American environmentalist, Huey Johnson, wins UNITED NATIONS premier environment prize

Nairobi/New York, 12 November 2001 - Huey D. Johnson, the distinguished environmentalist known for his pioneering work on protecting and managing the Earth's natural resources, has been selected as the winner of this year's United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sasakawa Environment Prize.

The Prize, worth US$ 200,000 and considered one of the most prestigious environmental awards in the world, will be presented at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 19 November 2001.

Mr. Johnson, who has helped spearhead green management plans both nationally and internationally to save water, reduce energy use and cut pollution, said he was "deeply honoured" and applauded UNEP for the Sasakawa prize.

"I have boxes full of prizes and awards for career recognition, however, this one is the ultimate prize. It is recognition from my peer group. Receiving this is beyond all my expectations and has come as a total surprise," he said.

At the award ceremony, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan will deliver the Pastrana Borrero Lecture, which was established by UNEP in 1999 to enhance the current environment agenda in the true spirit of the late Chairman of the UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize Selection Committee and former President of Colombia, H.E. Misael Pastrana Borrero.

"Johnson has been a catalyst and a champion for environmental protection for more than 40 years. His contributions richly deserve to be recognized," said Lord Clinton-Davis Chairman of the Selection Committee.

"Through the numerous organizations he has created and the countless people he has supported, Johnson has emphasized and clearly demonstrated that the problems we face both environmentally and socially, require a global and systematic approach," said UNEP's Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer.

Johnson, who has worked in the corporate, non-governmental and governmental sectors, was pivotal in the creation of the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a non-profit land acquisition corporation, founded in 1972, whose aim is to save open spaces for America's urban centers. To date, TPL has conserved more than 1.3 million acres of land in the United States.

As Secretary of Natural Resources in California in the early 1980s, Johnson crafted statewide programmes and policies, for the preservation of natural resources such as water, forestry and soil, which have been emulated internationally. More specifically Johnson instituted the Investing For Prosperity programme (IFP) - a 100-year initiative, which channels funds into investments to enhance long-term productivity of California's natural resource assets. The IFP initiative provided for the reinvestment of proceeds from the sale of public natural resources into programmes designed to fund maintenance and improvement of the state's natural resources. Urban forestry, the enhancement of fisheries, waterways and parklands and investment in alternative energy benefited greatly from IFP.

One of the most dramatic successes of the IFP programme was the development of cost-effective renewable energy technologies that have since been emulated around the world. A report by the Rand Corporation showed that energy conservation efforts have saved Californians some US$ 34 billion since the late 1970s (roughly US$ 1,000 for each resident) and have played a significant role in helping the State's economy expand. Under Johnson's guidance, the California Resources Agency implemented a number of energy saving policies that are responsible for these savings. For his efforts in this area, Johnson received the President's Award for Sustainable Development in 1996.

"I was fortunate to have been in a position in government to fulfil a personal dream of developing and implementing a 100-year plan to manage and improve the state's natural resources. The successes have been many. We tripled salmon stocks, significantly cut water use and saved a tremendous amount of energy. It confirmed my belief that we can manage the environment and restore it," said Mr. Johnson.

"What one learnt from this, is that you cannot manage elements of the environment individually, one by one, or all your best efforts will unravel. The environment is like a house. You can't say you'll fix the leaky roof this year, repair the walls next year and care for the garden in three years time. You have must have a plan that manages all of these issues at the same time," he added.

In 1985, to further the achievement of sustainable development and develop better management of natural resources in the United States and internationally, Johnson founded the Resource Renewal Institute (RRI), an NGO whose mission is to catalyze the development of green plans both nationally and internationally. RRI developed the Campaign for a Sustainable Future, which targets policy makers and opinion leaders and is designed to mobilize diverse constituencies strong enough to secure green plans and secure a momentum for a national green plan.

RRI also works with foreign nations to develop green plans. At present this involves working with Mexico. Pressing environmental problems associated with water and air quality, natural resource depletion and land-use planning among others, call for Mexico to build a broad constituency for the green planning approach and to develop a strategy for its implementation. The goal of RRI's work in Mexico is to catalyze the green planning process at state and local levels, while working to advance the country's national environmental policy agenda.

Under the RRI umbrella, Johnson developed the Grand Canyon Trust - an independent conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Canyon area of the Colorado plateau.

