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REPORT OF THE VERIFICATION FIELD TRIP ON THE EXPANSION OF AFRICAN PALM MONOCULURE IN NORTHERN ESMERALDAS - ECUADOR
July 2, 2007
On the 30th of June and 1st of July 2007, an international mission formed by representatives of environmental, local farmers and social organizations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Nigeria, Mali, Uganda, Spain, Germany, The United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Salvador, Costa Rica, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador, made a trip to various areas of Afro-Ecuadorian and Awá communities with the aim of verifying the situation and the impacts caused by the expansion of African palm in their territories.
We want to share with you a brief information of the worrying situation that we found.
The local population through their testimonies, informed us that the African palm companies acquired land from afroecuadorian communities taking advantage that these communities did not have their territory legally recognized as communal which enabled them to by from individual owners, through pressure and using strategies to divide the community. Palmeras de los Andes, Ales Palma, Palasema and Gaisa. The local population informs us that this contravenes the Ecuadorian legislation, since there cannot be land in the hands of foreigners within 10 kilometres of the frontier. Also the expansion of the palm plantations and logging companies generates conflict between the Awa populations and the Afroecuadorians, who in the past lived peacefully together. This situation is made worse by the negligent management according to some testimonies has characterized the Ministry of Environment.
One of the most notorious impacts due to the palm plantations that we could observe is the extensive and intensive deforestation of the area, as a requirement for the cultivation of palm crops, since these crops are being established in areas of natural forests. The palm companies carry out a double business: they log forests and sell the wood and plant palms.
Throughout our reconnaissance trip, we found at various points logged trees of hundreds of years of age along the road, and we observed the free flow of lorries loaded with wood, even though the period of non logging is in place at the moment. The local population assure that the rate of logging has reduced the amount of rain and temperatures have increased, which causes health problems, there has been a rise in the incidence of malaria, leishmaniasis and other tropical diseases.
The population believes that the deforestation of the area has been more acute from a period of ten years ago with the opening of the road, used especially by the logging companies and palm companies. The status of primary road is in contrast with the terrible condition of roads in San Lorenzo. Travelling along this road we got the impression that this is a road for the transportation of wood and palm.
Local people informed us that the workers of the palm companies have to compensate their low wages by illegal logging that they sell to the companies, who pay them in relation to volume not monthly or even daily labour. Within the palm companies work men, women and children from dusk to dawn, for $5 a day with no means of protection against the agro toxins that they use on these crops or any form of social security or other legal rights.
We heard testimonies from the local community that said that they have resisted selling thier lands, and that now they find themselves completely surrounded by palm plantations. The owners of the plantations have taken ownership of public rights of ways, controlling the entry and exit of local people to their own lands, now they can only transport their products from Monday to Friday with prior permission from the company. This is considered, as a concession sin previously the company did not allow transportation along the road, which was built before the company was even present in the area.
The inhabitants of the Chiquita community assure that their river is contaminated; we could perceive the bad smell emanating from the waters. The inhabitants can no longer wash or use the water for drinking. The source of contamination is the agro toxins used on the crops. Cases of abortion have been reported associated with women who wash in the river.
According to the testimonies given, after an attempt at monitoring the waters on behalf of the community, armed gunmen threatened them. The samples were taken down river, which in effect verified that the river is contaminated. With this evidence the community presented a legal case to the Ministry of Environment, but until now nothing is known as to the state of the investigation. They told us that on several occasions they have been able to bring civil servants from the Ministry to the area to verify the impacts caused by the palm plantations, but that the Ministry tells the company of their visit before their arrival.
As a result of lack of water the inhabitants of the community La Chiquita and Guadalito (Awa community) now have to walk several kilometres to obtain water.
In conclusion, the general consequence of the expansion of palm plantations exacerbation of poverty among the local population of the area, who through the loss of their lands, are being left without the means of survival. This situation generates inequality, places local people in a situation of vulnerability and goes against the fundamental principals of democracy.
Abetnego Tarigan– SawitWatch Indonesia
Shamila Arifin – SAN – Malaysia
Neth Dano. Third World Network – Las Filipinas
Mariam Mayet. African Centre on Biosafety- Sudáfrica
Blessing Karumbidza - Timberwatch . Zimbadwe
Nnimmo Bassey. ERA – Nigeria
Timothy Byakola. African Network for Biodiversity. Uganda
Ousmane Samake. Vía Campesina - Mali
David Listar. Debtwatch. España
Rudolf Buntzel. EED – Alemania
Klaus Shenck – Rettet Regenwald - Alemania
Ángel Luis Brito. Cuba – Universidad del Oriente
Mauricio Sermeño. El Salvador – Red RAPAL
Magaly Rey Rosa. Colectivo Madre Selva - Guatemala
Javier Baltodano. COECO. Costa Rica
Ernesto Ladrón de Guevara. UNORCA – México
Rosa Bermudeez. CENSAT – Colombia
Ana María Lozano - Paz y Justicia – Colombia
Elenar Pardo. Perú
Ivonne Yánez. Oilwatch – Colombia
Patricia Molina. FOBOMADE- Bolivia
Soledad Vogliano. CEPPAS – Argentina
María Eugenia Jera. GRAIN . Argentina
Camila Moreno. Terra de Dereitos. Brasil
Raquel Núñez. WRM – Uruguay
Stella Semino. GRR – Argentina
Mónica Trujillo RAPAL – Ecuador
Elizabeth Bravo RALLT – Ecuador
Ivonne Ramos Acción Ecológica - Ecuador
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Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:02 pm
Elizabeth Bravo <ebravo@...>
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