Dear Paulo, Helmut, Kristian, Vivianne and colleagues,
I share most of Helmut's discomfort with the prevailing situation and agree
with Vivianne on the importance to preserve our natural heritage. Certainly
Paulo is to be thanked by his helpful efforts and we must understand the
high responsibility of Kristian. I will add several issues to the
discussion.
1) Collecting (exporting, importing) permits must be understood according to
each country's own regulations. In order to succeed, to be able to deposit
specimens or to examine some type material, we have to follow these
essential rules. At the same time, we have a more serious compromise to
educate our bureaucrats at any level, concerning the importance to make
distinctions among the many groups of organisms. Strict regulations are fine
for endangered species and other organisms require a different treatment; in
fact, black market prices increase whenever any prohibition appears.
None of us has the time, as an individual, to make these things
change but as an organized scientific society, we could prepare a statement
regarding the importance of our job and the need to have better (faster)
legal treatment. In this, like in other related topics, we have to resist
and to insist.
2) The above situation is particularly severe wherever there are binational
agreements. After the long time involved and the so much paper-work needed
in trying to get/deposit some specimens in museums in the US, we have
skipped this by depositing without any paper-work type specimens in the
museums of London, Paris and Copenhagen. Two of them are particularly fine,
at least that is my impression, and specimens can be safely deposited there.
3) Border patrol and natural richness might have strong links in a CITES
agreement. But following Helmut, there are international (and national)
promoters of destruction (or transformation) of natural forests or beaches.
They are just moving through the borders, not just our highly esteemed
natural richness, but a more important thing: money. The rate of landscape
transformation in Caribbean beaches and in neotropical rain forests is so
impressive that it seems nobody is capable to stop it. Tourism and more land
to get food or to raise cattle are the main reasons to explain these changes
and we, educated people, are doing almost nothing to revert this situation.
If money is not coming from any international bank, it might proceed from
drug dealers in order to be washed, and as such, there is no need even to
make business properly but to have a nice-looking laundry. This is even worse.
If our (Mexico-USA) border patrols would be as efficient as to hold
and return desperate Mexicans or Centralamericans, as to stop drug traffic,
we could trust they can also help our efforts to preserve natural resources.
Regretfully, it's not the case. Our role as educators or promoters of change
has to be enlarged. Raise your hand and voice and speak loudly wherever you
can and to our representatives to change these situations!
4) To go or not to go to Brazil, that is the question? I'll miss the meeting
because of a shortage of money but will enjoy the proceedings when they are
available. Many of us, unable to afford the trip, will do the same indeed.
May I suggest to the editors to include a photograph of the participants? If
it comes in several portions, we can have a better idea on our colleagues,
already known by their writings, but perhaps never seen before.
Best wishes,
Sergio
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Sergio I. Salazar-Vallejo *
* Depto. Ecologia Acuatica *
* ECOSUR, Apdo. Postal 424 *
* Chetumal QR 77000 MEXICO *
* *
* Tel. (983) 21666, 20115 *
* Fax (983) 20447 *
* http://www.ecosur.mx *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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