Thomas Goreau on Coral Restoration with Biorock

by Mallika Naguran

He is a pained man on a mission. Dr Thomas J Goreau is sickened with seeing widespread and massive destruction of coral reefs that were once resplendent underwater rainforests, a joy to fishes and fishermen alike.

And he has no choice but to act as the value of reefs is immeasurable. “Coral reefs provide most of the marine biodiversity, fisheries, shore protection, and tourism for over 100 countries. All of this depends on having healthy corals. No other organism can do this,” says Tom.

The President of the Global Coral Reef Alliance (GCRA) is charged up to reverse the situation with a bit of help from technology. “To restore reefs we must eliminate the stresses that damage corals and use new methods to grow them faster and more resistant to stress,” he says.  

Technology to Help Grow Corals

Tom has an illustrious career. He was previously Senior Scientific Affairs Officer at the United Nations Centre for Science and Technology for Development, in charge of global climate change and biodiversity issues, and has published around 200 papers in areas such as coral reef ecology, changes in global ocean circulation, tropical deforestation and reforestation and mathematical modeling of climate records.

Tom developed the method to predict the location, timing, and severity of coral bleaching from satellite data with Ray Hayes. In 1990 Tom formed GCRA, a non-profit organization for coral reef protection and sustainable management, with a network of volunteer scientists, divers, environmentalists and organizations.

Corals grow 3 to 5 times faster with Biorock.

Using technology as a means, essentially Biorock that was invented by the late Wolf Hilbertz, they address the needs of coral reef restoration, marine diseases and issues caused by global climate change, environmental stress and pollution.

The method allows reefs to survive and recover from damage caused by excessive nutrients, climate change, and physical destruction. To build a Biorock reef, a low voltage electrical current is passed through a conductive frame that’s anchored to the seabed. Power can be sourced from chargers, windmills, solar panels or tidal current generators.

The electrolytic reaction causes mineral crystals such as calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide found in seawater to grow on the structure. Within days, a whitish hue that is made up of precipitated minerals coat the structure’s surface – a sign that the wired frame is ready for action.

Divers then begin transplanting coral fragments from other reefs and attach them to the frame. The coral pieces begin to bond to the accreted mineral substrate immediately and start to grow at a rate up to five times faster than usual. Soon the frame with dotted corals becomes a habitat for a reef ecosystem, attracting colonizing marine life such as fish, crabs, clams, octopus, lobster, and sea urchins.

“In the Maldives during the 1998 warming, fewer than 5% of the natural reef corals survived. But on our GCRA reefs, 80% of corals not only survived, they flourished,” says Tom.  Corals from these reefs are now recolonizing the surrounding natural habitats, I am told. GCRA reefs are growing vibrantly in Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Panama, and Mexico.

Growing Up Among Corals

Tom, growing up in Jamaica was swimming as soon as he could walk. “I have dived longer and in more reefs around the world than any coral scientist,” says Tom, previously Senior Scientific Affairs Officer at the United Nations Centre for Science and Technology for Development.

What Tom did to pass time as a boy.

Tom could very well have coral DNA in his cell structure as his father Thomas F Goreau was the first diving marine scientist, researching on coral ecology in 1948. Grandpa Fritz Goreau was notable too for pioneering underwater photography using self-made underwater cameras and breathing dive apparatus. They took the first high quality photographs of coral reef organisms in the Central Pacific, Bahamas, and the Great Barrier Reef among other locations.

“When I was young we would travel around Jamaica where my father would show his underwater photographs to fishermen and tell them why the reefs were disappearing and in danger.  So it is just something I grew up doing and had the fortune of learning from the person who knew the most about coral reefs,” says Tom.

“I continue only because no one else has this background, experience and knowledge, and somebody has to maintain it,” he adds, in spite of losing parts of his hand to a barracuda attack in 2004, which has since been reconstructed.

“There is almost no place that my grandfather, father, or I knew in the past that is not heartbreakingly damaged, many so badly ruined that there is just no trace at all left of the reefs, not even rubble. Most of those who live in those areas now don't even realize what they have lost,” he frowns.

Seeing is Believing

In spite of evidence that coral reefs are thriving thanks to Biorock where they were once bleached, dead or crushed, the path chosen to save coastal reefs using this proven technology is full of rocks. 

“As a career choice, it has been suicidal to be in a field where there is no funding - it is impossible to survive. I often wish I had not been obliged by circumstance to have to do this and could have had a job that I would be actually paid for.” Among the difficulties he encounters, Tom speaks about the lack of faith.

A new reef is born where once barren.

“No one believes what we do is possible until they see it themselves. Growing bright coral reefs swarming with fish in a few years in places that were barren deserts is something everybody thinks can't be done, but has been done in nearly 30 countries with only small donations, mostly from local people who remember how their reef used to be and realize they must grow more corals now,” he explains.

Describing local funding as “a drop in the bucket”, he urges the immediate resources from other sources. “Until governments, big international funding agencies, the private sector, and big international conservation groups realize that if we don't have policies and funding to restore what we have lost, it will very soon be too late.”

Photos by Tom Goreau and Club Aqua, Bali.

Tom, who is also the Coordinator of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development Partnership in New Technologies for Small Island Developing States, can be contacted at goreau@bestweb.net.

Visit his website at http://www.globalcoral.org

Sir Gordon Conway on Feeding the World

Jeremy Torr caught up with Sir Gordon Conway, a Distinguished Visitor Lecturer with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in Singapore where he also graced the launch of the Royal Geographical Society – Institute of British Geographers (IBG) Singapore Branch.

"Africa's cereal yield is stagnant while China's increases sharply," Conway.

When you ask Gordon Conway what it is that impresses him most about how China is approaching its rapidly expanding food demands, it’s not what you might think.

