Please
see the email below from WRM below about
Swedish-Finnish company
Stora
Enso and the Norwegian-Brazilian company Aracruz
Celulose, and plans
for new
78,000 hectare plantation in Brazil.
Stora
Enso have made clear their plans to produce
new-generation biofuelsfrom wood residues at:
http://www.storaenso.com/CDAvgn/main/0,,1_-8276-17221-en,00.html
Demonstration
plantis expected to start up in 2008 at Varkaus
Mill in Finland.
Aracruz
Celulose says on its website that it is the
world's leading producer
of
bleached eucalyptus pulp. It is responsible 27%
of the global supply of
the
product, used to manufacture printing and
writing, tissue, and high
value
added specialty papers. It is looking at GM
forests: http://www.aracruz.com/show_amb.do?act=stcNews&id=758&lang=2
"Aracruz
Celulose believes that Genetic Engineering of
forest species can bring
benefits to society through sustainable
development. The company bases
its
decisions regarding research, development,
planting and acquisition of
Genetically
Modified Trees upon current legislation,
scientific knowledge,
the
requirements of its customers and the concerns
of society, through
continuous
evaluation of the impacts and economic,
environmental and social
gains
stemming from the application of this
technology, and from compliance
with all
of the technical-scientific procedures necessary
for the elimination
of potential associated risks."
Teresa
Perez's letter below will be sent to FSC and SGS
on Tuesday 14 August.
Those wishing to join us in this rejection may
do so by sending their
name and organization BEFORE MONDAY 13 AUGUST,
to the following e-mail
address: wrm@wrm.org.uy
Andrew
-----Original
Message-----
From:
owner-wrmfriends@wrm.org.uy
[mailto:owner-wrmfriends@wrm.org.uy]
On Behalf
Of Teresa Perez
Sent:
08 August 2007 15:42
To:
wrmfriends@wrm.org.uy
Subject:
[ wrmfriends ] Urgent: we need your
support!
Dear
friends,
Our
Brazilian companions need our urgent support. We
have recently learnt that Veracel has launched a
process to obtain FSC certification for its
plantations. It has hired the consulting company
SGS for this purpose.
Veracel
? which belongs to the Swedish-Finnish company
Stora Enso and the Norwegian-Brazilian company
Aracruz Celulose - is attempting to obtain
certification for its plantations established
over 78,000 hectares in the extreme south of the
State of Bahia and its impacts are causing major
local resistance. As part of the certification
process, SGS undertook the main assessment
during the week of 23 to 27 July.
In the
attached letter our Brazilian companions provide
us with sufficient arguments (both related with
the impacts of the plantations and with the
consultation process carried out by SGS for
certification), to show that Veracel should not
receive certification.
This
letter will be sent to FSC and SGS on Tuesday 14
August.
Those
wishing to join us in this rejection may do so
by sending their name and organization BEFORE
MONDAY 13 AUGUST, to the following e-mail
address: wrm@wrm.org.uy
We are
counting on your support!
Sincerely,
Teresa
Perez
*****************************
We,
the undersigned, men, women and young people,
rural and urban workers, indigenous people,
environmentalists, scientists, teachers,
students, are perplexed over the news that the
Veracel Celulose Company is trying to obtain the
FSC seal for its monoculture eucalyptus
plantations through the SGS certifier
company.
Presently,
FSC is considered to be the best known green
seal in the world. Before even starting the
certification process, the company has been
disseminating false publicity, through a booklet
sent to different social sectors. This material
affirms that it is gaining FSC certification
because the company has environmental, social
and economic assets.
According
to FSC:s Principles and Criteria, the seal seeks
to promote management of the worlds forests
based on three foundations, involving
environmentally responsible, socially beneficial
and economically viable behavior. The company
only generates 741 jobs according to the
information contained in Veracels Comprehensive
Management Plan, while occupying an area of
105.241 hectares (this area is allocated to
eucalyptus plantations and facilities). The
number is appalling if the companys territorial
expansion in the Extreme South is considered
together with the impoverishment of the
population - previously primarily agricultural
in terms of subsistence, comprising small rural
properties. For example, in the locality
Eunapolis, between 1996 and 2000, close on 7
thousand workers migrated from the rural areas
(Source: Brazilian Geographical and Statistical
Institute, IBGE). The plantations of papaya
Hawaii covering 17,028 hectares, coffee covering
14,628 hectares and coconut covering 11,823
hectares, generated 27,750 jobs per year alone.
(Sources:
Eunapolis Rural Workers Trade Union and CEPLAC ?
