WRM Action Alerts - Sample letter: Brazil 031201

Sample letter:
Brazil: Protect Amazon Rivers, Forests and Activists

MURDER IN THE AMAZON - The Belo Monte dam's most prominent critic was Ademir Alfeu Federicci, known to his neighbors as Dema. In addition to voicing environmental and human rights concerns, Dema denounced corruption among Xingu government officials who stand to gain from Eletronorte's compensation payments. Instead of opening serious democratic debate about the project, Eletronorte has intimidated opposition groups. In a letter to the president, Dema wrote, "All public meetings against the dam have been filmed by police and intelligence forces. This is unacceptable in a debate over the future of the Amazon." At dawn on August 25 in his home, 36-year-old Dema was shot in the head in front of his wife and children. More than 3,000 people attended his funeral the next day. MDTX leaders have no confidence in local authorities who are unlikely to investigate the powerful interests behind the murder. Indeed, they are investigating it as a robbery-homicide, although nothing was stolen from Dema's home. Intimidation and fear reign in the region, where a newspaper recently printed a death list of 24 activists.

WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS - The World Commission on Dams was convened by the World Bank to review the performance of large dams and make recommendations for future planning of water and energy projects worldwide. Twelve Commissioners from industry, financial institutions, environmental organizations and dam-affected communities produced a final report (www.dams.org) which found that large dams do not produce as much electricity, provide as much water or control as much flood damage as their backers claim. They regularly suffer huge cost overruns. Worldwide, large dams have forced 40-80 million people from their homes; people living downstream of dams suffer increased disease and loss of sustenance. Environmental damage includes the extinction of many fish and other aquatic species, huge losses of forest, wetland and farmland.

Based on these findings, the World Commission on Dams recommends that:

- governments should maximize the efficiency of existing water and energy systems before building any new dam;
- no dam should be built without the agreement of the affected people.

The International Rivers Network and dam-affected peoples are urging governments worldwide to adopt and implement these recommendations. See: www.irn.org.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN BRAZIL - Through conquest, colonization and "development," dozens of Brazil's indigenous cultures have been exterminated. An estimated indigenous population of 6 million in the 1500s has been reduced to barely 300,000 today. Over 30 years of struggle, Brazilian Indians have won official recognition of their land rights to 20% of the Amazon Basin. Still, indigenous lands are often invaded or threatened by large-scale development schemes.