Related Posts
Regress, no way! – UK govt cuts to hit in one weekThe UK’s Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government’s plan to cut social programs as part of a decision to reduce...
COP15 update (IUCN): Ocean acidification and mass extinction of marine species require deep and immediate cuts in emissions
According to ‘Ocean acidification – the facts’, a special introductory guide for policy advisers and decision makers released...
Update: Singapore Oil Spill Travels North to Chek Jawa Marine ReserveOil spills are becoming all too common these days and like the Gulf Coast Spill, the recent spill...
UK govt rejects calls for ban on deep sea drilling
Despite low public opinion on deep sea drilling and an overall global shift away from the practice, including...
New UK Govt’s environmental policies: Clegg and Cameron still split on nukes
The Tory/Lib Dem coalition government has already announced agreements concerning its environmental policies. These include building a smart...
Tip of the Day
When given the choice, take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy and workout at the same time!
Swiss billionaire saves Chagos Islands marine reserve from UK govt cuts
photo by Jeff Laitila (Sushicam on Flickr CC)
The Chagos Islands, aka British Indian Ocean Territory, is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom containing many small islands, the largest being Diego Garcia.
Diego Garcia was famously – and forcibly – evacuated by the UK government in the 1960s to make way for a US military base. After several court cases, the islanders have still not been allowed to resettle their homeland. The Chagos’ only inhabitants are currently US military living on Diego Garcia.
Furthermore, last April a 250,000 square mile (650,000 sq km) Marine Protected Area (MPA) was established around the archipelago prohibiting commercial fishing.
From an article in the Independent:
The 55 islands across 210,000 square miles in the middle of the Indian Ocean which form the British Overseas Territory have at least 60 endangered species in their coral reefs and waters. They are home to more than 220 types of coral, 1,000 species of fish and at least 33 different seabirds and have been described as the most pristine tropical marine environment on Earth.
But the policing the reserve is dependent on funding from the British government, which is reported to be subject – like everything else – to cuts from the new Tory-Lib Dem coalition.
In a surprise George Sorros-y, Bill Gates-y, Warren Buffet-y philanthrocapitalist move, the funding for the MPA looks like it will come from Swiss Billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli. That’s right, the government can’t save the Earth – only god-like rich people can.
Though conservationist groups have long campaigned for a marine reserve to protect this unspoiled area of ocean, local fishermen are opposed to the ban.
From a report in the Guardian:
They have sent an open letter to the five leadership contenders, urging them to oppose or reconsider Miliband’s decision to declare the Chagos islands a marine protection area. The government decision infuriated neighbouring countries, native Chagossians and MPs.
The islanders also see the establishment of the MPA as another block to their resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Additional resources:
New Statesman – Chagos: coalition ditches promise to reverse policy
Tags: billionaire, British, Chagos, Diego Garcia, government, Indian, islands, marine, Military, MPA, ocean, overseas territory, Swiss, UK, US
2 Comments
You can also log in to post a comment.
Other Greenfudge.org posts
350.org RESULTS! – Photos from climate change ‘Day of Action’
Here is the high-resolution slideshow from the worldwide climate change action event organized by 350.org on October 24th, dubbed the International Day of Climate Action. 5245 actions took place in 181 countries, receiving major media coverage and resulting in tons of inspiring and photographs and video. Check out the 350.org homepage for more news, vids and lots of great pics! < Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. By Graham Land Additional resources: Guardian – The 350.org climate change worldwide protest slideshow New York Times – Across City,...
UK forest sell-off update: Public outcry shelves govt plan
The UK government has put its plans to sell off vast tracts of publicly owned forestland on hold. The scheme to privatize 258,000 hectares or 1,000 square miles of forest is part of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government’s harsh program of spending cuts, tax hikes and other actions with the expressed aim of lowering the UK’s large budget deficit. According to a BBC report, the British government is currently allowed to sell of 15% of public forests per public spending period –...
