Ecuador effort to protect nature reserve in peril
A drive to protect Yasuni National Park, one of the world's most biodiverse, collapsed amid doubts about whether President Rafael Correa will leave its oil riches untouched. Next step is uncertain.
A worker repairs an oil pipeline near Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. One panel had sought to save YasuniÂ?s rain forest from the ravages of oil development, but Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said he would back responsible exploitation of Yasuni oil reserves. (Alejandra Parra / Bloomberg / October 13, 2009)
Reporting
from Quito, Ecuador - Ecuador is trying to salvage its campaign to
enlist international sponsors to protect a pristine nature reserve in
the Amazon, after an initial drive ended in disarray and doubts about
whether President Rafael Correa would leave the park's oil riches
untouched.
Correa recently appointed former Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda
Espinosa to head a new panel to seek donations from Arab and Asian
countries for the 2.4-million-acre Yasuni National Park, one of the
world's most biodiverse nature reserves.
Members of a previous panel of environmentalists, as well as
Foreign Minister Fander Falconi, resigned last month after Correa
publicly berated the Yasuni proposal they had spent two years
developing, calling them "infantile environmentalists." The panel had
completed a draft proposal and secured tentative commitments from the
governments of Spain, Germany, Belgium and Sweden to contribute $1.7
billion -- about half the amount demanded by Correa.
"The president has declared his commitment to continue with the
Yasuni initiative," Espinosa told reporters last month. "He has asked
me to coordinate, supervise and organize the work, but who is really
behind this big dream is the president himself."
Ecuador's plan to preserve Yasuni won international plaudits when
it was unveiled in 2007. Foreign governments concerned about global
warming and pollution would in effect pay Ecuador to leave 870 million
barrels of Yasuni oil in the ground, 20% of the country's known
reserves.
The goal was to save Yasuni's rain forest from the ravages of oil
development that has stained other parts of Ecuador, particularly
around Lago Agrio. Oil spills there have created health issues,
including high cancer rates, and blighted the environment, according to
a $27-billion lawsuit filed against Chevron by Ecuadorean
environmentalists.
Chevron denies that it is at fault. The company in 2001 acquired
Texaco, which explored for and extracted oil in Lago Agrio beginning in
1964 in partnership with Ecuador's state oil company, Petroecuador.
The draft proposal by the previous panel, headed by former Quito
Mayor Roque Sevilla, called for the money to go into a trust fund
administered by the United Nations Development Program. The interest
from the fund was to have paid for reforestation, social aid to
indigenous communities and clean-energy projects. The principal would
remain untouched -- unless Ecuador exploited Yasuni's oil, in which
case it was to be returned to donors.
Many environmentalists mourned the collapse of the deal that would
have preserved a rain forest of uniquely concentrated biodiversity at
the meeting place of the Amazon, the Andes mountains and the equator.
The United Nations in 1989 declared the park a "world biosphere
reserve" for its unique "bank" of wildlife and plants. Yasuni is also
home to several indigenous communities, including the Huaorani, that
live in voluntary isolation.
"In one hectare you have more species of trees and shrubs than in
Canada and the U.S. combined," said Quito biologist and Yasuni expert
David Romo Vallejo, a professor at the University of San Francisco of
Quito. "Yasuni has 630 species of birds, or 44% of what's in the Amazon
basin, and 130 amphibian, 80 bat and 90 reptile species."
Members of Sevilla's team pursuing the trust fund concept had
hoped to unveil it at December's Copenhagen climate-change summit,
thinking they had Correa's support. But presidential advisor Alexis
Mera cautioned them to wait, citing legal problems.
In early January, Correa issued harsh criticism of the panel,
prompting the resignation of member and former Environment Minister
Yolanda Kakabadse, who in May was named the president of World Wildlife
Fund. She was not available for comment.
During one of his regular Saturday television programs, Correa
said last month that he wanted a plan that would preserve the
environment but allow for responsible exploitation of Yasuni oil
reserves.
He also said that a trust fund managed by the U.N. would be a
violation of Ecuadorean sovereignty. "We aren't going to let donors set
shameful conditions," Correa told his television audience.
Some observers are pessimistic that foreign sponsors who were once
ready to commit to the trust fund concept will be willing to let the
Ecuadorean government, with its history of instability and fiscal
mismanagement, control billions of their donated dollars.
Nor, observers say, will contributors want to pay for a reserve that in
effect won't be one if Correa decides to drill for Yasuni's oil.
Kraul is a special correspondent.
