Exuberant and majestic forests span the province of Misiones on a plateau with altitudes of up to 800 metres. Its soil is reddish organic matter forming humus up to 30 cm thick that acts like a sponge, retaining water and minerals. Once the cradle of stories and myths, the forest of Misiones is now disappearing.

One of the factors causing its destruction is the large scale plantation of alien pine trees, most of which are intended for making pulp, while the others go to timber industrialization.

At the end of May 2005, the Ecological Group Cuña Pirú from the Province of Misiones invited the WRM International Coordinator, Ricardo Carrere to visit them. On the basis of his direct observations and conversations with the local inhabitants he prepared a report on the impact of pine plantations in this Province.

What follows are some excerpts from this report, centred on the falseness of the affirmation that plantations “take pressure off” the forest.

“In Misiones, 32.5 hectares of woodlands are clearcut per day, that is to say 12,000 hectares disappear every year. Originally the Province had some 2,700,000 hectares of rainforests but presently it is estimated that the area is down to 1,200,000 hectares. That is to say, only 44 per cent of the original forest remains. It is essential to protect what remains as this percentage represents the last continuous remnant of the unique “paranaense” rainforest.

In spite of this process of forest destruction, Misiones is described in Argentina as the ‘country’s main forest province’. In fact it is the province with the greatest percentage of monoculture tree plantations. In the year 2000 there were 318,000 hectares of plantations in this relatively small province (its total area covers almost 3 million hectares). Out of this total, over 80 percent corresponded to elliottii and taeda pines. Considering that “forestation” is still going on, it is probable that by now over 350,000 hectares are planted with pine.

When talking about plantations, it is usual that they are referred to as a factor helping to protect native forests, affirming that they “take pressure off” timber extraction from forests. The fact that this is rarely true does not dishearten those who make this statement. Such is the case in Misiones. During the few days I spent there, I saw innumerable trucks loaded with large native trees, sadly described by one of the members of Cuña Pirú as ‘funeral hearses promenading the forest on wheels.’

I was also able to observe large piles of the same type of trees in the many sawmills in the area. What is more, according to the Undersecretary for Forests and Forestation of the Ministry of Ecology, Renewable Natural Resources and Tourism of Misiones, there are 379 sawmills in the province that work with native species. To this is added that most of the ‘forests’ one can observe consist of North American pine trees. Monoculture tree plantations of exotic species now occupy the place where formerly the exuberant forest of Misiones developed and, in many cases are established in ‘capueras’ that is to say in areas where the forest has started to re-establish itself.

Furthermore, the plantation companies continue to destroy the forest. I was informed that they still use tractors with chains to pull down the trees, followed by burning. Obviously, before burning, ‘truckloads of good timber’ leave the site to obtain considerable sums of money. Following this, the land is tilled and pre and post emergent weed-killers are sprayed, destroying the possibility of forest regeneration, eliminating the pioneer species that are installed and the re-growth of the trees cut down.

Reforestation implies prior deforestation. And in the case of Misiones, it is not only with the timber they fell that they make a profit. They oblige many farmers to replace crops of all kinds…and they mainly replace families, settlers with pine trees. First, the crisis of the various traditional products and the drop in their prices. They then take over the land, the farms, etc., and fill them with pine trees, giving way to a process of land concentration linked to forestation. As an example, the Chilean company Alto Paraná holds 230,000 hectares of land, that is to say 8 per cent of the total area of Misiones. As in many other countries, this land concentration process, linked to forestation, originates in the low cost of the land, the rapid growth of the trees, the non-existence of restrictions to acquire large extensions of land and state promotion through subsidies.

As an argument in favour of this promotion, it is said that the sector generates thousands of jobs and mention is made of the ‘great amount of labour that is generated by each planted hectare.’ However, what is perceived is a process of urban concentration, linked to abandoning agricultural lands to tree plantations.’

Furthermore, the working conditions of forest workers are poor, most of the tasks are done by pure outsourcing, and it is common for agro-chemicals to be applied without the workers wearing a mask or the appropriate clothing (although the foremen require the mask to be worn around the neck ‘in case there is an inspection’). If anyone complains they are put on the Black List and will never get another job.”