Ministry of Agriculture). Eunapolis has had the
highest rate of regional rural exodus over the
past years, the figure increased by 59.37%,
while the highest national rate is 28%. (Source:
Centre for Research and Studies for the
Development of the Extreme South-Cepedes). Since
the beginning of the nineties, the arrival of
monoculture eucalyptus plantations have made a
decisive contribution to the exodus of farm
workers, cowboys, cattle drivers, small farmers,
cocoa bean workers and other workers from rural
areas to the cities.
Furthermore,
it is on the record that Veracel has been
subject to several civil investigation
proceedings in the localities of Eunapolis,
Porto Seguro and Itagimirim, according to
reports by the respective public prosecution
offices. The company is involved in 883 (eight
hundred and eighty-three) labour lawsuits in the
Labour Court of the 5th Region. These are cases
brought by workers, according to a list of
lawsuits made available by the Judicial Powers
in July 2007.
Last
April the company was ordered to pay labour
compensations such as notice of dismissal,
holiday pay, Fund to Guarantee Time in Service
(FGTS) and fines to five former
workers.
Non-compliance
with security measures has already caused labour
accidents, for example the one that took place
on 30 March 2007 at Veracel, where three workers
suffered second and third degree burns from
chemicals and eight were intoxicated. The
accident was caused by sodium sulphate used in
maintenance of one of the pulp bleaching
boilers. (Source: Newspaper O Sollo Edition 101
of 13 April 2007).
According
to the booklet prepared by Veracel on FSC,
Indigenous Peoples Rights is the third of the 10
principles supposedly applied by the company:
this does not correspond to the truth either.
Part of the land claimed by the indigenous
population of the Extreme South of Bahia, in
their respective demarcation processes, is
totally occupied by Veracel eucalyptus
plantations, although historically this is an
indigenous area. The company only recognizes
three locations as indigenous areas: Imbiriba,
Barra Velha and guas Belas, ignoring 13 other
communities, such as: Aldeia Guaxuma, P do
Monte, Aldeia Nova do Monte Pascoal,
Corumbauzinho, Craveiro, Alegria Nova, Tau,
Tiba, Cahy, Pequi, Trevo do Parque, Meio da
Mata, and Boca da Mata.
The
Company does not comply either with being
environmentally responsible, given that logging
and indiscriminate use of poisons in river areas
and near springs (the Santa Cruz River) can
easily be verified through the Federal Public
Civil Proceedings and fines levied by the
Brazilian Environmental and Natural Renewable
Resources Institute (IBAMA) the Federal
Governments official body responsible for the
Environment. An example of this is IBAMA Offense
Order number 368874 of 13/03/07. Furthermore,
the Court stipulated through Recommendation nr
01 of 18/11/2005 that Veracel must comply with
the law and remove the eucalyptus plantations
from the surroundings of the three main National
Parks in the Extreme South (Pau Brasil,
Descobrimento and Monte Pascoal).
Another
serious question is water which is being
affected both in quantity and quality. In terms
of the watershed, following the installation of
these plantations, the volume of water available
dropped considerably in the region (various
testimonials gathered from inhabitants). The
impacts on the flora and fauna are many and
serious due to the vast tracts of eucalyptus
plantations that are affecting many native
species. In the area covered by eucalyptus
trees, a considerable part of the flora has been
exterminated by agrochemicals and many animal
species have disappeared (Documents from Cepedes
archives, photos, videos and testimonials and
Offense Order 212132 dated
22/12/2005).
In
February this year, the Ministry of Agriculture
placed an attachment order on Veracel?s Chemical
Waste Plant. This plant produced 10 000 m3 of
industrial waste (fumes biological sludge from
the industrys emission treatment station;
eucalyptus biomass a raw material extracted from
washing the eucalyptus logs; Calcite Ash
extracted from the boilers, sediments and sand).
This product is sold without Ministry of
Agriculture authorization to small farmers at R$
10.00/m" (ten reales). The company is not
registered as a Company producing or Company
marketing products aimed at agricultural
activities with the Bahian Ministry of
Agriculture and Department of Finance. This is a
serious offense according to Law 6.894 of
16/12/1980, which stipulates the inspection and
control of production and marketing of
fertilizers, corrective products, inoculants,
stimulants and bio-fertilizers for agricultural
purposes. According to the Eunapolis Rural
Workers? Trade Union, there have been various
accidents with rural workers using the product,
such as bodily burns and total loss of
plantations.
Another
clear example of unsound behaviour is that the
company took advantage of a ?supposed? error of
the Civil Registry Notary Office and obtained a
certificate stating that it was not object of
any legal actions, in order to obtain the ISO
14.001 seal. But, in fact, Veracel is responding
to various legal actions according to the above
mentioned office, following its admitting to the
error in a document issued on 18 July
2007.
We
also contest the process for assessment and
recognition carried out by the certifier company
SGS, considering that it is neither clear nor
transparent:
-
Various organizations and institutions were not
heard, nor did they even know about the process;
this can be verified in documents received from
numerous organizations and institutions;
- How
many forms did SGS issue? Who recommended these
organizations? How many organizations answered
the questionnaire? What localities were
visited?
