| 30 November 2010
Biodiversity is the “web of life”. It includes all animals, plants and microscopic creatures on our planet; it also includes the habitats and eco-systems of these creatures. The United Nations has declared the year 2010 as the year of Biodiversity. I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s Tunza International Children’s Conference on the environment (T.I.C.C) in Nagoya Japan.
In 2008 I attended my first conference in Stavanger Norway; and in 2009 I went to Daejeon South Korea. Each conference will hold a special place in my heart, but this, the year of Biodiversity conference, has been the most significant.
At the conference we learned about ways in which human activity affects Biodiversity. We visited different ecosystems to determine whether or not these areas had low or high Biodiversity. We stayed in the province of Nagoya, which is rich in Biodiversity.
We first went to a forest then to the river bed in that forest and we planted a tree for our country. Thereafter all of us went to another section of the forest where we had to separate the trees from the shrubs and we had to write down the scientific and generic names. Our next activity was to walk around a river and try to find animals that made that river their home. One kid found raccoon tracks my friend caught a crab and I caught a Water Slider. Next we headed off to the rice paddy fields and here again we tried to find animals that lived in the ecosystem, and I caught at least four frogs and two spiders but the spiders escaped through the net.
The next day we were all tired but still excited. After breakfast we boarded the buses according to the color we received the night before, and that day we went pond dredging. I found two clams; we also caught a prawn, a small fish, and a frog and named him Fredrick. The pond had high biodiversity. We found over 50 different species that lived there and I am sure there was a lot more that we didn’t get to see. The instructors caught some huge fish that were later grilled and eaten (not by me, I am vegan and proud of it).
The different natural community in Nagoya helps to maintain a healthy diversity balance for its people, animals and plant life. Nagoya is in the country side, the majority of its residents use pedal bikes for transportation. Pedal biking reduces the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere and it’s healthy for the riders.
Eventually we were split up into groups by the region we lived and discuss our country’s Biodiversity. We discussed about government plans and the progress they are making to protect biodiversity in our country, we also talked about things that governments can do. We then put together a list of some of the major problems we felt were affecting Biodiversity on a global scale.
Here’s a list of some of them:
- Mining
- Poaching
- Over fishing
- Air Pollution
- Over population
- Lack of Environmental Education
My friend Adeline from Indonesia and I had to make a presentation to an audience of 200 people or more on the problems above. I was a little nervous but, we helped each other out. After we highlighted the problems we also discussed possible solutions. Here is a list:
· Reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and coal which would limit the amount of mining.
- Increase the penalty for people caught poaching in protected areas.
- Car pool more to reduce CO2 in our environment
- Buy items in bulk to reduce trash.
- Petition for environmental education in our schools system.
We then began the Jr. Board presentation. Here is a brief description of what the Jr. Board is: The Tunza Junior Board typically comprises a group of ten leaders between the ages of 10 and 12 (at the time of election). They work closely with the United Nations Environmental Programs (UNEP) to provide input on how to make the UNEP more appealing to children, and how to sensitize children on environmental issues. The board also helps to increase the participation of children in UNEP’s work by informing children’s groups and organizations about its activities.
The Junior Board is elected at the biennial TICC and has a mandate to serve two years until the next board is elected. It consists of six representatives from each of the six UNEP regions and four children from the country hosting the next TICC. All Jr. Board members are leaders and active members of an environmental organization. During the election all of us have to make a presentation and explain why we should be elected.
The tension was building as I waited eagerly for my presentation and when they called out my name I felt butterflies in my stomach. I went up to the stage calmly and stated my case on why I should be a Jr. Board member. The suspense was mounting and when they announced that I was elected I was so thrilled that I couldn’t contain my joy. All of us celebrated and had fun!
I was initially placed in the Latin America and the Caribbean group but couldn’t represent those regions as there was some controversy about Bermuda still being a colony and so I ended up running for Europe since Bermuda is a European owned country.
The end was nearing and my heart was becoming heavy. The last adventure was a lovely climb on Mt. Fuji. Here we learned about the last time Mt. Fuji erupted and were able to see different craters on the mountain and learn about the various species that live there. I was also interviewed by National Geographic and given a free digital camera (bonus!).
When we returned to the hotel my friends and I talked about our experiences and expectations for the next conference. On the one hand I was sad that we had to say good bye, on the other hand I was excited to return home and share my experiences with my friends and family.
I wish that every child my age had the opportunity to attend at least one Tunza conference in their lifetime. If they, I am sure they’d understand how interconnected we are and how much we need every species for the overall survival of our planet. We need to understand that humans are just a tiny part of the interconnected web of life; however we seem to have the greatest impact on the quality of life for other species. We have a responsibility to protect not only ourselves from extinction but also to protect our brother and sister species. It’s never too late to change our relationship with the environment; by engaging in outdoor activities we can enjoy nature.
My experiences at the Tunza conferences have been phenomenal and the friendships I have made with like minded kids have been a constant source of inspiration, but above all the knowledge that I have gained on ways to preserve our environment is absolutely priceless!
If it wasn’t for the persistency of the Bermuda Environmental Alliance and the generosity of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation it would’ve been impossible for me to attend this year’s conference. I would like to give a heart felt “thank you” to my sponsors and supporters for believing in me.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by David E. Chapman, December 01, 2010
-
- +1
-
-
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Second to this, but just as critically important, is continuing to limit our impact on the habitats and life cycles of the living species that we share Earth with. I believe habitat destruction and human encroachment is the single biggest threat to the Earth's biodiversity that we have today. Finding opportunities to not only preserve natural habitats but also ways that humans can meet their needs without harming these habitats is vital. Integrating our technological efforts with environmentally-benign strategies is crucial to this process and recognising that all of our needs can be meet with nature's resources in a positive way.
Again, you summarise the core of the challenge in this regard when you write, "It’s never too late to change our relationship with the environment". That is the fundamental issue at hand - the nature of the relationship between humans and the environment...