The profit motive of commercial gluttony has swooped down on the forest. Its disappearance is followed by that of its forest peoples and their knowledge, who inhabit that “living cathedral of ferns and serpents,” “full of shadows and green elves” (from a poem by Ramon Avala, an artist from Misiones).

The complete report of Ricardo Carrere’s trip to Misiones can be found at: http://www.guayubira.org.uy/celulosa/informeMisiones.html

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Brazil: Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples take back their lands occupied by Aracruz

What is happening in Brazil is a historic event, not only for Brazil, but for all of us who are struggling against the advance of large scale monoculture tree plantations.

In February this year, the Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples decided to put an end to the truce (see WRM Bulletin No. 94) with the Aracruz Celulose Company and take back their lands. Thus, in May approximately 500 Tupinikim and Guarani started the self-demarcation of 11,008 hectares of land belonging to them and encroached on by the company. Self-demarcation of the land ended 4 days later and presently the indigenous peoples are demanding recognition of these lands and are mainly carrying out activities for the reconstruction of their means of survival.

Within this framework during the first days of June the Fourth National Meeting of the Red Alerta contra el Desierto Verde (*) (Alert against the Green Desert Network) was held. This Network is struggling against the expansion of monoculture tree plantations in Brazil. Two hundred and fifty people took part in this meeting, among them the Pataxo, Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples, quilombolas**(Afro-Brazilian communities), peasants, rural landless workers, fisher-people, trade-unionists, biologists, geographers, forestry experts, lawyers, artists and NGO representatives from the States of Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Para, in addition to international representatives from Ecuador, Costa Rica and Uruguay.

The meeting started with a demonstration in the streets of Vitoria, the State Capital, where hundreds of people marched in support of the indigenous peoples’ struggle, under the slogan of “Federal Government: do not plant eucalyptus, demarcate indigenous lands” (“Governo Federal: não plante eucalipto, demarque as terras indígenas!”). The demonstrators walked over 8 kilometres carrying banners with captions such as: “To Lula’s Government: the future of the indigenous peoples is more important that exporting pulp,” accompanied by indigenous songs and music. Subsequently, during the two-day meeting the participants exchanged information on the advance of monoculture tree plantations in the various Brazilian states and the resulting impacts and on the situation in other Latin American countries. They also discussed the impact of carbon sinks in the South and certification of tree plantations, the politics of Lula’s government and the alternatives to this “development model”. The resolutions adopted during this event were summarized in a letter (available on our web site – in Portuguese- at: http://www.wrm.org.uy/paises/Brasil/Jacaraipe.html) calling for reflection on the serious social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of large-scale monoculture tree plantations.

Among the participants to this Meeting, was an Ecuadorian delegation in representation of the following organizations: the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (CONAIE - Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador); the Kichua Peoples Nations of Ecuador (ECUARUNARI - Nacionalidades de Los Pueblos Kichua del Ecuador), Acción Ecológica and the Foundation for Ecological Defence (FUNDECOL - Fundación de Defensa Ecológica). Their presence at the event, in addition to expressing their solidarity and support to the indigenous peoples, Afro-Brazilian communities and peasant organizations of Brazil in their struggle, was also aimed at learning and at exchanging information with the local communities on the impacts of tree plantations and how to face them. Large areas of tree monocultures are now being planted in Ecuador and, as in many other countries of the South, they are being supported and promoted by the Government.

The meeting ended with a moving visit to the lands that the Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples have taken back. These lands –that up till now had been in the hands of Aracruz Celulose– are planted with eucalyptus. As a first step, demarcation consisted of marking the perimeters of their territory by felling the eucalyptus trees. At the time of our visit they had already opened up the first clearing in the plantation. The location chosen to start the rebuilding of their villages was the Tupinikim’s old village of Arariba, from where they were evicted when the company arrived there some 40 years ago. Today, to reach the location you have to walk along paths among monstrous eucalyptus plantations. During our visit the indigenous peoples were starting to build their dwellings, plant foodstuffs and native trees.

The Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples are showing the world that it is not only possible to fight for their rights against such powerful companies as Aracruz, but also that the way to true development is not that of transnational investment aimed at export, but that of local models based on social justice and respect for nature. To them, and to all those who for many years have been supporting this struggle, go our sincere thanks for the message of hope that this historic event means to the world.

