Amazon Alert presents its new project "Spearhead"

A new documentary about the Amazon was featured at the end of April in the CineBaix Latin American Film Festival, “Spearhead” (Punta de Lanza).

A Spanish-language interview was conducted with Marc Gavaldà, professor of political ecology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, activist and director of the new documentary.

He describes the ongoing conflicts in the Bolivian Amazon: “In Bolivia an economic matrix has been formed with an extractivist format, which seeks to expand the agricultural and mining frontier in the jungle. This encourages land marketing and colonization to deforest forests and sell wood first and then beef. There are export commitments in this regard with China and Russia that force the cattle herd to expand. On the other hand, indigenous peoples cling to their territories to preserve natural resources that they know how to exploit in a management mode that conserves forest structures and rivers. This is the most visible confrontation”

The film crew visited Madidi National Park and the Tacana 1 and Tacana 2 indigeneous communities. The film director’s relationship with the communities started in 2000 when he stayed for several months in Tumupasa. In making the film, the film crew first consulted the indigeneous community organizations, then presented their intentions to the entire community. They also organized documentary film screenings in the places where they recorded.

The film director described the threats facing the communities as follows: “The region of the northern Bolivian Amazon is one of the most well-preserved areas of the highest biodiversity in the world, but today it faces serious threats. The aforementioned highway and the opening of accesses facilitate the entry of extractive activities by activities outside the territory. On the other hand, in this vision of progress implemented by the central government, a sugar mill has been built that aims to impose a change in land uses due to the need for monoculture cane plantations. There is also an aberrant project to build two mega-dams on the Beni River that would displace dozens of riverside communities in the Tacana, Chimán and Mosetén towns.”

He also describes political efforts to “ to advance oil exploration in non-traditional areas…In 2016, a seismic exploration campaign was carried out where they opened more than 1,000 kilometers of lines to explore hydrocarbons. These works were started without consulting the affected towns, the Araona, Tacana and Cavineño. Worse still in the works were villages in voluntary isolation.”

When asked about whether there is hope given these challenges, the director said there is indeed hope and determination: “Let us not forget that these peoples have already survived centuries of exploitation. The rubber fever did a lot of damage to the Amazonian peoples, but a century later, they still retain their identity. Of course, there is a migration of young people to the city and many cultural values, such as language - are lost with the grandparents and grandmothers who die. Their ways of life, rooted in the territory, are threatened by the advance of extractivism. But a generation of young people enters organizations with encouragement and networks of resistance and mutual support are organized among peoples affected by different projects. These are times when it is time to resist and consolidate the territories.”

Indigenous organizations convene to fight the "Transgenic Decree"

On May 13, more than 30 indigenous indigenous organizations, including sectors of small producers and agroecological movements will hold an Emergency Assembly called "No to the Transgenic Decree 4232", through social networks.

The purpose of the meeting is as follows: "indigenous, native, peasant, small producer organizations, institutions supporting civil society and others, complying with the quarantine before the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been surprised by the approval of the Supreme Decree 4232 that authorizes the National Biosafety Committee to establish abbreviated procedures for the evaluation of genetically modified corn, sugarcane, cotton, wheat and soybeans ”.

“Among the signatory organizations are the National Council of Ayllus and Markas del Qullasuyo (Conamaq), Association of Organizations of Ecological Producers of Bolivia (AOPEB), Governing Council of JACHA CARANGAS, Central de Pueblos Étnicos Mojeños del Beni (CPEMB), Indigenous Council del Pueblo Tacana (CIPTA), CIOEC-BOLIVIA, Bloc de Organización Campesinas y Indígenas del Norte Amazónico de Bolivia (BOCINAB), Coordinadora Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas de Tierras Bajas, Confederación Nacional de Productores y Recolectores de cacao de Bolivia (COPRACAO), Asociación of Quinoa Producers (Proquisa), North Amazon Women's Center (CENMA), Qhara Qhara Nation, Yampara Native Indigenous Nation, Redemption Pampa Municipality of Mojocoya (Wheat Producers), among others.”

More information about the meeting is here.

Bolivian lowland indigenous peoples demand to be part of international aid

In this Spanish language article, community leaders. Alex Villca and Ruth Alípaz, from the San José de Uchupiamona community, spread the word that the coronavirus is a threat to their existence.

The indigenous peoples of the Bolivian lowlands, especially those located in the depths of the Amazon, where it takes hours and days to reach them, ask the government to be part of domestic and international aid that the country receives and not be discriminated and ignored in their own natural habitat.

