As we all are aware, the conservation and protection of the world’s flora and fauna is very important towards providing us with a world still filled with such beautiful animals, plants and trees, and providing us with a stable living ecosystem necessary for the world’s inhabitants. Its significance could not be emphasised more with the fact that we, the humans need them in order to survive and to appreciate them so that they wont be lost forever in time. Thus, the continued destruction, pollution and extinguishing must be halted immediately. Hence, the World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF, the world’s largest nature and animal conservation organization is essential in providing definitive solutions to the various problems plaguing our inestimable endangered animals and the environment.

WWF Malaysia, WWF’s 19th chapter, seeks to conserve Malaysia’s rich heritage of forests, wetlands and seas, and also the various species that they protect from being extinct in the wild.

I had the opportunity to an interview with the President Emeritus of WWF Malaysia Tan Sri Dato’ Paduka Khir Johari. Although this interview go way back some three years ago (for a Journalistic Assignment), but the key questions and answers are proven to be still relevant today. Some of the issues that I’ve raised include Malaysia’s environmental state, the welfare of the animals and the main objectives and concerns of WWF Malaysia. It is also vital to know how the people are responding to its causes and what are the efforts needed to help make the world a better place to live in, for the sake of our future. Here’s hoping that the proactive measures taken to conserve and protect our flora and fauna may not be futile, and that everyone on Earth would realise and do their part to make an impact or even a small improvement before it’s too late. It shall not be in vain, because there’s nothing more momentous than to provide a sustainable and comfortable life for generations to come.

Have a look at the transcript of my Online Interview with Tan Sri Dato’ Paduka Khir Johari, President Emeritus of WWF Malaysia, Dated April 10, 2003:

First of all I would like to extend my appreciations to you Tan Sri Dato' Paduka Khir Johari for taking the time to answer a few questions regarding Malaysia's outstanding World Wide Fund for Nature organization.
Here are the questions:

  1. What are the main purposes or goals that you along with many others are trying to achieve with WWF Malaysia?

    2. ANSWER: WWF's mission is to stop, and eventually reverse, the degradation of the planet's natural environment, and also towards building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. In Malaysia, WWF, in its 30 year history, has grown into one of the country's largest and most effective independent organisations.It is dedicated to the conservation of the environment typically running some 50 projects around the country at any one time. Many of our staff work at the front line of conservation, sometimes in difficult conditions, helping to make full use of the limited resources that are at our disposal.

  2. Do you think that WWF has been effective in ensuring that the environment and wildlife gets a voice to be heard in this millennium?

    3. ANSWER: Yes. In many ways, WWF has been effective. When WWF started its work in 1972, conservation was a much simpler business than it is today. Efforts were focused on nature education and on the species and places that were clearly in need of protection. By and large, it was left to others to make the links with economics, social issues and other aspects of national development that have to be integrated with conservation.

These days, we see more members of the public picking up on environmental issues themselves. If you were to pick up a day's newspaper for instance, you will see many highlighted issues relating to the environment. As such, environmental awareness and stewardship is beginning to grow.

3.) How do you personally feel about the present issues concerning the environment and wildlife situation in these times where world peace is being threatened?ANSWER: The environment and world peace are very much related and at the same time different. For WWF Malaysia, our focus is very much national; i.e. we concentrate on conservation priorities in the country. Obviously, we cannot discount the fact that the war in Iraq could have implications on the environment itself.

All wars have a devastating and traumatic impact on people. WWF's core business is nature and the environment, and as an organization, our mandate focuses us on the impact of war on wildlife, critical habitats, and the environment. WWF is calling on all parties to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in Iraq.

In Iraq itself for example, the following issues are pertinent:

  • Freshwater:

A conflict in Iraq could gravely impact upon fresh water ecosystems and resources in that country – in particular in the Mesopotamian Marshes. Although Iraq does not suffer from a water shortage, should a bombing campaign be launched for example, severe pollution is likely.

In a worst case scenario, a bombing campaign could result in a rapid and widespread contamination of surface and groundwater by oil, other industrial chemicals, and sewerage. Many people could die as a result of such a contamination. Remaining fisheries would be dramatically reduced and contaminated, depriving Iraqis of an important source of protein and calcium.

