Tuvalu - A Nation of Superlatives
You see, Tuvalu is understandably very concerned about the rising oceans due to global warming. In other parts of the world, this change might impact the types of crops that are grown, how much energy is used, and the introduction of new tropical diseases. In Tuvalu, rising oceans may submerge the entire nation under water. As Samuel Johnson said, "The prospect of being hanged focuses the mind wonderfully." Indeed, for Tuvalu the prospect of being drowned does cause a nation to take rising sea levels very seriously. Unfortunately for Tuvalu, the negative impacts of the rising oceans are already being experienced in terms of stronger storm surges that reach farther inland. During my recent visit, many village elders described how this is already happening, with areas that never before experienced flooding now regularly underwater during storms.
It
is well known that mangrove forests ameliorate the impact of storm
surges. As was seen in the great Southeast Asia tsunami several years ago,
villages that kept their mangrove forests intact suffered less damage than
those that had cut their mangrove trees down. Consequently, the Tuvalu atoll of
Nanumea approached Seacology for support of a win-win project. Nanumea
has a population of 660 people and outside of government employment there are
no (as in zero) paying jobs on the island. Everyone lives off the bounty
of the land and sea in a subsistence fashion. Therefore Nanumea was
seeking support for the renovation and expansion of a Woman's Centre where the
local women can make traditional handicrafts for sale in the capital city
of Funafuti. In exchange, the people of Nanumea would begin a two
acre lagoon based mangrove nursery and reserve, planting over 1,000 mangrove
seedlings along the coastline. Seacology's response was a resounding "YES."
Along with Seacology president Ken Murdock and 42 other guests on Zegrahm
Expeditions' exploratory cruise ship the Clipper Odyssey, I recently attended
the official opening of the Nanumea project. As we came in to the lagoon
on our zodiacs, we were serenaded in traditional fashion by villagers who came
out to greet us on their kayaks. After receiving flowered headdresses
from the wonderful Pula Taofa, coordinator of the Tuvalu National Council of
Women (TNCW), and other high ranking village representatives, we walked over to
the new Women's Center. The speeches made by Pula and her colleagues from
TNCW were very moving and made it clear that the Women's Center will allow
women to earn income from the manufacture of traditional handicrafts and give
them not only much needed income but also a sense of independence and
accomplishment. It was then time for Ken Murdock and me to cut the ribbon
officially opening the new Center (see photo below).
Photo credit Ramona Wilson
It is very much in the tradition of Seacology to get our hands dirty (in this case literally) and lend a hand to our projects. The photos below show Jerry and Don Zieglar with a mangrove seedling (left), and local women planting mangroves (right).
With our work completed, it was now time to celebrate. The village put on
an incredible fest featuring pigs and chicken baked in an earth oven.
Afterwards, we were treated to a wonderful performance of singing and dancing.
Ken Murdock and I made our way through the 80 villagers singing in a tight knit
circle around a large drum and joined the villagers in the drum circle, which
was a very moving experience.
As a surprise to my fellow passengers, Seacology had arranged to be the first
major customer of the Women's Handicraft Center and with our support, the
village presented everyone with gifts of beautiful handmade dresses, necklaces
and fans. It was an event that none of us will ever forget.
