Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
BBC - Tribe - Dassanech
The lands of the Dassanech have seen severe and sustained droughts for many years. In August 2006, in the harshest of ironies, their lands were struck by severe flooding.Reports have estimated over 100 Dassanech lives have been lost. The Dassanech are a people living on the margins, having to constantly adapt to their changing environment. More »Steve Robinson, the series producer for Tribe, said: "We are very concerned that some of the people that our crew, and Bruce in particular, became friends with will have been affected by the flooding, as it has hit hard the area around Lake Turkana where Bruce stayed with the Dassanech people."
For up-to-date information visit BBC News and the International Red Cross.
For current reports on the flooding that has hit so many areas in the country over the last few months visit UN OCHA Ethiopia.
To find out more about the latest humanitarian developments in Ethiopia visit the UN OCHA weekly bulletin site.
January 2007 – We've had more news about the devastation caused by the flooding in the Omo Valley. We have been keeping in touch with the three groups we filmed in the area to check how they are coping with the floods. More »
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Can Vegetarians save the world ?
A small town in Belgium has gone meat-free one day a week. A sign of things to come, says one food historian
For decades, environmental arguments against eating meat have been largely the preserve of vegetarian websites and magazines. Just two years ago it seemed inconceivable that significant numbers of western Europeans would be ready to down their steak knives and graze on vegetation for the sake of the planet. The rapidity with which this situation has changed is astonishing.
Ageing Britain series part one: Best places for retired people to live | UK news | The Observer
A dramatic 'age quake' is shaking Britain as the country grows older - for the first time ever, the number of people over 65 exceeds those under 16. Here, in the start of a new series looking at the profound financial, emotional and practical issues faced by a rising number of Britons, we report on the best places for retired people to live across the UK. Report by Tracy McVeigh
Ageing Britain series part one: Best places for retired people to live | UK news | The Observer
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Tourism In The Cairngorms, Scotland - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College)
The Cairngorms officially became Scotland’s second National Park in September 2003. As well as being a National Park, this area is also used by for a number of tourist activities.
The Cairngorm funicular is a means of transport, pulled by cables over a track bed, allowing visitor access from the car park area up the mountain plateau. It was designed primarily for winter sports enthusiasts (skiers and snow-boarders) to replace the outdated chairlift system, but is in use all year round. In summer, however, visitors are not allowed to leave the restaurant viewing platform area, due to the potential damage their walking would inflict on the fragile mountain environment and local ecosystem. Much controversy surrounded the granting of the permission for the development to take place, with heated conflicts between conservationists and the developers
Tourism In The Cairngorms, Scotland - SAC (Scottish Agricultural College)
Cairngorm Speyside Deer Management Group
Let me first explain what a Deer Management Group is. The deer herd in the Highlands is wild and largely unconfined by fencing. Therefore in different seasons and wind conditions, red deer will move across different grounds and estates. The traditional make up of highland estates has changed much in the last 30 years and so there will be many different ideas, or aims for land management. It is vital therefore that the different land managers speak to each other to co-ordinate and co-operate over their policy towards deer.
It is generally recognised that red deer, while being a vital wild resource and the source of significant employment opportunities, may be destructive, and some areas have to receive protection from them. Again the extent and severity of that protection has to be a topic that involves all land managers in the area.
Go to DEER management plan
The Cairngorms Campaign Scotland - Welcome to the Cairngorms Campaign
The Cairngorms Campaign is a membership organisation, welcoming individuals and groups as members who support its aims of protection and appreciation of the area.The Cairngorms Campaign strives to prevent unsustainable, damaging developments and argues for better management of the Cairngorms area. It works with landowners, managers, local authorities, government and agencies to this end.
The Cairngorms Campaign Scotland - Welcome to the Cairngorms Campaign
Building ban on second homes in Cairngorms - Times Online
WEALTHY outsiders are to be banned from building new holiday homes in the Cairngorms National Park under plans aimed at stopping rural communities from becoming tourist “ghost towns”. The park wants to restrict the sale of new housing within its 1,467-square-mile boundaries to people who live, work or have family links in the area. It means that outsiders will no longer be allowed to buy or build new housing for use as second homes or as holiday homes for rent. The Cairngorms is Britain’s largest national park, with a vast mountain wilderness at its heart. It encompasses large areas of the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Angus and is home to 17,000 people and 25 per cent of Britain’s threatened species.
