Geographical articles from August 2003

Geographical archives from August 2003

Shooting success.(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... This month, we are proud to present the winners and runners-up of the Geographical Photographer of the Year competition. The standard--which never ceases to impress--was particularly high this year, and we would like to thank all of our many...

A mystery solved. (Prize Letter).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I was quite astonished to see the photograph that appeared on page 84 of the July issue of Geographical showing a man with no lower legs (Visions of Africa). I instantly realised that the same image appeared in one of my old books--Monkey Folk...

Corrosion through contact? (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... Your articles and breathtaking photographs relating to peoples who still sustain their traditional customs, in particular those of the Dong village in China (From a wind bridge to a drum tower, June 2003), were extremely interesting and...

No water woes? (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... If one is to believe the figure given at the First International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism (Tourism in a warmer world, July 2003) that, "an additional 170 million people will be severely water stressed by 2050", then it would...

A beastly mistake. (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I am slightly confused. Is the animal on page 19 of the July issue (The stone menagerie) Euryzygoma dunense, or is it Zygomaturus trilobus, as it's labelled on page 21? SJ Hill, St Albans, Hertfordshire Ed replies: a number of readers...

To tax or not to tax. (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... As the nominator of the winning Balearics ecotax entry for the 2002 British Guild of Travel Writers Globe Award, I was disappointed by the Association of British Travel Agents' (ABTA) continuing opposition to this farsighted initiative (Travel...

Elephant voices. (S Africa).(translocation stress monitored by radio-transmitters)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Conservation officials in South Africa hope that specially designed elephant voice recorders will help solve the mystery of why some elephants kill rhinos. Jozua Viljoen, of Technikon Pretoria's Department of Nature Conservation, is...

The UN Security Council has issued a ten-month ban on the importation of Liberian timber effective from July. (Liberia).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The UN Security Council has issued a ten-month ban on the importation of Liberian timber effective from July. Liberia's government failed to prove that revenue from the industry was being used for legitimate social or humanitarian purposes. The...

Map 'rippers' wanted. (Europe).(theft of anitique maps from European libraries)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... With a polite word to staff, and armed only with pocket knives, thieves have been quietly stealing antique maps from library collections across Europe. Libraries in Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have all reported the loss of...

City lights obscure the stars. (UK).(report from the Council for the Protection of Rural England)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Light pollution is on the increase, according to a report from the Council for the Protection of Rural England. The phenomenon, which inhibits our view of the cosmos, was first highlighted during National Astronomy Week in 1990. Satellite...

The alps get a dusting. (Europe).(African and Chinese desert dust found in France)
August 1, 2003... An international team of scientists has identified sprinklings of dust from China's Takla-Makan Desert in Mercantour National Park in the southern French Alps. Chinese dust has been known to reach North America and Greenland, but never Europe....

Website.(Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust monitors East African flamingo protection)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust has launched a website to show the progress of a project monitoring East Africa's lesser flamingo, whose survival depends on a fragile network of feeding and breeding sites in the Great Rift Valley. Three birds...

The area of England in which otters live has increased five-fold in the past 25 years. (UK).(improvement in health of England's rivers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The area of England in which otters live has increased five-fold in the past 25 years. The National Otter Survey for England found they are now returning to regions that they left nearly half a century ago--an indicator of the improving health...

Expedition goes back for More (sby). (Canada).(attempt to prove ice age habitation on Moresby Island)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... An expedition to Canada's most remote island later this month hopes to prove the presence of ice-free land during the last ice age. Success would suggest that conditions were suitable for human habitation, so people could have reached North...

Rainforest Concern, the charity celebrating its tenth birthday this year, has successfully purchased 12,000 hectares of forest, linking western Ecuador's two largest protected reserves and saving them from depletion by palm oil companies. (Ecuador).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Rainforest Concern, the charity celebrating its tenth birthday this year, has successfully purchased 12,000 hectares of forest, linking western Ecuador's two largest protected reserves and saving them from depletion by palm oil companies. The...

Use of peat-based compost and wild plants from unsustainable sources by British gardeners is having a detrimental effect on natural habitats in the UK and Ireland, according to TRAFFIC and WWF. (UK).(TRAFFIC International and World Wildlife Fund)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Use of peat-based compost and wild plants from unsustainable sources by British gardeners is having a detrimental effect on natural habitats in the UK and Ireland, according to TRAFFIC and WWF. Around 800 hectares of Irish bog is destroyed each...

Floodgates to open in Venice. (Italy).(criticism of outdated flood control project )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A project to protect Venice from damage by high tides and floods, first proposed in 1966, has been launched. The long-awaited scheme will involve building a series of 79 massive floodgates along the Lido, the long, narrow island separating the...

