148 Biological Conservation

uniqueness and its roots in the culture and religion of the people of Ceylon.

As a consequence of this Memorandum and of local press campaigns, the Prime Minister of Ceylon has appointed a Royal Commission to re-examine the plywood project. A booklet describing what is known about the flora and fauna of Sinharaja has been published by the Wildlife Society, whose address is Chaitiya Road, Colombo, Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The June 1972 issue of Loris, the journal of the society, contains one Editorial and two articles on the con- servation of primary forests in Ceylon.

WILLEM MEIJER School of Biological Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA

EUROPEAN SOIL CHARTER

To put a stop to the steady deterioration of land, the Council of Europe has adopted a European Soil Charter setting out 12 basic principles. Drawn up by experts on the conservation of Nature and natural resources, the Charter has now been adopted by the Council's Committee of Ministers. The application of these principles by the member States of the Council of Europe will promote the protection of soils against damage from natural or human causes and, where necessary, their reconstitution.

Soil is one of humanity's most precious assets, as it supports plant and animal life and Man himself, but it is also a limited resource, which is easily destroyed-- chiefly through the effects of erosion, ill-chosen tech- niques, and pollution (particularly by chemical fertilizers and pesticides).

To avert these dangers, the Charter urges that regional planning policy should be conceived accord- ing to the properties of the various soils and the needs of today's and tomorrow's society. The destruc- tion of soils for economic reasons must be avoided; this is why it is important that a strict inventory of soil resources should be prepared in every country. The public should be informed of these problems and, consequently, scientifically-accurate instruction in the principles of soil conservation should be given to children at all levels of education as well as to adults in rural communities.

Governments are also called on to plan and use soil resources rationally--not only considering immediate needs, but maintaining their productive capacity. The States which accept the Charter are called on to devote

to its implementation all the funds necessary for the pursuance of a genuine soil conservation policy. The (edited) text of the Charter follows.

I. Soil is one of humanity's most precious assets. It allows plants, animals, and Man, to live on the earth's surface.

Soil is a living and dynamic medium which supports plant and animal life. It is vital to Man's existence as a source of food and raw materials. It is a fundamental part of the biosphere and, together with vegetation and climate, helps to regulate the circulation and affects the quality of water.

Soil is an entity in itself. As it contains traces of the evolution of the earth and its living creatures, and is the basic element of the landscape, its scientific and cultural interest must be taken into consideration.

2. Soil is a limited resource which is easily destroyed. Soil is a thin layer covering part of the earth's

surface. Its use is limited by climate and topography. It forms slowly by physical, physico-chemical, and biological, processes but it can be quickly destroyed by careless action. Its productive capacity can be improved by careful management over years or decades but, when once it is diminished or destroyed, reconstitution of the soil may take centuries.

3. Industrial society uses land for agriculture as well as for industrial and other purposes. A regional planning policy must be conceived in terms of the properties of the soil and the needs of today's and tomorrow's society.

Soil may be put to many uses and it is generally exploited according to economic and social necessity, but the use made of it must depend on its properties, its fertility, and the socio-economic services which it is capable of providing for the world of today and tomorrow. These properties thus govern the suitability of land for farming, forestry, or other uses. Destruc- tion of soil, in particular for purely economic reasons, based on considerations of short-term yield, must be avoided.

Marginal lands raise special problems and special opportunities for soil conservation because, properly managed, they have great potential as nature reserves, reafforestation areas, protection zones against soil erosion and avalanches, reservoirs, regulators of water systems, and recreation zones.

4. Farmers and foresters must apply methods that preserve the quality of the soil.

Machinery and modern techniques permit consider- able increases in yields, but, if used indiscriminately, they may disrupt the natural balance of the soil, altering its physical, chemical, and biological, charac- teristics. The destruction of organic matter in the soil by inappropriate methods of cultivation, and the misuse of heavy machinery, are important factors in impairing soil structure and, hence, the yield of arable

Conservation Around the Worm 149

crops. The soil structure of grassland may be similarly damaged by intensive stocking.

