THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, April 3, 2006
Fire on board MV Nicobar brought under control; no loss of life or property
reported
Port Blair, April 02
    A fire incident took place in the vessel MV Nicobar on its voyage from
Port Blair to Kolkata. The fire was brought under control due to prompt
action taken by the ship officers and the crew and no casualty or loss of
property has been reported.
    According to a report received the Directorate of Shipping Services
today, the incident took place in the machinery room of the vessel at around
1100 hrs today, while she was entering Hogly river on her voyage from Port
Blair to Kolkata, just about five hours from the Kidderpur port.
    The vessel, which has 1026 passengers on board is presently anchored in
the river in view of the non-availability of the required tide. She has
already restored her own power system and will be proceeding to Kolkata port
to arrive there by 5 pm tomorrow.
    Meanwhile, while any one can contact Afloat Communication on telephone
no. 245555 and 231794 at Port Blair for obtaining any information in this
regard, a contingency cell has been formed at SCI Kolkata with telephone no.
033-22487267 and 033-22482354, a communication from Asst Gen. Manager, SCI
Port Blair said.

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IE320060328045918&Title=Features+%2D\
+Health+%26+Science&Topic=166&
Earth's oldest quake followed by tsunami took place in Jharkhand
Tuesday March 28 2006 15:20 IST
PTI
NEW DELHI: Scientists have found evidence that the oldest earthquake
followed by tsunami traceable in the earth's history took place more than
1,600 million years ago in what is now Jharkhand.

An international team of scientists from India, Japan and Poland has
reported the discovery in a paper to appear in the forthcoming issue of the
journal 'Sedimentary Geology.'

This occurred long before the massive southern land mass called Gondwana
land split up and the piece that now forms peninsular India floated north
and crashed in the Asian land mass.

The scientists analysed sedimentary rocks deposited in "chaibasa formation"
in eastern India. "The layers show deformations that have never been
described before," Rajat Mazumder, lead author and currently a Humboldt
Fellow in the University of Munich told PTI.

Mazumder and co-workers show that earthquakes caused the deformations,
"While the sediments were still being deposited and before their
consolidation," they said.

The layers containing these deformation structures are termed "seismites"
and the scientists could trace the deformed horizons up to a kilometre
depth.

Considering their occurrence in sediments deposited between 1,600 and 2,100
million years ago, "they are among the earliest records of earthquakes known
in the earth's history," the scientists reported.

"One of the strongest arguments for earthquakes as triggers of the
deformation is the occurrence of strongly deformed layers (sandwiched)
between unaffected layers of similar grain size," they said. Another
argument is the finding of "tabular depressions," the formation of which
would have required a large block of sediment to move upwards and drift
away.

According to the scientists a tsunami generated by an earthquake most likely
detached a weakly consolidated silt/mud block and lifted and transported it
away leaving behind a hole that gradually got filled by laminated sediment
observed by them.

Though "deformation structures" in sedimentary rocks have been observed
before, the authors say that in their opinion, those found in eastern India
"represent the oldest unambiguous "seismites" that are known from the
earth's history."

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

Fellowship in Andaman & Nicobar Islands for Journalist and Writers (Writing in
English)
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------

Community Enterprise Forum International (CEFI) works with developing
communities and civil society organisations to secure livelihoods through
enterprise centric sustainable initiatives. CEFI works through cross-sector
partnerships across South Asia. CEFI through its secretariats works across
commodity supply chains to enable livelihoods of primary producers across
developing countries and enable access to markets.

CEFI is offering five three-month Fellowships for deserving and experienced
journalist and writers writing in English to travel to and work at its
Livelihood Resource Centre in Port Blair

Fellowship: Rs. 10,000 per month along with travel â?" to and fro (by air) and
lodging for the period of stay
  Duration: 15th April to 15th July 2006

Requirements & Responsibilities:

â^' Experience of writing for atleast 2 years in mainstream English newspapers,
website and/or other publications
  â^' Very good analysis, writing, editing and copy editing skills, good at
comprehension skills, natural sensitivity to errors in language
  â^' Good understanding of development issues particularly livelihoods

Interested candidates please apply: with your latest resume and copy of your
work, the same to be emailed or send to:

Last Date: 10th April 2006

Note: Selected candidates would have to join immediately max by 15th April 2006

Contact:
>
Secretariat
  Community Enterprise Forum International
  C-2/6, First Floor
  Safdurjung Development Area
  New Delhi â?" 110 016
  Tel: +91 11 41657166
  Email: jobs@...




------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick Noronha         784 Near Convent, Sonarbhat SALIGAO GOA India
Freelance Journalist      TEL: +91-832-2409490 MOBILE: 9822122436
Skype/Yahoomessenger: fredericknoronha www.bytesforall.net



C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org


C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear all

I have a document/study on Handicrafts ( Ms Word) ( esp shell
craft ) that was done as part of the UNDP-GEF Preparatory phase
Project.
Those interested in getting this  study may please send a request
to me on sudarshanr@... with "UNDP Craft Study" in the
subject line .

I am currently travelling and will send  it after a few days (
helps so that i can mass mail then )

regards
sudarshan

One's profession and career should also be their hobby, passion
and a cause.



Sudarshan Rodriguez
Project Consultant,
UNDP-GoI Post Tsunami Environment Initiative
2B Aditya Apartments
38 Balakrishna Apartment
Valmiki Nagar
Thiruvanmayaur
Chennai-41
Phone:+91 44 42019470
Fax: +91 44 42019468

Mobile: 98406 80127

sudarshanr@...

Symposium on "Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Community" on 11th and
12th May, 2006.
Organized By GEER Foundation, Gandhinagar,Gujarat


In view of the immense conservation significance of marine biodiversity,
Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation is organizing a
two-day national symposium on "Marine Biodiversity Conservation and
Community" on 11th and 12th May, 2006 under the sponsorship of Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India. The focus of the symposium
would be the relationship between the conservation of marine biodiversity
and the community. The symposium will also cover the role of the community
in conserving the marine biodiversity. This symposium would also deliberate
upon effective planning for the marine biodiversity research and
conservation. Besides, various issues pertaining to the marine biodiversity
conservation, crucial to marine biodiversity action programmes would be
discussed.


The Following are major the themes of the symposium.
1.       Policy and legal issues pertaining to Marine Biodiversity
conservation and management
2.       Marine Protected Area networking in India
3.       Significance of marine bio-resources for local community
4.       Role of local communities for preserving marine biodiversity
5.       Institutional arrangement involving local community for marine
biodiversity conservation
6.       Management oriented research pertaining to marine biodiversity.

Please send your abstract (not exceeding 500 words) and topic of your
presentation latest by 20th April 2006 by email of post to ..

Director GEER Foundation,  email: dir-geer@....

Please note that due to availability of limited funds only selected
candidates would be supported for their travel and accommodation.


For further correspondence contact

C.N. Pandey,IFS
Director
GEER Foundation
Indroda Nature Park
Gandhinagar
Gujarat.

email: dir-geer@...







< object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui>





Mail created using Netscape ( use & revive the best email internet suite in
the world)
You are not what you do , you do what you are
One's profession and career should be their  hobby, passion and cause
Sudarshan Rodriguez,
Marine Conservation Management Analyst
Flat 2B, Adithya Apartments,
38 Balakrishna Road,
Valmiki Nagar,Thiruvanmiyur ,
Chennai-600 041
Tamilnadu, India.
Phone:+91 44 4201 9470
Mobile: +91 9840680127


Email: sudarshanr@...






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C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

Dear Friends,
Subsequent to the earlier mail on continuation of free ration, there is now
an update which says that free ration is now to be continued till the end of
June. Following is a news report published in the March 28, 2006 edition of
the Daily Telegrams

FREE RATION TO CONTINUE UPTO JUNE
Port Blair, March 27
Andaman and Nicobar Administration in consultation with the Govt. of India,
has decided to continue supply of free rations to Tsunami affected
population of A&N islands beyond 31.03.2006 for a period of three months
i.e. upto 30.06.2006









----- Original Message -----
From: "Pankaj" <pankaj@...>
To: <andamanicobar@...>
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 2:47 PM
Subject: [andamanicobar] Free ration to be discontinued from April 1


> THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, March 25, 2006
> Free distribution of ration items to tsunami victims to discontinue from
> April 1
>
> Port Blair, March 24
>   The A&N Administration had issued an order discontinuing free
> distribution of ration items to tsunami-affected families, which will come
> into force from April one, 2006.
>   Henceforth, tsunami affected families except govt. servants will draw
> PDS
> items i.e. rice and wheat at the rate of Antyodaya Anna Yojana ration
> cards
> issued to them. People have also been advised to seek employment for
> atleast
> one member per family in different employment generation schemes of the
> Administration, said the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (CS&CA) in a
> communication here.
>   Following a High Court directive, the period for distribution of free
> ration to tsunami-affected families was extended from Dec 26, 2005 to Jan
> 9,
> 2006. Subsequently, during the visit of Prime Minister of India to these
> islands, a decision was taken to continue free distribution of ration item
> to such families till 31.03.2006, which will now be discontinued, the
> communication added.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

 
Dear Kanchan,

first we shold think out a nomenclature which may aptly imply the environment
the people in question are in as well as the main driving force for their
living. sometimes the old nomenclatures are being used to describe the situation
which although underwent changes but basic features being remained same. in such
cases other terms may not properly convey the real picture.

Ranjusri
.
the On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 kanchan mukhopadhyay wrote :
>Ranjusri
>  It is not about calling stone age 'stone age', it is about calling a
contemporary people (in this case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic'
people. When such a term is used to describe a people, it is generally done to
tell the world that those people got stuck in the past while 'we' moved forward
and live in the present. This way of thinking is objectionable.
>  Kanchan
>   
>ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:
> 
>the subject of this letter attracted my attention today. i am a student of
History. it is true that debate continues over the nomenclature of different
periods of human history. but not so much about the use of Stone Age. it is more
logical if we name a particular period on the basis of main attributes. Humans
of Stone Age survived on stone. so there should not be much controversy
regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the Neolithic man showed
advancement in different aspects but Stone remained the chief material for
weaponry and other tools. So the Age cannot be named otherwise. I do not know
why the name Stone Age should be derogatory for an Age when Stone had been the
most useful for humans survival.
>Ranjusri Ghosh
>On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
>>If I recall right, the interaction started out  with a member expressing the
>>need to educate journalists on the usage of  words like stone age and
>>primitive.
>>In all humility I am open to getting educated and have been following the
>>discussion with interest.  But tell me what is wrong with the word 'Stone
>>Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly understood as a period of time
>>relating to the kind of tools used by people. Now, how is that derogatory?
>>May the enlightened members throw some light!
>>shree
>>----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
>>To: <andamanicobar@...>
>>Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
>>Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
>>> Dear Miriam ,
>>>
>>> The words stone age and primitive refer to a particular economic system
>>This is not denegrative when understood in context. The knowledge of these
>>communities of the ecosystem has to be appropriately recognised as also
>>their right to livelihood. I agree that there should be sensitivity about
>>the ability of these communities . However one can change nomenclature
>>without changing peoples understanding about these communities.
>>>
>>> I also think we need to guard against the possibility that in the name of
>>recognising the abilities and prowess of these communities, we are not
>>denying them a right to the benefits of ' modernity'.
>>>
>>> regards
>>>
>>> Viren
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Yahoo! Groups Links
>>To visit your group on the web, go to:
>>
>http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
>>
>>
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>>.
>>
>RSG
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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RSG

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS
March 21, 2006
Trng. prog. on Jute Handicrafts by NCJD conclude

                                             Port Blair, March 20
   The valedictory programme of Advanced Training Programme on Jute
Handicrafts of two weeks duration sponsored by National Centre for Jute
Diversification (NCJD), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, Kolkata
and organised by NCJD Jute Service Extension Centre-Port Blair in
collaboration with A & N Administration, A & N Consultancy Centre (ANCON),
Port Blair and West Bengal Consultancy Organisation Limited (WEBCON),
Kolkata was held at NCUI, Garacharma today. Shri Rajesh Pal Govind, Pradhan,
Garacharma-II Gram Panchayat was the Chief Guest of the occasion, who was
urged the participants to take up production of Jute Handicrafts items as
the supply of raw material and market were assured. He also emphasised the
SHG members and other trainees to take assistance and support being provided
by NCJD JSEC-Port Blair to supplement their family income.
    Shri Gautam Dasgupta, Lead District Manager, State Bank of India, the
Guest of Honour of the programme, in his address appreciated the efforts of
NCJD Jute Service Extension Centre - Port Blair for imparting such type of
training programme. He further opined that finance is not a problem in these
islands if the trainees are determined and come forward with a suitable
project profile and assured supply of raw materials. He also pointed out
that the trainees can also avail loan from DRDA.
     Various Jute Handicrafts items prepared by the trainees during the
training were displayed and it was well appreciated by all those present on
the occasion. Certificates were also distributed to the 25 successful
trainees who completed the programme.
    Earlier Shri Johnson Abraham, Jute Service Extension Centre-Port Blair In
charge informed the audience about the details of the training programme. He
informed the trainees that NCJD JSEC-Port Blair will make all efforts to
arrange for raw materials and also for marketing of their products through
different outlets and also provide all types of post-training escort
services to help the trainees in starting their ventures. Expressing his
views, Shri Suresh Babu, Project Officer, NCUI, Garacharma pointed out to
the trainees to make fruitful use of their spare time in producing the jute
handicrafts products, which in turn, will increase their family income, a
communication from ANCON said here.

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, March 29, 2006
Bid to make public service more effective
Preparation of road map for e-governance in isles on card
Staff Reporter,
Port Blair, March 28
    A road map for effectively putting in place the pattern of e-governance
in the Union Territory administration is to be prepared for which a workshop
on the subject was held here today to discuss threadbare the vision and
strategy of National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) and expediting the deployment
of Information Communication Tool [ICT] in governance with a view to improve
delivery of government services to citizens and business.
    Organised by the Department of Information Technology, A&N
Administration, the workshop aim at sensitizing the functionaries of the A&N
administration and various other departments to the vision of the NeGP, the
present IT State of the UT as a whole as also to garner a buy-in with all
the stakeholders for the e-Governance roadmap being developed for the
islands.
    Inaugurating the daylong workshop at Hotel Megapode,
Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Information Technology), Shri Rajender Kumar,
said that e-governance vision for the islands aims at enabling the flow of
information at various levels, enhance the quality and standard of the
public information, to overcome the constraints and problems of the people
and to facilitate efficient and transparent service to the people. He said,
the A&N e-Governance vision (NeGP format) also exemplifies the aims of the
islands to provide all its citizens with a simpler and better life through
utilization of the benefit of Information and Technology. He said "though
the Administration has been persuing the IT policy by computerization of
Govt. departments, by constant learning process, we want to approach on the
IT road map".
    Shri Nitin Nagpal, Senior Consultant, Wipro Infotech Ltd. through an
audio-visual presentation informed the gathering about various aspects,
components and approaches to National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), for which a
comprehensive and holistic plan, has been instituted by the Govt. of India
to enable better delivery of citizen services to the common man using the
benefit of Information Technology. The NeGP, he said, supports the
e-Governance initiatives being taken up by the Central and State Government
departments.
    Informing in details about how to successfully implement the e-Governance
roadmap of the islands, he was of the view that the islands' Administration
can replicate the success story of other States. Emphasizing on the need for
capacity building as important components of success of e-Governance, the
Wipro consultant observed that the success of NeGP depends on the capacities
to deal with the issues in competent manner. He said that significant
capacities are needed to be built or upgraded at all levels right from the
decision making at the top to the implementing level at the bottom, for
which, he suggested for imparting proper training.
    An interaction session was also held in which queries & doubts raised by
the participants were answered on the occasion

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, March 25, 2006
Awareness prog. on coastal aquaculture by HCC
Port Blair, March 24
    The Hindustani Covenant Church, an NGO working on various rehabilitation
programme in the post tsunami A&N Islands, today organised an awareness
programme on brackish water aquaculture at Panchayat Bhawan, Brindavan,
South Andaman. The programme was organised in close collaboration with the
Directorate of Fisheries, CARI and Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
    Through this programme, HCC aimed at providing livelihood generation for
the tsunami affected farmers of South Andaman area through promotion of
development of coastal aquaculture. The programme, being executed with the
technical support provided by the scientists of CARI and KVK, was attended
by as many as 75 farmers drawn from the nearby villages of Brindavan area.
Altogether 63 families were affected with about 70 ha of land inundated in
this area.
    Multi-media presentations on the technical know-how by the scientists of
KVK-CARI were presented by Dr. Dam Roy and Dr. Nagesh Ram, senior scientists
of the organization. The scientists dwelt at length on various opportunities
being created through scientific research for restoring livelihood
opportunities. A vibrant interaction followed the multimedia presentation.
    Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Krishnamurthy, Director of Fisheries,
informed the gathering about the various schemes being offered by the A&N
Administration to restore livelihood generation among the tsunami affected
families.
    Pradhan, Shri T Assainar and Smt. Cicila Kujir, Member, Zilla Parishad
also spoke on the occasion and thanked the A&N Administration and HCC for
organizing such programmes.
    Earlier, Mr. Mohammed Tahir, Assistant Director, Directorate of Fisheries
welcomed the gathering, while Dr. Ashish Wasker, Project Manager, HCC
proposed the vote of thanks.

