环球英语 — 380：Tribal Leaders Protecting the Environm

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹, I'm Joshua Leo
Voice 2
And I'm Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The sun sets in the mountains of Torghar, in the province of Balochistan Pakistan. Two wild sheep jump from rock to rock. Their long hair blows in the wind. Across the mountain valley, a man stands with a gun. But he is not hunting these animals. Instead, he is protecting them. He is a member of STEP. Today's Spotlight is on this group and the rare goats and sheep they are protecting.
Voice 1
Many small tribes³ live in the Torghar area. The people in the tribes know each family in other tribes. Many are related⁴ to each other through marriage. These tribal⁵ people live semi-nomadic lives. When they move their herds⁶ of animals to find new areas of food, they also move their homes. They live in tents made of black goat hair. Some tribes have small farms where they grow food. But life in these mountains is difficult. Plants do not grow easily in the rocky ground.
Voice 2
But these mountains are also home to two very rare kinds of animals: the Sulaiman Markhor goat and Afghan Urial sheep. Goats and sheep are very similar. In many places in the world, people keep these animals for their milk and hair. But the Sulaiman Markhor and the Afghan Urial are different. They are wild. And they only live in a few places in the world.
Voice 1
The Sulaiman Markhor is a large long haired goat. Markhors are the largest kind of goat in the world. They have sharp horns that grow from the top of their heads. Most Markhor's horns bend out. But the Sulaiman Markhor's horns are straight. And the horns can grow more than a meter long.
Voice 2
The Afghan Urial is a smaller sheep. It also has large horns. But its horns bend behind its head. The hair on the Urial's chest grows long and white. It is very beautiful.
Voice 1
Over time, the Markhor and Urial have faced many difficulties. After conflict in the Torghar area, many people owned guns. And these guns made hunting easy. People killed too many Markhor. People also destroyed the land where the goats lived. And farm animals competed with the Markhor for food. Twenty years ago, the Markhor population reduced to less than one hundred. Something had to be done to save these animals.
Voice 2
In 1984, Sardar Naseer Tareen was working in Torghar. He was making a film about the area for the provincial⁷ government. And he was very surprised to find a few small groups of the Markhor goats and Urial sheep. But he was angry that no one was doing anything to protect them. The government was not helping⁸, and the tribal people were not helping either. So Sardar Naseer decided⁹ to help these animals himself.
Voice 1
Sardar Naseer had no experience in environmental problems. He was born in Pakistan, in Balochistan province. As a student, he studied film-making in the United States. He had lived in the United States for twenty four years. After some time, he wanted to return to Pakistan and learn more about his family ancestors. He wanted to make films about Balochistan Province. That is what brought him to the Torghar area.
Voice 2
The local government hired him to make a film about local animals. They had lots of information, including many pictures and papers. But Sardar Naseer found that this was the only place the animals existed. Many animals only existed in the pictures. They had died out completely. This was why he was so surprised to find the animals in Torghar.
Voice 1
But the animals were in danger. The wild populations were very small. So Sardar Naseer decided to talk to a local tribal leader. He discussed the issue with Nawab Tiamur Shah Jogezai, chief of the Kakar tribe². Mr Jogezai told Sardar Naseer about his own struggles. He had tried to get help from the local government but had no success. And he could not get local people to guard the animals either.
Voice 2
So Sardar Naseer went back to the United States to get help from government officials. But after some research, Sardar learned¹⁰ some important information. The local government in Balochistan has very little power over the land where the Markhor and Urial live. These are tribal lands. The tribes control the land, not the government. The answer to the problem was to get all the tribes in the area involved in protecting the animals.
Voice 1
Sarder Naseer knew this would be difficult. So he went back to Mr. Jogezai. Mr Jogezai told Sardar Naseer that his son would help with the project. His son, Nawabazada Mahboob was a skilled¹¹ hunter. But Mahboob took an important first step that started many changes. He was the first person to put down his gun and stop hunting. He became an example to many other people. He has greatly helped with the protection of the animals.
Voice 2
With these tribal people, Sardar Naseer formed a new group to protect the Markhor and Urial. The group was called the Torghar Conservation Project or TCP. Their first step was guarding the animals. The group closed the area to all hunting. Then they hired tribal people to protect the animals.
Voice 1
When the animal population started to grow, the group permitted limited hunting - just a few animals every year. It may seem strange that the group permitted this, but it was an important part of the project. The TCP encouraged the government to raise prices on hunting permits. Before the project, hunters from Europe and the United states only paid about one hundred [100] dollars for a hunting permit. But with the TCP's support, the government raised the cost to twenty five thousand [25,000] dollars. Most of this money goes to the tribes. With this money, the group pays fifty seven [57] tribal people to guard the animals.
Voice 2
Since the group has started, illegal hunting in the area has stopped. The Torghar area now has the largest populations of Markhor and Urial. These populations have grown from just one hundred [100] to over fifteen hundred! [1,500] As time went on, the TCP became a larger organization. Today, it is the Society for Torghar Environmental Protection, or STEP.
Voice 1
STEP is the largest employer¹² in the Torghar area. It has helped the tribal communities support themselves. And the group plans to use money to build schools and health centers. The tribes have recognized the importance of the animals in the Torghar region¹³. People from all around the world come to their area to learn about their methods. The Torghar tribes are proud that they have lead the way for a new way of environmental protection.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

3 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

7 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

11 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

12 employer   

n.雇用方，雇主

参考例句：

• My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
• His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。

13 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。