Day 073 - 13 Jan 95 - Page 12


     
     1   Q.   So, when the thinking began to change at 1985 when do you
     2        think the actual practices changed?
     3        A.  The practices started changing, the ideas and practices
     4        started changing, I suppose, in 1985, but these things did
     5        not start to hit the forest floor, which is about 1990, and
     6        they are now coming to light on the forest floor, you might
     7        say.  It takes a bit of time for these things to work
     8        through the system.  Felling licence and replanting grants
     9        from before 1985 were still in existence, and often those
    10        were the ones that people were working under.  So, about
    11        1990 things on the forest floor start to look better.
    12
    13   Q.   Very briefly, I am going to refer you to one of your
    14        references, which is No. 6 World Wildlife Fund publication,
    15        Forests in Trouble.  I apologise that I have not got copies
    16        for the Judge yet.  When I gave them to the Plaintiffs they
    17        made a copy of all the relevant material, but they did not
    18        make a copy for -----
    19
    20   MR. RAMPTON:  No, not all, some.
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Go ahead for the moment.  I will listen to
    23        the evidence.  You must make sure that I have a copy of
    24        anything you particularly want me to look at in due course.
    25
    26   MR. MORRIS:  What is the status of this publication and, indeed,
    27        the World Wildlife Fund?  First of all, the status of the
    28        World Wildlife Fund in the forestry, regarding forestry
    29        concerns?
    30        A.  First of all, the World Wildlife Fund is, perhaps, the
    31        world's largest or most reputable organisation concerned
    32        with the protection of wildlife.  It is what I would call a
    33        "conservative organisation".  It is not a campaigning
    34        organisation as such.  Its main task is to look after
    35        wildlife.  It is very well funded.  When I say it is a
    36        conservative organisation, for instance, the International
    37        President of the World Wildlife Fund is His Royal Highness
    38        the Duke of Edinburgh, and in this country the Chairman is
    39        a Mr. Langham.  I think he is Mr. Morris Langham of Langham
    40        Construction Company.  So, essentially, it is a
    41        conservative organisation with very good research
    42        facilities.  Its international secretariat is based in
    43        Geneva.
    44
    45   Q.   What is the status of this particular report?
    46        A.  The report was commissioned by WWF in, I think, 1992.
    47        They asked Nigel Dudley, who is a researcher, to compile
    48        it.  You might say the status of the report is it is the
    49        most authoritative report on the destruction or the
    50        problems with temperate and boreal forests in existence in 
    51        that sort of general publicly accessible form. 
    52 
    53   Q.   On page 11 there are some conclusions.  I am particularly
    54        interested in the last paragraph.  Do you have it there?
    55        A.  I have this.
    56
    57   Q.   I am particularly concerned with the management and forest
    58        plantation; would you like to read that and comment?
    59        A.  Right.
    60

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