Extensive flooding is likely from the destruction of dams and other water infrastructure. In the short term this will be disastrous for Iraqi people and exacerbate pollution. If the Mesopotamian Marshes are reflooded then depending on pollution, a partial return to ecological health is possible, bringing back wildlife, fisheries and the Ma’dan Arab communities who once depended on them.

WWF believes that any peace settlement should include:

  1. A program to decontaminate the marshes and rivers to the extent practicable by removing sunken ships, unexploded ordinance and spilt chemicals where possible;
  2. Restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes by breaching levee banks and restoring natural water flows to the extent possible.

 

Ultimately Turkey, Syria and Iraq must agree to equitably and sustainably manage the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. A peace settlement should include these countries and require action to:

  • Establish a river basin commission to facilitate cooperation, including sharing of data, decision making and conflict resolution mechanisms;
  • Jointly assess, decide and minimise social and environmental impacts of proposed new dams;
  • Maintain equitable and sustainable water flows (to mimic natural volumes, seasonality and timing to restore wildlife and fisheries), including a water sharing agreement;
  • Change dam operations to facilitate such water releases;
  • Modify water off-takes on dams to oxygenate released water and eliminate cold water pollution;
  • Install fish passages on dams.

 

  • Climate:

Iraq's oil resources will play a role in the evolution of the conflict both in terms of access to them as well as potential pollution. Determining use of these resources will be a major factor in any post war settlement. WWF has a vision for the world’s energy future that leads us away from dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and coal and towards a more sustainable energy future. In the power sector, this sustainable energy future is based on dramatically scaling up the use of renewable energy and vastly increasing the efficiency by which we generate energy. In the shorter-term (2010 – 2020) large scale wind and sustainable biomass, coupled with highly efficient natural gas and other targeted efficiency measures, can meet the energy demand of Europe and the United States. It can also go a long way of meeting energy demands in developing countries. WWF believes that instead of finding oil elsewhere, governments should introduce progressive energy policies to scale back demand and increase supply of cleaner energy sources. This was done with success in 1991 when the US Administration, through public education and strategic measures, managed to cut oil demand by 100,000 barrels/day. Not implementing these types of measures is short-sighted and continues the vicious cycle of having a fossil-fuel dependent world

  • Species:

Sixteen globally threatened or near-threatened bird species occur in Iraq as well as three unique endemic wetland bird species (Iraq babbler, Basra reed warbler, Grey hypocolius). At the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is an alluvial salt marsh important to migratory birds. This ecoregion is surrounded by a vast region of desert shrubland. This complex of shallow freshwater lakes, swamps, marshes, and seasonally inundated plains is among the most important wintering areas for migratory birds in Eurasia. The marshes support a number of globally threatened species on a seasonal basis including Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), pygmy cormorant (Phalocrocorax pygmeus), imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), and the globally endangered white-headed duck. The valleys of the two great rivers are an important migratory route and staging area for many species of long-distance migrant birds, including pelicans, storks, and numerous species of herons and egrets.

Endangered Species

In Iraq, those species considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, as determined by IUCN-The World Conservation Union include:

  • Euphrates softshell turtle
  • Blue whale
  • White headed duck

    • Vulnerable Species

In Iraq, those species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, as determined by IUCN-The World Conservation Union include:

  • Cheetah
  • Wild goat
  • Sea cow or dugong
  • Common otter
  • Smooth-coated otter
  • Humpback whale
  • Long-fingered bat
  • Spotted eagle
  • Imperial eagle
  • Marbled duck

 

Other species at risk: corn crake, cinereous bunting, lesser kestrel, long billed curlew, great bustard, dalmatian pelican, lion, Arabian oryx, apollo butterfly, European pond turtle, goiterd gazelle, socotra cormorant, Mediterranean horseshoe bat, greater horseshoe bat, lesser horseshoe bat, Mehely’s horseshoe bat, sociable plover.

(For additional information)

Background on impacts of conflict on the environment:

Previous armed conflicts have caused substantial environmental impacts. According to 'War and Biodiversity: An Assessment of Impacts' by Jeffrey A. McNeely of IUCN – The World Conservation Union, these can be direct, such as through hunting and habitat destruction by armies, or indirect, for example through the activities of refugees. In general, negative impacts of war include: deforestation, increased wildlife poaching, habitat destruction, land and water pollution, reduced funds for conservation, forced movement of people onto marginal lands, and creation of refugee populations who harm biodiversity.

