Government Agencies Know Best (paging George Orwell)

Neil Jones Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk
Mon Sep 29 14:18:36 EDT 1997


In article <875537002.12301 at dejanews.com> pageclan at msn.com  writes:

> Apology beforehand:
>
> If I'm not posting properly, someone please tell me.
>
> Neil made some great points.  I only want to address  two now -
> government heavy-handedness and 'disrupting the ecology of a site'.

Not for the first time we find anti-government politics clouding the
issues debated in this forum.


> I'm not convinced that any govt. authority was mislead about the event.
> This implies some kind of intent to deceive on the part of 'releaser'.

The facts are as I stated. The permit was applied for in the name of research
but the release has been publicised as if it were a publicity stunt. As for
the intentions of the releaser, I leave others to decide on his state of mind.
The fact is that it was promoted by the "International Federation of Butterfly
Enthusiasts" founded and led by Hans Schnauber. The existing, well respected,
organistation "The Xerces Society" (a much less grandiose name) opposed this
release on scientific grounds.

> Notwithstanding, the 'govt.-guy' who perceives that 'his' authority has
> been challenged WILL come down harder on future events, releases and
> transports.  This 'govt.-guy' has too much power, is one of my points.

Anti-government sentiment is again clouding the issue.
>
> Disrupting the ecology of a site is quickly becoming sacreligous (sp?).
> To disrupt the ecology of a site is seen as a moral problem with all
> those nasty overtones.
>
> Disrupting the ecology of a site implies:
> -we understand completely the site,
> -the site is in stasis,
> -change is bad,
> -the site cannot be disrupted,
> -a small, elite group of persons gets to control the ecology of the site,
> -no one really owns the site (anti-private ownership here)
>
>
> I'm not just talking bulldozers here because lots of people want to
> improve the ecology of many sites.


Management of sites should be conducted under proper scientific principles.
A particular population of butterflies will have been shaped by evolution
to be suited to its site. This may be why so many introductions fail.
Any introductions should be properly conducted and monitored. The problem
with the way this "international federation" is conducting itself it that
it is encouraging people to release butterflies in places where they do not
occur. In the UK this practice has been causing tremendous problems with
the conservation of certain species.

--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk "The beauty and genius of a work of art
may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a
vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last
individual of a race of living things breathes no more another heaven and
another earth must pass before such a one can be again." William Beebe



More information about the Leps-l mailing list