|
|
WRM Bulletin
|
|
OUR VIEWPOINT "Clever" schemes are not the solution to climate change Almost everyone agrees that humanity is facing many threats, among which the greenhouse effect. There is also general agreement on the main causes of the greenhouse effect: use of fossil fuels and deforestation. International agreements to address those two causes have until now proved -to say the least- inadequate. Fossil fuel consumption is still increasing and deforestation continues unabated. The economic interest of the ever more powerful corporations is still more powerful than the survival instinct of humanity. Moreover, economic interest continues to actively seek for new niches for money-making and seems to have found a pot of gold in disaster itself, such as exemplified by the "carbon offset market". The idea is simple: you emit CO2, we store it and we charge you for the service. How do we store it? Simple: in planted trees. But here ends the simplicity. If this "carbon market" idea is allowed to flourish, then there will be millions of hectares of land covered by carbon sink plantations all over the world. This entails a large number of implications of which we will highlight but a few. Firstly, that all that land will not be available for food production, in a world were the numbers of people facing hunger is increasing and are counted by the millions. Secondly, that many local communities will be driven away from their land and their means of subsistence will be substituted by tree plantations that no-one will be even allowed to cut, thus increasing the numbers of the hungry. Thirdly, that many forests will be destroyed to make place to more profitable carbon sink plantations, thereby increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and the greenhouse effect which plantations are supposed to counter, while at the same time depriving more people of their livelihoods. Fourthly, that forests -which constitute enormous carbon reservoirs- will continue to be increasingly depleted, both by the activities which currently affect them and by the added pressure of communities being displaced by plantations and other "development" activities. And finally, that all this will only serve the purpose of those who benefit from the current fossil fuel-dependent economy. "Clever" schemes such as the carbon offset market are aimed at avoiding real changes to the current environmentally destructive and socially inequitable model. But the problem remains. Unless deforestation is halted and unless fossil fuels are substituted by other forms of energy, humanity will continue suffering the consequences of climate change. Instead of promoting such schemes, governments and corporations should support the efforts of local communities currently fighting -against governments and corporations- to defend their forests. They should create the conditions to achieve forest conservation, instead of acting in the opposite direction. They should -at least- begin by complying with the numerous relevant international agreements which they have happily signed but never implemented. In the meantime, the fate of the world's forests lies in the success of the struggles being carried out by countless indigenous, traditional and other local communities. To them, our support.
LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS AFRICA Nigeria: the struggle continues Four years have passed since the judicial murder of Ken Saro Wiwa together with other eight human rights activists to the hands of the Nigerian military dictatorship on November 10th 1995, that generated condemnation and outrage worldwide. Nevertheless -and in spite of the political changes that occured in the country- environmental destruction and human rights abuses associated to oil exploration and extraction in the Niger Delta region continues. A delegation of US social and environmental organizations' representatives who visited that region during this month reported that the irresponsibility of the multinational oil companies operating in the area -e.g. Shell and Chevron- in relation to environmental and social issues are threatening to the survival of local people and the fragile political stability of the country. The Nigerian government has not yet met the demands in the Ogoni Bill of Rights which would guarantee them their existence in their traditional territories. Additionally, the authorities continue to work in favour of oil companies and against their own people by not implementing the independent environmental impact assessment on Ogoniland as recommended by the UN. Environmental degradation and poverty are not only affecting the Ogoni, but also other people of the Niger Delta, such as the Ijaw, the Itsekiri, and the Urhobos. "We the Ogonis have been cheated in the past 41 years of our fair share of revenue from oil exploration and extraction in our land by Shell with assistance from the governments of Nigeria. We need not restate the fact that in a land so richly blessed by nature, we have been met with poverty and injustice. Our people have nothing to show for their sacrifices and for a long time, this giant multinational corporation has continued to humiliate our existence. Shell has wasted our environment with oil exploration and in return repaid us with a degraded and polluted land, poisoned air and streams" reads a statement by MOSOP-UK (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People) dated September 10th. The Ogoni people reject the so called "Development Project Programme" that the company has proposed for their territory and have declared Shell "persona non grata" in Ogoniland. "Lord take my soul, but the struggle continues" said Ken Saro Wiwa before being executed. His last message keeps its significance and vigour in these difficult times. Sources: MOSOP Ogoni, 10/9/99, 20/9/99, e-mail: mosopgb@hotmail.com ; Ijaw National Congress USA (INCUSA), 20/9/99, e-mail: incusa@aol.com .
