World Rainforest Movement Bulletin #4
9/8/97
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: World Rainforest Movement Bulletin #4
Source: World Rainforest Movement
Date: 9/8/97
*****************WORLD RAINFOREST MOVEMENT
MOVIMIENTO MUNDIAL POR LOS BOSQUES
International Secretariat Oxford Office
Instituto del Tercer Mundo 1c Fosseway BusinessCentre
Jackson 1136 Stratford Road
Montevideo Moreton-in-Marsh
Uruguay GL56 9NQ United Kingdom
Ph: +598 2 49 61 92 Ph: +441608652893
Fax: +598 2 41 92 22 Fax:+441608652878
EMail: rcarrere@chasque.apc.org EMail:wrm@gn.apc.org
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W R M B U L L E T I N # 4
08.09.97
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* PRESENTATION
Dear friends,
This is the fourth 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
processes. 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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In this issue:
* WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
* News from the International Secretariat
- Article on tree plantations for South Africa
- WRM web site: ideas and input needed
- An answer from Mexico
- Chile: activists against mining in Ecuador arrested
- Indigenous territories threatened in Bolivia
- Books received
* WRM Campaigns
- Tupinikim and Guarani: does the Government respect the law?
* LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
AFRICA
- FAO supports private plantations in Ghana
- Cameroon: who conserves and who destroys forests?
ASIA
-A shady bussiness in East Timor
-Indonesia: PT TEL's plan mounts protests
CENTRAL AMERICA
- US logging company leaves Guatemala
SOUTH AMERICA
-Brazil: accusation of biopiracy
-Venezuela: Alert on Imataca Reserve
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* WRM GENERAL ACTIVITIES
- News from the International Secretariat
Article on tree plantations for South Africa.-
We wrote an article on the issue of tree plantations, aimed at a
South African audience, for the Environmental Networking Justice
Forum's bulletin. If anyone wants a copy of the article
(Industrial tree plantations: a growing problem), please let us
know and we will send it by email.
WRM web site: ideas and input needed.-
We are in the stage of trying to implement a WRM web site, and we
would welcome your ideas and input for it. The process will begin
by posting a description of WRM and the Penang Declaration, the
WRM External Bulletin and establishing links with other relevant
web sites. We would also like to include all WRM statements and
publications (containing at least a listing and summaries of all
our books) and to have a section for each of our affiliates,
including description, publications, web sites, etc. Please let
us know if you have material in electronic format which you would
like us to include in the site or web sites you think we should
link to and any suggestions you wish to put forward. We will let
you know the site's address as soon as it's ready.
An answer from Mexico.-
As commented in the last issue of our bulletin, we addressed a
letter to the Government of Michoacan, Mexico, to inquire on the
death of the peasant activist Alberto Alonso Salmeron. By means
of a fax sent on August 19 we have been informed by the
government that the policeman Juan Equihua Ortiz is being
prosecuted for his suspected responsibility concerning this
murder.
Chile: activists against mining in Ecuador arrested.-
During the recent visit of Ecuatorian President Alarcon to
Santiago de Chile, the police violently repressed a peaceful
demonstration against a mining project of the Chilean firm
CODELCO together with Mitsubishi at Imbabura province in the
Ecuatorian Amazon. As a consequence Ivonne Ramos (Accion
Ecologica/Friends of the Earth,Ecuador) Lucio Cuenca
(Observatorio de Conflictos Ambientales, Chile) and Luis Mariano
Rendon (IEP and RENACE, Chile) were arrested. We sent faxes to
the Minister of Energy and Mining of Ecuador, the Chilean
Ambassador in Ecuador and the president of CODELCO, expressing
our concern over these events and supporting the opposition of
the Chilean and Ecuatorian NGOs against the depredatory
activities of CODELCO in the Ecuatorian territory. Some days
later the activist were set free but they have to face a legal
procedure for their protests.
