Most holiday makers stay within their own region. Only every 5th travels abroad. In china too, more and more people have been bitten by the travel bug last year, it was 137 million. A particularly popular destination is thailand. Almost 9 million chinese went there in 2016. This is what rush hour in paradise can look like. At ten in the morning, the first speedboats from phuket arrive, brimming with chinese tourists. This beach was once a jewel empty and pristine. But that time is long gone. Jareed takuathung seems to be the only one tasked with tempering tourists activities here. He is the head ranger of maya bay. But his task is not easy. There are some areas here that should be offlimits, to protect nature. But the chinese just go right in. I then tell them, hey, dont do that. but they cant understand me. Sometimes they just laugh at me, as if i had told a joke. Maya bay is part of Ko Phi Phi Leh. The island used to be considered the crown jewel of the andaman sea. Thailands Tourism Industry calls it a place of untainted beauty. But others say phi phi leh is becoming a bit uglier every year. Prasert wongna grew up on the island, and he says a lot has changed. Phi phi leh was the Perfect Place when i was a child. The forest was green and fertile. The beach was a dream. And in the bay, the corals were so beautiful. And there was plenty of fish. This is how phi phi leh looked thirty years ago covered with jungle. But in the 1980s and 90s, the building boom began. Then came the disastrous tsunami tsunami ten years ago, and another catastrophe rampant, unplanned reconstruction. Almost two hundred hotels have been built on this tiny island since then, and there are countless construction sites and ever more visitors. Two kinds of tourists come here. Some stay on the island for a couple of days. But the biggest problem are the daytrippers. They are brought here by boat, picnic on the beach, then disappear and leave their garbage behind. The island just cant handle it. Tour operators bring ever more tourists from phuket to phi phi leh, regardless of nautical conditions. Its all about money. But damage to the ecosystem is already dramatic, both on land and underwater. A local Diving School is doing its best to protect the threatened underwater life from the effects of mass tourism. Theyre now preparing to make a special dive. The film, the beach brought phi phi leh worldwide fame. We earn our living from tourism, and thats good. But there are just too many tourists. The island is dying. Hollywood made maya bay famous, and thailands Tourism Industry is capitalising on this. There are still swarms of fish here, and striking colours. The underwater world still shows signs of incredible beauty. But marine biologists say that the corals around maya bay are almost all dead, killed by speedboats anchors dragging on the seabed, sewage from hotels, and illegal waste disposal. And with coral bleaching caused by climate change, the seabed itself has become a new kind of battleground. Here is an attempt to save it a coral nursery. Its a private initiative by a concerned diver. One day, the young corals could become a new, manmade coral reef. We saw a lot of fish here. Im always so happy to see that the corals are growing. One day, they will become a new home for the fish. Around midday, maya bay slowly fills up. Sometimes its standingroom only on the fine sand. Between 5,000 to 7,000 tourists come every day. Some of them are european, but most are chinese daytrippers, who are taking a break from their megacities back home. Here we have beach, and sea, and fish, mountains, and blue skies. Its very beautiful. And to top it off, this entire scenario is happening in a National Park a protected area. The rangers here feel that the government in bangkok has failed them. So they have come up with some beach rules, including do not feed the fish, do not tread on the corals, and do not throw waste in the water. They want to try to preserve whatever they still can. In less than ten years, maybe even five, if nothing is done, all the corals will have died. Phi phi is like a beautiful woman if one neglects her, at some point she is no longer beautiful, and at some point she completely disappears. In the evening, all of Ko Phi Phi Leh basks in the light of sunset. The sky is radiant, and the sea reflects its rosy tones. This island dream is one that thailands Tourism Industry is set to continue promoting. Lots of people means lots of trash. The Plastic Waste that ends up in the sea poses a huge problem, and every year, about 8 million more tons of plastic is dumped into the water. According to the Environmental Protection group oceans conservancy, only 5 can be detected on the surface, the rest floats around in enormous clusters further down. There are huge amounts of Plastic Waste spiraling around in the pacific and north atlantic. The