The Take: What would happen if coral reefs disappeared?
In this episode:
Heather Starck (@HeatherStarck), executive director, Coral Reef Alliance
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Manuel Rápalo and Marcos Bartolomé, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Kisaa Zehra, Kingwell Ma, Remas Alhawari and Mariana Navarrete. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.
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Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Otters spotted in Kashmir waters, and residents are both thrilled and wary
Hugam, Indian-administered Kashmir – Nasir Amin Bhat, 17, was barely ankle-deep in the water when his school friend and neighbour Adil Ahmad shouted from the riverbank on a breezy summer evening in May. 'Turn back! There's something in the water.' Across the Lidder, a tributary of the Jhelum River, in Hugam village of Indian-administered Kashmir's Anantnag district, a Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) plunged into the glacial waters and started paddling furiously against the current with all four limbs. 'I had no idea what it was,' Bhat, a high school student, told Al Jazeera, 'but I grabbed my smartphone and turned on the camera.' The grainy, nine-second video shows the creature with a fur coat – classified as 'near threatened' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List – gliding out of the water and jumping onto the riverbank. After a few clumsy steps, the semiaquatic animal, which can reach elevations of 3,660 metres (12,000 feet) in the Himalayas during the summer, disappears behind a thick grove of bushes, bringing the video to an uneventful end. Long believed to have gone extinct, Eurasian otters seem to be showing signs of resurgence in Kashmir, with three individuals spotted by Indian wildlife officers in two places since 2023. The chance sightings have excited environmentalists and wildlife conservationists while raising hopes of a better future for the Himalayan region's fragile freshwater ecosystems, which have been battered by climate change in recent years. 'Habitat has improved' Indian wildlife biologist Nisarg Prakash believes the sighting of otters in Kashmir was an indicator of high-quality aquatic habitats. 'The reappearance of otters might mean that poaching has come down or the habitat has improved, and maybe both in some cases,' Prakash, whose work focuses on otters in southern parts of India, told Al Jazeera. Protected under India's Wildlife Protection Act, otters were once widely distributed across north India, including the Himalayan foothills, the Gangetic plains and parts of the northeast. A peer-reviewed study by IUCN in November last year noted that the Eurasian otter, known among Kashmiri locals as 'voddur', was found in water bodies of Lidder and Jehlum valleys, including Wular Lake, one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes. However, over the years, their population became 'patchy and fragmented due to habitat loss, pollution and human disturbances', says Khursheed Ahmad, a senior wildlife scientist at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K). Ahmad said that, due to habitat alterations from human activities and the encroachment of their ideal habitats along riverbanks and other water bodies, Eurasian otters retreated and became confined to areas that were least accessible to humans. 'Although they were not extinct, sightings and occurrences had become extremely rare and they were never documented,' said Ahmad, who heads the Division of Wildlife Sciences at SKUAST-K. Less than two years ago, a research team led by Ahmad accidentally stumbled on otters during a study on musk deer in Gurez, a valley of lush meadows and towering peaks split into two by the Kishanganga River along the Line of Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistan in the Himalayas. Past midnight on August 6, 2023, two individual otters were captured in a riverine habitat at an altitude of 2,600 metres (8,530 feet) in the valley near the 330MW Kishanganga Hydro Electric Project built by India following a prolonged legal battle with Pakistan at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. After that sighting, the research team focused on documenting the presence of otters on the Indian side of Kashmir. 'Unfortunately, due to heavy disturbance from fishing and other local and paramilitary activities, no further presence was documented,' the IUCN study notes. Ahmed said Bhat's video is only the second photographic evidence of otters in Kashmir. 'Too terrified to go there' But in the large farming village of Hugam, comprising some 300 families, residents are both excited and worried. At the crack of dawn, Muneera Bano, a homemaker, wakes to the flutter of crows cawing furiously on the willow trees lining the tributary's banks outside her home in Hugam, located some 58km (36 miles) south of the main city of Srinagar. Bano has stopped washing clothes and utensils on the riverbank after the otter was discovered, something she had done for years. 'There are underwater caves [in the tributary], and it is hiding in one of them. When it comes out in the morning, crows see it and they start screaming. I am too terrified to go there,' she said. Bhat, the teenager who filmed the video, said he often used to bathe in the tributary's glacial waters and sometimes also caught fish. 'Now I can't even think about going there,' he said. The grainy video led to rumours about the presence of crocodiles in the tributary, prompting Indian wildlife officials to set up a camera trap, which confirmed that it was a Eurasian otter – also seen in Bhat's video – and not a crocodile. Some wildlife officials even bathed in the river in the presence of village elders to demonstrate that the water was completely safe. Although otters do not pose any threat to humans, they can turn unpredictable, especially when close to humans. But scientists say these animals can grow accustomed to the presence of humans. Wildlife biologist Prakash said rather than being scared or fearful, curiosity about otters can make them a sight to be enjoyed while watching them fish or swim. 'Otters are largely active around dawn, dusk and after dark, though they can sometimes be seen during daytime as well. Eurasian otters largely prey on fish, eels, and sometimes, waterfowl,' he said. Kashmiri farmer Wasim Ahmad remembers a summer day in the early 1990s when he was on the way back from school situated along the banks of Doodhganga, a major tributary of the Jhelum River. As Ahmad, now in his 40s, turned the corner, he saw a large procession of people walking jubilantly. One man was holding a dead otter while another was walking a dog on a leash. Bagh-e-Mehtab in Srinagar is home to a community of poachers who, in the past, made a living by selling skins of animals such as cats, otters, and other animals. With stricter animal welfare laws in force in India now, the community has given up the old profession. 'Our elders warned us that otters skinned the children and ate them raw,' said Ahmad, who was in ninth grade then. 'But as I grew up, I didn't come across even one person who was harmed by otters. It was basically a tactic to keep the children away from the river.' Ahmad, the wildlife scientist, said the reappearance of otters in Kashmir was a positive sign. 'Now we should see to it that the new habitat is protected from uncontrolled pollution, garbage accumulation, increased carbon emissions and habitat degradation. Addressing these challenges is crucial for their conservation and wellbeing,' he told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
What is the ‘kill zone' people in Gaza need to cross to receive aid?
