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FWA's Breakfast in the Tropics with Wildlife Conservation Society, President & CEO, Dr. Steven Sanderson - March 9, 2011
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Southern Exposure: FWA delegates and friends test the tropics in preparation for the 26th Annual International Conference to Brazil |
In connection with this year's International Conference to Brazil April 1-13, the International Committee of the FWA was pleased to have Dr. Steven Sanderson, President & CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, join 35 FWA members and friends for an insightful discussion on Latin America's future environmental challenges over breakfast at the Central Park Zoo's Education Center. Dr. Sanderson, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Fulbright Scholar in Mexico, has written and lectured extensively on Latin America, rural poverty, biodiversity conservation and impacts of global climate change on wildlife. He has also served as Ford Foundation Program Officer in Brazil.
Assistant Tour Guide and Tropic Zone resident, a derbyan parakeet,
native to China |
Debunking the popular notion that Amazonian deforestation is still the region's biggest environmental challenge, Dr. Sanderson noted that the Belo Monte hydroelectric power project, for one, will pose unprecedented challenges to humans and wildlife alike. It will be the world's third largest hydroelectric dam, generating 11,000 megawatts of electricity. The colossal project on the Rio Xingu in Para is slated to flood 500 sq km of the Amazon, and impact thousands of people.
Dr. Sanderson moved seamlessly from political and economic observations to environmental considerations and back again. He took the group on a journey that began with Brazil's settlement by the Portuguese three centuries ago, to the subsequent westward interior expansion, and through the rapid development characterizing the last century. From
Nicobar pigeon, native of Southeast Asia |
the impact of foreign exchange controls on growth, to the massive near-term infrastructure requirements, the crime and poverty of the favelas and violence against women, and the incremental successes in combating them, Dr. Sanderson provided an excellent survey for the delegates in the group as they prepared for the conference.
Spanning 3.3 million sq miles, Brazil is the most biologically rich country in the world encompassing numerous ecological zones and natural wonders - the Patanal, the Amazon, the arid cerrrado, and the Atlantic Forest among them. Indeed, while the conference will take place in the cities of Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, the delegates were reminded that environmental considerations play a particularly prominent role in Brazilian business and increasingly in its social consciousness.
West African long tailed hornbill |
"It is clear that environmental issues are a major consideration for Brazil's future economic growth," said Simone Vinocour, Co-Chair of the FWA's International Committee and Brazil Conference. "Dr. Sanderson's insights was crucial for the delegation to better understand these issue going into the Conference itself." The Conference will include a panel on environment and sustainability with Nobel laureate Dr. Jose Moreira, MGM Innova Technical Advisor and Professor of Physics and Energy at the University of Sao Paulo; Elizabeth Carvalhaes, President of Bracelpa, the Brazilian paper and pulp industry association; and the WCS's own Dr. Flavia Miranda, Head of Health Activities for Brazil. Following the Conference, several members of the delegation will also participate in a trip to the spectacular Iguaçu Falls in the state of Paraná.
After Sanderson' talk, the group moved to the Tropic Zone Rainforest exhibit for a private tour to preview the temperate climate and get an up-close view of the region's inhabitants. Zookeeper Melissa Mason introduced the scarlet ibis, the blue-headed macaw, the blue-throated conures, the tamanduas (anteater) and poison frogs, all Brazilian natives. A playful derbyan parakeet (pictured below) accompanied the group throughout the tour, serving as assistant tour guide. The morning birdcalls were truly a welcome respite from the honking horns of 5th Avenue just yards away… no vaccinations or visas required for this delightful escape south of the boarder!
(L-R) John Calvelli, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Lily Klebanoff Blake, International Committee Executive Adviser, Simone Vinocour, International Committee Co-Chair, Steve Sanderson, President & CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society,
Donna La Spina, International Committee Member |
About WCS: The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. It does so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit www.wcs.org.
Special thanks to Donna La Spina of BNP Paribas for contributing this article.
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