Video: Photos of Gulf oil spill victims give disaster a human face
In contrast to articles on the 'blame game', failed solutions and abstract statistics about how much oil is fouling the Gulf, here is a piece of video journalism from Time magazine by a photographer who visited some of the human victims of the worst eco-disaster in US history. This moving report gives glimpses into the lives of the people living in southern Louisiana, which is effectively ground zero for the human tragedy resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. We...
Air Pollution May Cause Headaches
Have you ever had a terrible headache for no apparent reason? Believe it or not, it could be from air pollution. Considering the damage air pollution already does to the environment and people’s health, I wouldn’t be surprised. A study conducted in the Santiago Province of Chile found that more people went to the hospital for headache problems when there were higher air pollution readings. The area itself is surrounded by Coastal and Andes mountains and as such, prone to air...
Gigantic Iceberg Drifting off Antarctica towards Australia
Nine years ago a 54 square-mile (about 1,700 km) iceberg broke of an Antarctic ice shelf. Today, almost ten years later, this gigantic chunk of ice is drifting towards western Australia while similarly large icebergs have also been spotted off the coast of New Zealand. While the iceberg was “trapped” for several years east of the Mertz Glacier, it recentlybegan its latest drift northeast. It’s been more than a 100 years since such a big iceberg ever drifted so far away...
Ted Danson on the environment
Actor Ted Danson has been involved in environmental activism since the 1980s when he was star of the hit sitcom Cheers. On April 1st he sat down to talk with CNN about the reasons for his environmentalism as well as current topics including ocean acidification, the need for clean energy, and President Barack Obama's recent opening up of US coastlines to offshore oil drilling. The environmental issue closest to Danson's heart is the state of the Earth's oceans. In addition to...
The environmental gold standard: Rising prices bring ecological disaster
In several gold producing countries, recent increases in the value of the mineral have resulted in disastrous environmental consequences.A BBC News report highlights how gold mining in the south east of Peru– much of it illegal and therefore unregulated – is resulting in rainforest deforestation, mercury contamination and the illegal trafficking of women. Close to 200 sq kms (77 sq miles) of jungle have been lost in the evocatively named Madre de Dios (Mother of God) region. –BBC News Mercury – cheap and...
Study: Methane is Rapidly Leaking Through Holes in Arctic Permafrost
For the longest time, CO2 was considered the main culprit in global warming. Many would pin climate change issues on this particular greenhouse gas. However, it seems another such gas intends to make its presence feared all the same: Methane. This greenhouse gas has been sneaking its way into the atmosphere more rapidly than scientists previously thought; especially in areas of the Arctic Ocean where there is unstable permafrost. An international research team conducted a survey of the East Siberian Arctic...
New London tower topped with turbines
The buzz around London's new Strata SE1 skyscraper isn't coming from the 3 wind turbines that crown its razor-like pinnacle, but from the attention this futuristic piece of architecture is garnering. The tower is part of a project to regenerate the central London neighborhood of Elephant and Castle. The rejuvenation project has been praised by a former U.S. president as an example of 'sustainable growth'. No need for any obvious Clinton jokes there, I think. From an article in the Guardian: While wind...
Deer invade US capital prompting calls for cull
I grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC in the 70s and 80s, when deer sightings in the area were not common, though not exactly rare occurrences. By my mid 20s, however, they were everywhere – munching on my mother’s daffodils or dashing into the street to get hit by an SUV. The reason for this is two-fold. First of all, suburban sprawl means the deer’s forest habitats shrink and keep shrinking in the face of unstoppable, endless developments of McMansions....
View all articles
[...] September 2010 a Swiss-Italian billionaire named Ernesto Bertarelli offered to finance the marine reserve (aka military reserve), which was at [...]
Another rich boy who want a private place for his kinky party , and instead of having a fish tank in his lounge room he wants a ocean for himself your ego must be bigger than wembley stadium and for your information this place that you got your eyes on is our MOTHERLAND only the children of our MOTHERLAND understand the the flora and fauna of Chagos who weve been look after from generation to generation theres nothing scientific about it dont try to trick us