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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Valéry Schollaert" data-source="post: 2193867" data-attributes="member: 75148">I'm ready to stop birdwatching if it would save the birds, for sure. Now, as the world is going on, I understand than, today, we have no chance to protect a forest like the one I'm speaking about if local people has no advantage in it. Actually, villagers have water thanks to the forest, but it is obviously not enough: they still cut trees.My opinion (disputable: this would be a true debate) is that ecotourism should produce enough money to justify the protection, but ecotourism should respect the forest, the villages around and nature in general.Ectourism as I try to practice involved many topics.- Agriculture (we train villagers to produce organic food -means chemical free- for them and the tourists - and buy only this local food)- Respect of life (even individually) and wildlife. Local guides are trained to avoid disturbance to the birds and animals (being silent, reject play-back, and so on) - so of course no killing.- Respect of the forest: no leave the trails, no cut the plants or branches, and so on.- Proper behaviour: no smoking in the forest, remove plastic waste when they find them, etcThis is not comprehensive.If this tourism would save the forest, I would be happy.Now, regarding such a case, where is the interest that a scientist would come and collect, whatever it would prove a new species exists or know better the ecology (food, nesting, whatever) of a species? Except the pleasure of the knowledge (for them, for me, for you), nothing! We know that the endemic stuffs from Usambara are threatened by habitat loss. Same everywhere. We already know: no need of more studies (despite I love to list all my records).I've already found (elsewhere) at least one new species of birds. But I keep it silent as long as "scientists" (bird killers are NOT scientists to my point of view, just bird killers) would come and collect. I'm not the only one, fortunately. Other true ornithologists I met found new species but refuse to tell for the same reason. I've seen some of them, mainly in Africa -people involved know they can trust me-. Actually, excluding the 2 cisticolas at Kilombero floodplain, I've seen 4 undescribed species but I keep them secret. I prefer an unknown bird that a dead bird...Thomas, I'm vegetarian, of course (I think all naturalists should consider it for several reasons, but it is another subject), but this is not the most important. Back on WILD birds, we have to keep in mind that what we do individually is potentially multiplied by 7 billions.Killing ONE Corn Bunting in Bulgaria sounds like nothing, as it is one of the most common birds (Birdlife Birds in Europe gives a figure of several hundreds of thousands pairs). But if every Bulgarian would kill one of those buntings every month (for food), the species would be fast extinct... a couple of months only.We are extremely numerous, and we destroy a lot. Too much. We have to learn respect of natural life and ressource, not only in "their" interest, but also in our own interst.And who will start to show this respect if not those passionated about wildlife? We don't have to follow the average people. We have to show the example. Killing a recently discovered species is just the opposite: it is showing the wrong example. It is the wrong behaviour typical of human, considering his knowledge, his life, his pleasure as more important that everything else, which is leading humanity in big troubles.Human would learn respect and humility, in particuler regarding other wildlife and nature, and we would solve most of our problems. Again: who have to start if not us -birders/ornithologists/naturalists?</blockquote>

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