ACTION ALERT

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Colombian Environmental Protections and Indigenous Rights Under Siege

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives

http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest Conservation

6/27/99

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

Colombia's government has moved to abolish environmental licensing and

impact assessment requirements. Such a move impoverishes future

generations for temporary economic gains based upon ecosystem

liquidations. Please take the time to respond to Rainforest Action

Network's request for emails on the matter.

g.b.

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Title: Colombian Environmental Protections and Indigenous Rights

Under Siege

Source: Rainforest Action Network

http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/aa/uwa_990616.html

Status: Distribute freely with credit given to source

Date: June 16, 1999

In a step that threatens indigenous peoples' rights and territories,

members of the Colombian government have moved to abolish many of the

licenses and impact assessments required for mineral, oil, logging and

hydroelectric projects.

Colombia's fragile ecosystem and the rights of Colombia's indigenous

peoples, the latter which have been procured through decades of

struggle and martyrdom, are under attack from members of the

government of President Andres Pastrana and of the Colombian Congress

who are attempting to eliminate these important environmental

licensing procedures.

In recent weeks the president of Colombia has enacted a presidential

decree which threatens to significantly weaken the licensing and

impact assessments required by the nation's Ministry of the

Environment for mineral, oil, logging and hydroelectric projects. This

move appears to be aimed at appeasing transnational corporations which

are very critical of environmental and social requirements regulating

their resource extraction schemes. Now members of Congress are working

to pass the decree into more permanent legislation. The licensing

procedure as it has stood has helped to safeguard the constitutionally

and internationally sanctioned rights of Colombia's indigenous

communities to cultural, physical and territorial integrity. It

requires a study of the consequences of projects on local ecosystems

and communities as well as consultation with affected groups.

"If the licensing procedure is eliminated, it will strip indigenous

communities of the legal tools we need to defend our security, our

culture and the habitat which sustains us. This is unconstitutional

and illegal," explains Ebaristo Tegria, legal advisor for the U'wa

people of Colombia's northeastern cloud forest. It was the U'wa

community that three U.S. indigenous rights leaders - Terence Freitas,

29, Lahe'ena'e Gay, 39, and Ingrid Washinawatok - were visiting last

February when they were abducted and murdered by Colombian guerrillas.

They join a long list of Colombian indigenous leaders who have been

assassinated in the struggle to uphold indigenous sovereignty.

The U'wa and leaders from a majority of Colombia's some 80 indigenous

pueblos have asked international organizations and individuals

concerned about indigenous rights, biodiversity, human rights,

ecological balance and cultural sovereignty to pressure the Colombian

government and Congress to uphold the environmental licensing

procedures.

What You Can Do!

Your voice can have an impact. One minute of your time can make a

difference. Please send an email to the following Colombian official

today (and a copy to RAN at BeyondOil@ran.org.)

Presidente Andres Pastrana

pastrana@presidencia.gov.co

Presidente de la Republica Colombiana

Shannon Wright

BeyondOil@ran.org

Rainforest Action Network

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