Diary style blog by John Burton, CEO of the World Land Trust about what WLT has to do to achieve conservation, as it actually happens.

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Green Diary

This page shows the most recent Green Diary posts, or a selection of posts in the same category. To read older posts, use the archive in the navigation bar on this page. The newest posts can always be found at www.worldlandtrust.org/news/blog.htm.

Green Diary posts on this page:

Tuesday, February 23, 2010:

Why do we value the Natural World so little? 

Over the weekend I happened to finish reading a book about the Amber Room in St Petersburg. This priceless 'lost' treasure has been re-created at a cost of millions of dollars. And it set me thinking about the annual turnover of works of art and the millions and millions of dollars, pound, yen, euros etc invested. And yet these works of man (and woman) in many cases are not even unique. Rodin produced multiple copies, there are dozens of 'original' Audubon illustrations of birds, and even more by Gould and Lear. I know, because I own a few of the latter.

Among all the great works of art there are also many that are of contentious attribution. Their value may plummet if they are shown to be copies or fakes. The famous example of art being worth more than nature is the painting of a cheetah by George Stubbs. But there are thousands of other examples.

When I was in Dresden a couple of years ago, I remember marvelling at the reconstruction of the cathedral. To me a monument to man's folly of irrational belief, but nonetheless a remarkable construction. It cost millions to rebuild, but it was also possible to rebuild it so convincingly that almost no one in the future will know that it is not original. Unfortunately we cannot do this with rainforest, or almost any other natural habitat. Once the habitat is destroyed, and some of the species go extinct that's it. It would be rather like trying to rebuild Dresden cathedral without being able to have any gold leaf.

The budgets of nature conservation organisations pale into insignificance when compared with those of the arts, and yet what we are trying to preserve is truly irreplaceable.

Perhaps there should be a natural world tax on every work of art that is sold for more than $1 million?

Posted by John Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010:

Ban Chugging? 

This week's Third Sector Magazine (the charity world's trade press) carries a feature entitled 'Should charities employ their own chuggers instead of using agencies?'. For those of you who don't know, a 'chugger' is a 'charity mugger' -- the people who stop you in the street and ask you to sign up to support a charity. Often operating in well-to-do areas they rely on people being embarrassed into signing up. These chuggers are usually paid by the number of people signing up, but it is very difficult to find out how cost effective they really are. Many charities using them justify their use by the fact that over the lifetime of the donor, it works out worthwhile. But every sign-up gets a fat fee for the chugger.

What is worrying about the article, is that there is an underlying assumption that chugging is acceptable. But to many of us operating charities it is a totally and unequivocally unacceptable method, which should be banned. Indeed some local councils in Britain have made moves to ban it.

Needless to say, along with almost all forms of unsolicited fundraising, it is not something the World Land Trust would ever engage in. But opinions would be useful. Should the WLT ever go out and ask for funds? Our experience has been that we command far more respect and attract long-term loyalty by not being demanding. My personal view is that the sort of people supporting a charity such as the WLT do it not because they feel embarrassed into donating, but because they genuinely believe that what we do is worthwhile, and are consequently as generous as they can afford to be. What do you, our readers think?

Posted by John Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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Friday, February 12, 2010:

A week in the Atlantic Rainforest 

I have just returned from a week in the Atlantic rainforests of South America. I was there with some very specific objectives: I was taking Michela Delle Donne, who represented Eurojersey Spa, an Italian producer of a warp-knit fabrics, along with a Brazilian wildlife film-maker, Luciano Breves - who is also an expert on all things related to webcams. (His Brazilian wildlife webcam can be seen here.)

Michela Delle Donne on a visit to the Atlantic Rainforest checking on the project being funded by the WLT with a donation from Eurojersey.


Logging still continues within the biosphere reserve - this photo was taken close to the area being purchased with funds provided by the WLT.

The purpose of the visit was to film both the Misiones forests that Eurojersey are helping to purchase, and also to see the success story that is the project WLT helps fund in the Rio area of Brazil: REGUA. In both areas we are working with our project partners to save important strongholds of the previously extensive Atlantic Forest.

The WLT believes that engaging our major corporate supporters directly with the projects they fund is an essential part of our work. Once they have seen for themselves what our work with our project partners on the ground involves, they are better equipped to pass on that message.

Eurojersey Spa strives to be as environmentally responsible as possible in their fabrics production cycle thanks to their SensitivEcoSystem® programme. Although synthetic, their patented fabrics called Sensitive® are manufactured to the highest possible environmental standards and with the lowest possible impact. (I know, because before we accepted support from them the owner of the company insisted I went and saw their factory located near Milan for myself.)

