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December 2000 | Intag | By Carlos Zorrilla
MITSUBISHI IN INTAG
We successfully organized resistance to the Mitsubishi copper
mining project (funded in part by the Ecuadorian government,
and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency, by working
with communities in the area, holding seminars and workshops
on mining and the environment, gathering and distributing
information, and organizing an international letter writing
campaign.
In addition we have written dozens of articles for the local,
national and international press on this and other environmental
aspects in Intag. Decoin also published a ground-breaking
book on the environmental impacts of mining (Es Un Monstruo
Grande que Pisa Fuerte), and a small booklet widely distributed,
called Los 7 Mitos de la Miner’a (The 7 Myths of Mining).
Unfrotuntely, the fact is that the minerals Mitsubishi discovered
will not go away , which means this will be an ongoing struggle.
(Mitsubishi abandoned the project after the communities expressed
their determination to reject mining by burning the only mining
camp down in protest May 97). The project has not resumed
since, and there are no plans for resumption to date.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONGRESS
DECOIN also organized a Environmental Congress (Nov. 95),
to date the only one ever done in our whole province. Over
200 people showed up including the governor of our province,
the #2 at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, representatives
from three mining companies, the Chamber of Mines, representative
from the Congress, and representatives from 42 communities.
Even the Bishop from Ibarra came! First time anyone publicly
denounced mining as an option for our area. This public announcement
helped set the line of work for Decoin.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
DECOIN is on the board of directors of the national umbrella
environmental organization called CEDENMA (Comite Ecuatoriano
para la Defensa de la Naturaleza y el Medio Ambiente). Cedenma
represents over 80 environmental NGO«s in Ecuador. Being on
Cedenma«s Mining commission, DECOIN has participated in analyzing
and proposing changes to new mining and forestry legislation,
and is considered one of the more active members.
ORGANIC COFFEE
We at DECOIN thought up and help create the Asociacion de
Caficultores Rio Intag (Rio Intag Coffee Growers Association)
as a concrete way to present economic alternatives to mining
and help the small farmer survive and introduce sustainable
farming to the area. It has been hugely successful: in little
more than one year, there is more demand for Intag coffee
than there is supply!! The first overseas order (6.5 tons)
went to a Japanese Fair Trade Organization in December 1999.
Presently there are approximately 200 members and growing
all the time. The Association is now an independent entity
(something we always strive for when working with groups),
but recognition for our work is presented in the fact that
the Association will give DECOIN 5% of the income from the
shipments to Japan. The contact with Japan came about (and
keep coming) mainly because of our struggle against Mitsubishi.
The coffee is grown organically and under shade, conditions
we insisted on at the outset.
WOMEN'S GROUPS
We have helped women's groups in the area get organized and
receive technical assistance and environmental education.
We have also helped them finance the building of a small kiosk
store to sell their products and helped pay for them to go
to fairs to sell and exhibit their handiwork. The sisal bags
the coffee is sold in is made by Women's groups- another one
of our projects!.
ECOLOGICAL COUNTY
Probably DECOIN«s finest hour. We successfully ntroduced a
measure in popular County-wide Assembly to declare our county
an Ecological Ecological- the first in Ecuador (includes Cotacachi
and all of Intag). The measure, including a set of legal County
Ordenances, was passed by the County government in September
11, 2000- the first ever in Ecuador and perhaps Latin America.
Among the many novel dispositions, the new Ordinance: regulates
land use, declares the protection of native forests a priority,
promotes reforestation with native species, supports sustainable
economic activities such as Organic Farming, Eco-tourism and
community based tourism, and conservation over all other economic
activities, plus aims to reduce or stop the contamination
of the county's natural resources, especially water, and prevents
the establishment of toxic, non-sustainable industries all
within the 1500 square kilometers of the County (380,000 acres).
ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT AND APPROPIATE TECHNOLOGY FAIRS
We took part in and helped organize the first ever Alternative
Development and Appropiate Technology Fair in our province
and in Ecuador in April of 2000. The fair was supported by
the mayor of our County (Cotacachi) and brought together examples
of goods produced sustainably, clean energy production, and
conservation efforts from different parts of the county. The
fair also featured many speakers on sustainable development,
and conservation problems facing our county and nation. We
are planning to organize the fairs on a continued basis.
