From: Lorenzo Cardenal/ Greenpeace Central America
Subject: Letter of support
Dear friends
I am writing you with the hope that you may be able to support our work
in Honduras in the shrimp aquaculture campaign, by sending a letter to
Honduras' President. In spite of the achievements we have made and last
year's victory when we got the honduran government to declare a
moratorium on the expansion of shrimp farms in the Gulf of Fonseca, this
year the industry has begun to pressure the government to lift the
moratorium. Also, pressure and threats to the local communities and
their leaders have increased. In response, we are supporting and
coordinating with CODDEFFAGOLF, the local NGO at Gulf of Fonseca, a
large scale march of traditional fishermen farmers from the Gulf to
Tegucigalpa on July 22. This protest is of great importance because it
is a show of strength of more than 4,000 people demanding a series of
revendications from the Honduran government.
As an international reinforcement for this local action, we are asking
all NGOs involved in sustainable aquaculture to send a letter to the
President of Honduras (text follows) which expresses the support to the
demands presented by the communities and the NGOs. I am sure that a
letter from you will contribute a lot to our efforts here. If this is
possible, please send your letter to the direct fax number of the
presidential office which is included in the text.
Thank you for your support.
All the best,
Lorenzo.
TEXT OF LETTER TO THE
PRESIDENT
His Excellency
Dr. Carlos Roberto Reina
President
of Honduras
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Fax: ++(504) 343573
Dear Mr. President:
Please receive our respectful regards. We have reason to be concerned
with the existing problems in the Gulf of Fonseca, in relation to the
destruction of the mangrove forests and other coastal ecosystems, due
mainly to the increasing installment of shrimp farms. According to the
information provided by local organizations, scientific institutions and
international organizations, the development of shrimp aquaculture has
occurred without adequately taking into account the coastal marine
ecosystem's carrying capacity in the Gulf, nor the rights of the
artesanal fishermen who have historically used these resources in a
dignified and sustainable manner.
We have been informed that on July 22, several hundred fishers and
inhabitants of the communities from Gulf of Fonseca will peacefully
march to Tegucigalpa to demand the obeying of the current laws and
commitments, the respect for their social and environmental rights and
to request that the government effectively ensures that the natural
resource of the Gulf are utilized in a sustainable manner by all users
and especially by the shrimp farms that have already devastated several
thousands of hectares of this important ecosystem.
We also echo the demands and requests that the fishers and inhabitants
of the Gulf will present on July 22 and along with them urgently call
for your government to take the following initiatives:
Extend and more effectively apply Presidential Agreement No. 05 96 which
refers to the MORATORIUM on the expansion of shrimp ponds, while the
unpostponable study on the carrying capacity of the Gulf's coastal
ecosystems that would allow establishing limits of sustainability for
the development of shrimp aquaculture.
Urge for the immediate approval by the National Congress of the
Declaration of Protected Areas of the Gulf of Fonseca.
Take the necessary measures that would, in a lasting manner, allow the
local inhabitants to fish and collect in swamps, lagoons, mangroves and
in Honduran jurisdictional waters with security for their lives and
possessions.
Rationalize and regulate the extraction of wild shrimp larvae from the
Gulf's ecosystems, for this activity negatively affects the biological
diversity and drastically reduces the fish stocks, a
tranditional source of livelihood for artesenal fishermen.
Put into effect, in the short term, effective measures to stop the
transformation of mangroves, winter lagoons, swamps, etc. into shrimp
farms and other infrastructure harmful to the health of wetlands in
general and the economy of the local communities, as well as to stop and
reverse the proceses of contamination of waters, soil and air caused by
the shrimp farms.
Finally, it is necessary to ensure that the traditional rights of use
and access of those national lands, which for decades have been
used by farmers, fishers and coastal communities, are no longer under
threat from the investors that are trying to continue developing
unsustainable aquaculture in the Gulf of Fonseca.
We consider that these demands are just and pertinent and we support the
communities in their effort to defend ther social and environmental
rights. We know of the honesty and strength that You have shown in
facing and solving the problems of your country and we do not doubt that
you will make the efforts within your grasp to find a solution to this
problem that is fair, equal and coherent with the principles of
sustainable development.
We thank you for your attention to this letter.
Respectfully,
CC:
Ing. Carlos Flores
Facusse
Presidente del Congreso Nacional
de la Republica de Honduras.
Fax:
++(504) 38604
Lic. Jorge Varella
Director
CODDEFFAGOLF
Tegucigalpa,
Honduras
Phone-Fax: (504) 380415
END OF TEXT OF LETTER
Lorenzo Cardenal
Executive Director
Greenpeace Centro
America
Tels. (502) 3345828
3345821
Fax: (502) 3601563
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