Elephant caravan - a mixed message or a dream journey?
Their plan is to march them through the lowlands of Thailand for a fortnight to bring attention to climate change and to the threats that rising temperatures and sea levels would have on Thailand's rice bowl - most of which sits a hair's breadth above sea level - and on biodiversity in general, the aim is to finish in Samut Prakarn in time for the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations - otherwise known as the Bangkok Climate Change Talks 2009 (which start tomorrow, 28th of September).
I have to admit my first thought was not one of outrage, though there is definitely a mixed message in there, here we are working to get eles off the streets and here Greenpeace are takin' 'em back.
I heard a young Dutch lady a few years ago attempted to do a similar thing, walk an ele she had bought from the streets back through Thailand, performing educational work along the way, to a Sanctuary in the North (I think Elephant Nature Park). Rumour has it that her donors and the overseas elephant loving folks were so appalled at this idea that she had to call it off - we're saving an ele from the streets, how can you suggest that it walk some more?
My first thought, though, centred around a green-eyed monster - if I could find someone else to take over the reins of keeping my 34 elephantine and 64 human souls happy, busy and healthy for awhile (and persuade my bosses to keep on paying me) I have long dreamed of an elephant pace journey through the back roads of Thailand, from Surin to here over the course of about three or four months, I think the kindnesses and insights into Thai life that you get at that pace (I always love riding the elephants back from Chiang Saen after Songkran) would be selfishly worth it as a lifetime experience, if you also performed educational work in local schools as well as told the international press that you were doing it to 'draw attention to something' (more for form's sake than to draw attention to it one feels), who knows, given a further six months of hair pulling and wrist ache there may be a best seller in it too.
So, mixed messages aside, I feel it would be churlish to complain about our climate change activist friends taking eles back to the streets, they are also quick to point out that the eles will only walk 10km a day and will be transported by truck through the busy areas, something that I guess is necessary if you need to cover that distance in that time. I guess some folks might point out that popping elephants on and off trucks and sending them out on the road is a little unnecessary, there are other ways to make a point and the eles may be happier in the forest but, done well as I'm sure Dr Alongkot will, and using Surin elephants that are used to trucks, it is still better than scraping a living on the streets from whence they came and if attention really is drawn (I think the benefit to the schools and towns they visit will be greater than to the folks in the U.N. conference centre who are presumably well versed in the issues) then the greater good is satisfied (and it all sounds like jolly good fun).
The caravan is obviously having some effect as climate change stories are popping up in the press - and I'm not going to argue that this is not a pre-eminent issue facing our planet - as I will not argue that (should we fail to prevent it) it will directly harm the bio-diversity of the entire planet (as well as the Greater Mekong Sub-region) but being an old and unreformable pedant I do have to make the small point that, in my opinion, the greater immediate threat to the bio-diversity of the areas mentioned is continued habitat loss through human intervention and encroachment, unsustainable water usage as well as, in some cases poaching for the pet and bushmeat markets.
Climate change will obviously increase these problems over the next ten to twenty to fifty to one hundred years, but, by then, many of the 133 - 2,835 species (now there's a fair old data range) may be extirpated or extinct already thanks to current destructive trends unconnected to the major global issue. I haven't seen the educational material that accompanies the caravan but I do hope they stress the importance of saving Asia's wild places now as well as the household level changes that can be made to help change the larger picture.
On a smaller point, while I find the assertion that there is no viable population of Asian elephant remaining in the range states a little alarmist - the scientific agreement on what constitutes a viable gene pool is a long way off (under the most rigorous scientific definition we'd all be doomed) - I agree that concentration on wildlife corridors and linking the remaining populations in Thailand and throughout the range is necessary - these were listed as recommendations in the 1996 Asian Elephant Conservation Action Plan - perhaps a caravan to highlight the need for this work is in order?
...and while I wouldn't argue that Khao Yai at 300 has possibly Thailand's highest density of elephants it also wouldn't hurt to make the point that Thailand has some other populations with greater viability (at present) due to access to greater areas of contiguous forest and of being on the border with countries with a lower human population density and potentially very large areas of forest remaining (albeit with very little current protection).
