04/01/2005 - The recent
earthquake and tsunami that struck the Asian
region is a reminder of the vulnerability
of coastal communities in the face of unexpected
natural disasters and of the tragic human
costs and social, ecological, and economic
impacts of such events.
WWF extends its deepest sympathies to those
who have lost families and friends, including
WWF staff and partner organizations, and
to those who are now in the process of rebuilding
their lives.
In Aceh, one WWF-Indonesia staff member
is still missing, and one project has been
affected by the Tsunami. Local staff are
currently involved in emergency relief operations,
with WWF’s field office in Banda Aceh now
functioning as a coordination post for emergency
relief.
"It has been a difficult moment for
us organizationally and individually to
some staff," said Mubariq Ahmand, CEO
of WWF-Indonesia. "We are encouraged,
however, from the support we have been getting."
In Jarkata, several WWF staff members met
with the Indonesian Minister of Environment
to discuss ways of assisting in the medium-
and long-term recovery process.
All WWF staff working in India’s Andaman
Islands and along the coastal regions of
Chennai and Kerala are reported to be safe.
They are currently assessing damage and
the environmental impacts of several projects,
including those involving devastated fishing
communities along the coast.
Also in India, the country’s Supreme Court
has relaxed its order banning the felling
of trees from forests, allowing for the
immediate use of timber for rehabilitation
of tsunami victims in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. The timber harvested would be used
for reconstruction and repairing houses,
setting up relief camps, and the repair
of public infrastructure and buildings.
The order will be in effect for six months
and will not affect forests within 1,000
metres of the sea, the island’s national
park, and coastal mangrove forests
WWF stresses that maintaining good environmental
services, such as forests, mangroves, and
reefs, can contribute to a community’s welfare
in times of crisis.
“Natural disasters cannot be prevented,”
said Isabelle Louis, Director of WWF International’s
Asia-Pacific Programme.
“However there may be ways to minimize
the threat such disasters pose to coastal
communities, to facilitate effective reconstruction,
and to mitigate the social and ecological
vulnerability of high risk areas.”
“Education programmes and early warning
systems will significantly reduce the number
of human casualties, but it will only be
through careful coastal and land-use planning
that the economic and social costs of such
disasters can be kept to a minimum,” she
added.
Tropical coastal ecosystems have sophisticated
natural insurance mechanisms to help them
survive the storm waves of typhoons and
tsunamis. Coral reefs provide a physical
barrier that reaches the sea surface, causing
waves to break offshore and allowing them
to dissipate most of their destructive energy
before reaching the shore, while mangroves
soak up destructive wave energy and acts
as a buffer against erosion. Marshes, tidal
inlets, and mangrove channels also contribute
to limiting the extent of inundation by
floodwaters and allow for such waters to
drain quickly.
According to reports from WWF-India's office
in Andhra Pradesh, mangroves and coastal
vegetation helped protect the coast and
saved lives. Many fishermen, for example,
took shelter in the Coringa Mangroves when
the tsunami hit and survived.
“Places that had healthy coral reefs and
intact mangroves were far less badly hit
than places where the reefs had been damaged
and the mangroves ripped out and replaced
by beachfront hotels and prawn farms,” said
Simon Cripps, Director of WWF’s Global Marine
Programme.
“Coral reefs act as a natural breakwater
and mangroves are a natural shock absorber,
and this applies to floods and cyclones
as well as tsunamis.”
WWF is continuing to assist in the tsunami
relief operations, and is providing its
knowledge and expertise to support the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which
has been tasked with undertaking a full
environmental assessment of this natural
disaster.
Notes
WWF International Director General Dr Claude
Martin has established a CHF10,000 Emergency
Fund from the Director General’s contingency
fund with the purpose of enabling affected
WWF programmes and projects and helping
local partners in rebuilding infrastructure,
re-establishing operations, undertaking
assessments, and reviving community-based
partner activities. Since the emergency
fund was announced WWF-Sweden has matched
this emergency fund with an additional CHF10,000.
Other offices in the WWF Network are in
the process of making similar pledges of
support.
