Are you hopeful about the future? How do you feel about the state of the world? About two years ago, I posed these questions to my family, friends and colleagues. The responses I received were alarming.

Not one person said they felt hopeful and many spoke about their fear, sadness, despair, anger, guilt and/or grief. Having worked on ecological issues professionally for almost 40 years, I am very familiar with these emotions, but I was shocked by how common they were among the people I know.

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This completely unscientific survey was part of a personal enquiry into hope that I started back in 2011. One day, when I was feeling especially disheartened about the Fukushima nuclear power station disaster in Japan, I found myself asking myself questions such as, “How can I be hopeful when the world seems to be falling apart?”, “How can I nurture hope?” and, “What does hope even mean in these times?” And because I had no satisfactory answers, I decided to launch an investigation into the subject.

Defining hope

The first step was to look in the dictionary. Most common definitions use words like ‘desire’, ‘expectation’ and ‘anticipation’. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary says that hope is “expectation and desire combined” and Merriam-Webster’s says it is “to cherish a desire with anticipation”.

After reflecting on these definitions, I realised they are based on the assumption that life should give us whatever we desire. In other words, whenever we hope for something, there’s a belief – even if it is very subtle – that events will conform with our wishes.

But life doesn’t always give us what we want. Many people, including me, hope to see a just, peaceful and sustainable society. But as global ecological problems continue to worsen, life seems to be giving us the opposite – what we don’t want. The trend lines for climate disruption, water scarcity, species extinction and resource depletion say it all. No matter how sincere and well-intentioned our hopes and no matter how hard we work to achieve them, there are no guarantees we will get what we want.

There is, therefore, a dissonance between our hopes for the future and what is actually happening. This makes it inevitable that we will experience fear, sadness, despair, anger, guilt and grief. Indeed, the yawning gap between what we hope for and the reality of life is a set-up for these painful feelings. Even though our hopes may be noble and altruistic, the more desperately we want to attain them the more emotional suffering we will experience when life doesn’t conform with our wishes.

Intrinsic and extrinsic hope

By this stage of my enquiry, I was feeling even worse than when I started. So I went back to the dictionary, and thankfully I found another def­inition. In addition to defining hope in terms of desire, expectation and anticipation, most dictionaries provide secondary, archaic definitions of it as ‘trust’. This older and much less common meaning is based on having confidence in life, without the expectation or anticipation that we will get what we want any time soon. To me, this type of hope feels much more robust and capacious than the first type because it doesn’t depend on attaining specific improvements in life. At last I felt that I was finding answers to my questions.

Related to Judaeo-Christian hope, this type of hope has an unshakeable faith in whatever happens and in the human capacity to respond. It is an outlook or an inclination towards life that is positive, although not necessarily optimistic.

Unlike the first type of hope, which is based on expecting or anticipating favourable outcomes in our external circumstances and conditions, the second type comes from inside – from our hearts, souls and spirits. It is about loving life so much that we cannot sit idly by and do nothing. I called this type of hope ‘intrinsic hope’ and I called the first type ‘extrinsic hope’.

Václav Havel described intrinsic hope, saying: “[Hope is] a state of mind, not a state of the world … it is a dimension of the soul; it’s not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation. Hope is not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.”

Life’s love for itself

Over time, I came to see that intrinsic hope is inherent in all life. Where there is life, there is hope. We can experience hope simply because we are alive. It is sewn into our genes – just as it is sewn into the genes of every living thing. It’s the way a dandelion sprouts between the cracks in a city pavement, even if there’s no soil, lots of pollution and a constant onslaught of passing pedestrians and dogs.

It’s the way a single maple tree releases hundreds of thousands of seeds, oblivious of whether any take root and grow. And it’s the way Pacific salmon, heavy with eggs, strain to swim up their natal rivers and streams to spawn, even though they will die in the effort. One could say that intrinsic hope is life’s love for itself.

Although we are all born with intrinsic hope, it’s easy to forget. Because we usually focus on problems and difficulties, we can fail to appreciate the miracle of life and become blind to its potentials and possibilities. By concentrating on the negative, we don’t see the positive. By emphasising what we lack and what we want, we ignore what we already have, and don’t consider what could be.

