The ecological balance From molds to man, the entire living world lives off just a thousandth of all

the energy that pours down to the earth from its central star, the Sun. This tiny fraction of the Solar energy is trapped by the green plants in the most massive of biochemical reactions, photosynthesis, and foods are elaborated. The-foods so built sustain the myriad variety of the living species. Some of them straight draw their sustenance from the green plants so benefited by the Sun and others, indirectly. The earth itself supplies the water and the mineral requirements of the living world, contributing to the framework as well as the working of the body. In other words, the biological and the physical worlds from an inextricable integrated whole. This understanding of Nature has led biologists to look for the inter-relationships that ramify through the different forms of life: the increase in numbers within one species has its own impact upon the numbers of other species. As long as Nature worked unmolested by man, proper balance among the constituents of the living world was maintained. But when man began to bend Nature to satisfy his needs and, worse still, his fancy, he introduced an element of imbalance into its working. When forests yielded place to farms, it was not the landscape alone that suffered. The trees no doubt disappeared but with them also disappeared the deer, the tiger, the beetles, the birds, the lichens, the mosses, the mushrooms and a host of other forms of the living world. Rodents and sparrows that feed upon the grains found a new haven in this new set-up. And that is not all. With the large trees also disappeared the great up-take of the soil water and its release into the atmosphere through transpiration. Consequently, rainfall suffered. Subtle changes in the climate set in. Where in the beginning, the land yielded rich crop, over the years the farmer found to his chagrin his land was not as good a proposition as it used to be. He found it increasingly necessary to augment the water and mineral supplies. Pests that he did not suspect appeared and began to reap his harvest. The tragic part of it was that it was all his own doing. Not that he was not aware of the great danger that was building up but he was too pre-occupied with his immediate gains to pay heed to the warnings. It took the disappearance of several species of animals and the near extinction of quite many others for him to wake up. The frightening increase in this depletion in the numbers of other species lent a new perspective. Ecology, the environmental science, acquired a new importance. What is Ecology? The word, ecology, is coined from two Greek words, oikos, meaning home, and logos, meaning science. Understanding of the home environments of each plant and animal species is the subject-matter of ecological studies.

Understanding the mutual impact of the various species living in a given locality is also the subject-matter of ecological studies. It is hoped that with this understanding, there would grow a greater consciousness which would bring man and his technological civilisation in tune with Natures schemes. The ecologist protests against the release of factor effluents into a nearby stream for it is not the fish alone that is affected but also the cattle and the men that drink this water and eat that fish. At Malapadu in Andhra Pradesh, the cattle-heads suffered initially paralysis of limbs and finally death due to the lead-poisoning caused by the effluents led into a nearby stream from a factory that extracted copper from the rich copper ore of a neighbouring hillock. It is feared that men living in the area are in real danger of suffering a similar fate if they continued to draw their water supply from this stream. The stately palmyrah palms of Ennore in Chennai have almost disappeared, thanks to the sulphurous fumes that keep pouring out of the chimney of the fertiliser factory there. So often, the effects are not this visible. They tend to be subtle and insidious. The ecologist warns us against these and his warnings can be ignored only at the peril of the human species. Nature works in ecosystems. An ecosystem comprises a group of living organisms and their physico-chemical environment. A system is an entity in its own right. Disturbance at one point is sure to have repercussions all over the system and if not repaired on time, the system is liable to disintegrate. In every ecosystem, there is a balance naturally attained in which each component is in perfect harmony with the rest. When man clears a forest or builds a dam, he interferes with the ecological balance that has been there. Without intending it, he disturbs the ecological balance of the area and is seeking to establish a new ecosystem. A new system can come only in the place of an old one. In the bargain, the component inhabitants of the old system disappear. When older ecosystems are upset over a large area, the migratory, the adaptive and such other limitations cause the total disappearance of a few species. This is undesirable not only because the richness of the flora and fauna suffer but more so because in the new dispensation, there might be unforeseen and disastrous consequences. For instance, the rich Americans fancy for money purses made of snakeskin let loose a ruthless rampage on rat snakes in south India. The near elimination of this variety of snake has caused a burst in the numbers of field rats in our paddy areas and I wonder what it cost the Indian exchequer! It occurs to me that the acute frog-hunting indulged in by our money-crazy exporters is responsible for the resurgence of malaria, for with the diminishing numbers of frogs that feed on them, the mosquitoes multiplied and that may be the reason why we have a National Malaria Eradication Programme again on our hands. Far fetched, you might say, but quite probable, I say! All this, however, is not to say that man should give up his technology orientation or that he should go back to primeval conditions fighting his inter-specific battle with the rest of the living world, unaided by adjuncts of civilisation. It is only to remind ourselves that much as

