The Zapatista Struggle in Montes Azules: Biopiracy and the Trojan Horse
Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Campaign | 28.04.2004 20:26 | Zapatista
Conservation International And it’s cronies
Conservation International (CI), a so-called environmental NGO founded in 1987, states that its duty is to 'conserve the Earth's living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature'. It operates in over thirty countries, in the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific, and claims indigenous communities are a threat to the environment, because of their illegal logging, overpopulation and slash-and-burn agriculture. However, in March 2003, Global Exchange convened an emergency delegation to the area and found that the destruction was most pronounced around military encampments, while Indigenous villagers had outlawed slash-and-burn techniques and were practicing sustainable organic agriculture.
Conservation International (CI), a so-called environmental NGO founded in 1987, states that its duty is to 'conserve the Earth's living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature'. It operates in over thirty countries, in the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific, and claims indigenous communities are a threat to the environment, because of their illegal logging, overpopulation and slash-and-burn agriculture. However, in March 2003, Global Exchange convened an emergency delegation to the area and found that the destruction was most pronounced around military encampments, while Indigenous villagers had outlawed slash-and-burn techniques and were practicing sustainable organic agriculture.
CI willingly collaborates with, acts as a greenwash for, and fails to condemn, some of the world's most ecologically destructive corporations and institutions devastating the planet such as Cemex, Citigroup, Chiquita, Exxon Mobil Foundation, Ford, Gap, Grupo Pulsar (Mexican agribusiness/biotechnology corporation), Hyseq, J.P. Morgan Chase and Co., Monsanto, McDonalds, Novartis, Sony, Starbucks, United Airlines and Walt Disney. Conservation International also receives large amounts of money from the World Bank.
Conservation International access, administers and buys, biodiverse areas throughout the world and puts them at the disposal of transnational corporations. In the meantime the CI benefit-sharing agreement, signed by the indigenous communities that cooperate with them, is believed to be around 2-3% of any royalties.
CI believes that the best way to conserve biodiversity is to privatise it. CI supports the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and World Bank-backed Meso American Biological Corridor project, a "green-wash" for the massive Plan Puebla Panama (PPP), an infrastructure scheme to build up a new network of roads and maquiladoras, light assembly plants or sweat shops throughout Central America, and a front for corporate biopiracy in the region. The PPP, approved by the Mexican Government together with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), promotes commercial logging, tourist developments, bioprospecting, oil exploitation and hydro-electricity schemes.
WHERE AND WHO ARE THE MONTES AZULES COMMUNITIES?
The Montes Azules area is a protected biosphere within the Lacandon Jungle in the state of Chiapas, South East Mexico. This is Central America's only remaining tropical rainforest and its ecological value is incalculable. It is estimated that in one hectare alone it is possible to find more than 30 species of trees, 50 of orchids, 40 of birds, 300 of butterflies and more than 5 thousand of other invertebrates.
28 Mayan communities inhabit the Lacandon Jungle 3 of which are "Lancandon" Indians, actually Caribe Indians who have migrated to the area over the past 2 centuries. Some of the other communities have been in the Selva Lacandona for around 60 years, but there has been a flow of people into the Selva up to the present day, following their expulsion and relocation from the farms and ranches, owned by the landowners, in which they worked for years. For many of the communities, Montes Azules is the only part of Mexico left where they can go and carry on their way of life.
In 1972 Cofolasa (a forestry company) and NAFINSA (a government development corporation) received the logging rights for the Montes Azules and this area was declared a bioreserve. In 1988 the Mexican government, in a strategic move, bought off the Lacandon Indians communities giving them rights to over 614 thousand hectares of land (no other communities have any legal land rights) and allowing them exploitation of natural resources such as lumber in return for support to the PRI (the Mexican government's party). This caused most of the Mayan communities to be relocated again. As they refused, their struggle for the right to land continued. On January 1st 1994 the EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Army) raised to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH! (Ya Basta!) and since then about half of the Mayan communities in the Montes Azules area have supported the uprising. The 1994 Zapatista uprising put on hold plans for a giant hydroelectric complex and exploitation of oil in the Selva Lacandona area which is also an important source of other resources such as oil and water.
Interestingly, the Lancandons were the only indigenous group in Mexico not to sign up to the 1996 San Andres accords (negotiated by the EZLN for the recognition of the indigenous communities rights) and the only group to support the recently passed indigenous law (which omitted the San Andres accords).
WHY ARE THESE COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT?
