Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/2021 i ASIAN Geographic

Est. 4 Billion Years Ago THE EARLIEST LIFE FORMS ON EARTH WERE MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS THAT EVOLVED IN THE WATERS OF THE FIRST OCEANS. Est. 5.5 Million Years Ago THE FIRST PRIMATES EVOLVED IN THE FORM OF THE RODENT-LIKE CLIMBERS CARPOLESTES AND DRYOMOMYS, EVOLVING FEATURES THAT SET THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE APPEARANCE OF MODERN PRIMATES, INCLUDING FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS. Est. 3.2 Million Years Ago THE EARLIEST UNDISPUTED MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN FAMILY WERE THE AUSTRALOPITHS, AS THEY WERE ABLE TO STAND ON TWO LEGS. THEIR BRAINS WERE ABOUT THE SIZE OF MODERN CHIMPANZEES’, AND BASED ON THE DISCOVERY OF “LUCY”, A FAMOUS AUSTRALOPITH FOSSIL OF THE SPECIES AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS, THEY WOULD HAVE GROWN TO SIZES SIMILAR TO CHIMPS. Est. 2.4 Million Years Ago THE EMERGENCE OF THE GENUS HOMO WAS MARKED…

Philippine forest turtles have brown to reddish brown to black carapaces that reach a length of 21 cm (8.3 in). Larger individuals can reach 30 cm (12 in) in length, though this is relatively rare SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Family: Geoemydidae Subfamily: Testudinoidea Genus: Siebenrockiella Species: S. leytensis…

Reclassification of Population Status Giant pandas were reclassified from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), affirming conservation efforts as early as 2016. However, only in July 2021 did the Chinese government echo the sentiments of the IUCN and give giant pandas the same classification. The wild population is now thought to be around 1,800, up from the 2000 estimate of 1,100. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ailuropoda Species: A. melanoleuca…

Historically, in coastal Japan, whales were seen as valuable resources and hunted for their meat and parts. Whale meat was a popular delicacy, and other parts of the whale were used in a variety of products including lamp oil, soaps, fertiliser, folding fans and more. Whales were highly respected by the local whalers, and supporters of whaling often saw the experience as a humbling and emotional one. A shift in these sentiments can be traced back to the 19th century, when Japanese whaling and the whaling industry began devastating whale stocks. Traditional methods and respect for the sanctity of the whales gradually gave way to the killing of whales on an industrial scale as profit and greed took center stage. However, some in Japan, particularly the Buddhist community, had always…

The production of meat has huge environment impact. Livestock are the biggest source of two greenhouse gases: Supply Chain of the Food Industries A food supply chain or food system refers to the processes that describe how food from a farm ends up on our tables. The processes include production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal Dominating the Livestock Industry Grazing land for ruminants accounts for 26% of the world’s ice-free land surface and worldwide about 100 million hectares of land is used to grow crops for livestock Highlights The amount of meat consumed in developing countries over the past has grown three times as much as it did in developed countries. The Livestock Revolution is primarily driven by demand. Poor people everywhere are eating more animal products as their incomes…

Soy, rice, almond or coconut milk Cooked rice or pasta Flowers Grass clippings Apple cores Dry cereal and breads Nut shells Oatmeal 100 percent cotton balls Dry lint Weeds Leaves trimmed from house plants Pits from fruit (cut up so they don’t sprout) 100 percent latex products (balloons, etc.) Uncoated cardboard (ripped up) Wine corks (chopped up) GREEN Organic Materials Rich in Nitrogen Fruit and vegetable scraps (except citrus peels and onion) Coffee grounds Tea bags (if made with natural materials) Loose leaf tea Banana skin BROWN Organic Materials Rich in Carbon Yard waste (dead leaves, small branches, etc.) Sawdust, wood chips from untreated wood Uncoated paper products (ripped up) Crushed eggshells…

Interest in nuclear power development has been growing exponentially in Asia in recent years. According to the World Nuclear Association, Asia has around 135 operable nuclear power reactors. There are also up to 35 under construction and an additional 50 to 60 in the planning stages. Roughly two-thirds of the reactors under construction worldwide are in Asia, with China projected to see the largest growth in nuclear. Asia is playing catch-up with the Western world. Nuclear power accounts for two-thirds of the European Union’s low-carbon electricity, while nuclear is the single largest low-carbon electricity source in the United States (US). France produces around 70 percent of its electrical energy from nuclear reactors, the highest anywhere in the world, while the US produces more electricity from nuclear sources than any other…

