Warm Regards to all, Kate Cissna, Mangrove Action Project
6th June, 1997
Your Excellency Dr. Fabian Alarcon Rivera
President of the Republic of Ecuador
Palacio Nacional de Gobierno
Quito, Ecuador
South America
Your Excellency:
RE: APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF FUNDECOL MEMBERS AND OTHER MUISNE RESIDENTS
We were very concerned to learn that a dozen people were arrested and
detained in the city of Esmeraldas, when they requested to meet with the Port
Captain of that city about a situation of shrimp farm expansion and mangrove
seedling destruction in their community of Muisne, Esmeraldas Province.
We wish to express our firm solidarity and support for the detainees, whose
efforts, we believe, will ensure the furtherance of social justice,
environmental protection, and respect for the rule of the law.
The Mangrove Action Project is an international network of environmental and
human rights organizations, grassroots activists, scientists, and many other
concerned citizens, of over 50 nations, who are dedicated to the protection
and restoration of the earth's diminished mangrove forests.
Our network has been very active for five years in broadcasting the long-term
damages that unsustainable commercial shrimp aquaculture practices have
caused to coastal lands, marine ecosystems, and coastal societies in Asia,
Central and South America.
We understand that members of FUNDECOL, a community-based ecology
organization, recently detected a shrimp farmer expanding his ponds in an
area of about 3 hectares, a site which FUNDECOL had just reforested 8 months
ago with the help of many different user groups of the mangrove in the town
of Muisne.
FUNDECOL has signed a Cooperative Agreement for Control and Monitoring of the
Muisne mangrove in November 1996. They have received international
commendations for their volunteer work to reforest mangroves in Muisne, which
by conservative estimates has lost 85% of its mangrove forest in the past 12
years. This work is of benefit to a community in which over 70% of the
population live by extracting renewable fisheries and forest resources from
the mangrove.
We understand that FUNDECOL asked the Esmeraldas official of INEFAN, the
National Forestry Agency, to come and inspect the site, but that Forestry
officials maintained there was no crime, even while they refused to verify
this by visiting the site. We understand that the Muise Naval Guard and
Muisne Port Captain did visit the site, and that they verified that it was a
replanted area, and ordered the shrimp farmer to cease and desist his
activities at once.
We appeal to Your Excellency for the immediate release of the twelve
detainees who were unjustly detained in spite of the fact that they have
worked tirelessly to learn and obey the laws of their country, and to improve
the health and well-being of their communities.
We humbly request that
* Sanctions be imposed on those responsible for destroying the ecosystem.
* There be immediate reforestation of the areas damaged
* Those who were responsible for the destruction of the 3 replanted has. be
detained under the Penal Code, the Executive Decree 3327, and ED 1907.
By heeding our humble call, your country will certainly be seen as leading
the fight to promote sustainable development and protection of the natural
resources needed by your country's future generations.
We trust that Your Excellency will give this matter your most urgent
attention.
We respectfully await your response.
Thank you.
Sincerely Yours,
Your Name
Also please fax:
Dr. Miguel Ramirez, Governor of Esmeraldas - 593-6-728-622
Jose Mino, Port Captain, Esmeraldas 593-6-720-299
Executive Director of INEFAN (forestry agency) fax# 593-2-580-744
President of the National Congress - fax #593-2-526-251
Commission on Corruption and Human Rights fax# 593-2-546-243 / 541-490
Abuses of the National Congress
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