China Whale Sharks from WildLifeRisk on Vimeo.

The world’s largest slaughtering facility for whale sharks — an internationally-protected endangered species — has been discovered,near Wenzhou, in China’s southeastern Zhejiang Province. The factory, which operates openly, is reportedly slaughtering over 600 whale sharks annually to produce shark oil for health supplements.

Revelations about shark-processing at the factory, located in Pu Qi township, near Wenzhou, follow a four-year investigation by the Hong Kong-based marine conservation NGO, WildLifeRisk.

In a joint-statement released today, Alex Hofford and Paul Hilton of WildLifeRisk said: “We went to Pu Qi three times in the last three years, and on each occasion the scale of the slaughter was truly staggering.

“How these harmless creatures, these gentle giants of the deep, can be slaughtered on such an industrial scale is beyond belief. It’s even more incredible that this carnage is all for the sake of non-essential lifestyle props such as lipsticks, face creams, health supplements and shark fin soup. We are calling on China’s regulatory authorities to enforce the international agreements on this illegal activity now, before these animals are brought closer to extinction.”

According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which China is a signatory, the international sale of products from an endangered species is illegal and the trade is unsustainable.

However, the WildLifeRisk investigation found that countless basking sharks and great white sharks – two of three species currently afforded the highest protection under CITES– are also being industrially processed at the Pu Qi factory.

The products derived from these protected species are being exported to the United States, Canada and Italy, in contravention of the internationally-binding CITES agreement.

Undercover footage and audio recordings obtained by WildLifeRisk reveal that the whale sharks ending up at the factory are being caught off the coast of China in the South China Sea as they traverse the region on their migratory journeys. These extensive journeys across the world’s oceans, take in such famous whale shark-spotting sites as the Ningaloo Reef off Australia’s northwest coast, and waters off  Indonesia, the Philippines and Mexico.

WildLifeRisk believes a compelling argument exists for the better protection of whale sharks in their natural habitats, maintaining that these endangered creatures are worth far more, in economic terms, alive rather than dead. According to the Pew Environment Group:

“In regions where whale sharks are known to aggregate, ecotourism has proven to be an extremely lucrative alternative to fishing. It has been estimated that whale shark tourism, mainly through recreational diving, is worth about US$47.5 million worldwide.”

The WildLifeRisk statement pointed out that if whale sharks are to avoid being hunted to extinction, consumers must be persuaded to reject whale shark products, or any other kind of shark-related products. It said that the trade in endangered shark and manta ray products is both environmentally unsustainable and morally unethical.

“If we hope to save species such as the whale shark from extinction, we must hold individuals accountable for their violation of international protection laws and demand transparency so that consumers can make informed decisions about the products they buy.”

Full report available here

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From an evening hosted by the Gaia Foundation, in London on the 20th November 2013, Charles Eisenstein reflects on the Earth’s true nature as a complex living system.

“Talking of a Living Planet challenges a key assumption of our civilisation and all system of technology; that there will be no consequences, no hurt, no pain caused, no reason to grief when we destroy what is outside of ourselves”.

For more info visit:
www.charleseisenstein.net
www.gaiafoundation.org

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Maestras – female healers of the Shapibo tribe

A version of this article was published first on Positive News.

Ayahuasca, a sacred medicine system used for millennia by Amazonian tribes, is increasingly being imbibed by Westerners seeking help with intractable physical and psychological ailments. I visited the Temple of the Way of Light, a highly-regarded new healing centre near Iquitos, Peru and was excited to find that the burgeoning community there are not just motivated by individual wellness. They believe a powerful new means of protecting the Amazon, and potentially resetting human civilisation’s maladjusted relationship with the natural world, is emerging from the symbiotic relationship between plants and humans.

Ayahuasca is a powerful hallucinatory brew of a combination of plants and is used by indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest both for divinatory and healing purposes. For them, “Mother Ayahuasca” is sacred and opens channels between plant spirits – each with their own Icaros (song) – and the human body and mind. These spirits want to clean and heal the human body and once invited in, they purge toxic dark energy (“demons”) – usually by vomiting.

The experience is complex, unpredictable and sometimes terrifying. Bruce Parry famously imbibed Ayahuasca whilst his crew filmed the series ‘Amazon’ and then lay in agony on the floor wrestling with his ego. One’s identity can be literally torn apart. He has since reported much more positive experiences without a film camera present.

And yet, everyone I had spoken to who had drunk the tea urged me to partake. Many Ayahuasca users report positive transformational experiences, and return from the Amazon with tales of being transported to parallel, supernatural dimensions where they interact with intelligent beings that help them to understand themselves, their lives and their purpose.

