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WELCOME All seeing cameras O ur infographic this month looks at who is looking at whom (Page 20). Surveillance cameras are ubiquitous. Peering down from rooftops and lamposts, they seem to have spread as fast as a pandemic. China, of course, is in a sinister class of its own. With one camera for every three of its 1.4 billion people and ever more sophisticated and controlling ways to monitor the data collected, it outstrips the most paranoid of our fears about Big Brother. India is not that far behind, with four of its cities ranking in the Top Ten surveillance stakes. London comes in tenth with 13.35 cameras per 1,000 population. Our Worldwatch report on Page 8 reveals another facet of India’s digital nous. It is using AI to establish whether irritating border skirmishes with China are more than just random accidents. Not surprisingly, the data suggests that they are more strategic than previously thought. Thankfully, not everything the camera does is in the service of the state. Our powerful photo story on the problems facing the Colorado River (Page 22) reveals many of the failings of governments – from over estimating the amount of water that flows down the USA’s sixth longest river to allowing gross over-exploitation of this precious resource, plus, and this applies to all countries, the failure to curb global warming. On a more celebratory note, the Nature Conservancy photo competition winners starting on Page 60 are a joy to behold. And, of course, a Happy New Year to one and all. Graeme Gourlay Publisher CONTRIBUTORS ‘Seeing the Colorado run dry, just a few kilometres after the US-Mexican Border, was shocking. How can a river flow for thousands of miles and then suddenly disappear?’ asks Jonas Kako after travelling the length of the river documenting the impacts he witnessed (Page 22). ‘Seeing people’s daily struggle to survive in such a changing environment made me understand the importance of the river.’ ‘Iberá is such an inspirational place to visit. It really demonstrates nature’s powers of recovery, if we give it a little assistance,’ says Daniel Allen, an editorial consultant for Rewilding Europe, after returning from a trip to Argentina’s largest wetland. Read his inspiring report on the successful project to transform what was once an over-exploited, threatened environment on Page 48. 4 . GEOGRAPHICAL ‘Sri Lanka’s recent turmoil set government travel advice sites jangling,’ say Nick Redmayne. It also got him packing his bags. Read his report on a country recovering from a difficult year on Page 41. ‘Stories of riots, food shortages and fuel queues filled the headlines. For a time, chaos reigned. However, despite depleted foreign exchange and a serious cost-of-living crisis, the country functions.’ Geographical GEOGRAPHICAL July 2020 Volume 92 Issue 07 Publisher Graeme Gourlay Editor Katie Burton Design Gordon Beckett Staff writer Bryony Cottam Operations director Simon Simmons Sales and marketing Elaine Saunders ADDRESS Geographical, Suite 3.16, QWest, Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0GP Telephone: 020 8332 8405 Email: magazine@geographical.co.uk ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Telephone: 020 3900 0147 Email: elaine@geographical.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS Geographical, Freepost (SCE 12967), Thatcham RG19 4BR Telephone: 01635 588 496 Fax: 01635 868 594 Email: geographical@circdata.com ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES UK: £54, EUROPE: £67, USA: £76, REST OF THE WORLD: £77 NEWSSTAND SALES AND MARKETING Intermedia Telephone: 01293 312 001 Email: getintouch@inter-media.co.uk NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION Fastmag, Circulation Department Telephone: 01582 475 333 Email: comments@fastmagltd.co.uk © Syon Geographical Ltd Registered No. 07457559 Printed by Precision Colour Printing, Telford, UK SUBMISSIONS Editorial proposals are only required from established writers and photojournalists. Please send them to magazine@geographical.co.uk. For contrib­utors’ guide­lines, please send an email to magazine@geographical.co.uk. Please do not send unsolicited photographic material. Geographical © is the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), and was founded by Michael Huxley in 1935. The publishers of Geographical pay a licence fee to the RGS–IBG. This fee is assigned to a fund for the advancement of exploration and research and the promotion of geographical knowledge. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers or the Society. The publishers cannot be held responsible for loss of, or damage to, or the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Published monthly. The paper in this magazine originates from timber grown in sustainable forests, responsibly managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. For every tree that we use to make Geographical, three more are planted. Cover image Jonas Kako

