[Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, global South, Dec-Jan 07/08

[Andy]

*  BRAZIL:  Protests against Amazon dam project
*  INDIA:  Protesters hold up river diversion project, demand flood 
protection
*  PAPUA NEW GUINEA:  Greens protest logging project
*  OAXACA:  Wind farm scheme hit by local direct action
*  ARGENTINA:  Protests continue over Uruguayan pulp mill
*  INDONESIA:  Conference unites Muslims, Hindus, indigenous peoples to call 
for traditional ecological knowledge
*  PAPUA NEW GUINEA:  Conservationists oppose palm oil project on biodiverse 
island; islanders protest scheme
*  INDIA:  Repeated protests against steel plant, clashes with supporters
*  INDIA:  Villagers' resistance holds up Yavatmal dam
*  TRINIDAD:  Residents stage 40-day fast to protest steel plant, health 
problems
*  KENYA:  Yiaku ethnic minority protest against deforestation of their 
homeland
*  KENYA:  Villagers protest aerial spraying; attacked by riot cops
*  NIGERIA:  Protest in Lagos against deforestation
*  BRAZIL:  Bishop on hunger strike in protest against river diversion
*  INDIA:  Ecological protests over use of plastic bags in river sandbagging
*  INDONESIA/US/GLOBAL:  Indigenous protesters challenge Bali "carbon scam"
*  INDIA:  Thousands protest threat to historic bridge

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/10/brazil.dam.ap/

Protest fails to halt push for Amazon dam

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A Brazilian consortium won an auction Monday to 
build and operate a major dam in the Amazon rain forest following a bidding 
process disrupted by protesters who claim the project will displace 
thousands and harm the environment.
Consorcio Madeira Energetica, a group that includes participation by big 
construction company Norberto Odebrecht SA, beat out two other consortiums 
with participation by Spain's Endesa SA and Franco-Belgian utility Suez.
Brazil's government expects it will cost $5.3 billion to build the Santo 
Antonio dam on the Madeira River near Bolivia. Consorcio Madeira Energetica 
said it will sell electrical power from the dam for 78.87 reals ($43.82) per 
megawatt hour.
The auction was delayed for hours while riot police removed about 80 
protesters who stormed the Brasilia offices of Brazilian electric power 
agency Aneel before dawn.
Brazil's Movement of Dam-Affected People organized the protest along with 
groups representing landless workers, saying the 3,150 megawatt dam and 
another one nearby could force 10,000 people from their remote rural homes.
Police arrested eight demonstrators, and several hundred marched later from 
the agency's office toward Congress.
Environmentalists say the dam could harm a pristine part of the Amazon, but 
the government says it is needed to help prevent electricity shortages in 
Latin America's largest country.
The dam projects are Brazil's first large hydroelectric expansion since the 
Xingo dam on the Sao Francisco River was completed in 1994. About 75 percent 
of Brazil's electric energy is supplied by hydroelectric dams.
In May, the government is expected to open bidding on the Jirau dam -- along 
the same stretch of the Madeira River as the Santo Antonio dam -- which is 
expected to generate 3,326 megawatts of energy. Together the two dams are 
expected to supply 8 percent of the country's energy needs.
The Santo Antonio dam is expected to come on line in 2012 and the Jirau in 
2013.
The government says they are necessary to meet Brazil's growing energy 
demands and says they are designed to avoid creating large reservoirs, which 
previously have caused environmental disasters in Brazil.
But critics say the new design leaves the dams more vulnerable to reduced 
electricity generation in times of drought, an increasingly common 
phenomenon in Amazon.
The dams' long distance from the country's industrial southeast means they 
will require thousands of miles of transmission lines through the western 
Amazon, creating environmental concerns and substantially raising power 
costs.
Scientists with the National Institute for Amazon Research have said the 
area to be flooded by the Jirau could be nearly twice as much as planned.
They also warn the dams could lead to the extinction of ecologically and 
economically important fish species and lead to an increase of 
malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

http://orissadiary.com/Shownews.asp?id=4759

Protest in Bhawanipatna to stop water release into Hati river

Monday, November 05, 2007
Bhawanipatna: Thousands of people assembled under the banner of Kalampur 
Bikash Manch, staged a demonstration and forced the Mangalur barrage 
authorities of the Indravati project to temporarily stop the release of 
water into the Hati river.
They breached the security barricade demanding closure of the barrage gates 
since their long standing demand for a bridge over the Hati river at Karmel 
Ghat is yet to be fulfilled.
Significantly, the local leaders belonging to all the political parties 
including the (Member od Legislative Assembly) MLA Mr Himanshu Mehera, the 
zilla parishad chairman Mr SC Naik,the block chairman Mr Sudhansu Sekher 
Panda and others led the agitation.
It may be noted that way back in 2004,the chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik 
had laid the foundation stone for the bridge at Karmel Ghat and it had 
received administrative approval.
The bridge was estimated to be built at a cost Rs 349.92 lakh and tenders 
were floated as many as four times.
But each time there was lack of response and there was one single tenderer 
leading to cancellation and calling for fresh tender.
Locals have been voicing their demand for the bridge at various platforms 
since long and many felt that the 2004 foundation was just a poll gimmick.
Today the villagers including large number of women organized under the 
Bikash Manch banner demonstrated reiterating the demand for a bridge and 
embankments on both sides of the river to check inundation of several 
villages.
They warned the government that unless and until their demand was fulfilled, 
they would continue to check the release of Indravati multipurpose project 
water from Mangalpur barrage to Hati river.
The Bikash Manch alleged that the surplus water of Indravati Project from 
power channel is discharged into Hati river through Mangalpur Barrage. This, 
according to them is causing floods every year damaging crops and 
communication to their villages on a large scale.
The sub-collector of Dharamgarh Mr Jagannath Mohanty who is camping at the 
troubled site claimed that the situation is under control and totally 
peaceful.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10474533

Greens protest against PNG logging
1:55PM Wednesday November 07, 2007
Green party leaders have taken a campaign against the logging of rainforest 
in Papua New Guinea to the streets of Dunedin and PNG's capital, Port 
Moresby.
In Dunedin, Green co-leader Russel Norman lead a protest outside the George 
Street ANZ at midday, calling on the bank to stop financing the destruction 
of rainforests in PNG.
ANZ has provided finance to Rimbunan Hijau, a Malaysian company involved in 
logging the rainforests.
Green MP Metiria Turei, who is in Port Moresby, has been drawing attention 
to the proposal to destroy most of the remaining rainforest on Woodlark 
Island and to convert it to palm oil plantations.
The island is home to a vast array of endangered plants and animals 
including the Woodlark Cuscus.
"We are fighting the battle to save the last of the great tropical 
rainforests of the world.
"In PNG, illegal logging is destroying the rainforests and converting it 
into kwila furniture and palm oil plantations,"Mr Norman said
"Landowners are trying to stop the logging companies felling their forest 
but are fighting a losing battle and they need our help," Mr Norman said.
"Tropical rainforest destruction is the single biggest contributor to 
greenhouse gas emissions and is at the frontline of attempts to stop human 
induced climate change," Mr Norman said.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=59&ItemID=14212

Grassroots Resistance to the Plan Puebla Panama: Contesting Wind Mill 
Construction in Oaxaca, Mexico
by Sylvia Sanche
November 07, 2007

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Introduction

The government of Mexico, in conjunction with multinational corporations, 
the Inter American Development Bank and World Bank, has undertaken a massive 
windmill building project in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca. The 
construction of these wind farms - known in Spanish as parques eolicos - is 
being increasingly resisted by local communities, such as La Venta and La 
Ventosa, which are in and around Juchitan of southern Oaxaca. The Mexican 
government, the CFE (Comision Federal de Electricidad, or Federal 
Electricity Commission) and SIEPAC (Sistema de Interconexion Electrica de 
los Paises de America Central, or System for Interconnection of Electricity 
in Central American Nations) consider the wind farms to be essential 
components of Mexico's southern regional development plan, the Plan Puebla 
Panama. As will be discussed in more detail below, the PPP is a massive 
development program that aims to integrate the economies of southern Mexico 
with Central American nations to bring trade, industry and "development" to 
the region.