Johnson has been involved with the development and support of many international organizations that promote environmental protection and productive information exchange. One such organization is the well-known Nairobi-based environmental watchdog organization Environmental Liaison Center International (ELCI).

Johnson is also the founder of Green Belt Movement International (GBMI) whose aim is to promote citizen-based tree planting worldwide as a way of mobilizing people to restore the environment and break the cycle of poverty and environmental degradation. GBMI provides a network for tree planting activists, raises funds to promote successful models of tree planting and supports international policies to promote ecological balance and economic and democratic empowerment.

Johnson said he plans to use the Prize money to further his interests in the environment: "We need a plan to manage and implement the restoration of the Earth's natural resources. Whether you are designing a computer, a bridge or a new aircraft, you have to have a plan, otherwise you cannot raise the funds needed to turn it into a reality. Let us hope that such a plan can emerge when world leaders meet for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa, later next year".

Note to editors

· A complete biography and photograph of Mr. Huey D. Johnson are available.

· The UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize, sponsored by The Nippon Foundation and founded by the late Mr. Ryoichi Sasaskawa, has been awarded annually since 1984 to individuals who have made outstanding global contributions to the management and protection of the environment.

· Past winners include: Nobel Laureate, Professor Mario J. Molina for discovering a new reaction sequence involving chlorine peroxide, which accounts for most of the ozone destruction in the Antarctic; Chico Mendes, the rubber tapper from Brazil who died leading the fight against cattle ranchers' destruction of the rainforest; Lester Brown, former Director of the Worldwatch Institute, whose writings were instrumental in alerting the world about the threats to the biosphere; Dr. M. S. Swaminathan of India, father of the economic ecology movement; and Ian Kiernan of Australia, founder of the Clean Up the World Campaign in which more than 120 countries participate.

· The 2001 Prize winner was selected on 2 July 2001 by an independent and distinguished panel of international leaders and environmentalists chaired by Lord Clinton-Davis, Chairman of Europe 21, Joint President of the Society of Labour Lawyers, a Life Peer of the House of Lords and former Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry in the United Kingdom.

THE PASTRANA BORRERO LECTURE 2001 UNEP SASAKAWA ENVIRONMENT PRIZE

HER MAJESTY QUEEN NOOR

New York, November 19, 2001

Ladies and Gentlemen, Honored Guests,

We come together today to honor Mr. Huey Johnson, a man who understands that the true core of environmental preservation is — people. This was a central principle for this lecture’s namesake, President Pastrana Borrero, who based his environmentalism on a “culture of the human species.” He believed that “no amount of life can oppose the quality of life”, meaning that while biodiversity must be preserved, the well-being of life is of great value in itself and must lie at the heart of political will to establish “environmental justice”.

Amid the unprecedented disasters and conflict of the past nine weeks, it is more crucial than ever that we cling to humanity as the center of our every endeavor. Any other approach is a disservice to both the earth’s human inhabitants and the environments on which we all depend.

As the technologies and strategies of globalization ever widen their reach, local communities are feeling ever more marginalized. Global programs, be they economic or environmental, are widely perceived to favor the haves, at the expense of the have nots. Cultures and beliefs that are being ignored are turning inward to preserve their identities, becoming radicalized, and resorting to extremism and even violence to get their message heard.

This disregard of local needs, either by huge multinational corporations on the one hand, or paternalistic centrally-planned development on the other, has given rise to a backlash against globalization, from WTO protesters, to the ever-increasing number of political and ethnic separatist groups, and even, and most horrifying of all, to terrorists. Although their methods cannot be condoned, their motives are often linked to environments of inquality, alienation and desperation. Unfortunately, their actions and the responses their actions incur, jeopardize not only people, but also all too often the natural environment, by causing severe degradation, and thus crippling prospects for sustainable development.

Environmental problems, by definition, know no boundaries. As the late President Pastrana knew, Nature was the first global monopoly. Air pollution does not stop at the factory fence, let alone at some line on a map. Water depletion does not recognize political boundaries, but --- as we are all too aware in our region --- it has profound political consequences. The adage “think globally; act locally” is nowhere as apt as in environmental issues. As crucial as conservation decisions are on a global level, like other globalized initiatives they are doomed to fail if they ignore local concerns. For instance, centrally planned dams designed to provide water or hydroelectric power to one area or nation, have destroyed local communities and sparked unrest. Generalized fishing quotas, if they ignore issues such as cultural attitudes towards compliance and the effect of the regulations on local economies, are almost impossible to enforce, and even can be a source of conflict among nations.