I’m not suggesting that we become like Pollyanna and adopt a naively optimistic outlook on life. Intrinsic hope is not about wishful thinking. However, it offers a different and helpful perspective on what’s happening. Moreover, we can choose to embrace intrinsic hope at any time, no matter how bad things seem. Victor Frankl, who survived the Nazi concentration camps in the second world war, said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Habits of hope

So can we choose intrinsic hope in these troubled times? Can we choose to come from love rather than fear? Can we choose to come from compassion rather than anger? Can we stay open and engaged rather than closing down or distancing ourselves from those we disagree with? Can we let go of wanting to achieve particular goals and immerse ourselves in doing what is good and right, simply for its own sake?

This is a tall order and it is one I still struggle with. So, to conclude my investigation, I decided to explore how I could sustain and nourish intrinsic hope in daily life. And after careful reflection, I identified six ‘habits of hope’ – being present, expressing gratitude, loving the world, accepting what is, taking action, and persevering for the long haul – and I sincerely ‘hope’ that these simple ways of being are as helpful to you as they are to me.

Sustaining intrinsic hope is not always easy, but it is essential. If we lose hope and give up, all the gloomy predictions about the future will likely become a reality. And if we dwell on our extrinsic hopes, we will continue to feel fear, sadness, despair, anger, guilt and grief whenever life does not give us what we want.

But if we can live from intrinsic hope, we will be able to cope with whatever happens – staying positive and engaged even in the darkest of times. And in doing so, we can influence whether there will be a viable future for our children, their children and all future generations of life on Earth.

Expressing gratitude

Being present cultivates intrinsic hope as it increases our awareness of life. Although our bodies are always in the present, our minds are usually wandering somewhere else. When we are present, our minds slow down, life reveals itself and this makes it possible for us to respond to what’s happening in a fresh, unobstructed and positive way.

Expressing gratitude fosters intrinsic hope. When we are grateful, we naturally become more hopeful. It’s what gets poured into the glass to make it half full. It’s counting our blessings, not only our problems.

Loving the world nurtures intrinsic hope because when we feel love for others, or exper­ience others’ love for us, we naturally feel good. We can love other people whether we know them or not, we can love specific communities and places, and we can love the Earth itself.

Accepting the reality of our situation lays a foundation for hope because it gives us the possibility of changing things. By saying yes – even a qualified or reluctant yes – we accept responsibility for doing something about our problems.

The long haul

Taking action develops hope as it liberates us from the vicious cycle of not wanting to do anything because we feel hopeless and then feeling hopeless because we are not doing enough.

Persevering for the long haul is essential for intrinsic hope because it provides the determination to endure whatever happens and keep on going. With perseverance, we can work to resolve our problems and build a just, peaceful and sustainable world without expecting to see the fruits of our efforts.

This Author

Kate Davies is Senior Fellow at the Whidbey Institute and Emeritus Faculty at Antioch University in the United States. She is the author of Intrinsic Hope: Living Courageously in Troubled Times (2018).

The snowy owl, Atlantic puffin, grey parrot and European turtle-dove are among the instantly recognisable birds that are now facing extinction – primarily due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture.

Indeed, one in eight of our bird species are critically endangered, according to the State of the World’s Birds 2018 – a comprehensive global study.

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Tris Allinson, is a senior global science officer at BirdLife International, which produced the report. She said: “The data are unequivocal. We are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world’s birds.

Impact of agriculture

“Roughly one in eight species now faces extinction. This includes once widespread and abundant species that only a few decades ago were a familiar sight across great swathes of the planet.” 

The report claims that, in total, 74 percent of  1,091 globally threatened birds are impacted by farming, 50 percent by logging, 39 percent by invasive alien species and 35 percent by hunting and trapping. Climate change also represents an emerging and increasingly serious threat—currently affecting 33 percent of globally endangered species.

Neurotoxic insecticides – known as neonicotinoids – were found to be highly detrimental to birds. One recent study from the USA found that migrating white-crowned sparrows exposed to neonicotinoids lost a quarter of their body mass and fat stores.  The neurotoxin also impaired the birds’ migratory orientation.

Allinson added: “The threats driving the avian extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making.” 

