TENDUA

12 kg of rocks for one smartphone ...

Myriam Dupuis — 2024-08-01T10:57:29Z

Mobile phones, smartphones: impacts of their production?

Here is an object that did not exist a few decades ago. Now almost indispensable, it is everywhere: the mobile phone, which allows you to make calls and send texts. In its «smart» version, it has become intelligent and now allows you to call, take photos, access your emails and more and more applications. Rich countries, poor countries, from megacities to the smallest hamlets, from the powerful P.- D.G. to the most humble peasant, everyone has a smartphone, or several. More than 10 billion devices in the world for 8 billion people. But at what cost to the planet?

A bit of history

In April 1973 - 50 years ago - a Motorola employee made the first cellular phone call in NYC. While wireless technology already exists, the «laptops» of the time were reserved for luxury cars. It takes 10 hours to recharge the battery allowing 30 minutes of conversation.
Ten years later, in 1983, the prototype was replaced by a commercial model. The device is still expensive, costing almost US$10,000 today. The phone is heavy, imposing, each call is expensive ... but the technological revolution is on.
In 1992, the first GSM (Global System for Mobile) phone, the Nokia 1011, was produced on a large scale. This technology is the ancestor of 3G (and subsequent ones) that we use now.
The first SMS - Short Message System, a mobile phone message sent from a computer – came in the same year.
For more than 20 years, our phones have almost all been smartphones and the landline phone has virtually disappeared.

12 kg of rocks and 52 chemicals for ONE smartphone

A mineral is a rock extracted from the lithosphere that contains a quantity of mineral large enough to justify its exploitation. When enough ore is found, mines are built to mine the vein at its maximum capacity. The minerals contain the chemical elements used in our smartphones. They are used in particular for the manufacture of the hull, battery, electrical circuits and screens.
Did you know that it takes 52 chemical substances from minerals, or 12 kg of rocks, to produce only ONE smartphone?

Native elements that cost a lot

Some ores are classified as “native elements”. Native element minerals are those elements that occur in nature, "either in uncombined form consisting essentially of a single chemical element or an alloy, characterized by a few associated sufficiently pure chemical elements.
Today we know in the strict sense 34 native elements including copper, gold or silver... Many of these chemicals, more or less “rare” have become essential to the operation of new technologies. And they cost a lot because their natural availability is decreasing.

The so-called «rare» earths

Rare earths are 17 chemical elements – of the 118 chemical elements currently known from Mendeleev's periodic table – used in various industries such as electronics and renewable energy.
They have many common properties – such as high electrical conductivity – that make them difficult to distinguish from each other. And contrary to what their name suggests, rare earths are not so “rare”, but they are not found in the native state.

Rare due to their concentration

In fact, their rarity is not in their quantity but in their concentration: it takes an average of 8 tons of rocks to dig to obtain 1 kg of raw material.
Sphalerite, the main mineral in zinc, can be used as a rare metal ore with a significant content of cadmium, indium, gallium and germanium. Very common, huge quantities of sphalerite are mined worldwide and this mineral has become for several decades the main ore of these rare metals. Remarkable deposits are found in France, Peru, Russia and Switzerland.

Another mineral characterized by its rare earth richness, bastnaesite. But the extraction processes are polluting due to its radioactivity.

Yttrium

L'yttrium, used to produce red luminophores [1] for CRT TVs is 400 times more abundant in the Earth's crust than silver.
But rare earths are widely dispersed and come in the form of hard to exploit minerals. They can be mined in copper, zinc or uranium mines. Some of them are on the moon... Anyway, the extraction process is very expensive and highly polluting. That is why it is almost only China that is taking the initiative, with a monopoly of almost 100% on the processing of rare earths from other metals. Europe prefers to leave these polluting operations to others.

Japan has declared that its national waters contain significant reserves of several rare earths. And we know that our abysses are very rich in metals. Canada has envisioned a massive vacuum that could... perhaps? – withstand the pressure of the deep. Everyone's looking for it, but the cost of underwater mining is still too expensive. Is it necessary to explain the tragic impact that such exploitation would have on the metal deposits at the bottom of the oceans?

Special case of lithium

Lithium and its compounds promote energy production and battery performance. They are essential ingredients for the manufacture of low-melting glasses and lubricants. The manufacture of rechargeable batteries for electronics, electric vehicles, and energy storage networks represents the world's largest use of lithium, representing 74% of total demand. Lithium-ion allows for both fast charging for convenience and slow charging for durability. The International Energy Agency predicts that lithium needs will increase by 42 times in the next 20 years.

Australia is the world's largest lithium producer, accounting for nearly half of global production in 2021. Bolivia, Chile and Argentina (the “lithium triangle”) are said to have the largest combined lithium resources, estimated at nearly 50 million tonnes. Indeed, there are gigantic salt pans in South America. Decanting the salt is the necessary way to obtain the necessary lithium, which is a very water-demanding exploitation.
There are also lithium reserves in France (reopening of mines in Alsace and Brittany?), but the quantities are smaller. Moreover, the former minister of ecological transition, Barbara Pompili, declared exclusively in Les Echos on 17/02/2022: «France must extract lithium on its territory». However, the precious metal is more difficult to isolate than in South American brine.

In nature, lithium is never present in its native form but always in the form of salts or oxides in minerals. In addition, metallic lithium can only be stored in oil and under protective atmosphere because it is too reactive to be stored in water or air. Which makes it dangerous to manipulate.
In Europe, the Donbass also has lithium reserves. The UNO is talking about adding lithium to the list of conflict elements.
The Canadian government has designated lithium as a critical mineral because it is an essential material in the transition to renewable energy. And Canada has the potential to be a main supplier. Canada does not currently produce lithium, but has significant solid spodumene deposits and saline lakes from which lithium can be extracted.

Geopolitics and high technology

This is where the notion of globalization takes its full force. Let's list the different countries involved in the production of the elements necessary to manufacture these little wonders of technology:

South Africa has the monopoly of platinum : great advantage for this ore because it is the one that recycles best. It acts as an anti-corrosive to the battery of our smartphone.
Cadmium is known to be a carcinogen and is used for rechargeable batteries, television or computer screens, tablets, consoles, etc. The main producing countries are South Korea, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico.
Gallium is mainly produced by China and is used for liquid crystals in ever-improving displays.
Indium is used for LEDs and touch screens of any size (better brightness of smartphones, watches, tablets, car dashboards, etc.), as well as on some glazing and solar panels. The producing countries are China (oh yes! again!), South Korea, Japan. There are no indium mines. You have to look for it, often in zinc mines. So it's expensive.
The cobalt is very important in all batteries: phones and cars. It allows to absorb heat so that «it does not burn». Currently, it is estimated that cobalt will be unavailable in 50 years.

Quartz

The quartz is used to stiffen screens. It's a common mineral. Quartz is the basis of all electronic systems. It is used directly as a sensor that can measure a frequency with very high precision, making it essential in applications such as inertial power plants or radar transmitters and receivers or radio communications.
Gold and silver have valuable qualities: they are very good conductors allowing a fast transmission of information. Silver comes mainly from South America: Chile, Peru, Bolivia. The main producers of gold are Russia and China.

The so-called «conflict» mineral elements

The UNO monitors these four so-called «conflict» mineral elements - or «blood minerals». These are gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum.
If gold is a good conductor, tungsten is one of the world's hardest metals used in the manufacture of ballistic missiles and drilling rigs. The properties of tungsten, found particularly in wolframite, improve the conductivity of gold and silver. There is little information on the mines exploited in western China (perhaps on the side of the country of the Uighurs...), which still ensure more than 80% of world production.

As for tantalum, extracted from columbite and tantalite or coltan, it is a superconductor, resistant to heat and corrosion. It makes it possible to lighten and miniaturize our smartphones, cameras, computers, flat screens, etc. It is also used in the manufacture of superalloys in aeronautics and its biocompatibility makes it interesting in the manufacture of medical implants.
The main producing countries are Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda.

Motherboard solders are made with tin and three countries mine the main tin ore, cassiterite. China is responsible for 2/3 of the world's production. Indonesia and Malaysia have dug entire areas and sacrificed islands for this production. Coastlines have been emptied of their fish; populations starved and impoverished; one worker per week dies on these yards.

The production of these «blood minerals» is mainly controlled by armed groups that operate these mines in inhumane conditions. They sell the minerals to the highest bidders to finance their movements. In the 2000s, the international community discovered these ties particularly strong in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the region of the Great African Lakes, in Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic, Burma and Colombia. Twenty years later, has there been any change – for the better? Tens of thousands of miners, adults and children, are still working in the mines of coltan, cassiterite and gold.
This is true for coltan because it is found at shallow levels, which has generated real rushes. The flip side of the coin: agriculture was replaced by mining, which led to famines. These famines have in turn generated an overexploitation of tropical forests, with particularly the poaching of fragile species such as okapi or gorilla («bush meat»).
But at the end of the chain, companies that manufacture mobile phones are protected by the many intermediaries who are involved in these trades.

It should be noted that Russia and the Donbass hold large reserves of nickel, cobalt, and lithium, which are necessary for the manufacture of smartphones, consoles, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other solar panels. There is a chance that the current conflict is not as philanthropic as the media portrays it to be.

Collection and recycling

In France, only 15% of the 25 million phones sold each year are collected for repair, reuse, or recycling. That's clearly not enough.
In fact, right now, only lithium and platinum are recyclable.
One of the first barriers to lithium recycling is that lithium-ion batteries (BLI) are a hazardous materials, and must be handled with care. The residual electrical power in the battery can cause fires or explosions.
Do we really need to change our smartphone every year if we can't live without it? Do we need to have more than one ? It is an opportunity to reflect on our role as consumers, and to become truly a player in our consumption.

One company that stands out for its approach in this highly profitable technological environment is FAIRPHONE. Indeed, this Dutch company creates smartphones whose design and production of the devices have been designed to integrate environmental and fair trade constraints throughout the production chain.
FAIRPHONE increases the rate of recycled materials in its devices: copper and plastic recycled for the FAIRPHONE 3; plastic, indium, copper, aluminum for the FAIRPHONE 4, which also has traceability for the gold and silver components of their device. The phones' modularity also enhances their ability to be recycled at the end of their lifespan because some modules contain specific metals, like gold, for instance.
Not necessarily exemplary – but are we as consumers? The approach has the merit of existing and going further than the competition. Why not develop a smartphone that utilizes recycled elements?

Conclusion

With more than 10 billion mobile phones in the world, the smartphone is both a democratic and technological object. Could we do without it?.... Not sure. Unless we have to.
We have seen the “mineralogical” cost of a single smartphone. Not to mention the mining waste that sometimes serves as fill, but is also a deposit loaded with lead, arsenic, cadmium ...
In France, an open-air farm is filled up, but underground mining is left in the state, without any more attention to groundwater or neighboring agricultural lands.
In addition to pollution related to production, there is also pollution related to use: the cyberspace is saturated by our data, all more important than each other. And this is done at a speed close to the speed of light. All of this data also generates a lot of pollution...

New jobs to invent

So, back all the way? It won't work. However, there are still at least two areas to explore.
The first is undoubtedly a reflection to be carried out by each on his/her own way of consuming and the consequences induced.
A second way is to think about the present of tomorrow: what are the new jobs to invent to protect life on our planet and preserve what we call resources. Let us train engineers to demanufacture and deconstruct, learn how to systematically reuse the elements still not recycled today.
Let's ask ourselves about the consequences at every stage of our consumption.
Let's become more aware of our environment and how we act on our reality.

In the end, it is our planet that invented recycling, so let us draw inspiration from this wisdom if we want humanity to have a proper place on this Earth.

Reminder of some definitions

A rock is an assemblage of minerals.
The study of minerals is called mineralogy, while the study of rocks is called petrology.
Geology is the study of the lithosphere, through the formation of rocks, their origin, their nature and their evolution. It includes several disciplines including mineralogy, petrology, paleontology and geomorphology.
A mineral is defined as being solid, inorganic, natural (i.e. without human intervention) and crystalline, that is to say that the atoms arrange themselves among them in a certain way. This affects its appearance and qualities.

Sources :

[1] The luminophore is a substance that when excited emits light. Such a substance is used in particular in the cathode ray tubes of screens, SED screens and also for plasma screens. Source: Wikipedia.

