Photography & Environment: WATER...no life with out it, 40 sec. clip using Aperture 3, Motion & GarageBand
"WATER" QT 00:40 sec.
No life without it!
The Idea about this
short environmental clip came from my last trip to
Palawan, when the first rain and the Monsoon arrived
for this season.
Running around in the rain at
El Rio y Mar
capturing the
freshness of the vegetation around me, I decided
later to put a few images together to create this
clip called "WATER" using the Aperture 3
slideshow, Motion & GarageBand.
The actual rain sound was recorded on location with
my Nikon D300s and mixed together with another
soundtrack in GarageBand.
Motion and final assembly: In this case I used a
template from Motion modified it and added the rain
drop images.
(two images one with the drop and one without it)
After this was done I imported the Motion Clip and
soundtrack into Aperture 3, added text plus photos...
export and it was done.
GD
Also on:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG9DwR_tLIQ
Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/12789048
Photography & Environment: Life & death of a Turtle, Aperture 3 slide show with Motion & GarageBand
"The life & death of a Turtle" QT 00:50 sec.
During my recent trip to Palawan in the Philippines I saw young Turtles released by the Dugong Dive Center's & Club Paradise
Turtle Protection Program, on Dimakya Island, but I also saw a dead Turtle on one of my boat trips.
A sad sight...and you might say... it's the cycle of life, but in many cases Turtles die from eating Plastic Bags. They mistake plastic for jelly fish one of their natural food sources and choke on them. Only recently another dead Turtle in the area had been examined and cause of dead was due to plastic, found in the stomach content.
A stark reminder that we should not trow any plastic bags or other plastic items into our precious ocean, we should stop all together using plastic bags, hence the reason for this short message and video clip today.
Not to mention all the oil which is spilling and killing our marine life right now in the US.
Created with Aperture 3 slide show, Motion and GarageBand. (Video footage from the Nikon D300s) Except for the Jellyfish and the large Turtle underwater all other video footage and the floating dead turtle were taken in Palawan during my trip... a sad but true story.
GD
Also on:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TIMEJOURNEY#p/a/u/0/zhoDzQArMSo
Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/12821359
Nature & Travel Photography: Part 3 Jurassic Park? The Monsoon has arrived...nature & the weather, Palawan Philippines
Dramatic
skies, enchanting colors…
a tropical kaleidoscope.

© Gunther
Deichmann - view from the Pier at
El Rio y
Mar,
Palawan Philippines
Oh…
how I love this time of the year, the monsoon has
finally arrived cooling things down a bit, a good
time for some different photography.

© Gunther Deichmann -
sunrise on the way to Calauit Island
Palawan Philippines
It started all on my last day on Dimakya
Island, storm clouds rolled
overhead, the first rain for this season had
arrived. The day before on my way to Calauit
Island we had painted skies at sunrise, an
indication that things where about to change,
great I thought.
You might think oh no…this bad weather is going to
ruin everything…actually not, it is the other way
around, well at least for me I just love this time of
the year.
The ocean is so calm but the colors can be
spectacular and lets face it we do need water,
natures gift to man.

© Gunther Deichmann - near Club
Paradise,
Palawan Philippines
© Gunther Deichmann -
the Monsoon has arrived
Palawan Philippines
I said goodbye to Club Paradise
and all those
great people who made my stay so awesome, Dirk
Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center
and Juergen
Warnke joined me for a short 20 min. boat ride to
El Rio y Mar…which is just “around the corner.”

© Gunther Deichmann -
arriving at El Rio y Mar,
Palawan Philippines
After my arrival I settled into my quarters (wow,
these are very cool cottages) and had my usual cup of
coffee first. Then I wondered around the Resort area
which is nested in super healthy Mangroves, nature...
again all around me.

© Gunther Deichmann -
my home... sadly my stay was just to
short but I shall return. El Rio y Mar Palawan
Philippines

© Gunther Deichmann - very healthy Mangroves just
behind my
cottage during a tropical rain
shower
Red Mangrove: Flowers of the red
mangrove are fertilized and begin to develop.
The propagule or seedling, does not drop from the
tree immediately, but continues to grow in
place. If there are no storms or other
disturbances, the red mangrove seedling and its
companions can advance the shoreline as they
stabilize the soils beneath them. In nature
however, storms tend to keep the system in
balance.


© Gunther Deichmann - Human cutting of
mangroves can cause severe erosion problems during
major storms or tsunami. Mangroves are also a very
important breeding ground for fish and other marine
critters. Palawan has some very healthy Mangrove
forest along its coastline.
I took it easy the first few hours, besides it was
Sunday and now1:00 PM not a very good time to shoot
anyway.
Then of a sudden... at 3:00PM all hell broke loose
with a great tropical downpour, fantastic I thought,
grabbed the umbrella and started to work at the
Mangroves.

After about 45 minutes it was all over, the sky
cleared up nicely with the clouds disappearing in the
distance.
I went around the place and took some Photos of the
Resort and at sunset I spotted this amazing dark
cloud on the horizon in the bay. (see first photo
above) Another wow left my lips before it went to
dark and I got ready for our dinner at the pier.

© Gunther Deichmann - a cool night in tropical
Paradise
El Rio y
Mar, Palawan,
Philippines
By now it was 7:00 PM and I thought…well that is it
for today but then the big surprise…sorry folks you
have to wait for this one…I promises in a couple of
days you get to see it. My suspense again...
Unfortunately I could only stay one day in
El Rio y Mar
before
hitting back to Manila, oh how I wished I could
had extended my stay, but I shall return, a
promise I will keep.
It was amazing how many photos I managed to take in
such a short time, these are only a few on today’s
post.
To top it all off, the image below was taken just 3
hours prior my departure, just after breakfast near
the swimming pool area.

© Gunther Deichmann -
Brown-throated Sunbird near the pool
area at El Rio y
Mar, Palawan,
Philippines
One
thing is for sure if you travel to Palawan in the
Philippines nature is all around you…as they say, it
is the Philippines last frontier, but for me it is
the lost Paradise or plain and simple Jurassic Park.
GD
Nature & Travel Photography: Part 2 Jurassic Park? No...endemic wildlife in Palawan Philippines
Part
2...endemic
wildlife has its home on
Dimakya Island, Palawan Philippines

© Gunther Deichmann -
at sunset Fruit Bats from the
second colony take off into the sky.
The
endemic wildlife of Palawan is just so amazing…and
you don’t have to venture very far to encounter
Birds, Anteaters, Porcupines, Deer, Lizards and
Turtles you just need a little patience “walk and
talk” quietly and you find them on
Dimakya Island
Home of Club
Paradise.
Note: All images have been processed using Aperture 3
using only RAW file image adjustments and cropping.
No manipulation in Photoshop.

© Gunther Deichmann -
my home for four days...Club
Paradise,
Palawan Philippines
We all know that the
diving is just so amazing in
this area, from shipwrecks to an unspoiled
immaculate
house reef
right in
front of your cottages. Where Turtles roam
and
Dugongs feed
on the
adjourning sea grass beds not to mention all those
critters and tropical fish on the reef. A paradise
for underwater Photographers.
However as mention before in Part 1, on my recent
trip to Palawan I concentrated on the wildlife above
the waves where another paradise was waiting for me…

© Gunther Deichmann -
The Brown-throated
Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis), also
known as the Plain-throated
Sunbird, is a species of
bird
in the
Nectariniidae
family. It is found
in a wide range of semi-open habitats in
south-east
Asia, ranging from
Myanmar
to the
Lesser
Sundas and west
Philippines
My second and third day on
the island was blessed with encounters of Herons,
Pigeons, Calamine Deer and of course the ever
presence of Flying foxes — or Fruit Bats, but this
time from a different colony at the other end of the
island. (see the photo above)


© Gunther Deichmann -
luck was on my side when I wondered through the
Resort, when I spotted these Herons right next to one
of the Buildings. Entertaining me for a few moments
before they took off in the undergrowth.
Rufous Night-Heron (Nycticorax
caledonicus). The Rufous
Night-Heron hunts for food during night time. They
primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic
insects, and small mammals. They live near bodies of
water such as rivers, streams, marshes, seas and
lagoons. They fly at dusk to their feeding ground
producing a "kwok" sound.
Rufous Night-Heron can be easily identified if it's
young or mature because of its distinct color. The
juvenile changes its color from spotted and streaked
brown into plain brown with a black cap on top of its
head when it becomes an adult.

© Gunther Deichmann - I
spotted this CALAMIAN DEER close to
the natural lagoon
Dimakya Island on my second day, just a
minute stroll from my cottage.
CALAMIAN DEER (Axis
calamianesis). The Calamian Deer
is also known as the "hog deer". The name "hog deer"
arises from its habit of crashing through the
undergrowth with its head down like a pig, rather
than leaping over obstacles as other deer do. Hog
deer are heavy-set and compact, standing only about
28" high at the shoulder.
Calamian Deer is an endemic species restricted in the
Palawan Faunal Region and is considered endangered by
the World Conservation Union (IUCN). They are found
in the Calamianes Islands, Northern Palawan. Axis
deer in general take readily to water and are said to
be good swimmers. They are predominantly grazers, and
they eat also fallen flowers and fruits of forest
trees.
Of course my stay was way to
short to capture all the endemic species like the
Scaly Anteater or Pangolin, some of the Owls (I
certainly heard them at night) and many other Bird
species. I guess I have to make another trip and
catch up with some of the other animals that have
eluded me on this visit.
I also traveled to Calauit the famous Island with its
African introduced species, but my report from this
part of Palawan has to wait a bit, lets just
concentrate on some of the Philippine endemic
wildlife first.