- The
scant organizations - members of the
Socio-Environmental Forum of the Extreme South
that did receive the form sent a letter to SGS
requesting a meeting. The letter also asked for
a field visit together with organized civil
society organizations that have been operating
in the area for many years now as the auditors
do not come from the region and do not know the
Extreme South of Bahia. This request was not
answered in a satisfactory manner because it was
only on the morning of 23 July that Cepedes
received a call from one of the auditors
(Fabiano) to tell them that they would only be
available on 23 or 24 July to meet with the
Forum, later confirmed by SGS by e-mail at the
request of Cepedes. We consider this to be a
total lack of respect towards us because as soon
as we received the documentation we answered
that it would not be possible to meet on the
proposed date as the organizations had prior
engagements.
- The
few interviews held produced unsatisfactory
results. For example the one that took place at
the Chamber of City Councillors from the
locality of Eunapolis. Only (3) three of the
(10) ten Councillors were present and none of
these had any knowledge of the subject. This is
reported by one of their press advisors, Teonei
Guerra. Also, according to Guerra, who
participated in the meeting with the auditors,
SGS will not promote a Public Hearing to listen
to the community because it considers it to be
more productive to have individual conversations
with some sectors. It should be remembered that
in October 2005 the Federal Government, through
IBAMA, proposed holding a Public Hearing to
discuss the issue of monoculture eucalyptus
plantations in the area; nearly 3,000 people
attended this Hearing. At that time it was
evident that Aracruz and Veracel hired people to
agitate and to make the hearing unviable (this
was verified at the same hearing by the Bahian
State Deputy, Jos? Neto). It also became evident
that regional society rejects monoculture
eucalyptus plantations because of their
extension, making unfeasible any initiative for
the preservation and conservation of the Mata
Atlantica or ecological corridors, Agrarian
Reform, or peasant farming, among others. They
also reject the companies forceful and
disrespectful behaviour. Veracel advances with
its plantations, invading rural communities.
Recently it attempted to plant eucalyptus trees
in Itapu a neighbourhood in the city of
Eunapolis. Other neighbourhoods exist in the
city surrounded by eucalyptus plantations. The
population is complaining as these plantations
serve as a refuge for delinquents and a place to
hide dead bodies. The companies lack of respect
has no limits. Veracel planted eucalyptus trees
in a graveyard located in the community of Ponto
Maneca, some 7 kilometres from Eunapolis and put
up a notice stating Access guaranteed to family
members of the dear ones buried here. (Photos
showing this evidence available in the archives
of Cepedes and CDDH).
- The
Environmental Secretariat of the locality of
Eunpolis and SGS jointly arranged a meeting of
the Municipal Environmental Council to be held
on 24/07 with the presence of some councillors
appointed by the Secretary, (people in his
confidence), making most of the councillors
indignant with this behaviour.
- We
stress once again that the auditors took only 05
(five) days to make the field assessment in the
10 (ten) localities comprised in the area
submitted for certification by the company. It
is humanly impossible to do so considering the
extension of the area and the number of
districts, communities, institutions and
organizations existing there
We
consider that a company such as Veracel
Celulose, one of the symbols of the
"development" model imposed in an arbitrary,
illegal and violent way, giving rise to serious
negative consequences and causing violence,
poverty and hunger to the people of the Extreme
South of Bahia, cannot be environmentally
responsible, socially beneficial and
economically viable.
For
the traditional peoples and member organizations
of the Socio-Environmental Forum of the Extreme
South of Bahia and the Alert against the Green
Desert Network, large-scale monoculture
eucalyptus plantations are ecologically
disastrous, socially unjust and economically
perverse for the region. In this respect, they
do not adjust to forest management Principles
and Criteria validating
certification.
Signed
by:
1.
Associao da Cidadania e Transparncia da Terra Me
ACTTM
2.
Associao dos Engenheiros, Arquitetos e Tecnicos
de Eunpolis -ASSOCIENGE
3.
Comisso de Meio Ambiente da Ordem dos Advogados
Bahia Subseo Eunpolis 4. Centro de Defesa dos
Direitos Humanos Teixeira de Freitas -
CDDH
5.
Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas para o
Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul
CEPEDES
6.
Sindicato dos Bancrios e Trabalhadores no
Sistema Financeiro do Extremo Sul da
Bahia;
7.
Conselho Indigenista Missionario CIMI Equipe
Extremo Sul
8.
Centro de Desenvolvimento Agroecologico do
Extremo Sul da Bahia TERRA VIVA.
9.
Everton Berhmann Arajo Estudante
10.
