Throughout the month of September we will continue celebrating resistance to the advance of large-scale industrial tree plantations. This post in particular is about two actions being carried out by local communities that need everyone’s solidarity and support.
The first action is being undertaken by our friends in Brazil, in the Bajo Parnaíbo region of the state of Maranhão. They have asked for our help to gather signatures for a letter that will be sent to the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) and the Colonization and Land Institute of the State of Maranhão to demand the recognition and land tenure regularization of the territories that they have traditionally occupied. Large-scale industrial soy plantations and tree plantations geared to export for energy production in the North, established by the Suzano corporation, have occupied vast areas of their territory and caused the deforestation of the Cerrado, a biome that is essential for local communities and their traditional economies.
To sign on to the letter, send a message to the following address before October 1: 21sept@wrm.org.uy
The second action is being carried out in Gabon, in response to the recent approval of a decree (Resolution No. 20/2013 on Sustainable Development in the Republic of Gabon) that is aimed at the creation of a national and international ecosystems services market. Among other things, this would enable a company like Olam to use this mechanism to “compensate” for the destruction caused by its massive oil palm plantations. The letter will be sent to the president of Gabon to express opposition to this new decree.
To sign on to the letter, send a message to the following address before October 1: 21sept@wrm.org.uy
Many thanks for your support and solidarity.
The WRM team