History repeating itself

The report also warns of history repeating itself – citing the example of how the once populous passenger pigeon of North America –  numbering in the billions – was driven to extinction in 1914 through excessive hunting and habitat destruction.

Today, the population of the yellow-breasted bunting has declined by 90 percent since 1980. Although now officially banned, large-scale hunting continues – particularly in China.

Likewise, the numbers of European turtle-dove are falling rapidly due to habitat loss and the illegal trade in the grey parrot has rendered this bird endangered. 

The decline of the snowy owl is linked to climate change, with changes in the snowmelt and snow cover affecting the availability and distribution of its prey.

And overfishing accounts for the loss in numbers of the Atlantic puffin and the black-legged kittiwake which are both now categorised as “vulnerable” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List.

Conservation can work

Despite these worrying findings, the report also provides a message of hope. At least 25 bird species would have gone extinct without conservation action over recent decades.

These include the Seychelles white-eye, the echo parakeet and the Azores bullfinch – all species confined to oceanic islands.

But according to BirdLife, protecting wide-ranging birds requires a more global approach and although pinpointing the most critical sites to safeguard is essential, it says this needs to be complemented by broader-scale strategies.

Its Trillion Trees programme – a partnership between WWF, WCS and BirdLife – is aiming for one trillion trees planted, protected and restored by 2050.

Patricia Zurita, chief executive of BirdLife International, said: “Although the report provides a sobering update on the state of birds and biodiversity and of the challenges ahead, it also clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved.” 

This Author

Catherine Harte is a contributing editor of The Ecologist. This story is based on a news release from BirdLife International.

The snowy owl, Atlantic puffin, grey parrot and European turtle-dove are among the instantly recognisable birds that are now facing extinction – primarily due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture.

Indeed, one in eight of our bird species are critically endangered, according to the State of the World’s Birds 2018 – a comprehensive global study.

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Tris Allinson, is a senior global science officer at BirdLife International, which produced the report. She said: “The data are unequivocal. We are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world’s birds.

Impact of agriculture

“Roughly one in eight species now faces extinction. This includes once widespread and abundant species that only a few decades ago were a familiar sight across great swathes of the planet.” 

The report claims that, in total, 74 percent of  1,091 globally threatened birds are impacted by farming, 50 percent by logging, 39 percent by invasive alien species and 35 percent by hunting and trapping. Climate change also represents an emerging and increasingly serious threat—currently affecting 33 percent of globally endangered species.

Neurotoxic insecticides – known as neonicotinoids – were found to be highly detrimental to birds. One recent study from the USA found that migrating white-crowned sparrows exposed to neonicotinoids lost a quarter of their body mass and fat stores.  The neurotoxin also impaired the birds’ migratory orientation.

Allinson added: “The threats driving the avian extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making.” 

History repeating itself

The report also warns of history repeating itself – citing the example of how the once populous passenger pigeon of North America –  numbering in the billions – was driven to extinction in 1914 through excessive hunting and habitat destruction.

Today, the population of the yellow-breasted bunting has declined by 90 percent since 1980. Although now officially banned, large-scale hunting continues – particularly in China.

Likewise, the numbers of European turtle-dove are falling rapidly due to habitat loss and the illegal trade in the grey parrot has rendered this bird endangered. 

The decline of the snowy owl is linked to climate change, with changes in the snowmelt and snow cover affecting the availability and distribution of its prey.

And overfishing accounts for the loss in numbers of the Atlantic puffin and the black-legged kittiwake which are both now categorised as “vulnerable” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List.

Conservation can work

Despite these worrying findings, the report also provides a message of hope. At least 25 bird species would have gone extinct without conservation action over recent decades.

These include the Seychelles white-eye, the echo parakeet and the Azores bullfinch – all species confined to oceanic islands.

But according to BirdLife, protecting wide-ranging birds requires a more global approach and although pinpointing the most critical sites to safeguard is essential, it says this needs to be complemented by broader-scale strategies.

Its Trillion Trees programme – a partnership between WWF, WCS and BirdLife – is aiming for one trillion trees planted, protected and restored by 2050.

Patricia Zurita, chief executive of BirdLife International, said: “Although the report provides a sobering update on the state of birds and biodiversity and of the challenges ahead, it also clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved.” 

