Author of Giant Silkmoths, Bee Tiger and many books on moths and butterflys as well as Vicar of the Amazon, Philip Howse describes the background to the ‘Help Our Planet’ talks. (This is an extended version of the article in the magazine).
During two weeks in November this year, around 50,000 politicians, economists and scientists met in the Brazilian city of Belêm at the mouth of the Amazon river to debate the future of the human race in the face of climate change and destruction of the environment by the greed of mining, oil and agricultural enterprises. The science relating to climate change is unequivocal: we are already on the path to the extinction of all life on the planet. Bob Ward, in the November issue of this magazine has explained the potentially dire consequences for life in Dorset, so what can we do about it?
Many people may not know that an organisation called Help Our Planet (HOP) entered the fray several years ago in Bridport and is beginning to influence the thinking of the people at COP meetings that hold all our futures in their hands.
HOP was set up stimulated by John Fowles (author of The French Lieutenant’s Woman), who, when living in Lyme Regis, wrote “…in most places, nature is going to be saved not by official bodies, but by each of us. If we don’t help, if the whole climate is not one of active participation, right down to the personal and household level, then all ordinary wildlife is doomed”.
HOP was set up in Bridport by a small group of biologists: Prof. Philip Howse, Sir Ghillean Prance (former Director of Kew Gardens and a leading expert on Amazonian ecology), Clive Farrell (doyen of butterfly experts), Tony Jacques (Othona) and Symondsbury artist Peter Hitchin. Initially, it had the patronage of James Lovelock, at that time a resident of Abbotsbury. Patrons now include George Monbiot, George Mcgavin, Ben Goldsmith, Sir Philip Colfox and Kate Rawles.
During the pandemic, HOP organised monthly talks in the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis by well-known people working to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce environmental pollution. The emphasis was on what each of us could do to help, for example by reducing their carbon footprints, making their gardens attractive to wildlife, recycling waste, avoiding the use of toxic pesticides etc. A year later, Anna Powell offered the Sladers Yard Gallery at West Bay as a venue. To try and bring the talks to a wider audience, local film-maker Rob Jayne recorded them and made them available on the internet. These talks are now organised by Garry Constable who is also a committee member of the Sustainable Bridport initiative
Some excellent talks were given on a variety of contemporary issues to do with climate change and protection of the natural environment. Topics included the threats to insect life, environmental pollution, rewilding, marine life, citizen science, and global warming.
One of the most inspiring presentations was by Stewart Macpherson of Redfern Natural History Productions. Stewart, supported by Jane Goodall and other philanthropists, has sent many thousands of free boxes of books on natural history to schools in Britain, Australia, Europe and North America. He spoke about his latest mammoth achievement, which was an expedition tracing Darwin’s voyage to the Galapagos and Australasia. For this, he hired a 5-masted schooner on which he took young ecologists from around the world who were doing good work on ecology and conservation, stopping at ports en route to join with groups of other young people there with similar interests.
The proceeds from these talks, along with concerts we have arranged, have been donated to environmental and other charities of the speakers’ own choosing.
Protection of the Amazon rain forest and its indigenous people became a main cause, Kate Rawles drew attention to. She spoke about her epic journey on a bamboo bicycle down the whole length of the Andes, in which she visited and lent encouragement to the many conservation organisations set up by local communities in the countries through which she cycled.
While enormous strides have been made in methods to combat the environmental crisis, we recognise that writers, artists and musicians are the voice of the planet and play a crucial role in shaping out attitudes to the environment. In my various visits to Brazil in connection with my research at Southampton University, I went to Belém (the city hosting COP30 this year) to talk to biologists at the famous Goeldi Museum, one of the main research centres in the Amazon. A few years ago, I had cause to renew these contacts, and this was due to my friend, Bridport resident Bob Hardwick asking me if I had heard of an entomologist called Arthur Miles Moss, a relative of his. It transpired that Moss was a forgotten genius and keen naturalist and who in 1912 built the first Anglican church in the Amazon at Belém. In researching for the biography I wrote of Moss, Vicar of the Amazon, I came face to face with the changes that have taken place in the Amazon since and during his forty years there. This brought me into contact with leading experts on the Amazon rainforest, including Sir Ghillean Prance, the former Director of Kew Gardens, and a leading authority on Amazonian ecology who was living in Lyme Regis. This, in fact, was the meeting that led to the creation of ‘Help our Planet’.
