Day 240 - 24 Apr 96 - Page 24


     
     1        2.  This submission summarises briefly the following
     2        issues:  the environmental and ecological importance of all
     3        tropical forest types; the environmental benefits of
     4        forestry regeneration and the impact of clearance for
     5        pasture and cattle ranching in Central America and Brazil.
     6
     7        3.  There are three main broad classifications of tropical
     8        forests, which include tropical rain, tropical moist and
     9        tropical dry forest types.  Tropical forests are also
    10        broadly distinguished between lowland and upland types,
    11        between closed and open types, between broadleaved, bamboo
    12        and coniferous forests, and between primary (unspoilt),
    13        secondary (regenerating) and pioneer (establishing) phases
    14        of forest ecosystem development.  These broad
    15        classifications are used by all authorities, including the
    16        UN Food and Agriculture Organisation."
    17        A.  Your Honour, I wonder if I could add one brief point to
    18        that paragraph.
    19
    20   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes?
    21        A.  Which is that there is no universally accepted taxonomy
    22        for distinguishing the great diversity of tropical forest
    23        types and species association on a smaller scale.
    24
    25   Q.   Yes.
    26
    27   MR. MORRIS:  Continuing to read:
    28
    29        "3.1.  While rates of tropical deforestation and causes
    30        vary from country to country, scientific silvicultural and
    31        government concern (expressed internationally and within
    32        individual countries) over the loss of tropical forests
    33        covers all types.  All types of tropical forest are
    34        suffering unacceptable rates of clearance and degradation,
    35        and are important for a number of reasons, including: the
    36        maintenance of species diversity; the provision of valuable
    37        economic products and goods such as timber and genetic
    38        resources, and the provision and maintenance of
    39        environmental services such as soil protection, and in most
    40        cases watershed management.
    41
    42        3.2.  When Friends of the Earth launched the first
    43        international tropical forest campaign in 1985, we used the
    44        term 'rainforest' to cover all tropical forest types under
    45        threat from damaging development.  This was a convenient
    46        and evocative shorthand to help introduce the public and
    47        politicians in developed nations like Britain to the
    48        multiple issues involved in explaining why tropical forests
    49        were important, why they were being destroyed and degraded,
    50        and, most importantly, what could be done in developed and 
    51        developing nations to protect and conserve these crucial 
    52        global and sovereign natural resources. 
    53
    54        3.3.  The banner slogan used in our tropical forest
    55        campaign was 'Save the Rainforests'.  The popular and
    56        non-scientific use of the word 'rainforest' in this way can
    57        be likened to the similar campaign slogan 'Save the Whale',
    58        used throughout the 1970s, 1980s and up to the present
    59        day.  Clearly this slogan referred to all whale species
    60        under threat, and not to any particular whale or whale

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