Day 241 - 26 Apr 96 - Page 36


     
     1        of rainforests to schools and universities, museums and
     2        nature centres, service organisations and US government
     3        policy makers.
     4
     5        "In 1979 to 80, I consulted with staff members of the US
     6        House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs
     7        which resulted in three hearings held throughout 1980.
     8        I testified at two of those sessions.
     9
    10        "Also in 1979-80, I was contracted by the US Department of
    11        State's Office of Environmental Affairs to conduct a study
    12        of the beef cattle in tropical Latin America.  The scope of
    13        this study included the causes and consequences of cattle
    14        ranching on the tropical forest biomes of Central and South
    15        America; consideration of the policies and assistance
    16        programmes of various governments, both indigenous and
    17        foreign; the activities of international funding
    18        institutions; the role of private sector interests; and the
    19        issue of beef exports and imports as they affect the
    20        countries involved.
    21
    22        "The report entitled 'Hoofprints on the Forest:  Cattle
    23        Ranching and the Destruction of Latin American Tropical
    24        Forests, was accepted by the US Department of State in
    25        March 1980 and was circulated internationally for decision
    26        makers and used widely by colleges and universities.  In
    27        1986 a revised and updated version of the report was
    28        published under the same title by the Institute for the
    29        Study of Human Issues, Philadelphia, PA.
    30
    31        "My other publications include Edging Toward Extinction,
    32        1980, published by the Humane Society of the United States,
    33        and 'Assault on Eden', a chapter in Advances In Animal
    34        Welfare Sciences, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1987.  In
    35        addition to on-going consultation with media in the United
    36        States, I served as the Principal Editor of Proceedings of
    37        the US Strategy Conference on Tropical Deforestation, US
    38        Department of State 1978, and was a participant at the
    39        founding meeting of the Rainforest Action Network in San
    40        Francisco, California, 1985.
    41
    42        "In searching the subject of beef cattle ranching in the
    43        tropical forest areas of Central and South America and
    44        exports, I visited sites throughout the region in 1977 and
    45        conducted extensive interviews in both Latin America and
    46        the United States between 1977 and 1986.
    47
    48        "My work pertains to the relevant issues raised in this
    49        case, as I understand it, as follows:
    50 
    51        "When the initial interviews with representatives of the 
    52        food industry in the US were conducted in 1979-80, there 
    53        was little awareness amongst those contacted of the impact
    54        that cattle ranching had on tropical forest ecosystems.
    55        Consequently, spokespersons for meat brokerage houses, food
    56        processors and fast-food chains responded, for the most
    57        part, in an unguarded manner.  (By 1982-3, however, public
    58        awareness of tropical deforestation had substantially
    59        increased and food industry spokespersons were markedly
    60        guarded in their responses to queries.)

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