Let's not repeat the history of the Dodo - Peace Boat Retrospective # 6 (?)

Raj Chintaram lobbies for sustainable development in Mauritius

(written for the Peace Boat website on Jan 5, 2013 >>)

The 78th Voyage marks Peace Boat's first visit to Mauritius.

Raj Chintaram, the founder of a local NGO, 

boarded the ship in Jarkata as a guest educator.

Once upon a time an unlucky bird lived on the island of Mauritius. First the French colonizers called him "Dodo", the dull one, because they found him stupid and lazy. Then Dutch merchants hunted him and exterminated the rare species within one century. Today tourists buy the last specimen left; figurines in souvenir shops. The story of the endemic Dodo bird shows how extremely fragile the ecosystem of Mauritius is due to the island's small size and isolation. But the main threat today is even more difficult to control than a group of hungry seafarers. Climate change has lead to a reduction in fish stocks and fresh water reserves. Raj Chintaram, who came onboard Peace Boat as a guest educator works to raise awareness about the resulting environmental problems so that the history of the Dodo will not repeat itself. "Because of its history, Mauritius has powerful allies around the world, who raise their voices for the problems we are facing, from former colonizers France and England to our trading partners USA and China" he stated. "But for most other small island states it is very difficult to make their voice heard internationally."

Stronger together: Small island states suffer from the effects

of climate change and can not easily make their voices

heard in the big UN system. That's why those islands

formed an alliance and held a conference in Mauritius.

 For this reason several dozen island states have formed an alliance within the United Nations. As a group with 43 votes within the UN, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) cannot be ignored as easily. When Mauritius hosted the second International Conference on Small Island Developing States in 2005, 129 UN member states decided on a programme of action to adapt to adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rise. The so called "Mauritius Strategy" states that "Small Island Developing States are located among the most vulnerable regions in the world in relation to the intensity and frequency of natural and environmental disasters and their increasing impact, and face disproportionately high economic, social and environmental consequences". According to the report, they expect an increased risk of floods, storms, hurricanes, erosion and other coastal hazards. An increase in extreme climate is virtually certain to affect the forests on tropical islands, whereas flooding and drought will affect agricultural production.

Raj Chintaram reminded Peace Boat participants of our

individual responsibilities to protect the environment.

"We are the first generation that understands climate change" Raj Chintaram emphasized in one of his lectures and quoted the former UN director Kofi Annan, who had appealed for a change in our lifestyles in his speech of the Millennium Summit in 2000. "It is not at the UN or by the work of the organisation's officials that the Millennium Goals could be achieved. They have to be fulfilled in each member state by the efforts of their governments and their people."
Raj Chintaram has taken this message personally. In 1997 he founded the Association Civique Midlands (ACM) in his home region in the centre of the island. What began as a sports club among friends grew into an environmental NGO by 2005. Since that time, Raj Chintaram and 15 other volunteers have organized a set of activities throughout the year: They hike with families to experience the island's beauty together, they participate in global events like Earth Day, the Green Awards or the Japan-inspired Candle Night and run campaigns like "10.000 Women against Climate Change", in which the ACM encourages women to make good shopping decisions and avoid using plastic shopping bags. "Women still make the main shopping decisions" explains Raj Chintaram. The members work on a voluntary basis and often finance environmental activities on their own: "Mauritian enterprises such as banks or insurance companies finance many of our sports events, but they are less interested in environmental campaigns."

For Raj Chintaram, here with Rokkaku Wataru, one of his

team of volunteer participants, a certain degree of economic

development is necessary before people can afford to think

 about environmental protection

With a background in public sector management, Raj Chintaram is pragmatic. He does not see a contradiction in promoting eco-tourism on a remote island that requires tourists to take intercontinental flights to reach their holiday destination. "Mauritius has only a small share in emissions compared to bigger nations" he states. In 2000 he witnessed the Midlands Dam being constructed close to his village. Huge forests and rivers were destroyed, a part of the mountain cut and people relocated. However, he did not join the protests. "Of course not" he said. "We sometimes have to make compromises for the economic development of our country." The dam serves for irrigating the dry north of Mauritius and to eventually provide drinking water for the Midlands region. "Sustainable development is not only about the environment and social well-being, but also requires a strong economy" he said. "If people don't have enough money to buy cooking gas, they will start cutting trees."

As an expert in sustainable tourism, Raj Chintaram stressed the

importance for tourists to inform themselves about and interact

with local communities. He made the first step by teaching

the creole language and the island's Sega dance

Raj Chintaram, who has was acclaimed "The Most Outstanding Young Person" (TOYP) of Mauritius in 2008 and represented Mauritian NGOs in the ECOSOCC of the African Union from 2008 until 2010, proudly displayed a photo which shows him between the vice prime minister and the environmental minister. He believes that maintaining close ties with the government helps his cause. "Some Mauritian ministers only cling to their seats. They are not dedicated to improving the environment. But we try to push the government to do more." They achieved a first success in 2010, when a tax on plastic shopping bags was introduced. It may seem like a small step, but ACM had been lobbying for it for years and it is many small steps like this that will make a big difference to this small island state.