World Rainforest Movement Bulletin 23
6/7/99
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: World Rainforest Movement Bulletin 23
Source: World Rainforest Movement
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: June 7, 1999
=================================
W R M B U L L E T I N 23
MAY 1999
=================================
In this issue:
* OUR VIEWPOINT
- IFF: enough is enough
* LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
AFRICA
- Oil and violence in Nigeria
- Cameroon: EU fosters rainforest destruction - Privatizing
plantations in South Africa - South Africa: "Around me, despite good
rains, countless fountains are drying up"
ASIA
- Peoples' demonstrations in Thailand - Indonesian Indigenous Peoples
question new forestry law - Dayak people win lawsuit in Indonesia -
New book on impacts of tree plantations in Indonesia - Bangladesh:
support required to protect mangrove
OCEANIA
- Solomon Islands: small-scale scores much better - Action for Papua
New Guinea's rainforests
SOUTH AMERICA
- Argentina: tree monoculture expansion supported by World Bank -
Brazil: Support for Extractive Reserve on islands of Tucurui Dam
reservoir
- Chile: Mapuche indigenous peoples' march to the capital city -
Chile: Chicago school children frighten Boise Cascade - Colombia:
U'wa victory at Occidental's shareholder meeting - Paraguay: network
created to monitor plantations - Uruguay: citizens' network
challenges official "research" on plantations - Venezuela: resistance
to Smurfit continues
CENTRAL AMERICA
- Belize: villagers defend their mangroves
NORTH AMERICA
- A destructive megaproject for Tehuantepec Isthmus in Mexico -
Mexico: opposition to deforestation in Chihuahua
* GENERAL
- Andrew Gray, lost in air crash in Vanuatu
- Briefing Paper: "Pulpwood plantations: a growing problem"
- Super Trees: the biotech nightmare is already here
- World Trade Organization to increase wood consumption by 3-4%
- Want to know about forestry corporations? Ask Forests Monitor
* WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
- News from the International Secretariat
*************OUR VIEWPOINT
*************
- IFF: enough is enough
NGO and Indigenous Peoples Organizations' representatives at the
Intergovernmental Forum on Forests shared a common feeling in Geneva
last May: that of frustration. At its third session, the IFF
discussions seemed to be going nowhere; even worse, at times they
appeared to be moving backwards. After a number of meetings, NGOs and
IPOs decided to present a common statement to the IFF plenary, which
began by saying:
"In the seven years since the Rio Earth Summit, a great deal of
dialogue on forests has taken place. At the same time, over 100
million hectares of the world's forests have been lost or degraded.
While dialogue has some value, non-governmental and indigenous
peoples' organizations are extremely disappointed and frustrated with
the lack of impact on the ground from the IPF/IFF process. For
whatever reasons, governments seem either unwilling or unable to take
substantive action to solve the world's most pressing forest
problems."
The above is the true and sad picture of the situation, characterized
by numerous agreed commitments (from the 1992 Earth Summit onwards),
innumerable "talk-shops" and no real action to address the continuing
destruction of the world's forests. Governments definitely show that
they are "either unwilling or unable" to address the problem -
probably even more unwilling than unable.
The statement declares that, "Two years ago, the IPF Proposals for
Action were added to these commitments. If these were all implemented
and complied with, we believe that significant progress could be
made.
Unfortunately, little compliance or implementation has occurred."
This was particularly clear in Geneva, where government delegates
seemed more willing to discuss new issues or rediscuss old ones,
simply because they had almost nothing to report on implementation in
their respective countries. It looked as if they were trying to
forget that the IFF's mandate is to carry out three main tasks, the
first of which is to promote and facilitate the implementation of the
IPF Proposals for Action and to review, monitor and report on
progress in the management, conservation and sustainable development
of all types of forest.
Within such context, the NGO/IPO representatives attempted to bring
the process back to the pressing realities of deforestation and
forest degradation, by putting on the table a number of concrete
demands for the coming period:
"Our organizations have a set of very clear expectations of what
needs to be done to rescue the world's forests, indigenous peoples
and other forest-dependent peoples from the many clearly identified
threats they continue to face. We feel it is our responsibilty to
judge whether effective progress is made between now and IFF 4
against these expectations.
Beginning immediately, each country should initiate a process at the
national level, with the full participation of all major groups, to
develop and implement a national strategy and plan for implementation
of, and compliance with, all IPF proposals for action, the Convention
on Biological Diversity, and other forest-related international
agreements.
This strategy must include:
1) a comparison of existing government programs, directly or
indirectly related to forests, with the IPF proposals for action and
other international commitments, to identify any gaps in effective
implementation and compliance, and possible contradictions between
these commitments and existing government programs;
2) a step-by-step timetable for implementation, review, and
reporting;
3) identification and initiation of mechanisms by which all
interested major groups, government agencies, and other parties will
be involved in the implementation process, including in monitoring
and reporting roles, and by which these parties will have access to
all information they need to participate effectively. In addition a
list of all parties currently involved in the process, and the nature
of their involvement; and
4) a description of any new programs that have been, or need to be
initiated to achieve the effective implementation of these proposals
and agreements, and a clear plan and timetable for initiating such
programs.
At IFF 4, we will ask each country to present a report on its
progress."
Given that "the IFF process has not led to action, it has been
dominated by narrow economic interests, has used outdated procedures
for major group participation, and has often ignored or duplicated
the work of existing agreements and initiatives", the NGO/IPO
statement attempts to remind governments that their task is to
implement existing agreements to protect forests. And to tell IFF
delegates that enough is enough.
Note: the full statement is available in our web site under Tropical
Forests-NGO/IPO statements.
*************LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
*************
AFRICA
- Oil and violence in Nigeria
Oil exploitation is responsible for the destruction of mangroves,
local community displacement and suffering, as well as environmental
degradation of water sources and soil in Nigeria. This depredation is
usually accompanied by brutal actions against local community members
and activists, during which armed corps constitute the executive arm
of the companies. The Niger Delta is an area where oil prospection
and exploitation are especially active. Environmental destruction and
human rights abuses in this region to the hands of Shell and Chevron
have been repeatedly denounced (see WRM Bulletin 22).
Last April the Ekebiri communities of the Southern Ijau Local
Government Area of Bayelsa were victims of the violence displayed by
a group of soldiers, under the control and direction of Nigeria Agip
Oil Company (NAOC). Ekebiri is a clan of three communities -Ekibiri
I, II, and Opuadoma- with 32 other satellite villages, with an
estimated population of about 10,000 people. NAOC has been
responsible for several human rights abuses in the Niger Delta. The
company has even been accused by several of its host communities for
instigating ethnic clashes amongst them as a way of weakening their
resistance.
The events leading to the blood-bath started when the communities
demanded from NAOC a compensation for the incessant spillages that
have occurred in their territories, since 1969, the last being in
1997, and in which the company refused to pay. At the beginning of
1999 the company went into discussion with the communities but
refused to pay the demanded sum. The discussions then broke down and
the communities took steps on April 17 to enforce their demand by
closing down the company's 2 manifolds in their communities. The
following day NAOC took a military escort and reopened the shut
manifolds, what was resisted by the villagers. The soldiers then
opened fire into two boats, filled with unarmed youths and chiefs of
Ekebiri I and II, who where on their way to a meeting with the
Commissioner of Police of Bayelsa State. Eyewitnesses said that the
shooting lasted for about 40 minutes and the soldiers shot the
fleeing youths and chiefs until they landed on their community
waterfront. Some were shot dead right on the community water bank
while scrambling to run into their community. On hearing the gun
shots, the entire villagers ran for their safety and deserted the
village. As a result of this brutal action eight people were killed,
two chiefs arrested and the boats seized.
The Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd. has produced crude oil in this
region since 1969, but despite these two decades of oil exploration
and generation of huge benefits for the company, the local population
has remained poor. And their environment destroyed.
The Niger Delta Human and Environmental Rescue Organization (ND-HERO)
is worried over the extent of impunity of Agip in dealing with oil
producing communities. Agip is considered the worst company ever
regarding environmental degradation and human rights abuses, seconded
only by Elf Aquitaine.
ND-HERO demands government to take urgent steps to bring Agip and the
soldiers involved in these atrocities to justice and for Agip to
abandon the use of the military in suppressing communities, and the
instigation of ethnic struggles amongst the Niger Delta communities.
Those interested in supporting this local struggle can send faxes of
protest demanding for justice to the Ekebiri community to:
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Head of State and Commander in Chief of
the Nigeria Armed Forces
fax: (++234) 9 523 2138; The Managing Director, Nigeria Agip Oil
Company, fax: (++234) 1 260 0100 Ext. 4513
Source: Late Friday News, 35th edition, April 1999 (from a report by
Niger Delta Human and Environmental Rescue Organization ND-HERO dated
April 22, 1999)
*************
- Cameroon: EU fosters rainforest destruction
International "aid for development" is a major cause of forest
destruction in many countries. This is exemplified in the case of
Cameroon by the European Union, which plans to give a 55 million ECU
grant to the government for road projects in the Southern region of
the country.
Cameroon has not explained which roads are to be built or
rehabilitated and no environmental impact assessment studies have
been carried out for these projects.
This is not new, since in the past the EU has already funded such
road projects. For example, the EU gave 600,000 ECU for the
rehabilitation of the Abong Mbang road to Lomie in the Cameroon
rainforests. As a result, illegal timber exploitation and poaching
expanded rapidly, using the new roads as ways of access to the
forest.The pygmy population is loosing its life-supporting resources
from the forest and its social organisation is uprooted. At the same
time, poaching has provoked an immense damage to the populations of
gorillas and chimpanzees that are typical of that zone of the globe.
European environnental NGOs are lobbying against the concession of
such grant, considering that the new projected roads would pave the
way for logging companies to move into unexploited areas. The
concession of the grant will be discussed at the European Development
Fund Committee in mid June. NGOs are inviting individuals and
organizations in that continent to protest to their respective
governments, and to request that the details of the road projects are
discussed publicly, that full environmental impact assessments are
made before the grant is approved, and that Cameroonese authorities
exert effective control of poaching and illegal logging.
Sources: Rettet den Regenwald e. V.(regenwald@umwelt.ecolink.org) and
The Rainforest Foundation UK (rainforestuk@gn.apc.org)
*************
- Privatizing plantations in South Africa
The South African government announced last March that the state-
owned timber plantations company SAFCOL, would be privatized. The
company owns 332,000 hectares of commercial tree plantations and
other assets valued at between 1 and 1.5 billion Rand (some160-250
million US dollars). Although a number of social concerns are said to
be part of the move (job creation, human resources development,
promoting greater diversity of ownership and developing downstream
activities), the fact is that the true beneficiaries will be the
large national and transnational corporations.
One of those is MONDI, which is one of the biggest and most powerful
corporations operating in the pulp and paper sector in South Africa.
Its plantations have expanded with no consideration to environmental
impacts on soils, grasslands, wetlands and streams, menacing water
supply. Even public land including road reserves and commonage was
used to establish tree monocultures. The environmental and health
impacts associated with its pulp mills have also caused concern and
resistance by affected communities. The company has adopted an
aggressive policy of expansion. In May 1996 Mondi became one of
Aracruz Celulose's three major shareholders.