At first glance, the mounting resistance of local communities and landowners 
to wind farm construction seems counterintuitive or even out of step with 
the prevailing global mood of increasing environmental consciousness. Wind 
energy is decidedly more "clean" than fossil fuels, and in an era in which 
global warming has finally moved to the forefront of international concerns, 
the decision to pursue a clean energy certainly seems laudable. Yet, if one 
scratches the surface of this "new" clean energy venture in Mexico, it 
becomes clear very quickly that, like most things in life, it is actually a 
juncture of the "old" and the "new." Yes, the government of Mexico is being 
forward looking in its search for clean energy alternatives to greenhouse 
gas producing fossil fuels. On the other hand, it appears as though the 
implementation of this new energy infrastructure has been taking place, to 
date, through a familiar prism of multinational influence, intimidation and 
oppression. This is apparent in the deference given to multinationals in 
dictating the terms of wind farm construction, the treatment which local 
farmers and landowners are receiving from the CFE, and the uses to which 
this new "clean" energy will ostensibly be put; namely, to provide energy to 
industrial parks or other commercial centers, allowing the rich to get 
richer and the poor to get poorer.

As will quickly become clear, the questions which local communities are now 
putting forward - to the government, the CFE and the international 
community - are important and fundamental ones: What is the purpose of the 
Plan Puebla Panama? If wind farms are being constructed on community held 
lands, why aren't local communities beneficiaries of increased electricity 
production? Why, in this era of "new" clean energy is the Oaxacan government 
using familiar repressive tactics of the "old" Mexican regime? NAFTA and the 
formal opening of the Mexican economy was supposed to encourage 
transparency, accountability and democratic forms of government, but under 
Mexico's deepening neoliberal regime, the opposite sometimes seems to be the 
case - particularly in Oaxaca in recent years. The growing resistance to 
wind farm construction in southern Oaxaca, then, is based on local 
landowners' negative negotiating experiences with the CFE, discomfort with 
the broad freedoms seemingly granted to multinational corporations and an 
increasing concern about the possible environmental consequences of the wind 
farms themselves - particularly with respect to migrating and autochtonous 
bird populations.

Wind farms and the Plan Puebla Panama

It is impossible to understand the rationale behind wind farm construction 
without situating it within the larger context of the Plan Puebla Panama. 
The Plan Puebla Panama is a southern Mexico regional development project 
which aims to "develop" the seven states of southern Mexico and neighboring 
Central America. From the perspective of many local communities, of course, 
the only viable function of the PPP is to underdevelop the region. Initiated 
in 2001 by the Fox administration, the program has been funded largely by 
the Mexican government and the Inter American Development Bank, while the 
World Bank has been influential in funding the wind farms of southern 
Oaxaca. Early on, the plan was shrouded in secrecy and rumors and the 
enormity of the program has only become apparent with the plethora of both 
small and large scale development projects taking place throughout the 
region. These different development projects initially seemed disconnected 
from each other, but since have come to make sense as part of a larger 
blueprint for the future of the region.

The master plan of the Plan Puebla Panama hinges largely on the development 
of the infrastructure of southern Mexico and Central America, and connecting 
that infrastructure regionally so that the entire area can provide greater 
support to industry and trade. In terms of industry, the goal is develop 
maquila zones or industrial parks, similar to the ones that have existed for 
thirty plus years on the northern Mexican frontier. As will be discussed 
below, the construction of reliable electricity infrastructure is considered 
essential to the development of manufacture throughout the region. The logic 
behind the goal of attracting manufacturing plants is that it will improve 
the income earning opportunities for southern Mexican populations and bring 
them development through a deeper connection with modern apparatuses of 
production. This logic is advanced in spite of the ample evidence that 
exists demonstrating that the sole function of maquiladora parks is to 
provide cheap labor to foreign owned companies, and that higher income 
earning potential has certainly failed to bring any form  of socially or 
environmentally sustainable development to the border region.

The second, though equally important, goal of the PPP is to develop the 
infrastructure of southern Mexico and neighboring Central American states so 
that it can support greater trade and transportation. There are two primary 
ways in which the PPP aims to do this. One is through the construction of an 
extensive grid of highways that connect the north with the south (including 
completion of the Pan American highway through the infamous Darien 
rainforest between Southern Panama and Northern Colombia) and east with 
west, ultimately hooking up all smaller highways with the Pan American 
Highway. A second infrastructural project involves the building of one or 
more "dry canals" to replace the increasingly outdated (and now under 
Panamanian control) Panama Canal. Dry canals are essentially railroads that 
connect with deep sea ports at either the Atlantic or Pacific ends. 
Potential dry canal sites are being investigated in Nicaragua, Honduras and 
the narrow Isthmus de Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, which is where the wind farms 
are located as well. In Mexico, they form part of a larger project within 
the Plan Puebla Panama called the Megaproyecto del Istmo de Tehuantepec 
(Megaproject of the Isthmus de Tehuantepec). (It should be noted that, with 
typical irony, many Mexicans have come to refer to the PPP as "Plan Pueblo 
Pagara;" meaning that the citizenry will be footing the bill for a very long 
time.)

The wind farms are clearly an important component of the PPP for the 
electricity that they are alleged to provide. They fit within the broader 
electricity generating program of SIEPAC. SIEPAC aims toward the 
construction of an entire electricity grid blanketing all of southern Mexico 
and integrally connected with the Central American countries. In addition to 
wind farms, hydroelectric dams figure highly in the project, with plans to 
dam the Usumacinta river which divides Guatemala and Mexico, and more than 
seventy dam sites being explored in the Chiapas region alone. The 
construction and management of the parques eolicos of southern Oaxaca are 
contracted out to foreign own companies, principally Iberdrola of Spain and 
Electricite of France. Cemex of Mexico apparently wants to be a part of the 
game but, as yet, it is unclear how big (or little) of a role that it will 
play. Thus while it is the Mexican run CFE that orchestrates and organizes 
wind farm construction locally - including engaging in negotiations with 
property owners and communities - the bulk of the work is farmed out to 
foreign owned companies. Given this division of labor, it becomes easy to 
see why there is a growing popular perception that the CFE works on behalf 
of foreign, rather than local and national, interests. SIEPAC itself 
receives funding primarily through the InterAmerican Development Bank, which 
has nominal requirements for public participation in order for an 
organization to receive funds, but which have been poorly implemented - if 
at all - to date under SIEPAC, and with respect to wind farm construction.

Not surprisingly, as the myriad development projects associated with the 
Plan Puebla Panama have continued, so has resistance. Communities throughout 
the southern Mexico and Central American regions are organizing increasingly 
effectively as the magnitude of the project has become apparent. 
Organizations that have come out in opposition to the PPP run the gamut from 
the internationally recognized and long-standing Zapatista movement down to 
little known and newly emergent organizations, such as the Grupo Solidario 
de la Venta that formed in explicit opposition to continued building of wind 
farms. The PPP has become increasingly associated with a downward spiraling 
globalization in which the rich get richer and the poor become 
systematically more impoverished. In Mexico, this impoverishment took its 
present, institutionalized and legal form under NAFTA, and PPP is seen 
largely as a continuation of that, particularly in terms of its effects on 
racially or ethnically marginalized populations, and the popular classes 
more broadly. Although the official language used to put the Plan Puebla 
Panama in place rings of the many tired epithets of "sustainable 
development," at this point there seem to be few in this region who are 
buying into it. Twenty five years worth of free trade based "development" in 
Latin America has given these populations ample empirical evidence to 
dispute the claims of the neoliberal orthodoxy, and even World Bank reports 
increasingly acknowledge the failures of this development model.

Wind Farm Construction and Resistance on the Isthmus de Tehuantepec

The region that has been selected as the primary site for the building of 
wind farms is called the Isthmus de Tehuantepec, and it is located in the 
southernmost portion of Oaxaca. Like Chiapas, Oaxaca is well known for the 
high presence of indigenous groups in the region, and it is also one of the 
poorest states in the country. The wind farms are currently located in and 
around a set of rural towns - principally La Venta and La Ventosa - located 
within the larger municipality of Juchitan. Juchitan is famously the seat of 
COCEI, a unique and influential popular movement that emerged in the 
seventies combining socialists, peasants, students and indigenous groups. It 
is also the birthplace of famed Mexican artist Francisco Toledo.

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an extremely narrow stretch of land (which is 
why it has also been sited for a dry canal) and during the windy season, 
which lasts roughly from November through March, the wind blows so furiously 
that cars are sometimes knocked from the roads and, in one recent year, a 
wind tower itself was blown over. Existing parques eolicos are located on a 
narrow stretch close to the Pacific Ocean, while planned farms are located 
right on the sand bars of the ocean itself. As will also be discussed below, 
one of the more controversial aspects of the wind farm construction has to 
do with its existing - or potential - impact on migrating and indigenous 
bird populations. As the narrowest stretch of the MesoAmerican Corridor, it 
is an essential flyway for migrating birds - some of which are endangered 
species.