The hallucinatory nature of the medicine means that it has been made illegal in the countries with the most advanced, scientific research institutes. For decades, conventional psychological advice has been that hallucinogens are risky and can destabilise the rational mind. However, Ayahuasca’s anecdotally shared successes at treating ailments ranging from depression, anxiety and addictions through to chronic health issues as diverse as backache, gout and Parkinson’s disease have encouraged an unconventional minority of afflicted persons to give it a try. Their gambit may prove to have been sound.  New research from around the world, including a recent, large-scale Norwegian study has highlighted health benefits of using hallucinogens.  Indeed, the Temple’s founder, Englishman Matthew Watherston had his life transformed after using the medicine to treat depression and cannabis addiction in 2007.

Matthew with his wife Clara who he credits with making the Temple the success it now is

More than 2000 people have now been treated at the centre but, tragically, the surrounding jungle is itself still under threat. Impoverished locals are forced to eke out a living through slash and burn agriculture that damages the landscape, while prospecting oil companies leave a devastating trail of destruction, pollution and disease in their wake.

Permaculture planning

The community living around the Temple were compelled to respond and today two new organisations work from the growing campus. The Chaikuni Institute promotes ecological solutions and Allianz Arkana is fighting to protect indigenous interests.

Wisely managed, a small area of thriving rainforest is crammed full of super foods, medicines and resources that offer myriad livelihood opportunities to local people if sustainably harvested. I was able to pick up tinctures of reishi mushrooms, large bags of maka powder and fantastic traditional garments cheaply, directly from the people making them. Magical treatments are literally growing on the trees – the challenge remains to demonstrate that much greater dividends are available by using the forest as a living resource rather than just cutting it down.

Feel that

But perhaps most intriguingly of all, is the possibility that Ayahuasca itself may have a role to play in the conservation of its habitat. Under its influence many users feel much closer to the web of life that perennially surrounds and nourishes us. More than that, in my group, many of us felt a deeply healing sense of connection to the planet. The plant spirits seemed to communicate a powerful message that Mother Nature wants humanity to change and that this can start with personal healing. Some at the centre felt strongly that the western world’s surging interest in Ayahuasca might have a role to play in healing our relationship with the natural world.  A departure from “reality” might be a key to improving it.

Participants in the 12-day retreat are pampered and treated with immense care – many may be hurting or distressed when they arrive. Guests stay in simple huts on stilts called Tambols. Mealtimes, meetings and ceremonies are held in large thatch roof Malocas, hammocks swing invitingly between trees. At night, residents huddle around lanterns enjoying the company of friends, the jungle and the gloriously un-interfered-with night sky.

Guests arriving

The retreat consists of 7 nights of Ayahuasca ceremonies, administered by shamans of the Shipibo tribe. It was exhilarating spending time with indigenous people whose cultural relationship with the forest has been ongoing for millennia.  Over this period our diet would be heavily restricted, we would sleep very little and, of course, experience intense hallucinations often accompanied with vigorous purging.

The author warms up at the introductory “Vomativo” session – Credit: Adrian Fisk

Taking the medicine is a humbling experience because we open ourselves to a process out of our control. Some in my group found the ceremonies dark, painful (both physically and emotionally) and scary. Intense past memories are relived in vivid detail. Clearly, in this sense it is not for everyone and no one should enter into it lightly. Drinking from that cup opens the door to the full gamut of repressed emotions and pain that may hide beneath our public personas. Those tentative first sips may toss a hand grenade into our personal narrative of who we are. If you are hiding something from yourself this is one (very intense) way of finding out.

Personally, my experience of Ayahuasca, although challenging, was very positive. In the first ceremony, I had been feeling nauseous and was concerned the medicine might stay inside me. Suddenly I had a hot flush and knew my time had come. I knelt at the end of the mat, triumphantly grabbed my bowl and violently purged. As I did I felt various internal torments fly out. I rolled back onto the mat feeling lighter and much improved. Now it seemed the floodgates had been opened – not for visions, but for profound insights. Whatever my mind rested on I found a resolution.

In subsequent ceremonies I felt I was given specific lessons; one on mindfulness, one on the limitations of words in understanding existence. Bright beings of light interacted with my consciousness and revealed things to me that whilst hard to articulate remain with me to this day. This was experiential learning from the inside out and an opening to dimensions to which I had previously not experienced. I was to return to England feeling exhilarated and refreshed.

The Maloca at night

Meanwhile, outside the hut, nature’s orchestra ebbed and swelled. Hoots, tweets, clicks and honks were occasionally outdone by utterly weird alien noises that emerged from nowhere and echoed inexplicably around the jungle. The sounds were an ever-present reminder that we are utterly immersed in the deep complexities of the living fabric that envelops the surface of planet earth. All around I imagined little eyes peering out of holes and crevices and from behind leaves and fallen logs. I saw slimy bodies crawling out of the dense decomposing matter that carpets the forest floor to bask in the moonlight and join in the nocturnal cacophony. All over, weird, wet creatures pulse, croak, live and die. We, of course, are no different. I felt the jungle seep in around me, covering me in cobwebs and tentacles. My body dissolved into the biological matrix.  It wasn’t scary; I was coming home.