Forestry should put appropriate emphasis on methods for improved exploitation which will prevent soil deterioration. Methods of tillage and harvesting should conserve and improve the properties of the soil. The introduction of new techniques on a wide scale should be undertaken only after any possible disadvantages have been studied.

5. Soil must be protected against erosion. Soil is exposed to the weather; it is eroded by water,

wind, snow, and ice. Careless human activity speeds up the process of erosion by damaging the soil's structure and reducing its normal resistance to erosive action.

In all situations, suitable physical and biological methods must be applied to protect the soil against accelerated erosion. Special measures must be taken in areas that are liable to floods and avalanches.

6. Soil must be protected against pollution. Certain chemical fertilizers and pesticides, used

without discernment or control, may accumulate in cultivated land and may thus contribute to the pollution of soil, ground-water, watercourses, and air.

If industry or agriculture discharges toxic residues or organic wastes that could endanger the land and water, those responsible must provide for adequate treatment of water or the disposal of wastes in suitable places, as well as for the restoration of the dumping areas after use.

7. Urban development must be planned so that it causes as little damage as possible to adjoining areas.

Towns obliterate the soil upon which they stand and affect neighbouring areas as a result of providing the infrastructure that is necessary to urban life (roads, water supplies, etc.) and by producing growing quantities of waste which must be disposed of.

Urban development must be concentrated and so planned that it avoids as far as possible taking over good soil and harming or polluting soil in farmland and forest, in nature reserves and recreational areas.

8. In civil engineering projects, the effects on adjacent land must be assessed during planning, so that adequate protective measures can be reckoned in the cost.

Operations such as the building of dams, bridges, roads, canals, factories, or houses, may have a more or less permanent influence on surrounding land, both close at hand and at a distance. Often they alter natural drainage and water-tables. Such repercussions must be assessed, so that suitable measures can be taken to counteract damage.

Costs of measures to protect the surrounding area must be calculated at the planning stage and, if the installation is temporary, costs of restoration must be included in the budget.

9. An inventory of soil resources is indispensable. For effective land planning and management, and to

permit the establishment of a genuine policy of con- servation and improvement, the properties of the different types of soil, their capabilities and distribu- tion, must be known. Each country must make an inventory, as detailed as may be necessary, of its soft resources.

Soil maps, supplemented as appropriate by special maps on land-use, geology, real and potential hydro- geology of soils, soil capability, vegetation, hydrology, and the like, are necessary for this purpose. The production of such maps by specialized agencies working together is a basic necessity in each country. These maps should be prepared in such a way as to permit comparison at the international level.

10. Further research and interdisciplinary collabora- tion are required to ensure wise use and conservation o f the soil.

Research on soil and its use must be supported to the full. On it depend the perfecting of conservation techniques in agriculture and forestry, the elaboration of standards for the application of chemical fertilizers, the development of substitutes for toxic pesticides, and methods of suppressing pollution.

Scientific research is essential to prevent the conse- quences of wrong use of the soil in any human activity. Because of the complexity of the problems involved, such research must form part of the work of multidisciplinary centres. International exchange of information and coordination must also be encouraged.

11. Soil conservation must be taught at all levels and be kept to an ever-increasing extent in the public eye.

Increasing publicity, adapted to national and local requirements, must be given to the need for conserva- tion of the quality of the soil and the methods by which this aim can be achieved. Authorities should strive to ensure that the information given to the public by the 'mass media' is scientifically correct.

Soil conservation principles must be fully included in teaching programmes at all levels as an element of environmental education as such--at primary, secon- dary, and university, levels. Techniques of soil conser- vation must be taught in faculties and schools of engineering, agriculture, and forestry, and to adults in rural communities.

