Market mechanisms are the last best hope for many of the world’s most threatened animals. 3

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1. 

   amazingdrx Posted 11:16 pm
   22 Jun 2005

   Ahh.. lower demand.Yep good idea.
   Since the main market for endangered species seems to be the aphrodisiac/male potency herbal products, wouldn't it make sense to flood these regions that crave these sorts of products with viagra, cialis and the like?
   Rather than tiger farming, maybe groups that are trying to save these species ought to try to increase the availability of these drugs, let these  pathetic idiots use remedies that really work.
   Market forces should then reduce the profit in trafficing endangered species parts.
   No opium war will be necessary this time to get China's impotent men hooked on viagra.  The former communist officials who run monopoly capitalism in China will take their cut, and their viagra too!

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   Biodiversivist Posted 2:38 pm
   23 Jun 2005

   I hope you intend to tell us about the tripI looked up some info on Chhattisgarh. It is about the size of Washington State with about the same amount of forest cover. However, it has three times as many people, a child mortality rate that is 16 times higher and a fertility rate of 4.3. Washington State has about 2500 mountain lions, Chhattisgarh has about 40 tigers.
   What do you think of these comments?
   The fear of Maoists not only keeps poachers away from the sanctuary but also forces forest officials to take their permission before entering the forest.
   Forest employees, on the other hand, do not complain as they feel the Maoists are playing the role of protectors effectively. "No poacher will dare enter Indravati sanctuary," an official said.
   A senior police official said, "The rebels have their own compulsion to look after the wildlife and environment. For, the forest will remain a safe haven as long as it is free from the movement of outsiders, including employees of the department."
   Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050421/asp/nation/story_4635413.asp
   
   
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

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3. 

   Shalini Ramanathan Posted 6:10 pm
   23 Jun 2005

   the "C" wordYou can't really talk about the sad state of Indian forests (and their inhabitants, human and non-human) without talking about colonialism. The British colonial government set up a forest management system that focused on timber extraction above all else and that persecuted locals who had previously lived on forest lands. The net result -- even after a half-century of independence -- is that forest policy is a mess and does  not engage local communities.
   A further complexity: Adivasis (the PC word for tribals)  are practically invisible in "mainstream" India, aside from the occasional travel story on how darn picturesque they are. So there is little government support for enlightened management of local resources. And little understanding of how such support might just reduce the appeal of gun-toting Marxist terrorists.  

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