© Gunther Deichmann - this
photograph was taken on Calauit Island during my
recent visit to Palawan. Deforestation has greatly
reduced its numbers and the Philippine Bearcat is on
the endangered species list
The Binturong
(Arctictis
binturong), also known as the
Asian
Bearcat, the Palawan
Bearcat, or simply the
Bearcat,
is a species of the family Viverridae,
which includes the civets
and
genets.
It is the only
member of its genus.
The binturong is neither a bear
nor a
cat,
and the real meaning of the original name has been
lost, as the local language that gave it that name is
now extinct.
Its
natural habitat
is in trees
of forest
canopy in rainforest.
It is nocturnal
and sleeps on
branches. It eats primarily fruit, but also has been
known to eat eggs,
shoots, leaves, and small animals, such
as rodents
or birds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binturong

© Gunther Deichmann - photo of
Palawan Porcupine was taken on Calauit Island during
my recent visit to Palawan.
The Philippine
Porcupine (Hystrix pumila), or
the Indonesian
Porcupine or the Palawan
Porcupine, is a species
of
rodent
in the
Hystricidae
family (Old World
porcupines). It is endemic
to the island
of Palawan
in the
Philippines.
Common Name: PALAWAN PORCUPINE Scientific Name:
Hystrix pumila Local Name: Durian / Landak
Conservation Status: Apparently stable, but these
species are reported to be persecuted by farmers as
pests in coconut plantations.A locally common to
uncommon species found in primary and secondary
forest in the mountains and in the lowlands.
This species also prefer caves, but are commonly
found under tree buttresses or in rock crevices.It is
an endemic species restricted in the Palawan Faunal
Region. It has been recorded in the islands of
Busuanga, Calauit, Coron, and on the Mainland at the
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and
the forested areas of El Nido.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Porcupine
For the 3rd part I share with you some
of the cool cloud formations, sunrise & sunsets
that occur this time of the year…the onset of the
monsoon and my favorite travel time, so please stay
tuned for Part 3.
Just one
more...
jumping with joy in Paradise.

©
Gunther Deichmann - Club Paradise,
Palawan Philippines
Please
Note: A
Photo Workshop in Paradise - Oct
29-Nov 1
PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS IN PALAWAN: Learn from the Pro.
in conjunction with the Power Mac
Center
Four days of fun and learning travel
photography..exploring nature's beauty in Palawan
Amateurs and semi-pro (max 8 participants) please
book this one early.
For more info pls. contact:
Email:
workshops@powermaccenter.com
tutorial@powermaccenter.com
2/L Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Paseo de Roxas Avenue,
Makati City, Philippines
Tel: 7297087
3/L TriNoma, Edsa
cor North Ave. Quezon City
Tel:
9013981
For other Workshops in 2010 plus
Cambodia and Nepal please go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/page1/calendar.html
Nature & Travel Photography: Jurassic Park? Well, almost at Club Paradise in Palawan Philippines - Part 1
Jurassic Park?
No...
Club Paradise
Palawan Philippines -
Part 1

©
Gunther Deichmann - like... Jurassic Park..."Flying
Foxes"
Fruit Bats & a Heron on
Dimakya Island
Part 1:
All
Photographs on this Blog Post taken the very first
day (actually half a day, I arrived about 11:00 AM)
on Dimakya Island
Watch out for part 2 & 3 more nature and
interesting animals soon to follow on my Blog...plus
a cool marine creature taken during our dinner at the
Pier of
El Rio y
Mar...ha,
ha my suspense again. Don't you love it!
I
returned
last night from Palawan the last Frontier in the
Philippines...Nature at its best. The past week my
Blog posts have been very thin and I didn't bring my
MacBook Pro this time either...just the cameras and
plenty CF Cards.
I knew if I had brought my Laptop the nights would
have been very long, spending hours sorting the
photos on Aperture 3 and having non or very little
time for my good buddy Dirk Fahrenbach, plus Juergen
Warnke was on the Island too this time.
Spending quality time with friends in "Jurassic Park"
for a change...plus Aperture 3 worked so well that I
am almost done with the editing the day after my
return.
I left Manila on a Cebu Pacific flight to Busuanga
and after about 50 minutes arrived at the new
Busuanga Airport, wow things have really changed
since my last visit here. I had been to Club Paradise
before but that was many moons ago, so it was
interesting to find out what changes had taken place
besides the new airport. After a short jeepney ride I
boarded the Boat from Club Paradise for Dimakya
Island.

© Gunther Deichmann - arrived on Dimakya Island Home
of
Club Paradise & Dugong Dive Center
Palawan, Philippines
Located on Dimakya Island and also the Home of my
good friend Dirk Fahrenbach from
Dugong Dive
Center. Dimakya
Island undoubtedly one of Asia’s Eden, the
Philippine’s Last Frontier and the Calamianes
group of Islands is perhaps one of the world's
best-kept secrets among travel destinations and at
the same time the Home of
Club
Paradise.
The Resort had also undergone some facilities changes
including a Spa and the Dugong Dive Center is
offering now some
Liveaboards trips
to
APO Reef and
other areas.
The islands house reef is world famous for its marine
life and is frequently visited by Dugongs, as a
matter of fact this season has seen a record number
of these amazing animals right in front of the
Resort... a divers paradise without a doubt.
Within few minutes of my arrival I spotted the Flying
Foxes having the their usual midday rest...hanging
upside down in the trees right next to the Resort. Oh
this is great!
I checked into my cottage located right on the beach,
changed into something more comfortable before
setting off for a little exploratory walk with Dirk
to the other side of the Island...but first we had a
nice cup of coffee and a good chat...
Dirk...GD...
some diving too? Absolutely NOT! What? Are you sick?
No... I am going to have some fun running around in
the Jungle and heat finding these other creatures
almost everybody seems to forget about.
...there are plenty great shots of Dugongs and marine
critters by good Underwater Photographers already,
besides our good friend and excellent underwater
photographer
Tony Wu
is going to visit you next year anyway and he is
getting all those great underwater shots. As for
me... I am getting sweaty and dirty trying to find
some endemic animals on this beautiful island.
Dirk...GD you're crazy...yep I know!
Ok.,OK...but may be in a couple of days Dirk
commented with a grin... sorry Buddy not this time.
However in the evening I am having a couple of drinks
with you. Dirk...I don't believe it....you left your
computer at home...yes my friend, otherwise no drinks
later...Dirk...oh I get it now...!

©
Gunther Deichmann - A Monitor Lizard cooling off in
the Lagoon on the Island, he was my very first
encounter on day one. I followed him around for about
2 hours trying to get the perfect shot of him in his
natural environment.

©
Gunther Deichmann - Abstract reflections of nature in
the lagoon. A natural attractant to wetland
inhabitants and visitors, thus, wildlife around the
lagoon area (such as herons, bulbuls and kingfishers)
continues to inhabit the island. The climax
vegetation and the hills are also preserved in their
natural state. These areas provide habitat to other
birds which area displaced in the
flatlands.

© Gunther Deichmann - Just one more my "friendly" but
very shy
Monitor Lizard in the Lagoon on the
Island

©
Gunther Deichmann - my lucky day... the Dugong Dive
Center still had some hatchlings before their
release, a great opportunity for me to get some shots
at sunset.The Turtle protection program on the island
is a joint effort between the staff and management
from Club Paradise and Dugong Dive Center
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/turtle_program.html
The resort has engaged in an active tagging program
for marine turtles to study their habitat range. From
February to October 1991, 12 marine turtles were
tagged using the markers from Pawikan Conservation
Project of the DENR.

©
Gunther Deichmann - Painted Sky - the end of day
one...& what a day it was in Paradise.
A few more days and more exotic nature will follow,
so please stay tuned for
Part 2 and 3.
Before I am signing off today, (only today, plenty to
come yet) a special thanks to all the staff and
Management at Club Paradise & El Rio y Mar and of
course to Dirk Fahrenbach and his staff from Dugong
Dive Center.
Until soon...Save
and Protect our Environment!
GD
Photography & Environment: Hot & Sour Coca Cola with a touch of Petrol. Recycling Plastic?
“Hot & Sour Coca Cola”...
recycling our Plastic?

© Gunther Deichmann - recycled Coca Cola Bottles
now used for local made Vinegar,
Philippines.
I
guess it is recycling...sort off... our plastic
by-products at least for the Bottles, but when it
comes to the sheer number of plastic bags then we are
way behind the disposal.
During my Travel I come across a lot of weird and
crazy things, like in Cambodia where they use Plastic
Bottles for Gasoline along the country road (see the
photo below) a favorite image from my Facebook Friend
Steve Galano, it was actually Steve who requested
some more of these type of images.

© Gunther Deichmann - recycled Coca Cola Bottles now
used for
local made Vinegar with Chili, Philippines
Here
you go Steve as promised; on my way home the other
day from Batangas in the Philippines I spotted these
Coca Cola Bottles along the road containing some with
Vinegar others with Vinegar and Chili, what amazed me
the Coca Cola labels where in perfect condition and
made me think...
I am sure after all the Coca Cola had gone they must
have cleaned these Bottles before re-using them for
what ever concoction they had in mind. Did they get a
supply of new labels from the Bottling Plant or maybe
they just took good care during the cleaning process.
Who knows?

© Gunther Deichmann - recycled Coca Cola Bottles now
used for Gasoline, Siem Reap
Cambodia
The
real issue is our disposal of Plastic, the culprit
the plastic bags...we have to stop using them!
I remember when I ventured deep into Arnhem Land in
Australia visiting remote Aboriginal tribes, the
first thing I noticed where the ugly blue and pink
plastic bags thrown around all over the settlement.
That was way back in the in the eighties, it could be
worst now. We introduced the Aboriginals to this ugly
menace, before we came along they used bags made out
of degradable materials from mother nature.

© Gunther Deichmann - local Children at Angkor Wat,
Cambodia
collecting plastic. Why can’t the tourist take their
own trash home?
Or
lets take all those plastic bags which get thrown
overboard by ships only to be found later in stomachs
of dead Turtles which they mistakenly took for their
natural food, the jelly fish...and not only Turtles!
These photos of plastic Coca Cola Bottles are some
form of “Recycling”... but not nearly enough what we
should do...
Stop using Plastic Bags!
GD
Hard Work does pay off; it was one man's dream, believing in one Goal that one day our Sharks can be protected & not only in Palau.
He worked so hard…endless hours believing in one Goal, that one day the sharks could be protected and saved from extinction in Palau, and not only in Palau.
Dermot Keane the GM of Sam’s Tours is such a man, a good friend and a strong supporter of our Marine Life & Environment.
Yes, President Johnson Toribiong from Palau made it now possible and it is a World first but there are so many others who deserve some credit too, hard at work and believing to make our planet a better one.

Dermot Keane
Founder of the Palau Shark Sanctuary and
President Toribiong a few hours ago at the Palau
International Airport.
Sam Scott from Sam’s Tours,
Ron Leidich from Planet Blue, Scotty from the Palau
Conservation Society are only a few whom I have known
personally. Believing in something and taken it to
the finishing line is not always easy, of course
President Toribiong did the last sprint and announced
the first Shark Sanctuary in the World at the United
Nations in New York on the 25th of September 2009. I am sure
it was not easy for him either to take this stance,
but he did and that is fantastic.
My involvement with the Shark Sanctuary goes way
back, as a matter of fact many moons ago, but that is
not important now, what is important that this tiny
Nation in the Pacific set an example for the rest of
the World and I sincerely hope that others will
follow.

