"Save Rainforests, Save Lives" - Youtube.com features Amazon awareness clip illustrating one of the most compelling reasons for saving biodiversity - your health!
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The collaboration we can create together to lend a voice to the indigenous people and mobilize an awareness of the terrible destruction of their home, our ecosystem and all of the diversity the Amazon supports is priceless.
Thank you for supporting ACT and its efforts....keep spreading the word!
Books
Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest;
The Killers Within: The Deadly Rise of Drug Resistant Bacteria;
Medicine Quest;
Pictures by Jeff Bridges;
Singing the Turtles to Sea: The Comcáac (Seri) Art and Science of Reptiles;
Ethnobotany : Evolution of a Discipline;
The Journals of Hipolito Ruiz: Spanish Botanist in Peru and Chile;
The Healing Forest : Medicinal And Toxic Plants of the Northwest Amazonia;
Plants of the Gods : Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers;
The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens,
The Glass Flowers at Harvard;
Plants of the Gods : Origins of Hallucinogenic Use;
Vine of the Soul : Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia;
Where the Gods Reign : Plants and Peoples of the Colombian Amazon;
Last week Chief Almir Suruí was in the San Francisco Bay area with Vasco van Roosmalen of the Amazon Conservation Team to make an appearances at the Mill Valley film festival's premier of Brazilian filmmaker Denise Zmekhol's documentary "Children of the Amazon", to continue raising awareness about the plight of the Amazon rainforest and its native peoples.
In honor of Chief Almir's awareness building efforts, the city of San Francisco declared October 4th "Chief Almir Suruí Day".
Brazilian indigenous leader Almir Suruí received an award from the International Society of Human Rights
this week in Geneva, Switzerland for his work in the Amazon. The leader of the Suruí tribe located on a reservation in Rondônia state, Almir is also the coordinator for the Etno-Ambiental da Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira (Coiab), an indigenous non-profit organization that seeks to protect human rights and the environment in the Amazon.
As a community leader, Almir has achieved success with important parternships and courageous acts. He denounced the OAS for illegal logging in the Amazon, which later lead to death threats against him. He partnered with Google, which is now mapping the part of the Amazon where he lives to help protect against deforestation. He also partnered with American NGO Forest Trends, which helps recuperate deforested land.
Almir is proud of the award, which in the past was given to the likes of the Dalai Lama, and hopes the prize will help him continue fighting to protect the Amazon.
Notes from the field!
Brazil:
Park Guard Training
The 4th state institutional park guard training course was held on September 15 - October 4: it consisted of 24 men & 3 women as well as two rangers from Spain, and one from Portugal.
The 4th indigenous Park Guard Training Course, to be held on November 2-22:
27 candidates selected by the Apalaí, Waiana, Tiriyó, Kaxuiana (Amapá & Pará), Kaiapó (Pará & Mato Grosso), Guaraní (Mato Grosso del Sul), Baré (Amazonas), Khahô (Tocantins), Ikpeng, Waurá (Mato Grosso), Galibi Marworno, Karipunas (Amapá) and Kariri (Alagoas) indigenous groups.
Tumucumaque Protection
Fourth overflight of Tumucumaque I.P. & Parú de Leste & Oeste indigenous lands: confirmed closure of Santa Clara mine – area reclaimed by vegetation.
Training Centers
Municipality of Santana, Amapá (neighboring Macapá): year-round protected areas training center to be formally established in 2009 together with State of Amapá and Associação de Guardaparques do Amapá. Key partners: Federal University of Amapá, IBAMA, SEMA, and the Ministerio Publico of Amapá, all partners in the PG training courses. Will be certified by International Ranger Federation.
Porto Velho, Rondônia: ACT is supporting a training center established by Kanindé which will serve as a main center in that region for planned park guard training exercises.
Cacoal, Rondônia: ACT sponsored the Metareilá Training Center where the Google Earth training courses take place as well as management courses for regional tribes.
Ikpeng village, Xingu: ACT supported the creation of a center for the Moygu indigenous association and helped equip it. Several training courses already have been held there, obviating the costs of transporting and housing indigenous students outside the Xingu.