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
Ecuador expelling Galapagos residents in favor of conservation
Galapagos Giant Tortoise subject to poaching.
The milieu in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador is tumultuous this month, as the government there is faced with a serious dilemma, in which there are no winners.
The Galapagos Islands were listed as a World Heritage Site by the UN in 1979, and are known worldwide for inspiring Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The living laboratory is a pristine look at nature left unspoiled. It's home to many species of endemic animals found no where else on earth, the most famous of which is the giant Galapagos's tortoise. Nonetheless, the UN listed the Galapagos as endangered in 2007. Damage caused by tourism and migration is increasing, causing a Catch-22 for management authorities.
San Cristoban Island, where tourism is growing.
The migrant population in the Galapagos has doubled in the last 50 years, and now 30,000 Ecuadoreans live in the Island chain. Historically, due to the lack of fresh water and fertile soil, the islands were left uninhabited, creating a distinctly unique ecosystem with equally unique flora and fauna. But the recent boom in tourism, followed by development, has caused a mass migration since the fifties, and now an infrastructure exists that is irresistible to mainlanders. Tourism offers new jobs in hotels and restaurants, wages in the islands are 70% higher, there are better schools, and no violent crime. However, the coastal areas are being over-fished, invasive animals like cats, rats, cattle, and fire ants are threatening the fragile ecosystem, and poaching of sharks and tortoises has been on the rise, according to a report by the Council of Hemispheric Affairs.
The government has done little to discourage migration to the Galapagos, but in response to global and economic pressure, it is now expelling poor migrants and deporting them back to mainland Ecuador. The Ecuadorian government has deported 1000 people so far this year. One of them was the daughter of Maria Marianna de Reina Bustos, who was rounded up in a local slum, "We are being told that a tortoise for a foreigner to photograph is more important than an Ecuadorian citizen", de Reina Bustos said to the New York Times. Another resident who abhores the expulsion, said, "After all, we are Ecuadorians, how can we be illegal in our own country". The campaign by President Correa limits the Galapagos population to people who were born there, people who moved before 1998, and those who have work permits issued by the government. Everyone else is displaced by police patrols that have checkpoints around the major settlements.
Mismanaged tourism threatening endemic species.
On the other hand, the same government offers subsidies for people living in the Galapagos, cheaper gas, and lower airfares. It has also sanctioned new housing developments. Tourism is the mainstay of the Ecuadorian economy, accounting for $200 million annually in revenues. As one of South America's poorest countries, the government needs to keep this industry growing. Scientists and wildlife management officials have criticized the expulsion, suggesting instead that it is mismanaged tourism that is the problem. 150,000 more tourists per year come to the Galapagos than the local administration can handle, according to park officials. Critics say that tourism should be capped and restructured, but Corella has been so far resistant to this approach.
The conservation of the Galapagos is in peril, but the Ecuadorian government is between the hammer and the anvil. Expelling migrants from the islands adversely affects Ecuadorian citizens, but restricting tourism will also. This affray could claim the birthplace of one of science's most important discoveries, but with careful consideration, Ecuador may be able to pioneer a solution that works for everyone, and set an example for other regions where people and preservation come into conflict.
LC talks with Eco Surf while cleaning up the California
Coast
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Eco Surf Volunteers was asked to join Lauren
Conrad, the star of MTV hits, "Laguna Beach," and "The
Hills," to help kick off her new partnership with Kohls
department
store with a day-long beach cleanup along the Santa
Monica Coast. Lauren and Kohls teamed up with
the California Coastal Commission and Whole Foods Market to host the event
that brought out fans of the reality sensation, the media, and beach lovers
such as ourselves. We had the chance to talk with Lauren about
the importance of giving back; a concept that she calls "a big part of the
California lifestyle." Lauren, who was recently introduced to our
organization, loves the ethos of Eco Surf Volunteers and was
impressed with the idea of not only getting involved at a local level but
also with the high set of standards and commitment we hold
to surfing communities around the world.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
TOURISM ON THEIR OWN TERMS
NEED MAGAZINE
Posted by Monique Dubos on July 14th 2009 in NEED MAGAZINE
Sam Bailey was surfing his way up the western coast of Peru last year, taking advantage of the warm waters and hospitality. Crossing into Ecuador, he traveled through beach towns in various stages of development, and arrived in the small town of Canoa on the north coast.
Bailey noticed that in many of the villages, big companies had set up hotels and restaurants without concern for the natural environment or local customs. The fishing village of Canoa, which also catered to surfers, was fairly undeveloped, with most roads still unpaved and electricity that goes out every once in a while. It was obvious to Bailey that tourism was coming to Canoa, but he hoped he could help the villagers build their industry on their own terms.