A warm welcome to
the President of Palau
at the International Airport a few hours
ago.
Congratulations again to the
President of Palau and all those others who have
worked so hard behind the scene in achieving this
amazing Goal, I am proud of you all.
See below the just released (only a few hours ago)
Press Release from Dermot Keane from the Shark
Sanctuary in Palau.
For Immediate
Release:
KOROR, PALAU, 9/28/2009, 7:45 p.m.
Palau
President H.E. Johnson Toribiong arrived home moments
ago to a hero’s welcome at Koror International
Airport, Palau. The founder of Palau Shark Sanctuary,
Dermot Keane, Managing Director of Palau dive shop
Sam’s Tours, was on hand to greet the President and
thanked him for declaring Palau a Shark
Sanctuary.
The large
welcome committee included grateful members of the
Palauan community who greeted President Toribiong
with flower leis and loud applause upon his arrival.
Palauans are understandably proud of their President
who declared Palau as a Shark Sanctuary during his
recent address to the United Nations, General
Assembly, on Friday, September 25,
2009.
Despite his long journey from Washington D.C. to
Palau, the President was clearly moved by the warm
reception and graciously thanked everyone for showing
up to welcome him. Palau Shark Sanctuary once again
thanks and admires President Toribiong for his
landmark declaration of Palau as a Shark Sanctuary.
Palau Shark Sanctuary was founded in 2001 with a goal
of securing a declaration by Palau that the waters of
their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are a Shark
Sanctuary.
For
more information visit: www.sharksanctuary.com
or
www.sharksanctuary.blogspot.com
Palau says NO to Shark fins! World first in the protection of Sharks...Poachers watch out!
The
tiny Nation of Palau has taken the first
step...

No
more... ©
Gunther Deichmann -
Archive Image
published as
the Photo of the week in Stern Magazine and other
world wide publication last year. Today Palau
declared the first World Shark Sanctuary at the
United Nations.
The Image above that made headlines around the world,
but NOT from Palau. The tiny Micronesian Nation
setting an example for the rest of the world. My
respect and congratulation to President Johnson
Toribiong and the Government of Palau for taken this
unprecedented step in the conservation of our
endangered sharks.
I sincerely hope that other Nation will follow and
stop this cruel and inhumane killing of our Sharks, I
am very proud to be associated with Palau and its
conservation policies.
Check out the Palau Shark Sanctuary
Website
at: http://www.sharksanctuary.com/index.html
GD
BREAKING NEWS! Palau President Toribiong has announced at the U.N. in New York that Palau is the first WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY !
Breaking News
and a breakthrough in Conservation
from Palau Micronesia! Palau Does
Care!
© Gunther
Deichmann - aerial over the famous 70 islands in
Palau, for more
images on Palau please visit my PhotoShelter Gallery
at:
Gallery 1
Gallery 2 aerials
Gallery 3
aerials
Palau President Toribiong
has announced only a few hours ago at the UN in New
York that Palau is the first
WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY ! This is a milestone in the
conservation and preservation of Sharks in Palau,
setting an example for the rest of the World. More
information and updates as they become available
soon.
The original
message:
Just been advised that Palau
President Johnson Toribiong will announce in 30
minutes at the UN Conference in New York that Palau
is the first WORLD SHARK SANCTUARY !!!!!!!!!!!

© Gunther Deichmann -
aerial over the famous 70 islands in Palau, for
more
images on Palau please visit my PhotoShelter Gallery
at:
Marine Life
Excerpts from the announcement
by President Johnson Toribiong;
As
many as 100 million sharks are killed each year
around the world."These creatures are being
slaughtered and are perhaps at the brink of
extinction unless we take positive action to protect
them," said President Toribiong.
Other related
LINKS:
http://www.palautours.com/
http://www.palautours.com/blog.html
http://www.sharksanctuary.com/index.html
http://sharksanctuary.blogspot.com/
Late NEWS: Environment & Photography…Extinction threat to flying fox!
Just one
more...
this
disturbing article just came in from the
BBC.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Flying foxes over a patch of
Rainforest
in the Northern Territory Australia.
Is this the last image of
thousands of Flying Foxes, known also as Fruit Bats?
A sight
that I will never forget, but what about our
Children?
I took this Photograph many years ago while flying
back in a Helicopter from Kakadu National Park in the
Northern Territory Australia.
See the
article below from the BBC
By
Judith Burns
Science and environment reporter, BBC
News
Scientists are urging the government of Malaysia to
ban the hunting of the world's largest fruit bat.
Researchers say the large flying fox will be wiped
out on the Malaysian peninsula if the current
unsustainable level of hunting continues.
Writing in the Journal of Applied Ecology they say
around 22,000 of the animals are legally hunted each
year and more killed illegally.
They say the species could
be extinct there by as early as 2015.
Complete article and Photos @
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8221132.stm
Photography & the Environment; Déjà vu… culling Camels in Central Australia.

©
Gunther Deichmann - Calendar shoot with Camels,
Rainbow Valley Central Australia
Yes, there
are lots of Camels Down Under roaming the Desert,
they had been introduced in the mid
19th
Century to
help the early Explorers to traverse the vast
outback.
Why Déjà vu
?

©
Gunther Deichmann - Camel Skeleton
in Central Australia
In the past I
covered many stories for international magazines and
reported on the in humane killing of Horses, Buffalos
and Camels.
I was also involved with a research group over the
years studying the Camels in Central Australia,
fitting them with radio transmitters. This research
team had spend years studying these animals due to
their uniqueness and pure breed, compare to their
cousins in Afghanistan or in the middle east.
The Australian wild Camels have never been
domesticated, roaming the vast desert regions of
Australia, the largest population can be found in the
Simpson Desert.

Gunther
Deichmann - Wild Camels in the Simpson Desert the
yellow flowers
are only appear after a rare rain storm Central
Australia
Yes, there is a problem with introduced species and
they are threatening our endemic wildlife. But if a
new culling of Camels is to be done, it should be in
a human way and not like before leaving wounded
animals to a slow and horrific death.
Culling had been carried out before shooting Camels,
Buffalos and Horses from Helicopters, these are
difficult and moving targets, leaving the animals
wounded for days, suffering a slow and painful
death.

Gunther
Deichmann - Wild Camels in the Simpson Desert Central
Australia
Some years ago Australia exported Camels back to
Saudi Arabia, they are the purest breeds left in the
world. Why not now?
Or as Animal
welfare groups suggesting; birth control, giving
animals a drug to render them infertile, another more
humane alternative.
Please THINK,
before the same mistakes been made again!
GD
See below a
recent report from the BBC:
The
Australian government has proposed a budget to
implement a long-standing plan to cull the country's
camels by shooting them.
Animal
welfare supporters reject the plan, but people
sharing the outback with the camels call them a
menace.
Unlike the kangaroo or koala, the camel is not an
animal automatically associated with Australia.
They were first brought there in the mid-19th Century
to help explorers traverse the desert.
But there are now thought to be more than one million
roaming the outback.
That is roughly one camel for every 20 people, and
the population is set to double over the next decade
unless some form of action is taken.
In remote communities they are seen as a troublesome
menace, trampling vegetation and occasionally ripping
up water pipes, as they search for food and water.
So the Australian government has set aside $16m
(£9.7m) to contain the problem and one proposal is to
shoot the camels from helicopters or on foot.
Animal welfare groups are opposed to a mass
slaughter.
They have
suggested another more humane alternative: birth
control, giving animals a drug to render them
infertile. Read more
@ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2038834.stm
Travel Photography & the Environment: Ayers Rock Australia, is the Climb coming to an end?
A special report
from Ayers Rock, Australia.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Ayers Rock Central Austtralia ”The
last Climb?” Tourists on the way to the top,
hanging on to the provided chain sparkeling like
silver in the early morning. As the sun rises
higher this amazing effect disappears within
minutes.
Recent News reports have indicated
that in the foreseen future the climbing of Ayers
Rock in Central Australia will be banned. But do we
have to climb Ayers Rock to get our images?
The question is? Will this affect
the tourist arrivals? In my opinion I don’t think so,
I can’t remember how many times I visited this
remarkable place in the Australian Outback and never
had the urge to climb it. I could have easy done so,
but for me the real beauty lies in the surrounding
areas and Ayers Rock from below. The sunset and
sunrise, the ever-changing colors have drawn me into
the spell of this huge Monolith over and over again.
I have seen very young and old trying to make the
trip to the top, taken chances of getting seriously
injured.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Aerial view of Ayers Rock,
Central Australia, Photo from a fixed wing aircraft.
I have also noticed similar
climbing attempts at Angkor Wat in Cambodia too,
watching tourist climbing the ancient ruins makes my
hair stand up, soon very soon there be a major
accident, not to mention the environmental impact it
is having on this ancient and fragile architectural
Wonder.

© Gunther
Deichmann - A rare shot of a Centralian
Knob-Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus amyae)
lickining his eyes to keep them moist.
Few reptiles have the
same appeal as the knob-tailed gecko. The tiny tail
ending in a little round knob about half the size of
a pea, the large beautifully patterned eyes and the
face displaying a permanent smile all contribute to
the character of this little lizard. The centralian
knob-tail is the largest of the group reaching a
total length of over 15cm, of which the tail
comprises no more than about 3cm.
More info @ http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animals.asp?catID=13&ID=92
For me Ayers
Rock is very much a spiritual place where I can sit
back and let the colors play in front of me, thinking
about the Aboriginal Dream Time and how it must have
been thousands of years ago, a place we should all
respect and treasure.

© Gunther
Deichmann - the changing moods of Ayers Rock,
Central Australia
View more of my Australian Images
on my PhotoShelter
Gallery.
Here are some useful Government information on
permits, how to get there etc.
Visitor information:
http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/visitor-information/index.html
Commercial image capture (photography, filming, and
artistic representation)
http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/permits/uluru-media.html
Read
below excerpts from articles I have collected from
various News sources.
Just the accidents alone over the years should make
one think, plus the environmental impact and respect
for the traditional Aboriginal owners.
GD
Excerpts:
The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park has called for an
end to people climbing the 348m-high rock, sacred to
indigenous people, as part of a 10-year draft plan.
The issue sparked immediate debate over the future of
the climb, which is seen by many as a draw card for
many of the 350,000 tourists who visit the rock each
year.
The Prime Minister has come out against a ban, saying
it would be "very sad" if tourists were denied the
chance.
But other arguments are that the wishes of
traditional owners had been ignored for too long.