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

Dear Madhushree,
It’s a great commonsensical thought, just to add I bit
of more onto your imagination can we think of.. of
something which is not scared of these kind of natural
calamities but become friendly to them? Like- not
earthquake resistant or (safe) house, but earthquake
friendly…. and then there could be a route to master
by just following!
Human physiology is always tend to be a master/
teacher/ superior…and that is where we lose it also..
.. in this way I am imagining of a community which
rocks and really rocks and enjoys-celebrate when a
earthquake happens…like in fun world.

And regarding the bird flu- it tastes like thermacol,
and being known that I would not like to eat it
The biologically developed bird in the poultry has a
whole life span of 45 days from the date of its birth
till it gets to slaughter, where it consumes anything
and every thing therefore a highly contaminated and
adulterated thermacol in itself …yak

How about campaigns to stop the production with
international orgs?
Incorporating the message like – chicken kills fast as
it grows fast! Do you want to be killed fast?, in
Campaign for general awareness.

The other day I was watching in the TV that few people
played holi will poultry egg? Were they trying to make
a point there or just insulting the festival of
colours ?

I am not a scientist but I can challenge the scientist
who gives approval to such non-sensible, diets.
Ok agreed that it was a discovery of science then, but
over a period of time it has proved to be a failure,
now its time to abandoned it by the science itself.
How can we except something which has failed the time
test. No.


--- Madhusree Mukerjee <lopchu@...> wrote:

> I still feel that a tsunami warning system is going
> to be a waste of 30 million dollars, especially
> since geologists seem to be sanguine that the chance
> of a tsunami in the next few hundred years,
> certainly from the fault running under the A&N
> islands, is nil. The money should be used instead to
> urgently reinforce schools and other vulnerable
> structures in the Himalayan foothills, where the
> next big one will occur. Apparently a massive
> earthquake is long overdue in the belt between
> Kashmir and Assam.
>
> As for bird flu, it seems unstoppable now that it
> has spread so far and wide. But it is still crucial
> to slow its spread, to give time for vaccines and
> containment strategies to be developed. It seems to
> be spreading not only through migratory birds and
> poultry movements, but also through infected poultry
> feces used as manure, and through mud carried on the
> shoes of those in infected areas.
>
> Madhusree
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>


__________________________________________________
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THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, March 25, 2006
Free distribution of ration items to tsunami victims to discontinue from
April 1

Port Blair, March 24
    The A&N Administration had issued an order discontinuing free
distribution of ration items to tsunami-affected families, which will come
into force from April one, 2006.
    Henceforth, tsunami affected families except govt. servants will draw PDS
items i.e. rice and wheat at the rate of Antyodaya Anna Yojana ration cards
issued to them. People have also been advised to seek employment for atleast
one member per family in different employment generation schemes of the
Administration, said the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (CS&CA) in a
communication here.
    Following a High Court directive, the period for distribution of free
ration to tsunami-affected families was extended from Dec 26, 2005 to Jan 9,
2006. Subsequently, during the visit of Prime Minister of India to these
islands, a decision was taken to continue free distribution of ration item
to such families till 31.03.2006, which will now be discontinued, the
communication added.

I will confess that when I used Stone Age in the subtitle to my book (The
Land of Naked People: Encounters with Stone Age Islanders) I was not
completely aware of all the political uses to which the phrase had been put.
For this I thank Felix Padel and Pandya for explaining things so well. I
used Stone Age not as a pejorative but because it suggests the wonderful
incongruity of a people being around who would fight helicopters with bows
and arrows. It suggests their uniqueness and, to me, their valor, for having
defended themselves so well against all odds.
There is a danger, to my mind, of eliminating the use of offensive words if
this action doesn't also remove the underlying concept. Then the prejudice
goes underground and becomes harder to fight. Is a white American happier
because his daughter is going out with an African American instead of a
black? You see what I mean... this goes deeper than words. In this I am with
Amlan Dutta--we have to fight connotations with connotations, not just
remove words but educate and sensitize enough so that the underlying
prejudices are dismantled.
Describing the Andamanese as First People has advantages. But again, this
phrase alone cannot fight the decay. For instance, First People is much like
aboriginal, emphasizing their prior claims and rights to the land. But
calling someone "aboriginal" has done nothing to prevent the people being
swept away. It's a question of relative power. As long as we are more
powerful, we can and do destroy with impunity those who stand in our way,
and we manipulate the language to justify it. Changing words can alter the
power balance, but not enough. Outlawing Stone Age seems rather academic to
me.
Right now the problem on the Andamans has more to do with the word "junglee"
and everything it stands for. I am profoundly disheartened at the lack of
progress on the Jarawa... the administration has ignored court rulings, and
their condition continues to decline. I am increasingly tending to the view
that top-down interventions are hopeless. What the brain in Delhi demands,
the fingers in Thiroor or Kadamtala don't accomplish. The executive arm of
the Indian government is broken, and asking it to implement a sensitive
policy on the Jarawa is like asking a man with a broken arm to paint an
exquisite miniature.
It is up to the people of the Andamans to pick up the baton and see if they
can make a difference. At the very least there needs to be a debate, in
local languages, on what the demise of the Jarawa means. Will it mean the
end of the forests, of all the water, will anyone be able to live on in the
Andamans after the Jarawa are gone? Will they be able to live with their
consciences? How long will the Andaman's residents allow the stultifying
bureaucracy to determine every aspect of their lives, to take all the
decisions, to exploit the vulnerable with impunity, and to endow them with
moral responsibility for a genocide?
Madhusree

MAP News, 168th Ed. , 2 of 2, 3-21-06 Edited.
All over the world there are movements against luxury resorts that threaten to
destroy not only environments but also traditional livelihoods. They hold
obvious lessons for the Andamans, especially since a mega-tourism project is in
the offing. But I don't know how many of these stories to leave in or take out,
perhaps someone can suggest if they are interested? Below is a sample. MM


MAP News, 168th Ed., Part 2 of 2


Contents:


The Caribbean

The Bahamas
Struggle to Save Bimini and Guana Cay Continues
Guana Cay's Mangroves Last Stand, or Firm Stance Against Development
Reef defenders in Bahamas sue over mega-resort
***ACTION ALERT!!! ***
Bimini Mangroves Still Being Bull Dozed


EUROPE
Response from Leo van Mulekom, Novib on Shrimp certification plans.

STORIES/ISSUES
Towards Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of Fishing Communities:
Rebuilding Asia's coastal barrier
Coral Reefs Under Attack From Post-Tsunami Rebuilding Efforts

ANNOUNCEMENTS
WildFinder, an on-line, map-driven, interactive
database of global species distributions.
WALHI Publishes New Book On Shrimp Farming In Indonesia

AQUACULTURE CORNER
.  THE SEAFOOD LABELING BUZZ AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT
Fishmeal ships plunder the seas
Organic Seafood Labels Called Misleading
Avian Influenza: Risk May Be Greater for Fish Farms than Migratory Birds



================================================================


The Caribbean

The Bahamas

Struggle to Save Bimini and Guana Cay Continues

I am in the middle of editing a forthcoming book on reforestation of mangroves
as global carbon sinks and effects on sources of greenhouse gases. A close
colleague of mine, Dr. Ivan Nagelkerken, has done the definitive work on
mangroves as a habitat for juvenile coral reef fish. If they destroy the last
mangroves, Guana Cay (and Bimini) will lose irreplaceable juvenile fish habitat,
and lose the adult fish populations too, no matter how many Marine Protected
Areas are set up. A few years ago I was on a small island in the Grenadines
where a resort had bulldozed shut the only channel to the island's mangroves. As
a result many of their fish populations vanished. Local people told us that they
took shovels and secretly dug the channel back at night. They proudly told me
that in short order snook and mullet had returned once they had habitat for the
young to develop. Don't let this happen to Guana Cay (nor Bimini)!
From Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
President, Global Coral Reef Alliance
goreau@...

==============================

Guana Cay's Mangroves Last Stand, or Firm Stance Against Development

Bad news seems to be the one constant for mangroves these days.
But on one small island in the Northern Bahamas, an unlikely story is unfolding.
The island of Great Guana Cay is fighting a foreign golf and marina
megadevelopment that threatens to destroy the last remaining mangroves on the
island.  Great Guana Cay features a beautiful mangrove estuary and river, the
island's only fishery, which helps to support a healthy coral reef on the
Atlantic side of the island.  Although the developer has already destroyed a
large portion of the island's mangroves, the islanders have formed a coalition
(Save Guana Cay Reef) to fight the developer.  They have taken the Prime
Minister of the Bahamas and the developer to court.  Due to actions in the
Bahamian court, the developer has halted all environmentally-destructive
development until the court case ends.  This may set a precedent that a small
group of people who understand the value of their mangrove system may be able to
defeat the short-term forces that so often disregard the important mangroves.

The Save Guana Cay Reef groups lawyer, Fred Smith, is arguing successfully in
court that the developer and the Bahamian government ignored the necessary
involvement of locals, local government and regulations in order to cheat the
system.  Future court dates will concentrate on more specific environmental
threats such as to the mangroves and its impact on the people whose families
have inhabitated the island for over 200 years.

Interested parties can follow up on news or help donate at:
www.saveguanacayreef.com

More information on the mangroves of Guana Cay is available at
www.notesfromtheroad.com/guana.htm

From: Erik Gauger erik@...

====================================

Reef defenders in Bahamas sue over mega-resort _S.F. developer sees Baker's Bay
as model for sensitive construction on fragile islands

Teresa Castle, Chronicle Foreign Service
Monday, February 13, 2006
Guana Cay, The Bahamas -- The calm, turquoise waters off this sleepy island have
long lured visitors seeking shelter from storms, but a San Francisco development
company's ambitious plan to build a gated community for well-heeled golfers and
yacht owners has set off a full-scale revolt that flies in the face of the
government's plans to build mega-resorts on many of the country's most pristine
islands.
"They'll come with their poodles with pedicures, and they'll expect us to jump,"
said Troy Albury, who runs a scuba diving operation on Guana Cay, one of the Out
Islands that form a coral-fringed strand about 200 miles east of Florida.
But his real concern is what the development might mean for the lush coral reef
offshore. Albury heads the Save Guana Cay Reef Association, which has taken the
unprecedented step of suing Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie for leasing
more than 100 acres of crown land, without the approval of the local government,
to help the Discovery Land Company build Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club. The
Supreme Court begins hearing the case today.
Discovery Land says the 595-acre, $500 million resort -- with 400-plus homes, a
village with shops, boutiques and an inn, a yacht club and an 18-hole golf
course created by noted designer Tom Fazio -- will be a model for
environmentally sensitive development on small islands elsewhere. The company
prides itself on respecting the land in its 12 other golf course developments,
including CordeValle in Santa Clara County.
Albury and other critics, including several marine scientists, say that
fertilizer needed to keep the golf course green will wreak havoc on the fragile
reef and that a 180-slip marina developers plan to carve out of a mangrove
wetland in the middle of the 6-mile-long island will irreparably alter the
sensitive local ecology.
"If they ruin the reef, no one will come here," said Chorene Wilson, manager of
Sunset Beach Bar and Grill in the picturesque village of pastel-colored cottages
that line Kidd's Cove, named for the infamous pirate who frequented these waters
in the 17th century.
Glenn Laing, Guana Cay's representative on the district council, summed up the
opposition's fears: "The land will be raped and they'll move on."
The 250 or so islanders are a fiercely independent lot, and they've been bruised
before by developers. Disney's Big Red Boat cruise ship anchored off the island
for five years, and the operators dredged a channel, damaging a portion of the
reef before abandoning the project in 1993. Discovery Land cleaned up the site,
which is within its proposed development. That earned it the support of some
Guana Cay residents.
"In the long run, it's going to probably benefit the locals,'' said Donna Sands,
who rents golf carts visitors use to tool around the small island. "They're
going to offer jobs if the people want it."
Anyway, she added, "they're gonna do it whether (the islanders) want it or not.
That's what government does."
Aubrey Clarke, who came to Guana Cay from Nassau in the 1980s and hasn't donned
a pair of shoes since, rejects that view. He signed on as the lead plaintiff in
the lawsuit. "This is going to test the laws," he said from his customary stool
at Nippers, an open-air bar overlooking the reef. "We've got to have
environmental laws."
That's not an idle longing. The Bahamas' first comprehensive environmental
protection plan was drafted only last year, and the country is still writing
laws to carry out the plan. Meanwhile, the government has forged ahead with
proposals to anchor luxury mega-resorts on each of the country's major island
chains.
The ruckus on Guana Cay has begun to attract international attention. Michele
Perrault, international vice president of the Sierra Club, has expressed concern
that the government overlooked potential environmental problems in its rush to
approve the project.
The developers appear to be surprised and somewhat perturbed by the vociferous
opposition to their plans.
"There are people who will just make mischief out of anything," said Livingston
Marshall, who holds a doctorate in marine science from the College of William
and Mary in Richmond, Va., as he steered a golf cart down Torchwood Lane, newly
cut through dense stands of mangrove, toward the site of the marina.
Marshall was the chief environmental adviser to the prime minister until he was
hired away to oversee environmental and community relations for Discovery Land.
He pointed out that the company, which paid $25 million for the 485 acres of
private land and plans to sink $175 million into developing it in the next few
years, has incorporated all kinds of environmental safeguards in its plan. It
has promised to seed the golf course with a special kind of grass that can live
on salty water and to add an impervious layer beneath tees and greens in
sensitive areas to prevent fertilizer and insecticides from leaching out to the
coral reef.
In response to community concerns, he said, it set aside more than 70 acres as a
mangrove preserve. It plans to operate its marina to the highest standard for
controlling pollutants, and before bulldozers started clearing land for roads,
rare orchids and bromeliads were harvested for transplanting after the resort
takes shape.
But several marine experts say the company's plans fail to provide adequate
protection for the reef, home to giant brain corals up to 200 years old, sea
fans and sponges, and for the shoreline, which provides nesting grounds for
endangered green sea turtles and threatened loggerhead turtles.
After looking over the project's environmental impact assessment, James Risk, a
marine biologist hired by the islanders who has more than 40 years of experience
monitoring coral reefs, said "the result would be the death of the reef within
three years."
Coral reefs thrive in nutrient-starved ecosystems, said James Cervino, a
specialist in reef biology who teaches at Columbia and Pace universities.
He had just returned from a diving expedition to check the health of the corals.
Because the island's soil is porous limestone, he said, 40 to 60 percent of the
fertilizer spread on the golf course will drain right through it, feeding algae
that can smother coral. He added that the reef is already struggling to fight
off the effects of recent ocean-warming episodes, and adding nitrogen from
fertilizer would be "a double whammy, a perfect recipe for death."
Kathleen Sullivan Sealey, a specialist in coral reef fish who wrote the Baker's
Bay environmental assessment, doubts that the consequences will be so severe.
She has been retained by Baker's Bay to monitor the construction. Along with a
handful of Earthwatch volunteers, she plans to keep a close eye on near-shore
corals, because they will serve as an early warning system of any dangerous
levels of pollution on the reef.
Sealey, a University of Miami professor and dean of science and technology at
the College of the Bahamas, has led a team monitoring the Bahamas coastline via
satellite for four years. The Baker's Bay project, she said, can serve as "an
experiment in sustainability for small island developments."
However, many islanders say they have no desire to be part of an experiment.
Albury said that the last time he saw Sealey, he told her: "I hope you don't
monitor the reef till it's dead."

         ======================================

STORIES/ISSUES

Note: The following excerpted from an ICSF bulletin offers some sound advice on
best ways to carry out Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of Fishing Communities. We at
Mangrove Action Project are promoting effective, long-term solutions that not
only conserve and restore the mangrove forests, but also effectively involve the
local and indigenous communities in the process. Viewing these recommendations
by ICSF brings the following recommendations forward as most relevant:

Towards Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of Fishing Communities:

Recommendations from the NGO Meeting on Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of
Fishing Communities and Fisheries-based Livelihoods, organized by ICSF
Chennai, 17 January 2006
These recommendations were presented at ICSF's "Regional Workshop on
Post-Tsunami
Rehabilitation of Fishing Communities and Fisheries-based Livelihoods", held in
Chennai on 18 and 19 January 2006
The past year has seen considerable mobilization of aid and diverse
interventions towards
relief and rehabilitation of tsunami-affected populations in Asia, including
fishing
communities who are considered among the worst affected.  A little over a year
after the
tsunami and after taking stock of interventions aimed at rehabilitating fishing
communities, we-organizations that have been working with fishing communities
for a
considerable period of time in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and India-wish to
emphasize aspects that need to be integrated into the ongoing interventions of
governments, multilateral agencies and NGOs.
Land and shelter
1. It is important to urgently resolve issues still hindering completion of
permanent
housing as part of tsunami rehabilitation, particularly issues of land
allocation, after
paying special attention to the problems of tenants and the homeless. Where
communities decide to relocate, rights to vacated coastal lands should remain
vested
with the community.
2. Housing sites for fishery-dependent tsunami victims should be located at a
convenient
distance from areas where fishing communities store fishing equipment, access
fishing grounds and dry fish. It is important to ensure common quality
standards, use
of locally available material and technology, proper habitat planning, basic
amenities,
equity and the involvement of fishing community in the reconstruction process.
3. Titles to houses built as part of tsunami rehabilitation should be provided,
and should
be in the joint names of the woman and the man of the household.
Quality of rehabilitation assistance
4. Tsunami rehabilitation programmes should adopt a broader coastal development
approach, and should aim to improve quality of life and livelihood of coastal
communities, including those not directly affected by tsunami. Particular
attention
should be paid to historically marginalized communities and victims of conflict.