It has also acquired mills in Europe and other northern countries.
Now Mondi is moving to take advantage of the privatisation of SAFCOL
to further concentrate on its pulp and paper operations. The idea is
to sell some of its timber plantations and sawmills in Mpumalanga,
linking the sale to SAFCOL's and thereby obtaining a better price for
the sale.
SAFCOL's 120,000 hectares of plantations in Mpumalanga can be
combined with its own 143,000 hectares of plantations in Mpumalanga
and Swaziland.
The combined 263,000 hectares of plantations are composed of 195,000
hectares of softwood plantations and 68,000 hectares of hardwood
plantations. Many SAFCOL and MONDI plantations in these areas are
adjacent and can therefore be transformed into management units in
order to "enable the production of high-quality products at
sufficiently low cost for international markets". MONDI would thus
reduce its participation in the sawmilling sector, which has been
facing difficult times recently, with falling demand for sawn timber
and higher sawlog prices and concentrate on its core business (pulp,
paper and packaging). Mondi owns 460,000 more hectares of plantations
in South Africa, which it would retain to supply its pulp and paper
operations, while it could also bid for other SAFCOL plantations
composed of the adequate species and in the right locations to feed
its pulpmills.
However, MONDI is not the only company interested in the sale. The
other big local player in the South African plantation and pulp
industry -SAPPI- is also among the 16 companies short-listed for the
bid. Stand-alone international firms on the list are the Swedish
defence and car group Saab, Indonesia's Barito Pacific Timber and
Saudi Arabia's Tarik Al-Zahid Group. Two other foreign companies,
which have entered consortia with local entities, also appear on the
short list. These are the Londoloza Eco-African Forest Holdings
consortium, made up of Italy's Gruppo Mauro Saviola, Magnaboard
Holdings and Formalchem Holdings; and Madiba Forestry Consortium,
which includes the York Timber Organisation, Portugal's Sonae
Industria and empowerment group Madiba Mills.
Bidders can bid for the asset as a whole, for any one of seven
packages that have been identified, or for any combination of
packages. The underlying land will not be sold. Instead the assets
will be offered on a long-term lease. Bidders will be asked to make
an up-front payment as well as an annual rental payment reflecting
the value of the land. Lease conditions will include -according to
government officials- obligations regarding environmental management
and the needs of local communities.
Some forestry workers are to be transferred to the new owners'
businesses, with the number reflecting the industry average a
hectare. The wage rate will be the same as that paid by SAFCOL.
If the above is seen within the context of the negative environmental
and social record of both the private and public forestry companies
in South Africa, the conclusion is that local communities, forestry
workers and environmentalists will need to make their voices heard if
they wish to improve the prevailing conditions. What's clear is that
the main beneficiaries of this privatization will be the large
private companies.
Sources: Robyn Chalmers, Business Day 5/3/99 "Safcol details
privatisation" 3/5/99; "Mondi factoring Safcol into its plans",
6/5/99 "Short list made up for forestry sale"; Wally Menne, Timber
Watch Coalition, June 1998.
*************
- South Africa: "Around me, despite good rains, countless fountains
are drying up"
The expansion of monoculture tree plantations in the temperate region
of the globe is provoking concern due to its negative effects on
grasslands that are essential for the world's food production and
biodiversity conservation. The shortage of water is one the most
important negative effects of this development in temperate countries
and South Africa is a good (bad) example.
A meeting will be held on Friday 25 June at the Nelspruit Botanical
Garden, Mpumalanga, to address the current situation of water supply
in that country. Delegates from various organizations will talk about
the impact of tree monoculture plantations, the state of Mpumalanga's
rivers, possible alternative agriculture for the region -as hemp and
herbs-, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity in the area and the
effect of pollutants on rainfall.
The aim of the meeting, organized by SAWAC (Southern African Water
Crisis) is to create informed awareness around the looming water
crisis and to establish real contact between relevant stakeholders.
It is the intention, to determine the extent of the problem, and to
look for possible solutions.
AGENDA (preliminary)
- Mr.Dirk Versfeld, CSIR: The plantation model, effects upon natural
and social environment.
- Mr. Morne Lizamore, Dept. Water and Forestry: Stating the facts.
The current situation officially.
- Mr. Shaun McCartney, Mondi: The company, the natural, social
environment, the future.
- Mr.Gerrit Marais, SAFCOL, The company, the environment and the
future.
- Ms Felicity Weir, SAFCOL: Plantations, the environment, the water.
- Mr. Donald Strydom, Swadini Reptile Park: Plantations and the
environment, reptiles.
- Mr. Johann Engelbrecht Lydenburg, Fish Research Institute:
Plantations and the environment. Aquatic life.
- Mr. Karel de Wet, Dept. Nature Conservation: Distribution of
mammals in Mpumalanga.
- Mr. John McAllistar, Dept. Nature Conservation: Distribution of
birds in relation to mono-culture tree plantations.
- Ms. Rosemary du Preez, Agricultural Research Council:
Herbs/Medicinal plants. Value and conservation. Large scale
potential.
- Mr. Tony Poulter, Working for Water: Working for water.. Is it
working?
- Mr. Mark Schoeman, Water Research Council: Pollution and rainfall,
The WWW and the possibilities to continue this forum on-line.
- Mr. Davin, Earth Life Africa: Plantations are not forests!
- Mr Anton Lindstrom, Dept. Nature Conservation: Wetland conservation
People interested or wanting to attend or to receive further
information, please contact Philip Owen,e-mail: owen@soft.co.za. A
text transcript of the meeting will be published on the internet.
Source: Philip Owen, 24/5/99.
*************
ASIA
- Peoples' demonstrations in Thailand
After the seizure of the Pak Mun Dam in Ubon Ratchathani Province
that occured on March 23th to the hands of five thousand people from
eight different groups affected by existing or planned dams, false
charges have been made against the demonstrators. The Government has
alleged that opposition parties are supporting the demonstration,
with the ultimate aim of bringing the government down. While local
officials state that they don't have the ability to address the
problems, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT),
which administrates the dam, has requested that the demonstrators be
arrested for unauthorized access to the dam site. Because of these
reactions, the Assembly of the Poor (AOP) has thus far refused to
negotiate with either the government or EGAT. We are including below
a statement of the demonstrators explaining their arguments and
rejecting the government's accusations.
Another major issue in Thailand nowadays is the demonstration of the
Northern Farmer Network (NFN), the Assembly of Tribal Ethnic
Minorities (ATEM) and the Assembly of the Poor (AOP) in Chiang Mai,
that started on April 25th. There were registered 40,000 lowlanders
and highlanders who participated in the demonstration. One of the
demands made by NFN, ATEM and AOP is that the four forest laws and
regulations as well as forest-related cabinet resolutions must be
changed or revised in accordance with the new Constitution which
recognizes the right to participate in resource management and
protection and community rights in conserving and managing culture
and environment. Besides the legal reform, NFN, ATEM and AOP also
demand the government to reconsider the draft "Community Forest Act"
which does not allow community forest in the protected forest area.
Afters several days of negotiations not only no concrete solutions
were reached, but also the authorities took intimidatory and violent
actions against the demonstrators, who on the contrary had been
acting in a completely peaceful way. See below Joint Declaration
Number Two.
"The statement of Assembly of the Poor (AOP). Demonstration Pak Mun
Dam site in Ubon Ratchathani Province
-Why do we have to demonstrate?
Because our livelihoods and communities have been destroyed by the
failed development policies of the government, we, Assembly of the
Poor (AOP), can no longer survive in our land. A good example of this
is Pak Mun dam, which has blocked fish migrations from the Mekong
River. The resulting decline in fish catches has had serious
consequences for the people of this area.
The government not only ignores the impacts that it has caused, but
continues to make more problems for the affected people. For
example, this government cancelled the compensation approved by the
Cabinet of Banhan and Gen. Chawaliti's Government for villagers
affected by the completed dam.
-Why have we not demonstrated before?
Actually, the AOP, environmentalists and academics have protested
against the Pak Mun Dam Project by urging the government to at least
establish a committee to review and assess costs and benefits,
economic impact and changes to the ecology of the Mun River system,
but the government refused to do so. It is clear that there are many
negative impacts existing, such as extinction of some fish, declines
in fish catches and the spread of schistosomiasis. These impacts are
the main causes that livelihoods of people along the Mun River have
been ruined after the dam was completed in 1994.
The AOP has given the government more than enough time to initiate
measures of resolution, but it still ignores the necessity of
applying adequate resources to the problems of these poor.
-Are the demonstrators actually the affected people in this case?
It is stated by the AOP that the demonstrators have been shown to be
the same affected people by two clear and transparent verification
measures.
Firstly, the established demonstrators will verify the participants
before accompanying the demonstration.
Secondly, the demonstrators will again be verified by the formal
resolution committees who would be established by the government
after negotiation with demonstrators.
-Since we have received some compensation to date, some may wonder if
we are now merely trying to get as much as we can.
The poor have been calling for justice over and over without any
sincere resolution from the government.
The mitigation and compensation given by the government to affected
people during dam construction has been grossly inadequate,
especially when compared to the negative impacts that have resulted.
This so-called development effort has resulted in more sacrifices and
costs than benefits for these people.
-Where do the demonstrators get financial support from?
The AOP holds demonstrations with internal funds. External funding
comes from donations by demonstrators, as well as selling our
products such as souvenirs, sweets, handicrafts, organic vegetables,
etc.
Another form of financial support is the simple and economically
efficient lifestyle of the group members. We help each other by
bringing in food staples such as rice, and by cooperative collection
of renewable food resources such as frogs, mushrooms, insects, wild
vegetables, etc.
The AOP does not have any economic affiliations with political
parties or foreign agencies. All transactions are transparent and
easily viewed by the public.
-Are there any party hidden political agendas behind demonstration of
the AOP?
The AOP has been urging every branch and government to resolve non
violently the problems of all poor people who have sacrificed
themselves for this so-called development. We have been calling for
sustainable resolution from every government not specific to any
government party; therefore, our demonstrations have no hidden
political agenda.
(Written by Assembly of the Poor. Translated from the Thai by
Teerapong Pomun)"
"Joint Declaration Number Two. The problems of the poor must be
resolved by the government.
We, the Assembly of the Poor, the Assembly of People of the Mun
river, the Assembly of the Northern Community Forest, the Northern
Farmer Network and the Assembly of the Hill Tribes of Thailand, have
been demonstrating in order to demand that the government resolve the
problems that have been caused by their traditional top-down style of
development. Even though we have been demonstrating for almost two
months, there seems to be no representative from the government
willing to negotiate with the demonstrators. In a few cases,
negotiations have been initiated, but there has been no attempts at
sincere resolutions. The following are some examples of this trend.
The demonstration in Ubon Ratchathani province.- Even though
thousands of people were affected by the four completed dams, the two
planned dams, the land and forest management policy as well as the
Dan Chong Mek Thai-Laos border Development Project; as indicated by
their demonstrations from March 23 to the present, there has not been
any representative from the government appearing to negotiate.