Forget that they have scores of scientists gene-splicing the perfect rice, or the largest and most ambitious irrigation systems in the world. What impresses him is that ordinary Chinese farmers are willing to try anything.

“I went recently to the Huangtu loess plateau in Shanxi province, where the World Bank is involved in a terracing program,” he says. “But the most impressive thing is not just that the local farmers are now getting better yields on existing crops – which they are – but that they are experimenting with a huge number of different methods to improve their processes, and to grow new crops so they can earn more.”

As Chief Scientific Adviser at Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) and president of the Royal Geographical Society, Sir Gordon has a lifelong interest in seeing nations grow enough food to sustain themselves. The agricultural ecologist and author of ‘The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for all in the 21st century’ is passionate about the need to enable all people to grow enough food to live on. “And I know from experience that we are only going to make significant progress reducing poverty, hunger and disease if natural and social scientists work closely together," he says.

Which is why those Shanxi loess farmers so impressed him. They are using plastic sheets to conserve water and make rudimentary greenhouses, growing carnations and walnuts in amongst other crops, experimenting with different planting regimes – and becoming extremely successful. “But the most impressive thing to me was that almost everywhere I went, people wanted to show me their latest experiment, their gamble that some new approach would produce more and better crops, some even for export to Singapore,” he adds. “If one thing didn’t work, they just tried another.”

And if the world is to maintain the ability to feed itself – something thrown into the spotlight by mid-West US floods, biofuel crop subsidies, a general move from rural to city dwelling and decline in agricultural investments – we need to get better at looking at different ways of growing food, he says.

Rising populations with reduced food producion means starvation.

“In parts of Africa, where people are using the same methods as they have for years, they can get maybe 1 tonne per hectare as an average yield. Using simple methods like human powered irrigation, growing natural pesticides and herbicides in with the crop, and not burning back harvested stubble, I have seen yields of 16 times that,” he says. He also told us of markets in Africa where grain farmers who were standing round chatting would suddenly jump into action, load trucks with produce and roar off for no apparent reason.

“It was because somebody had got a mobile phone call telling them the price was better if they drove a couple of hours north,” he says. “Which means they can then afford buy small sacks of seed and fertilizer to grow new, extra crops for cash. This is what we need to concentrate on – on enabling people everywhere to use whatever technology they can use and infrastructure such as input and output markets, to grow more.”

Which is a lesson those farmers in Shanxi can ably teach us, notes Sir Gordon.

“It’s not just a case of using more fertilizer or the latest hybrid genetically-modified (GM) crops. It’s about giving farmers the best solution to their problems, whether that is pest control, improving water supply or better access to markets. If we can do all these, then people have the option to try other things, like those carnations and walnuts, which take them away from subsistence. That’s what we really need if we are to feed the world,” he adds.

Professor Sir Gordon Conway began his career in the 1960s as the chief entomologist for Sabah, Borneo. “I was brought in because the cocoa growers were facing severe problems with pest damage,” he says. “So I told them to stop using so much pesticide, which they did. I think that helped,” he smiles. Sir Gordon describes the six years he spent in Borneo as some of the best he had anywhere, but nonetheless he has applied his expertise on a global basis, living and working in Malaysia, Thailand, India, Lebanon and Egypt working on a range of agricultural and developmental issues. He has also been professor of Environmental Technology at Imperial College in London (1970-86), worked for the Ford Foundation in New Delhi (1988-92), and was elected as president of The Rockefeller Foundation in 1998.

Photos by Mallika Naguran

Inspired by Wildlife – Artist Chew Choon

An artist works tirelessly to record beauty for posterity before it all fades

Story by Adrian Goh

Receding glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro

Had it not been a fascination with elephants, artist Chew Choon would not have ventured into Africa where he also witnessed the slow depletion of nature’s full glory. The Singapore-based artist stepped onto the green plains in 1987 to get close up with pachyderms (hard-skinned animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses and hippos) so that he could paint them.

Mount Kilimanjaro then wore a full crown of snow. Twenty-two years later, Chew Choon notes, this crown has almost vanished and he witnesses the consequences that follow.

Thirsty beasts drink from a drying pond.

Where scientists prove and disprove how changes to Kilimanjaro could impact the globe, or how long the famous ice fields on its peak could last, it takes an artist to capture in detail what has happened simply from observing the ground. Chew Choon has travelled from one African plain to another, encountering wildlife in their natural habitat such as pachyderms, gazelles, oryxes, wildebeests, zebras, sables and cheetahs.

In spite of photographing them and recording them on canvass, he has a concern. “I noticed in my recent visits that their numbers are dwindling,” he said, adding that the phenomenon seems to have been triggered by Kilimanjaro’s disappearing crown.

Naturally, a drier climate would kill off the animals. With watering holes already hard to come by in Africa, what more with increasing temperatures? So it seems no matter what reports might conclude, the impact of changing environment to living creatures is real and immediate. Yet, he feels, little is done.

“It is apparent that too few people feel for animals,” says Chew Choon in reflecting on attitudes today.

“I recall Chief Seattle’s wise words where he says that Man is empty without the beasts because they invariably share the world and spirit.” Chew Choon chanced upon this saying in 1855 by the wise Native American chieftain (from whom Seattle gets its name from).

To find the truth in these words of Chief Seattle, just see how pets and children relate to each other. It is undeniable that we share a joy with them; one that bonds us emotionally in a sustenance that is not found in the comfort of brick walls, mortar roads or electronic pricing systems.

Chew Choon's Call of the Wild

Chew Choon first saw elephants logging in Thailand and at once, he was taken in by their majesty and grace, resolving to spend his lifetime painting them. In seeking out the free roaming members of the pachyderm family, Africa became the pull and that is where he has gone ever since to be in their presence. He has since travelled to South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana, befriending different tribes including the Masai, learning new cultures and staying in straw huts. No wonder he considers Africa his other home.

