From conflict springs life
Korea’s demilitarization zone (DMZ) – a war remnant still separating the North and South of the country – now provides life to endangered species. The DMZ is landmined and therefore a tract of land where people literally feared to tread. As a consequence, it is now flourishing with flora and fauna that would have had difficulty surviving in competition with humans. It’s recently been revealed as one of only two breeding grounds for the critically endangered black-faced spoonbill: a species that teetered on the brink of extinction in the early 1990s when its known world population stood at a mere 294. Now with a healthier population level of over 800, the bird is still endangered by poaching (for food and sale to zoos) and because of agricultural pesticides that are getting into the birds’ food chain in China with fatal results. The zone is also home to the endangered red-crowned crane – a symbol of long life in China and Japan.
ACTION: The China office of environmental group, Pacific Environment, urges Chinese readers to take the story of the black-faced spoonbill into schools to educate others about how poaching and pesticides can imperil species.
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