This Author

Catherine Harte is a contributing editor of The Ecologist. This story is based on a news release from BirdLife International.

The snowy owl, Atlantic puffin, grey parrot and European turtle-dove are among the instantly recognisable birds that are now facing extinction – primarily due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture.

Indeed, one in eight of our bird species are critically endangered, according to the State of the World’s Birds 2018 – a comprehensive global study.

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Tris Allinson, is a senior global science officer at BirdLife International, which produced the report. She said: “The data are unequivocal. We are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world’s birds.

Impact of agriculture

“Roughly one in eight species now faces extinction. This includes once widespread and abundant species that only a few decades ago were a familiar sight across great swathes of the planet.” 

The report claims that, in total, 74 percent of  1,091 globally threatened birds are impacted by farming, 50 percent by logging, 39 percent by invasive alien species and 35 percent by hunting and trapping. Climate change also represents an emerging and increasingly serious threat—currently affecting 33 percent of globally endangered species.

Neurotoxic insecticides – known as neonicotinoids – were found to be highly detrimental to birds. One recent study from the USA found that migrating white-crowned sparrows exposed to neonicotinoids lost a quarter of their body mass and fat stores.  The neurotoxin also impaired the birds’ migratory orientation.

Allinson added: “The threats driving the avian extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making.” 

History repeating itself

The report also warns of history repeating itself – citing the example of how the once populous passenger pigeon of North America –  numbering in the billions – was driven to extinction in 1914 through excessive hunting and habitat destruction.

Today, the population of the yellow-breasted bunting has declined by 90 percent since 1980. Although now officially banned, large-scale hunting continues – particularly in China.

Likewise, the numbers of European turtle-dove are falling rapidly due to habitat loss and the illegal trade in the grey parrot has rendered this bird endangered. 

The decline of the snowy owl is linked to climate change, with changes in the snowmelt and snow cover affecting the availability and distribution of its prey.

And overfishing accounts for the loss in numbers of the Atlantic puffin and the black-legged kittiwake which are both now categorised as “vulnerable” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List.

Conservation can work

Despite these worrying findings, the report also provides a message of hope. At least 25 bird species would have gone extinct without conservation action over recent decades.

These include the Seychelles white-eye, the echo parakeet and the Azores bullfinch – all species confined to oceanic islands.

But according to BirdLife, protecting wide-ranging birds requires a more global approach and although pinpointing the most critical sites to safeguard is essential, it says this needs to be complemented by broader-scale strategies.

Its Trillion Trees programme – a partnership between WWF, WCS and BirdLife – is aiming for one trillion trees planted, protected and restored by 2050.

Patricia Zurita, chief executive of BirdLife International, said: “Although the report provides a sobering update on the state of birds and biodiversity and of the challenges ahead, it also clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved.” 

This Author

Catherine Harte is a contributing editor of The Ecologist. This story is based on a news release from BirdLife International.

The snowy owl, Atlantic puffin, grey parrot and European turtle-dove are among the instantly recognisable birds that are now facing extinction – primarily due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture.

Indeed, one in eight of our bird species are critically endangered, according to the State of the World’s Birds 2018 – a comprehensive global study.

Don’t miss out! Sign up for our shiny new newsletter!

Tris Allinson, is a senior global science officer at BirdLife International, which produced the report. She said: “The data are unequivocal. We are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world’s birds.

Impact of agriculture

“Roughly one in eight species now faces extinction. This includes once widespread and abundant species that only a few decades ago were a familiar sight across great swathes of the planet.” 

The report claims that, in total, 74 percent of  1,091 globally threatened birds are impacted by farming, 50 percent by logging, 39 percent by invasive alien species and 35 percent by hunting and trapping. Climate change also represents an emerging and increasingly serious threat—currently affecting 33 percent of globally endangered species.

Neurotoxic insecticides – known as neonicotinoids – were found to be highly detrimental to birds. One recent study from the USA found that migrating white-crowned sparrows exposed to neonicotinoids lost a quarter of their body mass and fat stores.  The neurotoxin also impaired the birds’ migratory orientation.

Allinson added: “The threats driving the avian extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making.” 

History repeating itself

The report also warns of history repeating itself – citing the example of how the once populous passenger pigeon of North America –  numbering in the billions – was driven to extinction in 1914 through excessive hunting and habitat destruction.

