The Kuwait Environment Protection Society The Kuwait Environment Protection Society has launched a self-propelled submarine device for deep-sea research. Zoom In

News in Brief

17-08-2009

News in Brief: Diving team tests exploration device; Scientists In Alaska spot a shorebird tagged 8,000 miles away; An innovative corporate voice for bird conservation in South Africa; Saving the Albatross with poetry

Diving team tests exploration device - The Kuwait Environment Protection Society's (KEPS; BirdLife in Kuwait) diving team has successfully launched a self-propelled submarine device that can be used for deep-sea research and documentation activities. “The test was conducted in a swimming pool to guarantee effectiveness”, said Waleed Al-Shatti – KEPS Marine Operations Director. “The aim of introducing this device was to help the diving team conduct its volunteer marine operations with more efficiency”. The submarine design is based on the ‘diving bell’ - one of the earliest inventions for under water exploration that was developed in the 16th century. The device weighs 60 kg and comprises a glass house that allows for clear vision of the seabed. It is self-propelled and has a device allowing for upward and downward movement while travelling across the water.

Scientists In Alaska spot a shorebird tagged 8,000 miles away — Scientists studying shorebirds in western Arctic Alaska recently spotted a tagged Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica which had flown more than 8,000 miles (12,900 km) away from Victoria, Australia. “It’s extremely unusual to find a banded bird that has flown literally thousands of miles from where it was released”, said Dr Steve Zack - Wildlife Conservation Society scientist who observed the bird. Migratory shorebirds of many species are in decline. “Shorebirds like Bar-tailed Godwit from Australia, Dunlin from Asia, and Semipalmated Sandpiper from South America are affected by different threats in their wintering and summering grounds. The conservation of this highly migratory group of birds is truly a challenging worldwide issue”.

An innovative corporate voice for bird conservation in South Africa - E Oppenheimer & Son, a company long associated with conservation work in South Africa, recently took the innovative step of signing up its entire staff, totalling almost 100 people, as members of BirdLife South Africa (BirdLife Partner). “We hope that this can inspire other corporates to follow members, because if one is connected to birds, one is connected to nature and its habitats globally” said Mrs Strilli Oppenheimer. Each member gives BirdLife South Africa a louder voice for conservation of birds and their habitats in South Africa. “We’re delighted to have 100 staff from E. Oppenheimer & Son join our organization”, said Mark Anderson, Executive Director of BirdLife South Africa. Visit the BirdLife South Africa website.

Saving the Albatross with poetry - Acclaimed poet, novelist and playwright Benjamin Zephaniah has written a poem in support of BirdLife’s Save the Albatross campaign. The poem goes as follows:
For some I am a symbol of life,
A link to a Jurassic past,
Nature
Love
And other good things.
So why are some killing me?
For some I am the subject of their song,
A flight of their fancy,
Poetry in their poetry,
And when they talk memory talk,
And when they think of being free
They think of being me.
So why are some killing me?
And you
So what am I to you?
Can you save me?
Can you rise up and speak for me?
Give me
Poems that can save me
Songs for my liberation
Power to my wings.
Save me
And I will save you
For the Albatross
And the Glads Club