Geographical articles from April 2006

Geographical archives from April 2006

Suffering the consequences.(environmental mismanagement )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... At risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to point out once again just how difficult it's becoming to ignore the effect that we're having on the planet and its ecosystems. One of the reasons for this is that the consequences of our...

A scientist working for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has found a giant Montserrat galliwasp lizard.(Montserrat)
April 1, 2006... A scientist working for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has found a giant Montserrat galliwasp lizard, which experts had previously feared might be extinct.

NASA has found further evidence that the temperature of the Earth is increasing.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... NASA has found further evidence that the temperature of the Earth is increasing. Climatologists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) said the average surface temperature of the planet during 2005 was the highest for more than a...

A new painkiller could hold the secret to saving three species of vulture in India.(meloxicam to replace diclofenac in treating sick cattle)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A new painkiller could hold the secret to saving three species of vulture in India. Populations of Oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures in India have declined by more than 97 per cent since the early 1990s, because of...

The National Trust has bought Wembury Point and the Great Mewstone in south Devon from the Ministry of Defence.(National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty protects coastal line)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The National Trust has bought Wembury Point and the Great Mewstone in south Devon from the Ministry of Defence. Thanks to the overwhelming public support for a campaign to save the coastline, the Trust raised more than 1.4 million [pounds...

A British adventurer has begun one of the world's most perilous polar treks--the 775-kilometre crossing from the Canadian High Arctic to the geographic North Pole.(Conrad Dickinson)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A British adventurer has begun one of the world's most perilous polar treks--the 775-kilometre crossing from the Canadian High Arctic to the geographic North Pole. Conrad Dickinson, who comes from Hexham in Northumberland, hopes to complete the...

70 new species discovered in 'lost world'.(Foja Mountains)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Scientists from Conservation International (CI) have found dozens of new species in the Foja Mountains in the Indonesian state of Papua, including a honeyeater, the first new bird species found on the island of New Guinea since 1939. The...

New Zealand tops environmental performance chart.(environmental performance index )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... New Zealand has the world's best environmental performance, according to an Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by Yale and Columbia universities in the USA. Sweden is a close second, followed by Finland, the Czech Republic and the...

World's governments unprepared for disaster.(Royal Geographical Society )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst that was the message from a recent disaster forum, hosted by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and Action Aid International at the Society's headquarters in London. International experts...

Revealed--T-rex's ancestor.(tyranosaurus rex)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... An international team of scientists has found the remains of a 160-million-year-old dinosaur in the Junggar Basin in northwestern China, which is the earliest known fore-runner of the giant Tyranosaurus rex. Named Guanlong wucaii, the...

Top 10 largest energy consumers: million tonnes of oil equivalent, 2002.(Worldwatch)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... TOP 10 Largest energy consumers Million tonnes of oil equivalent, 2002 1 United States 2,290.4 2 China 1,228.6 3 Russia 617.8 4 India 538.3 5 Japan 516.9...

Tortoises set free in Madagasgar.(Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Twenty captive-bred ploughshare tortoises have been released into the wild in their native Madagascar, after almost 20 years' work by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to bring the species back from the brink. The ploughshare...

Flower miles pose emissions threat.(cut flowers release carbon dioxide)
April 1, 2006... Imports of cut flowers to the UK produce emissions of at least 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to research released by the Liberal Democrats. The party wants to draw attention the issue of 'flower miles', the term for carbon...

Armadillos get protection.(World Land Trust)
April 1, 2006... A new protected area in Paraguay will protect some of the world's rarest mammals, according to the Suffolk-based conservation organisation World Land Trust. Located in a remoted corner of Paraguay, close to the border of Brazil and...

World Development Movement: campaigning for justice for the world's poor.(Organization overview)
April 1, 2006... How and when was WDM founded? WDM was founded in 1970, by bringing together a number of groups which had been campaigning against world poverty during the late 1960s. It broke new ground by focusing on the causes of poverty and demanding...

An RGS Fellow has set off from Beijing to retrace the Silk Road to Italy, via Central Asia and the Middle East.(Roger Gilboy of Royal Geographical Society)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... An RGS Fellow has set off from Beijing to retrace the Silk Road to Italy, via Central Asia and the Middle East. Using public transport, Roger Gilboy will cross 17 countries and raise funds for Sobell House, an Oxford-based cancer care hospice....

