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WELCOME Broaden your mind Antarctica is another world, an empty frozen desert surrounded by the bountiful Southern Ocean. The sea and coastline are full of life, from prolific microscopic plankton, one of the first links in the planet’s food chain, right up to ocean leviathans such as humpbacks and other whales, which do a remarkable job in recycling our excesses of carbon. Crossing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is a journey into a natural world – one that’s essential for our survival and how we protect it is an ever-pressing question. Rewilding expert and academic Paul Jepson made his first trip into this realm full of excitement about the unknown but with some qualms about the impact modern tourism could have on such a fragile environment. His report (Page 22) is fascinating, and his powerful plea on how this unique wilderness could become a template for how we should treat the natural world, is an essential read. Another writer who challenges how we see and interact with the natural world is Dawn Hollis. In her teens, she dreamt of ‘conquering’ Mount Everest. Today (see Page 40), she questions the assumptions behind ‘summit fever’ and suggests that there’s far more to be gained by appreciating the glory of mountain environments than just ticking the box of getting to the top. And, on Page 68, Mark Rowe reports on the Isle of Wight, a tourist destination that’s moving on from a traditional bucket-and-spade seaside image to attracting visitors who want to immerse themselves in nature. The best sort of travel – and travel journalism – should always broaden your mind. Graeme Gourlay, Editor CONTRIBUTORS NEXT MONTH Dawn Hollis is a historian and hill-lover, despite being born in low-lying East Anglia. Over the course of her studies and research at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and St Andrews, she became fascinated with the question of how people experienced mountains before the birth of mountaineering. She lives by the sea in Scotland with her family and a 19th-century iron printing press. Paul Jepson is a geographer with more than 40 years of experience in conservation research, policy and management. Paul co-directed two multidisciplinary MSc programmes at Oxford University. He wrote Rewilding: The radical new science of ecological recovery. Currently, he leads the Innovation and Science team at CreditNature, developing novel investments in nature recovery. DOSSIER Recent studies confirm that conservation efforts are having a positive impact on halting biodiversity loss. Mark Rowe discovers which efforts are working, which species are benefitting and how to further protect our natural world. The next issue of Geographical is out on Friday 21 June 4 . GEOGRAPHICAL Geographical GEOGRAPHICAL July 2020 Volume 92 Issue 07 Publisher/Editor Graeme Gourlay graeme@geographical.co.uk Associate Editor Katie Burton Design Gordon Beckett Staff Writer Bryony Cottam Operations Director Simon Simmons Circulation Director Patrick Napier Commercial Director Chloe Smith Advertising Director Elaine Saunders ADDRESS Geographical, Mill Lane House, Mill Lane, Margate, Kent CT9 1LB Email: magazine@geographical.co.uk ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Telephone: 020 3900 0147 Email: elaine@geographical.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS Web: gsub.me/magazine Email: subscriptions@geographical.co.uk Telephone: 020 3576 1699 NEWSSTAND 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 Buxt on Press, Buxton, Derbyshire SUBMISSIONS Editorial proposals are only required from established writers and photojournalists. Please send them to magazine@geographical.co.uk. 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. Cover image: Amazon Frontlines
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CONTENTSJune 2024 • Volume 96 • Issue 6 COVER STORY 32FIGHTINGFOR THE FOREST Graeme Greene interviews Indigenous Amazon activist Nemonte Nenquimo 40 68 SUMMIT FEVER Are mountains to be conquered or simply enjoyed, asks author Dawn Hollis ISLE OF WIGHT Mark Rowe’s travel guide to the once traditional bucket-and-spade resort that’s rapidly becoming much more about boots and bikes 22 ANOTHER WORLD Paul Jepson on how Antarctica could become the template for how we treat the natural world 46 VARANASI The dark side to India’s City of Light. Stuart Butler reports on the citiy’s problems with human trafficking DEPARTMENTSWORLDWATCH 6 Bacterial resistance 8 Data centres 10 Research round-up 12 Phenomena: Blood Falls 14 Geo-graphic: Olympics WORLDVIEW 16 Is climate change our moonshot? 19 Geopolitics: Tim Marshall on world poverty 20 Climatewatch: Learning from a dystopian novel REGULARS 54 Gallery: Christopher Payne 60 Book reviews 65 Equipment matters 75 Discovering Britain 76 In Society. RGS-IBG events 79 RGS-IBG Archive 80 Where in the world? 81 Crossword 82 Passport: Ryan Ahlgren Find out more about the benefits of joining at www.rgs.org/joinus RGS panel Find out more about the benefits of joining at www.rgs.org/joinus JUNE 2024 . 5

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WELCOME

Broaden your mind

Antarctica is another world, an empty frozen desert surrounded by the bountiful Southern Ocean. The sea and coastline are full of life, from prolific microscopic plankton, one of the first links in the planet’s food chain, right up to ocean leviathans such as humpbacks and other whales, which do a remarkable job in recycling our excesses of carbon. Crossing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is a journey into a natural world – one that’s essential for our survival and how we protect it is an ever-pressing question. Rewilding expert and academic Paul Jepson made his first trip into this realm full of excitement about the unknown but with some qualms about the impact modern tourism could have on such a fragile environment. His report (Page 22) is fascinating, and his powerful plea on how this unique wilderness could become a template for how we should treat the natural world, is an essential read. Another writer who challenges how we see and interact with the natural world is Dawn Hollis. In her teens, she dreamt of ‘conquering’ Mount Everest. Today (see Page 40), she questions the assumptions behind ‘summit fever’ and suggests that there’s far more to be gained by appreciating the glory of mountain environments than just ticking the box of getting to the top. And, on Page 68, Mark Rowe reports on the Isle of Wight, a tourist destination that’s moving on from a traditional bucket-and-spade seaside image to attracting visitors who want to immerse themselves in nature. The best sort of travel – and travel journalism – should always broaden your mind. Graeme Gourlay, Editor

CONTRIBUTORS

NEXT MONTH

Dawn Hollis is a historian and hill-lover, despite being born in low-lying East Anglia. Over the course of her studies and research at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and St Andrews, she became fascinated with the question of how people experienced mountains before the birth of mountaineering. She lives by the sea in Scotland with her family and a

19th-century iron printing press.

Paul Jepson is a geographer with more than

40 years of experience in conservation research, policy and management.

Paul co-directed two multidisciplinary MSc programmes at Oxford University. He wrote Rewilding: The radical new science of ecological recovery. Currently, he leads the Innovation and Science team at CreditNature, developing novel investments in nature recovery.

DOSSIER Recent studies confirm that conservation efforts are having a positive impact on halting biodiversity loss. Mark Rowe discovers which efforts are working, which species are benefitting and how to further protect our natural world.

The next issue of Geographical is out on

Friday 21 June

4 . GEOGRAPHICAL

Geographical

GEOGRAPHICAL

July 2020 Volume 92 Issue 07

Publisher/Editor Graeme Gourlay graeme@geographical.co.uk Associate Editor Katie Burton

Design Gordon Beckett Staff Writer Bryony Cottam Operations Director Simon Simmons Circulation Director Patrick Napier

Commercial Director Chloe Smith Advertising Director Elaine Saunders

ADDRESS Geographical, Mill Lane House, Mill Lane,

Margate, Kent CT9 1LB Email: magazine@geographical.co.uk

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS Web: gsub.me/magazine Email: subscriptions@geographical.co.uk

Telephone: 020 3576 1699

NEWSSTAND

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 Buxt on Press, Buxton, Derbyshire

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

Please send them to magazine@geographical.co.uk.

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.

Cover image: Amazon Frontlines

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