The demonstration in Si Sa Ket province.- Since April 20, 1999, 2300
village families affected by Rasi Salai dam and Hua-na dams'
construction have been demonstrating at the Rasi Salai dam site.
Again, no representatives from the government have appeared to
negotiate.
The demonstration in Sakonnakorn province.- Thousands of villagers
affected by the land and forest management policy of the government
have been demonstrating since early April, without any response from
government representatives.
The demonstration in Chiangmai province.- Thousands of families of
villagers affected by forest management policies, Mekok dam
construction, the public land issue and the government's lack of
recognition of their citizenship have been demonstrating since April
25, 1998. The demonstrators had negotiated with a representative from
the government on May 9, 1999, the representative then said those
agreements would be taken to the meeting of the cabinet on May 11,
1999. However, there is nothing guaranteed that these agreements will
be taken to the meeting of the cabinet due to the fact that there is
now an official group which has formed and convinced some villagers
to protest against taking the agreement to the meeting of the
cabinet.
Moreover; there are some politicians and some groups of officers who
have put a negative twist on the demonstrations. They have alleged
that the demonstrators are paid to demonstrate, with the ultimate aim
of ending the government currently in power. Another method they have
used is to threaten the families of the representatives who join the
demonstrations. For example, national park officers threatened
villagers in Kwang Pao village, Jom Thong district, Chiang Mai
province on May 9.
We jointly declare that our demonstrations in Ubon Ratchathani, Sri
sa gate, Chiang Mai and Sakonnakorn provinces, in the name of the
Assembly of the Poor, the Assembly of the People of the Mun River,
the Assembly of Northern Community Forest, the Northern Farmer
Network and the Assembly of the Hill Tribe of Thailand have no hidden
political agenda, but in fact aim to get the sincere resolutions from
the government.
We declare that we have to demonstrate because the government always
refuses to put an effort towards resolving our problems. We have been
making this request to the last five governments in power. We see
their accusations of political agendas on our part as an attempt to
put a negative twist on our demonstrations, and thereby avoid the
responsibility of negotiations.
We see it is urgent that:
a. The government must send powerful representatives to negotiate
resolutions for problems of the poor who have been demonstrating at
the Pak Mun dam site, Ubon Ratchathani province, Rasisalai, Si Sa Ket
province, and in Sakonnakorn province.
b. The government must take the agreements that were negotiated in
Chiang Mai on May 9 to the meeting of the cabinet on May 11 to be
considered without condition.
c. The government and its officers must halt putting a negative twist
on our demonstrations as well as all forms of violence and
intimidation against us."
Declared at Chiang Mai City Hall.
May 10, 1999
Assembly of the Poor
Assembly of People of the Mun River
Assembly of the Northern Community Forest Northern Farmer Network
Assembly of the Hill tribes of Thailand"
Sources: Aviva Imhof, South-East Asia Campaigner International Rivers
Network, e-mail: aviva@irn.org, 29/4/99; 25/5/1999; Dr.Chayan
Vaddhanaphut, Ethnic Studies Network (Ethnet), e-mail :
ethnet@chmai.loxinfo.co.th, 1/6/1999.
*************
- Indonesian Indigenous Peoples question new forestry law
As part of the 'reform movement' since President Suharto was ousted
in May 1998, the new Indonesian government has introduced several
important pieces of new legislation on natural resources
exploitation. One of these is a controversial new Forestry Law.
One of the major problems regarding this norm has been that there are
two drafting committees working on this legislation - both sanctioned
by the Indonesian Ministry for Forestry and Plantations: the
Department of Forestry's internal committee and the Community
Forestry Communication Forum (FKKM), comprising academics and NGOs as
well as representatives of the government and forestry industry.
Neither committee included representatives of indigenous peoples
groups. The Government Draft has now been submitted to the Indonesian
Parliament, but approval will not be given before the elections of
June 7th.
Indigenous peoples are defending their 'customary land/forest'. This
is a translation of the Indonesian term 'hutan/wilayah adat' -the
'tribal lands'- which have been passed on through generations of
indigenous peoples and are traditionally managed according to
indigenous cultural practices and regulations.
STATEMENT BY THE ALLIANCE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE ARCHIPELEGO
(AMAN)Jakarta, 25th May1999 (translation from original in Bahasa
Indonesia)
"We will not acknowledge the State, if the State does not acknowledge
us!" (extract from decision taken at the Indigenous Peoples'
Congress, Jakarta, March 1999)
"We indigenous peoples are the sector of society which has suffered
most from the Indonesian government's development of forestry for
over 30 years.
Through various pieces of forestry legislation based on the 1967
Basic Forestry Law, the government has unilaterally seized control of
tens of millions of hectares of customary forest lands which have
been handed down from generation to generation, owned, controlled and
managed by tens of millions of Indonesia's indigenous peoples. It
changed the status of these forests from customary lands (hutan adat)
to State forests without any discussion with or consent from the
relevant indigenous communities.
Through corruption, collusion and nepotism, some of this 'State
forest' was divided up to be logged by private timber companies,
converted to plantations and industrial timber estates or cleared by
mining companies.
This centralised, exploitative pattern of development makes
indigenous people its victims.
For these reasons -and in keeping with the mandate given by the
Congress of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago in Jakarta in March
1999- the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples considers it right and
proper to observe and comment on the various policy reforms currently
in progress which affect indigenous peoples throughout the country.
One of these is the reform of forestry legislation in the form of the
government's draft of the new Forestry Law presented to the
Indonesian Parliament on April 12th 1999. We have also followed the
process and outcomes of the Community Forestry Communication Forum
(FKKM), which has produced an alternative draft on Forest Resources
Management.
We (AMAN) would like to make the following statement about these two
versions of the draft legislation.
œ We reject the Government Draft because it does not in any way
acknowledge or give legal protection to indigenous peoples' rights
over the forests which are part of their customary lands. In our
view, this Draft has been drawn up with no consideration of the
principles of justice for indigenous peoples.
- We reject the processes of formulating and discussing the
Government Draft which have not been accessible and have completely
excluded indigenous peoples, who are the component of Indonesian
society most directly concerned with forest issues. We conclude that
President Habibie's transitional government is incapable of
generating openness and participation in the reform of development
policy.
- We order the Indonesian parliament to postpone discussion of the
Draft Forestry Law until after the elections and the formation of a
new government.
- We value and support the Community Forestry Communication Forum's
initiative in drawing up an Alternative Draft Law on Forest Resource
Management which promotes democracy, justice, sustainability and
forest conservation.
- We also demand that the Community Forestry Communication Forum
ensures that its Alternative Draft will: a) get rid of the concept of
State forest which the government has always used to legitimise its
take-over of customary forest lands; b) limit and redefine the
authority and role of the government in forest resource management so
that it is not possible for the political elite and bureaucracy to
use forests as a source of political power as was the case during the
New Order (Suharto years)
- We call on the government and parliament immediately to put on the
agenda the formulation of legislation specifically intended to
provide a legal basis for respecting and protecting indigenous
peoples' rights over natural resources in their customary lands.
- We demand that the formulation of all legislation which bears
directly or indirectly on the lives of indigenous peoples must
involve indigenous peoples from all parts of the country."
Signed by M Basrin (AMAN Co-ordinator), Den Upa' Rombelayuk and M
Nasir Datuk (AMAN Deputy Co-ordinators)
Source: Liz Chidley, Down to Earth, e-mail: dtecampaign@gn.apc.org
*************
- Dayak people win lawsuit in Indonesia
Most fires that destroyed vast areas of the Indonesian tropical
forest in 1997 were deliberately set by plantation companies to clear
land. The government itself accused several companies as responsible
for the fires.
The consequences of the fires reached the regional level, producing
concern in the neighbouring countries. Nevertheless, the most
affected were local populations whose lands were apropriated by huge
national and transnational corporations, converting forest and
agricultural land into pulpwood or oil palm plantations (see WRM
bulletin 9)
The Samihim Dayak people have won their lawsuit against seven
subsidiaries of the widely diversified Salim Group over large-scale
forest fires in South Kalimantan in 1997. The NGO Environmental Forum
(WALHI), which helped the Dayak people in the legal process, said the
Kota Baru District Court in South Kalimantan decided that the seven
companies of the Group -PT Laguna Mandiri I, II, III, PT Langgeng
Muara Makmur II, III, PT Paripurna Swakarsa I and PT Swadaya Andika
II- were guilty of burning farming areas owned by local people. The
court ordered the seven firms to pay Rp 150 million in compensation
to the land owners.
WALHI informed that the burning was performed by the seven companies
to convert the lands into oil palm plantations. "The fires later
spread to nearby forests and also engulfed farming lands belonging to
the Dayak people" states the document. Some 106 people of the Samihim
Dayak tribe, accompanied by several lawyers from the environmental
forum, filed the lawsuit at the court in June 1998.
This is the third time that plantation companies are found guilty of
burning forests belonging to the local people. WALHI and 12 other
NGOs also won two other lawsuits against forest concession holders
over forest fires in North and South Sumatra last year. WALHI
considers that the above referred companies are only a few of the 176
firms announced by the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations to have
been involved in forest fires in these two provinces in 1997. The
Forum also urged the government to investigate the other companies
and called on the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations to evaluate
further granting of licenses to forest concession holders.
Source: IndoMDB@EDF, 31/5/99; "Dayak people win lawsuit against Salim
Group" Jakarta Post, 1/6/99.
*************
- New book on impacts of tree plantations in Indonesia
Pulp wood and oil palm plantations expansion in Indonesia has been a
direct cause of forest destruction by land clearing. During the 80's
the government promoted the creation of large-scale industrial pulp
plantations of fast-growing species, mainly acacia, pinus and gmelina
to feed the pulp and paper industry. At the beginning of this decade,
as timber resources were becoming rapidly exhausted, oil palm began
to be regarded by private companies and national authorities as an
interesting commodity for export and plantations started to expand.
Nowadays Indonesia has 2.4 million hectares (3.2 according to other
sources) of oil palm and in the next few years this could reach as
high as 5.5 million hectares.
The Ministry of Forestry and Plantation Estates stated that the
government had allocated 30 million hectares of forests to be cleared
for the set up of oil palm plantations. Private companies control
most of the recently planted area, and of this, four large
conglomerates have about two thirds.
The Indonesian government is seeking that the country becomes the
major oil world exporter in the world, taking advantage of the fact
that salaries and land are substantially cheaper than in Malaysia,
Indonesia's principal competitor on the world market. To face the
negative social and environmental impacts of this development, a
group of Indonesian NGOs created the network "Sawit Watch" in July
1998 (see WRM Bulletins 14, 15, 20 and 21).
'Tree Planting in Indonesia: Trends, Impacts, and Directions', by
Leslie Potter and Justin Lee from the University of Adelaide in
Australia looks in detail at the expansion of oil palm and industrial
timber and pulp plantations in the Indonesian provinces of West
Kalimantan, Jambi, and Southeast Sulawesi, as well as issues related
to smallholder tree crop production.
In addition to contributing to forest conversion, the authors note
that oil palm and timber plantations may have more negative
consequences for local communities than previous logging operations.