Naturalist walk in the park with François Moutou

Myriam Dupuis — 2022-05-15T09:13:58Z

It is not always necessary to go very far to enjoy spring. On April 18, 2022, we are two from the Tendua association to «explore» the Edmond de Rothschild park, equipped with binoculars and loaded with cameras, ready for a naturalist safari in the city!

Property of the Rothschild family

Edmond de Rothschild's Park in Boulogne, France

©Myriam Dupuis

This park corresponds to the extension of the Bois de Boulogne, in the neighbouring town of Boulogne-Billancourt. It is separated from the Bois by the Boulevard Anatole France to the north and surrounded by the Normandy motorway to the south, the Seine to the west and the city to the east. With a surface area of 15ha, it is the largest park in Boulogne.
The land became the property of the Rothschild family around 1850. A large Louis XIV-style house was built in 1856 and the park was enlarged to 30 ha. The connection of the A13 motorway to the ring road meant that it lost half of its surface area. The large historic family house is now sadly in ruins.
The singularity of the park is due to its aspects: a landscaped park created around 1860, according to a Paxton project redesigned by M. Loyr; a Japanese garden created by a gardener named Hatta between 1900 and 1930, of which only remain, since its conception, the trees, originally nanified then having resumed their normal growth; the routin: a part of rockeries and basins created by M. Gaucher in 1924 and which shelters the river, called “blue”.
With its artificial basin, false waterfalls, false rocks, false streams and a small Japanese bridge, the park nevertheless offers some real possibilities for naturalistic observations. Spring makes a mockery of gardeners and landscapers.

Year-round residents: Canada Geese and Mallards

Canada Geese's family (Branta canadensis)

©François Moutou

On the water, Canada geese have been established for a few years. They live with mallards and barred-headed geese, at least one couple of coots and one hen, residents. They are also visited by different birds of passage, depending on the season, such as large cormorants, black-headed gulls and one or two grey herons. There are fish in this pond; the big carps are active on sunny days.

Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

©François Moutou

Everything seems calm because there are nests on the islet. As soon as one stops at the water's edge, some geese and mallards approach gently, questioning. Clearly some biped visitors bring them food and it is known. We have nothing, they do not insist.

The calm is suddenly broken by a real spat between two pairs of geese. The argument escapes us but one of the jars was no longer laughing at all. Apparently the other birds and other species do not seem concerned or pretend not to look.

Trachemys turtle

©Myriam Dupuis

Turtles, coots and others

Last year, a tree fell into the water and was left there. It is the delight of turtles (Trachemys, the so-called Florida aquatic turtle), which are introduced and become arboreal for the occasion. The trunks and branches now horizontal, close to the surface, make very good resting places to allow them to enjoy the spring sun in peace. The small branches of the houppier are also of interest to the world. At the beginning of spring a couple of Castaneous Grebes revolved around this tangle of plants on the water and I thought I saw them nesting.

Eurasian coot's chicks at nest (Fulica atra)

©François Moutou

Mid-April it is a coot's nest that sits in the emerged branches and I no longer see grebes. The first coot chick is spotted on May 7 in the nest under an adult. What a funny head!

long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

©François Moutou

Long-tailed tit

We are not there yet and on April 18 we are also looking for small passerines. In March, a pair of long-tailed tits built their nest in the dense crown of a shrub. In April, both parents feed. The nest is well hidden, there is no question of disturbing it. Watching adults back and forth from a discreet place is a beautiful sight. And we enjoy it. You can stand a few meters away and admire the birds at work.
I came back several times. A few days later I see the adults who also see me and seem a bit surprised. After feeding the chicks well away from the twigs, they both came, right next to me “talking”. I don't know what they were saying or who they were saying it to, but I really felt that they were talking to me, or talking about my presence. It was only then that they went to get the next meal that I saw them report, from a more direct flight than the previous one. Then I left them alone. The fledgling young quickly followed a few days later and the shrub was deserted.

Short-toed Treecreeper with a caterpillar (Certhia brachydactyla)

©François Moutou

Short-toed Treecreeper

At the end of the park there is an equestrian club with a few horses, boxes and a large outdoor carousel. An abandoned two-storey building is right next to the boxes. The windows are condemned and wooden panels have been installed next to the shutters. When we get close, we notice an activity in Avienne: a couple of Short-toed Treecreepers have set up their nest behind one of these wooden panels and the feeding of the young is going well.
The birds are really small but their passages are predictable, which allows to observe them in good conditions and without disturbing them. At each passage, the adult enters with a well-stocked beak from which legs and antennae protrude, and comes out with a small whitish bag in the beak. The chicks fed swallow on one side and relieve on the other, which allows the parents to clean remove the droppings, naturally packed, and throw them out.

Other inhabitants of the undergrowth

European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

©François Moutou

European Robins are quite numerous and their songs resound everywhere. Some singers agree to let themselves be photographed. When you look for them, you always tend to look too high in the trees. They are often perched quite low, not necessarily hidden but as soon as the leaves have arrived, finding them becomes more complicated. It's a busy time.

Swinging caterpillars

Some caterpillar species swing, allowing them to spread more quickly than walking on the tree where they were born

©François Moutou

During the visits in April and early May, it is easy to observe many small caterpillars suspended in the air by a long wire that descends them from the trees. Up to the ground? It could be the caterpillar of the box borer, harmless but severe for boxwood. There are also some cocoons of pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) mothes in some large conifers. Some trunks are surrounded by a trap bag to recover the caterpillars thanks to chemical molecules.

We didn't see the kingfisher on April 18, but I saw him again at the end of the month and again at the beginning of May. On May 1^st, the bird swallows a fish almost as long as it, it is quite spectacular. On that day, two cormorants and a kingfisher were actively fishing in the same small portion of the water and appeared to be enjoying it.

Wren with a caterpillar

©François Moutou

Coming down from the point of view (the Common Moorhen's nest is still there and the parent at the nest is being fed by the other adult : well done!), I had to pass very close to a Wren's nest that started to alarm. I did not search for the nest, too risky and I followed the adult. He found a caterpillar and went to feed its chicks : they should not be very big!

Remarkable plants and trees

Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta et H. hispanica)

©Myriam Dupuis

And there are still all the plants, from the smallest to the large trees planted more than a century ago. Carpets of hyacinths and daisies are spectacular in April. To the colors are added the scents and it is very pleasant.

Daisies' carpet and Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

©François Moutou

In April, we saw flowers of love-in-a-mist and Blue bugle, the Bear's garlic in bloom, several species of small wild hyacinths: violets, roses, white. Depending on the season, flowers change, colors and perfumes too.

The park also has 16 trees classified as “remarkable” and many others that are also remarkable for all the work of absorbing our CO₂ emissions that we emit without worrying about the consequences.

California incense-cedar

©Myriam Dupuis

There is also the magnificent white cedar of California or California incense-cedar at the entrance of the park, whose colours are incredible at the beginning of spring.

California incense-cedar's leaves (Calocedrus decurrens)

©Myriam Dupuis

There is also this Weeping Beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula') with a particularly gnarled trunk.
Insect observations are not lacking either: bedbugs, sylphs, unidentified caterpillars. Grey snails have not yet arrived, probably on their way...

During this walk in April, we counted no less than fifteen animal species observed. And many buds on the trees and small flowers announcing the renewal of spring. It is a shame to see the gardening company, in charge of the maintenance of the park, cut down a dozen trees, some quite large, at the end of April, at the time of the rise of sap, flowering and nesting. Why not let spring live? Protecting nature, even in a park, often starts with not destroying it.

Bird's-eye speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys L.)

©Myriam Dupuis

Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)

©Myriam Dupuis

Blue bugle (Ajuga reptans)

©Myriam Dupuis

Bear's garlic (Allium ursinum)

©Myriam Dupuis

Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

©Myriam Dupuis

Bird's-eye speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys L.)

©Myriam Dupuis

The Upside-down Tree (Fagus salvatica ssp.pendula)

©Myriam Dupuis

What you need to know about 5G

Christopher FITZSIMONS — 2020-10-05T12:31:38Z

When it comes to the race for progress and technological innovation, it is no secret that modernisation in all its forms is almost systematically looked at with a degree of concern and scepticism by many. And rightly so. How will these new technologies impact our existence in the world we know, and to what degree will it affect us? How much so for the better? And what might be the collateral, unintended results brought about by these changes?

Is 5g the starting point of a new world ?

5G, or “fifth generation of wireless networking technology”, is described by its proponents as the starting point for a new world which will bring about a “fourth industrial revolution”[1]. Built in and around hospitals, schools and other public infrastructure, it is said of it that it will facilitate our lives, which is of course the point of most technologies. However, it is imperative to understand the implications of what is being presented to the public as a necessary step forward in modern science.

Are 3G and 4G obsolete ?

The first major advancement in this scientific domain was characterized by the invention of 3G, which allowed users to connect to the internet from their mobile devices at any time, bypassing the need to connect to a Wi-Fi router. It was slow and impractical at best, serving mostly for small tasks such as emails or other services which wouldn't require much data. Then came 4G, which allowed for a much better internet experience. In summary, 4G was an improved version of 3G. Much faster, it would allow users to load more data, enabling them to watch videos, download movies and much more.

Now comes 5G. Logically, one would assume that 5G technology would be, as was 4G, an improved version of its predecessor. However, in the same way that 3G innovated and made its 2G predecessor (improved phone networking with no internet connection) obsolete, 5G brings more than just faster data exchange and browsing to the table.

Facial recognition and data collection : the end of privacy ?

As described by former Brigadier General Robert Spalding in an interview with Valuetainment[2], 5G operates on the basis of facial and vocal recognition as well as third party data management. This means that user information is entrusted to a faceless corporate entity, not the user. Unlike 4G where the data is stored on the user's device (except for online data management and other “cloud” type services), and where one can simply opt out of it by not purchasing a smartphone, this new generation of networking technology is imposed on everyone. Built around cities, it can monitor everyone, as seen in Washington, which was the first state in America to allow facial recognition for law enforcement purposes.

What about health ?

But the concerns over 5G are not limited to data collection and privacy violations. It has also been the cause for concerns regarding its potential as a health and environmental hazard.
One of the more worrying elements in this area is that this technology is still very much in the experimental phase in terms of its effects on living things. So much so that some leaders have opposed the roll-out of 5G. As politician, Céline Fremault, the Belgian Minister of Environment and Energy said,

«The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt.»

This statement shows that concerns over 5G are more than the product of a few reactionary conspiracy theories.

5G tower set on fire

Such were these popular concerns, that multiple relay antennae were set on fire. In the UK reports indicate that up to 77 towers had been targeted in a single month, with cases also reported in Ireland, Cyprus, Belgium and Australia, where counter-terrorist police were deployed. However, many of these towers were not 5G, and in some cases the damage led to outages for essential emergency services.

Though vigilantism is not to be condoned, the scepticism surrounding the topic can be understood. For, as everyone was being submitted to strict COVID-related health guidelines in the form of nationwide lockdowns and social distancing measures, many people noticed that optical fibre was being laid out in their streets, often unbeknownst to local residents. Furthermore, a lot of these technical operators were spotted without masks and violating social distancing rules, while the epidemic was at its peak.

However overblown some of the reactions might have been, there is no question that 5G will substantially increase public exposure to radiofrequency and electromagnetic fields, which many studies have shown to be harmful to humans as well as to the environment.

Indeed, the existence of radiation poisoning is not disputed by scientists, and it has been linked to different types of cancers, such as spinal, pulmonary, and cardiovascular to name a few [3].
Furthermore, there are reports of radiation exposure causing mood modifications, and even genetic imbalances in some cases.
Though they may be invisible, radiofrequencies are as real as anything the naked eye can see and like any other physical phenomenon they can be measured, in this case with devices such as EMF meters (electro-magnetic field). These are readily available online and allow users to monitor the intensity of electromagnetic radiation in a given area. These readings often show dramatical levels in and around cities.

In regard to these radio emissions, Claire Edwards, a member of the United Nations from 1999 to 2017 and one of the leading voices against the mass deployment of 5G installations; brought forward her concerns to the Secretary General and to other members of the committee. In her 5 minute speech of 2019 she reports her findings saying:

«Since December 2015 the staff here at the Vienna International Centre have been exposed to off the scale electromagnetic radiation (…), current public exposure levels are at least one quintillion, -that's eighteen zeroes- above natural background radiation according to Professor Olle Johansson of the Karolinska institute in Sweden. The highly dangerous biological effects of EMFs have been documented by thousands of studies since 1932».