mediterranean is also full of it. But the concentration of Plastic Waste is particularly bad in the indian ocean, off asias densely populated coastal regions. Mumbai is situated on the indian ocean. Kilometers of sandy beach line its shores. But its not as idyllic as it looks from a distance. Afroz shah is a lawyer. Two years ago, he fulfilled a lifelong dream and bought an apartment with an ocean view. But the view wasnt quite what he expected. I looked out of my window and i saw so much plastic on the beach. It didnt look nice. Its like a sore to your eyes. Being a lawyer you file a petition to the court, you complain to the bmc, the local municipality saying something is wrong. Or being a citizen, someone who lives along the coastline, saying there is a problem and ill do it. Afroz shah set about cleaning the beach himself. Every weekend, he spends a few hours excavating garbage with the help of some of his neighbors. In the first twothree months it was difficult. I used to work with four or five people. There were days when i worked all alone. But then, for me it was not about creating a movement. It may not have been his goal, but as many as a hundred volunteers were soon following his example, joining forces to manually clean up versova beach. Even a few bollywood stars are pitching in. Seventy weeks, this is my 70th week. My house doesnt begin only from the door. It begins from the city itself, from the country itself. That vision one should have. That is the difference. Slowly but surely, the volunteers are nearing their target to clean up all 3 kilometers of versova beach. Mumbai is home to lots of beaches and litter is a problem on all of them. The citys rivers are also teeming with waste, and this too gets discharged onto the beaches and into the ocean. Mumbai generates over 10 thousand tonnes of waste a day. But it has a shortage of rubbish dumps and landfill sites. The city is located on a peninsula, and is fast running out of space. The waste problem is starting to affect tourism. This Tour Operator says its putting visitors off. It is a mixture of people, and the attitude of the government. I would say its pathetical from the governments angle. People will change when the goverment is promoting to change. But how likely is it that will happen . Socalled Waste Pickers earn their living collecting and recycling mumbais mountains of trash. Traditionally, these Waste Pickers are socalled dalits that means theyre at the bottom of the hindu caste i collect between 150 and 200 kilos of trash per day. I separate the paper and plastic and sell it on. We cant accompany her any further, because the police intervene and stop us filming. The city authorities are well aware that the existence of the Waste Pickers is bad for mumbais image. Tackling mumbais garbage problem with education thats the mission of natasha dcosta. She buys up reusuable waste and takes it into schools to teach children about recycling. Thats awesome about india. Everything gets reused. Thats just ingrained in our culture. But somewhere we became very i dont know we just started producing too much waste. So now were starting to understand the values of waste. Plastic and paper waste is one part of the problem. Another is that mumbais beaches are used as huge outdoor toilets. By people without one at home. Improving Public Toilet facilities is the next challenge afroz shah is planning to tackle. Theres no choice because the loos are so dirty. What should i do should i stop them there, call the local municipality, fine them. I said, no, no, get the loo clean. For the past three months ive been working on cleaning the loo. But todays goal is to clear up as much Plastic Waste as possible and have it transported to a landfill site. The volunteers pose for a group photo. Today theyve enjoyed themselves, but cleaning beaches is hard work and the weather doesnt always help. Even when its pouring, afroz and his team of volunteers are undeterred. Come rain or shine, they mean business. Every person who gets involved in a cause can make a difference. Sometimes even between life and death. Take, for example, the volunteers on the mediterranean, who save refugees from drowning. Of the displaced persons who have come to europe so far, more than 60,000 are currently living in greece. The country is one of the main entry points for refugees in europe. But because of its heavy debts, many claim that the country is overstrained, and that the conditions in the camps are inhumane. Yet here too, one can see the difference that it makes, when individuals get involved. An industry is developing at the oinofyta camp, slowly, but surely. Around 600 people have been living and working here for 9 months. Here theyre not called refugees, theyre residents. Oinofyta is like a little village. Adam land has come from the uk to teach carpentry to the people here. But he says theyre