped Vultures, for instance, are an integral part of the natural system, disposing of livestock carcasses. With less than 0.1 per cent of the species now remaining, wiped off due to lethal exposures to veterinary drugs through the livestock carcasses that the vultures survived on, the chances of the spread of diseases has increased.

“Global change in biodiversity is hard to measure and effective indicators are still in short supply,” said Alison Stattersfield, head of science, Birdlife International. “Birds provide an accurate and easy-to-read environmental barometer, allowing us to see clearly the pressures our current way of life are exerting on the world’s biodiversity,” she added.

Stattersfield also attributes “more than 90 per cent of the threat of extinction to birds” to human activity. Expanding networks of overhead powerlines in Europe, for example, are ruffling the feathers of bird conservationists. Close to 95 Italian bird species get killed, through electrocution or collision, with up to 87 birds dying annually per km of powerlines. Conservative estimates suggest that at least four million birds are killed in North America each year by collisions with the mushrooming of radio, television and mobile phone towers.

“Overall, the rate of deterioration has been speeding up since our last global assessment in 2004,” said Stattersfield. “The accelerating decline in relatively common and widespread birds is especially alarming and can be linked to ever-increasing pressures on natural habitats. Our data suggests that recent policy changes such as the drive towards producing biofuels are damaging biodiversity and seriously undermining efforts to meet the 2010 target,” she added.

The 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership is a global initiative to further develop and promote indicators for the consistent monitoring and assessment of biodiversity, and to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity. The NGO’s study shows that, far from slowing down, biodiversity loss is still occurring at an alarming rate.

The IUCN Red List Index for birds, based on the number and status of threatened species, shows that bird species are slipping faster than ever toward extinction.

“It is clear that conservation action can and does work,” said Bennun. “What we need is commitment, from decision-makers and not just conservationists. It’s time to recognise the real value of biodiversity and for governments to honour the commitments they have made to invest in its conservation,” he added.

(TerraViva)