has become more and more frequent. As a consequence, serious problems arise, leading to further
interventions; human activitybecomes ubiquitous, with all the riskswhich this entails. Often a vicious
circle results, as human intervention to resolve a problem further aggravates the situation. For
example, many birds and insects which disappear due to synthetic agrotoxins are helpful for
agriculture: their disappearance will have to be compensated for by yet other techniques which may
well prove harmful. We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by scientists and
engineers dedicated to finding solutions to man-made problems. But a sober look at our world shows
that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is
actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological
advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly. We seem to think that we can substitute
an irreplaceable and irretrievable beautywith somethingwhichwe have created ourselves.
35.
In assessing the environmental impact of anyproject, concern is usually shown for its effects on
soil, water and air, yet few careful studies are made of its impact on biodiversity, as if the loss of
species or animals and plant groupswere of little importance. Highways, newplantations, the fencing-
off of certain areas, the damming of water sources, and similar developments, crowd out natural
habitats and, at times, break them up in such a way that animal populations can no longer migrate or
roam freely. As a result, some species face extinction. Alternatives exist which at least lessen the
impact of these projects, like the creation of biological corridors, but few countries demonstrate such
concern and foresight. Frequently, when certain species are exploited commercially, little attention is
paid to studying their reproductive patterns in order to prevent their depletion and the consequent
imbalance of the ecosystem.
36.
Caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness, since no one looking for quick and easy profit
is truly interested in their preservation. But the cost of the damage caused by such selfish lack of
concern is much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained. Where certain species are
destroyed or seriously harmed, the values involved are incalculable. We can be silent witnesses to
terrible injustices if we think that we can obtain significant benefits by making the rest of humanity,
present and future, pay the extremelyhigh costs of environmental deterioration.
37.
Some countries have made significant progress in establishing sanctuaries on land and in the
oceans where any human intervention is prohibited which might modify their features or alter their
