McNeely, Jeffrey A.

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364 Environmental Conservationtype. In 'mulgas', most of the leaves point upwards, sothat rain dribbles down the branches to soak into theground beside the trunks. The Eucalyptus species thatdominate 'mallee', on the other hand, present thebranching aspect of a pollarded willow. None of thesevegetation-types is exclusive, however. Spinifex maygrow beneath 'mulga', and saltbush (Atriplex spp.),bluebush (Maireana spp.), or mitchell grass (Astreblaspp.), beneath 'mallee'. Soil nutrients are extremely low inconcentration in this apparently climax vegetation.Although rainfall is so erratic, it is sufficient tomaintain a surprising growth of trees (Fig. 2), whichdepend upon subsurface water. The numerous gaps in theMacDonnell Range even contain pools of blue water, mostof which are extraordinarily beautiful.To the south-west of Alice Springs lies Palm Valley,beside Finke Gorge. Here Red Cabbage-palms (Livistonamariae) survive, isolated from all other naturally-occurring palms by some 1,000 km of dry country. TheseCabbage-palms are relicts from a wetter period, some5,000 years ago, when the whole of Australia was coveredwith lush vegetation, including many palms; they havesurvived because the water-table is permanently not farbelow the surface of the soil in that part of the country.Many cycads (especially Macrozamia macdonnellii)are found in the various glens, gaps, and gorges, of theMacDonnell Range. They, too, are relicts from a periodwhen the climate of central Australia was milder than it istoday. These cycads resemble small tree-ferns, havingshort, thick stems with a crown of frond-like leaves. Theycommonly live for hundreds of years. The reproductiveorgans are in the form of separate male, and larger female,cones, borne on different trees. Like Red Cabbage-palms,cycads also rely upon sub-surface water.Heavy falls of rain are followed by booms invegetation growth. These booms have traditionally beenexploited to the maximum by cattle ranchers and sheepfarmers, who have been blamed for over-estimation of thelong-term stock-carrying capacity. The consequent over-grazing has resulted in erosion, by wind and water, of thebared soil. At the same time, however, it should beremembered that boom and bust are a natural result of theFIG. 2. Twin Gum-trees (Eucalyptus papuana), a well-knownfeaturenear Alice Springs (Diameter at breast height c. 0.5 m). Photo: J.L.Cloudsley-Thompson.unstable climate, and therefore not quite so unecologicalas they may at first appear.More spectacular misjudgements of the consequencesof land management practices include the impact of feralrabbits and foxes, the introduction of Prickly-pear(Opuntia inermis), the effects of uncontrolled irrigation,and excessive clearing of timber. The Australian Govern-ment has launched a number of measures, including overA $320 (US $240) millions to attack the problem of soildegradation. It is in the interest of the whole country thatecologically sustainable development should be achievedduring the 'Year and Decade of Landcare'.JOHN L. CLOUDSLEY-THOMPSONEmeritus Professor of ZoologyDepartment of Biology(Medawar Building)University College LondonGower StreetLondon WC1E 6BTEngland, UK.Protected Areas and Biodiversity: How the IVth Parks Congress Will Contribute51Protected areas form the backbone of national andinternational efforts to conserve sites which are of parti-cular value to society. Yet rising expectations coupledwith declining budgets plague most sites at the very timewhen society needs protected areas more than ever. Whatcan be done to enable protected areas to conserve biodi-versity, save threatened species of plants and animals, andcontribute in other ways to sustaining society?The IVth World Congress on National Parks and Pro-tected Areas will bring some 1,500 of the world's leadingexperts on protected areas to Caracas, Venezuela, from 10to 21 February 1992, to address this question. Hosted bythe Government of Venezuela and organized by IUCN,this once-a-decade Congress will set the agenda for actionin the rest of the century, dealing especially with thedifficult issue of finding support for protected areas in atime of increasing demand on resources and shrinkinggovernment budgets.* See also the Important Prospect published on page 376 of thisissue. — Ed.For the first time, this event will take place in a LatinAmerican country. While the three previous Congresses(held in Yellowstone, Seattle, and Bali) primarilyinvolved professionals directly concerned with protectedareas, the IVth Congress will aim also to reach out to, andinfluence, the numerous other sectors of humanity thataffect — and are affected by — protected areas. Theseinclude those who depend on the genes, species, andecosystem resources, provided by protected habitats (suchas local people, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, andpharmaceutical and other interests) as well as those whorequire services from natural habitats (water, timber,recreation, tourism, etc.).As financial support for protected areas is a majorconcern of the Congress, numerous donor agencies will beinvited to participate. A major effort will be made toinvolve the private sector as well, including nongovern-mental