Printed from: www.icbl.org/news/archive/old/443
Technology to the rescue?
Author/Origin: Sue Wixley mediaSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org |
(Thursday 29 January 2004 )
Humanitarian demining works. But it is very time-consuming and labour intensive and can be dangerous. Credit: John Rodsted
Recent developments have attracted widespread media attention and could help with landmine clearance efforts.
Mine detection rats (a cheap potential alternative to dogs) have been used in Tanzania and are currently being tested in Mozambique. A genetically engineered plant, which grows like a weed but changes colour when it finds a landmine, is being developed by a Danish biotech company. Even Irish schoolboys are getting in on the act: the Irish Times reports here about a young scientist who invented a robot to detects mines.
More info
- Articles on mine detection rats in Newsweek and Scotsman.
- BBC interview about the biotech plant.
- Study on mine detection dogs by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining: Mine Detection Dogs: Training, Operations and Odour Detection. Also see their Guide to Mine Action.
We need solutions that work
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) does not endorse any specific inventions or promote one over the other. However, we welcome developments that improve the speed, safety and efficiency of existing mine clearance methods. In other words if a development helps to bring us closer to our goal of a mine-free world, we're happy!It is important that research and development (R&D) efforts are well coordinated and focused on operational needs. For example, there’s no point spending lots of money on developing a hi-tech solution that will ultimately be too expensive and unworkable in the mine-contaminated rice paddies of Cambodia or plains of Afghanistan. We believe that money spent on R&D should be in addition to, and in proportion with, funds spent on demining.
Humanitarian demining
A number of demining organisations are members of the ICBL. As part of our Mine Action Working Group, they call for more resources for mine action programmes and promote integrated humanitarian mine action, among other issues. Humanitarian mine action is championed, as a facilitator of rehabilitation and reconstruction and not just as an end in itself.Contact ICBL press officers for comment or interviews about this or other landmine-related topics.