It is not elephants, however, that were in Chew Choon’s first paintings as a boy. Growing up in a languid village in Kedah, Malaysia, the only thing that bustled was squawking and bellowing farm animals. His father who owned a rubber plantation often caught him settled under a tree, sketching cows and goats. Nothing could convince Chew Choon to take up an interest in the rubber trade as he grew up – he was committed to capturing the beauty of animals through art. So he moved to Singapore to pursue his dream.

Yet to be named, this 2008 piece  captures wild beasts lumbering in search of a watering hole

Graduating from Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1975, Chew Choon complemented his formal training in eastern disciplines with a western approach to broaden his expression in painting landscape and animals. He started with the Chinese brush and paper, but eventually got tired of its parameters and moved on to acrylic on canvas. This transition is seen in the move from realism to abstraction. During this time, Chew Choon was already established in European markets, having displayed his work in galleries and shows there.

Says Chew Choon on his continued visits to Africa in spite of waning wildlife, “It is humbling to speak on behalf of them and the planet because I have taken much already.”

Chew Choon’s collection of his best work and photographs over 30 years is captured in an illustrated bound book titled My Africa.

Both soft and hard cover versions are available by contacting the artist directly at chew_choon@yahoo.com.sg.

Photos by Adrian Goh, Chew Choon and Koko.

Balgis the Constant Conservationist

Story by Mallika Naguran

Balgis a true role model for women of Africa.

Dr Balgis Elasha-Osman is no stranger to world environment.

This inspirational Sudanese is a winner of the Champions of the Earthawarded by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in April 2008 and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate as leading author with the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) in December 2007.

Distinguished scientists forming the IPPC over the years were recognized for their systematic efforts in studying and advising the United Nations on the impacts of climate change to the world. The peace prize was shared equally with Al Gore, former US Vice President and chief advocate of the environment.

Balgis as Principal Investigator with the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources (HCENR) based in Khartoum, Sudan focuses her work on sustainable development. Her expertise lies in vulnerability and adaptation assessment plus documenting greenhouse gas inventories.

This amazing Muslim in her 40s arrived to her newfound status only by wrestling down prejudices, conventions and violence in a country that knows bloodshed too well, and standing by her conviction over two decades to protect the livelihood of the people by showing them how to adapt to harsh climates in Africa.

I caught up with the Sudanese chief scientist in Singapore during the Champions of the Earth award presentation ceremony, and asked her about her work and motivations.

Describe your early work in the 1980s when you first started the fuelwood program.

CHF improved stove in 2008 uses 75% less fuel wood and halves cooking time, benefitting Darfur mothers.

I began my working career at Forests National Corporation in a Fuelwood Development for Energy Project. We disseminated information on forest protection to people in rural areas of Sudan, helping them establish local nurseries planting Acacia and Eucalyptus, and introducing the idea of community forestry.

You introduced a new type of stove to replace the fuelwood guzzling traditional three-stone stove.

We initiated the energy conservation program and distributed improved stoves freely to women from more than 70 villages in different regions of Sudan. The objective was to release the pressure from the natural forest and consequently maintain the green cover.

The Azza stove is a Sudanese version of the Thai bucket stove. The inner part of the stove is made of burned clay while the outer case is metal, hence consumes 50% less of the usual amount of charcoal in traditional stoves. So a family who uses two sacks of charcoal per month will be using only one sack.

Gender-based violence is rife in war-torn Darfur. Main target, women and girls collecting fuelwood.

One other reason for promoting the improved stove, I understand, is to minimize the danger of violence and rape to women and children in going out to collect fuelwood during tribal conflicts.

Actually this was one of our key messages to convince the women to adopt the improved stoves, beside the saving of fuel and time and its being clean and efficient.

How did the early work give you an insight into climate change?

Historically, rural people in Sudan have suffered the impacts of climate variability on their livelihoods; variability took the form of erratic rainfall, drought and floods. The forestry extension program gave me the chance to travel to many remote areas, learn more about rural people and understand their specific needs and problems, as well as try to help them find solutions.  This is very similar to our current work and studies on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

Hana Hamadalla says of her PHD supervisor:"Balgis is a hard worker, creative and loves her work very much (but only after me)!"

You work in different directions, from directing researches, conducting assessments and training to serving in many international scientific and technical committees plus advisory boards. Having won the award, what goals have you set for yourself?

The award gives me the motivation and the courage necessary to continue my work and to face all the barriers along the way. I wish to give more time to action-oriented research to find solutions and to communicate these to people who really need them.

I want to dedicate more time to finding ways and means for bridging gaps between scientists, communities and policymakers. And more time to creating awareness and educating people on how to care for the environment, conserve their livelihoods and maintain their wellbeing.

What is the most satisfying achievement?

I think the greatest satisfying achievement is to be identified by UNEP as one of the leaders in protecting our planet. It is also the greatest responsibility for me to lead by doing.

Another important achievement is the networks created at the national, regional and international levels e.g. AIACC, IPCC.  I have known many great scientists as we have been working together as a team with a common purpose. It’s important to maintain this cooperation with the same level of interest and devotion to all that we do in order to make a difference to our communities and the world.

Who is your greatest inspiration?

"She has a high sense of responsibility towards her family and the whole of Sudan," says husband Mhd Omer ElGindi.

I came from a large family with 10 siblings. My father, Mohamed Elhassan, worked in Barclays Bank in Khartoum, however his salary was not enough to support us. So he took up an additional job - running the bank's restaurant. My mother and older sisters used to assist him by preparing the food for very long hours every night.

My father used to take the food to the bank's restaurant every morning in a big box tied to his bicycle. It took him 75 minutes to reach the bank by bicycle, and that was why he used to start his day early at 5:30 am, right after the Morning Prayer.  

His life was a long struggle. From him I learned the value of work and the essence of working hard to secure your living and fulfill your dreams. He was my model - peace be upon his soul.