Today, the population of the yellow-breasted bunting has declined by 90 percent since 1980. Although now officially banned, large-scale hunting continues – particularly in China.

Likewise, the numbers of European turtle-dove are falling rapidly due to habitat loss and the illegal trade in the grey parrot has rendered this bird endangered. 

The decline of the snowy owl is linked to climate change, with changes in the snowmelt and snow cover affecting the availability and distribution of its prey.

And overfishing accounts for the loss in numbers of the Atlantic puffin and the black-legged kittiwake which are both now categorised as “vulnerable” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List.

Conservation can work

Despite these worrying findings, the report also provides a message of hope. At least 25 bird species would have gone extinct without conservation action over recent decades.

These include the Seychelles white-eye, the echo parakeet and the Azores bullfinch – all species confined to oceanic islands.

But according to BirdLife, protecting wide-ranging birds requires a more global approach and although pinpointing the most critical sites to safeguard is essential, it says this needs to be complemented by broader-scale strategies.

Its Trillion Trees programme – a partnership between WWF, WCS and BirdLife – is aiming for one trillion trees planted, protected and restored by 2050.

Patricia Zurita, chief executive of BirdLife International, said: “Although the report provides a sobering update on the state of birds and biodiversity and of the challenges ahead, it also clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved.” 

This Author

Catherine Harte is a contributing editor of The Ecologist. This story is based on a news release from BirdLife International.

The snowy owl, Atlantic puffin, grey parrot and European turtle-dove are among the instantly recognisable birds that are now facing extinction – primarily due to the expansion and intensification of agriculture.

Indeed, one in eight of our bird species are critically endangered, according to the State of the World’s Birds 2018 – a comprehensive global study.

Tris Allinson, is a senior global science officer at BirdLife International, which produced the report. She said: “The data are unequivocal. We are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world’s birds.

Impact of agriculture

“Roughly one in eight species now faces extinction. This includes once widespread and abundant species that only a few decades ago were a familiar sight across great swathes of the planet.” 

The report claims that, in total, 74 percent of  1,091 globally threatened birds are impacted by farming, 50 percent by logging, 39 percent by invasive alien species and 35 percent by hunting and trapping. Climate change also represents an emerging and increasingly serious threat—currently affecting 33 percent of globally endangered species.

Neurotoxic insecticides – known as neonicotinoids – were found to be highly detrimental to birds. One recent study from the USA found that migrating white-crowned sparrows exposed to neonicotinoids lost a quarter of their body mass and fat stores.  The neurotoxin also impaired the birds’ migratory orientation.

Allinson added: “The threats driving the avian extinction crisis are many and varied, but invariably of humanity’s making.” 

History repeating itself

The report also warns of history repeating itself – citing the example of how the once populous passenger pigeon of North America –  numbering in the billions – was driven to extinction in 1914 through excessive hunting and habitat destruction.

Today, the population of the yellow-breasted bunting has declined by 90 percent since 1980. Although now officially banned, large-scale hunting continues – particularly in China.

Likewise, the numbers of European turtle-dove are falling rapidly due to habitat loss and the illegal trade in the grey parrot has rendered this bird endangered. 

The decline of the snowy owl is linked to climate change, with changes in the snowmelt and snow cover affecting the availability and distribution of its prey.

And overfishing accounts for the loss in numbers of the Atlantic puffin and the black-legged kittiwake which are both now categorised as “vulnerable” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List.

Conservation can work

Despite these worrying findings, the report also provides a message of hope. At least 25 bird species would have gone extinct without conservation action over recent decades.

These include the Seychelles white-eye, the echo parakeet and the Azores bullfinch – all species confined to oceanic islands.

But according to BirdLife, protecting wide-ranging birds requires a more global approach and although pinpointing the most critical sites to safeguard is essential, it says this needs to be complemented by broader-scale strategies.

Its Trillion Trees programme – a partnership between WWF, WCS and BirdLife – is aiming for one trillion trees planted, protected and restored by 2050.

Patricia Zurita, chief executive of BirdLife International, said: “Although the report provides a sobering update on the state of birds and biodiversity and of the challenges ahead, it also clearly demonstrates that solutions do exist and that significant, lasting success can be achieved.” 