Conservationists have blamed a new wind farm for the deaths of four white-tailed eagles on Smola, a set of islands about ten kilometres off the northwest coast of Norway.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Conservationists have blamed a new wind farm for the deaths of four white tailed eagles on Smola, a set of islands about ten kilometres off the northwest coast of Norway. According to the RSPB, 30 others have failed to return to nesting sites...

John Hare, the founder of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation (WCPF), is attempting to circumnavigate Lake Turkana in Kenya by camel.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... John Hare, the founder of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation (WCPF), is attempting to circumnavigate Lake Turkana in Kenya by camel. He hopes that the six-week and 725-kilometre expedition will raise awareness for the plight of the wild...

Ten Irrawaddy dolphins, eight of them calves, have been killed in the Mekong River in Cambodia in the last two months, raising serious concerns about the survival of a critically endangered population.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ten Irrawaddy dolphins, eight of them calves, have been killed in the Mekong River in Cambodia in the last two months, raising serious concerns about the survival of a critically endangered population. WWF estimates that there are between 80...

Surivival International has launched a campaign to end the portrayal of tribal people in the media as 'primitive' and 'Stone Age'.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Surivival International has launched a campaign to end the portrayal of tribal people in the media as 'primitive' and 'Stone Age.' "There's nothing primitive about tribal peoples except our view of them," said John Simpson, BBC world affairs...

South Africa.(flag)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Description: The South African flag has two horizontal bands of equal width, red at the top and blue at the bottom, separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side. A...

Coral bleaching threat.(Great Barrier Reef affected)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A bout of coral bleaching currently affecting Australia's Great Barrier Reef could be as bad as the worst case on record, in 2001-2002, when 60 per cent of the reef was affected, scientists have warned. A statement issued by an...

50 years ago today: Geographical April 1956.
April 1, 2006... This issue featured an article on Taiwan by Richard Scott of the Manchester Guardian. In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede the island to Japan, but it had reverted to Chinese control after World War II. From 1949, Chaing Kai-Shek...

The climate of China.(International Tea Culture Festival)
April 1, 2006... Tea--we Brits drink gallons of the stuff and this month the International Tea Culture Festival takes place in Shanghai. An appropriate excuse, then, for taking a closer look at the climate of China, a vast country made up of widely different...

Q&A: Chris Edwards discusses where is prostitution legal, the Galileo global positioning system, the most commonly spoken language, the origins of Timor's Ocussi enclave and British troops overseas.
April 1, 2006... Which language is spoken the most? J Pepper, Telford Measured by the number of speakers, the most commonly spoken language is Mandarin Chinese, with some 900 million speakers, or about 14 per cent of the world's population. Spanish comes...

Waste forum.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Amid news of the government's proposal to introduce a tax on waste--essentially, a charge on the amount of household rubbish we produce--the Society would like to remind readers that waste is also on the agenda of its next Environment and...

Annual conference 2006.(NEWS)
April 1, 2006... This summer, the Society will once again host the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference at its headquarters in London. Delegates will give a variety of presentations, outlining the latest cutting-edge research in the field of geography....

Award for desert research.(In Society: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)
April 1, 2006... EDITORIAL: If you're conducting post-doctoral research in an arid or desert environment, the Thesiger-Oman International Fellowship may well be of interest to you. Since 2004, the Society has offered two Fellowship grants every year of...

Other forthcoming RGS-IBG grants include.(Royal Geographical Society, Institute of British Geographers )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Other forthcoming RGS-IBG grants include: NEVILLE SHULMAN CHALLENGE AWARD (31 March 2006) An annual award of 10,000 [pounds sterling] established by Neville Shulman to increase the understanding and exploration of the planet and its...

Water summit.(managing water in changing environment)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The 21st century is likely to see me greatest pressure on water resources in history, according to the Society journal Area. A special edition published in March is dedicated to the challenge of managing water resources in a changing...

A selection of April's other Society events.(In Society: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... For details, please contact the Events Office on 020 7591 3100 3 April 6.30pm (LECTURE, LONDON) Life in the undergrowth Mike Salisbury from the BBC Natural History Unit uncovers the minute universe of invertebrates and the...

