Some encouraging news

The provincial government has today announced it has put a stop to deforestation on a large plot of land, known as El Alamo. Spanish readers click here to read a local newspaper article on the topic.

Some of you will recall that ASOCIANA had been engaged in fighting this proposal, back in July 2007. The reason given for stopping the bulldozers in their tracks was that the deforestation is possibly affecting indigenous land-use rights. This is a major change in state policy, which has until now tended to downplay indigenous rights in favor of allowing the expansion of agriculture.

The following satellite image, taken from the work we do monitoring deforestation, shows that forest clearence had already been initiated on the El Alamo ranch, which is located within the ancestral territory if the indigenous community of Traslado (red dot).

The action taken in El Alamo is one of the first clear indications that the new government in Salta may be taking a more rational approach towards the issue of deforestation. There is also encouraging noises being made with regards to issuing indigenous land rights in the region of the Pilcomayo.

February update

On the work front, we are pleased that Maria has resumed her translation work, this time with Compassion International. She is able to do the work from home, and in her own time. Andrew will undertake further consultancies with the same organisation, first in Guatemala (April), and Peru (October). He continues his work helping ASOCIANA with research and writing.

After a long lapse, with only one hour flown in 2007, Andrew is back on track with his flying, and will be undertaking deforestation monitoring flights in the coming months. The reason for the quiet spell was that the aero club planes were and still are out of action (one crashed, the other has major engine troubles). A fellow student on the flying course has bought a Cessna 182, and this is the one Andrew will use for survey work. For those of you interested (and according the children, there are not many) we have included a unique piece of video of the man himself executing a take off from Salta aero club

Video clip of Andrew taking off from the aero club in Salta

A number of trusted folk have been appointed by the Salta government to head up the environmental agency (SEMADES). They have yet to define a clear policy concerning deforestation, but at least seem keen to put the breaks on. Andrew has written and will be publishing a statistical summary on the current status of deforestation in Salta, with the aim of establishing a base line for monitoring what occurs under the new government. With the help of an experienced author and editor has finally managed to complete writing a book on the situation of the indigenous people in Salta. He is now putting the finishing touches to the epistle, which should all being well, be in local bookshops in a few months time.

On a slightly different front, and with generous support from our home Church in St Albans, we are coordinating a conference in August aimed at getting local churches to consider where they stand vis a vis the environmental problems that increasingly affect Salta. We are very encouraged by the reception the idea has been given in different quarters, including institutional backing being given by A Rocha, and Fundación Kairos, one of Argentina’s leading Christian organisations.

SHARE Magazine articles on land rights and deforestation

SAMS has published a couple of articles related to our work here in Argentina. Clik here to see the magazine.

Green light for bulldozers

We got news today that 2 of 3 the big deforestation proposals we have been opposing have now been given the green light by the government. It is quite likely that the 3^rd one may also have been approved, but we need to still confirm this.

This is a major blow, but is probably only a fore taste of what is to happen in the near future, because it seems the outgoing government authorized a whole pile of applications for deforestation just prior to the approval of a new forestry law that aims to protect forests.

We are now waiting to see what policies the new government will apply. There are some new faces that we know as good people, but it is often the case that those higher up in the hierarchy of power are those who call the shots.

New Forestry Law

After a lot of negotiation, Argentina has passed a new law which may help towards slowing down deforeststion. We still have not seen the fine print, but its probabaly a step in the right direction.

November 29, 2007 - Argentina has its first native forestry law. The bill approved by Congress yesterday, had suffered endless delays in the House and Senate, largely due to resistance from Argentina’s principle lumber producing provinces. That was overcome this week by a proposal from the Environment Secretariat to create a Compensatory Fund to offset lumbering revenue losses.

The law prohibits lumbering without proper permits, and mandates environmental impacts studies and participatory territorial planning of forestry resources in each of the country’s provinces. The Federal Environmental Authority is to provide the necessary finance and technical assistance to achieve these while mandating provinces who receive federal forestry financial assistance to provide yearly reports on the use of funds and the state of its forestry resources. It also places a one year moratorium on new lumbering until EIAs are properly reviewed and approved, effectively banning new permits for one year.

