Projects

Written by Roger Abrantes

Friday, 31 July 2009 14:33

Thailand, Andaman Sea--Marine Environmental Management

AndamanIsland

Coral reefs are in serious trouble. one respected source contends that more than 10 percent of these precious resources--some 35 million acres--are already degraded beyond recovery; and if something isn't done to turn the tide soon, we'll lose another 70 percent by the middle of this century.

This perilous state of affairs has spawned a great deal of research in recent years in an attempt to identify the causes of such a dramatic decline. far from all, but some of the problems confronting coral reefs involve tourism. while much of the tourism issue centers around coastal development and poor land-use practices, damage to reefs caused by recreational divers and snorkelers is receiving increased attention.

From the diving industry's perspective, two key areas of research are:

1. the impact divers have on coral reefs and
2. establishing diver carrying capacities on coral reefs, especially within marine protected areas.

The specific goals of educating divers include:

1. to be able to explain in layman's terms the basic functional ecology of coral reef ecosystems and the interrelationship among reef inhabitants.
2. to demonstrate an understanding of the problems facing coral reefs, and what role divers play.
3. to demonstrate an understanding of the major marine resource management issues which are relevant to divers and the diving community.
4. to explain how a commitment to environmental awareness can translate into improved customer satisfaction.
5. to be able to implement techniques to make students and customers more competent divers, while at the same time improving their ability to dive in an environmentally-responsible manner.
6. to be able to structure both entry-level and advanced-level training programs in ways that foster improved environmental awareness and development of low-impact diving skills.

Tanzania--The APOPO Project

APOPO is situated at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro, Tanzania. APOPO trains sniffer rats to save human lives. The APOPO rats are primarily used for landmine and UXO clearance. This new technology is also being tested to detect TB bacteria in human sputum samples.

The rats, Gambian Giant Pouched Rats, Cricetomys gambianus, do not suffer any harm. We train them to detect explosives or mines, which are then cleared by a special team.

A new project is now training some special rats as SAR (Search and Rescue rats). These rats carry a camera that provides pictures and information about location back to the operator.Abrantes R&D International is involved in the training of the operators and rat trainers. Roger Abrantes has since 2006 been teaching the rat trainers and reviewing standard operating procedures. The first CPRT (Certified Professional Rat Trainers), accredited by the

Ethology Institute

, graduated in 2007. Jo Abrantes at the University of Wollongong is currently developing the hardware and software needed for SAR operations. Daniel Abrantes gave this summer the first mini-course on human resources and management to the Apopo rat trainers.

The rat trainers curriculum was created by Roger Abrantes and is very similar to the CPAT program of the Ethology Institute Cambridge.

Please visit www.apopo.org and www.herorat.com for more information. If you wish to support the project, your contribution will be most appreciated.

Last Updated on Friday, 23 July 2010 22:07