A very true statement. Yet people who has to open their mind and heart are still closed. I think, unless we do something, even our protected areas will vanish. All natural area (including some protected area) are getting destroyed, isolated or fragmented for the sake of so called development. It is happening everywhere. Metros will become super metros and other places would be eager to compete with metros to keep on developing... Green itself would be under threat! In a state like Kerala, where the land is very limited and natural habitats are facing threat from each and every corners, government proposes to construct air strips in each districts! including high range districts such as Idukki and Waynad! Even though there are news about the closure of Mysore airport because of less profit, Kerala government proposes to construct an airport in the nearby place, Waynad by filling paddy field! In Waynad district most of the people are farmers and I do not know whom they target for air travel?
Regards, Giby On 22 March 2012 06:42, Dr Pankaj Kumar <[email protected]> wrote: > Yesterday I was in a meeting with one very senior, great orchid expert > from Russia, Prof. Leonid Averyanov. He has spent nearly 30 years studying > plants in Vietnam and of course studied Russian Orchids and flora too. He > has named over 200 new taxa to science. > We were four guys, Russian, Austrian, British and me, Indian. > He said something that really touched me a lot so felt like sharing. > He asked why do we collect herbarium specimens? > Some one answered that to make vouchers of our collections. Its acts like > a proof that yes we saw and studied this plant. > And his answer was, "NO. ITS BECAUSE, WHEN NOTHING WILL REMAIN ON EARTH > THEN WE CAN SHOW THESE COLLECTIONS TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS AND TELL THEM > THAT SUCH PLANTS EXISTED ON EARTH BUT WE DESTROYED THEM TO EXTINCTION". > I got goose bumps hearing him say this... > Pankaj > > > > -- GIBY KURIAKOSE PhD Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Royal Enclave, Jakkur Post, Srirampura Bangalore- 560064 India Phone - +91 9448714856 (Mobile) visit my pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giby
