Special Report LAST UPDATE July 1, 2010
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March 2, 2010 Peace Boat unites Latin American environmentalists
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Peace Boat’s Latin Youth programme activists spent three weeks encouraging voyage participants to learn about the problems caused by industrial development in the sensitive environment of the southern cone.

With the hope of building stronger partnerships between environmental NGOs in Latin America, Peace Boat hosted six young activists onboard the 68th Global Voyage. The guest participants of the three week forum – from partner organizations in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile – opened up discussions about the effects of industrial development on the region and the role of the media in protecting this environment.

Marcela Schenck and Lucía Surroca, members of the Uruguayan NGO Red de Ecología Social/Social Ecology Network (REDES) presented a lecture about the importance of food sovereignty and shared how multinational corporations are pushing farmers off their land to mass-produce non-native plants, such as eucalyptus trees. These trees, Ms Schenck says, are a huge threat to agriculture in Uruguay. “Eucalyptus (from Australia) is very attractive for certain international companies, for its value in the production of cellulose.” Although the trees grow quite rapidly, they need much water and use up all of the nutrients in the soil. And to ensure resources are dedicated for eucalyptus production, companies make it nearly impossible for other farms to survive by completely surrounding them with the tree plantations.
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Marcela Schenck and Lucía Surroca joined participants on a visit to an organic farm in their native Uruguay, learning about the benefits of responsible agriculture.

For more than 20 years, Uruguay has been South America’s leader in organic farming. But, corporate farms, producing genetically-modified (GMO) crops, are threatening the organic movement: In this case, soy plantations are the problem and Monsanto – a biotechnology company from the United States – is the enemy. Agriculturalists are trying to prevent the spread of GMO crops, produced by foreign companies such as Monsanto. If a Monsanto-engineered seed mixes with organic plants, farmers can lose their organic certification. “The corporation holds the rights to their seeds,” adds REDES volunteer Lucía Surroca. “If farmers’ soy plants are cross-contaminated with genetically-engineered product, the company has the right to those plants,” because of the patents it holds. As an alternative, REDES cooperates with concerned farmers to maintain a GMO-free seed bank. "What we’re doing is recuperating the original seeds (that haven’t been crossed),” she says. Farmers can then exchange protected seeds with one another, ensuring they’re planting safe and natural crops.
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UNESCO World Heritage status would protect 10,000 sq. km of Chilean Patagonia from industrial exploitation.
The fishing industry in South America is yet another cause of environmental problems, particularly in Chile. Salmon farms have been developed over the last 30 years in the southern fjords and rivers of Chilean Patagonia, says Daniela Álvarez Hernández, who works with CODEFF in Valparaiso. “Since 1984,” she says, “the salmon industry has exploded.” Chile is now second only to Norway in the production of farmed-salmon (Source: National Geographic, Jan. 2010). It grew because of the promise of food and jobs in a weak economy, but the reality is that most of the fish were exported – most of the companies are foreign owned – and the work was dangerous and underpaid. Adding to this, the industry has polluted the water with solid waste and antibiotics, she says, endangering wildlife such as birds and other species of fish.

Ms Álvarez told Peace Boat participants about CODEFF’s efforts to have UNESCO protect Patagonia with World Heritage recognition, which would stop all industrial practices in the territory. Read about Peace Boat’s cooperation with CODEFF on this campaign here: www.peaceboat.org/english/voyg/68/spe/100225/index.html
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While the Latin Youth participants shared their knowledge of the region’s environmental issues with Peace Boaters, they also took part in educational programs in different ports of call. (Pictured: Nelson Peteán from Argentina)
Meanwhile, along the Paraná River in Argentina, local fishermen face decreasing catches because of industrial fisheries. “In Argentina, there are no controls to regulate (catches),” says Nelson Peteán, “They take much more than the river can supply.” Mr Peteán represented Proteger, an environmental protection NGO that works with fishing communities, in the Paraná Basin. The industrial fisheries, he adds, don’t have any regulations ordering them distinguish between the size and species of fish they haul out from the river and there is no regard for breeding periods; they just take everything and, as a result, control the market price.

The north-eastern region of Argentina – including the departments of Santa Fe, Chaco and Corrientes – is rich with resources, but home to some of the country’s poorest citizens, Mr Peteán explains. Through workshops in these communities, Proteger has shown fishermen and their spouses how to develop sustainable fishing practices – for the sake of the river and their livelihoods. The training has helped them establish a cooperative craft industry that produces items such as fish-skin leather, smoked fish preserves, and supported the development of a cultural tourism initiative.
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Betania Cappato was never far from her camera for most of her time with Peace Boat. Her environmental films for Proteger can be seen at on foundation’s website. (link below)
Proteger also uses original media to reach out to communities about fishing and other environmental issues, such as mining, dams and environment-related poverty. In Argentina, the major media outlets are all controlled by one company – the Clarin Group – says videographer Betania Cappato, highlighting the control the corporation has on information. At the same time, the word of the government dominates the news, and areas outside the capital are significantly underrepresented, she says. There are, however, alternative and independent media sources to combat this monopoly. Betania has made films for the last six years and at Proteger she produces short documentaries that draw attention to issues concerning those in farming and fishing communities. Audio-visual communication can help “generate change,” she says: “An image says a thousand words.”
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Azkintuwe – a bi-monthly publication, but with daily news updates online – allows the Mapuche population to speak out about the mistreatment of their land.
Five of the six participants are involved in environment-oriented media projects: Aside from Ms Cappato, Marcela Schenck works with Radio Mundo Real in Montevideo; Lucía Surroca helps REDES produce an environmental awareness magazine for children, called El Tomate Verde (The Green Tomato); Daniela Álvarez writes for the blog Patagonia Re Verde; and Pedro Cayuqueo is the editor of Azkintuwe, a newspaper for the indigenous Mapuche people. Azkintuwe – which means “A place from where you can observe” in Maputungu – offers a critical take on government exploitation of their land and the environment.

While on board, Mr Cayuqueo presented Peace Boat participants with the indigenous perspective on industrial abuse of traditional land. “In Chile, there are many conflicts between the Mapuche and multinational corporations,” he says. The Mapuche, or “people of the earth,” spiritually regard all parts of the environment as their siblings – including the animals, the trees and the waters – and they don’t approve of these elements being sold off and destroyed, Mr Cayuqueo informed participants. The Mapuche nation inhabits an area of Chile that extends from just south of Concepción all the way to down to the province of Los Lagos (and east into Argentina), but the Chilean government doesn’t acknowledge this claim.

The participants of the Latin Youth Environmental Programme blogged their journey on board the 68th Global Voyage. Read their entries at: www.peaceboat-is.blogspot.com. You can also read their final declaration on conservation of Patagonia here:
With translation assistance by Naito Yoko and Leonardo Uego

Related links for the Latin Youth Environmentalist Programme:

Fundación Protoger: www.proteger.org.ar

REDES: www.redes.org.uy

CODEFF: www.codeff.cl

Azkintuwe: www.azkintuwe.org

El Tomate Verde: http://somosamigosdelatierra.org/18_tomateverde/tomate_idx.htm

Patagonia Re Verde: patagoniareverde.blogspot.com