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Friday, 15 May 2009
Glenmore Lodge
We are Scotland's National Outdoor Training Centre located in the heart of Cairngorms National Park. Learn, develop or qualify in an adventure sport of your choice. Our goal is to inspire adventure by teaching beginners, coaching intermediate/advanced and delivering training and assessment courses for leaders and instructors. Our role is as a national resource to the outdoor industry and community. Whether you are an individual, company, freelancer or offical body, we are here for you.
Adventure Activity Courses Holidays Scotland UK | National Outdoor Training Centre | Glenmore Lodge
Sport Scotland
We are the national agency for sport in Scotland. We put sport first.
We passionately believe in the benefits of sport, from the enjoyment and sense of achievement that participation brings, to the shared pride that national success generates.
We believe that sport makes a unique contribution to life in Scotland, helping to make us a wealthier, fairer, smarter, healthier, greener, safer and stronger nation.
Our mission is to encourage everyone in Scotland to discover and develop their own sporting experience, helping to increase participation and improve performances in Scottish sport.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Future of the Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are Britain's premier mountain range. Their scale, their altitude, and their value as wilderness country - for recreation and for nature conservation - are without equal in these islands. They stand near the centre of Scotland, between the straths of the rivers Dee and Spey.
Transboundary Aquifers of the World - Isarm
PDF map available for downloading
The map is about Transboundary Aquifers (TBAs). It shows the present state of information regarding the occurrence and extent of TBAs world-wide. The intention of the map is to provide a global overview of these important shared water resources and to encourage their further assessment. The back of the map contains an introduction to a methodology for assessment of TBAs
Lake Powell, Utah : Image of the Day
In southern Utah, the Colorado River, halted by Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, creates Lake Powell, a meandering, narrow reservoir that follows the contours of the river. In the early twenty-first century, this modern marvel of engineering faced an ancient enemy: severe, prolonged drought in the American Southwest. Combined with water withdrawals that many believe are not sustainable, the drought has taken its toll on Lake Powell water levels.
Sunday, 10 May 2009
BBC News Player - Park resort plan considered
VIDEO
A major development centred around a holiday resort is to be considered by Cairngorms National Park Authority's planning committee.
Friday, 8 May 2009
Monster Wave
A huge ocean wave has been filmed from beneath the surface, revealing features never before captured on camera.
The remarkable video, which will be shown as part of the BBC Natural History Unit's new series South Pacific, was filmed in super slow motion using a high-definition camera.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Ramsar
Wetlands are among the world's most productive environments. They are cradles of biological diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which large numbers of plant and animal species depend for survival. They are also important locations of plant genetic diversity and support large numbers of bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, fish and invertebrate species. Wetlands provide tremendous economic benefits through their role in supporting fisheries, agriculture and tourism, and through much of the world they have a crucial role as a source of clean water for dependant human populations. Unfortunately they are also among the world's most threatened ecosystems, owing mainly to continued drainage, pollution, over-exploitation or other unsustainable uses of their resources.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention or Wetlands Convention) was adopted in Ramsar, Iran in February 1971 and entered into force in December 1975. The Convention covers all aspects of wetland conservation and wise use. The Convention has three main 'pillars' of activity: the designation of wetlands of international importance as Ramsar sites; the promotion of the wise-use of all wetlands in the territory of each country; and international co-operation with other countries to further the wise-use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention's Contracting Parties have assumed a wide range of related obligations. Current details of Contracting Parties to the Convention, and the number and extent of Ramsar sites designated globally, are available on the Ramsar website http://www.ramsar.org/.
Environment - Nature & Biodiversity
Natura 2000 is the centrepiece of EU nature & biodiversity policy. It is an EUwide network of nature protection areas established under the 1992 Habitats Directive. The aim of the network is to assure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. It is comprised of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated by Member States under the Habitats Directive, and also incorporates Special Protection Areas (SPAs) which they designate under the 1979 Birds Directive. Natura 2000 is not a system of strict nature reserves where all human activities are excluded. Whereas the network will certainly include nature reserves most of the land is likely to continue to be privately owned and the emphasis will be on ensuring that future management is sustainable, both ecologically and economically.The establishment of theis network of protected areas also fulfils a Community obligation under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Natura 2000 applies to Birds Sites and to Habitats Sites, which are divided into biogeographical regions. It also applies to the marine environment.
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