A Shift From Black to Geothermal by Jude Lugsanay

A Shift From Black to Geothermal

by Jude Lugsanay | December 18, 2014

                

Little boy asks his grandfather about smoke signals. Image from http://imgkid.com/coal-plant-cartoon.shtml

Coal is one of the most prominent and most celebrated sources of energy in the country today. In fact, a report by the Philippine Department of Energy stated that coal still dominates the power generation in the Philippines at nearly 38.7 percent (Torres, 2014). Torres (2014) even added that the Philippine government is planning to power up another stunning 45 coal-fired power plants in addition to 13 existing ones! Two obvious evidences are the opening of a new ₱ 10.2 billion coal power plant in Toledo City, Cebu (Mozo, 2014) and Salcon Power Corporation’s construction of two new coal-fired plants which, according to them, produces 200 megawatts of power that can support the economic growth of Cebu and other Visayan regions (Mosqueda, 2014). A few years back, World Resources Institute expected a significant increase of coal plants in a global scale. Their analysis in 2012 showed that 1, 199 coal-fired plants are proposed to be built in various parts of the world with China’s proposed plant to have the highest proposed installed capacity of 557, 938 megawatts. Try to imagine how many coal plants have been built since the time of the survey!

This diagram shows how geothermal energy is
utilized in a geothermal power plant. Image from
https://www.mhi-global.com/discover/earth/
technology/geothermal.html

The statistics tells that every year, more and more energy companies are rising and making money through the means of coal, a fossil fuel formed from decayed organic matter that was subjected to geologic heat and pressure over millions of years (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Many industries are investing upon it for its combustibility, abundance, renewability, reliability, and, of course, affordability (OCCUPYTHEORY). As these companies continue to build plants and burn coal for energy generation, they also continuously add to the number of carbon dioxide (CO₂) molecules and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere resulting to the well-known phenomenon called global warming, one of the major causes of climate change (Shah, 2011). Aside from carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas, coal plants also release toxic substances, such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury, into the air which caused a great deal of air pollution and various human health risks (Union of Concerned Scientists). According to the UCS, coal not only pollutes when it is burned but also pollutes when it is mined, transported to the power plant, and stored. In order for coal to be mined, moved, and kept, more than 300, 000 hectares of hardwood forest must be sacrificed, nearly 1 million tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) must be emitted by railroad locomotives a year, and a lot of human lungs must be irritated (UCS). These numbers clearly show that coal power plants are not effective energy providers and are large harmful threats to human existence and the environment. Since the Philippines is a volcanic archipelago, why don’t Philippine energy companies invest in utilizing geothermal energy, or energy from the Earth’s interior heat, to light up homes and establishments rather than use fossil fuels as energy source? If Philippine energy companies replace their coal-fired power plants with fully functional geothermal power plants, they could provide electricity to many Filipino households and establishments without harming lives and the natural environment of the Philippines.

A study shows that coal power plants have the
greatest amount of carbon dioxide emission per
gigawatt hour. Image from http://cleantechnica.com/
2012/02/20/geothermal-energy-advantages/
geothermal-life-cycle-emissions/

Many people think that geothermal plants are very similar to coal plants when it comes to environmental inefficiency; however, they are very mistaken. Geothermal power plants are far more environmentally friendly than coal plants. The wrong notion that geothermal plants critically pollute must be changed. A study by Meier (as cited in Shahan, 2012) showed that per gigawatt hour, coal power plants emit more tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) than geothermal plants. Shahan (2012) also stated that unlike coal plants, geothermal power plants don’t require combustion anymore and so the amount of greenhouse gases they emit is very minimal. Though carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of geothermal activity, less than 4 percent of carbon dioxide normally emitted by coal power plants is only released by geothermal steam (Halliburton). On the other hand, geothermal energy not only sets fossil fuel energy at a disadvantage but also other forms of energy. According to the Geothermal Energy Association (as cited Electric Light & Power/ POWERGRID International, 2013), geothermal energy emerged as one of the least polluting forms of energy. GEA also reported that geothermal energy is environmentally unobtrusive and has the lowest lifecycle emissions of any generating technology (Electric Light & Power/ POWERGRID International, 2013). Finally, Bratley (2014) stated that few chemicals and pollutants are involved in geothermal electricity production, ultimately proving that geothermal power plants are not an environmental nuisance at all but rather a very good nature protector.