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The Future Depends on What We Do at the Present (Greenpeace South-east Asia blog)
Om Jai Shri Ganesha! As is the practice amongst millions of believers, especially the Hindus, the blessings of the elephant-headed god, aka Ganapati, the remover of obstacles and god of all beginnings, were sought today to launch the Chang(e) Caravan near the famed UNESCO world heritage site, the magnificent rainforests of Khao Yai National Park.
Later, sitting amongst hundreds of school children, watching the ancient ceremony of Wai Pakam, being performed by mahout elders of the Kui tribe, calling upon the spirits for protection of all life in the forests, I was amazed by the simple animist beliefs that have persisted despite the disappearance of the forests , thousands of species and the traditional way of life.
Before the arrival of man, Southeast Asia, a region that today comprises of 11 nations and is about half the size of USA, was completely covered by forests with the exception of its beaches, tidal flats and top of some high mountains.
More than 100 plant families with several thousand tree species thrived in these forests that one time, according to naturalists, was home to over 50 percent of all species on earth.
Only a few patches have survived the onslaught of man and his greed, but I was reassured by my friend, Dr. Alongkot, a leading elephant conservationist in Thailand and Caravan Manager of the audacious Chang(e) caravan, that these remaining rain forests of Southeast Asia are still a refuge to almost 20 percent of surviving bio-diversity on the planet
Chang, Thai for Elephant, the most charismatic mega-fauna, its largest member. All of which is under unprecedented threat with the dual and inter-related cause of deforestation and climate change.
The Asian Elephant, is divided in 3 sub-species, the elephants of Sri Lanka (Elephas maximus maximus), the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus Sumatranus) and all the elephants of the continental mainland (Elephas maximus Indicus).
According to Dr. Alongkot , nowhere in India or Southeast Asia there exists, what biologists call a ‘minimal viable population’ that can breed in perpetuity without harmful genetics efforts caused by ‘pocketed herd phenomenon’ due to forest degradation and loss of forest corridors.
Thailand has about 1500 wild elephants with the biggest concentration (200-300) in Khao Yai National Park and along the border with Myanmar. Thailand presently has about 2500 elephants in captivity. With the closure of logging industry , many of these elephants and their mahout families have been rendered jobless, reduced to begging on the streets of Bangkok.
Five such elephants, rescued and rehabilitated by Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund, will lead the people’s caravan for change, raising awareness on climate change, collecting and broadcasting the voices of thousands of impacted people in the region to call upon world leaders especially President Obama to take decisive action to combat climate change and stop deforestation.
Von Hernandez, Greenpeace Southeast Asia’s Executive Director, in his opening remarks said that the letter ‘e’ in chang(e), stands for ‘empowerment’. Given the elephantine task ahead for the Chang(e) caravan crew and also the world leaders who will meet in New York for a special session of UN general assembly on climate change, we hope that the wisdom of the elephants will prevail.
After all, to quote Mahatma Gandhi, “The future depends on what we do in the present.”
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Mekong countries told they must work out plan to adapt
- Writer: Apinya WMekong nations have been urged to work out a regional plan for adapting to climate change to safeguard the region's ecological system from rising temperatures.ipatayotin
- Position: Reporter
- Published: 26/09/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
- Position: Reporter
This photo taken on Jan 1, 2008, and released by The World Wide Fund for Nature shows a Khorat big-mouthed frog,known by its scientificname Limnonectes megastomias, at an unknown location in Thailand.Thefanged frog wasamong163new species discovered last year in the biologicallyrich GreaterMekong region, anenvironmental group said yesterday. AP
A lack of concrete measures to combat climate change has put many species of rare fauna and flora in the Mekong region at risk of extinction, Stuart Chapman, director of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme, said yesterday.
He proposed the Mekong Regional Climate Change Adaptation Agreement be drafted and signed by Mekong region nations to ensure cooperation in combating climate change and protecting the region from its devastating impacts.
The recommendation came after the WWF's survey of animals and plant species along the Mekong river last year found 163 new species in the region _ 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and a bird.
