Dear Marbena,
I had hoped to participate in the Marbena Forum during the past week but have been unable to do so because of internet problems aboard the ship myself and 250 other participants have been travelling upon on the Baltic Sea as part of the Religion, Science and Environment Symposium.
I am afraid I have not gone through the logical progression of the disucssion that has taken place but did want to add these short thoughts to the discussion if I could.
It is clear that the Baltic Sea is a well studied sea with a great deal of good scientific information about the problems. Clearly one of the key problems based upon the presentation we have had on board of Jan Thulin, Andris Andrusaitis and others is the introduction of exotic species. The Symposium in the course of its 8 days of travels has involved contact with politicians throughout the Baltic who have expressed surprise and uncertainty about what to do about introduction of exotic species.
In fact one of the critical concerns that emerged from the Symposium was the necessity of linking science and decision making. It is imperative that scientists build links with public organizations who can lobby and take action on information they have available. The science organizations have alot to offer but they cannot isolate themselves from others who have shared concerns and interests including religious institutions, NGOs, the media and politicians. I am happy to say that there appear to be many good scientists in the Baltic region who recognize this.
I am not from the Baltic but after 8 days on the boat exploring the problems and solutions of the Baltic it is apparent to me that only through combined efforts of scientist and other sectors of society will the problems of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection be fully realized. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the work that was done this past week during the Baltic Sea: A common heritage and a Shared Responsibility to check the website of the Religion, Science and Environment for further information on the Baltic Symposium. In future the results of working groups discussing these issues during the Baltic Symposium will be available. The website is www.resymposia.org
Thank you |
