World Rainforest Movement Bulletin #12
6/1/98
OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE
Attached is the renowned World Rainforest Movement's most recent
electronic digest of happenings in the rainforest conservation
movement. These updates have been coming out for about a year now and
are an excellent source of the latest news. Please take the
opportunity to sign up for their list server.
g.b.
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: WRM Bulletin #12
Source: World Rainforest Movement WRMfriends list server
Status: Distribute freely with credit given to source
Date: May 29, 1998
**WORLD RAINFOREST MOVEMENT
MOVIMIENTO MUNDIAL POR LOS BOSQUES
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http://www.wrm.org.uy
**
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W R M B U L L E T I N # 12
MAY 1998
=================================
**
In this issue:
* WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
* News from the International Secretariat
- Underlying Causes meeting in Bratislava
- Action for the "yungas"
- Action for Imataca Forest Reserve in Venezuela
* WRM Campaigns
- Plantations campaign meeting in Uruguay
* INTERNATIONAL
- Indigenous peoples excluded at COP IV
- Message from Bratislava to Kyoto on tree plantations
- Forest Policy: Letter to the World Bank
* LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
AFRICA
- Tanzania: mangroves menaced by aquaculture project
- Nigeria: NGO nominated for the Sophie Prize
ASIA
- Villagers arbitrarily arrested in Thailand
- The truth about Rio Tinto
- Indonesia: local people burn oil palm plantation company's
base camp
NORTH AMERICA
- Canada: Victory of indigenous peoples in court
SOUTH AMERICA
- Ecuador: Sign-on letter to protect UNESCO reserve from
oil exploitation.
- Suriname: gold, coke and malaria
- Indigenous communities against logging company in
Bolivia
- Venezuela: National Meeting in Defence of the Gran
Sabana and Sierra de Imataca
- Uruguay: anti-pulpwood plantation movement on the rise
**WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
**
- News from the International Secretariat
- Underlying Causes meeting in Bratislava
The WRM international coordinator went to Bratislava,
where the Organizing and Steering Committees of the Joint
Initiative to Address the Underlying Causes of Deforestation
and Forest Degradation met in parallel to the meeting of the
Biodiversity Convention's COP4. Committee members
received full reports from the Global Secretariat (integrated
by WRM and the Netherlands Committee for IUCN) and
from the regional coordinators on the activies carried out
until present. A decision was made as respects to moving the
date of the Global Workshop in Costa Rica to 18-22 January
1999. A presentation of the initiative was attended by an
important number of government delegates, many of which
expressed their willingness to participate in the process
and/or to support it through different means. For more
information on this initiative, please consult the relevant area
in our web page (http://www.wrm.org.uy).
**- Action for the "yungas"
On May 12th we addressed the President of ENARGAS -the
Argentinian national authority on gas energy- to express our
concern regarding a pipeline projected by the company
Norgas, that is expected to produce a negative environmental
impact on the "yungas" ecosystem in the northern region of
San Andres in the province of Salta. The yungas are a
mountain ecosystem, holding high levels of endemism and
biodiversity, and inhabited by the Kolla indigenous peoples.
They strongly oppose the project. The WRM International
Secretariat has asked ENARGAS not to allow the
construction of the controversial pipeline.
**- Action for Imataca Forest Reserve in Venezuela
Joining a campaign launched by Global Response, a message
was sent on May 27th to the Presidency of the Supreme Court
of Justice of Venezuela, requesting the revocation of
controversial Decree 1850 that permits mining activities in
the area of the Imataca Forest Reserve, in Venezuela. The
Decree has been severely questioned by environmental and
academic Venezuelan organizations (see WRM Bulletins 4, 6
and 7)
**WRM CAMPAIGNS
**- Plantations campaign meeting in Uruguay
The World Rainforest Movement is organizing a plantations
campaign meeting which will be held in Montevideo on 20-
22 June. The aim of the meeting is to discuss and decide a
common strategy for the campaign and to agree on a plan of
action. The campaign will be officially launched at the end of
the meeting.
The agenda includes presentations on countries such as
Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Chile, which contain
some of the more extensive plantations in the South. It will
also include presentations on major actors, such as the
Finnish forestry consultancy firm Jaakko Poyry, the World
Bank and the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests.
For more information about the meeting, please contact us.
On the plantations issue itself, you can access more
information in our web page (http://www.wrm.org.uy).
**INTERNATIONAL
**- Indigenous peoples excluded at COP IV
Representatives of the indigenous and local communities
present at the meeting room of the Contact Group on Article
8j (*) of the Convention of Biological Diversity at the IV
Conference of the Parties, that took place recently in
Bratislava, Slovakia, declared their total disapproval with a
decision of the Presidency of the Group on May 12th, that
excluded them from the negotiation round. After the
declaration they left the room.
Senator Lorenzo Muelas, that was representing the
indigenous peoples of Colombia, accused the Presidency of
ignoring indigenous communities' rights and acting in favour
of the big biotechnology holdings, that are supported by
Northern governments. The Presidencys decision was also
severely criticised by most of the governments represented at
the Group.
As a consequence of this arbitrary decision, most of the
indigenous delegates at COP IV decided to leave the
Conference. They sealed their lips with plastic tape to
demonstrate that they had been forced to remain silent.
According to the Brazilian government, that promoted the
idea of excluding the indigenous representatives, they were
authorized to attend the plenary discussions but not the
negotiations round. On the contrary Brazilian
environmentalist organizations considered that the rules had
been modified and that what the Brazilian Foreign Office
really wants is to avoid transparency in the discussions.