Wind farm construction in and around La Venta and La Ventosa of Juchitan 
consists of a set of seven different existing or planned "parque eolicos" or 
wind parks. The existing and proposed parks are numbered in a series, going 
from Venta I through Venta VII. The first wind farm was a pilot project 
constructed right across the highway from the small town La Venta, of 3,000 
people, in 1994. This first project consisted of only seven windmills, and 
while it was supposed to be experimental, it was followed almost immediately 
by plans for Venta II. Venta II is located on the same plot of land and is 
thus directly adjacent to Venta I. To date, it is only about 80% complete 
because the farmers are disputing it. The goal of the Mexican government and 
the CFE is to eventually build 3,000 windmills, which would essentially 
cover the entire area of this narrow isthmus. Ironically, part of the 
oft-stated logic behind the Plan Puebla Panama is the greater integration of 
southern Mexico populations into the global economy. Such logic is 
disingenuous however; in La Venta alone, an estimated 10% of the population 
must work in the US in order to support the local community - a migration 
made necessary by the crushing effect of NAFTA on rural livelihoods and the 
failures of the trade agreement to deliver local jobs. Sadly - yet 
consistently - the windfarms constructed to date also fail to employ local 
workers and, instead, bring them in from elsewhere.

In spite of rising discontent among farmers, not to mention incomplete 
environmental impact assessments and possible violations of international 
law, the government of Felipe Calderon has plowed ahead with plans for the 
next in the series, Venta III, which is due to be constructed near the 
neighboring town of La Ventosa. Bidding for Venta III had been opened by the 
summer of 2007. Similarly, he flew to la Venta in late March of 2007 in 
order to conduct an inaugural ceremony for the wind projects; in preparation 
for his visit, the squatter camp of Tres de Abril that had been set up to 
resist continued construction of Venta II had to be forcibly removed with 
federal police.

Simultaneously, the CFE - or alleged representatives of the CFE (see 
below) - are moving ahead in their efforts to secure land for the 
development of more parks. Not only do they regularly approach and negotiate 
with individual landowners from La Venta and La Ventosa, but also from the 
surrounding communities of Union Hidalgo and Santo Domingo de la Blanca. 
Moreover, they are beginning to approach the beach communities as well, 
particularly San Dionisio, San Mateo and San Francisco, in order to begin 
lease negotiations there. In these areas, the windmills are scheduled to be 
built on sandbars, which would disrupt the natural redistribution of salty 
and fresh water, and the particular aquatic life that supports local fishing 
communities of the area. In short, in spite of mounting resistance from all 
of these communities, the government of Calderon, the CFE and the 
multinationals continue to plow ahead with plans for more and more 
windmills.

What then, precisely, are the concerns of local resistant farmers and 
landowners? The complaints of this newly mobilizing force can be divided 
roughly into two major categories for the purposes of this short article. 
The first category has to do with the negotiating practices of the CFE and, 
as a corollary, the terms of existing or planned contracts. A second concern 
has to do with the environmental impacts of the wind farms themselves. This 
latter concern includes, but is not limited to, a preoccupation with the 
impact on migrating and indigenous bird species.

First, it is important to point out that many landowners and ejiditarios of 
the local communities were originally very amenable to working with the CFE 
and leasing their lands. It is only based on their experiences with the CFE 
and the wind farms to date that resistance and disillusionment has mounted. 
In the beginning period of negotiations and construction, the CFE promised 
that the parks would bring more employment and greater development to the 
area. Neither of the two has happened since the owners of the wind parks 
bring in employees from elsewhere and the wind parks themselves by 
definition cannot bring greater "development" because they are more closely 
linked with extra-local (foreign and national level) interests than local 
interests. In short, the only "benefit" which the farmers received was the 
amount paid for the lease of their lands. It is widely reported that the 
initial amounts agreed to were later reneged on by the CFE, thus putting 
into motion the acrimonious relations that prevail between the institution 
and the local community today.

Moreover, as time has passed it has become increasingly clear that local 
farmers are paid a penance of what is paid to those who lease their lands 
for wind park construction  in other parts of the world. Currently, a farmer 
is paid 12,500 pesos (or roughly 125.00 dollars) annually for the lease of a 
single hectare of land which supports a single windmill. According to Alejo 
Giron Carrasco, leader of Grupo Solidario de la Venta, that is 10 to 20 
times less than what people are paid in other parts of the world.[1][1] 
While one might immediately conclude that the cost of living in rural Mexico 
is ten to twenty times less than what it might be in a "developed" economy, 
the fact of the matter is that NAFTA has sent the cost of living soaring, 
producing a growing disparity between real wages and purchasing power which 
these low rental prices reflect. Sadly, it is rural areas like La Venta and 
La Ventosa which have been hardest hit.

 Additionally, it is widely reported that the people who go around house to 
house trying to negotiate contracts do not work for the CFE directly but, 
rather, are hired personnel who essentially act as harassing thugs. As one 
person relayed it to me, they exist in Juchitan under the office name of 
Maderas y Granos  de la Laguna. Maderas y Granos is a cover name for this 
speculation company whose representatives go around trying to arrange 
contracts to allow the CFE and foreign companies to lease the land, all 
while saying that they work for the government. This assessment of the 
fraudulent nature of these "representatives" has been backed up by Ucizoni 
leader, Carlos Beal, in his article Los Negocios Sucios de la Energia Limpia 
(Dirty Negotiations for Clean Energy).[2][2] Perhaps even more ominously, 
there have been widespread reports of harassment and threats when landowners 
did not readily sign over their lands.

There are additional and seemingly systematic problems with the contracts 
and negotiations themselves. In the summer of 2007, members of the community 
of Union Hidalgo reported in a meeting in La Venta that the 
 "representatives" had been coming around house to house trying to get 
individuals to sign over their lands. Some of them had agreed to the 
contracts, only to find that when the representatives returned with the 
"official" copies of the contracts and their own public notaries from Mexico 
City, many key terms had been changed, endless clauses added, and the term 
of the lease had been changed from twenty to thirty years. Under pressure 
and intimidation, the farmers might still sign with a Mexico City notary 
looking on. These types of egregious legal abuses, including lying about the 
social benefits of leasing and never following up or returning copies of 
contracts to landowners, seem to be chronic and widely reported in many 
landowners' dealings with the CFE and its alleged representatives. The fact 
that these lands are leased essentially to foreign companies for a period of 
thirty years has additionally brought up the question of whether or not 
these arrangements are in violation of Article 27 of the Mexican 
Constitution, which prohibits the selling of land to foreigners. It 
increasingly seems that the proper authorities seem to skirt this issue by 
using the language of leasing - even if for a period of decades - rather 
than selling.

A second major concern which local communities have pertains to the 
environmental impact of the windmills. The possible deleterious effects of 
the windmills on bird populations is a pressing question here, but there are 
other concerns as well.

Briefly, approximately six million birds fly through the Isthmus de 
Tehuantepec each year. Estimates of the numbers of endangered species within 
this group run as low as three and as high as thirty-two. There have already 
been many anecdotal reports of high levels of bird deaths, determined 
primarily by the discovery of carcasses in and around the wind farms. Many 
of these are pigeons, but it is not yet known how many other bird species 
may be affected. Additionally the area around La Venta and La Ventosa are 
virtually saturated with wetlands areas and accompanying aquatic species. 
Because Mexican ornithologists - as elsewhere in the world - are still in 
the process of identifying which habitats are essential to protected 
species, the role that these wetlands or other areas may play in the 
survival of both endangered and other species is not yet known. According to 
a 2003 environmental impact report commissioned by the CFE itself, the 
greatest danger of the parques eolicos is to the bird population. While the 
report acknowledges that insufficient information exists to determine 
precisely the effects of the windmills on the birds, the wind farms were 
reported early on to be "highly risky."

This is precisely the problem. Windmill construction has gone ahead without 
ascertaining precisely what the impact on indigenous and migrating bird 
populations might be. While scientific knowledge is always going through a 
process of accumulation and revision, it seems that with 100 windmills 
already in place, this would be a good time to stop and take stock of the 
impact on bird life before proceeding with the construction of 3,000 
windmills. Residents who live in the area report that during the migrating 
season, you can't even see the sky for all the birds flying directly 
overhead.