We saw the forests of Misiones, and saw the ongoing destruction. As always there is a limit to what governments can do, and the WLT project in Misiones province of Argentina is going to be a prime example of where the NGO sector can step in.

By funding the purchase of a critical corridor, connecting together a huge National Park in Argentina with a more modest park in Brazil, and working with an enthusiastic and supportive local land owner, the leverage effect of the million or so dollars the WLT project will have is enormous.

The project in Misiones was started by a $500,000 donation from a single private donor. This has now resulted in sponsorship from Stella Artois for their Christmas campaign in 2009, followed by sponsorship over a 5-year period from Eurojersey starting from January 2010. This in turn will hopefully leverage funding from the manufacturers of garments using Eurojersey's fabrics.

Over 90% of the Atlantic rainforests have disappeared, we must do everything we can to save them. Because of all the support from business, it really does mean that every donation from the public goes a long way. And with the videos created from the visit last week, we intend to generate enthusiasm for saving these critical forests.

Posted by John Friday, February 12, 2010
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Tuesday, February 02, 2010:

Avatars, Indigenous rights and the rainforest 

At the WLT we have seen a sudden surge in donations and several of our new donors have mentioned that they have seen the blockbuster film Avatar, and wanted to do something to help the environment. So I decided I had better go and see the film, and what it was all about.

Most of my life I have been a bit of a film buff, though in recent years I rarely actually get to a cinema. And I am also fairly infamous among friends as an aficionado of horror films, B movies, and fairly weird surrealist films. So the chance to see a major 3D Sci-Fi fantasy, seemed worthwhile. From the outset the special effects were superb. But nearly three hours later I felt that was just about it; special effects; seamless transitions from actors to computer generated special effects.

However original and clever, special effects do not make a great movie, and unfortunately, the plot of Avatar was pretty unoriginal and could be traced back to several dozen earlier movies. The story line is a pretty banal metaphor for man's destruction of planet earth, and the highlight of the film for me was the portrayal of the US army as colonial, might is right, all the world resources are ours by right, imperialists, with an oblique reference to the invasion of Iraq perhaps.

But the sad part of the green message is that I doubt if more than one person in a thousand seeing these Avatars will realise that this is precisely what is happening, as they watch the film, in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, to mention just one wild place threatened by human encroachment. For Avatars read Ayoreo, M'ba, Chamococ, Guarani etc.

As a giant bulldozer in the film trundled towards the audience in dramatic 3D, I immediately recalled the image of a bulldozer coming off a boat that had just crossed the Paraguay River from Brazil, and was about to crash into the territory once occupied by the Chamacoco and other indigenous groups.

In the film it was a quest for the imaginatively named mineral 'unobtanium'. In Paraguay it is the quest for more beef, and more soya to feed the cows for more burgers.

The film allegedly cost $460,000,000 to make. But as the audience munch their way through burgers and guzzle cola, how many realise they are responsible indirectly for the destruction that this film allegorises. A few have, and they have made donations. But we need thousands more if we are to slow down the destruction of the Gran Chaco.

The Amazon is usually pinpointed as the area under threat. But the reality is different. Over 95% of the Atlantic Rainforests of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina have already gone. Some 4% survive in a pristine condition. An average of 1,000 acres a day of the Gran Chaco are disappearing, and some of the world's last uncontacted tribes are soon to come face to face with the 'civilization' they have deliberately shunned. Bows and arrows against bulldozers.

When Sir David Attenborough visited Paraguay in 1959 there were thousands of indigenous groups living in isolation, uncontacted by the rest of the world. Since then these numbers have dwindled, and their traditional lands which once teemed with wildlife are being swallowed up for a few years of profit. Most of the Chaco is so fragile that in a few years it will turn to desert - I have seen the dunes that are spreading year by year.

But the world prefers to watch a film about tall skinny blue aliens on another planet, and ignore the fact it is happening right now to real people.

Posted by John Tuesday, February 02, 2010
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Friday, January 29, 2010:

'I do 30' to reduce CO2 emissions 

This morning I got an email from Anne Herngaard in Denmark, which I have copied below, as it seems a good idea, and is self explanatory, and I would like to encourage my readers to check it out.

I am just writing to let you know of a campaign called 'I do 30' that may be of interest to your blog.

During the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, our world leaders failed in making a climate change deal. It is therefore important that we all take responsibility for our actions to make a better world - and one way of doing this is by doing 30.