12. Governments and those in authority must purpose- fully plan and administer soil resources.

Soil is an essential but limited resource. Therefore, its use must be planned rationally--which means that the competent planning authorities must not only consider immediate needs but also ensure long-term conservation of the soil, while increasing or at least maintaining its productive capacity.

150 Biological Conservation

A proper policy of soil conservation is therefore needed, which implies an appropriate administrative structure that is necessarily centralized and properly coordinated at the regional level. Appropriate legisla- tion is also required to allow the planned apportion- ment of land for different uses in regional and national development, to control techniques of land-use which might cause deterioration or pollution of the environ- ment, to protect the soil against the inroads of natural and human hazards, and to restore it where necessary.

States which accept the principles set out above should undertake to devote the necessary funds to their implementation and promote a genuine soil conservation policy.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE, Maison de l'Europe, 67 Strasbourg, France

THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND 1N FINLAND

The WWF's 18th National Appeal was launched in Finland on 16 October 1972 by the Fund's President, HRH The Prince of The Netherlands.

The President of Finland, Dr Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, agreed to become Honorary President of the Finnish National Appeal. He declared: 'The establishment of the Finnish Fund of the World Wildlife Fund has both international and national dimensions. Joining the chain of national funds of the WWF means, on our part, a new step towards active participation in the global responsibility of mankind-- responsibility for saving the wildlife threatened every- where in the world. It means, too, that our own pro- tection targets come within the sphere of the World Wildlife Fund's control and care. I have gladly accepted the honorary chairmanship of the Finnish Fund now established . . . . I believe that we Finns, for whom contact with Nature has always been a source of strength, health, and safety, in times of both peace and crisis, wish to participate also economically in preserving the most threatened elements of Nature, and in the care of the health of our environment.'

The Prince of The Netherlands recalled that it was only in 1970 that the World Wildlife Fund managed to get a foothold in Fennoscandinavia, with the establishment of a national appeal in Norway. Sweden and Denmark followed, and now Finland made the 'northern family' complete.

Dr Luc Hoffmann, Executive Vice-President of the World Wildlife Fund, told the gathering: 'We are raising money to sow it in the fields of our project operations, where we hope that it will produce a crop

worth many times the cost of the seeds, and we use the success of this "agriculture" to encourage as many others as possible to do the same.'

The Chairman of the Finnish National Appeal is Mr Hannu Tarmio, Managing Director of the pub- lishing house, WSOY, and the Secretary General is Mr Kalevi K. Malmstr6m, a leading conservationist, journalist, and public relations expert.

A resolution issued by the Board of the new Fund said: 'The future of mankind on earth is inseparably linked with the future of Nature, and the future of both depends on stopping waste and conserving natural resources, planning and stabilizing human population, preventing pollution, and preserving life's varied forms . . . . Animals and plants have evolved over millions of years; Man is incapable of re- creating even one species he has destroyed. It is our duty to prevent irreparable damage, and this duty extends to the area of the third world--to the develop- ing countries, which seldom have the resources to finance this type of activity. The duty of the world's affluent countries, of which Finland is one, is to help in this work, and it can best be done via the World Wildlife Fund.'

Founded in 1961, the World Wildlife Fund now has National Appeals functioning in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America. By October 1972 the Fund had channelled $9,205,929 to 754 conserva- tion projects all over the world.

PETER F. R. JACKSON, Director of Information, World Wildlife Fund, 1110 Morges, Switzerland

SAVING THE WILD FLOWERS OF ISRAEL

The flora of Israel has about 2,500 species of higher plants, among them a few hundreds of so-called 'flowers'--that is, plants of which the flowers are commonly picked. Of those there are some in real danger of drastic decrease, and some are on the verge of extinction. This is especially true of bulb and other geophytes of the families Iridaceae, Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Orchidaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Primulaceae.

The founders of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, twenty years ago, were conscious of this fact; but their only means of action were explain- ing or preaching--more often than not to deaf ears.