Conservation International, the Mexican government and the Lancandons are claiming that the other communities are responsible for environmental destruction and that it is a matter of international importance to remove these communities to protect the area. However, in March 2003, Global Exchange convened an emergency delegation to the area and found that the destruction was most pronounced around military encampments, while indigenous villagers had outlawed slash-and-burn techniques and were practicing sustainable organic agriculture.
Conservation International (despite the fact that as an NGO it should not be politically involved) and the US government agency AID (Agency for International Development) in conjunction with SEMARNAT (a governmental agency for the environment and natural resources) have conveniently provided aerial photos to help justify the Lacandons demands to remove the other communities.
Clearly any community living in the area will impact on the environment, but the Zapatista model is one of the most ecologically sustainable. Zapatista communities have issued strict rules with respect to the environment, for example, slash and burn practices have been banned, agrochemical use is strictly prohibited, and they operate community forest management programs.
"We have been accused of destroying the jungle. But we as indigenous people are the true guardians of the environment, we live together with the jungle. If the jungle dies, we die with it" - explained a Montes Azules resident.
Since mid December 2002 the Montes Azules communities have been on standby for imminent expulsion as the army, federal police and state police increased their presence in the area.
December 2002 saw the displacement of the first community Arroyo San Pablo. The Lacandons were present (along with the army and government) with machetes at the expulsion and wanted to enter the community to expel them with force. In the following year there were several eviction attempts (again jointly by the Lacandons and the military), but there wasn't another successful eviction until January 2004 when the community of Nuevo San Rafael was evicted. Nuevo San Isidro (a neighbouring community) is facing imminent eviction.
WHAT IS CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL UP TO IN MONTES AZULES?
Through a 1991 debt-for-nature swap, CI bought the right to set up a genetic research station in the Montes Azules Biosphere reserve. CI is urging Mexico's government to evict indigenous communities in Montes Azules, accusing them of destroying the rainforest. This is directly related to CI’s link with the Pulsar Group which promotes damaging mono-crops around the area and makes (TAX free) donations to CI for services lent in bio-prospecting within the Lacandon Jungle. A June 2003 report by Chiapas-based Centre for Political Analysis and Social Investigation (CAPISE) dubbed CI a Trojan Horse of the US government and transnational corporations. It revealed that CI's program of flyovers, part of their USAID-supported 'environmental monitoring' program, flew over areas occupied by Zapatista communities in planes which bore USAID markings. In Chiapas, CI uses state-of-the art geographical information systems (GIS) technology, including high resolution satellite imaging. In the name of environmental protection, it is pitting Indigenous communities against each other, raising fears of conflict in an area which is already heavily militarised by Mexico's army.
If you want to support the Zapatistas and act In solidarity with indigenous communities of Montes Azules, Against NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), PPP (Plan Puebla Panama), FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas) and destruction of indigenous culture you can:
Raise awareness about the situation in chiapas;
Organise demos against Conservation International (CI); Boycott any and/or all the companies behind CI; Join local support groups; Start your own local Zapatista Support/Solidarity Group.
Conservation International access, administers and buys, biodiverse areas throughout the world and puts them at the disposal of transnational corporations. In the meantime the CI benefit-sharing agreement, signed by the indigenous communities that cooperate with them, is believed to be around 2-3% of any royalties.
CI believes that the best way to conserve biodiversity is to privatise it. CI supports the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and World Bank-backed Meso American Biological Corridor project, a "green-wash" for the massive Plan Puebla Panama (PPP), an infrastructure scheme to build up a new network of roads and maquiladoras, light assembly plants or sweat shops throughout Central America, and a front for corporate biopiracy in the region. The PPP, approved by the Mexican Government together with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), promotes commercial logging, tourist developments, bioprospecting, oil exploitation and hydro-electricity schemes.
WHERE AND WHO ARE THE MONTES AZULES COMMUNITIES?
The Montes Azules area is a protected biosphere within the Lacandon Jungle in the state of Chiapas, South East Mexico. This is Central America's only remaining tropical rainforest and its ecological value is incalculable. It is estimated that in one hectare alone it is possible to find more than 30 species of trees, 50 of orchids, 40 of birds, 300 of butterflies and more than 5 thousand of other invertebrates.
28 Mayan communities inhabit the Lacandon Jungle 3 of which are "Lancandon" Indians, actually Caribe Indians who have migrated to the area over the past 2 centuries. Some of the other communities have been in the Selva Lacandona for around 60 years, but there has been a flow of people into the Selva up to the present day, following their expulsion and relocation from the farms and ranches, owned by the landowners, in which they worked for years. For many of the communities, Montes Azules is the only part of Mexico left where they can go and carry on their way of life.