Champions of the Earth is an international environment award established in 2004 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The annual prize rewards individuals who have made significant and recognized contribution globally, regionally and beyond, to the protection and sustainable management of the Earth's environment and natural resources.

The 2008 Champions of the Earth are: Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior researcher at Sudan's Higher Council for Environment & Natural Resources; Atiq Rahman, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies; Liz Thompson, the former Energy and Environment Minister of Barbados; and Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, the Secretary General of the Yemen People's General Congress.

Past Champions of the Earth winners include Ms. Massoudeh Ebtekar, the former Vice President of Iran; H.E. Mikhail Gorbachev of the Russian Federation; H.R.H. Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan; Jacques Rogge and the International Olympic Committee; and Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States.

Photos by Mallika Naguran and courtesy of Hana Hamadalla, Refugee International and CHF International.

Corporates Coy of Environmental Impact Disclosure

Nonprofits and journalists struggle to get firms to face their pollution trails

Story by Nantiya Tangwisutijit

How deep has green thinking penetrated the business community? Few are in a better position to assess this than Joydeep Gupta, associate editor at Indo-Asian News Service, who began his reporting career investigating one of the world's worst industrial tragedies: India's Bhopal disaster which claimed 20,000 lives in 1984.

While in Singapore last week to cover the B4E (Business for the Environment) Global Summit, Gupta thought twice before sitting down at a luncheon hosted by Dow Chemical, the American multinational company that became the world's second largest chemical manufacturer after its 1999 acquisition of Union Carbide, the company responsible for the Bhopal catastrophe.

Dow is also known for developing napalm and Agent Orange that caused massive casualties, birth defects and vast soil and water contamination during the Vietnam War.

At the Singapore summit "Business and Markets in a Climate of Change" Dow, and about two dozen global corporations talked about how they have succeeded in reducing their carbon footprint.

Environmental journalist Joydeep Gupta still awaits answers from polluting corporates

"It doesn't matter what they present in their glossy brochures, it's what they do inside when nobody is looking that determines if they've changed," Gupta said. "When it comes to environmental externalities, companies will see if it's cheaper for them to obey the law or bribe the inspector. That hasn't changed much."

The gathering of 500 business leaders was the latest of many forumsbeing held around the world for companies to showcase their greening efforts.

"Some see new business opportunities, others see their long term interest threatened by climate change. They are all doing something today," Achim Steiner said. He is executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, which helped organise the summit. "Have they done enough and progressed fast enough? Absolutely not. But they've come a long way from where they were a decade ago."

Nonprofits in attendance shared Gupta's view that corporate greening has more to do with improving balance sheets than the condition of theenvironment. Uchita de Zoysa, director of the Sri Lanka Centre for Environment could not get business leaders to respond when asked how they will address the pressing need for the developed world in particular to reduce consumption to cut carbon emissions. "Are companies ready to handle the consequences if consumers embrace that notion?" Zoysa asked. 

To   Gupta, few companies can even contemplate such changes, much less navigate through them. Many remain far too secretive in an effort to preserve their public image in the short term, rather than being open with consumers about the changes necessary for long-term sustainability.

Over the past twodecades, Gupta, an environmental economist by training, has been frustrated by the industry's ongoing resistance to release crucial public health information. His current focus is Dow's recent promotions in India for Styrofoam building insulation.

Sources have informed Gupta that the blowing agent for the foam might present environmental hazards. Moreover, some of these agents are responsible for a substantial amount of CO2 emissions according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

While in India, Dow vice president Neil Hawkins provided Gupta with some contacts, but none of them responded to his inquiries. He again raised the matter with Hawkins while the two were in Singapore.

"I know I won't hear anything from them," Gupta said. "They like to tell you PR stuff that means nothing. But they have a hard time telling the truth when it comes to their own pollution externalities … half truths are the best you can get."

Meanwhile, Dow's toxicologist Martina Bianchini said some chemicals were designed to be toxic and not bio-degradable in order to perform their intended functions.

Journalists from across Asia and Australia who also attended the B4E Singapore summit echoed Gupta's concerns. In a media workshop prior to the summit, China Daily's Li Jing discussed how industry data seldom matches government environmental reports.

Mostafa Majumder joins other journalists in seeking corporate ethics and transparency

Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor of the New Nation in Bangladesh described how journalists are routinely bribed by

businesses to ensure coverage does not deviate from their PR campaigns. 

"Not every company is comfortable with transparency, they still have a long way to go," Claude Fussler, a former Dow executive, said. Fussler is now programme director of the United Nations' Caring for Climate initiative, which lists 230 companies including Dow as signatories. "I repeatedly told them, even when I was at Dow, that things come out anyway. In today's world, cover-ups won't work. It's more dangerous if the story comes out from others."

Article republished from The Nation. Photos by Mallika Naguran.

Techung Sings of Tibetan Identity and Freedom

Story by Mallika Naguran

Tibetan singer-songwriter Techung plays the piwang

Tibetans in their struggle for freedom from Chinese invasion and occupation of their beautiful Himalayan country can take some comfort in the simple yet compelling music by Techung.

Internationally-acclaimed Tashi Dhondup Sharzur, or Techung as his mom fondly calls him (and so do we), is the gatekeeper of traditional Tibetan musical traditions. Exiled since birth and now living in the San Francisco Bay, Techung mirrors every inch the heart and soul of Tibetan heritage through poetry, song and music.

I was not the only one who stood entranced as he performed in an unassuming quartet on the final leg of the three-day Penang World Music Festival in May 2008 set in the magical quarry gardens of Penang island.

No fancy costumes, no rousing of audience with clichéd greetings and none of the glitzy showmanship expected of someone who is worthy enough to perform alongside artistes such as U2, Herbie Hancock, Pearl Jam, Tracy Chapman and George Harrison.