The Tourism industry has done, and is doing much more for Responsible Environmental Management than the "forestry" industry. Maybe for this one reason only. . . It is rooted in Biodiversity. Alien tree plantations destroy the indigenous vegetation they replace. The basis of the food chain destroyed, local fauna and flora can not adapt and live in a plantation. When calculating the profit associated with tree farms, is the cost of the destruction to the natural environment ever brought into consideration? In a water stressed region, the negative effect of alien plantations manifests dramatically in the availability of water. During the dry winter months, the indigenous vegetation is dormant, dry and bare. But the alien trees are green. Clogging the catchment, their roots penetrating deep, they use water all year round. There is thousands of hectares of "unmanaged" plantations, invader plantations. Everywhere you go in Mpumalanga, you see loose standing pines, bluegum and wattle. Clumps of it in difficult to reach valleys. Who is responsible for this problem? Surely the responsibility lies with the plantation industry themselves. That the industry like to refer to itself as "forestry" is misleading. A monocrop should never be called a forest. The paperless office is becoming a global reality. It is much easier, more efficient and economic to record your decisions, relay information and communicate via the electronic medium. Is the price for pulp not going to fall in two or three decades, leaving huge alien plantations standing in many of the developing countries? The majority of South Africa's timber farm products is being exported to fulfill the pulp need of the North. These developed countries make use of our cheap land, and cheap labor. How profitable is it to be an average plantation worker on a contractors team? In Mpumalanga province, managed plantations occupy 615,000 hectares and the industry employs 28,000 people in the same province. That makes one person on every 22 hectares. On that same 22 hectares the rights of all other indigenous living organisms have been totally denied. Can this be called responsible? The plantation industry will act responsibly if they commit to NO further afforestation of our remaining natural areas. The plantation industry will act responsibly if it diversify, and spend more energy prospecting indigenous pulp alternative to Pines. Indigenous hemp is just such a example. It is much more water wise (as it is seasonal), it uses no fertilizer and it is more labor intensive. Industrial hemp is much more versatile and higher yielding. The plantation industry would act responsibly if it uses its power derived from profit and growth to lobby government to legalize industrial hemp and experiment with this crop on their plantation degraded land. I am not suggesting that the plantation industry expand with hemp, I am suggesting that the plantation industry replace their exotic trees with indigenous hemp. It is true that profit and growth is the reality of this world. One only needs to drive from Piet Retief to Blyde River Canyon to realize that. But in order to ensure the survival of the human race, the emphasis will have to shift to sustainable development. We have to become aware that we are a integral part of the environment, and our impact on it, affects us directly. We have to concentrate our efforts into working with the environment, minimizing our impact and raising environmental awareness in each and every individual. By Philip Owen, SAWaC , www.soft.co.za/sawac
Tanzania: where illegal logging is almost legal Tanzania's 33.5 million hectares (129,310 square miles) of forests are increasingly at risk, mostly as a result of illegal logging, which is destroying some 500,000 hectares (19,300 square miles) of the country's pristine forests every year. Government officials admit that illegal exploitation is occurring almost all over the country, both in Forest Reserves and in unreserved forest areas. Illegal trading in timber products acquired illegally is especially rife in cross border areas. An example is the illegal trading in Brachylaena Hutchinsii (Muhuhu) on the Tanzanian-Kenyan border, in which most of the timber is both illegally harvested and exported. Not only does the government seem unable to address the problem, but its own forestry staff has been accused of being directly involved in the illegal timber trade. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Philemon Luhanjo, has admitted that some forestry staff are guilty of engaging in illegal timber trade. He says other suspects in the illegal timber business are timber product dealers, private individuals, sawmillers and logging companies. Within such context of illegality, working conditions of logging employees are so bad, that their subsistence depends on bushmeat, which is resulting in the decimation of wildlife populations, including internationally red-listed species. Among other measures, such as stricter police controls along the main roads, the government is now trying to engage local communities living near the forests to assist in the implementation of adequate long-term management of forests. However, unless the underlying causes of illegal logging are clearly identified and addressed, forests will continue disappearing. Source: Nicodemus Odhiambo, ENS, 26/8/99, sent by Rain Forest Relief rainrelief@hotmail.com
ASIA India: have Indian foresters learned nothing? According to the official viewpoint, India holds favourable climatic and social conditions for the set up of tree plantations. Forestry officials state that more than 60 million hectares of "non-forest wastelands and open scrub forest lands" can be considered available for undertaking tree plantation activities. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is promoting the use of clonal disease-resistant plants of fast-growing eucalyptus. Clones of acacia, poplars, gmelina and teak are also being included in the menu. At the International Expert Meeting that took place last April in Santiago, Chile (see WRM Bulletin 22) the representatives of India even went as far as saying that "plantation forestry has become a benefactor and friend to villagers, tribals and wood based industrial units." However, reality counters the arguments used by plantation promoters. Eucalyptus monocultures on farm lands in India have generated severe environmental problems: drawing down of the water table, depletion of soil fertility, reduction in the land area available for the production of food, greater dependence on external inputs. In the northern region of Uttar Pradesh, for example, in the mid '80s eucalyptus plantation was rejected by farmers due to its negative ecological and socio-economic consequences. In that state it was proved that only big landowners -and not small farmers- adopted the tree monoculture model to their benefit All over the country this afforestation scheme generated strong reactions by affected peasants, who even set tree nurseries on fire and uprooted planted seedlings. More recent facts show that even without considering ecological aspects, the present trend of India's policy related to tree plantations is worrying. A report set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in late 1997 to review afforestation policies in India, suggested that forest land be handed over to industry for plantations. This means that precedence is given to secure profits to the industry over the basic need of food security for local people and tribal communities. Considering that many small farmers -seduced by the false promises of plantation promoters- have switched from agriculture to farm forestry and that large sections of the population of India (945 million inhabitants in 1996) is in urgent need of food, is it reasonable to say that more than 60 million hectares of land are practically void, waiting for tree plantation companies to make money out of them? Have India's foresters learned nothing about the real needs and desires of the people of their country? For how much longer will they insist in not listening and learning from the people? Sources: http://oneworld.org/cse/html/cmp/cmp23.htm ; Saxena N.C., India's Eucalyptus Craze. The God that Failed, Sage Publications, New Delhi, 1994; Oberai C.P. et al., Plantation forestry in India, International Meeting on the Role of Planted Forests for Sustainable Development, Santiago, Chile, 6-10/4/99; Oberai C.P. et al., Plantations forests. Key to sustainable Development, International Meeting on the Role of Planted Forests for Sustainable Development, Santiago, Chile, 6-10/4/99.