His idea was to start a camp where college-aged students could learn to surf and take on environmental projects. “Surfing is a solitary sport. Surfers don’t see beyond themselves when they return to the beach,” Bailey says. To change that dynamic, he approached Daniel Velasco, a town leader and fellow surfer who runs a “posada,” or “small hotel,” in Canoa. According to Bailey, Velasco initially feared this was just another way to exploit the village. But Bailey convinced Velasco of his sincerity and assured him the groups would patronize locally-owned hotels and restaurants, spending money in the local economy. Also, each group member would donate money to the local grade school. Velasco agreed to introduce Bailey to the community and helped facilitate what became Eco-Surf Volunteers.
The local grade school, La Escuela los Algarrobos (named after a kind of native tree), includes English as a Second Language and environmental education in its curriculum. Eco-Surf Volunteer participants facilitate arts and crafts sessions to give the students a chance to practice their English. Moya Foley, the school administrative and financial director, a Canadian who has lived in Ecuador for 30 years, says that the financial donation helped complete some construction on two new classrooms, and the volunteers “worked their butts off moving dirt, sanding, painting and generally doing whatever we needed done.” The volunteers’ hard work — about four hours a day — is rewarded with daily surf lessons given by local.
In addition to helping out at the school, the volunteers lead the village children on beach clean-ups. “I think the most important thing the volunteers take back to their countries as an experience, is the cultural immersion they have and the contact with the community,” says Velasco. He was particularly satisfied with the impression the volunteers made on the children. “They are used to seeing tourists partying or laying on the beach reading,” but through Eco-Surf Volunteers, they “see the volunteers working on the school activities, [doing] beach cleanups and collecting garbage on the street.”
The programs have been a big hit with the children, involving both students from La Escuela los Algarrobos and others from Canoa. “The first day we had about 20 kids and on the last day we had 90!” says Foley. They are “looking forward to the volunteer’s return. They stop me on the street, the older ones, and ask me when they are coming back.”
Bailey is planning several more camps through 2010, but envisions the people of Canoa eventually taking over operation of the camps themselves: “The town is still discovering what is needed. They want progress, but want to do it in a careful way. The biggest concern is developing the tourist industry while maintaining cultural identity.”
JULY 2009
SURFING AND SERVICE
UCLA MAGAZINE
By Danielle RoqueSurfing and service – for Sam Bailey ’00, it’s the ideal combination.
An avid traveler and surfer, Bailey also is concerned about the impact his activities have on the larger world, and he has developed a unique way to combine hands-on humanitarian and environmental volunteer work with seeking the perfect wave.
Bailey is the founding director of Eco Surf Volunteers, a travel adventure program that performs local eco-volunteer works and community service designed to raise awareness of conservation, promote local economies and enhance understanding of local cultures.
Founded in August 2008, Eco Surf Volunteers recruits participants from all over North America to work with leaders in Canoa, Ecuador to improve the community’s conditions.
“Our last trip [to Ecuador] was in February, right in the middle of summer break for all the kids in Canoa,” says Bailey. “You would think nobody wants to go to summer school, but school administrators opened the doors to all children in the entire community.”
Everyone was surprised by the turnout.
“On the first day, 20 kids were seated in the small classroom,” Bailey says. “The next day the class size had more than doubled, and we were completely out of tables and chairs. By the last day, we had nearly 100 children participating. It was clear that we had created something truly special for everyone.”
Bailey’s inspiration came from a lengthy surfing trip he made in 2006. Traveling from Peru through Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, he was bothered by the potential negative impact that the surf culture can have on local communities. He felt compelled to combat the loss of local traditions and customs that surf tourism can cause.
“I saw a lot of beautiful beaches in undeveloped communities with truly unique cultures, but I also saw a loss of culture as a result of foreign investment,” he explains. “It was then that I decided I wanted to create an organization that would help educate South and Central American communities of could-be surf towns.”
Eco Surf Volunteer participants teach children English, repair existing classrooms, build new classrooms using local bamboo, construct new playground equipment from recycled material and natural resources, and implement early childhood development programs.
“I’ve
heard that volunteering is ‘so cliché,’” says Bailey, “but hearing the
kids ask us when we’ll return is not cliché. Seeing the tears well up
in the eyes of our volunteers as we drive out of town, kids lining the
streets waving goodbye, is definitely not cliché. The school
administrators wrote to me three weeks after we left to say the kids
were still talking about the week they spent with our volunteer team.