12. Protection and restoration of coastal habitats and biodiversity should be
undertaken

on a priority basis and should not be confined to tsunami-affected areas. It is

necessary to implement/ put in place measures to regulate activities that can
pollute,

degrade or otherwise harm the coastal environment and its capacity to protect
coastal

communities from future natural disasters.

13. Habitat restoration programmes in tsunami-affected areas should be
undertaken in

participatory ways, and should not lead to alienation of communities from
coastal

lands. The focus of coastal Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of Fishing Communities
forestation programmes, such as shelter belts, should be

on native, indigenous species, and on building local awareness about their

importance.

19. Brackishwater aquaculture and mariculture should be promoted as an
alternative

source of employment in tsunami-affected areas only after addressing concerns on

account of environmental and social sustainability.

SAMUDRA News Exclusive

<http://www.icsf.net/jsp/english/stmt_area/statements/1138343597238***Tsunami_re\
commendations.pdf>Tsunami rehab should adopt broader coastal development
approach, improve life of coastal communities, says ICSF meet

Source:
<http://www.icsf.net/jsp/english/stmt_area/statements/1138343597238***Tsunami_re\
commendations.pdf>ICSF

===============================================

<http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_25310.shtml>http://nation.itte\
faq.com/artman/publish/article_25310.shtml

Rebuilding Asia's coastal barrier

By Marilyn Smith

Sun, 5 Feb 2006, 10:10:00
In the wake of the December 2004 tsunami, the Indian Ocean nations affected are
admitting that the damage was partially self-inflicted. Over the past 20 years,
these countries have systematically destroyed one of the most effective barriers
to ocean forces - mangrove forests - in the name of development.

Shrimp farms, tourist resorts and urban expansion have devoured 35 to 50 per
cent of these 'bioshields' over the entire region. Many of these deforested
pockets of prosperity were hit hardest, the tsunami washing away years of
economic growth.

Now, governments in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand all want
to restore what nature once provided for free: they plan to spend millions of
dollars replanting thousands of hectares of mangrove forest.

Scientists applaud the 'greening' agenda but warn that to succeed, replanting
strategies must include workforce training and supervision, maintenance of
seedlings, and increased public awareness about coastal land use. Some
economists add that we need a better understanding of the relationship between
these endangered ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.

"Reforestation is unlikely to succeed in the long term because the underlying
policies haven't changed," says Edward Barbier, an environmental economist at
the University of Wyoming, United States, who has done extensive research on
Thailand's mangroves. Barbier is not surprised that Thailand suffered such
extreme damage; since 1961, more than half its mangroves have been removed.

Replanting is critical to restoring ecosystems, he says, but trees alone cannot
create the long-term stability needed for sustainable economic growth.

Mangroves tend to be undervalued in economic calculations, which only include
the benefits of developing them (such as woodchips or farmed shrimp). This makes
it easy for governments to gamble on 'developing' the forests. The tsunami
clearly raised the stakes - and strengthened the case for protection that
ecologists and economists have been making for years.

Properly calculated, it can be shown that the value of mangroves as storm
barriers far exceeds any apparent gains made from exploiting them for other
forms of land development. A realistic look at their indirect values (see box
below) tips the equation even further in the direction of protection.

Ecological goods and services mangroves provide

Habitat for marine and terrestrial animals

Food, medicine, fuel and building materials for local communities

Breeding grounds for commercially important fish

Purifying water and air

Mitigating climate change by storing carbon

Coastal defence

More than 70 per cent of South-East Asians live within the coastal zone.
Mangroves clearly saved lives when the tsunami struck. The forests provide a
double layer of protection against pounding waves: the roots anchor mudflats,
while the trunks break the force of incoming seawater. Many modern breakwater
systems mirror the way mangrove roots absorb the energy of water without
disrupting its flow.

This can be seen in a study of in pre- and post-tsunami satellite images of the
coastline of Cuddalore, India, published in Science in October 2005. Exposed
villages were completely levelled, but those behind mangrove forests suffered
virtually no damage.

The study's lead author, Finn Danielsen of the Nordic Agency for Development and
Ecology, says three-dimensional laboratory models have shown how coastline
vegetation reduces the size and power of tsunami waves, which behave differently
than those generated by winds.

"We found that very few areas with dense tree vegetation were damaged by the
waves whereas more than 60 per cent of the areas without trees were damaged,"
says Danielsen. "Our findings suggest that mangroves act as an effective shield
against mid-sized tsunami waves."

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) reported similar findings in two Sri Lankan
villages. Wanduruppa, which is set within degraded mangrove forests, was
severely affected: 5,000 to 6,000 of its population died. Nearby Kapuhenwala is
surrounded by 200 hectares of dense forest, and lost only two villagers - the
lowest death toll of any village in the country.

But the real value of mangroves lies in their day-to-day support of life and
livelihoods, says Sanit Aksornkoae, president of the Thailand Environment
Institute.

Up to a billion Asians rely on fish as their primary source of protein and make
their living from the sea. In Thailand, villagers in mangroves earn up to 95 per
cent of their household income from the forests by fishing and collecting
shellfish, wood and medicinal plants.

Mangroves straddle land and sea, making them ecologically important to both
marine and coastal habitats. At the shoreline, their roots anchor soil that
supports a wide range of plants and animals. Their complex underwater root
systems provide an ideal habit for fish and shellfish to live, mate and produce
young. Mangroves also help maintain nearby wetlands, peat swamps, salt marshes,
seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Putting a price tag on these 'indirect' goods and services is a complex
business. The IUCN assessed the cost of the damage and injuries prevented in
Kapuhenwala, and concluded that intact mangroves can have a 'protection value'
of around US$2,000 per household; the overall value of each hectare of forest
was US$14,000 per household.

Calls for reforestation are now hard to ignore but past efforts show that while
planting the trees is relatively easy, the eventual outcome is not always
positive. Failed restoration schemes show the need to consider local conditions,
select appropriate species and tree spacing, maintain and protect plantations,
and engage local communities.

"We must think not only of the trees, but of the function of the ecosystem as a
whole," says Aksornkoae.

He points out that the tsunami created special challenges that will affect any
replanting scheme. "Because of the influx of seawater, soil salinity increased.
Some soils were removed and other sediments deposited, which can be detrimental
to the existing mangroves and must be drawn out before replanting."

Moreover, in Thailand Aksornkoae anticipates that much of the replanting will be
in abandoned shrimp farms, whose soils can be quite toxic from the overuse of
chemicals and fertilisers. For seedlings to take, this soil must also be
rehabilitated.

Indonesia has already replanted 300,000 seedlings and aims to reforest 600,000
hectares over the next five years. Suseno Budidarsono, a research officer at the
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Bogor, conducted a three-week field study
of rehabilitation efforts in late December 2005. In general, he says, the work
is 'messy' and poorly planned.

"Local people are doing most of the planting, on a cash-for-work basis, but no
one is overseeing them to ensure the seedlings are properly planted," he says.

Budidarsono is particularly troubled by the nearly exclusive focus on mangroves
and, in some cases, single species of them. Planting a mixture of mangrove
species creates a greater range of protection because they vary greatly in size,
root structure and the distance from shore at which they grow best. And,
mangroves are not always the answer.

In some places, says Budidarsono, inland mangrove species are being planted on
the seashore and will likely be washed away. Other groups are busy planting
mangroves on the west coast of Indonesia, an area in which they are naturally
rare. Here, coconut palms and rubber trees would provide better protection
against the winds and waves characteristic of the region.

These oversights are also problematic because the structure of the forests will
determine whether the ecosystem will attract the marine flora and fauna that
villagers rely on.

ICRAF's regional coordinator, Meine von Noordwijk, says there is a wide gap in
Indonesia between a government keen to be seen making high-level decisions, and
action-oriented volunteer organisations eager to report that many mangroves have
been planted.

Von Noordwijk says what's missing is a well-informed middle layer - one that
gathers together authorities, communities, researchers and non-governmental
organisations to shape national policies and implement them locally. Barbier
says that this 'middle zone' of local players is also vital to long-term
conservation. "Central governments have little interest in protecting
mangroves," he says. "Officials turn a blind eye to private developers or even
provide them with 'certificates of ownership' for land that really belongs to
the government. Meanwhile, traditional users lose out because they have no
'legal' rights."

Barbier argues first for strict delineation of conservation and commercial
zones, and secondly for a 'community forest' approach that aligns rights and
responsibilities with the ecological impacts of each user group. Locals who use
forest resources in sustainable ways should have access to both zones. Industry
must be restricted to commercial zones and should be liable for ecosystem
destruction - owners who abandon shrimp farms, for example, should pay for site
restoration.

Thailand has been considering this concept for some 15 years, as its mangroves
disappeared at alarming rates. This reluctance to make an apparently
straightforward policy decision is, says Barbier, because the idea is "difficult
and costly to implement. The government needs to be convinced that there is a
serious problem that needs correcting - and they need to weigh that against the
economic gains of commercial development."

Thailand's more immediate challenge is how to meet replanting targets.
Pre-tsunami, the government relied almost exclusively on volunteers, arguing
that those who benefit from the restored forests, such as local fishermen,
should help create them.

Scaling up current efforts won't work, says Barbier, because existing policies
actually deter participation. "A survey conducted by my Thai colleagues in 2000
shows that one of the factors affecting participation in replanting efforts is
whether communities feel they will have any control in the end."

Barbier is happy that the tsunami 'after-shock' is prompting governments to act.
But he worries about new challenges in the struggle to balance conservation and
development. "The first problem of deforestation is that traditional livelihoods
have been ruined; the second is that local people have lost their connection to
the mangrove forests."

One year after the tsunami, one can walk into pristine mangroves and find daily
life remarkably unchanged. A few kilometres down the shore, where the forests
had been felled, industries that needed unskilled labour are gutted. Shrimp
farms lie abandoned; tourist resorts are quiet, and locals must wait to see if
private investors will risk rebuilding.

While tsunamis are rare, all Asian coastlines are also prone to extreme weather
such as tropical cyclones and storm surges. Indeed, mangrove deforestation is
thought to have significantly increased the damage from such natural disasters.

Growing awareness of the forests' true economic value, and of the need to factor
protection into future development plans, are positive outcomes of the 2004
disaster. But it will take about five years to establish the new forests;
perhaps longer for more effective policies to be enacted. For now, the future of
this fragile ecosystem remains uncertain.

Source: SciDev.Net
From New Nation Online Edition

© Copyright 2003 by ittefaq.com

<http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_25310.shtml>http://nation.itte\
faq.com/artman/publish/article_25310.shtml

From: manglar@...

=============================================

Coral Reefs Under Attack From Post-Tsunami Rebuilding Efforts

GENEVA (Reuters) - Coral reefs that survived the devastating Indian Ocean
tsunami are coming under threat from rushed rebuilding efforts in the region,
two international environmental groups said on Thursday.
In a report issued in Geneva, they said studies along coastlines hit by the
tsunami, the tidal wave which left nearly 200,000 dead on December 26, 2004,
found little harm to coral formations.
Only a few reefs were severely damaged, and most would recover naturally within
10 years, said the two bodies -- the inter-governmental World Conservation Union
and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
They said clean-up efforts had already addressed much of the initial damage
which came from debris backwashed from shorelines mainly off the coasts of
India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia.
Since then, however, new threats have emerged from a rush to rebuild homes and
other buildings wrecked by the tsunami.
The need for urgent supplies of building material has led local people to take
sand and rock illegally from the coral reefs, which are protected under
international conservation agreements.
Felling of coastal forests for building timber has also increased the risk of
landslides that could cover reefs with sediment.
"Reconstruction material should be drawn from sustainable sources and not from
protected areas or steep forested hills," the report said. "Sand and rock should
not be dredged or mined from coral reef flats."
Donations of new, powerful and highly efficient boats and equipment to fishermen
who lost their gear in the tsunami also heightened the likelihood of
over-fishing and a decline in fish stocks, it added.
"A balancing act is required to re-establish employment for the fishers, while
introducing sustainable fishing practices ... so that communities will have
sustainable fisheries benefits in the future," it said.

From: icsf@...

===============================================

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WildFinder, an on-line, map-driven, interactive
database of global species distributions.

See: <>http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildfinder

After 6 years of data collection and 1 year of web
design, WWF's Conservation Science Program has
launched  Wildfinder. On the site you can click on any
of the world's 825 ecoregions and get a list of all
terrestrial vertebrates that occur there (i.e., birds,
mammals, reptiles, and amphibians). Or you can go the
other way, by typing in a species name and getting a
map of which ecoregions contain it.  In all,
the database contains information on over 26,000
species, gleaned from published data sources, range
maps, etc.  Advanced functions allow you to search for
a species name you're not sure of; locate ecoregions
by zip code, city, or any geographic feature; get
threat information and photos for each species; see
written descriptions of each ecoregion,
download query results; and save or print maps.

WWF would welcome any comments or feedback on the
functioning of the site and the data themselves. It
will continue to hunt for and correct any errors, and
would especially appreciate your calling its
attention to those you find. There is a feedback email
address on the site.

From: "Elaine Corets" manglar@...




    =========================================================

Fish farm escape creates environment fears in Australia

Environmentalists are worried about the impact thousands of escaped farm
barramundi will have on the marine ecosystem off the Tiwi Islands, north of
Darwin.

Storm surge and king tides in waters off Bathurst Island have damaged the Marine
Harvest barramundi farm and caused thousands of fish to escape.

Peter Robertson from the Northern Territory Environment Centre says the farmed
fish will damage the wild population. "When they're in large numbers like this
they can have a very significant impact on naturally occurring populations of
target species that they like to eat and also on other barramundi," he said.

Mr Robertson says he supports the aquaculture industry, so long as there are
environmental safeguards. "There are not adequate environmental impact
assessment processes in relation to aquaculture," he said.

"The legislation that covers aquaculture projects is totally inadequate. There
are just major, major flaws in the way aquaculture projects are being allowed to
develop in the Northern Territory."

Fisheries officers have visited the Marine Harvest farm to inspect the damage.
The Fisheries Department says most of the fish have been swept out to sea and
several cages have been recovered from a nearby sandbar.

Source: <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1565651.htm>ABC

From: icsf@...

============================

Avian Influenza: Risk May Be Greater for Fish Farms than Migratory Birds
A leading international bird conservation group claims that domestic poultry
shipments and even fish farms show greater risk of spreading avian influenza
than migratory birds. The group is seeking to protect wild bird populations from
what they feel would be unnecessary and ineffective culling to prevent the
disease from spreading. Scientists have been concerned about the role of
migrating birds and avian influenza, but now the migration is nearing an end
with few reports of the virus being transmitted in this manner. Instead, says
BirdLife International, the three most likely scenarios for transmitting avian
influenza are: 1) Trade in untreated poultry and poultry products; 2) Trade in
wild birds; and 3) Use of poultry litter as a food supplement in fish farms and
pig farms. The latter scenario is reportedly widespread in Asia and Eastern
Europe, where scientists are worried that avian influenza tainted poultry feces
could be spreading the virus through local waterways. The United Nations' Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO), however, denies that the risk of
transmission from fish and other farms is so high. While acknowledging that the
risk is real, FAO's chief veterinarian said it could be controlled with proper
surveillance and spoke in favor of the practice of using poultry feces for fish
farms. However, BirdLife International is calling for further investigation of
the role of fish farms in both incubating and spreading avian influenza.

1. "BirdLife Statement on Avian Influenza," BirdLife International, 12/8/05
<http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=57260\
319&u=526537>http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/avian_flu/index.html

2. "Bird Flu May be Spreading via Plane, Fish Farm," Meatingplace.com, 12/29/05
<http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=57260\
319&u=526538>http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=1\
5332 (Registration)

3. "Expert Rejects Fears over Fish Farming Practise," Gulf Times / Reuters,
12/29/05
<http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=57260\
319&u=526539>http://tinyurl.com/985ve (gulf-times.com)

From: Andrianna Natsoulas <anatsoulas@...>

========================================================

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

MAP News, 168th Ed. , 1 of 2 3-21-06I edited this to include mainly local news.
Please write to MAP if you want the full newsletter regularly. MM

The Mangrove Action Project News, 168th Edition

Dear Friends,

This is the 168th Edition of the Mangrove Action Project News brought to you
after another brief hiatus while traveling in Asia! It must be noted that MAP
could use your help in ensuring this newsletter is published on a biweekly
basis, as intended. Please contribute both relevant news articles and funding
support to help MAP stay in the fight for the long run!

