In July, over 60 Russian environmental leaders, including former environmental advisor to Boris Yeltsin, Alexei Yablokov, sent a letter of protest over the situation to World Bank President James Wolfensohn. "It was demolished," Washington Post later quoted Yablokov saying about the environmental agency abolishment.

Four months after the agency abolishments, there is ample evidence that the reform effort is damaging the country's already compromised ability to protect the environment. There have been numerous staff cuts. Some employees of the agency have changed their stand on issues in order to retain their jobs in the Ministry of Natural Resources. For instance, one regional head in Kamchatka recently abandoned his support for a United Nations program protecting two key salmon watersheds that are also coveted by the Ministry of Natural Resources for their gold and gas deposits. The reason, local activists say, is that he is concerned about keeping his job under the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, Russia's leading environmental law firm, Ecojuris, is suing the government, calling the agencies' abolishment unconstitutional. "By supporting the abolishment of these agencies and the inferior restructuring of their functions under the Natural Resource Ministry, the World Bank is undermining environmental protection and the rule of law in Russia," said Jozsef Feiler, Policy Coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network.

Alarmed by the dangerous direction the government is taking, Russian NGOs throughout the country are gathering signatures to initiate a Referendum, demanding that the Russian government:

1) Restore an independent Federal Forest Service;

2) Restore an independent environmental protection agency; and

3) Allow no movement of nuclear waste into Russia from abroad.

Russians must gather 2 million signatures by October 26. Currently they have over 1.5 million.

WE CAN HELP BY APPLYING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE:

SIGN ON to the letter to the Russian government that supports the Russian peoples' demands. To sign on e-mail your name, organization (if you have one), city, state and country by October 26 to Pat Rasmussen: prasmussen@igc.org 

Dr. Manoel Sobral Filho, Executive Director, ITTO
And Heads of Delegations of Member Countries

Dr. Filho and ITTO Member Countries:

� Having learned that the ITTO has issued its report examining the implementation of the ITTO's Year 2000 Objective --the highly publicized goal of having gall tropical timber entering international trade come from sustainably managed sources by 2000th-- we are concerned that after almost ten years there has been little achievement to reach the Objective.

� In particular, despite some activities that to some extent addressed the problems in Sarawak, Malaysia, there have been no improvements made there. We understand that logging in this state has reached the final stages near the Indonesian border, where the last hunters-and-gatherers of the Penan have been struggling to defend the remaining intact forests and are struggling for their very survival. In addition, oil palm plantation development schemes have been further clearing the remaining secondary forests and deepening the impoverishment of the native population in the state. Furthermore, Acacia mangium plantation projects for pulp and paper production have threatened over a million hectares of forests and customary land of Dayak communities as a result of illegal appropriation. These situations show that indigenous people's participation in decision-making and their land rights have been ignored. Recently we have been receiving reports that in desperation the Penan people in the upper Baram have filed a lawsuit against illegal encroachment and destructive logging operations within their customary lands. 

� We would like to know how ITTO and member governments see the present situation in Sarawak and ask why nothing has been achieved despite ITTO's intentions to achieve a reduction of logging in Sarawak (AAC). 

� We are also concerned that Indonesia, another major tropical timber  exporting country, failed to achieve sustainability in their forest management policies and practices. Although the widespread existence of illegal logging practices is commonly known among NGOs and governments, there has been little improvement in the situation, despite the efforts of many NGOs and peoples' organizations. In fact, documented illegal logging  seems to have increased to a reported 70% of logging, according to government sources.

� These two countries are merely features of the worldwide trends of the destruction of tropical forest ecosystems. Both exporting and importing governments should more aggressively seek solutions to halt the forest crisis. We urge the ITTO and member countries show the world how you will address and resolve the problems in Indonesia and Sarawak--two significant examples of the dramatic failure to achieve the ITTO's Year 2000 Objective.

� Therefore, we request responses from the ITTO and member countries on these three points.
1. We urge you to conduct a proper evaluation among the member governments on these subjects during next ITTC and review the lack of actions taken to achieve the Year 2000 Objective by member countries.
2. The least ITTO should be doing is drafting an action plan to address illegal commercial logging and urge its members to follow the UK in stating it will develop a plan to stop the import of illegally harvested timber in order to reinforce the law enforcement in exporting countries.
3. Finally, if ITTO fails to respond to these issues by concrete and effective measures, how can you justify the existence of the ITTO?

We urge you to consider these three points and request a response on whether and how the ITTO will address them. A reply would be appreciated before the next ITTO session in Yokohama, at the latest by October 25th. 

Sincerely,

We urge you to send the letter and to let us know at: wrm@wrm.org.uy 

They are asking for your urgent support to fax letters (see sample letter) to President Fujimori, the Minister of Mines, and other officials requesting that the government:

1) cancel all mining concessions in indigenous territories in Madre de Dios,
and refrain from granting new concessions in these areas.
2) establish a special program for controlled mining activities to be carried out by and for the exclusive benefit of indigenous communities on their lands.
3) declare the area inhabited by the uncontacted indigenous peoples "off
limits" until their territorial reserve is established.

Please send letters as soon as possible to support these indigenous communities.

For more information or pictures of the impact of mining in Madre de Dios, please contact the Alliance coordinating office at amazon@amazonalliance.org 
or 1-202-785-3334 or email FENAMAD at fenamad@mail.tambo.com.pe