🚀 go-pugleaf

 We Cannot Afford to Destroy Our Tropical Forests

     This is a call to all those who proudly feel they belong to
humankind and who wish to immediately join the growing movement
to raise awareness about the disregard for our natural
environment! It is not at all surprising to hear that our
environment is threatened, our waters and air polluted, our
forests devastated and our dignity marked by collective
indifference! Despite adversity (this frantic quest for maximum
profit which ignores all human and ecological considerations,
etc.) we must all, in one leap, in one breath, wage a constant
struggle at the planetary level against the insensible use of our
primary resources. In the following few lines, I sum up a
flagrant example of how this ecological disregard finds its
expression among certain politicians.
     There is a city in France, in Bretagne, called Quimper. Its
mayor, Mr. Bernard Poignant, was recently exposed for his
disregard for the natural environment in a French newspaper. You
see, on the occasion of the construction of a new municipal
theatre, the municipality of Quimper deemed it proper to dress
the facade of the hall with a rare tropical wood: ip� [Trans.
note - French name] (imported from Para in Brazil, the heart of
the Amazon). It is expected that the hall will be covered with
2,500 metres of planks of ip� (about 50 trees). The fact of the
matter is, however, that given that this tree is so rare, its
exploitation may require the ignominious felling of several
hectares of forest before finding one of adult age. Another
staggering fact is that not only will the felling of tropical
forests inescapably bring about the destruction of our tropical
forests, in the same blow threatening all of humankind, but will
unleash, this time more directly, a series of genocides of
innocent peoples, including the Aboriginal peoples of the
Amazone, the Eerillons, Wayanas and the Oyampis, nomadic tribes
which derive their living from fishing, hunting and gathering.
For how much longer can the human conscience suffer such a
disgrace?
     Furthermore, considering the attitude of capitalist
countries, note that the felling of the ip� will not bring to the
local populations any surplus value ... Theft, to say the least!
In addition, is it necessary to recall that deforestation is the
cause of the disappearance of more than 200 animal and plant
species every day! And considering that we know of only 1% of the
plant species in these forests and that this 1% contributes to
the production of 75% of medicines presently on the market, is it
not worrisome to know that at this rate we are considerably
reducing our chances of finding cures to AIDS, cancer and the
different diseases that humanity will face in the future?
     And to the question: "Why not use local resources such as
the French oak?", a recommendation made by internationally renown
Swiss speleologist Bruno Manser, comes the inevitable and foolish
reply: "Too expensive!"
     Despite pressure exerted by specialists, citizens,
scientific and ecological associations, the mayor of Quimper
finally said that "in accordance with our previous engagements
... we will honour the order for the facade of the building".
Here it is, this disregard for the natural environment!
     It is with all the weight of my indignation that I implore
you to join with me and all those in France (Sonia Fraquet, Bruno
Manser, Francis Hall� and Jean-Marie Pelt), who are fighting
against the disregard for the natural environment. A significant
first step would be to write to the municipality of Quimper: M.
Bernard Poignant, Maire,
Hotel de ville, B.P. 1759,
Quimper 29107 cedex,
France
     E-mail: contact@mairie-quimper.fr
Voice your disapproval of all use of tropical wood and
systematically condemn their use of ip� to cover the facade of
their theatre, the consequences of which will loom like dark
shadows over future generations!
     Let us make of Quimper a symbolic victory of ecological
consciousness at the global level!

                    Patrick De Bortoli
sociology student at the University of Montreal

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