Good Morning Vietnam!

In January this year I went on a monitoring visit to Vietnam. It was a work related trip but much of my travels have been for work and regardless of how busy it gets, it’s always re-energizing to see a new part of the world. Without fail my mates normally come up with a last minute quip to prep me up before flying out.  Before heading off to Vietnam it was ‘remember to look in the trees and watch out for Charlie’! Brilliant!

Although this wasn’t my first visit to South East Asia, Vietnam was still a wonderfully new experience for me. As soon as we landed in Ho Chi Minh City, I took in a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief, as if almost feeling at home. It could have also been realising the hard work over the last 6 months was paying off. It’s probably more than that though as I’m forever passionate about visiting developing countries and roads less travelled. Call it the adventurer in me but it always seems to be where I feel the most ‘alive’. A combination of new sights and experiences, increased knowledge and awareness about the world around us and forming relationships with inspirational characters are a few of the plus sides of working in the development sector.

-Tap Rua Monument on Hoam Kiem Lake, Hanoi-

I won’t delve into detail about the work involved, but as part of my work portfolio I help support Vietnam project monitoring efforts to help increase the capacity of hospitals particularly relating to eye health at district, provincial and national levels.

In 10 days my colleague and I travelled to 3 different provinces, 6 districts and 4 communes which meant we spent every second day travelling. We were lucky enough to travel with a team from our Regional Office who help manage the projects in-country, which meant ‘Xin Chiao’ and ‘Cam On’ was about as much Vietnamese I needed to know when it came to ordering food.  Little to say we were exhausted by the end of it all, it was still a pleasure meeting and working with some key players who are leading the efforts to increase Vietnam’s capacity to reach the poorest of the poor in accessing eye health. I was very nervous at the prospect of sitting in a hospital board room meeting with doctors, hospital directors and project managers discussing and providing input into how they are implementing their projects.  None the less a quick hello, shake of their hand and a big smile was all that was needed to help calm the nerves. I’m pretty sure it all went well.

-Students lining up for refractive error screening -

My favourite part of Vietnam was Son La Province. Son La is located about an hour flight from Hanoi to Dien Bien City, well known for the final battle with the French in 1954, it's then a 3 hour drive through the mountains until you reach Son La City. A rural and isolated part of the country Son La is one the poorest provinces in Vietnam, and its access to health and medical care is also very low.  The gorgeous scenery with rolling rice paddy hills, and cloud covered peaks, with lovely people who won’t stop inviting you in for tea. Even a few of the stray dogs are nice enough to pat, apart from one that nearly took my hand off! The food is also amazing and I was surprised to see how much the food changed from one province to another. I could easily turn into a vegetarian in Vietnam with all the delicious options and flavours.

-The hills of Son La and surroundings -

So to sum it all up, the trip to Vietnam was another remarkable journey to a different part of the world and hopefully there’s another chance to visit in the future. Maybe next time I’ll be able to go for a holiday!

Happy reading and best wishes,

Luke Purcell

Wildlife trade, still a threat to extinction?

As you know, human populations have grown exponentially, but so too has the demand for wildlife. People in developed countries have become used to a lifestyle which fuels demand for wildlife, including having access to a variety of sea foods, leather goods, timbers, medicine etc. People living in extreme poverty however regard wildlife as a means to meet their short-term needs and will likely trade it for whatever they can get. I’ve worked with people including ex-poachers, many of them who never wanted to see wildlife destroyed, trapped in a dangerous form of income generation, before being educated and trained in sustainable livelihood alternatives.

The Millennium Development Goals recognise the link between biodiversity and sustainable development. Sustainable trade in natural resources can actually contribute to local and national economies creating incentives to conserve species and their natural habitats. However unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade is still threatening many species around the world, driving them towards extinction and leading to loss in revenues at the national and international level (Source, www.traffic.org ) .

Captive baby Sumatran Orang-utan © TRAFFIC SE Asia/Chris R. Shepherd

Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Today, it helps protect more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. (Source www.cites.org )

To try and put this into some perspective, I thought I'd mention a few points about the well documented decline in wild Tiger numbers. Today there are believed to be fewer than 2,500 breeding adult Tigers left in the wild, and despite their protection status their numbers are still declining. Tigers are currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

The Siberian Tiger P. t. altaica lives in the boreal forests of the Russian Far East © Kevin Schafer / WWF

Once found across Asia, from Turkey to eastern Russia, over the past century Tigers have disappeared from south-west and central Asia, from Java and Bali in Indonesia and from large parts of South-east and East Asia. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range, and more than 40% of their range in the last decade. Much of the remaining habitat is becoming increasingly fragmented. Today, Tigers are found only in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam, and possibly in North Korea.

In the early 1990s, trade in Tiger parts was banned worldwide, but Tigers remain in serious danger from illegal wildlife trade poaching mainly for their bones for use in traditional Asian medicines, and for their pelts and other body parts, such as teeth, skin and claws, as decorative items. (Source www.traffic.org )

The skin of a Tiger killed by poachers in Nepal © Jeff Foott / WWF-Canon

If you're interested in supporting work to curb illegal wildlife trade of tigers and other species, there are the well-known conservation groups, but there’s also a brilliant organisation dedicated to wildlife trade called ‘TRAFFIC’. Their Vision is a “world in which trade in wild plants and animals is managed at sustainable levels without damaging the integrity of ecological systems and in such a manner that it makes a significant contribution to human needs, supports local and national economies and helps to motivate commitments to the conservation of wild species and their habitats”. (Source www.traffic.org )

They’ve got a great website so if you’ve enjoyed the read, you’ll love having a look: www.traffic.org  

Happy Reading!

