Costa
Rica: Government boosts subsidies for monoculture tree plantations
Back in 2003, we said that “using the term reforestation for the
establishment of a monoculture tree plantation has historically
conferred on this type of activity all of the positive characteristics
that people rightly associate with a forest, although this is far
from the actual reality” (Ambientico magazine, issue 123, December
2003, www.una.ac.cr/ambi/Ambien-Tico/123).
We added that “in general, tree plantations are used to grow a single
species or, at most, a small number of species of trees, always
using specimens of the same age and never achieving the degree of
biodiversity or the complex interrelations found in a forest.” For
his part, Edwin Alpizar noted that “plantations, in comparison with
forests, contribute very little to the environment,” and he further
described the impacts of plantations in terms of loss of biodiversity
and damage to natural water systems.
In spite of all this, and in spite of the fact that monoculture
tree plantations have failed to become self-financing, the Costa
Rican government has subsidized them and continues to provide them
with subsidies, directly and indirectly, camouflaged under the euphemism
of “payment for environmental services”. Between 2006 and 2007,
the state subsidy for the establishment of monoculture tree plantations
was raised from USD 500 per hectare to USD 810 per hectare.
The justification given at the time for this increase was that the
total amount allocated would be disbursed over a longer period of
time – which was in turn increased from five years to ten years
– in order to ensure the long-term growth of the plantations.
Nevertheless, in 2008, with no explanation whatsoever, the period
for the disbursement of these funds was reduced to five years once
again. And this year, the logging industry, backed by one of its
long-time leaders – current Environment Minister Jorge Rodriguez
– gave itself another hefty raise. Under Executive Decree No. 35159-MINAET
(Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications), passed
in April 2009, the subsidy for monoculture tree plantations was
increased yet again, with no explanation, from USD 810 to USD 960
per hectare – in other words, a 20% increase.
At the same time, this constitutes an indirect subsidy for big exporters
of fresh fruit – pineapples and bananas – since over 80% of the
wood harvested on tree plantations is currently used to make wooden
pallets used to export fruit. The government finances wood production
so that the companies that reap juicy profits from fruit exports
can count on cheap wood for their pallets.
For their part, monoculture pineapple and banana plantations cause
severe impacts of their own, which have been widely documented in
the mainstream media over recent years: the sterilization and poisoning
of hundreds of workers, contamination of rural waterways, erosion
and deforestation.
There are currently over 26 pineapple-growing companies under investigation
for environmental destruction, according to a report carried out
in March 2009 in the community of Milano, in the province of Limón
(1). The report also denounces the deforestation caused by the expansion
of pineapple monocultures, leading to the disappearance of protected
species like cedar, andiroba and sparrowhawks, as well as the selective
cutting of tree species like bay laurel to prevent the “contamination”
of pineapples for export, which would be prohibited in Europe for
failing to meet health or plant health standards.
With regard to the clearing of forests, one of the community members
interviewed gave the following testimony: “I was a security guard
for the company and I saw everything they did to the forest. Before,
everything was covered by a thick forest cover. The company started
to cut down trees at night, trees that were made of very good wood,
and they buried them because it was prohibited by the government
to cut them down.” He added: “The company has left us with nothing.
The birds and other animals went away too after the forests disappeared.”
What is particularly sad is that this whole plantation scheme is
being promoted through the “Plant a Tree!” publicity campaign, which
among other things, counts the trees planted by large corporations
as “reforestation”, even though most of them are cut down after
only eight years to make wooden pallets. Last year, around 80% of
the trees reported by this campaign were alien species planted on
large monoculture plantations subsidized by the government.
The country needs wood, of course, but it also needs forests to
confront climate change. There are numerous proposals for producing
wood through more socially just and environmentally sound methods,
some of which can be seen by visiting www.coecoceiba.org
By Javier Baltodano, COECOCEIBA-Friends of the Earth, Costa Rica,
email: licania@racsa.co.cr
(1) “Informe de la misión de verificación sobre los impactos de
los monocultivos de pińa” (Report of the fact-finding mission on
the impacts of pineapple monocultures), community of Milano, province
of Limón, Costa Rica, 29 March 2009. The full report is available
in Spanish at:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/paises/CostaRica/Informe_monocultivo_pina.pdf.