already better at it than he is. People have been building stuff for their food distribution, for their tailors room, for the sewing room. People have been building things for their own rooms. So i try to encourage people to improve their own space rather than relying on buying things. Then we meet nesar radin. The trained microbiologist fled afghanistan with his wife and four children after they were threatened and persecuted. Hes been here for half a year. His wife and two of his children managed to get to germany recently. Nesar works as a coordinator and interpreter at oinofyta. He proudly shows us the camps 100 hens. Its raining. They are maybe in their home. They are laying eggs when the weather is warm. Whether its looking after the chickens or distributing food, the residents look after themselves. Everyone here is expected to assume some responsibility. Nesar says it gives them a sense of purpose. When they come and give their papers to be registered in the camp, we ask them what did you do . Whats your profession . Whats your job. This old factory has been divided into small living spaces. At the end of the hall is the sewing room. Its run by a young afghan. Niaomh convery, from the uk, is just helping with the coordination. But when we started to work on them peoples attitudes completely changed. I mean, we just love doing it. I love working with them and everyones really enthusiastic. At the moment were, like, working too much and were like come on everyone, its time to go home. So its a really great feeling, yeah. These young men hope that the skills theyre employing here will help them create new lives elsewhere. Kaees from afghanistan says that hes happy just to have something sensible to do with his time. Because the countries need tailors, doctors, and theyve even built a school for the children. If qualified teachers become residents here, theyll be expected to give instruction themselves. Two of nesars sons are pupils here. Hes considering teaching farsi himself. He knows the value of a good education and tries to convince others. I advise them, i tell them that you should send your children to school. But its so there are parents who dont want to let them they want, but some parents in every country they are a little bit lazy. Oinofyta is comanaged by american Nonprofit Organization do your part. Lisa campbell, one of its founders, is in charge of fundraising. The group aims to help people here retain their dignity and become selfsufficient again. Its a concept that ive tried to spread to other areas, but you know bureacracy and peoples ideas. They want to build camps. And, for me, i want to build a community. Nesars work day is done. He lives here with his sons said and sohail. Many things in this room remind him of his wife. For the past few weeks shes been living with the couples two youngest children in trier. Because nesar, said and sohail dream of joining them in germany, theyre diligently learning german. Nesar radin likes the way oinofyta is run. He enjoys being a role model and assuming responsibility in the camp and for his two sons. But sometimes he still fears for his familys future. Im afraid if they return my family back to greece, i dont know what to do. If i go back to afghanistan, its impossible. I mean, i cant go. My parents, friends. Are your parents still in afghanistan . Yes. And now on to our series global ideas, which features people who fight to protect the environment. This time were in south africa at a cheetah centre. Our reporter Louise Osborne took a closer look at the Cheetah Outreach project near cape town. The animals that live in captivity there, could help to save their counterparts in the wild. Normally, cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 110 kilometers an hour. Here, they barely break a sweat. But then, here, theyre only chasing a toy. In the wild, even then they wont necessarily run everyday. If they get a springbok and eat all of a good solid, they might not hunt until 45 days later. If they have their choice, theyll be asleep 1618 hours per day its a natural instinct for them, unless theres a very, very good reason to run, which is why we say we offer them the opportunity to run and its their decision, as you can see, whether they choose to run or not. Romeo, youve been fed already. Dawn glover is manager at Cheetah Outreach in cape town. The center homes 11 cheetahs. They were all born in captivity. The Center Brings in the cats from ethical breeding programs where they are handraised. Atmo hey magic, look at you gorgeous. But it means theyve never learned to hunt. Instead they serve as ambassadors for their wild cousins. It gives visitors the chance to build a bond with the predators. Cheetahs especially, theyre nonagressive. Theyre a runner, not a fighter. And for us, to show that you can have this amazing relationship and bond