To some extent, communities had managed to co-exist with logging
operations but the plantations consume vast areas of land and may
displace their traditional activities entirely.
Even if the government and the companies have attempted to involve
some smallholders in oil palm production, the results have not been
the expected. Recent efforts have been even less favourable for local
villagers than previous smallholder palm oil initiatives supported by
the World Bank. Under current arrangements, some villagers may
succeed in improving their incomes but they lose a large portion of
their land and become indebted in the process and the long-term
outlook remains uncertain.
You can obtain an electronic copy of Potter and Lee's paper from the
CIFOR website, http://www.cgiar.org/cifor. To request a printed copy write to:
cifor@cgiar.org, including your mailing address. Lesley Potter is to be reached
at lesley.potter@adelaide.edu.au
Sources: David Kaimowitz, 20/4/99; e-mail: D.KAIMOWITZ@cgiar.org;
Potter Lesly and Lee Justin, "Tree planting in Indonesia: Trends,
Impacts and Directions", Center for International Forestry Research
(CIFOR), Occasional Paper Nr. 18, December 1998, ISSN 0854-9818.
*************
- Bangladesh: support required to protect mangrove
Friends of the Earth-Bangladesh is seeking international support to
halt Sundarbans destruction. Sundarban is the largest mangrove in the
world, situated in a land where three of Asia's mightiest rivers -the
Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna- mingle before flowing into the Bay of
Bengal (see WRM Bulletin 15).
Extending at the border between India and Bangladesh, this mangrove
comprises a more than 10,300 square kilometre area. The forest floor
is crossed by a complex network of rivers, creeks and canals which
flood twice daily as the tide rises, creating a rich habitat for the
many species of fish and invertebrates that move into the forest with
the tides.
The whole territory of Bangladesh was divided into 23 blocks and
phase by phase leased out to multinational oil companies for oil/gas
exploration and extractive activities. From the very beginning of the
process, environmental NGOs of Bangladesh have demanded not to lease
out the environmentally sensitive areas including the Sundarban. But
the government did not heed to any demand and leased out Sundarban
(Block 5) to Shell Oil & Cairn Energy for oil/gas exploration. They
are already going to start building infrastructures for their
activities. It is remarkable that after leasing out Sundarban the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh declared Sundarban as world heritage
site, apparently to appease UNESCO who last year declared the forest
as world heritage site.
Under these circumstances Friends of the Earth-Bangladesh is having a
plan of action to raise a big campaign vis-a-vis mobilising the
local communities physically to protect the forest and for that is
needing financial support estimated in U$S 27,000. Those interested
in collaborating with this initiative can contact: Chowdhury M.F. of
FoE-Bangladesh at: gbs@dhaka.agni.com or gbs@bangla.net
Source: Chowdhury M.F., FoE-Bangladesh, 19/5/1999.
*************
OCEANIA
- Solomon Islands: small-scale scores much better
The Solomon Islands, an archipelago of Melanesia in the South Pacific
Ocean, are an independent state since 1978. The country's economy is
based on agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Its territory has
undergone a severe process of deforestation and consequent soil
erosion in exposed areas. For example, in 1995 the government ordered
the logging of all trees on Pavuvu island and their residents were
relocated under protest. A relevant actor behind the scenes have been
the forestry industry, concentrated in a few hands -mostly
foreigners- and very influent over the national timber policy. At the
same time, the government has promoted unsustainable logging
practices seeking the benefits derived from the taxes applied to the
timber industry.
A report recently released by Greenpeace and based on a research in
environmental economics, has found that small-scale, environmentally
friendly developments in the Marovo Lagoon area, located in the
Western Province -such as fishing, carving, eco-timber and eco-
tourism- are worth three times more than industrial developments,
such as logging and palm oil plantations. The Marovo Lagoon is a 100
kilometer-long coral reef and island ecosystem sheltering 12 major
islands and some 200 islets, and has been described as the "eighth
wonder of the world". The report "Islands Adrift? Comparing
Industrial and Small Scale Economic Options for Marovo Lagoon Region
of the Solomon Islands" by Christopher LaFranchi -an independent
resource economist- found that small-scale options were worth U$S 29
million to land owners while industrial developments were worth only
U$S 8.2 million. Cash benefits from small-scale options reach U$S
11,000 per household, 4 times that of logging and palm oil
plantations.
The research also found that industrial developments have serious
environmental and social risks to the local population. Further
logging, proposed oil palm plantations, and mining could potentially
have extreme environmental impacts on local marine resource use worth
more than U$S 31 million.
Oil palm plantation expansion is a threat to the environment and the
local communities in South Asian countries as well as in Melanesia.
In this case, the proposal of oil palm plantations promoted by
Malaysian company Kumpulan Emas is based on incorrect soil
information: claimed highly fertile, well drained and suited to oil
palm, soils were in fact of poor fertility and susceptible to
erosion. Furthermore, oil palm development proposal for the Marovo
Lagoon area lacks an independent Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment, as well as studies concerning the likely sedimentation
impacts on the lagoon as a result of forest clearance and land
contouring.
The report also provides several recommendations concerning the
management of the studied area:
1) No logging or palm oil plantations should be permitted in the
Marovo lagoon area, given the identified environmental and social
risks of industrial developments, and the greater economic benefits
of small-scale developments
2) Sylvania Products Ltd's license over alienated land on Vangunu
Island should not be renewed after its expiry in May 1999. The
Western Province and Solomon Island National Government should return
the alienated land to the indigenous owners, and help them complete a
land-use planning process for conservation and small-scale
development. This should work in conjunction with the land-use
planning process carried out by the Ministry of Forests, Environment
and Conservation (1995)
3) Indigenous landowners of Vangunu should visit Guadalcanal plains
to review the impacts of the palm oil plantation and the Gold Ridge
mining operation
4). Western Province Development Authority should help local
communities establish, manage and market village-based eco-businesses
such as eco-timber and eco-tourism
5) Decisions about mining in the Marovo area should be deferred until
further economic research is available, and until independently
audited and public environmental and social impact assessments have
been carried out. These assessments must be appropriate to the scale
and nature of the proposals, and available to the public
6) Donor governments and regional institutions should review their
natural resource development policies for Melanesia. In particular,
donor support for large-scale forest conversion to plantation
developments and industrial logging should be halted. Any forestry or
plantation operations should meet Forest Stewardship Council
standards. A financial package aimed at reducing government
dependence on industrial tax revenue should be considered
7) Governments and institutions should adopt small scale to medium
scale developments as the preferred option for Melanesian communities
that want to maximise employment, conserve their natural resources
and sustain their cultures.
"This report confirms that the Solomon Islands are rich in local
resources, essential for maintaining and improving the quality of
life of local villagers, and that industrial-scale options are not
appropriate for Melanesia," said Greenpeace Pacific forest campaigner
Grant Rosoman. According to this view Greenpeace is urging donor
governments and regional institutions to review any support they may
be giving to industrial-scale activities in Solomon Islands, and
favour of adopting small to medium scale development options instead.
The WRM International Secretariat has received a copy of the report,
which is fully illustrated with photographs, maps and tables. Those
interested in receiving it, please contact Grant Rosoman.
Sources: Grant Rosoman, Forests Campaigner Greenpeace Pacific, e-
mail: Grant.Rosoman@dialb.greenpeace.org ; The World Guide 1997/98.
*************
- Action for Papua New Guinea's rainforests
Papua New Guinea (PNG) possesses one of the planet's largest
remaining tropical rainforest biomes. At least seventy-five percent
of its original forest cover is still standing, occuping vast,
biologically rich tracts over 100,000 square miles in all.
Nevertheless, lately the government of PNG has been taking steps to
revive the dying timber industry, which favour a small group of
companies, weaken forest sector governance and accelerate logging in
these precious remaining forests (see WRM Bulletin 22).
At least twelve new industrial logging operations are being promoted
by Prime Minister Bill Skate. This means that millions of acres of
rainforest -including the three largest and most biologically
significant old growth rainforest tracts in PNG- will be allocated
over the next few months to logging operators outside of normal
forest regulations. PNG's Forestry Board has already approved a 2
million acre extension to an existing 1.5 million acre logging area
held by Rimbunan Hijau, the Malaysian logging company that dominates
PNG's timber industry. The extension, which lies within the largest
remaining lowland rainforest in Asia, was granted non-competitively
and against the wishes of resident landowners and the advice of the
Forest Authority.
Since Australia provides aid to PNG, the Rainforest Action Network
(RAN) is asking all interested people and organizations to address
Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Alexander
Downer, MP, House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT
2600. Here's a sample letter:
Honorable Alexander Downer MP,
I am/We are writing to you expressing my/our concern for the fate of
the irreplaceable old growth rainforests of Papua New Guinea. Such
forests play a valuable role in regulating climate and contain an
estimated five percent of the Earth's species, making them critical
to the maintenance of regional -and global- climate and biodiversity.
Recent actions taken by Papua New Guinea's government -including a
reduction of the log export tax, the fast tracking of new logging
operations, and failure to support log export monitoring- pose a
serious and immediate threat to these forests. Until this forest
crisis can be brought under control, I/We urge you to make a
condition of your country's aid to Papua New Guinea an immediate
moratorium on new forest management agreements and extensions of
existing forest concessions.
For more information and updates see
http://forests.org/pngforest.html
Source: Glen R. Barry
*************
SOUTH AMERICA
- Argentina: tree monoculture expansion supported by World Bank
The Argentinian government is definitely aimed at transforming the
country in an investors paradise for forestry projects, adopting the
same scheme already operational in the Southern Cone of South America
-Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay- based on large scale tree monocultures.
This position was made clear at the COP IV on climate Change held in
November 1998 in Buenos Aires. Plantations as carbon sinks under the
Clean Development Mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol are regarded as an
excellent opportunity for the development of this model.
Environmental impacts on grasslands, that have already been proven in
other regions in which the prairie is the major ecosystem, are
ignored (see WRM Bulletin 17).
The new Forestry Law has increased the interest of foreign investors
in undertaking forestry projects in Argentina, especially considering
the tax exemptions offered and the resulting high profitabilty rates
expected. Plantations are expanding especially in the Provinces of Misiones,
Corrientes and Entre Rios, in the Eastern region. Significant areas
are also being planted in southern Buenos Aires Province, as well as
in C>rdoba, Cuyo, Chaco and Patagonia, to the hands of American, New
Zealand, Dutch and Chilean companies. The present rate of investments
of U$S 1600 million a year is expected to increase with the new legal
framework.
Manuel Climent, President of the Argentinian Forestry Association
(Asociacion Forestal Argentina - AFOA), has recently remarked the
advantages that his country offers for the develoment of the sector:
abundant available areas, adequate climate and soil conditions, and
short rotation periods. He added that the international conditions
are favourable since by 2010 a deficit of 900 million cubic metres of
roundwood is expected at the global level. According to Daniel
Maradei -Executive Director of the Advisory Committee for the
Forestry Development Plan- some points are still pending, among them
the adaptation of provincial legal frameworks to the national law.
According to its promoters, plantations do not only create wealth but
are also good for the environment. That is why some entrepreneurs
have got on the bandwagon of climate change issues. For example,
Gustavo Kozak, representative of Forestal Andina SA, considers that
plantations are a good instrument to combat the greenhouse effect.