Campaign against illegal logging in Indonesian national parks More than 150 Indonesian and international NGOs -among them the WRM- have endorsed a sign-on letter addressed to the authorities of that country denouncing the situation of two national parks and proposing solutions. The initiative was launched by Telapak Indonesia and the Environmental Investigation Agency. The letter reads: "Illegal logging in both Tanjung Puting National Park and Gunung Leuser National Park is extremely serious and operates under the control of timber barons, members of military, the police and the Forest Department. The situation is made more serious because this is not simply a recent reaction to a political power vacuum, but an acceleration of illegal activities, corruption and collusion that were endemic prior to this recent emergency. The local communities, although taking part in illegal activities, have reacted to the corruption they have experienced all around them for years. They are now being used in ever growing numbers to create anarchy in the forestry sector to the continuing advantage of the local timber barons and the corrupt officials that support them. It is already known that illegal logging is the larger part of the forestry sector in Indonesia. The undersigned organizations and individuals demand the stopping of illegal logging in the national parks in Indonesia. This must be done in the context of the following: - Closure of illegal sawmills and immediate audit of licensed sawmills in the vicinity of the parks. Immediate investigations and prosecution of owners of sawmills, proven to be acting illegally. - Major international donors, including the USA, the European Union, Japan, the IMF and World Bank, must be held responsible for upholding actions to stop illegal logging and reform forestry law. - Investigation into corruption of the authorities, including the police, military and forestry department in the local area, the provinces and central government in Jakarta. Prosecution and replacement of individuals, including those at the highest level. - An alternative forestry law taking into account local community rights, local participation in forestry, and recognition of land claims. - Establishment of a Consultative Forestry Council with real moral authority and power to provide a medium for forestry issues to be resolved between all the stakeholders at a national, regional, and local level. - Strengthening PKA in areas of management and establishing park boundaries through participatory mapping. Create an enterprise spirit that includes the community, wildlife and forest conservation and tourism. - The international community must take responsibility for their consumption of illegally produced timber from Indonesia." Source: Environmental Investigation Agency, September 1999, e-mail: eiauk@gn.apc.org
Malaysia: Oil palm development generates violence in Sarawak Two weeks ago, nineteen persons, including a 17-year old, all Iban, from two long-houses in the Niah area, were provisionally charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. The charge carries a mandatory death sentence if convicted. All 19 were charged with four offences each, for each of four persons killed in a conflict between their long-houses and contractors for Sarawak Oil Palm (SOP), a joint venture between the Sarawak state government and one of Sarawak's main logging companies, Shin Yang. The SOP board is chaired by the State Secretary, Hamid Bugo. According to the long-house residents, the Sarawak government had issued a provisional lease to SOP for land inhabited by them under native customary rights (NCRs). They had used the land to cultivate pepper, fruit trees, rice, vegetables, etc. - which form the main source of their livelihood. SOP had engaged a contractor to clear their land. The long-house residents had brought their grievances to the notice of the local authorities, including the state assemblyman and the police, some say as long as four years ago, but nothing had been done to resolve their grievances with the company. They even tried to meet with the Chief Minister and other ministers in Kuching, sending representatives there at their own expense. However, none of the big-shots would meet with them. The people allege that the persons killed and injured in the clash were, in Sarawak Malay, apek bayat, i.e. gangsters, who were armed with samurai swords and other weapons to threaten and intimidate them into letting their land be cleared. Previous reports to the police at Batu Niah on the apek bayat threats had resulted in no action from the police. According to their accounts, shortly before the day of the clash which resulted in the deaths, an Iban woman attempted to defend her durian tree by standing in front of it. The Iban allege that the contractor's men caught hold of her and held her under the bulldozer threatening to run her over. They allege that on 1 September 1999, they discovered workers of the company, accompanied by apek bayat, bulldozing their land and gardens near one of the two long-houses. They asked that the work be stopped, but their appeal was not only ignored; instead, they were attacked. In defending themselves, seven of the gangsters were injured, four fatally. This is not the first such conflict between long-house natives and companies over the use of native land by oil palm plantations, nor is it the first resulting in fatalities. In December 1997, three members of an Iban long-house were shot by the police, one fatally. In that instance, they had attempted to obstruct the progress of land clearing. The company had apparently lodged a report against them, and the police had gone to arrest them; by contrast, in the present case, the people had lodged reports, which had been ignored. There have also been conflicts elsewhere, mostly unreported. In many instances, people have just passively accepted their fate, feeling powerless to go against a government intent on implementing policies against their will. The cause of these recent conflicts is encroachment upon the last natural resource still under the control of Sarawak natives, their customary land. As Sarawak timber resources have started diminishing, many logging companies and others have started switching to plantation agriculture. While some of this is occurring on logged-over forest land, much more is taking place or is planned to take place on native customary land. The reason for this is simple: despite the vast amount of land in Sarawak, much of it is actually not suitable for agriculture, and much of what is suitable is under native customary rights. Beginning with the colonial authorities, the definition of what is accepted by the authorities as native customary land has been progressively narrowed and undermined. Still, until recently, because of remoteness, inaccessibility and lack of interest, there wasn't much attempt to encroach onto their lands. Today, the state authorities are engaged in a process which amounts to the de facto dispossession of the natives, but disguised as development. While some, including some natives, will become wealthy from this process, the majority will end up worse off. Source: The MALAYSIAN, 9/10/99, email: lidapet@pd.jaring.my Web pages: http://berita.webjump.com/ ; http://kini.webjump.com/ (sent by Magick River, magickriver@hotmail.com )
Thailand: local people's resistance to dams Dam megaprojects are being strongly resisted by local communities worldwide since they mean the loss of their lands and forests, and their forced displacement. In Thailand massive protests have been organized to halt this kind of projects undertaken in the name of "progress" (see WRM Bulletin 22). A group of 500 villagers belonging to the Forum of the Poor has settled in the middle reservoir of Rasi Salai Dam to support the struggle of their relatives of the Moon Basin Forum for compensation since their lands will be flooded by the dam project. The works would affect more than 600 peasants' lands. But the Department of Energy Development and Promotion is putting their lives at risk menacing to start operating the flood gates soon, by the end of the rainy season. Prasittiporn Kan-Onsri, adviser to the Forum of the Poor, said villagers would not be moved by threat. "Whatever happens we will not move out from the reservoir. We will survive somehow," he said. The conflict between the authorities and local communities is due to an opposite point of view related to land and natural resources management: while the government considers that the forest and land along the river banks is public property, villagers claim that they have been using the wetland forest along the Moon river for generations because the land is rich with sediment from seasonal flooding. A recent study performed at the Khon Kaen University supports their viewpoint. Additionally, reality shows that land management performed by local dwellers generally assures sustainability. On the contrary, lands under public domain end up very often -by means of concessions- in the hands of logging, plantations or mining companies which destroy the forest. Source: "Protesters at risk from drowning" by Anchalee Kongrut, Bangkok Post, 10/9/1999, sent by Aviva Imhof ( aviva@irn.org ) 13/9/99.
