World Rainforest Movement Bulletin #1
5/26/97
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Headline: World Rainforest Movement Bulletin #1
Source: World Rainforest Movement
Date: 5/26/97
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W R M B U L L E T I N # 1
26.05.97
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* PRESENTATION
Dear friends,
This is the first issue of the World Rainforest Movement's Bulletin.
The World Rainforest Movement is a global network of citizens'
groups of North and South involved in efforts to defend the
world's rainforests against the forces that destroy them. It
works to secure the lands and livelihoods of forest peoples and
supports their efforts to defend the forests from commercial
logging, dams, mining, plantations, shrimp farms, colonisation
and settlement and other projects that threaten them.
We hope that this Bulletin may become a tool for enhancing communication
and information among all those people concerned with this issue and
willing to contribute to stop and reverse this destructive process.
Your comments, suggestions and contributions are welcome through:
rcarrere@chasque.apc.org, alvarog@chasque.apc.org or fax (598 2)41 92 22.
Warm regards
Ricardo Carrere
International Coordinator
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* WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
- News from the International Secretariat
Conferences and course in Ecuador.-
Ricardo Carrere went to Ecuador invited by the Third World Ecological
Studies Institute (Instituto de Estudios Ecologistas del Tercer Mundo) to
deliver a number of conferences and a one week course on forests and
plantations. Quito, Riobamba, Esmeraldas and Cuenca were the cities where
the conferences were held, with an average of 100 people attending each.
The course took place in the Amazonia. In all cases the audience was very
broad, including environmentalists, foresters, development NGOs, students,
teachers, representatives from indigenous and peasant organizations, FAO,
government officials and even the military.
The organizers also managed to open up spaces in a number of local radio
programmes with a wide audience. WRM opinions on deforestation (also
including mangrove destruction by shrimp farming) and industrial
plantations (including eucalyptus, pine trees and oil palms) were quite
easily understood by most, except for foresters! As a follow up, Ricardo
wrote an article on the forest and plantation issue in Ecuador, published
in Spanish in the Third World Network magazine Revista del Sur. Anyone
interested in a copy of the article please let us know.
..........................................................................
- WRM Campaigns
Concern for events in Sarawak.-
On April 17th we sent a letter to the Primer Minister and to the Inspector
General of Police in Malaysia on the arrest and ill-treatment suffered by
four Penan natives, who were claiming against the destructive activities
of a logging company (probably Samling). On April 30th messages were sent
to the Chief Minister of Sarawak and to the Prime Minister of Malaysia
expressing our concern for the arrest of three members of the Dayak Ibans
people happened a few days before and requesting that the legitimous
rights of indigenous peoples of Sarawak be respected. They were
prossecuted under the false accusation of having intimidated, threatened
and assaulted a group of workers of Nation Mark Sdn Bhd, a company that
has been destroying the forest by cleaning up lands for the commercial
plantation of palm trees. Brought to Court on May 3rd. they were released
after having executed a bond to keep peace. The prisoners refused to
consider themselves as guilty for having peacefully defended their rights.
..............................
Brazil: Tupinikim and Guarani indigenous peoples vs Aracruz Cellulose.-
Thanks to the letter campaign and the pressure from Brazilian and
international organizations and institutions, FUNAI (the State Agency on
Indigenous Peoples issues) published in the official gazette -with
considerable delay- the identification reports on the extension and
demarcation of the indigenous lands of Tupinikim and Guarani on January
13th. Eight days later Aracruz Celulose filed its response, aimed at
proving that the company is the legitimate owner of the land presently
claimed by the Tupinikim. The company choses to ignore history, since the
Tupinikim already occupied a vast territory -that is currently part of the
States of Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and
Bahia- when the Portuguese arrived at the beginning of the XVI century. In
1610 the Portuguese Crown gave back to the Tupinikim one "sesmaria" of
land they asked as first people in the region. The presence of Tupinikim
in the area was also already recorded in reports of 1912 and 1919 by the
Indian Protection Service. Since 1934 the Brazilian Constitution
guarantees the rights of indigenous peoples to the possesion of their
traditional lands, which cannot even be handed over to third parties. In
1960 a group of Guarani arrived at the region in their search for "the
land without evil", they were received by the Tupinikim and stayed there
since. A number of national and international organizations -as well as
the Government of Espirito Santo- support the indigenous peoples claim for
a further 13759 hectares, situated next to their present reserves. Due to
the expansion of eucalyptus plantations following deforestation by Aracruz
Celulose, the Tupinikim had been forced to abandon part of their ancestral
territories, which are now being claimed as necessary for the maintenance
of their traditional subsistence economy and livelihood based on forest
resources. On April 22nd, the WRM Secretariat sent a letter to FUNAI
expressing our support to its decission in favour of the indigenous
peoples claim and one to the Minister of Justice of Brazil asking him to
finally establish the limits of the territories according to Tupinikim and
Guarani legitimate rights. Representatives of these indigenous peoples are
up to travel to Great Britain and Norway, during two weeks, to let NGOs,
governments and companies know their points of view and details of their
struggle. On arriving back home a press conference will be held.