In addition to this thorny issue about the possible effects on birds, local 
landowners have other concerns that have yet to be answered by environmental 
impact assessments. While this may be the case because the use of large wind 
farms is fairly new and long term studies are not yet available, it doesn't 
detract from the soundness and sensibility of questions that concern all of 
us: What might be the long term climatic effects of the wind farms? If they 
are being built in response to global warming, what effect might they 
inadvertently have to stir up the warm winds and skies that contribute 
directly to hurricanes and tornadoes (precisely the types of whether 
conditions that can afflict Caribbean and Central American nations) ? What 
might the effects of soil erosion be, and can these lands ever be cultivated 
again? What about bats? If the windmills kill birds they likely kill bats, 
and if bats are being killed what kind of plagues of insect populations loom 
in the future? If the windmills are already, as suspected, affecting bird 
populations, then what kind of chain ecological reaction is being set loose 
that we have no way as yet of understanding? Could that chain reaction have 
as disastrous effects as global warming itself?

Conclusion: Community Demands for Social Change

Local communities have a set of demands and concerns that are perfectly 
reasonable and at least as "forward looking" as green energy itself. 
Tellingly, in the form of a community that thinks in a truly "sustainable" 
manner, these demands speak to both environmental and social concerns. These 
demands can be summarized as follows:

There should be an environmental impact study (or studies) conducted by 
serious and neutral scientific institutions, and these studies must be 
conducted with the participation and input of the local community.

There should be more transparency about the benefits of the wind farms for 
the CFE and Mexican government. Why are they so eager to construct them, why 
are they being so accommodating of multinational interests, and what is in 
it for them?

For the obverse, what is in it for local communities? To date, they have 
never received electricity at reduced rates, nor have local populations been 
employed by the wind farms. If future wind mills are going to be 
constructed, there must be direct and tangible benefits written in 
contracts: schools, pavement, jobs, health care - in short, the "sustainable 
development" that is always promised but never delivered. The local 
community must be seen as more than a resource from which land can be 
extracted, because the local community is the land.

  Conditions of going into a contract or lease agreement with the CFE would 
have to be completely different - with greater transparency, accountability, 
and legality. Those who do not want to lease their lands will have their 
decisions respected, and they will be free from pressure or harassment.

There must be an established space for ongoing discussion and negotiation 
(mesa de dialogo) so that affected communities can legally ensure that they 
are the recipients of public works.

There must be a permanently established conflict resolution forum that 
allows for any conflict to be resolved legally and fairly.

Community members should receive a discount in electricity prices.

On September 22 of 2007, the Grupo Solidario de la Venta and UCIZONI 
gathered together dozens of groups in La Ventosa for the third regional 
forum to discuss the matter. Along with laying plans for future steps to be 
taken, the groups issued a formal declaration of protest against the Plan 
Puebla Panama and ongoing wind farm construction. In addition to the demands 
listed above, organizations additionally maintained that the Calderon 
government has been violating the rights of indigenous peoples, causing both 
environmental and cultural destruction; that the intent of the PPP and wind 
park construction is to turn the Isthmus into an industrial corridor; that 
substantive information about the PPP be shared with local communities and 
they be engaged in a legitimately participatory fashion; that all neoliberal 
projects that destroy indigenous cultures and lands be halted immediately; 
and last, but not least, the release of political prisoners and an end to 
the militarization of the region under the pretext of drug war. The full 
text of the Declaration, in both Spanish and English, can be found at the 
end of this article.

Additional information:

For those interested in learning more about the wind farms of Oaxaca, please 
visit the following sites:

http://www.ucizoni.org.mx/

www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/05/08/oaxaca-braces-for-new-protests/

http://kirbymtn.blogspot.com/2007/03/against-giants-in-oaxaca.html

http://asej.org/ACERA/ppp

http://www.oaxacalibre.org

http://www.narconews.com

http://www.apiavirtual.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12122

For those interested in learning more about birds of Oaxaca, visit 
www.tierradeaves.com

To learn more about the Plan Puebla Panama, visit some of these sites:

www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico/ppp/ppp.html

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=3953

http://ppp.sre.gob.mx/

If you would like to help or gain further information, please contact the 
following people:

English speakers:

Sylvia Sanchez at ssanchez50 at yahoo.com

Spanish speakers:

Alejo Giron Carrasco at carrascogiron_a at hotmail.com

Roberto Giron Carrasco at duroventero_68 at hotmail.com

Carlos Beas at carlos_beas at yahoo.com.mx>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7089226.stm

Argentines in pulp mill protest

Protesters say the mill will pollute the river
Tens of thousands of Argentines have marched to the Uruguayan border in one 
of the biggest protests so far against a controversial pulp paper mill.
They have been demonstrating against the construction of the factory for 
more than two years, saying it will pollute the environment.
This week Uruguay President Tabare Vazquez said the mill could start work.
Correspondents say this has plunged Mr Vazquez' already difficult 
relationship with Argentina to a new low.
Protesters marched waving banners that read "no to the paper plant".
We have lost the battle, but not the war

Javier Castel
Protester
Thousands of cars hooted as they crawled towards the bridge that links 
Argentina with Uruguay and from where they could see the huge Finnish-built 
factory they say will pollute the river that separates the two countries.
Protest boats took to the water and demonstrators fired flares and shouted 
through megaphones.
"We have lost the battle, but not the war," protester Javier Castel told the 
Associated Press news agency.
They have been demonstrating for more than two years in a bid to stop the 
plant being built.
Argentina has taken the case to the International Court of Justice in the 
Hague and is awaiting a final ruling.
But Uruguay says the $1.2bn enterprise - the biggest in the country's 
history - is using the latest technology and will not pollute.
Uruguayan police are guarding the plant and have partially closed the 
border.
The dispute cast a shadow over the Ibero-American summit in Chile, where Mr 
Vazquez gave approval for the pulp mill to start operating.
His Argentine counterpart, Nestor Kirchner, accused him of punching the 
Argentine people in the back.
The BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires says the two men had hugged 
earlier in a rare show of friendship, but now they are again snarling at one 
another.

http://cempaka-green.blogspot.com/2007/11/religious-traditional-wisdom-urged-for.html

Religious, traditional wisdom urged for green protection
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Religious and ethnic leaders expressed concern Thursday over global warming, 
asserting no spiritual teachings or traditional beliefs allowed the 
unchecked exploitation of nature.

Environmental damage caused by human activities is against all spiritual and 
traditional values, which teach people to preserve and live in harmony with 
nature, Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said during a discussion here.

The event was organized by Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia's most influential 
Muslim organizations, to seek a common ground among different groups prior 
to the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali from Dec. 3 to 14.

World representatives will convene at the UN conference to negotiate a 
global treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Religious and ethnic leaders will also be involved in the negotiations aimed 
at pushing developed countries to reduce carbon emissions produced by 
industrial activities and to shoulder the responsibility for any failure to 
meet reduction targets.

Present during Thursday's meeting were representatives of Indonesia's five 
biggest religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

Ethnic tribal leaders from Banten, Sumatra, Papua, Madura and Borneo also 
were in attendance.

Buddhist priest Tadisa Paramita said human greed was behind the 
environmental degradation that has translated into natural disasters such as 
floods and drought.

He said humans had benefited from industrial activities at the expense of 
the environment, ignoring nature's protests sent through a number of 
disasters.

"Nature responds according to what humans do. We believe that nothing comes 
as a coincidence ... people reap what they sow."

Father Ismartono of the Indonesian Bishops Conference said: "Humans are not 
the owners of this earth and have no right to exploit nature the way they 
do. God is the creator of this earth and humans are the steward."

Indonesia has seen some of the worst environmental damage in the world, with 
some 50 million hectares of forest throughout the country heavily exploited.

The country has been cited for its rapid rate of deforestation, and has been 
called one of the main contributors to global warming.

Al Azhar, representing the Riau Malay tribe from Sumatra, told the audience 
how forests in his region were exploited by timber companies despite 
protests from indigenous people.

"Indigenous people will plant one tree if they cut down one tree ... but the 
companies come and take everything from the forest without any effort to 
replace it."

Leonard Imbiri from Papua said the forests in Papua had been devastated.

"People know of Papua as having amazing and wild forests ... but you can 
come and see now, the forests and nature there have been badly damaged. Gone 
are the indigenous people's efforts to preserve them," he said. (lln)


http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/12/30/scientists-to-study-island-thats-site-of-proposed-palm-estate

Scientists To Study Island That's Site Of Proposed Palm Estate
By Alexander Rheeney in Port Moresby
Sunday: December 30, 2007

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Woodlark Island in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay province will become the 
subject of a study by U.S. scientists early next year.

The island is currently at the center of a tussle between Malaysian oil palm 
developer Vitroplant Ltd. and villagers who oppose the development of a 
60,000 hectare oil palm estate.
- ADVERTISEMENT -


It is understood that scientists from the Syracuse University in New York, 
the University of California-Santa Barbara, and the University of Texas will 
conduct a geological investigation into ultra high-pressure metamorphic 
rocks on the island.

