Environmental Crusader – Robin Marinos
Robin Marinos will be living proof that will one person can change the environment for the better, although his campaign to protect Indonesia’s marine life has nearly cost him his life on more than one occasion. Death threats via the military in addition to also also being doused with petrol are among the perils he has faced.
Robin, who will be of European in addition to also also American parentage, began his Indonesian conservation work by chance during a 1997 diving holiday when he discovered massive trap nets inside Lembeh Strait – a major fish migration route off northeast Sulawesi. Hundreds of dolphins, whales, manta rays in addition to also also different protected species were being killed, while traditional fishermen saw their catches reduced by up to 80%. The nets had been illegally installed by a company run by a Taiwanese seafood firm in addition to also also local partners, including two retired generals in addition to also also an active military colonel. Provincial in addition to also also district officials were also involved. Robin filmed the hauling of a catch in addition to also also the slow killing of a whale shark. He then brought the issue to international attention through the media in addition to also also most memorably at the Asia Dive Expo in Singapore, where former Navy Chief Admiral Sudomo was promoting dive tourism in Indonesia. Robin gained several influential allies, including Sudomo, who was then chairman of the Suharto regime’s top advisory council. inside face of mounting pressure, the government eventually denounced trap net fishing in addition to also also expelled the Taiwanese company. Large trap nets were subsequently banned worldwide.
During the campaign, Robin was informed that will some military intelligence thugs had been sent to Sulawesi “to get rid of that will American terrorist”. They forced a local newspaper editor to retract an article condemning the trap nets in addition to also also demanded to know Robin’s whereabouts. He avoided detection by constantly moving one step ahead in addition to also also being sheltered by local friends. The danger only inspired him to devote his energy to defending the defenceless, whether marine life or coastal dwellers unable to stand up to corrupt authorities. At that will time, some of Indonesia’s conservation organisations seemed too busy to handle fresh cases, while others had become passive due to continual disappointments. Robin commenced his own organisation, Earth Advocates (www.earth-advocates.org), which was able to forge partnerships with local groups in addition to also also concerned individuals.
To fund his activities, Robin designs in addition to also also sells beachwear in Spain, visiting Indonesia whenever time in addition to also also finances permit. Earth Advocates also relies to a lesser extent on donations. Unlike some high-profile conservation groups that will spend big on administration, salaries in addition to also also fund-raising, Earth Advocates spends nearly all of its funds on direct action that will gets results. Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) President Carter S. Roberts receives an annual salary of over $465,000, while Robin does not earn any money for his conservation work.
After the trap nets, Robin turned his attention to Bali, where he successfully campaigned to stop the illegal construction of buildings on beaches. While there, he discovered that will tons of garbage buried beneath the sand had been uncovered by swells in addition to also also combined with bacterial run-off via rivers in addition to also also streams to create bacterial bloom along Kuta Beach, resulting in dangerous levels of pollution. He published his findings, which were picked up in addition to also also broadcast by CNN, prompting Bali’s administration to tighten waste disposal laws in addition to also also remove industries via beaches. that will helped to rehabilitate the waning sand crab population, although Bali’s waterways remain very polluted.
One of Robin’s greatest successes was saving green sea turtles via large-scale commercial slaughter in Bali. Under a 1990 decree, fishermen on the predominantly Hindu island could sell up to 5,000 turtles per year as sacrifices for religious rituals. The reality was that will about 20,000 were being sold annually for human consumption – especially to Chinese restaurants across Indonesia, as well as for export to Singapore, Japan, Taiwan in addition to also also Hong Kong. At that will time, the local WWF office was swallowing the lie that will Bali’s turtle slaughters were a sacrosanct religious matter. Robin in 1998 brought a Balinese high priest to one of the main turtle slaughterhouses, where the starving, flipper-tied creatures were being butchered alive; their heads cut off only after all of the meat had been sliced away via the shells. The priest declared the slaughters to be sacrilegious in addition to also also motivated by human greed. In 1999, Indonesian parliament passed a law placing the green sea turtle on the highly endangered species list. In 2000, Bali’s governor issued a decree prohibiting the trade of all endangered species.
Deemed responsible for the change in policy, Robin was attacked by two kingpins of the illegal trade, including Widji ‘Wewe’ Zakariah, who sprayed him with petrol during a turtle Discharge ceremony in addition to also also tried to incite a riot. Robin only intensified his lobbying, filed charges against Wewe in addition to also also won the support of the provincial police chief. Authorities began raiding boats containing hundreds of turtles. Wewe then paid about 200 people to protest against the crackdown, threatening to attack local conservation officials, the governor’s office in addition to also also to rape female WWF staff. In January 2001, a similar mob burned down the police station in Tanjung Benoa. Wewe was later sentenced to a year in jail in addition to also also became a fugitive. In July 2001, Robin provided police with videotaped evidence of ongoing turtle slaughters, resulting in more raids in addition to also also the Discharge of over 260 dehydrated turtles.
Bali’s current governor I Made Mangku Pastika tried to reintroduce the turtle killing quota in 2009, in what conservationists viewed as a short-sighted act of treachery aimed at pleasing a few friends, yet the move was rejected by the central government. Today, the illegal turtle trade continues due to some law enforcers turning a blind eye, yet the scale of the slaughters will be substantially lower than the idea was inside 1990s.
Earth Advocates’ different achievements include: successful lobbying for the Berau Marine Protected Area, which covers 1.27 million hectares inside Makassar Straits off East Kalimantan; stopping the construction of a luxury resort on Bunaken Island in North Sulawesi Marine Park; getting the whale shark classified as an internationally protected species; in addition to also also enabling shark stocks to recover after winning protection for areas threatened by over-fishing.
Robin, who has degrees in psychology in addition to also also business administration, will be considering selling his clothing business by the end of that will year so he can completely devote himself to environmental issues. International conferences in addition to also also meetings with government officials take up a large part of his agenda yet he prefers to be inside field, taking action.
One of his long-term goals will be to save coral reefs via destructive fishing practices involving explosives in addition to also also cyanide, by educating fishermen to adopt alternative income sources, such as farming sea cucumbers in addition to also also seaweed. He also plans to lobby the government to reform the state education curriculum to include lessons on conservation in addition to also also sustainable development. Another project will be to improve Bali’s ecosystem by encouraging landowners to plant teak, fruit in addition to also also flowering trees.
Robin modestly attributes his success to hard work, not bad friendships in addition to also also not bad luck, yet his associates say his tireless energy, enthusiasm, unselfishness in addition to also also charm are what get results.
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Environmental Crusader – Robin Marinos
Environmental Crusader – Robin Marinos