with these official bodies allowed Sobrevivencia to take part in drafting the pertinent legislation, to lobby for effective implementation, to press for the formation of new working groups, to make joint field trips, and to exchange information from investigations. Sobrevivencia also exposed illegal forest exploitation and other forms of malpractice, filed complaints, and stood up for affected local communities.7 The balance of this chapter presents an executive summary of the report The ManyFaces of Deforestation in Paraguay, the Paraguay case study in the Chase for Quick Profits project. The original report was written by Sobrevivencia’s project coordinator, and the preliminary editing was carried out by the FoEI Secretariat in Amsterdam. The preceding introduction was prepared by FoEI.INVOLVEMENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS As a result of discussion sessions involving the working institutions and Sobrevivencia, several laws and bilateral agreements have been developed and approved by Parliament. In addition, attention has been focused on improving the implementation of previously approved legislation and agreements. Particularly relevant to the present project are laws 422 (Forest Law), 515 (prohibiting export and trafficking of logs and beams), 716 (establishing penalties for offences against the environment), 751 (approving Paraguay’s agreement with Brazil to cooperate to combat illegal timber traffic), and 816 (adopting measures for the defence of natural resources). Law 515 outlaws log-processing industries within 20 km of the northeastern border with Brazil. Law 816 declares all forests in a zone along the northeastern border with Brazil to be of social and environmental interest and bans deforestation and new agricultural colonization.THE ALTO PARAGUAY CASE The Alto Paraguay forest, in the northernmost part of Paraguay, was once a safe refuge for a number of rare and endangered species of fauna and flora because of its isolation and difficult access. But when the Paraguayan government began to promote the Hidrovía project (a massive waterway scheme in the Paraguay–Paraná Basin), the Alto Paraguay forest fell victim to land speculation. Speculators bought land from the government through intermediaries who could legally purchase government land. The land was then resold to Brazilian entrepreneurs, which is illegal, as land purchased from the government cannot be sold for 10 years. The forests were cleared by illegal Brazilian immigrants, using heavy machinery illegally brought into the country. The speculators arrived by President Wasmosy’s private plane, accompanied by the president’s bodyguards. According to one source, a person directly involved in the purchase of a large tract of land was one of the President’s sons. This illegal colonization scheme, known as Colonización San Gabriel, covers around 1 million ha. The total area so far deforested has been estimated to be in excess of 30 000 ha. However, a Chamacoco indigenous community near Puerto Caballo had secured legal rights on a 13 500-ha tract within the area chosen for development by the Brazilians. In 1994, as a result of intimidation and suspected bribing of indigenous leaders, the leaders of this community signed a letter to the Instituto Paraguayo del Indígena (INDI, national institute of indigenous affairs). The letter declared that they had no desire to remain on their land and wanted to move to another site, downstream from Puerto Caballo. INDI then bought a 1 200-ha piece of land for them; however, the Paraguay River floods this land for long periods every year. In July 1996, during a Floating Seminar organized by Sobrevivencia along the Paraguay River from Corumbá (Brazil) to Asunción, it became clear that all traces of the Chamacoco settlements at Puerto Caballo had been erased. It was confirmed that members of another Chamacoco community had been employed to extract karanda’y palm trees (Copernicia alba) from the abandoned land at Puerto Caballo for a recently established plant for palm-heart processing. In November 1995, the leaders of the Chamacoco community from Puerto Caballo asked Sobrevivencia for assistance in recovering their lands. This case was under way at the time of the research, despite continuing pressure from INDI and local branches of the ruling political party. The case of Puerto Caballo was also presented to a panel in the Brazilian Pantanal in July 1996. The deforestation process in the area resulting from the illegal colonization in Alto Paraguay breaches law 422 (Forest Law), law 716 (establishing penalties for environmental offences), the law of the National System of Protected Areas, and landsales regulations. At the time of writing, a legal suit was being prepared. This case may have serious implications for high government officials, including, according to information not yet fully confirmed, the President of Paraguay. Activities planned for the future include attempts to secure indigenous territories in the area and to stop illegal deforestation. Sobrevivencia will also support the joint implementation of indigenous and protected areas by Paraguay and Bolivia.ILLEGAL LOG TRAFFICKING INTO BRAZIL The last remaining tracts of the Paraná subtropical humid forest in northeastern Paraguay are severely affected by illegal log trafficking to Brazil. In May 1996, Sobrevivencia was able to help an Ache indigenous community in Canindeyu province defend itself against the threat of an invasion by a group of landless farmers. The invasion was instigated by Brazilian timber entrepreneurs operating in the border region. The leaders of this community have since asked Sobrevivencia to help develop sustainable land-use plans for their forest. An important event was the public debate on laws 515, 716, and 751, held in Canindeyu in May 1996. In addition to Sobrevivencia, participants included the Governor of Canindeyu, the Mayor, other local authorities, owners and employees of wood-processing firms in the area, officials from Asunción, and some 300 community members from both countries. The meeting concluded with an urgent appeal to the government to create development alternatives for the area. Participants recommended tax incentives for “economic reconversion” to replace the timber industry, and they also called for public education to make the local population aware of the importance of forests. On 26 June 1996, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock signed Resolution 403, to suspend the National Forest Service’s control of log transports for 15 days. This decree, illegal because it contravened the Forest Law, resulted in a huge increase in illegal log trafficking. Implicated officials were from the National Forest Service and from the ViceMinistry of the Environment, the Vice-Minister of the Environment, and the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock. Partially as a result of Sobrevivencia lobbying, this illegal action was made the subject of meetings of the National Commission and sessions with the presidents of the National Congress and the Supreme Court of Justice. The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, the Vice-Minister of the Environment, and the Director of the National Forest Service were all summoned to a hearing in Parliament, where they were strongly criticized. An ad hoc commission was appointed to follow up on deforestation and log-trafficking convictions; members of this committee include the presidents of both the National Congress and the Supreme Court of Justice and a Sobrevivencia representative. Lobbying by Sobrevivencia for a political trial against the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock was not successful. Prosecution of officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock for illegal log trafficking was still pending at the time of writing. Arrest orders had been issued for two officials, who were fugitives from justice.RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the findings of this project, Sobrevivencia will campaign for the following actions to address illegal forest exploitation:
• Institutional reform and capacity-building;
• Development of the necessary legal instruments;
• Efforts to raise awareness among those responsible for implementing these instruments;
• The initiation of pilot court cases to establish jurisprudence; and
• Public education. More specifically, Sobrevivencia recommends the following actions: 1. Create a new
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