McNeely, Jeffrey A.

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CONFERENCES & MEETINGSSEMINAR ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TECH-NIQUES, HELD IN MEXICO CITY, DURING 9-13 MARCH 1981Dr Manuel Lopez Portillo, the presidentially-appointed subsecretary for Environmental Improvementin the Health Secretariat of Mexico, officially openedthe above seminar in Mexico City on March 9th. Overone-hundred-and-fifty representatives from industry andthe Government were present, as speakers addressedthe range of environmental issues and problems stem-ming from rapid population-growth and industrializationin what is now the world's fifth-largest oil-producingnation.The theme of the Seminar was to present specificprinciples, techniques, and methodologies, for environ-mental management that can be integrated into Mexico'splans for national development. Opening addressesincluded an overview of environmental issues in theregion, by Dr Jose lizarraga, Director of the UnitedNations Environment Programme's Regional Office forLatin America and the Caribbean, a statement on therisk of promise or peril afforded by technology, by Ing.Bernardo Quintana, President of ICA, SA, Mexico'sninth largest corporation, and an historical analysis ofnational evolution, by Dr Norman Gaut, President ofEnvironmental Research & Technology, Inc., a leadingenvironmental consulting firm based in Concord, Massa-chusetts, USA.Technical presentations and discussions included suchtopics as environmental assessment methodology, siteselection, air monitoring, air modelling, water monitor-ing, water modelling, socio-economic and cultural assess-ment, ecological assessment, and benefit—cost analysis.Case-studies included technical options for motorvehicles' emissions control and their political implica-tions, and a variety of issues in agricultural, industrial,and tourism, development. A special session was held onthe findings of the Global 2000 Report to the President(of the United States of America).The seminar was organized as a joint venture in inter-national environmental cooperation between ICATEC,SA (the technical consulting subsidiary of ICA) andEnvironmental Research & Technology, Inc., which isa subsidiary of Communications Satellite Corporation(COMSAT). The seminar was a private initiative under-taken by the two companies, with partial sponsorshipby the Mexican National Council of Science and Tech-nology.The guiding principle of the seminar itself was that,while scientific and technological methods for environ-mental problem-solving may be universally valid, theirapplication must be performed within a nationally-determined framework of cultural values. One majorchallenge facing Mexico, and countries at other levelsof economic development, is how to develop and importtechnology to meet domestic needs in a socially andenvironmentally sound way. The seminar was an indica-tion of public and private-sector cooperation in meetingthis challenge in Mexico.John Whitman, DirectorInternational Environmental Management InstituteEnvironmental Research & Technology, Inc.696 Virginia RoadConcord, Massachusetts 01742, USA.PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTEENTH WORKING SESSIONOF IUCN'S COMMISSION ON NATIONAL PARKS ANDPROTECTED AREAS (CNPPA), HELD IN LIMA, PERU,DURING 21-28 JUNE 1981This event also involved field sessions in Lachay,Paracas, and Pampa Galeras, National Reserves. Thefour major objectives addressed by the 53 participantsand 30 observers were: (1) to present some new con-cepts of importance to protected-areas management;(2) to compile information on the protected areas ofthe Neotropical Realm (for subsequent processing anddissemination); (3) to discuss ways and means of devel-oping the capacity to manage protected areas; and(4) to promote international support for protected-areamanagement in the Neotropics. These will now be dealtwith in turn:1) New Concepts in Managing Protected Areas:—In further carrying out its task to develop the con-ceptual basis for selection, establishment, and manage-ment, of protected areas, CNPPA had commissioned thepreparation of four papers which were presented at themeeting for consideration by the participants. Thesewere:—'What genetic resources mean to the protected-area manager', by Robert & Christine Prescott-Allen;—'Conserving marine genetic resources in protectedareas', by Norman Myers;—'Ecodevelopment and protected areas: Some socialand economic implications', by Oscar Pollard; and—'Native cultures and protected areas', by LeslieBrown rigg.2) Information on Protected Areas of the NeotropicalRealm:—Following a review of the CNPPA system formonitoring the protected areas of the world,including anintroducation to the new computerized CNPPA Pro-tected Areas Data Unit (PADU) at the Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, England, UK, the Session divided intothree workshop sessions (concerned with South Amer-ica, Central America, and the Caribbean). Each work-shop session reviewed and corrected the UN List ofNational Parks and Equivalent Reserves, assigned eacharea to its management category and its biogeographicprovince, and compiled information sheets that hadpreviously been prepared by the CNPPA members in-volved. Based on the review:—98 protected areas which are new or were other-wise not included in the 1980 UN list were proposedfor inclusion on the 1982 list (bringing the total for theNeotropical Realm to 314 areas, which is an increase of98; the total area protected is now 47,760,822 ha, whichis an increase of 26% over the total in the 1980 list);—Each area was assigned to its proper biogeographicprovince and management category (the 1982 UN Listwill include IUCN management categories I—V, plusIX and X);—New or revised information sheets were submittedfor some 258 areas (120% of the 1980 UN List and 81%of the updated list), including 100% coverage for CentralAmerica (except Mexico), the Caribbean (except PuertoRico, Cuba, and Jamaica), Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,Ecuador, Peru, and Suriname; Argentina, Paraguay, andUruguay lack data sheets for just one area each. The data329Environmental Conservation, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 1981—©1981 The Foundation for Environmental Conservation—Printed in Switzerland.https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900028204Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Basel Library, on 11 Jul 2017 at 13:28:36, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at330 Environmental Conservationsheets