Sources: Diana Pombo, 13/5/98; Fabio Schivartche, 14/5/98
(*) Article 8 (j) "Subject to its national legislation, respect,
preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices
of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional
lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of
biological diversity and promote their wider application with
the approval and involvement of the holders of such
knowledge, innovations and practices and encourage the
equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization
of such knowledge, innovations and practices;"
**- Message from Bratislava to Kyoto on tree plantations
The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity took place in Bratislava
from 4-15 May. Among its many decisions, we wish to
highlight one related to forest biological diversity which
"Notes the potential impact of afforestation, reforestation,
forest degradation and deforestation on forest biological
diversity and on other ecosystems, and, accordingly, requests
the Executive Secretary to liaise and cooperate with the
Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change . to achieve the objectives of the Convention
on Biological Diversity."
What is the coded message behind such apparently obscure
phrasing? The Climate Change Convention process is
actively promoting tree plantations as one of the major
mechanisms to act as carbon sinks to counteract fossil fuel
emissions. Article 2 of the Kyoto Protocol states that:
"1. Each Party included in Annex I [those responsible for
major fossil fuel emissions], in achieving its quantified
emission limitation and reduction commitments under Article
3, in order to promote sustainable development, shall:
(a) Implement and/or further elaborate policies and measures
in accordance with its national circumstances, such as:
(ii) Protection and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs of
greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol,
taking into account its commitments under relevant
international environmental agreements; promotion of
sustainable forest management practices, afforestation and
reforestation;"
The terms "afforestation and reforestation" in fact mean
millions of hectares of monoculture tree plantations of fast
growing species, particularly eucalyptus. Under this light, the
Bratislava meeting's message becomes clear: if such plans
are implemented, this will certainly affect forest biodiversity.
Forests will be substituted by efficient "carbon sinks"
composed of few fast growing species and there is therefore
an antagonism between the aims of the Convention on
Biological Diversity and the mechanism put forward by the
Climate Change Convention. We share, welcome and support
such concern.
**- Forest Policy: Letter to the World Bank
The Forest Peoples Programme addressed on May 12th the
following letter to Mr. Wolfensohn, President of the World
Bank, concerning the forest policy of the Bank:
"Dear Mr . Wolfensohn,
We have been following with interest the correspondence
between the World Bank and NGOs about the evolution of
the World Bank's forest policy and the setting up of the 'ad
hoc working group', titled the 'Forest Industry and
Conservation CEOs Forum'. We share many of the concerns
already expressed by NGOs about the nature of this group
and its connection to the forest policy implementation review
but will not recapitulate these points here. We understand that
the meetings are to continue and that a second meeting is
scheduled for June 9th; we hope this will be more inclusive
and in particular that serious efforts are made to include
southern NGOs and forest peoples' representative
organisations in the process.
Having now had a chance to examine the minutes of the
January 9th meeting, we are writing to express serious
concern about the content of the January discussions and of
the proposed follow up themes to be covered by the six
'working groups' established at the first meeting. We note that
at no point in the minutes of the first meeting is there any
mention of the social dimensions of forests, forestry or of the
Bank's forest policy nor any reference to the World Bank's
principal mandate of poverty alleviation.
It should not need restating that the world's forests are all
inhabited and provide homes and livelihoods to tens of
millions of indigenous peoples and provide goods and
services crucial to the welfare of billions of other human
beings. The World Bank, as an international development
agency set up to combat poverty and secure the futures of
poor and marginalised peoples, should ensure that their
interests and rights are central to all forest policy discussions.
By contrast, the minutes of the January meeting suggest that
forests are only valued by the group as reserves of timber, for
biodiversity conservation, watershed protection and
recreation. The importance of forests for local communities
appears to have been wholly omitted from discussion and
from the topics to be covered by the working groups. This
gives the unhappy impression that the group is intentionally
set on marginalising the interests of the poor and the
powerless in favour of large businesses and corporations,
which is quite at odds with the World Bank's expressed
mandate.
We are sure that you will agree that this is a serious oversight.
We urge that special measures are taken to ensure that, at the
next meeting, priority is given to a discussion of the social
values of forests and to alternative models of forest
management, which respect the rights of local communities
and which involve them centrally in forest ownership, control
and management.
We look forward to learning how you plan to address this
matter.
Yours sincerely
Dr. Marcus Colchester
Director "
**LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
**AFRICA
- Tanzania: mangroves menaced by aquaculture project
The Rufiji Delta in South Eastern Tanzania is one of the
largest blocks of mangrove forests in East and Southern
Africa. It covers an area of about 53,255 hectares of
unspoiled mangrove forest, that support a large number of
people, and is rich in aquatic as well as terrestrial
biodiversity. The delta is linked to the interior of the river
system by an extensive flood plain covering about 130 km
long and up to 20 km wide. It is also linked to a system of
ocean currents and coral reefs surrounding Mafia island in the
East and it influences fisheries production in the island
through the northerly flow of marine currents.
Mangrove forests of the Rufiji Delta also stabilise the
coastline by preventing coastal erosion, build land through
accumulation of silt and the production of detritus, preserve
the purity of water by absorbing pollutants from upstream
sources and serve as windbreaks for the hinterland.