This is a picture showing the top view of Iceland
geothermal power plant. Image from https://
www.esmap.org/node/280

Another advantage that sets geothermal energy apart from fossil fuel energy is its renewability. According to Greenearth Energy Ltd., geothermal energy is classified as a renewable form of energy, an energy that is obtained from essentially inexhaustible sources, and is an exact opposite of fossil fuel or coal energy which is nonrenewable and has a limited supply. Geothermal energy’s renewability also helps in reducing pollution and global warming (Kukreja, 2014). For instance, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, in the United States, no cases of water contamination from geothermal plants were reported. Another interesting feature of its renewability is its ability to minimize the effect of global warming. Data collected by the International Panel on Climate Change (as cited in Union of Concerned Scientists) indicated that life-cycle global emissions associated with renewable energy, such as geothermal energy, which include manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance, dismantling, and decommissioning are minimal. GEA, on the other hand, logically explained that because geothermal energy is renewable, it allows no combustion and it produces nearly zero air emissions. Due to this, they implied that geothermal energy reduces energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂), the major cause of global warming. These evidences, when taken to full account, imply that geothermal energy is truly renewable. This characteristic of being renewable doesn’t destroy at all but rather provide benefits to the people.             

Being in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the Philippines proves to be a perfect spot for a lot of geothermal locations where foundation for future geothermal power plants can be laid upon. The Philippine archipelago houses a number of volcanic locations and this entails that within these areas, there are geothermal reservoirs of hot fluids which can be abundant with geothermal energy (“Geothermal Energy”). The following locations have already been identified for new installation capacities by the Department of Energy to contain geothermal natural resources through magnetotelluric surveys: Kalinga (60 MW), Ifugao (60 MW), Benguet (20 MW), Cagayan (20 MW), Bataan (40 MW), Albay and Sorsogon (120 MW), Batangas (20 MW), and Mindoro Oriental (40 MW) – for Luzon (380 MW), Negros Oriental (60 MW) and Southern Leyte (20 MW) – for Visayas (80 MW), and finally Zamboanga del Sur (40 MW), North Cotabato (20 MW), Davao del Sur (40 MW), and Davo del Norte (20 MW) – for Mindanao (120 MW) (“Geothermal Energy”). Moreover, this list doesn’t include the following privatized geothermal power plants and their installed capacities: Bacman Geothermal Production Field (150 MW) in Manito, Albay and Bacon, Sorsogon, Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plant (192 MW) in Puhagan, Valencia, Negros Occidental, and Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant (112.5 MW) in Lim-ao, Kananga, Leyte (“Geothermal Energy”). With this long list of statistics, it can be clearly implied that a minute number of geothermal areas has just been explored and there are still more sites in the Philippines that are waiting to be explored and utilized for electricity-generation purposes.

Running a single power plant is a tough job for energy generating companies. If a company is running a dozen power plants, it’s pretty sure that that company is doing very hard work. Considering that if companies replace their power plants, they would possibly become bankrupt or, rather, they would spend a lot of money, it is often understandable why energy companies would not want to change their current power plants. However, some activists claim that geothermal energy and geothermal power plants are not renewable and can pollute. Some argue that air emissions from geothermal power plants which contain carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) are not friendly at all and, in fact, can kill; for instance, according to Stewart (2012), a number of deaths in Rotorua have been attributed to hydrogen sulfide poisoning, often in motel rooms or hot-pool enclosures. While some question the ability of geothermal power plants to not pollute, others claim that geothermal energy is not a renewable energy source at all and can be limited or finite. They claim that geothermal energy can only be found in certain places on Earth which for them proves that it is very limited (“Non Renewable”). They also added that geothermal energy is limited because it can be used up when the rocks underground cool down or if the heated groundwater becomes exhausted. Amidst all these claims, it is good to know that experts are trying to rule out the possibilities if companies will try to mainly produce electricity from geothermal energy rather than their original energy sources.