Indigenous territories threatened in Bolivia.-
We addressed a letter to the President and to the Forest
Department (Superintendencia Forestal) of Bolivia, inquiring
about the concession of indigenous territories situated in the
Western Region to logging companies. This action not only is
suspected to be illegal and anti-constitutional but also
threatens the livelihood and cultures of forest peoples of
Bolivia. We urged that these territories are given back to their
legitimate owners.
Books received.-
International Alliance of Indigenous-Tribal Peoples of the
Tropical Forest & International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
(IWGIA).- Indigenous Peoples, Forest and Biodiversity, London,
Eks-Skolen Trykkeri, ISSN 1024-0217. The book brings together the
main statements and interventions made by the Alliance at various
international fora from 1992 to 1996, expressing their concerns
and proposals. Those interested in receiving it can contact the
Alliance (morbeb@gn.apc.org) or IWGIA (lga@iwgia.org).
Hagemann, Helmut.- Bancos, Incendiarios e Florestas Tropicais. O
papel da Cooperacao para o Desenvolvimento na destrucao das
florestas tropicais brasileiras, Rio de Janeiro, FASE, IBASE &
ISA, 1996. This research work of H.Hagemann -from Urgewald,
Germany- analyses critically different projects financed by
multilateral banks in the Brazilian territory. The book
offers abundant information on the negative effects of such type
of projects and presents alternatives for the effective
protection of the Brazilian tropical forests. It is written in
Portuguese. For more information please contact FASE
(fase@ax.apc.org), IBASE (ibase@ax.apc.org) or Instituto
Socioambiental (socioamb@ax.apc.org).
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* WRM campaigns
Tupinikim and Guarani: Does the Government respect the law?
On August 12th representatives of the Tupinikim and Guarani, the
federal deputies Nilton Baiano and Joao Coser and CIMI held an
audience with the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Justice
Mr. Jose de Jesus Filho, to claim once again the delimitation of
the boundaries of indigenous lands. During the audience, the
representative of the Brazilian government asked about the
possiblity of an exchange and/or a reduction of the claimed
lands, with the aim of not jeopardizing the activities of Aracruz
Celulose S.A. (ARCEL) and even questioned about the necessity of
the claimed lands. He also expressed that the Ministry had
decided to carry out an additional survey within the period of 90
days. Even if such a decision is made possible by Decree 1775/96,
the Secretary's attitude and arguments looked very close to those
of ARCEL and raised doubts among the delegation. Is the
Government taking into account the report of the Working Group
of FUNAI, that recommended the extension of indigenous
territories to 13579 hectares? Is Article 231 of the Federal
Constitution -which affirms that "the lands to which this
article refers shall be inalienable and unavailable, and the
rights to them shall not lapse"- being respected?
After the audience, the Executive Commission of the Tupinikim and
Guarani decided: to denounce any attempt of the Brazilian
government in proposing or implementing measures aimed at the
exchange and/or the reduction of indigenous lands, to put
pressure on the Government so that it reaffirms the conclusions
of the Working Group and to mobilise supporting organizations in
the same direction, and to ask customers, shareholders and
investors of ARCEL to ask the company to recognise the report of
the Working Group of FUNAI and to collaborate in the just
demarcation of the land claimed by the indigenous communities.
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* LOCAL STRUGGLES AND NEWS
AFRICA
FAO supports private plantations in Ghana.-
The Ghanaian Government has signed an agreement with the FAO to
support private forestry plantations in the country. The
government will benefit from a U$S 138,500 assistance package
under the agreement, to design long term mechanisms to support
private forestry plantations in the country.
Under a two-month project by the FAO and the Ministry of Lands
and Forestry, FAO is providing the money and two foreign
consultants to team up with local experts to research into
private forestry plantation development and a flexible scheme for
providing plantation incentives to firms, land owners,
communities and individuals.
It will also come out with terms for the necessary institutional
capacity for implementing practical options and ensuring
effective monitoring of the results. The results envisaged by the
project are long-term financing mechanisms including incentives
to support a financially viable private forest plantation
programme in Ghana, and information for improved private
plantation management and the improved participation of small
farmers in plantation development.
