York University owns a rainforest

CELEBRATING "THE PERFECT GIFT": A reception was held to celebrate Dr. Woody Fisher's donation of a rainforest to York University. From left are: Julio Calvo, director of the Tropical Science Center in Costa Rica; York FES professor Howard Daugherty; Doug McCallum, chair of the Donald F. Hunter Foundation, which donated $20,000 to the new Fisher Fund for Neotropical Conservation; Dr. Woody Fisher; and Carlos Miranda, Costa Rica's Ambassador to Canada.

DOCTOR'S DONATION WILL PRESERVE COSTA RICAN FOREST AND FOSTER ECOLOGICAL STUDIES

Las Nubes -- The Clouds -- is a pristine rainforest in Costa Rica which has been donated to York University by Dr. Woody Fisher, a prominent Toronto physician, medical researcher, and co-founder of the Canadian Liver Foundation.

The unique and generous donation was announced recently at a press conference hosted by the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES). The establishment of the Fisher Fund for Neotropical Conservation was also announced at the press conference. The fund has been designed to protect and enhance this rainforest habitat through an agreement between FES and Costa Rica's Tropical Science Center (TSC), one of the pre-eminent ecological research and conservation institutions in the Neotropics. The fund has already received an estimated $26,000 in donations and pledges, officials say.

The gift of the 133-hectare (300 acre) property, valued at $100,000 (Canadian) will provide important opportunities for students of environmental studies who are specializing in ecology, conservation, community economic development and internal development.

York and the TSC will ensure the protection of Las Nubes and work with local people to promote sustainable practices in the surrounding area. Tropical forests house the greatest amount of the world's biodiversity, but these forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Forest clearance destroys habitat for tropical species and for the many migratory birds that breed in North America and spend their winters in the tropics. Las Nubes is described as a "treasure chest of biodiversity" that contains many species of plants and animals that have not even been discovered by scientists yet, never mind documented.

"Let me say how wonderful it is that Dr. Fisher has seen fit to donate this rainforest to us," said Peter Victor, dean of FES. "In many ways it is the perfect gift because it satisfies so many criteria that are hard to achieve."

Victor said that the gift was a personal sacrifice for Fisher (in that he gave up the valuable property), as well as fostering ecological education and friendship between York University and Costa Rica. "Mostly, it is a gift of vision, which in itself helps to protect the environment," he said. "We should all be truly grateful to Dr. Fisher."

Las Nubes is a biologically diverse, mid-elevation montane ecosystem with a pristine forest. Las Nubes is threatened with illegal deforestation and poaching, and with the conversion of land to cattle pastures and coffee plantations -- practices which reduce habitat and directly threaten biodiversity. Satellite images reveal the incredible loss of primary forest that has occurred in the area in less than a decade. York University and the TSC are aiming to ensure a different fate for Las Nubes, according to officials at the press conference.

York FES Professor Howard Daugherty is a long-time friend of Fisher's who has worked in Central America for nearly 30 years. He was familiar with the work of Costa Rica's TSC. Daugherty helped to facilitate Fisher's donation of the rainforest to York University.

"This truly remarkable gift forms part of the longest undisturbed rainforests in Central America," said Daugherty. "This gift has stimulated the creation of a partnership between FES and the Tropical Science Center -- an alliance that gives our students a chance to gain marvelous experience in biology, ecology, conservation, and sustainable development practices. This is more than a gift to York University -- it's a gift to humanity, a gift to future generations. Therein lies the true gift."

Fisher said, "A terrorist act is designed to coerce a community into certain actions, and so I consider this initiative my own act of terrorism. Man has placed himself on the list of endangered species, and we seem reluctant to accept that. Man continues to trash the globe, and the vast majority of us seem content to fiddle away our planet, and no-one is fiddling worse or more loudly than our political leaders. We all have a responsibility for this planet, and this gift merely reflects my fear, my responsibility, and my privilege."

"I am extremely pleased that enterprising scholars at York University approached me in regards to Las Nubes," Fisher said. "This property contains land never touched by humans. The resulting collaboration between FES and the TSC will be infinitely more productive than what I have first envisioned when I bought Las Nubes to prevent its destruction, and to preserve its immense biodiversity. For all of us who enjoy fresh air, clean water, the smell of flora and the sounds of fauna, this is my gift."

Julio Calvo, executive director of the Tropical Science Center, is York's partner in this collaborative research and conservation endeavour. His visit to Canada coincided with the conference. "The purpose of my visit here has been for us to sign an agreement for the purpose of developing a biological corridor to enhance the restoration of original habitat and promote more sustainable land use," said Calvo.

Sandra Znajda, a master's student, visited Las Nubes earlier this year, and plans to return in January 1999 to pursue research for her master's thesis. She said, "The time I spent there was an incredible experience. Imagine the delight of a student with an undergraduate zoology degree seeing for the first time, in all its beauty and diversity, the flora and fauna she had studied in books. I'd like to thank Dr. Fisher for ... the invaluable gift of hope for the conservation of this tropical forest and all the biodiversity it holds."

Las Nubes is a reserve on the side of a mountain in the Talamanca range in southeast Costa Rica, on the edge of the Chirripó National Park. The town nearest to the reserve is San Isidro. The reserve contains extremely dense forest and ancient trees. Fisher said he and his wife Mary purchased the property in the 1980s after visiting the country on a holiday. "We took a tour of the national park system, and it became obvious that Costa Rica was losing one of its most critical resources, and this plot of land is part of the major national park system," Fisher said. "A farm was for sale, and we decided to buy it and give it back to the national park system. I'm grateful to York for seeing this through. I see that this gift has been transformed into a vehicle for multilateral and international education and research, and that is wonderful."