The Rufiji communities that rely on fish, mangrove poles and
rice farming have made an ancestral sustainable use of this
area. A proposed industrial prawn project by the African
Fishing Company purported to use semi-intensive production
methods would privatise one third of the Rufiji Delta. From
experiences in other parts of the world, on average, semi-
intensive prawn farms fail after about ten years. This
eventually will therefore threaten the lives of thousands of
local farmers and fishermen living in the delta; with severe
environmental implications to the ecology and irreparable
damage.
A proposal to establish the same by Coastal Aquaculture at
the Tana delta in Kenya -an area with ecological features
similar to those of Rufiji Delta- is still unresolved since mid
1992. The company purchased 10,000 hectares of land for
this purpose. Later the land allocation was nullified by the
Kenyan government through a presidential directive declaring
the Tana Delta a wetland of international importance.
However the Coastal Aquaculture company challenged this
decision in court after which the high court ruled in their
favour in 1996, meaning that the company may proceed to
develop the 10,000 hectares for prawn farming.
In spite of their sustainable use of natural resources and
adequate management of the environment, local communities
are usually left out when resource management plans are
being made. That is why more than 2000 Rufiji delta
residents filed a chamber application with the Tanzanian
High Court seeking for permission to sue the government for
endorsing the prawn farm project which will affect their
economic well being. They argue that this aquaculture project
will deny them access; through plans that are underway to
fence off the prawn project area; to the natural resources
including prawns, fish and other marine resources with which
they have coexisted from time immemorial. They further state
that the decision to allow the project to go ahead was taken
without taking into account the environmental hazards the
project will cause to the area. Furthermore the decision to
undertake this "development" project was taken without their
consent and involvement.
Local NGOs JET and LEAT, have been and still are the
mainstay NGOs in Tanzania openly opposing this project.
There was recently a meeting between EAWLS, JET, and
other NGOs in Tanzania regarding the Rufiji Delta. Plans are
being made to hold a 2nd East African Regional Workshop
which will highlight present concerns regarding both Rufiji
Delta in Tanzania and Tana Delta in Kenya.
Source: Patricia Nzioka, East African Wild Life Society
(EAWLS); Environment Tanzania (JET), 23/5/1998.
**- Nigeria: NGO nominated for the Sophie Prize
The Sophie Foundation, an organization based in Norway,
has nominated the Nigerian NGO Environmental Rights
Action, for the Sophie Prize 1998. The main purpose of the
Sophie Foundation, is to award an annual international
environment and development prize of US $ 100,000. This is
an initiative of the Norwegian author and philosopher Mr.
Jostein Gaarder -worldwide known by his book "Sophie's
world", one of the world's best-selling novels- who donated a
large sum of his private fortune, earned by selling his books,
to this goal.
The nomination is a recognition to ERA's restless struggle for
the Ogoni people and the environment, oppresed by the
Nigerian dictatorship. "This nomination indicates to us that
we are right to fight for our rights!" stated Nnimmo Basey,
Director of ERA, who has repeatedly suffered threats and
arbitrary arrests for his activities (see WRM Bulletin nr. 6).
Source: ERA, 30/4/1998
ASIA
- Villagers arbitrarily arrested in Thailand
For the past five years, the small community of the village of
Pang Daeng, in the mountainous northern province of Chiang
Mai, Thailand, has been visited by lots of tourists seeking an
exotic experience among exotic people. But now the hilltribes
people in this picturesque hamlet want to keep as low a
profile as possible. Why?
On the evening of March 26, Pang Daeng residents, which
were going about their usual routine, were surprised to see an
army of forestry officers and police burst into their village
and begin to arrest people. The villagers showed no resistance
thinking they had nothing to fear as they hadn't committed
any crime. Besides, they were told by the officers that they
just wanted to take them for a short briefing in town. Some
reported overhearing talk of a donation of blankets.
Once inside the local police station the 56 villagers that were
taken from their homes, ranging in age from 13 to 66,
realized that they were all charged with encroachment on a
national forest reserve and forest arson. They did get the
blankets, but in prison!
Local villagers deny any responsiblity on this regard. Naloh
Poosu, whose husband is one of the arrested people, says:
"Some rich men offered to hire us to cut down trees before,
but we turned them down. Why don't they catch the big
guys?" Academics have also denounced this new case of
imprisonment of members of the ethnic minority in Thailand.
"The Royal Forestry Department may also want to show the
public that it is concerned for the environment," says Sombat
Khamboonyueng, a researcher at Chiangmai University's
Ethnic Studies Network. And he adds: "But they must find
some justification for why their reafforestation project in the
area for the past 20 years is still lagging behind the target". Dr
Chalardchai Ramittanond, an anthropologist at Chiang Mai
University states that this incident "is simply a ploy for the
government to support the idea that villagers are to be
blamed, that they should not be allowed to live in the forest."
This piece of news, reported by a Thai newspaper, shows us
another case of arbitrary detention of innocent and peaceful
people, blamed for illegally occupying and damaging the
forests. Meanwhile Thai authorities ignore the logging and
plantation activities that are in reality responsible for the
deforestation that affects the country.
Source: Vasana Chinvarakorn, Bangkok Post 19/5/1998.
Comments: WRM Secretariat.
**- The truth about Rio Tinto
At a meeting held last February in Johannesburg, South
Africa, a group of trade unionists from 14 countries
announced the launch of an international campaign against
the international mining company Rio Tinto. During the
meeting Bob Hawke, former Australian Prime Minister,
accused the company of "monumental hypocrisy".