we might wish we were not, we are part and parcel of a natural ecosystem and that our survival, if it should be comfortable, depends very much on the preservation of this ecosystem. We disturb this ecological balance that Nature worked out through ages and handed down to us, only at our own peril. This caution administered, I would like to wind up narrating to you a natural chain that Julian Huxley mentioned. He was talking to an audience on how England fought to the last man and woman, including widows and old spinsters, in that catastrophic war of 1939-1945. Those old ladies were considered non-essential and ordered to villages where they moved along with the kittens. The kittens roamed in the surrounding fields for their nocturnal predations, feeding upon field rats. With the decline in the population of field rats, there was a spurt in the bumble bee population and with that there was increased pollination in clover, the fodder for the English cattle. Well-fed, the English cattle yielded more beef and the English soldier who had more beef to eat, grew stronger and fought better. You may not believe it but I would like to think that the Second World War was won on the strength of this ecosystem!

Case Study Japan Earthquake & Tsunami 11/03/11

Case Study Japan Earthquake & Tsunami (11 March 2011)

About
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A massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, Friday afternoon, on 11 March 2011

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@ 0546 GMT The quake was centred 130 kilometres to the east of the prefectures capital, Sendai. A tsunami was sent crashing into the countrys north-eastern coast. It was originally reported at a magnitude of 7.9, but later was upgraded to 8.9 and then to a 9.0. It lasted 6 minutes. That makes it the fifth largest recorded worldwide since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Service, larger than the 7.9-magnitude Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated Tokyo in 1923 or the 6.8 magnitude quake that hit Kobe in 1995. It had 10,000 times more energy than the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, which struck 17 days earlier

The Cause
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Japan is located on the east edge of the Eurasian Plate. The oceanic Pacific Plate subducts (sinks under) the Eurasian Plate. This plate margain is destructive it is not a smooth process, friction is present and the plates stick. When the plates stick, tension builds up. When this pressure builds up and is released, it causes a rapid shift in the plates and a lot of energy to be release, in this case about the same as the annual energy output of the UK.

Impact
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Japan was largely prepared for the earthquake and many buildings remained standing afterwards, but it was not prepared for the subsequent Tsunami. A tsunami warning extended to at least 50 nations and territories, as far away as South

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America. Damage was caused in Tokyo and many injuries in the north where the quake was centred The yen fell sharply but recouped most of its decline several hours later. Tokyo stocks fell. Local television showed smoke rising from a Tokyo port building, fire in the capitals waterfront Odaiba district and an oil refinery ablaze in Ichihara, near Tokyo. A tsunami measured at anywhere from one meter to 7.3 meters hit at various places along the coast, while a 10-meter tsunami was seen at the port in Sendai, near the epicentre. Aftershocks were continuing, with one hitting magnitude 7.1, according to the USGS. Tall buildings swayed violently in central Tokyo as the aftershocks hit. Immediate power outages in Tokyo and eight other prefectures reportedly affected some 4 million homes. In Iwate Prefecture a bridge collapsed and a building was washed away, with boats and cars swirling around in the rising waters. In Tokyo, hundreds of concerned office workers tried in vain to make calls on jammed cellphone networks, some wearing hard hats and other protective headgear. Many of them streamed out of buildings in the business district, gathering in open areas. The crowd appeared spooked by the sound of glass windows rattling in tall buildings. Traders said most of the selling was offshore as Tokyo traders evacuated. The yen could be in for further declines as the scale of the damage becomes known. Tokyos major airports halted flights, though Haneda Airport was later reported to have reopened several runways. All Tokyo area trains were halted, while the shinkansen bullet train service was suspended.

