Alternatives Journal articles from September 1997

Alternatives Journal archives from September 1997

Caring for the Carolinian: partnerships fight for one of Canada's most diverse and threatened regions.
September 22, 1997... A report issued in March by a conservation group in southwestern Ontario concludes that one of Canada's most diverse ecological zones is losing ground to development, despite past and continuing efforts to preserve it. The region in question...

Once there were millions of passenger pigeons too. (protecting the monarch butterfly)
September 22, 1997... The monarch butterfly is now officially vulnerable in Canada. Renowned for its unique and mysterious migration, the butterfly still numbers in the tens of millions. But its population fluctuates dramatically, with nearly 90 percent declines in...

Multilateral misgivings: critics argue that a quietly planned globalization agreement amounts to a corporate rule treaty.
September 22, 1997... Quiet, behind-the-scenes negotiations on the global rights of corporate investors are gradually being drawn into the glare of public debate. By the time delegates reach the November gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),...

A different development: citizens are successfully pushing plans for a sustainable community in Vancouver's False Creek.
September 22, 1997... What to do with one of the last large tracts of undeveloped land left in the heart of the City of Vancouver? Answering that question has pitted "business as usual" interests in the municipal administration against citizens who envision a more...

Feds fish for support: a ripple of cautious optimism greets new 'Oceans Act.'
September 22, 1997... Canada's new Oceans Act, which came into effect on January 31, 1997, is being heralded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as the beginning of a new era for ocean management in Canada. The department claims the new legislation will...

Drug giant deals for rainforest: some think Costa Rica's agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. is a questionable way of protecting diversity.
September 22, 1997... With about 25 percent of its territory protected, Costa Rica has won an international reputation for its efforts to preserve its tropical and sub-tropical rainforests. But an agreement with an American pharmaceutical giant has raised concerns...

Bunk behind the backlash: highly publicized reports exaggerate the costs of environmental regulation.
September 22, 1997... Both the federal and provincial governments in Canada have been chopping away at environmental regulation and programme funding in the last few years. When reasoned justifications for the cuts are offered, officials often refer to a variety of...

Behind the green curtain. (forestry reforms and biodiversity in British Columbia)
September 22, 1997... Despite the rhetoric, British Columbia's recent forestry reforms will not protect biodiversity, and herein lies a cautionary tale for advocates of incremental change Recent forest management decisions trumpet sustainability, but perpetuate...

The bear necessities: Canada needs to take serious steps to honor our commitments to endangered species and spaces. (includes related article on Bill C-65)
September 22, 1997... Heading North from Washington State, a young grizzly bear unknowingly crosses the 49th parallel into Canada in search of a new home. A member of a vastly diminished American population, she has relatively few undisturbed tracts of wilderness from...

Making knowledge powerful: Mexican village project uses environmental information technologies to strengthen community voices in biodiversity conservation.
September 22, 1997... Rural communities facing urban expansion or other forms of development are one of the major battle fronts of environmental protection. Mexico City is an exciting, complex and hugely ambitious human "experiment" - this vibrant and dynamic...

Fire on the land: there's nothing primitive about farmers using fire to sustain biodiversity.
September 22, 1997... In all regions of the world, there is evidence of deliberate periodic firing of grasslands and forests, in some cases for millennia. At a meeting with village leaders at !Xade in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve of Botswana last year, I asked...