Madagascar, Lemur and Spies - Natural World doc, 2011-12 ep10 of 13

My post on the Gibson Facebook page:

"Hey Gibson.  I just watched episode 10 of 13, of the BBC series, Natural World (Madagascar, Lemurs and Spies).  That was interesting.  Apparently you used to buy illegal rainforest hardwood from Madagascar - the source of the demand.  Illegal loggers would make your guitar parts right in Madagascar to ship to you.  Wasn't too impressed by Gibson's response either, ie, 'Madagascar is really screwed up anyways.'

"If someone hadn't risked their life to get evidence and prosecute you, you'd still be doing it.

"Shame on you, Gibson."

-me

The point is, a kind of lemur which is amazing - "Silkies", the "ghost of the forest" (as they are so shy) are being destroyed due to the usual reason - loss of habitat.

Madagascar is screwed up because of people like you, Gibson guitar-makers.

. . .

A few days later...

The response so far - not from Gibson but from some random Americans:

"Ricky Underwood: What is so DUMB about people like this guy is they don't ever think that amybe, just maybe some one is replanting TREES for future generations. Tree huggers..... 

"Slick Camden: think u best take message to china. still doing it 

"Nonavee Dale: Trees take along, long time to grow. So do forests. 

"Nonavee Dale: Ricky - the logging was illegal, poachers were taking logs from their national parks because the country was too politically unstable to do anything about it. So you don't believe in law and order? That would be the only way such things (replanting at the right rate) could be organised. So you believe that you can take what you want. I'm not a treehugger, humans won't be able to live either soon if this sort of behaviour continues.

 "And Ricky - I'm a woman, not a guy."


From BBC's website:

Sascha Von Bismarck

Sascha is a Harvard graduate and ex-marine who runs the Environmental Investigation Agency in Washington DC. He is passionate about defending the environment and making corporations and governments take responsibility for their actions. Sascha spent six years lobbying to get the Lacey Act Amendment passed into US law and believes strongly that it is the way forward. In his view it has the potential to revolutionise world trade – when for the first time the companies who create the demand for precious wood – like Madagascan ebony and rosewood, are held to account if they have imported illegal wood. But he has no illusions about the mountain still to climb. Even if the music industry is a small part of the problem compared the China, it can become the spearhead of the solution. With the Lacey Act behind him, Sascha is continuing his battles to save the World’s forests.


Erik Patel

Dr. Erik R. Patel is a primatologist who earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University and his Masters from the University of California at Berkeley. He has worked in Madagascar every year since 2001 studying the behavioral biology and conservation of one of the most critically endangered primates in the world, the silky sifaka lemur (Propithecus candidus) both in Marojejy National Park and the Makira Natural Park.


Link to more on this program here.