Protecting the West African Manatees in Liberia
Liberia a country which has gone through decades of brutal civil war and then the Ebola outbreak which killed thousands is now going through a peaceful transition. The Forest Department Agency and Environmental Protection Agency has been poorly funded and is only now looking at conserving its natural biodiversity. Trichechus senegalensis also known as the West African Manatee has never been documented or studied until GreenLife Society entered the country this year and what was so far discovered may lead to a quick extinction of thriving Manatee population in Liberia.
GreenLife being the first to document and have the first pictures of the Liberian Manatee has sent excitment across the world in the wildlife conservation community. Unfortunately, as our prelimenary findings show we are looking at a quick decimation of the species if nothing is done to help conserve the animal.
We require your help to develop an education and awareness campaign in the key areas the Manatees are being hunted. We also need to develop a baseline study on the species to see how wide its distribution and try and get a accurate picture of the population size.
This project is marked extremely urgent as you will see in the pictures provided we warn you these are disturbing pictures. Please Donate to the development of this project! You can find the Donate project at the end of this page
Mumbai Coastline Clean and Educate Initiative
GreenLife Society investigated the massive weekly death toll off the Mumbai coastline and has started work in planning a long term strategy to clean and educate the boat and ship owners who use the Mumbai coast. As part the Indian governments Swatch Bharat initiative we will join forces with the administration, police, fishermen, business leaders, politicians, armed forces, local populations to make a concerted effort to clean the pollution around Mumbai Gorai Beach and other bio-diversity hot spots. If you would like to pledge to help please contact us!
Please Donate to the development of this project! You can find the Donate project at the end of this page
Humpback Dolphin found angled and dead in fishing net on Gorai Beach Mumbai
Marine Conservation While Diving
Have you been scuba diving around the world or just passed your advanced scuba level? We want you to dive with us and at the same time do some conservation work. We are not a normal diving school we actually take you in the water and do some work! Have you ever wondered if a career in conservation would suit you? Then why not book your next diving trip with us and get trained to know your species and learn how to monitor, protect and rescue marine species from real experts who are the best in India. This is a perfect opportunity for companies to involve their staff in CSR activities for the employees.
Sign up for the following scuba diving field trips:
Dugong Conservation
Coral Reef Monitoring
Sea Grass Monitoring
Marine Life Collection Data
Underwater Photography/Videography
This is an fun and educational way to learn how to work in the field of Marine Conservation. Send us an email if you are interested 30% of your diving fee will go to long term conservation of different species. Send us an email to :info (at) greenlifesociety (.) org with the heading Marine Conservation While Diving. We will send you details on cost and timings, we will always try to manage the timings to your own needs.
Please Donate to the development of this project!
You can find the Donate project at the end of this page
The plastic recycling center in Port Blair the walls are 12 meters high this factory is working 5 days a week at full capacity. This is why need a new unit in Havelock Island.
Project Closed please see http://www.greenlifesociety.ch/news
Setting up an Extra Unit for Recycling in Havelock Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands India
Imagine a remote tropical island in the Andaman sea one of the worlds bio diversity hotspots. In the 1990s it would be hard to find a tourist as it was hard to find a plastic bottle as all the drinks were in glasses. There was no plastic bags as people carried reusable nylon bags. Tea cups were made of real glass and no plastic cup was ever offered as the locals thought it wasthe only way to drink tea. We now go ten years ahead tourist numbers have gone up by 300% plastic bottles are normal. No one really understands what to do with these things so it was discarded without thought as people believed it would just disappear if you threw it on the floor, same with plastic bags. All the drainage systems, white sand beaches filled with plastic waste.
GreenLife Society arrived to Andaman Islands in 2002, by this time the situation was still quite manageable. After the 2004 Tsunami the world was woken that these islands existed. In the capital Port Blair there was six NGOs after the Tsunami it turned to 406 NGOs suddenly popping in to help. The tourist figures have gone up from 16.000 tourists a year to 160.000 per year each needing cold drinks to drink, each week 80 tons of plastic in different forms lands at the capital from mainland India.
In 2010 GreenLife Society set up the first official plastic glass and cardboard recycling center funded by the Finnish Embassy in New Delhi. In 2011 it was expanded by tripling the factory size as we couldn't cope with the amount of plastic, glass and cardboard this extension was funded by GreenLife CSR and GreenLife Switzerland from private donations.