Techung’s performance was as sincere and simple as his music is.

And downright powerful, hitting the core of consciousness like a bowl of rice chang would. Techung played the Tibetan dranyan (a lute) and piwang (sort of a violin) while he sang, backed up by Brian James Valesco on the keyboards who infuses a bit of jazz, Michel Tyabji on drums and Ralph Rodriguez on bass.

With coal-black, thick hair bunched in a ponytail and well over six feet tall, Techung cuts an impressive figure on and off stage. His dark searching eyes add to his striking good looks as they speak of an unending quest – that of Tibetan freedom.

Techung’s Music

Modestly, in somewhat haltering English sans any American accent, he introduced his music, the meaning behind the lyrics and the motivation for writing them.

His characteristic folksy voice rendered traditional and original compositions comprising Tibetan folk, spiritual songs and freedom anthems that carry messages of love, courage, respect for Mother Nature, non-violence and political freedom.

Rang Zen, a song of Independence, incorporates the voice of the Dalai Lama who warns the danger of Tibetan religion and civilization “dying at the roots”.

Rang Zen

Independence and freedom

Freedom aint gonna be served on a platter, sings Techung

It’s up to Tibetans to make it a fact

Nobody will hand it to us on a platter

Nobody will tell us “Take this, here it is!”

Rang Zen

Total freedom

For that we must all work as one

Techung’s voice filled the breadth of the quarry as his vocals ranged three octaves to send tingling sensations down the spine. For a minute I thought the rocks from the quarry would come hurtling down.

Instead, a soft voice broke the spell. “Tibetan heritage is facing extinction under the Chinese rule and we got to fight on to preserve our identity.”

Growing up in India and later moving on to the States, Techung can’t help feeling a sense of loss. “I live in the US where there’s everything. Yet I feel like I’m losing myself. I think about the people back home in Tibet, the lives they lead and how they lose their freedom and independence,” he told the awe-struck crowd between numbers.

The father of 10-year-old twin girls confides in me that in spite of all, he’s still searching for a place to call home. “Maybe India,” he smiled. “I love it there. It’s close to Tibet as well,” said the peace-loving man who would be arrested if he did venture back to his homeland under the present regime.

Techung’s Life

American Indian percussionist Michel Tyabji loves Tibetan culture

Techung’s parents fled Tibet together with 80,000 others following the Chinese communist government illegal invasion of the country in 1949. Torture, killings even rape were rampant during the resistance. Following the occupation, Chinese authorities infiltrated and attacked every aspect of Tibetan culture and civilization.

Techung was born into this exiled Tibetan community of Dharamsala in India where he later enrolled into the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts established by the exiled Dalai Lama.

“I am not musically inclined and my family has no artistic background,” he said. Intent on preserving Tibetan heritage though, Techung devoted himself to all aspects of the performing arts at the institute – folk, court and religious music, handed down from the venerated Tibetan elders.

After emigrating to the United States, Techung founded the Chaksampa Tibetan Dance and Opera Company that has performed at spotlight events such as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

When he’s not performing or recording, this gentle giant trims the bushes of rich people’s houses in San Francisco to earn his keeps. I asked him what makes him write the songs he sings.

Techung wants to play in Tibet before he dies.

“Popular music today seems to focus on physical love and sex. In contrast, through my music, I talk about the Tibetan wisdom that comes from the past and what we can do for future generations,” said the constant gardener.

“My music calls out to unite Tibetans everywhere to stand up for what they believe in.”

Photos by Mallika Naguran and Tourism Malaysia.

Learn more about Tibetan culture by visiting:

www.tibetanarts.org

www.tibet.org (and sign a human rights petition)

www.march10.org

Exclusive to Gaia Discovery Subscribers:

WIN a Techung CD - compilation of Tibetan Folk and Freedom Songs - autographed by award-winning Techung. Winner of the 2006 JPF Asian Album of the Year featuring tracks such as Rang Zen – Independence, Nying Thop – Courage, Zhi Wai Gang Seng – The Snow Lion of Peace and Drechang Silma – Fresh Rice Chang.

How to take part? Just tell us why you think music is important in preserving heritage in Promotions in not more than 100 words. CD goes to the coolest response! Don’t forget to insert your email add else we can’t reach you with a gift parcel. If you’d like to keep your email private, send a personal note to the Editor.

Green Way of Life for Victoria Resorts

Eric Simmard puts community first. Pix by Mallika Naguran

When staying at any six of Victoria’s boutique resorts in Vietnam and Cambodia,you can sense an air of care for the local environment and the community. Facilities are provided within resort lobbies for villagers to demonstrate their art and display handmade handicrafts such as woven conical hat, thatched blankets and silver trinkets for sale. This is on top of other fundamental energy saving practices and recycling efforts.

I asked managing director Mr Eric Simard on his commitment to maintaining a green environmental policy, in particular, the Victoria Green Day, a clean up effort involving students, residents and staff across Vietnam and Cambodia.

What prompted you to start this green movement?

Our aim is to encourage all to preserve a green, clean and fresh environment to welcome visitors to Vietnam and Cambodia. As a leading luxury hotel and resort group, we have a responsibility to set a good example. Our properties are in areas far from the crowds of modern tourism, where people are slowly learning that a clean environment is a welcoming one for tourists – as well as something that benefits the entire local community. We hope that “Victoria Green Day” will keep the environment green, clean and protected. By doing so, we believe that being green will become a natural part of our lives.

What was the cost to Victoria Resorts in organizing the clean up?

Around 9 tonnes of junk were picked up at Sapa

The costs to our resorts in organizing Victoria Green Day were largely time and effort spent in meeting with governmental authorities for permits, coordinating with schools and many staffs being away from work to participate in the event. Actual costs included food preparation and printing of t-shirts for participants and travel expenses for media, around USD 3,500. With such low monetary costs, an event like this can be emulated by other companies and organizations in Vietnam and Cambodia.