The Philippines: dam megaproject resisted The Ibaloi indigenous people, that inhabit the area to be affected by the San Roque dam project in The Philippines, have started -with the support of Friends of the Earth-Japan, International Rivers Network and the Cordillera People's Alliance- a campaign to stop this destructive project, since the works would destroy the indigenous peoples community and livelihoods and additionally negatively affect the life of more than 20,000 people. An independent review of the project's environmental impact assessment, coordinated by the above named organizations, found that there were serious deficiencies in the quality of the studies and that many important environmental questions were not addressed. In addition, a recent fact-finding mission to the existing resettlement sites concluded that the resettlement is poor and people were dissatisfied since in the resettlement areas there is no source of long-term livelihood or income. More than 44 social and environmental organizations worldwide -among which the WRM- addressed a sign-on letter to the authorities of the Export-Import bank of Japan (JEXIM) which intended to give financial support to the project, asking them not to approve such loan. Unfortunately on September 22 JEXIM approved the loan. However, the organizers of the protest consider that the campaign was able to put the issue firmly on the public agenda in Japan, which means that the authorities and public opinion have the possibility to monitor the evolution of the questioned project. Source: Aviva Imhof, 16/9/99 and 22/9/99, e-mail: aviva@irn.org
The Philippines: last remaining forests under threat The Philippines archipelago was once covered by dense tropical forests. Nowadays only 3% of them survive and even those are mostly degraded. Less than 1% of the former forest is still in a pristine state. Primary forests, left in only tiny patches, still exist in remote mountain regions on Palawan island, Mindoro and Mindanao and in the mountain range in northeastern Luzon called "Sierra Madre." The destruction of forests in The Philippines has followed a similar pattern as that of other Southern countries. Part of the forest has been cut down by "kaingineros" (slash-and-burn farmers), but by far most of the forest destruction has been carried out legally by logging companies having close links with Government officials. Almost all wealthy and influencial families achieved their wealth and influence by "legally" robbing timber on ancestral lands. Nowadays much of the remaining forests are controlled or owned by high-ranking Military. The shadow of the Marcos' Regime is still strong. Now even those remaining patches of forest are threatened. The land of the Agta -the aboriginal people of the archipelago- is an example of the situation. Until a few decades ago, the Agta enjoyed an independent life as forest dwellers in a still intact rainforest located in the Sierra Madre, along the Pacific coast. But logging companies and the military took over their land step by step, and now the Agta are homeless and menaced by the invaders. "A certain colonel warned us that if we do not vacate our land, our tribe will be exterminated" said recently a spokesperson of the indigenous people. An international campaign has been launched to halt this destruction. Those interested in expressing their concern and defending the Agta people and their forests can address the President of The Philippines, demanding a logging ban in the tribal Agta land: President Estrada Source: Friends of People Close to Nature, e-mail: fpcn@gmx.de, 1/10/99.
CENTRAL AMERICA Costa Rica: secondary forests a better option than plantations A forum took place in the northern region of Costa Rica on September 16-17 to reflect on and analyse the experiences regarding secondary forests and tree plantations developed in that region. Participants in the event included government officials, professional foresters, peasant organizations, forestry companies and environmental organizations. The Northern Region, which is affected by a severe process of deforestation is at the same time the area with more extensive tree monocultures (gmelina, teak, laurel and "terminalia") in the country. Such plantations have been subsidised at U$S 500 per hectare with public funds originated in a selective tax on the use of petrol. The total amount devoted to these subsidies has reached U$S 20 million in the last 10 years. A total of 40,000 hectares of plantations exist nowadays in Costa Rica. The polemic issue of the environmental sustainability of the plantation model was discussed at the forum. The conclusion was that such model is inadequate. Most of plantations in the region are in a bad state or have completely failed because the adopted technolgy did not take into account the special conditions of the tropics. Additionally, most of the public funds were captured by big forestry companies and not by small peasants. On the contrary it was made clear that the secondary forests are actually an interesting option for wood production. In that region there is a tradition in the use of the forests, that contain more than 150 species. Unlike monocultures, forests offer diverse environmental services, such as biodiversity conservation, capacity of acting as a biological corridor, soil and water protection, landscape and recreation. The forum recommended that experiences based on native resources and including the use of indigenous and peasants' knowledge should be developed. Among them, the enriched secondary forest regeneration, mixed plantations with fast, medium and slow growing native species and agroforestry systems where small peasants play a central role. It was also demanded that local peasants' organizations have an effective access to public funding. When discussions on forests go beyond the closed circle of professional foresters -educated in the concept of forests as mere wood producers- and open up to the participation of society, including environmental and social aspects, this is the kind of conclusions that naturally come out. Source: Javier Baltodano, COECOCEIBA-Friends of the Earth, Costa Rica, e-mail: elejbaltodas@hotmail.com
Honduras: only the fury of nature? Just one year after the destructive arrival of hurricane Mitch, Honduras is suffering the consequences of storms and flooding that have provoked the evacuation of thousands of peasants and the death of eight people until now. Hundreds of homes and crops have been destroyed. The media reproduce tragic images of suffering people and emphasize in the fury of nature as a cause of such disasters. The poor conditions of disaster prevention and the high level of vulnerability that affect the country -especially the poorest- are rarely mentioned as factors that enhance the effects of destruction caused by nature. One of the activities most clearly connected with vulnerability to natural phenomena is deforestation and even protected areas continue being logged, thus increasing the problem. The Rio Platano Reserve, situated in the northern atlantic region of the country, is a more than 800,000 hectare area, which was declared part of the World heritage by UNESCO in 1982. It is part of the Plapawas system which stretches from North to South, with the Tahwhka Biosphere Reserve, the Patuca National Park, and the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve -in neighbouring Nicaragua- forming the Central American Biological Corridor. A Parliamentary delegation that recently visited the Reserve verified that its Buffer Zone has been totally cut down as a consequence of the complete lack of control on the logging companies operating there. Even at the Core Zone of the Reserve, vast areas have been logged or burned. Wood is extracted by boat through the Wuampu and Patuca rivers. Cattle breeding activites and even the presence of an unauthorized landing strip were detected. Direct agents of this destruction are wood dealers, but underlying actors are corrupted government officials who protect them. Loggers are often armed with heavy guns and menace local people, who are even forced to work for them. They also have connections with drug dealers and car robbers which operate in that area. Even if the situation was denounced in Parliament in 1995 no steps have been taken to halt this destructive process. Additionally to corruption at the government officials level, the national Forestry Agency (COHDEFOR) continues to grant permits for logging in the Reserve without controlling the activities of the beneficiaries. Inspections undertaken by the Ministry of the Environment are rare and have proved ineffective. The above mentioned Parliamentary commission has suggested a number of steps to be taken urgently in order to avoid further damage. Sources: Boletin SICA AL No 67, 30/8/99; Via Campesina, e-mail: viacam@gbm.hn, 16/9/99; Monti Aguirre, e-mail: monti@irn.org, 24/9/99.
