Right Idea, Questionable Approach

Another in a not-so-regular series of posts highlighting nature's nature & 'ain't that odd'
Well, we have some Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) setting aside huge tracts of land for the sake of conservation. But they may have forgot the very basic reason behind conservation - putting land aside does little without educating and modifying the behavior of humans. And, engaging all people in the balance of use.

In a recent case, NGOs and some large industrial folks cooperatively set aside very large tracts of land for carbon sequestering. Yet they ignored the local indigenous people, the ones who have the most to gain and lose through land acquisition. They were not included and they were kicked off the land they had protected and used for 100s and 1,000s of years. The NGO "posted" the land by eliminating local indigenous and historical livelihood uses.

The land became a resource for others - industrial and greedy poachers. The land become worse off yet the NGO and industrial supporters remained in their entrenched way. Which is to come in "from away" and know better what and how to do things and project their methods, processes and expectations on others. In these case they destroyed the land. And, this is neither the first nor the last time they have and will do this.

The local South American country government is now "against" the effort as are the local indigenous folks -- and with good reason.

When are we going to change and learn the land can only be stewarded by the locals who have the greatest stakeholder position and need to keep the land in its best natural state? When will the intellectuals, scientist, environmentalist, ecologist and the many other "ists" from away, sitting in their corporate, NGO, scientific and academic offices going to get it?

It is about the people stupid! Nature will take care of herself for sure -- she just may not be as supportive to this exceptional period conducive to the rapid growth of the human species. That will change.


Another good night from Maine, USA