Stora
Enso’s operations in Brazil are socially and environmentally
unsustainable
August
31, 2006
(also available in Spanish
and Portuguese)
We, the undersigned,
men, women and young people, rural and urban workers, indigenous people,
environmentalists, scientists, professors, students, hereby denounce
the situation of degradation and poverty of the Southern Region of
the State of Bahia, promoted by the pulp company Veracel, a joint
venture of Stora Enso.
Background
of Veracel/Stora Enso
Over the past
years, Veracel has generated a track record of environmental degradation,
concentration of land, eviction of thousands of workers from the rural
areas to the outskirts of cities, causing significant social and environmental
disruptions.
In 1993, the pulp
company used belt tractors joined by chains and fell many tree species
such as braúna, jacarandá and other hardwood trees.
Even today, a Civil Public Action is being prosecuted by the Federal
Public Prosecution Service, filed by several entities such as Greenpeace,
Gambá, Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos de Teixeira de
Freitas and CEPEDES against the company, that was called Veracruz
Florestal at that time.
Recently, the
company was fined by the IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment
and Renewable Natural Resources) for hindering the natural regeneration
of vegetation of the Atlantic Forest for the implementation of projects
for the plantation-cultivation of eucalyptus, in a total area of 1.203
hectares, in violation with the licence and authorizations granted.
During the same
period, the Federal Public Prosecution Service ordered, through recommendation
number 18, dated December 28, 2005, the withdrawal of eucalyptus plantations
surrounding the parks, since they are prohibited by Law.
In the margins
of the highways of the Southern Region there are now more than 12
thousand families camped. The trend is that such number doubles in
a short term, since with every new ranch purchased by the companies,
rural workers are evicted to the urban outskirts of the region.
Not satisfied
with the large number of lands purchased in the Southern Region of
Bahia for the plantation of eucalyptus, Veracel Celulose now moves
forward to the south of the State ignoring the social impacts this
entails. Only in the municipality of Mascote, the company purchased
several estates. Approximately, 400 workers lost their employment.
Many of these workers moved to the outskirts of near cities.
The properties
purchased include large remnants of Atlantic Forest. In one of the
properties of the Santa Rita group (made up by 4 ranches) purchased
by Veracel, there are already tractor’s trails. The houses,
corrals and plantations have already been destroyed to eliminate the
signs that human being once lived there, who depended on that land
and where families fed their children and lived together with the
diversity of creatures existing therein.
The Pataxó
indigenous people denounce the company Veracel Celulose for planting
eucalyptus within indigenous areas, such as, for example, the territory
of Monte Pascoal, which is currently under study. “This company
is damaging our environment, co-opting our leaders with distribution
of vehicles and promises of benefits with the clear objective of dividing
us and continuing with the invasion of our territory. All that is
being carried out with the connivance of FUNAI [the state body dealing
with indigenous issues] that has tried to establish agreements with
Veracel Celulose, whose practices have generated human, environmental
and cultural impacts for our people”.
Throughout the
region, the extensive plantation of eucalyptus has resulted in the
disappearance of several rivers and streams, as well as the disappearance
of several communities, such as Água Rosada in the municipality
of Eunápolis and the community of Maurília, that was
evicted to build the factory.
We think that
a company such as Veracel Celulose, one of the symbols of the development
model that was imposed in an arbitrary and violent manner, resulting
in all those negative consequences, causing violence, poverty and
hunger to the people of the Southern Region of Bahia, may not be considered
as environmentally and socially sustainable.
Signatures:
ACPO - Associação
de Combate aos POPs – SP
ACPO - Associação de Consciência à Prevenção
Ocupacional - SP
AGB-ES - Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros
– Seção ES
AGB-Rio AGB-Niterói - Associação dos Geógrafos
Brasileiros RJ - GT Ambiente
AMASA – Associação de Moradores de Santo André
– BA
AMAR - Associação de Defesa do Meio Ambiente de Araucária
– PR
APROMAC - Associação de Proteção ao Meio
Ambiente de Cianorte – PR
ATLA - Associação Terra Laranjeiras - Juquitiba - Telma
D. Monteiro- SP
Arlete Maria Pinheiro Schubert – Historiadora – ES
Bicuda Ecológica – RJ
Brigada Indígena – ES
Bruno Rodrigo Silva Diogo – MG
Carlos Casteglione - Deputado Estadual PT-ES
CEPEDES - Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas para o Desenvolvimento do
Extremo Sul/Ba.
CDDH – Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos - Teixeira de Freitas/BA
CDDH-Serra – Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos Serra/ES
CIMI Leste – Conselho Indigenista Missionário - Equipe
Extremo Sul-BA
CPT Diocese de Itabuna
CR MCPA FM Iguassu Iterei – Centro de Referência do Movimento
da Cidadania pelas Águas Florestas e Montanhas Iguassu ITERREI
CUT Central Única dos trabalhadores Regional Extremo Sul da
Bahia
Eliezer João de Souza – ABREA - Associação
Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto
Emil Schubert – Pastor Em. IECLB
Espaço Cultural da Paz – Teixeira de Freitas/BA
Fábio Martins Villas – Indigenista – ES
FASE/BA – Federação de Órgãos para
Assistência Social e Educacional
FASE/ES – Federação de Órgãos para
Assistência Social e Educacional
Fernanda Giannasi - Rede Virtual-Cidadã pelo Banimento do Amianto
para a América Latina
FETAG/BA - Federação Estadual dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura
Fórum Estadual de Mulheres/ES
GAMBÁ - Grupo Ambientalista da Bahia
Ir. Nilma do Carmo de Jesus - Aracruz – ES
ITEREI - Refúgio Particular de Animais Nativos, P-IBDF 163
/78
João Batista Silva – Geógrafo – RJ
Lígia Moysés Nascimento - Rede Alerta Contra o Deserto
Verde – ES
Mateus Alves V.de Melo – MG
Movimento Nacional dos Direitos Humanos/Regional Leste
MPA/ES – Movimentos dos Pequenos Agricultores
MST/ES - Movimento doa Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
Rede Brasileira de Justiça Ambiental
RACAA-SUL (Rede de Associaçoes comunitarias de Assentados e
nao assentados)
Rodrigo Gonçalves de Souza - CAMPO VALE - Engenheiro Agrônomo
– Minas Novas/MG
Sabrina Bandeira Lopes – RJ
Sindicato Bancários do Extremo sul da Bahia
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Eunápolis
STR- Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de SANTA LUZIA
TERRÆ - Organização da Sociedade Civil de Interesse
Público
Tiago Salles Teixeira –MG
