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IUCN ecology commission's technical meeting in Turkey on wetlands conservation in Western Asia, October 1967
Conservation Around the Worm their n u m b e r s - - s o t h r e a t e n i n g crops, d o m e s t i c animals, a n d M a n himself. C h e m i c a l pesticides c o m e to the rescue, as a sad r e m e d y for an upset environment. I n 12 o f the 26 Latin A m e r i c a n countries there are registered 61 N a t i o n a l P a r k s o r similar n a t u r e reserves, in which, legally, wildlife enjoys protective status. However, in most o f such areas h u m a n settlement a n d resources e x p l o i t a t i o n is c o m m o n practice. This m a k e s the real situation for wildlife even in N a t i o n a l P a r k s a rather p r e c a r i o u s one. So far, with the exception o f p a r t o f the G a l a p a g o s Islands, no Wildlife Refuges or Sanctuaries have been established. Some terrestrial a n i m a l species or subspecies urgently needing p r o t e c t i o n are: D e e r (Odocoileus virginianus gymnotis, a n d Mazama sp.), A r r a u T o r t o i s e (Podocnemis expansa), P a c a (Cuniculus paea), ' W a t e r H o g ' (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), A c u r e or Picure (Dasyprocta rubrata), Bespectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus), M o u n t a i n Bear (Ursus americanus), Vicugna (Lama vicugna), G u a n a c o (Lama guanico~), A n t i l o c a p r a (Antilocapra americana), T a p i r (Tapirus terrestris), Box-turtle (Testudo sculpta), J a g u a r (Panthera onca), P u m a (Panthera concolor), C u n a g u a r o (Leopardus pardalis), Peccary (Tayassu tajacu), A r m a d i l l o (Dasypus novemcinctus); also, C a y m a n (Crocodylus intermedius), M a n a t e e , or Sea-cow (Trichechus manatus manatus), O r i n o c o D o l p h i n (lnia geoffrensis), Sperm W h a l e (Kogia breviceps), and a n u m b e r o f bird species. I n the G a l a p a g o s Islands n u m e r o u s e n d e m i c species, rare or unique, are t h r e a t e n e d with extinction, b u t the E c u a d o r e a n G o v e r n m e n t is m a k i n g efforts t o w a r d s their preservation, aided by the Charles Darwin Foundation. ARTURO EICHLER,
Professor of Conservation, Universidadde los Andes, Apartado 256, MOrida, Venezuela
CONFERENCES and MEETINGS IUCN ECOLOGY COMMISSION'S TECHNICAL MEETING IN TURKEY ON WETLANDS CONSERVATION IN WESTERN ASIA, OCTOBER 1967
Those who have not yet had an opportunity of seeing the Proceedings (published last M a r c h - I U C N new series,
97
No. 12) of the Meeting held at Ankara and Istanbul in October 1967, to discuss problems affecting the conservation of wetlands in western Asia, may be interested to have a brief summary of its scope and conclusions. The general approach to the subject was ecological but at the same time rather strictly pragmatic, which could of course be regarded as much the same thing. This was to be expected in view of sponsorship, on the one hand, by I U C N ' s Commission on Ecology, the International Council for Bird Preservation, and the International Wildfowl Research Bureau, and, on the other, by all departments of the Turkish Government concerned with land-use, and, in particular, the demiofficial Turkish Association for the Conservation of Natural Resources. This last organization, as its President, Mr Hasan Asmaz, emphasized, 'attaches great importance to promoting wise use of the natural resources closely related with agriculture, which occupies the most important place in the Turkish national economy'; certainly the majority of the Turkish contributors to the discussions tended to dwell on economic and social aspects of watershed management, often with special reference not only to agricultural pressure but also to the relevant problem of maintaining what are left of the country's forests. I U C N ' s objective in organizing the Meeting, which was attended by some 50 scientists and administrators, 18 of them from the host country, and including representatives of FAO, the International Biological Programme, and the Council of Europe, was to examine the implications of an increasingly rapid tempo of development affecting the water-bodies - - lake, river, and m a r s h l a n d - - of the 'Middle East' region. Particular attention was to be directed to the specialized interest of IWRB (which had previously been planning a separate meeting on the subject) in the effects of these modifications on the maintenance of wildfowl stocks. Indeed one of the main reasons for I U C N / I W R B / ICBP sponsorship of the meeting, and a principal item of the agenda, was the proposal (in due course approved) for extending to the region their ' M A R Project' for conservation and management of wetlands, which are taken to include not only marshland, fens, and boggy areas but also shallow tidal and inland fresh, brackish, and salt waters, whether flowing or static, not exceeding 6 m in depth. The M A R Project, which aims at the identification and assessment of wetland areas, in order that those deemed to be of international significance may be recognized and appropriately managed as such, has used the relative abundance of waterfowl (including gulls, terns, herons, grebes, etc.) as a convenient indicator of biological productivity. This has been justified by the comparative availability of data, already existing or easily supplemented, which no doubt arises from the mixture of scientific, aesthetic, sporting, and culinary appeal, that wildfowl, particularly, have exercised through the ages in all parts of the world. Certainly one of the striking facts which emerged from the Meeting, thanks largely to contributions by Professor Y. A. Isakov of the USSR Academy of Sciences and by Mr. C. D. W. Savage as a result of his researches in the region while based latterly on Pakistan, was that, judged on the criterion of wildfowl production, the wetlands of western Asia, from Siberia to the Indus and Euphrates, are of quite exceptional importance. The need for a combination of ecology and pragmatism - - a better understanding of the relationship between the constituent parts of a wetland ecosystem and evaluation of its resources by reference to their bearing on human interests - - was constantly stressed throughout the discussions,
