The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity took place in Bratislava from 4-15 May. Among its many decisions, we wish to highlight one related to forest biological diversity which "Notes the potential impact of afforestation, reforestation, forest degradation and deforestation on forest biological diversity and on other ecosystems, and, accordingly, requests the Executive Secretary to liaise and cooperate with the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change .
Bulletin articles
The Rufiji Delta in South Eastern Tanzania is one of the largest blocks of mangrove forests in East and Southern Africa. It covers an area of about 53,255 hectares of unspoiled mangrove forest, that support a large number of people, and is rich in aquatic as well as terrestrial biodiversity. The delta is linked to the interior of the river system by an extensive flood plain covering about 130 km long and up to 20 km wide.
The Sophie Foundation, an organization based in Norway, has nominated the Nigerian NGO Environmental Rights Action, for the Sophie Prize 1998. The main purpose of the Sophie Foundation, is to award an annual international environment and development prize of US $ 100,000. This is an initiative of the Norwegian author and philosopher Mr. Jostein Gaarder -worldwide known by his book "Sophie's world", one of the world's best-selling novels- who donated a large sum of his private fortune, earned by selling his books, to this goal.
For the past five years, the small community of the village of Pang Daeng, in the mountainous northern province of Chiang Mai, Thailand, has been visited by lots of tourists seeking an exotic experience among exotic people. But now the hilltribes people in this picturesque hamlet want to keep as low a profile as possible. Why?
At a meeting held last February in Johannesburg, South Africa, a group of trade unionists from 14 countries announced the launch of an international campaign against the international mining company Rio Tinto. During the meeting Bob Hawke, former Australian Prime Minister, accused the company of “monumental hypocrisy”. Meanwhile, 51 Members of the House of Commons, in London, supported a motion that “condems the activities of Rio Tinto Corporation . . .
A land dispute between local farmers from Kuala Batee and the oil palm plantation company PT Cemerlang Abdi has erupted into violent conflict. After several months of attempts to negotiate over land rights, hundreds of angry villagers went to PT Cemerlang Abdi's base camp and told the staff to leave. They took away vehicles, heavy machinery and a generator before burning the base camp to the ground. A security police post was also burnt down.. No-one was killed, but six people were shot and injured (two seriously) and 49 were held in custody after security forces moved in.
Daishowa Inc. is a Canadian corporation with business premises in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, that operates in the paper, packaging and sawmilling sectors. Daishowa is a subsidiary of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a Japanese corporation. Daishowa Canada Company Ltd, another subsidiary of the Japanese holding, negotiated a Forest Management Agreement ("FMA") with the Government of Alberta in 1988 and.
The following includes a description of the situation facing Yasuni National Park, a sign-on letter and an appeal to remain in contact with the campaign. If you or your organisation can sign on to the letter please respond to amazonia@hoy.net. A copy of the letter will be delivered to the President of Ecuador, the President of Petroecuador, the President of UNESCO and to interested oil companies. If you would like to send your own version please send a copy to us at the same e-mail address or at the following Fax Number 593-2-527-583
by Iwan Brave
The Venetiaan administration sold the rainforest bit by bit. But the current Bouterse minded NDP government is having a sell-off. Over half the territory of Suriname is already in concession. A few people are getting very rich from this. The inhabitants of the interior are being ignored. Time to get together. Like in a village by the name of Pikin Slee.
Bolivian forests are among the richest in the world in terms of biodiversity, with more than 2500 species of trees. Protected areas include some 9,5 million hectares and Indigenous areas about 1 million hectares, while more than 21 million hectares have been granted in forestry concessions, in line with the Bolivian forestry law passed in 1996.
The Penon indigenous peoples of Venezuela are inviting to a meeting which will be held at Kumarakapay (San Francisco de Yuruani), la Gran Sabana, on June 25 - 28. The idea is to bring together all those wishing to defend the ancestral rights of indigenous peoples to their territory, cultural identity and self determination rights, and to protect the environment.
The situation in Uruguay, where Parliament unanimously passed a forestry law in 1987 to promote industrial tree plantations with almost no opposition from civil society organizations, has radically changed since then. In spite of almost total governmental and academic support to eucalyptus and pine tree plantations, NGO-led opposition has totally changed the scenario. As informed in Bulletin nr 3, the WRM secretariat facilitated the creation of an NGO coalition (the Guayubira Group), which has since been at the centre of a number of anti-plantation and anti pulp mill activities.