DECOIN, PRODEMINCA CAMPAIGN AND THE WORLD BANK
We have denounced nationally and internationally, led a international
campaign, and are challenging a World Bank financed mining
prospecting project, called Prodeminca, that illegally prospected
for minerals within the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve-
an official protected area (similar to a Wilderness Area).
We instigated the first ever claim against a World Bank financed
project in Ecuador in December of 1999. Our claim was accepted
as valid by the World Bank, and after a April 1999 visit by
the Inspection Panel, the Panel recommended to the Bank's
board a full investigation, which the Bank board approved.
Basically we are asking that information gathered in the Intag
area and the Ecological Reserve and its buffer areas, be kept
out of public access in order to avoid mining invasions and
activities in these areas.
The second Inspection Panel visit took place in Nov. of
2000, and met with Ministers of State, World Bank and Prodeminnca
officials. We organized 3 meetings in Quito, Cotacachi, and
Intag, where the Panel members met with national environmental
ngo«s; in Cotacachi with the Mayor and other County officials
and representatives from local organizations, and in Intag
with community and organization representatives. (for more
information look under "Prodeminca" on the Internet, or the
"Inspection Panel" Web page). Their final report to the Bank
board will be made public in early March). One of the results
of this action was that Prodeminca officials decided to exclude
the Intag area from the area being mapped.
COMMUNITY TOURISM
We are helping the community of Junin implement a community
run Ecological Tourist project right in the middle of the
mining area. We are working with the community (the one that
would have been the most impacted by the Mitsubishi mine)
to establish the first such community run eco tourism business
in the Intag area. The community successfully received its
first group in September 2000.
COMMUNITY FOREST RESERVES
We are establishing a network of community owned and protected
Forests Reserves in the Intag area. The first one has recently
been established at the site of the ex-mining camp, up river
from the Junin community. DECOIN gave the community the funds
to buy the land, about 200 acres of primary cloud forests,
protecting dozens of bird and mammal species and the Junin
river watershed. The reserve has recently expanded to about
900 hectares, and is growing.
We will help design a jointly implemented land use management
plan, seek legal status, and help them expand the reserves
into the area slated for mining development in order to keep
it out of hand of mining companies. Many other communities
are asking us to help them to protect their water supplies
and establish the forests reserves for them, so there is lots
of work to do.
COMMUNITY WATERSHED RESERVES
DECOIN is being asked to help protect community watersheds
to secure the quantity and quality of community water sources.
To date, we have helped buy and protect watersheds in Chalguayagcu
Alto, and four other reserves are on hold waiting funding.
Many of these community watersheds are covered in native forests.
MICRO HYDRO PROJECT
We are also currently, with full support from Cotacachi Municipal
Authorities, (9-00) installing a micro hydro system in the
community of Chalguayacu Bajo, the first such installation
in the Intag area. The small (refurbished) generator will
generate energy for 14 homes that would otherwise not receive
electricity. Also, the project relies on local materials,
homemade water wheel, and a large percentage of donated labor
by community members. We hope to expand the project to the
many other communities that have expressed interest.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Our work is aimed at making the local populations and students
aware of the importance of conserving their own environment,
and of the uniqueness of Intag's forests and biodiversity.
Our work includes working with communities and schools and
production of posters to deal with loss of biodiversity, deforestation,
contamination. To date, we have produced two posters on the
birds of Intag and prevention of agricultural fires. Currently
we are looking to greatly expand this program.
COMMUNITY TREE NURSERIES AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE
DECOIN is taking part of a multi-organism project to promote
reforestation with native species and proper land use, as
well as watershed protection and introducing alternative agricultural
products.
RESEARCH
DECOIN took part, together with Zoobreviven and SESIA, Ecuador's
ornithological organization, in small botanical and ornithological
research project called the Toisan Project. in the Toisan
Range. The project featured a strong environmental education
and handicraft production component (completed in Dec. 1999).
SOCIAL WORK
Besides these, we help communities seek social and economic
projects (our secretary helps them write up proposals, and
identify funding agencies) and also denounce environmental
problems . Also, we have helped some communities establish
the SAT educational program in their communities (System of
Tutorial Education ((for rural high schooleducation)); and
are helping another community get legal status.
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