PRESS RELEASE
15% protection of last large intact forest ecosystems, and promotion of continued ancient forest diminishment, are insufficient to maintain Earth's ecosystems, climate, biosphere and human advancement
May 30, 2008
By Ecological Internet,
http://www.ecologicalinternet.org/
This week the Democratic Republic of Congo announced new protections for 10% of their rainforest, moving towards Brazil's goal of 15% preservation of the Amazon. WWF and other environmental groups hailed 85% industrial destruction and diminishment of the rest of world's remaining large forest ecosystems as good news. At the UN biodiversity talks in Bonn, WWF organized non-binding national pledges to end deforestation, ignoring biological simplification caused by industrial forestry. WWF promotes first-time ancient primary forest logging which is nearly as bad ecologically as total deforestation. These inadequate responses come as a new study shows ecosystem loss is already costing hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
Ecological Internet is committed -- as keystone responses to the climate, biodiversity, water and food crises -- to ending all industrial development of the world's remaining primary and natural ecosystems, and committing to strict protection for half of the world's land and sea as global ecological reserves. The remainder will need to be ecologically managed to sustainably meet human needs in perpetuity. This will require massive ecological restoration and protection of forest remnants in over-developed countries, and major new protected areas (increased by 3-5 times) in countries holding the Earth's remaining primary natural habitats.
Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet's President, explains "levels of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem destruction, waste discharges into the atmosphere, and current population and consumption levels -- all exceed what can be sustained, much less expanded, and still main a livable Earth. Mainstream and even 'radical' groups such as Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network are pursuing goals inadequate to sustain the biosphere -- further illustrating the failure of the environmental movement to enunciate a sufficient global ecological response. We intend to continue exposing forest liars, ensuring they cause no further harm."
Ecological Internet seeks to identify and implement ecological science based policies required to sustain global ecosystems and equitable opportunities for human advancement. Landscape ecology informs us that at 50% destruction of rainforests and other natural habitats, failure of associated natural patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem processes accelerates rapidly toward collapse. Organizations selling 10% protection and/or "certified" ancient forest logging as forest and climate solutions are a major part of the problem. They legitimize and prolong a dying economic paradigm, pursuing what easily possible rather than necessary. Without ecology there can be no economy.
"Establishing global ecological reserves over half the Earth's surface is required to achieve global ecological sustainability and ensure our and all species' habitat needs are met. This will be difficult, may take decades to achieve, and will need to be carried out in conjunction with population limits, ending fossil fuel use, and political commitments to equity, justice and peace. But this is the only way humanity will survive. An ecological revolution based upon ecological truths is needed immediately, not politically expedient half- measures."
As a sufficient global survival plan, Ecological Internet renews calls for rich nations to immediately dramatically cut emissions, finance strict rainforest protections, and begin wide-scale ecological restoration and protection at home. Further, national governments and environmentalists are called upon to reject simplistic, status-quo and inadequate responses to the complex interplay of ecological and social crises.
Further, not yet over-developed nations, with large intact habitats, should reject the failed Western development model of fast income at the expense of natural capital, and seek to advance their societies from standing forests and ecologically sustainable use of natural capital. True wealth in coming times of ecological collapse -- necessities such as water, soil, local climate and food -- will belong primarily to those that choose now to maintain intact ecosystems.
ENDS
Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, GlenBarry @EcologicalInternet.org,
+1 920 776 1075
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=rainforest
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Glen+Barry