The rocks are being exhumed naturally from depths of about 100 km to the 
surface; a geological process that scientists say continues today but is 
poorly understood.

Coincidentally, the island is also home to megaliths, large stone structures 
dating back approximately 1,200 years BP that Woodlark Islanders attach 
strong cultural significance.

Ironically the 85,000 hectare island is state-owned land, the result of a 
transaction in the 1880s between the islanders' forefathers and one of Papua 
New Guinea's then colonizers Great Britain.

While the potential of economic benefits flowing on from the proposed 
project is there, the islanders fear such a large-scale development could 
endanger the ancient stone structures as well as species endemic to the 
island.

At risk is the habitat for the Woodlark Island Cuscus, a medium sized 
marsupial which prefers to live in primary and secondary lowland dry forest.

But according to the Mongabay.com environmental website, it is not the only 
species endemic to the island. Others include a rodent, which has not yet 
received a scientific name; a gecko (Cyrtodactylus Murua), which was only 
described by science in 2006; another lizard species; two species of frog; 
and, fourteen mollusks.

Additionally, four endemic insect species live on Woodlark - two 
damselflies, a water bug and a riffle bug.

Despite the villagers' concerns, the PNG government has gone ahead and 
advertised Vitroplant's environmental plan in local newspapers to confirm 
that it intends to go ahead with the project, which includes the building of 
a US$300 million 100,000-tonne capacity oil palm methylester plant in the 
Milne Bay provincial capital Alotau.

The plant will convert palm oil into biodiesel for sale in both the PNG and 
international markets.

Vitroplant's parent company, ASX-listed Overseas & General Limited (OGL), 
has signed agreements with British Virgin Island-registered Quantum 
Logistics Ltd. to develop the site and Malaysian firm Desa Lebu Sdn Bhd to 
plant the oil palm.

But work is yet to start at the project-site as villagers, led by medical 
officer Dr. Simon Piyuwes, continue to oppose it.

"If the project goes ahead the people in the villages on the island could 
rise up against it," Dr. Simon and two other landowners warned during an 
interview with Pacific Magazine.

Samarai-Murua MP Gordon Wesley has prepared a petition to table in 
Parliament that would appeal for the return of the land to its traditional 
owners.

http://news.mongabay.com/2007/1112-hance_woodlark.html

Biofuels versus Native Rights:
Planned logging of Woodlark Island for biofuels
opposed by islanders and scientists
Jeremy Hance, special to mongabay.com
November 12, 2007

On Woodlark Island, one-hundred and seventy miles from Papua New Guinea, a 
struggle is occurring between islanders and biofuel company Vitroplant Ltd. 
The company is planning to clear much of the island's forest for oil palm 
plantations to produce biofuels. Vitorplant Ltd.'s contract specifies that 
they would deforest 60,000 hectares of land for plantations; Woodlark Island 
is 85,000 hectares in total, meaning over 70% of the island would be 
converted. Last week, one hundred islanders (out of a total population of 
6,000) traveled to the capital of Milne Bay Province, Alotau, to voice their 
concern over the plans to turn their forested island into plantations.

Leading the opposition is medical doctor Simon Piyuwes. Dr. Piyuwes was born 
and raised on the island and returns every holiday. On his most recent 
homecoming, Dr. Piyuwes found himself taking on a new role. He says that 
"every individual Woodlark Islander opposes the project. However it appears 
that the LLG president who was supposed to represent the people was pushing 
for the project. Compelled by this I felt the responsibility to talk for my 
people." Dr. Piyuwes outlines several reasons why Vitroplant Ltd.'s plans 
are unacceptable to the islanders. He states that the logging would destroy 
the island's endemic ebony, cause extinctions of rare species, and threaten 
marine life by waste from the project. Not only does he foresee 
environmental disaster, but also disintegration of the native culture, 
stating that the company's plans would bring "socially unacceptable behavior 
on the island". And that all the islanders would eventually be threatened 
with "starvation" since "there will be no space for gardening and hunting". 
Dr. Piyuwes admits that while there may be some economic and infrastructure 
benefits to the island, he believes the disadvantages far outweigh the 
advantages.

Map modified from Google Earth
According to the islanders, they were never consulted regarding the plans 
until after the government had already granted the lease to Vitroplant Ltd. 
"We were shocked to hear the announcement that the oil palm project is set 
to begin in few months time," Dr. Piyuwes states, adding that "we were 
simply told that the land belongs to the government and we have no right to 
talk." But the people of Woodlark argue that the land is theirs by right. It 
was initially taken away in the 1880s by colonial powers, during this period 
Dr. Piyuwes stresses that the population was illiterate and communication 
regarding the ownership of the land "doubtful". To bolster the case that the 
island belongs to its inhabitants, the Woodlark islanders point to several 
former ministers that promised to return of the land to the islanders. 
Woodlark Islanders currently live by gardening of such crops as yams, taro, 
sweet potatoes, and bananas. Fishing and hunting play a smaller, though 
important, role in their diet.

Chris Norris, a zoologist and paleontologist who visited Woodlark Island in 
1987, describes it as low-lying, aside from a chain of hills in the middle. 
He states that "apart from some of the coastal areas, most of the island is 
covered in dense lowland rain forest." Dr. Piwuyes adds that his homeland is 
"a beautiful island with virgin forest".

A Gold Mine of Endemic Species

It is not just Woodlark Island's natives who are worried over Vitroplant Ltd's 
plan. Numerous scientists and conservationists share their concern. Woodlark 
Island is home to a number of species found nowhere else in the world. A 
transformation from forest to plantations would cause several species, now 
abundant, to become threatened. In the worse case scenario, the lack of 
habitat could create widespread extinction.

Could the Woodlark Cuscus go the way of the dodo? Photo by Tim Flannery
The most well-known endemic animal to Woodlark Island is the Woodlark 
Cuscus. Cuscus are medium-sized nocturnal marsupials. Dr. Kristopher Helgen, 
a mammalogist who focuses on species in the Papua New Guinea and its 
islands, describes the species as "the most visible and charismatic of the 
endemic animals of Woodlark. It is a very distinctive species and is reliant 
on forests." Long thought to be rare, the species' population was studied in 
1987 by Dr. Norris. Dr. Norris found that the Woodlark Cuscus was more 
abundant than had been believed. The people of the island do not threaten 
the Cuscus through their small-scale gardening and hunting, and the species 
is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but Dr. Norris states "any 
significant clearance of forest, such as would be required for the 
Vitroplant proposal, would pose a grave risk of extinction."

The Woodlark Cuscus is not the only species endemic to the island; in fact 
the island, which was never connected to the mainland of Papua New Guniea, 
contains a vast number of endemic species, including a rodent, which has not 
yet received a scientific name; a gecko, Cyrtodactylus murua, which was only 
described by science in 2006; a second lizard species; two species of frog; 
and fourteen endemic mollusks. Additionally, four endemic insect species 
live on Woodlark-two damselflies, a water bug, and a riffle bug. Two of 
these insects are confined solely to forest habitat. Dr. Polhemus, an 
entomologist who surveyed the island in 2003, discovering two insect 
species, states that "it is all but certain that there are other endemic 
species in the material" gathered during his survey. Despite the many 
endemic species already described on Woodlark Island, Dr. Norris concurs 
with Polhemus, "because of its relative remoteness, Woodlark Island's fauna 
and flora has been very poorly surveyed [...] I would say that there is a 
strong probability of more endemic plants and animals that have still to be 
described."

Under current plans-to deforest over 70% of the island-it is impossible to 
imagine how these species could be sufficiently protected. When asked to 
consider the issue, Dr. Norris had this to say, "obviously there are various 
factors that have to be weighed up when calculating the benefits of a scheme 
like this, but personally I find it ironic that 'saving the planet' could be 
used as a justification for the extinction of endemic rainforest species 
like the Woodlark Island cuscus."

The Big Picture: Biofuels and Deforestation


Beginnings of an oil palm plantation. Courtesy of UNEP
The situation of Woodlark Island is representative of much of Southeast Asia 
where large swaths of forest have been recently destroyed to produce biofuel 
crops. Two of the largest palm oil giants, Malaysia and Indonesia, have seen 
massive growth in palm oil production coupled with deforestation. In 
Indonesia oil palm plantations have expanded from 600,000 hectares in 1985 
to more than 6 million hectares. This production is expected to reach 10 
million hectares by 2010. Malaysia shares a similar story: palm oil 
production has risen from 151,000 metric tons in 1964 to 16.5 million metric 
tons last year. Currently, there is little suitable land left on the 
Malaysian peninsula, so future growth in the industry is expected to occur 
in Malaysian Borneo and Kalimantan. The biofuel industry is one of the few 
linked to global warming where it is believed money can be made quickly and 
easily. The USDA reports that in 1994 palm oil stocks were at 1.25, by 2006 
they had climbed to 3.67. They have dropped in the last two years, but it is 
uncertain if that trend will continue.

