Day 158 - 19 Jul 95 - Page 31


     
     1        full paragraph on page 4: "It is also known that world's
     2        tropical forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate",
     3        etcetera.  Then at the bottom of that page, the middle of
     4        the second to last paragraph, the sentence starting: "Of
     5        all the":
     6
     7        "Of all the aforementioned development activities, the
     8        conversion of tropical forest for agrarian purposes,
     9        particularly for cattle ranching, is generally though to be
    10        the most pervasive element of destruction of Latin
    11        American tropical forests."
    12
    13        That gets us back to the 30,000 plants.  It continues in
    14        that vein over on page 6.
    15
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    17
    18   MR. MORRIS:  Page 6, the first full sentence: "Why encourage
    19        large number of colonists to settle in tropical forest
    20        areas when the majority of soils are known to be fertile."
    21
    22        Just to explain that, elsewhere he explains how most of the
    23        nutrients in tropical forests are held in the actual plants
    24        and forests rather than soil, which is one of the
    25        specialities of tropical forests, because the clay levels
    26        can often wash away the nutrients in the soil that the
    27        plant holds in itself.
    28
    29        Then he talks, at the end of that large paragraph, about
    30        all the serious environmental problems caused by the
    31        massive destruction of tropical forests.  It may help to
    32        look at page 11.
    33
    34   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I have looked at page 11.  You say that in
    35        Mr. Shane's terms, anyway, tropical forest and rain forest
    36        are interchangeable and, under tropical forest ecosystem,
    37        he refers to tropical forest immediately before referring
    38        to torrential rainfalls which exceed 4,000 millimetres
    39        (which is 160 inches) of precipitation annually.
    40
    41   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  Can I just refer you to the middle paragraph
    42        on page 10, starting "A growing number":
    43
    44        "A growing number of scientists and officials from
    45        numerous countries with experience in Latin America
    46        expressed a concern that cattle ranching is a principal
    47        factor accounting for tropical deforestation throughout the
    48        region and based on the empirical analyses of numerous
    49        authorities, cattle ranching is widely considered to be
    50        most environmentally damaging of all deforestation 
    51        activities." 
    52 
    53        So his concern is clearly with the effect on tropical
    54        forests of cattle ranching.  That is our concern as well.
    55
    56        If it is felt that it would be helpful to specify that in
    57        our pleading, then we can do that.  I do not think it is
    58        necessary, especially as our witness statements are
    59        explanation of our pleadings, in any event.
    60

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