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WRM Bulletin
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WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES - Conferences and course in Ecuador Ricardo Carrere went to Ecuador invited by the Third World Ecological Studies Institute (Instituto de Estudios Ecologistas del Tercer Mundo) to deliver a number of conferences and a one week course of forests and plantations. Quito, Riobamba, Esmeraldas and Cuenca were the cities where the conferences were held, with an average of 100 people attending each. The course took place in the Amazonia. In all cases the audience was very broad, including environmentalists, foresters, development NGOs, students, teachers, representatives from indigenous and peasant organizations, FAO, government officials and even the military. The organizers also managed to open up spaces in a number of local radio programmes with a wide audience. WRM opinions on deforestation (also including mangrove destruction by shrimp farming) and industrial plantations (including eucalyptus, pine trees and oil palms) were quite easily understood by most, except for foresters! As a follow up, Ricardo wrote an article on the forest and plantation issue in Ecuador, published in Spanish in the Third World Network magazine Revista del Sur. Anyone interested in a copy of the article please let us know.
WRM CAMPAIGNS - Concern for events in Sarawak On April 17th we sent a letter to the Primer Minister and to the Inspector General of Police in Malaysia on the arrest and ill-treatment suffered by four Penan natives, who were claiming against the destructive activities of a logging company (probably Samling). On April 30th messages were sent to the Chief Minister of Sarawak and to the Prime Minister of Malaysia expressing our concern for the arrest of three members of the Dayak Ibans people happened a few days before and requesting that the legitimous rights of indigenous peoples of Sarawak be respected. They were prossecuted under the false accusation of having intimidated, threatened and assaulted a group of workers of Nation Mark Sdn Bhd, a company that has been destroying the forest by cleaning up lands for the commercial plantation of palm trees. Brought to Court on May 3rd. they were released after having executed a bond to keep peace. The prisoners refused to consider themselves as guilty for having peacefully defended their rights. - Brazil: Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples vs Aracruz Cellulose Thanks to the letter campaign and the pressure from Brazilian and international organizations and institutions, FUNAI (the State Agency on Indigenous Peoples issues) published in the official gazette -with considerable delay- the identification reports on the extension and demarcation of the indigenous lands of Tupinikim and Guarani on January 13th. Eight days later Aracruz Celulose filed its response, aimed at proving that the company is the legitimate owner of the land presently claimed by the Tupinikim. The company choses to ignore history, since the Tupinikim already occupied a vast territory -that is currently part of the States of Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Bahia- when the Portuguese arrived at the beginning of the XVI century. In 1610 the Portuguese Crown gave back to the Tupinikim one "sesmaria" of land they asked as first people in the region. The presence of Tupinikim in the area was also already recorded in reports of 1912 and 1919 by the Indian Protection Service. Since 1934 the Brazilian Constitution guarantees the rights of indigenous peoples to the possesion of their traditional lands, which cannot even be handed over to third parties. In 1960 a group of Guarani arrived at the region in their search for "the land without evil", they were received by the Tupinikim and stayed there since. A number of national and international organizations -as well as the Government of Espirito Santo- support the indigenous peoples claim for a further 13759 hectares, situated next to their present reserves. Due to the expansion of eucalyptus plantations following deforestation by Aracruz Celulose, the Tupinikim had been forced to abandon part of their ancestral territories, which are now being claimed as necessary for the maintenance of their traditional subsistence economy and livelihood based on forest resources. On April 22nd, the WRM Secretariat sent a letter to FUNAI expressing our support to its decission in favour of the indigenous peoples claim and one to the Minister of Justice of Brazil asking him to finally establish the limits of the territories according to Tupinikim and Guarani legitimate rights. Representatives of these indigenous peoples are up to travel to Great Britain and Norway, during two weeks, to let NGOs, governments and companies know their points of view and details of their struggle. On arriving back home a press conference will be held. Source: Based on information provided by CIMI, May 1997.
LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS - Problems with oil exploration in Colombia Last February the Colombian Environment Ministry issued an authorization for oil exploration by Oxy, a branch of the US company Occidental, to start in indigenous territory on the border with Venezuela, considered one of the largest oil fields of the hemisphere. To stop the beginning of the activities of the company, about 4,000 members of the U'wa tribe recently threatened to commit mass suicide if oil exploration takes place on their ancestral lands. "All honorable men and women understand that the path one follows by causing wounds to mother Earth is a deadly one," said Jose Cobaria said, a spokesperson of the U'wa. He issued an appeal for help from the international community, "so that they help the white man (Oxy) understand the meaning of the life of the people and animals" who live on the tribal lands Source: Amazon Coalition Action Alert/ Update February 4, 5, 1997; Associated Press, February 3, 1997. - Shell Oil menaces the Amazon indigenous in Peru Shell Oil has plans to start drilling for natural gas this July in a rainforest area that Peru's government set aside as a homeland for so-called "uncontacted" indigenous people, inhabited by the Nahua and Kugakopori in the Urubamba River valley, a biodiversity rich area. Even if - to avoid any possible charges of environmental damage- Shell has vowed to refrain from causing any negative environmental impact, some charges of environmental damage, like alteration of the water and problems in hunting and fishing have already begun to come in. As Shell itself admits bigger problems can be expected when the extraction of natural gas begins: heavy metal pollution due to waste material from the wells, massive flares in the forest and risk of explosion caused by gas escaping. Source: Rainforest Action Network Action Alert January/February 1997; InterPress Service, January 30, 1997. - Indonesian forests under threat An enormous pulp mill - PT TEL- is being established in South Sumatra by a syndicate of foreign banks and export credits from Europe, North America and Japan. The agreement for nearly US1billion was signed in March. PT TEL involves a number of Barito Pacific subsidiaries, President Suharto's daughter Tutut and Japanese companies. Mature rainforest, local people's plantations and farms are being destroyed to make way for the paper pu lp mill at Tanjung Enim and the industrial timber estates to supply it. Local communities have been forced off their land with little compensation and no alternative means of making a living. Source: Down to Earth Newsletter Nr. 32, February 1997. - Indigenous protest in Santiago, Chile A large Mapuche and Pehuenche march took place in Santiago on May 14th against the actions of the Chilean government in order to deny indigenous rights guaranteed by the Chilean law. The present protest was preceeded by the occupation of the headquaters of CONADI (Commission of Indigenous Development) last April and the cancellation by President Frei of the II Conference of the Indigenous Peoples Fund to be held in Santiago on May 14-15th. Indigenous from Chile are critical regarding the "development" projects of the government that, being supported and financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and other funding agencies, menace their territories. To express your solidarity to the indigenous peoples from Chile you are invited to send messages to: Mr. President of Chile Mr. President of the Interamerican Development Bank - Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity David Hathaway (Brazil), has informed us that a volume of the Global Biodiversity Assessment (UNEP), entitled "Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity" is being prepared. It will include opinions and experiences of indigenous, traditional and local communities. Articles, poems, art works, pieces of music, photos on this issue are welcome to show that biodiversity is a comprehensive concept beyond the narrow economic and institucionally centered dominant point of view. The deadline is June 15th. All who consider that this initiative could be important can contact: Dr. Darrell A. Possey - Indigenous Peoples and the Global Environmental Agenda "Indigenous Peoples, Forest, and Biodiversity" is a book published by the International Alliance of Indigenous-Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests and the International Working Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), that brings together statements and interventions made by the former organization at various international fora, included CSD, IPF and CBD. Those interested in the publication, please contact IWGIA: ap@iwgia.org, fax (45)33 14 77 49. - Resistance to oil exploitation in the Tropics Oilwatch Quito, Ecuador, has just published "Voces de resistencia" (Spanish version) with a great deal of relevant and current information related to the environmental impact of oil companies in tropical countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The book has been written to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa killed in Nigeria in 1995 for oposing Shell depredatory activities. Contact:tegantai@oilwatch.ecx.ec
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