SOUTH AMERICA Logging, landlessness and fires in the Brazilian Amazon A recent publication on the effects of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon shows that selective logging followed by the use of the logged area for agriculture and cattle raising is resulting in much more than just forest degradation. In the paper titled 'Investigating Positive Feedbacks in the Fire Dynamic of Closed Canopy Tropical Forests', Mark Cochrane, Dan Nepstad, and their colleagues at the Woods Hole Research Center, IPAM, and IMAZON show that after a portion of forest burns once, it becomes more susceptible to burning again, being the second fire more intense and destructive. Selective logging as usually practised in the Amazon dries out forests by opening the canopy and creates a lot of flammable debris. Nearby farmers, ranchers and other agents can provide one potential source of ignition to start subsequent fires. The final stage of the process is the complete destruction of the forest. According to the researchers, large parts of the Brazilian Amazon that appear on the satellites as 'deforested' may not have been willfully cleared by anyone, but forests that were once burned for the first time and then became more vulnerable to subsequent fires until there was nothing left. The authors, whose research was mostly conducted with data from the eastern Amazon region (1,800 mm rainfall a year), warn that "left unchecked the current fire regime will result in an inexorable transition of the entire affected area to either scrub or grassland." It has been estimated that Para and Mato Grosso states alone already have thirty million hectares of forest that could be lost through this process. Although the above research adequately explains the entire deforestation process, it needs to be complemented with the fact that logging activities and the occupation of the Amazon by colonization are not casual events, but the result of policies promoted by the Brazilian governments since the 1950's. The government opens up the forest by building a network of roads deep into the Amazon. Loggers are granted concessions within the forests, and are usually followed by poor farmers, frequently through government-sponsored colonization schemes. Land concentration outside the Amazon forces poor peasants into the forest, where they become direct agents of deforestation. However, the underlying cause is the unfair land tenure system in Brazil, where a small percentage of landowners own a large percentage of the available agricultural land, and where indigenous peoples' ownership of the forest is still basically unrecognized. Halting deforestation therefore implies addressing -among others- that particular underlying cause by changing the current unfair land tenure pattern, both within and outside the forest. In that context, the huge mobilization of the increasingly strong "Movimento dos Sem Terra" (Landless Peasants Movement"), which is arriving these days to Brasilia to protest against the government's economic and social policy and to claim for solutions can be seen as a sign of hope. If their demands are met, then conditions will have been created to begin to halt the prevailing destruction, because unless solutions to address the problem of the landless are achieved, the Amazon will continue to be colonized and destroyed. Sources: David Kaimowitz D.KAIMOWITZ@CGIAR.ORG , 16/9/99; Sergio Oceransky, e-mail: sergio@artamis.org , 29/9/99.
Chile: the Mapuche conflict persists The Mapuche people, who inhabit the southern region of Chile, have been historically victims of social and cultural exclusion. The invasion of their territories by huge plantation companies -with the support of the state- has resulted in the destruction of large areas of forests and their substitution by pine and eucalyptus monocultures. The Mapuche have recently increased their struggle, demanding effective solutions to the Chilean state, which after decades of complete indiference with regard to this conflict has now reacted through a combination of repression and charitable aid. A so called development programme aimed at combatting poverty in the Mapuche indigenous communities, approved in August 1999, was strongly criticized by Mapuche representatives (see WRM Bulletin 26). Physical violence, threats, bribes, criminal proceedings, arbitrary detentions are some of the means being used by armed corps and forestry companies to intimidate the Mapuche. A worker of the forestry company Mininco recently admitted that he had been bribed to falsely accuse a group of Mapuche of commiting vandalic acts against Mininco's property. The Mapuche leaders of Cuyinco community, which are imprisoned in Lebu, have denounced ill treatment and demand the immediate release of all Mapuche political prisoners. At the same time direct actions of resistance are taking place in different locations in the South of Chile. Their struggle has gained in strength and organization. Even if they are facing a powerful enemy, they have made clear that their aim is to recover their traditional territories, since this is the only guarantee to achieve the possibility of living in accordance with their culture, in harmony with the environment. The conflict of the Mapuche has not only let the international public opinion know about the situation of this people, but has also helped to show that the Chilean forestry development style, exported to other countries of the region as a model to be copied, is based on the depredation of nature and the exploitation of local communities. Sources: Susana Gentil, 10/9/99, e-mail: sgentil@swipnet.se ; Dario Jana, 29/9/99, e-mail: riap_dj@envirolink.org
Colombia: save the "catival" forests From the Spanish Conquest onwards, the Colombian Pacific Region has been subject to the relentless extraction of its natural resources -such as gold, clay, balsam and several precious woods- in a process that did not generate any benefits to local people. When big logging companies entered the region in the sixties, a period of social, cultural, economic and environmental devastation started. These companies were interested in the vast extensions of the forests of "cativo" (Prioria copaifera) and "abarco" since both were economically attractive due to their high commercial yields. More than 30 years of exploitation have destroyed 85% of such forests, generating at the same time nothing but poverty and misery. Even when the Pacific Region represents less than 7% of the total forest coverage of the country, between 1987 and 1991 62.5% of the wood consumed in Colombia -some 4,749 million cubic metres- came from that region. In contrast, at the municipality of Riosucio, for example, the index of unsatisfied basic needs has jumped to 97.5%. The Atrato River watershed, located in the Pacific Region, is part of the Choco biogeographic region. Due to its situation, geographic characteristics, geological processes and ecological evolution this area is unique. Together with the Amazon, the Choco presents the highest endemism levels in the Planet as well as an enormous biodiversity. This ecosystem is as rich as fragile. As a result of a process of centuries of coevolution with their environment, indigenous and black communities that inhabit the area have adequately adapted to this complex and fragile ecosystem, by combining agricultural and forestry systems with diverse options for the provision of incomes and food, such as hunting, fishing, agriculture and wood extraction. A reductionist vision only aimed at the obtention of benefit as quickly as possible for a reduced group of entrepreneurs has seen the "catival" forest as a mere source of wood. Nevertheless it is much more than this, being a very specific and diverse system containing more than 60 plant species and performing important functions in relation to other ecosystems of the region. The factors leading to its nearly complete destruction have been: the exploitation by logging companies located at the lower Atrato by means of concessions and permits that have enabled them to establish a monopoly in the extraction, industrialization and trade of roundwood, ignoring completely the protection and regeneration of the forest; the increasing articulation of the economy of the region to the market economy, accompanied by more monocultures and extractivist practices; the indolence of the authorities with regard to the protection of natural resources and the improvement of life conditions of the population of the area; the view of the government which considers the region as a void land, ignoring that these territories have been occupied for centuries by