At 14:01 3/04/98 -0816, you wrote:
Hi John
>
>The pilaging of Chinese forests certainly is disastrous,
>but wouldn't "useless scrub" be a legitimate habitat and
>perhaps a refuge for many forest species? I've heard of
>various throwaway adjectives used to describe all sorts of
>wooded habitats including regrowth gully forest in the
>Otways (southern Victoria) which are inhabited by Pink
>Robins, Olive Whistlers etc. and also much of the dryer
>woodlands of inland Queensland which are threatened with
>wholesale clearing.
>
>I suspect that I'm being politically-ecologically-correct
>but "scrub" can be good habitat in quality and where it's
>located in the landscape.
RESPONSE: you are quite right. Some scrub holds good birds. For example,
we birdered in scrub enroute to Weining in Guizhou and found some great
birds. But I actually meant useless scrub. A general rule in China is that
where there are people there are no birds. And the pressure is ongoing.
The last time Mark birded the Lake Poyang area he saw some 50 Great
Bustards. We saw 8!
>
>Back to China, is there any action being taken to conserve
>Chinese forests adequately?
RESPONSE: There are individuals and organisations desparately trying to hang
on to what habitat is left.My heart bleeds for them. And even ordinary
citizens have begun to realise how destruction of the habitat impacts on
them. For example, the local Communist authorities want to log the core
area at the Guan Shan Forest Reserve. The people in the nearby town are
opposing this, because they realise that it will pollute their wter supply
and lead to floods. But the all-powerful communist Cadres by and large are
interested only in more bucks!
I can see no hope.
John Penhallurick
>
>Regards
>
>George
>
>----------------------
>George Appleby
>
>
>
>
>
Associate Professor John M. Penhallurick<>
Canberra, Australia
Phone BH( 61 2) 6201 2346 AH (61 2) 62585428
FAX (61 2) 6258 0426
Snail Mail Faculty of Communication
University of Canberra,A.C.T.2601, AUSTRALIA
OR PO Box 3469, BMDC, BELCONNEN, ACT 2617, AUSTRALIA
"I'd rather be birding!"
"Vivat,crescat,floreat Ornithologia"
Hartert,Vog.pal.Fauna,p.2016.
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