Alfredo Quarto,
Mangrove Action Project

Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and
local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal
ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal
resources.

(Note from editor: Loss of such vital natural wetlands as mangroves, salt flats
and mudflats can be seen as a major contributing factor to the decline of our
wild fisheries.)

Following excessive environmental pollution and global climatic changes, the
world on an average loses an endangered fish specie every 20 minutes, according
to experts
Source:
<http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=233757&cat=India>WebIn

---------------------------------------------------

Back Issues available!

Note: The latest issues of the MAP News are available on MAP's Website:  
http://www.earthisland.org/map/map.html


       Contents for MAP åNEWS, 167th Edition

FEATURE STORY
WWF Endorses Shrimp Farming In Aceh To Boost Recovery!!??

MAP WORKS
Congratulations to Jim Enright and Ben Brown, Real Life Heroes
MAP Forms E-Working Group Following IHOF #11 Workshop On Mangrove Restoration
Improved Fish Smokehouse Design In Indonesia
MAP Team Visits Pulicat Lake and Andaman Island
Volunteer Opportunities, Here and Abroad
MAP Increases Its Efforts Towards Effective, Long-Term Ecological Restoration
MAP Increases Its Efforts Towards Effective, Long-Term Ecological Restoration
MAP Announces Its 2007 Children's Mangrove Art Calendars

AFRICA

Kenya
Save lake Kanyabo;i and Yala Swamp

Togo
The Mangroves of Togo Are Disappearing

ASIA

S.E. ASIA

Thailand
Mad about mangroves

Indonesia
Newmont to Pay $30M to End Pollution Suit
U.S. has dropped threats to embargo Indonesian shrimp
Mangrove Replantation in Teluk Awur Jepara, Central Java Indonesia

S. ASIA

India
Rapid industrialisation threatening mangroves in Kutch, says expert

E. ASIA

China
Green dream
Forest defences help shelter coast from disaster

Oceana
Labour shortage hits Australian aquaculture industry

LATIN AMERICA

Brazil
Shrimp production done in highly polluting way

Belize
Request for advice on how to protect tallest mangroves in entire neotropics

The Caribbean

The Bahamas
Struggle to Save Bimini and Guana Cay Continues
Guana Cay's Mangroves Last Stand, or Firm Stance Against Development
Reef defenders in Bahamas sue over mega-resort
***ACTION ALERT!!! ***
Bimini Mangroves Still Being Bull Dozed


EUROPE
Response from Leo van Mulekom, Novib on Shrimp certification plans.

STORIES/ISSUES
Towards Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation of Fishing Communities:
Rebuilding Asia's coastal barrier
Coral Reefs Under Attack From Post-Tsunami Rebuilding Efforts

ANNOUNCEMENTS
WildFinder, an on-line, map-driven, interactive
database of global species distributions.
WALHI Publishes New Book On Shrimp Farming In Indonesia

AQUACULTURE CORNER
.  THE SEAFOOD LABELING BUZZ AND WHAT'S BEHIND IT
Fishmeal ships plunder the seas
Organic Seafood Labels Called Misleading
Avian Influenza: Risk May Be Greater for Fish Farms than Migratory Birds

-------------------------------------------------

FEATURE STORIES

WWF Endorses Shrimp Farming In Aceh To Boost Recovery!!??

from WWF's website:

WWF is developing a plan to introduce state of the art shrimp aquaculture
techniques and infrastructure in Aceh and southern Thailand. Shrimp aquaculture
offers considerable scope for job creation and could give a significant boost to
economically depressed communities.
<http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/crisis/tsunami_2004/wwf_tsunami/faq_ww\
f__tsunami/index.cfm>http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/crisis/tsunami_200\
4/wwf_tsunami/faq_wwf__tsunami/index.cfm

1 Feb 2006

Dear Friends,

In late January I attended a rather strenuous "Seafood Summit" conference event
in Seattle organized by Seafood Choice Alliance. There were about 230 people
there--a mixture of NGOs, aquacuture industry reps and US fisher men and women,
as well as a NOAA representative of the US government who was promoting Open
Ocean Aquaculture. In a real sense, the conference was both a meeting ground and
a battle ground.  Certification and seafood safety were the main topics.

On the first day of the conference, I heard the WWF representative, Aaron A.
McNevin, PhD., Aquaculture Specialist (his title) speak during a session on
setting standards for fish certification being used by the Marine Stewardship
Council. McNevin was involved in this session, along with the CEO of MSC, Rupert
Howes of the UK, who is thrilled because Wal-Mart has signalled they will abide
by MSC wild shrimp certification in just three years. This will probably
coincide with Wal-Mart's earlier stated plans for certification of their farmed
shrimp which we are opposing. (This Wal-Mart entry into the MSC certification
process was the talk of the conference, with the conference presenters from MSC,
WWF, Seafood Choices, etc. really happy with the "big" news, stating that this
is a major breakthrough in the realm of the MSC and its growing influence over
wild marine fisheries catch because Wal-Mart is the world's largest retail
store.)

McNevin, in a matter of fact manner, stated that WWF has formed the Sustainable
Aquaculture Alliance, which is itself working towards some sort of farmed shrimp
certification based upon Best Management Practices. He further stated that WWF
is working with the Indonesian gov., FAO, UNEP and the World Bank to
re-establish the shrimp farms that had been destroyed by the tsunami along the
coast of Aceh in Indonesia. WWF claims that they are doing this to help the
local fishing communities in Aceh recuperate economically from their losses from
the tsunami. According to McNevin, the shrimp farms were prior run by
small-scale farmers (he is wrong on this!), and this plan to re-establish these
destroyed ponds was a way WWF saw to help these same local communities get back
on their feet economically!!!

  I was shocked to hear this was their "recovery plan" for Aceh!  I spoke out
strongly against WWF for this plan, stating that it was the shrimp farm industry
in the first place that removed the mangroves and other coastal greenbelt that
may have offer some protection from the tsunami for shrimp ponds thus making the
coastal areas much more vulnerable to the tsunami of 2004.

WWF needs to revise its plans for tsunami recovery, as their promotion of shrimp
farming as a means for economic benefit to the poor coastal communities is a
terrible mistake in judgement and policy!

Cheers,
Alfredo Quarto,
MAP

-----------------------------------------------------------------

MAP WORKS

Congratulations to Jim Enright and Ben Brown, Real Life Heroes

On Feb. 3rd, while traveling in Koh Kong Province in Cambodia, Jim Enright and
Ben Brown, MAP's SE Asia and Indonesia Coordinators respectively, came upon a
terrible accident that left a vehicle that went off the road in deep water with
two of its occupants trapped inside. Jim and Ben immediately went into action
and jumped in to save the occupants of the submerged car, pulling a couple from
the wreckage and applying CPR to the unconscious victis till they revived.

These unsung MAP heroes deserve medals for their effective and quick actions,
which saved these people from certain death. We at MAP congratulate Jim and Ben
for a job well done.

=====================================

MAP Forms E-Working Group Following IHOF #11 Workshop On Mangrove Restoration

the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) in partnership with Coastal Community
Development Programme (CCDP) have completed a very successful IHOF #11 workshop
with the title "Ecological Mangrove Restoration"  Nov.7-12, 2005 in Vijayawada
AP India.  This workshop was a training workshop for practitioners of mangrove
restoration, using hydrological restoration as the preferred method.   Mangrove
restoration was also a focus at IHOF #9, but this five day workshop went into
much greater detail under the instruction and guidance of mangrove restoration
expert, Robin Lewis, of Florida USA.

One of the follow-up requests of IHOF #11 participants was for the establishment
of a means by which people could easily share information, seek information,
post information, and continue to learn from each others mangrove restoration
experiences.   Several persons recommended a yahoo e-group be set-up to serve
this purpose.  Dominic Wodehouse a member of the International Tree Foundation
(ITF) who attended IHOF #11 and who has been a volunteer in our MAP office
during Dec. agreed to take this on and set it up for MAP.  The "Ecological
Mangrove Restoration" (EMR) Yahoo e-group has now been in function on a test
basis for several weeks.   Dominic although he has returned to the UK has agreed
to continue as the monitor of the group for the time being.

EMR Group Description: This is a closed group, drawn from the attendees of an
Ecological Mangrove Restoration Workshop. The workshop took place in Vijayawada,
India, November 2005. Members of this group are concerned with protecting and
restoring mangroves around the world.

From: "MAP / S.E. Asia" <mapasia@...>

==========================================
  MAP Team Visits Pulicat Lake and Andaman Island

Earlier this month, MAP's Executive Director and SE Asia Coordinator, Jim
Enright visited Pulicat Lake in Tamil Nadu, India and Andaman Islands to view
firsthand the work sites of one of MAP's partner NGOs, COPDANET Foundation,
which is based in Chennai. COPDANET is working very hard in trying to restore
the mangrove areas now degraded around Pulicat Lake by industrial development
and local resource overuse. Together these forces are destroying the mangroves
and causing major problems for the fishing and farming communities that reside
there.

COPDANET has started a mangrove nursery containing several varieties of mangrove
being readied for planting, Also, there is a small mangrove resource center
there, which helps facilitate local community meetings and skills sharing and
training workshops.

COPDANET and local volunteers are planting mangrove seedlings from their nursery
on a 12 ha island site in the lake.

The next day, we flew to Andaman Islands to view a massive mangrove die off
caused by the earth quake and tsunami where the islands in the Andaman Sea were
themselves severely affected by the tragic events, Some islands were tilted by
the earth's violent movements. Locals related the frightening scene that befell
them that morning when "the earth shook for eight and a half minutes straight,
and it was impossible for one to stand up!"

One side of the island was raised a meter and a half to where the once submerged
coral reef now stood permanently out of the sea and died, while the other side
of the island was sunken to where the mangroves were submerged past their root
systems causing the trees to drown en masse in the now permanent deep waters.
The local Forest Dept. officials and others were not sure why the mangroves had
died, but it was immediately evident to the MAP visiting team that the mangroves
had suffered the consequence of their permanently submerged shorelines.

What will become of the new coastline remains to be seen, but the mangroves that
survived may well now move up shore as the fresh water plants are now inundated
by the new levels of high tide, causing these plants to die. Will the mangroves
fill this niche in time forming a new mangrove wall of roots and green?

  COPDANET has established another Mangrove Resource Center on Andaman Island,
which is slowly building up its potential as a community-learning center and
restoration and conservation site for the island.

On returning to Chennai, Dr. Felix N. Sugirtharaj, CIOPDANET's Coordinator, took
us on a brief tour of the coastal fishing communities, which suffered the most
casualties in India because of their still very vulnerable community placement
right along an unobstructed shoreline. Thousands of coastal residents were
washed away and killed by the tsunami's fury, but those who survived are still
in danger, as they simply rebuilt in the same non-defensible locations. Early
warning systems may well be the only line of defense these coastal dwellers will
have against future tsunamis.

===========================================

Volunteer Opportunities, Here and Abroad

MAP is looking for interns and volunteers who can cover their own expenses, such
as airfare and basic living expenses in country.   If you're interested please
send your CV to mangroveap@....

There are a number of tasks that qualified volunteers could help us with-- some
small, some larger, some not so interesting, and some things that could be quite
rewarding.   Anyway it would be a way to get your feet wet in the issues which
MAP deals with and we would try to be very flexible in matching your interests
with our needs.  Please do look at out web site:
http://www.earthisland.org/map/map.html for more information on MAP.
Though MAP office does not have the financial resources to provide room and
board, we would be happy to help find suitable inexpensive accommodation, places
to eat etc....   Often, sponsoring universities provide students with an
allowance for living expenses, but this depends on the arrangements interns make
with their schools.   The cost of living is fairly low in the Developing
countries, so this should not be too taxing on a limited budget.

Regarding work projects, we've several possible ideas that would be both very
challenging and would require the volunteer or intern to be very self-directed
and independent, while possibly involving fairly isolated locations, but which
can be very rewarding and interesting.    Language would be the greatest barrier
but with ingenuity and perseverance volunteers will find ways to deal with this.

Projects involve dealing with local communities to reduce environmental impacts
on coastal resources, and also involve building environmental education
awareness amongst them.   Sustainable livelihoods, eco-tourism, and waste
management could be work topics as well as.   In fact the possibilities are very
broad and there is a lot of flexibility.  Here is a very brief description of
three potential projects ideas:
1)  One of MAP's partners, Sandhan Foundation, located in Orissa, India is
building a Community Coastal Resource Centre (CCRC) on the boundary of
Bhitarkanika Conservation area, which is a  World Heritage Site and a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve and will soon become a RAMSAR site as well.  The CCRC is being
built on the concept of other MAP partner CCRCs located in Nigeria, Senegal, Sri
Lanka, Indonesia, Honduras, and recently in the Andaman Islands.  Their purpose
is multi-faceted involving a place for community meetings, training, education
and a place for demonstration of sustainable concepts regarding coastal natural
resource management and conservation.  Sustainable livelihood is another aspect.
The centre is rather remote, located 5 hours from Bhubaneswar. There are
presently two Indian staff (one speaks English) at the centre to maintain the
facility and also doing limited community outreach, but soon they will be
looking for several staff persons to develop the resource centre and run
programs. Please see http://www.sandhanfoundation.info/  and
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sandhan

2) Another of MAP's partners in Thailand-- Naucrates, an Italian based NGO
working in Thailand for 8 years on sea turtle conservation-- has branched out to
mangrove conservation activities several years ago.  Their project site is on
Phra tong Island off Phangnga Province in Southern Thailand.   The island was
hit very hard by the tsunami and they lost all their facilities, equipment and
several staff.  One of the three villages was totally destroyed.   The island
has wildlife and has not been impacted by tourism like many other islands in
Thailand. The island still has a wild deer population and endangered stocks and
a few sea turtles still come to nest annually. The only resort was washed away
and there is a small group of Eco-houses on one beach owned mainly by
foreigners.  Many of these were also destroyed by the tsunami.  This year
Naucrates will continue their sea-turtle beach survey work with volunteers and
also do community environmental educational awareness raising.   Naucrates has
recently build a small environment centre beside the school with a tsunami
donation from Italy which they plan to use for children's programs and community
out reach so there would be any opportunity to do mangrove education activities
with several Thai staff who also speak English.
Naucrates is also doing a small mangrove restoration project in an area which
was tsunami damaged. Please see http://www.naucrates.org/

3.) One of MAP's recent new contacts "Organization for Marine Conservation
Awareness and Research" (OMAR) in Tamil Nadu, India has a Internship program and
they're involved in research, mangrove restoration and community outreach
through volunteers.  Please contact Balaji at <marine_balaji@...>  They're
just putting up a website http://www.omcar.org/  which already has good
information on their projects.

Organization for Marine Conservation Awareness and Research (OMCAR Inc)
56/2 Mannai Nagar Mattusanthai Road
Pattukkottai (post),Thanjavur (Dist),
Tamil Nadu   Telephone: +91 / 93 60 54 81 17
Vedharajan Balaji <marine_balaji@...>
Website: http://www.omcar.org/

From: "MAP / S.E. Asia" mapasia@...

================================

MAP Increases Its Efforts Towards Effective, Long-Term Ecological Restoration

Conversion of mangrove forests to salt production would be equally destructive
of the mangrove resource, as would shrimp aquaculture, but the fact that some
prior action destroyed the mangroves does not lessen the damage from further
conversion to shrimp aquaculture, it simply seals the fate of the mangroves.
Prior conversion is often used to justify further conversion to shrimp
aquaculture, as is prior use for forestry and the over-harvesting of trees (a
typical argument in Thailand). It is a circular argument, "it was already
damaged, so our conversion to aquaculture did no damage." No way. There were
mangroves there before, and therefore there could be mangroves there again
through cheap hydrologic restoration (US$250/ha). Most of these lands are
government owned, or were government owned, and were surrendered, leased, or
allowed to be illegally developed. They should all be restored, and could be,
cheaply and effectively.

From R. "Robin" Lewis III, Professional Wetland Scientist LESrrl3@...

======================================

MAP Announces Its 2007 Children's Mangrove Art Calendars. MAP is Looking for
contributions from schools from around the mangrove world for our 2007 Calendar!

MAP's new Children's Mangrove Art 2006 Calendars are now available. In addition
to these beautiful calendars, we are selling packets of 5 beautiful greeting
cards containing several mangrove images from Monica Gutierrez-Quarto's artwork.
to raise funds for MAP.

Any donation of $35 or more qualifies the donor for an annual membership with a
free calendar or card set! Please give generously today!

PLEASE help MAP stay in this fight for the future by becoming a donating
subscriber today! Check our website for details (www.earthisland.org/map) or
contact: <mailto: mangroveap@...>mangroveap@...

==============================================
  ASIA

S.E. ASIA

Thailand

Bangkok Post  Nov.13, 1998

Mad about mangroves

Learning by sharing... Student volunteers at the Bang Taboon Witaya School share
their knowledge about mangrove ecology with friends from another school
If you can put up with voracious mosquitoes and peeping-tom monkeys, a visit to
the mangrove research centre in Phetchaburi can be a lot of fun. Run on a
shoestring budget, with teachers and students as volunteers, its goal is to
foster environmental awareness among the young

Story by Vasana Chinvarakorn
Pictures by Somkid Chaijitvanit

This is no fancy air-conditioned resort, believe me. Visitors have to make do
with mats and pillows laid out on the classroom floor. And there are plenty of
mosquitoes to keep you company.