98
Biological Conservation
the stage being set by Professor J. B. Cragg's thoughtMultiple land-use, however defined, coupled with provoking introductory address on 'The Theory and rationalization of land-use where socio-political constraints Practice of Conservation'. It was clearly reflected in the allow, requires in many countries that new administrative general conclusions reached by the Meeting, of which the machinery for coordinating competing interests be three most important, from this point of view, may be established. It was felt that foresters have, by training and summarized as expressing the conviction, based on the evi- experience, a particularly important contribution to make. dence presented to the Meeting, (a) that many of the wet- One speaker paraphrased George Bernard Shaw's dictum lands of the region are capable of being developed, that 'all professions are a conspiracy against the laity' by managed, and utilized, without major changes to their suggesting that foresters have traditionally conspired for the general character and without impairment of their wildlife laity. resources, while still producing an economic return comIn a keynote address, 'Changing Objectives of Forest parable to any which could be expected following drainage Management', J. C. Westoby (FAO) made a strong plea or other wholesale modification; (b) that the key to this that the productive and social aspects of forestry should be lies in the application of the 'zoning principle', by which clearly differentiated. He defined social forestry as all those areas are allocated to meet the full spectrum of man's activities carried out by a forest department which did not needs, including the scientific, cultural, and recreational aim at a tangible merchantable product, examples being soil (too often ignored in the past); and (c) that even in those conservation and recreation. He contended that all too cases where major changes, including the creation of often, when social and productive forestry investment artificial water-bodies, are found to be necessary and eco- comes from a common fund, investment in social forestry nomically justified, sound planning at an early enough stage is subservient to, and dependent on, the profits or surplus can do much to ensure the satisfaction of the variety of in the productive field. This situation is accentuated by human interests. In brief, the meeting endorsed Professor difficulties in quantifying cost-benefit ratios in social Cragg's dictum that the aim of conservation should be 'the forestry. Westoby suggested that social investment should maintenance of the quality of the human environment'. be judged on quite different and independent criteria. Delegates agreed with much of this thesis but were unhappy about the accounting difficulties in this proposal, as many SIR HUGH ELLIOTT, Secretary, IUCN Commission on Ecology, forest enterprises combine both social and productive aspects. c/o The Nature Conservancy, Following plenary sessions, the Conference sub-divided 19 Belgrave Square, into Technical Committees, whose function was to conLondon, S. W. 1, sider coordinated summaries of associated groups of England. invited papers. Conservational topics arose in several of these committees, and the following resolutions were subsequently adopted for all Commonwealth countries by the final plenary session. CONSERVATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE NINTH 1. A centre for Forestry Development Studies should be COMMONWEALTH FORESTRY CONFERENCEstarted, initially part of or linked with the Commonwealth INDIA, JANUARY 1968 Forestry Institute at Oxford. Its functions would, inter alia, include study of the development strategy affecting forest The Ninth Commonwealth Forestry Conference took land. place in India in January 1968, with New Delhi as the venue 2. Reaffirming the relevant resolution of the 1962 confor the conference itself. Field tours visited Uttar Pradesh, ference, it was recommended that those countries which South India (Madras, Mysore, and Kerala), and East have not already done so should place their forests, when India (West Bengal). not privately owned or dedicated to other purposes, under a Although 10 million hectares (13.81 per cent of the area forest authority. of all Indian forests) are classified as protection forests, the 3. Each country should consider constituting an effective tours included none of these, nor were the socio-economic body to assess the direct and indirect benefits of forestry conflicts demonstrated in the field. However, both of the and other enterprises, and should advise on the form of main tours included visits to well-managed wildlife single or multiple land-use which maximizes the national sanctuaries. benefits. Dominating the discussions was the potential increase in 4. Recognizing plantation forestry as one of the most productivity which could be derived from the proper use of effective means of augmenting production, it was recomexotics and genetically improved stock. This topic had been mended that long-term investigations should be undertaken one of the highlights of the preceding conference, in East to evaluate the effect of this work on the site, climate, and Africa, and several resolutions at the Ninth Conference biological relationships, of the crop raised. Some examples aimed to encourage this trend. of