Dear Mr. President of the Congress,
As representatives of international environmental organizations we wish
to express our deep concern over a contract between the government of
Honduras and the Stone Container Corporation, USA. This contract would
give the Stone Container Corporation the right to harvest pulpwood and
export wood chips from Honduras. Our concern is due to the proposed site
of the wood fiber extraction, the forests of La Mosquitia. It is our
understanding that many people in Honduras, including environmental
organizations, are opposed to this project as it threatens the largest
contiguous natural forest in Honduras. We believe that there are many
unanswered questions concerning the environmental and social
ramifications of this proposal. We also believe that the hasty
implementation of the project is for the sole benefit of a few powerful and
dominant people.
We have been informed that environmental and cultural advisors to
the Honduran government have not been officially presented with the
project contract in order to properly assess and analyze the impact on the
forest ecosystem, the local indigenous population, or even the economic
costs or benefits.
Logging operations in tropical forests worldwide have negative
impacts on forest dwelling people whose livelihoods and cultures are
based on intact forests. La Mosquitia's principal inhabitants include the
Miskito, Tawaka, Pesch and Garfuna peoples whose cultures are greatly
destabilized when their forest homeland is penetrated by road-building
and logging operations. Most tragic is the introduction of life-threatening
diseases from outside the area which can greatly reduce their
populations. We recommend that the Honduran government include
representatives from La Mosquitia indigenous communities in reviewing
the project contract in order to assess how the project may affect these
communitiesU culture and livelihood.
The proposed economic benefits of exploiting La Mosquitia's forests
for pulp are also unclear. Numerous studies have been conducted that
have shown that logging tropical forest for timber and pulp provides only
short term economic benefits to a very limited number of people.
Subsidies and other government incentives are usually necessary in order
to make these industries viable. Logging operations, whether for wood
fiber or timber, cause extensive damage which hinders the other functions
of the forest ecosystem such as soil erosion control, watershed protection,
and diversity of flora and fauna. Many of the other forest resources which
have high economic values are also severely degraded thus reducing their
ability to provide long term economic benefits. Forest resource studies
have shown that multiple uses of the forest actually have a longer term,
higher economic return for a greater number of people. Some of these
other forest uses are harvesting of non-timber products, small scale
community based sustainable forestry operations, and tourism based on an
appreciation of forest ecology.
We believe that all development should be sensitive to the needs of
the local peoples and environment. Development needs to be especially
careful in areas where most of the original environment is still intact and
where people are still dependent on the forest for their survival and
cultural heritage.
It is our experience that many corporations operating in tropical
countries overlook these concerns and are responsible for cultural
fragmentation, social unrest, economic injustice and vast irreparable
environmental degradation.
Before the Honduran Congress makes a final decision on this matter,
we believe local people must be consulted and that the following
information is needed in order to properly assess the environmental, social
and economic impact of this project:
-- an environment assessment report that would include the impact of
logging on flora and fauna, soil erosion, hydrological systems, natural
regeneration of trees species and other vegetation, including non-timber
forest products.
-- an environmental assessment of road building on the forest ecosystem
including the impact on the above listed forest components.
-- plans for reforestation, including types of tree species and ecological
restoration.
-- an assessment of the impact of logging and road-building on the
indigenous cultures within the project's perimeters, including impacts on
their economies, health, land use and title.
-- analysis of the institutional role of indigenous communities in land use
planning and resource management.
-- cost/benefit analysis of the total project, including the costs of
reforestation and ecological restoration.
We urge the Honduran Congress not to make a hasty decision on this
matter and to postpone your decision until there have been comprehensive
environmental, social, cultural and economic assessment reports conducted
and until Honduran environmental experts and forest community
representatives have the opportunity to comment on this project.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to
hearing how the Congress will address these concerns.
Sincerely yours,
Chad Dobson, Bank Information Center Marijke Torfs, Friends of the Earth
Laurie Udall, Environmental Defense Fund
Owen Lammers, International Rivers Network
Tony Gonzalez, International Tribal Treaty Council
Stewart Hudson, National Wildlife Federation
Pamela Wellner, Rainforest Action Network
Ivan Ussach, Rainforest Alliance
Craig Van Note, Monitor Consortium
Cathy Fogel, Sierra Club
Patricia Adams, Probe International
Nilo Cayucayo, South American Indian Information Center
George Draffan, Task Force on Multinational Resource Corporations
Marcus Colchester, Forest Peoples Program, World Rainforest Movement
Douglass Hellinger, Development Group for Alternative Policy
cc. Presidente Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero, Ambassador Jorge Ramon
Hernandez Alcerro, Roger W. Stone, Gerald M. Freeman, Senator Al Gore