with a wild predator and if they can learn to trust us and live in harmony with us, we should be able to show the same emotional maturity and learn to live with them as well. They might actually be natural enemies, but anatolian guarding dog juliet and cheetah romeo have been been brought up together here. They are the furry faces of a project being funded by the Cape Town Center to protect wild cheetahs. Cheetah numbers have fallen drastically in just over a century from around 100,000 to just over seven thousand one hundred. One of the biggest threats to the big cats are farmers. Almost two thousand kilometers away, farmer Morne Brummer prepares to release his flock for the day. Its not always been easy letting them roam. In the past, animals have been lost. We chose the area, or the area chose us, which is quite difficult to farm in. Weve got cheetah, weve got lions coming through occasionally, leopard, caracol, jackal theres numerous predators in this area. Many farmers, use lethal methods shooting predators or using poison to protect their livestock. But brummer was offered another choice. Cheetah outreach gave him his dog. Now she goes out with the goats. Its definitely a benefit to not have to go out and kill certain animals to protect your income, your bread and butter. Seeing the cheetahs, the leopard in their Natural Environment is lovely not having to go out with a gun and prosecute them. Unlike most big predators, cheetahs hunt during the day. And so are blamed for much of the lost livestock. The guarding dog program was designed to try to combat the problem. On his farm, brummers wife rosamund runs the dog breeding center. Project manager, Deon Cilliers has come to see how the dogs are doing. The Program Provides farmers with a dog for free and pays for its upkeep for one year. Now theres even a waiting list for the animals. The anatolian shepherd is quite a huge dog. Hes quite bold and he stands back from nothing. They are not attack dogs, they are not aggressive at all. They will just start barking when the predator is around and usually thats enough to scare predators away. Almost 250 dogs have been placed with farmers in northern south africa. Anatolian guarding dogs first have to be integrated as puppies with their flock from then on they are fiercely protective. In a situation where theres been a lot of rain, for example, the goats might stay out and then weve had times where the dogs will stay out with them. Theyll never leave them, even if theyre hungry, they wont come back. Theyll stay out with the goats no matter what. Back in cape town, schools often visit to learn about the organisations activities and the dog project. Education plays a big role in the work of Cheetah Outreach. Children are also able to learn about some of south africas other native species, like this jackal. Most children in this part of south africa will never get to see a cheetah in the wild. The big can be found in the nothern provinces, but not this far south. For these children its a big moment the chance to actually touch one of the predators. A keeper keeps the cheetah relaxed as they get close. And Cheetah Outreach gets exactly the kind of emotion it hopes for. I touched a cheetah the Organization Needs this kind of attention to get Financial Support to carry on with its work in cape town and its conservation project in the north. Them being in captivity is a very Important Role to play in terms of the preservation of their wild cousins, through the awareness, the education, conservation of the genetic pool of cheetahs because there are so few of them left in the wild. Cheetahs are already recorded as vulnerable on the iucns red list. And for a species coming ever closer to the brink wild cheetahs need all the help they can get to ensure they have a future in south africa and beyond. Theres a new global 3000 show every week but if that is not enough for you, we have even more you can interact with us live on our facebook Global Society page, watch gripping webvideos or listen to exciting radio reports. All of this and more, if you follow us on dw Global Society. And you can find all of these reports in our media centre at dw. Com. Well be back next week. See you then [voiceover] this program is made possible in part by the town of marion. Historic marion, virginia. Home of the Wayne Henderson school of appalachian arts. Celebrating 21 years as a certified virginia main street community. The ellis family foundation. General Francis Marion hotel. The historic general Francis Marion hotel and black rooster restaurant and lounge, providing luxurious accommodations and casual fine dining. The bank of marion. The bank of marion, your vision, your community, your bank. Wbrf 98. 1 fm. Bryant label, a proud supporter of our regions musical heritage. lively bluegrass music
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