Some specific examples include*:

  • Vietnam War: 325,000 hectares of land were cleared. As a result, high-diversity forests were replaced extensively by low-diversity grasslands. Spraying of pesticides on mangroves turned them into mudflats.
  • Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988: severely disrupted the way of life of the Marsh Arabs and resulted in devastation of the date palm population – it has been suggested that the number of productive palms declined from 16 million to less than 3 million.
  • 1991 Gulf War: over 700 million litres of oil were spilled into the Persian Gulf. 300km of the coastline of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were covered in oil, affecting wetlands and marshes. Between 15,000 and 30,000 birds are thought to have died as a direct result of the war – with numbers of migratory birds also dying later as a result of contamination of oil during passage. Six hundred oil wells were sabotaged – releasing half a billion tonnes of CO2, and spreading air pollution as far away as India. Massive oil lakes formed from the world's largest oil spill on land to date. Desert ecosystems were harmed by the movement of heavy equipment. Two of Kuwait's proposed nature conservation areas – Al-Khiran Desert Park and Jal Al Zhor National Park were seriously disturbed. The UN Compensation Committee awarded Kuwait USD 108.9 million in reparations from Iraqi oil sales to be spent on addressing the environmental impacts of the Gulf War.
  • Civil war in Rwanda/DRC in early 1990s: More than 700,000 refugees were pushed by fighting into Virunga National Park. Lack of resources meant that forests were cut down for firewood and wildlife – including endangered mountain gorillas, were killed for food.
  • 1999 war in Yugoslavia: highly toxic contaminants were spilt into the Danube River. An assessment mission by the UN with the participation of WWF found threats to human and ecosystem health were posed by these spills.

 

It should also be noted that while chemical and biological weapons can have devastating impacts on humans, they also have substantial and long-term impacts on biodiversity.

 

*Note that the majority of these examples are taken from Jeffrey A. McNeely's book referenced above.

4.) Will the animals that are currently on the endangered species list be saved? Are they getting the right help needed to ensure their survival for generations to come?

ANSWER: Malaysia is blessed with a staggering array of wildlife. Our country is recognised as one of the top twelve in the world for its species diversity and among those numbers are some remarkable superlatives. Just among the reptiles, the Malayan python is the world's biggest snake, the king cobra is the world's biggest poisonous snake, the estuarine crocodile is the largest crocodilian and the leatherback turtle grows to be the heaviest living reptile of all.With all these blessings, the least we can do is look after them.

5.) How have the government and the people of Malaysia contributed to WWF's cause? ANSWER: WWF Malaysia believes that working with partners is the most effective way of achieving conservation successes. This can be seen in the many programmes we conduct. E.g. in Perlis, we worked with the Perlis State Government and also the Forestry Department to establish a State Park. We believe that people are important in conservation, as we are also part of nature.

6.) Modernization comes with a price, because many lands and animals lose their natural space and habitat to development. How do you feel about having all animals living in cages and in zoos possibly in the future?

ANSWER: Natural habitats are important to ensure the survival of our fellow animals. It is very important to have a thriving population of animals in the wild to maintain a balance in the cycle of life. Properly managed facilities for animals are important as a platform to educate and create the awareness amongst those who have probably no chance at all to see animals in the wild.

7.) What are your thoughts on cloning an extinct animal, e.g. Tazmanian Tiger, Dodo bird, Mammoth?

ANSWER: There is no way we can ever replace what is already gone. This is precisely why our work focuses on maintaining a healthy population of wild animals in the world.

8.) What are WWF's real big plans for the near future?ANSWER: Our focus for the past few decades has been to concentrate our limited resources to forests, freshwater habitats, marine habitats and threatened species. This will continue to be our main thrust. For each of those, we have clear targets and strategies. And for each of them, we try to work both at the planning level and on site wherever our contribution is most needed.

9.) What are your hopes for the future and for the organization?

ANSWER: We dream of a sustainable future for Planet Earth. We need everyone's help to make it a reality.

Once again I would like to thank you for taking the time on your busy schedule to answer my questions. WWF’s struggles in its continued efforts and strong influential presence for the world are priceless and that everyone must take a stand in helping to make a change.

By Ben Quah.

Additional References and Sites of Interest

www.wwfmalaysia.org/

www.panda.org

www.wwf.org

How you can help:

http://www.wwfmalaysia.org/support.htm

Be a Kawan WWF:

http://www.wwfmalaysia.org/coolstuff/kawanwwf.htm