The World Set to Lose 1 Million more Species, UN Biodiversity Conference in Nairobi

"As we lose this species diversity, we lose the food, water, energy, raw materials, medicine, and cultural and spiritual wellbeing it provides," said Hamadalla Zedan, senior advisor to the Minister of Environment of Egypt, who currently holds the presidency of UN Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD.

Running from 27th to 30th August 2019 in Nairobi, the four-day conference which focused on forging an agreement for better nature conservation, attracted over 500 delegates from 100 countries.  A wide range of organizations from indigenous groups, civil society, government authorities, and the private sector, participated in the official discussions for a new global biodiversity framework.

Referring to the four most recent global scale reports on species diversity, Zedan said the rates at which habit for wild species is being destroyed is petrifying. "These reports tell us, in no uncertain terms, that we are losing species and land and marine spaces that support the species at terrifying rates," he said.

Hamadalla Zedan; reigning CBD President

Earlier in May this year 2019, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), released its Global Assesment report. This report including the 6th Global Environment Outlook, the Global Resources Outlook and IPCC report on Climate Change had very intriguing findings that have provided the much needed "strong scientific and political basis" for developing the biodiversity framework.

The CBD boss further revealed that in the above eye-opening reports, the populations of mammals, birds, and fish fell 60% between 1970 and 2014. "We are set to lose at least one million out of the eight million species on earth," stressed the CBD president, continuing that the key drivers of the species diversity loss include habitat conversion, over-exploitation, pollution and climate change.

Hamadalla, however, proposed tangible way outs to the heightening threat on global species diversity. "There is a need to set biodiversity frameworks with measurable targets and clear indicators," adding that the targets set should have buy-in from those sectors that largely cause species diversity loss.

Tourism sector and nature conservationists have always found themselves in endless ideological debates with sectors like the oil and gas, pesticide and urban development.

The multi-stakeholder conference that ended on the 30th August 2019 in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi, leaves much to be expected in the fight to preserve and conserve nature not only for economic reseasons but also for the future generation.


Article by Abet Tonny, a Freelance Science Writer in Uganda.

1. Click here to read Hamadalla Zedan's full speech.

2. You may also love to read>>Why Uganda is becoming the world's topnotch destination for "Birding"

Oil Exploitation Activities Shrinking Wildlife Diversity in Murchison Park, New Research

Recently; Tourists crossing Murchison Falls

By Abet Tonny

“Observed animals’ reactions included avoidance, migration and a few cases of death," reads the major findings of the research continuing that only some limited number of animals on very rare occasions was sighted near sites where oil wells have been drilled, suggesting that oil and gas exploration created unsuitable conditions in their natural habitat. 

The concern about the possible environmental impacts of the oil exploration and drilling activities taking place in the Albertine region of Uganda has been high among environmental scientists and naturalists from near and far. The interest being inspired by lessons from other countries where oil and gas exploitation has and is ongoing. Logically, the blessing of oil extraction often comes with sizable damage to the natural environment due to its invasiveness on land, forests and multitudes of inhabiting wild organisms like the guerrillas, antelopes and birds.

In 2018, three experienced Ugandan scientists: Pius Mbuyo and Lavine Awino with Elizabeth Diamond Kamara as the Lead researcher rolled out to discover the true reality. They were in for a quest to understand the impacts of oil and gas exploration on wildlife in the Albertine Rift species diversity hotspots within Murchison Falls National Park.

The data collection involved both direct observation at four different sites which were approximately 4 km apart and use of interview techniques to unveil the realities. According to the report, 140 respondents were interviewed. Their intriguing findings were recently published in a research report in the African Journal of Environment and Natural Science Research. 

Major highlights from the report

The largest portion of the locals interviewed -57%, were concerned that the visibly of wild animals reduced drastically during and after oil exploration. However, the other 35% of the respondents were rather happy that after the oil exploration and onset of drilling, some more animals have been attracted to the area thus raising the numbers of different animal species higher above the previous.

In their conclusion, “Maintaining the Conservation & Tourism Value of Protected Areas in Petroleum Development Zones of the Albertine Rift should be treated with great importance,” the scientists emphasized.

The oil and gas exploration in Uganda has reached the production phase. Yet it should be appreciated that the event is operational in an ecologically sensitive and biodiversity hotspot area -the Albertine Rift which houses the precious Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP).

A previous survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) showed that MFNP is one of the richest in species diversity of great economic importance. Of the valuable animal, bird, and species in MFNP, there are a number of them about to go extinct.

The last year 2018, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics revealed that Uganda received 1.8 million tourists in 2018, up from 1.4 million in 2017. In 2017, the 1.4 million arrivals injected about $1.4billion into the economy. Additionally, the sector contributes at least 592,500 jobs to the country’s nationals. Conservation and preservation of nature are the primary tools to guarantee the future of the tourism industry.

