Ricardo Carrere visited in October the states of Espirito Santo and Bahia invited by CIMI (Conselho Indigenista Missionario). During his trip, he participated at a seminar which took place in Vitoria on the impacts of eucalyptus plantations and the FSC. He later had a meeting in Monte Pascoal with Pataxo indigenous peoples' leaders (see article above) and offered them WRM's inconditional support to their struggle. After that, he spent a few days travelling around the plantation area of the three big companies established in the extreme south of Bahia (Aracruz, Bahia Sul and Veracel). Meetings were organized with concerned individuals and organizations which have either documented or suffered the social and environmental impacts of those plantations, as well as the struggles to oppose them. Visits were organized to see the dried up water courses, lagoons and wells, to hear about the disappearance of wildlife, to listen to direct witnesses of the deforestation activities that preceeded plantations, to hear about increasing unemployment rates and migration. In sum, to see the consequences of this unsustainable forestry model.
Alvaro Gonzalez participated in the VII Environmental Journalists' World Congress held in Bogota, Colombia, from October 11 to 15, where he made a presentation on "Deforestation and afforestation: two names for the same problem." The Congress addressed a large number of other issues, including presentations by the U'wa and Embera indigenous peoples of Colombia on their struggle for land and livelihoods. Presentations and discussions were also made on the following issues: Towards a New Ethics, Genetic Resources and Biosafety, Globalization and the Environment, Communication and the Environment and Drug Trafficking and the Environment. Those interested in receiving further information on the Congress, please address: Max Henriquez, e-mail: senal131@openway.com.co
On 5-6 November Ricardo Carrere participated at the Oilwatch Steering Committee meeting held in Quito, Ecuador. He later made a presentation at the Workshop on Trade and Deforestation organized by the Underlying Causes Initiative. Finally, he participated at the international seminar "Resistance: a way towards sustainability" (8-9 November), organized by Accion Ecologica in the framework of the International Assembly of Friends of the Earth, where he made a presentation on "Tree plantations as seen from the North and from the South."