Bathrooms are outside in the mangrove forest, and they have no rooves. Every now
and then, a pair of curious eyes can be seen peeping down from the tree tops;
they belong to the wild monkeys who roam around the woods searching for food,
and observing the occasional human.

Despite such inconveniences, each year the Mangrove Ecology Study and
Preservation Centre receives over five thousand visitors. They range from school
children to trainee teachers, researchers and government officers. Some come
from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand after hearing about this small
but unique research centre in Phetchaburi province.

The centre is part of Bang Taboon Witaya School, a junior secondary school with
150 students. As well as conducting regular school classes and activities, the
school has, for the past decade, provide educational services to anyone seeking
to learn more about the thriving natural life along the coast.

Some visitors have never seen a mangrove forest before. Others, particularly
local children, see it everyday and yet do not realise the importance of the
mangrove until they join the programme at the centre.

The two-day, one-night training course at Bang Taboon Witaya School teaches the
basics of the mangrove forest: its dominant flora and fauna, what factors
contribute to its decline, and how to conduct simple scientific experiments on
the soil and other specimens.

During a boat trip along the Phetchaburi River and out to the Gulf of Thailand,
participants see local people at work, and learn how human livelihood is tied to
the health of the sea and the forests.

Some visitors, notably children, seem to be more sensitive than others. They
marvel at the traces left by mud slipper fish (pla teen in Thai): "The marks
look like flower petals!"

"Seeing things with your own eyes shortens the learning process," said Somjit
Meewasana, a science teacher and the centre's head. "Some teachers confess that
they have been teaching for years, but it's all just by rote. Only now do they
understand how great is the benefit of the mangrove forest.

Mr Somjit explained that the forest surrounding the school is probably the
province's most fertile plot of land. "We found over 20 species of mangrove
plants here, while in other areas, there are only a couple."


From humans to monkeys and shrimps--only by maintaining the health of natural
forest can one ensure all lives will continue to thrive.
He is referring to the 20-rai mangrove forest which forms the the backyard of
his school. Although small in size, it has been well-kept and has actually
expanded over the yearsS..

SThe preservation programme aims to teach youngsters to be concerned for the
well-being of their local environment. All new students who enter the school are
required to attend the centre's training programme.

Those who show interest and potential will be drafted in to work as assistants.
On the activity days, they will be stationed at various spots in the forest, to
give information on different aspects of the mangrove forests to visitors.

These student volunteers attest that participation in the programme helps
improve their interpersonal skills, and sometimes, their level of understanding
of their surroundings.

Mr Somjit said the idea to set up the centre was suggested in 1985 when a group
of teachers from the Phra Nakorn and Phetchaburi Teachers' Colleges visited the
school to research how to make use of the schoolyard in teaching biology and
environment. A subsequent grant from UNESCO resulted in the construction of a
wooden bridge across the forest which facilitated closer study of the mangrove
plants and animals.

Back then, the Bang Taboon Witaya School received only a couple of groups of
visitors per year, due to difficulties in transportation.

In the late-1980s, reports on critical degradation of mangrove forests prompted
concerns over its survival. Statistics showed that between 1961 and 1993,
Thailand lost about a million rai of mangrove forest.

A cabinet resolution in 1987 divided the remaining wooded areas into reserve and
economic zones. The mangrove forest in Phetchaburi was included in the reserve
list which, in all, came to about 1,200 rais, a far cry from tens of thousands
of rai we had in the old days.

The mangrove study centre was officially established in 1990. Without any
financial support from the state agencies in charge of educational affairs, the
centre managed to survive on contributions from visitors and supportersS

SIn 1994, the centre received another grant from USAid which, combined with
other donations, enabled them to build a nursery for mangrove plants, a concrete
bridge to run parallel to the first one, and booklets to distribute to
visitors...

From: "MAP / S.E. Asia" <mapasia@...>

=======================================

Indonesia

Newmont to Pay $30M to End Pollution Suit

By ZAKKI HAKIM, Associated Press Writer
Thu Feb 16, 2:07 AM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Newmont Mining Corp. agreed Thursday to pay Indonesia $30
million in an out-of-court settlement, ending one of two legal battles over
allegations the company dumped tons of toxic waste into a bay, sickening
villagers.

The deal closes a civil suit filed by the government, but has no impact on an
ongoing criminal trial of the U.S. gold mining giant's top local executive, who
is accused of knowingly dumping dangerous amounts of arsenic and other heavy
metals into Buyat Bay on Sulawesi Island, 1,300 miles northeast of Jakarta.

Newmont's local subsidiary said it would pay $30 million over 10 years to fund
environmental monitoring and community development around the gold mine in
exchange for the government dropping the case.

"This is the best solution in solving this problem in the interests of the
people of north Sulawesi," said Social Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie.

The Environment Ministry filed the suit last year and had been asking for $133.6
million in damages to compensate for the alleged pollution from arsenic-laced
waste rock pumped onto the ocean floor. Arsenic and other heavy metals are used
to separate gold from ore.

Robert Gallagher, Newmont's vice president of Indonesian operations, said the
deal "reaffirmed our long term presence and investment in Indonesia and our
commitment to the communities where we operate."

Newmont operates another massive gold and copper mine on Sumbawa in the far east
of the country, and is planning more operations on the same island.

The company's legal troubles in Indonesia are being closely watched by foreign
investors already anxious about the country's weak legal system, as well as by
environmentalists eager to see if the government will punish a multinational
mining company for the first time in recent history.

The criminal case against the company is being heard in Manado, the capital of
north Sulawesi province. Richard Ness, the American president director of
Newmont Minahasa Raya, the Denver-based company's Indonesian subsidiary, faces
up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A verdict is expected later this year.

Prosecutors at the trial say Newmont violated environmental laws by dumping the
waste, and allege villagers develop skin diseases and other illnesses as a
result.

Newmont insists there was no pollution in the bay and the police investigation
was flawed.

It says several studies have shown that the levels of mercury and arsenic in the
bay are well below Indonesia's maximum allowable levels.

Newmont began operations in Sulawesi in 1996, and stopped mining two years ago
after extracting all the gold it could. But it continued processing ore until
Aug. 31, 2004, when the mine was permanently shut.

<http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=63173\
180&u=579843>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060216/ap_on_bi_ge/indonesia_newmont_9

From: Global Response info@...

===============================================================
U.S. has dropped threats to embargo Indonesian shrimp
from Seafood.com news
Today's Main Stories: According to sources in Jakarta, the U.S. has dropped
threats to embargo Indonesian shrimp following meetings in Washington with
Indonesian fishery officials on Wednesday. There has been continuing coverage in
Indonesia of first, the potential of a U.S. embargo, and then the ability of the
Indonesian government to prevent this from happening. It is clear that there is
not going to be any embargo on Indonesian shrimp. The question that remains is
what promises were made by the Indonesians, and particularly what sanctions, if
any, will be imposed on the seven companies accused of falsifying export
documents. Although the embargo issue is now moot, the investigation is still
active in the area of possible collusion in transshipping Chinese shrimp.

From: "Elaine Corets" <manglar@...>
======================================

Mangrove Replantation in Teluk Awur Jepara, Central Java Indonesia
By Aris Priyono
(Honorary Council of KeSEMaT)
aris_priyono@...
Most people in Teluk Awur Jepara, Indonesia - many of whom work as woodcarvers
and fishers - know little about how important mangroves are to their lives and
their environment. They do not realize that mangroves stabilize the coasts and
riverbanks.
So they fell mangrove forests for firewood and other uses and, assuming the
forests have no value, dump rubbish in them. There is no spirit of conservation,
and no programme for replanting what is cut down. Since around 1960, both the
quality and quantity of the forests in the area have been declining.
The local government has been trying to restore the forests without success,
partly because the area that needs restoration is very large. But now a project
is replanting the degraded coastal areas with mangroves grown from seeds that
have been collected and cultivated locally.
Four years ago, eight marine science students at Diponegoro University Semarang
in Teluk Awur Jepara, in Central Java, created programmes and involved local
people in the restoration. I was one of these students. We set up the Teluk Awur
Mangrove Ecosystem Study Club (KeSEMaT) to develop student research into
mangrove ecosystems, to raise awareness of their importance to the environment
and to people, and to spread our spirit of conservation in the community.
The club first focused on scientific discussions about mangrove ecosystems so as
to learn more about the issue. Then, in 2002, our Mangrove Replant project won
the coastal prize contest period II from Wetlands International'Indonesia
Programme (WI-IP). As a result, we built six nurseries to cultivate seeds we
gathered.
The next year we began replanting the seedlings, with 120 participants from the
cities of Semarang and Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. We have since hosted two more
such projects, making them yearly events. We set up maintenance programmes, and
by the end of August 2005 we had achieved 99 per cent sustainability.
Our success was boosted by involving the community, but we still need both local
and international support recognizing the incredible importance of mangroves. So
we educate the local people about all their benefits, explain cultivation
methods and hope they will continue the project. We try to establish strong ties
with local young people so that they adopt a conservation spirit. In the future,
we want communities around the world to join us in preserving mangrove forests.
Fortunately, my area was not affected by the horrific tsunami that struck parts
of Indonesia on 26 December 2004, killing at least 150,000 people, but I have
read how mangroves can absorb some of the impact of large waves and lessen the
devastation to coastal communities. That's just one more reason why we need to
conserve them!
From: "aris priyono" <aris_priyono@...>

=======================================

S. ASIA

India

Rapid industrialisation threatening mangroves in Kutch, says expert

Says new industries, two ports, SEZ concentrated in coastal belt

D. V. Maheshwari

Bhuj, February 5: The country's second largest mangrove patch in the border
district faces a new kind of danger. While earlier the mangroves were being
depleted by fodder collectors, activities such as fishing and grazing, according
to ecological experts at the Gujarat Ecological Commission and Gujarat Institute
of Desert Ecology, (GUIDE), the mangroves face greater threat by the post quake
industrialisation of the Kutch region.
''The new industries, two major ports and the country's first Special Economic
Zone in the private sector in Mundra are all concentrated in the coastal belt
where good mangrove jungles are situated. If they are not saved, the country's
second largest after Sundarban on the east coast's biggest patch of mangroves
here would be destroyed'' Dr G. A. Thivakaran, scientist at GUIDE, said in his
key note address.

Echoing the same feeling, GUIDE director Y. D. Singh said they were not against
the industrialisation, but the ecological balance needed to maintained by its
conservation through sustained efforts by the upcoming industries.

He said his organisation had organised a meet with representatives of industrial
units to emphasis the need for conservation of mangroves which are vital for
ecology in September 2005 and it was decided to constitute a join body for
further action, but the response has not been encouraging Singh said adding that
since the might and money power of the industries thwarted their efforts, the
only recourse available was to make people aware of the threat in the future
from the destruction of the mangrovesS.


From LESRRL3@...

========================================

E. ASIA

China

Green dream
By Daisy

"Green represents love, life, hope and harmony; while wild denotes nature. The
Greenwild Organization is home to lovers of life, nature and voluntary
environmental protection work," as interpreted by Chen Sixing, the current
leader of Greenwild, which has been nominated as one of China's top ten
environmental protection organizations.

Founded on September 16th, 2000 at Xiamen University, Greenwild has grown into
an environmental protection NGO with 489 members in just five years.

Since Greenwild's foundation, the organization has promoted several fruitful
environmental protection campaigns, namely, the Fujian fishery and oceanic
pollution study in 2001, mangrove allocation study in 2003, and the water
pollution study in Ningde in 2004. Recently, they have been focusing their
attention on mangroves. "Mangrove is a common name applied to several kinds of
tropical flowering plants. They are like a sea forest. They are indeed very
beautiful plants," said Chen.

As part of the CMPP (China Mangrove Protection Project), they launched a project
to build a beautiful garden this May by investigating the local mangrove
situation and collecting rubbish left in mangrove habitats.

"We expect to wrap up the project in five years. It will be hard to start with.
We need to propagate mangrove knowledge and arouse public interest. But I am
optimistic, because we are going to overcome all difficulties with the Greenwild
spirit, and we'll popularize our slogan: Lean our ears to the wild, and pass on
the green dream."

From: GGF China [mailto:info@...]

=========================================

Forest defences help shelter coast from disaster

     BEIJING, Sept. 21 -- Typhoons that hit China's coastal areas this summer and
the aftermath of the Asian tsunami last December have prompted forestry experts
to consider building strong defences to lessen the effects of disasters.

     With coastline stretching more than 18,000 kilometres from Guangxi to
Liaoning, China has suffered billions of US dollars in losses every year as a
result of frequent seaborne calamities.

     Each year the total surpasses 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion), according to
the State Forestry Administration (SFA).

     Plan for future

     "Although humankind is still unable to accurately forecast disasters like
tsunamis and tidal storms today, we can build coastal shelter belts to mitigate
the damage along our coastlines," Zhou Shengxian, head of the SFA, said.

     Research indicates a network of coastal defences, especially a belt of
mangroves, is capable of absorbing 30 to 40 per cent of the total force of a
tsunami or typhoon and ensuing waves before they swirl over inhabited areas by
the shore.

     The monstrous tsunami of December 26 last year killed 174,000 people and
destroyed tens of thousands of buildings in Thailand, Indonesia, India, the
Maldives and Sri Lanka.

     However, Thailand's Ranong areas were almost unaffected by the tsunami,
thanks to the resistance provided by luxuriant offshore mangrove forests.

     From India to Indonesia we have heard stories from fishermen who took
shelter behind mangrove forests and survived.

     Nearly 11,000 people died in India, mostly in Tamil Nadu state where tens of
thousands of fishermen have to live in relief camps. But in Pichavaram covered
by 900 hectares of mangrove forests local residents continue to fish just as
they did before the tsunami.

     Some 3,000 fishing families in the region depend on mangroves, harvesting
around 230 tons of prawns, fish and crabs annually.

     "Here, there has been very little impact," S. Ramamurthy, the official in
charge of the forests was quoted as saying in a report by the newspaper the
Australian.

     A similar story

     In 1996, the Leizhou Peninsula, located near South China's Hainan Province,
was hit by a violent typhoon, incurring economic losses of more than 10 billion
yuan (US$1.2 billion). The counties of Doulun and Jinbang were unaffected
because they were sheltered by a mangrove belt that measures 40 to 160 metres
across.

     An important lesson that can be learned in the wake of the tsunami in the
Indian Ocean is that one of the best defences against natural disasters is
nature itself, experts say.

     China's coastline measures 18,340 kilometres from Bohai Bay in the north to
Beibu Bay in the south, with eight coastal provinces, two municipalities and one
autonomous region Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai,
Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan.

     They boast the country's most economically developed areas. In 2004 alone,
the gross domestic product of these regions reached 9.45 trillion yuan (US$1.17
trillion), accounting for about 70 per cent of China's total.

     But it is also these areas that are most frequently hit by typhoons and
tsunamis.

     On average, between 1924 and 2004, 6.9 typhoons have hit China every year,
with storm tides occurring once in every three or four years.

     In the past decade the country has incurred 213.4 billion yuan (US$26.2
billion) in direct economic losses because of storm tides and other ensuing
natural disasters.

     Picturing defences

     China is expected to fully enhance the construction of its coastal belt of
shelter woods from 2005 to 2010 so as to improve protection against typhoons,
storm tides, tsunamis and other ensuing catastrophic consequences.

     Zhou and his team already have a picture in their minds of the network of
coastal shelter forests.

     The network, they say, should be composed of windbreaks, high forest with
firmly-rooted trees, water conservation forest and farmland shelter-forest.

     "It should be a green system engineered to include the construction of
primary coastal shelter forest, mangroves, farmland shelter belt, urban
greening, barren mountain afforestation and the protection of littoral wetland,"
Zhou said.

     In the future, such a system would not only be capable of withstanding
disasters and ensuring the suitability of the economy but would also help
rehabilitate coastal ecosystems, safeguard residents and improve human habitats.

     Over the past decade, statistics released by the SFA have shown China
planted 3.82 million hectares of shelter forests along coastal waters.

     This increased forest coverage from 24.9 per cent to 35.5 per cent and
extended the country's primary shelter forest length to 17,000 kilometres or 94
per cent of the total planned area.

     Problems on the way

     Despite the progress, China's shelter forests are still unable to resist
devastating typhoons and tsunamis, experts say.

     A shortage of funds is one of the major challenges holding back the full
completion of the proposed shelter forest.

     "Today, the cost of afforestation per mu (0.06 hectare) would be up to 600
yuan (US$73) on barren mountainous areas or saline alkali soil," Zhou said,
adding the present State subsidies have only accounted for 10 per cent of the
cost.

     To ensure the success of China's coastal shelter belt, the SFA hopes the
coastal afforestation programme can be listed in the country's 11th Five-Year
Plan (2006-10) with support from government investment.

     It is also important to improve the quality of the existing trees and
replace the ageing ones.

     "China's existing coastal forest shelter belt cannot meet our goal of
forming an integrated defence system," Zhou said.