There’s nothing cliché about what we’re doing. This is all very real.”
A San Clemente, Calif., native, Bailey graduated from UCLA in 2000 with his bachelor’s degree in geography. He played on the varsity men’s water polo team for five years and was a member of Theta Xi fraternity. He was assistant coach for the men’s water polo team at UCLA in 2007 and of the championship women’s water polo team in 2008. During the past decade, he has traveled to more than 30 countries on four continents. He has surfed the coasts of Brazil, Peru, France and Ecuador.
For information on Eco Surf Volunteers, visit www.ecosurfvolunteers.org.Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
Volunteer Vacations for Surfers
To the east towered hills so thick with rain forest I was sure dinosaurs were lurking inside. To the west, warm turquoise waves peeled and feathered like a snippet from "Endless Summer."
It was the first day of our monthlong bungalow stay in Punta Banco, Costa Rica (population: maybe 200). And after a bumpy nine-hour bus ride from San Jose, before I even unpacked my bags, I grabbed my board and surfed happily through the waning daylight hours, singing the praises of the Latin surf gods.
All was perfect, at least until the next day. As so often happens on these long-planned surf adventures - after months of poring over maps of beaches you might visit and video footage of waves you might ride - the swell flat died: kaput, gone. The onshore winds picked up, and just like that, my "Endless Summer" scene turned into tropical Lake Michigan.
I wasn't happy. But on any number of previous surf-obsessed journeys, such conditions might have been cause for involuntary twitching, regret or long, expensive drives to the other side of the country to scour for any kind of saltwater lump to slide on. This time was different.
I'd come to Punta Banco with my girlfriend, Siri, a San Francisco art teacher, to surf (as always) but also to help teach environmental conservation to local children through art, an annual San Francisco State summer program called The CommunicArte Project. Over the course of three weeks, we'd be starting an organic garden with Punta Banco's kindergarteners through eigth-graders, making puppets from trash that had washed up at the town's shore, and helping arrange a theater production about the hazards of plastics in the sea, especially to the endangered sea turtles that nest on Punta Banco's beaches. It just so happened that some of the best surf in the country was around (just a teeny tiny perk for me).
The waves were fickle that month. I surfed almost every day, but with a few exceptions, the conditions were nothing to write home about. My time in Punta Banco, however, will go down as one of the most memorable surf trips of my life. At the risk of sounding like an after-school special, almost as soon as I planted my first pineapple with one of those beaming kindergartners, the uncomfortable feeling I've often had on exotic surf adventures - the one of being just a visitor taking advantage of cheap food and beautiful water, all the while contributing to the erosion of local culture - washed away. This time I was at least a little bit a part of that culture, interacting, learning and giving back with more than money.
By the second week, I actually felt bad for the surfers driving their 4x4 rentals through town for a quick wave check, then moving on when it didn't suit them. Just as I'd never gotten to know beach towns I'd visited for surfing, these guys were missing out on the real Punta Banco.
My trip to Costa Rica felt pretty special and unique. But as it turns out, surf-volunteer trips are on the rise, and mine was a sentiment Sam Bailey, founder of a new surf-volunteer camp in Canoa, Ecuador - Eco Surf Volunteers - is getting used to hearing.
"I've had volunteers remark that even if the waves were crummy - which they haven't been! - we would still have this incredible cultural immersion," Bailey told me recently. "And that's the thing about going on a straight surf trip. If the waves are weak, or the weather's poor, what've you got? The combined experience offered with a surf-volunteer project truly can't be beat."
Being a selfish journalist, I coincidentally had to fall into a surf-volunteer trip through my girlfriend's work. You don't have to be so lazy. As nonprofits like Save the Waves, The Surfrider Foundation, and SurfAid International raise awareness about health and environmental issues in surfing locales, and as professional surfers like Dave Rastovich - who has worked extensively to fight Japanese whale hunting - become more visible, volunteer programs like Bailey's are sprouting up all over the coastal world.
"The interest has really increased," says Caleb Cooper, founder of PeacePassers.org, a surf- and soccer-related volunteer program in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. There, surfers are set up with family homestays and work on beach cleanups, improving local recycling programs, teaching English through sports, and building playgrounds. Cooper says volunteers inevitably leave saying the experience surpassed their expectations of a pure surf trip. "Instead of just going somewhere, spending your money, and then leaving with some pictures," says Cooper, "you come home with lessons learned about yourself and the uniqueness of a different culture, not to mention new friends."
