An Introduction to the    World Conservation Strategy   -- Indira Gandhi                 Prepared for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources by Its Commission on Education

Foreword I do not cease to marvel at the multi-faceted beauty of the earth and the remarkable achievements of human endeavor. But I am astonished that human beings should allow their vision to be so clouded by greed for profit or other selfish motives or even by false notions of national pride as to be imprisoned by the immediate here and now. What would our world be like without the forests left uncut and the trees planted by those who went before us. Today, three-fourths of the world is poor. Poverty is degrading and ridden with dirt and disease. It must be fought and eradicated. Sustainable development is a necessity But what of short-sided developments, those steps to "progress" which denude forests and pollute the air, water and earth? What of mental attitudes which justify wasteful and harmful exploitations of nature and discriminations against different religions, races and women? Such attitudes even lead to justifications for nuclear war. Fortunately, there is no real conflict between development and conservation. Enduring development requires a more thoughtful and thrifty use of resources, greater care in the planning and siting of industrial and other projects, measures for stopping pollution, and for bettering, rather than replacing, of existing life styles and traditional working methods. Recent years have seen an increasing awareness of these issues. The various movements for the conservation of nature and the redressing of the balance of nature which has been grievously upset are not impractically idealistic. These movements plead for saner, more practical measures to translate oft-repeated statements of goodwill into actions in time to save the earth and our species -- the affluent members no less than the poor. The worldwide movement for conservation is working against great odds, facing criticism and sometimes ridicule. Its influence grows, but not sufficiently. This is what makes the World Conservation strategy important, and its message so urgent. Remedies for the world's environmental problems are known, but there is an immediate need, as the Strategy suggests, for international co-operation, for a "joint effort by many minds and organizations throughout the world" to put the remedies to work. We must enable the earth to renew itself. We must aim to improve the material. intellectual and spiritual circumstances of peoples. And we must nurture the values which enhance human possibilities. Our ancients believed in the unity of all living things, and even of life and non-life. We must rediscover this sense of identity with and responsibility for fellow humans, other species and future generations. Indira Gandhi copyright  © 1984 by IUCN and UNEP photograph: Young Indian Family - Don McCullin