#tourism

Life Pods

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Photo: Samoo

Photo: Samoo

The plan for the enclosed ecosystems of the South Korean National Research Center for Endangered Species is to breed and raise endangered birds for release into the wild. Further biodomes will house centres for other endangered indigenous animal species such as toads, tortoises, and foxes.

The domes look intriguing, the planners have high conservationist goals, and they might just succeed in drawing tourists to Yeongyang-gun, a semi-wild areas in one of the most densely populated regions in the world.

According to Wikipedia, the area is is barely cultivable due to its steep mountain ravines, is home to the Yeongyang Chili Pepper Experimental Station (which sounds like a mecca for diners of a certain bent), and is a center of literature.

Construction is due to begin in December 2014, the opening is planned for 2016. The project was designed by Samoo, and foresees visitor centres as well as research areas.

I’m not sure whether these biodomes, a major conservation project planned for a remote area of South Korea, won’t end up as the newest version of a high-tech zoo, but that doesn’t necessarily make them less valuable if they end up saving species.

Photo: Samoo

Photo: Samoo

 

High Winds, Low Tide

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One of my favorite diversions is finding strange words and terms that could have a multiplicity of applications, whatever the actual definition might be.

‘Circumglobal teleconnection’ is one I have just added to my list.

Circumglobal teleconnection (CGT) seems like it could describe anything from a global spirit séance to a single long line of fibre optical cable stretched around the Equator like a sassy belt.

The Earth Wind Map gathers weather data from the Global Forecast System at the National Center for Environmental Prediction, a NOAA initiative. The interactive map can be accessed here. Source: Inhabitat.com

The Earth Wind Map gathers weather data from the Global Forecast System at the National Center for Environmental Prediction, a NOAA initiative. The live interactive map can be accessed here.
Source: Inhabitat.com

The definition of CGT, however, is equally interesting. It is an atmospheric phenomenon involving a narrow, high-altitude wind flow similar to the jet stream. Running on a multiyear cycle, the wind carries moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to the Midwest of the United States at an altitude of approximately 5000 m (16,500 ft).

Or at least, the CGT should run cyclically. Since the 1990s, it seems to have gotten stuck. The CGT is a presumed driver for water levels in the Great Lakes, and since it has lost its rhythm, the water levels in the Great Lakes have been receding.

Warmer winters have also led to increased evaporation on smaller lakes, exacerbating the fall in water levels, which are at their lowest in many decades.

The Great Lakes are a vital source of drinking water for many Canadian and US communities.

Receding water level at Manitoutln Island in Lake Superior. Normal summer water levels would be up to the shore near the tree line. Photo: GBA / RCI

Receding water level at Manitoutln Island in Lake Superior. Normal summer water levels would be up to the shore near the tree line.
Photo: GBA / RCI

The interconnected lakes are key routes for shipping and tourism, and the Great Lakes area of 94,250 sq miles (244,106 sq km) comprises 21% of all the world’s surface freshwater, not to mention countless land and water ecosystems.

It’s a complex business, the modelling of climate change, and the circumglobal teleconnection is just one part.

The polar vortex of this winter is expected to push the CGT back into motion, perhaps raising water levels again in the coming years.

Meanwhile, I will be attempting to find ways to work the adaptable term circumglobal teleconnection into everyday conversation.

Early French map of Great Lakes region (1795) Via: 123rf

Early French map of Great Lakes region (1795)
Via: 123rf

Big Cat Math

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ZambiaImage: The Commonwealth

Zambia
Image: The Commonwealth

The government of Zambia announced this week that it would be banning the hunting of lions and other endangered  big cats because the estimated $3 million brought in by game hunting is far outweighed by overall tourism revenue (estimated at 2.3% of GDP in 2011, or approximately $412 million). Allowing a decline in the big cat population, even for big money, isn’t worth the potential losses across the broader industry. Zambia is home to over 10% of the 35,000 free-ranging lions estimated to still live on the African continent as a whole.

In this country, as in many of the eight countries surrounding it, big game animals can seen as a part of the natural resources. Big game sightings can be as valuable as Victoria Falls for attracting tourists, or generating income and jobs. Zambia’s tourism revenue is dwarfed by that of its neighbors, and recent government policy is intended to close the gap.

If only all conservation math were so quantifiable and straightforward.