In the very earliest time,when both people and animals lived on earth,a person could become an animal if he wanted toand an animal could become a human being.Sometimes they were peopleand sometimes animalsand there was no difference.All spoke the same language.That was the time when words were like magic.The human mind had mysterious powers.A word spoken by chancemight have strange consequences.It would suddenly come aliveand what people wanted to happen could happen–all you had to do was say it.Nobody could explain this:That’s the way it was. NALUNGIAQ, an Inuit woman, reported that she learned the song “Magic Words” from an elderly uncle named Unaraluk, a shaman. The song was first written down by Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen. Rasmussen, who was part Inuit and spoke the Inuit language, lived for some…

• Bornean Orangutan (Page 16)• Philippine Forest Turtle (Page 18)• Giant Panda (Page 26)• Blue Whale (Page 32)• Bluefin Tuna (Page 40)• Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Page 46) OUR SPECIES, Homo sapiens, has conquered the world. For most of our existence, roughly 300 millennia, our numbers have risen gradually: Around 2,000 years ago, it is estimated that there were about 170 million people on Earth. But with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and modern medicine in the 19th century, the human population exploded, skyrocketing from a billion in 1800 to almost 7.9 billion today. By some estimates, there will be 11.5 billion of us by 2100. That’s very bad news for the planet. As the population has ballooned and our cities have mushroomed and multiplied, humans have drastically and irreversibly…

An Alternate Perspective Emerson Sy from the wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC and author of a study published in the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology stated that he thought “one of the missteps was the declaration of the species as critically endangered in 2000… Being classified as critically endangered made the Philippine forest turtles more desirable in the exotic pet trade – owning one became a status symbol. That really hurt the species in the long run. Now, it has become critically endangered.” In that study, researchers detailed 23 incidents from 2000 to 2018 that resulted in the confiscation of some 4,723 Philippine forest turtles. Legislation in the Philippines requires pet owners and traders to register their animals with the authorities, and pay for licences to keep more “exotic” pets.…

Another contributor to the downfall of sharks runs parallel to shark finning. Known as by-catch, this term refers to the act of catching other types of marine life while fishing for target species. Around one million sharks are killed every year through bycatch in the tuna industry. In total, there are an estimated 45,500 tonnes of sharks that are caught as by-catch annually. By-catch occurs because mass fishing methods cast wide nets that reel in everything in sight, including sharks. Sharks might also be caught up in other fishing traps, such as longlines and trawls. In many cases, for the safety of the fishermen, sharks will simply be discarded back into the sea either already dead or still tangled in the equipment, which eventually leads to the death of the…

IT SHOULD not come as a surprise that organic materials are almost always recyclable. After all, the Earth’s biosphere is constantly cycling through material in a complex system of energy and matter, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Plants, and by extension all other terrestrial organisms, require a blend of different elements to survive. Carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and numerous other elements are all essential to their survival. Nitrogen is particularly important, as it is incorporated into the genetic material of every cell. Until recent times, nitrogen was the limiting factor in human agriculture. The Earth’s atmosphere contains an abundance of nitrogen. Although humans inhale this gas with every breath, it is impossible for most organisms to chemically exploit it. Only certain groups of essential bacteria associated with certain plant groups…

Citrus peels (too acidic) Onions (too acidic) Stickers (on fruit peels) Coal fire ash Coated paper products Synthetic fertiliser Fish, meat and whole eggs Dairy products Cooking oil Treated wood Large branches How Do I Get Started? Make a box, bin or purchase a compost bin and set up on well-drained soil, near a water source Source: www.botanicalpaperworks.com Add a mixture of brown material (rich in carbon) to the base and green material (rich in nitrogen) on top. Add in some existing compost or potting soil to get things started Keep it moist but not soaking wet Keep it moving. The composting process needs air to work, so if you don’t have a box that does this for you, turn the pile every week Your compost is ready when it…

VISIT SABAH’S CONSERVATION CENTRES WHETHER YOU’RE an intrepid explorer seeking out your next exciting adventure, or a staunch animal-lover looking to make a difference while on vacation, Sabah, is your dream destination. A staggering array of endemic wildlife inhabit the Borneo rainforest, and with its diverse terrain, expansive landmass, and incredible ecosystem, there is a never-ending adventure awaiting you in this East Malaysian state. If you’re looking for a vacation to satisfy the altruist in you, then add the following places to your itinerary. LOCATION Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia GETTING THERE BSBCC shares the main entrance gate with the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. However, note that they are separate charities and conservation centres THE BORNEAN SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTRE Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, is a sun bear rescue and rehabilitation…

• Avoid sudden or aggressive movements• Avoid making loud noises• Have minimal contact with them and observe them from afar• Do not feed them any food you have on hand Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre Location Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sepilok, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia How to get there There are usually four public busses that travels betweenSandakan and Sepilok. The journey takes around 45 minutes. Be sure to check local information for times and pickup locations. Many of the nearby hotels can also arrange a shuttle service. Taxis from Sandakan Airport are also available and take around 20 minutes to get to the centre. From Kota Kinabalu: The bus service takes around five hours, stopping at junction “Jalan Sepilok”, a 2.5-kilometre walk from the centre. There are also frequent flights from…

