Now read the title backwards. Asides this being a great palindrome, the country and the canal are amazing.

Barro Colorado Island

On our first day we sail about halfway up the 81 km long canal to visit Barro Colorado Isand (BCI). This artificial island came into being when the canal was constructed  between 1910 - 1914. Before the Chagres river was dammed to form the high-level canal BCI was the top of a hill. Since 1923 studies on the rainforest ecosystem have been carried out on BCI. Consequently, it is now one of the most studies places on earth and has become a prototype for measuring the biodiversity of flora and fauna around the world.

Another great home for Tarzan

Together with US researchers that currently work on the island – currently administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)  - and experts of the Rainforest Foundation US we explore the island. It is absolutely incredible! We see howler monkeys, toucans, bats, agouti’s, deer, parrots, preying birds, leaf cutter ants, bullet ants (if they sting you it feels like you have been hit by a bullet), a sloth and much, much more.

Everywhere are little ribbons that mark research projects, and with 250-300 researchers a year, there are a lot. Interesting is that they have set asides a 50 hectare plot to monitor long term changes in the rainforest. On other tracks the canopy is totally covered in liana (the woody vines Tarzan swings on). Scientists are currently researching whether this has abundant growth of liana has an impact on forests ability to store carbon. I can’t wait to hear the outcome of that.

Here is the official video on BCI by the STRI with more information about it’s history and research projects. 

Bats

After this invigorating walk we receive an equally interesting talk about bats by scientist Elisabeth Kalko. She explains us the important ecological role bats have in tropical rainforests. They are amongst others a source of pollination, seed dispersal and a natural pest control. Yet, what impresses us most are her slow motion footages of how bats navigate in total darkness. Via echolocation (and perhaps extraordinary eyesight) the can adjust their route last minute with about 40 miles per hour. Amazing to see!

In transit

On the way back to Panama City we pass a enormous containership just coming out of the locks on the Pacific Side. Every time a ship passes the canal, they are lifted up almost 26 meters by the locks.  Yet, per lock-cycle going downward to the oceans 101.000 m³ fresh water is lost. With almost 15.000 ships annually, that isn’t very sustainable. Therefore sometime soon water saving basins will be installed next to the locks. They will each transit reuse about 60% of the water from the locks that would have otherwise been pushed into the ocean. A step in the right direction, since many species on BCI (flora as well as fauna) are very susceptible to drought. And we should do anything we can to protect this paradise on earth!

México, July 27th

 

The Costeau Society in conjuction with the scientists of the University of Baja California are working together in a project for the conservation of the smallest cetacean in the world, “la Vaquita”, classified as critically endangered for the IUCN.

One of the biggest challenges they have faced since the beginning is the lack of information in the biology of the species itself, yet this was described for the first time in 1958.

Since then, a lot of contradictions between policy makers and scientists have stunted the development of the project. Nevertheless our foundation has never given up in its way to show the clear signs and evidences of the endangered status of the species.

Being an animal that doesn't spend more than 3 seconds in the surface, and due to the low number of its population, it's going to be a challenge to see one of the them during our boat trip. However, we will have a great opportunity to see how the monitoring of la Vaquita with acoustic detectors is done.

The difficulties the project face, both social and economic, speak for themselves. The worrying negative trend in the detection rate highlights the need for the project's continuation. The project and the foundation have been important to identify the risk factors and design mitigation measures. 

This wouldn't only be a success for the species, researchers and communities, but could represent a success for the whole of mankind. This project offers us the opportunity to work together for sustainable conservation of our marine wildlife, benefetting us… and our future generations.

Written by Vanessa Bujaldon

While still having all the amazing impressions of Tanzania in our minds, we made our way up north from Kigoma via Dar es Salaam, London and Montreal to Ottawa. There we had a great opportunity to meet Buzz Aldrin, the legendary Apollo 11 astronaut and patron of Opel Project Earth. We also met Katie Melua, the famous singer and Opel brand ambassador - she will accompany us on our journey into the Arctic. During the kick-off event, which prepared us for the next destination, representatives of the WWF Arctic Program introduced us to their work and the environmental challenges they are facing. Also, people from Inuit Communities made us familiar with their social situation.

From Ottawa we journeyed over 3200 km north to Pond Inlet, where our field camp will be located for the next few days. Having travelled half way around the world and being fascinated at seeing some icebergs from the airplane, we are really keen to find out what life is like up here with 24 hours of daylight every day!