Suriname:
Land Management:
Official Suriname government park guard training course, Oct. 18 – November 1, in Boven Coesewijne Nature Reserve near Paramaribo
Structured by ACT and Nature Conservation Division (Natuurbeheer)
14 Indigenous Park Guards(Kwamala, Apetina, Sipaliwini) + Suriname game wardens
Sustainability:
Tepu pepper project to be handed over to community at end of 2008; continued assistance with marketing.
Final financial training for Tepu women in November.
Special Events: Fundraiser half-marathon in Eindhoven, Netherlands, October 12: 1,000 Euros raised by Paul Vrenken and friends!!!
Colombia:
Land Protection:
Continued support to Indi Wasi buffer zone communities; training for cacao cultivation, reforestation activities.
Sustainability:
Yachaicurí snail farm nearing completion pending electricity and water supply; 2,000 snails to be delivered in December.
Traditional foods festival & seed exchange in Niñeras indigenous reserve, September.
Research on marketing of artisan crafts and essential oils; dedicated staff hired.
Capacity Building:
Continued institutional training toward first alliance of all indigenous communities of the Caquetá.
3-month training with Corpoamazonia and the Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje engaging 40 indigenous leaders of the Inga, Coreguaje, Uitoto, Siona and Kamsá communities: life plans, sustainable development.
Mark Plotkin and Liliana Madrigal
Amazon Conservation Team
Proud Recipient of the Skoll Award
3/12/08 – Arlington, VA
The Amazon Conservation Team is pleased to announce that the Skoll Foundation has recognized ACT co-founders Mark Plotkin and Liliana Madrigal with its 2008 "Social Entrepreneurs Award", a one million dollar prize. p>
ACT joins a prestigious global network of Skoll entrepreneurs, now numbering 59, who are working around the world on issues including tolerance and human rights, health, economic and social equity, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and environmental sustainability.
"The Amazon Conservation Team" is a tremendous addition to the community of Skoll social entrepreneurs who have demonstrated, through their inspiration and creativity, courage and fortitude, that solutions do exist for some of the world's most intractable problems," said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. "Like all the organizations in our portfolio, ACT is successfully tackling complex social issues with a sustainable, scalable solution. We believe their work has the potential for transformational benefit to indigenous cultures and forests of the Amazon and we're honored to support their continued commitment to systemic change at the grassroots level."
Mark Plotkin and Liliana Madrigalwill be presented the award by Skoll Foundation Chairman Jeff Skoll, Skoll Foundation President and CEO, Sally Osberg and special guest former President Jimmy Carter, at a special ceremony on March 27 at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University. They will be participating in the three-day World Forum along with over 700 attendees from the global social entrepreneurship community.
ACT is proud to endorse two children’s book authors who are penning eco-friendly literature works while simultaneously “making a difference”. Their efforts bring awareness to our ecosystem, the strengthening of cultural ties between indigenous youths and their rites of passage, and all of the diversity the Amazon supports. Please be sure to add these to your home libraries!
The vivid imagination of author Gretchen Schlesinger takes readers on a genuine adventure into the Amazon rainforest. The second book in the series, Send Me the Soap #2: The Amazon Adventure highlights the inextricable link between the forest and the survival of the local forest culture through the eyes of a young girl. Wonderfully illustrated, a marvelous series for young (or young at heart); children will eagerly read the latest adventure of Katie and her eco-friendly magic soap.
written by Mark J. Plotkin. Through Dr. Plotkin I found ACT, whose mission is to work in partnership with indigenous people in conserving biodiversity, health, and culture in tropical America.
This is a mission I knew I wanted to support. – N. A. Nelson
MARCH 2007 SURINAME SHAMANS GATHERING
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Amazon Conservation team is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization that works primarily in the South American Amazon Basin...
Tropical rainforests house hundreds of thousands of species of plants, many of which hold promise for their compounds which can be used to ward off pests and fight human disease. No one understands the secrets of these plants better than indigenous shamans -medicine men and women - who have developed boundless knowledge of this library of flora for curing everything from foot rot to diabetes. But like the forests themselves, the knowledge of these botanical wizards is fast-disappearing due to deforestation and profound cultural transformation among younger generations. The combined loss of this knowledge and these forests irreplaceably impoverishes the world of cultural and biological diversity.
Dr. Mark Plotkin, President of the non-profit Amazon Conservation Team, is working to stop this fate. Plotkin, a renowned ethnobotanist and accomplished author was named one of Time Magazine's environmental "Heroes for the Planet," has spent parts of the past 25 years living and working with shamans in Latin America.