Source: Based on information provided by CIMI, May 1997.
..............................................
- International Processes
The Oxford Office was actively involved in the preparation of a European
NGO statement for the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests. The
International Secretariat, with input from the Oxford Office, released
a WRM statement also for the IPF (see English and Spanish versions at the
end of the Bulletin)
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* LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
Problems with oil exploration in Colombia.-
Last February the Colombian Environment Ministry issued an authorization
for oil exploration by Oxy, a branch of the US company Occidental, to
start in indigenous territory on the border with Venezuela, considered one
of the largest oil fields of the hemisphere. To stop the beginning of the
activities of the company, about 4,000 members of the U'wa tribe recently
threatened to commit mass suicide if oil exploration takes place on their
ancestral lands.
"All honorable men and women understand that the path one follows
by causing wounds to mother Earth is a deadly one," said Jose Cobaria
said, a spokesperson of the U'wa. He issued an appeal for help from the
international community, "so that they help the white man (Oxy)
understand the meaning of the life of the people and animals" who live on
the tribal lands
Source: Amazon Coalition Action Alert/ Update February 4, 5, 1997;
Associated Press, February 3, 1997.
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Shell Oil menaces the Amazon indigenous in Peru.-
Shell Oil has plans to start drilling for natural gas this July in
a rainforest area that Peru's government set aside as a homeland
for so-called "uncontacted" indigenous people, inhabited by the Nahua and
Kugakopori in the Urubamba River valley, a biodiversity rich area.
Even if - to avoid any possible charges of environmental damage- Shell has
vowed to refrain from causing any negative environmental impact,
some charges of environmental damage, like alteration of the water and
problems in hunting and fishing have already begun to come in.
As Shell itself admits bigger problems can be expected when the extraction
of natural gas begins: heavy metal pollution due to waste material from
the wells, massive flares in the forest and risk of explosion caused by
gas escaping.
Source: Rainforest Action Network Action Alert January/February
1997; InterPress Service, January 30, 1997.
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Indonesian forests under threat.-
An enormous pulp mill - PT TEL- is being established in South Sumatra by a
syndicate of foreign banks and export credits from Europe, North America
and Japan. The agreement for nearly US1billion was signed in March. PT TEL
involves a number of Barito Pacific subsidiaries, President Suharto's
daughter Tutut and Japanese companies.
Mature rainforest, local people's plantations and farms are being
destroyed to make way for the paper pulp mill at Tanjung Enim and the
industrial timber estates to supply it. Local communities have been forced
off their land with little compensation and no alternative means of making
a living.
Source: Down to Earth Newsletter Nr. 32, February 1997
...............................................
Indigenous protest in Santiago, Chile.-
A large Mapuche and Pehuenche march took place in Santiago on May 14th
against the actions of the Chilean government in order to deny indigenous
rights guaranteed by the Chilean law. The present protest was preceeded by
the occupation of the headquaters of CONADI (Commission of Indigenous
Development) last April and the cancellation by President Frei of the II
Conference of the Indigenous Peoples Fund to be held in Santiago on May
14-15th. Indigenous from Chile are critical regarding the "development"
projects of the government that, being supported and financed by the
Inter-American Development Bank and other funding agencies, menace their
territories. To express your solidarity to the indigenous peoples from
Chile you are invited to send messages to:
Mr. President of Chile
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Palacio de la Moneda, Santiago
fax: (56 2)690 40 00 699 16 57 and
Mr. President of the Interamerican Development Bank
Enrique Iglesias
New York
fax: (1)202 623 36 14
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Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity.-
David Hathaway (Brazil), has informed us that a volume of the Global
Biodiversity Assessment (UNEP), entitled "Cultural and Spiritual Values of
Biodiversity" is being prepared. It will include opinions and experiences
of indigenous, traditional and local communities. Articles, poems, art
works, pieces of music, photos on this issue are welcome to show that
biodiversity is a comprehensive concept beyond the narrow economic and
institucionally centered dominant point of view. The deadline is June
15th. All who consider that this initiative could be important can
contact:
Dr. Darrell A. Possey
Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethics and Society
Mansfield College - University of Oxford
Oxford, UK OX 1 3 TF
Tel/fax: (44)1865 284 665
......................................................