5G frequencies and tampering with oxygen absorption

With respect to this fact, it is also worth pointing out that 5G operates at a frequency level of 60 gigahertz. More than a simple figure, this piece of data is relevant when talking about the technology's impact on the environment and other forms of life as it is the specific point, to the decimal, at which frequencies become absorbable by oxygen.

Frequencies percentage absorbed by Oxygen

RF Globalnet

Again, this is a fact which is not disputed, even by proponents of this innovative mode of telecommunication. And it is on the basis of this fact that the conspiracies correlating 5G technology with symptoms of Covid-19 have emerged. Clearly, deployment of a technology that has the potential to reduce available oxygen at a time when the world is wrestling with a contagious respiratory illness, is sensitive to say the least.

In terms of the environmental impact, there have been multiple sightings of dying vegetation and even reports of bees and birds seemingly dropping dead in areas where 5G infrastructures operate. Furthermore, various studies suggest these frequencies were causing necrosis in nearby vegetation as well as stress damage in wheat growth on a cellular level as shown in an Armenian study conducted as far back as 2016.

With this information in mind, one might enquire why these studies have not been the subject of much public debate, or why major scientific publications and figures have not taken the opportunity to discuss these potential dangers to the public and the planet.
Unfortunately, as with everything else, when corporate interests are at stake, information can be ignored or even manipulated. This is true even in the realm of science. Indeed there are many documented cases of data being knowingly concealed, even in the face of serious public health issues, the most notable being the conscious shielding by the tobacco industry of the dangers of smoking, and the food industry concealing data on the dangers of processed sugars on human health.

5G and its governmental endorsement in France

Another interesting element with regards to the endorsement of 5G by public figures is that in the case of France, it is the Minister of Finance Bruno Lemaire who has been the latest to come out in support of the 5G rollout, going as far as referring to it as “essential” (Paris, 14/09/2020). When in reality his ministry does not possess the necessary competences nor the knowledge required to discuss the technical or health-related aspects of 5G in any serious capacity.
As for the French Minister of Environment, Barbara Pompili, when asked where she stood on the topic, she simply answered:

“We have launched investigations with the ANSES (the national agency for public health with regards to energy and the environment) to look into the different disadvantages that may be brought about from a public health and enviromental perspective as it is part of my job. (…) but what I want first and foremost is that the internet be accessible in all of our territories” (Paris, 23/07/2020)

. As such prioritizing the access to the internet over the health of her constituents as well as the quality of the environment they inhabit, despite the ethical and professional responsibilties of her office regarding these issues.

Is health, the environment and our privacy the price to pay for omnipotent connectivity ?

Even with the concerns over privacy, health, or environmental issues, what is certain is that 5G will dramatically change the way the world operates. Whether it be for practical things such as remote surgeries, or ordering goods and services by uttering a simple key word, it is important to keep in mind that this degree of what is essentially omnipotent connectivity, comes at a price. Being automatically identified by cameras, or more worrying still, facing a potential health crisis, add to the increasing feeling of being alienated from nature as well the sentiment that we are interfering with its basic biological structure, which is what the research seems to indicate.

Author : Christopher FITZSIMONS, Oct. 2020

and also : Rayonnement 5G - Comment peut-on se protéger? Une conférence d'Ulrich Weiner

[1]: The first industrial revolution dates back to 1765 with the invention of the steam engion, the first industries as well as patents legalizing monopoly for inventions. The second industrial revolution began in 1870 with electricity, the electrical engine, petro-energy and the bitrth of the automobile industry. The third industrial revolution started in 1969 with computer science, microprocessors and the internet. Therefore the fourth industrial revolution would revolve around permanent connectivity, wireless technology and centriled mass third party data management.

[2]: Valuetainement is an online media organisation created by Patrick Bet-David.

[3]: Radiations and radiofrequencies can cause genetical modifications which increase the risk of cancers. It has been reported by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) which is a subset of the WHO (World Health Organisation). This last organization classified raadiofrequencies as a “potential carcinogens for humans” (1 GHz or gigahertz is equal to 1000 MHz or megahertz, 1 MHz is equivalent to 1000 Khz or kilohertz and 1KHz is equal to 1000 Hz or hertz). The long term effects of radiations can also be observed in the areas struck by nuclear weapons in Japan, which still show abnormoly high rates of cancers to this day.

Bats in epidemiology, between hopes and fears, by François Moutou

Myriam Dupuis — 2020-04-16T14:10:56Z

Who are Bats?

According to the 2018 synthesis*, 6,399 mammalian species were recorded. Rodents account for about 50% and bats for about 25%. This means that the remaining 25% of mammal species are primates whose humans, carnivores, antelopes, elephants, whales… By the way, don't forget that mammals represent only a tiny part (between 1% and 5% ?) of the animal species known and described!

Lesser False Vampire Bat (Megaderma spasma), Malaisia

©François Moutou

The current 1386 species of bats are grouped in 21 families and 227 genera (last synthesis of 2018).
Their ancestors already existed 55 million years ago. According to the fossils studied, they were very similar to modern species. It seems that the echolocation, their onboard sonar, is also very old.
Present almost everywhere: continents, islands and archipelagos (except in Antarctica).
Weight: from 2 g to 1.5 kg. Wingspan: from 15 cm to 1.5 m.
Very diverse ecology and ethology.
A unique diversity of dietary habits in mammals. Presence of a false pacifier in the groin of some species so that the young can cling without bothering the mother when she goes hunting. A pair of pectoral nipples.
Echolocation (sonar) in many species.

Echolocation or not

Greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata), Costa Rica

©François Moutou

The majority of bats head themselves thanks to echolocation (principle similar to that of sonar). Insectivorous and nocturnal microchiroptera are mainly using echolocation. Echolocation, that requires an energy expenditure, is used mainly when hunting or travelling in unknown terrain.
Bats are not blind and it seems that they have a well adapted to night conditions vision. They can be dazzled or disturbed by artificial outdoor lighting (phenomenon of light pollution).

Epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus sp.), Tanzania

©François Moutou

The largest bats (formerly Megabats), the fruit bats, families of Pteropodoids, are usually frugivores and use their sight and smell. They have no echolocation.

Colonies can number up to 1 million individuals.
The colonies are sometimes very important and sometimes mixed (several species) -> what are the epidemiological and immunological implications?
Long life span : a 20g bat can live 30 years
Low reproductivity : only one baby bat per year !
They are the only mammals really capable of flying, not just gliding. Some species migrate, while others make significant movements.
Various social, intra and inter-species organisations.
What about Immunological data ? What do we know about bat immune system ?

Today bats are more and more associated with Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID), why ?

Bats (and rodents) are the reservoir of zoonotic viruses, but apparently are not always susceptible to the corresponding diseases. What about transmission between bats and from bats?

Even if bats host viruses, they may be different from those identified in nonflying mammals (for example SARS, civets/ «SARS-like», bats).

Tent-making bats, Costa Rica

©François Moutou

Bats & VIRUS, some exemples:
° Lyssavirus, rabies, Lagos, Duvenhage, EBL1, EBL2, ABL, etc. (worldwide)
° Coronavirus, αCoV, βCoV (China, Middle-East)
° Filovirus, Ebola, Marburg (Africa)
° Influenzavirus (Kazakhstan, Guatemala)
° Paramyxoviridae (worldwide)
° Rubulavirus, Menangle (Australia)
° Henipavirus, Nipah (Asia), Hendra (Australia)

What links between their genetic diversity, their ecological variability, their behaviours, and epidemiology of EID ?

If bats can live in contact with these viruses, could they be used to understand this kind of harmless relationship? What is the knowledge about their immune system?

Bats possess DNA-repairing genes linked to the powerful oxidative metabolism caused by beaten flight and that these same genes could explain their resistance to all these viruses.

Watch here this wonderfull documentary about Greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) made by Tanguy Stoecklé (you can choose the language of subtiles). Death and birth in bats. A unique film! Exceptional and unprecedented scenes! A story inspired by real facts.

The virologists are working :

Recent increase of publications dealing with bat virus,
Looking for the «virome» (total host viral diversity) of some species,
Next generation sequencing, new tools, metagenomics, new data,
But... How to interpret properly?
Are we going to be able to anticipate next viral zoonosis ??
... Actually, no, not at this point. Serious and respected prohibitions should be placed on the legal and illegal trade on wild and domestic animals and animal products. Bats are not responsible for zoonosis, but human activities, such as globalization, deforestation, demographic outbreaks, poverty, animal trafficking in markets, deregulation, are responsible. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE.

Many examples are known recently, but the situation is not new. It has already happened in the past with two epidemics due to Coronavirus in 17 years from China, which remains a little in view of the Chinese context.
The source of the epidemics is in the animal markets in China. Wild and domestic animals coexist in conditions of high promiscuity, poor health conditions, stress, all possibilities of multiplication and viral transmission between animals and animals to humans. Some animals can just act as a relay.

Free-tailed bat (Mormopterus francoismoutoui), endemic to Reunion Island

©Roland Seitre

And the bat's point of view in all of this?

Bats are protected in many countries, but not in all.
Bat conservation international
Population decline is widespread and worldwide, due to insecticides and deforestation.
Threatened by the White Nose Syndrome in North America (more than 5 Million of deaths) and the Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a fungus, present in Europe but impact of which is still unknown.
20% of species are considered as threatened.
http://www.eurobats.org/

• Bats are of interest to chiropterologists, epidemiologists, virologists and molecular biologists, but not anymore.
• Co-evolution studies linking viruses and bats should provide a lot of important data.
• Models in epistemology, biology, medicine, microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, zoology, evolution.
• Don't forget the Bats' point of view !

Many questions... and one certitude

The current demographics, the accelerated degradation of areas which have not yet been modified and their replacement by extremely simplified agrosystems, urban areas, the massive use of chemicals and the associated pollutions, are preparing the ground for catastrophic phenomena with fewer and fewer possibilities of returning to a harmonious state, or only by passing through tumultuous and deleterious transient states for a good part of the living, including the human beings.

The SARS-Cov-2, the COVID-19 agent, capable of restoring blue to the sky and reducing air pollution, is a spectacular signal of the impact of human activities on the living when these activities cease. This emergence is probably not directly linked to the climate change, but we have to wonder ourselves about the reciprocal. Viruses, large and small in their own way, are part of biodiversity.

At the moment, the probability of a new emergence of a virus still does not seem calculable : it remains too random. Conversely, the risk of a “successful” emergence, which means that would lead to an epidemic, is correlated with many human parameters and increases with the growth of the human population, the human density present in more and more megacities, uncontrolled pressures on the remaining poorly modified environments, where most of the biodiversity is, including microbes. Globalization, whose out-of-control trade in so many animal species across the planet, can only promote the transition from an emergence to an epidemic, with a frequency and success that should grow if nothing changes.

*: Journal of Mammalogy, 99(1):1–14, 2018

“The end of the Devil”, travel story by François Moutou

Myriam Dupuis — 2019-08-18T08:02:58Z

The Thylacine and the Tasmanian Devil, victims of Europeans and dingoes

Benjamin, the last Thylacine photographed by Dr. David Fleay in it's tiny pen at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Dec. 19^th 1933

DR - internet- Dr. David Fleay

The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) were still living all over Australia a few thousand years ago. They both survived after the arrival of humans 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, contrairy to the Australian Megafauna which strangely disappeared soon after this “arrival”. But, when the Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) reached the Australian continent 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, firstly as a domestic dog - but some of them going back to the wild -, it was a fatal turn for this marsupial everywhere except in Tasmania where the Dingo was not introduced. Much more recently, the Europeans' arrival and settlement lead to the extinction of the Thylacine at the beginning of the XX^th century. Also, we cannot ignore the plight of the Australia's aboriginal inhabitants of this Southern island, voluntarily exterminated during the XIX^th century. The degree of similarity between the destinies of these marsupials and aboriginals is rather disturbing.

The Australian's largest carnivorous marsupial is an ENdangered species

Actually, the Devil is Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial, even though if he is not a big animal, weighing around 10 kilos. A strange little predator, clumsy in his way of walking, the Devil is able to hunt but he is also a scavenger that feeds on dead animals along the roadsides. The Devil can smell you from kilometres away thanks to his keen sense of smell. His screech is extremely loud and disturbing, particularly if you don't see him around, but you will hear him ! Despite the uncertainty related to population estimations, his population might have grown from a few thousand individuals to more than one hundred thousand during the XX^th century, without any clear explanations of such a population growth.