Underground lab searches for WIMPs. (UK).(Weakly Interacting Massive Particle research at former salt mine)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A former salt mine in north Yorkshire is the somewhat unlikely setting for the search for one of astronomy's last great mysteries--dark matter. Scientists can only explain the behaviour of objects such as galaxies by invoking this invisible...

Hidden talents: they are among the oceans' most beautiful inhabitants, clad in a bewildering array of bright colours and bold patterns, but scientists are discovering that nudibranchs also have some surprising--even potentially life-saving--capabilities.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Some run on solar power, others cast off and then regrow their body parts at will. Some steal and reuse weapons from other animals, others secrete sulphuric acid. And some produce substances that could provide cures for cancer. Nudibranchs...

Hilltop hoard: David Keys explains how the discovery of Iron Age treasure is helping to reveal the geopolitics of the Ancient Britons.(Leicestershire, England excavation)
August 1, 2003... As you drive through the rolling hills of Leicestershire across the narrow flood plain of the River Welland into Northamptonshire, you can be forgiven for failing to realise that you've changed county. But 2,000 years ago, this picturesque...

Have camera will travel: as Geographical's Photographer of the Year competition proves yet again, photography captures our world like no other medium. Robert Leggat discusses the unwieldy genesis of travel photography and examines the circumstances under which its early pioneers went in search of the perfect shot.
August 1, 2003... Today, we can all identify famous landmarks such as the leaning tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal or the Grand Canyon, without ever having visited them, thanks primarily to photography. An art form and means of visual communication and...

The Geographical Photographer of the Year 2003.(winner and runners-up in various categories listed)(Royal Geographical Society)
August 1, 2003... The miracles of science[TM] The annual Geographical Photographer of the Year competition regularly attracts some fantastic images, and this year's was no exception. Entrants were asked to submit images relating to seven categories: the...

The story of height: since the industrial innovations of the 19th century, the ability to measure height accurately has become increasingly important. Marek Ziebart traces its evolution in Britain from sea level to space and back.
August 1, 2003... We live in a three-dimensional world. This may seem obvious, but when it comes to locating ourselves on the globe, we tend to think only in two dimensions--latitude and longitude. The third dimension, height, usually only comes into play when...

Explorer of the orient: photojournalist, explorer and conservationist Wong How Man talks to Liz Scarff about his fascination with the wilds of western China.
August 1, 2003... When a young Wong How Man decided to find out more about his cultural heritage, he quickly ran into difficulties--the majority of research material on China was more than 40 years old. Not one to back away from a problem, he took it upon...

Galapagos: Ocean, Earth, Wind & Fire.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... by Jonathan R Green, Jonathan R Green, hb, pp183, 34.95 [pounds sterling] A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Jonathan Green has spent many years working as a naturalist and diver in the Galapagos Islands. Eager to...

Everest: a Thousand Years of Exploration.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... by Michael P Ward Ernest Press, hb, pp350, 25 [pounds sterling] In 1950, while serving as a medical officer with the Brigade Guards, Michael Ward made a breakthrough discovery in the archives of the Royal Geographical Society. A forgotten...

Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... by Liza Picard Weidenfeld & Nicolson, hb, pp342, 20 [pounds sterling] Drawing on a variety of sources, including records from Queen Elizabeth I's astrologer, doctors, churchwardens and foreign visitors, Elizabeth's London describes what...

Bluestocking in Patagonia.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... by Anne Whitehead, Profile Books, hb, pp312, 14.95 [pounds sterling] This is the tale of the early adult life of the poet, radical socialist and campaigner Mary Gilmore, a woman who has so influenced the 20th-century Australian psyche that...

The White Headhunter.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... by Nigel Randell, Constable & Robinson, hb, pp364, 14.99 [pounds sterling] Jack Renton's incredible story begins in 1886 when the Scotsman is shanghaied to a whaler in San Francisco. A bungled escape leads to eight years marooned among a...

Setting sails.(Museum in Docklands)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Museum in Docklands No 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, Hertsmere Road, London E14 Tel: 0870 444 3856; www.museumindocklands.org.uk Open daily, 10am-6pm Admission: Adults 5 [pounds sterling]; concessions 3 [pounds sterling];...

Picturing Place: Photography and the Geographical Imagination.(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... Edited by Joan M Schwartz and James R Ryan 1B Tauris, pb, pp354, 18.95 [pounds sterling] The development of photography in the 19th century changed the way mankind was able to experience the world. For the first time, people could...

Inspiring efforts. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening at the RGS-IBG this month).
August 1, 2003... The people and stories I encounter at the Society never cease to amaze me. Whether it's the achievements of our adventurous Fellows, the accomplished research community or some of our most enthusiastic geography teachers, all are sure to...