Written by Vanessa and Jens L

The first destination of the Opel Project Earth took us to Tanzania, where we meet Jane Goodall personally to find out all about her and her work. More than 50 years ago here in the Gombe National Park she started as a 26 year-old British girl the research of the Chimpanzees and developed her visions of the future. For us she is an impressive and successful entrepreneur, not in the field of business but in nature and sustainability. She follows her goals in a very consequent way which so much personal drive very few people have. Even today she spends more than 300 days per year promoting her ideals and projects and is doing this very successfully. She “infected” many people all around the globe and so her initiatives are active in more than 127 countries. Besides the research of the Chimpanzees she initiated socials programs for refugees and people in need. The reason for this is obvious: if you want to save and preserve nature, people need to be independent of what the environment around them has to offer and not take whatever can’t be paid back to nature. In other words: Taking care of the most basic needs of the people is an important part of saving nature.

What she achieved in life did inspire us very much. During the time we spend with her we felt her expectations and not-outspoken hope that we will continue her work. From our perspective she gives us good examples of well-established sustainable ways to combine the interest of humans and nature. Those experiences are important to show that global problems can be solved if we become active in those programs.

Written by Amir and Jens L.

This morning we got picked up by three employers of the Jane Goodall Institut to drive us to two villages which are part of the TaCare Project of the JGI. On small roads, which almost looked like small trails, we went to the first village which was called “Trankele”. There we have been welcomed by the chairman, some other men, working with the project and a lot of children. At first some of them were very shy but after a while we were surrounded by many many children with huge brown and curious eyes. Actually the thing they were most interested in were our cameras.  Every time we took a picture and showed it to them they were laughing and pointing at each other and they had so much fun I can't really describe it.  
The chairman told us that the biggest problem they had was getting water into the village. It is hard to imagine for us how life could be with limited water. The women had to walk a long way to fill their bottles with water and carry them all the way back to the village on their head. Because of the lack of water there have been a lot of diseases among the inhabitants for example cholera. So what the TaCare project did was looking for funds for about 2 years to solve this problem. But during this time the village had cut all the trees around their houses to use it as firewood and that had huge effect on the water flow in this region. So there have been two things the employers of the project had to do. At first they talked with the families and explained them why the forest is so important and they all decided to let the trees grow again. Secondly they built a pipe which is about 5 km long to pump water into a tank. Today there is enough water for the families living there and they don't suffer from diseases anymore. I think I will never forget these moments  and be thankful, that I can even drink water out of the tub without getting sick or wash my clothes whenever I want.

Written by Üte

Today was more than amazing, there are no words to describe it!
Just after breakfast, we took the boat to go to Gombe National Park, passing along the shoreline of the Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest one in the world containing 17% of the land freshwater. The lake is so big that you have the impression to be on the sea. On our way we saw the damages that have been done to nature, especially the deforestation and its impacts. We saw for example the consequences of a landslide that destroyed part of a village which makes it even more obvious how important the work of projects like the ones of JGI are for saving this area. When arriving in Gombe National Park we encountered a complete change of landscapes, with pristine tropical forest which gave us an idea of what the environment looked like before humans started to destroy it. We got an introduction on the safety regulations of the park and then we were divided into groups to explore the forest and get the best chances to see chimpanzees. What a surprise when we saw the first group of them after just a little while. They were walking past us with no fear and it was unbelievable how close they got. It was breathtaking! During the whole visit we were able to see them several times and over time it was just great to see them in their natural habitat and become aware of the fact how close they are to humans. It gives you goosebumps! Imagine that there are not many places in Africa where chimpanzees can lead a life without fearing humans which makes you appreciate this experience even more. Even though the tour through the jungle was quite exhausting to all of us, it was more than worth it. How would you feel if you would see "your closest cousins" in the wild.

What an incredible day we will never forget!

Written by Jason and Laura

Today was incredible. We received a lecture from Jane Goodall which was all about the Jane Goodall Institute's (JGI) 'Roots and Shoots' program. For Jane the Roots and Shoots program is a move away projects solely based around animals, towards more holistic projects. The beauty of the program is its simplicity. Here's how it works:

A representative from JGI organises a group of young people who are asked to select three problems from within their community to try to solve. One problem must be people centered, one animal, and the other environment. Once selected the group discusses how the problems can be solved.

Then they get stuck in and solve them!

Jane described a great example to us. One Tanzanian community had organised a series of plays – theatre being a medium accessible to all - meant to educate the surrounding villages about the damaging effects eating bush meat (e.g. Chimps) can have. The project was a great success! Linked with this was the Chicken project where chicks were hatched and reared by a Roots and Shoots group and then distributed throughout the community. This provided the locals with an alternative source of protein to bush meat. The distribution of the chickens was accompanied with training on how to look after and breed them.

The Roots and Shoots program is active in 127 countries and Jane's passion for it is infectious – she really gets fired up when talking about it (you can see it in her eyes!).

...So why not set up a project where you live today?!