Meanwhile, 51 Members of the House of Commons, in
London, supported a motion that "condems the activities of
Rio Tinto Corporation . . . probably the most uncaring and
ruthless company in the world judged by its appalling record
of human rights violations, community destruction,
environmental damage and disregard for the lives of
indigenous peoples."
A report titled "Undermined", prepared by OXFAM-
Australia, documents the loss of land and income, forced
evictions by the military, arbitrary arrests, pollution and
social upheaval suffered by the Indonesian communities
affected by PT KEM, in East Kalimantan, and PT Freeport in
West Papua. Both companies are owned -90% and 11,8%
respectively- by Rio Tinto (see WRM Bulletins 5 and 8).
As informed in WRM Bulletin nr. 10, a group of Dayaks
recently toured Australia seeking support for their struggle for
land rights and compensation for the social and
environmental damage caused by Australian-based mining
companies, among which Rio Tinto.
Source: Down to Earth 37, May 1998
**- Indonesia: local people burn oil palm plantation company's
base camp
A land dispute between local farmers from Kuala Batee and
the oil palm plantation company PT Cemerlang Abdi has
erupted into violent conflict. After several months of attempts
to negotiate over land rights, hundreds of angry villagers went
to PT Cemerlang Abdi's base camp and told the staff to leave.
They took away vehicles, heavy machinery and a generator
before burning the base camp to the ground. A security police
post was also burnt down.. No-one was killed, but six people
were shot and injured (two seriously) and 49 were held in
custody after security forces moved in.
The villagers claim that the company has violated their land
rights. The Government of South Aceh, where the conflict is
taking place, is seemingly moving to find a solution to the
controversy. According to the local administrator, the
government has settled a fair compensation to the farmers,
which would also be given 1,000 hectares of land to make up
for that taken from them by the company.
Source: Down to Earth, 37, May 1998.
NORTH AMERICA
- Canada: Victory of indigenous peoples in court
Daishowa Inc. is a Canadian corporation with
business premises in the provinces of Quebec,
Ontario and Manitoba, that operates in the paper,
packaging and sawmilling sectors. Daishowa is a
subsidiary of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co.
Ltd., a Japanese corporation. Daishowa Canada
Company Ltd, another subsidiary of the Japanese
holding, negotiated a Forest Management Agreement
("FMA") with the Government of Alberta in 1988
and. built a large pulp mill in Peace River, that would
be supplied with wood harvested from an area
ancestrally occupied by the Lubicon Cree First Nation
in northern Alberta. In 1992, Daishowa Canada
Company Ltd. transferred its interest in the pulp mill
and related logging rights to the Japanese owned
Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.
The Lubicon Cree took steps to protect their interests.
After two years of useless negotiations with the
company , the indigenous peoples contacted the
Toronto based NGO "Friends of the Lubicon". In
1991 they started a consumer boycott against paper
bags sold by Daishowa, stating that the company's
logging rights threatened the Lubicon's way of life.
This measure was addressed to put pressure to the
company and make it cease logging activities in the
contested area.
As a response, in 1997 the company sued Friends of
the Lubicon for damages caused by the boycott
action. In April 1998 the Ontario Court decided that
the consumer boycott lauched by Friends of the
Lubicon was not merely legal, but "a model of how
such activities should be conducted in a democratic
society". Dismissing the claims of the forestry
multinational for a permanent injunction, the Ontario
Court also observed that the protection of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms must be
extended to protect political expression on issues of
public importance. "The plight of the Lubicon is
precisely the type of issue that should generate
widespread public discussion", said Mr MacPherson,
member of the Court.
In Japan, a newly formed Lubicon support group met
with Daishowa and Marubeni executives in their head
office in Tokyo immediately after theOntario Court
decision and handed over a petition demanding them
not to appeal to the Higher Court. Canadian activists
have shown a cautious optimism and are considering
an end to the boycott. The company promised to stay
out of the area claimed by the Lubicon Cree First
Nation.
Source: Yoichi Kuroda, May 1998.
- SOUTH AMERICA
- Ecuador: Sign-on letter to protect UNESCO reserve from
oil exploitation.
The following includes a description of the situation facing
Yasuni National Park, a sign-on letter and an appeal to
remain in contact with the campaign. If you or your
organisation can sign on to the letter please respond to
amazonia@hoy.net. A copy of the letter will be delivered to
the President of Ecuador, the President of Petroecuador, the
President of UNESCO and to interested oil companies. If you
would like to send your own version please send a copy to us
at the same e-mail address or at the following Fax Number
593-2-527-583
Sincerely,
Gloria Chicaiza, Area de Petroleo, Accion Ecologica
Ecuador's Yasuni National Park once again under threat from
oil exploration
Despite the world's growing preoccupation about the burning
of fossil fuels and resulting climate change, the Ecuadorian
government is pressing ahead with plans to develop a field of
heavy crude in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the
country's Amazon region. Ecuador is not alone in its rush to
pump more oil. Most Latin American countries are planning
to increase production when conditions are favourable. But
increasing Ecuadorian production involves more than
production of CO2.
The major new project is the Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini
field located within Yasuni National Park, a UNESCO
biosphere reserve. The 900,000 hectare park, located in the
far Northwest of the country close to the border with Peru and
Colombia, is renowned worldwide for its high levels of
biodiversity. Over 200 species of trees have been identified
inside Yasuni and a recent scientific expedition has identified
over 825 species of woody plants in only a two hectare area.