Society members' polar achievements. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening at the RGS-IBG this month).(Royal Geographical Society)(American Express Franklin Memorial Expedition)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Two RGS-IBG members have recently hit the headlines: British adventurer Pen Hadow and Rebecca Harris. Hadow successfully completed a historic 769-kilometre solo expedition from the northern coast of Canada, across the constantly shifting ice of...

Leaders wanted for wilderness youth expeditions. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening at the RGS-IBG this month).
August 1, 2003... BSES Expeditions is a youth development charity that organises expeditions for young people aged between 16 and 20 on which they can take part in adventurous and scientific projects. It is looking for volunteers to lead projects in Svalbard,...

Geography conference call. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening at the RGS-IBG this month).
August 1, 2003... 'Geography, Serving Society and the Environment' is the theme of this year's three-day International Annual Conference organised by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). Held in London this September, the...

Society medals & awards: each year, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) presents a number of awards--nominations for which are made by the Fellows--in recognition of those achieving excellence in areas relating to geography and the understanding of the world.(Mike Goodchild and Harish Kapadia win major awards)
August 1, 2003... The origins of these prestigious awards date back to 1831, when King William IV--under whose patronage the Society first came into being--decided to bestow two gifts of 50 guineas each "for the encouragement and promotion of geographical...

The UK's leading windfarm developer: seventy five years ago, Scotland led the evolution of renewable energy in Britain, making use of its unique geography and engineering talent to undertake the large-scale development of hydro-electric power. Now Scotland is at the forefront of a new drive to generate 10 per cent of the nation's electricity from renewable sources by 2010. (Geographical Promotion).
August 1, 2003... Scotland has the best wind resource in Europe and ScottishPower has taken a determined lead in the renewables renaissance. The company is expanding its portfolio of 11 windfarms in the UK and Eire--with a total output of about 150...

Renewable energy: a 23-page in-depth look at he future of fossil-free fuel: the global energy industry has long been dominated by fossils fuels. But when the leader of the European wind industry tells oil-industry leaders that it's time to drop wind's 'alternative' tag "because we are now the mainstream" and nobody laughs, it's clear that the balance of power is shifting. (Renewable-Energy Special).
August 1, 2003... Everybody agrees that climate change is a reality and that a major shift away from carbon-based fuels is essential (well, everybody except the US government and a few 'global-warming deniers' that is). No longer just the preoccupation of a few...

Setting the agenda for the UK's green-energy future: the UK government recently published visionary targets for the reduction of carbon emissions, substantial increases in renewable energy and more investment to clean up existing technologies. But is it just more hot air blowing out of Westminster, or are the targets achievable? (Renewable-Energy Special).
August 1, 2003... Back in February this year, the UK government published its long-awaited Energy White Paper. For a nation synonymous with huge coal reserves and North Sea oil and gas, the report, entitled Our Energy Future: Creating a Low Carbon Economy, was...

The technologies: when it comes to selecting the best alternatives available in the renewable-energy market, not all of them can be applied to every situation; each of the contenders comes with its own pros and cons. (Renewable-Energy Special).
August 1, 2003... Solar power--an inexpensive source of off-grid renewable energy Each day, the Earth is bathed in vast quantities of solar energy; the difficulty lies in harnessing it. At present, the main practical uses for direct sunlight are in heating...

Turning renewables into a reality: Orkney, lying off the north coast of Scotland, is blessed with some of the best renewable resources in the world and the local community is aiming to use this advantage to secure its own future prosperity while protecting the unique landscape and environmental features that make the islands so special. (Geographical promotion: renewable-energy special).
August 1, 2003... When it comes to balancing the economic, social and environmental issues in renewables development, a group of local Orkney businesses is taking the initiative. As well as delivering a stream of local projects, this team works throughout the UK...

Green nations: White Papers and technological innovations are one thing, but implementation is another. So which countries are committed to switching to renewable energy? (Renewable-Energy Special).(use and development of renewable energy around the world)(wind power, solar power, biomass included)
August 1, 2003... Spain Ten years ago, Spain had virtually no renewable-energy capacity, but today it's a big success story for wind power, capable of producing just under 5,000 megawatts. It's home to Gamesa, the world's fourth-largest wind-turbine...

Healthy business growth: no matter how much work governments do to prepare the energy markets for the switch to renewables, it is ultimately down to the business sector to lead renewable energy out of the backwaters and into the mainstream. (Renewable-Energy Special).
August 1, 2003... Capturing the wind The wind-power industry is now worth almost US$8billion (4.8billion [pounds sterling]) a year. A big influence on its growth has been a cluster of Danish and German technology companies that produce cost-effective wind...

