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JAIN DIGEST
Jain Digest Special Supplement on
Jain Declaration on Nature
10
DATA
BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
UNE
"The success of science and technology during the last hundred years seems to have blinded the political, intellectual and industrial leaders of the world to the inescapable fact that our planet Earth is finite in size and that the natural resources on which humanity depends are not limitless.
There is no getting away from the fact that the sheer size of the human population and the everincreasing strain this puts on the planet's natural systems has created a serious ecological crisis. Human activities are degrading the natural enviornment by pollution of the air, the soil and the water; they consume natural resources at a rate that cannot be sustained, and they are causing the extinction of our fellow living organisms in alarming numbers. All this is creating intractable problems for our descendents in future generations.
WWF established the Network on Conservation and Religion because we recognize that religious conviction can, and should, be a key motivation for the conservation of nature. Much can be achieved by appealing to human reason and self-interest, but we believe that religious leaders and teachers can make a significant contribution by reminding their communities of the ancient ecological wisdom of their faith and, in the context of the contemporary ecological situation, by developing the insights and attitudes that are needed to generate an effective response.
WWF warmly welcomes the decision of the international Jain community to join the Network and the terms of its "Declaration on Nature." I have no doubt that this commitment to the protection of the natural vitality of our planet in accordance with the teachings of the Jain faith will do much to enlighten and encourage its followers to be responsible and considerate in all their actions that may have an impact on the natural environment."
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