PAst and projected forest cover in Borneo according to WWF
While the palm industry grows, questions have risen regarding its efficacy 
in fighting global warming. Research has shown that in a twenty year time 
span a palm oil plantation will store 50-90 percent less than the original 
forest. From this fact alone it seems that palm oil plantations built on 
what was once forest is actually contributing to global warming. When asked 
about forest versus palm oil, Dr. Norris pointed to a statement released 
this past March by several giants of the conservation movement-Greenpeace, 
Oxfam, RSPB, World Wildlife Fund, and Friends of the Earth-which states that 
the "dash for biofuels is ill thought out, lacks appropriate safeguards and 
could be creating more problems than it solves." Ed Matthew of Friends of 
the Earth puts it even more succinctly: "It doesn't seem possible that the 
[U.K.] Government could design a system for developing the biofuel industry 
that could actually make climate change worse but they seem to be managing 
it." Current measures of climate change state that 20% of annual greenhouse 
gases is due to deforestation.

Carbon storage of oil palm plantations versus natural forests, based on 
various sources. From Oil palm does not store more carbon than forests
Even if biofuels were better at storing carbon than forests, there would 
still be more to consider in the decision to clear forests. Currently, the 
planet is not only facing global warming, but a possible mass extinction, 
the sixth in Earth's history. Estimates of extinction rates vary, but few 
biologists would deny that it is underway. In places like Southeast Asia, 
there is no question that palm oil plantations are contributing to a decline 
in species. For example, the U.N. Environmental Program recently estimated 
that by 2022, 98% of lowland forests in Indonesia will be gone, threatening 
innumerable species. Dr. Helgen describes the palm oil industry as having 
"devastating effect on wildlife in general and on endangered species, such 
as orangutans, in particular. Whereas primary and secondary forests in 
southeast Asia can support a tremendous wealth of animal and plant species, 
oil palm plantations usually support relatively few species by comparison, 
and usually only the common ones. One only needs to see a new oil palm 
plantation to understand why it does not support a great deal of 
biodiversity."

Forest cover in Indo-Malaya (2000): 39%
Biofuel production may cause even more general environmental degradation. 
Dr. Helegen lists a number of problems: "clearance for oil palm may be a 
veiled excuse for wholesale logging in many cases. Land is often cleared 
with fire to prepare it for plantation use, which can cause widespread 
burning of forests. Oil palm generates a lot of run-off and pollution, and 
creates new habitat for some invasive species (like rats). It also fragments 
forests and often fosters new opportunities for illegal hunting and trading 
of wildlife by plantation workers." As well, biofuel production has caused 
deforestation in the Amazon by proxy. A large growth of soy production in 
Brazil, requiring a lot of land, has pressed ranchers and small-farmers even 
deeper into the forest. The soy industry has also built infrastructure in 
and around the forest, granting access to more slash-and-burning.

The environmental costs of the biofuel industry worldwide have been little 
reported in the U.S., even as congress begins to debate an energy bill that 
would include great support for the use of biofuels. Other nations, like the 
Netherlands, are attempting to enact legislation that would ensure the 
biofuels used in their countries met high environmental standards, including 
not contributing to deforestation or species loss.

Back to Woodlark Island

As seen from the conflict on Woodlark Island the palm oil industry can take 
its toll on the human community as well. Rumors have been flying around the 
island over the past week that Vitroplant Ltd. may be pulling out. So far, 
however, they are just that: rumors. Dr. Piyuwes states that amid these 
rumors, including an erroneous announcement over the radio, "the Vitrolplant 
agents convened a meeting at Masurina lodge" and displayed "interest to 
proceed." While they wait to see how their demands are met, Dr. Piyuwes 
states that islanders have "promised to ensure this project does not arrive 
on Woodlark". Unfortunately, Vitroplant Ltd. proved unavailable for 
response.

Where rainforest once stood in Malaysia now stands row after row of oil 
palms. Photos by Rhett A. Butler.
In Woodlark Island's situation, Dr. Helgen sees a bleak future for the whole 
country: "I have been worried that like Malaysia and Indonesia, Papua New 
Guinea, which supports some of the most remarkable wilderness areas on 
earth, might become heavily involved in oil palm production. I understand 
that plantation conversion has increased in eastern coastal areas of the 
country in recent years, and the plan to convert Woodlark's forests to 
plantations confirms this as a valid fear."

The islanders of Woodlark have spent a lot of time trying to draw 
international attention to this issue. Dr. Piyuwes believes such attention 
is essential since "we do not have money to fight the giant. We only hope 
for the support from the NGOs, and the mercy of the government to withdraw 
the project." In the meantime, the islanders continue to wait, either for 
victory or a long struggle.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/12_injured_in_protest_against_POSCO_plant_in_Orissa/articleshow/2570229.cms

12 injured in protest against POSCO plant in Orissa
25 Nov 2007, 2232 hrs IST,PTI

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PARADIP: At least 12 people, including two women, were injured on Sunday in 
a clash between supporters and opponents of POSCO's proposed Rs 52,000 crore 
greenfield steel plant near here, police said.

The two sides fought a pitched battle using sharp edged weapons and sticks 
besides indulging in stone pelting near Nuagaon village in the proposed 
project site, causing injuries to members of both groups, police said.

Trouble erupted when several PPSS activists were proceeding nearby Nolia 
Sahi to invite people for a meeting of anti-project camp at Dhinkia as they 
were challenged by a group of steel plant supporters, they said.

What began as a verbal duel and minor scuffle soon snowballed into a violent 
clash, they said, adding anti-POSCO group was angry over entry of seven 
employees of a dredging firm into the area with the backing of project 
supporters.

As situation in the entire area remained tense, police maintained a close 
vigil to prevent any further flare up, they added.

http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20071229/88712.htm

Steel plant supporters stop Communist leader's protest march

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>From correspondents in Chhattisgarh, India, 08:30 PM IST

Supporters of the proposed Tata Steel plant in Chhattisgarh forcibly stopped 
Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta Saturday from leading 
a protest rally near the plant site.

Dasgupta was scheduled to head an anti-Tata protest march in Bastar district 
where the steel major has a Rs.100 billion investment deal to set up an 
integrated five million tonne per annum plant in Lohandiguda block under 
Chitrakote assembly segment.

'Besides a march, Dasgupta was scheduled to attend a meeting of farmers in 
the district affected by the Tata Steel plant in the district but hundreds 
of plant supporters and state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 
supporters as well a section of opposition Congress cadres did not allow him 
to enter Jagdalpur, the district headquarters,' Manish Kunjam, a former CPI 
legislator and a local tribal leader told IANS.

'The supporters stopped Dasgupta's convoy at Bhanpuri close to Jagdalpur 
city and rejected his plea that he wanted to lead a peaceful march against 
blind industrialisation of mineral rich Bastar at the cost of driving out 
indigenous tribals from their native farm lands,' Kunjam said.

He added that plant supporters forced Dasgupta to return to Raipur, which is 
300 km from Jagdalpur.

The supporters have recently formed Bastar Vikas Manch under the guidance of 
Bastar MP and BJP leader Baliram Kashyap to 'flush out people from Bastar 
opposing industrialisation and development'.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/Protest_against_dam_in_Yavatmal/articleshow/2568475.cms

 Protest against dam in Yavatmal
25 Nov 2007, 0210 hrs IST,TNN

NAGPUR: In what may appear to be signs of an intense showdown against an 
irrigation project ahead, residents of 85 villages affected by the proposed 
Lower Painganga project in Yavatmal district are gearing up for a 'jail 
bharo strike' if the government initiates construction activity at the dam 
site.

Due to the stiff resistance of the villagers, the project has been unable to 
take-off in full swing since 1997, when it was initiated.

On November 19, around 1,105 project-affected-persons tonsured their heads 
together, which is said to have been a record in itself. Narmada Bachao 
Andolan leader Medha Patkar had also visited the site during 2003 to express 
solidarity towards their stance. In July, a mob of villagers had allegedly 
manhandled an engineer, who was stripped in public. Cases were filed against 
300 persons after this incident.

Now, after receiving messages to initiate discussions on rehabilitation, the 
villagers have once again expressed their strong opposition to the project 
unless it is implemented on the pattern suggested by them.

