Today "local people's participation" is the term which NGOs use to enhance their
participation (and thereby funding) as they feel they are the (true or better)
representative of civil society groups. The same term is used by the State to
abdicate its responsibility by simply stating that whatecver it does is futile
unless the citizenry positively responds to that. For some others, absence of
local participation is a cultural problem (blaming it on predecessors, religion
and culture)- and therefore is almost unsolvable in one's own lifetime.

There is no good reason to disagree with what aletha has pointed out because
they are all pious wishes. Information need to be provided to local people. But
who will provide? Non-provision of information- whose fault is this? Is it of
local people or NGO or state? Of the three who can be taken to task for
non-fulfilment. Can "local people" be taken to task? First we have individual
political rights- which will hinder. Then they will state their ignorance itself
being the reason for their ignorance. Finally the term local people includes
every one and may even exclude everyone (a tautology).

Although I agree, the practicality suggests that if at all anyone can be taken
to task, it is the government, who theoretically and institutionally are
accountable to 'local' people. As far as NGOs are concerned, we all know their
accountability to people and causes (it is better not to get into the issue of
NGO accountability).

pradeep


aletha <atavares@...> wrote:
although i agree with all the reasons that were direct or indirect
factors responsible for the tsunamis, i still feel that no matter if
the govts initiate programs even to our liking it will never work
without local people's participation- we have to instill among the
people itself the need to maintain the ecosystems. Money allocated by
govts or well meaning agencies end up as salary for the officers and
infrastructural expenditure. How many people in the city of Mumbai
itself know what a mangrove is and what it functions as? Explain the
function and its usage to people who live around these mangroves,
explain to them that they would be the first to be wiped out and not a
thot given to them unless they dont start taking care of it, watch the
difference, simultaneously explain to the politicians, who
unfortunately we have very few "educated" ones among them!

The importance of ecosystems to their own lives (given that we human
beings are the most selfish people), their livelihood, the future of
their children's lives, should be made available to the local people.
Give them something to be proud of and only then will they take care
of their surorundings and heritage. Involve the local people in the
fight against the destructive tendencies, school children should also
be involved in knowing their environment, the advantages and
disadvantages for they are the future movers.

Even immigrants /migrants should be made to realise that where they
are going to live and eke their living, they need to understand the
surroundings in order to survive and become part of the community.

The 'bindaas" lifestyles that have come to be the core living of many
a youth today is because of the short term goals that our predecessors
have laid before them. Easy come Easy go. Our leaders are aware of
this and hence today our countries are strife with terrorism,
sectarianism, eco destruction, no decent burials, third world
countries treated like dumping grounds,etc. If our scientists spent
more time in creating simple, inexpensive systems for people to eke
their existence then people would not allow poachers to steal their
forests in return for a few scraps of wood.Corals would not have been
exploited by politicians and bureaucrats who for a few rupees got the
locals to dive for more. If over exploitation of land and the
consequences of the introduction of new species were explained to
people, children, immigrants whatever- people would take more care of
theier surroundings. Our farmers for the want of a few more seeds in
afast track economy have lost many a lives.

It isnot an easy task to combat all this, nor can a few NGOs achieve
the peaceful balance-but try we can and start at the lowest levels
children, women, men-each within their own sphere need to be educated
for the unit to function in coherence. Practical education,
environmental values and ethics and not the religious kind need to be
introduced in schools. If we have to start from the beginning lets
begin here.....