Tasmanian Devil

François Moutou

Nevertheless, since 1996 when the facial cancer called DFTD standing for “Devil Facial Tumor Disease” was dicovered - the disease is transmetted by allograft when an animal bites another -, all the indicators of the population status are in decline and the current population could already be only at 10 to 20% of the previous level. Some pestimistic predictions consider that the devil's extinction could occur within the 2 to 3 coming decades ; others say that there are still Devils while most of the previous simulations predicted his extinction before 2015.
Locally, a true mobilisation took place with the establishments of captive breeding units away from risks areas (infected by the DFTD), i.e. about 600 individuals in different places, but also with the introduction of safe animals on small islands off Tasmania's coasts and more fundamental research into the disease itself, the ways of its transmission and the immune system of the Devils. It was also necessary to admit that the biology and ecology of the species itself were in fact still not well known. We begin to work on it while the situation is far from flourishing. All this is complex, requires substantial means: the tests to decide whether an individual is healthy or not are not perfect, and medical research has, in part, diversed into applications in human cancer, certainly interesting, but not directly dedicated to the Devil. In fact, there is little public money to study and fight the DFTD tumor.
To learn more, you can read about « Save the Tasmanian Devil program » at the website: www.tassiedevil.com.au.

“The Devil is more interesting dead than alive”

Tasmanian Devil

François Moutou

Perhaps most surprising is the statement by a former Environment Minister in the state of Tasmania who allegedly said, to justify the absence or modesty of public funds intended to fight the Devil's disease : “The Devil is more interesting dead than alive”. The fact is that when travelling in Tasmania today you have a curious impression by seeing everywhere the use of the Thylacine, officially extinct for about 80 years. The Thylacine is everywhere : on beer cans, on murals, on the logo of a hotel chain, on tourist signs in the city to point out discovery walks… The Thylacine has become a trademark, a well-known and recognised Tasmanian identity, which may make the happy owners profit, without any of the disadvantages associated with the animal.
It's too late for the Thylacine, but maybe not for the Devil : we would have to protect spaces for him to live in peace, there would be constraints to local economic development, we would declare damage in farms, farmers and hunters would complain, local elected officials would support them, conservation associations would step up to the plate, etc...

Same fight as the Bear and the Wolf in France?

Replacing the Thylacine and the Devil with the Wolf and the Bear, no matter what the order is, is quite reminiscent of what is happening in France, and unfortunately of what is more and more evident behind the official speeches. “We” don't want them. “Progress” is seen as contradictory to a return of these species, eliminated or almost extinct, after centuries of campaigns of destruction and having the gall to point out the tip of their muzzle again. Regardless of the ecological, biological, economic or even social data, it is cultural.
They must disappear. In France the lieutenants of louveterie survive the Wolf's extinction. With the Wolf's return in 1992, there has been no question of removing this organisation, despite the more recent structures set up like the ONCFS for example. It is not just the electoral mandates that are accumulated in France, or perhaps this cumulation should be considered in a very broad sense.

Everyone loves the Wolf in Perrault's tales, it is easy to use the Bear's image to sell Pyrenean cheeses in the Paris area, but Wolves and Bears are not welcome here, that is to say “at home”. There is one outstanding question. In Tasmania, since we're also talking about the Thylacine and the Devil, it seems difficult to isolate their fate from what happened to the Aboriginals. What would be the most relevant analogy in France?

Some extraordinary creatures from Tasmania

Common Wombat

François Moutou

The Wombat

Vombatus ursinus can reach up to 1,30 meters in length and weigh 40 kilos. There are tree species : the common Wombat, the Northern hairy-nosed Wombat or yaminon (Lasiorhinus krefftii) and the Southern hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons). The Wonbat has some particularities : at the bottom of his back, he has a hard bone. If he is attacked by a dog or other predator, he will huddle head forward and let only his posterior appear. His predator will break his teeth on this bone! But he also knows how to flee and can run up to 40 km/h. He spends most of his days in a cold burrow, which he dug and in which he sleeps up to 16 hours a day. In captivity, we will often see him on his back, with his legs in the air! In the evening, he wakes up and goes feeding on grass. The Dingo preys on Wombats. Men also hunt them because, they say, the burrows they dig and the grass they eat harm “their” land. He is threatened with extinction although protected; but he is a regular victim of vehicles and diseases (scabies).

Wombat poo

François Moutou

He can spend up to 6 hours grazing before returning to his burrow that he finds thanks to his feces! Besides, his poop is ... cubic! In November 2018 in Atlanta, an international team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, presented its work on the unique form of wombat droppings, during the 71^rst Congress of the American Physics Society. It is the variations in the elasticity of the intestinal walls of this Australian marsupial that allow the formation of the only known cubic droppings of the animal kingdom. « Humans have « only two methods to make cubes – we grind or cut them – », and the wombat casings contain a third way of manufacturing, that will inspire production processes. The wombat uses its droppings to mark its territory. Would cubic droppings be more resistant to the wind?

Spotted-tail quoll

François Moutou

The Tiger Quoll

The Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the Ancient Skeleton, the Dusty Grandpa, the I'm So Old or the Mungo Librarian, is a carnivorous marsupial, native to Australia, and of the Tasmania's Devil and Thylacine's family. He has a thick reddish-brown fur with white spots all over his body. He is about 35 to 75 cm long, without counting a tail that can reach 50 cm. Females are smaller and lighter than males.
The Tiger Quoll made his come-back to Australia in February 2016. This small carnivorous was extinct for more than 50 years. The 14 animals that were reintroduced are native to Tasmania where the species survives in the wild, thanks to the absence of predators like Foxes or Cats, and Buffalo-Goats, an invasive species whose venon is lethal for the Tiger Quoll that eat it. The loss of their natural habitat also contributed significantly to the decline of the species, as well as hunting and Dingoes. The problem should no longer arise as the release took place in the heart of the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, a nature reserve where a eucalyptus forest close to Australia's original ecosystem is being restored.

Spotted-tail quoll

François Moutou

The reintroduction is an important step for Professor Adrian Manning of the Australian National University in charge of the operation. “Our goal is not only to restore a healthy and diverse population, but also to undertake a study to determine the best way to import other species in order to improve the chances of future reintroductions in the main Australian territory”, he said to the Guardian. To this end, the released animals were all equipped with GPS collars so that they could follow their progress. In 2018, an additional 17 Tiger Quolls were released in Booderee National Park, located in southeastern Australia. The two NGOs (Aussie Ark and Global Wildlife Conservation) have just released 20 Tiger Quolls at the end of May. They plan to reintroduce 52 more during the year, this time in Barrington Tops National Park.

Eastern barred bandicoot

François Moutou

The Eastern barred Bandicoot

Perameles gunnii, threatened with extinction, is a small marsupial native to Tasmania and Victoria. He has a silky fur and long ears. He is about 25 to 40 cm long, with a 10cm long tail. He weights about 1-2kg : the Tasmanian Bandicoot is a little bit larger than his Australian cousin. He has a slender, elongated snout with moustaches. His coat, brown grey, bears on the back half of the pale bands that gave it his name. Belly, feet and tail are white. He feeds on earthworms that he spots with his developed sense of smell and unearths with his powerful paws, other invertebrates, fungi and roots. The male occupies a rather large area, in comparison with that of the females. A solitary animal, he “frequents” the females during the breeding season. The species is essentially nocturnal. The Bandicoot emerges from his nest at dusk to look for his food. He uses his long nose to dig deep into the ground and digs when he finds food. In the state of Victoria in Southern Australia, it is estimated that there remains a small population of about 150 individuals. Conservation efforts are implemented by associations. The technique involves putting up barriers to protect these small groups from introduced predatory species such as Red Foxes and Herring Cats. The benefit of these barriers is also to limit the spread of infectious diseases. In Tasmania, his population is classified as vulnerable by IUCN, but he occupies larger territories, not threatened by his main predator, the Fox, which does not inhabit the island.

Monotremes: Echidnean and Platypus

They are mammals that have hair, lay eggs and then breastfeed their young. There are only 5 species of monotreme in the world: four species of Echidnas and one of Platypus.

Short-beaked echidna

François Moutou

The short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglosus aculeatus) is covered with a thicker fur under his spines than his Australian cousins. With a length of 45cm and a weight of 4.5kg, his burrowing legs are at the front armed with powerful claws made for digging. He has a small mouth, with a thin jaw, without teeth but provided with a long sticky tongue with which he catches insects and arthropods. Echidnas live throughout Australia (depending on the region, he is more or less “blond”) and in Tasmania. During the mating season, in winter, they sometimes travel in convoy: a female followed by several males eager to court her! When the rainy season arrives, the Echidnea falls into lethargy and can remain without eating for more than 2 months. Did you know the he can live about 50 years?

Duck-billed platypus

François Moutou

The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal : he looks like an otter with a duck beak! The improbable biology of this ancient creature was so unexpected that, when he was discovered by the early settlers, the scientists of the time all thought it was a bad joke. He is one of the rare poisonous mammals: the male carries on his hind legs a sting that can release venom capable of paralyzing a human leg or even killing a dog. The Platypus inhabits the waterways of Eastern Australia and Tasmania, and his presence is a sign of good river health. A male can thus possess up to 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) of river banks that he shares with 3 to 4 females. But to see him, you will have to be patient : the Platypus comes out mainly at dawn and dusk, and his discretion pushes him to flee to hide at the slightest alert. You can see him from quite a distance and the water reflections make them a little hard to see without binoculars. He spends an average of one minute underwater and ten seconds on the surface sorting, chewing and swallowing what he has harvested underwater. Tasmanian Platypus are estimated to weigh up to 3 kg compared to about 1 kg for those (Northern) of mainland Australia and have been separated for a long time. Maybe one day science will classify them as two species!?

In the bed of the Huab River, travel story in Namibia - Nov. 2018

Myriam Dupuis — 2019-05-13T04:34:56Z

Some deserts are even more desert than others. Driving from Walvis Bay to Sandwich Harbour between sea and sand, or around Sossusvlei at the foot of the red dunes in Namib National Park – Naukluft is a great experience. This desert that gives Namibia its name would be one of the oldest in the world.

From here, going up a little to the north and sinking into the land, beyond the granitic and rounded summit of Brandberg, we arrive in an environment, certainly arid, but apparently less empty than Namib. Some trees and scattered bushes on the ground “dress” the landscape. Yet, locally, the wildlife that can be encountered is described as “desert”. Arriving at Camp Kipwe, still a little north of the Brandberg massif and not far from famous petroglyph stations, we are only an hour's drive from the nearest «desert elephants». Then we meet them.

Encounter with the desert elephants

The trail crosses the sandy bed covered with bushes of a first dry river and regularly runs alongside small cliffs decorated with long white vertical trails. We don't see anybody, but these white marks could have been left either by raptors' colonies and nests or by damans, these small, round mammals, looking like rabbits with short ears and, curiously, distant cousins of elephants that are living in rocky shelters. It's early afternoon and it's still hot. They've all had to put themselves in the shade.

The driver leaves the main track and sinks into a small gorge that must lead to the bed of the Huab River, our goal. The landscape is getting closer. A beautiful male Oryx, disturbed, leaves on the rocky slope in front of us, not without turning several times to look well who came to disturb him during his meridian nap in the shade of a small acacia.

Two more turns and we arrive in the main bed of the river. If the banks are indeed a little steep and sometimes rocky, the bottom of the river, sandy, of easy circulation, is rather well wooded with trees and bushes. The elephants are coming in quietly from the upstream almost at the same time as we are. We haven't had time to look for them; they're there. They appear wet. They come from the water point located a little higher in the river. The groundwater, which explains the vegetation, is not so far under the sand. The guide explains to us that in order to avoid conflicts with humans, they have created permanent water points for them. This prevents elephants from drinking from the same “taps” as humans and reduces the sources of conflict. Moreover, since the local villages practice only the rearing of small ruminants, sheep and goats, and no cultivation, no fields or gardens, the risks of confrontations are reduced.

The trails in the area regularly display “Beware of Elephant” signs, but it is especially during night traffic that you have to pay attention. During the day, however, they should see themselves in open and rather clear landscapes. The amount of dung crossed by place, like those seen on the way to Palmwag the next day, suggests that elephants also use these tracks. Here we are on their way into the dried-up bed of the Huab River.