© Gunther
Deichmann - The Thorny Devil is on average about
20 cms long,
and feed on a wide variety of ants. They catch them
by using their tongue much
the same as an ant-eater would do.
Animal Fact: If rain
lands on the Thorny Devils
back, it runs down the creature finding its way to
its mouth where it is consumed.
More info @ http://www.australianfauna.com/thornydevil.php
Some 35 people have died while
scaling the rock.
THE Uluru climb is almost certain to be closed,
probably in about two years.
Parks Australia has called for public comment on a
plan to ban tourists clambering up the 348m rock.
The plan runs for 10 years.
But Parks Australia dropped strong hints that Uluru
would be closed to climbers sooner rather than later.
The comment period closes in early September.
A final document will then be sent to the Federal
Government, which controls the national park.
The tourism industry would then be given at least 12
months to adjust their marketing campaigns.
That means The Rock could be closed by October 1 in
2011, the start of the hot season in Central
Australia.
Three main
reasons for banning climbers:
SAFETY
- 35 people died in the
25 years to the year 2000, but none have died since
climbing restrictions were introduced;
ENVIRONMENTAL
damage - the
sandstone rock suffers erosion and human waste is
washed down into waterholes by rain;
CULTURE
- traditional owners
don't like people climbing over something they
consider sacred.
Tourism Central Australia commented, tour operators
were divided over whether the climb should be
scrapped, some companies had not advertised the climb
for years.
But others said many tourists would not to go to
Uluru if they weren't allowed to climb.
The Territory Government said it opposed banning
climbing.
For a copy of the plan go to:
www.environment.gov.au/parks/publications/uluru/draft-plan.html
Some Ayers Rock
Facts:
Ayers Rock is located in the
middle of Australia, in fact very close to the actual
geographical centre. Geographical coordinates:
25°20'41" S, 131°01'57" E.
Ayers Rock Resort is 443 km (275 miles) from Alice
Springs by road, or 45 minutes by air. (From the
resort it's another 8 km to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta
National Park entrance, and a further 10 km to Ayers
Rock.)
Ayers Rock is not the world's largest monolith. This
title belongs to Mt Augustus in Western Australia.
Uluru is 348 meters (1141 feet) high, 3.6 km long
(2.2 miles), 1.9 km wide (1.2 miles),9.4 km or 5.8
miles around the base (that's walking),covers 3.33
km2 (1.29 miles2),extends about several km/miles into
the ground, it is not exactly known how far (despite
the numbers you might have read).
Ayers Rock is Arkose, a course-grained sandstone rich
in feldspar at least 2.5 km thick. Uplifting and
folding between 400-300 million years ago turned the
sedimentary layers nearly 90 degrees to their present
position. The surface has then been eroded.
Depending on the time of day and the atmospheric
conditions the rock can dramatically change color,
anything from blue to glowing red ! Many avid
photographers set up for days and record the many
changing colors of Uluru.
Read
more: http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/ayers-rock-facts.html
Or @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru
Travel Photography: Exclusive travel report from Palau Micronesia, some call it the last Paradise on Earth.
A Special
& exclusive Travel Report from Palau Micronesia,
& if you visit Palau make sure you don’t forget
your Camera.

©
Gunther Deichmann - just relaxing... awesome Palau
Waterfall
Palau
the hidden Crown Jewel in the Pacific…never heard
about it? About time we introduce you to one of the
most charming places on Earth… some call it… the
forgotten Paradise!
Palau has been in the NEWS lately with the
Detainees from Guantánamo Bay,
Discovery Channel or the French Survivor
Series, produced only recently
on the Islands.
Why only now everybody is talking about it? I guess
some of them have seen the sheer beauty now and come
to realize its amazing ecosystem, seldom found
anywhere else on this Planet.

© Gunther
Deichmann - aerial of the Rock
Islands
I have been traveling to Palau the past 15 years and
I still cant get enough of its beauty above and below
the waves. Quoted as one, if not the
Best Dive destination in the
world.
Like a child in a candy shop, I am like that every
time I travel to Palau, discovering new things all
the time…it is just awesome.

© Gunther
Deichmann - watch Turtles swim by, Blue Corner
Palau

© Gunther
Deichmann - colors below the waves, Blue
Corner
The information below is courtesy of
Palautours.com
containing
information how to get there and a very brief
inside of this truly remarkable place. For all our
Camera enthusiast we highly recommend
Sam’s Tour’s Digital Photo
Center which is fully equipped
with iMac Computers and state of the art Software
like Aperture, plus an in-house Video
facility
operated by award-winning High Definition Underwater
Filmmaker and Digital Video Producer, Dr. Nick
Martorano, Ph.D.
GD

© Gunther
Deichmann - “arriving in
Palau”
There are many ways to get
to Palau and flying direct is not always the most
economical or timely method. Many guests that fly in
from the states catch a flight out of L.A. or San
Francisco to Japan and then catch a flight from Japan
to Guam (there are multiple flights a day from Japan
flying into Guam) and then Guam to Palau. The use of
frequent flyer miles is also available, remember to
book early or have a great travel agent if you are
trying to go that route.
Continental Micronesia is the major
airline of Micronesia and flies into Palau 6
days a week: 2 times a day on Wednesdays,
Saturdays and Sundays; and once a day on Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays. (Please
note: these schedules are subject to change it is
advisable to check with your airlines first)
They have service from Guam
6 days a week, with connections to and from Yap on
Wednesdays and Sundays. There is service to and from
Palau from Manila, Philippines (this seems to be the
best way to travel to Palau from Asia or Europe);
twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There is
service to and from Kaoshiung and Taipei, Taiwan on
Tuesdays and Saturdays; and service to and from
Taipei, Taiwan on Thursdays and Sundays on Far
Eastern Air Transport (or FAT Airline). Japan
Airlines (JAL) has flights to and from Palau twice a
month.
Palau offers you the world's
most beautiful tropical paradise. Famous for its
diving, Palau is rated as one of the world's best
diving destinations by scuba aficionados. And why
not...Palau has unspoiled reefs, caves, and walls
with the most amazing array of marine life you can
ever imagine.

© Gunther
Deichmann - get close to Marine
life.
Palau
beckons to you with some of the world's most
awesome natural wonders.
Imagine the whitest beaches you will ever see,
gardens of coral just beneath the clearest waters,
lakes filled to the brim with "sting less"
jellyfish. Forests, waterfalls and
caves that have never been ravaged by man, and
hundreds of islands of the purest beauty abound
all along our pristine archipelago.

© Gunther
Deichmann - swim with jelly fish
and not getting stung.
Palau beckons to you with
some of the world's most awesome natural wonders.
Imagine the whitest beaches you will ever see,
gardens of coral just beneath the clearest waters,
lakes filled to the brim with "sting less"
jellyfish.

© Gunther
Deichmann - hire a Helicopter and get a
Birds-eye View.
Palau. To many the name conjures up images of lush
jungles atop mushroom-shaped limestone islands
surrounded by turquoise waters so abundant with life
that it is nearly impossible to ingest it all. With
magnificent reefs that contain over 1300 species of
fish and 400 species of coral, it is no surprise that
it is recognized as one of the best and most
consistent places to see a huge diversity and
abundance of both small tropical fish and large
pelagic predators.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Explore amazing Palau by
Kayaks
There are several reasons for Palau's diversity of
life, particularly the marine life, with some of the
major factors being the variety of habitats and reef
structures as well as its location. Between the
coastal mangroves of Babeldaob and the outer reef
walls of the Ngemelis and Pelelui, exists an extensive
shallow and deep water lagoon containing limestone
islands, sheltered marine lakes, and narrow
passages that provide a mixture of different
habitats that support a variety of fish and coral.
Further, the ranges of reef structures, from sheer
vertical walls to underwater caves provide
numerous places for species to live. If the
diversity of habitats in Palau is poised to
accommodate a terrific amount of marine life, its
location is the reason that much of the marine
life made it here in the first place. Palau
resides just outside of the ‘Coral Triangle' an
area recognized as the center of marine
biodiversity and has three major bodies of water
converge on the island. To the east is the Pacific
Ocean, to the west the Philippine Sea, and to the
south, the Celebes Sea.

© Gunther
Deichmann - paradise is waiting for
YOU.
As the Pacific Ocean, the Philippine and Celebes Seas
circulate, the potential to bring larva of coral,
fish, and invertebrates to Palau from different parts
of the Indo-Pacific region is very high.

© Gunther
Deichmann -have your own
Island
Terrestrially, Palau has one
of the most diverse assemblages of flora and fauna in
Micronesia The different geology, predominantly the
limestone Rock Islands
and the large
volcanic main island of Babeldaob provide
excellent substrate for a diverse number of trees,
plants, birds, and reptiles. There are over 1250
species of plants, 140 species of birds (including
8 endemic species), and 50 species of amphibians
and reptiles (including the largest reptile,
the Saltwater Crocodile, (Crocodylus
porosus ). With all of the
diversity in Palau , both above and below the
water, it will amaze even the most seasoned
naturalist.
© Gunther
Deichmann - enjoy the Spa at the Palau Pacific
Resort.

© Gunther
Deichmann - see You soon in Palau
Micronesia.
See pages
after pages with stunning images and information on
Palau @ http://www.palautours.com/
You
can Check also with the
Palau Visitors Authority (PVA)
for more
local information once you have arrived in Palau.
For an Birds-eye view of Palau
check
out Palau Helicopters @ http://www.palautours.com/palauheli-other.html
Wildlife Photography: Is Kakadu National Park in Australia under threat? Cane Toads invaded the far north.
Endemic wildlife under
threat!

©
Gunther Deichmann - Aerial photo: Thousands
of
Magpie Geese
on the
Flood Plains near Kakadu National Park, Northern
Territory, Australia.