On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 18:04:21 +0530, Pankaj <pankaj@...> wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tim Team
> To: timteam02@...
> Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 4:22 PM
> Subject: tim-team Clearinghouse: Tourism 'worsened' tsunami, says UNEP
>
>
> Dear colleagues and friends,
>
>
>
> The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) acknowledges in a newly released report
> that environmental degradation caused by tourism development has worsened
> the effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. UNEP also calls on
> countries in risk zones to establish natural buffer areas along their coasts
> to be protected against disasters coming from the sea.
>
>
>
> But can we be confident that such recommendations will be heeded by the
> powers-that-be? As Satya Sagar points out in a special commentary for The
> Nation, despite the initially overwhelming solidarity for the tsunami's
> victims from around the world, it has been found that in many areas struck
> by the disaster, the distribution of relief and the rehabilitation process
> overseen by governments are marred by corruption, inefficiency and waste.
> State agencies have taken the typical top-down approach, with little or no
> regard for the needs and interests the suffering locals. Satya concludes,
> "The failure of a disaster as great as the Asian tsunami to elicit more
> humane and people-centred policies from governments of affected nations is
> yet another indication of just how remote these governments are from the
> populations they claim to represent."
>
>
>
> In the light of this, the idea that the disaster aftermath can be made an
> opportunity to bring about more equitable and sustainable development may be
> little more than wishful thinking. In particular, the politics of
> post-tsunami recovery is much more complicated than some self-styled experts
> in sustainable or fair pro-poor tourism would expect.
>
>
>
> Yours truly,
>
> Anita Pleumarom
>
> Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team (tim-team)
>
>
>
> -------------------------
>
> The Telegraph (UK): 26 February 2005
>
>
>
> TOURISM 'WORSENED' TSUNAMI, SAYS U.N.
>
>
>
> By Paul Miles (Filed: 26/02/2005)
>
>
>
> The United Nations has blamed tourism development for worsening the effects
> of the recent tsunami, according to a new report.
>
>
>
> The report, undertaken by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), revealed that
> in areas where mangrove forests or reefs had been destroyed to make room for
> tourist developments the tsunami had a more devastating impact than it would
> have had otherwise.
>
>
>
> "Severe damage on the coast was observed where coral mining in the sea had
> been rampant. There were signs of absorbed impact and less damage in
> locations with healthier vegetation and less disturbed ecosystems," said the
> report.
>
>
>
> In Sri Lanka, the Yala and Bundala National Parks escaped damage because
> vegetated coastal sand dunes stopped the tsunami, which was able to enter
> only where the dune line was broken by river outlets.
>
>
>
> Naturetrek, a British tour operator, is still taking tourists to both parks
> on birdwatching and natural-history tours.
>
>
>
> Reefs that had been ravaged by mining and fishing by dynamite were also
> ineffective in protecting the coastline. In one of the case studies in Sri
> Lanka, the reef in Dutch Bay is reported to have been almost entirely
> destroyed by the tsunami.
>
>
>
> "If coral hadn't been destroyed to build hotels, mangroves removed to make
> `perfect beaches' and hotels built so close to the shoreline, the death toll
> may well have been lower," said Tricia Barnett, director of Tourism Concern,
> which campaigns for sustainable tourism.
>
>
>
> Ms Barnett is confident that any rebuilding along the affected coastlines
> will now be better planned. "Local people recognise the opportunities that
> this catastrophe has opened up for everyone to benefit from sustainable
> tourism," she said.
>
>
>
> Isabelle Louis, director of the Worldwide Fund for Nature's Asia Pacific
> programme, which helped compile the Unep report, said that rebuilding should
> be as environmentally friendly as possible. WWF is helping to ensure
> supplies of sustainable timber for reconstruction and looking at improving
> waste disposal and energy provision and providing opportunities for local
> people.
>
>
>
> ---------------------
>
> Agence France Presse (AFP): 23 February 2005
>
>
>
> TSUNAMI-HIT NATIONS MUST HEED ENVIRONMENT IN RECONSTRUCTING: UNEP
>
>
>
> Countries hit by last year's devastating tsunami should erect natural buffer
> zones along their coasts and rebuild in less exposed areas to protect
> against future calamities, a UN report said Tuesday.
>
>
>
> The report noted that Sri Lanka, one of the hardest-hit countries, had
> already decided to establish a no-build zone up to 200 metres from the
> average high tide line.
>
>
>
> The planting of trees, primarily mangroves, around denuded shorelines would
> lessen the impact of disasters like the December 26 tsunami which killed
> nearly 290,000 people around the Indian Ocean, according to the report.
>
>
>
> "Priority should be given to near-shore forest development as trees will
> help absorb the energy of future tsunamis, prevent coastal erosion due to
> rising sea levels and meet national objectives for reforestration and job
> creation," it said.
>
>
>
> The report, entitled After The Tsunami - Rapid Environmental Assessment, was
> released in Nairobi at the annual meeting of UN Environment Program (UNEP)
> governors.
>
>
>
> UNEP estimates that reconstruction and rehabilitation costs could top US$10
> billion dollars and take as long as a decade to implement.
>
>
>
> As countries proceed, they must heed the long-term environmental lessons of
> the tsunami, particularly the consequences of ripping out mangrove swamps
> and the destruction of coral reefs that protect coastlines, it said.
>
>
>
> In rebuilding destroyed housing and infrastructure, UNEP lamented a lack of
> best practice guidelines for construction to minimise damage from giant
> waves and said that such blueprints should be urgently drawn up.
>
>
>
> In the meantime, however, it suggested that countries enact strict building
> codes in coastal areas to keep construction away from sites known to be
> prone to high waves and flooding.
>
>
>
> "Buildings and other infrastructure need to be built in less vulnerable
> areas and to standards that will protect them and their inhabitants in the
> event of future tsunamis," UNEP chief Klaus Toepfer said.
>
>
>
> "This makes sense not only in respect to tsunamis but also with respect to
> storms surges, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events," he
