World: Evo Morales calls to fight against Forest Trade

Servindi, octuber 03, 2010 - The President of Bolivia Evo Morales called upon the indigenous organizations of the world to mobilize in order to prevent developed countries from commodifying forests through the mechanisms of the Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD).

In a letter, the president said that the need to prevent the deforestation and degradation of forests is emphasized in climate change negotiations, but he also warned that this argument cannot be used to commercialize the land.

"The proposal of developed countries only takes into account the functions of the forests, in other words, their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, reason for which they propose to issue certificates and bonds in a so-called carbon market," he indicated.

At the same time he stated that there are industrialized nations that are seeking to use indigenous leaders to promote the commodification of forests.

"We cannot accept the fact that a mechanism is created with our consent in which Mother Earth is voluntarily sold, while other look on and do nothing", he concluded.

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Letter from Evo Morales:

Nature, forests and indigenous peoples are not for sale

Indigenous brothers of the world:

I am deeply concerned because attempts are being made to use some indigenous leaders and groups to promote the commodification of nature and, in particular, of forests through the establishment of the REDD mechanism and its REDD+ and REDD++ versions.

Every day an area of forests and rainforests equal to 36,000 soccer fields disappears in the world. Each year, 13 million hectares of forest and rainforest are lost. At this rate, the forests will disappear by the end of the century.

Forests and rainforests are the largest source of biodiversity. If deforestation continues, thousands of animal and vegetable species will be lost forever. More than three quarters of accessible freshwater come from catchment areas in forests; therefore water quality worsens when the forest condition deteriorates. The forests provide protection against flooding, erosion and natural disasters. They provide both non-timber and timber goods. Forests are a source of natural medicine and healing elements that have yet to be discovered. Forests and rainforests are the lungs of the atmosphere. Eighteen percent of all greenhouse gas emissions produced in the world is caused by deforestation.

It is essential to stop the destruction of our Mother Earth.

In climate change negotiations, everyone currently recognizes the importance of preventing the deforestation and degradation of forests. However, to achieve this, some propose to commodify forests on the false argument that people only care for and conserve that which has a price and an owner.

Their proposal is to only consider one of the functions of the forests, which is their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, and issue "certificates", "bonds" or "carbon rights" that are commercialized in a carbon market. Therefore, the companies of the north may choose between reducing emissions in their countries or buying "REDD certificates" in the countries of the south, according to their economic convenience. For example, if a company has to invest US$ 40 or US$ 50 to reduce the emission of one ton of CO2 in a "developed country," it would prefer to buy a "REDD certificate" for US$ 10 or US$ 20 in a "developing country," so it can say it has reduced the emissions of said ton of CO2.

Through this mechanism, developed countries will hand off their obligation of reducing their emissions to developing countries and the south will once again fund the north, since the company in the north will save a lot of money by buying carbon "certificates" from the forests in the south.

Not only will they cheat on their commitments to reduce emissions, but they will also kick off the commodification of nature starting with the forests. The forests will start being priced based on the number of CO2 tons they are able to absorb. The "bonds" or "carbon rights" that certify this absorption capacity will be sold and bought like any good around the world. In order to make sure that no one damages the property of the buyers of "REDD certificates", a series of restrictions that will ultimately affect the sovereign right of countries and indigenous peoples over their forests and rainforests will be put into place. So begins a new stage of privatization of nature never before seen that will extend to water, biodiversity and what are referred to as "environmental services".

While we assert that capitalism is the cause of global warming and the destruction of forests, rainforests and Mother Earth, they are now looking to expand capitalism to the commodification of nature under the term "green economy".

In order to obtain support for this proposal to commodify nature, some financial institutions, governments, NGOs, foundations, "experts," and trading companies are offering a percentage of the "profits" of this commodification of nature to the indigenous peoples and communities living in native forests and rainforests.

Nature, forests and indigenous peoples are not for sale.

For centuries, the indigenous peoples have lived conserving and preserving the native forests and rainforests. For us, the forests and rainforests are not objects; they are not things that can be priced and privatized. We do not accept reducing the native forests and rainforests to a single measurable quantity of carbon. Nor do we accept confusing native forests with simple plantations of one or two tree species. The forests are our homes; they are a big house where plants, animals, water, soil, pure air and human beings coexist.

It is important for all countries of the world to work together in order to prevent the deforestation and degradation of the forests and rainforests. It is the developed countries' obligation and it is part of their climate and environmental debt to contribute financially to the preservation of forests, but NOT through their commodification. There are many ways to support and finance developing countries, indigenous peoples and local communities that contribute to the preservation of forests.

Developed countries spend ten times more public resources on defense, security and wars than climate change. Even during the financial crisis, many have maintained and increased their military spending. It is unacceptable that attempts are made to involve indigenous peoples in the commodification of nature by taking advantage of the needs of communities and the ambitions of some indigenous leaders and "experts".

All forest and rainforest protection mechanisms must guarantee indigenous rights and participation, but we cannot accept that the carbon from forests and rainforests is priced and negotiated in a world market just because indigenous participation is achieved in REDD.

Indigenous brothers, let us not get confused. Some people tell us that the REDD carbon market mechanism will be voluntary. In other words, he who wants to sell and buy will be able to do so, and he who does not want to will be able to stand aside. We cannot accept that a mechanism is created with our consent in which some people voluntarily sell Mother Earth while others look on and do nothing.

In light of these reductionist and commercial views of forests and rainforests, the indigenous peoples with the peasants and social movements of the world must fight for the proposals set forth by the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth:

1) Integrated management of native forests and rainforests, considering not only their role in mitigating CO2 emissions, but all their functions and potential, avoiding confusion with simple plantations.

2) Respect for the sovereignty of developing countries in the comprehensive management of their forests.

3) Full compliance with the Rights of Indigenous Peoples established by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Convention 169 of the ILO and other international instruments; recognition of and respect for their territories; revaluation and implementation of indigenous knowledge for the preservation of forests; indigenous peoples' participation and management of forests and rainforests.

4) Funding of developed countries to developing countries and indigenous peoples for the comprehensive management of forests as part of their climate and environmental debt. No establishment of any mechanism of carbon markets or forest "incentives" that may lead to the commodification of forests and rainforests.

5) Recognition of the rights of Mother Earth that include forests, rainforests and all its components. In order to restore harmony with Mother Earth, the path to be taken is not to put a price on nature, but rather to recognize that not only humans have rights to life and reproduce, but that nature has the right to life and to reproduce and that human beings cannot life without Mother Earth.

Indigenous brothers, together with our peasant brothers and the social movements of the world, we must mobilize so that the conclusions of Cochabamba are taken up in Cancun to promote a mechanism of FOREST ACTIONS based on these five principles, while always deeply valuing the unit of indigenous peoples and principles of respect for Mother Earth, which we have preserved for centuries and inherited from our ancestors.

Evo Morales

President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia

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Traducción de Sylvia Fisher, para Servindi.