©
Gunther Deichmann
- Whistling
Ducks, Kakadu National
Park
The Cane Toad is posing a serious threat to
Australia’s endemic Wildlife.
During my days when I roamed
around in Kakadu National Park
some 25 years
ago there where NO Cane Toads, now they have
invaded this rich in wildlife ecosystem. In recent
years they have not stopped and now moving towards
north-western Australia invading the
Kimberley region too.
Freshwater Crocodiles and a unique type of
pygmy crocodile
found only in
Australia could be wiped out by the dreaded cane
toad unless prompt action is taken, zoologists
have warned.
Just two populations of the endangered pygmy
freshwater crocodile are known to exist, both of them
in the country's tropical north. The crocodiles are
at risk because they prey on cane toads and then die
from the amphibians' highly toxic skin. Isolated in
remote rivers and creeks by waterfalls and steep
sandstone escarpments, they are about half the size
of normal freshwater crocs.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Australian Freshwater Crocodile
(Image showing a true gallop), fighting for
survival.
“Thanks” to the introduction
of Cane Toads to Australia in August 1936. We’re
tried to solve a problem… but created a much bigger
one.
The idea was to eradicate the grey back cane beetle
pests, now the cane toad is considered a pest and
invasive species in many of its introduced regions
because its toxic skin kills many native predators
when ingested.
It has also many negative effects on farmers because
of pets and animals eating the creatures.
The cane toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are
highly toxic to most animals if ingested. Because of
its voracious appetite, the cane toad has been
introduced to many regions of the Pacific and the
Caribbean islands as a method of agricultural pest
control, notably failing in the case of Australia in
1935, and derives its common name from its use
against the grey back cane beetle pests.
All creatures small and
big have the right for their existence on this
planet, but the Cane Toad does not belong in
Australia, STOP interfering with mother nature.

All images ©
Gunther Deichmann - from left: Sea
Eagle, Jabiru black-necked
Stork
Tree Snake, large Goanna in front of
Termite
mounds
A Queensland study showed more than a 50% decline
in Gould’s goanna
numbers over
a seven-month period coincident with the arrival
and build up of cane toad numbers.
A fauna survey in Kakadu showed that Gilbert’s dragon
and all goanna species significantly declined
following cane toad invasion.
Frog-eating snakes in general are susceptible to
impacts. These include the northern death adder,
western brown snake and red-bellied black snake.
There are also numerous reports of freshwater
crocodiles dying after eating cane toads in
northern Queensland
and the
Northern Territory. Some water fowls are also no
exceptions including the White Breasted Sea
eagle.
GD
CANE
TOAD FACTS
Cane toads
are expanding
their range across Northern Australia faster than
ever expected, and have been recorded moving up to
20km in just a few weeks.
They have reached the western part of the Northern
Territory, and without intervention, are expected to
reach the east Kimberley region of Western
Australia in one to three years
time.
Cane toads need water to survive. With only a
relatively narrow band of non-arid country between
the eastern Kimberley and the Top End of the Northern
Territory, suitable cane toad habitat funnels down to
such a relatively small ‘land bridge’ that there is a
unique opportunity to slow and hopefully halt their
march westwards across Northern Australia.
Since its original
introduction the cane toad has had a particularly
marked effect on Australian
biodiversity.
Cane Toad
Research
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad
Photography: Leichardt Grasshopper, a rare & bizarre Insect from a remote part in Arnhem Land, N. T. Australia
The
Australian Aboriginals call it…
”Children of the Lightning Man”
Years
ago during a Photography excursion into a remote part
of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia
I encountered a very rare and strange looking Insect.
It was during the month of November just before the
onset of the wet season, camping over night at this
small rock outcrop, when I got the urge for “natures
call.”
I squatted behind some rocks and as I looked up I
spotted this bizarre Insect, but not just one, a
dozen or so brightly colored orange Grasshoppers
covering the small plant right in front of me.
Wow… I hurried up… run back to the campsite and
grabbed my Camera. My first approach was very slow,
scared that I would spook them, but then to my
amazement the Grasshoppers would not move at all,
they just sat there like wax figurines.

© Gunther
Deichmann - the rare Leichardt Grasshopper
from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia
Once I had my shots, I started to realize that this
maybe something very special, sure enough, after my
return to Darwin I showed the one specimen, I had
collected to the Curator of the Northern Territory
Museum.
Gunther - this is the very rare Leichardt Grasshopper
he said with excitement, they are only found in
remote parts of the Northern Territory there have
been no sightings for hundred years.
It's named after the explorer, Ludwig Leichhardt who
reported great numbers of them as he crossed the
Arnhem Land plateau in 1845.
Leichhardt's Grasshopper is bright red, blue and
orange. Its strong colors are a defense against
predators which works so well that this little
grasshopper has Attitude - often it doesn't even
bother to fly away when predators approach, exactly
what happen when I took the Photos that morning.

© Gunther Deichmann
-
left: deep inside Arnhem
Land, it is here where you can find the Leichardt
Grasshopper, if you lucky.
right: tribal Aborigines
retouching ancient rock art in Arnhem Land,
Australia
Normally I leave animals where I find them and don’t
interfere with nature, but in this case the Curator
thanked me for bringing in just one specimen for
research, it was after all about 100 years later.
I have more images but those are tucked away in
archives with my international agency Picture Press
in Germany.
For the Australian Aboriginals the Grasshopper has a
very special meaning, the Jawoyn and Gundjeibmi
people of Western Arnhem Land call the grasshopper
Alyurr, children of the Lightning Man Namarrgon. A
powerful ancestral being, this is evident in the Rock
art through out the Arnhem Land Escarpment.
GD
Photography & Australian galloping Crocodiles, rare & long forgotten photos imported into Aperture 2
Images from the past can have a good market value even today, shooting for so many years and we’re all getting older (and wiser I hope) we sometimes forget these cool images from the past, some of them will never outdate.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Take off... Australian Freshwater
Crocodile
(Crocodylus
johnstoni)moving at high speed
towards a Billabong.
Photo from the mid seventies.
The other day I went through
my Archives looking for a particular image when I
came across my series on Australian Freshwater
Crocodiles. (Crocodylus johnstoni) I remember that
time I went out with Professor Dr Graham Webb an
expert on Australian Crocodiles collecting data deep
inside the Australian Bush in the Northern Territory.
Spending days on end camping at Billabongs catching,
tagging and releasing these truly amazing Reptiles
for research and conservation.

© Gunther
Deichmann -
One of the very first images showing a true
gallop.
Australian Freshwater Crocodile
(Crocodylus
johnstoni)
Photo from the mid seventies.
It was during this project
that we discovered that the Crocodile (not only the
Freshwater one) displays a true Gallop, movements
just like a Horse, not known previously until this
research by Dr. Graham Webb.
The images on todays Blog and many other where most
likely the very first showing Crocodiles in a full
Gallop, amazing and thrilling times long gone but not
forgotten. At the time they where published in a
various magazines.
The Black & White Images are from one of those
trips, the originals had been shot on Kodachrome
film, afterwards or I should say many years later I
scanned the slides, now the digital images residing
in my archives. By the way this was long before my
Nikon days using the X700 Minolta bodies and lenses.

© Gunther
Deichmann - Lift off...Australian Freshwater
Crocodile
(Crocodylus
johnstoni)moving at high speed
towards a Billabong.
Photo from the mid seventies.
I imported the tiff files
direct from my external hard drives into Aperture 2
and converted them to B&W. So, if you have images
from way back have a good look at them you never know
what you might come across and if you end up using
them or not makes no difference it is worth the
memory from times long gone.
A few years later Dr. Graham Webb also discovered
what was thought first a new species of a Freshwater
Crocodile in a very remote part of Arnhem Land, an
Aboriginal Reserve in the Northern Territory. Almost
half the sizes of the other know Freshwater Crocs,
after a long study it turned out they are exactly the
same species but had adapted to this size due to the
lack of food in this remote part of the Arnhem Land.
Consequently they where named the
Pygmy Crocodiles but it is the same species
(Crocodylus johnstoni) yet another proof that these
reptiles, which developed over million of years, can
adapt to changes depending on their location or
climate.
The Australian Freshwater Crocodile is at risk today
from the increasing number of introduced Queensland
Cane Toads and human interference in their habitat.
The toad is lethally poisonous to Freshwater
Crocodiles (although strangely harmless to
Saltwater Crocodiles.
In
one of my next articles I introduce you to the
Australian Saltwater Crocodile, (Crocodylus porosus)
experience with the same Research team…from
Hatchlings to a large 22 foot Croc.
GD
See below some info and facts on the Australian
Freshwater Crocodiles:
The Australian
freshwater crocodile is a relatively small
crocodilian. Males can grow 3 meters
(9.8 ft) long, while females reach a maximum
size of 2.1 meters (6.9 ft). The body color
is light brown with darker bands on the body and tail
- these tend to be broken up near the neck. Some
individuals possess distinct bands or speckling on
the snout. Body scales are relatively large, with
wide, closely-knit armored plates on the back.
Rounded, pebbly scales cover the flanks and outsides
of the legs.
The Freshwater
Crocodile is not capable of killing or even seriously
harming a human. There has only been one recorded
attack by a freshwater crocodile on a human; this
attack took place at Barramundi Gorge (also known as
Maguk) in
Kakadu
National Park and resulted in very
minor injuries to the victim, who managed to swim and
walk away from the attack. It is believed the victim
swam directly over the small crocodile, in general it
is still considered safe to swim with this species.
Distribution and
habitat
They are found in the
states of Western
Australia,
Queensland,
and the Northern
Territory. Main habitats include
freshwater wetlands,
billabongs,
rivers, and creeks. It competes poorly
with Saltwater
crocodiles but is saltwater
tolerant. As an adult its diet
consists of
birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians and fish. This
species can be found in areas where
Saltwater
Crocodiles cannot and are known to
inhabit areas above the escarpment in
Kakadu
National Park and in very arid &
rocky conditions (such as Katherine
Gorge, where they are very
common and relatively safe from saltwater crocodiles
during the dry season.) That being said, they are
still consistently found in low-level
billabongs,
living alongside their larger evolutionary cousins.
This species, until
recently, was common throughout much of
northern
Australia, especially where the
much larger and far more dangerous
Saltwater
Crocodile is not found (such as
more arid inland areas and higher elevations) but in
recent years the population has dropped dramatically
due to the ingestion of local populations of the
invasive Cane
Toad. The toad is lethally
poisonous to Freshwater Crocodiles (although
strangely harmless to Saltwater Crocodiles) and is
rampant throughout the Australian wilderness. The
crocodiles are also infected by
Griphobilharzia amoena, a
parasitic trematode,
in regions such as
Darwin, Australia and
Irian Jaya.
Environment: The Beds and Trees are burning in Australia…Why?
WHY???

© Gunther
Deichmann - Composite
Image
As
a fellow Australian I like to express my sympathy to
those relatives who have lost loved ones and
properties during these raging Bushfires. What amazes
me, these fires have been deliberately lit…I have no
words for such a crime, I am speechless…
GD
Environment: Living fossil... a true love story at age 111...
I thought I share this little amusing but true story about Henry with you, thanks to Walter Ty for bringing this to my attention.
The image I feature today is NOT Henry but of a Frillneck Lizard another amazing reptile from the Top End, the Northern Territory of Australia.
Read the Love story on Henry below...

