A DOZEN years have passed since, amid much fanfare, the UK's
Darwin Initiative was set up. In my opinion it is one of those
grandiose-seeming plans that, despite facing gloomy predictions,
has turned out to be a success. Since it was launched in 1992,
the initiative has committed to spending more than £35 million
on more than 300 projects in 100 developing countries to help
them enhance and protect their biodiversity. Many of the
initiative's projects concerned the sustainable use of natural
resources, including the bush-meat issue and the prevention of
poaching. Although the Department for International Development
(DFID) does not work directly with indigenous people, its aid
programmes fully support their rights concerning the use of
natural resources, and the department's forestry programme
encourages community-based forest management in several
countries. Elliot Morley, the minister for environment and agri-
environment, tells me that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has
sought independent ... To continue r