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Water could be seen rising over cars and pouring into warehouses at Onahama port in Fukushima Prefecture, with five deaths reported in Fukushima. Two nuclear plants on the Pacific coast in F

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ukushima were automatically shut down. At Fukushima the subsequent tsunami disabled emergency generators required to cool the reactors. Over the following three weeks there was evidence of a partial nuclear meltdown in units 1, 2 and 3; visible explosions, suspected to be caused by hydrogen gas, in units 1 and 3; a suspected explosion in unit 2, that may have damaged the primary containment vessel; and a possible uncovering of the units 1, 3 and 4 spent fuel pools. Radiation releases caused large evacuations, concern over food and water supplies, and treatment of nuclear workers. The IAEA has rated the events at level 7, the same as Chenobyl, and the highest on the scale meaning that there is a major release of radio active material with widespread health and environmental effects. The situation has been further compounded by numerous aftershocks. 2,000 people confirmed dead 10,000 more people expected to be confirmed dead 2,000 people injured 530,000 people displaced, staying in 2,500 evacuation centres, such as schools and public halls 24,000 people still completely isolated and cannot be reached 1.2 million homes without power 1.4 million homes without water 4,700 destroyed houses 50,000 damaged houses 582 roads cut off 32 bridges destroyed

Response
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A Tsunami warning was issued 3 minutes after the earthquake. Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who convened an emergency Cabinet meeting, urged the nation to be calm and said the government will do its utmost to minimize damage from

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the quake. He told a news conference a large amount of damage had occurred in the northern Tohoku region. A Meteorological Agency official appeared on TV urging those affected by the quake not to return home because of possible tsunamis. o In some areas we have issued a warning of tsunamis of higher than 10 meters and we expect these areas will experience the high water levels soon, said the official. Please stay on high alert. The governor of Miyagi Prefecture asked for Japanese military forces to be sent in to help. The Defence Ministry was sending eight fighter jets to check the damage, the agency said. The government set up a task force at the Prime Ministers Office. The Bank of Japan set up a disaster control team, headed by BOJ Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa, to assess the impact of the earthquake on financial markets as well as on financial institutions business operations. In response, 91 countries have offered aid, from blankets and food to search dogs and military transport. The Japanese government is among the best prepared in the world for disasters and has so far only made specific requests for help, such as calling for search and rescue teams. Several charities, including Save the Children UK, British Red Cross and World Vision UK, are asking for donations. A British rescue team has arrived in Japan to join the search for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. Fifty-nine search and rescue experts, four medics and two sniffer dogs flew out on a private charter plane with 11 tonnes of equipment on board. New-age innovations, such as Twitter were bringing updates on the situation far earlier than the media.

Areas of high biodiversity & conservation interest

After considering threatened habitats in general, and areas of particularly high biodiversity, nine areas - some large, some small - of conservation interest have been identified within the Four Corners area (see Map 6) and are described below:
Map 6: Areas of high biodiversity and conservation interest in the Four Corners TBNRMA
Protected Areas/ National Parks Forest Areas Wetlands/Lakes Communal natural resource management /Game Management Areas Communal Area Conservancies (Namibia) Areas of high biodiversity/ conservation interest AWF FOUR CORNERS BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION PACKAGE No 2:

SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL REVIEWS

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(a) Okavango Swamps

An extensive area of perennial and seasonal swamp with numerous islands and backwaters in north west Botswana, fed by the Okavango/Kavango river from the Angolan Highlands. It is one of the largest and probably the most pristine wetland within south central Africa, and has a high habitat diversity. The swamps lie immediately adjacent to dry woodland dominated by mopane or Kalahari vegetation. Both perennial swamp, indicated by stands of papyrus, and seasonal swamp are present, with many heavily wooded islands. A significant portion is protected as Moremi Wildlife Reserve, and cattle raising as a land use option is curtailed in some parts by the presence of tsetse fly and cattle fences. Although it contains no endemic or particularly threatened species, it is the best example of an increasingly threatened habitat and has a rich biodiversity.