The World Bank is -as elsewhere- a major actor in this plantation
initiative. Total costs for the forestry development project are
estimated at about US$26.2 million, U$S 10.6 of which will be
financed by a Bank loan. According to the text of the "Argentina-
Forestry Development Project" (ARPA6040), initiated in 1994,
"Argentina's forest plantations have clear natural advantages
compared with those in many countries... (a) the fast growth rates of
trees in Argentina resulting from relatively rich soils and
favourable temperatures and rainfall; and (b) an abundance of land
with few alternative uses." Nevertheless, according to the Bank's
view, "forest plantations in earlier decades were not developed in
line with the potential, principally because of unfavorable
macroeconomic, trade, and other policies." But nowadays "these
policies have been adjusted appropriately, and the improved economic
and policy environment encourages investment."
The World Bank's document mentions the Chilean case as an example to
be followed: "The forestry sector in Argentina contributes just under
2 percent of GDP and had a positive trade balance of US$132.1 million
in 1989. While it now contributes positively to the trade balance,
this was achieved only by 1988. The contrast between the performance
of the forestry sectors in Argentina and Chile could hardly be more
striking. . . In comparing Argentina with Chile in particular, it
becomes clear that a substantial gap exists in Argentina between the
actual and potential levels of forest plantation production. . .
Furthermore, much of the past growth in forest plantations in
Argentina has not been efficient". Strange as it may seem, the
expansion of the forestry sector seems to be related to the country's
size: "While Argentina is about 3.7 times the size of Chile in area,
and about 3 times its size in terms of GDP, Chile's exports of forest
products, at about US$1.0 billion annually, are 4 times greater than
Argentina's."
The Banks considers that the "proposed project would have no adverse
environmental impact". On the contrary, "the small farmer component
is specifically designed to have a positive impact on the
environment". These conclusions are not only groundless but totally
false. The forestry plan is not aimed at small farmers but at large
transnational and national companies -following the Chilean model
which the Bank seems to estimate so highly. However, vast evidence
exists in Chile about the negative impacts which this forestry model
is having on people and the environment. Not to speak about India,
Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and so many other countries
where local people are having to defend their rights against the
spread of large-scale tree plantations. The Bank's reasons for
supporting plantation development in Argentina are neither social nor
environmental; they are strictly macroeconomic. It would seem that
the Bank needs to be reminded that its mandate is to alleviate
poverty and the Chilean case shows that this model has proven to
increase the wealth of the wealthy and to increase the poverty of the
poor, while at the same time having strong negative impacts on the
environment.
Sources: CLAES, Comercio y Ambiente;
http://www.worldbank.org/pics/pid/ar6040.txt
*************
- Brazil: Support for Extractive Reserve on islands of Tucurui Dam
reservoir
For centuries, the inhabitants of the Amazon lived in balance with
nature. The groups had small areas of land, the idea of property was
unknown to them, and they were able to find everything they needed to
live well. This style of life was destroyed by the arrival of the
first Europeans, and ever since the exploitation of nature and its
inhabitants has caused the extinction of species, loss of livelihoods
and cultures, and more widespread poverty.
Amongst the many ways through which this expoitatation took place,
one of them was the construction of hydroelectric dams. Tucurui Dam,
the largest ever constructed in a tropical rainforest, flooded over
2,400 sq. km. of the Amazon. More than 30,000 people were expelled
from their homes, including various indigenous groups. Tens of
thousands of more living downstream lost their livelihood when fish
stocks were depleted as a consequence of the dam. Many of these
families moved to the reservoir area, occupying "islands" of the
rainforest in Tucuru- Lake.
Now they are trying to create an Extractive Reserve which constitutes
a new form of land designation in Brazil, a legacy of Chico Mendes'
work which combines environmental protection with sustainable
resource management by local populations. The Tucurui Extractive
Reserve would be the first established in an environmentally
devastated area, and would have as its goal instituting resource
management programmes capable of prolonging the viability of
dwindling fish stocks in the lake, in the process guaranteeing the
health and well-being of fishing and extractivist populations in the
reservoir area.
The movement for the creation of an Extractive Reserve in the islands
of Tucurui Dam reservoir marks a return to the original history of
the region, seeking a form of development that recognizes the value
of the way of life of its people, and the preservation of natural
resources. There are an estimated 1,100 islands in Tucuru- reservoir,
where about 6,500 people are living. The islands were disappropriated
by the Federal Government when Tucuru- Dam was built, and are
considered to be an area of permanent environmental preservation.
The residents live by artisanal fishing, and the collection and
extraction of forest products; they have no schools, medical
assistance, or even electric energy. Since 1992 the movement has
fought for the creation of the Reserve, but politics has meant the
proposal has moved forward slowly, with many obstacles placed in the
way.
Currently, all the necessary actions for the creation of the Reserve
have been concluded, and the final decree authorizing the Reserve
awaits the signature of the Brazilian President, Mr. Fernando
Henrique Cardoso.
Please take part in the campaign for the creation of the extractive
reserve in Tucurui dam reservoir: Send letters, faxes, or emails to
the following addresses:
The Amazon and its people thank you!
* PRESIDENCIA DA REPUBLICA (Brazilian President) Exmo. Sr. Fernando
Henrique Cardoso PraOa dos Tr^s Poderes, Pal cio do Planalto, 3o
andar CEP 70.800-200 Bras-lia DF fax: 061.226.7566 e-mail:
pr@planalto.gov.br
* DR. JOSE' SARNEY FILHO (Environment Minister) Ministro do Meio
Ambiente Esplanada dos Minist,rios, Bloco B, 5o andar CEP 70.800-200
Brasilia DF fax: 061.226.7101 email: sarneyfilho@mma.gov.br
*************
- Chile: Mapuche indigenous peoples' march to the capital city
Mapuche Press Release. The national march for the recognition of the
Mapuche Nation and its rights is advancing towards Santiago and more
than one hundred Mapuche have walked 200 kms in seven days.
After seven days, more than one hundred Mapuche have walked some 200
kms from Temuco, Wallmapuche -Mapuche Territory- heading towards
Santiago de Chile with the aim of achieving the recognition of the
basic rights and freedoms of the Mapuche People.
This march includes the participation of Mapuche of all ages,
including boys and girls, aged men and women. In spite of the harsh
conditions, none of the demonstrators has renounced to the objective
of reaching Santiago, keeping up the good spirit with the strength
stemming from the strong conviction of their legitimate demands and
the historical memory of the struggle of the Mapuche People. The
logistic difficulties regarding shelter and food supplies for the
demonstrators implies that the number of participants cannot increase
and thus remains unmodified.
The departure from Temuco was particularly harsh due to the intense
rain which fell during the first 25 kms. As a result of the low
temperatures, many participants are beginning to fall ill, which
makes medical attention and the purchase of medicines urgent. Lodging
during the night supposes a great deal of spirit of self-sacrifice,
having to sleep in schools, churches, communal centres and other
places on cement floors and to have to wash with freezing cold water.
Walking on asphalt with inadequate shoes is resulting in wounds which
increase the demonstrators' suffering.
Until now, the march has crossed the provinces of Cautin and Malleco
(9th Region) and today entered the province of Bio Bio (8th Region).
The distances walked are on schedule and the date of arrival to
Santiago remains as established for June 20th.
The national march for the Recognition of the Mapuche Nation and its
Rights is on its way receiving the sympathy of the Chilean people and
demonstrations of solidarity. However, it is also possible to
perceive opposition from those who support the perpetuation of the
oppression of our People, which makes it necessary to be permanently
on the watch and to extreme security measures. Even the Chilean
police force is putting pressure on the marchers, maintaining more an
attitude of surveillance and control than one of cooperation to
ensure the participants' security.
In sum, the harshness of the material conditions combines with the
happiness and fraternity which are characterizing our demonstration.
We remind everyone that this march, coordinated by the Mapuche
organization Council of All the Lands, is being self-funded and we
cannot but express our concern regarding the obtention of the
necessary economic resources to guarantee the success of the march.
In this sense, it is essential to maintain a food provision in
accordance with the effort carried out, to obtain adequate footwear
for the participants, medicines, fuel for the vehicle which carries
the equipment and attends to emergencies and other minimal
requirements. Until now, donations have been limited to food to
parcially cover some of the days of the march.
Such situation is risking to affect the physical integrity of the
participants which continue to firmly maintain their purpose of
reaching Santiago -still 500 kms away- and we therefore call for
solidarity, bearing in mind that any contribution can be of
assistance to improve the conditions of the march and therefore the
struggle of the Mapuche People for the recognition of our political
rights. The bank account number opened exclusively for this purpose
is: Banco del Estado de Chile, Sucursal Temuco, nom. 62964869630 (for
bureaucratic reasons it has not been possible to open the account in
the name of our organization and that is the reason for having the
names of Pablo Huenteleo C. and Segundo Adolfo Antilao M. as acount
holders). Contributions in non perishable food products, footwear or
other can be sent to the headquarters of our organization in Temuco:
Lautaro, 234 o to the following addresses in Santiago: Concha y
Toro, 53 ; or Chile Espa a, 555.
We reiterate that the participants in this march are Mapuche
Communities involved in a process to recover their lands currently
occupied by national and transnational forestry corporations, non-
Mapuche individuals and the Chilean State, under the following main
mobilization central themes:
1.- To reassert the right to self-determination of the Mapuche People
as a collective right of peoples.
2.- The constitutional recognition as a transitory measure until full
self-determination is achieved.
3.- The ratification of international instruments applicable to
Indigenous Peoples, especially ILO Convention 169.
4.- The right to participation through institutional mechanisms which
establish a new relationship between the Mapuche People and the
Chilean State.
5.- The establishment of an Authonomous Mapuche Parliament.
6.- The restitution of lands and territory.
7.- To denounce the massive presence of transnational forestry
corporations which operate under neoliberal policies which impinge
the collective rights of the Mapuche People and to demand their
withdrawal from the Mapuche Territory.
8.- To review the policy of judicial reform announced by the
government, which does not take into account the Mapuche People's own
cultural procedures.
Wallmapuche, Temuco, 2 June 1999
Consejo de Todas Las Tierras. Lautaro 234, Casilla 448, Temuco,
Chile. Fono Fax: ++ 56 45 23 56 97, E-Mail: aukin@entelchile.net
*************
- Chile: Chicago school children frighten Boise Cascade
A second grade teacher in a Chicago inner-city school says she
received six or seven phone calls from an official in the Boise
Cascade Corporation who wanted to know why she was teaching "bad
things" about his company.
The teacher, Maria Gilfillan, had been teaching her second-graders
about rainforests. As a class, they talked about how they could help
conserve forests. One way, they decided, was to stop using paper
towels. They use the drip-dry method instead!
In a Young Environmentalist's Action bulletin published by Global
Response, the students learned that the Boise Cascade Corporation
plans to build the world's largest chip mill in southern Chile.
Ancient rainforests, with plants and animals that exist nowhere else
on earth, will be logged so that Boise Cascade can make chipboard.
