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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1980
AT THE GATHERING OF LOCAL BUSINESSMEN, CONSERVATIONISTS AND SCIENTISTS TODAY, SIR MURRAY SAID THAT MORE OR LESS EVERYONE FAVOURED THE CONSERVATION OF WORLD WILDLIFE, BUT ADDED: THE PROBLEM IS WHAT ANYONE IS PREPARED TO DO ABOUT IT.
+HUMAN COMMUNITIES ARE GRADUALLY AND SHAK ILY ACCEPTING THE NECESSITY FOR MUTUAL CONCESSIONS TO AVOID THEIR OWN ANNIHILATION BY WAR, STARVATION AND DISEASE. BUT IN PRACTICE THEY ARE VERY FAR FROM ACCEPTING THAT CONCESSIONS TO LIVING WITH THE WORLD OF NATURE MUST BE MADE IF BEAUTY AND INTEREST ARE NOT TO BE LOST AND INDEED THE ECOLOGICAL BALANCE ON WHICH LIFE ON THIS PLANET DEPENDS.
IT IS TO STIR THE WORLD TO REALISATION OF THIS DANGER THAT THE WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY IS BEING LAUNCHED,+ SAID SIR MURRAY,
IN RELATION TO HONG KONG'S OBLIGATIONS, HE SAID ATTEMPTS TO DO SO LOCALLY WOULD ENCOUNTER +EXCEPTIONAL CONTRARY PRESSURES.+
THE DENSITY OF POPULATION AND ITS VERY RAPID INCREASE INEVITABLY COMPETE WITH ALL FORMS OF WILDLIFE FOR USE OF THE VERY LIMITED LAND AND WATER.
+MOREOVER, HE SAID, THERE IS THE IMPERATIVE NEED FOR THIS RAPIDLY INCREASING POPULATION TO EARN ITS LIVING AND MAINTAIN ITSELF IN A TERRITORY TOTALLY DEVOID OF NATURAL RESOURCES OTHER THAN ITS PEOPLE AND ITS HARBOUR.+
SIR MURRAY SAID IT WAS OUR DUTY TO RECONCILE THESE CONFLICTING OBLIGATIONS.
HONG KONG WAS ONLY A TINY ISLAND IN THE VAST LAND MASS OF EAST ASIA AND ITS WILDLIFE ONLY A MICROSCOPIC PART.+
+BUT,+ SIR MURRAY SAID, IT IS A PART WHICH IS FASCINATING, BEAUTIFUL AND ACCESSIBLE, AND IS TO BE TREASURED.+
ON CONSERVATION MATTERS, SIR MURRAY CITED THE COUNTRY PARKS DEVELOPMENT AND LEGISLATION INVOLVING THE TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF FLORA AND FAUNA.
+ IMPORTANT THOUGH OUR OWN CONTROL MEASURES ARE, THEY ARE BUT ONE TINY PART OF THE STRATEGY REQUIRED FOR GLOBAL CONSERVATION. THE UNDERLYING CONCEPTS OF THE STRATEGY ARE NOT NEW, BUT THEIR APPLICATION ON THIS SCALE IS, AND THEIR SUCCESS REQUIRES THE COMBINED CO-OPERATIVE EFFORTS OF GOVERNMENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
+FOR INSTANCE, THE STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, MAKES OUR EFFORTS IN HONG KONG MORE INFINITELY WORTHWHILE, + SAID SIR MURRAY.
HE ADDED THAT EVERYWHERE LEGISLATION WAS ESSENTIAL, BUT MORE IMPORTANT WAS POLICING AND EDUCATION IN THE PRINCIPLES OF CONSERVATION.
A REPLY TO SIR MURRAY'S SUPPORT FOR THE GOALS WHICH THE STRATEGY SOUGHT TO ACHIEVE WAS MADE BY MARINE BIOLOGIST, DR SYLVIA EARLE, A TRUSTEE OF THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND INTERNATIONAL.
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