The park also contains over 500 species of fish, over 500
species of birds and more than 100 species of mammals.
While the park is legally protected from exploitation of any
kind, two companies, Perez Compac of Argentina and Elf of
France are already drilling for, and/or producing oil, and
causing impacts within its boundaries. The Argentinean
company YPF is also producing in an area which was
originally within the park before its boundaries were changed
in order to facilitate oil production. Meanwhile, the new
project is expected to bring in another large oil company
(possibly Shell) together with Petroecuador.
Pressure to develop the field is high. Ecuador's overwhelming
external debt (45% of the state budget goes to debt interest
payments) plus pressure from international organisations such
the Multilateral Development Banks and the International
Monetary Fund, means that politicians are not receptive to
calls to protect the environment at the expense of the
economy. In fact, the ITT project, which will also be linked
to a smaller field in the neighbouring Cuyabeno animal
reserve, is being hailed as a way to save Petroecuador. The
state oil company is virtually bankrupt due to use of its
internal resources for other government priorities.
Drilling in the middle of the park will undoubtedly cause
extensive damage in all phases of exploration and production.
Apart from the almost inevitable spills and other types of
accidents, even the most "ecologically sound" production
methods still produces a barrel of liquid toxic waste for every
barrel of oil produced. Other impacts include the
deforestation associated with construction of pipelines,
heliports and drilling platforms, not to mention roads and the
inevitable colonisation that they bring.
But damage to the flora and fauna is not the only issue in
Yasuni. The park is also home to the Huaorani, an ethnic
minority which has already fallen victim to the impacts of
intrusion into their lands, their population having fallen from
over 25,000 when contact was first made, to around 3,000
today. If the field, which already has undergone
approximately 1,750 kms of seismic exploration, is
developed, the Huaorani will suffer further intrusions and
damage to their already threatened culture.
SIGN ON LETTER:
Dr. Fabian Alarcon
President
Republic of Ecuador
Dear Mr. President,
The undersigned organisations would like to make known
their opposition to the development of the Ishpingo
Tambococha Tiputini field and to the operation of other new
or existing oil wells in Yasuni National Park.
Yasuni contains biological treasures which the world can ill
afford to lose, and we must not allow this jewel of the natural
world to be affected by oil activity. The parks' boundaries
have already been changed in order to allow oil extraction,
and roads have been built through the northern wing of the
newly defined park, bringing colonisation and damage to the
inhabitants and biodiversity of the area. Any further assaults
on the integrity of the park will simply compound the already
serious damage done.
It is not sufficient to state that that any new oil activity will be
of the "environmentally sound" type, or carried out with state
of the art technology. Any form of oil activity produces
impacts, both in the exploration and extraction stages. Apart
from the almost inevitable spills and production of toxic
wastes, the construction of pipelines, the construction of the
drilling platforms, and the construction of helicopter landing
sites will all have a dramatic impact on the physical integrity
of the park and its diversity.
It is interesting to note that despite a discourse to the contrary,
damage has in fact already occurred in the drilling of
Petroecuadors exploratory wells in the area.
In recognition of its value to humanity, and in order to protect
it from exploitation, Yasuni has in fact been designated as
both a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, and as a National Park
by the Ecuadorian authorities. In the latter case the area is
legally protected under the 1981 Law of Forests and the
Conservation of Natural Areas and Wildlife, which states in
its definition of a national park that,
" the areas will be maintained in their natural condition in
order to preserve their ecological, aesthetic and cultural
features, prohibiting any form of exploitation or occupation"
[translation].
The political constitution of the Republic of Ecuador
guarantees state responsibility for maintaining the
environment free of contamination and for preserving the
natural environment.
However, the protection of the natural environment in Yasuni
is not the only concern. The park is home to ethnic cultures
such as the Huaorani. The survival of these peoples and their
culture has already been seriously compromised by existing
oil activity in and around the park and must therefore not be
subjected to any further oil exploration even on the most
"ecologically sound" basis.
The park and its inhabitants must not be affected by short
term economic demands which will compromise both the
integrity of this area and threaten the lives of hundreds of
Indigenous Ecuadorians.
We therefore demand that you, and the Ecuadorian Congress:
Respect the designation of Yasuni National Park as a
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and as a National Park
Respect the protection provided to the park by Ecuadorian
Law.
Reject any pressure to exploit this area.
Stop all other oil activity in this park.
Sincerely, the undersigned
**- Suriname: gold, coke and malaria
by Iwan Brave
The Venetiaan administration sold the rainforest bit by bit.
But the current Bouterse minded NDP government is having
a sell-off. Over half the territory of Suriname is already in
concession. A few people are getting very rich from this. The
inhabitants of the interior are being ignored. Time to get
together. Like in a village by the name of Pikin Slee.
PIKIN SLEE. Both English and Saramaccan is heard in the
open meeting hall of the Maroon village Pikin Slee on the
upper Suriname river. There is a blackboard on the platform,
showing a wavy line with little circles on both sides. They
represent the river and small villages in the river valley.
Symbols designate hunting areas and cultivated fields. Just
like a school lesson in geography. But the attentive
representatives of the villages know better.
It's a workshop "know your land rights" by Fergus Mackay,
human rights lawyer from London, working for the Forest
Peoples Programme. The workshop is a warming up for the
Krutu (tribal council) that will be held the next day. The
existance of the villages is threatened by new timber and gold
concessions, that are violating the rights of the population of
the interior.
