CEA Electronic Communications Edition 34, July 2005 CEA Electronic Communications are in English and Spanish. Para leer este boletín en español, favor de pulsar aquí. Why Aren’t We Relocating Turtle Nests This Year? by Ivan Caballero The relocation of nests to a pen can be a valuable tool in sea turtle conservation. However, it can also backfire with serious consequences. The high concentration of nests in such a small area can lead to heavy bacterial contamination in that section of beach. To avoid infecting nests in consecutive seasons, it is recommended that the area be allowed to rest. Because of this, we decided to follow SEMARNAT’s recommendation, issued in April, that pens not be used in beaches where population density is not a critical factor in beach management. We have 75 nests in Half Moon Bay, and 125 more from Akumal Bay to South Akumal; currently a total of 10 have hatched. Please click here for our turtle updates. The Importance of Trees by Mauricio Bautista Vega Two-thirds of the inhabitants of developing countries depend on wood exclusively for their means of energy. Likewise, trees are used in medicines for treating diseases such as cancer and AIDS, among others. Trees are important to everyone, as much for the ecosystem as for humans; we couldn’t live without them. Although trees are respected and replanted in many parts of the world, in others they are being used up, and soon there will not be any left. Natural phenomena as well as human actions are responsible. All of the world’s trees play a vital role in the maintenance of nature and human environment. They protect the freshwater supply and the stability of the flora and fauna that contribute to ecosystem health, which would otherwise be at risk. They provide numerous important products for urban and rural inhabitants. They also play an economic role through the commercial extraction of wood for construction and for pulp, which contributes significantly to the gross national product of several countries. Valladolid Children Visit Akumal by Mauricio Bautista Vega On June 17, 40 visiting children from Valladolid, Yucatán learned about the problem of waste management in México. We began with a brief animated fable on waste production from the days of our ancestors to the present, focusing on the solution of garbage separation. We continued with a video in which two fictional characters teach three Yucatán children the three R’s of waste management: Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. A puppet show on the life cycle of turtles was also offered to explain the importance of preserving these species, relating proper waste management to their survival and to that of other species. The show aims to involve children in the care of our planet, and all its species, by not littering. Finally, the children were taken on a glass-bottom boat ride so they could get to know the reef and its various inhabitants, including sea turtles. We wish to thank Laura Bush Wolfe and Carlos Danú for sponsoring this event. Summer Course by Mauricio Bautista Vega CEA will hold a summer course to educate 20 Akumal children on environmental issues. It will begin on July 11 and end on August 5. The program will allow participants to enjoy the environment, and get to know local flora and fauna. They will also learn alternative management strategies for solid and liquid waste, and how to participate in the solutions to the serious environmental problems of the region. The objectives of the program are to: learn the basic characteristics of local ecosystems; learn about alternative waste management strategies for both solid and liquid wastes; promote water conservation; learn about ecological-economical sustainability; and help form future eco-guides. To learn more about our Environmental Education Program, please click here. Another Member of the Team To all our newsletter subscribers, it is a pleasure to inform you that Tannya Jaime has recently joined our staff as the new CEA Communications Coordinator. This is a very diverse area, which includes responding to online users, preparing all the details to welcome our volunteers to Akumal, giving information about CEA's activities to visitors, and being the communication link among the rest of the staff and programs. All this is in order to provide better service and to keep our community members (virtual and at the Center) informed. So if you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to get in touch with her at the following e-mail address: tjaime@ceakumal.org. Welcome, Tannya! Break-in at CEA CEA offices were broken into in June. The thief took out one of the windows and stepped on a desk to enter the office. Thankfully, only one laptop was stolen. There are no leads and no news, but we have taken steps to make the building a bit safer. Now we need a new laptop for our presentations. CEA Does Surgery by Ivan Caballero In June CEA had the opportunity to work with Xcaret veterinarian Ana Cecilia Negrete on minor surgery on a Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) turtle—one of over 300 sea turtles in captivity at the park. The creature suffered from ulcerative dermatitis or “scale rot,” a disease common in captive reptiles. The disease can develop even under pristine conditions. However, moist, contaminated bedding predisposes bacterial and fungal growth which can lead to skin lesions. The disease begins with a hemorrhage on the scales, followed by pustules that lead to open, ulcerated lesions