The Minister of Lands and Forestry, Mr Cletus Avoka, who signed
the agreement on behalf of the government, said that for some
time now, the government's attention has been captured by the
issue of sustainable forest management and the need to maintain a
raw material base.
He said reasonable programmes had been established to ensure that
the numerous mills in the country were satisfied to enable them
to produce to feed both local and international markets.
Ghana lost about one third of its forest within 17 years between
1955 to 1972. Since 1977, the country's virgin forests have been
reduced from 7.44 million hectares to 1.84 million hectares
through what government officials term as illegal and
unconventional means. The rate of 1.71 per cent mean annual
deforestation in this area exceeds that of both Asia (0,66%) and
Tropical America (0,84%).
By: William Appiah, Third World Network, Africa Secretariat
Cameroon: who conserves and who destroys forests?
The use of Cameroon's forests is oriented to the logic of private
accumulation and economic interests, regardless of the interests
of the Pygmy population that depends on those forests for their
survival. Forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate, due to
the high prices of some types of wood in the international
market, to the weight of the country's external debt and to the
collusion of government officials and international forestry
companies.
The government and corporations view forests as wood to be sold
for large sums of money. The Pygmy population see forests in a
totally different manner. As a Bakola woman says:
"... we are in the midst of huge desolation, we no longer
recognise the forest, we no longer understand what is happening.
Our forests change from one day to the next. What future awaits
our children? The settlements destroy the forest, and the felling
of trees prevents us from gathering honey to feed our children.
The noise of their huge machines is causing the animals to flee
far away. The trees falling into the rivers muddy the river beds.
Some fruits are becoming scarce and we have to walk for a long
time to find them. And the mushrooms we used to gather everywhere
are gone. ... our children have no future. Where will they find
animals to hunt? The bark, the leaves and the fruits for curing
and eating?"
Honey, meat, fish, water, fruit, mushrooms, medicine, firewood,
wood: all this and much more is how these indigenous peoples view
their forest. Wood for industry is the only product which the
government and corporations see in the forest. The former
viewpoint ensures forest conservation, while the latter is
leading to forest destruction.
Source: Tabapssi F. Tomothee.- The Bakola Pygmies: subjected to
integration and industrial forestry exploitation, Indigenous
Affairs (IWGIA) 4, Oct-Nov-Dec 1996
ASIA
A shady business in East Timor.-
One of the main reasons why Indonesia continues occupying East
Timor after its invasion in December 1975 and based upon a
continuous repression of the Maubere people, are the business
interests of president Suharto's family in that country. The
Indonesian Army is heavily involved in protecting the First
Family's interests in the occupied land, that cover many
different economic activities, from coffee and sugarcane
plantations to textile and mining.
Since 1995 they are also planning to enter the forestry sector.
The company PT Fendi Hutani Lestari, which is directed by
businessman Bob Hasan, one of Suharto's best friends, has planned
to established nearly 50,000 hectares of tree plantations in an
area covering eleven villages in the district of Viqueque. Even
if not much has been heard since the official launching of the
plantation in July 1995, the strong popular opposition to other
projects of this company in East Timor seems to have prevented
the plan to reach its target.
Source: George J. Aditjondro (21/8/97) and The World Guide
1997/98
Indonesia: PT TEL's plan mounts protests.-
In WRM Bulletin Nr 1 (23/5/97) we informed on PT Tanjung Enim
Lestari (PT TEL) plans to establish a huge pulp mill in South
Sumatra. Despite protests from local communities and NGOs the
project continues. Although PT TEL has not still received the
necessary government license (which is to be taken for granted
since President Suharto's eldest daughter, Tutut, is a
shareholder in the project herself), the company has already
cleared 800 hectares of the 1,250 hectares of forested lands the
factory site will occupy. On June 23 -with the strong opposition
of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI)- the
Environmental Impact Assessment of the project was approved. This
study completely ignored several important issues, e.g.: the
source of raw materials; the way local farmers, rubber tappers
and villagers were forced by the company to give up their lands
for the developing of the project; how wastes will be treated
before their disposal in the River Lematang, which is the only
source of water for domestic use for the surrounding communities
and source of livelihoood for local fishermen.