However, it must be known that currently companies which use geothermal plants to generate electricity are trying to mitigate or control the release of hydrogen sulfide and, in effect, make use of it. In a study by Kagel, Bates, and Gawell (2007), it was found out that hydrogen sulfide is abated at geothermal power plants which resulted to the conversion of over 99.9 percent of the hydrogen sulfide from geothermal non-condensable gases into elemental sulfur,  a non-hazardous soil amendment and fertilizer feedstock. They added that because of these actions, hydrogen sulfide emissions declined from 1, 900 lbs/year to 200 lbs/year or less since 1976. Another point that experts usually question is the renewability of geothermal energy. To oppose this claim, many experts have also testified geothermal energy as a renewable source; for instance, Dickson and Fanelli’s  (as cited in Think GeoEnergy) study argued that geothermal energy is a renewable source because it uses the interior heat of the Earth which is considered abundant. They added that water, once used and cooled, is then piped back to the reservoir. Barnes (2013) also stated that geothermal energy is considered a renewable energy source because generation of electricity is utilized by using natural resources without burning coal or fossil fuels.

It is clear that using geothermal energy and geothermal power plants is very applicable and possible in the Philippines. Using geothermal energy as energy source doesn’t create much carbon footprint unlike coal plants and the likes, implying that this doesn’t contribute to global warming. Also, because geothermal energy is renewable, it is sustainable and it can last for many years unlike the nonrenewable coal and other fossil fuels. The Philippines won’t also face the problem of where to find geothermal energy anymore for it is already a volcanic archipelago. This means that there are many volcanic spots in the country where geothermal energy can be abundant and can be utilized. Only by relying on these facts that energy companies may start to rethink of their energy business and if they try to mainly use geothermal energy, there is a possibility that they can cleanly generate electricity without harming lives and threatening the natural environment.

References:

Barnes, B. (2013, August 30). WILL GEOTHERMAL ENERGY BE THE NEXT BIG RENEWABLE RESOURCE?. Retrieved from http://www.theclimategroup.org/blogs/the-clean-revolution/will-geothermal-energy-be-the-next-big-renewable-resource/

Bratley, J. (2014, December 3). Advantages of Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/geothermal/geothermal-energy/advantages-of-geothermal-energy

Electric Light & Power/POWERGRID International. (2013, April 26). Geothermal energy provides health, environmental benefits. Retrieved from http://www.elp.com/articles/2013/04/geothermal-energy-provides-health--environmental-benefits.html

Geothermal Energy [PDF Document]. Retrieved from https://www.awex.be/fr-BE/Infos%20march%C3%A9s%20et%20secteurs/Infossecteurs/Documents/ASIEPAC/Renewable%20Energy%20-%20Geothermal.pdf

Greenearth Energy Ltd. (n.d.). Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://www.greenearthenergy.com.au/geothermal/

Halliburton. (n.d.). Geothermal Energy Environmental Benfits. Retrieved from http://www.halliburton.com/en-US/ps/solutions/clean-energy/geothermal-energy/geothermal-energy-environmental-benefits.page?node-id=hgeyxti6

Kagel, A., Bates, D., and Gawell, K. (2007). A Guide to Geothermal Energy and the Environment. Geothermal Energy Association.

Kukreja, R. (n.d.). Advantages Of Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Advantages_GeothermalEnergy.php

Mosqueda, M.W. (2014, September 25). Two new power plants to rise in Cebu. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from http://www.mb.com.ph/two-new-power-plants-to-rise-in-cebu/

Mozo, M.M. (2014, September 21). New P10.2-B Cebu coal power plant switched on. Manila Bulletin. Retrived from http://www.mb.com.ph/new-p10-2-b-cebu-coal-power-plant-switched-on/

OCCUPYTHEORY. (2014, March 25). Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal. Retrieved from http://occupytheory.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-coal/

Shah, A. (2011, April 11). Coal Advantages and Disadvantages – Pros of Coal Winning Despite Dangerous Cons. Retrieved from http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/04/11/coal-advantages-and-disadvantages-pros-of-coal-winning-despite-dangerous-cons/

Shahan, Z. (2012, February 12). 10 Reasons to Support Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/20/geothermal-energy-advantages/

Stewart, C. (2012, July 13). Geothermal energy – Effects on the environment. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/geothermal-energy/page-5

The Laser Group. (n.d.). Non Renewable Resources – Geothermal energy. Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/planet/lasers-physics/page7.html

THINK GEOENERGY. (n.d.). Geothermal Energy Overview. Retrieved from http://thinkgeoenergy.com/geothermal

Torres, J. (2014, July 25). Greenpeace links coal-fired power plants to Philippines’ extreme weather. ucanews.com. Retrieved from http://www.ucanews.com/news/greenpeace-links-coal-fired-power-plants-to-philippines-extreme-weather/71516