Written by Adam

Today was a day that I will probably never forget. One of my so called “expedition dreams” came true: meeting Jane Goodall in person and learning more about her and the work she is doing directly in Kigoma and Gombe National Park.
We started our day with a trip to the small village Katongo and learnt that the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) started a deforestation project in that area. While exploring the area, Mr. Emanuel Mtiti, one of the great JGI-members, explained the reasons for this project: they want to get the natural species of trees back into that area, they want to educate the people about a healthy usage of wood (firewood, building houses etc.) and the main reason is to work on bringing back the chimpanzees back to that part of Kigoma.
If they didn't support this project the people of Katonga would destroy the forest and during rainfalls the land will turn into mudslides and be washed into the Lake Tanganyika and kill the fish.
Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake in the world and provides our planet with 17% of its fresh water. A fact that never ceases to impress me.
The planted trees stabilize the land and are also a guaranteed safety to the community.
Afterwards we drove to the Jane Goodall Institute. We finally met Dr. Jane Goodall and watched her movie “Jane's Journey”, which I can absolutely recommend. It's an autobiography with old footage of her earlier years and interviews of people close to her. If you don't know much about Dr. Jane Goodall this is THE movie to start with.
It perfectly captures what an inspiring, positive and determined woman Dr. Jane Goodall is, she is a role-model to me and makes me want to be a much better person than I have been up to this day.
ALL of us have been impressed and moved by this encounter. I also had the unbelievable honor to sit at a small table with her during dinner – which seems pretty surreal to me now – and I had a conversation that taught me a great deal of things. She has this way about her that fascinates you, a calm, mysterious but at the same time strong and passionate peace-maker that is the very role-model not just for our generation, but the ones before and after.
We also talked about the team's wish of working on an additional Roots & Shoots program (one of Dr. Jane Goodall´s renowned programs) and support her cause from our side.
We have definitely gotten some good advice and Dr. Jane Goodall and she has given us inspiration on every level. And tomorrow we're off to see things for ourselves in the Gombe National Park! Only seeing a wild chimpanzee can really top today's experiences.

Written by Janine

Harabee Zeynu

 

In preparation for our expedition we first flew to Frankfurt.  It was great meeting the team again the expectations and team spirit were running high. Our first task was immediately an exposing one; changing and fitting our new Vaude equipment. What followed was a training session in first aid given by paramedics to prepare us for the unexpected. With everything running on schedule we managed to catch both our flights, first from Frankfurt to London, and then our long-haul to Dar es Salaam. A grand total of 21 hours travel time. We were firstly greeted by Mount Kilimanjaro with the African sun trading places with the setting moon and the warm scent of Africa. A sea of smiles welcomed us to Tanzania, and guided us to our third airport of the trip. We boarded an eight seater Beechcraft to take us all the way cross country to Kigoma; a beautiful and very memorable trip because of our proximity to the cockpit and the spectacular views of the African landscape. Our first real impressions of life in Tanzania followed and we arrived at camp in high spirits. The views from the hill top over Lake Tanganyika are breathtaking, particularly when viewed from the comfort of the pool. It's hard to imagine that this place was once ravaged by the effects of World War I. Well fed and in expectation of meeting Jane Goodall tomorrow all that is left for us is to let the African night sky guide us to sleep.

 

Here are the first impressions of our adventure:

Great Sail Peak reflected in a snow melt pool on Baffin Island, Nunavut, in the Canadian Arctic. ArcelorMittal has bought Baffinland Iron Mines in order to exploit Mary river iron ore deposits. Photograph: Gordon Wiltsie/NGC/Getty Images

Today while working on sustainable mining issues - a sub-issue of my research on changing the tax system by decreasing labor tax and increasing tax on resources - I came across the following article ‘Britain's richest man to build giant Arctic iron ore mine’ posted on the 4^th of July in the Guardian.

The richest man of Britain, Lakshmi Mittal, is planning a giant new opencast mine 300 miles inside the Arctic Circle in a bid to extract a potential $23bn (£14bn) worth of iron ore. This potential mine will be in the Nunavut Region that is one of the stops of the Opel Project Earth expedition.

‘The "mega-mine" – which includes a 150km railway line and two new ports – is believed to be the largest mineral extraction project in the Arctic and highlights the huge commercial potential of the far north as global warming makes industrial development in the region easier.’

The mine will provide jobs for local people and greatly increase the revenue of the local government. Yet, the area is also ‘the home to terrestrial mammals including the caribou, Arctic fox and hare. Marine mammals are also found in abundance in the region including polar bears, narwhals, beluga whales and blowhead whales while migratory birds include snow geese, rough-legged hawks and gyro-falcons.’ 

The final decision is taken by the local Inuit community. When is not stated. Martin von Mirbach, director of the Arctic programme at WWF in Canada, follows the process closely. Luckily for us, we are going to meet him as well as the local Inuit people to discuss the developments regarding the potential mine. I cant wait to here their stories and considerations.

Do you have any questions for them, let me know!