Eric Hanquinet

Curator, Siit arboretum botanical garden, Philippines

Today's Date: September 6, 2006

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

Impossible to select one!, I would say monitoring gorillas in Africa, witnessing the birth of a volcano, deep sea storms on small crafts..

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

The Mediterranean rocky coasts

Now? Africa (central and eastern)

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

I wouldn't know how to select one; it would be a lie..
The tiger because It is gorgeous
The gorilla because It is human with innocence
The whale because It talked to me

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?

OVERPOPULATION, and the lack of love for nature, without a doubt, the total lack of education governments are giving to their populations to that effect, keeping it unconcerned for reasons of commercial, political and religious interests. (Developing nations mostly for overpopulation matters, developed nation mostly for their irresponsibility in international law making in saving biodiversity and control pollution)

In the future the challenge is similar, the materialist greed of men taking over respect for nature, their egoistic nature ignoring the better tomorrow for their descendents for their present enjoyment. Non existent sense of Ethics, self respect of our own species, someone has to tell them, education.

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

Get involved, because if you don’t now, there is no more time for those after you. The only substantial pride of being a human being that is left for you to have. Get informed, and talk around you, decide for yourself which environmental groups are worthy of your support, our governments are not interested in helping, we must pressurize them or we have to help ourselves.

For the least educated, and for the great majority of the planet's population, help them to see how to love nature, many don’t know yet there is something to love there..