Source: Down to Earth. Nr 34. August 1997.
CENTRAL AMERICA
US logging company leaves Guatemala
The US logging giant Simpson Forestry announced it would abandon
its operations in Guatemala since a Constitutional Court ruling
prohibited its access to the Rio Dulce for the transportation of
logs. Guatemala's National Commission of Protected Areas (CONAP)
played a very important role in the matter by presenting a study
before the Court, showing that the dredging of the river needed
for log transportation, was very risky for this biodiversity-rich
area. Facing the criticism of both Simpson Forestry, stating that
CONAP is unqualified to talk about the matter, and that of the
Chamber of Industry, according to which such kind of decisions
makes Guatemala less atractive to foreign investments, CONAP and
other environmental groups claim that the region should develop
its ecotourism potential as a way of conserving the environment
and, at the same time, creating jobs. The ruling is considered a
significant and hopeful act in placing environmental protection
above export profits.
Source: Ann Heinderich. NGONET. annh@northnet.org or
annh@chasque.apc.org
SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil: accusation of biopiracy.-
According to a decision of the Federal Public Ministry and the
Court of Justice of Acre State, the swiss NGO Selva Viva is up to
be expelled from the Brazilian territory. CIMI and the Union of
Indigenous Nations of Acre (Uniao das Nacoes Indigenas do Acre)
had denounced Selva Viva in the courts for suspected activities
of biopiracy, because of its activities of cataloguing roots,
barks and seeds for international laboratories (Ciba-Geigy,
Hoechst, Sandoz, Lilly and Johnson & Johnson). Acre is the first
Brazilian State to pass a law to protect biodiversity. In
case the expulsion takes place, it would be the first effective
judicial action against biopiracy in Brazil.
Source: CIMI, 7/8/97.
Venezuela: Alert on Imataca Reserve.-
The controversy over Presidential Decree Nr. 1850 that opened
Imataca Reserve to mining and logging companies continues. As
informed in the second issue of our Bulletin (10/07/97), the
Venezuelan Government approved in record time a management plan
for Imataca, beneficial to the powerful international mining and
logging lobby. Since then, signs of disagreement have increased
all over the country at the academic, political and social
levels. Prof. Centeno -from the Universidad de los Andes, Merida-
has stated that such decree not only violates several previous
norms at the national level -e.g. the organic law on Territorial
Ordinance, the organic law on the Environment, the Forestry Law
and presidential Decree Nr 2214- but also several international
commitments as the Washington Convention of 1941 on the
protection of flora, fauna and scenic beauties and the Convention
on Biological Diversity subscribed in 1992. On June 14th, the
Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Sciences of the Universidad
de los Andes requested the President to revoke the Decree. Two
days before, a Congressional Commision on the Environment
severely questioned the Decree and warned that the case could be
brought to the Supreme Court. Chiefs and delegates from several
indigenous communities of Bolivar State presented on July 1st a
document to Congress rejecting the President's decision. Other
social organizations expressed their aim to take legal procedures
against the Decree and finally on August 2nd the Supreme Court
admitted a request for annulment of the Decree presented by FORJA
(Federation of Environmental Organizations) and the College of
Sociologists and Anthropologists of Venezuela. A second recourse
with the same objective, presented by the Commision on the
Environment of the Chamber of Deputies was accepted some days
later. AMIGRANSA -a member of FORJA and WRM affiliate- warns
about the danger that the opening of Imataca to private interests
could be followed by similar measures applied to other areas of
the rich tropical Venezuelan ecosystems.
Sources: Julio Cesar Centeno (10.08.97) and AMIGRANSA (21.08.97)