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). Benefits of Renewable Energy Use. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable.html#.VJKqe_noikF

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). coal power: air pollution. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html#.VJKf4vnoikF

Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). Environmental impacts of coal power: fuel supply. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02a.html#.VJKli_noikE

Wildlife Poaching: The global aftermath by Jude Lugsanay

Wildlife Poaching: The global aftermath

by Jude Lugsanay | November 25, 2014

An African rhino poached for its valuable ivory. Image from http://sustainablepulse.com/2013/01/18/vietnam-thailand-boom-african-ivory-murder/#.VHRrPvnoikE

               

The word “death” may surprise people; however, what is even more surprising, and shocking of course, is that the death toll of rhinoceros in South Africa has now reached  a record of 1020, a number greater than the record in 2013 and triple the number four years ago (Bukhardt, 2014)! People may fall off their seats if they would be seeing this: according to Kathleen Gobush (n.d.), the population of African elephants has declined from a number of 1.3 million to 600 individuals from 1979 to 1987, an astonishing span of eight years! Here is another stunning fact: a recent United Nations report predicted that by the mid-2020s, gorillas may disappear from large parts of the Congo Basin (World Wildlife Fund, 2014). This is the sad reality: the figures would tell that poaching is still a very alive and kicking business until today and every day, it continues to threaten and harm hundreds or even thousands of animals in the wild and the balance of their peaceful biodiversities.

Born Free Foundation officials with another victim of 
ivory trade. Image from http://www.bornfree.org.uk/
campaigns/elephants/campaign-action/
anti-poaching-initiative/

Traditionally speaking, poaching, or illegal hunting is defined as the act of trespassing, especially on another game’s preserve, in order to steal animals or to hunt (“Poaching”, n.d.).  The history of poaching probably began during the Stone Age, the time when knowledge of farming and harvesting of agricultural food sources wasn’t yet discovered (“Before we delve”, n.d.); however, it wasn’t until the Late Middle Ages that poaching became illegal and is considered a punishable offense (Shadow, 2008). Today, different international organizations are devising ways to alleviate the unchecked industry of illegal wildlife hunting. For example, in Burkina Faso (West Africa), an anti-poaching team composed of 25 rangers and a number of community Eco guards has been tasked to protect elephants over an astounding area of 2500 square kilometers (a land so vast for a small team of rangers), but “Team Elephant”, as they are called, are currently facing problems as the elephants in the area are under serious threat from criminal gangs eager to slaughter them for ivory (Born Free Foundation, n.d.). The illegal snaring and shooting of animals for the bush meat trade in Zambia’s National Park have also alarmed a group of concerned individuals collectively named as The South Luangwa Conservation Society, or SLCS (Taronga Conservation Society Australia [TCSA], n.d.). According to TCSA (n.d.), the SLCS’  anti-poaching campaign targeted on protecting species of buffalo, small antelope, elephant, and hippopotamus which are important to the ecology and economics of Zambia and its neighboring countries. In this case, chimpanzees in the area were not an exception for they were still caught in snares indiscriminately (TCSA, n.d.). Nevertheless, the collaborative effort of communities to stop poaching cannot be doubted because in one way or another, they are preventing the eventual extinction of wild animals.

An employee of Kenya Ports Authority weighing tusks 
seized by officials in Mombasa. Image from 
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/08/opinion
/portman-elephants/

No market in the world has ever been blacker than the “black market” especially when wildlife trafficking is involved. According to Wallace (2014), the black market, also called the “underground market”, is an economic activity in which merchandise and services are bought and sold illegally. Wallace (2014) added that the market got its name due to the fact that its activities are often conducted out of sight and outside the sight of the law enforcement. An evidence of black marketing involved in poaching was that in 2011, 23 tons of ivory representing 2500 dead animals were seized and according to the calculations of the wildlife trade network Traffic, more elephant tusks were confiscated in 2011 than in any year since 1989, the year when ivory trade was banned (“Elephant poaching”, 2011). Was the banning of ivory trade really imposed?

