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| Sunday, 5 June 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Today is world environment day BPU officers transferred out : Roadblocks to controlling bio-piracy by Shanika Sriyananda
While Sri Lankans join hands with millions of eco conscious people around the world to celebrate yet another 'Environment Day', eco- groups warn of 'secret and deliberate' attempts of some authorities, influenced by some politicians, businessmen and even academics who have a hand in gene piracy, to close down the world's first bio-diversity protection unit set up at the Sri Lanka Customs Department (SLCD). They claim that with the transferring of its last two trained officers, the 'Bio-Diversity Protection Unit (BPU)' is now suffering a 'slow death' due to a severe dearth in trained and dedicated Customs officers. Environmentalists warn that the failure to find a solution to make the unit more effective once again will result in increasing incidents of the country's valuable flora and fauna and other priceless archaeological treasures being smuggled out. Environmentalists wonder why the responsible authorities are not giving due priority to the BPU, which busted two major rackets involving attempts to smuggle out invaluable satin trees and pink quartz, this year. The three containers with 146 satin trees, estimated to be 300-years-old, were ready for export to Germany and the 33 containers of quartz were destined to the USA. The BPU officials also busted another two attempts to smuggle original archaeological maps and rare archaeological clothing belonging to the Kandyan era and 18th century. "The famous kothala himbutu and bumble bees cases were brought before the public, thanks to the BPU, but we suspect that there are some hidden forces, with hidden agendas striving to make this Unit defunct", they point out. The BPU commenced operation with five custom officers in 1998 and is considered as a role model for other Customs in the world. The officers at the Unit were able to expose some of the major gene piracy rackets carried out by University dons and big businessmen, with political backing as a major clout. "We think this is a deliberate attempt by some powerful forces, fuelled by those who have been affected by their 'huge incomes' through gene piracy", Customs officials alleged. According to reliable Customs sources, the BPU, which prevented the country's invaluable natural resources from being smuggled abroad for the last six years, is now 'being killed' with its last two officers transferred to some other sections from June 01. No new officers have been sent to this unit yet. Four officers were transferred from the Unit in 2000 and 2004. But none have yet been replaced. According to sources, the BPU cannot function with officers who have a poor knowledge about the subject. "New officers need to be trained at least for some time as they lack the knowledge of bio-diversity matters. Even studying the laws related to bio-diversity needs time. On the other hand, this Unit is not a unit with many perks for officers. Only those really committed towards the prevention of gene piracy will work in the Unit", sources said. The sources said that the officers attached to special units can remain in the same unit for five years but the two officers who were transferred have been transferred before the due time period, and they have not requested for transfers either. According to Customs sources, the department had been suffering from shortages from its inception and the repeated requests for more facilities had not been fruitful. The dedicated officials had to use their own vehicles for raids. But due to the shortage of officers and vehicles, the surveillance at the Airport, cargo, ports and containeryards has been stopped. One of the most important units of the SLCD, the BPU does not have a separate office and the officers are forced to share the small 20x15 room filled with items detected by its officers and their other equipment like computers, typewriters and stationery. They claimed that there were no incentives for the officers of the Unit and none had been given any scholarships to pursue their knowledge. "The knowledge that we have is gained from reading books and from a personal capacity. "We work without any privileges and perks unlike other officers in the other units of the SLDA. The extra payments given to the Narcotic Bureau and other units as encouragement are not given to BPU officers. Commendations for special raids have been stopped", they said. Despite the unhappy working environment, the officers doing investigations are also facing death threat from smugglers for which they are not provided with adequate security. Sarath Jayatilake, Director General SLCD, denying the allegations told the 'Sunday Observer' that there had been no intention or plans to close down the BPU and it was not even in their 'wildest dreams' and claimed that 'someone' was misleading the public. "We know the importance of having such a Unit, which is doing invaluable service to the nation. The SLCD is giving top priority to the Unit in transferring officers", he said