Ruth Alipaz, a community leader and activist from the San Jose de Uchupiamona community in the north of La Paz said: “That the government guarantees us access to all the aid that the Bolivian population is receiving, but with policies appropriate to the need for protection. As methods or procedures for the supply and distribution of basic necessities, in addition to the help of international cooperation, ”

During the last few days, lowland indigenous people scattered in the northern departments of La Paz, Pando, Beni, part of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Tarija, have shared the difficult situation they are experiencing — the lack of basic services, poor health service in their communities, high vulnerability to the pandemic and an isolation that deprives them of industrialized food and medicine.

This health crisis has socioeconomic consequences, by stopping some productive activities and others related to tourism. Alex Villca, from San José de Uchupiamona states "The worst virus for our peoples is called capitalism, the main cause of the contamination of our soils, water and air, therefore, the accelerated destruction of our common home known as planet earth," he argues. Along the same lines, Alipaz reports that indigenous people are the most vulnerable population in the face of this pandemic. "A contagion would devastate our populations, since to begin with we will not have access to appropriate medical centers to attend to us, because they simply do not exist in our territories, not even in the municipalities," she notes.

"The government at its different levels must take into account Indigenous Peoples when deliberating and making decisions that affect our territories… imagine traveling two or three days to get to find a financial institution and collect a bond. This also exposes us to a greater risk of contagion from the virus," Alex Villca points out.

CEJIS REPORTS HEAT SPOTS - 3,926 fires amid the pandemic

During the month of April, at least a third of the 16, 052 heat sources registered in Bolivia were in areas without prior authorization. Additionally, 1,119 heat sources were detected in protected areas.

Given the need to monitor the threat of forest fires in indigeneous territories, the Center for Autonomous Territorial Planning (CPTA) of the Center for Legal Studies and Social Research (Cejis) decided to report on outbreaks of burning in protected areas and indigeneous territories of Bolivia. CAPTA uses satellite data from NASA to inform the general population about the critical situation the country is facing. due to these fire locations.

In the Beni, impacted areas include the “Pampas del Río Yacuma Integrated Management Natural Area and the Santos Reyes Integrated Management Natural Area; and in La Paz, the Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area, Madidi National Park and the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory.”

More information is available in this Spanish language article.

The indigenous peoples of northern La Paz did not receive vouchers or food

In this Spanish-language article, El Deber describes the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on remote indigeneous communities located in the north of La Paz. Due to mobility restrictions, they are unable to get fuel for their boats, and have not received food or vouchers.

More than 11,500 families from the following 10 indigeneous communities are impacted: the Organization of the Mosetén Indigenous People (OPIN), the Indigenous People Leco and Native Communities of Larecaja (Pilcol), the Indigenous People's Center Leco de Apolo (CIPLA), the Regional Council T-simane Mosetén de Pilón Lajas (Crtm-PL), Quechua Tacana Indigenous People San José de Uchupiamonas (Pitqt), the Communities that Ejja de Eyiyuquibo (CEEE), the Original Agroecological Community of Palos Blancos (CAOPB), Indigenous Communities Tacanas Río Madre de Dios (Citrmd).

According to Gonzalo Oliver, president of Central de Pueblos Indígenas de La Paz (Cpilap), “the needs and deficiencies of these communities are not recent , but have been aggravated by the quarantine, since the inhabitants cannot go to urban centers for fear of contagion.”

The government has stated that the military would provide assistance, however this also raises concerns: “within this group there may be some sick person, which would be disastrous given our situation of vulnerability. The same with the entry of food, because the virus can arrive in the boxes that would be given. For this reason, we ask that there be maximum coordination, planning and prevention to avoid that by bringing help we have to make the brothers sick with this pandemic,”

“The indigenous people of the lowlands of La Paz have not benefited from the provision of food bags, except for a small group from the Madre de Dios River, who were helped with 18,000 kilos of food by the Catholic Church. “

Indigeneous communities have decided to isolate “to prevent someone infected from entering their community and spreading the virus . In the best of cases, the communities have a small post and a part-time nurse, but without medication or the possibility of transferring a patient at the appropriate time to receive specialized care. Added to this is the lack of fuel for their boats, since most of the transportation is done through rivers.”

At the same time, through decree 4229, the Government has authorized” mining and agricultural companies to mobilize their personnel to workplaces, many of which are in indigenous territories, which are highly vulnerable to the coronavirus.”

“It is striking that, when authorizing the reactivation of mining and agricultural activities at the national level, the Government has not considered establishing specific protocols for those operations that take place within indigenous territories. At this moment the country has a serious problem to identify patients with the Covid - 19, when allowing mining workers or people outside the territory to enter indigenous territories, the possibility that the disease occurs in indigenous territories is greater ”, Vargas explains, quoted by the Cejis statement.

Professor Phil Ashworth's groundbreaking Amazon 'mega dam' expedition

University of Brighton Professor Phil Ashworth will lead a “new study to predict the environmental toll of hundreds of vast new hydropower mega dams being built in the Amazon river basin and how they will shape the river for the next 200 years.”