But all of them are at risk of extinction due to the impacts of climate change.
The new species were found in the Greater Mekong region, covering Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern part of China.
Mr Chapman said closer cooperation among Mekong countries in fighting and adapting to climate change should be discussed at the Bangkok Climate Change Talks 2009, which start on Monday.
Geoff Blate, the WWF's climate change coordinator for the Greater Mekong programme, said that recent studies show the climate of the Greater Mekong region is already changing.
Moreover, rising seas and salt water intrusion will cause major coastal effects on the Mekong River delta, which is one of the three most vulnerable deltas in the world. An average rise in temperature in the region of two to four degrees Celsius would lead to the extinction of 133 to 2,835 species, he said.
"We have many cooperation agreements on the economy and energy, but none for the crucial issue of climate change," said Mr Blate.
Kathrin Gutmann, of the WWF Global Climate Initiative, expressed her hope that climate change talks in Bangkok would be able to bring about progress for the main meeting to be held in Copenhagen at the end of this year.
"Protecting endangered species and vulnerable communities in the Greater Mekong and elsewhere depends on fast progress at the UN talks in Bangkok."
Categories: Thailand Elephants, General Conservation
Tags: United Nations Climate Change Negotiations Greanpeace Chang(e) Caravan habitat corridors
Tuskers on a mission
DAILY XPRESS
Published on September 14, 2009
Five elephants will trek 250 km in Thailand to urge US President Obama to take action against global warming
A caravan of five elephants has began a 250-km trek in a public-awareness campaign over global warming, which is expected to be discussed at a world summit in Copenhagen in December.
Chang(e) Caravan
Executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia Von Hernandez said the Chang(e) Caravan has been organised especially to arouse US President Barack Obama to take concrete action to tackle global warming. He was speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of an elephant-nursing centre in Nakhon Ratchasima to flag off the caravan.
Forests, animals in danger
The rain forests in Southeast Asia and its inhabitants the wild elephants are one of the areas and animals most at risk of global warming. They and around 20 per cent of other animals are endangered because of the phenomenon and man-made problems, he said.
The Chang(e) Caravan project is aimed particularly at urging Obama to bring up the issue of a worsening global-warming at the Copenhagen summit. "He is expected to take a leadership role over the issue and act on it seriously," Hernandez added.
Alongkot Chukaew, the manager of the caravan, said all five domesticated elephants were well trained - they can associate closely with humans and crowds.
14-day walk
The 250-km route, which will be covered in 14 days, will snake past Khao Yai National Park and along the Bang Pakong River basin through Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri and Chachoeng-sao. The finish line is in Samut Prakan province.
There are 15 rest points along the route. All elephants will walk no more than 10 km each day, and will be transported in specially designed trucks in crowded areas or communities, he said.
Water, food and medical care will be sufficiently provided at each rest point.
The elephants will participate in various "non-abusive" activites in selected communities along the route to raise awareness among local residents on global warming, he added.
Elephants are a crucial indicitor signifying the health - and wealth - of our ecological system. "Successful prevention to protect wild elephants means successfull prevenion of the entire ecological system, which humans are a part of," Alongkot pointed out.
There are now 2,000 wild and 3,000 domesticated elephants in Thailand.
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Chang(e) Caravan Reaches Bangkok
Daily Photos from Thailand
Saturday 26th September, 2009 at 12:03:12| Words: 138 words | Category: News Photos
The Greenpeace Chang(e) Caravan has reached the outskirts of Bangkok on the eve of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the capital and is stepping up its call for world leaders to heed the voices of the most vulnerable and act decisively to stop climate change. The 15-day walk with five Asian Elephants rehabilitated by the Thai Elephant Research and Conservation Fund (TERF), has organized ground researches, workshops, public hearings and focus group discussions to document actual situations of people already suffering from climate change. The Caravan has also initiated a study on the climate vulnerability of the Bangpakong River Basin, an important agricultural area in Thailand, which is now experiencing climate change impacts such as flooding, drought, saltwater intrusion, and coastal erosion. (Richard Barrow/ThaiPhotoBlogs.com)
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