Eyewitness Films is planning to make a documentary film narrated by George McGavin, about the life of the Reverend Miles Moss. Much of the information I got for the biography came from Bishop Saul Mauricio de Barros of the church that Moss built. Bishop Saulo subsequently came to Bridport to take part in a conference on the life and work of Miles Moss.
The publication of Vicar of the Amazon was followed by two books by Sir Ghillean: The Amazon forest and its indigenous Peoples in Black and White and Flowers, Fruits and Fables of Amazonia. Publication of these books was self-funded, paid for largely by donations from friends and colleagues.
Two years ago I had a chance meeting with Helen Coles de Negret, a former student of mine who gained a doctorate at The University of Brazilia. Helen is married to Rafael Negret, a Colombian ecologist who had worked in Amazonia for many years for the Interamerican Development Bank (IADB). Rafael had written a book which is a comprehensive and influential account of the history of Amazonian countries, detailing genocides of the indigenous peoples, and the complicity of Amazonian and Western Governments in humanitarian atrocities and destruction of the natural environment.
HOP is now publishing my English translation of Amazonia: Sacrilege of a Paradise. This book will be available this month to delegates at COP 30 and the world market, where we hope that it will contribute to saving the Amazon forest and its people. Praise has been heaped on the manuscript by Survival International and others. The philosopher and biologist Professor Charles Foster sees it as “A thrilling, white-knuckle ride through Amazonia. But it’s not just entertaining – it’s urgent and important. It’s the most accessible primer of Amazonian biology, ecology, history and anthropology I know. It will change you, if you’ll let it – stoking your empathy and making you fulminate at the ham-fisted way we deal with fragility and beauty. George Mcgavin, President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust and Zero Hour Ambassador, has endorsed the book thus: Avarice, brutality and ignorance have brought us to this perilous point in our history. But we can save Amazonia, this paradise on earth. If we fail, there will be no second chances; it really is now or never.
We are also raising funds for our activities by the sale of art donated by local artists. Most of the money raised will be passed to Survival International and other similar organisations. Money has also been raised in a highly successful concert given by the Andrews-Correa Duo at Bridport. Other fundraising events are planned at Dartington Hall and Trinity College, Cambridge, where Moss was a student.
We have established good links with other organisations in West Dorset, including the Dorset Wildlife Trust, West Dorset Wilding, and Planet Purbeck. The latter, organised by Doug Skinner, is expanding rapidly, with the patronage of the Oscar-winning Actor Sir Mark Rylance, who is a strong supporter of nature conservation. Stewart Macpherson, as already mentioned, has also become closely involved in our publishing and promotional activities.
HOP is addressing the problems of pollution and the ‘elephant in the room’, which is the misuse of synthetic pesticides resulting in manifold threats to sustainable agriculture and human health.
Nearly twenty years ago, a spin-off company of Southampton University developed alternative methods of applying both synthetic and natural product pesticides and herbicides. It was estimated that this could result in a reduction of around 50% in the amounts of synthetic toxic products put into the environment worldwide. Sadly, this company fell into bankruptcy, and more than a hundred patents fell into the hands of multinational agrochemical companies and have not yet been exploited. HOP is now working with other organisations to revive this technology.
We are very mindful that we need to get our message across to young people. We are delighted to say The Reverend Andrew Rawsden, who is responsible for all the Bride Valley and Chesil churches, is planning to introduce HOP into primary schools, so that young children can be encouraged to explore the wildlife in their natural environments. He explains, “As the Rector of the Bride Valley and Chesil churches, I’ve been inspired by ‘Help Our Planet’ (HOP) … to think about what more we can do in our churches and villages and local Church of England primary schools. Lots is already being done by many organisations, but we are considering HOP action groups and greater engagement with local schools, which can provide a focus for the protection and flourishing of butterflies, hedgehogs, our River Bride, and all the other amazing nature of our local part of this beautiful planet.”
At the conclusion of COP30, in which the final agreement includes scant reference to deforestation, Brazil and Colombia have indicated that they will take their own measures to prevent further deforestation of the Amazon basin. This could mean that the English edition of the book Amazonia, Sacrilege of a Paradise, which contains much more information than the Spanish and Portuguese editions, could be more influential than previously imagined. Thus, it is hoped that HOP could become instrumental in helping to halt the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, as well as being a force for mitigating the effects of climate change and environmental pollution in Dorset.
HOP is now in need of funds to continue its work and expand. If anyone is interested in helping with any of our activities, please contact HOP at info@hoptalksdorset.org or speak to me (Philip) or Garry Constable.