The law’s primary objective is to promote the sustainable use of Argentina’s forests, protect biological diversity and ecological balance in forested areas, as well as uphold the quality of life of populations living in them. It promotes the precautionary and preventive principles in the forestry sector, while establishing the obligation to regulate and control the depletion of native forests establishing red, yellow and green categories determining levels of sensitivity. The Law establishes the specific benefits forestry resources provide to society, including: watershed regulation, biodiversity land and air quality conservation, carbon gas emissions constraints, diversification and natural landscape beauty, cultural identity and quality of life.

Forestry reserves will be introduced in each national eco-region. The law also creates a mechanism for the promotion of national programs to protect forests, promote reforestation initiatives, and maintain up to date information about Argentina’s forests.

The law applies to primary as well as secondary forests, and makes special provisions obliging all forestry projects to guarantee the sustainable use of lands (of plots less than 10 hectares) by indigenous communities and small farmers, a key element promoted by the Environment Secretariat, to bridge human rights protection in the environmental legal framework. Indigenous and other stakeholders groups are also guaranteed rights of access to information and participation, prior to forestry permitting decisions.

While that law had met up with staunch resistance in the House of Representatives, where it originated, the Environment Secretariat began a strong lobby earlier this year in favor of the law, engaging provincial governments that had come out strongly against the law, lobbied by lumbering interests which saw it as a deterrent for local economic development driven by lumbering. Key environmental groups rallied behind the law and joined efforts by the Environment Secretary to push for the approval of the bill, in hopes to revive chances that it might make it through the Senate and Congress before the end of Kirchner’s administration on December 9^th.

The political turning point came with the introduction of a compensatory fund to the bill, which would retain 2% of agricultural, game and timber export revenues (estimated at Arg$1billion (US$330 million)) to be made available to lumbering provinces that choose to conserve their forests instead of cutting them down for revenue (the fund resolved the issue of lost forestry revenues that the law would imply for local wood producing companies).

The Fund, in addition to the millions of signatures mobilized by civil society organizations, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Proteger, and the Wild Life Fund, pushed the Senate and Congress to vote in favor Argentina’s first national forestry protection law.

The Environment Ministry pushed for the inclusion of strict elements on compliance and enforcement, with a severe scale of fines for violators, establishing a registrar of violators of forestry regulations, the inclusion in which would suspend possibilities of obtaining lumbering licenses.

This marks yet another important step to the nation’s rallying effort to promote greater environmental compliance and enforcement.

For more information: jdtaillant@cedha.org.ar

Deforestation has become overwhelming

This is a brief update, as we are currently overwhelmed by the wave of deforestation currently affecting the Chaco and the Indians we work with. Applications are being presented by land owners at an unprecedented rate as a new law banning deforestation is due to come into effect next month. Our monitoring of the situation indicates that during 2007 the provincial government of Salta has received applications for deforestation on properties that cover over a million acres.

The ASOCIANA team has been completely overstretched as we seek to respond to endless requests fro help form communities and other organizations. The situation has become extreme, with folk, including Church pastors, literally having to stand in front of bulldozers. It is therefore difficult to sit down and write a coherent report at this particular time. We just ask that you hold this situation up in prayer at this time.

A crude map, indicating approaximate location of some of the Indian communities we work with near Tartagal, and the outline of properties that we know are due to be deforested (there are more yet to be identified). To give some idea of scale The map covers an area of 90 by 70 miles approximately.

The follwing are pictures of bulldozersat work, 20 kilometrs east of Tartagal

Politcal change - what will it mean?

Elections have came and gone. We are all set to be ruled by Cristina, the wife of the current president, Nestor Kirchner (or the penguin, as he often referred to as a result of his nose and the fact that he is from Patagonia). There were two other, possible more competent contenders, but Mrs. Kirchner obviously managed to attract the popular interest, as she ended up with over 45% votes. It will be interesting to see how things go under the first elected female president the country has ever had.