Lecture of the month: Jordan--a unique pictorial journey.(In Society: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Jordan is a young country, but the land it occupies is an ancient one. And as part of the Society's popular Monday night lecture series, archaeologist Christa Paul and photographer David Sanders will discuss how Jordan's location in the Middle...

Royal Geographical Society with IBG: advancing geography and geographical learning.(Institute of British Geographers )(Organization overview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Patron Her Majesty The Queen Honorary President HRH The Duke of Kent The Council President Sir Neil Cossons OBE Vice Presidents Elspeth Insch OBE, Professor Keith Richards, Professor David Thomas Honorary Treasurer...

City on the confluence: superior military map of Koblenz from the reign of Louis XIV.
April 1, 2006... The German city name Koblenz is derived from the Latin word couflueutia meaning 'confluence', in this case, of two rivers, the Rhine and Moselle. Once referred to as Castrum ad confluentes and founded in Roman times to command this strategic...

Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition 2006.
April 1, 2006... Now into its sixth year, the Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition is all about geography in such a way as to inspire and encourage the next generation of geographers, travellers and explorers THIS YEAR'S CHALLENGE: MAKE A...

From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh.(development after Vietnam War, 1959-1975)
April 1, 2006... VIETNAM When the war ended in 1975, one of the Vietnamese government's top priorities was rebuilding the Transindochinois railway. Winding from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, the track binds north to south, and the route was swiftly dubbed the...

Elephants: the big picture: to coincide with an exclusive exhibition at the RGS-IBG that focuses on wild elephant conservation, Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation, reflects upon the challenges facing Earth's largest land mammals.(Royal Geographical Society, Institute of British Geographers)(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2006... I saw my first wild elephants as a six year old, in 1965. It was after the filming of Born Free on a family safari that we encountered a herd of elephants in Lake Manyara National Park, northern Tanzania. Even at that age, I was deeply...

Death on the Niger: the truth about Mungo Park: this year marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Mungo Park, one of the great explorers of Africa and the founding figure of modern travel writing. Author of the bestselling Gates of Africa and a leading expert on the Scottish explorer, Anthony Sattin traces Park's final journey up Mali's Niger River in an attempt to cast light on his mysterious death.
April 1, 2006... He was one of the most celebrated explorers of his age, a pioneer of overland travel at the end of the great age of maritime exploration. He had travelled through uncharted Africa, where so many had died before him, and come home safe to tell...

Catching diseases ...(marburg virus disease)(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... Recent changes in the patterns of human behaviour are allowing increasing numbers of dangerous pathogens to cross from humans to animals. Indeed, research suggests that up to 73 per cent of new human diseases are zoonotic in origin, including...

A new light on Libya: as thousands of astronomers flock to Libya at the end of March to get the best view of the total solar eclipse, Geographical travels to this largely unspoiled North African country and is impressed by its collection of remarkably preserved architecture.
April 1, 2006... "I am very happy, as the people will bring money, and business will be good." These are the words of a cook I meet in Libya, plying his trade to the infrequent adventure travellers as they work their way south from Tripoli, the country's...

Humans: next on the endangered list: Jared Diamond, professor of geography at UCLA, talks to Andrew Brackenbury about the decline of societies such as the Maya and Easter Islanders, and asks if the modern world might be heading in the same direction.
April 1, 2006... Jared Diamond is no caped crusader, but he is on a mission to save us. And although he Ks sport a beard, his personal styling if more American founding father than modern-day messiah. Yet in his last book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail...

Into harm's way: soldiers, aid workers and war correspondents aren't the only people attracted to unstable countries. Travel is rarely without risk, but a small and growing number of us are choosing to ignore government advice and visit the world's more dangerous places. Tom Chesshyre discusses why some tourists put themselves in harm's way and the issues that are raised when they do.
April 1, 2006... When 24-year-old aid worker Kate Burton and her parents, Hugh, 73, and Win, 55, were taken hostage by Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip last December, the nation was horrified. Grave fears were held for the safety of the bright, young,...

Burma: rediscovering the past.(20th century)
April 1, 2006... In 1937, the Royal Geographical Society photographic archive received a donation that included 450 glass-plate negatives of Burmese life in the late 19th century. Taken by the photographers Max and Bertha Ferrars, the images were published in a...