Desert elephants, Namibia

François Moutou

The Seven of the Huab River

In this small group they are seven: two adult suited females, one young male- still teenager - and two juveniles. The vehicle's stopped, the engine's shut down, and the animals are coming at us. There has been wind recently and the river acacias have lost many pods. These pods, rich in protein, are not lost to everyone. Elephants pick them up one by one with a beautiful dexterity. Locally this tree is called «ana tree». This is the species Faidherbia albida, formerly Acacia albida, also known to the Sahel on the other side of the equator where its vernacular names are during «balanzan», «Kadd» and «Gao». Watching the animals' trunks searching for and “picking” on the ground the pods that are slightly curled up on themselves, is quite fascinating, especially when it's two metres from your vehicle. The animals are not just indifferent to our presence, they especially seem to feel no discomfort, no fear. Their serenity is amazing. We have never seen elephants in such good conditions. The driver moves the car several times to stay in contact with them because they walk while feeding or rather feed while walking a good step towards the downstream.

Baby elephant, Namibia

François Moutou

When we see the two females stop to feed their respective pups right in front of the vehicle, we think we are very lucky. You can't imagine worried animals abandoning themselves like that. Elephants may not be weaned for 4 or 5 years. One of the two young must approach this age, two small white points already protruding from his mouth, on each side of the trunk. Like all baby elephants, he puts it down on his head to suck, but he must lower his mouth rather than raise it to reach his mother's left breast. A little further, the second, younger, with the same trunk movement folded on the forehead, must raise his head to arrive at the same result. Meanwhile, the young male approached the car and leaned for a moment on the back. No one moves, no one talks.

At this distance we look at the animals as well as we can. They are so extraordinary and it is so obvious ! Their eyes bordered by long lashes, their trunk with all its suppleness, virtuosity, softness and certainly also its strength, this incredible skin, but of which sensitivity cannot be doubted, these ears, behind which one sees very well the blood vessels that allow them to evacuate too much heat, these two pectoral nipples so close to those of the great primates.

Desert elephant's eye, Namibia

François Moutou

Gaze and purring

We're looking to exchange gazes with them, but that doesn't seem to be happening. Their gazes seem internalized, as if they were thinking, thinking about something else. How to imagine their representation of the world, olfactory and probably sound too? We are only visual and seem a little lost or disappointed without a wink or a collusion look. This must mean nothing to them. That's when we realize that these elephants are “purring”. It is difficult to find another word to describe this deep, powerful sound that we hear and feel. It is known in this species and it is the term used to describe it. We will hear it again the next few days as we watch families of elephants come to drink at the water points of the great national park of Etosha, even a little further North. This afternoon, the seven animals that wander through the dried-up bed of the Huab River share with us the sound expression of a certain well-being. It has to be contagious.

Our total excursion lasts from 2.30pm to 5.45pm, about an hour, from 3.30pm to 4.40pm, in the bed of the river. We are alone with the seven elephants, there is no other vehicle and even if this time shared is very short it really exists. The driver explains to us that a group of about thirty is more downstream and that the local population is a few hundred, 400 to 500 if I understand correctly.

Desert elephants, mum & baby, Namibia

françois Moutou

These animals are free of movement and are not in an enclosed space. In southern Africa this is not so common. For example, Etosha National Park, already mentioned, is closed and it is not the only one. Here the desert is open. Animal densities are low and human activities are spread over large areas. These elephants benefit and the local village communities benefit. The money raised during the visit of the river and the elephants is shared among the various actors, including the villages that live with these great neighbours.

On the way back, we cross Gangas, calaos, some Springboks grazing in the great dry stretches crossed. Everything seems calm and serene between the Huab River and Camp Kipwe. No one knows how long this situation can last, but it is certainly not immutable. The risk would be that the desert would become really desert, what has already happened.

author : François Moutou, Veterinarian, epidemiologist and member of the French Society for the Study and Protection of Mammals (SFEPM)

Coral bleaching & ocean acidification

Myriam Dupuis — 2019-03-11T10:18:37Z

Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the Earth's surface. They harbour 25% of the world's known marine biodiversity, and thousands of species belonging to other bioloogical groups, such as marine Invertebrates, microscopic life, Funghi ...

Healthy coral, the Blue Lagon, Rangiroa, French Polynesia

Myriam Dupuis

The reef ecosystem, structure of which being built by corals, is, together with humid tropical forests, is the richest in terms of biodiversity, the most complex and productive of the planet. It is urgent to preserve it.

Corals mainly live in shallow areas, quite close to the surface of the sea, in the salt waters of tropical seas where the temperature is between 20 and 32°C and the clarity of the water allows light to penetrate. Coral reefs are made up of billions of small animals, polyps, that live in symbiosis with microscopic algae called zooxanthells.

Anatomy of a coral polyp

DR - internet

Both species are useful to each other by offering shelter and food. Zooxanthells are plants that perform photosynthesis using sunlight by drawing carbon dioxide (CO₂) dissolved in water to produce oxygen and essential food for polyps.
For their part, polyps protect zooxanthells, breathe oxygen, produce CO₂ and provide their hosts with nutrients from their own waste. Each polyp lives inside a calcium carbonate shell. Polyps gather to form the complex structure characteristic of corals, while zooxanthells are the origin of their colour.

Threats
Environmental changes have destructive effects on this association. Threats include:

a change in water temperature (the sea is warming faster than scientists had predicted), its salinity, a change in its pH (acidification due to an increase in dissolved carbon dioxide),
changes in currents, strong storms, cyclones, exceptional conditions such as tsunamis, are environmental changes that “disturb” the coral and create stress.

Human activities are also responsible for coral bleaching (list is not exhaustive!):

agriculture : in France, agriculture production is used at 80% to feed livestock. It discharges nitrates and phosphates into streams, generating a chemical change in the rivers' water ... down to the sea;
urbanization of the coastlines : on one hand, construction of real estate (some wastes containing varying concentrations of toxic substances are found in the sea) and, on the other hand, supply of freshwater from the sewage treatment of cities, watering of gardens near the coral beaches (i.e. the coral does not like freshwater);
increase of the seaside attractiveness that causes the destruction of beaches and coral reefs : use of solar products, human trampling on corals...;
generally speaking, wastes discarded voluntarily or not at sea: “all-offshore”.

Coral bleaching

Coral Bleaching on Reunion Island

Myriam Dupuis

The coral then weakens: it receives less oxygen and ends up expelling its zooxanthells without which it cannot survive. And that's when discolouration or bleaching occurs. If the stress does not last too long, the zooxanthellas sometimes reintegrate their coral, but when the stress is too high, the zooxanthells do not return and the coral dies, invaded by invasive algae that grow on its surface.

The first observation of a bleaching date back to 1979.
Since then, we have been talking about the whitening of corals. These are no longer isolated cases but whole areas of reefs that bleach and die. This phenomenon has been observed everywhere: on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but also on Reunion Island, on the Seychelles, on Madagascar, on the Maldives….
The pH of the sea has increased from 8.20 (in 1800) to 8.10 (in 2015) and is expected to continue falling to 7.65 by 2100.

What will be the impact of the disappearance of the corals?
Our lifestyles are producing more and more CO₂.
Corals contribute to reducing the amount of CO₂ in the planet's atmosphere because the coral skeletons they build consists of aragonite crystals, that is to say calcium carbonate. Carbonate is only dissolved carbon dioxide; calcium is found in large quantities in water. Carbonate is proportional to the carbon dioxide present in the air.
The corals therefore recycle this CO₂ in a rigid skeleton and participate in their own way in the purification of the atmosphere.
But the acidification of seawater has the following consequences:

the reduction of the chemical elements essential to marine life, hence the disappearance of marine animals;
the death of corals, shells, by the action of a sea water that has become corrosive and dissolves their shells;
the slow dissolution of the calcareous skeletons of these animals which will restore CO₂, which will proportionately pass through the Earth's atmosphere…and will contribute even more to the current pollution, even aggravating considerably the situation we are experiencing today. What will we do with this CO₂ that will no longer be “evacuated” by natural mechanisms?...
This acidification poses a real threat to marine ecosystems on a global scale, and therefore a threat to global food security.

We must therefore protect the coral, and protect the ocean and its inhabitants, because each species depends on another, in order to achieve this wonderful and fragile balance that gives life, and on which the human species also depends. Protecting is about thinking and changing one's ways of behaving, including how one consumes.

How can I help to protect biodiversity ?

Myriam Dupuis — 2016-10-17T17:57:40Z

The planet does not belong to the people

When biodiversity is concerned, we usually think that we are powerless and that our action will not change the course of events. But “small brooks make the big rivers”! You are not alone : today, millions of people worldwide act on a daily basis to preserve biodiversity & ecosystems. Each of us can make the difference. Then, why don't you join us?
Here are some suggestions to be implemented, whenever you want, simple things in order to change our lives and to protect our planet! And think that every day, which begins, is the opportunity to do better than the day before!

Where does your water go ?

SAVE THE WATER !

Water is precious for life. Rich countries benefit both from drinking and tap water. The world production of industrial agriculture - which is mainly intended for rich countries - gobbles up 96,4 % of the fresh water (pumped from lakes, rivers, reservoirs and aquifers) while 2,7 billion people - a third of the world population - live in regions knowing a serious water shortage and have no access to drinking water …The climate change makes us painfully understand that it is time to pay attention to what we consider as a due: the water.

Then, in order to respect water, we should neither waste nor pollute it.
Here are some simple reflexes on an everyday life basis:
➢ I turn off the tap while I brush my teeth: it can save an entire swimming pool of water per person per year ! The same when I shave.
➢ I prefer a short shower to a bath;
➢ I do the dishes without wasting water; ;
➢ I use my homemade cleaning products with all-naturel environmental-friendly ingredients : white vinegar to decalcify, baking soda to clean up, Marseille soap to do the laundry, lemon to disinfect… These products are natural and their degradation does not affect the environment the way manufactured cleaning products usually do. And especially, I have “a light hand” to avoid the overdose!
To know more about it : http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/hom..., http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2013...
... Up to you ! But be careful with some “false” natural cleaning products sold as if they were “Green” but that content oil palm under its numerous namings...
➢ I water plants with rainwater, when it is possible and rather at the end of the day to avoid evaporation. If you have a garden, you can recycle rainwater in a tank, and even recycle grey waters (water of dishes, the bath, the shore) for the supply of the toilet flush and the cleaning of grounds and even, after filtration, for the watering.

CONSUME LESS AND BETTER

Before our birth, we are considered as consumers, it is time to become consum' Actors!
It seems that we recently became aware that the planet had limited resources - yes, indeed!
But we are 8 billion human beings to live on Earth. The Western paradigme according to which it is necessary to boost the consumption to insure the economic growth and the full employment lasted long. We see where it has led us. Each of us has to be responsible and review the way he / she consumes.

Food Consumption

Our food : we are what we eat. According to numerous experts, it is because of the food that civilisations collapse… Let us try to find solutions!

➢ I EAT LOCAL means that I choose local food producers with short distribution network when it is possible ;

I prefer food that is produced near my place, with short transport deliveries: I limit the discharge of carbon in the atmosphere. The CO₂ is the N°1 greenhouse gas of anthropological origin that is increasing and causing the global warming and the climate change.
It involves that I consume seasonal fruits and vegetables, that are very often of better gustative quality, especially if they arise from the organic farming, from the biodynamic, from the permaculture …, while their international equivalents need big quantifies of fertilizers and chemical pesticides and pollution transportation.
De facto, from an economic point of view, I support the producers of my region.
I subscribe to an “organic basket” and, actually, I adhere to a philosophy of global ecology, with fruits and vegetables of local and seasonal production (not much preservation, few transport), with a reduced packaging. To read more about AMAP and La Ruche qui dit oui!
And I avoid wasting food! On average every French throws away around 20kg of food per year, i.e. between 100 and 160€ per year ... or 12 to 20 billion euros/year are thrown to the rubbish dumps in France ! http://www.consoglobe.com/qui-jette...

Fewer fish in the sea than ever before

-➢ I PREFER RESPONSIBLE CAUGHT FISH

to limit overfishing : during the periods of capture (sometimes at the peak of the season of reproduction), certain fishing methods destroy the seabed and count numerous by-catches among juveniles and adults that are not of the targeted species. These methods put in danger the renewal of the fish population. I choose responsible caught fish, that is handled with care and can be tracked right from a sustainable source.
to preserve the oceans : I choose fish and shellfishes that are not vulnerable species, caught by local fisheries or having the Mr. Goodfish labelling.
To get more info: http://www.mrgoodfish.fr/fr/index.html.

