While genetic engineering applied to food production is provoking concern among consumers and citizens and many scientists express their doubts and criticism in relation to it, big food, forestry and energy corporations are engaged in developing genetically modified trees, expected to be able to grow faster and to contain components desired by industry. (see WRM Bulletins 26 and 27)
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The expansion of tree monocultures, especially in the South, is favoured by the combination of inexpensive land, low labour costs, fast tree-growth, subsidies, support from international “aid” agencies and multilateral development banks, technology provided by northern suppliers and advice by northern consultancies.
The second meeting of the Organizing and Steering Committees for the "Joint initiative on addressing the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation", will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 12-15 May. The Steering Committee meeting (13-14) will be open to interested individuals. The Organizing Committee will hold a meeting on 12 and 15 May. There will also be a special event on recent developments in global forest policy on May 12th, lunchtime and a number of roundtables on related issues during the following days.
At the Nawash website
you can find information about the struggle of this indigenous nation of North America.
The website of the First Nations Information Project
offers quick access to native organizations, government departments, federal press releases, and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Source: David McLaren, January 1998.
Oilwatch Quito, Ecuador, has just published "Voces de resistencia" (Spanish version) with a great deal of relevant and current information related to the environmental impact of oil companies in tropical countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The book has been written to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa killed in Nigeria in 1995 for oposing Shell depredatory activities.