> said.
>
>
>
> The report also suggests that the tourism industry, a vital source of
> revenue for many of the tsunami-affected countries' economies, should take
> the lead in locating hotels and resorts in less exposed areas.
>
>
>
> In addition to the immediate damage to lives and property caused by the
> tsunami, the report said the disaster had been compounded by the amount of
> debris and toxic substances it spread into marine eco-systems.
>
>
>
> "There is an ongoing potential danger to those involved in disposing or
> recycling such material," it said. "Rapid clean up may have resulted to
> inappropriate disposal methods."
>
>
>
> In Indonesia's worst-hit province of Banda Aceh alone, between seven and 10
> million cubic metres of waste were generated by the tsunami. In the
> low-lying Maldives islands, dislodged asbestos and leaking fuel have mixed
> with human and animal waste to form a potentially lethal mix, the report
> said.
>
>
>
> ---------------------
>
> The Nation: 28 February 2005
>
>
>
> TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS AWASH WITH INEPTITUDE AND DISDAIN
>
> (shortened version)
>
>
>
> By Satya Sagar
>
>
>
> In its immediate Aftermath the December 26 tsunami prompted an overwhelming
> response of solidarity and sympathy for the disaster's victims, not just
> from ordinary people but also celebrities, corporations and governments
> around the world.
>
>
>
> But as operations move from relief to rehabilitation in the region there are
> problems cropping up.
>
>
>
> Chief among them being lack of consultation with affected populations about
> their own future. Within each of one of the affected countries governments,
> national elites and bureaucrats - after a brief and ritual suppression of
> baser instincts - are headed back towards politics as usual.
>
>
>
> In Thailand, the Thaksin Shinawatra government predictably focused all its
> energies primarily on ensuring the tsunami disaster did not affect the
> country's lucrative tourism industry.
>
>
>
> Sure, a few thousand tourists died because Thai weathermen were too shy to
> put out a tsunami warning and "scare away tourists"; but hey look. the sun
> is out, the sands are back to golden and the sea is sparkling blue again!
>
>
>
> The most shameful part of the Thai response has been the way authorities
> have treated Burmese migrants, over 1,000 of who are believed to have died
> in the tsunami.
>
>
>
> Thai police have deported migrants who came looking for dead or missing
> relatives and friends in the aftermath of the disaster.
>
>
>
> Thailand is also the site of a most intriguing politics played out over the
> identification of bodies of foreigners and locals who died due to the
> tsunami.
>
>
>
> While initially, Thai officials and volunteers disposed off all bodies they
> found, they were forced, on the insistence of Western governments, to
> identify each body properly through DNA tests for return to the countries
> the victims originated from.
>
>
>
> While this special attention being given to the bodies of foreigners has
> been criticized by sections of the Thai media as discriminatory, the fact is
> that the Thai government is doing what other tsunami-affected countries
> should have done, that is, treat the dead with dignity and make all efforts
> to identify and hand them back to their relatives or given a proper burial.
>
>
>
> On this score, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka have fared very poorly with
> most of their tsunami dead dumped into mass graves with little procedure or
> respect. Most of those who died in these countries belonged to the poor,
> disempowered communities and in death there was the same lack of concern
> from the elites they faced when they were alive.
>
>
>
> The worst of the lot is the Indonesian government whose response to the
> disaster in Aceh has been simply atrocious. The genuine logistical problems
> of reaching relief to a million or more affected people, many in remote
> villages, has been compounded from the start by an inept and corrupt
> bureaucracy suspicious of all NGOs and foreign humanitarian agencies. As if
> this were not bad enough, the Indonesian government has continued its brutal
> operations against Acehnese rebels - fighting for autonomy or nationhood -
> even after such a catastrophe.
>
>
>
> In Sri Lanka, another country with a long running separatist rebellion,
> attitudes have been no better.
>
>
>
> In the aftermath of the disaster that devastated communities across
> religious and linguistic divisions, hopes were raised that at least now
> Sinhalese politicians and Tamil separatist leaders would start afresh and
> take the country's faltering peace process forward. No such luck.
>
>
>
> That the Sinhala and Tamil leaders continue to show blind and narrow
> sectarianism at a time of great common devastation exposes their utter lack
> of concern for their own people.
>
>
>
> Parts of India struck by tsunami, the coastal regions of southern India and
> the Andaman and Nicobar islands, do not have any ongoing separatist
> movements. But the Indian government is trying its best to foster a
> rebellion in these places by toying with the lives of those affected by the
> tsunami.
>
>
>
> This is particularly so in the Andaman and Nicobar islands where the Indian
> government has barred even Indian NGOs and humanitarian agencies from
> entering. The entire relief and rehabilitation operations are carried out by
> the Indian army along with state officials. Indian media reports say that
> the distribution of relief is marred by corruption, inefficiency and waste.
>
>
>
> In all four tsunami-struck countries discussed above reports are coming in
> of state officials deciding relocation, livelihood options and levels of
> compensation on behalf of the affected populations.
>
>
>
> The failure of a disaster as great as the Asian tsunami to elicit more
> humane and people-centred policies from governments of affected nations is
> yet another indication of just how remote these governments are from the
> populations they claim to represent.
>
>
>
> About the author: Satya Sagar is a Thailand-based writer and video-maker
> covering political and developmental issues in South and Southeast Asia.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------
>
> NOTE: The articles introduced in this Clearinghouse do not necessarily
> represent the views of the Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team
> (tim-team).
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> tourism investigation & monitoring team (tim-team)
> P.O. Box 51 Chorakhebua
> Bangkok 10230, Thailand
> Email: timteam02@...
> Webpage: http://www.twnside.org.sg/tour.htm
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