The rainforest is of vital importance for the Surinamese
descendents of escaped slaves. Not just culturally or
religiously, but every village needs an area with a radius of 30
km for hunting, fishing, medicinal plants and construction
materials, as well as for agricultural fields. People wash
themselves in the rivers. Drinking water comes from
attributary creeks. And then there are places in the forest
where the dead are buried and where holy rites are performed.
Five thousand inhabitants counts Pikin Slee, beautifully
situated in a wide bend of the murmuring Upper Suriname
river, the second largest village of the Saramaccaner
Maroons. It can only be reached by canoe. A stranger will
easily loose his way between all these similar huts, with roofs
made of palm leaves. The other side of the river now has an
inviting sandy beach, due to the low waterlevel. Where the
shore is meters high, there is a stone staircase to the 'wash
place' where the women -often half naked- wash their clothes
or cooking gear, or catch fish. Children play there, completely
naked.
Peanuts and vegetables are planted inside the village, but the
real agricultural fields (kostgrond) are miles away. Pikin Slee
is a pagan village. There is no church, the people practice
obia and winti rituals. At the entrance of the village is an azan
pau, a sort of gate made of dry, young leaves of the palm tree.
Who comes from the outside, must pass underneath it, 'to
brush off evil'. Goats are not welcome, they could bring bad
luck. During its history Pikin Slee has been moved several
times, because a kunu (curse) became attached to the village,
as a result of manslaughter. The seketi is popular here, a
ceremony of women who sing about their disappointment or
their joy, while others stand around, clap hands rhythmicly
and dance with small paces. Short: Pikin Slee is full of
authentic culture and religion.
All this might be lost, if the issuing of further logging and
mining concessions is not put to a stop. A handful of top-
politicians and their friends are getting enormously rich from
this. Bouterse and some other military chiefs like Boerenveen
and Linscheer collected concessions for themselves and
others. Harvey Naarendorp, minister of Foreign Affairs
during the military government in the 80's and today
ambassador in Trinidad, owns, together with his cousin Henk,
6 logging and gold concessions under the name of NaNa
(Naarendorp & Naarendorp) Resources. Under the previous
Venetiaan administration, the Javanese leader 'Silent Willy'
Soemita paved the way for the Indonesion timber company
Musa. The Hindu clan around Mr. Mungra invited Beryaya.
The name of Ivan Graanoogst, governmental advisor and
assistant of Bouterse, pops up as contact man for Barito, a
new company that got a concession of 600,000 hectare (1.5
million acre) following the visit of president Wijdenbosch to
Indonesia, in October 1997.
During the Venetiaan adminstration the forest was sold bit by
bit, but under the current Bouterse minded NDP government
we see total sell-off. At least half -some say much more- of
Surinamese territory is already in concession, for either
exploitation or exploration. And for all these issues the same
applies: the inhabitants of the interior are treated as if they
don't exist.
So they'll have to manifest themselves. The lawyer Mr.
Mackay is teaching them how to map their 'lands for hunting
and living'. He tells the villagers that their land rights are
internationally recognized, on the basis of 'occupation and
use'. And the maps serve as 'official document'. He advises
his audience to collectively draw a map, in order to prevent
concessions from driving a wedge between the villages. He
illustrates this by drawing angular squares between the
circles, then erases them, and draws a wide, wavy ellipse
around the whole river basin. His audience expresses it's
approval.
'Not to recognize or respect land rights is a violation of
international human rights treaties' says Mackay. It seems that
the population of the interior may only be saved by the OAS
(Organization of American States) or the UN, if they force
Suriname to respect land rights. The Trio Indians are further
advanced with their land maps and they claim almost all of
South Suriname. 'It might not be entirely realistic, but it is a
starting position for negotiations' says Mackay.
The next morning, the rhythm of the apinti drum echoes
through the village, announcing the beginning of the Krutu.
The meeting hall fills up, mostly with men. Women and
children choose a modest place near the entrances. On the
first row are the Basjas, dressed in panjis. They are second in
rank, after the Captains of the villages. The village Elders are
sitting opposite the Basjas, facing them, with their backs to
the platform. The village Captains sit on the platform, nearly
motionless, in two rows. With their brown caps and colorful
dresses, it looks like they have been waiting for hours until an
official photo has been taken.
Outside flies the national flag. The opening rituals start with a
libation, which should appeace the ancestors. Because there
are also Christian villages present in the krutu, there is now a
series of prayers and citations from the Saramaccan
translation of the Bible. Not before an hour has passed, and
after the national hymn has been sung, may the Captains start
to speak, each in turn. When one of them has the word, he
addresses a Basja, and the Basja confirms his words: 'Yes,
that is true, you are not lying, it is as you say'. The rhythm in
this manner of speach guarantees that everyone's attention
stays focussed.
Tacoba is another new timber company that was invited to
the country last year, after Bouterse came back from China in
triumph, with some gratuities. The company got a timber
concession and two 'incidental' logging permits, together
good for over 150,000 hectare (370,000 acre).
In the case of Tacoba, the villagers were suddenly confronted
with numerous 'Chinese Chinese' (as opposed to Surinamese
Chinese), with whom they could not communicate, and also
with armed men who forbid them to open up fields for
agriculture. The Captain of an 'encapsulated' village reports
with trembling voice how the Chinese shit everywhere,
violating all rules of hygiene.
