Reserved for the reserve
Our two boats parted in Alter do Chao, the riverboat returned to Manaus and we have returned to the Porto de Moz region with the Arctic Sunrise. We are anchored at the mouth of the Acaraí river, birthplace of the dream.
For the last month our presence in the region along with Ibama, the environmental potection agency, has effectively shut down all logging. Before we leave the region, we wanted to leave a big reminder to the loggers that this area belongs to the communities and although our ship may have to leave soon, we will always be watching.
We demarcated an area at the mouth of the river along the border of the proposed extractive reserve Verde para Sempre (Forever Green). We placed five large banners in the forest on the shore of the Xingu river with the messages "Reserved for the Reserve" and "Peace in the Forest", in all the languages of the key countries that import illegal wood from the Amazon
It was hot, but wonderful to get off the ship and step on the shores of this magic place once more. Even here where the forest meets the river the wildlife came out to greet us. We could see many tiny fish and a few forest crabs along the shore in the crystal clear waters flowing from the Acaraí. I also saw my first Amazon sting ray. I had my shoes off and my pant legs rolled up and was about to step in the water to take a picture of all my friends working on shore when I looked down and saw it, no bigger than my spead palm, blackish-blue with yellow dots. It stayed for a minute then gracefully floated off and hid behind a rock.
The communities living here want to preserve this forest and the rivers and all the life that depends upon it. Extractive reserves are protected areas cooperatively managed by the local communities for low-impact activities such as rubber tapping, vegetable oil extraction and small-scale logging. They must include fully protected areas, guarded by the communities themselves.
Maria Luisa who lives in this region on one of the tributaries of the Acaraí says they have been fighting for this dream for three years.
"Life here was very healthy. We used to live from our hunting and fishing. We only used to take the milk out of Massaranduba tree to make some money to survive. In summer, we used to get manioc flour from our plantations and sell it and, in the winter, Massaranduba milk. We didn't used to plant beans, rice, anything, only manioc and there was abundance of fish and game. But now, everything has changed. I get very sad when I start remembering how it was and how it is now. There wasn't greed, everybody used to live on the land, and everything belonged to everyone."
Their traditional lives changed when loggers and local authorities began invading public and community lands in the region, exploiting timber illegally and in a predatory manner, and aggressively attempting to displace the local rural populations.
"Many times I am afraid of dying," says Maria Luisa. "They come with guns, knives and I get afraid, but at the same time, I am not. Why? If I was born to fight for my people, for life, if my destiny is to die, I will die for it. I will not stop before all these injustices, to let things go because I am afraid. I am not afraid!"
Agents from Ibama and from the Brazilian Army and the Federal Police, arrived in Porto de Moz in mid-November to inspect all Forest Management Plans currently existing within the region proposed for the extractive reserves in Porto de Moz and in neighboring Prainha. They also conducted an investigation of the paperwork of 182 logging companies in Pára state, and discovered 1,263 falsified documents used to launder more than three million trees that were illegally harvested in the forests of Pára.
The loggers, led by the mayors of three towns in the regions, all of them also loggers, have been aggressively protesting our presence as well as Ibama's. The loggers are pressuring the government to stop Ibama's inspection. We are now lobbying the government to not negotiate with illegal loggers and accelerate the process for the creation of the reserve and to take action to ensure the protection of the community people, activists and federal officials working in this remote region of the Amazon.
So far, 9000 of you have sent letters of support to President Lula, thank you so much for this support. If you haven't already sent a letter to Brazilian President Lula calling for the creation of the reserve, please do so today.
"We are like birds searching for food. Most of time, we can be compared to baby birds with our months open, shouting for help," says Maria Luisa. "Together we can, you can help to save us, save our lives, the lives of our children, grandchildren and of those still to come. Thanks."
Tracy
Posted by Amazon Team at December 10, 2003 01:20 PM
Very well said Annie. I couldn't agree more.
what do the people of the amazon think of logging?do they think they can stop it?they can stop it if they work together,look at what the people of haida gwaii did they got together in 1985 to stop logging on lyell island In November 1985 the Haida decided to fight for Lyell Island. They formed a human blockade across a road denying access to the loggers - 72 Haida were arrested.including some elders This was a significant challenge to the BC government. It was also a media event which captured headlines around the world, exposing the plight of the Haida and their islands to millions of people. Above all it was an occasion of spiritual and cultural renewal.
As one Haida, Diane Brown, put it: ‘For over two hundred years disease and alcohol and foreign ideas have accumulated, clouding my intuition into the ancient spiritual forces. On Lyell Island the clouds began to part. I knew more than ever what it meant to be Haida.’
i think the people really need to get together and tell the logging companies and there goverment to stop logging no matter what it takes for them to save the forest....its there forest they survived off the forest for millenia they need the forest to survive!!!
To the Haida their land is not a commodity to be mined or bartered away for money. Attempting to assess their attachment to their land by using the dollar value assigned to hunting and fishing rights misses the point entirely, It is like trying to work out the value Canadians assign to freedom of expression as the price of notebooks and pencils. To the Haida their land is a complex network of living beings, including themselves, who sustain one another through the cycles of birth, death and regeneration. The Haida know that if the Islands die they will die too.
I agree also with Brendan and Annie