adding that the whole department suffers from a shortage of 200 officers and works with limited resources. According to Jayatilake, no officer had been transferred deliberately to other units but that was their annual transfer after a two-year period of service in a Unit. "Normally the customs officers get their transfers every two years", he explained. "Really, we do not want to close down the unit. What we want is to develop this unit to expand its services. The officers and its Director are doing a great job to prevent gene piracy. We always appreciate their dedication and we want to encourage them to do more detection to control piracy", he said. Jayatilake said that the vehicles they had were over 15-years-old and that it was very difficult to allocate separate vehicles to each unit. However, according to Jayatilake, two officers had been transferred to the Unit from June 1. He maintained that the Unit had never received step-motherly treatment. Jayatilake said that the work done by the SLCD is reflected not in its annual revenue collection but the detections by the BPU and the SLCD did not want to lose the goose that laid the golden eggs. Meanwhile, the Union of Superintendents of Sri Lanka Customs (USSLC) has requested the SLCD to give priority to the Unit considering the work that had been done during the last few years, to bring down gene piracy. The Union is scheduled to meet the DG to discuss the matter on June 16. The members also request the SLCD to implement a system which would permit the Unit Director to get the help of former trained officers of the Unit when there is a raid, as a temporary measure. Anil de Silva, President USSLC said that transferring of officers, especially those who do not have any interest and training will not be effective. "The Unit needs officers who are committed to work in the unit which does not offer incentives and perks like in the other units in the SLCD", he said adding that according to Director Administration two officers had been transferred to the Unit from June 1. "If new officers are not trained enough to handle the cases, the Unit can be considered as defunct", he warned. ######## Let us paint our cities green by Lionel Wijesiri The UN's World Environment Day has been held on June 5 each year in a different city for over 30 years. The event is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. This year, for the first time, it is held in San Francisco in the United States. The event is themed 'Green Cities'. Any discussion over the future of cities, how they will look, the quality of life they will offer, will always eventually turn to the question of "How much green space will there be?" What will the opportunities be for contact with nature in the city? Will children still be able to play in natural areas? Is it possible for the city to have an 'organic' feel to it and for residents to be connected with natural processes? For many, the argument about the merits of city living versus a life in the country will be won or lost on this 'green' issue. The city for many people will always remain an object of ambivalence unless it can be seen that cities can be genuinely 'green'. Threat Even today, we follow a long tradition that saw the city as a place of moral ill, in contrast to the rustic virtues of the countryside. Cities represented chaos and disorder, threatening the natural order that the countryside affirmed. This was partly because they seemed to offer greater sexual freedom to both sexes, thus imperilling patriarchal values and the traditional family set-up. But this is not a metaphor for moralisers; It is literal. The cities of the world consume 75 per cent of its resources and produce most of its waste. If we put bluntly, most big cities today are filthy parasites, which require the 'host' hinterland to provide them with food, water and energy, and depend on global forests, seas and the atmosphere, to act as their dustbins. In the polite parlance of development circles, modern cities are 'unsustainable'. To be sustainable they would have to function in such a way that did not damage the ecology for future generations; that ensured enough social equity in the city to prevent further environmental damage being done; and that did not over exploit or pollute the hinterland, be it within the same country or another. Increasing Population Meanwhile, the proportion of humans living in cities is growing. In 1900, just 15 per cent of the world's people were urban. Today it's more like 50 per cent. And by 2025 it's likely to be at least 60 per cent. Many cities of Asia are growing so fast that as soon as a census is completed it is already way out of date. This is quite a problem because the cities of debt-ridden countries like Sri Lanka cannot begin to keep pace with the ever-increasing demands made on water, sanitation, energy and roads. For example, Colombo's central commercial district is estimated to have a daytime population of more than 650,000. The greater Colombo contains over 4.8 million people or 26 per cent of the island's population, but covers only 5.6 per cent of the total land area. So what should we do? Abandon cities? Retreat to the countryside and cultivate paddy or grow vegetables? I don't think so. For inside the problem of cities lies the solution. The city-always the place of greatest dynamism and creativity-may also present the greatest opportunity for a greener future. What is the way an ideal city could be for a greener atmosphere?. A few salient points have crossed my mind. 1. Energy Solar energy is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce, even in cloudy conditions. The modern Japanese solar-electric roof tiles could make buildings in cities around the world largely self-sufficient. Just using less power is another option: electricity use in a city like Colombo, could be cut considerably just by using existing eco-friendly devices and practices. 