For many nations today, security concerns center less on boundaries and external military might than on increasing conflicts stemming from poverty, displaced peoples, economic instability and competition over shared resources.

The unbreakable links between environment and security are all too apparent in the Middle East. Water and arable land shortages, in particular, cause increasingly tense and sometimes violent confrontations among states, as well as within them.

While the environment today is a cause of political tension around the globe and could become a substantial source of conflict in the years ahead, there is, however, evidence that the equitable resolution of resource disputes can help promote wider peace among nations. The sharing of water was a cornerstone of the 1994 Jordan/Israel peace accord; following the treaty, our country was able to launch a project to increase the captured flow of natural runoff from the Yarmouk River - the water source over which Jordanian and Israeli troops once exchanged gunfire.

The potential seriousness of such conflicts has prompted the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to launch a global initiative on environment and security, to help illuminate the causes of tension and conflict, and identify how resource degradation leads to national distress

By linking this initiative to the social and economic security of people, and ultimately to a reduction in human suffering, it will hopefully be possible to gain greater grass-roots support for what, until now, has been perceived in many places as a largely elitist concern, offering the promise of making conservation relevant to the lives of a wider public.

Ecosystems and human activities are not separate realms. If we can spread the idea that social well-being, economic stability and the natural environment are interdependent, and that the degradation of any one endangers all three, even those who have not made the environment a priority will see that we can no longer overuse and misuse our resources. This awareness-building is the backbone of environmental sanity.

Environmental security must be viewed by the community of states as a vital global interest. But it is a paradox — it cannot exist without peaceful cooperation among states, yet that peace itself can be threatened by inequity in resources.

Regional states must realize that without environmental security, we can never ensure political and economic stability.

And, this is of course no easy task. Wealth breeds indifference, while poverty breeds desperation. In the developed North, abundance of both money and natural resources insulates the inhabitants from the consequences of waste. In the developing South, where the worst natural shortages occur, poverty makes survival the priority and pushes conservation to the fringes.

Successful programs are those in which the local population are central to decision-making and implementation — what President Pastrana called “the community’s ownership of the environment.” They recognize that people have a fundamental right to their livelihood and the use of their own resources, and rely on education and participation to show that environmental goals are compatible with that right.

Two IUCN concepts in particular now form the heart of environmental protection and economic development strategies in many countries: first, the idea that the use of resources by local populations is not only inevitable but also legitimate-so long as it is ecologically sound. And second, that conservation and development are inextricably linked. The synthesis of these two principles has yielded bold and innovative approaches to fuse economic development and environmental protection into a single dynamic.

Jordan was among the many countries that benefited from such technical assistance, first in developing our national reserve networks and later in formulating a long-term national environmental strategy — the first in the Middle East. Our experience was a catalyst for establishing other programs among the Arab states and helped to promote the coordinated monitoring of regional environmental trends.

At nature reserves in Dana and Wadi Rum, in Southern Jordan, for example, conservation efforts have been linked with tourism and revitalized local production to increase employment and income. Once the inhabitants enjoy a better quality of life, they have a greater vested interest in preserving natural beauty and bio-diversity. Throughout our country and in many others, nature conservation is proving an effective route to national socio-economic development.

Women, the backbone of local communities, with a stake in preserving their children’s future, can be invaluable in such conservation efforts. However, women can also be abusers of the environment, for instance in the misuse of firewood in some areas in Africa; or in the use of chemicals in homes in more developed environments. The key to success in any environmental endeavor is education and awareness-building.

For instance, the WWF "Women in Environment" program aims at integrating nature conservation and community development in areas around National Parks in Bhutan, through non-formal education, alternate income generating activities, micro-credit and savings, and environmental and developmental awareness. Providing alternative livelihoods helps reduce pressure on natural resources which are detrimental to conservation in the valley.

Similarly, WWF programs in Fiji promote the use and conservation of the Kuta plant as a material for traditional weaving techniques are helping both the local women and the wetlands where the plant grows. The intimate involvement of local communities in planning and activities that benefit both themselves and the environment is the most effective way — perhaps the only way — to sustain both.

