Reefs need relief

When a fragile ecosystem such as a coral reef is left to face the constantly changing and developing world its no surprise really that the coral reef comes off worse. A BBC article from August 2013 states that: 'A recent report revealed that coral coverage on the Great Barrier Reef has declined by as much as 50% in the last three decades, while reefs in the Caribbean have seen reported losses of 80%'.

The statistics are shocking and protecting the coral reefs is something that needs to begin as soon as possible. Some communities are making an effort, for example Simon Reeve on a trip around the Indian Ocean visited The Maldieves where a small increase in ocean temperature is damaging coral reefs. Small scale projects are being run accross the coast line but this particular one involved a metal frame being built which then has live pieces of coral attached before being transfered to a protected area of water. The meta frames can be sponsored by tourists and locals who choose to visit the project. Eventually a web of the metal frames is formed and the coral will stretch across a vast area. The project was run by a local couple who have decided to take protecting the coral in their local area into their own hands. Now more people need to start doing the same. 

The specifics of what damages the coral may not be the most interesting of topics however a number of the reasons for the problems are as follows; firstly ocean acidification. Increasing carbon dioxide emissions affect not only species on land but also those under the water level as well. The ocean has absorbed approximately a third of all anthropogenic carbon emissions in recent years. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the water causes the pH to decrease, therefore making the ocean more acidic. The coral struggles to survive in the more acidic conditions and they are not the only organisms to suffer. Due to the decrease in the pH the availability of Carbonite ions is reduced  It has been shown that Carbonite ions play an important role in the forming of shellfish, plankton and of course coral. 

As previously mentioned the damage to the coral in The Maldives was largely due to an increase in ocean temperatures. Coral are very sensitive to even slight changes in temperature. Unfortunately the global sea temperatures around the world are increasing at an alarming rate therefore damaging the coral. When temperatures rise too high coral undergoes a process called Coral Bleeching. The increase in temperature causes autoimmune reactions which causes the coral to expel the algae which usually live within them and provide up to 80% of their energy. This is what gives the coral a white and pale colour. 

The internet is exploding with details of damage to coral reef and as awareness of the issue rises information will be more and more available. An excellent website to visit is: http://www.coral.org/ and here is the recent BBC article which went some way to inspiring this piece: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23773672

TR

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Does Aid actually aid the situation?

geog blog #5 

Foreign aid is defined as: 'money, food or other resources given or lent by one country to another'

A fairly broad definition for what can be a complicated topic, does a South South development partnership qualify as aid? Is tied aid beneficial to the countries? Are the countries expected to pay back the aid in which case is it affordable? Does the aid reach the local population or are the countries affected corrupt? What are the intentions of the aid giving countries, are there ulterior motives?These are all factors to be considered and each in turn has its difficulties. 

Tied aid may be a good place to start as this is often the form that a majority of aid is given in. Rather than More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) just throwing money at the Governments of LEDCs the aid is offered with some conditions. Often however these conditions are unfair and while the aid may initially may be seen as a good gesture it may have underlying motives. This was the case with The Pergau Dam in Malaysia where work began on the Dam in 1991 and this was funded by the UKs foreign aid budget- £243 million in total. In 1994 during an enquiry the Malaysian Government were found to have purchased £1 billion worth of arms and weapons from the UK. This was an example of how aid was given to be spent on a particular project that had very few benefits for the Malaysian people but did benefit the UK economy. In 2002 tied aid was made illegal in the UK on the grounds of aid should not be given to win export orders or achieve foreign policy goals. So tied aid is not beneficial to the countries who reach it because often the conditions that come attached with it are unsustainable and selfish. 

Does the aid reach the local populations? Sometimes, yes and it's not fair to make the sweeping generalisation that all aid doesn't work. However there are instances when the corruption of a Government means that aid will not reach the population. Ghana. 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. There have been accusations of Government money being withdrawn and placed into teachers bank accounts however these teachers do not exist, Ghost bank accounts have been created by those within the Government. As a result of this money is passed from foreign Governments to the Ghanaian Government in an effort to improve education standards by improving the pay of teachers, however the money donated never reaches teachers. In fact it never leaves the hands of Government officials. Corruption. Here aid is useless. A recent article can be found here http://www.dailyguideghana.com/?p=89140.

Aid can work and in many scenarios worldwide it becomes a lifeline for those who receive it. However there are situations in which aid does not work and all efforts are futile. 

Follow up reading: Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo


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