Many of us didn’t feel that we had planned our trips, but that they had happened as a result of a series of synchronous events. A participant, Ben, put it a different way: “Tentacles are reaching out from the Amazon jungle, they seek brave and willing participants for transformational information flow. They want to help people work through their personal pains, many of which are linked to shared crises of the modern age. They want us to become empowered to ease the pains and traumas afflicting the biosphere.” This is a new kind of symbiosis that can have miraculous results. The Amazon is calling; who will answer?

The Temple of the Way of Light offers a 12-day Ayahuasca Retreat; the price of £1,330 includes full-board accommodation, seven ayahuasca ceremonies, individual healing consultations and wellness treatments, jungle activities and transportation to and from the Temple. International flights not included. More information: www.templeofthewayoflight.org

My group

The author – Matt, with maestra Antonia – Photo credit Adrian Fisk

A glass of Ayahuasca -photo credit Adrian Fisk

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www.pitchfornature.com

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Human numbers are projected to swell to 9 billion and 90% of large fish have been extracted from the ocean, it is clear that to stop fisheries terminally collapsing all of us are going to have to eat less fish. However, it is vital to realise that each of us making this ethical choice will not, in and of itself, be enough to stop the over-fishing driving the death of the oceans.

Corporations are pulling the most fish from the sea. To stop them we need laws to limit their activities. Wild species need space to live, so just like on land we need large wild areas protected from human interference. The excellent video above outlines how such agreements come into being. I was disturbed when i checked out the comments underneath True Activists posting of the video. The most liked comment read “you could waste your time talking to politicians.. or you could just stop eating fish..”

I think this shout out strikes to the core of our challenge – it is not just ourselves we need to worry about – there is everybody else as well. The human superorganism isn’t just the sum of its parts just like an ant colony is more than just a lot of ants. Novel functions emerge out of the complex interaction of differentiated parts.

High-tech, corporate fishing fleets navigate by satellite are partly funded by governments and generate wealth for shareholders. A reduction in demand for their product in one market is not going to stop them. They will just increase sales in other markets, create new products, aggregate demand or genetically engineer “super-pigs” that grow twice as fast when fed congealed fish balls. Corporations don’t back off. They only move forward and those at the wheel only want to move faster.

The threat of a complete and devastating collapse of global fisheries requires us to consider the worst. If fishing fleets continue to extract fish at existing rates we will see extinction events like the loss of North Atlantic Cod. This is devastating economically, reduces a crucial protein source to billions of humans and may fundamentally destabilise ocean ecosystems leading to unpredictable run-away changes.

Overfishing by Alex Hofford

If we are motivated to protect the ocean and preserve the fish that live within it we have to organise to stop fishing fleets and create large-scale marine reserves that are policed. The tools we have to do this are limited. We can occupy the land and boats of the fleets to stop them sailing but we have seen how governments will violently protect corporate interests. Is anyone going to try something similar in Russia any time soon? Anyway, if one corporation is stopped another will step up to seize the resource. We need to get to the heart of the problem and change the rules of the game.

If we pull back into space we clearly see the problem. The algorithms determining the functioning of the human superorganism are out of sync with our planetary circumstance. The dials are still set as if we were small and growing into an abundant and limitless frontier – like back in 1831 when Darwin sailed on the Voyage of the Beagle. There were only one billion humans on the planet and everywhere they stopped they were met by the extraordinary wildlife of a thriving biosphere.

200 years of human population growth compounded with surging levels of consumption have created a very different planet. The cavernous excavations of natural systems have left them teetering on the brink, meanwhile, the wealth-concentrating function of corporations has created a remote elite with vast hoards of capital running organisations that span the world and answer to no one.

We need to adjust the controls of our superorganism so that it: stops expanding outwards, consumes less, functions more efficiently and produces less pollution. We can achieve this by, for example, shifting to an interest-free monetary system, limiting the economy, giving legal rights to natural systems and passing global treaties to limit pollution and ban war. To achieve these ends we must address governance issues and politics.

It isn’t just naive to think changing the behaviour of some individual ants will fix this situation it is disastrous because to protect what is left of nature we need to move quickly and decisively. This is the problem with environmental organisations that solely emphasise lifestyle changes – they distract us from the main causes of harm and let the powerful off the hook.

If we have reached the conclusion that our politicians have simply become administrators for large corporations and will work to concentrate wealth further even while the planet dies then surely then answer isn’t to back off and leave them to it!? If politicians are banqueting with bankers on the bones of our dying world lets not retreat into a muggy haze of personal development. Lets not kid ourselves that individual actions are enough. We have to get organised and change the system – thats called politics.

Vote here to stop the industrial destruction of the deep ocean.

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