16
Interviewer: Today in the studio we are talking to Ben Zephani, an activist and member of the
environmental group the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. Welcome Ben.
Ben: Thank you.
Interviewer: Well, you know, people nowadays talk a lot about environmental issues. There is great
concern about wildlife and the future of the National Parks in Kenya. What's happening there?
Ben: One of the most serious environmental problems we are facing today is deforestation (Q17),
which really affects both wildlife and people living around the forests. People need land for their
own purposes, like growing crops and raising cattle. So they come, seize pieces of land, cut down
trees and start cultivating the land. So many animals were, kind of, forced away. They had to leave
their native habitats and find new hunting areas... That's not really a nice thing.
Interviewer: And what's happening to the people who actually live around the forest area?
Ben: You know when you tend to interfere in a wild animal's habitat you somehow create an
imbalance between people and animals. And sometimes it's not really a nice thing because animals
tend to come close to where people live, which is really threatening (Q18).
Interviewer: So, do they attack people?
Ben: Not that they really attack settlements but they do come in packs, groups, prides or herds
constantly migrating from one place to another because of deforestation. So people are vulnerable
at any time.
Dostları ilə paylaş: | 
