Day 240 - 24 Apr 96 - Page 12

     
     1        States at the Department of Environmental Sciences.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  Have you written articles in the academic press on
     4        these issues?
     5        A.  Yes.  I have published in both the academic and popular
     6        press on a variety of tropical forest issues.
     7
     8   Q.   When you were doing your research, or you say you began
     9        your researches into this in about 1982/1983?
    10        A.  Yes.
    11
    12   Q.   What kind of issues did you research into, very briefly,
    13        the kind of headings of what issues did you look into?
    14        A.  At the time, I was aware that one of the most serious
    15        environmental problems that nations all round the world had
    16        to face up to was and is the degradation and clearance of
    17        tropical forests and in the early 1980s there were no
    18        popular campaigning organisations or campaigns being run on
    19        this issue.  Thus, my first steps were to fully familiarise
    20        myself with the social economic and political influences in
         tropical forest countries and outside tropical forest
    22        countries that resulted in that degradation and clearance.
    23
    24        Over a period of two years, I immersed myself in the
    25        scientific and popular literature describing those
    26        economic, social and political influences and prepared a
    27        campaign strategy whereby Friends of the Earth in this
    28        country and in other countries could usefully contribute
    29        towards the resolution of those problems.
    30
    31        As examples, I looked at the impact of the logging
    32        industry, of various agricultural industries, including the
    33        cattle ranching industry, as well as the impacts of
    34        particular infrastructure development projects such as dams
    35        or highways.  I looked at the mining sector and of course
    36        I looked at the pressures caused by settlements either
    37        planned by individual nation governments or spontaneously
    38        occurring within countries like Brazil or Costa Rica.
    39
    40        Finally, I also looked at the effects of overseas
         assistance programmes, both run on a bilateral basis, as
    42        well as through the multi-lateral development banks like
    43        the World Bank or its regional counterparts.
    44
    45   Q.   I will commence reading your statement.  If there is
    46        anything which is ----
    47
    48   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think it probably best if you have the one
    49        in the witness bundle which is to your right-hand,
    50        Mr. Secrett.  Can you bring it round in front of you so we 
    51        know it is exactly the same as ours. 
    52        A.  Okay. 
    53
    54   MR. MORRIS:  Right.  If there is anything which is inaccurate or
    55        needs clarification, please stop me preferably at the end
    56        of the paragraph that I am reading:
    57
    58        "1.  Submission to the High Court has been prepared by
    59        Charles Secrett, currently Executive Director of Friends of
    60        the Earth (FOE) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.