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British Columbia Field Ornithologists Press Release = British Columbia Field Ornithologists take a position on the fundamental= conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation = At their Annual General Meeting in Lillooet on 26 May 2007, the BC Field= Ornithologists (BCFO) adopted a position on the fundamental conflict be= tween economic growth and biodiversity conservation. The BCFO addresses = the study and enjoyment of wild birds in British Columbia through resear= ch and conservation efforts to preserve birds and their habitats. = The timing of the vote was opportune as Birdlife International announce= d the previous week that 22% of the planet=92s birds are now at increase= d risk of extinction. A total of 1,221 bird species are presently consid= ered threatened with extinction and an additional 812 species are consid= ered Near Threatened, an increase of 28 species from last year. In Briti= sh Columbia, 43 avian taxa are considered extirpated, endangered, or thr= eatened and a further 48 species are of special concern. = Dr. James Ginns, BCFO President, noted that =93Our position statement is= precedent setting in that the BCFO is one of the first conservation org= anizations in British Columbia to focus attention on the causes of biodi= versity declines rather than simply focusing on the symptoms as most env= ironmental organizations are doing today. Unless the causes of the probl= em are addressed, avian biodiversity declines are likely to continue.=94= = One of the causes for these declines is economic growth. The economy gro= ws by appropriating natural capital from the economy of nature (ecosyste= ms) and using it for the human economy. As the human economy expands it = removes resources, displaces healthy ecosystems and degrades remaining e= cosystems with waste. Thus, economic growth reduces the quality and quan= tity of bird habitat when it=92s converted as throughput to the human ec= onomy. It=92s this growth that tends to swamp any gains made through con= servation and policy efforts. = Similar positions on economic growth have been sanctioned by a number of= professional scientific organizations in North America including The So= ciety for Conservation Biology, North America Section, The United States= Society for Ecological Economics, The Wildlife Society, and The Center = for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy. = The BCFO position explains not only the fundamental conflict between ec= onomic growth and biodiversity conservation, but identifies an alternati= ve: the steady state economy. = There are more details on the BC Field Ornithologists web page: http://w= ww.bcfo.ca/index.php. = Contact: Neil K. Dawe, R.P.Bio. 250-248-0150 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] = = ------------------------------------- Brian Czech, Ph.D., President Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy SIGN THE POSITION on economic growth at: www.steadystate.org/PositiononE= G.html . EMAIL RESPONSE PROBLEMS? Use [EMAIL PROTECTED]
