WRM Action Alerts - June 2001

Friends of the Earth: Demand European action on Climate Change

[This action expires 13th June 2001]

In March the US announced they would pull out of the Kyoto Protocol - the ONLY international treaty on action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and
stop climate change. THIS THURSDAY 14, US President George W Bush will meet with European leaders and will try to push a new US proposal on climate.
Europe must stand firm on the Kyoto Protocol - it's taken 10 years of negotiations to get this far - we need action NOW!

Last year's climate talks broke down due to US demands for loopholes in the Kyoto treaty. European negotiators had argued for stronger action to protect our climate. Europe must now ensure the Kyoto agreement comes into force with or without the US!

*ACT NOW!* EMAIL European Commission President *ROMANO PRODI*,
plus European heads Goran Persson and Guy Verhofstadt and demand REAL
action on climate change.

You'll find a letter to Prodi, Persson and Verhofstadt at:
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/email_prodi/

International Rivers Network: Demand that Colombian Activist Kimi Pernia Domico Be Freed Immediately!

URGENT ACTION -- SIGN ON LETTER:
Indigenous Leader Affected by Urra Dam was Kidnapped on June 2

The Embera-Katío people from Colombia need your immediate action to get KIMI PERNIA DOMICO freed alive from armed groups which have abducted him. Three armed men on motorcycles kidnapped Kimi, a very important traditional leader of the Embera-Katío people of the Alto Sinú Basin on Saturday, June 2 at 6:30 P.M. in Tierralta, Córdoba.

We urge you to endorse the letter to be sent to Colombia's President, Andrés Pastrana. Click here to read the letter. Please send your endorsement to monti@irn.org as soon as possible (preferably before Monday, June 11).
Please include your name, organization and country. Individuals can also
sign without affiliation.

Native Forest Network: GE Tree protest coming up

Native Forest Network is organizing an opposition to the development of transgenic trees on July 21 and 22:

"Over the last few years many companies and universities have field-tested genetically engineered trees and they are planning to release them into the wild on a commercial scale soon.

Genetically Engineered Trees not only carry new genes they also carry unpredictable effects and dangers to the environment. Whether we are campaigning on genetic engineering, logging, environmental justice, wilderness, patents on life, loss of biodiversity and indigenous culture or globalization, genetic engineering of trees affects all of these issues. Trees are the oldest and largest organisms on the planet. Some of them have genomes 8 times larger than the human genome.

We cannot and should not alter their genomes that have developed and adapted to the environment over millions of years. Already we have seen that experiments with transgenic trees have gone wrong, creating serious negative impacts on the environment.

Let us not wait until GE trees are grown commercially all over the world. We have to let the public, the industry and the universities know that we will not sit and watch until genetic pollution from transgenic trees covers our forests.

Once the trees are released they will contaminate surrounding forests and downstream ecosystems, and upset the ecological balance of forest communities. It cannot be recalled."

Read more on the dangers of GE trees on www.gaaget.org (Global Alliance Against Genetically Engineered Trees).

"The biotech industry needs to know we do not accept their vision of complete biological domination and commodification of all life on this planet.

Here are a number of things you can do to get involved:

* Contact us!! Let us know if you can help.
e-mail: gaaget@gaaget.org
web: www.gaaget.org
tel: 503 239 6841
GE-tree Conference / PO Box 15289 / Portland, Oregon 97293

* Check out our website and the conference website.

* Spread this information far and wide.

* Include information on the protest and conference on your email lists, pamphlets, magazines etc.

* Come to Portland on the 21 and 22 of July!

Urgent petition. Brazil: No more "green deserts"!

[This action expires 20th June 2001]

Once again we need from all of you. We now require your support to the
people of the State of Espirito Santo/Brazil, in their struggle against the
expansion of monocultures of tree plantations.

As we denounced in our last issue, in the State of Espirito Santo, the
multinational Aracruz Celulose is expanding its monoculture in new areas.
This is being done through two different mechanisms, on the one hand,
through the purchase of new land, and on the other, through the plantation
of eucalyptus on lands owned by third parties with the support of the state
initiative "Fomento Florestal" ( see the article in our report at:
http://wrm.org.uy/bulletin/46.html#Brazil2 )

A law that forbids the plantation of eucalyptus trees in new areas has
already been passed by the Legislative Assembly of Espirito Santo, and is
now under consideration of the Governor Jose Ignacio for its enactment or
veto by June 20.

Our friends, organized into the " Forum Alert Against the Green Desert ",
are thus requiring our collaboration to flood the e-mail addresses of the
members of Espirito Santo Government, with our demand for the approval of
such law.

The expansion of the "green desert" on the lands of Espirto Santo should not be accepted!

We therefore request you to send letters to the State Authorities with a
copy to national representatives requesting the immediate approval of the law is enclosed below.

We appreciate your endorsement. Click here for sample letter (in Portuguese).

PERU: Uncontacted Peoples threatened again by loggers' invasion

In these moments, Madre de Dios is living through one of the most chaotic moments in its history with regards to forest extraction. Hundreds of loggers who are anxious to extract mahogany (Swetenia macrophylla) have descended upon the forests in the north of the department, territory of the indigenous peoples in isolation who are highly vulnerable to common illnesses and whom we have been working to protect for many years. We have proposed to the government that it create a territorial reserve or a protected area for these peoples. Nevertheless, to date we have not received any response and now with the presence of these loggers, our indigenous brothers and sisters are facing a great risk of death.

Given the seriousness of these acts, we see the necessity to come before you again to request your solidarity in demanding that the Peruvian state protect the life and territory of our indigenous brothers and sisters living in isolation, before the situation leads to tragedy.

Please fax letters immediately to Peruvian government officials requesting that they stop hundreds of loggers from invading the territory of the uncontacted indigenous tribes of Madre de Dios.

Letters should be directed to the following persons:

Dr. Valentin Paniagua Curazao
Presidente de la Republica del Peru
Fax: 011 511 426 6770

Ing Carlos Amat y Leon
Ministro de Agricultura
Fax: 011 511 431 0035

Ing Matias Prieto Celi
Jefe del Instituto Nacional del Recursos Naturales-INRENA
Fax: 011 511 224 3218

Dra. Susana Villaran de La Puente
Ministra de la Mujer
Fax: 011 511 426 3920

Dr. Walter Alban Peralta
Defensor del Pueblo
Fax: 011 511 426 7800

Click here to read the letter sent to the President of the Republic, Valentin Paniagua Curazao, denouncing these actions. Native Federation of Madre de Dios Rivers and Tributaries thanks you for your continuing support in defense of the indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon.

Indonesia: Efforts to save last stands of RAMIN-trees

As you may know, as a step towards tackling rampant illegal logging in the country, Indonesia recently listed the tropical hardwood species ramin on Appendix III of CITES with a zero quota. Powerful parties with vested interests are now pressurizing the Indonesian government to overturn the listing.

Click here to read a sign on being organised by EIA and its Indonesian campaign partners, Telapak Indonesia, in support of the ramin listing.

Your support would be very much appreciated in helping to maintain this important step forward.

Click here to read a petition in support of listing Ramin from Indonesia on CITES Appendix III with a zero quota.

Pressure is being unfairly applied to the authorities in Indonesia to reverse the decision, and we believe that support from the international community would be of great value in maintaining this important listing.

To sign-on on behalf of your organisation:

Indonesian organisations - email Hapsoro at Telapak - hapsoro@telapak.org

US organisations - email Geetha at EIA US - geetha@eia-international.org

Other organisations - email Nick at EIA UK - nickmole@eia-international.org