Plotkin says the Amazon Conservation Team, working in true partnership with indigenous populations and leading western conservationists, has helped pioneer what it calls "biocultural conservation," a successful and cost-effective approach to protecting biodiversity, strengthening traditional health systems, and helping preserving culture in a holistic and synergistic way. "It's our strong belief that the people who best know, use, and protect biodiversity are the indigenous people who live in these forests," said Plotkin. "Our projects are designed to address some of the major threats faced by indigenous groups: loss of indigenous biological wisdom, lack of healthcare, lack of economic opportunity, lack of territorial rights that would protect the rainforest from exploitation, and lack of legal representation. As our executive statement says, the Amazon Conservation Team, 'ACT helps the keepers of the forest keep the forest'
On September 14, 2007, Wisconsin activst Amy Burns sent out a circular urging her readers to go to the Baltimore Sun to join in what is destined to be one of its hottest forums ever, a war of minds over the "sport" of hunting, with emphasis on bow-hunting. While her readers began pondering, comments from the pro-hunting side came in hard and fast. "America's most-hated Anti" Anthony Marr jumped in head first, and so did leading anti-huntresses Tierra and Mamasita. Amazingly, the battle is still raging as we speak, more than two years later in November 23, 2009! The total number of comments so far has exceeded 93,000, and growing. This is a phenomenon, and destined to be a classic, not to be missed if you care about animals at all.
MY
DREAMS ARE BURSTING AT THE SEAMS Freedom of Religion encourages ones
ability to flow in and out of religions as freely as a bird flies through the
sky. In the 21st Century and beyond we feel that each individual should create
and follow their own personal relationship with GOD. In time, mass religions
MAY be a thing of the past and Mass Comm. should be a thing of the present.
Mass Communion, Mass Communications , Mass Comm. Each person should be
judged by the way they think, behave and speak. Having said that we do
not believe that we are all equal. We simply have the ability to be equal
to those that reverently follow the ”The Golden Rule”. We also all have
the ability to be filled the same amount with GOD’S Light and Love although we feel
it’s a privilege that must be earned. Love and Light, Fletcher
Namaste,
Please let us know if you would be interested in helping on our “Feed the
Brain” non-profit Children’s nourishment program. As 80% of a humans
brain develops from pre-natal to 3 years old. Also for-profit
opportunities available as well; learn about these as well as seeing Fletcher
bare his soul in a series of music videos and writings at www.myspace.com/FletcherThe2nd
30% Of The Profit From This CD Goes Directly To Children's Homes And Orphanages All Over The World!
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30% of the profit from this CD goes directly to "Wake Up - Stop Child Abuse"! And from there it will be donated to Children's Homes and Orphanages all over the world!
Calcutta sounds like a fable in a song, but in reality, it is where John, my colleague and successor, was murdered. He was on the job for only three days when he got his throat slashed. As an undercover investigator targeting the illegal wildlife trade, especially in tiger parts, his real name was unknown, even to me, nor mine to him. We were just John and James to each other. All I know is that he was Chinese American, while his predecessor James - real name Anthony Marr - is Chinese Canadian, and how sincere he was in helping to save the Bengal tiger from being poached out of existence, while its habitat continues to dwindle due to human pressure...
Halloween aside, we do have a barbarian at the gate, a demon lurking in the ground, frozen there for eons, now being thawed and released into the living world, where it will roast life alive. If you want to really scare yourself silly, watch this 50 minute video in one go. Turn off the light, and the phone..
Sinikka Crosland, President of The Responsible Animal Care Society (TRACS), leading and winning activist in British Columbia, who has a thing or two to show her American counterparts, will join Anthony Marr this Friday on Animal Voices to talk about this and other issues.
Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: - global: online live at www.CoopRadio.org - radio: CFRO Radio 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC, Canada. - archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr - call-in # 604- 684- 7561
Peace Sunday, June 5, 1982, Rose Bowl, no nukes - nuclear disarmament - stop nuclear madness concert - NYC - Central Park - June 12, 1982, 1,000,000 person march and rally for Nuclear Freeze. Photography and presentation by Curtis Rainbow. 'Give Peace a Chance' music by Achim Schultz. Inspiration by Yoko Ono. Dedicated to John Lennon.