This Author

Catherine Harte is a contributing editor of The Ecologist. This story is based on a news release from BirdLife International.

For many residents of Sinoe County, Liberia, the experiences of Golden Veroleum (GVL) – a palm oil company that arrived in 2010 – have been disappointing and detrimental to their way of life. 

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Communities say their land was taken without their consent in many instances. These communities remain on the frontline of a development model that puts people’s wellbeing in the hands of private companies and foreign investors.

This remains so, even after years of complaints to international organisations including the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the industry’s leading certification body.

I am a senior forests and lands campaigner at Friends of the Earth in the United States. I advocate for financial institutions to stop financing deforestation and human rights violations and for the recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities’ land and natural resource rights. This photo essay captures what I witnessed when I travelled to Sinoe County. 

GVL has has faced significant controversy since its arrival in Liberia. Along the rugged roads you hear stories of armed police threatening villagers to sign agreements with the company, drinking water sources spoiled by industrial machinery, and livelihoods lost behind plantation fences. Mile after mile reveals vanishing forests. 

Weathered stumps jut from the earth amidst felled trees, serve as the final reminders of what was recently thick forest. The barren landscape here signals what is to come: communities’ lifelines to their land and culture traded for an uncertain future driven by industrial agriculture.

Amidst the ever-growing plantations, there is one sight to be seen: neatly arranged rows of palm in every direction. These plantations are part of GVL’s concession agreement with the Government of Liberia. The agreement covers 350,000 hectares – more than two percent of the country’s land mass – for 65 years.

“The day the Memorandum of Understanding was signed with GVL we saw three pickup trucks full of armed police putting guns on our people. GVL forced our people to sign that MOU. When our people see armed police, they are confused. Here’s a man who can’t even read or write, and he is forced to put his fingerprints to sign the MOU.” – Ricky Kanswea, Nimupoh, Sinoe County

Since GVL and its primary investor Golden Agri-Resources arrived in Liberia, the companies have faced consistent charges of human rights violations and environmental destruction. A February 2018 RSPO Complaints Panel decision affirmed communities’ longstanding grievances. The decision found that GVL violated RSPO Principles and Criteria by coercing and intimidating community members into signing agreements, continuing to develop on disputed lands, and destroying community sacred sites.

  “They built their mill on our sacred hill. We said this place is our sacred hill. They said it wasn’t. But what do they know? We are in our town. This is our sacred hill.” – Kaffa Samneh, Jacksonville, Sinoe County

Many still hold out hope that GVL will keep its promises of building handpumps, schools and clinics. But after the better part of a decade, others are skeptical about what the company will provide for the people who depend on the land and forests for their sustenance. Some are beginning to question a development model that relies on private companies to provide basic services.

“When they came to operate on my land, they never asked me. They just jumped on my land and started working. When I asked them, who gave you this land, they said it was government land. So we were forced to leave the place.” – Romeo M. Chea, Jacksonville, Sinoe County

Following the 2017 election of President George Weah, Liberians are filled with both hope and concern for the future. The new president has promised a pro-poor agenda, while declaring the country “open for business.”

But the Liberian Legislature has yet to pass the Land Rights Act – a draft law that would recognize communities’ ownership rights over their traditional lands, providing them equal footing with companies and investors. As national organizations mobilize for the passage of a strong Land Rights Act, vested interests are seeking to push forward a watered down version that would maintain business-as-usual. Land insecurity is widely seen as one of the main causes of the country’s 14-year civil war. 

“The place where my parents borne me – that is my land. That is the place they left for me. This land is for every one of us. Aren’t I the one working here? Let the company come talk to us. I will say come and take that piece of land, but leave this piece for me, this is where I will make my farm. But that’s not what they want to do.” – Beatrice Flahn, Jacksonville, Sinoe County

In rural Sinoe County growing disillusionment with Golden Veroleum’s palm oil plantations signify a demand for a new path towards progress. Will Liberia’s forests continue to be handed over to foreign companies and investors? Or will Liberians begin to reap the full benefits from the land they have called home for generations?

This Author

Gaurav Madan is a senior forests and lands campaigner at Friends of the Earth, US.