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WELCOME

All seeing cameras O

ur infographic this month looks at who is looking at whom (Page 20). Surveillance cameras are ubiquitous. Peering down from rooftops and lamposts, they seem to have spread as fast as a pandemic. China, of course, is in a sinister class of its own. With one camera for every three of its 1.4 billion people and ever more sophisticated and controlling ways to monitor the data collected, it outstrips the most paranoid of our fears about Big Brother. India is not that far behind, with four of its cities ranking in the Top Ten surveillance stakes. London comes in tenth with 13.35 cameras per 1,000 population. Our Worldwatch report on Page 8 reveals another facet of India’s digital nous. It is using AI to establish whether irritating border skirmishes with China are more than just random accidents. Not surprisingly, the data suggests that they are more strategic than previously thought. Thankfully, not everything the camera does is in the service of the state. Our powerful photo story on the problems facing the Colorado River (Page 22) reveals many of the failings of governments – from over estimating the amount of water that flows down the USA’s sixth longest river to allowing gross over-exploitation of this precious resource, plus, and this applies to all countries, the failure to curb global warming. On a more celebratory note, the Nature Conservancy photo competition winners starting on Page 60 are a joy to behold. And, of course, a Happy New Year to one and all. Graeme Gourlay Publisher

CONTRIBUTORS

‘Seeing the Colorado run dry, just a few kilometres after the US-Mexican Border, was shocking. How can a river flow for thousands of miles and then suddenly disappear?’ asks Jonas Kako after travelling the length of the river documenting the impacts he witnessed (Page 22). ‘Seeing people’s daily struggle to survive in such a changing environment made me understand the importance of the river.’

‘Iberá is such an inspirational place to visit. It really demonstrates nature’s powers of recovery, if we give it a little assistance,’ says Daniel Allen, an editorial consultant for Rewilding Europe, after returning from a trip to Argentina’s largest wetland. Read his inspiring report on the successful project to transform what was once an over-exploited, threatened environment on Page 48.

4 . GEOGRAPHICAL

‘Sri Lanka’s recent turmoil set government travel advice sites jangling,’ say Nick Redmayne. It also got him packing his bags. Read his report on a country recovering from a difficult year on Page 41. ‘Stories of riots, food shortages and fuel queues filled the headlines. For a time, chaos reigned. However, despite depleted foreign exchange and a serious cost-of-living crisis, the country functions.’

Geographical

GEOGRAPHICAL

July 2020 Volume 92 Issue 07

Publisher Graeme Gourlay

Editor Katie Burton Design Gordon Beckett Staff writer Bryony Cottam Operations director Simon Simmons Sales and marketing Elaine Saunders

ADDRESS Geographical, Suite 3.16, QWest,

Great West Road, Brentford,

Middlesex TW8 0GP Telephone: 020 8332 8405 Email: magazine@geographical.co.uk

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

Telephone: 020 3900 0147 Email: elaine@geographical.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS Geographical, Freepost (SCE 12967), Thatcham RG19 4BR

Telephone: 01635 588 496

Fax: 01635 868 594 Email: geographical@circdata.com

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES

UK: £54, EUROPE: £67, USA: £76, REST OF THE WORLD: £77

NEWSSTAND SALES AND MARKETING

Intermedia Telephone: 01293 312 001 Email: getintouch@inter-media.co.uk

NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION Fastmag, Circulation Department

Telephone: 01582 475 333 Email: comments@fastmagltd.co.uk

© Syon Geographical Ltd Registered No. 07457559 Printed by Precision Colour Printing, Telford, UK

SUBMISSIONS Editorial proposals are only required from established writers and photojournalists.

Please send them to magazine@geographical.co.uk. For contrib­utors’ guide­lines, please send an email to magazine@geographical.co.uk. Please do not send unsolicited photographic material.

Geographical © is the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), and was founded by

Michael Huxley in 1935. The publishers of

Geographical pay a licence fee to the RGS–IBG.

This fee is assigned to a fund for the advancement of exploration and research and the promotion of geographical knowledge. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers or the Society. The publishers cannot be held responsible for loss of, or damage to, or the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

Published monthly.

The paper in this magazine originates from timber grown in sustainable forests, responsibly managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

For every tree that we use to make Geographical,

three more are planted.

Cover image

Jonas Kako

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