Re: Guido, CITES and Lawyers

Carlo A. Balistrieri (cabalist@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Thu, 07 Mar 1996 17:08:26 -0600

>One of the problems is that CITES was originally 'invented' to
>protect animals during the days that every woman (and quite some man)
>wanted a fur coat and rich people wanted ivory statues etc.
>Later on, someone remembered that Animals were not the only living
>things on earth and they included plants without adapting the rules.
>
>How could they have? Those who were on the job were either lawyers or
>zoologist. And it is still that way.
>
>Guido

Thanks a lot, Guido!! You of all people should know that THIS lawyer is on
the job, trying to make these rules work for plants and people who grow
them. Now if I could just get positioned somewhere where I could do it on a
full-time basis.

Partly the reason plants were ignored is because they nearly always are. One
of the best reasons for keeping plants in cultivation, and possibly the only
real conservation reason, is that it increases awareness of their existence.
I recently gave a talk to grade school children about raising unusual plants
and took along part of my collection. Their thank you notes were very
interesting. "Now I want to learn more about plants," was a common theme.
Why? Because they could see them, feel them and experience them in the
middle of winter and because SOMEBODY GREW THEM! They saw plants from around
the world and were fascinated. Maybe, just maybe, a little seed was planted
there.

Everyone wants to keep our favorite plants in existence in the wild but
cultivating them may be the most important way to achieve the goal.

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>End of CP Digest 644
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Carlo A. Balistrieri, J.D. Email: CABalist@facstaff.wisc.edu
P.O. Box 327
Ashippun, WI 53003-0327
U.S.A.
Voice: 414.474.7771
Telefax: 414.474.7772