Gordon MacKay runs an independent tourism business offering bespoke diving tours around the Isle of Skye. He launched Dive and Sea the Hebrides more than three decades ago. It is a business he hopes to pass onto his two teenage sons. But Gordon claims that if a fish farm on the island’s Loch Pooteil continues to expand, his family business plans could be ruined.

Kames Fish Farming Ltd submitted a planning application in 2013 for a farm on Loch Pooteil in Glendale, on the north west of Skye.

Following pressure from locals, Kames withdrew their application but in 2015 submitted a revised proposal that placed the farm further west from their original plan. The new proposal was met with 77 objections and was rejected by the Highland Council.

Government intervention

The site falls within the North West Skye Special Landscape Area, meaning it has the status of a local or regional heritage feature. When Lynn Schweisfurth moved to Glendale in 2015, she heard that an application for a fish farm nearby had been submitted and rejected by the council. “I naively thought, ‘Well, that’s that then,’” she said.

However, Kames persisted and took their case to the Scottish government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals division. Allison Coard was the appointed reporter for the government. After reviewing the case, she granted permission.

“Glendale is one of the most beautiful sights in Scotland,” Lynn said. “People could not believe you would put a fish farm on that spot.”

According to Allison Coard’s report, the fish farm on the Loch Pooteil site is within 550 metres of the ‘Top 100 British Shore Dives’. “There’s a fantastic shore dive there,” Gordon said. “You dive off and you swim 70m and there is this big reef that sticks out.”

The report concluded that the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) “advises that it does not expect the fish farm to have any significant effect on the dive sites”.

“You make representation to your MP, MSP and anybody you can, but the voice of the fish farm is a lot louder than anything else,” Gordon said.

Expansion

The revised proposal in 2015 moved the site further west than the original 2013 plan. By 2019, Kames say they plan to have six farms on site and then add further cages in 2020 and 2021.

“As the site was moved, it got a lot closer to another dive site of mine that is very tidal,” Gordon explained. “So that will be decimated if it [the expansion] all goes ahead.”

Farms have been accused of releasing chemical “medicines” used to treat lice on the fish, and fish excrement, into surrounding waters. This pollution has been said to damage nearby ecosystems.

Formerly a commercial diver for fish farming companies, Gordon used to survey the sites underwater.

“I am a bit like a poacher turned gamekeeper. I have seen all the damaging effects and environmental effects below the salmon farms and surrounding areas. I have been diving here for four and a half decades and the changes within that time that I attribute to farms are drastic. Loss of habitat and loss of species.”

He said he has to avoid farm sites on his dives. “I don’t go to the immediate area around the fish farm. There’s a health and safety aspect and there are acoustic scarers.”

RSPB

Acoustic scarers are devices that emit vibrations and noise to ward off sea life like seals and dolphins from the farmed fish. The RSPB recently objected to two proposed salmon farms on Skye’s north east coast due to the effect they said acoustic scarers can have on nearby wildlife.

“You can feel it yourself,” Gordon said, referring to the noise they emit.

When asked what he will do if farms continue to expand, Gordon replied: “I might have to get a career change.”

Nevertheless, Allison Coard stated in her report: “I have no conclusive evidence on underwater noise impact for divers other than reference to dive sites which operate close to other fish farms.”

Community

Stuart Cannon is managing director of Kames Fish Farm Ltd. He told The Ecologist: “We and SEPA do not believe there will be any significant ecological damage to the area, neither to the reef or wrecks which are in the locality.

“Any application, for whatever, will always get objectors and never please everyone. However, we are employing and using local labour and supplies, which is 365 days a year and will help to sustain the community.”  

He added: “We have a good dialogue with the local Glendale Trust and local community.  We have provided a trot of heavy mooring to accommodate sailing yachts and a plastic walkway pontoon to give continuous access from the sea to the shore. This, we hope, will bring tourists into the village and nearby cafes and shops, helping to improve the local economy.”

These Authors

Alexandra Heal is a journalist and MA student at City University, London. She freelances for BBC News and is co-founder of siftguide.com. She tweets at @alexandraheal. Ellie O’Donnell is a freelancer and investigative journalism MA student on the Evening Standard Scholarship at City University. She tweets at @ellietodonnell.