➢ I REDUCE MY MEAT CONSUMPTION

It is good for my health: eating too much meat can provoke hypercholesterolemia, cancer, diabetes... . Several times a week I replace meat by plant proteins such as lentils, beans,…
to avoid deforestation: the breeding of cattle requires space for animals and also huge agriculture surfaces for forage crops that are taken on forests!
to avoid pollution and exhaustion of ground waters: forage crops need a lot of water and pesticides;
to limit the production of methane: the 2^nd anthropogenic greenhouse gas after the CO₂, having a power of warming 28 times upper to this one. During the digestion, the ruminants produce methane, especially when they are fed of protein crops as soya. The breeding of ruminants is the 3^rd source of production of methane after the combustion of the fossil fuels and the rubbish dumps. In France, cattle is fed at 70% with soymeal production coming from Brazil: the Amazonian forest is destroyed, being a unique habitat for autochthones Indians, and an amazing fauna and flora…Anyway, does it worth the destruction of the Amazonian forest to grow soya that is going to travel on thousands km to feed French cows?Who is standing to benefit the most from it ?? Not the cows nor consumers, but rather all the intermediaries …

➢ I MAKE SURE THAT THE MEAT AND THE EGGS RESULT FROM BREEDING WHERE ANIMALS ARE CORRECTLY HANDLED

Ethically: I buy eggs of free-range hen (in France these eggs are marked with a code 0 or 1) because 90 % of eggs are still produced in battery (code 2 or 3), where the surface dedicated for every hen is the one of a paper sheet A4, the light is artificial and cages are on 3 up to 6 floors...http://www.lanutrition.fr/bien-dans...
Out of curiosity and to educate people: at the restaurant, at the market, at the supermarket, I question the storekeepers about the origin of products they sell. It takes time, and often they even do not know the answer, but it is necessary to wonder about the consequences of our consomption.

Deforestation around Palma, Cabo Delgado Province, Northern Mozambique

MNHN

➢ I BOYCOTT PRODUCTS WITH PALM OIL

To fight against deforestation: in order to plant oil palm trees, numerous forests have been devastated, and then the endangered fauna's habitat destroyed. Most well-known victims are orang-utans, gibbons, gorillas, tigers, lions, rhinos, elephants….and all the others.
For my health: we do not know the consequences of the long-term palm oil ingestion on our health. Those who defend it assure that we have no proof of its harmfulness... Is it a new approach of the “precautionary principle” ?
Don't be fooled ! : Organic palm oil does NOT exist! !! This kind of labelling has been created by powerful industrial groups, sometimes with the support of environmental NGOs… but facts are as follows: forests have been destroyed and are still destroyed every day, and it is difficult to believe that oil palm plantations can be now considered as being organic after 40 years of use of fertilizers and pesticides, even if less fertilizers are used today…

➢ I PREFER GLASS CONTENTS

[to fight against plastics] that pollute oceans, I prefer glass bottles that I recycle or that I can bring back to a deposit. The glass is recyclable infinitely.
to filter the tap water, I use one stick of coal in a glass bottle.

...And other consumption!

Discharge of medicine into the water

➢ I LIMIT MY CONSUMPTION OF MEDICINE THE REJECTIONS OF WHICH GO DIRECTLY TO THE NATURE

We eliminate in toilet a wide part of the active ingredients of medicine that we take. They reedit the waste water treatment in water-treatment plants, and they find their way in rivers and seas, where they act on the aquatic and marine flora and fauna. Their effects are still badly known but fish exposed to these active ingredients undergo transformations bound to the presence of endocrine disruptors in numerous pollutants of our activities: http://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/natu...,
http://www.elwatan.com/impact-journ...
I take medicine only when it is really necessary (antibiotics are of no use in case of viral infection) and I bring back to the pharmacy the medicine that are not used or for which the best before date has passed; you should not throw them away to the trashcan or into the toilets!

➢ I PREFER ORGANIC COSMETICS

For my heath and for nature : most of the current cosmetics contain chemicals (conservatives, flavors of synthesis, surfactants, endocrine disruptors ...), which are not biodegradable and are thus harmful for the biodiversity, in particular for the aquatic ecosystems, in which they are transported by waste water. To learn more:
synthesis of endocrine disruptors
For the pleasure of making it by yourself and the pleasure of offering: I adopt organic cosmetics!
I wash myself with Marseille soap (attention: numerous marks make it with by-products of palm oil …), I feed my skin with vegetable oil perfumed with drops of essential oil (lavender, ylang-ylang, vetiver ..), I “cook” my own skin and hair masks; I clean my skin with a decoction of camomile or cornflower, I make an exfoliating scrub with the wheat bran or the oat or the coffee grounds collected and perfumed with essential oil, I do my own toothpaste: it's child's play! http://r.email.slow-cosmetique.com/19fbvfbksw387f.html

➢ I USE MINERAL SOLAR CREAMS

To avoid the hormonal imbalance of the fauna and the flora : Most of the sunscreens contain allergenic chemical UV filters. Finding themselves in seas, lakes, rivers, they cause hormonal imbalance to animals - the man including! - and are partially responsible for the whitening of corals.
Because they are less toxic: Certain places of interest, such the water park Xel-Há in Mexico, took the threat seriously: only the mineral sunscreens are authorized there from now on. They spread out a little less well and sometimes leave white tracks because of their mineral filters but they are effective and especially less toxic, for you as for the nature. http://mag.beautistas.com/actualite... ; Here is a selection of sunscreens.
Another solution: I wear a T-shirt or a thin suit to swim.

➢ I FAVOR THE ORGANIC COTTON

To withhold the use of powerful insecticides : lThe intensive farming of the traditional cotton uses 25 % of insecticides sold in the world! Exhaustion of grounds, deforestation, massive irrigation, pollution of ground waters, exposure of agricultural workers and the local species in toxic matter: it is particularly harmful for the environment and people.
For a softer cotton fibber, which does not spoil the grounds : the extensive farming of organic cotton is made with natural fertilizers and pesticides, asks for less water, protects the fertility of the ground (because alternated with other cultures) and gives a cotton with softer and more resistant fibbers.
For my health: untreated chemically between its production till its processing in garment, the organic cotton is hypoallergenic..
Before buying I ask to myself: do I really need a new pair of fashionable jeans or this cotton garrment?

➢ I DON'T BUY CLOTHES TO BE DRY-CLEANED

To protect the environment and the aquatic ecosystems in particular: most of dry cleaning use perchloroethylene (or tetrachloroethylene). This solvent is toxic for those who manipulate it; it is irritating for the skin and the mucous membranes, causes nausea, headaches and losses of consciousness, it accumulates in the body and is probably carcinogenic. Normally it is used in closed circuit, but it finds its way into the ground waters and rivers.
To avoid the chlorinated compounds existing since the 50s: they destroy the ozone layer and participate in the global warming. The protocol of Copenhagen forbade them in 1992; however, these products are still found in the nature today. Ecological dry cleaning uses only biodegradable products (water in particular) and is still rare.
The solution: I do not buy any clothes or linen, which requires dry cleaning!

➢ I GO BY FOOT, BY BIKE, USING COMMON TRANSPORT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

To limit the production of CO₂ : our activities put life on Earth in danger. Deserts extend, glaciers decline, the level of seas rises ... The CO₂ produced by all kind of vehicules is the 1^st greenhouse gas, responsible for the global warming and the climate changes. Whole ecosystems are disrupted. In Copenhagen, 67 % of the population walk or ride their bike or use public transportation: we should be able to make as well, shouldn't we?
For a healthier city : walking, biking, using public transportation create link between citizens, and make the city healthier for all. And for yours too!

➢ I MAKE WORKS / I GARDEN WITH ECOLOGICAL, NATURAL, SUSTAINABLE, RECYCLED PRODUCTS, IF POSSIBLE OF LOCAL ORIGIN.

To change the decoration of my apartment I visit recycling shops (Emmaüs, flea markets…): http://co-recyclage.com
I repair my devices rather than throwing them : http://repaircafe.org/fr/
I choose paintings without heavy metals;
My apartment is equipped with low-consumption devices;
I choose ecological insolation materials, such as wooden wool, hemp, linen, cork, absorbent cotton of cellulose... They arise from plants production of which does not entail pollution for the environment. They are developed according to processes requiring low energy expenditure, receive not toxic mineral additions such as silicates intended to protect them from insects, mushrooms, rodents and risks of the fire. Namely: the manufacturing of the absorbent cotton of cellulose consumes 3 times less energy than that some polystyrene!

In the garden and/or in the countryside:

I fit out in the surrounding nature crossing points for animals, I let the flora and fauna colonize the ponds of thunderstorm.
I protect the earthworms, which are an essential link of the food chain. They recycle ceaselessly the organic matter, such as the dead leaves and other plants in decomposition. In this way, they collaborante in the production of a good humus and guarantee the fertility of the ground where grow fruits and vegetables that we consume. Besides, their galleries loosen the ground, what allows the roots to develop well and in the water to infiltrate quickly and profoundly, where vegetables can absorb it. It also limits the phenomena of streaming and erosion during heavy rain. To protect them, I use no fertilizer or chemical pesticide To protect them, I use no fertilizer or chemical pesticide.

WASTE

Life cycle of waste

➢ I THROW NO WASTE ON THE GROUND

I collect at least a waste a day which does not belong to me: everything that is thrown away in the street or on the ground, in town or in nature, is catastrophic for the environment and the consequences are disastrous : 90 % of what is thrown on the ground is ending at sea and is responsible of the death of millions of marine animals.
Certain waste has an immediate impact:Cigarette butts and chewing-gum, for example, poison or suffocate animals, that ingest them ; small mammals and amphibiens are trapped in bottles and soda cans ; pieces of broken glass hurt bigger animals and, by an effect of magnifying glass, provoke fires.
Others have a longer impact such as plastics that need hundreds of years to degrade while releasing toxic products or batteries that are made off heavy metals..

Mom, where should I put my beach towel?

Myriam Dupuis

➢ I DO NOT FEED «CONTINENTS OF WASTE» IN OPEN SEA

Under the effects of sea currents the floating waste converge and accumulate, forming “continents of waste”. («The Great Pacific Garbage Patch») is 3.5 million km², the size of India or six times the size of France. These “new continents” are mainly made off plastic. Plastic does not degrade, but under the effect of the waves it erodes in microparticles, and releases numerous toxic products.
The ingestion of the biggest pieces of plastic suffocates fish, turtles, birds and marine mammals that take them for preys.
Scientific research demonstrated that the ingestion of micro-particles of plastics generates transformations at the level of male and female genital organs in only few generations http://www.greenfacts.org/highlight...
What can I do? I don't use anymore plastic bags, I throw nothing in the nature, even far from the sea. I do speak around me of these continents of waste that are often still little known.

➢ I AVOID THE USELESS PACKAGINGS

I run errands with my own bags.
I ask to the storekeepers to use my own packagings when it is possible.
I sort out and I prefer products with deposit.

RECYCLING

➢ I RECYCLE WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED

My old clothes, household linen, fibers of which can be reused.http://www.lafibredutri.fr
The devices that I do not use anymore, that can be repaired or used as spare parts http://repaircafe.org/fr/
Batteries, bulbs, ink cartridges…in crashcans dedicated for these kinds of waste.
Conclusion : A GOOD WASTE IS THE ONE WHICH DOES NOT EXIST !!!! : https://unkolibri.com/zerodechet/

➢ I COMPOST!

There are systems of composting to be installed on a balcony, even inside the apartment: a way to recycle my peels of vegetables and fruits, and credit note of the compost for my plants! Pay attention to the fact that the compost is alive; if I often go away, I can suggest to the people of my building to set up a common compost ; I can also suggest to my municipality to organize a pick-up of material to be composted on a regular basis?

REDUCTION

➢ I LIMIT THE LIGHT POLLUTION OUTSIDE
In the countryside as in the city, the lighting of roads, streets and gardens allows some people to extend their activities at night. But the artificial light perturbes numerous species: animals with a night vision such as owls, bats, toads and others have difficulty in seing obstacles, preys or predators.