Ecuador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica are only a few options. In some of the best surf spots in the world - from Peru to South Africa to Indonesia - there are formal volunteer surf programs established (see details in the "If You Go" box) offering short- and long-term stays with work ranging from bringing aid to earthquake victims in the Mentawais islands to giving surf lessons to disadvantaged youth in Jeffrey's Bay. The list goes on.
And while not all surf volunteer programs will be labeled as such, some creative research will usually bring up an opportunity. Bailey, who has traveled to 31 countries, says he could probably find a volunteer position in all of them. (And yes, he's willing to help.)
You don't even have to be an experienced surfer to be a surf volunteer. Of all the volunteers in the CommunicArte Project, I was the only one who knew how to surf. The others who wanted to learn found rentals and lessons for about $20 in Pavones, a town 3 miles north. And with the exception of volunteering as a surf instructor, the other programs mentioned here are open to all levels (though I'd recommend an Indonesia boat trip only to beginners with a fondness for reef scars).
Of course, the question inevitably arises: Are surfing volunteers taken seriously? Spending a lot of time in the water, I might have done less work than some of the other volunteers. But surfing also allowed me to form a different kind of friendship with locals who surfed or wanted to learn (which is often most of the kids in surf towns). There was an automatic mutual respect that broke down cultural barriers.
Bailey says it's not even a debate with his volunteers: "You should see the children running out of their parents' restaurants and storefronts as we walk through the streets," he says. "It's as if our volunteers are instant celebrities. ... I've heard at times that volunteering is 'so cliche.' It's 'one man's effort to save the world.' There's nothing cliche about what we're doing. This is all very real."
In these wacky times, President Obama is asking all of us for service. Might as well combine that service with some good, old-fashioned beach bumming.
Plus, when you don't end up getting that wave of your life - and how often is that going to happen? - you can come way with an even more precious memory. On our last day in Punta Banco, we spent an hour saying tearful goodbyes to a whole classroom of smiling children asking over and again, "When are you coming back?" That's at least as good as a perfect wave.
If you go
-- Sam Bailey's Eco Surf Volunteers weeklong surf camps in Canoa, Ecuador, are only for college and high school students. Two weeklong summer camps are scheduled this summer in June and August, $1,395 per week. www.ecosurfvolunteers.org.
-- Caleb Cooper's Peace Passers in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.
-- In Lobitos, Peru, Waves of Development offers homestays and volunteer opportunities teaching English, art, environmental conservation, swimming, and, of course, surfing.
-- At Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa, home to some of the best waves in the world, All Africa Volunteers has set up a surf school where volunteers teach disadvantaged youth life skills through surfing.
-- In Canggu, Bali, through i-to-i Meaningful Travel, you can get surf lessons, a TEFL certification, and teach English to Balinese children.
-- In Mentawais, Indonesia, through Holidays with Purpose, you can take a boat trip that combines surfing legendary breaks like Nias with bringing medical care and education to earthquake victims.
For those interested in longer stays, some programs, including Waves of Development, offer internships where you can work in exchange for room and board. Others, like CommunicArte (bss.sfsu.edu/envstudies/travel.html) offer college credit. And if you don't feel like going through a formal program, you might be surprised by how many local schools, farms, orphanages and playgrounds are happy to have a volunteer just for a day or two. It might just make your trip.
Jaimal Yogis is the author of a new memoir of surf travels called "Saltwater Buddha: A surfer's quest to find Zen on the sea." E-mail comments about this story to travel@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, May 11, 2009
A look at surfing in Ecuador going into the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships
By: Mike Cianciulli
Ecuador isn't high on many surfers' South America destinations. It lacks the cold consistency of Chile, the mindlessly long pointbreaks of Peru and the crazy nightlife and dependable beachbreaks of Brazil. But believe it: this craggy Equatorial country is actually holding damn fine surf.
The International Surfing Association chose Ecuador to host the 2004 World Surfing Games, and after two consecutive years competing in Europe, the best junior surfers in the world are headed back to South America.
Upwards of 30 countries will converge on Salinas, Ecuador next week for the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Champs, often deemed the Olympics of Surfing.
"It's a great country with warm people, hot waves and weather," said ISA President Fernando Aguerre about why the ISA chose Ecuador again. "This is proof that surfing in that region is maturing in a great way. Twenty years ago, countries like Ecuador would not be considered surfing countries."