Cleaning up the world's exhaust pipes: they're quiet, efficient, run on renewable energy sources and their exhaust is just a cloud of water vapour. Could the rise of fuel-cell vehicles spell the end of the internal combustion engine? (Renewable-Energy Special).
August 1, 2003... When global car giant Daimler-Benz (now DaimlerChrysler) announced in 1997 that it was investing US$500million (300million [pounds sterling]) in a small Canadian fuel-cell manufacturer called Ballard Power Systems, the statement sent shock...

Green power.
August 1, 2003... GIVE THE WORLD--AND EVEN YOUR WALLET--A BREAK WITH GEOGRAPHICAL'S LIST OF SPECIALISTS IN RENEWABLE-ENERGY SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS, WHO WILL HELP YOU TO DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS AND COMBAT GLOBAL WARMING SELECT...

Geographical travel: catch up on the latest travel news, head into the jungles of Vietnam's Cat Thien National Park in search of the endangered Siamese crocodile and learn how Discovery Initiatives is challenging the conventional approach to wilderness travel.(Ingleborough, tourist attraction in Yorkshire Dales National Park)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Ingleborough, Yorkshire Dales National Park, UK The flat-topped bulk of Ingleborough, rising above the limestone pavements of the Craven Pennines, is one of the so-called Three Peaks of Yorkshire Dales National Park--the others being Whernside...

Ecotourism returns to Nanda Devi. (travel news).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in India's Garwhal Himalaya range--home to the country's second-highest peak, Nanda Devi--is due to reopen for ecotourism. A total ban on all human activities within the reserve was imposed in 1982 due to...

Wilderness Safaris win. (travel news).(World Legacy Awards)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Wilderness Safaris--which runs lodges in southern Africa--has topped the natural-travel category of the inaugural World Legacy Awards. Created by National Geographic Traveller and Conservation International, the awards recognise excellence in...

Tourist tax trashed. (Tourism Concern).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Balearics ecotax is no more. When the 1 [euro] (70p) a day tax was introduced last year, the business community and many tour operators took a strong stand against it, fearing that it would damage their trade. But tourist numbers remained...

Seeing is believing. (travel news).(World Wildlife Fund conservation project tours offered to donors)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The global environmental network WWF is giving its donors the chance to see for themselves how their contributions are being spent in the field, offering holidays to a number of its conservation projects. Describing its 'Seeing is...

Canary tour. (Travel update).(Canary Wharf, London)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The first in a new series of self-guided walking tours around Canary Wharf has been launched, focusing on the area's landscape and gardens--including the jewel in its crown Jubilee Park, which opens fully in September--and the many pieces of...

Take the MAG challenge. (Travel update).(Mines Advisory Group)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Mines Advisory Group, a British-based charity that clears landmines and assists people affected by these and other potentially lethal remnants of armed conflict, is recruiting fit and adventurous fundraisers for a cycle through...

Australia's Garma festival. (Travel Update).(annual celebration of Yolngu culture )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... This month, the annual celebration of Yolngu culture takes place in northern Australia. With a history that stretches back more than 40,000 years, the Yolngu people comprise more than 50 clans, which gather in a remote part of northeastern...

Snap happy: Graham Holliday ventures into the jungles of Vietnam, where he encounters the rare Siamese crocodile.
August 1, 2003... When Vietnam reopened its doors to tourism, there was no shortage of people waiting to step through. Destinations along the well-trodden route that takes in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue and Hanoi are now overrun by buses and cars...

Julian Matthews is founding director of Discovery Initiatives, a tour operator that offers fair-trading partnerships with conservation agencies and local communities in Namibia.(Interview)
August 1, 2003... Julian Matthews is founding director of Discovery Initiatives, a tour operator that offers fair-trading partnerships with conservation agencies and local communities in Namibia. Les Pickford speaks to him about challenging the conventional...

Inspirational living: whether you want to make some ethical purchases or sit down with a good book, let this Geographical selection inspire you.(Bibliography)
August 1, 2003... Our world in pictures. The world's finest books on the art of photography from Thames & Hudson Wild Things by Britta Jaschinski, 16.95 [pounds sterling] hardback The beauty and fragility of our planet and its animals...

Pedro Arrojo-Agudo was recently awarded a Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts to halt the construction of 120 dams and the diversion of Spain's last wild rivers.(leader of campaign against National Hydrological Project)
August 1, 2003... Pedro Arrojo-Agudo was recently awarded a Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts to halt the construction of 120 dams and the diversion of Spain's last wild rivers. Arrojo has inspired a new wave of activism in Spain and has created a...