> Migratory birds are disorientated: the young birds, which take their first flight, are sensitive to bright points. Deceived by the urban lightings, they run aground on the ground. Deprived of their headland, they cannot then take off again and die of dehydration or predation, sometimes just from crushing.
> Moths fly around lampposts until exhaustion.
> The male fireflies do not perceive any more the light signals of females and cannot thus reproduce.
Then, to light my garden, my terrace, my step door, I prefer non-brilliant lamps and turn them downward. I switch them off as soon as I do not need light outside.

➢ I REDUCE MY CONSUMPTION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD, ENERGY

I use less paper and cardboard to protect forests; I limit energy and water consumption needed for their production … and automatically I produce less waste paper.
I print my documents both sides; I use the virgin backs as sheets of draft ; I reuse the envelopes to note my shopping lists, my messages.
-* When available, I opt for recycler or certifier FSC or PEFC paper for my exercice books, wallpapers, tissues, towels, bags, toilet paper, etc.
I choose to receive my administrative documents by Internet.
Once read, I lend my books and newspapers to other potential readers. I recycle my waste papers, newspapers, magazines and cardboards.
I avoid cardboard plates, flatware and cups when I am at the office, on holidays, outside for a picnic.
I pay attention on the energy consumption of the equipment of my accommodation.

➢ I USE MY MOBILE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE

The manufacturing of games consoles, computers and mobile phones requires various ores (copper, cobalt, lead, coltan, etc..) for which the request does not stop growing. The mines from which they result are almost everywhere situated on Earth, and their exploitation has a huge impact on environment.
Rare earth elements qualify a set of 17 chemical elements endowed with exceptional properties. It is thanks to these rare earth elements that the colours of our computer screens are so brilliant, that our mobile phones have touch-sensitive screens and that wind turbines can produce electricity. The other side of the coin is that their extraction and their transformation pollute, produce radioactive waste and distort the landscapes.
.http://future.arte.tv/fr/terres-rares
For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the coltan is extraite, the extraordinaire biodiversity of Kivu is endangered because of the illégal hunting for bush meat to feed the minors (with gorillas, okapis, even elephants…), because of the massive deforestation to supply them with some lumber and heating and enlarge mines, because of the erosion and soil, water & air pollution, due to the extraction itself,... without mentioning armed conflicts! Then, before buying a new telephone or laptop, think of it!

➢ I CONNECT ONLY ONE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AT THE SAME TIME AND I LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT BEING CONNECTED !!!
A study dated July, 2014, demonstrated that the surfing on the Web consumes a lot of energy, not only because of the data centres, but mainly because of the design of Web sites and habits of the Internet users. About 25 years after the birth of Web, its growth is such that it is going to raise severe energy challenges, up to the point that some people already predict its collapse in a few years only.

As Internet user I can however limit the energy consomption of Web by switching off devices connected with Internet when they are not used (at night in particular) ;
By reducing the use of the “clouds” that are so popular and allow to store on-line photos, videos ;
By cleaning regularly my e-mail boxes to avoid keeping too important archives ;
By avoiding watching TV via Web sites ;
By choosing my search engine (they are not all equivalent from the point of view of energy consumption), and the sites, which I frequent.
Source : notre-planete.info, http://www.notre-planete.info/actua...

To choose an ethical bank

MY MONEY

➢ WHAT DOES MY BANK DO WITH MY SAVINGS ?

By moving my money to one of these ethical banks, I can be sure that my savings are going to be used to create positive social or environmental impact, whilst also generating a healthy return in a safe place for my money. Find out more about the main examples of banks in this category below: (in French) http://financeresponsable.org and also http://moveyourmoney.org.uk/institution-types/ethical-banks/
I support financially some sustainable micro-projets through dedicated crowdfunding platforms

➢ I OFFER TO MY FRIENDS, RELATIVES, COLLEAGUES… GIFTS LINKED TO THE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

I choose gifts, in connexion with biodiversity and the necessity to protect it. For instance, I offer to a handyman a manuel worker on the natural paintings, to a globe-trotter a eco-tourism guide, to a naturalist a pair of binoculars; with a soap of Aleppo, I evoke the interest to use natural cleaners; with a box of organic chocolates, I remind the problem of the culture of oil palm trees in Indonesia and Malaysia (and of the threat it is for apes)...
Finally, I can also offer an adhesion to an environmental NGO!

LOCAL BIODIVERSITY

In the heart of Paris : poppies !l

N.B. Caillault

➢ I DISCOVER AND I PROTECT THE NATURE IN TOWN.

Contrary to what we could believe, biotopes can be highly varied in town: public gardens, private gardens, ponds, parks, forests, streets and raised avenues, pieces of waste ground, fallow lands, accesses of railroads, banks of brooks ... without speaking green roofs and terraces, facades and flowery balconies. The slightest cracks at the edge of pavements, at the foot of buildings or on walls are colonized by a multitude of wild plants! But this biodiversity is vulnerable: it does not weigh very heavy in front of cement mixers and in front of steamrollers ...
I plant flowers (or vegetables!) at the foot of the trees of my street!

Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandais) on a balcony downtown

Myriam Dupuis

➢ I WELCOME BIODIVERSITY AT HOME

During a construction or during a renovation, I think of integrating shelters for the local fauna with a breeding ground, a puddle, a flowery meadow ……
I inquire about the species that can neast near my place and what are the species I can welcome and how? I make the necessary arrangements for solitary bees, for bats, birds...
I feed birds and give them water during winter time.
I plant flowers to attract bees.

➢ I RESPECT NATURE OUTSIDE

When I walk in the nature, I remain as discret as possible by making least possible noise: it allows me to make surprising encounters with the local fauna.
I collect or pick only what can be.
I participate in programs of participative sciences: observations of ecosystems or specific species to help the research.

THE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: ACT IN SYNERGY

➢ I ORGANIZE A SPRING CLEANING OF THE DISTRICT

With my neighbours, and the support of local authorities, I organize a cleaning of my street, or of the neigbouring public garden from street waste : plastic bags trapped into trees, soda cans, bottles, cigarettes butts...
In the countryside the cleaning also concerns roadsides, banks of rivers, undergrowth often transformed into uncontrolled dump sites for the old television screens, the tires and other cans of paint... I sort out them and bring them to the waste reception center.
So, I limit the pollution of ecosystems such as streams or fallow lands. And I avoid in animals many dangers, as injure itself by walking on the broken glass or to suffocate with pieces of plastic, which they would have taken for the food.

Community Garden in Vancouver, Canada

Myriam Dupuis

➢ I INCITE MY MUNICIPALITY TO ORGANIC GARDENING, TO COMPOST, TO SWITCH OFF THE STREET LIGHTING!

Some municipalities make efforts in the plantation and the management of roadsides and flowerbeds to promote the biodiversity. If it is not still the case in yours, suggest to the compétent department these few principles easy to apply: by planning only local species, by replacent pesticides and artificial fertilizers by their biological equivalents, by using mulches and plants convers ground to limit the appearance of unwanted plants and by decreasing the waterings, by composting the plant waste and using the compost obtained to feed the soil, ...
By switching off the street lighting not to disturb migratoire birds and other nocturnal animals.

➢ I CREATE A NATURAL REFUGE FOR THE BIODIVERSITY

I transform a garden - mine, that of the school of my children, that of my company - into natural refuge for the biodiversity at first by banishing the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
I let settle down the spontaneous vegetation in a corner of the garden: it is excellent for insects and thus for birds!
I adopt the late reaping: it allows the reproduction and the diversification of botanical species, while sheltering a lot of animals.
I fit out a puddle and keep a dead tree, in the welcoming cavities for the cave animals, a heap of logs and one of stones for the small mammals, amphibians and diverse invertebrates.
I diversify the hedge with native species.

➢ I AM WARY OF GREENWASHING
Certain companies, the car manufacturers in particular, do not hesitate to prise the “ecological” virtues of products that are absolutely not “green”. Others need “to re-turn green” their image because their activities are very polluting or harmful in the biodiversity (production of greenhouse gas, clearing of a ground to build an extension, an use of waters of river to cool the machinery).
Don't let yourself get stampeded by their too-green-to-be-true advertising campaigns! Sign petitions to denounce their greenwashing!

➢ I ADHERE TO AN ASSOCIATION OF NATURE CONSERVATION.

It is a public-spirited and personal commitment. I pay attention that the money of my membership is fine to concrete projects. The projects of environmental protection are made on the long term: I try not to forget to renew every year my support.
I put my skills and\or my availability in the service of the NGO (s) which I chose.
I meet new people with whom I share a number of values.

Finally, maybe you have already registered some of these gestures in your habits? Bravo! Otherwise, it is never too late to put itself in it!

The good news!

Protecting biodiversity means emissions savings. Yet, reducing is often lived as a loss, a lack. We suggest you to live it as the adventure of a New World to be built! Come and join us for a responsible wolrd !

Ecosystem services

Myriam Dupuis — 2015-10-10T06:26:00Z

The concept of ecosystem services has emerged in the 1980s under the guidance of naturalists involved in the conservation of nature. It has grown significantly in the late 90s following the economic work of Costanza (1997) or Daily (1997) but has really gained momentum following the publication of Report Ecosystem Assessment for the Millennium.

The Assessment of the Millennium Ecosystem (or MEA Millennium Ecosystem Assessment), conducted between 2001 and 2005, including attempted to determine the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being.
Indeed, one of the starting postulates that man is an integral part of ecosystems, through a dynamic interaction between the two.
The second major point made by the MEA is that these services (and hence human survival) is dependent on biodiversity on Earth (water, air or terrestrial).

Coal Creek falls, South Island, New Zealand

services de support : cycle de l'eau, photosynthèse et production d'oxygène, cycle des nutriments, formation des sols

In the long and intimate relationship between the man and nature, man, having long used without restraint for centuries and especially in recent decades where the man has plundered the resources, finally took awareness of the fragility of this nature to which it belongs. The man has understood that protecting nature is to protect humanity. Indeed ecosystems provide to humanity many services without which man could not live. These ecosystem services are diverse.
The working group of the MEA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) in 2005, classified them into four groups.
Of the 24 services evaluated by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, four are on the rise, but 15 ecosystem services are degraded, most probably because of human activities.

What is an ecosystem service ?

The concept of ecosystem service refers to the value (monetary or otherwise) of ecosystems or of nature in general, in the sense that ecosystems provide to humanity of goods and services necessary for their well-being and development.

Affirm with force (and the key figures) that humanity is nothing without sustainable and quality ecosystems should increase awareness among humans on the more-than-necessary urgency to protect these ecosystems.

1 - Support services or self-maintenance

These are services that enable the development of other services and are linked to the existence of life on earth: there are the soil formation, primary production (photosynthesis that combines living formation) or yet, not least, the production of oxygen.
They are different from the other three categories of services, that their effects on people are either indirect or occur over long periods of time. Thus, some services, such as erosion control, can be characterized either as “support” or “control” based on the time scale of the effects of its changes on humans.
For example, human beings do not directly use ecosystem services of soil formation (“support” services), even if changes in the service indirectly affect humans through the effect on food production.

2 - Direct production or Supply services useful to man

This is indeed the provision of food (plants and animals), wood, fiber (cotton, wool), or drugs not to mention water, vital element par excellence. By exploitation of ecosystems, men obtain marketable products.
Examples:

Food, fiber. This includes a broad category of plant-derived food products, animals, bacteria, as well as materials such as wood, jute, hemp, silk ...
Fuel: fuel wood, peat, manure and other materials that serve as energy sources;
Genetic resources include genes and genetic information used for animal breeding, plant breeding and biotechnology;
Chemicals: many drugs, biocides, food additives such as alginates, and biological materials are derived from ecosystems;
Medicinal plants, ornamental resources are products such as skins and shells, flowers used as ornaments, although the value of these resources is often determined by the cultural context of their use;
Building materials: wood, fine sands, etc .;
The huntable wildlife.