Anthony Marr will be telling more fascinating tiger tales, and discussing how to save life on Earth, this coming Friday on Animal Voices. Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: - global: online live at www.CoopRadio.org - radio: CFRO Radio 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC, Canada. - archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr - call-in # 604- 684- 7561
When I was in Africa a couple of decades ago, I camped for a stretch in the territory of a lion pride comprising 3 males, 10 females and 22 cubs.
The 3 pride-males, named Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector (AAH), were about 6 years of age and very much in their prime. Their 22 cubs were thriving under their protection - protection against predators,
and the coalition of four 4-year-old prideless bachelors, who had been loitering in the neighborhood.
Due to the superior fighting prowess of AAH, they had been kicking the butts of the Gang of Four (GOF), so far. If the GOF drove out or killed AAH, they would kill all their cubs so that the lionesses would have cubs bearing their genes. AAH would be able to repel GOF for another couple of years, which was a fairly stable long term scenario in lion terms. What was unforeseen was that a trophy hunter killed Achilles.
Now with only Agamemnon and Hector holding the fort, they were no match for the GOF. Valiantly, AH tried to defend their offspring, but it was a matter of fighting to the last cub before they both were killed. The 10 lionesses became the spoils of war. And so, a new leonine dynasty was born. But through it all, 25 lives were lost, all due to one single bullet fired by one egomaniacal trophy hunter. Shame on Safari Club International! And shame on you Mr. President, for support hunting.
Dolphin brains are larger than ours (1600 CC vs1450 CC). Who are we to say what they can or cannot think? Anthony Marr's latest creation: [Conversation with a Dolphin], was the jewel of last Friday's Animal Voices talkshow.
will be Anthony Marr's guests on Animal Voices this Friday, when we will be charting a course for humanity.
Animal Voices is aired every Friday 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT: - global: online live at www.CoopRadio.org - radio: CFRO Radio 102.7FM Vancouver + 17 stations in BC, Canada. - archived in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr - call-in # 604- 684- 7561
Which of the following 3 alternatives would you wish for these fawns?
If you prefer the 3rd alternative, please join the Anti-Hunting-Alliance (AHA) currently being forged by Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE - www.HOPE-CARE.org), which initially will seek to accomplish the following:
1. Support local campaigns against the culling and bow-hunting of deer in urban, suburban and park environments.
2. Integrate the local deer-battles into a national Deer War.
3. Launch massive internet and media campaigns on local and national levels.
4. Launch federal-level class-action legal challenges against the state-level Hunter Harassment laws for violating the freedom of speech and property rights of non-hunters and anti-hunters as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution (listen to the Jan Haagensen interview by Anthony Marr on Animal Voices in www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr).
There will be a higher aim with the success of some or all of the above objectives: To terminate Recreational Hunting and Trophy Hunting, period.
Please contact Anthony Marr via MS messaging or email (Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org) and let's roll!
DJ SLUGO then Fathered a RESPECT MY GRINE Family! WithOut the BIG EGo TRIPN, he can't finish! Cuz From BLOK 2 Block, ClLUB 2 Club, DJ 2 DJ, CHITOWN 2 MIDWEST WE AIN'T STOPPN!!!! FOR FUTURE RMG VOL'S SUBMISSION INFO(4real this shhhhh..is not stopping!) Contact: DJ SLUGO http://www.myspace.com/djslugo http://www.myspace.com/respectmygrine DJSLUGOMUSIC@GMAIL.COM
Autumn has always been loved. But lately, sadly, I've heard cries of "They've made me hate the fall!", due to the annual bloodbath of deer. To sooth your frazzled nerves, let me share with you [Nocturnal Meditation: a gift of peace] - music by Chopin (Nocturne in E-flat) and Massenet (Meditation, performed by Anne Sophie Mutter); photography by Anthony Marr. If you have already seen/heard it, be enchanted all over again, and pass it on.
Descending from the sublime to the ridiculous, a hunter addressed me as "Dear Rush Limbaugh of Animal Rights". Haha! No thanks. But if Limbaugh can do it on his medieval mindset, so can I on my futuristic one. This coming Friday, 3-4pm ET/12-1pm PT, on Animal Voices, I will just bare my soul, open my heart, and speak my mind. And you are invited to do likewise. Just call 1- 604- 684- 7561, and speak your mind.
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