Sustainable Ecosystems Institute Projects Much of Myanmar Delta ‘Lost’ From Environmental Destruction Before and After Nargis
PORTLAND, Ore., May 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Two hundred million people were affected by natural disasters in 2007, up 48% from 2006 (January 2008 annual UN-linked report). This is a growing problem for rich and poor countries alike. Governments that permit destruction of natural vegetation that helps protect communities remain unprepared, scrambling once faced with a disaster. This pre- and post-disaster negligence warrants global response, states the Sustainable Ecosystems Institute (SEI). The international organization of scientists urges widespread emergency planning that includes ecological assessment, as well as proven emergency response practices that help people and ecosystems more quickly rebound.
"Many major crises in the world today are rooted in the environment. Security, health, cultural integrity, and social justice all have roots in how we use our environment," observes Dr. Deborah Brosnan, SEI President. A marine natural disaster expert, Dr. Brosnan has worked in Asia after the tsunami and in the Gulf Coast after Katrina. "Just like Louisiana, no one in Myanmar expected devastation of this scale. Few considered how environmental damage would raise the death toll. How much more of this will we tolerate and how many thousands more will die needlessly?"
The Irrawaddy Delta, an area similar to the Mississippi Delta, took the brunt of Cyclone Nargis. Home to six million people, the upper half was converted from marsh to rice paddies. 800 miles of embankments protect 1,000 square miles of paddies, but few have been adequately maintained for human protection. The once-dense natural fortress of mangrove forests has been disappearing so fast that one study estimates that all of Myanmar’s mangroves will be gone in 50 years. Mangroves, which act as an effective speed bump against storm surges, saved lives and property in SE Asia during the tsunami. Marshes limited damage in Louisiana during Katrina. In Myanmar, it was the twelve-foot storm surge of Nargis, racing across the degraded delta, which killed thousands.
People in the lower Irrawaddy delta depend on every navigable stream and river for a rich catch of prawns, mackerel and anchovies. The environmental damage there makes it challenging for aid workers to navigate the maze of choked marshes. More dire, the likelihood of community recovery is slim, especially if bodies are disposed in rivers where the community fishes. These factors, not to mention imminent disease, make survival odds for those stranded quite bleak, projects Dr. Brosnan.
"Based on the predictions of IPCC, we can expect many more natural disasters. Worldwide, governments are unprepared for the scale of disasters, making decisions adequate for a small catastrophes but too little for what really happens. We’re seeing this in Myanmar and saw it with Katrina," added Dr. Brosnan. "The good news is that we have methods to respond to environmental destruction and allow people and their natural resources to rebound and sustain themselves — but there’s a short window of opportunity to put those measures in place. Scientists can help Myanmar recover and help other countries prepare. We have many who want to help. The question is whether our advice and input will be heeded."
About Sustainable Ecosystems Institute (SEI)
SEI is an organization of more than 1,000 scientists from academia, government, and the private sector dedicated to bridging the gap between the scientific community and society at large. Its scientists work in the U.S. and internationally on ocean issues, forests, endangered species, and the interface between science and policy. Founded in 1994, it is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.sei/org. To read Dr. Brosnan’s blog post titled "Myanmar Reels," visit www.deborahbrosnan.com.
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CONTACT: Sustainable Ecosystems Institute (SEI) Media Contacts: Jacquie Dehaan +1-503-246-5008 brosnan@sei.org Emerge PR Liza Colburn +1-617-729-3177 lcolburn@emergepr.com