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CORPORATES
AND WILDLIFE
Here is an interesting
report from National Geographic Magazine (July 1990)
A number of American
Industries are managing their real estate holdings for use by wildlife.
In a rare show of co-operation, environmentalists and corporations are
working together to create natural settings through an umbrella group
called the Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council (WHEC). The more than
60 members include some of the nation's largest corporations and environmental
groups: ALCOA, Dow Chemical, Du Pont, Exxon, General Electric, and the
National Wildlife Federation, The Trust for Public Land, Ducks Unlimited,
and the Izaak Walton league.
As much as 255 of
the contiguous 48 states may belong to the corporations. Included are
lands bought as buffers around company facilities for safety or security
or in anticipation of future plant expansion. With a few alterations at
minimal expense, improved habitat can host deer, small mammals, songbirds,
raptors, and fish and reap a harvest of goodwill in the local community.
A sampling of projects:
- Amoco built
nesting sites in South Carolina for imperiled least terns near
the purified water of a chemical plant's treatment ponds.
- Dow Chemical
is catering to wildlife on several sites, including a plant near
Joliet, Illinois, where deer roam.
- GE worked
to restore a Wisconsin prairie to its natural state.
- Three Chesapeake
Bay power companies created projects to nurture popular but disappearing
striped bass, then released thousands into local rivers.
- Consumers
Power, largest landholder in Michigan, is managing a nesting area
for common terns, creating habitat along transmission corridors,
and placing kestrel nests on utility poles.
Even small projects
sometimes bring unexpected results. Du Pont redesigned an office
park near Wilmington, Delaware, to include bluebird boxes and bird
and butterfly attractions such as cardinal flowers, coneflowers,
and sunflowers. Local school children and employees enthusiastically
joined the effort. A pleasant surprise was improved morale of the
employees.
Wildlife management
makes people feel good about where they work.
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home, a number of names come up, like
Ballarpur
group (with extensive paper plantations, and now, strong support
for the Wildlife Preservation Society of India, which is doing pioneering
anti-poaching work)
Godrej
(has been long associated with WWF-India)
Tata group
(TISCO can support Dalma, just as Tata Tea supports Eravikulam in
the South)
Dabur, Williamson
and Magor (they protect the White Winged Wood Duck in Assam.
In addition, they have gardens adjacent to Kaziranga, Manas, Jaldapara,
Gorumara, and Buxa)
Claridges
hotel group (with a stake near Corbett)
Indian Hotels
(Khajuraho hotel near Panna, Sawai Madhopur hotel near Ranthambhor,
Sasangir Lodge near Gir)
IDPL and
BHEL (plants at Rishikesh can adopt Rajaji, from which they
purloined land)
East India
Hotels (hotel near Panna)
Air India,
Welcomegroup (Keoladeo Ghana is near the Agra hotel)
UB Group
(which has had to buy a game ranch in South Africa, since private
forests are not possible in India)
ITDC
(lodges at Periyar and Bharatpur)
Modi Xerox
(the Kashipur plant is near Corbett),and so on.
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