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Re: Amazon & Deforestion my final comment



In a message dated 8/24/99 2:58:13 PM Central Daylight Time, 
Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com writes:

<< But collecting of aquatic plants will do NOTHING as far as de-forestation 
is 
 concerned. We aren't arguing the good/bad of de-forestation.  We all know 
 that it is bad.  When we ride a boat through the rainforest and collect fish 
 and plants, it does not cause de-forestation>>

Agreed, but Bob lets take one or two tourists and multiply that by 100's, in 
a few years with tranportation and airfare prices being the way they are 
every aquarist will be down there collecting.
All of them will be in boats with motors that release gas products into the 
water, their wake can destroy habitats, (it has killed many a lake in 
Ontario, which are now dead lakes.) The ultimate result Habitat destruction.

Costa Rica has already had to limit the amount of tourist into MOnteverde 
Cloud forst etc, just due to the volume of people walking through and on the 
paths and thereby destroying sensative & valuable habitats.
 
 << But the discussion was about the collection of a plants by individuals.  
Why 
 are you going on about something as off-topic as de-forestation.  In 
reality, 
 the tropical aquarium hobby, by its very existance, opposes deforestation, 
 and gives countries like Brazil reason to preserve the forest.  The forest 
is 
 a replenishable resource which can be harvested to a specific finite level.  
 De-forestation is a whole 'nother story.>>

Agreed again it is a replenishable resource but in limited amounts, 
encroachment, acid rain etc are already weaking the ecosystem. Hoardes of 
tourists collecting will once again do more damage.
It won't be long now when you will be floating on the Amazon trying to 
collect water  plants and low & behold you will only collect a collection of 
Coke or Budweiser cans.
Some people care but the majority  don't.
From personal experience I have seen remote lakes in Northern Ontario 
littered with the remaining remnants of modern day man, from Beer cans to 
outboard motors and condoms.

So collect if you must, but try to leave the environment in the same manner 
you found it.

Regards,

John