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Friday 21st
November 2008
For Immediate Use
World Campaign to Save Gulf of Mannar Gathers
Momentum
Ecologists, academics, scientists and religious
leaders from around the world will gather in
London next week. Their aim will be to prevent
the destruction of the Gulf of Mannar, one of
the last remaining intact ecosystems on earth
and home to the famous Ram Sethu or Adam’s
Bridge, a site sacred to 1 billion Hindus worldwide.
The gathering is set to provide enough multi-disciplinary
evidence to persuade the governments of India
and Sri Lankan to ask UNESCO to designate the
Gulf a World Heritage Site.
The Gulf of Mannar is a shallow stretch of water
separating India from Sri Lanka. Despite its
important ecological and cultural significance
as one of South Asia’s largest biosphere
reserves, the Indian Government is pressing
ahead with plans to build a shipping channel
– the Sethusamudram Ship Channel –
right through it, threatening the numerous endangered
plant and animal species that live there, as
well as the livelihood of local fishermen. The
proposals have met with an international chorus
of disapproval and the project is currently
the focus of a legal battle in India’s
Supreme Court.
Among those making presentations at the meeting
will be: -
- Martin Palmer, Secretary General, the Alliance
of Religions and Conservation (UK)
- Peter Bunyard, co-founder of The ecologist
magazine, and a respected worldwide authority
on climate change (UK)
- Susan Denyer, Secretary, International Council
on Monuments and Sites UK
- Christoph Schwarte, Staff Lawyer, The Foundation
for International Environmental Law and Development
(UK)
- Professor Anantanand Rambachan, Professor
and Chair of Religion, Saint Olaf College,
Minnesota (USA)
- Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna Lecturer,
Mahendradatta University (Bali)
- Dr. Ranil Senanayake, a leading systems
ecologist who has worked with the United Nations
Environment Programme (Sir Lanka)
- Ritwick Dutta, Member, Environmental Law
Alliance Worldwide (India)
- Shalina Sital, Global Human Rights Defence
(The Netherlands)
The meeting
has been called by The Living Planet Foundation
(USA), and will be held at the Linnean Society
of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London
W1 on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th November.
Organiser Kusum Vyas (Houston, Texas) says:
-
“The Linnean Society has been at the forefront
of scientific exploration since 1788, often
hosting events that changed the course of history
– Charles Darwin’s first speech on
natural selection being a case in point. We
hope we can make history again there next week
and, once and for all, ensure this precious
and sacred region of the Earth is preserved
for future generations.”
For further details please see www.livingplanetfoundation.org
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors: -
Journalists are invited to attend this meeting
and the press conference to be held at the Linnean
Society at 16.00 on Wednesday 26th November.
You should already have received background
information on this event, if not, or to obtain
a duplicate copy, or for any further information,
please contact Suzanne Evans at Aquarius PR
on 020 8687 0173 or 07973 149104. Email suzanne@aquariuspr.co.uk
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