Trouble in various kinds of paradise is the theme of this week’s environmental protest round up. Often, this kind of protest seems to happen in areas where low rates of employment and lack of other natural resources means that local residents are ‘forced’ to accept environmental projects that might be unacceptable in richer regions. But this week there is evidence that even Edens have their devils.
Thermal Power a non-goer in Goa?
A procession of thousands, including fishermen, political activists and local residents marched through local villages to complain about the proposed establishment of a thermal power project in the village of Hankon, Goa. Local fishermen object to the plan as it will be built on a riverbank known for its abundant marine life, and that the plant could damage the ecosystem in Goa Wildlife Sanctuary which was only 5 kilometres away. Also the nearby Anashi National Park could be affected and the Indian Forest Conservation Act forbids the establishment of this kind of project so close to ecologically sensitive areas. People also fear that eco-tourism in Goa could be affected.
In addition, the Hankon Panchayat (village council) hasn’t given permission for construction activities and has launched an action against the company planning to build the plant. Local activists said that if the illegal construction wasn’t stopped in a fortnight, the action of the protestors would be ‘intensified’
Hippos, drugs and the protection of large estates
Pablo Escobar was one of Colombia’s biggest drug dealers. It’s claimed he was the originator of half the cocaine smuggled to the USA and when he died in a gun battle in 1993 he left behind a huge estate – literally. His Hacienda Napoles sits between Bogota and Medellin and is stocked with a bizarre range of creatures including elephants, zebra, giraffe and ostrich – and some hippopotami. Escobar apparently used them as giant bodyguards, confident that people would not break into the estate while he had such huge and aggressive wildlife roaming free. There were four hippos originally, but conditions suited them and they bred, so that now there are at least twenty, maybe nearly thirty: it’s hard to tell because the state, which seized the Hacienda Napoles as part of the proceeds of the drug trade, has let the place fall into disrepair after relocating many animals to zoos around the world.
Not the hippos though. Two of them broke out in 2006 and have been rampaging around the Bogota region ever since. But last week one was shot by professional hunters operating under a licence from the Environment Department.
Protestors, led by animal rights activists, mounted a demonstration outside the Environment Ministry, saying that it was unacceptable that Colombia, which allows bullfighting and cockfighting, could also allow hippopotami to be killed at will. The remaining escapee has had a calf since she got out of the estate and now a brewing company has said it will hire wildlife experts to capture them both and return them to the estate. The Environment Ministry in Bogota was unrepentant although it agreed to work with the experts, claiming the animals were dangerous (they have killed calves) and could be harbouring diseases that threatened the Colombian eco-system. They appear to have no plans to use the estate either as a tourist resource or a wildlife reserve, instead they are happy for it to become a ruin, including the full size airship that sits on a purpose-built plantform outside the hacienda itself.
Hippo courtesy of wwarby at Flickr under a creative commons licence
Chevron Corporation 
