Tokenism is killing the environment

THE REVELATION THAT environmental auditors could take six years to make a return visit to a company underscores the dangerous chasm separating the level of industrial activity that is being seen from the responsible treatment and disposal of toxic wastes that are being produced. The problem highlighted by the Kuala Lumpur-based NGO Global Environment Centre…

Roots of Recovery

Replanting coastal forests destroyed by last December’s tsunami sounds like a good idea — especially if they protect against future storms. But such plans need nurturing if they are to succeed, Erika Check discovers. On a cloudy, humid day last month, 250 people gathered near the beach in the small Indonesian village of Kajhu. Local…

Mangrove forests protected areas from 2004 tsunami says new study

Editor’s summary: A study released in late October shows that areas buffered by coastal forests, like mangroves, were less damaged by the 2004 tsunami than areas without tree vegetation. Last week the FAO reported that 20% of the world’s mangrove forests have disappeared since 1980. (27-Oct-2005) A new study released today in the journal Science…

The Asian Tsunami: A Protective Role for Coastal Vegetation

Finn Danielsen,1* Mikael K. Sørensen,2 Mette F. Olwig,2 Vaithilingam Selvam,3 Faizal Parish,4 Neil D. Burgess,5,6 Tetsuya Hiraishi,7 Vagarappa M. Karunagaran,3 Michael S. Rasmussen,2 Lars B. Hansen,2 Alfredo Quarto,8 Nyoman Suryadiputra9 The scale of the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was almost unprecedented. In areas with the maximum tsunami intensity, little could have prevented catastrophic coastal destruction. Further away, however, areas with coastal tree vegetation…

Ecologists warn against improper replanting of tsunami-wrecked mangroves

(AP) – KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia-Mangroves that bore the brunt of last year’s tsunami in Indonesia and other places have been replaced with hurriedly and improperly planted trees that may wither soon and leave coastal communities vulnerable, experts warned Tuesday. Saplings were planted in areas where their survival is precarious because species have been wrongly matched…

Nature study

SAFELY hidden among the peaks and valleys of Bukit Kiara’s recreational park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) is the Sungai Penchala, which we have set out to discover. We do not know what to expect as we drive past the commercial area of TTDI compact with its eateries, the infamous wet market and office…