Nick Ashton-Jones, with Oronto Douglas and Susi Arnott

“ Agenda 21 states that sustainable development is the way to reverse both poverty and environmental destruction. Achieving this will demand broad public participation in policy development, combined with greater accountability; individuals, groups and organisations need to know about, and participate in, environment and development issues affecting their communities. ”

“ Sustainable Development =⁠Participation + Wealth + Knowledge =⁠Empowerment of Local People =⁠Conservation Wealth creation without local knowledge and participation does not equal sustainable development. If Local People are kept ignorant and unable to participate in or benefit from the creation of wealth, environmental degradation will result. Poor people may even directly damage the environment, if they cannot afford to think about tomorrow. ”

“ ERA believes that sustainable development and equitable wealth creation depends upon Fair Trade. Local producers must receive a fair price for their products in relation to final market prices; for this to happen, they must be more closely linked to those markets and have knowledge of them. ”

“ Because of humankind's growing dominance of the Biosphere, all ecosystems are now ultimately human ecosystems. Ecological problems arise when an ecosystem is seen, in ignorance, as something separate from humankind. ”

“ The real hallmark of the Earth Summit was the emphasis on broad public participation, and the success of Agenda 21 depends on the continued participation of the public in decisions that affect their lives, both nationally and internationally. ”

“ All people shall have the right to (a) generally satisfactory environment favourable to their development. ERA believes that a respect for all forms of life is an essential foundation to human happiness. ”

“ Numerous examples of development projects in the Niger Delta (indeed throughout Nigeria, Africa and the world) have failed because the development process is in the hands of outsiders. However well-meaning, most outside agents eventually leave and have no permanent commitment to places which are not their own. ”

“ Outside interests may have rights that must be taken into consideration. However, local interests are more likely than any others to be concerned about genuine conservation and must take priority when decisions are being made. ”

“ CRCs can become centres of innovation, but essentially they are places where community members (as individuals or as groupings) can empower themselves with knowledge and access the tools of communication to make things happen. ”

“ It helps outsiders to understand the ... community systems by using (the) visual techniques of diagrams, models, counting and quantifying devices, as well as techniques of direct observation, participation and discussion. When Local People partake in these activities and thus help to analyse their own systems (which is usually not done in a formalised way) , a two-way learning process is enhanced. This process empowers Local People to take charge of their own situations and negotiate with outsiders from a position of strength and confidence. ”

“ The dimensions of the knowledge are wide, encompassing the whole range of human experiences with regard to both tangible and non-tangible entities. Their fields of knowledge include history, linguistics, economics, social knowledge, politics and administration; energy related technology; (the) physical environment of soils, water and climate ”

“ People living in a locality have an investment in its long-term future. Outsiders, whether in government or non-government agencies, are more likely to be interested in short and medium-term considerations. ”

“ ERA is bound together and guided by a philosophy which avoids moral ambiguity when approaching problems of human ecology. This philosophy is not a rigid dogma, but a guide based upon the seven beliefs described below. ”

“ The organisation is dedicated to the defence of human ecosystems in terms of human rights, and to the promotion of environmentally responsible governmental, commercial, community and individual practice in Nigeria through the empowerment of Local People. ”