such as those seen in the photograph. Secondary infections with Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and other bacterial species can result in septicemia, and even death if untreated. Abscesses must be excised thoroughly, removing as much material as possible, and the wounds treated aggressively with antibiotics. The animal is still recuperating. To learn more about our Marine Turtle Program, please click here. Annual Report Now Available Online Our 2004 Annual Report is now available online. To download it, click here. Ecological Calendar: July and August 2005 World Population Day–July 11 compiled from United Nations Population Fund information Stress on the environment and the depletion of natural resources are exacerbated by gender inequality, poor health and poverty. Environmental stress is increasing, due to both “unsustainable consumption and production patterns” and demographic factors, such as rapid population growth and migration. Over the past century, and especially over the past 40 years, people have effected vast changes in the global environment. Those most directly affected by environmental challenges, from water pollution to climate change, are also the poorest—and least able to change livelihoods or lifestyles to cope with, or combat, ecological decline. Some snapshots: Farmers, ranchers, loggers, and developers have cleared about half the world’s original forest cover, and another 30 per cent is degraded or fragmented. Over the last half century, land degradation has reduced cropland by an estimated 13 per cent and pasture by 4 per cent. In many countries, population growth has raced ahead of food production in recent years. Some 800 million people are chronically malnourished and 2 billion lack food security. Three-quarters of the world’s fish stocks are now fished at or beyond sustainable limits. Industrial fleets have fished out at least 90 per cent of large ocean predators—including tuna, marlin and swordfish—in the last 50 years. Since the 1950s, global demand for water has tripled. Groundwater quantity and quality are declining due to over-pumping, runoff from fertilizers and pesticides, and leaking of industrial waste. Half a billion people live in countries defined as waterstressed or water-scarce; by 2025, that figure is expected to surge to between 2.4 billion and 3.4 billion. Climate change: As a result of fossil fuel consumption, carbon dioxide levels today are 18 per cent higher than in 1960 and an estimated 31 per cent higher than at the onset of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. Accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, is tied to rising and extreme change in temperatures, and more severe storms. For more information, click here. July 10-16 VIDAS Clinic in Playa del Carmen at Escuela Primaria Rodolfo Menendez de la Peña at Av. 10 y 15, Col. Nicte-Ha International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples—August 9 by Paul Sánchez-Navarro The UN designated August 9 as International Day of Indigenous Peoples. Twenty years ago the UN began to recognize that, around the world, indigenous peoples deserved and needed attention given to their rights and respect for their cultures. Since then, the different agencies of the UN, many non-governmental organizations, and some governments have paid attention to the issue. However, we are still a long way off, as a society, from understanding what this all implies, especially those of us from countries that were colonized by Europeans. We continue with the intention to understand and promote indigenous rights, and CEA is sharing this information in order to promote greater and more thoughtful integration of cultures and environment. We have much to learn from indigenous peoples but, before that, we must make sure they continue to exist. In his message for this special day, the Director General of UNESCO commented, "One of the remarkable specific features of indigenous peoples continues to be the outstanding wealth of their traditions, knowledge and skills, together with their forceful determination to pass these assets on to future generations. Thus, indigenous peoples still hold the key to unique traditional knowledge about their natural environment. To ignore that wealth and diversity would be to impoverish our humanity while cultivating a terrible feeling of frustration relating to their sense of identity." For more information, click here. Our deepest condolences go out to Susan Hillyer and her family for the loss of Vicki Sturgis, Susan's beloved mother. Susan and her water aerobics class started a scholarship program, facilitated by CEA, to help children in the Akumal Pueblo school. In lieu of flowers, Susan asks that donations be made to continue this program. We are pleased to say that there will be a scholarship program for the fourth year, in memory of Vicki. If you would like to donate, please make a check to the Yucatan Environmental Foundation, note that it's for "Scholarship," and send to PO Box 2116, Madison, WI 53701-2116. Please continue to tell your friends about CEA! Many CEA Members join after being referred to CEA by people like you. If you have questions about how you can become more involved, please contact us. The Yucatan Environmental Foundation is the U.S. 501(c)(3) fiscal agent for CEA. All donations made through YEF for CEA are tax-deductible in the U.S. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or simply need to contact CEA, please click here.