Protests Make EU Postpone Road Project in African Rainforests
7/12/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Protests Make EU Postpone Road Project in African
Rainforests
Source: Rettet den Regenwald e.V. and The Rainforest Foundation
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: July 12, 1999
On July 7, 1999, the European Development Fund, an EU institution
that disburses development aid largely without parlamentarian or
public control for the first time decided to reconsider a proposed
project before approving it. A number of representatives from
different countries asked questions to the EU Commission about a
proposed 52 million EURO grant for road rehabilitation in Cameroon.
The day before, environmentalists from the Rainforest Foundation,
London, Pro Regenwald, Munich and Rettet den Regenwald, Hamburg, had
met with the German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul
and a number of development civil servants in the BMZ (Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development) in Bonn to present 30 000
signatures against the project.
The environmentalists expressed their concerns that, with the lack of
law enforcement in Cameroon, the rehabilitation of the roads would
accelerate illegal and non-sustainable forest exploitation by timber
companies. A side effect would also be to facilitate massive
commercial poaching of all wildlife up to extinction of virtually all
species in the easily accessible areas. Negative effects on the Baka
and Bagyely pygmy peoples were another concern raised.
The NGOs also raised concern about the lack of law enforcement on
road traffic and the insufficient financial contribution of the
transport companies in Cameroon to road maintenance.
In general the NGOs deplored that the EDF and parts of the EU still
lacked transparency of their decisions and planning. For example the
EDF is not willing to share the project proposal with concerned NGOs
and neither the Cameroon Government nor the EU could explain which
roads would be rehabilitated with the money before the project was
adopted.
The German Minister promised that her government would ask questions
about the project in Cameroon to the European Commission.
After the postponement of the road grant in the EDF committee this
Wednesday the project will be considered again by the same Committee
in September.
Given the state of complete lawlessness in the forest sector and the
huge profits that logging and transport companies make currently in
Cameroon NGOs doubt that the situation will improve rapidly. NGOs now
await with great interest answers to the concerns raised with the EU
Commission and the Cameroon government about this project.
Meanwhile the Rainforest Foundation, Pro Regenwald and Rettet den
Regenwald wish to express their thanks to all the citizens who have
made possible the rethinking of EU development policy by writing
letters and collecting signatures.
Rettet den Regenwald e. V.
Poeseldorfer Weg 17, 20148 Hamburg
Tel. 49- 40 - 4103804 Fax: 49- 40 - 4500144
regenwald@umwelt.ecolink.org //www.umwelt.org/regenwald
The Rainforest Foundation
City Cloisters, 188-196 Old Street=20
London EC1V 9FR United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 171 251 6345 Fax: +44 (0) 171 251 4969
e-mail: anneb@rainforestuk.com //www.rainforestfoundationuk.org