Indigenous Peoples and the Global Environmental Agenda.-
"Indigenous Peoples, Forest, and Biodiversity" is a book published by the
International Alliance of Indigenous-Tribal Peoples of the Tropical
Forests and the International Working Group for Indigenous Affairs
(IWGIA), that brings together statements and interventions made by the
former organization at various international fora, included CSD,
IPF and CBD. Those interested in the publication, please contact
IWGIA: ap@iwgia.org, fax (45)33 14 77 49.
.....................................................
Resistance to oil explotiation in the Tropics.-
Oilwatch Quito, Ecuador, has just published "Voces de resistencia"
(Spanish version) with a great deal of relevant and current information
related to the environmental impact of oil companies in tropical countries
from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The book has been written to the
memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa killed in Nigeria in 1995 for oposing Shell
depredatory activities. Contact:tegantai@oilwatch.ecx.ec
Good bye! Till our next issue!
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Annex.-
* Statement of the World Rainforest Movement for the Intergovernmental
Panel on Forests meeting, New York, February 20th, 1997.
The forest crisis: clear commitments and accountability
Deforestation and forest degradation -including conversion to industrial
monoculture tree plantations- need to be addressed by all governments,
since practically all governments hold some direct or indirect
responsibility over the forest crisis. Although the issue has a global
scope -both in causes and consequences- it needs to be addressed at a
national level. Underlying and direct causes of deforestation and forest
degradation vary from country to country as well as within countries and
therefore efforts to stem these processes should be tailored to specific
situations. In those cases in which some of the causes of deforestation
and forest degradation lie outside the national boundaries, such
situation should be made clear and the international community should
assist in the removal of those causes.
As deforestation and forest degradation have global consequences, such as
climate change and biodiversity loss, the international community
-including governments, intergovernmental agencies and civil society
organizations- must play a role to generate the necessary conditions to
halt and revert such processes.
Northern governments have a role to play, both nationally and
internationally. At the national level, some of them must commit
themselves to halt current unsustainable logging practices in their own
countries and -where relevant- to respect indigenous people's rights;
others must focus on the protection of remaining old-growth forests while
others must change from industrial plantation-style management to
ecoforestry practices.
At the international level, northern governments must commit themselves to
the removal of a number of underlying causes of deforestation
-particularly in the South- such as overconsumption of forest products and
products produced in forest areas, unfair terms of trade, external debt
issues, structural adjustment programs, etc. They must also avoid
exporting their forestry practices to totally different southern
environments and evaluate if their development aid in the forest and
agricultural sectors favour the conservation of forests or if it
contributes to further deforestation in the South.
Southern governments also have a major role to play and must commit
themselves to the removal of national causes of deforestation and forest
degradation. In some cases, they must ensure land security to peasants and
indigenous people; in other cases they should make other energy sources
available to local people depending exclusively on biomass fuel, in others
they should not embark on development schemes which result in large-scale
deforestation and forest degradation.
Both in North and South, civil society in general and forest people and
forest-dependent people in particular, must play a major role in the
elaboration of national, regional and local forest conservation and use
plans, as well as in their implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
We urge the CSD to request all governments -from North and South- to make
public commitments on the concrete steps they will take to halt
deforestation and forest degradation at home and -where relevant- abroad.
By this means, governments will become accountable to their own people and
to the international community as a whole. All governments should also
commit themselves to produce an annual report on the implementation of
those commitments and to the national dissemination of such report,
requesting comments from all interested parties, both on the commitments
themselves and on their implementation. The CSD or another UN agency
selected by the CSD -e.g. UNEP- would then produce a report collating the
information received from governments and the information produced by
non-governmental entities. In cases where the official and unofficial
reports differ widely, the CSD -or the selected agency- would send a team
of researchers to produce its own report, which would also be made
publicly available.
Many of the world's forests have dissapeared and many others are
threatened, both in the North and in the South. There are no doubts about
it. But until now, governments have been either unable or unwilling to
find solutions, while local people -particularly indigenous people- are
struggling to defend their forests and the NGO community has a long
history in the same direction. As a concrete step to show a change of
course, we request all governments to sign on ILO Convention 169 and the
UN Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. If governments
are really willing to defend the forests, then they should make clear
commitments, empower local people, recognise indigenous people's rights to
their forests and open up participation to all parties truly interested in
the conservation of forests, particularly indigenous and forest-dependent
people and the NGO community.