(*) The Alert against the Green Desert Network has a website (in Portuguese and in English) with up-dated information on the Tupinikim and Guarani struggle, among other issues. All those who wish to have more information or see photos of the demarcation process should visit the following web page: http://www.desertoverde.org
** Quilombolas (descendents of escaped slaves)

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The Yasuni National Park, considered to be a Pleistocene refuge and declared Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989, covers an area of 982,000 hectares and spreads out to the basins of the Yasuni, Conanoco, Nashiño and Tiputini Rivers. Its forests are host to the greatest number of species of trees per hectare in the world as well as a great diversity of species of fauna. The Huaorani indigenous peoples and some non-contacted groups such as the Tagaeri and Taromenane, live in the Yasuni Park. For this reason it is considered to be one of the most emblematic parks in the country.

However, about 60 per cent of the Yasuni National Park has been handed over in concession to transnational oil companies in 200,000 hectare blocks. The national oil policy with its main axis on the construction of the Heavy Oil Pipeline (Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados - OCP) (See WRM Bulletin No. 50), demands extension of the oil frontier to new areas and over-exploitation of those blocks already in activity, among them that of the Yasuni National Park.

All these activities have caused serious impacts on the ancestral Huaorani people, totally interrupting and distorting their community life and causing social problems such as an increase in violence, alcoholism, sexual harassment of the women, prostitution, family disintegration, insecurity, labour problems, conflicts caused by the payment of compensation to those affected, repression by the oil companies to subdue the communities’ will. The various strategies used by the oil company officials to obtain authorization to enter the communities, ranging from deception, promises and threats, to discrediting the leaders, attempts at bribery, division of the communities or organizations, are another way of eroding community life.

Mention may be made of impacts on health such as contagion of new diseases (Hepatitis B and C and syphilis) and the effects of contamination that also imply the death of domestic animals from drinking polluted water or from accidents in the oil company facilities, loss of crops, market gardens and farms due to soil salinization around wells and stations and also due to the infiltration of contaminated water in rivers, estuaries, lagoons and groundwater (see WRM Bulletin No. 86).

It is in this context that a recent decision has been taken by the Council of the Huaorani Nations of the Ecuadorian Amazon (Consejo de Gobierno de la Nacionalidad Huaorani de la Amazonia Ecuatoriana - Onhae) to break off all friendly relations with the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, to ignore an agreement signed by the previous council of leaders of the Onhae with the former, and to prevent the company from entering the Yasuni National Park to launch activities in Block 31.

The said agreement provided for the financing of infrastructure in the communities, social aid and support for the creation of a small aircraft company, known as the Aereo Minta project. The present leaders have denounced that to date, nothing has been done.

To this is added the pressure of the grass-roots communities of this Nation, mainly women, which has led the organization to adopt such a decision.

Alicia Cahuiya, President of the Association of Huaorani Women, AMWAE (its acronym in the Huao language), mentioned that her organization is opposed to the activities in the Yasuni National Park because the Huaorani women want to conserve the territory free from contamination for their children. They do not want their farms, where they sow yucca, bananas and other products that are the communities’ only family food, to be contaminated by oil. Neither the State nor the company have taken on responsibility even when oil activities have contaminated the rivers where the inhabitants obtain their supply of water.

Cahuiya criticised the former Huaorani Government Council for signing the agreement with the Brazilian company Petrobras to exploit Block 31, without having previously consulted the grass-roots communities. AMWAE also opposes the construction of a 35 km road to be built along the banks of the Napo River, as they consider it will cause more deforestation, the disappearance of wild animals and the introduction of habits foreign to indigenous culture, such as alcoholism and prostitution.

The president of Onhae, Juan Enomenga, announced that there would be no going back on the decision to break off relations with the company and insisted on the total revision of the agreements signed with transnational companies.

For their part, the Kichwas from the Amazon province of Orellana, that are questioning compliance with environmental studies and the link between the communities and Petrobras, announced that they will support the actions promoted by the Huaorani against the oil companies.

