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Green Issues

A weekly column on current issues by John A Burton of the World Land Trust. The views expressed are personal, and do not necessarily reflect those of the WLT. Feedback and comments are welcomed.

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BBC Saving Planet Earth

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Today sees the launch, by our Patron, Sir David Attenborough, of the BBC's Saving Planet Earth series. And I was very pleased indeed to read Sir David's quotes in the Radio Times, giving emphasis to the human population problem.

The intention of the Saving Planet Earth series is to raise public awareness of worldwide conservation issues. But in addition, it will also be the first time that the BBC has used a series such as this to raise funds to support conservation. Using the precedents of Children in Need and Comic Relief, appeals will be broadcast in association with the transmission of programmes. http://www.bbc.co.uk/savingplanetearth/

I was honoured to be asked to be a Trustee of the new BBC Wildlife Fund, (http://www.bbc.co.uk/savingplanetearth/aboutus/thetrustees.shtml)
which has been established to gather the funds, and later to decide which projects to support. Of course we have no idea how much the BBC WF will raise, but it could be significant amounts of funds, which will enable us to give support to a wide range of projects. Interestingly the WLT is receiving more enquiries than ever from businesses wanting to support conservation through the World Land Trust. But as I emphasised at our Annual General Meeting, last week, it is the individual supporters that give the WLT its strength. All of you out there in cyberspace reading this blog, are important to us, whether or not you donate regularly, occasionally or never. If it is the latter, I hope you will spread the word.

Last week the Trustees agreed to fund several more land purchases -- one in the tropical forests of the Dry Chaco, and another parcel of land in the Paraguayan Pantanal, completing the first phase of the Three Giants Reserve. And Ocean Contract Cleaning donated £50,000 to our projects in Paraguay. The WLT is really begining to grow, but we still need more support -- forest continue to disappear at an alarming rate, so the more we can save, the better for the future of our planet.

Labels: Endangered Species, International Conservation Issues

Posted by John Sunday, June 24, 2007
 
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2 Comments:

Hi there -to David Attenborough,all the celebrities and all the people that were involved in making this programme such a great success.Unfortunately I was`nt aware of the various events that had been taking place for a month or two before hand. Before I actually managed to watch saving planet earth on Friday 6th July-and what a brilliant it was too and with the celebrities that were involved,and I also managed to see most of the Live Earth Event too(Although I was at work during the day).I also sent the same comments and suggestion to BBC-stating that I strongly believe and would love to see such a Fund raising programme prepared and shown each year(Just the same as Children in Need does every year-but the same done for raising funds for Conservation and towards saving as many wildlife species as possible,as well as General Animal Charities be included in the Fundraising-Who normally only have public donations to rely on,and Never received any extra funds-such as any money provided by Government Funding, Nor from the National Lottery. The Charities included in usual regular Fundraising of any form-including the National Lottery shoul`nt just be about raising regular,or giving regular extra funds-to just children and Human,Communtiy Charities-I strongly believe that wildlife and animal Charities should be included too. I also believe that an In memory Tribute should be included in Televised Programme-for Raising Funds towards saving our wildlife species and general Animal charities(And whatever Funds are raised-"Be split between Wildlife Charities and general Animal Charities(Who don`t usually get provided any extra funding of any kind). And getting back to the In memory tribute thing that shoud be included in any future Fundraising (Televised Programmes)- that a In Memory Tribute should be included in such televised(future) fundraising events-In Memory of "Steve Irwin", and his memory be kept alive and him remebered each year(after all his dedication and hard work he put most of his life into-to be successful in achieving as many wildlife species as he could-Knowing How extremely Important Conservation and all the wildlife species (as in saving),as well as his total dedication in educating people that was so important- for Millions of people (all over the world)to be aware of how extremely important it is-to help save as many wildlife species(from extinction)-as possible-for future Generations. I believe that will all the dedication(as one of the best Conservationists- He deserves to be remembered each year and for his memory to be kept alive each year(He will be missed by Millions of people-allover the world-for I Long Time to come. And I also suggest that his good Friend-David Attenborough, Wes Manion, his producer Mr Stainton, and his family members(His Wife Terri, daughter-Bindi,Son-Bob, and Steve`s Father-Bob be included in the In Memory Tribute to him(possibly/preferably each year-in such as my suggested televised programme event-for fundraising towards saving all of our essential and Important species of Wildlife, and that people all over the world should pull together and help to keep Steve`s excellent work and dedication kept going and kept alive. I`d been a great fan of Steve Irwin-and as far as I was concerned-"He was the best/One of the Best Conservationists ever-And a True Hero

By  Anonymous, at 09 July, 2007 01:28  

Watching 'Planet Earth: The Future' not only did I see the 'Chief Scientific Adviser' (looked more like a new york banker to me) to the world bank repeat the usual lunatic mantra 'We need that economic growth!' but I also see some mouthpiece from the greenwash organisation Conservation International start prattling on too. These guys are undoubtedly as the testimony below proves (well one of them at least) are agents of massive corporations i.e. oil companies. The makers of this programme are evidently hell bent on the destruction of this planet. Why not have some credible environmental campaigners talking about Carbon Rationing or some real solutions. Maybe the public just isn't ready for that yet eh what Alistair old boy?

Conservation International aims "to conserve the Earth's living heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature." They are a U.S.-based, nonprofit international organization. [1]

Aziz Choudry writing in Zmag in 2003 notes that "Colin Powell says that its work is "amazing". In 2001, it received what the media dubbed the biggest ever grant to an environmental organization - US $261 million spread over 10 years. Its website proclaims: "A passionate few can make the difference in the world."" He adds that:

"In 1997 CI signed a comprehensive bioprospecting agreement with California-based company Hyseq, which specializes in genomic sequencing. CI agreed to pre-screen drug candidates derived from flora and fauna samples, and provide regular reports on its research findings to Hyseq. As well as an initial contribution, Hyseq would pay CI on a country basis, and an annual fee. Hyseq is free to pursue intellectual property claims over any results.
"In Panama, CI worked with Novartis, Monsanto, and others, in "ecologically guided bioprospecting" - seeking pharmaceutical and agricultural products from plants, fungi and insects. In Surinam it cooperated with Bristol Myers Squibb, with its ethnobotanists collecting plant samples. CI worked to win the trust of Indigenous communities and healers and negotiate a very dubious "benefit-sharing" agreement. ...
"A June 2003 report by Chiapas-based Center for Political Analysis and Social Investigation (CAPISE) dubbed CI a Trojan Horse of the US government and transnational corporations. It revealed that CI's program of flyovers - part of their USAID-supported "environmental monitoring" program - flew over areas occupied by Zapatista communities in planes which bore USAID markings. In Chiapas, CI uses state-of-the art geographical information systems (GIS) technology, including high resolution satellite imaging. ...
"CI supports the World Bank -backed MesoAmerican Biological Corridor project. Many indigenous communities, social movements and NGOs have condemned this as an attempt to greenwash the massive Plan Puebla Panama infrastructure scheme, and as a front for corporate biopiracy in the region.
"CI is also a partner in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, with the World Bank and the American Forest and Paper Association (US timber and paper industry lobby group), launched by Colin Powell at last year's World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg." [2]
Dan Martin - Senior Managing Director
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By  alan, at 05 September, 2007 09:12  

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