''The End of Eden'' is a 1986 environmental documentary in which the South African filmmaker

Rick Lomba Rick Lomba (1950–1994) was a South African documentary filmmaker, environmentalist and Carte Blanche cameraman. He was also a lobbyist at the European Parliament and the US Congress against their cattle policies in Botswana. His main concern ...

(1950–1994) showed the rapid degradation of Africa's ecosystems. The introduction of cattle ranching and the beef industry in the southern African landscape is featured prominently within the film as a primary source of devastation to the land. The film is severely critical of the policies of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

and other international banks in advocating and funding African industrial agricultural and cattle breeding projects in an attempt to boost African economies. It portrays graphically the otherwise forbidden

pesticides Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampric ...

used to try to eradicate the

tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...

, which he describes as the last bastion of defence the

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

has against the encroachment of civilisation, and the

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

and

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

that results. Some of it is filmed from a

microlight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

aircraft which he used to approach these areas. Numerous interviews with persons engaged in

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

big-game hunting Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for meat, commercially valuable by-products (such as horns/antlers, furs, tusks, bones, body fat/oil, or special organs and contents), trophy/taxidermy, or simply just for recreation ("s ...

hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...

relief and agriculture are presented as well as some economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives such as

wildlife farming Wildlife farming refers to the raising of traditionally undomesticated animals in an agricultural setting to produce: living animals for canned hunting and to be kept as pets; commodities such as food and traditional medicine; and materials lik ...

. The documentary was written and directed by Rick Lomba, produced by Rick Lomba Productions and narrated by American actor Jeff Folger. It was funded by the First National Bank and appeared on television for about three years, after which it inexplicably disappeared from circulation.

References

External links

The End of Eden on Youtube
1986 films 1986 in the environment Documentary films about environmental issues South African documentary films Films set in Botswana Films set in Africa Desertification 1986 documentary films {{SouthAfrica-film-stub