Shias and Sunnis: the roots of an Islamic divide.(The Heirs of the Prophet Muhammed: And the Roots of the Sunni-Shia Schism )(Book review)
April 1, 2006... The Heirs of the Prophet Muhammed: And the Roots of the Sunni-Shia Schism by Barnaby Rogerson Little, Brown, hb, pp415, 17.99 [pounds sterling] It hasn't been much of a century for the image of Islam. The attacks on New York, Madrid and...

Mount Everest: The Reconnaissance 1935.(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Mount Everest: The Reconnaissance 1935 by Tony Astill Tony Astill, hb, pp360, 30 [pounds sterling] It's almost unimaginable that, among the plethora of literature written on Mount Everest, there wasn't, until now, a single book dedicated...

Lady Franklin's Revenge: A True Story of Ambition, Obsession and the Remaking of Arctic History.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Lady Franklin's Revenge: A True Story of Ambition, Obsession and the Remaking of Arctic History by Ken McGoogan Bantam Press, hb, pp480, 20 [pounds sterling] Born in London in 1791, Jane Franklin (nee Griffin) travelled widely, despite...

Paperback round-up.(Through Siberia)(Indian Balm: Travels amongst Fakirs and Fire Warriors)(On the Wing: To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falcon )(Book review)
April 1, 2006... It comes as no surprise to Dervla Murphy that there's red tape involved in traversing Siberia--even her bicycle, Pushkin, needs papers. But in Through Siberia by Accident she doesn't expect so much ill-luck: a slip on the train on her second...

Seeds of Blood and Beauty: Scottish Plant Explorers.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Seeds of Blood and Beauty: Scottish Plant Explorers by Ann Lindsay Birlinn, hb, pp158, 16.99 [pounds sterling] Who knows what quirk of the national psyche was responsible, but the Scots, it seemed, had a natural talent for discovering new...

Top 10 writer's reads.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... 1. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (Vintage, 15 [pounds sterling]) I first read this in a modern seven-storey castle of the imagination--an aircraft carrier crossing the Bay of Biscay 2. 1984 by George Orwell (Penguin, 7.99 [pounds...

A city's hidden nature.(Wild London: The Nature of a Capital )(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Wild London: The Nature of a Capital by Iain Green Tiger Books, hb, pp176, 25 [pounds sterling] After the foray in January of a northern bottle-nosed whale into the inner straits of the Thames, it seems somehow appropriate to be reviewing...

Twice a Stranger: Greece, Turkey and the Minorities They Expelled.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Twice a stranger: Greece, Turkey and the Minorities they Expelled by Bruce Clark Granta Books, hb, pp267, 17.99 [pounds sterling] On 24 July 1923, the Peace Treaty of Lausanne was signed in Switzerland by Greece, Turkey and other countries...

Geographical classic #29.(Through the Dark Continent)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Through the Dark Continent by Henry Morton Stanley. First published in 1878. Most recent edition published in two volumes by Dover Publications, pb, pp 1920, 22 [pounds sterling] After a journey of incomparable hardship, Henry Morton...

A portrait of the British coastline.(Sea Fever )(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Sea Fever by Stuart Franklin Bardwell Press, pb, pp 144, 24.99 [pounds sterling] After the success of the National Trust's photographic exhibition The Coast Exposed--one of the best of last year--the Trust has produced Sea Fever, a...

Enabling adventure: Karen Darke describes the latest advances in equipment that are enabling a new generation of disabled adventures to get out and about in the great outdoors.(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2006... My biggest dilemma when planning a handcycling trip through Central Asia and the Himalaya was how I was going to go to the toilet. Being paralysed, I can't crouch on wooden planks over long-drops, or hover behind boulders. There was enormous...

Ten of the best.(protective clothes)
April 1, 2006... Whether you're going camping, canoeing, climbing, cycling, skiing, rowing or rafting, these days there's a range of equipment out there to match everybody's needs 1 For kayaking EDAD Aquabac 550 [pounds sterling]/9.45 kilograms...

Prodigies on skis.
April 1, 2006... Prodigious young skiiers will have the opportunity to develop their talent later this year in Val Thorens in the French Alps. Held between 16 and 18 December, the North Face Prodigy Ski Challenge will host 60 talented skiiers aged 12-17. A...

