(Note: We don’t have so much fruit here on the that we can actually waste it, but this unripe watermelon was one of many that outgrew the shade clothe on which I’d trellised its unruly vine. We've since learned that you can actually boil an unripe watermelon to get something like squash. Another idea: we made homemade wine out of one. Nevertheless, the above fruit went to a good scientific purpose.)
In more serious news, it's been a busy time for us here in Mtwara. Merritt’s been working on her pharmacy school project (scheduling carpenters, negotiating over furniture), along with administering end of semester exams. Meanwhile, I’ve been spending a good amount of time out in the field, helping conduct an environmental baseline survey that British Gas is commissioning for the port of Mtwara. Surveying mangrove stands – it wouldn’t be so bad were it not for the razor-sharp oyster shells that encrust every tree and semi-solid surface, and all the mud of course.
Fieldwork is no joke at this time of year in Mtwara. The “long rains” start at the end of March, and we’ve certainly had our fair share of rain lately. March and April are also the season in between the two monsoons, so about a week ago the wind just disappeared. So now, if it isn’t raining, the sun feels like walking under a heat lamp (thus the watermelon, a fitting representation, I believe).
Sometimes the heat can be more than just a matter of comfort. Last Wednesday, I was scheduled to attend a luncheon in town with a delegation of ambassadors from the EU visiting to learn about the natural gas industry. Just before leaving for the lunch, I made the mistake of trying to run a quick errand on my bike. I thought I was going to have to meet fourteen ambassadors looking like I had just stepped out of a sauna – and would have, had I not been saved by a windy ride across town in a bajaji.
Indeed, as the EU delegation demonstrates, the gas industry continues to be the big news here in Tanzania. This week BG announced that its latest offshore well identified probably about 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – the company’s fourteenth largest discovery in years of drilling all over the world.
What this means is that the company’s combined discoveries (from four exploratory wells in two of its three lease blocks) are just shy enough to potentially justify a “two-train” LNG plant, which refers to the number of compressing plants in these types of facilities. They’ll be drilling for several more years just to determine the size and extent of the gas reserves, but it’s looking more and more likely that Tanzanian’s gas will one day go to fuel power plants in India and China.
My brief unplanned remarks to the ambassadors were accompanied by a fitting demonstration to my point about why the Marine Park is working closely with BG and the gas industry. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of dynamite being detonated underwater rumbled across the outdoor patio at Msemo Hotel. Some local fisherman was dynamiting the reef about a kilometer from the hotel. As I said to the ambassadors, the park’s chief threats – overdependence on marine resources and illegal gear use – are much greater concerns than any potential environmental threat posed by offshore drilling. From the Park’s perspective, BG is a potential partner who can help finally bring some socioeconomic and environmental stability to the Mtwara coastal region.
But the issue is so complicated, you have to question even how to approach it. Do you look at problems such as dynamite fishing and beach seining as a matter of law enforcement or economic development? On the one hand, you can’t live in a developing country (with limited government services) without recognizing the need for rules and laws (and the need for them to be enforced). But when you consider that the people dynamiting the reef are uneducated youths with few economic opportunities, you also must admit that the solution is not just a matter of increasing arrests and convictions.
Given my background in natural resource management, I can’t help but conclude that even if these people wanted to continue these destructive activities, nature will necessarily dictate that they can’t keep doing this forever. The real problem is that they have few other means of livelihood (so youths go out and dynamite the reefs). But to really understand the problem means also recognizing how difficult finding a solution will be. Nevertheless, I think with BG’s help, the Park may be able to take a pretty good stab at the problem, but of course that will be decided long after I am gone.
Anyway, that’s the habari here. Merritt and I are applying for jobs in the States and really looking forward to coming home at the beginning of August.
As you can see we’re surviving in spite of the heat, and even Kali has finally recovered from her surgery. Actually, funny thing, about a week ago, we finally let her out after a month inside (and many escape attempts), and the first thing she does is go and kill a butterfly.
The practice has since continued (with dragonflies, shrews, mice, and this morning, a fairly large rat, all brought home to show off, of course). So it appears that her surgery simply replaced her urge to seduce Tomcats with one to hunt down and kill anything that scurries. But honestly we’d prefer she come home bearing dead mice rather than baby kittens, so I guess the surgery was a success. Merritt’s going to bake a banana bread to thank our vet, who maybe didn’t do the best job the first time, but earned our eternal gratitude for twice coming to our house (somewhat promptly) to close up her belly.