© Gunther Deichmann
- Frillneck
Lizard from the “Top End”
the Northern Territory of Australia.
Chlamydosaurus
kingii is
one of Australia's most distinctive and familiar
dragon lizards.
Reptile
becomes a father, at 111 a
tuatara.
Tuatara are the last surviving reptiles of their
kind, a rare New Zealand reptile has become a father,
possibly for the first time, at the age of 111. The
keepers of Henry, a tuatara, had thought he was past
his prime - especially after showing no interest in
females during 40 years in captivity. But he mated
with 80-year-old Mildred last July and 11 of the eggs
she produced have now hatched...
read the complete story and an image of Henry:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7850975.stm
Environment: Muy Magazine in Spain & Portugal good timing for the International Year of the Shark 2009...and more Photography Aperture Tutorials soon

“Muy
Interesante Magazine” in Spain and Portugal have
published in their January 2009 issues the image on
the shark fins, the same Photo appeared in November
2008 as the Photo of the
Week in the German Stern Magazine.
Now I like to take the opportunity and announce our
support for the new released website; the
Palau Shark
Sanctuary and our support for
the
International Year of the Sharks in
2009.
Sam’s Tours in Palau Micronesia also launched today
the 16 of January 2009 their NEW
Sharkweeks.com
website,
introducing special educational shark dives every
week in Palau.
Quote
: “In the 21st
century, shark-finning* is barbaric”
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer
Explorer-in-Residence
National Geographic
More on
Dr Sylvia Earle,
Oceanographer who has just recently
visited Sam’s Tours in Palau with Actress Daryl
Hannah.

Photo © Dermot
Keane - from left: Dr Sylvia Earle, Dermot Keane
GM
of Sam’s Tours and Actress Daryl Hannah
So, if you venture to Palau
for your next Dive Trip, dive with
Sam’s Tours
and shoot
these great shark images and afterwards process
them in their modern Digital Photo Center. The DPC
is fully equipped with six iMac’s and has a
complete back up system, software like iLife,
Aperture and Photoshop Elements are installed on
all machines.
If you into Videos then check with Nick who can
organize all you’re video requirements, even
transferring them to your iPod. Or better ask Nick to
produce a video of you swimming with sharks at Blue
Corner or other famous dive sites in Palau.
Swimming
with Sharks is a lot more fun than slurping this
tasteless soup!
Please
support the International Year of the Shark
2009;
“Stop eating
shark fin soup now.”
Soon
to come…later this month I start to feature articles
once or twice a week on;
Tips,
Tricks and Techniques, watch
out for these new articles called
“Triple
T”,
and
of course you find my Aperture
2 Tutorials on my
regular Blog and under
GD Photo
Tutorials
upper
left hand side with some cool screenshots.
GD
Environment: Save our Sharks from Extinction...support the International Year of the Shark in 2009
In Support of:
THE
INTERNATIONAL
YEAR
OF
THE
SHARK 2009!
…
was
inspired
by
the
finding
that
at
the
current
rate
of
decline,
certain
shark
species
will
be
extinct
in 10
to 15
years.
In
large
regions,
species
that
were
once
numerous
have
fallen
to 1%
of
their
original
numbers.
Studies
of
open
ocean
sharks
estimate 80
to 90%
of
heavily
fished
species
are
gone.
Yet
these
intelligent
animals,
also
called
the
“Wolves
of
the
Sea”
are
still
fished
intensively,
and
finned
for
“shark
fin
soup.”
The
oceans
have
evolved
over
hundreds
of
millions
of
years
with
sharks
as
apex
predators,
so
their
loss
will
destroy
oceanic
health.
HELP
SPREAD
THE
WORD:

http://www.year-of-the-shark-2009.org/
SAVE
SHARKS
FROM
E
XTINCTION

©
Gunther Deichmann - Shark from Palau Micronesia
http://www.deichmann-photo.com
Photo of the Week in Stern Magazine Germany, "Bilder der Woche"
“Photo of the
Week” German Stern Magazine
"Bilder
der Woche" in STERN no. 46 of November
6.
© Gunther Deichmann - Double page spread in
Stern
Translated
Headline:“The only thing left from the Sharks”
The Photo was taken in Bali on the
8th of October in the small commercial Harbor of
Denpasar Bali, Indonesia.
I
just happen to come
across a vessel unloading not only Fish but massive
amounts of Shark fins.
Each time a pile of shark fins had been cleared of
the deck and trucked away by small trucks more Shark
Fins appeared from the Hull of the vessel. I left the
scene after about 45 minutes but the unloading
continued, thousands of Shark fins of all species. I
recognized Hammerheads, White tip and Black tip
sharks.
I believe the reason for the worker wearing the hood
is due to the cold temperature in the hull, (or is he
hiding his face)? All fins had been frozen, which
indicates that the vessel came from a longer trip. I
could not get into the area where the fins where
transported to by the trucks, which could have
revealed most likely the real scope of this “catch”.
GD
ET or Big Eyes…the Philippine Tarsier…another Alien looking creature the Tarsier is actually not a Monkey...
© Gunther Deichmann
The Philippine Tarsier
from Bohol Island, Tarsius Syrichta (subspiecies
fraberculus)
Known locally as “the smallest monkey in the world”
It is actually not a monkey, nor the smallest primate
in the world, but certainly is one of the smallest,
growing to about 15cm in length. The male weighs an
average of 134 grams, the female 117 grams.
I just call him “ET” but other local names are:
Mamag, mago, magau, maomag,
A shy, solitary, nocturnal, arboreal primate, the
tarsier inhabits primary and secondary jungle forest
and bamboo groves from sea level to about 700m
elevation. It feeds mainly on insects and small
lizards (has the largest eyes to body size of any
mammal). Like the owl, the tarsier can rotate it’s
head in a full 180 degrees of arch. With it’s suction
cuplike fingers and toes, it is a nimble climber in
trees. On the ground it hops like a kangaroo aided by
it’s long tail and can leap as far as 10’ (20 times
it’s body length), when escaping predators such as
snakes and owls.
© Gunther
Deichmann
Up until the late 1960’s
the Philippine Tarsier was quite common, but due to
it’s adorable and benign appearance was widely hunted
to be sold as traumatized short lived pets, or even
killed and stuffed to make the ideal cuddly toy for
children.
In 1997, The Philippine Tarsier Foundation was
established in Tagbilaran , the provincial capitol of
Bohol. A 7.4 hectare sanctuary was established at
Corella, where some 100 tarsiers are kept in a
spacious netted natural habitat enclosure, for
feeding, captive breeding and display.
Photography with out Photoshop...Nature provides all the ingredients and most important the light...
Magazines in Spain and Portugal have also picked up the image for publication now.