Article based on information from:
“Los huaorani rompen los acuerdos con Petrobras”, Redacción Tena, July 2005, http://www.elcomercio.com/noticias.asp?noid=134012;
“Los kichwas están en contra de la acción de Petrobras”, Redacción Orellana, July 2005, http://www.elcomercio.com/noticias.asp?noid=134240 sent by Elizabeth Bravo, Acción Ecológica, E-mail: ebravo@hoy.net;
“Parque Yasuní”, Acción Ecológica, http://www.accionecologica.org/webae/index.php?option=com_content&task= view&id=20&Itemid=39

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Paraguay: Two pieces of good news for the Totobiegosode and for Humanity

The Ayoreo group (self denominated Ayoreode: “the true men or true people” comprising various clans, inhabit a region of the Paraguayan Chaco covering the Departments of Alto Paraguay and Boqueron,

The territory traditionally used by the Ayoreo people has always been vast with ecological characteristics of high biological diversity, providing the opportunity for multiple uses in terms of economy and nutrition. This territory, covering an area of 2.8 million hectares, includes practically the whole northern Chaco, except for the regions close to the large rivers and part of the transition zone between the Chaco and the Mojos savannahs in Bolivia.

In their great majority, the Ayoreo have been displaced by the occupation of their lands by farming, which has subjected them to great dependency on the religious missions and the regional market. However, one of these clans, the Totobiegosode (“the people from the place of the peccary”), have managed to continue living in voluntary isolation, applying economic land use systems based on hunting and gathering. For these activities it is essential for them to conserve forests, lagoons, streams and grasslands.

Over the past decades the continuous occupation of their territories, in addition to deforestation and destruction of the habitats that were their productive base, has implied the reduction of their territories as their mobility has been curtailed by the destruction of natural resources. This process has relied on the scant political and economic will to halt the encroachment of the cattle-raising frontiers on the final remnants of their ancient domains.

Considering the defencelessness of these groups, as a measure of protection at governmental level the competent national institutions with the support of civil society organizations such as “Iniciativa Amotocodie” (the Amotocodie Initiative) and the Totobiegosode Support Group (GAT), have promoted a plan to extend the Paraguayan Chaco Biosphere Reserve to incorporate the Natural and Cultural Ayoreo Totobiegosode Heritage within its limits.

Concurrently, the Government requested that the Paraguayan Chaco be declared a Biosphere Reserve included in the UNESCO World Network. The good news is that UNESCO has given its formal recognition of the Gran Chaco Biosphere Reserve proposal which, at the request of the Gran Chaco Biosphere Reserve Management Committee, covers the whole of the North of the Paraguayan Chaco and is extended to include the extensions promoted by Iniciativa Amotocodie (which is a member of this Management Committee) and by GAT, that is to say, the whole Amotocodie zone as well as the Cultural and Natural Heritage zone established by GAT in the eastern area of the Totobiegosode’s habitat.

The other piece of good news is that Iniciativa Amotocodie has concluded the first purchase of lands in Amotocodie. This is a 3,740 hectare plot that is part of the present habitat of one of the groups in voluntary isolation – the land purchased will be allocated to them and to the Ayoreo ethnic group in general.

The conclusion of this first purchase was possible thanks to the assistance of the Netherlands Committee for IUCN) and an important complementary donation by a friend to the Ayoreo’s cause.

The presence of the Totobiegosode in the area guarantees its preservation, since their culture, that has enabled them to live for centuries in harmony with their environment without destroying it, makes them the best guardians of nature. In the words of Benno Glauser, of Iniciativa Amotocodie, “This is part of what the forest Ayoreo, with their cultural, spontaneous and natural way of being, are giving to the world of today: a different and diverse way of being, that not only sustains the environmental integrity of the Chaco forest where they live, but also sustains a diverse awareness and presence that without them would be lacking in the world of today.”

Article based on information from: news sent by Benno Glauser, Iniciativa Amotocodie, e-mail: bennoglauser@quanta.com.py; Los Ayoreo Totobiegosode, http://www.dgeec.gov.py/Publicaciones/Biblioteca/Web%20Atlas
%20Indigena/171%20Plantilla%20Ayoreo%20toto.pdf; Los Ayoreo Totobiegosode del Chaco Paraguayo, http://www.gat.org.py/es/index.htm