     The primary "coastal green great wall" has not been fully completed,
particularly along some muddy and sandy coasts and in shallows-tidal-flat areas
and alkali flats where planting trees is very difficult.

     The wall contains a gap stretching 3,800 kilometres with many ageing trees
that must be replaced in many sections.

     "Some carob trees which were planted when I was a little boy are still
standing there. But they are too old to withstand strong winds nowadays,"
complained 58-year-old Zhao Xipeng, a forestry official at Wafangdian in
Liaoning Province.

     "Much of China's existing forest along the coastlines is ageing after being
lashed by typhoons or battered by plant diseases," experts at the SFA said.
Enditem

(Source: China Daily)

<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/21/content_3519686.htm>http://news.xi\
nhuanet.com/english/2005-09/21/content_3519686.htm



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alfredo Quarto, Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279
USA
phone/ fax (360) 452-5866
<mangroveap@...>
mailto:mangroveap@...
web site: http://www.earthisland.org/map/map.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

THE DAILY TELEGRAM
March 22, 2006


Coral reef conservation
31 get through capacity building trng.
Port Blair, March 21
     A month-long capacity building programme in scuba diving and coral reef
conservation and management concluded yesterday with its valedictory
function held in the conference hall of Van Sadan, Haddo. The programme was
participated by Forest Officials and Marine biologists from mainland.
    Altogether 31 candidates got through the capacity building programme
successfully. The training was conducted by the Department of Environment
and Forests in association with Reef Watch Marine Conservation from February
11 to March 12, 2006.
    Speaking on the occasion, Shri S S Choudhury, PCCF (Wild Life) and Chief
Wild Life Warden, highlighted the need for conducting such programme
annually. While, Shri S R Mehta, PCCF and Secretary, Department of
Environment and Forests, gave away certificates to successful candidates
    The function was also addressed, among others, by Shri Rajendra Kumar,
Secretary-cum-Commissioner, Shri Garbyal, CCF, Smt Mitali Dutt Kakar,
Director of Reef Watch Marine Conservation, Dr. Sarang Kulkarni, Marine
Biologist and PADI SCUBA Diving Instructor and Shri Neeraj Bharati, Deputy
Secretary, PWD, a communication from Reef Watch Marine Conservation said
here.


ISLES BOY BECOMES COUNTRY'S YOUNGEST SCUBA DIVER
Port Blair, March 21
    A 13-yr old school boy from this island territory - Gaurav Baidya has
achieved a rare distinction by becoming the youngest SCUBA diver in the
country.  He achieved this feat when he received the PADI certificate after
successfully demonstrating all skills required to fulfill the criteria to be
a PADI open water SCUBA diver. Gaurav is the son of Shri Nitai Baidya, staff
of Forest Department. He has come out successful inspite of being deaf and
mute which has set an example of determination and perseverance.
    The young boy was given PADI certificate by Shri S R Mehta, PCCF &
Secretary, Environment and Forest, A & N Administration yesterday at the
valedictory function of a month-long Capacity Building in SCUBA diving and
Coral Reef Conservation and Management, organised by Department of
Environment and Forests.

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 020 - 25654239
Web: www.kalpavriksh.org

Eighth Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Day 2, Tuesday 21 March 2006
Curitiba, Brazil
This is an update on proceedings of the conference with special
reference to discussions pertaining to tourism in CBD.
Islands biological diversity - time to rethink tourism (doc #
UNEP/CBD/COP/8/13)
In the seventh Conference of Parties, it was decided to consider island
biodiversity as a new issue for in-depth consideration at this (eighth)
meeting (decision VII/31). As a result of this decision, an ad hoc
technical expert group was convened in the Canary Islands, from 13 to 17
December 2004. The expert group prepared a draft program of work and
submitted it to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice (SBSTTA) at its tenth meeting as one of its main
items for discussion, wherein SBSTTA adopted its recommendation.
The recommendation under 'indicative list of supporting actions for
parties for the implementation of the programme of work on island
biodiversity' has identified tourism as a key area under goal 5 &
priority action 5.5 & 6.1; it suggests:
* Promotion of sites with potential for 'added-value' tourism
* Support pilot tourism projects that favor local biodiversity
conservation
* Promoting 'non-consumptive' (!) ecotourism
A careful reading of the above 3 aspects of the recommendations shows
that they more or less suggest the same approach and thrust is on such
forms of tourism development as ecotourism.
Firstly, it is not clear what 'added-value' tourism is. However,
ecotourism has been the value addition to the tourism industry - thanks
to international year of ecotourism 2002 which has enabled the tourism
industry to green-wash all its operations -- with little change in its
character but definitely more areas for its operations! Islands would
have therefore been a 'natural' choice. The recommendations by
suggesting pilot projects have only implied new areas for tourism
development. Ecotourism has been labeled as non-consumptive. But it has
been shown that ecotourism is not non-consumptive. No matter how low
volume or low infrastructure, ecotourism will have an impact on
biodiversity and ecosystems.
As an afterthought, like almost echoing the much maligned calls on
tourism impacts, it has suggested that an understanding needs to be
developed on how biodiversity is affected by pressures of economic
activities like tourism that are intensified in small islands (priority
action 6.1). It has also suggested under 8.1 to develop alternatives to
prevent loss of habitats and overexploitation of natural resources
driven by inter alia tourism.
The recommendations indicate taking into consideration CBD tourism
guidelines. It must be noted: the tourism guidelines were adopted
despite fervent requests of indigenous groups. Tourism development has
only raised their anxieties as they find it difficult to deal with the
way in which tourism has targeted, commoditized and exploited lands
inhabited by indigenous peoples. The preparation process of the
guidelines lacked meaningful participation of indigenous peoples.
Analysis of the guidelines also shows that the impact assessment
processes has been very much diluted. There are inconsistencies with the
guidelines and the Akwe:Kon Guidelines.
The International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, an advisory body to
CBD, has strongly objected to lack of full and effective participation
of indigenous & local communities (ILCs) in the program of work in
island biodiversity and has demanded application of the precautionary
principle for tourism in islands. The precautionary principle states
that where there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of
biological diversity, lack of full scientific certainty should not be
used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid or minimize such a
threat.
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands of Indian Ocean are being targeted for
large scale tourism development plans, which will prove disastrous to
their fragile ecosystems and endemic, endangered biodiversity. The Govt.
of India has so far not made a single comment on protecting biodiversity
of its islands. It seems they are tacitly agreeing to imperil island
biodiversity by allowing such consumptive activities like tourism.
	 The current form of tourism development envisaged for the
Islands is unsustainable because it seeks to lower the threshold of the
coastal development prohibition zone from 200m to 50m behind the HTL in
areas scheduled for tourism development; de-reserving forest lands in
similar areas. This is against the order of the Supreme Court in 2002
which has directed that tourism should be low impact and sensitive to
the ecological context of the Islands.
	 As per the recommendations of tourism master plans, like the
Minstry of Tourism (GoI) -WTO - UNDP, simplification of procedures for
entry into forests or protected areas is reflected in the working plans
of the Dept. of Environment & Forests that has identified about 40
islands for 'ecotourism' development.
	 In the presence of numerous master plans and development notes,
there is concern about why so many in the first place, and secondly why
the tourism vision has only identified the UNDP-WTO master plan prepared
in 1996 as the guideline for tourism development. Has this been done on
the basis of scientific analysis and participatory processes is an area
of serious concern. The apathy of the Administration is evident from the
fact that such a statement has been included in the tourism vision for
the Islands. Probably there is no instance so far of a government policy
directive openly stating that a non-government agency's recommendation
has been made the basis of its action: that too regarding the
implementation of a resource intensive industry, with a proven track
record of colossal environmental impacts, in a sensitive and vulnerable
ecosystem like Andaman Islands.
Whether the concerns raised by indigenous and local communities will be
taken on board will be reported here later, when discussions of
conference room papers take place. (CRP: are final draft documents
incorporating all interventions on drafts discussed in working groups.
These are usually taken up other matters towards end of the conference)
For the detailed document, refer the CBD website:
http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/cop/cop-08/official/cop-08-13-en.doc
Reported by Liyakhat in Curitiba, Brazil.


Please note change in address & email:
Syed Liyakhat
Program Coordinator
Ecosystems, Communities & Tourism Program
EQUATIONS
#415, 2-C Cross
OMBR Layout
Banaswadi
Bangalore 560075
INDIA
Tel: +91-80-25457607 / 25457659
Fax: +91-80-25457665
Email: liyakhat.s@...
<mailto:liyakhat@...>
URL: www.equitabletourism.org <http://www.equitabletourism.org/>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Friends:
I agree with what Felix has stated well! I would like
to point out the politics of development and use of
the term Primitive. If we consider the issues of
change and development it is sad that we still have
the classification of so called Primitive Tribal
Groups recognized by the Government. In relation to
Primitive tribal groups strangely enough we still have
the development of them and welfare that denies any
History to them and focuses on Protection- the classic
case being the Jarawa Policy!
We must remember that even at the global level we have
given up the classified category of Under-developed
economy. At national level within the social and
political history categories of "Bhangee" was replaced
by "Harijans" and "Dalits".
These shifts and changes in categories of thought and
reference are in themselves markers of historical
change and do need to understood as some of the
individuals have rightly pointed out in this group.
It is interesting to point out that even the "first
people" of Andamans as I like to call the Andaman and
Nicobars tribal groups have a shifting categories and
classification of the "outsiders" but we seem to be
stuck in the stereotypical, myopic vision of the
islanders like Jarawas and Sentinelese. Because we
have no real drive to understand the culture in its
own terms we should make sure that people and the
administration should think seriously about all that
term Primitive signifies. After all would main land
Indians like to be classified as Aryans and Dravidians
as a original category of language family. Consider
the culture of term Great Andamanese- a cultural
conglomerate derived through colonial history where
the different identities were collapsed for
administrative and power exercise. Let us not lump
groups as Primitives and blindly and thought lessly
come up with value judgments that often structure the
welfare and developmental policies.
Vishvajit Pandya

--- Felix Padel <felixorisa@...> wrote:

> Why modern anthropology rejects these terms
>
> As a social anthropologist I have watched this
> debate
> with amazement. Yet it is an important debate in the
> sense that these stereotypes need to "come out" and
> be
> laid aside once and for all, because they dictate
> how
> mainstream society behaves towards tribal people -in
> mainland India as well as the Andamans.
>
> "Stone Age" correctly refers to a past Age when
> people
> throughout the world or a continent used stone tools
> and had not started using metal (Bronze came first
> after Stone). When a people was discovered in later
> times who still used stone - like the Aborigines in
> Australia when Europeans first invaded their land in
> the eighteenth century - we refer to them as
> Hunter-Gatherers, not as living in the Stone Age
> (though the racist Europeans may have called them
> Stone Age).
>
> Both "Stone Age" and "Primitive" are highly
> pejorative
> or racist terms in that they are dictated by "social
> evolutionism" - seeing some people as "more
> civilized"
> than others. This was an inappropriate but extremely
> influential application of Darwin's evolutionary
> theory to human societies, classifying them
> according
> to their Stage on a rigid evolutionary scale from
> "primitive" or "stone age" (which we would now call
> hunter-gatherers) to "modern" and "civilized". What
> this theory misses is that different societies
> evolve
> in very different ways (just as different species do
> in Darwin's theory) - some (such as European
> society)
> highlighted intensive exploitation of nature, war,
> military technology, conquest etc, while others
> curbed
> competitiveness and accumulation, and retailned a
> sense of non-divisive sacredness tied closely to
> nature - broadly, the innumerable paths of
> development
> of tribal societies.
>
> Rather than seeing these as "stuck", it is more
> appropriate to see them as choosing to retain a
> relationship with nature that is sustainable in the
> long term: a social form that can sustain itself,
> adapting when necessary, over thousands of years.
> Our society is more developed in many areas, theirs
> is
> more developed than ours in many other areas, such
> as
> their sustainability and profound knowledge of
> nature,
> skills with their hands, complexity and subtlety of
> social organisation. Our society is "prmitive" and
> unsustainable for example in the unfettered
> predominance of greed or desire in our society,
> through advertising etc, which drives modern humans
> to
> over-exploit nature and each other to a point where
> global warming & depletion of resources may well
> lead
> us to extinction.
>
> The Sentinalese and Jarawa are Hunter-Gatherers.
> They
> hunt pigs, fish etc, and they gather forest produce
> -and also what the sea washes up, which now includes
> scrap metal etc. Their lifestyle has obviously
> sustained itself for centuries and they clearly
> sense
> that letting in outsiders would lead to their
> decline
> (as it has the other groups of Andamanese. It is to
> the great credit of the Indian Government that it
> allows them their independence.
>
> One prominent pejorative usage of "stone age" was
> when
> an American General during the Vietnam war declared
> "We've bombed them into the stone age". To which the
> Vietnamese replied "No, they've bombed us into the
> age
> of aluminium", because they had shot down many
> planes
> and re-used the aluminium to make tools - just as
> the
> Sentinalese re-use scrap metal.
>
> Terms such as "primitive" and "backward" are also
> greatly misused throughout tribal areas of India,
> where the idea that they should be "developed"
> justifies displacing them in thousands to make way
> for
> dams, mines, and heavy industry. In almost every
> case
> this lowers their standard of living exceedingly,
> and
> destroys their sustainable lifestyle and social
> structure. It is nothing short of cultural genocide,
> which is why tribal people are usually at the
> forefront of resisting paths of "development" that
> sacrifice them as well as, actually, our own
> long-term
> future: as at Kalinganagar and Kashipur for example.
>
> We need a fundamental rethink about what is real
> development - and what is really primitive.
>
> Felix Padel
>
>
>
>
> --- jency samuel <jencysamuel@...> wrote:
>
> > Hey guys,
> > I'm surprised you have been discussing this for so
> > long. You had been talking about bird flu as well,
> > but not now - even though the dailies are full of
> > news about the flu. Or is there something like we
> > stick strictly on to A&N
> > JS
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "devi@..." <devi@...>
> > > To: andamanicobar@...
> > > Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age'
> > and 'primitive'
> > > Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 10:53:00 +0530
> > >
> > >
> > > I find this rather difficult to comprehend.
> When
> > we call a group
> > > of homo sapiens neolithic or
> > > paleolithic we ARE describing their status.
> > Whether we like it not
> > > we have "developed" and (to
> > > some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.
> > Again whether we
> > > like it or not Jarawas life style
> > > has not changed in several centuries if not
> > millennia and  as such
> > > they are 'stuck" in the past
> > > (while some of us believe that we are getting
> > everything about us
> > > unstuck).  Truth can never be
> > > objectionable.  What we should object to
> > derogating from their
> > > rights to choose their way of life
> > > or dealing with them in a condescending manner
> so
> > as to endanger
> > > their survival (both by change of
> > > culture as well as introduing diseases their
> > immune system has not
> > > been exposed to.
> > > devi
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
> > > To:  andamanicobar@...
> > > Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
> > > Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age'
> > and 'primitive'
> > >
> > > Ranjusri
> > >    It is not about calling stone age 'stone
> age',
> > it is about
> > > calling a contemporary people (in this
> > > case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic'
> > people. When such a
> > > term is used to describe a
> > > people, it is generally done to tell the world
> > that those people
> > > got stuck in the past while 'we'
> > > moved forward and live in the present. This way
> of
> > thinking is objectionable.
> > >    Kanchan
> > >
> > > ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > the subject of this letter attracted my
> attention
> > today. i am a
> > > student of History. it is true that
> > > debate continues over the nomenclature of
> > different periods of
> > > human history. but not so much about
>
=== message truncated ===

Probably I know why it is difficult to comprehend. Let me explain it a little
bit. Forefathers of all human groups went through the palaeolithic level of
technology and 'material culture', many through the neolithic; but right now
there is no group of homo sapiens living in palaeolithic or neolithic age. All
human groups have changed, nobody got stuck in the past. Many of us think that
there is a given path of progress, and all human societies must follow the same
path. After hunting-gathering it has to be horticulture followed by agriculture
and then industry. But empirical studies have shown that there is no such common
path, there are human groups who have gone different way, and some of them
preferred to continue hunting-gathering. Such a choice does not imply that they
continue to be palaeolithic (or stone age) people. Hunting can be practiced with
fire arms and lot many other kinds of weapons. In North America some non-hunters
took up hunting when they discovered the advantage
  of hunting sitting on horse back and using fire arms. Both horse and fire arms
were post columbian items there. Should we conclude it was a backward progress?
The Jarawas have changed a lot, they are changing their ways continuously. In
fact there can be no society, no culture, that can avoid change. Anthropologists
have shown that the technology, society, political organisation of a
hunters-gatherer society can undergo lot of change, but they may still remain
hunter-gatherers. If they do not move in our direction, if they deny to become
like us, should we say that they got stuck in the past? In their case the
direction and pace of change was different and we must learn to accept and
honour their choice. Otherwise our ideas would be called ethocentric.
Ethnocentric ideas were rejected at least hundred years back by some leading
thinkers from different parts of the world. They emphasised that each culture
should be understood in its own context and not in comparison with other
  cultures. If we do not accept this viewpoint even now, if we still feel that
the Jarawas are a changeless society because they did not become agriculturists
or industrial workers, critics will have every right to say that we have got
stuck in the past, in the intellectual tradition of nineteenth century.
   Kanchan

"devi@..." <devi@...> wrote:
   I find this rather difficult to comprehend.  When we call a group of homo
sapiens neolithic or
paleolithic we ARE describing their status.  Whether we like it not we have
"developed" and (to
some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.  Again whether we like it or not
Jarawas life style
has not changed in several centuries if not millennia and  as such they are
'stuck" in the past
(while some of us believe that we are getting everything about us unstuck). 
Truth can never be
objectionable.  What we should object to derogating from their rights to choose
their way of life
or dealing with them in a condescending manner so as to endanger their survival
(both by change of
culture as well as introduing diseases their immune system has not been exposed
to.
devi

----- Original Message -----
From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
To:  andamanicobar@...
Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'

Ranjusri
   It is not about calling stone age 'stone age', it is about calling a
contemporary people (in this
case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic' people. When such a term is used
to describe a
people, it is generally done to tell the world that those people got stuck in
the past while 'we'
moved forward and live in the present. This way of thinking is objectionable.
   Kanchan

ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:



the subject of this letter attracted my attention today. i am a student of
History. it is true that
debate continues over the nomenclature of different periods of human history.
but not so much about
the use of Stone Age. it is more logical if we name a particular period on the
basis of main
attributes. Humans of Stone Age survived on stone. so there should not be much
controversy
regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the Neolithic man showed
advancement in different
aspects but Stone remained the chief material for weaponry and other tools. So
the Age cannot be
named otherwise. I do not know why the name Stone Age should be derogatory for
an Age when Stone
had been the most useful for humans survival.