will be published in 1982 in & Directory of Pro-tected Areas of the Neotropical Realm.Special contributions in the monitoring programmewere made by: Allen Putney, Roger Morales, RicardoLuti, Manuel Rios, Juan Oltremari, Heliodoro Sanchez,Maria Tereza Jorge Padua, Pedro Salinas, and ArturoPonce.Several papers were also presented on selected pro-tected-areas systems, including 'Comparison of theStatus of Central American Wildlands, 1969 and 1981'(showing that in 1969 there were 25 protected areastotalling nearly 2 million hectares—3.7% of the landarea of Central America—and 8 were under activemanagement, whereas by 1981 there were 149 areascovering over 6 million hectares—11.6% of the land—and 107 were under active management). Other paperspresented included 'Development of a methodology forthe formation, administration, and management, of anational system of protected wildlands in Chile' and'State of conservation of national parks and equivalentreserves in El Salvador'.3) Developing Management Capacity:—CNPPA sup-ports the development of management capacity infive ways: training; helping the man on the ground;providing information; promoting effective managementof protected areas; and legislation. At the Lima WorkingSession:—CNPPA's role in training was reviewed, based onthe WWF publication, 'Strategy for Training in NaturalResources and Environment'. It was decided that thisstrategy meets very effectively the needs of the Realm,and that every effort should be made to promote itseffective sponsorship; however, a few revisions arerequired, including a greater concentration on marineresources and an improved summary of FAO pro-grammes.—The IUCN International Parks Valour Award wasdiscussed and nomination forms were distributed.—The CNPPA publications programme was re-viewed, concentrating on PARKS Magazine, nearly 1000copies of each issue of which are now distributed inSpanish. The distribution list was revised at this Session,more than 50 new names being added.—Workshop sessions discussed the CNPPA draftquestionnaire on effective management, suggestingseveral improvements to make the questionnaire moreuseful for field applications.—Involvement of Neotropical countries in inter-national conservation conventions was reviewed; it ap-pears likely that Peru and Venezuela may be ratifyingthe World Heritage Convention in the near future.4) Promoting International Support for Protected-areas' Management:—CNPPA promotes internationalsupport for protected-areas' management in two majorways:(a) Promoting WWF-supported projects. The CNPPAprogramme was reviewed, along with its list of WWF-supported projects. Three simultaneous workshopsessions were convened to provide CNPPA with guidanceon protected-areas' priorities in the Neotropics for thecoming three years; these proposed projects have beenincluded in CNPPA's new programme, stressing theupcoming rain-forests and primates programme.(b) Promoting UN-supported projects. FAO's pro-gramme in protected areas was reviewed, showing thatthey have at present no protected areas project in theNeotropics. However, the UN Joint Inspection Unit hasrecently completed an inspection tour of the region andwill be making recommendations on an expandedUNDP/FAO programme. A basic introduction was pro-vided to UNESCO's programmes—the Man and the Bios-phere Programme and the World Heritage Convention—and workshops were convened to provide information foran inventory of potential World Heritage Sites (resultingin a paper on 'Natural Areas of the Neotropical Realmfor Consideration as Possible World Heritage Sites'),and for a list of potential Biosphere Reserves (resultingin a paper on 'Potential Biosphere Reserves in theNeotropical Realm'). The UNESCO representative, DrGonzalo Halffter, presented a paper on 'ConservingGerm-plasm'. In addition:5) Other Results from the Working Session:—Withparticipants from all parts of the Neotropics alsorepresenting most major international organizationsthat are active in the Realm, the Session's study visitsto Lachay, Paracas, and Pampa Galeras, were particularlyuseful. Of outstanding importance was the remarkablerecovery of the once-endangered Vicuna (Vicugna vi-cugna), which has now reached population levels thatenable it once again to make important contributions tothe local economy. Other results included:—Some 15 potential new members of CNPPA wereidentified, helping to strengthen the representation ofthe Commission in the Neotropics;—A special session was held on marine conservation,with papers presented on 'A system of marine parks andprotected areas for the British Virgin Islands' (IvorJackson) and on 'Conceptual Aspects of Coastal Prob-lems in Latin America' (Francisco Palacio); the EC-NAMP programme in the Eastern Caribbean was alsodiscussed (Allen Putney).—The contribution of the Neotropics to the WorldNational Parks Congress, to be held in Bali, Indonesia,in October 1982, was discussed; it was decided to ap-point Dr Marc Dourojeanni to coordinate the LatinAmerican component of" the Congress.The Working Session closed with a number of generalrecommendations, including a vote of thanks to ourhosts at the National Agrarian University at La Molina,and in particular to Marc Dourojeanni, Carlos Ponce, andManuel Rios.Jeffrey A. McNeely, Executive OfficerCommission on National Parks & Protected AreasIUCNAvenue du Mont-Blanc1196 Gland, Switzerland.UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON NEW AND RENEW-ABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY, HELD IN NAIROBI, KENYA,DURING 10-21 AUGUST 1981*Global conferences, sometimes referred to as mega-conferences, have become a major decision-seekingmechanism in the United Nations during the last decade.Every year they focus the world's attention upon oneor two different issues such as environment, water, food,* Already presaged as an 'Important prospect' by its then Sec-retary-General, HE Mohamed Habib Gherab, on page 78 of ourSpring issue this year.—Ed.https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900028204Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Basel Library, on 11 Jul 2017 at 13:28:36, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at

Proceedings of the Eighteenth Working Session of IUCN's Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (CNPPA), Held in Lima, Peru, During 21-28 June 1981

Proceedings of the Eighteenth Working Session of IUCN's Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (CNPPA), Held in Lima, Peru, During 21-28 June 1981

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