Pump up the thermal.
April 1, 2006... If winter seems to be outstaying its welcome, there's still time to invest in the new Vaude Timbu Pro (120 [pounds sterling]) and Timbu Zip Off (110 [pounds sterling]) jackets, which are filled with warm PrimaLoft. Available for both men and...

Try before you buy with Raichle.
April 1, 2006... Boot manufacturer Raichle is launching a 'try-before-you-buy' scheme on key styles in its mountaineering and walking ranges. Two shops--V12 in Snowdonia and West Coast Leisure in Fort William--will have a six-strong range of Raichle boots,...

One jacket: three looks.
April 1, 2006... Paramo has launched an unusual three-in-one design for spring 2006--the new 3rd Element jacket. It's the first modular jacket in the outdoors market which offers three garments in one. This fully functional technical jacket splits into...

The lightest jacket yet?(GEAR ESSENTIALS)
April 1, 2006... The North Face has introduced a must-have for adventurers who need to travel light: one of the lightest waterproof jackets on the market, the DIAD, or 'done in a day' jacket. It weighs in at a featherlight 199g and is made from HyVent DT, a...

Brasher go lite.(travel boots )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Tired of trudging up those hills and mountains in that old pair of leather walking boots that once promised to keep your feet warm and dry, but have long since given up? Then Brasher may have just the thing. The British walking--and hiking-boot...

Beware the bite: medical advice from Jason Gibbs, head pharmacist at Nomad Travel stores and health clinics.
April 1, 2006... Mosquitoes transmit a host of infectious diseases, not least malaria. As well as taking the appropriate prophylactic drugs, the best way of protecting yourself is to try not to get bitten in the first place. There are several basic ways to...

Explorer's essentials: Barry 'Baz' Roberts, paraglider, skier, explorer, medic.(clothings from North Face Inc., camera from Canon Inc. and gliders from SKY Paragliders)
April 1, 2006... 1. Quantum Nupste Jacket from The North Face. This is the lightest, yet loftiest down-filled duvet jacket on the market and is toasty warm in cold, dry conditions yet it packs down into its own pocket. I travel for various reasons--mountain...

Eyewitness guides.(travel guides from Dorling Kindersley Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... What are they like? Eyewitness Travel Guides cover numerous cities, areas and countries, and cost between 10.99 [pounds sterling] and 18.99 [pounds sterling]). Published by Dorling Kindersley, each contains a wealth of information...

Beating the heat: this month, Keith Wilson discusses the technical and compositional challenges that photographers face in the driest places on Eart.
April 1, 2006... The layman's idea of a typical desert as an endless vista of giant sand dunes rolling away into the distance isn't always borne out by reality. True, the best-known deserts are renowned for their expanses of dunes, but many other deserts are...

All covered up.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Loved the March issue's bright, brash cover. It really grabbed my attention and hopefully it will have done the same to others, in the process helping to spread awareness about the palm oil issue. Mark Hanlon, Blackpool

Eyes opened.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... The Dossier on the effect that palm oil production is having on the environment in Malaysia and Indonesia (March 2006) really opened my eyes. I always do my best to buy responsibly, avoiding products that were made in sweatshops or whose...

It's paddles at dawn.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I was part of the NZ Adventure Philosophy team that successfully completed the first circumnavigation of South Georgia island (Worldwatch, February 2006). I was interested to see that you had highlighted Peter Bray's journey and made note of...

Tunnel of love.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Loved the article Plant patterns from the air (February 2006). It brought to mind my first day at work at a research institute near Saffron Walden in Essex. "Please take these plants to the plastic tunnel near the back gate," said my new...

Lost in the post.(Upper Volta)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Formerly known as Upper Volta, this stamp's origin achieved independence from France in 1960. Its high population density and limited natural resources have resulted in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens and the government...

Padding out the story.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I've followed with interest John Hate's tales of his work with wild Bactrian camels in China and Mongolia and applaud his efforts to save these magnificent beasts. The latest instalment (Counting camels, consulting stones, March 2006) was...

Spirit of the age.(LETTERS)(Cartoon)
April 1, 2006... FLAT CAMEL? HAVE YOU TRIED RUBBER AND MELTED MUTTON FAT? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Nick Smith in conversation with ... Peter Kershaw.(Interview)
April 1, 2006... Peter Kershaw is an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Since 2002, he has led an Earthwatch Institute project on climate change in Churchill, Manitoba ...