Yesterday I diaried about the extinction of the Baiji, one of only four freshwater dolphin species in the world. I noted someone's comment that "it is a true tragedy that the most publicized single moment for an endangered animal, like the Baiji, is the moment it officially disappears."
So, today, I wanted to highlight how such extinctions come to be: by a series of little-noticed habitat losses, factory openings, or minor political decisions. If you do a little digging on the Internet, it's not hard to find roads leading to more imminent extinctions:
Here:
President Yoweri Museveni has defended plans to destroy some of Uganda's last few rainforests to give land to plantation owners [...]
And...
Last week, the head of the National Forest Authority, Olav Bjella, resigned after failing to resolve a dispute with Museveni in which he refused to grant a local palm oil company a license to remove a rainforest on an island on Lake Victoria.
Museveni has also argued fiercely with local officials over a plan to allow Uganda's Mehta Group to axe 7,000 hectares or nearly a third of Mabira Forest Reserve on the mainland, which has been protected since 1932, to expand its sugar estate.
Let's take a look at what we are talking about...
Here is Uganda:
You see the dark green area to the right of Kampali (the capital)? That is Mabira Forest Reserve, and it is literally the only remaining rainforest left in Uganda (it has been protected since the 30s). Click on the image and scroll around. You will find no other lowland forest like this: it has all been converted into agriculture.
Let's take a closer look:
As you can see, the rainforest is already crowded by agriculture. There is not much left, just a little scrap. But this scrap is LITERALLY the only forest left (please check out the Google Map link to confirm this... it is breathtaking). AND this little scrap houses 10s of 1000s of species, many found NOWHERE else. From BirdLife:
The list for Mabira Forest Reserve contains almost 300 species. Many species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome are not well-represented in other protected areas in Uganda, for instance Francolinus nahani, Caprimulgus nigriscapularis, Phyllanthus atripennis, Macrosphenus concolor and Trochocercus nitens.
And, now, the President of Uganda has acquiesced to demands from The Mehta Groups to convert 30% of this forest into a sugar plantation.
And The Mehta Group themselves say that environmental protection isn't their concern:
Mehta has stayed largely silent, saying environmental protection is up to governments, not companies. "I'm out of this controversy. I made a request to the government -- it is they who decide," Mehta regional director Suresh Sharma said.
Oh, and the President says, don't worry, because "you can plant a forest anywhere." And he further claims that Mehta themselves has experience with pine forest plantation (a suitable replacement for a primary forest?).
Take action NOW #1! Please tell The Mehta Group to STOP destruction of primary rainforest in Uganda. Go to their Contact Us form and submit your note.
Then, email scoul@mehtagroup.com (the company), info@monitor.co.ug (the local newspaper), and pkamunanwire@ugandaembassyus.org, Cssentongo@ugandaembassyus.org, ebwomono-olobo@ugandaembassyus.org, mkarugaba@ugandaembassyus.org (the Ugandan embassy). (You may want to separately write to the Ugandan embassy and tell them that you will not travel to their country and you will advise your friends to avoid Uganda for tourism!)
Here is an example note you can use:
Do not destory the Mabira Forest Reserve!
I request that you immediately stop all plans to convert primary rainforest in the Mabira Forest Reserve into sugar plantations. I am appalled by The Metha Group's total disregard for the wildlife, people, and environment of Uganda.
By depriving Ugandans of some of the last remaining primary forest in their country, you guarantee a loss of critical ecosystems, wildlife habitat, current and future tourist destinations, and natural heritage.
I will actively campaign against your continued destruction of the environment. I will lobby my government, and tell my friends, to closely inspect your locally-held subsidiaries, business interests, and business relationships. And I will speak out vociferously, in print and on the Internet, against your colonial-minded desecration of Africa's natural heritage.
YOUR NAME
CITY, STATE
[By the way, take a look at the total greenwashing on their site.]
Sadly, The Mehta Group is not the only destructor of Uganda. Bidco, a large palm oil corporation, plans to use similar Presidential edicts to develop the largest palm oil plantation in all of Africa on virgin rainforest on Lake Victoria islands.
Take action NOW #2! Please tell Bidco to STOP destruction of precious rainforests on Lake Victoria islands. Go to their Contact Us page and submit your note.
Then, email bidco.ug@bidco-oil.com (the company), info@monitor.co.ug (the local newspaper), and pkamunanwire@ugandaembassyus.org, Cssentongo@ugandaembassyus.org, ebwomono-olobo@ugandaembassyus.org, mkarugaba@ugandaembassyus.org (the Ugandan embassy). (You may want to separately write to the Ugandan embassy and tell them that you will not travel to their country and you will advise your friends to avoid Uganda for tourism!)
Here is an example note you can use:
Do not destory Lake Victoria rainforest!
I request that you immediately stop all plans to convert rainforest on Lake Victoria's islands into palm oil plantations. I am appalled by BIDCO's total disregard for the wildlife, people, and environment of Uganda.
By depriving Ugandans of some of the last remaining primary forest in their country, you guarantee a loss of critical ecosystems, wildlife habitat, current and future tourist destinations, and natural heritage.
I will actively campaign against your continued destruction of the environment. I will lobby my government, and tell my friends, to closely inspect your locally-held subsidiaries, business interests, and business relationships. And I will speak out vociferously, in print and on the Internet, against your continued desecration of Africa's natural heritage.
YOUR NAME
CITY, STATE
It is a thousand little actions like this... 1000 critical losses that don't get covered in our news (or very little, anyway). And so, who will be surprised if in 10 years (or less) we are faced with more extinctions, and more destitution, and more pollution.
[This diary was featured on DailyKos Environmentalists: consider joining today.]
UPDATE: Please also copy the Ugandan embassy at pkamunanwire@ugandaembassyus.org, Cssentongo@ugandaembassyus.org, ebwomono-olobo@ugandaembassyus.org, mkarugaba@ugandaembassyus.org. You may want to separately write to the Ugandan embassy and tell them that you will not travel to their country and you will advise your friends to avoid Uganda for tourism! (Thanks to ohcanada for the link in the comments.)