World Heritage: Populate or Perish   Science in the Pub Number 66 With panelists Richard Pearson, Karen Benn, Jonathan Nott and Mike Berwick Compered by Brian Roberts, Pat Morrish and Jason Hagen Wednesday, November 14th 2001, 7:30pm Plaza Ballroom, Radisson Plaza, Cairns City Science in the Pub visits Cairns to take a look at the issues involved in maintaining a World Heritage area. What are the main threats to our heritage–population growth, ignorance or greed? Can the value of our natural and cultural heritage be measured in dollars and cents? Are we loving our world heritage to death? These questions and many more will be addressed by our four panellists: Professor Richard Pearson, Head of the School of Tropical Biology at James Cook University; Ms Karen Benn, Senior Conservation Officer, Coasts Wetlands and Waterways Unit; Dr Jonathan Nott, Tropical Environmental Science and Geography at James Cook University and Councillor Mike Berwick, Mayor of Douglas Shire. Maintaining order and keeping the show on the road will be compere, Professor Brian Roberts, CSIRO Sustainable Futures Coordinator for Douglas Shire. Brian will be ably assisted by ABC presenters, Ms Pat Morrish and Mr Jason Hagen who will be sparking questions and comments from the audience. Tonight's session, commissioned especially for the Rainforest CRC Annual Conference is hosted by ABC Far North and ABC Science. Please visit the ABC's Science website.   R ichard Pearson is Professor of Zoology and Tropical Ecology and Director of the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research at James Cook University. He spent much of his childhood falling into streams, and continues riparian research to this day. His current interests include investigating reasons for the unique biodiversity of Wet Tropics streams, and finding ways to reduce impacts of human activity on these streams. Not surprisingly, Richard is a Piscean, but he says when it comes to that nonsense, he's like a fish out of water without a paddle. Karen Benn was first employed from the age of 3 until 10 when she tap-danced and sang on Channel 7's Happy Hammond Show. However a change in direction from a possible career with the Australian Ballet Company saw Karen as one of the first to graduate in Environmental Studies during the late '70s. After a very successful career in teaching, Karen again changed direction and in 1990 worked for Greening Australia Vic followed by three years with the Department of Agriculture Victoria on a project funded by the Murray Darling Basin Commission. She gained a Master of Environmental Science from Monash University, developing a proposal for a comprehensive regulatory framework for Genetically Modified Organisms. Following a stint with the Environmental Protection Agency in Sydney, where she worked on the Solutions to Pollution Campaign, she returned to Melbourne to work as a coordinating editor and projects manager. She developed the Teachers' Study Guide for EA's Australia: State of the Environment 1996 report and went on to work at the cutting edge of developing environmental management systems for wastewater transfer and the Eastern Treatment Plant. Karen believes that she lives in one of the most beautiful places on our planet–north Queensland–from where she is endeavouring to make a difference in the protection and sustainable use of our country's most precious natural asset–water. Jonathan Nott obtained his MSc and PhD from the University of Wollongong. He has held lecturing appointments at the Northern Territory University and the Australian National University before moving to James Cook University, Cairns in 1995. His research interests are in the field of past climate and environmental change with emphasis on past extreme events or natural hazards throughout the tropics. He has published numerous journal articles on prehistoric tsunamis, terrestrial floods and severe intensity tropical cyclones or'super-cyclones'. His most recent publication on super-cyclones shows that these events occur much more frequently along the coast of Queensland than previously thought and this has substantial implications for human settlements at and close to sea-level as well as for the diversity of species in tropical rainforests and on coral reefs. Mike Berwick has been Mayor of the Douglas Shire Council since 1991. As a councillor, Mike has been involved in a number of regional, state and national committees and organisations dealing with natural resource management and related issues. He is the Chairman of North Queensland Afforestation –an association of 10 local governments that deal with vegetation management. He is also Chairman of the National Stakeholder Advisory Committee to the Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Management and a board member of the Rainforest Cooperative Research Centre. Mike is also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on vegetation management and of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee to CSIRO's Division of Tropical Agriculture. He is author of the National Local Government Biodiversity Strategy. Mike was the former chair of the steering committee for North Queensland's Regional Environment Strategy and Regional Waste Strategy. Prior to becoming Mayor, he was editor of the Port Douglas and Mossman Gazette and previous to that a green activist. He is currently farming Barramundi. Mike has a degree in physiology from the University of Queensland. ...true to the tradition of Science in the Pub, our panellists have written their abstracts in verse. From Jonathan... "Jobs for our kids," said Fred The man who would be head "Double the population or our economy's dead." Rainforest and reef, they'll all want to see Our visitors will make us rich - you'll see! More room to spread– But the critters Fred! More tracks in the forest– But Phytophthora spreads! Keep clearing the cane, We'll make them urbane. The economy's important Forge ahead. Go Fred! Build on the shorefront, The seas to be seen. But it'll come through their windows. Huh! Pessimism from academe. Move up the hillslopes, You'll glimmer in the sun. Build a bridge to the