The Chicago second-graders decided to write letters to Boise Cascade.
"The letters were very polite," says Gilfillan. "The children
expressed their concern about the rainforest and asked Boise Cascade
to find a way to make their chipboard without destroying Chile's
forests."
In response to the 25 letters from Gilfillan's students, Boise
Cascade's Ralph Poore made six or seven calls to Gilfillan's school,
demanding to speak to the teacher. "He wanted to pull me out of
class; he was very insistent," Gilfillan said. When Poore finally
got Gilfillan on the line, he asked her why she was teaching "bad
things" about his company and threatened to "report" her to the
school's principal.
Gilfillan says her inner-city second-graders are learning a lot from
this experience. "It's empowering for them to know that their
letters cause such a stir in a big company. They see that they can
really have a big impact. It's a great thing to learn." Is she
intimidated by the calls from Boise Cascade? "No, not me! Citizens
have to try to get these companies to be more responsible. It's not
enough to teach about the importance of rainforests. We have to do
something to help protect them."
Source: Global Response
http://www.globalresponse.org
*************
- Colombia: U'wa victory at Occidental's shareholder meeting
The recent murders of three activists - Ingrid Washinawatok, a member
of the Menominee tribe from New York, Terence Freitas, from Oakland,
and Lahe'ena'e Gay, from Hawaii- who were assisting the U'wa
indigenous people to protect their land from oil drilling, illustrate
the high level of violence in conflicts concerning the use of
resources and territorial issues in the South American rainforests
and calls into question U.S. foreign policy (see WRM Bulletin 21)
The U'wa Defense Working Group, an environmental NGO based in
California, is calling for an investigation into the "role of
multinational oil companies in the ongoing cycle of violence in the
region". On February 25, members of the Colombian rebel group Fuerzas
Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) kidnapped U'wa leader
Roberto Cobaria and the three Americans. Cobaria was immediately
released but the Americans were held.
In 1997 Cobaria, after meeting with Occidental Petroleum in Los
Angeles was kidnapped and beaten on his return to Colombia by gunmen
who tried to force him to sign a drilling agreement. With regard to
this abuse Cobaria testified to Amnesty International and complained
to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. FARC were
responsible for the murder of the American activists, claimed as "a
mistake" committed by a commander that acted on his own initiative.
The USA have devoted large sums of money to "aid" Colombia in the war
against drug cartels and leftist rebels. For example, last April the
United States pledged the $240 million of military aid to the
Colombian "peace process". But this aid includes money for more
military aircraft and weapons. Human Rights Watch reported that of
the 40,000 civilians killed in Colombia since 1989, the majority were
victims of US-backed military groups. Violence is also used in the
American territory itself.
On April 28th U'wa leaders and hundreds of activists who demonstrated
in memory of the three murdered Americans outside of Occidental
Petroleum's headquarters in Los Angeles were rejected by the police,
and 20 of them were arrested.
Even facing this kind of difficulties, the environmental and human
rights movement scored a significant victory on April 30th at
Occidental Petroleum's shareholder meeting in Santa Monica, as 13% of
Occidental Petroleum shareholders, totaling over 40,000,000 shares,
voted in favour of a resolution to carry out an analysis on the risks
associated with the oil project planned for U'wa people's lands in
the Colombian rainforest.
"In the world of shareholder activism, a thirteen percent vote is a
huge victory. I don't believe Oxy can go ahead with this project
without upsetting its major shareholders" said Atossa Soltani,
Director of Amazon Watch. Leaders of the U'wa nation, who arrived in
Los Angeles after a three-day journey from their homes high in
Colombia's cloud forest, also addressed Occidental Petroleum meeting,
asked shareholders to encourage the company to cancel the oil project
planned for their ancestral territory. U'wa leader Berito Kuwaru'wa
sang a traditional song in U'wa language describing petroleum as "the
blood of the Earth." The U'wa's plea is particularly urgent as
Occidental has applied for an environmental license from the
Colombian government to drill its first well on the U'wa's land.
What follows is an international communique from the Association of
Traditional U'wa Authorities issued in Kerachikara, at the sacred
U'wa's territory in April 1999:
"For thousands of years the U'wa people have lived in territories
known today as the Departments of Casanare, Arauca, Boyaca, Santander
and North of Santander, Colombia. This gives us the right to demand
that the Colombian government and multinational oil corporations
fully recognize and respect our territory, as well as all resources
that belong to us -all of which are recognized as ours by the
National Constitution and national and international laws.
The U'wa people have consistently reiterated that we will not give up
our ancient rights to the interests of the state and multinational
companies. In Colombia we have exhausted all existing legal channels
to solve the conflict between the U'wa and Occidental Petroleum. None
of our efforts in Colombia have produced the necessary measures
needed to respect the rights of the U'wa people.
Because the Colombian government has not recognized our rights as a
distinct people, we have been obliged to reach out to the national
and international community (governments, environmental and human
rights organizations, and indigenous peoples -all who work for life
and peace). They have, without restraint, joined our cause.
The lack of recognition and violation by the Colombian government and
multinational corporations (ie. Occidental) of the historical rights
and heritage of the U'wa people forces us to demand the following
demands:
1. We reaffirm the demand of the U'wa people for the cancellation of
oil activities in our ancestral territory.
2. We express the urgent need for the recuperation of our land, to
which we have a right, in order to guarantee life. The Colombian
government should promise to enlarge the existing reserve and to
respect our ancestral territories.
3. We reaffirm that for the U'wa, our territory, natural resources
and our people are not objects to be negotiated. They should be
respected according to the laws of nature.
Objectives
1. Consolidate international solidarity in support of our just cause
for territory, culture, and oral history.
2. Demonstrate with concrete examples the destructive processes that
oil activities such as Oxy's bring to our people and our environment.
3. Demonstrate that the model of development promoted by the U'wa
people is an alternative for all humanity that will guarantee the
life of this planet under the principles of sustainable development.
Signed by: Roberto Perez Gutierrez, President of the Traditional U'wa
Council; Roberto Cobaria Berito Kubaruwa, Official Delegate of the
Traditional U'wa Authorities; Javier Vesga Florez, Advisor to the
Traditional U'wa Council."
Sources: "Colombia's U'wa Indians Battling Violence, Oil Interests.
Environmental group is calling for an investigation" by Jane Ayers,
San Francisco Chronicle, 30/4/1999, sent by Randy Hayes
rhayes@ran.org; Atossa Soltaniasoltani@igc.apc.org, 30/4/1999.
*************
- Paraguay: network created to monitor plantations
Given that both deforestation and the expansion of tree monocultures
are negative processes affecting people and the environment in
Paraguay, local NGOs are actively involved in the monitoring of such
processes.
Paraguay has the highest deforestation rate in South America (2,4 %
for the period 1981-1990) and one of the highest in Latin America.
Clearcut and illegal exports of precious wood -especially by foreign
logging companies- are the most important causes of this state of
affairs. The promotion by the State of an export oriented model based
on the production of soybean and cattle raising has been another
relevant destructive factor regarding forests.
The conquest of political democracy in 1989 did not mean a real
change to this tendency. Nevertheless, a wider space was created for
the action of civil society organizations. Within that context,
Paraguayan NGOs are currently addressing -together with the problem
of deforestation and forest degradation- that of the expansion of
large scale monoculture tree plantations. This "forestry development"
model is not exclusive of Paraguay, but very similar to the one being
applied in the Southern Cone of South America (Argentina, Chile,
Southern Brazil and Uruguay) and having Chile as the model. However,
the Paraguayan case has its own special features. Tree monoculture
promotion in this country meets the demands of speculative or even
fraudulent plans, associated with corruption, misinformation and
fraud. At the same time, the implementation of tree monocultures is
frequently linked to the destruction of native forests.
According to the 1994 Law 536 for the "promotion of reforestation",
subsidies of up to 75% of the plantation costs are to be paid to
forestry investors, but only a maximum of 10% of the area can be
planted with native species to obtain such subsidies. This norm
contributes to environmental degradation, since the chances for the
regeneration of degraded forest ecosystems are dramatically reduced.
Nevertheless, it is to be highlighted that the potential for this
regenaration is still high due to the ecological and genetic
viability that present natural forests still have in Paraguay. Civil
society organizations, as well as academic circles insist on the need
of regenerating and conserving those ecosystems.
On March 1999, Sobreviviencia/Friends of the Earth-Paraguay organized
a meeting with government officials and NGO representatives that took
place in Luque city. The objective of this workshop was to discuss
about the issue of tree plantations, and the social and environmental
impacts produced by them.
The workshop was preceeded by three tours carried out by members of
Sobrevivencia to the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The southeastern
area has been the most affected by tree monoculture expansion. Even
if there is no official information on the area occupied by these
plantations and on their composition, it has been estimated that it
has reached 50,000 hectares, being eucapytus the main species used.
Pine and gmelina plantations were also detected. Two of the main
companies involved in plantations -Forestal Parana (subsidiary of
Shell Paraguay) and PROFOR S.A.- have plans to plant 100,000 hectares
in the next decade. Shell also owns vast plantations in Argentina,
Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
Participants in the workshop stated that the objectives of the
promotion of tree monocultures in Paraguay are in agreement with the
interests of industrialized countries and big transnational
corporations, as has already happened with the support given to large
scale agriculture. It was made clear that plantations are feasible
only due to high subsidies, attended with funding provided by the
multilateral development banks. For instance, Shell's plantations are
subsidised with funds provided by the World Bank. The UNDP (by means
of the financial programme for the sustainable management of
forests), the Kyoto Protocol of the Climate Change Convention,
Northern cooperation agencies (NEDA, GTZ, Helvetas, JICA), as well as
electricity generation companies, have been promoters of this kind of
questioned forestry development.
The Workshop was not only limited to expressing criticism to the
current situation, but also put forward alternatives aimed at the
environmental and social reconstruction of the country. Some of the
technical steps suggested were: the strict protection of the
remaining native forest ecosystems, the enrichment of degraded and
secondary forests, the research on the viability of these species
when used in plantations and the set up of experimental mixed
plantations using fast-growth native species. From the socioeconomic
point of view, the workshop proposed the control by local and
municipal multisectoral committees on illegal logging, a massive
attack against rampant corruption at the official level, and the
valuation of non-wood forest products and environmental services
provided by forests.
Paraguayan civil society has historically been at the forefront of
the defense of native forests, opposing the "development" model
imposed on the country. In this case, the workshop decided to
establish a tree plantation monitoring network. It is aimed to gather
and share information on plantations, their expansion and impacts, by
means of a data base. This network will also explore mechanisms and
put forward proposals for the conservation of the remaining native
forest ecosystems, will demand the inclusion of tree plantations
within the agricultural sector, fight for the benefit of local
communities regarding the utilization of forest resources, and
promote scientific research on native forests as well as on the
propagation of native species.
Even though the workshop considered that the present social, economic
and political situation of instability that Paraguay is facing is not
ideal for the development of activities requiring the involvement of
civil society, participants agreed that this kind of innovative and
participatory activities can have a positive impact to the benefit of
forests, the environment and the people of Paraguay.