3 - Regulating ecosystem services

The ecosystems in their functioning, are directly involved in trade with the atmosphere and thus on air quality and climate, in the water purification and waste, in the regulation of natural risks and the erosion, etc. It is obvious to everyone that the management of ecosystems or agrosystems directly influence these regulatory services and that the man in his management of nature can influence those services.
Examples :

Maintaining the air quality: ecosystems provide chemicals, and they extract chemicals from the atmosphere, thereby influencing the quality of the air;
Climate regulation: Ecosystems influence climate both locally and globally. For example, at local level, changes in land cover can affect both temperature and precipitation patterns. A global scale, ecosystems play an important role in climate, either sequestering or emitting greenhouse gases;
The water cycle: the recurrence and extent of the runoff, flooding and aquifer recharge can be strongly influenced by changes in land use, by alterations that can change the storage potential water at the ecosystem level. Such alterations can be determined by the conversion of wetlands or forests into agricultural areas, agricultural areas or in urban areas;
Control erosion;
Vegetation cover plays an important role in soil retention and preventing landslides;
The water purification and treatment of waste. Ecosystems can made of impurities in the water, but also can help filter and decompose organic waste introduced in wetlands, inland waters and marine ecosystems;
The regulation of human diseases. Changes in ecosystems can directly change the abundance of human pathogens; such as cholera, and can alter the abundance of disease vectors, such as mosquitoes;
Biological control: ecosystem changes may affect the prevalence of diseases and predators of crops and livestock;
Pollination: ecosystem changes may affect the distribution, abundance and effectiveness of pollination;
Protection against storms and floods: for example, the presence of forest ecosystems can reduce the intensity of the wind and / or water.

4 - Cultural ecosystem services

Ecosystems actually have spiritual values as is the case of some sacred groves in some countries, aesthetic and recreational values: walking in the countryside is to meet nature and enjoy what it offers (heritage, aesthetic, education, religion, ecotourism, etc.).

Social and cultural services are non-material benefits from ecosystems obtained by people through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, creation, aesthetic experiences, including:

the employment offer, which is the result of management, restoration, protection etc. ecosystems,
The educational values: ecosystems and their components provide the basis for education in many societies;
source of inspiration;
Ecosystems provide a rich source of inspiration for art, folklore, national symbols, architecture and advertising;
Aesthetic values: many people find beauty or aesthetic value in various aspects of ecosystems; this is reflected for example in visiting parks, “landscapes” and in the choice of locations to build houses;
Social relations: Ecosystems influence social relations. For example, the fact to benefit from the aesthetic and recreational aspects of ecosystems (forest, urban parks ...) can contribute to the strengthening of social ties (e.g. between a group of young, between neighbours ....)
The “heritage” values: many companies appreciate the maintenance of historically important landscapes (“cultural landscapes”) or species of cultural significance;
Recreation and ecotourism: for example, people often choose locations for their holidays according to the natural characteristics of the place.

These services are seen as closely linked to the living.It is the diversity of life, what we call biodiversity, which is the basis of providing these services. This implies that conservation of biodiversity is fundamental.

The different types of ecosystem services (from Study & Documents No. 20, May 2010

Commissariat Général au Développement Durable

In terrestrial ecosystems, the soil is the fundamental element in the provision of services. The soils allow plant growth by providing water and nutrients, they are also home to a huge number of organisms with different functions that will participate in the establishment of ecosystem services. This whole biodiversity that must be protected to maintain the services that nature gives us.

vidéo : Les services écosystémiques, interview of Eric Blanchart (in French)

Thanks to Eric Blanchart, Stéphane de Tourdonnet, SupAgro Montpellier, Mooc Agroécologie de septembre 2015.

The noise also pollutes the oceans

Myriam Dupuis — 2014-12-16T07:39:35Z

OCEAN NOISE POLLUTION

The constant hustling and bustling in the oceans create unceasing unimaginable noise.

6000 commercial shipping vessels ply the seas permanently, as well as :
submarines and sonar (more than 300 are non-NATO),
Navy ships (about 100 for French Navy) of all countries,
industrial fishing boats,
seismic offshore exploration for oil, gas and other minerals,
giant cruise ships (with more than 7000 passengers!) and all other cruise ships all over the world,
more and more numerous offshore wind turbines, and, of course,
the sounds from boats' propellers and hulls as well as other recreational activities such as jet-ski, water skiing, sport fishing, ...contribute to this cacophony.
The no-appropriately-named “silent world” has become an unbearable cacophony for its inhabitants due to ever-increasing human activities.

GLOBAL WARMING, ACIDIFICATION OF OCEANS, SPREAD OF NOISE

According to researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA, the increasing acidity of ocean may let the marine environment becoming even more noisy. Changes in the chemical composition of seawater would diminish the capacity to absorb low frequency sounds by 10% compared with the pre-industrial revolution era. Unless we reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (a path we are not following...), the acidity of the oceans and seas could reach a level such that the noise of ships and airguns used for offshore exploration would travel 70% farther than at present time. No comment...or NO FUTURE ?

ECHOLOCALISATION ….

internet

Whales produce sounds (clicks, whistles, vocalizations), most of which are characteristic of a species or a population by their shape, frequency and duration. They use echolocation systems similar to active sonar, sometimes over long distances to locate their peers, their prey and their predators.

Cetacean capture sound waves with their lower jaw, lined with highly vascularized adipose tissue. This serves as a resonance structure for echolocation. The vibrations are so strong that some balls of adipose tissue come off the jaw, and are found in the blood of animals at autopsy.

The increasing noise of oceans and marine environment disorients them, disperses and threatens their livelihood, and may lead them to extinction.

… and SONARS WAVE PROPAGATION

Sonar waves propagation

AwayFoundation

Sonar waves (whose intensity is greater than the noise of a jet plane taking off) used by the Army – or air guns' waves for offshore exploration for oil gas and minerals - are responsible for bleeding in the inner ear of cetaceans and in the region of the lower jaw, as well as for fractures organs causing internal bleeding. offshore exploration for oil gas and minerals uses airguns whose deflagrations reach 1800 decibels. For comparison, spending 8h at 80db generates in man a hearing loss; noise reaching 120/130 db causes a painful sensation, not counting the side effects generated by the noise: stress, digestive disorders, sleep, cardiovascular risks ...

Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris)

M.Dupuis

During their dive, as far as we actually know, most cetaceans experience space only through acoustic signals they receive and issue. For them, hearing is the most important sense. Their capacity to hear well is vital in all key aspects of their lives, such as finding food, travelling and socialising. Do you know that the auditory nerve of the dolphin is 10 times longer than the man's one?
To breathe, they take their time, naturally respecting decompression “levels”. But under stress generated by colliding sonar waves, stress hormones are spread throughout the body, the heart rate increases and the leak is obvious: whales undertake an emergency ascent. As with divers, a too fast ascent causes an accumulation of gas in the organs.

To understand a little better what these animals are suffering, imagine a comparable scenario: you are in the street and suddenly you hear a noise that makes you lose your sense of direction. The sonar's intensity is stronger than a jet's take-off. And it lasts several hours and not only a few minutes. You can feel your bones and flesh in your body vibrate because of the noise; your ears start bleeding.
The noise generated by the sonar saturates the oceans on hundreds of miles creating acoustic barriers that are insurmountable for cetaceans. That means you cannot escape...Here come place for emotional distress and physical pain, and death.

Stranding of a 6,66m long beaked whale of about 6 tons

SNSM, Station de Beg-Meil, France

The sound of military sonar therefore generates decompression problems for cetaceans, that are very often followed by a stranding.
We know a little more about this phenomenon today thanks to the autopsy of bodies of stranded animals found dead. Scientists discovered that the liver was full of gas bubbles (sometimes the size of a tennis ball), the kidneys ruined and fat particles were found in the blood (conductive fat tissus detached from the jaw).
Animals die a slow death. Some of them lose their strength on the shores. Maybe they approach the land as a way to reach safety?

CONSEQUENCES : THE STRANDINGS

The stranding phenomenon is not recent: the first cetacean stranding was recorded in 1805. Since then around twenty strandings per year have been recorded until the 1960s. But the conclusion is obvious: since the 1960s, there is a sharp increase in cetaceans' strandings. Of course information flows more easily since the mid-20^th century, but is it simply because it is easier to know what is happening on the other side of the Earth, or is it because there are more and more accidents?
Correlations have been made between US, British and Spanish Navies' presence conducting naval manoeuvres with low frequency military sonar noticeable over 100km and cetaceans strandings. Remember that all Navies use the same kind of equipment, so all the seas of the world are affected by these “exercises”...
In 2000, in the Bahamas, a U.S. Navy experiment with a transmitter up to 230 dB in the frequency range of 3,000 to 7,000 Hz caused the beaching of sixteen whales, seven of whom were found dead. Two years later, the U.S. Navy finally recognized its responsibility in this stranding in a report published on 01/01/2002 in the Boston Globe.

“Some” last strandings in September 2012

Beached whales near St. Andrews, Scotland, Sept. 2, 2012.

Andrew Milligan/AP/SIPA

During the same weekend of 09/02/12, dozens of pilot whales were stranded on both sides of the Atlantic, the coast of Scotland and Florida. In North America, it was the third such incident in two days.

26 WHALES STRANDED IN SCOTLAND
On 02/09/12, a large group of 26 pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) were beached on the eastern coast of Scotland, near St. Andrews. Sixteen died, but rescuers managed to get the other ten back into the water. Two other groups of pilot whales were beached at Cape Cod, Massachusetts (North-eastern United States) on 09/01/12, and Canada 09/02/12.

Seismic survey map in Scotland

Sibylline

It is believed that the seismic survey performed by the company M / V Polarcus Adira could be responsible for these beachings.
Two other groups of pilot whales were beached at Cape Cod, Massachusetts (North-eastern United States) on 09/01/12, and Canada 09/02/12.

22 WHALES STRANDED IN FLORIDA

Pilot whales stranded in Florida - sept.2012

internet

On 09/01/12, 22 whales - only 5 were saved - were stranded on a Florida beach.

At the same time, the Sibylline association reminds us that the American company SeaWorld is the largest representative of the captive animals' industry, which finances and manages safety operations where strandings occur and surviving animals can be found. Is it a coincidence that only young and very young animals have been rescued, while others were euthanized? These young animals were directed to one of the parks (“veterinary centres”), without the need for authorization, as they were declared not “rehabilitated”. So double whammy for SeaWorld: a huge advertising campaign promotes a very positive image of SeaWorld as a rescuer, and the financial transaction is excellent, since a pilot whale, should it be purchased, costs at least $ 250,000 dollars… So here they had five in one go...
The reason for these early September 2012' strandings is still yet to be determined.

Nearly 50 whales beached themselves off Tasmania, January 23, 2009

Internet

A NEED OF INDEPENDANT RESEARCH STUDIES

Research programs on cetaceans exist, but it is very difficult to have an independent study. In the United States, for example, only the Navy funds research programs in marine biology. But only independant studies would determine precisely the role of human activities in these strandings and the causes of the disappearance of these marine animals. But no chance to get the truth, as funding only comes from those directly involved…
Besides strandings, we already know consequences of noise on Cetaceans. Noise affects all aspects of their lives, such as:

Communication: the destruction of their echolocation system creates problems within the clan. Both males and females can no longer join.
Education: the young have difficulties to learn the group codes and more often, they end up lost and stranded on beaches.
Migration: forced to deviate from their normal routes, individuals of the same group eventually split up. The researchers found stranded cetaceans in places not usually frequented by these animals.
The risk of famine: cetaceans are not able to locate their prey and thus feed.

ARE TERE ANY SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF OUR NOISES IN OCEANS? YES, BUT, AGAIN, IT IS A QUESTION OF POLITICS & WHAT WE WANT TO FINANCE…

Among the mentioned solutions, here are a few:

Change the sonar frequency BUT this is not a solution because other cetaceans' species will be affected since each cetacean species has different characteristics of resonance clean.

The different species of cetaceans

internet

Walls of bubbles are generated at the foot of offshore wind turbines, on the sea bottom, to reduce their noise, a bit like anti-noise walls along our highways built to partially absorb the waves. The reduction is effective, but is it sufficient? ...

The shipping industry has the manufacturing capacity of building « silent » vessels but it is expensive. And as to date, no national or international obligation has been set. Despite the recommendations made by scientists and associations for several years, nobody wants to pay.

Ask Navies to check the cetaceans' presence thanks to clicks they emit before they manoeuvre. This would imply a radical change of attitude in the military, whatever nationality they are. The Navies could hire marine biologists. They would have to keep their independence at the same time in order to determine impacts of sonar on the fauna's disappearance. This measure could be quickly put in place but probably never will be...

Create more areas where maritime traffic, military manoeuvres, offshore exploration, aquatic recreational activities are totally prohibited, as well as corridors to connect these quiet areas.

Join associations that are fighting for these issues ... and talk about it around you and relay info via your networks to members of Parliament: we are public opinion and we can act.

To learn more :

http://www.sounds-of-seas.info/