Sanctuary

Our enemies besiege us
As aimlessly we roam
Wandering tired and hungry
Looking for a home

Once we could have travelled
To the valley nearby

But now that too has gone

We hold our heads and cry

Is there a place of shelter

Where we can carry on

And safely raise a family

In a place we call our own?

It is a terrible thing for an individual to be displaced with nowhere to go but for a species it is a tragedy. And it is happening everywhere. With relentless removal of habitat and hunting pressure it is now no longer possible for many displaced animals to find sanctuary in the untouched nearby forest.

When I was a child growing up in the mountains of Papua New Guinea Long Beaked Echidnas were common but they have now all but disappeared. The locals whilst acknowledging that they haven’t seen any for decades will invariably tell you that there are plenty in the next valley. And so it goes, valley by valley, with each group not particularly worried because there are plenty elsewhere. The trouble is elsewhere no longer exists.

It is very difficult to separate people from the forest that sustains their culture and livelihood. Much has been done in many parts of the world to develop sustainable forest use areas but there is also a place for true sanctuaries. Fully protected areas of critical habitat serving as sanctuaries for endangered wildlife! These areas will in fact be the reservoir areas for wildlife into the sustainable forest use areas where sustainable hunting is allowed. The reservoir areas not only protect species from extinction but will also sustain the heritage and culture of native peoples.

Australia is blessed with one of the best National and Marine Park systems in the world. These areas are of great ecological importance as well as supporting an economically important tourist industry. Similar parks can be found throughout the world but unfortunately many third world countries do not have the resources to properly manage their protected areas. These areas will always have poor biodiversity outcomes without proper funding and management. This in fact is the most urgent priority in many parts of the world.

Eye Worms and other Tropical Diseases

Nasty biting insects
Are a wretched curse
But the diseases that they carry
Are infinitely worse

Those Loa Loa Worms
Wriggling in your eyes
Are the lasting legacy
Of biting Deer Flies

Malaria and filaria
Are diseases we must purge
From the poorest folk in Africa
Living with this scourge

The jungles of Central Africa are a cauldron for new diseases including many strains of HIV and nasty haemorrhagic Ebola Virus. Many of these diseases have recently jumped the species barrier from primates to humans and the Global Viral Institute is working hard to prevent the next pandemic but it is not just new diseases that are a problem. The clearing of forest and the migration of people into new areas is increasing contact with mosquitoes, biting flies other vectors of disease. Cerebral malaria and several types of filarial infection in particular are increasing rapidly. Trypanosomiasis which causes sleeping sickness in humans as well as Cattle Trypanosomiasis through the bite of the Tsetse Fly (Glossina)is also on the rise despite the development of Trypanasome resistant cattle and mass spraying of insecticide to kill the vector.

Climate change is also having an impact. River Blindness, or Onchocerciasis is a filarial infection spread by the Black Fly which is rapidly spreading south into the tropical jungle areas from the savannah Sahel where it results in blindness rates of 3-5%. The problem is exacerbated by land clearing in combination with a drying climate which creates suitable conditions for the Black Fly vector. Loa Loa Eye Worm infections caused by a filaria spread by Deer and Mango Flies is also on the increase with 70% infection rates in some parts of Cameroon.

But what can be done? It is unthinkable that we don’t do all we can to eradicate these diseases and alleviate the immense suffering of local populations but we also have to be mindful of the environmental consequences of our actions. The eradication of the Tsetse Fly for example would result in large areas of rainforest being cleared for cattle grazing. Large scale insecticide spraying programmes will similarly have devastating ecological impacts. Neither strategy is the long term answer to achieving an appropriate balance between development and conservation. In the longer term a combination of education, poverty alleviation and medical treatment of impacted populations is likely to secure the best outcomes. And if you happen to be visiting these areas make sure you have your shots and always protect yourself from mosquitoes and biting flies.