The alert at  http://www.climateark.org/alerts/send.asp?id=colombia_biofuel is supported by a Colombian human rights organisation, the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace.

Colombia is embarking on an aggressive biofuel and palm oil expansion programme, which is threatening communities and some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. One of my colleagues from Biofuelwatch took part in the seminar and also visited one of the palm oil areas (Curvarado) last month. This is land which legally belongs to Afro-Caribbean communities. Those people became refugees in the late 1990s, due to severe violence and repression from state forces. 113 killings have been documented. When they returned to their land, they found much of it planted with oil palms. They have cut down some of the oil palms to grow food now and are trying to set up 'biodiversity zones', but they live in constant fear of state forces and paramilitaries who work hand in hand with the palm oil companies. There is a good article by a member of the World Rainforest Movement who also took part in the seminar and visit - you can find it at www.wrm.org.uy (click on 'Bulletin' on the left hand side and then on the article about Colombia). The author says: "There are few places in the world where oil palm trees are tainted with as much blood as in Curvaradó and the only way of starting to repair the outrages committed is for the Government to legally recognize these communities’ rights to their lands."

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