An atmosphere of desperation arises. Many people present
did not believe these rumours before, but now they hear it
from the members of their own tribe. It is their greatest fear,
not to be able to go to the forest. Sad enough, the direct
reason for this krutu is the fact that 'even' Granman (Chief of
the tribe) Songo Aboikoni did apply for a gold and logging
concession for the area - behind the backs of his subjects.
'One thing must be clear' says the Captain of Pikin Slee with
strong voice, 'it is not our intention to fight again for this
forest. Our ancestors did that already.' Another Captain: 'We
were not taken all the way from Africa to be sold here again'.
The commotion increases when it is reported that a 're-
registration' of hunting rifles will soon take place. The last
one was 10 years ago. Who does not have a valid permit will
have to 'temporarily' hand over his rifle. There is almost
nobody who still has this piece of paper. One of the people
present points out the 'true intention' of this measure: this re-
registration makes the people of the interior powerless in
advance, in case the situation should escalate. 'This
government is not the same as the previous one of two years
ago' he says, refering to the military background of the NDP.
'So let them come here and try to arrest us or try to confiscate
our hunting rifles' says a fierce voice from the audience.
When the evening approaches, and the Krutu has ended with
a seketi dance and the apinti drum, all that's left is a general
feeling of disbelief. It was decided to send a delegation to the
Granman, and ask him whether he really acted 'in the best
interest of his people', as he claims.
If the Krutu, where every Captain can have his say, is
exemplary for the effectivity of the Maroon responce, we may
fear the worst. The rate at which logging is going on, and the
speed at which rivers are polluted with heavy metals from
goldmining, is many times higher.
The Indonesian timber companies claim to exploit the forest
in a sustainable manner. Regarding their bad reputation, this
is very questionable. Musa has been put under guardianship
in their own country, because of their 'destructive' logging
methods. Beryaya was banned from the Solomon Islands,
because of 'attempt to bribe government officials'. And Barito
was involved in illegal destruction of communal forests in
South Sumatra.
Sustainability is also in Suriname an empty keyword. 'It is the
task of the government to supervise production, but there are
so many bribes passing over and under the table that they can
do as they please' says a biologist. He believes that Bouterse
'personally and as a go-between' supplies logs to Musa.
'The reality is hit and run' confirms Roy Hilgerink, who is a
forestry specialist of the department of Bostoezicht (Forest
Control) of Lands Bosbeheer (LBB, National Forestry
Department). This department is in charge of supervision, but
only has three landrovers. Roads are made in the forest,
without any previous recognition. When they happen upon a
swamp, the bulldozers just change direction. Sometimes hills
must give way. Creeks are filled up, thus causing small
artificial lakes, and they in turn are causing parts of the forest
to die. 'That's a practice I see mainly with Musa' says
Hilgerink, who is showing aerial photographs.
Hilgerink describes the situation of foreign loggers as
'exploitation'. 'Those guys get a chainsaw and are left alone in
the forest. They level as many trees as they can, because they
are payed by the cubic meter. Much of the wood is rejected
late.
While a few individuals are getting very rich from these
concessions, there is hardly anything flowing into the state's
treasury. Companies are enjoying a 'tax-break' of 5 years. And
the tax laws themselves are from 1947, completely outdated,
certainly when you look at recent hyperinflation. Per log the
average 'retribution' still is 5 Surinamese guilders, which is
about 1 cent today. LBB touched 2.7 million Surinamese
guilders last year. 'You can't even keep a car on the road from
that' says Hilgerink. He also tells the story of a high
government official, who had a side job in lumber trade.
There was a proposal to augment retribution to 3 dollars per
log - but in his own best interest he put this proposal 'in his
desk drawer'.
Goldmining made the situation critical. Rivers and creeks are
being polluted at a high rate. Canadian companies Golden
Star and Cambior are working near the village of Nieuw
Koffiekamp. In Guyana, Golden Star caused the largest
pollution disaster since 20 years. In 1995 all life was
extinguished from river Omai, as a result of severe cyanide
pollution, following a dam breach.
The gold reserves in Nieuw Koffiekamp are estimated at 2.4
million ounces. Just like anywhere, local land rights are
ignored and the population is kept out by armed people.
There are thousands of 'garimpeiros' in the interior at the
moment. There is 'no supervision at all' on the working
methods of these Brazilian goldminers. 'These individual
goldminers cause an ecological disaster' says Hilgerink. 'I am
not an expert where mining is concerned, but when you see
all these discoloured rivers from the air, you know something
is terribly wrong. And thanks to the roads of the logging
companies, the forest is conveniently opened up for these
goldminers.'
In Guyana and Brazil the army chases the garimpeiros out,
but in Suriname they can 'do as they please', just like the
loggers. Moreover, in the Marowijne area, in Eastern
Suriname, which probably holds the largests gold reserves,
the military are involved in mining. This territory of the
Aukaner Maroons (Ndyuka) is known as 'gold, coke and
many cases of malaria'.
Desi Bouterse reassured the population of the interior during
his election campain in 1996: the NDP would put a halt to the
sale of the forest. They all creduously voted for the NDP.
Now it turns out that Bouterse is the sly fox, preaching
Passion. On a regular basis the interior recieves tools, cassave
graters, outboard engines, electricity generators and
telecommunication posts. 'But those are all sops' says Hugo
Jabini (35), president of the NDP-branch in the Boven-
Suriname region. 'In the meantime, billions of Suriname
guilders worth are taken out of the forest, and perhaps just 20
Maroons get a job there, at a meager wage.'