What impact has this on others?

Beautiful, mountainous Sapa in Northern Vietnam

Staffs were very enthusiastic as they realized it is absolutely necessary to have a clean environment for our well-being and for future generations. They know that land is heritage and it is important to keep it natural and intact, without mounds of garbage piling up.

Our guests are very impressed to learn how committed we are in trying to preserve the environment and the local culture. They always are delighted when they see local crafts in the rooms and local music and dance shows in the evenings during dinner at some of our properties. Even journalists who follow our Victoria Green Day since its creation are known to get involved in garbage collection.

What's the greatest satisfaction gained from organizing this?

Adults at Victoria Chau Doc got into the green act

We are proud to be the first company to organize such an event as Victoria Green Day in Vietnam and to set an example for others. Year 2007 was very rewarding, especially in Sapa, where we saw more than 1600 participants. Many schools have joined us and it is good to see that Vietnamese children are enthusiastic to learn about the environment.

Are there other plans to care for the people’s welfare?

Activities such as medical check ups for children, seniors and expectant mothers who cannot afford medical care in the areas are being planned where our hotels and resorts are located. For this project we work in collaboration with the Children’s Action foundation.

Victoria Hotels & Resorts is a boutique group of six luxuryIndochina retreats embracing off–the-beaten-track mountain and beach spa resorts in Vietnam, two colonial-style hotels in the Mekong Delta, and an elegant spa resort at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Photos courtesy of Ronan Bianchi, GM of Victoria Phan Thiet Beach Resort & Spa, and a champ for community involvement.

Visit Victoria Resorts at www.victoriahotels.asia.

Contact Eric Simard.

Biodiversity Saves: Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf

Dr Djoghlaf zooms in on biodiversity wherever he goes. Source NParks

He keeps a close lookout on biodiversity wherever he goes, keeping an eye out for changes to ecosystems, which he hopes, are for the better.

Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf travels from country to country spreading the word and here’s why. The Executive Secretary of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) thinks that environmental issues including protecting indigenous species and ecosystems should be the job of leaders not just at national levels. "We need to act at regional levels as biodiversity knows no boundaries. Birds have no passport to cross borders," he quipped.

In town for a lecture at the invitation of the Singapore Environment Council in January 2008, Dr Djoghlaf spoke of regional cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to implement decisions, training and work plans. The Secretariat of CBD also initiated in Singapore a ‘capacity building’ workshop on national biodiversity strategies and action. This was the first of a series of workshops worldwide that’s targeted at regional and sub-regional levels to integrate biodiversity into national policies and planning. Around 40 Asian experts participated in this workshop in collaboration with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity that also signed an agreement with the CBD to help implement its goals within the region.

Green cities can nest its own habitats. Photo by Mallika Naguran.

The newest CBD member, Timor Leste, has already kicked in its strategies to align its national plans with CBD’s 2010 biodiversity target: towards a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all lives.

Cities a Haven

Dr Djoghlaf quoted from an IPPC report that predicted up to 50% of biodiversity of Asia is at risk due to climate change while as much as 88% of reefs may be lost over the next 30 years.

"We are experiencing the greatest wave of extinctions since the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Extinction rates are rising by a factor of up to 1,000 above natural rates. Every hour, three species disappear. Every day, up to 150 species are lost. Every year, between 18,000 and 55,000 species become extinct. The cause: human activities," he said.

Whale shark finds the 'groomers' indispensable . Photo by Dr Siak.

In 2007, urban population increased more than rural population, which Dr Djoghlaf describes as a "new paradigm with far reaching impacts". Yet, he is sanguine. "Human needs are real for instance the need for space and living. It is therefore important to conserve the environment for human beings, which also opens up a new way of appreciating nature," he said.

Dr Djoghlaf believes that sustainable cities can make major contributions to biodiversity to protect the development needs of the people and alleviate poverty. Creatures too benefit. "Animals are finding refuge in cities now due to the greenness there, for example in Munich," said Dr Djoghlaf.

Tourism a Driver

Mangrove tour at Sungei Buloh thrills kids and adults alike. Source, NParks.

Tourism can directly help finance the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and sustainable planning and management are in the industry’s long-term interest. "The business of tomorrow is green business," said Dr Djoghlaf, explaining that investing in tourism the right way can make money.

This is how the CBD helps. The Secretariat’s tourism activities help facilitate the implementation of the Convention through programmes such as island biodiversity, marine and coastal biodiversity, forests, and invasive species which are crucial to tourism issues.

"The powerful forces that shape the essence of tourism, including the human urge to see and experience the natural world, must continue to be harnessed to support the achievement of the goals of the Convention," he said.

Why is biodiversity important? Go to Planet for some answers.

Each day, 150 species are lost worldwide, observes Dr Djoghlaf. Source NParks.

What is CBD
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development - meeting our needs while ensuring that we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations. A key agreement adopted was the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

This pact among the vast majority of the world's governments sets out commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings alongside the business of economic development. 
The Convention establishes three main goals: 
1. Conservation of biological diversity
2. Sustainable use of its components
3. Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources

Visit www.cbd.int for more information.

Photos by Mallika Naguran and NParks

Green Midas of Maritime Park and Spa

GM Panitan Supawong and MD Mdm Pichet Panwichartkul let wildlife be

He is as unassuming as the age-old trees surrounding the imposing limestone karsts of Krabi just a hike away from the Maritime Park and Spa hotel, yet he has a Midas touch. General manager Panitan Supawong is bent on a mission to saving the earth with everything he touches, and he’s been devising all kinds of hi tech gadgets to rev things up - or rather down - just to save on watts.