According to The Argus, and Brighton and Hove Independent, Professor Ashworth, “who specialises in the dynamics of the world’s largest rivers, will be in charge of three survey vessels that will map the river bed, measure sediment, and investigate the river’s flow.” He will be leading a team of 18 leading global scientists.

In the articles, Dr. Ashworth is quoted: “The future of the Amazon river basin is at a critical juncture. Climate change and deforestation have driven increased soil erosion, larger floods and more frequent droughts over the past 30 years. Now, widespread hydropower dam construction in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador threaten the basin’s future. This ambitious project will be the first to model the impact of environmental change on a continental-scale river basin.”

The 3 year project is funded by a Natural Environment Research Council grant of £646,366 and will begin on September 1.

Lack of food, fuel and medicines, thus the indigenous people of northern La Paz are quarantined

On May 5, 2020, Eju! published a Spanish-language article describing the impact of the pandemic on indigeneous communities north of La Paz.

“Food is lacking, mainly in remote communities, such as the araonas who have told us that they are consuming only the season's almonds; They do not have basic food, there are no medicines or health posts, "says the president of the Central de Pueblos Indígenas del Norte de La Paz, Gonzalo Olive. Fuel for transport in emergencies is also lacking.

“According to the President of the CPILAP, the needs demanded by the organization are not recent, "but they worsened in the current context of the quarantine due to the fact that the inhabitants were unable to go to urban centers, not only due to the restrictions that they were dictated from the national government, but also because of the fear of contagion from the coronavirus ”.

“At the moment, indigenous communities are in self-isolation, controlling the entry of outsiders to prevent people carrying the virus from entering the territories, which would be "disastrous" due to the precarious health situation they have. Faced with this situation, the President of CPILAP asked the government authorities that, if any type of aid is to be received, it must be coordinated with the original authorities and thus prevent any contagion situation.”

The vulnerability of indigenous peoples is most evident during this pandemic emergency, since suspicious cases and deaths were known to be caused by Covid-19. “We communicate and adhere to the pain and mourning for the loss of three (3) brothers in the city of Trinidad, Beni, of Mojeño Trinitario nationality between April 27 to May 2, 2020; According to official data, our indigenous brothers have died of dengue, however, due to official information from their families, the deaths were due to Covid-19; information that the Government has not reported as indigenous brothers and the true causes of death, ”establishes an official statement from the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of the East, Chaco and Amazonia of Bolivia (CIDOB) released over the weekend.”

Mother Earth, Creativity and Innovation

In this Spanish-language opinion piece commemorating Earth Day, Jorge Velasco asks the country to rethink “those great projects that are being planned without respecting our biodiversity, such as El Bala, the road through the Tipnis, expansion of the agricultural frontier without considering the forests of the Amazon and Chiquitania, etc.”  Instead, he encourages “the use of renewable and non-polluting energy. Promote the birth and transformation of green companies and triple impact B companies (social, economic and environmental),” and partnership of academia, Government and business.

Bolivia reports 2,382 fires during quarantine

According to this Spanish-language article in Los Tiempos, 2,382 fires were registered in Bolivia between April 1 and April 21—1,799 are located in the department of Santa Cruz, 497 in Beni, 86 in La Paz and 60 in Cochabamba. The report by the Autonomous Territorial Planning Center (CPTA) of the Center for Legal Studies and Social Research (Cejis) indicates that, of the total registered sources of burning, 315 are concentrated in 21 protected areas and in 15 indigenous territories in the departments of Santa Cruz, Beni and La Paz.

177 outbreaks of burning were concentrated in 21 national and sub-national protected areas, the most affected being: San Matías Integrated Management Natural Area, Ñembiguasu Conservation and Ecological Importance Area, Otuquis National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area, Natural Management Area Pampas del Río Yacuma integrated the Madidi National Park, the Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area and the Biosphere Reserve, among others.

The indigenous territories most affected by the sources of burning are: the Isoso Indigenous Territory (Santa Cruz), with 75 sources; the Cabineño and Cayubaba (Beni) territories with 15 foci each, and the Mosetén (La Paz) territory with three foci.

Bird photo taken by a Bolivian won contest award

Bolivian Víctor Hugo García won the “Facebook Favorite” award in the seventh photo contest for beneficiaries of the Alliance Fund for Critical Ecosystems (CEPF) for his photo of a critically endangered bird in Madidi National Park. More than 200 images from 19 different countries were submitted.

The bird is known as Cinclodes aricomae or k’achili grande (local name), and can be found in patches of kewiña forests in the La Paz region of Bolivia and in the extreme southeast of Peru.

On his first trip to Madidi Park, Gracia “heard this bird sing and patiently stayed to wait. In that, the bird "landed on the rock and watched me for a few seconds as if welcoming me.”

You can learn more here.