(b) Kavango / Okavango river fringes

An area of woodland and grassland mixed with wetland vegetation flanking the Kavango/Okavango river in western Caprivi and northern Botswana (the "panhandle"). The woodlands are still fairly pristine over much of their extent and not severely impacted by elephant. Good riparian woodland is becoming increasingly scarce in southern Africa. There is a moderately high species diversity, although with no endemics or species under particular threat. The area is not formally protected, except on the east bank of the Kavango in Namibia. There is a real threat of implementation of a water abstraction scheme that would impact on both this area and, particularly, the Okavango swamps.

(c) Makgadikgadi Pans and lower Nata River

An extensive area of north central Botswana containing salt flats surrounded by dry woodland (mostly mopane) and grassland of various types. Although not particularly under threat, the habitats here are very unusual. There is one endemic grass (Panicum coloratum var. makarikariense) and one endemic lizard, (the Spiny Agama Agama makarikarica). Sua Pan is one of only two breeding sites for the threatened Lesser Flamingo in southern Africa, and the Nata Delta in the north is also used for breeding by the White Pelican. The mouth of the Nata River supports woodland of an unusual type, and is important for waterbirds. Only a small part of the area is formally protected (Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve).

(d) Zambezi riparian woodland below Senanga

Patches of riparian woodland in western Zambia flanking the Zambezi River upstream of Ngonye Falls. The area supports riparian woodland containing a number of plant species of restricted distribution. Such woodland is becoming increasingly rare owing to damage by elephant as well as human settlement. The area is not formally protected, and it is not clear what its present status is. Any remaining patches are a conservation priority.

(e) Zambezi riparian woodland between Kazungula and Victoria Falls

An area of what was well-developed riparian woodland with a rich assemblage of plant, mammal and bird species. The woodlands contain a number of rare woody species of very restricted distribution, and are also important for butterflies. However, much has been cleared on the Zambian side for agriculture and settlement. On the Zimbabwe side, although protected as the Zambezi National Park and Matetsi Safari Area, it has been heavily impacted by elephants; what was closed woodland has been opened up quite rapidly over
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much of its extent. Very unusual stands of Floodplain Acacia Acacia kirkii are found on mud flats at Kazungula and elsewhere dating from Pleistocene times, but have also been almost destroyed by elephants.

(f) Victoria Falls and Batoka Gorge

The Zambezi abruptly changes its nature here from a wide, relatively sluggish river with many wooded islands to a narrow rushing river enclosed in a 100 m deep gorge carved into the basalt. The permanent spray zone at Victoria Falls, in both Zambia and Zimbabwe, allows for the development of moist woodland and herbaceous vegetation with a number of unusual plants. The 'rainforest', essentially an extensive riparian forest caused by the permanent spray from the waterfalls, contains plant species which are localised in distribution or outlying populations. The Batoka gorge contains four endemic plants, and is important for birds such as the Taita Falcon and raptors (36 species identified). The gorges are mostly unprotected, although generally inaccessible. The Batoka Gorge dam, if built, will flood much of the bottom of the gorges and change the microclimate. The Victoria Falls area is protected on both the Zambian and Zimbabwe sides, although it is heavily utilised by visitors. Invasive plants such as Lantana camara are now a problem.

(g) Kazuma Pan

A transfrontier area of northern Botswana and north west Zimbabwe centred on a large seasonal pan and grassland surrounded by various types of woodland, on both Kalahari sand and black clays. There is a high habitat diversity and such grasslands are very unusual in the region. Oribi found here may prove to be taxonomically different from other populations, and previously there were several White Rhinoceros. Roan antelope also occur, but their numbers have diminished in recent years. The whole area in Zimbabwe is protected as national park or forest land. A significant portion of the adjacent Pandamatenga grasslands in Botswana, just to the south, is under commercial farming.