An evidence of tiger smuggling in Asia. 
Image from http://factsanddetails.com/asian/cat68/
sub432/item2491.html

Tiger part smuggling currently poses the largest threat to tiger survival; poachers hunt tigers to extinction for the tigers’ teeth, claws, bones, and skins which are highly valued for their use in traditional Asian medicine, various folk remedies and various products (World Wildlife Fund [WWF], 2011). In addition, according to reports from WWF (2011), Traffic found that the smuggled parts from at least 200 tigers have been confiscated per year by the law enforcement in Asia and in the past 10 years, over 1000 tigers have been slaughtered to traffic their parts to meet the on-going demand. WWF (2011) expressed that a century ago, 100000 tigers roamed the forests, swamps, and tundra of Asia; today, according to them, only 3200 tigers are left in the wild and only 7% of historic tiger habitat still contains tigers. If this continues, tigers will be extinct in just a few decades (WWF, 2011)!

How wise are poachers? In Thailand, according to Tiradej Palasuwan of the Wildlife Conservation Office, arresting the wildlife traffickers was very difficult since the traffickers have developed tricks to avoid the eyes of the police (Sarnsamak, 2014). In his interview with Sarnsamak (2014), Palasuwan added that traffickers change car registration and drivers a lot while they are transferring wildlife goods across countries’ borders, but during the past year, the national wildlife protection agency have seized more than 10000 wild animals from illegal trade operations. The department has confiscated 10700 live animals, 1348 carcasses, and 3923 kilograms of animal parts from 642 people who were allegedly involved in illegal wildlife trade (Sarnsamak, 2014). Sarnsamak (2014) reported that Palasuwan accepted the fact that it was very difficult to get to influential people behind wildlife trafficking because of loopholes in the law and the smugglers not spitting out any details about the people who hired them to traffic wildlife. Poachers are definitely wise!

Confiscated fresh tiger bones in Sumatra. 
Image from http://www.panthera.org/node/1473

Big employers or small part-time dealers, whoever they are, still continue to endanger the lives of many species of animals in the wild. Even big nations with highly established economies seriously threaten the existence of these wild animals. According to Kasnoff (2014), throughout the world, there exists an increased demand for endangered tiger parts. Kasnoff (2014) stated that the countries involved in the worsening tiger trade are China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Great Britain, and the United States, countries belonging to the First World. For example, the Zoological Society of London have noted that in 1990, at least 1900 kg of tiger bone, or an equivalent of 400 to 500 tigers, were exported from Taiwan to Japan (Kasnoff, 2014). Also, according to Kasnoff (2014), the South Korean immigration statistics reported that South Korea imported 3994 kilograms (8787 pounds) of tiger bones from Indonesia between the years 1970 and 1993. In Taiwan, a bowl of tiger penis soup, a virility booster, currently costs $320 and a pair of tiger eyes, believed to fight epilepsy and malaria, can be bought for $170; In Seoul,  the powdered tiger humerus bone, noted for its medical properties against ulcers, rheumatism, and typhoid, currently brings up to $1450 per pound (Kasnoff, 2014). The illegal trade of tiger parts for medicinal use wasn’t limited to Asia only. Recently, a World Wildlife Fund investigation in England showed that half of the shops in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool sold products claiming to contain tiger bone (Kasnoff, 2014). This is the sad truth: people never really get tired to enjoy products from dying species.

Countries seem to be insensitive and deaf especially when they are slightly guilty of wildlife trafficking. According to Kasnoff (2014), even though China has joined as a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), it completely ignored CITES’ laws and remained as the primary destination for Indian tiger parts. Kasnoff (2014) also elaborated that tiger hunting is still legal in Burma, as well as Vietnam and Malaysia. One can still buy tiger bones, skins, and organs at Hanoi airport (Kasnoff, 2014).   

Forest officials standing near a dehorned rhinoceros 
in Karbi hills. Image from http://www.demotix.com/
news/1483062/rhinoceros-killed-and-dehorned-
poachers-kisangani

The increasing demand of wildlife goods and the rapid increase in price of wild animal products does not stop to “inspire” poachers to hunt illegally and continues to be an irresistible incentive for them. The selling of illegal animal products globally is somewhere in the high millions if not billions (animalpoaching, 2012). Animalpoaching (2012) further elaborated that poaching does not only harm a single species of wild animals, but also affects other wildlife that depends on the endangered animal. Animalpoaching (2012) said that having a non-natural food chain link added into the wildlife’s food chain is a big problem for animals that rely on the illegally-hunted animals to eat or to produce offspring with; this is why even though these animals have been in the world for thousands of years, one day, they would be critically endangered and unfortunately extinct.

