Day 240 - 24 Apr 96 - Page 26
1 just demonstrated which is that it is a very long and
2 complicated way of ----
3
4 Q. But "tropical forest" is not long and complicated?
5 A. It does not have the same evocative ring as
6 "rainforest".
7
8 Q. I understand that?
9 A. And that is why we used the term in the campaign slogan
10 "Save the Rainforest" and that all the literature that we
11 published, both technical reports, book length popular
12 reports, and information leaflets of a wide variety, all
13 made clear that we were in fact referring to all tropical
14 forest types, we were referring to the rapid and severe
15 degradation and clearance of forests in the tropical zone.
16 This is a convention that is frequently used by other
17 people, so there is both a popular and generic use of the
18 word "rainforests", and then there is ----
19
20 Q. You cannot tell me that. I have got to decide that for
21 myself.
22 A. In my opinion ----
23
24 Q. The law does not allow me to hear any evidence about that
25 at all?
26 A. Okay.
27
28 Q. I did not make the law but I have to apply it.
29 A. Sure.
30
31 MR. MORRIS: But when you wrote to McDonald's in your letter of
32 5th December 1985, you wrote, the last line, saying:
33
34 "Both our organisations have been able to work together to
35 make rainforest conservation more effective in global
36 terms".
37
38 When you use the word "rainforest" in that letter, you were
39 referring to?
40 A. I was very much referring to all the tropical forest
41 types, you know covering the spectrum from so-called dry
42 tropical forest to so-called tropical rainforest.
43
44 MS. STEEL: Perhaps now is not the best time to do it in the
45 middle of Mr. Secrett's evidence but, as far as I am
46 concerned, Mr. Rampton has been trying to set the agenda on
47 what is in issue in this case and we have not actually had
48 a chance to respond fully about what the issues are and
49 I can point out countless examples in all the bundles
50 including documents from McDonald's to show that when
51 people are talking about rainforests they are talking about
52 all tropical forests not just about rainforests.
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL:, I am quite happy to accept from Mr. Secrett,
55 subject to any challenge on it, that when Friends of the
56 Earth have used "rainforest" in their literature, their
57 literature has gone on to make clear that it includes among
58 other types tropical dry forest type. But I am concerned
59 with this leaflet, I am not concerned with Friends of the
60 Earth's literature and what the terminology of that is.
