Re: Comments on "Gaviotas"

Dear Paul,

Welcome back.  

This list has sort of  disolved in the time you were gone.  And, I'm
devoting my time to the FixGov, AlternateCulture, and Simpolicies-General
Lists for the time being as I do believe they have the most potential for
DOING SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.    

However, I do have your last post and now this one which I will respond
soon -- I had been waiting until you were back online.  

There are changes taking place in my life which demand much of my time
and I am now limiting my posts to one or two a day online and I would
like to cut this down to one a week, so it may take awhile for me to
respond, but I will do this.  Thank you for continuing the dialogue.   

best regards,

marguerite 

  


On Mon, 27 Aug 2001 10:43:27 -0400 Paul Riesz <priesz@netline.cl> writes:
> 
> 
> To Marguerite:
> When I received your message on "Gaviotas" some time ago, I did not 
> have
> the time to read it and therefore filed it in my archives for later
> reference.
> Now I should like to make the following comments:
> 
> 1. Paolo Lugari's efforts to restore some severely ecologically
> devastated regions are an example for what communities can do to 
> achieve
> a sustainable way of living. Though conditions elsewhere may be 
> very
> different, the underlying idea that communities CAN improve their 
> lot,
> while also looking out for the interests of future generations could 
> be
> applied almost anywhere.
> The decisive element in this case was, in my opinion, the dedication 
> and
> motivation of a visionary, who was also pragmatic enough to change
> direction as needed.
> 
> 2. The reappearance of native hardwood trees under the shelter of 
> pine
> plantations should NOT have come as a total surprise, such trees 
> often
> do badly on cleared land, but prosper under the protection of 
> species,
> that are better adapted to such conditions. I am personally 
> involved
> with projects to reintroduce native Lenga trees in a region 
> devastated
> by gigantic forest fires, using the method of planting them within 
> rows
> of exotic Oregon and Ponderosa pines after about 5-6 years.
> 
> 3. It might be possible to terrace steep slopes for food production 
> in
> regions with heavy seasonal rainfalls, but reforestation seems to be 
> a
> vastly less labor demanding and more rewarding method of protecting 
> them
> against erosion and producing an income for the inhabitants. The 
> problem
> is the rather long waiting period until the first harvest of 
> marketable
> trees, for this reason Chile has created some 30 years ago a subsidy 
> for
> such projects, paying about 75% of the cost of establishing  forest
> plantations. Some abuses of this scheme have occurred (some native
> forests were burned down to make way for such plantations) but in
> balance it has not only been extremely successful in stopping 
> erosion
> and saving water, but has also been an excellent investment of 
> public
> funds, since taxes on industry and exports have been more than 
> enough to
> compensate for to funds invested plus interests and hundreds o 
> thousands
> of new jobs have been created. A similar subsidy for SUSTAINABLY
> managing native hardwood forests is being discussed in the Chilean
> Congress (again I am being involved as a consultant to the 
> respective
> Senate committee).
>  
> So far so good, but as to opinions, that such methods might be
> sufficient to feed and support the populations of countries like
> Columbia and Mexico. I feel that they are totally out of focus. 
> While
> agricultural communities might become self sufficient and even 
> supply
> some of the needs of the teeming populations of urban centers like
> Mexico City, many other sources of income and food supply are 
> certainly
> needed.  While your remarks on unfair practices by TNC's in both 
> trade
> and industrial investments are certainly justified, you should not 
> throw
> out the child with the bath water. Trade and foreign investments 
> are
> vital for the survival of mankind; what we need and should fight for 
> are
> better rules and regulations and a fairer distribution of the 
> benefits.
> Such a fight is not as hopeless as many people think; it could be 
> done,
> if the millions of protestors and activists would concentrate on
> convincing their legislators and representatives, that their 
> survival in
> public office depends on successful actions along such lines.
> Regards              Paul
> 


Marguerite Hampton
Executive Director - Turtle Island Institute
EcoPilgrim@juno.com
http://tii-kokopellispirit.org