© Gunther Deichmann -
Turtles are also on the extinction list
Image from Palau Micronesia, without
Photoshop.
The
month of October/November has been very hectic, as
you know we have just returned from Bali and only
last weekend had to go out for another commercial
shoot, which brings me to my topic of today.
I am working almost exclusive with Aperture 2 now and
to be honest what else do I need, the days of
Photoshop have become rare, well for me anyway.
I like to shoot the way I see it and I have written
some articles on the subject, my reason for chosen
the abstract Turtle is to demonstrate that Nature
provides us with all the effects.
Take my recent reflection shots from Bali for
example, my advise to upcoming Photographers is; Dont
relay on Photoshop unless it is for some commercial
work but even then try and get it right in the first
place, you be amazed how rewarding nature can be.
Plus the satisfaction when you see this magic shot of
yours and can honestly claim...”Wow I did this
without using Photoshop.”
http://www.deichmann-photo.com
GD
Breaking News: Photo of the Week in Stern Magazine Germany, "Bilder der Woche"
“Photo of the
Week” German Stern Magazine
"Bilder
der Woche" in STERN no. 46 of November
6.
© Gunther Deichmann - Double page spread in
Stern
Translated
Headline:“The only thing left from the Sharks”
The Photo was taken in Bali on the
8th of October in the small commercial Harbor of
Denpasar Bali, Indonesia.
I
just happen to come
across a vessel unloading not only Fish but massive
amounts of Shark fins.
Each time a pile of shark fins had been cleared of
the deck and trucked away by small trucks more Shark
Fins appeared from the Hull of the vessel. I left the
scene after about 45 minutes but the unloading
continued, thousands of Shark fins of all species. I
recognized Hammerheads, White tip and Black tip
sharks.
I believe the reason for the worker wearing the hood
is due to the cold temperature in the hull, (or is he
hiding his face)? All fins had been frozen, which
indicates that the vessel came from a longer trip. I
could not get into the area where the fins where
transported to by the trucks, which could have
revealed most likely the real scope of this “catch”.
GD
Water and our Environment: Natures Texture alive and dead…without water there is no life…in response to Australia’s Great Dry…have no illusion Global warming is real.
All the images below are taken in Australia; the Water drops on a leave from the lush rainforest in North Queensland, the Water Lily in a Billabong in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, and the cracked earth from the Desert in Western Australia is a reminder of what could happen if we dont act now.
©
Gunther Deichmann - Rainforest, North
Queensland
©
Gunther Deichmann - last light on a Water Lily, a
Billabong
in Kakadu National Park, N.T.
THINK!
Dejavou…its happen again? Australia’s Great Dry… Australia is experiencing similar drought condition they had in 1983. You might remember the Cover Photo of Time Magazine in March 1983…is it Global warming or Environmental collapse…
“Big Dry” turns farms into deserts…Australia is experiencing it’s worst drought in 100 years. But for how much longer?
For me It was not 100 years ago, but only in 1983, don’t know if we Humans forget to quick I certainly remember it only to well.
Is it Dejavou? Cover of Time Magazine, March 28,
1983, Gunther
Deichmann
In 1983 I experienced first
hand the slaughter of thousands of cattle and sheep,
destroyed due to lack of food and water.
Native animals like the Emus got killed when crossing
fence lines in search for food and water. (see the
image below)
“Are
we now on the very brink of environmental
collapse."
Excerpts from the
BBC...
"You see the lack of birds and the lack of life. You
smell it. You can smell the water. If you walk out
into the lake bed you can burn your feet because of
the acid sulphates."
"It's very real and it's happening right in front of
us."
"It's been a disaster," according to the global
warming activist and best-selling author, Professor
Tim Flannery.
©
Gunther Deichmann - Photo taken in 1983 during
“Australia’s Great Dry” near Port Augusta,in South
Australia
- The remains of an Emu -
See below some excerpts
from a recent story on the TIme.com website; for more
and the complete article please go to:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,923411,00.html
The entire eastern half of Australia is thirsting
through a wasting drought that is in many regions the
worst in the history of the world's most arid
continent. Already, the "Great Dry" has devastated
90% of New South Wales, which is now in its 45th
month of drought, and 95% of the state of South
Australia, Dubbo, a typical rural town, averages 25.5
in. of annual rainfall. Last year it had 2.3 in. In
many areas seeds cannot germinate; in others the
regal Murrumbidgee River is nothing but a stagnant
puddle. Dust storms have enveloped Melbourne and,
five weeks ago, bushfires raged over the arid ground
of southeastern Australia, claiming a record 72
lives.
© Gunther Deichmann
- Composite image (2 images) to demonstrate
Global Warming and the effects it is having on us and
our planet.
Late NEWS...RAINFOREST Reveals NEW Species in Guyana, a bit different from the usual Photography and Aperture stories, a Scince & Environment article from the BBC
© 2007
Gunther Deichmann - prestine Rainforest
in Micronesia/Pacific
I
thought I share this
interesting science article with you, yes a bit
different from the usual Photography and Aperture
stories.
But I am very fascinated by this article from the
BBC. New rainforest species revealed. Parasitic
vampire catfish caught on camera for the first time
An expedition to the rainforests of Guyana has
discovered species new to science. A team of
researchers and wildlife film-makers spent six weeks
searching the pristine forest as part of a BBC
documentary.
The group believes it has revealed two fish species,
one frog species and a number of bat flies that have
not been described previously. The finds are detailed
in the BBC series Lost Land of the Jaguar.
The three-part documentary includes footage of the
elusive South American cat. Dr George McGavin (BBC)
was astonished at the variety of life on show. "In a
short time, we caught hundreds of species, 10% of
which may be new to science. It was unreal,
unbelievable," exclaimed Dr George McGavin, a
zoologist and one of the four presenters of the
documentary.
Images/Video and
a lot more about this amazing story
at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7531537.stm
Apple Training and Certification introduces a NEW GREEN Certificate fulfillment process...contributing to a GREENER and better Environment
© Gunther Deichmann
- taken care of our Environment in 2008 and
beyond...
Hi,
Since environmental considerations are an integral
part of Apple's business practices, Apple Training
and Certification is pleased to introduce a new Green
certificate fulfillment process. Beginning August 1,
paper certificates will no longer be sent to Mac OS X
and Pro Apps students who pass certification exams.
Instead, students will receive an email with a link
to download a PDF version of their certificate at no
charge. Students will be able to print these
certificates, but we hope that most will choose to
simply post the PDF certificates on their websites.
This new system will be available worldwide.
Apple Training and Certification
A nice letter from the National Geographic Traveler and the closing chapter on our Nudibranch Photography discussion as seen in the recent National Geographic Magazine...plus a short intro... the Olive ridley Turtles, an endangerd species.
...the closing
chapter? maybe...but YOU never know what is
around the next corner.
© Gunther
Deichmann - “Caring Hands -Save and Protect our
Environment”
...Olive
ridleyTurtle
hatchlings been released into the Ocean,
Philippines.
The leatherback, hawksbill and
Kemp's ridley turtle species are listed as
endangered. The breeding populations of Olive ridley
and green sea turtles are endangered along Mexico's
Pacific Coast, and threatened elsewhere, the study
found. Coastal development, beachfront lighting,
pollution and hunting are contributing to the demise
of the sea turtles, which come ashore periodically to
lay their eggs in "nests" dug in the sand, according
to the study. "Threatened" means a species could
become "endangered," which means the species might
face extinction.
GD
See
below the letter from Marilyn Terrell; thanks Marilyn
for your kind words, lets do this again one of these
days with topics concerning our Environment or
related issues.
Fascinating
discussion, and I'm impressed that marine biologist
Lee Goldman took the time to write such an informed
and thought-provoking response. Thank you Gunther for
hosting this worthwhile conversation. I like it that
people with differing points of view are given a
chance to express their concerns and opinions on your
blog in a civilized way.
All best,
Marilyn Terrell
National Geographic Traveler
Intelligent Travel blog:
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com
Marilys letter came in response of our last
discussion and the letter written by Lee Goldman, if
you have missed it just click on the link below.
Underwater Photography…are you a responsible
Photographer? A letter from a Marine
Biologist…Education, awareness, an article in the
recent Fins Magazine fits in nicely with the
Nudibranch images in National Geographic Magazine…
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html
GD
Underwater Photography…are you a responsible Photographer? A letter from a Marine Biologist…Education, awareness, an article in the recent Fins Magazine fits in nicely with the Nudibranch images in National Geographic Magazine…
“A Photographer’s Responsibility” by Richard Smith, a great article describing the
Do and Don’t…
Check this link the article is a pdf file for downloading, Environment.

© Gunther Deichmann - “Our Environment” the image was
created in Photoshop to ilustrate our fragile
environment.
Thanks again
to all who have responded to this discussion…if
nothing else comes out of it at least we have tried
to guide new and not so experience Underwater
Photographers in the right direction explaining about
our precious Marine Life and to follow the rules of
engagement, Don’t
Touch.
The mention article in Fins Magazine is not only a
guide but it is extremely educational for new and Pro
Underwater Photographers.
Maybe National
Geographic Magazine should publish an article,
but this time not with pretty images but explaining
the Do and Don’t
which could be very educational to the million of
readers they have.
Last but not
least…let me quote one example from the recent
article in Fins Magazine; did you know? Don’t take to
many shots of each Animal. You know how a Camera
Flash from a few meters away can blind you? The same
flash can kill Pigmy Seahorses.
Not only that… I have seen large Fan corals
completely destroyed by irresponsible “Underwater
Photographers” to get this shot of the Pigmy
Seahorse.
Now everything is
gone.
GD
See below a letter
from Lee Goldman a Marine Biologist…
I was hesitant to write a reply to the blog about the
nudibranchs, mostly because, as you know, I agree
with your points.
Recently, however, a response was written about your
blog from SM Jayabalan, a response that I don’t
necessarily agree with. First off, would people’s
lives be less enriched or ‘disadvantaged’if they
don’t ever see a nudibranch? Well, it depends, right?
Perhaps they won’t make more money at work or solve
the reasons for why the kids get tattoos early in
life, but to see the nudibranch may provoke a
direction in their lives that lead towards
responsibility to the environment even if on a
personal level. How many times before have we heard
that a photograph inspires? What if the particular
person who appreciates the nudibranch is 18 years old
and has an epiphany that leads towards a career in
marine biology; where he studies nudibranchs and does
work to protect them (and their environment)? It is
slightly irresponsible for the author of the response
to say that the photo of a nudibranch won’t do
anything for anybody. Could a photo of the nudibranch
in its natural environment do the same thing?
Perhaps, but I know of thousands of photos of Ayer’s
Rock and for each one, five-thousand people prefer it
over all the others. Is that justification for moving
marine organisms around? I don’t know, but then
again, if none of them were harmed, nor their lives
dramatically changed (or changed at all for that
matter) then it boils down to other areas of
concern…not at all whether it had an affect (or not)
on the viewer of the photograph.
The statement about a percentage of millions of
people whose new perspective of nudibranchs is that
they live in white walled sections of the reef…with
piped music? When you go to an aquarium how many
people above the age of seven do you think believe
all of the fish live in glassed tanks in the ocean?
This is a huge stretch that not even a good lawyer
could sell a jury. What percentage? As a marine
biologist, professional aquarist, and professional
dive guide I have had my share of folks who needed a
lesson in the most basics of the ocean and
marine-life, but never have I encountered someone who
would believe such a thing as this author is
suggesting. I believe NG explained this particular
shoot so the audience would understand the concept as
well as the natural history and habitat of the
nudibranch.
You had it right from the start about the ‘message’
it sends. In the current world of marine photography,
to me, the greatest area of stagnation is creativity,
mostly due to everyone striving for the same
picture/subject as everyone else. Don’t believe me,
check out just about everyone’s portfolio; pygmy
seahorse, a shark of some sort, wide angle reef
scene, manta ray, turtle, nudibranch…oh, nowadays the
over/under shot. David Doubilet approached a ‘worn’
subject and added a bit of creativity (and I believe
entire WHY NG DID go this route). The dangerous area
that this photo shoot leads to is the hundreds of
less than respectful photographers with less than
proper equipment, knowledge, and support doing the
same thing.
We talked before about this and I told you that I
felt that with the right equipment, attitude, and
knowledge it can be pulled off so that nothing is
harmed. I believe David Doubilet is probably one of
the few photographers capable of doing this…mostly
due to his inexhaustible resource for the right
equipment and support. I believe the approach NG and
Mr. Doubilet took was that of no disrespect to the
organism. As you also know, my fear is that other
folks may try and copy his work.
Lee Goldman, Marine Biologist
Not only Photographers can help to save our Planet...U2
Christmas is over, the New Year is
approaching, as photographers we can help to get the
message out there, the survival of our Planet is
important for our younger generations. I have seen
with my own eyes so many changes over the past 30
years, hence
the images below. We have to do something and think
about it now, before it is
too late.
Mother planet is showing us the red warning
light. Be careful, she is saying.
To take care of the planet is to take care of our own
house.
Dalai
Lama
Happy Holidays and thanks for all your support,
from Gunther, family and
team.
A very happy
New Year - prost
Neujahr - bonne
année - onnellista
uutta vuotta - gelukkig
Nieuwjaar - ath bhliain
faoi mhaise - selamat tahun
baru - godt nytt
år - szczliwego
nowego roku - feliz ano
novo - gott nytt år
manigong bagong taon - sawatdii
pimaï - kung hé fat
tsoi - xin nian kuai le / xin nian hao
-
godt
nytår - eutichismenos
o kainourgios chronos - felice anno
nuovo, buon anno - S novim godom
- sreno novo leto - Cung Chúc Tân
Xuân- yeni yiliniz
kutlu olsun
Before...
After...
Too late!
The
species extinction rate has increased to one species
a day.
Lets make the coming years more greener and protect
our environment.
©Gunther
Deichmann - more environmental images at:
www.deichmann-photo.com
Think...!
____________________
The ugly things I have to shoot sometimes.