lower yield in successive rotations were cited from The Delhi Conference heard how many countries were Australia and might be expected elsewhere. All countries revising their land capability classifications by means of pre- with extensive plantation programmes should investigate investment surveys and feasibility studies which were often the extent of deterioration in health and growth-rate in first assisted by international agencies. The Conference particu- and subsequent rotations, and carry out comprehensive larly welcomed the contribution that the new managerial research into its causes - - with a view to finding remedial techniques embraced by the term operational research had measures. to offer in the analysis and solution of management prob5. The Conference noted that forest grazing in some lems, and recommended that greater use should be made of countries formed an inescapable use of forests as a matter them. A shortage of appropriately trained staff would have of socio-economic necessity, and emphasized that due care to be overcome. was required to ensure that this was done without detriment
Professor of Conservation, Universidadde los Andes, Apartado 256, MOrida, Venezuela
CONFERENCES and MEETINGS IUCN ECOLOGY COMMISSION'S TECHNICAL MEETING IN TURKEY ON WETLANDS CONSERVATION IN WESTERN ASIA, OCTOBER 1967
Those who have not yet had an opportunity of seeing the Proceedings (published last M a r c h - I U C N new series,
97
No. 12) of the Meeting held at Ankara and Istanbul in October 1967, to discuss problems affecting the conservation of wetlands in western Asia, may be interested to have a brief summary of its scope and conclusions. The general approach to the subject was ecological but at the same time rather strictly pragmatic, which could of course be regarded as much the same thing. This was to be expected in view of sponsorship, on the one hand, by I U C N ' s Commission on Ecology, the International Council for Bird Preservation, and the International Wildfowl Research Bureau, and, on the other, by all departments of the Turkish Government concerned with land-use, and, in particular, the demiofficial Turkish Association for the Conservation of Natural Resources. This last organization, as its President, Mr Hasan Asmaz, emphasized, 'attaches great importance to promoting wise use of the natural resources closely related with agriculture, which occupies the most important place in the Turkish national economy'; certainly the majority of the Turkish contributors to the discussions tended to dwell on economic and social aspects of watershed management, often with special reference not only to agricultural pressure but also to the relevant problem of maintaining what are left of the country's forests. I U C N ' s objective in organizing the Meeting, which was attended by some 50 scientists and administrators, 18 of them from the host country, and including representatives of FAO, the International Biological Programme, and the Council of Europe, was to examine the implications of an increasingly rapid tempo of development affecting the water-bodies - - lake, river, and m a r s h l a n d - - of the 'Middle East' region. Particular attention was to be directed to the specialized interest of IWRB (which had previously been planning a separate meeting on the subject) in the effects of these modifications on the maintenance of wildfowl stocks. Indeed one of the main reasons for I U C N / I W R B / ICBP sponsorship of the meeting, and a principal item of the agenda, was the proposal (in due course approved) for extending to the region their ' M A R Project' for conservation and management of wetlands, which are taken to include not only marshland, fens, and boggy areas but also shallow tidal and inland fresh, brackish, and salt waters, whether flowing or static, not exceeding 6 m in depth. The M A R Project, which aims at the identification and assessment of wetland areas, in order that those deemed to be of international significance may be recognized and appropriately managed as such, has used the relative abundance of waterfowl (including gulls, terns, herons, grebes, etc.) as a convenient indicator of biological productivity. This has been justified by the comparative availability of data, already existing or easily supplemented, which no doubt arises from the mixture of scientific, aesthetic, sporting, and culinary appeal, that wildfowl, particularly, have exercised through the ages in all parts of the world. Certainly one of the striking facts which emerged from the Meeting, thanks largely to contributions by Professor Y. A. Isakov of the USSR Academy of Sciences and by Mr. C. D. W. Savage as a result of his researches in the region while based latterly on Pakistan, was that, judged on the criterion of wildfowl production, the wetlands of western Asia, from Siberia to the Indus and Euphrates, are of quite exceptional importance. The need for a combination of ecology and pragmatism - - a better understanding of the relationship between the constituent parts of a wetland ecosystem and evaluation of its resources by reference to their bearing on human interests - - was constantly stressed throughout the discussions,
98
Biological Conservation