President of Nimna Painganga Dharan Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti Pralhad Jagtap 
said that, out of 95 villages affected by the project, gram sabhas in 85 
villages have passed a resolution opposing the project in the present form.

If the dam is built it would lead to submergence of 50,000 acres of land, 
destroy 2,500 acres of forest land and affect close to one lakh person in 
the area. However, if barrages are constructed instead, then the project can 
be set up without submergence of farm or forest land, and there would be no 
need for the locals to be displaced, said Jagtap.

The samiti claims that even the goverment officials have acknowledged that 
barrages could be a better option. It would reduce the cost to around Rs 500 
crore. The present cost is Rs 4,000 crore.

Moreover, the court has also directed the state government to keep the 
project on hold till all the relevant agencies clear it. However, even 
though several clearances are yet to be obtained, state officials have once 
again initiated work. This had led to the incident in which the engineer was 
allegedly manhandled.

"If they continue, the villagers will reach the construction sites to stop 
work and court arrest. They may also go on indefinite hunger strike in the 
jails itself. There are also plans for the womenfolk by to on hunger strike 
in front of the respective gram panchayat offices," said the samiti's 
secretary, Pralhad Gawande.

Several affected villagers are inhabited by adivavis, who each only own 
between 2 and 10 acres of farmland, all of which would be submerged.

Moreover, the land, which spreads from Yavatmal to the bordering areas of 
Nanded district in western Maharashtra, has some of the best soil, due to 
which the belt has been least affected by farmers suicides in the otherwise 
suicide-hit Yavatmal, said Gawande.

The project is meant for irrigating areas in Chandrapur, dry areas of 
Yavatmal as well as Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161248241

Residents stage 40-day fast to protest steel plant
Kimoy Leon Sing South Bureau

Monday, December 10th 2007

day five: Pranz Gardens residents protesting outside the National Energy 
Corporation at Couva on Friday. -Photo: DAVE PERSAD

PRANZ Gardens residents on Friday observed the fifth of a 40-day fast 
outside the National Energy Corporation building Couva to continue their 
protest of the construction of a steel plant in the area.
Some 15 placard waving residents sang: "We don't want a steel plant here," 
and pledged to continue the fast until they are heard. They distributed 
fliers describing the negative effects of the steel plant.
CCOPG spokesman Sahadeo Puran said: "We will not leave here until the NEC 
give us some answers." He said the protesters were rotating in shifts day 
and night.
Puran said in a previous meeting Dr Lenny Saith, Minister of State in the 
Office of the Prime Minister, promised that Government would have to looked 
into the issue. Saith also assured them that he would put forth their issues 
to the NEC.
When Puran met with NEC president Prakash Saith, Ken Julien and other board 
members, however, he was not satisfied with what they had to say.
The disgruntled residents installed red, white and black flags on 
electricity posts along the Rivulet Road, Couva and signs warning "No Steel 
Plant," in the area.
The residents are concerned because of long-term health effects. They do not 
want to be relocated.
Ryan Sant, 28, a resident of Savonetta, for the past two years, said: "The 
steel plant is a very dirty industry, but we are standing up for our lives 
and the lives of our children. If it is so safe why do they want to relocate 
us?"
The residents were supported in their protest by University of the West 
Indies (UWI) lecturer, Dr Wayne Kublalsingh and Industrial Agricultural 
Physicist and UWI lecturer, Dr Peter Vine.
Stacy Lewis, a mother of two, has been living in Pranz Gardens for seven 
years. She said: "The plant has not even gone up yet and there is dust, 
noise and flooding from just clearing of the site. If this is for betterment 
why not build a school or hospital for the people of the community?"
Essar's Human Resource Manager Prem Singh said: "Plans for the steel plant 
are going good." He added that the company would be offering employment 
opportunities to residents. He assured them that Essar had met all the 
regulations from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). "The plant is 
very safe and plans to go on stream," he stressed.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200712131242.html

Kenya: Communities Protest

14 December 2007
Posted to the web 13 December 2007

Job Weru And Antony Gitonga
Nairobi

Members of Kenya's minority ethnic community, the Yiaku, demonstrated 
against the destruction of a forest in which they live, in Laikipia North 
District.

On Tuesday, they marched to the local DC's office to express their concern 
after government officials allegedly allowed a timber trader to cut trees in 
Mukogodo Forest. The twig and placard-waving protesters, led by their 
chairman, Mr Issa Supuko, walked to the DC's office, where they presented 
him with a copy of grievances. They accused the trader of cutting trees and 
transporting them without their consent.

They also accused the police of according the trader protection. Studies 
have shown that the Yiaku, who live exclusively in the forest, are about 
5,000 in number. They are also the only community in Kenya who have been 
given rights by the State to live inside a government forest. The forest, 
measuring about 30,189 hectares, has been ranked the best community 
conserved forest for its wealth in indigenous trees.

The DC, Mr Amos Mariba, said action would be taken against individuals 
encroaching into the forest.

"The forest is the best conserved natural resource in Kenya, and we will not 
allow a few greedy people to destroy it," he said.

He noted that the permits, which were given to the investor allowing him 
access and permission to cut and transport trees would be investigated.

He added that the Forest Act of 2005 gave community rights over policing and 
conservation of forests in collaboration with the area environment 
committee.

Elsewhere, more than 5,000 families of the Isahakia community living in 
Naivasha have called on Vice-President Mr Moody Awori to intervene and have 
them resettled.

Having been evicted 35 years ago, the community has called on the V-P to 
keep his promise that they would be resettled on their ancestral land next 
to the Naivasha Prison.

Through their leaders, the squatters wondered why senior land officers were 
curtailing their efforts to get a land title despite the Ministry of Lands 
approving their resettlement.

According to their chairman, Mr Ali Farah, the families had been turned into 
refugees after the 1972 eviction near the Lord Delamere land.

"The Vice-President has been on the forefront in assisting us and we urge 
him to act now as some government officers are giving us a raw deal," he 
said.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200712140991.html

Kenya: Villagers Protest Against Company

The East African Standard (Nairobi)

15 December 2007
Posted to the web 14 December 2007

George Olwenya
Nairobi

Hundreds of residents of Siaya and Bondo districts demonstrated against the 
American owned Dominion Farms for allegedly using an aerial spray that was 
killing their livestock and damaging their crops.

They were also protesting against the blocking of access roads on the Yala 
Swamp.

Riot police had to be called in to disperse the villagers.

They claimed that the herbicides used by the company had damaged several 
acres of onions and kales in adjacent farms and demanded compensation.

A report from the Usigu Divisional Agricultural Extension Officer, Mr I L 
Otiang', confirmed that tomatoes worth Sh180,000 and kales valued at Sh4,000 
had been damaged.

The villagers' spokesman, Mr Charles Okeyo said complaints to the company 
had gone unanswered.

"We want the Government to intervene because the spray has contaminated our 
water, killed our animals and damaged crops," said Okeyo.

On Friday, the villagers also complained that they were unable to reach 
local markets after the firm blocked the road passing through the swamp.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200712120669.html

Nigeria: Lagosians Protest Against Deforestation

This Day (Lagos)

11 December 2007
Posted to the web 12 December 2007

Chinazor Megbolu
Lagos

Various residents of Ikoyi, Lagos State have staged a protest against moves 
by a construction giant, Julius Berger Plc to cut down over 2000 trees in 
the area, in a bid to complete a Lagos State Government road dualisation 
project.

The protest, which occurred during a world carnival/conference organised by 
environmentalist and founder of Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE) Dr. 
Newton Jibunoh, took place at the grounds opposite Abebe Court, Bourdillon 
Road, Ikoyi, as part of his efforts to draw national attention to the 
climatic change posed by desertification, drought and desert encroachment.

Jibunor, who spoke to THISDAY at the weekend, said the protest was organised 
to pass a message across to the government to desist from doing so because 
it will destroy lives, shade, water and rainfall.

Jibunor who has crossed the desert twice and is preparing for the third 
expedition said he has been trying in the last 40 years to find solution to 
building and making trees in Sahara Desert, and that he was surprised to 
hear that trees in his area has been marked for destruction.

On if the protest will make them stop the idea, he said that if they don't 
stop, they will have the people and the environment to cope with and 
probably wait for when the consequences will come, which he added will come 
in a different form that will not be good.

Speaking further, Jibunor said if it were possible, he would want those 
involved to stop cutting the trees but, if they want to destroy the people, 
let them go ahead and do so.

The FADE crusader also insisted that trees should not be cut because half of 
the species of plants and animals in the world live in the rain forests 
which provides habitat, food chain as well as helping to stabilise the 
ecosystem.

