Lars Berg

Secretary, Swedish National Scientific Council on Biological Diversity

Today's Date: 8 August 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

When I was a child my family used to spend summer vacations in the mountains, living off fish caught from the lakes and streams. This was as scary as it was inspiring, experiencing that we were ultimately subjected to the forces of nature. I remember the silence and the joy of catching fish in the same water body that you drink from.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

I used to live close to a small forest on the outskirts of town. All the kids in the area used to play there all day throughout the summer. Later I passed through the forest for years on my way to the university. I guess in a certain way it is still my favourite place. Otherwise I am very fond of the traditional cultural landscape found in southern Sweden, especially the island Gotland in the Baltic.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Cows are fantastic. They perform tremendous tasks and I find their rhythm of life and patience very inspiring.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Most challenges are intricately interrelated. If you count unsustainable consumption as an environmental challenge, I would suggest that this is what threatens most people right now. In the future, the main challenge will be to manage nature in a way that makes it resilient to stresses that cannot be avoided, such as those resulting from overpopulation, or those that cannot be predicted.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Act according to principles that you would like to see generally applied (that is: Kant's famous imperative). And it's good of course if you base your principles on critical, rational thought.