People of Gaza are starving, and one of the only ways they can get any food is to risk death by going to an aid distribution point run by the notorious Israel- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Al Jazeera's Sanad agency has analysed satellite imagery of the GHF aid distribution centre in the Shakoush area of Rafah, taken on July 13. We trace the journey of desperately hungry people waiting for hours, sometimes days, to walk a gauntlet of Israeli tanks, armoured vehicles, and drones where they risk being shot by Israeli soldiers. Here is what they have to go through: How do people get into the centre? It is nowhere near as simple as 'getting there'. People are allowed to take vehicles or carts up to a particular point, after which they have to disembark. This point is at least 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the distribution centre, which means that they would have to walk back that distance carrying whatever sacks or boxes of food they can get. To try to make sure they get something, people start arriving hours or even days before the centre distributes. Once they arrive, they do not leave because they do not want to lose their spot, as some have walked for hours already to get there. What is 'al-Joura'? Wanting to avoid waiting out in the open, people hurry over a distance of about 560 metres (1,800 feet) past an Israeli barrier to 'al-Joura', a sandy pit between dunes, where they seek cover from Israeli bullets and settle in to wait for an unknown time. The physical hardship is compounded by unbearable heat and long waits, as families often arrive 12 to 24 hours early to wait for a 'go signal' to get some food. What happens when the 'go signal' comes? Usually, hearing the 'go signal' – normally from hovering drones – means people can approach the aid distribution point, which is still about 1km away (0.6 miles). But things often do not work that way, and the risk of getting shot increases dramatically from here. In addition to complete military control over Rafah, the Israeli army has barriers and numerous military vehicles encircling the aid distribution point. Witnesses say Israeli sniper nests, drones and military outposts reinforce this control. The displaced Palestinians wait for a signal from the Israeli military, which tells them that it is safe to go to the aid site. However, witness reports say people were shot at even when they waited for a 'go signal' to head to the centre. Video published by Palestinian activists on July 14 showed Israeli fire at crowds in al-Joura, moments before they approached the distribution gate. On July 12, Israeli forces killed 34 people waiting for food aid at the GHF site. So, the people who make it to the distribution centre are OK? No, not always. In addition to the general mistreatment that Palestinians face at the hands of Israeli soldiers, video has emerged of soldiers pepper-spraying Palestinians as they approach the centre. What is it like to actually get aid? For those people who get to the centre's doors, the struggle is nowhere near over. Journalist Muhannad Qeshta, himself displaced from Rafah, discussed the aid distribution process with Al Jazeera. He described scenes of chaos fuelled by poor coordination, a lack of clear distribution schedules, and a total absence of measures to organise the crowd. People rush into the centre, where tables have been set up with aid packages haphazardly piled on top. It becomes a free-for-all, with desperate people pushing and fighting to get any amount of food they can manage. Most end up leaving empty-handed due to the overwhelming demand and limited supplies, with no order imposed on who gets an aid package. Those who do get some food have to make their way back up the same road where hundreds or thousands of hungry people are still trying to fight their way into the aid centre. Struggles have broken out as desperate people try to snatch food out of each other's arms. Who are aid victims? On Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health posted a press release on its Telegram channel, providing an update on 'aid victims'. The ministry said over the past 24 hours, 31 people had died and more than 107 injured as they arrived at hospitals. This raised the total number of 'livelihood victim' deaths to 922 and injuries to 5,861. On July 16, at least 21 Palestinians were killed during a stampede while trying to receive food rations. According to a United Nations-backed assessment released in May, one in five people in Gaza are currently facing starvation as a result of the Israeli blockade on food and aid, while 93 percent of the population is suffering from severe food shortages. Why is GHF 'notorious'? Facing international pressure to let aid into Gaza and wanting to sideline the already established UN and international agencies working there, Israel proposed the GHF, claiming it needed to keep aid from being diverted to the Palestinian group Hamas. Israel did not present any evidence of food and medical aid being diverted to fighters or being used for anything other than their intended purpose. The UN and humanitarian organisations contend that the GHF plan violates fundamental humanitarian principles. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council in May that the GHF 'restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet'. He argued that GHF makes aid conditional on political and military objectives, turns starvation into a bargaining tool and serves as a 'cynical sideshow' and a 'fig leaf for further violence and displacement'. Eleven humanitarian and human rights organisations signed a statement in which they deemed the GHF 'a project led by politically connected Western security and military figures, coordinated in tandem with the Israeli government'.
Al Jazeera
09-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
The Take: What would happen if coral reefs disappeared?
Coral reefs are dying at a record speed, putting a backbone of global food chains at critical risk. More than 80 percent of coral reefs are now hit by mass bleaching. Reefs feed millions, protect coasts and shape economies. What happens when they vanish – and is the world doing enough to stop it? In this episode: Heather Starck (@HeatherStarck), executive director, Coral Reef Alliance Episode credits: This episode was produced by Manuel Rápalo and Marcos Bartolomé, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Kisaa Zehra, Kingwell Ma, Remas Alhawari and Mariana Navarrete. It was edited by Alexandra Locke. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