(h) Southern Hwange dunes and Nata mudflats

An extensive mosaic, mostly in Zimbabwe although crossing into Botswana, of relatively untouched dense woodland (Zambezi Teak Baikiaea, Camelthorn Acacia erioloba and Kalahari Sand Acacia Acacia luederitzii) on Kalahari sand dunes dating from the Pleistocene period, mudflats with grassland, Acacia and mopane, and shallow sand areas with Combretum scrub. Many small seasonal pans with ephemeral species are also present. There is a high habitat diversity with a number of unusual plant species as it is a meeting place of the Zambezian and Kalahari floras. The biodiversity of the area is very poorly known, and is likely to be rich. Much of the area lies within Hwange National Park, although a significant

portion lies to the south in Tsholotsho communal land.

(i) Ngamo Pan and surrounds

A large area straddling Hwange National Park and Ngamo Forest Land in western Zimbabwe with calcareous pans set in Kalahari sand and remnants of old dunes. Many of the surrounding woodlands are open with Zambezi Teak Baikiaea and Mukwa Pterocarpus angolensis, while the grasslands have a high density of Hyphaene palms. The pans and grasslands are important for such mammals as gemsbok and wildebeest and for waterbirds. It is protected as either national park or as forest land, although the southern portion lies in communal land with no protection.
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The value of a transfrontier approach to Conservation

The Four Corners is proposed as a transfrontier conservation area (TFCA), an area where natural resource and conservation management policies are harmonised across international boundaries. The TFCA includes five countries (with Angola) and over 1400 km of international borders. One of the main forms of land use in this largearea of 322,000 km2 is wildlife-based tourism,as reflected in the high proportion of landgiven over to conservation and wildlifemanagement. Some of the most obvious andcharismatic animals present - elephant, buffalo,carnivores and a number of birds - readily andfrequently cross these boundaries in search offood and water. As mentioned previously, thearea as a whole has one of the best remainingassemblages of large mammals remaining in Africa, with healthy populations of both predatorsand prey.Such an assemblage needs a large area,one that is difficult to find in any onecountry. Thus for conservation to beeffective, and for the economic benefitsof tourism and other forms of utilisationto be optimised, some form of transfrontier

management of both wildlifeand habitat is required. Policies regarding exploitation and marketing, e.g. of timber, fisheries or tourism infrastructure at Victoria Falls, need to be harmonised, along with accepted management practices such as fire prevention and fishing techniques.

A number ofimportant habitats cross borders, for example Kazuma Pan, while the health of the Okavango Swamps depends on continued flows in the Kavango River from Angola through Namibia.From a biological perspective, a transfrontier approach to conservation makes much sense in the,Four Corners area. It is an area held together by perennial rivers and wetlands - Rivers of Life and many of the habitats and species extend across border. These rivers and wetlands are dependent on flows from outside the national boundary of the country where they are situated. Some two million years ago, the Four Corners area was a meeting place of waters and species from the wetter, more tropical areas of northern Angola and Zambia, with those of the drier Kalahari. Evolution took place against this backdrop as the mosaic of habitats shifted across the landscape. Allowing continued movements across it now ensures possibilities of evolutionary processes to continue - something that on such a scale is now very rare in Africa.
Lion a major tourism attraction in the Four Corners Elephants need trans-boundary management
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An additional set of reasons for harmonised cross-border management, and for collaboration across borders, relates to the ability to influence decision-makers, whether at central or local government level, and to attract resources to an area. A TFCA gives a stronger voice to the area and its conservation. If the five countries combine forces the area can be much more strongly marketed overseas as a tourist destination, and purely nationalistic concerns or constraints are overcome more readily. In summary, the main advantages of a transfrontier approach to conservation here are: Management of fragmented or mobile populations, such as elephant and migrant birds Better conservation of wetlands and pans, and other transfrontier habitats A more "evolutionary" and landscape-scale approach to conservation Coordinated approaches to fire management Coordinated approaches to fisheries management