From 30,000 feet above (my last Blog)to 100 feet
below or more...
the ugly things I have to shoot
sometimes.
We
are again at the end of the year, wow how fast this
one past... but then not as fast then the
disappearance of our animal species.
The
species extinction rate has increased to one species
a day.
Lets make the coming years more greener and protect
our environment.
Think!
Mother
planet is showing us the red warning light. Be
careful, she is saying.
To take care of the planet is to take care of our own
house.
Dalai
Lama
Confiscated shark fins... eating the soup...yuk...
when the slurping stops... the killing will
too.

Embryo
shark... mother and child got killed... for?
Nothing!
An
endangered animal or plant is a species that is
considered in immediate danger of becoming extinct.
Its population is very small and it needs active
protection to survive. In many countries, hunting of
endangered animals is not allowed. Neither is
importation of their meat, fur, tusks, blubber, or
other products.
Extinction has happened throughout history, but in
modern times the rate has increased dramatically.
There is a link between the increase in the
extinction rate and the growth in human population.
The worldwide human population was 1 billion in 1600,
1.5 billion 100 years ago, and is over 6 billion
today. At the same time, the species extinction rate
has increased to one species a day. If this
continues, it will cause a dramatic drop in the
diversity of life on our planet, which will most
certainly have serious effects.
If
you have any interesting images related to the
environment or stories to tell, please let me know
and I try to incorporate these in my Blogs, thank
you.
For other recent related environmental issues, please
click these links below:
http://marinebio.org/Oceans/History/
http://www.samstours.com/blog/
______________________________________
Website update and upcoming Photography Magazine spreads
I like to inform you that I have just updated my website: www.deichmann-photo.com
New look at the home page, change of image, I have also added a new category on Environment within the site. (top bar in between Tibet and Wildlife)
Within the next two weeks you be able to download also some pdf files;
Portfolio spread and the cover in Click Magazine, the Digital Photography Magazine from Malaysia.
Also Portfolio spread in the Asian Photography Magazine, talking about Aperture and Photography, I inform you all on my blog once both Magazines can be downloaded as a pdf file from my site under publication.
Enjoy the new images and thanks for all your support,
thanks,
GD
www.deichmann-photo.com

Global warming, Photo ©
Gunther Deichmann
Sharks and Discovery Channel, voices of concern
and offered their support, please read the unedited letters I have so far received, thank you all for your feedback, from Germany, Australia and Singapore so far.
For those who have not read the letter please go to: http://www.divephotoguide.com/discovery_shark_week.php
Gunther
www.deichmann-photo.com
Snail055@web.de
Subject: open letter (sharks)
Date: July 21, 2007 4:50:21 AM GMT+08:00
To:gdeichmann@mac.com
Hi Gunther
Den offenen Brief zur Rettung der Haie ist sehr bewegend. Diese phantastischen Tiere muessen einfach in ihrer Artenvielfalt ueberleben. Leider ist der Mensch das groesste "Raubtier" und jagt diese Tiere manchmal nur aus Vergnuegen. Ich habe gesehen, wie ein Haendler (irgendwo in China) tausende von Haifischflossen gelagert hatte, nur um sie fuer die "Haifischflossensuppe" zu verwenden. Diese Flossen sind den Tieren bei lebendigem Leib abgeschnitten worden, was den sicheren Tod zur Folge hat. Leider koennen diese Tiere keine entsetzliche Schmerzensschreie ausstossen. Es ist ein Jammer, das diese Menschen es nicht verstanden haben, das diese Lebewesen zum Oekosystem der Meere gehoeren. Sterben die Haie aus, kippt das Meer um und bringt das Gleichgewicht der Natur durcheinander, was auch auf die Landtiere Einfluss hat. Diese Denke trifft natuerlich auch auf andere vom aussterben bedrohte Tiere (Berggorillas, Wale, Meeresschildkroeten, etc.) zu. Bedauerlicherweise haben die Menschen, die diese Tiere ausrotten, es nicht begriffern, das mit diesen Tieren der Tourismus eine sehr gute Einnahmequelle sein kann. Die Meere werden ueberfischt, unsere Luft wird verschmutzt, die Umwelt durch Gifte und Pestizide verseucht. In Deutschland wird zur Zeit mit einem Zeppelin, der in großen Hoehen fliegt, geprueft, ob die belasteten Luftschichten sich regenerieren. Passiert das nicht, erstickt die Menschheit an ihren eigenen in die Luft geblasenen Schadstoffen. Die Automobilindustrie ist an dieser Miesere nicht ganz unbeteiligt. Hinzu kommen noch die natuerlichen Belastungen aus den Vulkanen mit den pyroklastischen Wolken. Die Reihe laesst sich weiter fortsetzten. Es muss eine umweltgerechte Denkweise der Menschen einsetzen, die nicht nur auf den (schnellen) Profit ausgerichtet ist, aber in den "armen Laendern" ist dieser Denken reiner Luxus. Hier geht es ums taegliche Ueberleben.
Cheers Mojan
From: dcallard@bigpond.net.au
Subject: Sharks.
Date: July 21, 2007 9:56:36 AM GMT+08:00
To: gdeichmann@mac.com
Hello Gunther,
I have read your blog re shark conservation with great interest. I watch Discovery, History, Nat Geo to be educated. I too have been appalled by the negative portrayal of sharks as man-eaters while largely ignoring the larger vital role they play in the functioning of the ecosystem. I expect truly objective science from programs such as Discovery, and Nat Geo, which also seems to have sold out to the public fascination with disaster; I am thinking of NG programs like "Raging Planet", even docos about American prisons!
The sensational Discovery programs about sharks seems to have more to do with the ratio of ratings to the $ bottom line. It is certainly not objective science. Anyway, if it takes sensationalism to sell a program Discovery could objectively promote their cause and that of conservation by highlighting the real issue which of course is the truth about sharks. This approach would provide all the sensationalism they want while coincidentally telling the real story. In other words, the truth is likely to be more 'sensational' and marketable than mythological conceptions of sharks (and many other examples of Nature).
I find it interesting to contrast the issue of shark conservation with that of whales. The campaign to "Save the whales" has been high profile and effective in promoting that cause. I see no difference between the basic priorities: sharks, whales, frogs, butterflies and so on. We must protect them all from us!
Never has the world needed objective, informed and balanced media more than it does now. Yet what do we get? CNN devotes headlines to Paris Hilton! For goodness sakes, enough, enough I say! The important truths will always sell, if only we can get them.
Well, those are my thoughts Gunther. Keep up the good work! I am just about to get back behind the camera myself.
Cheers,
David.
On Jul 20, 2007, at 3:04 PM, aaron@lennoxnooi.com wrote:
Dear Gunther,
I've just read through the letter. I agree 100%.
Aaron
Please help our Sharks and Turtles, an Environmental message
Unborn Shark, it's Mother and Baby got
Murdered!

Stop
the killing and say no to Shark fin soup, it
is
Disgusting.
Sharks
are
NOT
man-eaters, it is us who eat and destroy them,
and why do we kill Turtles and burn our forests?
Why???????
Gunther
Deichmann and his friends are fully in agreement with
this letter!


Photos
© Gunther Deichmann,
www.deichmann-photo.com

Please take a good look at the images above,
there is a community in Bataan, who used to collect
turtle eggs and sell them.
No
more,
they now take care of these precious creatures,
collect the eggs and once they have hatched release
them back into our Ocean, I wish we had more
communities like this, and who thought this is happen
in the Philippines, but this is the fact, including
road signs in this area have been put up for our oil
guzzling cars.
More in details about this amazing Turtle loving
community in one of my future blogs, but please read
on regarding the letter which I have
received
from my friend and supporter Jason Heller at
DivePhotoGuide and get all the info
@
http://www.divephotoguide.com/discovery_shark_week.php
For
those of you have not seen this yet, please feel free
to post it. It is a formal
response from the world’s foremost shark scientists,
researchers and conservationists
regarding this year’s Shark Week content. If you
support shark conservation, please
consider posting or publishing it.
http://www.divephotoguide.com/discovery_shark_week.php
Our Environment-some of us do care!
Interesting
note from David Callard in Australia, his comments on
the Environment issue and images, please read below,
some of us do care.
Thanks David for your views and nice words.
G.D.
From: dcallard@bigpond.net.au
Subject: The planet in the
oven.
Date: June 9, 2007
10:19:28 AM GMT+08:00
To: gdeichmann@mac.com
Hello Gunther,
Love the new
environment images. I think my favorite is the plain
water drop on the leaf; that really says it for me.
Addressing climate change has to be the biggest
challenge mankind has faced, yet I am not totally
pessimistic about our ability to solve it. Unlike the
Mesopotamians or the Aztecs modern man has the
scientific knowledge to identify the problem and
propose solutions. Yes, we will have to accept some
major changes to our lifestyles and means of
production but capitalism has clearly won the
ideological wars and of course its greatest strength
is its capacity to rapidly adapt to change. So, I put
my faith in science to find alternative energy
sources. I am in favor of nuclear power as a stopgap
solution until we can get solar and other sources
fully developed. More later - have to do some more
study.
Cheers, David.

To
view my new collection on Environment images,
please go to my Aperture Gallery:
http://homepage.mac.com/gdeichmann/ENVIRONMENT%20PART%202/
or
go to my PhotoShelter archive for high res. images:
http://www.photoshelter.com/c/gdeichmann
Some of us do care!
Just received
this nice note from Mark Cox, please read below:
Hi Gunther,
You are so right mate! all we humans ever do is
take take & more take, then we start crying when
its too late, we will definitely destroy our
selves its just human instinct I think. If all the
tree's & rain-forest disappear human
life will cease to exist. I'm the same as you Gunther
the world has to come together before its too late
really.
Great Work Gunther.
Mark Cox
mark@tech-dive-academy.com
Photographer & Adventurer
Global warming and water crisis


I have created some images trying to portrait the on
going world water crisis and Global warming issue.
enjoy these images and...
THINK!
It is indeed a serious problem world wide,
lets do something about it.
THANKS!
You can help.
Too!
Click this link to view more images on
my Aperture web Gallery
Blue Planet Run: The Water Crisis
We do have a problem, no arguments about that. Not only in Africa......
.......but on a Global scale.
I have provided a link to the Aperture Users Professional Network.
AUPN BLOG.
There you can read the whole article/story how we can be part of this and help,
I certainly will!
Gunther
Photo: © Gunther Deichmann
The world is just a drop away from disaster
Photo: © Gunther Deichmann
It is in our hands to make a difference!