Sources: Ibarra, Jose and Nunez, Francisco, Un estudio de caso en
las Serranias del Yvytyrusu, Paraguay, Proceso causas subyacentes de
la deforestacion y la degradacion de los bosques, Asuncion, octubre
de 1998; "Cualquier rbol es un buen arbol?", Final report of a
project of Sobrevivencia/Friends of the Earth-Paraguay, 1999.
*************
- Uruguay: citizens' network challenges official "research" on
plantations
Growing opposition to monoculture tree plantations has forced the
forestry sector to respond to NGO claims that this type of forestry
model is detrimental to the environment and that it does not benefit
the country or its people. They chose to use "science" as a weapon to
counteract such claims. In spite of the fact that no governmental
institution has carried out research on the impacts on soils, water
or biodiversity of large scale eucalyptus plantations, the forestry
lobby managed to produce --through the National Institute of
Agricultural Research, INIA-- a short booklet titled "Forestry
development with eucalyptus: its impacts on natural resources and the
environment in Uruguay."
The alleged "scientific" study was produced by four researchers,
three of whom work directly for plantation companies (one is even
President of the Society of Forestry Producers and at the same time
member of INIA's Managing Committee), while the background of the
fourth is tree genetics aimed at the achievement of a faster growth
rate of eucalyptus and pine trees. The findings of such "research"
were obvious even before they started writing: eucalyptus have no
negative impacts of importance. And that's all they did: writing. No
field studies were carried out, no interviews to people who claim
that negative impacts exist and not even a comprehensive review of
the existing bibliography, most of which underscores the impacts of
plantations.
The Guayubira Group --a citizens' network opposed to large-scale tree
monocultures and supporting the protection of native forests--
reacted to this publication. The group produced a detailed critique
on the study, highlighting the fact that none of the conclusiones can
be considered as being "scientific" and that it can only be
considered as a public relations exercise to reassure an increasingly
concerned public. The critique, accompanied by a letter addressed to
INIA's President was widely circulated within the country (to INIA's
researchers, academics, parliamentarians, government officials,
journalists) to expose the unethical use of science to favour large
plantation companies. The objective is also to force the government
into conducting real research on the impacts of plantations and to
support an ongoing campaign aimed primarily at the elimination of all
the subsidies which currently promote the spread of these
plantations.
Note: for those of you who read Spanish, the letter and critique are
available at www.chasque.apc.org/guayubira under
Actividades/organismos/carta al INIA
*************
- Venezuela: resistance to Smurfit continues
The communities of Morador and Tierra Buena in Venezuela's continue
struggling against pulp and paper transnational Jefferson Smurfit,
responsible for deforestation activities and for the set up of vast
tree plantations in Portuguesa State, and questioning the
authorities' attitude in relation to this conflict. The WRM has been
actively supporting this struggle (see WRM Bulletins 18, 20 and 22).
During May the mobilization continued. On May 11th a group of
peasants of Morador and Tierra Buena symbolically occupied the
headquarters of the National Agrarian Institute (Instituto Agrario
Nacional - INA) to protest for the lack of response of this agency in
relation to the peasants' claims for new lands and the expropriation
of "La Productora" estate, currently in the hands of Smurfit.
On the following day, a group of peasants of Tierra Buena blockaded
highway nr. 5 to protest for the deterioration of the road connecting
their village with that highway. This road is essential for the trade
of their agricultural products.
On May 13th about 500 peasants from Morador, Tierra Buena and nearby
communities gathered in an assembly, which concluded by giving a 30-
day deadline to the new national authorities to act in relation to
the expropriation of "La Productora". This is seen as a decision to
make the government decide if it will govern por the peasant
majorities or in favour of the globalizing forestry model.
Smurfit has responded by trying to improve its public image by
launching a public relations press campaign in local newspapers,
carrying articles which highlighted some minor donations to Tierra
Buena as large sums of money dedicated to assist the local community.
Such situation forced the local Neighbours' Association to call for a
referendum, which took place on May 24th, the result of which was
that a vast majority of voters rejected the presence of Smurfit in
Tierra Buena.
The fact is that the company is increasingly isolated, while the
mobilization capacity of local landless peasants is increasing. As
local people say, the new government -which came to power on a social
justice platform- needs to decide if it will support local peasants
or a large transnational. We sincerely hope it will chose the former.
Source: "Acontecimientos recientes en el Area de Morador-Tierra
Buena". Alfredo Torres, 4/6/99.
*************
CENTRAL AMERICA
- Belize: villagers defend their mangroves
Placencia Lagoon in southern Belize separates the Placencia Peninsula
from the southern Belize mainland. Mangroves in the Lagoon are an
essential component of the Placencia Peninsula estuary system,
filtering inland water, protecting the coastline and serving as home
to large numbers species of the tropical wildlife. However, a
proposal in course to build a two-lane causeway and a bridge across
the Lagoon to connect it with the village of Independence in the
mainland practically ignores environmental issues and just considers
that the works will not upset the water flow of the lagoon nor
threaten mangrove life.
On the contrary, many Placencia Peninsula residents fear that the
causeway would significantly and adversely affect the Lagoon and the
coral reef nearby. The livelihood of Placencia residents highly
depends on the continuing environment health of the area, both for
the small commercial fishing industry that has supported the area for
hundreds of years, as well as for ecotourism. Local residents think
that the causeway will be approved without an adequate environmental
assessment, and that, if approved, proper environmental standards
will not be enforced during causeway design and construction. They
have organized themselves and went to the media with an anti-causeway
petition. They consider that a project to build a causeway almost two
miles long, including a forty foot high bridge to let boats through,
is not the kind of undertaking that can be considered useful for the
community nor good for the environment.
Source: Late Friday News, 35th Edition, 1/5/99.
*************
NORTH AMERICA
- A destructive megaproject for Tehuantepec Isthmus in Mexico
The Tehuantepec Isthmus is home to the most important humid tropical
forests in a country considered one of the five most megabiodiverse
countries in the world. The area is also the only natural bridge
between tropical subhumid and humid forests of the Pacific and the
Golf of Mexico coasts. It is also the region with the greatest
availability of accessible water.
The Isthmus has already been the victim of "development": nearly half
a million hectares of medium and high-altitude rainforests in the
Tuxtlas-Acayucan-los-Choapos zone have been totally stripped and
transformed into pastures for large cattle ranches, including the
Uxpanapa forest, where --with funding from the World Bank-- in less
than four years (1974-1978), 200,000 hectares of high altitude forest
was cut. The result has been the marginalization of large indigenous
and campesino populations.
Now the region is facing a much larger and destructive megaproject.
Among many other activities, this megaproject includes the
construction of a four-lane highway and two-way railroad system for a
bullet train that will transport merchandise in containers; a
proposed strip of "maquiladoras"; extraction of raw materials
(precious woods and mineral resources), substitution of forests and
traditional agriculture by monospecific plantations characteristic of
agro-industry and agro-exporting, such as eucalyptus and sorghum,
etc.
The expected consequences of the Megaproject are: high concentration
of benefits favouring transnational capital, grave risks related to
national sovereignty, an increase in social degradation in the
municipalities and communities affected by the environmental
destruction resulting from the megaproject.
Note: the above is a short summary of the detailed article written by
Miguel Angel Garcia, General Coordinator of the NGO Maderas Pueblo
del Sureste "The Megaproject of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec:
globalization and social and environmental deterioration". Those
interested in the complete text, please visit our web site
(http://www.wrm.org.uy/english/tropical_forests/country.html#Mexico),
or request an electronic copy from the WRM International Secretariat.
*************
- Mexico: opposition to deforestation in Chihuahua
The community of Ejido Pino Gordo, in the State of Chihuahua, formed
by Tarahuamaras (or Raramuris, as they call themselves) indigenous
peoples, is struggling against illegal logging that is destroying the
200-year old forests that surround their village in the Sierra Madre,
about 850 miles northwest of Mexico City.
Members of the community expressed their demands to the State
authorities in Chihuahua. "We don't want our forests felled" said
Francisco Ramos, a Raramuri-speaking Indian leader. "We didn't plant
the trees; God did, to collect water from the rain and give homes to
the animals. The trees are not our property. We're just taking care
of them", he added.
Pino Gordo lies next to another village called Coloradas de los
Chavez, inhabited by Spanish-speaking people. Forestry laws passed in
recent years encourage ejido communities -traditionally associated
with the conservation of woodlands- to divide forests into plots and
to sign timber-harvesting deals with companies. So last year the
federal government issued a permit allowing this community to sign
contracts with a logging consortium, even if such forests are the
habitat of endangered fauna species. Additionally, the loggers
invaded Pino Gordo's community territory and felled trees there. The
logging enterprise in the area involves a regional contractor based
in Parral and a strong statewide cartel which influences state and
federal agencies.
Opposition from the Raramuris resulted in them receiving death
threats. In April 1999 they staged a protest in front of the
government's offices in the capital city of the State, but their
complaint to the authorities did not get any serious response. An
official of the Ministry of the Environment said that if Mexico were
to restrict the cutting of forests for environmental reasons, they
would risk being in the same situation of the USA, where most forest
lands are now off limits to logging. This would not be realistic,
since Mexico is not a developed country and needs "greater
flexiblity" in the management of its forests. Such point of view
justifies the destruction of forests in the name of "development",
and also ignores that this kind of exploitation does not result in
the peoples' benefit but in that of a few companies. Environmental
and social sustainability sound as odd words to this approach.
The case of Pino Gordo reveals a long history of attempts to deprive
the community of their lands and forests, which involve several
official institutions, as well as the neighbouring non-indigenous
community led by mestizos, and a regional logging cartel.
Environmental authorities have refused to acknowledge Raramuris'
claims of illegal logging within ejido (communitary) lands since
December 1998. Agrarian agencies have refused to rule on the
Raramuris' protests, although they recognize a fraudulent ejido
registry submitted in 1995 by Raul Aguirre, a local leader backed by
logging interests.
As a response to the Raramuris' peaceful protest in April 1999 for
the recognition of their agrarian rights and an immediate halt to
logging in the disputed territory, the government temporarily halted
logging in their lands, but the logging permit was not revoked.
Other actions such as incompetent investigation of environmental
damage claims filed in August 1998 and secrecy on logging permits
made to Coloradas de los Chavez were also denounced.
Source: Alejandro Villamar, e-mail: comcome2@info.cddhcu.gob.mx,
11/5/99.
*************
GENERAL
- Andrew Gray, lost in air crash in Vanuatu
Andrew Gray, a life-long campaigner in support of the rights of
Indigenous Peoples was lost in an air accident in the sea off Vanuatu
on May 8th. Andrew was in the middle of a networking trip in the
South Pacific linking up with Indigenous Peoples and their
organisations in the region as part of IWGIA's expanding programme in
support of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Andrew, who had trained as an anthropologist at the Institute of
Social Anthropology in Oxford, and had spent years living with the
Harakmbut people of the Madre de Dios region in the Peruvian Amazon,
was also Policy Adviser to the UK-based Forest Peoples Programme and
member of the board of Anti-Slavery International. He was also vice-
Chairman of the IWGIA and an affiliate of the World Rainforest
Movement.