the stage being set by Professor J. B. Cragg's thoughtMultiple land-use, however defined, coupled with provoking introductory address on 'The Theory and rationalization of land-use where socio-political constraints Practice of Conservation'. It was clearly reflected in the allow, requires in many countries that new administrative general conclusions reached by the Meeting, of which the machinery for coordinating competing interests be three most important, from this point of view, may be established. It was felt that foresters have, by training and summarized as expressing the conviction, based on the evi- experience, a particularly important contribution to make. dence presented to the Meeting, (a) that many of the wet- One speaker paraphrased George Bernard Shaw's dictum lands of the region are capable of being developed, that 'all professions are a conspiracy against the laity' by managed, and utilized, without major changes to their suggesting that foresters have traditionally conspired for the general character and without impairment of their wildlife laity. resources, while still producing an economic return comIn a keynote address, 'Changing Objectives of Forest parable to any which could be expected following drainage Management', J. C. Westoby (FAO) made a strong plea or other wholesale modification; (b) that the key to this that the productive and social aspects of forestry should be lies in the application of the 'zoning principle', by which clearly differentiated. He defined social forestry as all those areas are allocated to meet the full spectrum of man's activities carried out by a forest department which did not needs, including the scientific, cultural, and recreational aim at a tangible merchantable product, examples being soil (too often ignored in the past); and (c) that even in those conservation and recreation. He contended that all too cases where major changes, including the creation of often, when social and productive forestry investment artificial water-bodies, are found to be necessary and eco- comes from a common fund, investment in social forestry nomically justified, sound planning at an early enough stage is subservient to, and dependent on, the profits or surplus can do much to ensure the satisfaction of the variety of in the productive field. This situation is accentuated by human interests. In brief, the meeting endorsed Professor difficulties in quantifying cost-benefit ratios in social Cragg's dictum that the aim of conservation should be 'the forestry. Westoby suggested that social investment should maintenance of the quality of the human environment'. be judged on quite different and independent criteria. Delegates agreed with much of this thesis but were unhappy about the accounting difficulties in this proposal, as many SIR HUGH ELLIOTT, Secretary, IUCN Commission on Ecology, forest enterprises combine both social and productive aspects. c/o The Nature Conservancy, Following plenary sessions, the Conference sub-divided 19 Belgrave Square, into Technical Committees, whose function was to conLondon, S. W. 1, sider coordinated summaries of associated groups of England. invited papers. Conservational topics arose in several of these committees, and the following resolutions were subsequently adopted for all Commonwealth countries by the final plenary session. CONSERVATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE NINTH 1. A centre for Forestry Development Studies should be COMMONWEALTH FORESTRY CONFERENCEstarted, initially part of or linked with the Commonwealth INDIA, JANUARY 1968 Forestry Institute at Oxford. Its functions would, inter alia, include study of the development strategy affecting forest The Ninth Commonwealth Forestry Conference took land. place in India in January 1968, with New Delhi as the venue 2. Reaffirming the relevant resolution of the 1962 confor the conference itself. Field tours visited Uttar Pradesh, ference, it was recommended that those countries which South India (Madras, Mysore, and Kerala), and East have not already done so should place their forests, when India (West Bengal). not privately owned or dedicated to other purposes, under a Although 10 million hectares (13.81 per cent of the area forest authority. of all Indian forests) are classified as protection forests, the 3. Each country should consider constituting an effective tours included none of these, nor were the socio-economic body to assess the direct and indirect benefits of forestry conflicts demonstrated in the field. However, both of the and other enterprises, and should advise on the form of main tours included visits to well-managed wildlife single or multiple land-use which maximizes the national sanctuaries. benefits. Dominating the discussions was the potential increase in 4. Recognizing plantation forestry as one of the most productivity which could be derived from the proper use of effective means of augmenting production, it was recomexotics and genetically improved stock. This topic had been mended that long-term investigations should be undertaken one of the highlights of the preceding conference, in East to evaluate the effect of this work on the site, climate, and Africa, and several resolutions at the Ninth Conference biological relationships, of the crop raised. Some examples aimed to encourage this trend. of lower yield in successive rotations were cited from The Delhi Conference heard how many countries were Australia and might be expected elsewhere. All countries revising their land capability classifications by means of pre- with extensive plantation programmes should investigate investment surveys and feasibility studies which were often the extent of deterioration in health and growth-rate in first assisted by international agencies. The Conference particu- and subsequent rotations, and carry out comprehensive larly welcomed the contribution that the new managerial research into its causes - - with a view to finding remedial techniques embraced by the term operational research had measures. to offer in the analysis and solution of management prob5. The Conference noted that forest grazing in some lems, and recommended that greater use should be made of countries formed an inescapable use of forests as a matter them. A shortage of appropriately trained staff would have of socio-economic necessity, and emphasized that due care to be overcome. was required to ensure that this was done without detriment