indigenous and black communities, and stimulating the unplanned colonization by peasants that are pushed from the inner regions of the country, in search of better life conditions, and which have introduced unsustainable productive practices, such as slash-and-burn agriculture. The granting of collective land titles to the traditional communities can be an alternative to halt and change the present state of things. More than two years ago, eight black communities of Riosucio were the first to receive land titles from the Colombian state in the framework of Law 70. Nevertheless, nowadays it is very difficult that those communities -beset by poverty and by the menaces from armed bands at the service of the loggers- can guarantee not only the survival of the forest but even their own permanence in the region. The deterioration of the "catival" forest is leading to desertification: the forest disappears, highly productive ecosystems as wetlands and forests are substituted by unproductive lands, local communities are forced to migrate and even the companies themselves are leaving once the resource is exhausted. It is urgent to initiate actions for the regeneration of the forest and to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of the local population and assure them their stay in the area. This is the only way to ensure the regrowth and survival of the catival forest. Source: Gonzalo Diaz Canada, Fundacion Beteguma, e-mail: citara@col2.telecom.com.co , 28/9/99.
Colombia: a matter of life or death for the U'wa The recent resolution of the Colombian government, in agreement with the U'wa leaders, according to which their legally recognized territory was increased in 120,000 hectares -now comprising 220,275 hectares- was celebrated as a great victory. Nevertheless, the consideration by the Ministry of the Environment of a request of environmental license for exploratory drilling by Occidental Petroleum just outside the newly created Unified U'wa Reservation is a pending menace on them (see WRM Bulletin 26). Unfortunately, the worse has happened: on September 21st Environment Minister Juan Mayr announced he was granting a permit for the above named oil company to begin an exploratory drilling in the region. The U'wa have denounced the government's decision as cultural and environmental genocide and have made clear once again their decision to commit mass suicide in case their land continues to be sullied. For the U'wa oil is the blood of Mother Earth and therefore to drill is the ultimate desecration of their ancient traditions of living in peaceful balance with the Earth. What can you/your organization do? Contact Occidental and the Colombian authorities expressing them your concern over this resolution with menaces the U'wa's culture and their environment. Send messages to: Dr. Ray R. Irani, President and CEO fax 310.443.6690 Presidente Andres Pastrana fax +571.334.1940 (direct) or 202.387.0176 (c/o Embassy in
Washington D.C.) Environment Minister Juan Mayr: Another way of showing your support to the U'wa is addressing directly the Colombian Embassy or Consulate in your respective countries, and organizing a demonstration on October 12th. This date is the anniversary of the white man's arrival to the Americas. Indigenous people and their supporters across the world will be celebrating more than 500 years of indigenous resistance. In the longer run you can connect the U'wa's resistance to the global campaign against the WTO, which will be meeting from November 29th to December 3rd in Seattle, USA. The U'wa resistance is a good example of the emerging global resistance to corporate domination in the framework of globalization. Your support is needed: it is nothing less than a matter of life or death for the U'wa. Source: Sergio Oceransky, e-mail: sergio@artamis.org , 5/10/99.
Ecuador: ecologists are not terrorists The environmental NGO Accion Ecologica, with headquarters in Quito and working in several locations of Ecuador has been accused of being involved in the recent kidnappings of eight oil company technicians that occured near Lago Agrio in the Amazonian region of the country. This organization has released the following statement: "Accion Ecologica, an environmental organisation which works in the area in the north east of Ecuador where hostages were taken on the 11th of September, wishes to make public its indignation, and rejection of rumours regarding the existence of eco-terrorists in the country. The use of violence has never been, nor ever will be, a method which environmentalists will use to carry out their work or make problems known. Environmentalists love life and defend nature, and all our actions are coherent with the principles of non-violence and respect for human rights. The actions of environmentalists, and in particular our own, are directed towards denouncing in the most direct and transparent fashion violations of the collective and environmental rights of the Ecuadorian people. We feel that the forced nature of the links between environmentalists and the hostage takers could be used to construct arguments and reactions which put us at risk. There are even those who would draw satisfaction from this link, as they know that our vigilance has taken away the possibility of environmental impunity, in particular in the area 'where for many years the population has been taken hostage by being abandoned' according to the bishop of Sucumbios Province, Gonzalo Lopez. As Ecuadorians and lovers of peace we reject foreign military presence of whatever type in our territory, such as: Colombian guerrilla and paramilitary forces, as well as the United States Army. We call on all Ecuadorians, to think about the problems of the Amazon region and its people, about the agony that these fragile ecosystems and their peoples are suffering in full view of the whole world, and about the impact of the rumours which have recently been circulating. Accion Ecologica will maintain its work of monitoring and denouncing problems in the area and in the rest of the country, because we are inspired by and committed to, a country with a lasting future." Source: Oilwatch Network - Secretariat, e-mail: oilwatch@uio.satnet.net
OCEANIA Japanese carbon garbage dumps in Australia Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) has recently signed a letter of intent to participate in a tree plantation project promoted by the state agency State Forests of New South Wales, Australia, allegedly as part of its efforts to tackle global warming. New South Wales established a legal right last November on carbon sequestered from plantations. State forestry bodies in Australia have been looking to market their projects as sinks in the newly created "carbon offsets market" by the Kyoto Protocol. Such initiative is not the only one in the push of Australia to enter this market. Sydney Futures Exchange -also in association with State Forests of New South Wales is interested in creating an exchange-traded market for carbon credits as part of a plan to become a global emissions trading centre. The company will look for investments coming from Australia itself, as well as from New Zealand and the USA. Tepco and New South Wales State Forests are likely to conclude a formal agreement as soon as specific conditions are set. The Japanese are planning to start the project with the plantation of a 1,000 hectares next year, and to extend the site up to 40,000 hectares in the following ten years. In June last year, Tepco signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Bank as the first Japanese entity to participate in the "Prototype Carbon Fund" system to trade in carbon offset projects. This new move of the Japanese in the climate change field must be seen in a wider context. In fact, the Japanese cooperation agency JICA has been -and still is- very much involved in projects for the promotion of large-scale fast-growing tree monocultures to produce cheap fibre in several Southern countries (see WRM Bulletins 9 and 25). At the same time, the Japanese industry emits great quantities of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere while the Japanese economy consumes vast amounts of wood and wood products that result in the depletion of the world's forests, both of which add to the greenhouse effect. And now Tepco -which will surely be followed by other companies- is creating carbon garbage dumps through tree plantations ... not in its own country, of course. Sources: Yuri Onodera, Friends of the Earth Japan, 9/9/99, e-mail: yurio@iea.att.ne.jp ; "Sidney Future Exchange expands into carbon trading", Sydney Morning Herald, 31/8/99.