Ranjusri Ghosh

On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
>If I recall right, the interaction started out  with a member expressing the
>need to educate journalists on the usage of  words like stone age and
>primitive.
>In all humility I am open to getting educated and have been following the
>discussion with interest.  But tell me what is wrong with the word 'Stone
>Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly understood as a period of time
>relating to the kind of tools used by people. Now, how is that derogatory?
>May the enlightened members throw some light!
>shree
>----- Original Message -----
> From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
>To: <andamanicobar@...>
>Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
>Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
>> Dear Miriam ,
>>
>> The words stone age and primitive refer to a particular economic system
>This is not denegrative when understood in context. The knowledge of these
>communities of the ecosystem has to be appropriately recognised as also
>their right to livelihood. I agree that there should be sensitivity about
>the ability of these communities . However one can change nomenclature
>without changing peoples understanding about these communities.
>>
>> I also think we need to guard against the possibility that in the name of
>recognising the abilities and prowess of these communities, we are not
>denying them a right to the benefits of ' modernity'.
>>
>> regards
>>
>> Viren
>>
>>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
>http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
>Yahoo! Terms of Service
>.
>


RSG

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Modern anthropology's rejection of "primitive"

As a social anthropologist I've followed this debate
with mounting exasperation. By classifying India's
tribal groups as "primitive" and Andaman Islanders as
"stone age"/"neolithic" British anthropologists of the
colonial era pigeon-holed them in a way that directly
aided forcing them under British rule. These
classifications are now (or should be) totally
unacceptable.

In mainland central India a virtual genocide of tribal
people is going on in countless areas, which is
justified through this stereotype. Calling tribal
people "primitive" and "stuck" in their evolution or
"backward", serves as a repeated justification for
displacing them to make way for "development projects"
that invariably lower their standard of living to an
extreme degree, and destroy the fabric of their
society. All in the name of "developing them".

Nineteenth century anthropology was "evolutionist" to
its core, and in many circles this social evolutionism
has not yet been questioned. Theorists classified all
societies according to their place in rigid schemes of
evolution from the most "primitive" hunter-gatherers
to the most "advanced", represented by European
society. What all these schemes completely ignored is
the different paths of development chosen by different
societies. From the time of 1st contact till today
India is more advanced in many areas than Western
society. Privelaging technology, and the military
power this brings, Western society has spread its own
model of "development" throughout the world.
Unfortunately this model involves an assault on nature
and peoples who live close to nature, that is
unsustainable to the point where we all face now the
danger that over-industrialization may well destroy
our planet quite soon through global warming etc.

So we need to recognize the areas where our own
society is "primitive", and where tribal societies are
highly developed. One is the whole area of relating
with nature without taking too much or waste, and the
sacred world view that goes with this: religion that
is closely tied to nature and not ideologically
divisive. This includes such areas as phenomenal
skills in herbal medicine, and skills of making things
by hand, and reading the signs of nature. Another is
in skills of living together
harmoniously - the social organisation of tribal
societies (outlined in works such as Radcliffe-Brown's
on the Andaman Islanders) is extremely complex and
subtle.

Social evolotionists took Darwin's theory of evolution
as a model. But they applied it very badly. In
Darwin's model hundreds of species inter-relate, each
with its own separate though linked path of
development. By contrast, social evolotionists
promoted the idea that there is only one path of
development. The role of the missionary is also
incorporated here: this extremely limited idea of
development is now being imposed ruthlessly throughout
the world on everyone. Tribal people are often at the
forefront of refusing to accept this: the Sentinalese
obviously sense that their society stands to be
destroyed if they let in outsiders, and it is to the
great credit of the Indian Govt that it has not forced
contact.

After the Kalinganagar incident, Orissa's tribal
people are also mobilizing against the escalating
trend to "sacrifice" their society for the sake of
company profits. The starkest contrast is in
sustainability: a concept much-misused. Tribal
societies that have supported themselves over
centuries are almost the only really sustainable
societies: theirs is a lifestyle that can sustain over
thousands of years. Our society over-values technology
and rapid change: our lifestyle has become highly
unsustainable. Most studies of the impact we're making
on the environment conclude that we're destroying it
very fast. When one analyzes what is driving our
society, individual & collective desires  and fears
are manipulated by company advertizing as well as
politics and media, in a way that is extremely
primitive. Tribal social organisation puts strict
controls over greed and competitiveness.

How we classify and talk about the Sentinalese and
Jarawa dictates how we relate to them. So this matter
of language and this whole debate is very important.

  Felix Padel


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Sorry, I joined late but found interesting and informative discussion and
sharing of knowledge. For me, I feel proud to affiliate myself with the
primitive culture because of its uniqueness. In fact selection of words in
communication explain thinking of the writer and the reader’s perception about
the term but the important aspect is the context in which the term like
Primitive,  Stone Age or Hunting and Gathering society is used.

   Cheers,

   Altaf


"devi@..." <devi@...> wrote:  I find this rather difficult
to comprehend.  When we call a group of homo sapiens neolithic or
paleolithic we ARE describing their status.  Whether we like it not we have
"developed" and (to
some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.  Again whether we like it or not
Jarawas life style
has not changed in several centuries if not millennia and  as such they are
'stuck" in the past
(while some of us believe that we are getting everything about us unstuck). 
Truth can never be
objectionable.  What we should object to derogating from their rights to choose
their way of life
or dealing with them in a condescending manner so as to endanger their survival
(both by change of
culture as well as introduing diseases their immune system has not been exposed
to.
devi

----- Original Message -----
From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
To:  andamanicobar@...
Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'

Ranjusri
   It is not about calling stone age 'stone age', it is about calling a
contemporary people (in this
case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic' people. When such a term is used
to describe a
people, it is generally done to tell the world that those people got stuck in
the past while 'we'
moved forward and live in the present. This way of thinking is objectionable.
   Kanchan

ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:



the subject of this letter attracted my attention today. i am a student of
History. it is true that
debate continues over the nomenclature of different periods of human history.
but not so much about
the use of Stone Age. it is more logical if we name a particular period on the
basis of main
attributes. Humans of Stone Age survived on stone. so there should not be much
controversy
regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the Neolithic man showed
advancement in different
aspects but Stone remained the chief material for weaponry and other tools. So
the Age cannot be
named otherwise. I do not know why the name Stone Age should be derogatory for
an Age when Stone
had been the most useful for humans survival.

Ranjusri Ghosh

On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
>If I recall right, the interaction started out  with a member expressing the
>need to educate journalists on the usage of  words like stone age and
>primitive.
>In all humility I am open to getting educated and have been following the
>discussion with interest.  But tell me what is wrong with the word 'Stone
>Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly understood as a period of time
>relating to the kind of tools used by people. Now, how is that derogatory?
>May the enlightened members throw some light!
>shree
>----- Original Message -----
> From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
>To: <andamanicobar@...>
>Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
>Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
>> Dear Miriam ,
>>
>> The words stone age and primitive refer to a particular economic system
>This is not denegrative when understood in context. The knowledge of these
>communities of the ecosystem has to be appropriately recognised as also
>their right to livelihood. I agree that there should be sensitivity about
>the ability of these communities . However one can change nomenclature
>without changing peoples understanding about these communities.
>>
>> I also think we need to guard against the possibility that in the name of
>recognising the abilities and prowess of these communities, we are not
>denying them a right to the benefits of ' modernity'.
>>
>> regards
>>
>> Viren
>>
>>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
>http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
>Yahoo! Terms of Service
>.
>


RSG

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Why modern anthropology rejects these terms

As a social anthropologist I have watched this debate
with amazement. Yet it is an important debate in the
sense that these stereotypes need to "come out" and be
laid aside once and for all, because they dictate how
mainstream society behaves towards tribal people -in
mainland India as well as the Andamans.

"Stone Age" correctly refers to a past Age when people
throughout the world or a continent used stone tools
and had not started using metal (Bronze came first
after Stone). When a people was discovered in later
times who still used stone - like the Aborigines in
Australia when Europeans first invaded their land in
the eighteenth century - we refer to them as
Hunter-Gatherers, not as living in the Stone Age
(though the racist Europeans may have called them
Stone Age).

Both "Stone Age" and "Primitive" are highly pejorative
or racist terms in that they are dictated by "social
evolutionism" - seeing some people as "more civilized"
than others. This was an inappropriate but extremely
influential application of Darwin's evolutionary
theory to human societies, classifying them according
to their Stage on a rigid evolutionary scale from
"primitive" or "stone age" (which we would now call
hunter-gatherers) to "modern" and "civilized". What
this theory misses is that different societies evolve
in very different ways (just as different species do
in Darwin's theory) - some (such as European society)
highlighted intensive exploitation of nature, war,
military technology, conquest etc, while others curbed
competitiveness and accumulation, and retailned a
sense of non-divisive sacredness tied closely to
nature - broadly, the innumerable paths of development
of tribal societies.

Rather than seeing these as "stuck", it is more
appropriate to see them as choosing to retain a
relationship with nature that is sustainable in the
long term: a social form that can sustain itself,
adapting when necessary, over thousands of years.
Our society is more developed in many areas, theirs is
more developed than ours in many other areas, such as
their sustainability and profound knowledge of nature,
skills with their hands, complexity and subtlety of
social organisation. Our society is "prmitive" and
unsustainable for example in the unfettered
predominance of greed or desire in our society,
through advertising etc, which drives modern humans to
over-exploit nature and each other to a point where
global warming & depletion of resources may well lead
us to extinction.

The Sentinalese and Jarawa are Hunter-Gatherers. They
hunt pigs, fish etc, and they gather forest produce
-and also what the sea washes up, which now includes
scrap metal etc. Their lifestyle has obviously
sustained itself for centuries and they clearly sense
that letting in outsiders would lead to their decline
(as it has the other groups of Andamanese. It is to
the great credit of the Indian Government that it
allows them their independence.

One prominent pejorative usage of "stone age" was when
an American General during the Vietnam war declared
"We've bombed them into the stone age". To which the
Vietnamese replied "No, they've bombed us into the age
of aluminium", because they had shot down many planes
and re-used the aluminium to make tools - just as the
Sentinalese re-use scrap metal.

Terms such as "primitive" and "backward" are also
greatly misused throughout tribal areas of India,
where the idea that they should be "developed"
justifies displacing them in thousands to make way for
dams, mines, and heavy industry. In almost every case
this lowers their standard of living exceedingly, and
destroys their sustainable lifestyle and social
structure. It is nothing short of cultural genocide,
which is why tribal people are usually at the
forefront of resisting paths of "development" that
sacrifice them as well as, actually, our own long-term
future: as at Kalinganagar and Kashipur for example.

We need a fundamental rethink about what is real
development - and what is really primitive.

Felix Padel




--- jency samuel <jencysamuel@...> wrote:

> Hey guys,
> I'm surprised you have been discussing this for so
> long. You had been talking about bird flu as well,
> but not now - even though the dailies are full of
> news about the flu. Or is there something like we
> stick strictly on to A&N
> JS
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "devi@..." <devi@...>
> > To: andamanicobar@...
> > Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age'
> and 'primitive'
> > Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 10:53:00 +0530
> >
> >
> > I find this rather difficult to comprehend.  When
> we call a group
> > of homo sapiens neolithic or
> > paleolithic we ARE describing their status.
> Whether we like it not
> > we have "developed" and (to
> > some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.
> Again whether we
> > like it or not Jarawas life style
> > has not changed in several centuries if not
> millennia and  as such
> > they are 'stuck" in the past
> > (while some of us believe that we are getting
> everything about us
> > unstuck).  Truth can never be
> > objectionable.  What we should object to
> derogating from their
> > rights to choose their way of life
> > or dealing with them in a condescending manner so
> as to endanger
> > their survival (both by change of
> > culture as well as introduing diseases their
> immune system has not
> > been exposed to.
> > devi
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
> > To:  andamanicobar@...
> > Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
> > Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age'
> and 'primitive'
> >
> > Ranjusri
> >    It is not about calling stone age 'stone age',
> it is about
> > calling a contemporary people (in this
> > case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic'
> people. When such a
> > term is used to describe a
> > people, it is generally done to tell the world
> that those people
> > got stuck in the past while 'we'
> > moved forward and live in the present. This way of
> thinking is objectionable.
> >    Kanchan
> >
> > ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > the subject of this letter attracted my attention
> today. i am a
> > student of History. it is true that
> > debate continues over the nomenclature of
> different periods of
> > human history. but not so much about
> > the use of Stone Age. it is more logical if we
> name a particular
> > period on the basis of main
> > attributes. Humans of Stone Age survived on stone.
> so there should
> > not be much controversy
> > regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the
> Neolithic man
> > showed advancement in different
> > aspects but Stone remained the chief material for
> weaponry and
> > other tools. So the Age cannot be
> > named otherwise. I do not know why the name Stone
> Age should be
> > derogatory for an Age when Stone
> > had been the most useful for humans survival.
> >
> > Ranjusri Ghosh
> >
> > On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
> > > If I recall right, the interaction started out
> with a member expressing the
> > > need to educate journalists on the usage of
> words like stone age and
> > > primitive.
> > > In all humility I am open to getting educated
> and have been following the
> > > discussion with interest.  But tell me what is
> wrong with the word 'Stone
> > > Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly
> understood as a period of time
> > > relating to the kind of tools used by people.
> Now, how is that derogatory?
> > > May the enlightened members throw some light!
> > > shree
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
> > > To: <andamanicobar@...>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and
> 'primitive'
> > >> Dear Miriam ,
> > >>
> > >> The words stone age and primitive refer to a
> particular economic system
> > > This is not denegrative when understood in
> context. The knowledge of these
> > > communities of the ecosystem has to be
> appropriately recognised as also
> > > their right to livelihood. I agree that there
> should be sensitivity about
> > > the ability of these communities . However one
> can change nomenclature
> > > without changing peoples understanding about
> these communities.
> > >>
> > >> I also think we need to guard against the
> possibility that in the name of
> > > recognising the abilities and prowess of these
> communities, we are not
> > > denying them a right to the benefits of '
> modernity'.
> > >>
> > >> regards
> > >>
> > >> Viren
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > > To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > > http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
> > >
> > >
> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email
> to:
> > > andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
> > >
> > >
> > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> > > Yahoo! Terms of Service
> > > .
> > >
> >
> >
> > RSG
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> >    Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >     To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
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> to:
> > andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
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> >     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> Yahoo! Terms of Service.
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> > To help you stay safe and secure online, we've
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> > new Yahoo! Security Centre.
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No fear from Barren Island volcano: experts
http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=27122

Chennai: India's only active volcano in Barren Island in the Andaman chain
continues to be very active but there is no need for people to panic,
according to experts.

A 12-member team of geologists and scientists conducted week-long studies on
the volcano site from March 10.

The Barren Island, 140 km northeast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands capital
Port Blair, is about 3 km in diameter.

Sanjeev Raghav, a senior member of the team, speaking in Port Blair said
Friday that the height of volcanic cone has increased by about 50 metres in
the past nine months since its eruption last May.

"The recent lava flow has covered the entire northwestern face of the
island, obliterating the earlier topography and destroying the lone landing
site there", he said.

Although intensity of the volcano is on the rise, "there is no need for the
islanders to panic", Raghav said.

"Such a phenomenon does not stimulate the possibility of any major
earthquake in this region. On the contrary, continuous emission of lava from
the volcano suggests release of energy, thus keeping any chances of high
magnitude tremors at bay."

The expedition was supported by the Geological Survey of India (GSI)
research vessel "Samudra Manthan" with logistics support of the Indian Coast
Guard.