Plugs are yanked off electrical sockets in the guest rooms. Incandescent lights are replaced by compact ones. Air-conditioning in rooms is set at no lower than 25 degree Celsius. The cooling mechanism of the existing air-conditioning system is to make way for a newer, less fuel guzzling equipment that recycles heat waste to hot shower systems. The list keeps growing, mostly through staff suggestions, all to save precious energy.

Thank goodness at least there’s ice in the fridge for my evening cocktails, which I had to make by turning down the chill knob, rather guiltily, if I may add.

Pluck a Green Leaf

This project to cut energy wastage began less than a year ago as part of the hotel’s new direction and commitment to the Green Leaf Program, an environmental policy for hotel’s sustainability, endorsed by major names such as Thai Tourism Authority and UNESCO.

Natural forest to explore with the bicycles provided

The program is part of the Green Leaf Foundation that involves a stringent auditing process covering areas such as policy and standard of environment practice, waste management, efficient use of water and energy, purchasing (e.g. seasonal products), storage and management of fuel, gas and toxic waste, ecological impact and community involvement.

Since Panitan came on board as Maritime’s GM a year and half ago, the hotel has gained a notch higher in Green Leaf rating, but my host is not gloating. "I haven’t done much," he whispers. Perhaps we should be the judge of that.

Apart from recycling materials and practising water conservation, the hotel donates its used cooking oil for bio diesel conversion, which fuels agro tractors. It also organises a clean up day during low season where staff go around the park picking up rubbish. As there’s no fence dividing hotel property from the national park grounds, a wider area gets a good sweep.

Soak outdoors at Adora Spa

Not having a fence also means that the living creatures of the park are free to meander around the hotel property. Maritime is committed to preserving the natural habitats surrounding it, so you may just stumble upon a monitor lizard or local otter sticking its head out of the pond. Snakes are native to the reserve but phosphorus powder on the ground keep them well at bay.

Having achieved much, the general manager shared what it meant to him personally. "I’m happy to do something for the hotel and its owner. That’s because the hotel isn’t as profitable as the popular beachside ones. Hence we need to keep our costs down, through energy saving and more." said Panitan.

Traditional, aromatic spa that soothes

"I’m also pleased when staff change in their views on environment conservation at the work place. I hope they continue the practice back at home." he added.

Indulge in New Senses

Later in the evening, I soaked in my lime and marigold scented bath outdoors while bathing in the sights of the imposing karsts and the rich vegetation surrounding it. Adora Spa at the hotel grounds is delightfully Thai with its range of treatment oils, herbs, scrubs and massage.

Connecting with nature, I felt my aches melt and my mind drift.

It is hard to adjust to nature when it’s most idyllic. It is also hard to imagine that this oasis of green is in Krabi town and just 20 minutes drive to the famed Ao Nang and Railey beaches. And slurping spicy seafood tom yam kung (sweet sour soup) served in a baby coconut shell at Maritime Park and Spa’s only restaurant, my senses jolt and my nose runs. Yet, I dig in for more.

Here’s a green hotel in southern Thailand that simply energises.

Getting there: Fly direct to Krabi International Airport, then transfer by car to hotel in just 10 minutes. You can also take a connecting flight to Krabi from Bangkok or Phuket. Travelling by land from Phuket is possible in 2 hours.

Activities: Snorkelling, scuba diving, rock climbing, elephant trekking, fishing, mangrove cruise, island hopping, kayaking

Attractions: Limestone karsts, scenic beaches and islands such as Phi Phi

Contact details:

Maritime Park & Spa Resort

1 Tungfah Road, Muang Krabi, Krabi 81000, Thailand.

Tel: 66 (0) 7562 0028-46

Email: maritime@maritimeparkandspa.com

Website: www. maritimeparkandspa.com

Stiff Chilli is Hot on History and Sports

By Mallika Naguran

Chef Rodney Holt takes heritage seriously, and sports too

A trip to Stiff Chilli in Jalan Besar, Singapore, is a walk down Balinese memory lane. On the walls hang framed black and white memories of royalty and coy Balinese girls with sarongs around their waists, and not much else.

Chef and proprietor Rodney Holt is passionate about preserving the history of Bali as he is with dishing out the best pasta. The Australian who worked as Italian chef with Aman Resorts and Hyatt Indonesia and F&B Director with Begawan Giri Resort loves culture and history, which may have something to do with meeting his wife AAA Putri Girindrawardani who descends from Bali royalty. Her grandfather, Ketut Ngurah Karangasem, was the last king to reside in the palace that’s at risk of ruin due to age and neglect.

Australian swimming champion Michael Klim presents Bali Sports Personality of the Year to Rodney Holt for his achievements in Indonesian Rugby and the sporting scene in Bali in December 2007. Source: Stiff Chilli.

Puri Karangasem, home of the royal family of Karangasem, covers three palaces built by the last Raja in the early 20th century - Puri Agung, which is the main palace in town; Taman Ujung, the water palace; and Taman Tirtagangga, the water gardens.

RJHgroup, owned mainly by Rodney, is helping Puri Karangasem in preserving the history both through video clips, oral history and digitizing of written records. “Right now, information about the history of the palace is written on palm leaves, which is not going to last. My concern is to record the information and digitize it, together with building a data of oral history from my father-in-law who has 5,000 books in a climate control room in the palace,” says Rodney.

Puri Karangasem's rich history is under threat due to lack of conservation. Source: Stiff Chilli.

With the restoration of books as well as old photos and yesteryear movies, Rodney hopes to preserve and display them in a museum that he intends to build within the palace grounds by end 2008. He adds that the project could do with added financial support through sponsorship.

Rodney is quite an influencer in Bali sports. Starting as a participant in rugby and kite surfing when Stiff Chilli first set up shop in 1999, Rodney today sponsors and organizes events and meets such as Bali Sevens and International Rugby 10’s. He gets real busy, right down to supervising ticket sales, hauling up marquees and buying airfares for sports celebrities to attend the Bali Sports Gala.