Hawaii: tree plantations threat is back In 1997 Friends of Hamakua -a local NGO- together with local farmers and community organizations successfully resisted a project of Prudential Insurance Co.and Oji/Paper Marubeni to set up a big eucalyptus plantation and a pulp mill in the Big Island of Hawaii. The project was finally rejected by the Hawaiian authorities (see WRM Bulletins 3 and 7). Nevertheless, the threat of plantations is still standing: 16,000 acres of former sugar cane land are to be converted into eucalyptus plantations in Hamakua. The same as in the above mentioned failed attempt, the big landowner Bishop Estate -this time together with Prudential Insurance- is behind this initiative. Tradewinds Forest Products, an affiliate of Quality Veneer and Lumber Inc. of Seattle and Oregon, USA, is willing to install a veneer and plywood industry in a small coastal town in Hamakua. The population and environmental organizations have expressed their concern on such a large industry development (only the plan site will occupy 70 acres), since the factory will need at least 50,000 acres of tree plantations to support its operations. This means that still larger areas will be devoted to monocultures. The implementation of the project will also require the deepening of the local harbour which, together with the dumping of ballast water to the sea, will cause a negative environmental impact on the existing coral reefs. Additionally, it is feared that the increase of truck traffic in the area will also have negative effects. Friends of Hamakua, which is actively monitoring this project, is requesting all information that can be useful to their struggle. Those wishing to cooperate and to know more about this case, please contact them by e-mail: texdrivein@aol.com or by phone (1 808 775 9886) Source: Ada Pulin-Lamme, Friends of Hamakua, 20/9/99, e-mail: texdrivein@aol.com
PLANTATIONS CAMPAIGN Every time we visit an area covered with large scale monoculture tree plantations we find local people faced with the same or very similar problems. In Thailand and Chile, in Brazil or Venezuela. And each time we find foresters denying that those problems even exist. Our most recent experience on the above matter occured a few days ago in the country where the WRM secretariat is currently based: Uruguay. In this country, the vast majority of foresters actively support and benefit from the large scale plantation model, mostly based on eucalyptus plantations. Confronted with the negative impacts, they resort to any argument to deny reality. But reality cannot be killed with words. At the request of a group of small farmers surrounded by eucalyptus plantations, we travelled to Cerro Alegre (which literally means Happy Hill) and found that people there are not only unhappy but extremely angry about the situation they are facing: water has completely disappeared. We visited a number of farms and verified that all the wells had dried up and that this had happened a few years after a Spanish transnational (EUFORES) had planted -subsidized by the state- thousands of hectares of eucalyptus in the surrounding area. None of those wells had ever driep up before and had survived the worst droughts that the country experienced in the past. It is therefore absolutely obvious that the direct cause of this tragedy is to be found in the plantations themselves. What is the answer coming from foresters? First, that this is impossible, because they have "scientifically" proved that this can't happen in Uruguay. The few foresters that have actually visited the area and listened local peoples' complaints resort to a complementary argument: given that this can't happen, then the problem is that average annual rainfall has diminished. The fact that this is occuring only in plantation areas and not elsewhere is for them irrelevant. And they have gone happily away to their homes, where they can do what Cerro Alegre people can't: open the tap and have water. Unfortunately, the above example follows the same pattern in totally different realities (India, Spain, Thailand, Portugal, Chile, New Zealand, Brazil, etc.): most foresters continue closing their eyes to reality and rejecting local peoples' empirical experience as "unscientific" and based on ignorance. However, it is clearly foresters themselves who are being unscientific and ignorant. It is therefore necessary for the plantations campaign to focus on foresters in two ways: firstly, to invite those foresters having a critical view about plantations -who fortunately also exist!- to actively join the campaign and secondly, to denounce the role being played by the mainstream foresters in supporting this socially and environmentally unsustainable plantation model to their own benefit and that of the corporations they support.