"When the forest is removed, heavy rainfalls which usually occur in the 
tropics land directly on the ground and wash away the soil. These cause 
flooding and landslides and make surrounding areas unsafe for people to live 
in," he said.

Also, popular Nigerian musician, Lagbaja (real names Bisade Ologunde) who 
made a surprise appearance at the venue said it was important for him to 
come and identify with FADE even though he is not living in the area, but 
because he believes in their cause.

He added that the problem, which is very common, is that until something 
concerns the people personally, they always think it is not their problem.

"But really, it is our problem and the environment. Even if I will die one 
day and go but the generations of Nigerians yet unborn will feel the impart 
of how we destroyed the earth so, it is of direct importance to me," he 
said.

Lagbaja however advised the government on the need to keep its main trees 
and to plant more, adding that those in charge are not planting more so, 
they should not even be thinking of cutting.

The conference was part of Jibunor's efforts to draw national attention to 
the climatic change posed by desertification, drought and desert 
encroachment; and to sensitise Nigerians and other nationals on the dire 
effect of indiscriminate tree cutting, especially in urban areas like Lagos 
and Abuja.

According to Mr. Kunle Idowu, media consultant to the Nigeria Network of 
NGOs (NNNGO), Jibunoh who turns 70 on January 1, 2008, is expected to 
undertake his third and final expedition with a group of four persons. These 
include Miss Ebun Olatoye (Journalist/Publicist), Titi Laoye (Film Maker), 
Joshua Adegbabu (an Auto-mechanic), and Afam Ugah (an IT Specialist).

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN17414308

RPT-Bishop's hunger strike on Brazil project wins support
Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:51pm EST

By Raymond Colitt

BRASILIA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The health of a Brazilian bishop who is on a 
hunger strike to protest against a government irrigation project has 
deteriorated considerably, aides said on Monday.

"He is visibly worse today, he's lost 8 kilo (18 lbs) and has hypertension," 
Clarice Maia, a spokeswoman for Bishop Luiz Cappio, said by telephone from 
northeastern Bahia state.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has asked the Vatican to renew efforts 
to end the fast by Cappio, who stopped eating on Nov 27.

The project, Brazil's largest public works venture, aims to pump water from 
the Sao Francisco River through 435 miles (700 km) of canals to residents 
and farms in the arid and poverty-plagued northeast, where Lula was born.

Critics including Cappio say the project is too expensive and authorities 
would have difficulty ensuring the fair distribution of water. 
Environmentalists fear reducing the river's level could affect navigability, 
fish migration and biodiversity.

Lula told leaders of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops last week 
that the government would not cancel the project despite the hunger strike.

Critics said Lula was trying to arm-twist parts of the church.

The Vatican's representative in Brazil as well as the archbishop of Salvador 
already urged Cappio last week to stop the hunger strike, which they said 
contradicted Christian principles.

The Catholic church in Brazil has called on Christians to express their 
solidarity with the protest by fasting.

Dozens of supporters of Cappio held vigils and prayed before Congress in the 
capital Brasilia on Monday and similar events were expected throughout the 
country. Thousands of protesters held vigils in three Bahian cities during 
the weekend, event organizers said.

The Supreme Court is to decide on Wednesday whether to uphold an injunction 
by a lower court that last week halted construction of the project. The 
judge questioned whether the government had proper authority for land and 
water use. (Editing by David Wiessler)

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Environmentalists_protest_use_of_plastic_along_river_banks/articleshow/2645076.cms

Environmentalists protest use of plastic along river banks
23 Dec, 2007, 1445 hrs IST, PTI

KALPETTA (KERALA): The use of sand-filled plastic bags to strengthen river 
banks is posing a threat to the ecologically sensitive Wayanad district in 
Kerala, environmental campaigners have said.

Long stretches of river banks of Kabani in Meengangadi panchayat have 
already been laid with thousands of sand-filled plastic bags as part of the 
work under the National Rural Employment Programme.

"If this is allowed to go on, the consequences would be trully disastrous 
not only for Wayanad but for the adjoining areas of Karnataka which are 
inter-linked by the Kabani, a tributary of Cauvery," campaigner Abraham 
Benhar told reporters.

The sand-filled plastic bags could easily fall apart or get melted under the 
scorching sun leaving its polluting contents in the river. This would choke 
natural flow of the river, harm fish breeding and growth of water 
vegetation, which is essential for the health of rivers, argued the 
campaigners.

"One is really at a loss to know as to who is behind this strange idea. The 
strategy being followed to protect rivers the world over is the use of 
geo-textiles like coir or cultivation of water plants," they said.

As many as 3140 bags were used for a stretch of 40 metres and work in a few 
kilometres had already been completed in areas like Muradippalam, Mailampadi 
and Pannimunda.

http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2007/12/71094.php

Navajo and Mohawk in Bali Challenge World Bank Carbon Scam
by Brenda Norrell Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007 at 2:45 PM

BALI, Indonesia -- Navajo and Mohawk representatives of the Indigenous 
Environmental Network are now in Bali at the 13th United Nations Framework 
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Jihan Gearon, Dine' Navajo Nation, 
IEN energy & climate campaign organizer and Benjamin Powless, Mohawk, Six 
Nations, Ontario, Canada, IEN youth representative, are gathered with other 
Indigenous Peoples and taking on the world's super powers and carbon scam.
BALI, Indonesia -- Navajo and Mohawk representatives of the Indigenous 
Environmental Network are now in Bali at the 13th United Nations Framework 
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Jihan Gearon, Dine' Navajo Nation, IEN energy & climate campaign organizer 
and Benjamin Powless, Mohawk, Six Nations, Ontario, Canada, IEN youth 
representative, are gathered with other Indigenous Peoples and taking on the 
world's super powers and carbon scam.

Gearon, writing from Bali, said, "What I am saying is that Indigenous People 
need a much bigger and better seat at the table. Our communities and 
livelihoods are the first affected by climate change. We are also the most 
affected by the unsustainable solutions being proposed to solve climate 
change - nuclear power, clean coal, carbon sequestration, reforestation, 
carbon trading, etc, etc, etc. Yet, instead of having real input in the 
UNFCCC process, we have to spend our time picking through words. And while 
we're busy doing that, those people who want to sacrifice us to put some 
dollars in their pockets, make the decisions.

"This past September 13th, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN 
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which protects the rights 
of Indigenous Peoples to their lands, territories and environment. Yet 
through the faulty process and false climate change solutions of the UNFCCC, 
it's these fundamental human rights that are being violated.

"The Indigenous Peoples here in Bali are asking the UN to live up to their 
words, to listen to us, and to stop with the false solutions that devastate 
our lands, threaten our ways of life, and deny our human rights."
Tom Goldtooth, IEN executive director said, said Gearon arrived this past 
weekend, while Powless has been there since the week before. The UNFCCC 
climate meeting ends Friday. Both Gearon and Powless are helping the 
Indigenous Peoples Caucus draft the final intervention on Friday. IEN is 
working with the Environmental Justice Climate Change (EJCC.) Gearon's 
reflections are at this site:
http://climatejusticenow.wordpress.com/

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/thousands-protest-in-delhi-against-sethusamudram-project_10010758.html

Thousands protest in Delhi against Sethusamudram Project
December 30th, 2007 - 9:45 pm ICT by admin -  Email This Post

New Delhi, Dec 30 (ANI): Thousands of supporters of Hindu religious groups 
participated in a massive rally here today to protest against the 
controversial Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project.

The protest was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protect the 
mythological bridge 'Ramsetu'. The Hindu groups believe that the project 
that aims to carve a shipping channel in seas off the south coast would 
destroy the mythological bridge built by Lord Ram.

Over 50,000 supporters from across the country reached the protest site on 
the outskirts of New Delhi. They held banners that read "Save Ramsetu".

VHP General Secretary Praveen Togadia said that the organisation would not 
let "the sacred bridge" to be broken.

RSS 'Sarsanghachalak' K S Sudarshan cautioned the Central government against 
going ahead with the project.
"Ram Sethu signifies India's cultural heritage. We will not allow the 
government to go ahead with the project." Sudarshan said.

Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh and party General Secretary 
Arun Jaitley were also present at the rally.

The 560-million dollar project, approved by the government in 2005, plans to 
dredge a channel in a narrow strip of sea between India and Sri Lanka, 
reducing distances and cutting costs for freight traffic.

However, according to the Central Government, research has shown that the 
"Ramsetu" was a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation and therefore 
no religious sentiments should be attached to it.

When the project is finished, ships sailing between India's western and 
eastern coasts will not have to go around the south of Sri Lanka, and is 
expected to save up to 36 hours of sailing time. (ANI)