In 2013 plastic bags have been banned from all shops in the islands we are reversing the trend plastic cups will be next. Our report for 2014 on the amount collected and recycled is over 400 tonnes.
The Andaman administration is very happy with our work they have allocated land to us in another island where the tourist all go when they arrive to Andaman. The place is called Havelock island they want GLS to set up there a new unit.
We cannot afford to set it up that is why we asking you to buy a Recycling Gift Voucher for someone or yourself and we will build this factory and all the people, organizations, companies who contribute to the unit we will attach their name on a plaque on the building once completed.
Have a look at the pictures underneath and see what the state of the islands is at this moment and see what your gift voucher will do.
CHANGING FOREST RANGERS INTO MARINE RANGERS INDIA
India has a coastline of over 7000 km. a major part comes under the responsibility of the Forest Departments jurisdiction. Within this area are marine protected areas presently collecting of information on marine life is gathered by chance discovery, in areas of intertidal zones.
There are no examples of forest staff entering the open sea areas and examining reefs or stopping fishing boats in the sea to examine for illegal catch.
The need to protect the marine environments requires new leadership, training, and fieldwork. Thus the development of a new breed of foresters who can handle themselves in marine environments is crucial to the protection of marine life and endangered species.
Course Methodology
This Training Program is part of a five part series that is needed to turn a Forest Ranger into a Marine Ranger.
The five steps are:
· Basic swimming and snorkeling skills
· Introduction to marine life and basic marine life rescue
· Development of snorkeling and underwater photography
· Boat maintenance and handling skills
· Development of community skills and laws regarding Wildlife Act of India
Expected Output for Conservation Research and Management
Trained Marine Rangers
A commitment from the Forest Department to have a permanent marine division to be established
Better communication between fisher folk, rangers and dive clubs regarding catch and establishing routes
A drawn area which allocates Dugong migratory routes between Havelock and Neil Islands
An idea of where future studies should be conducted and on what species due to the examination of fisherfolk catch
The halting of any poaching activities in the designated area
Poster campaign supported by GreenLife Society, HEDCON, Mine Labour Protection Campaign to raise awareness for Stone Mine Workers in Rajasthan.
Improving Mining and Environment Scenario in the Thar Desert Rajasthan India
Rajasthan, the largest State of the country has large reserves of mineral resources of both metallic and nonmetallic nature. The mining industry in Rajasthan employs a large number of people after agriculture. Their numbers are 2.2. million, which includes 97% as unorganized and 3% organized labour. A large number of workers are engaged in this sector are in Jodhpur alone.
Gross violations of basic right, minimum wage, hazardous working conditions continue to confront people each day.
Can We do Something to Solve this Problem?
We propose that we can have intervention on the following lines to solve some of the problems:
• Awareness building on community resource management.
• To facilitate them in formation of Self Help Group's for saving and exploring alternative livelihood sources and managing resources available in their villages.
• Study to revive and restore their traditional occupations.
• Identification of women leaders.
• Liaison with the Govt. and technical institutions for supporting alternative livelihood like cottage and farm based industries.
• Sustainable development of the area to avoid hardship during droughts, famines and disasters.
• Support to enhance the productivity of the agricultural land of the mine workers by reviving the 'orans' (village forests) and 'gouchars' (grazing lands).
• Providing productive cattle and expose them to new animal husbandry practices, fodder storage and organic manures.
Where mineworkers cannot be diverted back to their traditional work in the village it is important to develop cooperatives of mineworkers to enable them to take mining leases from the government to be owners rather than workers. Apart from unionizing GreenLife also promotes cooperatives of mineworkers that can take leases from the government and run them. The profit is then evenly distributed among the promoters/mineworkers.
Animal Protection Advocacy Work in Indonesia
During GreenLife Society work in Indonesia we have decided to put our efforts in providing the basic animal rights within the country. In our opinion Indonesia is the worst place in the world for animal treatment. We aim to change this by developing laws for the basic rights of animals in captivity. Currently there are no laws that exist or can be practiced. We want to develop a strong lobby for an animal rights protection law within the country. The work will work within the government highlighting the issue with our prominent figures in Indonesian society. If you would like to assist us in this work please send your donations. The pictures are of animals in street markets all over Indonesia and had to be taken secretly.