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DAY 4 - WORKING SESSIONS- 8TH NOVEMBER 2001

Today the Congress programme included a main plenary session addressing the issues of wilderness and wildlife in Africa. more...

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DAY 4 - WORKING SESSIONS

Young Xhosa girl participates in the daily cultural programme

The final day of the 7th World Wilderness Congress - a half-day only, but still full of diverse and decisive contributions. The first session, Communicating Wilderness, was chaired by Mr. Partha Sarathy (trustee of the WWF - India; Chairman of the World Wilderness Trust). The first presentation was given by Mr. Alan Watson Featherstone (director of Trees for Life, Scotland). Mr. Featherstone's organization is involved in, among other things, restoring the Caledonian forest in Scotland, an area that, over the last few thousand years has been gradually deforested. We are a thousand years too late to prevent the destruction of this rich wildlife resource, but slowly and surely the work of Trees for Life, relying heavily on volunteers, is restoring this remarkable landscape, returning it to its former splendour. Seeds from the existing stock are collected and planted, 450 000 trees in the last ten years. However, crucially, once the area is protected from the impact of red deer and sheep, the forest will return on its own - natural regeneration. The project will not only restore both the biodiversity and the natural processes of this ecosystem, but will also recreate what should be regarded as an important contribution to the global wilderness resource.

In moving to a more global dimension, Mr. Featherstone highlighted similar problems of deforestation and desertification throughout much of the world, and other projects designed to reverse the process in India and elsewhere. He also stressed the need for a fundamental shift in the mindset of humankind. He suggested that hunter-gatherer communities could be seen as "leavers" of the earth's resources. Today, we are the "takers", consuming and exploiting the planet. He implored people to become "givers", giving something back to the planet. Quoting Chief Seattle, a native American speaking at the time his people were being expelled from their homeland, he said the Earth does not belong to Man, but Man belongs to the Earth, that we are merely a strand in the web of life, and that what Man does to the Earth, he does to himself.

Patience Koloko, President of Traditional healer's Association of South Africa, addresses a panel

In the second presentation, John Seed, of the Rainforest Information Centre, Australia, started with a vivid and animated recitation of a poem about the wonder and glories of the Earth and Creation, and ended with a song, the chorus soon picked up by the audience,

You can't clear-cut your way to Heaven, strip mines don't make it with the Lord
Bulldozing the Creation don't win God's admiration, the Pearly Gates may close for evermore.

In between was a further observation of the anthropocentric attitude of many in the modern world and again warning that this was bringing a sense of separation from Nature.

Finally, Ms. Brenda Locke (Director, Embo Crafts, SA) told of the important work her organization does, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, in teaching women craft skills and practical business and accounting skills in order to enable them to set up their own businesses. This is an important tool for empowering women, enabling them to escape the cycle of poverty that prevents them from appreciating the need to protect the environment in their area. This was sadly one of the few presentations, which dealt with the empowerment of women in the developing world. Perhaps the next World Wilderness Congress will ensure that this vitally important aspect of community and human involvement in all environmental issues is addressed more fully.

The first session of the afternoon was titled Wilderness, Indigenous Knowledge, Modern Illness. The session was chaired by Mr. Gérard Bailly (African Development Agency, France). There were two other speakers in this session, Prof. Ben-Erik van Wyk, (Director of Photo Nova) who introduced Wildland Plants, An Approach to the Management of HIV/AIDS, and Ms. Ponsto Patience Koloko (President, National Traditional Healers Association) who presented Traditional Healing - Links to Wilderness and Human Communities. Mr. Bially spoke broadly upon the subject of traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge being used in the fight against modern illnesses, stressing the need to embrace and utilize the wisdom and knowledge of local people. There are many plants that have a medicinal content that have been used by the indigenous population in Africa for centuries.

Professor van Wyck presents approach to HIV/AIDS

The most devastating modern illness blighting the continent of Africa is HIV/Aids. Mr. Bailly stated that over the seven day period of the Congress 70,560 new HIV cases will have occurred in Africa, and that every minute eight new cases of HIV are diagnosed worldwide, seven of them in Africa.

Professor Ben-Erik van Wyk claimed to have discovered by chance a powerful new treatment using a number of indigenous plant species that is highly effective in the treatment of the later stages of full blown Aids. He then went on to discuss the scientific intricacies of the particular plants and their medicinal properties, a paper of which is available (see website address below).

One of the greatest advantages of exploiting this natural resource is the fact that production costs are low, meaning that effective treatment has the potential to be available for all at an estimated cost of no more than $2 per person per month. However a common theme amongst the speakers during this session was the necessity to guard against over exploitation of the medicinal wild plants.

Mrs. Ponsto Patience Koloko emphasized the need for sustainable production of these plant species. One possible way to achieve this is to cultivate them as crop plants that would also involve the local communities. She also called for greater co-operation between traditional medical practitioners and conventional medicine through a two-way information sharing process. This would incorporate ways for the indigenous people to gain income for their traditional knowledge and medical practices. As Mr. Bailly pointed out, Africa has already and continues to give much to the world in the way of her natural resources and is she prepared to donate yet another?

As a conclusion to the 7th World Wilderness Congress 35 resolutions proposed by the congress delegates were presented to the congress board. The board will decide which resolutions will be officially supported by the Congress. The afternoon was rounded off by a rousing performance from the Soweto String Quartet.

Useful website addresses:
www.findhorn.org/restore
www.sutherlandia.org
www.african-medicine.co.za

By
Tim Hills (BTCV, Hastings, East Sussex, UK)
Richard Sylvester (Rurul Resource Management (BSc Hons) Student, Writtle College, Chelmsford, UK)
Ross Whinnett (Rurul Resource Management (BSc Hons) Student, Writtle College, Chelmsford, UK)

THURSDAY, 8 NOVEMBER

07:30 Registration Opens, Boardwalk Tsitsikamma Conference Centre

08:30 - 10:00 Communicating Wilderness - Informing, Inspiring, and Empowering 
Chair - Mr Partha Sarathy (Trustee, World Wildlife Fund - India; Chairman, World Wilderness Trust) 
Ms Brenda Lock - (Director, Embo Crafts, SA)
Using Stories and the Craftaid for Conservation and Community
Mr John Seed - (Rainforest Information Centre, Australia) 
Reclaiming our Wild Nature - From Ecological Ideas to Ecological Identity
Mr Alan Watson Featherstone - (Director, Trees for Life, Scotland)
Restoring Wilderness, Transforming the Individual 

10:00 - 10:15 Eastern Cape Cultural Show Case

10:15 - 10:45 Refreshments

10:45 - 12:00 Wildlands, Indigenous Knowledge, Modern Illness
Chair - Mr Gérard Bailly (African Development Agency, France)

Prof. Ben-Erik van Wyk (Director, Phyto Nova) 
Wildland Plants -- An Approach to the Management of HIV/AIDS
Ms Ponsto Patience Koloko - (President, National Traditional Healers Association) - Traditional Healing - Links to Wilderness and Human Communities

12:00 - 1:30 Closing Session - The Way Forward 
Brief reports back from technical sessions
Resolutions
Presentation of Awards
The Port Elizabeth Accord 

1:30 - 2:00 Soweto String Quartet -- A Brief Goodbye

2:00 Lunch

7:30 Goodbye from Africa - A Concert
The Soweto String Quartet in the Boardwalk Amphitheater