Peace and Environment News* December 1994-January 1995
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Peace and Environment News * December 1994-January 1995 |
by Ian Laycock
 Rainforest destruction, Malasia. Photo: Survival International. For more information or to give support, write to Survival International, 310 Edgware Rd, London W2 1Dy, UK. |
In Brazil, an average of one tribe per year has been wiped out since 1900.
With the increasing pressure of international debts and the desire for quick fix solutions, governments in Latin America are looking more and more to the rainforests, with their abundance of wood, metals and other resources, as a last hope. This has resulted in mass exploitation of these resources, destroying both the rainforests and the people that live in them.
Deforestation and colonization are destroying traditional ways of hunting, gathering and fishing. Because of their intimate knowledge of the delicate balance between animals and their environment, the indigenous people have been able to hunt for thousands of years without depleting species. Certain groups in Latin America even plant some types of nut and fruit trees specifically to attract animals. They refrain from hunting certain small animals and birds because they are seen as good seed distributors.
The introduction to new technologies such as guns and the loss of traditional hunting standards now pose a severe threat to the animal populations. Hunters can now more effectively kill the animals that sell well on the market. This also creates a dependence on a cash economy for things like guns and bullets.
Most of the indigenous groups in Latin America make use of a number of different types of reptiles, mammals, vegetation and fish. Some groups depend on the capture and trade of these resources to fill a large number of their needs. Some groups even have semi-domesticated turtles.
Commercial fishing and deforestation have had some very serious impacts on the river systems, reducing the shade and causing the temperatures in the rivers to rise. Runoff and flooding patterns have been changed, and soil erosion from logging and commercial agriculture is silting up the rivers.
Indigenous cultures are also being lost. As more and more children are sent to state boarding schools, they no longer have the opportunity to learn from their elders, and the traditional wisdom is lost.
All indigenous groups in Latin America depend on some sort of gathering for survival. In Brazil, the Kayapo use 250 types of plants for food and even more for medicines. (Half of the medicines in our drugstores are derived from rainforest species.)
To fill rapidly increasing material needs, many indigenous groups have successfully marketed Brazil nuts and rubber. Far too often, however, these endeavours are exploited by middlemen or colonists, and the indigenous people earn very little of the profit.
Colonization and deforestation in Latin America are inevitably destroying not only the land but also the cultures of the rainforests. The traditional ways of hunting, gathering and fishing will soon be lost if nothing is done.
Ian Laycock is a student activist and member of the Capital Rainforest Action Group.
Converted June 9, 2000 - Lg
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