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Tradition to the Rescue
The wetlands of the Inner Niger Delta in Mali is home to over 1 million people due to the natural irrigation from the annual flood waters.
Wherever you may live, a healthy ecosystem is good in every way. In Mali, which is in the center of Western Meritah (colonial Africa), a rich cultural heritage runs through the region, just as the Djoliba (Niger) river does. The Djoliba is such a massive river that it creates an inland delta (flooded plain or marshland) within the Sahara Desert. The villagers of the interior delta are capable of many things: boat building, navigation, fishing, farming, construction of mud-brick structures and even building pyramids. Restoring the ecosystem can be added to the list. These villagers are working to reestablish regional wetland-forests. These forests serve as a refuge for plant and animal species during the dry season. Seven forests have been restored out of twenty that have perished, according to Mory Diallo, a research assistant at the local office of Wetlands International.
This is good news for the local economy because many fisheries have been restored, leading to income for local communities. Under the canopy of these forests, the water is kept from drying up entirely because of the shade that the trees provide. Small bodies of water remain throughout the dry season, which provides spawning ponds for fish. These submerged forests have recovered since being placed under the protection of traditional leaders. According to an article on Allafrica.com, much of the forests in this delta region were lost to drought in the 1970’s and 1980’s. However, beginning in the 1960’s, the increased usage of chemical agricultural inputs and exploitative farming practices of the so-called Green Revolution were implemented wherever colonial governments had influence. Because of its rice producing capacity, this region in Mali was exploited. The result, as we have seen wherever industrial agriculture has been adopted, is an environmental imbalance that forces the ecosystem to change.
When these environments go through changes, it doesn't always happen by man's hands literally, although the clear cutting of the forests around the world is just that. Sometimes, man will introduce something into an environment that will lead to severe changes only through a series of events. It is then the short-sightedness of man to pick the most recent preceding event and label that as the cause of what has resulted. It is revealing to see that the preservation or destruction of an ecosystem can depend so greatly on the individuals in charge of it. In this case, the villagers of the inland delta are witnesses to the existence, destruction and restoration of these forests because it has happened within their lifetime. For millennia, these forests have been preserved. In a brief time their destruction came about through mismanagement by outsiders. Now, the restoration of these forests are being seen when their care is once again being put in the hands of traditional leaders.
Unnecessary Exposure
Summer has arrived in these parts and that means people are spending more time outside. However, this can be dangerous and not in the way you might think. Heat is a concern for many, dehydration must be avoided, there is a long list and it is about to get longer. First and foremost, avoid sunscreen. Interestingly, the product sold to “help prevent skin cancer” contains toxins that have been linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage, which is known traditionally to lead to cancer. While there are many toxins in sunscreen and other cosmetic products, oxybenzone is an ingredient that contaminates 97% of Americans, according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
As I previously stated, many products contain these toxins. Among them are: sunscreens, facial moisturizer/treatment, other products with SPF, lip balm, lipstick, moisturizer, anti-aging creams, conditioner and fragrance for women to name a few. It may be difficult to identify toxins by reading the ingredient labels because the names have been changed, and not to protect the innocent. Examples of this can be found in products containing Formaldehyde and/or Phenol. I viewed 24 different names for Formaldehyde in one report on toxins, many of them are trade names. Some of them are: Formic acid aldehyde, formalin, methyl aldehyde, oxomethane, methyleneoxide, oxymethylene, formyl hydrate, Formol, Fannoform, BFV, Formalith, Ivalon, Lysoform, Morbicid, Superslysoform, Tannosynt, Antverruc, Sandovac, Vobaderin, Q15.
While formaldehyde is a preservative that extends the shelf life of a product, chemicals like Phenol and Oxybenzone are penetration enhancers, allowing other chemicals to be absorbed into the blood stream. In one study, 9% of the applied dose of oxybenzone was detected by a urine test to have entered the participant’s body. The danger is increased for children because they have less body weight per skin surface area than adults. This increases the percentage of toxin within the body and causes greater damage. Absorption of penetration enhancers and other chemicals by the body precedes allergic reactions triggered by sun exposure, cell damage and hormonal fluctuations that produce a much greater risk of developing cancer than by simple sun exposure. Also, it has been shown that these chemicals, when washed off into water, like at the beach, cause viral infections within coral reefs and the feminization of male fish. Additional research shows that sunscreen impedes the body's ability to receive Vitamin D from the sunlight, which increases a persons risk of developing skin cancer.