Federacao de Orgaos para Assistencia Social e
Educacional - FASE/BAHIA
11.
Frente de Resistencia e Luta Pataxo
12.
Jose Carneiro de Souza Neto Engenheiro
Agronomo
13.
Movimento de Defesa de Porto Seguro -
MDPS
14.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores em Educacao do
Estado da Bahia APLB Eunapolis
15.
Sindicato dos Empregados de Empresas de
Seguranca e Vigilancia do Estado da Bahia
Sindivigilantes
16.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores em Bares,
Restaurantes, Hoteis, Pousadas, Condominios
Residenciais, Flats Services, Bingo, Parques
Aquaticos e Similares do Extremo Sul da Bahia
SINTHOTESB
17.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores em Radio TV e
Publicidade SINTERP Delegacia Eunapolis
Bahia.
18.
Comissao Executiva do Plano da Lavoura Cacaueira
CEPLAC Aliomar Figueredo Benfica Eunapolis/
Bahia
19.
Federacao dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura
FETAG- BAHIA
20.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de
Eunapolis
21.
Movimento de Defesa de Porto Seguro
22.
Elizaer Lucas Tavares Leite Engenheiro
Agronomo
23.
APROMAC, associacao de protecao ao meio ambiente
de Cianorte / PR
24.
AMAR - Associacao de Defesa do Meio Ambiente de
Araucaria (Araucaria - Paraná)
25.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores no Com?rcio de
Teixeira de Freitas SINDEC
26.
Associacao de Moradores e Amigos de Santo Andre
AMASA
27.
Espaco Cultural da Paz Teixeira de
Freitas
28.
Movimento de Trabalhadores Assentados e
Acampados e Quilombolas CETA regional
Sul
29.
Comissao Pastoral da Terra Diocese
Itabuna
30.
Conselho Indigenista Missionario CIMI Equipe
Sul
31.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais - STR de
Santa Luzia
32.
Comunidades Eclesial de Base - CEBS Diocese
Itabuna
33.
Movimento de Mulheres do CETA Regional
Sul
34.
Juventude Camponesa Regiao Sul Bahia
35.
Comunidade Indigena Pataxo H H H Pau
Brasil
36.
Associacao dos Indios Tupinambá da Serra
do Padeiro - AITSP
37.
Comunidade Tupinanbá Oliveira
38.
Pastoral da Juventude Diocese Itabuna
39.
Confer?ncia dos Religiosos do Brasil CRB N?cleo
Itabuna
40.
Movimento de Pequenos Agricultores MPA Vit.
Conquista
41.
ARES Associacao Para o Resgate Social
Camacan/Bahia
42.
Conselho de Cidadania Paroquial da Santa Rita -
Itabuna
43.
CEB's Paroquia Santo Antonio -
Ubaitaba
44.
CEB's Paroquia N S do Carmo -
Ibirapitanga
45.
Centro de Estudo de Biblicos CEBI - Nucleo de
Ilhéus
46.
Associacao Cultural Beneficente Antonio Pereira
Barbosa ACAPEB - Gongogi
47.
Irmas Agostinianas Recoletas de
Itabuna
48.
Pastoral Carcer?ria de Itabuna
49.
Irmas Catequistas Franciscanas de
Itabuna
50.
Forum de Educacao do Campo - Regional
Sul
51.
Conselho de Leigos do Vicariato Sul - Diocese de
Itabuna
52.
Grupo Ambientalista da Bahia GAMB
53.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais STR -
Mucuri
54.
Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais STR
Alcobaca
55.
Associacao de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais
APAE Eunapolis
56.
Federacao de Orgaos Para Assistencia Social e
Educacional FASE/ES
57.
Marilda Telles Maracci Geografa
Vitoria/ES
58.
Arlete Maria Pinheiro Schubert Historiadora Vila
Velha / ES
59.
CPT/MG Comissao Pastoral da Terra MG
60.
Movimento Anarcopunk ES
61.
Grupo Motim de Teatro ES
62.
F?rum de Mulheres do ES
63.
MPA/ES Movimentos dos Pequenos Agricultores do
ES
64.
Priscila Albani Tres Tecnica em Agropecuaria Sao
Gabriel da Palha/ES
65.
Allan Jhonny de Lima Legora ? Tecnico em
Agropecuaria Sao Gabriel da Palha/ES
66.
Weberson Barbieri Sao Gabriel da
Palha/ES
67.
Raul Ristow Krause Tecnico em Agropecuaria Sao
Gabriel da Palha/ES
68.
Brigada Indigena do ES
69.
Sindicato dos Bancarios do ES
70.
Celeste Ciccarone Antropologa Universidade
Federal do ES UFES
71.
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
ES
teresa
perez
world
rainforest movement
www.wrm.org.uy