Nestror (Pinguino) and Crsitina Kirchner

At a provincial level the elections mean a change of authorities, as the ruling party just lost to the opposition. We do not as yet know what this means in terms of indigenous land rights and the whole issue of deforestation. What we do know, and Andrew has it straight from the horse’s mouth, is that the current government has received applications for the deforestation of approximately 850.000 acres of Chaco forest. We do know this means we have our work cut out for us, as we seek to help affected indigenous communities to try and protect at least some the forests they need for their survival.

Andrew spends much of his time preparing for the public hearings that each deforestation applications must go through. This is a tedious task, and as one might imagine, quite depressing. The worst part of it is, is that the government is not legally bound by the results of these enquiries. At the end of the day, they decide for themselves whether or not to give the green light for the bulldozers to move in.

We have just heard that the government intends to allow the deforestation of an area of 70.000 acres (El Alamo) which is located within a traditional indigenous territory. If this does happen it will mean a major blow, as we have put a lot of effort into this particular case. Then again, this is the reality we are up against, so one cannot afford to be got down by such events.

This picture, taken by GREENPEACE (ARGENTINA), shows the ugly side of sugar cane production in Salta, as tropical rain forest is removed to make way for sugar cane,

Indian leaders have called for a major meeting on the issue of their land claims and deforestation. This will take place on the 8^th November, in Misión Chaqueña. A number of national government officials are expected to attend. It is good to see Indian leaders themselves taking an initiative in this regard. ASOCIANA will be involved in helping to coordinate the logistics of the event, together with another local NGO, called FUNDAPAZ.

Andrew, and Zacarias (ASOCIANA) discussing a deforestation proposal with Bautista, leader of community that is now seeing its traditioanal forest-covered territory being turned into soy bean fields.

Another positive note is that the government has in agreed to hand over nearly a million acres of land to the indigenous communities of the Pilcomayo. There is still a lot of work to be done before a final deal can be implemented, but it is a major encouragement after so many years of work that have more often than not met with frustration.

Some good(ish)

Andrew with members of an indigenous community (Traslado),
threatended by a massive deforestsion project for cattle ranching.

Whilst deforestation of the Chaco continues unabated, we are pleased to say we have some encouraging news. Our ongoing monitoring of deforestation applications (see www.desmontesalta.blogspot.com has contributed to raising awareness of the problem. It has also helped concerned groups to gain access to vital information which in turn enables and empowers them in their campaigning.

This last week has been a real rollercoaster. We received news of two applications for deforestation for two properties covering over 40 thousand acres and which were due to be subject to a “public enquiry” (audiencia publica) on Monday 8^th October. These events mark the final hoop through which a land owner must jump before permission is given for deforestation to begin. The events are often a mere rubber stamp as there is little if any informed opposition to proposals. The events also tend to be conducted in locations well away from the affected area and communities.

A brief but intensive series of discussions initiated by ASOCIANA, and which also saw the involvement of other local NGOs, has resulted (apparently) in these public meetings being postponed. This will allow us more time too help local communities top participate in these meetings and get themselves heard.

We have recently heard that out timely participation in a previous public enquiry has put temporary breaks on a request by 2 Americans to deforest some 70,000 acres elsewhere in the Chaco. Though the future of those forests is far from certain, they still stand, and can therefore still be negotiated over.

These different actions have helped us build up our experience in dealing with deforestation. It has also meant we have been able to have some discussions with government officials about how we might contribute towards a wider debate on land-use planning. If this does take shape, it would mean we would be in a stronger position to help indigenous peoples have a greater say on where and how agricultural expansion may be developed, therby reducing some of the negative impacts on them and the local environment.

We have provincial and national elections coming up at the end of the month, so we still need to see who will end up in power. This will determine how the aforementioned initiatives develop. Elections are on the 28^th October.

The following video clip is of a meeting in which ASOCIANA presented information on deforeststion applications to the community of Pacara (near Tartagal). People are seen discussing the threat they face, speaking in their native language: wichi