An angry mob of rhinos finally finding the
poachers responsible for cutting off their horns.
Image from http://www.jantoo.com/cartoons/
keywords/trophy-wall

Do humans have an active conscience? No! Should humans be guilty? Yes, definitely! Think again. With all the facts provided and all the anti-poaching campaigns created by many concerned organizations, why is it very hard for humans to understand that without wildlife they would be nothing? Why do the poachers continue to kill despite seeing animal blood splatter on their clothes every day? Poachers must have failed to learn the concept of the word “mercy”, or rather, “pity”. Human desires and greed for money must have activated poacher hormones to stimulate poachers to kill. Illegal hunting is a crime, but it is never prioritized politically (World Wildlife Fund, 2011). It can be described as murder times the number of wild animals killed in a single event. Without action, soon enough there will be a worldwide extinction of wildlife. Biodiversity which provides basic human needs such as food, medicine, and shelter will lose its equilibrium and all remaining life on Earth, including the species Homo sapiens, will perish (“Importance of”, n.d.). This will surely happen unless humans cooperate and learn to understand the concept of nature. It’s still not too late to reflect, to realize and to act!

References:

AFP. (2014, March 24). Counting the cost of East Africa’s poaching economy. Daily Times. Retrieved from http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/24-Mar-2014/counting-the-cost-of-east-africa-s-poaching-economy

Animalpoaching. (2012, September 20). Cause & effect of animal poaching. Retrieved from https://animalpoaching.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/cause-effect-of-animal-poaching/

Born Free Foundation (n.d.). Team Elephant. Retrieved from http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/elephants/campaign-action/anti-poaching-initiative/

Brown, S. & Wang, S. (2014, January 6). China crushes tons of illegal ivory. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/06/world/asia/china-ivory-stockpile/

Dell’Amore, C. (2014, January 7). 1000+ rhinos poached in 2013: Highest in modern history. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140117-rhinoceros-south-africa-poaching-animals-wildlife-crime-science/

Elephant poaching: ‘Record year’ for ivory seizures. (2011, December 29). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-16353204

Gobush, K. (n.d.). Effects of poaching on African elephants. Retrieved from http://conservationbiology.uw.edu/research-programs/effects-of-poaching-on-african-elephants/
History of poaching. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://savewildlife.tripod.com/history.htm

Importance of wildlife. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://chandanjani.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/importance-of-wildlife.pdf

Kasnoff, C. (2014). Tigers in crisis. Retrieved from http://www.tigersincrisis.com/trade_tigers.htm

McGarth, M. (2012, December 12). Wildlife crime profound threat to nations. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20679454

Poach. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/poaching

Sarnsamak, P. (2014, March 4). Up to 10000 smuggled animals seized in past year. The Nation. Retrieved from http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Up-to-10000-smuggled-animals-seized-in-past-year-30228275.html

Shadow, S. (2008). How poaching works. In History of poaching. Retrieved from http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hunting/traditional-methods/poaching1.htm

Taronga Conservation Society Australia (n.d.). Anti-poaching campaign in Zambia.  Retrieved from http://taronga.org.au/conservation/wildlife-conservation/taronga-field-conservation-grants/conservation-grants-program-0

Wallace, O. (2014). What is the black market?. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-black-market.htm

World Wildlife Fund (2011). As few as 3,200 tigers left. Retrieved from http://www.savetigersnow.org/problem#illegal-trade

World Wildlife Fund. (2011, April 5). Stopping poaching. Retrieved from http://wwf.panda.org/?199903/Stopping-poaching

World Wildlife Fund. (2014). Adopt a gorilla. Retrieved from http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/gorilla

Communication 1 First Essay Outline

Title: Wildlife Poaching: The global aftermath

   
  I)      Introduction

       a)      Slight overview of the effects of poaching

II)      Overview of poaching

       a)      Definition of poaching

       b)      Origin of poaching

III)      Anti-poaching campaigns and organizations

       a)      Team Elephant

       b)      South Luangwa Conservation Society

IV)      Black markets

       a)      Black markets defined 

       b)      Evidences of black marketing

       c)       Smuggling examples

V)      Poachers

       a)      Law enforcement against poachers

VI)      Wildlife goods

       a)      Examples of illegal wildlife goods

       b)      How countries use wildlife goods

VII)      Law ignorance among countries

       a)      China

       b)      Burma

VIII)      Harmful effect of poaching to wildlife biodiversity

IX)      Conclusion