2. Food Cities could grow much of their own food-and many do. Chinese cities like Shanghai are almost self-sufficient in vegetables and grain. Urban vegetable-growing is making a comeback in some Western cities like New York and Berlin, sometimes on urban wasteland and rooftops. 3. Trees Trees are the earth's natural air conditioners. They give off oxygen during the day and absorb harmful carbon and sulphur emissions along heavy traffic routes and filter dust in polluted cities. They also cool down the urban environment: a single tree can transpire 380 litres of water a day. 4. Sewage Traditionally many towns and cities kept their farmlands productive by recycling human wastes. In Asia especially, using 'night soil' to compost agricultural land helped to ensure the ecological viability of cities. Pipelines could transport urban sewage back to fertilize agricultural land and forests, anywhere. 5. Transport Cheap, efficient public transport reduces pollution dramatically. Zero-emission vehicle, using hydrogen fuel cells or solar power have been developed and are in use, on a small scale, in Switzerland and the US. Cycling remains the cleanest and most energy-efficient option. A car uses 1,162 calories per passenger km, a bus 575, rail 553, walking 62 and a bicycle only 22. Keeping private cars out of city centres also releases space for public amenities, green areas, food growing and housing. 5. Recycling Cities with effective recycling schemes have shown that it is possible to recycle 75 per cent of household waste. Using recycled material to make paper uses 30-40 per cent less energy than processing from virgin pulp. Cities in Japan and the Netherlands currently recycle 50 per cent of their paper and 95 per cent of Swedish cities recycle 80 per cent of aluminium cans. In Cairo alone over 500 small factories recycle plastics, while in Manila, new garbage management and recycling programmes have also created employment. Compact cities The notion of 'Compact Cities' combines the organic freedom, with some clear municipal planning to protect public rather than corporate interests. The environmental benefits of compact cities are clear and compelling: in the compact city, housing, workplaces and shops are either mixed or within easy reach of each other.Increasingly, environmentally concerned citizens are finding that the best way to be effective is not to retreat to rural pastures green but to stay in their dirty old cities and change them from within. The moral is clear: great new cities can be envisioned and built. But they require sensitive planning and remembering it's not just nice to be green-it's becoming imperative. ######## Green cities by Vimukthi Fernando Over hundred thousand mangrove plants and two hundred thousand other beach vegetation will be planted throughout the Galle district to commemorate the 'World Environment Day', this year. This project is being carried out by the Sri Lanka Nature Forum (SLNF), a consortium of environment organisations operating under the UNDP's Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grant's Project (SGP). The tree planting campaign, which is only part of the many activities planned for today and tomorrow is in keeping with the theme of the year, 'Green Cities Planned for the Planet,' says Forum's spokesperson Thushan Kapurusinghe. It also attempts to restore the coastal vegetation in order to mitigate the destructive elements of natural disasters," he says. While 500 plants will be planted at three sites in Galle, the rest will be planted throughout the district within the month. "The planting and monitoring will be carried out through eight member organisations based in the district," says Kapurusinghe. The Forum's environment day celebrations consist of an environment walk on June 5 an exhibition, several public awareness programs such as seminars, film shows, cultural shows and workshops. The presentation of awards for the winners of the Forum's all-island art and essay competitions will be carried out on June 6. The events are organised to obtain maximum participation from the
communities in natural resource management says UNDP, GEF-SGP National
Coordinator Shereen Samarasuriya. In environment conservation, "Very little
can be done without community participation. These events will encourage
them to go gentle on the environment," she says. |
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