reef, Then more people will come We still need more space Half a millions not enough. Better build a corridor For the cassowaries and stuff. "I've got a job Dad!" "Well done my son." "I'm supposed to count dugongs But they all seem to have gone." Fred's in his bed now And the economy's strong. And the future Sir Fred? "I don't care I'll be gone." His mates have all fleed With their buckets of glee And when asked to comment on what he has done Prosperity, prosperity! Trust me, we've won! From Karen, adapted from The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss... Dr. Suess fan, cheeky being I be, To borrow from his story of the Truffula Trees, In order to tell you how I do relate To the angle I take on 'over-populate'. The number of people seems a bit of a fizzer, Its their consuming passions, more likely the trigger. Dr. Suess told us of days when the grass was still green, Of this glorious place, bright and sunny and clean. Where the Humming-Fish splashed and the Swomee-Swans breezed And Brown Bar-ba-loots played under Truffula Trees. The Truffula Trees ÉÉ.Sweet Truffula Trees! Oh, the bright coloured tufts of those Truffula Trees! At first sight of those trees, the Once-ler just knew, With trees such as these, he knew just what to do. In no time at all, he chopped at great speed And skilfully knitted a soft tufty Thneed. As soon as he finished, from out of the stump Popped the weird looking Lorax who made a Ga-Zump! He said, "I'm the Lorax, I speak for the trees, For the trees have no tongues and we're mighty displeased!" "What's thing you have made from my Truffula tuft?" "It's a Thneed", cried the Once-ler, "and with it I'm quite chuffed." "A Thneed's a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need, It's a hat, it's a sock, or for bicycle seats." But the Lorax exclaimed, "You are crazy indeed! For what fool on earth would buy a fool Thneed?" A chap passing by thought that Thneed was just great, And he happily bought it for five ninety-eight. The Lorax repeated, "I speak for the treesÉ" "I'm busy", said Once-ler. Shut up, if you please." Factory built, Once-ler's family now working like bees, Knitting to the 'chop-chop' of the chopping of trees. Well, the Thneed business grew, and it grew and did GROW With a Super-Axe-Hacker now, to fasten the slow. Truffula Trees and their fruits, were fast disappearing So were Brown Bar-ba-loots, packing up and now leaving. The factory belched smog, Swomee-Swans, flew away, As machinery chugged, slopping goo night and day. The Gluppity-Glup and the Schloppity-Schlop Glumped up Humming-Fish ponds and caused fish to flop. Now that the Lorax was down on his knees, THWAACK Came the sickening sound from the last Truffula Tree! No more trees, no more Thneeds, no more work to be done, So left all the Once-lers, waved good-bye, every one. Even the Lorax was gone with no trace. Left behind was a place that was left in disgrace. Unless someone cares, a whole awful lot, Nothing will get better. I 'm afraid it will not. It's really not Thneeds that everyone needs, But the glorious Truffulas and Truffula seeds. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water and feed it fresh air. When people do value these things we think great. Then maybe the peril is not 'populate'. For how we do use our planet's resources Is the key to World heritage, so love it up, coz we oughta From Richard, with apologies to Coleridge... "Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink": The poet's words are simple but they're deeper than you think. "Water water everywhere," so said Coleridge. But as with his parched hero, it's water under the bridge. Water is no problem here, you'd surely bet - After all, it's water that makes the Tropics Wet. But every unique fish and every gorgeous flower Needs that very water more than you need your next shower. And every little mayfly and every mangrove prawn Needs that very water more than your luxuriant lawn. Herein lies the problem, of sharing scarce resources: People want that water, as do crops and cows and horses. So what of our World Heritage, our fauna rich and rare, And our pristine streams Ð "Dam them" do I hear? There are limits to growth and rising population And right across Australia, water is the limitation. So can we develop further, can our systems grow? It all depends on whether we have to stem the flow; It all depends on weather and pristine H2O. ... and last but not least, from Mike Berwick Growth and wealth, Glass and steel Icons of society Grow and consume Waste and pollute Populate or perish In this overpopulated world of ours Some are rich, most are poor Low consumers Not like us But we are good, they are bad Our god is right, theirs is wrong So we'll fight for ours and kill off theirs Send back the victims of our wars And trash that countryside of theirs Baby bonus Make us breed So we can have Consumer led recoveries But not take them Illegal, low consuming alien Rich tropical diversity That manufactures free of charge Clean air and water New food and molecules To meet our endless needs - The real wealth We're knocking down, polluting and abusing Is not accounted for In columns on the business ledger Use less resource, share our wealth And offer help instead of war. Repair their ravaged land So they don't need to risk their lives In battered, sinking boats Then .......... We'll neither populate nor perish Science in the Pub™ is the Eureka Award winning initiative of the Australian Science Communicators (NSW). Regular sessions are generally staged from 7-9pm on the last Wednesday of every even month (February - October) at the Harlequin Inn, 152 Harris Street, Pyrmont in Sydney.   Admission costs $5 worth of raffle tickets, your chance to win one of many excellent prizes! We can organise Science in YOUR Pub anywhere in Australia, or the world, when commissioned! Please contact Robyn Stutchbury, phone: 02 9427 6747; fax: 02 9427 6767; email: Robyn Stutchbury on rstutch@bigpond.net.au.  Visit our website at http://www.scienceinthepub.com/. Future Science in the Pub sessions (see the website for full details):
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