“I believe in karma - you give back what you take. The inaugural gala dinner with sports celebrities is an example of doing something big and good,” he adds. 

Crispy pizza bianco e nero with buffalo cheese and black caviar

Rodney tells me how he took on an idle Balinese teen and showed him the finer points in kite surfing and encouraged him to excel in it. Eka Putu went on to taking the sport seriously and was so good at it that he impressed judges to win international kite surfing competitions four times over. Now 24, Putu is married and lives in Australia.

Rodney cares for the environment too, which is why he supports the launch of a children’s book Penyu dan Lumba-lumba (Turtle and Dolphin). Written by Maggie Dunkler, the book is on environmental responsibility and keeping Bali’s beaches free from the plastic waste. “As the present generation has lost the focus on environment care, by teaching the kids at least we can influence the next generation,” he says. The book is also written in Balinese, which he hopes to be preserved, in addition to English and Indonesian.

Organic products - Big Tree Bali and FairTrade products - are sold at Stiff Chilli (there are four outlets in Bali and one in Singapore), for preservation of the environment, health and taste. “My pasta sauce is made from vine-ripe tomatoes which taste better. Sorbet and gelata made from fresh fruit in Bali are pesticide free. We don’t use gums and stabiliziers in our ice cream – everything’s natural,” says Rodney.

Rodney talks about the recycling effort that goes on in Bali, and laments the lack of it in Singapore. “In Bali, excess food is given to staff who take home to feed the pigs with. Paper is recycled, bottles get recycled, oil is sold to a company that turns it into biodiesel and plastic is turned into more plastic.”

“In Singapore, only drink cans are collected by old people. No bins are provided to sort the rubbish, which is highly surprising for a developed country,” he says. Rodney tells me that there is a long way to go before Asians wake up to the need for environment conservation.

Maybe a trip to Stiff Chilli for a wholesome meal like my favourite juicy vegetarian lasagna and wood fired pizza with four cheeses, plus a slice of Balinese history may stir an awakening in us.

Rodney@stiffchilli.com

www.stiffchilli.com

Post-note: Sadly, the restaurant is no longer in operations. We will certainly miss Stiff Chilli in Singapore, but do trip along to Sanur, Bali to sample the pizza there where the chef is still at work.

Location:

Stiff Chilli Bali: Jl Kesumasari 11,Semawang Beach,Sanur Tel +62 361 288371

Responsible travel: Luxury in ecotourism

Paradisal Maldives may not be too idyllic by the turn of the century

In the race to ride the wave of luxury tourism, do builders think return of investment or return to nature? Plans are drawn for a magical resort in the Maldives, and investors want it up quick to hear the dollars rustle. Forget about the environment – too costly, complicated and hey, it’s not our responsibility anyway.

Fast-forward eighty years; the multi-million dollar investment is buried under the seas, along with their dreams and holidaymakers.

Tourism has certainly played an important role in the economic development of many countries. Luxury travel, in particular, has fueled an increase of alternative forms of resort and spa developments, benefiting shareholders and tax masters alike.

Sadly, it has also led to forests being destroyed, coastlines marred by proliferation of hotels, over development of infrastructure, wearing out of archaeological sites, depletion of natural resources and crumbling heritage.

Rising waters, warmer climates are issues faced by Maldivians

Despite tourism being regulated by government-drawn territorial plans, hoteliers and property developers still adopt a myopic view in designing luxury stays, causing irreparable damage to the environment. It’s a fact that global warming, caused by excessive carbon emissions, is to blame for the freaky weather and climate change we have seen, from El Nino, fatal heat waves to snowy blizzards in springtime.

The last century has seen the earth becoming warmer by 1%. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that global warming would cause the world’s temperature to rise by 1.1-6.4ºC by 2100. The sea level rose on average by 1.8mm a year from 1961 to 2003, but went up further by 3.1mm average yearly between 1993 and 2003.

Ignorance is no longer an excuse for hoteliers, with information on protecting the earth being readily available and associations to consult on how to preserve the good during land transformation.

Local trade in ethnic handicrafts has Victoria Resort's support in Vietnam and Cambodia

Hoteliers and property developers have a part to play in sustainable tourism. This, in short, means what we take should be matched by what we put in. Former World Bank economist Herman Daly says, “The pace and rhythm of exploitation should be equal to the speed with which such resources are regenerated, while on the other hand the pace at which waste products are produced should reflect the natural capacity of ecosystems and the environment to absorb such substances.”

There are a few exemplary hotels that have taken eco-luxury to heart. The Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica kept 70% of its land area to remain in a natural state and uses a type of grass for its golf course that conserves fresh water, using 50% ocean-water mix for irrigation.

The Crosswaters Ecolodge and Spa in the Nankun Mountain Reserve, Guangdong province has villas built of locally grown bamboo and uses organic local textiles. Built as a model of sustainable design, the lodge provides spa treatments in open-air suites and runs tai chi classes in forest studio.

French-run Victoria Resorts in Cambodia and Vietnam weave local art and trade within their resorts, with artists crafting their ware for display and sale. This is to preserve ethnic heritage and to stimulate further trade for the residents. Their website is www.victoriahotels-asia.com.

Malikha Lodge, built in the Himalayan foothills of Northern Myanmar, used glut materials like old teak for its handcrafted bathtub so as to preserve the endangered teak supplies. Bathroom tiles were handmade river stones hacked to shape by local jade cutters.

Not enough hoteliers, though, are taking the route of eco-luxury, especially in Asia. As consumers we can play a part in promoting eco-luxury. We can seek out hotels and resorts that are environmentally sensitive, use renewable energy and water, recycled building materials and have safe waste disposal systems. By selecting lodgings that pay attention to local traditions, we also help preserve its culture and heritage.

Creature comforts must be balanced by a thought for the environment, if we want our great grandchildren to be able to ride that luxury wave in the Maldives.