Feature Story

September, 1991, could hardly have been a less auspicious moment for bold environmental initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Arabic word sahil means “shore” or “coast.” From this root comes the English word Sahel, the transition zone in North Africa from the sandy and barren Sahara to the more fertile savannas of the south.

This shifting frontier cuts the nation of Niger neatly in half, placing the country and its largely rural population literally on the front lines in the effort to adapt to climate change, combat desertification, and reduce poverty.

Rodrigues is a semi-autonomous dependency of the Republic of Mauritius, situated within the Mascarene Archipelago, a recognized global biodiversity hotspot. The island is of volcanic origin and is encompassed by an extensive fringing reef, with a wide shallow lagoon that covers an area of 240 km². Fisheries are a vital source of employment, income and subsistence livelihoods in Rodrigues and play an important role in the local culture and traditions, and therefore their sustainable management is a priority.

Ask just about anyone who has thought about global climate change to name where most greenhouse gases come from and like as not they will respond, correctly, with energy production and industry.

Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest inland fresh water sanctuary. It hosts more than 300 endemic fish species, produces more than 300,000 tons of fish, and supports domestic, artisanal and agricultural activities. Lake Victoria’s fishing sector generates US$ 300-400 million a year and provides a source of livelihood for three million people (Kayombo and Jorgensen, 2005). However, the lake is also a destination for local waste and sewage disposal.

Legend has it that centuries ago a flood washed away a princess from Johor, Malaysia.

In his grief, her father ordered his subjects to sea, to return only when they had found his daughter. So goes the creation myth of the Bajau, a Malay people who are among the world’s last sea nomads.

The most famous medical advice in history actually had nothing to do with medicine.

Benjamin Franklin’s well-worn adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure referred not to illness but fire. Among his many other pursuits, Franklin was a pioneer of public safety and created Philadelphia’s first fire company in 1736.

Franklin’s insight was so powerful, and applied to so many things, that from it we remember a simple and ageless lesson: it is far better to prevent disaster than attempt to deal with the consequence afterward.

In March 2003, the Government of Sabah announced its approval of the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), a marine area covering 1.02 million hectares in the northern part of Sabah. The marine protected area (MPA) was previously known as the Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area, and is one of the priority areas identified under the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) as being globally significant for its high biodiversity and rich natural resources.

Belitung is a small archipelago situated on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It comprises one main island and several small islands, and is part of Bangka Belitung Islands Province. Due to its rich deposits of tin, Belitung experienced the development of a massive tin mining business that started in the colonial period around the 1850s. The expansion of mining activities on the island led to rapid environmental degradation, eventually damaging 80% of the mangrove forest in Selat Nasik Coast, and producing negative impacts on the livelihoods of the local fisher folks.

The wealth from some of the largest oil reserves in Central Africa pays for the city’s skyscrapers, hotels, and lush neighborhoods. Water, on the other hand, keeps the lights on. Water, that is, spinning the turbines of two dams on the Mbé River, about 100 kilometers northeast of the city center. About 60 percent of the country’s population, many of whom missed out on the oil boom, lives in Libreville.