Quarantine Stops Family Gardens

- Self-Help Project Convinces and Inspires -

Landau 1. August 2020.

On the initiative of the mayors of Coquimbo and La Serena, as of Thursday (30 July), there is an additional preventative quarantine measure beyond the nightly curfew. As a result, the citizens are now only allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons (work, purchasing, or doctor visits). The spread of the pandemic in Chile (18.3 million inhabitants) is dramatic: the number of confirmed infections currently is 355,667. Germany (82.91 million inhabitants) currently has 210,399 confirmed infections. The number of new infections in Chile is daily 2,131 (Germany 864). The total deaths to date in Chile is 9,457 (Germany 9,147) (status as of August 1st). The quarantine does not only continue to cripple social life, but also has initially stopped the very successful campaign “Huertos familiares”, which we call the “Small Garden” campaign. Since the end of April, the Humboldt Alliance (an alliance for the protection of the environment, of which Sphenisco is also a member) has brought interested citizens foodstuffs as well as salad and vegetable plants to the coastal villages of the La Higuera community (1). Local authorities have supported this campaign and even helped in the organization. In a short period of time, “Huertos familiares” was the main topic of conversation and managed to release unexpected energies: the helpers from the Alliance were expected in the villages, the “new” gardeners thanked them with pictures of their growing plants, and began to consult and support each other with the cultivation. Fish scraps were composted, independent previously-started garden initiatives were reactivated. The Alliance even managed to win new members from the villages themselves.

Numerous media that normally would hush up the activities of the Alliance, have nevertheless reported about this sustainable self-help project (s.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZOwn0JbEE4)

The current dynamic and developments make it clear that “Huertos familiares” is not only seen as a charitable and solidary campaign, but also as an environmental campaign in the best sense of the word. The executive board from Sphenisco has therefore classified the “Small Garden” campaign (but not the foodstuff donations) as worthy of support according to the statutes of the organization.

W. K.

translated by Erich Greiner

Note:

(1) Caleta Los Hornos, Chungungo, Totoralillo Norte, La Higuera, Punta Colorada, Los Choros, Punta de Choros, El Llano de Los Choros, Chañaral de Aceituno

Small Gardens as Self-Help

Landau, 1st July 2020.

In Chile, the number of people infected with Covid 19 is 6,5 times higher than in Germany, the death toll nearly 3 times (2,8). The real numbers are probably even higher. The fight against the pandemic by the Piñera government was deficient from the beginning; the government believed that economic interests had to be put above protective measures. The result is detrimental to both the economy and the health of the population. Chile's health system is on the verge of collapse, with doctors and nurses complaining of a lack of protective clothing and defective equipment. People in many regions are therefore trying to help themselves, erecting roadblocks to protect their villages, and organizing soup kitchens for the poorest of the poor.

In order to show solidarity and support the efforts to help people, the Alliance for the Protection of the Environment, "Alianza Humboldt" (SPHENISCO is part of the Alliance) launched a relief operation for the coastal villages of the municipality of La Higuera. The alliance raises funds to provide especially poor people with the necessities such as potatoes, flour, onions, disinfectant and clothing, as well as salad and vegetable plants to those interested. A picture gallery for the "Small Garden" campaign shows some of the first deliveries and activities.

Unfortunately, SPHENISCO cannot support this action, as the statutes of our organization do not provide for such measures. Some members have therefore personally donated to the "Food and Small Gardens" campaign; SPHENISCO then forwarded the money via Nancy Duman to "Alianza Humboldt". If you would like to support the campaign, you can send a donation to SPHENISCO’s account (account details: Sparkasse Südliche Weinstraße IBAN: DE 98 548500101700139320). Klaus Blumer (our Treasurer) will collect the donations and transfer them to Chile together with other payments in order to minimize the high transfer fee.

W.K.

Situation of the Archipiélago de Humboldt

Landau, 24 June 2020.

Since its foundation in 2008, SPHENISCO has been supporting the protection of the "Archipiélago de Humboldt" near La Serena, northern Chile. Together with Chilean nature and species conservationists - the action groups MODEMA and Defensa Ambiental IV Región, the large alliance Alianza Humboldt as well as the NGO Oceana - the association has been organizing and shaping information and projects in the region Coquimbo / La Serena since then.

In the video documentation "Situation of the Archipiélago de Humboldt", Nancy Duman, employee of SPHENISCO, gives an overview of last year’s species protection work on the occasion of an interview with Gabriele and Werner Knauf (Chairperson and CEO of the Penguin Association).

Nancy Duman starts with the international conference "Áreas marinas costeras protegidas" in La Serena on 3 October and then gives a summary of the actions during the period of citizen protests - from October 2019 - and since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Nancy Duman describes how the forms of nature and species protection work have - within a few months - been adapted to completely altered conditions due to the historical crises (see also News).

Her contribution is part of the reporting, more specifically the preparation of the general meeting of SPHENISCO on 27 June 2020, which is organised as a video conference.

W.K.

translated by Angelika Velken

Penguin Research in Landau

Landau, 22 June 2020.

At the end of June, a research project on Humboldt penguins will start at the Landau Zoo. On behalf of SPHENISCO, Prof. Culik (http://www.fh3.de), in cooperation with the University of Koblenz-Landau, will be testing a warning device to avoid by-catch. In long tests series the question has to be clarified if and how the penguins react to the acoustic warning signals. This scientific research project is generously supported by Vogelpark Marlow (vogelpark-marlow.de), which is a member of SPHENISCO.

The warning device (PAL) was developed by Prof. Culik and successfully used to protect porpoises in the Baltic Sea. With the PAL the by-catch of porpoises could be reduced by 80%. At present, 2,500 warning devices are being used in Baltic Sea fisheries. In several other oceans the device is currently being tested.

As well as the Baltic porpoises, Humboldt penguins are also severely threatened. Like them, these penguins are - among other causes - severely decimated by unwanted by-catch in the gillnets off the coasts of Chile and Peru. The researchers and SPHENISCO now hope that the penguins at the Landau Zoo will react positively to the acoustic signals and be "warned". This could be the first step towards the reduction of by-catch in Humboldt penguins. If the results in Landau are positive, it is planned to test the warning device in the open field.

W.K.

translated by Angelika Velken