The contest is being held from March 28th to April 5th at Playa de las FAE (FAE meaning Ecuadorian Air Force in Spanish). The military base offers a long, peeling lefthander and a punchy beachbreak for the double-area contest site.
"The left we're going to be surfing looks really rippable and I got some great boards," said USA Team goofyfoot Evan Geiselman. "The southwest swell coming looks good for Ecuador too. We're psyched."
Over the years, this weeklong event has produced countless pro surfers that have gone from the ISA medal podium to worldwide acclaim. Two-time ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore was a back-to-back ISA gold medalist. ASP World Tour athletes Jordy Smith, Jeremy Flores, and Ben Dunn represented their countries in the ISA singlet. Innovative aerialists like Julian Wilson and Owen Wright have donned ISA gold. And if history follows suit, look for big futures from some of this year's competitors; guys like Nat Young, Garrett Parkes and Kolohe Andino will surely dig into Salinas' rippable surf.
But the ISA World Juniors is more than an individual event. Countries compete for Olympic-recognized medals and national pride. Teams expected to compete this year include Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Tahiti, United States of America, Venezuela and Ecuador.
Recent results of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships:
Overall Team Ratings Gold Medalists
2003 - Durban - Gold Medal: Brazilian team
2004 - Papenoo - Gold Medal: Australian team
2005 - Huntington Beach - Gold Medal: Hawaiian team
2006 - Maresias - Gold Medal: Australian team
2007 - Costa de Caparica - Gold Medal: Australian team
2008 - Seignosse - Gold Medal: Australian team
Gold Medalists of the Under 18 Boys division
2003 - Durban - Ben Dunn (AUS)
2004 - Papenoo - James Wood (AUS)
2005 - Huntington Beach - Jefferson Silva (BRA)
2006 - Maresias - Julian Wilson (AUS)
2007 - Costa de Caparica - Jadson André (BRA)
2008 - Seignosse - Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Gold Medalists of the Under 16 Boys division
2003 - Durban - Jordy Smith (ZAF)
2004 - Papenoo - Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
2005 - Huntington Beach - Tonino Benson (HAW)
2006 - Maresias - Owen Wright (AUS)
2007 - Costa de Caparica - Garrett Parkes (AUS)
2008 - Seignosse - Tamaroa McComb (TAH)
Gold Medalists of the Under 18 Girls division
2003 - Durban - Jessie Miley-Dyer (AUS)
2004 - Papenoo - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2005 - Huntington Beach - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2006 - Maresias - Pauline Ado (FRA)
2007 - Costa de Caparica - Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
2008 - Seignosse - Laura Enever (AUS)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
7 new species of frog discovered in Ecuador
Source: Monga Bay
Seven previously unknown species of frog discovered over the past two years by Ecuadorian researchers are already under threat from habitat loss, reports a newsletter from the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group.
The frogs belong to the Glassfrog family, a group that is endemic to tropical America and has more than 140 species, of which 40 percent are threatened with extinction due to disease and habitat loss.
Of the newly described species, six were found in eastern Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse, but least studied, parts of the country. Research suggests that deforestation may already been impacting these species.
"A study developed to predict the distribution of glassfrogs from eastern Ecuador and to estimate the impacts of deforestation shows that deforestation may have already reduced up to 40% of the distribution ranges of all studied species," writes Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, author of an article appearing in the Froglog newsletter (number 89). "Results indicate that deforestation has intensively affected the eastern Andean foothills (300–800 m above sea level), upper montane forests and inter-Andean valleys (above 2000 m a.s.l.), and the northern Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador. Predictions suggest that almost half of the habitats suitable for Centrolene audax, Centrolene buckleyi, Centrolene mariaelenae, Cochranella flavopunctata, Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum, and Nymphargus cochranae have been deforested. These species have been reported as largely absent in historical localities and are considered threatened."
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Southern California Beach Cleanups a HUGE Success!!
A BIG thank you to all our supports and sponsors for assisting with our four Southern California beach cleanups these past two weekends!
With
the help of students, community members and local small businesses, Eco
Surf Volunteers helped to clean approximately 10 miles of the Southern
California coastline between San Diego and Santa Barbara.Eco Surf Volunteers would especially like to thank El Ranchito restaurant of Corona del Mar for their generous donation of delicious breakfast burritos for all our Orange County volunteers, and the Sebanaler Family for their Bagel Breakfast for all our San Diego volunteers. We would also like to thank Corona del Mar Boy's and Girl's Water Polo Teams, Coronado High School Leo Club, and the Surf Rider Foundation their parts in our on-going projects.