In 1972 Cofolasa (a forestry company) and NAFINSA (a government development corporation) received the logging rights for the Montes Azules and this area was declared a bioreserve. In 1988 the Mexican government, in a strategic move, bought off the Lacandon Indians communities giving them rights to over 614 thousand hectares of land (no other communities have any legal land rights) and allowing them exploitation of natural resources such as lumber in return for support to the PRI (the Mexican government's party). This caused most of the Mayan communities to be relocated again. As they refused, their struggle for the right to land continued. On January 1st 1994 the EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Army) raised to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH! (Ya Basta!) and since then about half of the Mayan communities in the Montes Azules area have supported the uprising. The 1994 Zapatista uprising put on hold plans for a giant hydroelectric complex and exploitation of oil in the Selva Lacandona area which is also an important source of other resources such as oil and water.
Interestingly, the Lancandons were the only indigenous group in Mexico not to sign up to the 1996 San Andres accords (negotiated by the EZLN for the recognition of the indigenous communities rights) and the only group to support the recently passed indigenous law (which omitted the San Andres accords).
WHY ARE THESE COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT?
Conservation International, the Mexican government and the Lancandons are claiming that the other communities are responsible for environmental destruction and that it is a matter of international importance to remove these communities to protect the area. However, in March 2003, Global Exchange convened an emergency delegation to the area and found that the destruction was most pronounced around military encampments, while indigenous villagers had outlawed slash-and-burn techniques and were practicing sustainable organic agriculture.
Conservation International (despite the fact that as an NGO it should not be politically involved) and the US government agency AID (Agency for International Development) in conjunction with SEMARNAT (a governmental agency for the environment and natural resources) have conveniently provided aerial photos to help justify the Lacandons demands to remove the other communities.
Clearly any community living in the area will impact on the environment, but the Zapatista model is one of the most ecologically sustainable. Zapatista communities have issued strict rules with respect to the environment, for example, slash and burn practices have been banned, agrochemical use is strictly prohibited, and they operate community forest management programs.
"We have been accused of destroying the jungle. But we as indigenous people are the true guardians of the environment, we live together with the jungle. If the jungle dies, we die with it" - explained a Montes Azules resident.
Since mid December 2002 the Montes Azules communities have been on standby for imminent expulsion as the army, federal police and state police increased their presence in the area.
December 2002 saw the displacement of the first community Arroyo San Pablo. The Lacandons were present (along with the army and government) with machetes at the expulsion and wanted to enter the community to expel them with force. In the following year there were several eviction attempts (again jointly by the Lacandons and the military), but there wasn't another successful eviction until January 2004 when the community of Nuevo San Rafael was evicted. Nuevo San Isidro (a neighbouring community) is facing imminent eviction.
WHAT IS CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL UP TO IN MONTES AZULES?
Through a 1991 debt-for-nature swap, CI bought the right to set up a genetic research station in the Montes Azules Biosphere reserve. CI is urging Mexico's government to evict indigenous communities in Montes Azules, accusing them of destroying the rainforest. This is directly related to CI’s link with the Pulsar Group which promotes damaging mono-crops around the area and makes (TAX free) donations to CI for services lent in bio-prospecting within the Lacandon Jungle. A June 2003 report by Chiapas-based Centre for Political Analysis and Social Investigation (CAPISE) dubbed CI a Trojan Horse of the US government and transnational corporations. It revealed that CI's program of flyovers, part of their USAID-supported 'environmental monitoring' program, flew over areas occupied by Zapatista communities in planes which bore USAID markings. In Chiapas, CI uses state-of-the art geographical information systems (GIS) technology, including high resolution satellite imaging. In the name of environmental protection, it is pitting Indigenous communities against each other, raising fears of conflict in an area which is already heavily militarised by Mexico's army.
If you want to support the Zapatistas and act In solidarity with indigenous communities of Montes Azules, Against NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), PPP (Plan Puebla Panama), FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas) and destruction of indigenous culture you can:
Raise awareness about the situation in chiapas;
Organise demos against Conservation International (CI); Boycott any and/or all the companies behind CI; Join local support groups; Start your own local Zapatista Support/Solidarity Group.
Edinburgh-Chiapas Solidarity Campaign
Homepage:
http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk/