The 'I do 30' campaign encourages people across the world to turn down the temperature on their laundry to save CO2. We can all have a positive impact on the climate, by doing small climate friendly choices in your everyday life. So please help us create awareness and spread the 'I do 30' message.

We have gathered a community on Facebook of more than 12,000 fans. You can help us by making a blog post telling about 'I do 30' or you can join us on Facebook and spread the message.

Posted by John Friday, January 29, 2010
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Monday, January 25, 2010:

Why it makes no sense for charities to hoard cash 

Reading the charity trade press, it is interesting to note that one factor that is having a major impact on many of the larger charities is the low interest rates.

While low interest rates does have an impact on the World Land Trust, it is nothing like as significant as the fall in the value of the pound against the dollar. This is because most of our funds are raised in pounds, but spent in dollars.

But the main reason why the fall in interest rates does not have a massive impact on the WLT is because we do not hoard cash.

Charities are generally established to fulfill a need. It therefore does not make sense to sit on piles of money when we could something proactive with it.

Land does take a long time to buy, and its price is going up despite the recession. But we are now in the fortunate position of having a revolving fund, thanks to the generosity of one of our donors. Combined with our Action Fund reserves we now have around £400,000 that can be used to make an instant payment, should important land become available, so that we can secure it while fund-raising takes place. To us this is far better use of money than putting it in the bank to earn interest.

So however much you donate, whether it is £5, £50 or £500,000 we will be able to put it to good use.

Posted by John Monday, January 25, 2010
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Friday, January 22, 2010:

Ongoing Crisis in the Chaco 

The problems continue in the Chaco of Paraguay. Deforestation continues, and our partners are seriously under-resourced.

Yesterday I had a letter from Jose Luis Casaccia, the former Minister of the Environment of Paraguay, thanking the World Land Trust for organising a visit to England last year, when he was able to give a presentation to members of parliament, in the House of Commons. But despite all the publicity, deforestation continues.

The three National Parks that the WLT is helping to protect, together with the Ministry of Environment and our local NGO partner, Guyra Paraguay, cover an area of two and a half million acres -- that's the size of East Anglia. And we can only afford to fund five rangers. Surely someone reading this blog could find $5000 so that we can hire one more? And another, and another.

Sitting on my desk is a copy of Zoo Quest in Paraguay, with a youthful David Attenborough on the cover. Published in 1959, at that time the Chaco was almost completely undisturbed -- in fact Sir David barely got into the Chaco, and it was still populated by several thousand Indians totally isolated from the world.

Since then roads have crisscrossed the forests, most of the Indians have been contacted by missionaries, and oil prospectors have marched in. It's a fragile habitat, and we must do something to conserve it. So if any of my readers can find a sponsor, it really will make a difference.

Learn more:
Deforestation in Paraguay: Over 1500 football pitches lost a day in the Chaco
Death of the Chaco

Posted by John Friday, January 22, 2010
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Monday, January 11, 2010:

Global warming? 

The big freeze this week in England has, of course, got many people questioning the occurrence of global warming. Which is precisely why we don't use that phrase. It's climate change.

I have written elsewhere about it (for Suffolk Wildlife Trust), but climate change can definitely mean that Britain could end up with a more continental climate. Or the Gulf Stream could shut off, in which case we would end up with weather more like that of northern New England. What we need to really understand is that the factors that cause climate change are likely to be the carbon emissions and other atmospheric pollutants. What we should also recognise, that even if the climate change deniers are right, there is little doubt that the anthropogenic emissions are not doing any good anyway.

I believe that climate change and carbon emissions should be seen as a wake up call for all the other far more serious issues, which are the causal factors behind these issues: Deforestation. Water pollution. Over use of water. Desertification. Over-dependence on livestock. Waste of food. over use of energy. Over population by humans and domestic livestock.

All these are the real problems. And until each and every one of them is addressed, species will continue to disappear year by year. And our descendants will be the poorer for it.

So my New year's resolution is not as daft as the UK government's solution to climate change (drive 5 miles less every week). It is to ensure that at every possible opportunity I draw attention to the real issues. And meanwhile continue to help the World Land Trust grow.

We ended last year pretty well on target -- we grew at a time when most charities suffered cut backs. That means you, our supporters, believe that what we are doing is right.

We have set an even more ambitious budget for 2010. There is no question that what we are doing is minuscule in the big scheme. But we are doing it, and you are supporting it. Governments take note of such things. So please make a New year's resolution -- perhaps to recruit just one more supporter for the WLT. Or thank one of our corporate supporters for their support -- while we need money for our programmes, it isn't the only way you can support us.

Posted by John Monday, January 11, 2010
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