[London] The Curse of Cocaine - Colombian Rainforests

[Jodie]

'Nature Live' debate at the Darwin Centre (part of the Natural History Museum).
These are usually available to watch online if you happen not to be in London.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/events/detail.jsp?key=15286
27 March 2008 19:00

Cocaine is often associated with the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and famous.
But its use is becoming more widespread. Although we know the health risks of
using drugs, few people think of the environmental consequences. Colombia is a
country that has had to pay that price heavily. Around 2.2 million hectares of tropical
forest have been cut down to grow coca. To produce just one kilogramme of cocaine,
200 kilogrammes of environmentally harmful chemicals have to be used. Join us
as we discover the rich diversity of Colombia's forests, learn more about the coca
plant itself and hear the effect we are having on an ecosystem thousands of miles
away from home.

Booking Required
Please call our booking line on +44(0)20 7942 5555

 

[andy_e]

Well, if it was good enough for Sherlock Holmes!!! I am joking, before anyone takes a bite

I'll try to watch it online if I can, thanks for the heads-up Jodie.

 

[gregorach]

If I were to start ranting about the environmental impact of massive aerial defoliant spraying as part of the Plan Columbia coca eradication programmes, would that count as "politics"?

 

[andy_e]

Not if you compared it with a human interest angle on the long-term effects of the use of Agent Orange in South-East Asia, then it becomes sociological comment rather than political rant - and a relevant ecological heads-up to a bushcrafty audience

 

[Jodie]

Fortunately I had the good sense to place this in 'Other Chatter'

I'd agree that it's more "ethnobotany" perhaps than "bushcraft" but I think there's a
goodly amount of crossover there.

I'm just hoping it will have some slides / photographs of trees, which is my definition
of a good night out (That, and anything involving Philip Seymour Hoffman).

You can send in comments online though, they will read them out and the panel will
address them. Have a look at the website for contact details. I believe that it will be
'webcast' as they usually are, but I've not actually looked into this.

 

[BOD]

If I were to start ranting about the environmental impact of massive aerial defoliant spraying as part of the Plan Columbia coca eradication programmes, would that count as "politics"?

Please do. Its also the human impact. Think of the poor Indio underneath it all and the kids.

 

[Jodie]

It was a very interesting and well attended evening with four speakers and another two
contributing to the panel discussion afterwards. It wasn't webcast unfortunately so sorry
if anyone went looking for it.

Dr. Sandy Knapp, a botanist from the Natural History Museum, is an excellent speaker.
I'd seen her before on one of their videos and on a podcast somewhere so it was nice to
say hello and also to see some lovely herbarium specimens of various coca plants.