Jabini also complains about the undervaluation of Maroons
during the formation of the government. 'None of us became
Minister or Secretary of State. High ranking people
sometimes attend festivities, usually bringing much liquor
and food, but local people don't get a chance to talk with
them.' The Krutu was an initiative of Jabini and others, who
wanted to expose the sly practices of Granman Aboikoni.
Quite revolutionary, because in Saramaccan tradition it is not
done to openly debate the acts of a Granman.
The NDP is also getting tired of this revolutionary attitude of
Jabini. On the day after the Krutu he was carpeted. 'Their
reproach is that I am mixing in politics, but the only thing I
want is to be receptive and to make my people aware of their
land rights. As ordinary citizen you are not allowed to make
any demands in Suriname'. Jabini says he does not want to let
the NDP down. 'But when our interests are in danger, he was
carpeted.
Note: Originally published in De Groene Amsterdammer, 1
April 1998. Translated from Dutch by Marco Bleeker,
published on Chez Marco's with approval of Iwan Brave.
**- Indigenous communities against logging company in
Bolivia
Bolivian forests are among the richest in the world in terms
of biodiversity, with more than 2500 species of trees.
Protected areas include some 9,5 million hectares and
Indigenous areas about 1 million hectares, while more than
21 million hectares have been granted in forestry concessions,
in line with the Bolivian forestry law passed in 1996.
The Chimane, Mosetene and Tacana indigenous communities
of Pilon Lajas Indigenous Territories and Biosphere Reserve
in northern Bolivia have joined forces with the Rurrenabaque
municipal government and the French NGO Veterinarians
Without Borders (Veterinaires Sans Frontieres - VSF), to ban
the Berna logging company from the reserve. The company
has a logging contract that enables it to remain in the area
until the year 2011.
Berna, together with independent loggers, is deforesting the
area at a high rate, even if it is supposed to be a protected
one. "For every mahogany trunk they take out, they cut down
seventy more trees getting to it" states Mosetene
representative Macario Canare. Hunting grounds on which
indigenous peoples depend are also under threat.
Previous action of indigenous peoples and environmentalists
in the region proved succesfull. In 1996, VSF sued the Bella
Vista and El Pino logging companies for working without
contracts and forced them to suspend operations. A third one,
Selva Negra Co., left the region voluntarily.
Even though they recognize that the struggle will be difficult,
since Berna is a powerful company and that the logging
industry is important to the local economy, the indigenous
communities of Pilon Laja are determined to protect their
livelihood and environment.
Source: Abya Yala Vol 11, Nr 1, Spring 1998
**- Venezuela: National Meeting in Defence of the Gran
Sabana and Sierra de Imataca
The Penon indigenous peoples of Venezuela are inviting to a
meeting which will be held at Kumarakapay (San Francisco
de Yuruani), la Gran Sabana, on June 25 - 28. The idea is to
bring together all those wishing to defend the ancestral rights
of indigenous peoples to their territory, cultural identity and
self determination rights, and to protect the environment.
The Penon are being threatened by the recently subscribed
Protocol of Guzmania, agreed between the governments of
Brazil and Venezuela, according to which a Venezuela-Brazil
power transmission line will cross their territories. This
Protocol ignores that such territories are a Colective Property
of the Indigenous Peoples and therefore violates Art. 11 of
Convention 107 of the International Labour Organization,
subscribed by Venezuela in 1983. It also violates Art 77 of
the National Constitution.
The construction of the transmission line will not only
generate environmental impacts on itself, but will also pave
the way for a destructive development model involving
logging, mining, oil exploration and urban development
which will deplete the local natural resources and have grave
cultural impacts on the local indigenous peoples.
Source: AMIGRANSA 28/5/98. For further information
about the meeting, please contact AMIGRANSA
**- Uruguay: anti-pulpwood plantation movement on the rise
The situation in Uruguay, where Parliament unanimously
passed a forestry law in 1987 to promote industrial tree
plantations with almost no opposition from civil society
organizations, has radically changed since then. In spite of
almost total governmental and academic support to
eucalyptus and pine tree plantations, NGO-led opposition has
totally changed the scenario. As informed in Bulletin nr 3, the
WRM secretariat facilitated the creation of an NGO coalition
(the Guayubira Group), which has since been at the centre of
a number of anti-plantation and anti pulp mill activities.
The Guayubira Group actively supported a local struggle in
the densely planted area of Rio Negro against the installation
of a pulp mill near the city of Fray Bentos, which has resulted
in the detention of a process which seemed to be impossible
to halt. The increasing requirements over environmental
controls -mostly resulting from organized public pressure-
have apparently made the company desist to build the
projected pulp mill.
In the forestry area, the exponential increase of plantations
(from some 2,000 annual hectares in the early 1980s to more
than 50,000 hectares annually at present), the increased
presence of multinationals and foreign capitals investing in
plantations and the impacts that such plantations are now
having on society and the environment, have resulted in an
increasing -though largely uncoordinated- opposition front,
including NGOs, trade unions, parliamentarians, cattle-
ranchers, farmers, local people and concerned individuals.
This has recently led to contradictions within the government
itself, where the pro-plantation lobby is losing ground. A few
days ago, the Minister of the Environment declared in the
state-owned television channel that plantations seem to be
having a strong negative impact on soils and water and that
his ministry will present an initiative to Parliament to remove
all subsidies currently being provided to the plantation
industry. An important, though yet insufficient step forward.