Naturalists, however, argue that the importance of nature should be viewed beyond the limited angle of economic return or tourism; but that the preservation of nature is a moral obligation that one generation secures the species diversity for the forthcoming one. But whether some activities of the ongoing lucrative oil and gas business should be limited for the sake of wild animals and plants is the never-ending debate issue.

The Vanishing of Bees

GETTY IMAGES

Of all insect-pollinated crops across the global agricultural community, bees contribute 73% of the pollination success. However, the population of these incredible honey-making insects is shrinking at such a drastic rate. Ecologists forecast a great hit on the agricultural sector as nutritionists worry over a skyrocketing price of honey -the nature's ultimate sweet health hub. 

In the U.S, National Agricultural Statistics show a honey bee decline from about 6 million hives in 1947 to 2,4 million in 2008, a 60 % reduction barely in the last 60 years.

Pest management is such a major issue in the agricultural sector. The pests are estimated to be causing at least some 55% crop losses annually. This is a huge loss to the farmers -the sustainers of humanity. Cases of pest attacks such as the fall armyworm caused up to 100% crop losses among some farmers in Africa's Uganda in 2017.

In many instances, the garden infestation of pests is one of the top upsetting incidences that farmers face in their entire gardening career. The pests attacks often get so overwhelming that the farmers start to view every insect as some bad or dangerous crop devourer evil enough to be killed. And the pesticide has always brought farmers such great relieve. A one time spray often guarantees a week or two of a peaceful mind. The assurance that the crops are pest-free and that the nightmare of economic loss has been paused and eliminated is so rewarding to the mind of a farmer whether subsistence or commercial in practicing.

Unfortunately, during the application of these pesticides, the farmers both voluntarily and ignorantly never recognise that whilst there're numerous of those bad insects flickering around in their garden, but also, there're some absolutely essential ones. The pollinators are these essential insects. A number of our crops rely on these pollinators to form their fruits -that we'll inturn call harvest. Soybean, beans, cabbages, tomatoes, cotton, sunflower, and over 800 other crops depend on these pollinators.

Why pollination is not only a scientific term but is central to the success of your farming 

So what is pollination? Well, this is the process by which male sex cells of a plant fertilizes female sex cells of a plant -it's some sort of sexual intercourse between plants or their flowers occurring without your notice. This human-nutrition-sustaining intercourse, however, requires intermediaries to make it a success. The bees are most crucial of many insects that make pollination possible.

How pollination happens

Crop plants that rely on insects bloom out with beautiful coloured flowers. Just as flowers fascinate humans, so are bees thrilled by them as they fly around.  The vast shades of tempting colours and irresistible sweet scents win the heart of the bee into paying a courtesy visit to the flower. Upon successfully being lured into the flower, the flower goes ahead to reward the bee with sweet nectar. This reward of nectar has sustained the bee-flower relationship since plants emerged on the face of the earth.  After sucking the nectar from the flower, the bee flies back to the hive or their colonies.

Strangely, during the struggle to suck as much, the extra sweet nectar for making honey, the bee will transfer the pollen -a male sex cell we talked about earlier -often seen as a yellowish powdery material in a flower, to the stigma -the part of the flower with female sex cell. When this phenomenal transfer is made, a child called a seed and eventually a fruit is unsurprisingly conceived. The fruit then grows into harvest we pick at the end of the season in tomatoes or soybean.

A poorly pollinated watermelon looks like that on the right and a farmer loses. This happens when the bees were too scarce to pollinate the flowers. Pesticide sprays can scare away the bees from coming to pollinate of crops and the economic impact can be high. Sadly, more farmers are experiencing pollinator scarcity.

The threat

Unfortunately, the bees are vanishing and crop pollination is going down. This is leading to shrinking volume in crop harvest. There is also a great increase in volumes of low-grade grains and unmarketable-sized fruits. The major cause is pesticide use. The pesticides not only kill the pests like fruit flies or aphids destroying our crops but they also kill the bees -our ultimate crop pollinator.

How can we protect the population of bees? Let's reduce and where possible stop synthetic pesticide usage. They kill the bees, the innocent and highly valuable insect for our gardens.

There are great alternatives like use of organic repellants. Leaves of the neem tree, cloves of garlic, oranges, and onions (learn how this works) will keep our crops safe from the pests whilst keeping the population of the bees rising to assure us of better crop yield every season. Ozone Biotech does international sales of organic pesticides -pesticides that never kill bees.

The second way is to plant more flowers around our homes and town areas to keep the bees replenished.

The last and most incredible way is to spare some little space and put beehives. Not only will you be harvesting fresh natural honey every after 3 months but you will be sustaining the population of bees to heighten your crop yields seasonally.

The article is written by Abet Tonny, a Ugandan science writer.
Also, feel free to write to me tonnyabet@gmail.com.