organizations, relevant industries, local peoples'groups, tour operators and hotel managers, and localresource managers. Economists, regional planners, social[concluded on page 372]https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900022670Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Basel Library, on 11 Jul 2017 at 13:13:34, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at372 Environmental Conservationcameras, will amount to US $147,000. The InternationalPhotographic Council, a nongovernmental organization ofthe United Nations, will also offer two scholarships foryoung entrants (15 to 21 years old) in the form of a photo-graphic correspondence course in English from the NewYork Institute of Photography.UNEP's Executive Director Dr Mostafa K. Tolbaoffered the following comments concerning the compe-tition: 'Climate changes, water pollution, forest des-truction, air pollution and other environmental abuse, arealready well advanced in many sectors of the world. Theprocesses of environmental abuse are as destructive asnuclear war, and far less easy to avert. Never has humanityfaced so crucial a decade as the 1990s. The most importantdemand at this critical time is for each and every politicaland business leader to develop a strong environmentalawareness, and [to] take action to protect our irreplaceableplanet. This photo [graphy] competition is based on thebelief that the way in which we see our precious planet, asrevealed through the eye of the camera, can inspire highsocial commitment and a driving sense of mission. Weare looking forward to the participation of large numbersof photographers from many different countries.'Canon's President EnthusiasticPresident Dr Keizo Yamaji, of Canon, Inc., the sup-porting sponsor of the competition, commented: 'Canonis determined to excel as a global company capable ofcontributing to the world through our corporate philo-sophy of "Mutually Rewarding Coexistence." Toachieve this goal, we are taking a serious and inter-national stand on the environmental challenge of the 21stcentury.''With the focus on our "E" (for ecology, energy, andenvironment) Operations,' Dr Yamaji said, 'We aremaking a major effort for protecting the environment andpreserving natural resources. Specific projects includerecycling cartridges for Canon personal copiers and laser-beam printers, developing solar cells as a source of cleanenergy and cleaner manufacturing processes withoutusing any chlorofluorocarbon, and creating more comfor-table office environments as well on our own initiative. Asa truly global corporation, Canon are thus propelled by adedication for ecological concerns. We are extremelyhonoured to have the opportunity to cooperate in thesponsorship of this UNEP photo[graphic] competition,which we intend to utilize as one vital venue in putting ourcorporate philosophy to work.'The competition is also supported by the UnitedNations Department of Public Information (UNDPI), theUnited Nations Conference on Environment and Deve-lopment (UNCED), and the International PhotographicCouncil (IPC). Support is also being provided by VarigBrazilian Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Eastman KodakCompany.TORE J. BREVIK, ChiefInformation and Public AffairsUnited Nations Environment ProgrammePO Box 30552Nairobi, Kenya.Short Communications & Reports [concluded from page 364]scientists, and anthropologists, will be invited, so as toenhance the flow of ideas between professionals con-cerned with protected-area management and thoseinterested in wider environmental and conservationissues. Participation will be only by invitation fromIUCN's Director-General.Co-sponsors of this event will include the govern-ments of The Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, USA, andAustralia, WWF, The United States Nature Conservancy,the MacArthur Foundation, FAO, the World Bank,UNEP, UNESCO, and many others. Over the nearly two-weeks' period, participants will be actively involved in adiversity of plenary sessions, symposia, workshops(which will be the 'core' of the Congress), trainingcourses, demonstrations, posters, technical field-trips,exhibitions, and cultural events.The Congress is designed to produce a number ofspecific outputs, requiring that all participants comeprepared to contribute very actively to the workshops andother events. Results expected from the Caracas Congressinclude a large number of publications, an action plan, adeclaration for the forthcoming UN Conference on En-vironment and Development, a set of recommendations,and a protected-areas investment portfolio. It is hopedsubsequently to publish a book describing the mainproceedings. The Congress will also be the occasion forthe release of the Global Biodiversity Strategy on 11February 1992.JEFFREY A. MCNEELY, Secretary-GeneralIVth World Congress on National Parks& Protected Areasdo 1UCN HeadquartersAvenue du Mont-Blanc1196 Gland, Switzerland.https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900022670Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Basel Library, on 11 Jul 2017 at 13:13:34, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at

Protected Areas and Biodiversity: How the IVth Parks Congress Will Contribute

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