World Parks Congress

By Caty Weaver¹

Broadcast: September 26, 2003

This is Bob Doughty² with the VOA Special English Environment Report.
Three-thousand activists³, scientists, community leaders and government officials attended the fifth World Parks Congress. The ten-day conference ended last week in Durban, South Africa. It is held every ten years by the World Conservation Union.
Delegates learned of success in meeting a goal to expand protected areas. More than ten percent of the surface of Earth is now officially protected. A World Conservation Union official said this progress was the result of agreements at the last congress, in Caracas, Venezuela.
But an official of Conservation International called the system far from complete. He said 1)tropical islands especially face a 2)severe threat from expanding populations of humans. Less than one percent of the area of the world's oceans is protected.
Delegates approved thirty-two proposals in the Durban Accord and Action Plan. The measures are designed to support three basic ideas. One is the importance of gaining the cooperation of people who live near protected areas. Another is the recognition that protected areas do more than protect species. They also provide services to the environment like clean water.
And the third idea is to recognize that administrators⁴ of protected areas need guidance, training and other tools to reach their goals.
Some nations announced plans to increase the amount of protected areas. Madagascar announced plans for a major increase. Senegal declared its first protected areas for fisheries and other 3)marine⁵ life.
And the Brazilian state of Amapa said it is linking protected areas to form a new ten-million kilometer area. It will cover the world's largest tropical 4)rainforest park.
Other announcements were also made in Durban. South Africa, for example, said it would excuse protected areas from land taxes. This past April, South Africa announced plans to establish five new national parks.
Other groups at the meeting promised money, supplies or technical expertise⁶ for conservation efforts. The World Conservation Union, the Nature Conservancy and 5)WWF International announced a joint⁷ effort against forest fires. They say it aims to prevent the kind of destructive fires that happened earlier this year in North America, Europe and other areas of the world.
This VOA Special English Environment Report was written by Caty Weaver. This is Bob Doughty.

注释：
1) tropical [5trCpikl] adj.热带的
2) severe [si5viE] adj.严重的
3) marine [mE5ri:n] adj.海的，海产的
4) rainforest [5rein5fCrist] n.（生态）雨林
5) WWF (World Wildlife Fund)  世界野生动物基金

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。