Scary genetically engineered trees Joint ventures of giant corporations created to carry out research in the tree biotechnology field are mushrooming as the global paper demand increases and tree plantations are regarded as possible carbon sinks by the Kyoto Protocol. Environmental groups -such as the recently formed GE-Free Forests (GEFF)- and representatives of the academic sector have already expressed their concern on the impacts of these "Terminator" or "Frankentrees" and this concern has even led to direct action (see WRM Bulletin 26). The fact that the planet's trees are still so wild if compared to the more domesticated plants means that change in their genome can be radical and fast. The implication of genetic engineering in trees is worrying for different reasons. Geneticist Dr. Douda Bensasson, consultant to the Women's Environmental Network -one of the founding organisations of the GEFF coalition- considers that "GE crops need to be grown for several consecutive generations to study their stability, reliability and safety. Decades or even centuries pass before trees have grown for a few generations. This means that GE trees cannot be thoroughly tested before they are released. What is also worrying is that trees produce vast quantities of seeds and pollen which travel great distances." Pollen belonging to genetically engineered food plants has already been found far away from the crop site. For sure this can also happen with GE trees. One of the developments of tree biotechnology that is also generating concern is that related to lignin levels reduction in wood. This chemical, that the paper industry is trying to remove for technical reasons, is the one that gives trees rigidity. Lignin is vital in the tree's defences against herbivores, making the plant harder to digest, so GE tree plantations will need added protection against such predators. Lignin also maintains the structure of dead and decaying trees, providing an essential habitat for the organisms that form the forest ecosystems. But there are also political implications. "Genetic engineering intensifies patterns of industrial plantation forestry which are already driving thousands of people off the land in the South," says Larry Lohmann of The Corner House and member of the WRM. "By helping companies take one more step toward transforming land and forests into a biotic factory producing only one industrial good, GE is bound to undermine the ability of local people to use them as a source of food or the diverse other things they need to survive." Nobody knows when these products will actually arrive to the market. The fact that one of the criteria for sustainable forestry used by the Forest Stewardship Council is that the use of genetically modified organisms shall be prohibited can be by now reassuring. Nevertheless, such criteria can change, especially taking into account the powerful interests that are behind tree biotechnology development. In the meantime, as states Kate Geary of GEFF, even though there are, as yet, no GE tree products on the shelves, we must make people aware of the threat that this technology poses on the planet's already embattled forests. Source: Hugh Warwick, BBC Wildlife Magazine August 1999, Vol.17 No.8
"Ten replies to ten lies" in French The plantations campaign briefing "Ten replies to ten lies" has been translated into French (Dix reponses à dix mensonges) and is available only in electronic format in our web page: http://www.wrm.org.uy/english/plantations/material/mensonges.htm If anyone prefers to receive it as an email attachment, please let us know and we will gladly send it in that format.
GENERAL Buying Destruction: a Greenpeace report for corporate consumers of forest products On October 4th, Greenpeace called on wood product consumers to end their role in ancient forest destruction by not purchasing from companies involved in destructive logging in ancient forests. Greenpeace launched a global report, ‘Buying Destruction: a Greenpeace report for corporate consumers of forest products’, naming more than 150 companies producing or trading in forest products coming from ancient forests. "Greenpeace is calling all the companies using wood and paper products to find out where their wood comes from and to end their role in ancient forest destruction," said Greenpeace forest campaigner Patrick Anderson. "Now that we have compiled this information we believe that corporate consumers have the choice to take positive steps which can make a real difference to the survival of ancient forests," said Anderson. The Greenpeace report profiles major logging and wood trading companies active in the ancient forests of Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Chile, Canada, Russia, Cameroon, Gabon, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Ancient forests, which have been shaped largely by natural events and have been little impacted by human activities, are rapidly disappearing due, in large part, to logging activities. Ancient forests are some of the planet's richest areas in biological and cultural diversity and are the last refuges for many endangered species of plants and animals. "The companies profiled in this report represent only a fraction of the companies operating in these regions," said Anderson, "but together they log more than one quarter of the total roundwood produced there annually. They have access to a total forest area of well over 80 million hectares - that’s an area around three times the size of the United Kingdom." Of the top 20 companies profiled, seven are Canadian-owned, four fully or part-owned by Malaysia, three by France and two by the US. The report is available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese with summaries in German, Portuguese and Indonesian. To order a copy contact: The Forest Campaign, Greenpeace International, Keizersgracht 176, 1016 DW Amsterdam, Netherlands, Fax: ++ 31 20 523 6200 E-mail: forests.publications@ams.greenpeace.org Buying Destruction is available on the web: http://www.greenpeace.org/~forests/
A group of 87 indigenous peoples organizations, NGOs and networks signed last July in Geneva, Switzerland, an indigenous peoples' statement on the trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) of the WTO Agreement. The signatories strongly criticise the Western logics underlying TRIPS in the WTO Agreements, since they establish monopoly rights to individuals and transnationals on life forms and processes, to the detriment of the indigenous resources and cultures. They warn about the various negative impacts of the TRIPS Agreement on their lives, and make proposals for the revision of its Article 27.3(b). The complete text of this statement is available in our web site under: http://www.wrm.org.uy/english/tropical_forests/trips.html Source: BIO-IPR, GRAIN, e-mail: bio-ipr-request@cuenet.com 24/9/99.
WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES News from the International Secretariat On September 17th and in the framework of an international campaign we addressed Mr Hiroshi Yasuda, Governor of the Export-Import Bank of Japan, urging him to reconsider the agency's support for the San Roque Dam project in The Philippines (see article above). On October 1st a fax was sent to Mr Ranayan Rane, Chief Minister of Mantralaya, India, in defence of the Narmada villagers and environmental activists which are in serious risk of drowning because of their determination to oppose the submergence of the Narmada Valley by the unfinished dam. The WRM International Secretariat sent a message dated October 5th to Mr Juan Mayr Maldonado, Colombian Minister of the Environment, to express its support to the Embera Katio people in their struggle against the Urra Dam which would flood their ancestral territory in the rainforests. We addressed a letter to the President of World Bank, Mr. James Wolfensohn, opposing the financing of the PRODEMINCA mining project within the boundaries of the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, an intact remnant of the Western Ecuadorian forests. The WRM International Secretariat addressed Occidental Petroleum Corporation to express once again its deep concern for the situation of the U'wa indigenous people in Colombia, this time menaced by a plan of oil exploitation in the Samore region. |
 |
|||
|
|||
|
Go to Home Page
World Rainforest Movement
Maldonado 1858 - 11200 Montevideo - Uruguay
tel: 598 2 413 2989 / fax: 598 2 410 0985
wrm@wrm.org.uy