How to Get There Puerto Princesa International Airport is the main gateway to Palawan. There are also flights going to El Nido, Coron, and San Vicente. Domestic and international flights to Puerto Princesa are available almost daily, and if you're coming from Manila, the trip will take just over an hour. There are also flights from Clark (Pampanga), Iloilo (Western Visayas), Cebu (Central Visayas), and Davao (Mindanao). When to Go The best time to visit Palawan is during the dry summer season, which ranges from November to May. March to April are the warmest months. Palawan tours, especially the underground river tours and island-hopping tours, are best maximised during these months. What to Do Palawan offers a bevy of exciting activities. From lounging on sparkling El Nido’s Nacpan Beach, to…

Geographical Distribution There are four subspecies of blue whale recognised by the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Committee on Taxonomy. They are distributed in all major ocean basins, except the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean (although they have been sighted near the ice edge in the North Atlantic). Special Features The blue whale is an extremely large marine mammal, with a long, torpedo-shaped body. They have blue-grey coloured skin, with a slightly lighter coloured underside; they have two pectoral fins, a small dorsal fin on their backs, and a large fluke SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Infraorder: Cetacea Family: Balaenopteridae Genus: Balaenoptera Species: B. musculus Length and Weight Far bigger than any dinosaur, the blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived.…

Low Survival Rate While bluefin tuna are able to lay between 5 and 25 million eggs in a spawning cycle and are undoubted proficient predators with few or no hunters in the ocean, each egg only has a 1 in 40 million chance of survival and growing into an adult. Furthermore, during their developmental phases, adolescent bluefin tuna are considerably more vulnerable to a larger pool of predators, including other fishes. With such low survival rates, it is difficult for the bluefin tuna population to naturally cope with the threat they face from overfishing. To make matters worse, adolescent bluefin tuna form large schools to help keep them safe from predators. Whilst this instinct to school together works against other marine predators, it only makes it easier for fishermen to…

MEAT is one of the most controversial topics in discussions about environmental conservation and sustainability, which is why is it unsurprising that most governments avoid the issue entirely. The Hong Kong government’s website on climate change, for instance, covers details surrounding various initiatives underway as well as listing ways individuals can reduce their own carbon footprint. Notably absent, however, is any mention of meat and livestock. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the livestock industry accounts for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the emissions from planes, cars, trains and ships combined. Some experts claim that livestock might even contribute more than that. In 2009, Worldwatch Institute released a report suggesting that the livestock sector was actually tied to 51 percent of all…

Source: Tchobanoglous, Theisen & Vigil, 1993. Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issues. (McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, USA and Hoornweg, Thomas & Otten, 1999). Composting and Its Applicability in Developing Countries. (The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA)…

The cult of urban farming has waxed and waned throughout history. But nothing serves as a better catalyst for its return to vogue than a good old-fashioned national crisis: World War II prompted Britain’s “Dig For Victory” campaign, while a devastating oil embargo kick-started Cuba’s urban agriculture movement. Today, the enemy is SARS-CoV-2, and the country in question is Singapore. Food shortage scares triggered by global lockdowns saw urban farming return in force on the rich island, which over the past few decades took pride in shedding its kampung past to morph into a 21st century concrete jungle. The city state, which imports over 90 percent of its food, suffered a wave of panic buying during the early stages of the pandemic. In response, authorities launched an ambitious “30 by…

When Asia does solar power, it does it on a mind-boggling scale. In fact, of the 10 largest solar farms in the world, nine are in Asia – four in India, three in China, and two in the United Arab Emirates. The top spot goes to India: The Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district is spread out over a staggering 57,000 hectares. It generates enough electricity to power over 900,000 homes. Located in Bhadla, around 200 kilometres north of the historical city of Jodhpur, the site has been described as “almost unlivable”, with frequent hot winds and sandstorms, and temperatures typically hovering around 47 degrees Celsius. In other words, it’s the perfect place to mop up as much energy as possible from our nearest star. With a price tag…

Rolex commissioned this documentary as part of its Perpetual Planet initiative to support those devising solutions to the Earth’s environmental challenges. The initiative is derived from Rolex’s legacy as a company that has traditionally fostered exploration for the sake of discovery. Today, explorers are increasingly concerned about maintaining balance in the Earth’s ecosystems. Through its partnerships and programmes, Rolex is championing these explorers and their dedication to environmental conservation. Dr Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue – a partner in Perpetual Planet – narrates the documentary with this mission in mind. It features the work of six marine scientists, five of whom are Rolex Award Laureates; Angélique Pouponneau, who is a Mission Blue champion for the Seychelles; and Ghislain Bardout, co-founder and Director of the Under The Pole expeditions. Over…