ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Helen Hitchcock and Kathryn Thomas

Introduction

As in all previous Biosearch Nyika expeditions the aim was to carry out our fieldwork whilst minimizing the effect of this activity on the environment and the habitats that we visited. Although on expedition, it is not always possible to leave the locality in a totally pristine condition, we made every effort to keep the effects of our intrusion to a minimum. This year for the first time, we have tried to reduce our carbon footprint, as a contribution towards a healthy global environment.

Camps

Everyone is together at base camp for a short time, so location was chosen with this in mind. Base camp was an area with previously cleared areas for tents and a "loo" pit, so no new intrusion into the habitat was required. Movement at base camp was kept to two established paths. When away from camp, we followed well-trodden animal paths as far as possible. Care was taken not to displace vegetation unnecessarily. Since our groups were generally no more than eight people, we are satisfied that damage caused by people traffic was minimal.

Care was also taken in the setting of tents. Fire is a major cause of long-term damage to trees on the Nyika and it is important that teams do not inadvertently cause an outbreak that can run out of control. In this respect and to ensure the safety of the team and their tents, these must always be sited well away from the camp fire and sufficiently separated from each other. The leader insisted on the re-pitching of tents away from the campfire when he considered that these essential safety precautions were not being adhered to sufficiently.

It was sometimes necessary to level small areas for the tent, with a machete or hoe when a camp is to remain only a few days. This does cause some local damage to the vegetation and top soil and is best avoided. The ground works were restricted to the immediate area of the small tent and restored on leaving as far as possible.

At our main base camp, which was the "Old Horse Camp", we were able to dismantle a disused, wooden pole, shower block to construct our food bazaar for storage of provisions. Since the wood had been imported from Chilinda and was mainly non-native pine, we felt that we had actually enhanced the environment by reusing it and placing it in a less visible situation near the river. It was left on our departure for possible future use but may well be swept away by any river flooding when the rains arrive.

Cutting of live trees is futile and damaging. Any timber containing sap will produce a smoky fire and will be difficult to light, so in the short period of an expedition, with no chance to dry live wood sufficiently, the issue of tree cutting for fuel does not arise. All timber used on the expedition was either fallen or dead. Dry grass was used for kindling in the morning, where necessary. Collecting this kindling the previous day and storing it under a tent is recommended, since the dew can be significant at higher altitudes. Minimal cutting of green wood was for essential constructions, such as the toilet. For our main camp this was not necessary since we used a previously occupied site with facilities intact.

Water for cooking and washing up was obtained from the river and stored in large plastic containers, which are retained from year to year, being stored in Malawi . Water was boiled for tea, with only that for drinking bottles being treated with chlorine tablets.

Waste disposal

All paper, cardboard and plastic was burned. Vegetable and fruit waste was buried. Tins were first burned to encourage rapid decay, and then buried, though removal from the park would have been preferable. Batteries were reused by the scouts. Glass does not decay and was removed from the park at the end of the expedition. Washing up water was poured into a sump, well away from any water course. Clothes washing was done near to the river for convenience but again all waste water was thrown away at a good distance from the river. This occasioned many beautiful butterflies to descend on the area to enjoy the salts contained in the suds. The camp site was generally kept tidy; it is important that this is a continuous process to avoid litter spreading and to avoid the loss of personal belongings. A litter monitor was appointed to help ensure this.

In the smaller sub camps, with short duration of occupancy, waste was buried in the toilet hole. It was impressed on the team that whilst in the bush no toilet paper should be deposited, since digging it in can be difficult. It should be burnt in situ ; this was the purpose of a small lighter on the kit list.

Before departure from any camps, all waste holes were filled in properly and gardening work done to disguise the site, thus invisibly restoring it to its original state. A final and thorough litter check was made before departure from base camp.

How can an expedition address the issue of carbon emissions?

The complexities of this issue are immense but there is no doubt that our international flights are the main point of focus. The round trip from London is in excess of 10,000 miles. It is unfortunate that it is now difficult to fly direct to Lilongwe without flying through one of the two major African hubs, Nairobi or Johannesburg . We can but hope that in the future large efficient carriers will be able to fly direct with full loads but until that option becomes available there is intrinsic carbon inefficiency in any air travel to Malawi .

The next aspect we considered was whether the travel produced sufficient value to warrant the real cost in carbon emissions. For many years expeditions have tried to improve the value added to their host country by their visits. Scientific and research expeditions have grown in number in recent years. Biosearch Nyika has a ten-year track record of working closely with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to produce useful results for the conservation of the Nyika National Park . It would be good for the period of the expedition to be extended to increase this value but the effect on carbon footprint, since the number of return flights would remain the same. The value of the work can be assessed by our hosts, but as long as the invitation to return remains, we must assume that we are adding real value and the carbon cost is, if not fully justified, at least mitigated to some degree.

We feel more positive about our carbon emissions in Malawi . Our main travel up country is by bus and once we are camped in the wilderness the use of vehicles is minimal. Biosearch Nyika is distinguished from most other expeditions in that the main focus of our work is travel on foot into remote areas that are not accessible by vehicle. If everyone from developed nations spent one month a year without the use of vehicles then we would certainly be moving in the right direction in reducing carbon emissions.

On a micro scale, our substantial use of local fresh produce and fallen timber for firewood for catering in camp was beneficial. We have been progressively reducing convenience packaged bush foods, since they are expensive to buy, nutritionally less satisfying and have more waste to be dealt with afterwards. In 2007 the proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables in our rations was the highest yet and mostly arrived in camp in cardboard boxes, which served as seats before eventually being buried or burnt. We envisage that single use plastic will almost cease to be used on our expeditions, with the possible exception of water bottles, which have multiple uses for scientific, catering and other purposes, once the contents have been consumed.

Many scientists would now agree that the destruction of ancient forests, worldwide has been a major factor in increased carbon emissions in recent years. Reinstating these trees as soon as possible is recognized as a practical way of compensating, in part, for our carbon footprint. There are organisations that will allow individuals to compensate by paying towards reforestation projects. Biosearch Nyika is fortunate to be able to connect each team member directly with this process by planting native trees in a designated secure area. This may be a small gesture but the solution to the major problem of carbon capture lies with many small gestures by people worldwide.

Summary Report 2007

Foreword - Part 1 - Part 2 - Team 2007 - Environmental Protection - PDF Summary 2007

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