His enormous contribution to the cause of Indigenous Rights and to
promoting a morally engaged form of anthropology was internationally
recognised and his loss leaves a huge gap in the lives of his family,
friends and professional colleagues. Andrew was a close and trusted
friend of Indigenous Peoples all around the world, and his balanced
and insightful mastery of fact and analysis were hugely valued.
A memorial service for Andrew will be held in Oxford on the 12th of
June at 1.00 p.m. The memorial service will be held in St. Andrews
Church, Sandford-on-Thames, Oxford. IWGIA will have a gathering in
respect of Andrew, during the Working Group in UN in Geneva on the
27th of July at 1.30 p.m. in World Council of Churches.
Forest Peoples Programme. Email: fppwrm@gn.apc.org International Work
Group for Indigenous Affars. Email: iwgia@iwgia.org
*************
- Briefing Paper: "Pulpwood plantations: a growing problem"
The WRM will soon publish in hard copy this Plantations Campaign
Briefing Paper in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. In the
meantime, it is available in electronic format in our web page (in
English), under Plantations Campaign/Plantation Campaign
Materials/Briefing Papers. Anyone wishing to receive it through email
please let us know and we will send it immediately.
This briefing is based on a summary of "Pulping the South: Industrial
Tree Plantations and the World Paper Economy" (Carrere & Lohmann,
1996), and is aimed at reaching a wider audience of people concerned
with the problem of the expansion of industrial tree plantations in
the South.
*************
- Super Trees: the biotech nightmare is already here
Fletcher Challenge Forests, International Paper, Monsanto Company and
Westvaco Corporation announced on April 6th their intent to form a
forestry biotechnology joint venture to produce and market tree
seedlings that will allegedly improve trees' health and productivity
for the forestry market worldwide. The four companies will spend U$S
60 million for the joint venture over five years. The companies also
announced their intent to contract with Genesis Research and
Development Corporation Limited -a New Zealand biotechnology research
company- to provide genomics research. The joint venture also will
acquire forestry intellectual property rights from Genesis.
The participating companies envision further development in forestry
biotechnology worldwide and believe that, as international demand for
wood fiber increases, significant business opportunities will result
from super tree development. Of course they will focus on those fast-
growing species currently being used by the forestry industry -
eucalyptus and poplar species, radiata pine, loblolly pine and
sweetgum. Targeted genetic "improvements" include: herbicide tolerant
planting stock to enable more cost-effective control of competing
vegetation (and higher profits for Monsanto, one of the partners of
this joint venture); higher growth rates to allow more wood to be
grown in less time (and higher profits for the plantation partners);
improved fiber quality and uniformity to increase efficiency in paper
and wood products manufacturing processes (and higher profits for the
transnational pulp and paper industry).
The participating companies claim that biotechnology -by
"strengthening their ability to manage forestlands in a sustainable
and eco-efficient manner for the benefit of future generations"- will
enable forestry companies to meet the growing demand for paper and
wood products "without increasing pressure on native forests."
It would be very useful to know what they mean by "sustainable and
eco-efficient". Is the use of herbicides, fertilizers, the depletion
of water resources, the disappearance of local wildlife and flora
considered to be sustainable and eco-efficient? Is encroachment on
local peoples lands and the substitution of their forests by
monoculture tree plantations also considered as part of the
sustainable/eco-efficient package?
Part of the academic sector is also involved in this development. The
University of Oxford has announced that it will host the joint
meeting of the International Wood Biotechnology Symposium and the
IUFRO Molecular Biology of Forest Trees Working Group. The event,
entitled "Forest Biotechnology 99", will run July 11-16, 1999.
Sessions will focus on topics as genetic engineering of specific
traits, advances in molecular breeding, and deployment of transgenic
material. In the UK the first test site of genetically engineered
poplar trees has already been set up by biotechnology company Zeneca,
with funding of the EU.
The language of sustainable development -while not its substance- has
definitively been adopted by transnational companies as part of their
"greening" process. Some important academic and funding institutions
support them. When both biotechnology in industrial agriculture and
the expansion of large scale tree plantations are being severely
questioned by local communities, indigenous peoples, NGOs and some
academic sectors due to their proved negative effects, it is
astonishing that this kind of initiatives are promoted and even more
so when publicised as being "eco-efficient." This new onslaught can
only be explained by their greed for obtaining gains regardless of
the negative impacts of the activities to be undertaken. Now that
genetic engineering is going into high gear, perhaps pretty soon
they'll be saying that properly-engineered trees can solve not only
all the environmental but also the social problems associated with
large scale tree plantations.
The push to create "designed trees" has caused alarm among informed
sectors of the public, who are not only witnessing an accelerated
expansion of tree monocultures but also fear that genetically
modified trees could cause irreparable imbalances in the world's
forest ecosystems.
It is also feared that new genetically modified traits - such as
herbicide resistance - will be spread to natural trees, creating
hybrids. It is undoubtly a nightmarish vision of the future. And it
is already here.
Sources:
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~dops0022/conference/forest_biotech99_home.html
; Larry Lohmann, 19/5/99; Red por una America Latina Libre de
Transgenicos, 28/5/99
*************
- World Trade Organization to increase wood consumption by 3-4%
The International Forum on Globalization's newsletter (IFG NEWS)
called the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), the main
lobby arm of the U.S. timber industry, to clarify a few things about
the World Trade Organization (WTO) wood prodcuts agreement now being
negotiatied for finalization in Seattle, December, 1999.
In AF&PA, Communications Director Barry Polsky gave us an explanation
of how great the WTO agreement would be for the industry and he cited
a study they commissioned by Jaakko Poyry, the global forestry
consultant based in Finland. The study projects a 3-4 percent
increase in wood consumption world wide as the result of total tariff
elimination, which is exactly what they are pressing for via the WTO.
We asked for more specifics so we could project what that might mean
in volumes and, say, acreage of forests, just to give people some
idea of the magnitude of a seemingly paltry 3-4 percent. Polsky
referred us directly to Jaakko Poyry, who claimed the study was
proprietary material and that we needed to get AF&PA's authorization.
Of course, we already had this because Polsky referred us to the
consultant in the first place. But rather than irritating them, we
will instead send some reporter from one of the more authoritative
dailies to press them for details of the study.
IFG NEWS will carry the full story in its next issue.
It's quite comical: USTR is refusing to acknowledge that tariff
elimination has some potential effects on increased consumption and
told environmentalists to come up with some proof. Now we learn that
the very agenda they are pushing on behalf of the industry is based
on the industry's very premise of increased consumption.
AF&PA also chairs both the ISACs (Industrial Sector Advisory
Committees), which are USTR's formal bodies that shape US
negotiatating priorities and positions. Other members include
Weyerhaeuser, International Paper, Boise Cascade, Champion, et.al.
Of course, there is no one representing the protection of forests and
workers at the table. Opening up the ISACs is key to changing both
the process and the products of US trade and investment policy.
And that's why they are taking all of this to the WTO and other trade
and investment fora; because WE AIN'T AT THE TABLE. They have
learned from other industries that they can get just about anything
they want at the WTO, especially by defining someting as "trade-
distortionary."
We urgently need to prepare the international forest protection
movement to challenge this shift to the WTO. The big decisions
affecting forests into the next millennium will be made at the WTO.
To access the world's last native forests for logging, wood products
companies need better treatment for their foreign investments. To
further stimulate consumption, they need the last trade barriers
knocked down. To lock-in minimal restrictions on logging, they want
new WTO standards on forestry management. All of this is revealed in
their recent statements, such as AF&PA March testimony to Congress on
the importance of expanding trade.
The International Forum on Globalization looks forward to working
with forest protection groups to develop the capacity to influence
this new arena of forest protection: trade and investment policy, and
specifically the WTO.
Victor Menotti, e-mail: vmenotti@ifg.org
*************
- Want to know about forestry corporations? Ask Forests Monitor
Forests Monitor is an NGO which aims to provide detailed, accurate
information on the corporate structures and environmental and social
records of forestry sector companies. This information is intended
to be used as a tool by civil society at local, national and
international levels to help promote sustainable and equitable use of
forest resources.
Apart from this specific corporate information, Forests Monitor also
seeks to contribute to international policy debate through presenting
research on key global themes, such as institutional investment in
unsustainable forestry sector activities; property rights
implications of forest use and control; and issues of corporate
control in the forestry sector.
Forests Monitor has built up a wealth of experience in researching
and investigating specific corporate structures and activities,
providing briefings to a growing number of international, national
and local NGOs and community groups. Detailed corporate research and
analysis form the core of Forests Monitor's operations, directing
four key areas of activity:
- collation of corporate and financial information about companies
operating in the forestry sector, including logging concessions,
extraction rates and financing, together with their environmental and
social records.
- dissemination of this information in a number of appropriate
formats to affected NGOs and citizens' groups.
- production of briefing sheets and reports on forestry companies
whose activities are currently environmentally and socially
unsustainable for distribution at an international level to NGOs and
decision makers in the private and public sectors.
- establishment of the links between institutional investors in the
north and deforestation via investment in forestry companies.
Dissemination of information is at the core of Forests Monitor's work
and presentation of data varies according to the audience and use.
The aim is to respond to every developing country NGO request for
forest sector corporate information and much of the day-to-day work
of Forests Monitor involves such research. In addition, this
organization produces briefing documents and reports (including
Environmental and Social Impact Assessments) on specific companies'
structures and activities. These are used for briefing in-country
NGOs and community groups for their campaigning activities (including
legal work) and for international lobbying. Forests Monitor has
provided information and support to over 40 in-country NGOs and
community groups around the world, having visited many of them in the
field to discuss how to work together to achieve sustainable use of
forest resources.
Local communities, indigenous peoples organizations and NGOs in
developing countries can request information free of charge from
Forests Monitor regarding forestry companies either operating or
planning to operate in their areas or countries. For more
information, please contact Stuart Wilson at fmonitor@gn.apc.org
Source: Forests Monitor Ltd, 62 Barton Road, Ely, CB7 4HZ, United
Kingdom, Tel: 44 (1353) 669989, Fax: 44 (1353) 665092, email:
fmonitor@gn.apc.org
*************WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
*************
- News from the International Secretariat
On May 6th we sent a fax to Mr. Mart-n Villa, president of Endesa
Spain, expressing our support to the campaign of RIAP (International
Network of Support to the Pehuenche People and the Biobio) in their
long conflict still pending against the hydroelectric project of
Ralco in Chile.
The International Secretariat of the WRM supported the campaign for
the conservation of Papua New Guinea's rainforests by sending faxes
dated May 19th to Mr Bill Skate, Prime Minister of that country, and
to Senator Robert Hill Australian Minister for Environment and
Heritage.
On May 24th we addressed Deputies Paulo Loureiro and Jos, Carlos
Gratz, members of the Legislative Assembly of Espirito Santo State,
Brazil, expressing our opposition to the inconstitutional Decree
4428/99 that favours further development of plantations to favour
Aracruz Celulose.
Ricardo Carrere attended the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests'
third meeting in Geneva (3-12 May 1999), where he also participated
in a side event organized by the Joint Initiative to Address the
Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation to present
the findings of the Global Workshop held in Costa Rica.