Best wishes,

Luke Purcell.

Sources/References - www.traffic.org , www.wwf.org , www.cites.org , United Nations Environment Programme.

A Fishy Story...

I would hope that most people are aware of the vast threats facing our world’s oceans, and it’s something that I’ve taken an interest in over recent years. If I was to ask you about sustainability of the sea, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it whales? Perhaps coral, sharks or global warming? Is there any chance that tuna was first on your list?

Fishing is a central livelihood and food security option to over 200 million people, especially for the developing world where one in five people across the globe depend on fish as their primary source of protein. But amid facts and figures about aquaculture's soaring worldwide production rates, other, more sobering, statistics reveal that global main marine fish stocks are in jeopardy, from increased overfishing and environmental degradation.

An example (there are many more) is the Southern Bluefin Tuna found in Southern Hemisphere open waters and listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN (World Conservation Union). Over ninety per cent of Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) are caught near the Great Australian Bight, in South Australia, as juveniles. They are then farmed until they reach maturity, and sold to a dozen international markets, including Japan where the meat is prized for use as sashimi. Yes those sushi rolls many of us eat for lunch have actually played a key role in the decline of Southern Bluefin Tuna Species.  For more information on Southern Blue Fin Tuna and other marine information feel free to look at the Australian Marine Conservation Society site at http://www.amcs.org.au .

Southern Bluefin Tuna. Photo Courtesty of ABC Website

I recently watched a documentary that gives a great insight and perspective to the reality of overfishing on a global scale. I definitely recommend it to those passionate conservationists or even if you’re just curiously interested, it will grab you hook line and sinker!  The documentary is called End of The Line and you can view the trailer and access more information at www.endoftheline.com.

Here is some information courtesy of End of the Line Website. The film has three basic messages for consumers, citizens and companies to help with the situation:

·         Ask before you buy and only eat sustainable seafood.

·         Tell politicians and respect the science, cut the fishing fleet

·         Join campaigns for marine protected areas and responsible fishing

·         If you buy a fish in a shop or in restaurant, ask where it comes from; whether it is from a sustainable source, or is it an endangered or over-exploited species?

If you’re not sure there are useful guides to what fish you can buy with a (fairly) clear conscience. In UK one is produced by the Marine Conservation Society. You can find the guide on their website.

 

In the USA, the Monterey Bay Aquarium issues one. You can click through from here. www.SeafoodWatch.org

 And the Marine Stewardship Council runs a certification scheme for fish produced according to principles of sustainability, which you can find out about on the MSC website.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and discuss!

Best wishes and thanks,

Luke Purcell

Sources: Marine Conservation Society Australia, UN Website, End of the Line Website, World Wildlife Fund, www.abc.com.au  

Kenya - A World Away...

Yesterday I woke up to get ready for work. I got out of my big queen size bed, had a hot shower, put on my ironed shirt, business clothes, and quickly ate some cereal with milk and fresh juice from the fridge before walking out the door and driving to the office for the day.

A year ago, a typical day for me in Shimoni, Kenya usually involved waking up on base in a remote village along the South Coast with 15 or so volunteers ready to start the day.

After a quick basic breakfast of weetabix I might have spent a few hours in the morning working in the office wearing board shorts and flip flops (t-shirt optional), organised base supplies for the week and then walked into the village to find one of our local suppliers to help get us fresh water (no drinking water taps in Shimoni).  The afternoon may have involved training some volunteers in different habitat types before driving our 18ft powerboat ‘squirrel’ across the channel to nearby Wasini Island to catch up with staff and interns. A wash in the ocean during high tide to watch one of the most incredible sunset views, dinner with the team and debrief, quickly followed by a drink under the stars. To be honest this is one of the more average days of living in Kenya!

Teaching at Mkwiro Secondary School

Wakling through Tsavo National Park - Mt Kili in the background

On the best days in Kenya, I might have been with our marine team researching coral reefs spotting dolphins and whales around Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park, walking through forest surveying Angolan Black and White Colobus, planting trees in the community with the guys from Friends of Shimoni Forest, or helping on a construction project in remote Tsavo West National Park. The people are really the best part of the whole experience though. It’s the people you meet, work and form lifelong friendships with that really create the memories, oh and I can’t forget all the photos! If you go to Africa take a good camera it’s worth every dollar!

Lucas, Tim, Dave, myself and Adam at Shimoni Reef

With all this said it really is only a small insight into the year I spent in Kenya.  Although I only left 8 months ago, the enormous contrast to life in Australia really does make it feel a lot longer. For those who have never been to Africa, thinking about going, or about to, be prepared for the reverse culture shock once you’re back in the developed world. It does take a while to readjust but I promise you, as time goes on you do eventually settle back in. A word of warning, if you venture to Africa, chances are you’ll want to go back again. I’m fortunate enough to have a job in Melbourne that involves travel to different countries and allows me to get back out into field work, which does help ease the itchy feet, but sometimes my time in Kenya does seem unsurpassable. However I do my best to remember to keep patient, plan ahead and sure enough the next great adventure is never far away!

Happy reading and best wishes,

Luke Purcell