Kaberi Banerjee, a member of the team, became the first woman geologist to
land on the Barren and Narcondum Islands for research

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR PLAN FINALIZED
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=16630

13:0 IST
The Annual Plan for Andaman & Nicobar Island for the year 2006-07 was
finalized, here yesterday evening, at a meeting between Deputy Chairman,
Planning Commission Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Lt. Governor of A & N
Island Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.M. Lakhera. The Plan size was agreed at Rs.1120
crores. In addition, Rs.235 crores will be available to the Union Territory
under Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation Package.

Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that
the relief and rehabilitation programme for the Island after Tsunami went
well but the progress was not equally satisfying in the reconstruction
programme. He said there is need to review the progress and remove critical
problems being faced in the reconstruction programme. Shri Ahluwalia said
that the Prime Minister has directed Planning Commission to ensure that
reconstruction of the Islands is a model development effort. The Union
Territory Administration was asked to introduce quarterly review of
development programmes to ensure timely removal of impediments.

He said the Planning Commission would give its assessment on the progress of
reconstruction programme and problems needing immediate attention to the
Prime Minister and directed Member-Secretary, Planning Commission, Shri
Rajeeva Ratna Shah to take a meeting of all Central Ministries involved in
the reconstruction programme to review the progress and remove critical
bottlenecks. Issues related to telecommunication, air link, health
facilities, environmental clearance problem, tourism, drinking water and
identification of land for agriculture and habitation would be taken up at
the meeting.

Attention was drawn to adverse female sex ratio, high drop out rates and
gender differential in employment. It was pointed out that the Human
Development Report, which is under preparation at present, would help in
evolving a long-term strategy for harmonious development.

Briefing the Commission on post Tsunami efforts, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.M.
Lakhera said 207 relief camps have been set up and nearly 46,000 people are
living in these camps. 9565 intermediate shelters have been completed and
Rs.120 crores distributed in relief-exgratia. One daily-wage job per family
for one year is being assured. Schools have been reestablished in temporary
structures and reconstruction of 54 schools is underway. He said there is
urgent need to bridge the gap in drinking water availability and improving
telecommunication facility. The UT Administration should have more say in
the implementation of plans and projects under reconstruction programme.

He said assessment on permanent shelters has been finalized. There is need
for 9714 houses. Of them, 6924 will have to be built in Nicobars districts
and 279 in Andamans districts. All houses would be constructed by December
2007.

Hey guys,
I'm surprised you have been discussing this for so long. You had been talking
about bird flu as well, but not now - even though the dailies are full of news
about the flu. Or is there something like we stick strictly on to A&N
JS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "devi@..." <devi@...>
> To: andamanicobar@...
> Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
> Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 10:53:00 +0530
>
>
> I find this rather difficult to comprehend.  When we call a group
> of homo sapiens neolithic or
> paleolithic we ARE describing their status.  Whether we like it not
> we have "developed" and (to
> some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.  Again whether we
> like it or not Jarawas life style
> has not changed in several centuries if not millennia and  as such
> they are 'stuck" in the past
> (while some of us believe that we are getting everything about us
> unstuck).  Truth can never be
> objectionable.  What we should object to derogating from their
> rights to choose their way of life
> or dealing with them in a condescending manner so as to endanger
> their survival (both by change of
> culture as well as introduing diseases their immune system has not
> been exposed to.
> devi
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
> To:  andamanicobar@...
> Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
> Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
>
> Ranjusri
>    It is not about calling stone age 'stone age', it is about
> calling a contemporary people (in this
> case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic' people. When such a
> term is used to describe a
> people, it is generally done to tell the world that those people
> got stuck in the past while 'we'
> moved forward and live in the present. This way of thinking is objectionable.
>    Kanchan
>
> ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> the subject of this letter attracted my attention today. i am a
> student of History. it is true that
> debate continues over the nomenclature of different periods of
> human history. but not so much about
> the use of Stone Age. it is more logical if we name a particular
> period on the basis of main
> attributes. Humans of Stone Age survived on stone. so there should
> not be much controversy
> regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the Neolithic man
> showed advancement in different
> aspects but Stone remained the chief material for weaponry and
> other tools. So the Age cannot be
> named otherwise. I do not know why the name Stone Age should be
> derogatory for an Age when Stone
> had been the most useful for humans survival.
>
> Ranjusri Ghosh
>
> On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
> > If I recall right, the interaction started out  with a member expressing the
> > need to educate journalists on the usage of  words like stone age and
> > primitive.
> > In all humility I am open to getting educated and have been following the
> > discussion with interest.  But tell me what is wrong with the word 'Stone
> > Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly understood as a period of time
> > relating to the kind of tools used by people. Now, how is that derogatory?
> > May the enlightened members throw some light!
> > shree
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
> > To: <andamanicobar@...>
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
> > Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
> >> Dear Miriam ,
> >>
> >> The words stone age and primitive refer to a particular economic system
> > This is not denegrative when understood in context. The knowledge of these
> > communities of the ecosystem has to be appropriately recognised as also
> > their right to livelihood. I agree that there should be sensitivity about
> > the ability of these communities . However one can change nomenclature
> > without changing peoples understanding about these communities.
> >>
> >> I also think we need to guard against the possibility that in the name of
> > recognising the abilities and prowess of these communities, we are not
> > denying them a right to the benefits of ' modernity'.
> >>
> >> regards
> >>
> >> Viren
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
> >
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> > Yahoo! Terms of Service
> > .
> >
>
>
> RSG
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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>
>     To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
>
>     To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
>
>     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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> new Yahoo! Security Centre.
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> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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>


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Is'nt this stone age thing going on for a little too
long- better get those text books out or do a trip on
the ATR- better still ask Raja or Enmei if they
consider themselves as belonging to Fred flintstone
and Wilma's family...come on. Theres a difference
between theory, practice, reality and moreover
perception. If im right this started out in an effort
to see the jarawa  not as some paleolithic enigma but
with dignity and to realise that they are themselves-
not what we would like to define them to be.
--- "devi@..." <devi@...> wrote:

> I find this rather difficult to comprehend.  When we
> call a group of homo sapiens neolithic or
> paleolithic we ARE describing their status.  Whether
> we like it not we have "developed" and (to
> some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.  Again
> whether we like it or not Jarawas life style
> has not changed in several centuries if not
> millennia and  as such they are 'stuck" in the past
> (while some of us believe that we are getting
> everything about us unstuck).  Truth can never be
> objectionable.  What we should object to derogating
> from their rights to choose their way of life
> or dealing with them in a condescending manner so as
> to endanger their survival (both by change of
> culture as well as introduing diseases their immune
> system has not been exposed to.
> devi
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
> To:  andamanicobar@...
> Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
> Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and
> 'primitive'
>
> Ranjusri
>   It is not about calling stone age 'stone age', it
> is about calling a contemporary people (in this
> case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic'
> people. When such a term is used to describe a
> people, it is generally done to tell the world that
> those people got stuck in the past while 'we'
> moved forward and live in the present. This way of
> thinking is objectionable.
>   Kanchan
>
> ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> the subject of this letter attracted my attention
> today. i am a student of History. it is true that
> debate continues over the nomenclature of different
> periods of human history. but not so much about
> the use of Stone Age. it is more logical if we name
> a particular period on the basis of main
> attributes. Humans of Stone Age survived on stone.
> so there should not be much controversy
> regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the
> Neolithic man showed advancement in different
> aspects but Stone remained the chief material for
> weaponry and other tools. So the Age cannot be
> named otherwise. I do not know why the name Stone
> Age should be derogatory for an Age when Stone
> had been the most useful for humans survival.
>
> Ranjusri Ghosh
>
> On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
> >If I recall right, the interaction started out
> with a member expressing the
> >need to educate journalists on the usage of  words
> like stone age and
> >primitive.
> >In all humility I am open to getting educated and
> have been following the
> >discussion with interest.  But tell me what is
> wrong with the word 'Stone
> >Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly understood
> as a period of time
> >relating to the kind of tools used by people. Now,
> how is that derogatory?
> >May the enlightened members throw some light!
> >shree
> >----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
> >To: <andamanicobar@...>
> >Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
> >Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and
> 'primitive'
> >> Dear Miriam ,
> >>
> >> The words stone age and primitive refer to a
> particular economic system
> >This is not denegrative when understood in context.
> The knowledge of these
> >communities of the ecosystem has to be
> appropriately recognised as also
> >their right to livelihood. I agree that there
> should be sensitivity about
> >the ability of these communities . However one can
> change nomenclature
> >without changing peoples understanding about these
> communities.
> >>
> >> I also think we need to guard against the
> possibility that in the name of
> >recognising the abilities and prowess of these
> communities, we are not
> >denying them a right to the benefits of '
> modernity'.
> >>
> >> regards
> >>
> >> Viren
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >To visit your group on the web, go to:
> >http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
> >
> >
> >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> >andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
> >
> >
> >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> >Yahoo! Terms of Service
> >.
> >
>
>
> RSG
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>   Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>    To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
>
>    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
>
>    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> To help you stay safe and secure online, we've
> developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
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>
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>
>
>
>
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>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>


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I find this rather difficult to comprehend.  When we call a group of homo
sapiens neolithic or
paleolithic we ARE describing their status.  Whether we like it not we have
"developed" and (to
some at least) wreaking havoc in the process.  Again whether we like it or not
Jarawas life style
has not changed in several centuries if not millennia and  as such they are
'stuck" in the past
(while some of us believe that we are getting everything about us unstuck). 
Truth can never be
objectionable.  What we should object to derogating from their rights to choose
their way of life
or dealing with them in a condescending manner so as to endanger their survival
(both by change of
culture as well as introduing diseases their immune system has not been exposed
to.
devi

----- Original Message -----
From: kanchan mukhopadhyay
To:  andamanicobar@...
Sent:  Thu, 16 Mar 2006 14:05:03 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Re: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'

Ranjusri
   It is not about calling stone age 'stone age', it is about calling a
contemporary people (in this
case the Jarawas) 'stone age' or 'palaeolithic' people. When such a term is used
to describe a
people, it is generally done to tell the world that those people got stuck in
the past while 'we'
moved forward and live in the present. This way of thinking is objectionable.
   Kanchan

ranju sri ghosh <ranjusri@...> wrote:



the subject of this letter attracted my attention today. i am a student of
History. it is true that
debate continues over the nomenclature of different periods of human history.
but not so much about
the use of Stone Age. it is more logical if we name a particular period on the
basis of main
attributes. Humans of Stone Age survived on stone. so there should not be much
controversy
regarding this nomenclature. it is true that the Neolithic man showed
advancement in different
aspects but Stone remained the chief material for weaponry and other tools. So
the Age cannot be
named otherwise. I do not know why the name Stone Age should be derogatory for
an Age when Stone
had been the most useful for humans survival.

Ranjusri Ghosh

On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 Unnati Features wrote :
>If I recall right, the interaction started out  with a member expressing the
>need to educate journalists on the usage of  words like stone age and
>primitive.
>In all humility I am open to getting educated and have been following the
>discussion with interest.  But tell me what is wrong with the word 'Stone
>Age'? As far as I know, it is commonly understood as a period of time
>relating to the kind of tools used by people. Now, how is that derogatory?
>May the enlightened members throw some light!
>shree
>----- Original Message -----
> From: "Viren" <vlobo_1@...>
>To: <andamanicobar@...>
>Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 7:36 PM
>Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Re: 'Stone age' and 'primitive'
>> Dear Miriam ,
>>
>> The words stone age and primitive refer to a particular economic system
>This is not denegrative when understood in context. The knowledge of these
>communities of the ecosystem has to be appropriately recognised as also
>their right to livelihood. I agree that there should be sensitivity about
>the ability of these communities . However one can change nomenclature
>without changing peoples understanding about these communities.
>>
>> I also think we need to guard against the possibility that in the name of
>recognising the abilities and prowess of these communities, we are not
>denying them a right to the benefits of ' modernity'.
>>
>> regards
>>
>> Viren
>>
>>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
>http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/andamanicobar/
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>andamanicobar-unsubscribe@...
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
>Yahoo! Terms of Service
>.
>


RSG

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, March 17, 2006
Annual Plan for 2006-07 finalised
Port Blair, Mar 16
      The Annual Plan in respect of Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the year
2006-2007 was approved by the Planning Commission at Rs 544 crores. The
allocation for the current year stood at Rs 498 crores.
   The Annual Plan was finalized at a meeting convened by the Planning
Commission in New Delhi between its Deputy Chairman and the Lt. Governor of
A & N Islands.
    In addition to this, the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be
receiving Rs 572 crores under the tsunami rehabilitation programme and Rs
235 crores under the Rajiv Gandhi Rehabilitation programme during the year
2006-07.
   Further meeting and reviews are planned on Mar 17, 2006 for addressing
other important issues which effect the development of A & N Islands. The A
& N Administration led by the Lt. Governor is attempting to get
developmental projects expedited.

Centre sets up sub-group of experts on Jarawa tribe
Aarti Dhar
http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/17/stories/2006031715960400.htm

NEW DELHI: The Planning Commission has set up a sub-group of experts to look
into issues pertaining to the endangered Jarawa tribe in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
Chaired by Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed, the sub-group will
review the existing administrative practices and institutional arrangements
for protecting the Jarawas and suggest measures for bringing about
improvement in the community. It will suggest measures for ensuring that
adverse intrusions do not take place in the Jarawa Reserve while maintaining
essential contact for appropriate development of the Jarawas as a community
and at the same time making available basic facilities to them without
disturbing their culture and identity.
The eight-member sub-group will also examine the feasibility of augmenting
the sea transport as an alternative to the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR). It will
submit its report within three months to the National Advisory Council
(NAC).
"The Supreme Court had suggested the closure of the ATR on the
recommendation of the Shekhar Singh Commission in 2002 to prevent intrusion
in the Jarawa dominated area. But the road is still functional because it
also involves the interest of thousands of other people and traders. The
road is also used to provide basic amenities to the tribes," according to
Jairam Ramesh, co-chairperson of the sub-group and NAC member. One way out
could be to limit the use of the road to only most vital requirement and
improve the quality and frequency of the sea communication, he said. In
fact, the ATR being functional was a violation of the Supreme Court
directive.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have six scheduled tribes, of which the
Jarawas are the most vulnerable

India set for major military expansion in Andamans
16 Mar 2006 11:16:01 GMT

Source: Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL123868.htm


By Bappa Majumdar
KOLKATA, India, March 16 (Reuters) - India will soon start a major expansion
of its military presence in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a year
after the Asian tsunami wrecked defence bases there, a top commander said on
Thursday.
The plans include construction of three new air bases to add to the one
existing base, increasing coast guard troop levels and strengthening
infrastructure at old facilities in the strategically vital archipelago in
the Bay of Bengal.
"Our expansion plans are totally transparent and the defensive measures are
being taken to ensure the safety and security of the islands only," said
Vice-Admiral Arun Kumar Singh, commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar
Command.
"We have found an unused 3,000-feet (900-metre) World War Two runway in very
good condition in Kamorta (island), which we are planning to develop soon,"
Singh told Reuters by phone from Port Blair, capital of the island group,
referring to one of the three new air bases planned.
Two other air bases would be built in Diglipur and Campbell Bay after small
airstrips there are lengthened to handle large transport and fighter
aircraft, he said.
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are located about 1,200 km (750 miles) east
of the Indian mainland, close to the Malacca Strait, the main sea lane
between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea leading to the Pacific.
India has an air and naval bases and listening posts across the archipelago
as it considers the sea routes vital to its security and to guard against
what some defence experts say is China's increasing interest in the region.
Sea routes in the region are known to be used to ship weapons destined for
rebels in northeastern India, Myanmar or Bangladesh and drug smuggling. They
are also prone to smuggling, piracy, poaching and illegal immigration.
CHINESE WARSHIPS
Besides, the Great Nicobar island lies just 65 miles (100 km) from Sumatra
and was considered vulnerable when Indonesian President Sukarno offered to
take the islands to help Pakistan during its 1965 war with India.
Vice-Admiral Singh said that the runway in Campbell Bay would also be
elevated to keep the sea away and sea walls built to protect personnel and
the local population.
"With gadgets like the Instrument Landing System in place, landing in
difficult weather conditions won't be a problem in future either," he said.
The Andamans were badly hit by the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami, with more than
3,500 people killed and nearly 40,000 displaced.
The dead included about 110 air force personnel and their families on the
Car Nicobar base, which suffered extensive damage due to the giant waves.
But the facility was quickly repaired and the Indian Air Force even
conducted exercises involving Sukhois and Jaguar fighters in what was seen
as a signal to the world that New Delhi's defence installations were back in
good shape.
Many Indian defence experts believe that China has military or intelligence
facilities on Myanmar's Coco Islands, a few miles away from India's
Diglipur, 185 km (115 miles) north of Port Blair.
Although the Indian naval chief last August said that he believed a Myanmar
official statement that there were no such Chinese facilities on Coco, other
Indian defence officials feel New Delhi could not let its guard down.
"In the recent past, we noticed a Chinese ship being escorted by two Chinese
warships just south of Campbell Bay," Singh said. "However, there is no
military threat to the region at all."