Huey Johnson’s work exemplifies these principles. His seminal interest in local cultures and histories around the world, and his groundbreaking work in implementing projects that benefit local residents as well as local environments, shows the success of this approach. His experience in both the public and private sectors convinced him of the value of locally-attuned NGOs in sustainable environmental efforts. Even when working for national or international organizations, his awareness of local concerns is always foremost in his consideration. His Resource Renewal Institute, for instance, uses both advocacy and education to link the three major sectors of society (business, government and NGOs) to international green plans, in hopes of recreating similar success locally.

Mr. Johnson’s work demonstrates that any truly global conservation plan must be built from the ground up. It must be founded on the concerns of the people.

It must include comprehensive approaches to the overarching and growing problem of human poverty, one of the main contributors to environmental damage. And it must acknowledge that differences in resources require different contributions to the cause.

It is unfair to place the bulk of the burden of ecological preservation on those very countries already staggering under supreme shortages of resources, education, infrastructure, and money. Those who use the lion’s share of the world’s resources must share with those who have less — they must share not only their resources, but their expertise, and their understanding that the challenges faced in other parts of the world must be recognized as their own challenges as well.

Naturally, such changes require effort. They require raising the awareness of individuals and communities and equipping them with the practical tools to use resources wisely. They require the development of knowledge and know-how, to experiment with new approaches in eco-management and apply them to other regions. They require money to support such experiments and keep improved management practices in place. And, finally, they require people.

People have to be enabled to participate in making the decisions that affect their most fundamental needs. When people — particularly women, who are absolutely pivotal in this process — are given a stake in their own future, they will take responsibility and do what needs to be done, making changes that would be impossible if imposed by some higher authority.

Conservation must speak a language that people understand. It must begin in the heart, and it must begin young. It must be based on both traditional wisdom and modern expertise. Education is vital. We must encourage schools and universities in every country to include awareness-building in their curricula and to promote programs to transform people into the guardians, rather than the predators, of biodiversity.

Governments, both national and local, and international financial institutions, such as the World Trade Organization and the World Bank, should establish conservation incentives based on local ecosystems’ full economic, ecological, cultural and intrinsic values. In order to empower participatory, equitable and responsible resource management, community-based groups and NGOs, with government support, must build and strengthen education and communications to involve the people in the process.

Our globe’s environmental resources are shrinking even faster than globalization is shrinking our world. From life-giving water, to soul-nourishing landscapes, to whole species of plants and animals that may hold the secret key to some of our greatest health threats, to the whole web of biological resources that support life itself, we are destroying the very things that sustain us.

And once gone, they are gone forever. We cannot create our world anew — we can only conserve what the creator has given us. Any other course robs our children, and theirs, of those gifts we have received — and squandered.

Conservation is crucial, if our world is to have a future. But people are our world’s most important resource, and ecological preservation must be part of a larger effort to preserve the human species, not just collectively but each precious individual.

Preserving the environment and protecting people need not be conflicting goals, however. Just the opposite — each without the other is impossible.

The Prophet Mohammed said: “The world is green and beautiful and God has appointed you his stewards over it”

We gather today representing many nationalities, communities, and beliefs. Fundamental to all our faiths is the sanctity of life, and the preciousness of the earth that is its cradle and support. As long as every voice is listened to and heard, as long as we insure that no one’s concerns are excluded, these two beliefs can bring us together, in cooperation, and understanding, united for a higher goal.

As President Pastrana believed, peace is people living in harmony with each other, and with nature. That is more than a dream — even now, it is a goal we have no choice but to achieve.

For more information and to obtain 2002 nomination forms, please contact:

Tore J. Brevik, Spokesman/Director, UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information on tel: (254-2) 62 3292, fax: (254-2) 62 3927, e-mail: tore.brevik@unep.org or Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, Secretary, UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize, P. O. 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, tel: (254-2) 62 3401, fax: (254-2) 62 3692, e-mail: elisabeth.guilbaud-cox@unep.org

In New York, contact UNEP's Information Officer, Jim Sniffen on tel: 1 (212) 963-8094, e-mail: sniffenj@un.org

UNEP News release 2001/