Celso Amorim, Foreign Relations Minister, Brazil
Dilma Roussef, Presidential Chief-of-Staff, Brazil
Cc: David Choquehuanca, Foreign Relations Minister, Bolivia
Juan Pablo Ramos Morales, Vice Minister for Biodiversity, Forestry Resources and Environment, Bolivia
Marina Silva, Environment Minister, Brazil
Your Excellencies:
We are writing to express our support for the process initiated in August between the republics of Bolivia and Brazil for the formation of bi-national working groups to assess the potential impacts on Bolivia of the Santo Antônio and Jirau dams on the Madeira River, the Amazon´s principal tributary.
Official project studies and independent expert opinions indicate that there is a distinct probability that Bolivia could suffer flooding of territories in Pando province, possibly including the Bruno Racua Wildlife Reserve; loss of fish species and serious impacts on some of the most important fish currently populating the upper Madeira; and health impacts, including proliferation of vectors of malaria and methylation of toxic mercury in the reservoirs.
The need for prior assessment of the possibility of negative impacts of this significance using the “precautionary principle” is affirmed in international treaties, including the Montreal Protocol (1987) and the Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Environment and Development (1992). The Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), which both Bolivia and Brazil have subscribed to, holds that sovereign states have “the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction”.
As the work of these bilateral working groups moves forward, we trust that representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and independent technical experts will be guaranteed participation in this process, and that the working group meetings will be conducted in a transparent manner. Given the seriousness of the potential impacts of the dams, these analyses should proceed in a timely manner.
Confident that your Excellencies will do everything possible to promote transparency and the thorough and objective analysis of technical data from official and independent studies, we will anxiously await your response to this letter.
Sincerely,
BRAZIL
Associação Terra Laranjeiras, Juquitiba, SP
4 Cantos do Mundo, Belo Horizonte
Instituto Madeira Vivo – IMV, Porto Velho
Rede de Educação Cidadã – Recid-RO
Associação Etno-Ambiental Kanindé, Porto Velho
Grupo de Trabalho Amazônico – GTA/RO
Associação ADA AÇAÍ, RO
Conselho Indigenista Missionário -CIMI-RO
Associação Rio Terra, RO
Associação dos Seringueiros de Rondônia – OSR
Movimento Hip-Hop da Floresta – MHF, Porto Velho
Vitae Civilis, São Lourenço da Serra, SP
Associaçao de Proteçao ao Meio Ambiente de Cianorte
Fórum Carajás, São Luís, MA
Núcleo Amigos da Terra Brasil, Porto Alegre
Amigos da Terra Amazônia, São Paulo
Ecologia e Ação, Campo Grande
Instituto Centro de Vida, Cuiabá
Instituto Peabiru, Belém
Terrae, Miracatu, SP
Iterei Refúgio Particular de Animais Nativos, Miracatu
Centro de Referência do Movimento da Cidadania pelas Aguas, Florestas, e Montanhas Igassu, Iterei, SP
Gambá – Grupo Ambientalista da Bahia
PACS – Instituto Políticas Alternativas para o Cone Sul, Rio de Janeiro
Greenpeace Brasil
Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Higiene Pessoal, Perfumaria e Cosméticos, São Paulo
Centro de Assessoria Multiprofissional, Porto Alegre
Instituto de Direitos Humanos, Econômicos e Sociais
Forum Sul de ONG – ABONG
Instituto de Mobilidade Sustentável – RUAVIVA, Porto Alegre
Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos, Brasília
Fórum Mato-Grossense de Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento
WWF-Brasil
Esplar – Centro de Pesquisa e Assessoria, Fortaleza
Rede Pantanal
Direitoria Executiva, ABONG – Associação Brasileira de ONGs
Instituto Raoni – complexo Kayapó
Movimento Reage São Luís (reúne cerca de 40 entidades contra a
implantação de siderúrgicas no Maranhão)
ARGENTINA
Jorge Cappato, Fundación Proteger, miembro IUCN
Jorge Daneri, Director Ejecutivo, Fundación M´Biguá, Ciudadanía y Justicia Ambiental, Paraná, Entre Ríos
Elba Stancich, Taller Ecologista, Rosário
BELGIUM
Martina Roels, Flemish Centre for Indigenous Peoples
David Heller, Friends of the Earth Brussels and Flanders
CANADA
Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians
CHILE
Sara Larraín, Chile Sustentable
COLOMBIA
Margarita Florez, Instituto de Servicios Legales Alternativos
CYPRUS
Loukia Pavlidou, Friends of the Earth Cyprus
DENMARK
Bente Hessellund Andersen, NOAH, Friends of the Earth Denmark
FRANCE
Marc Senant, France Nature Environnement
Sébastien Godinot, Les Amis de la Terre
GERMANY
Yvonne Bangert, Society for Threatened Peoples (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker/GfbV), Goettingen
GHANA
Richard Twum Koranteng, Executive Director, Volta Absin Development Foundation
GUINE-BISSAU
Isuf Sidibe So, Association des Consommateurs de Biens et Services
HONDURAS
Mirian Miranda, Comité Ejecutivo, Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña, La Ceiba
INDIA
Umesh Desai, Aga Khan Rural Support Program
Prashant Pastore, Toxics Link India
Himanshu Thakkar, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People
Roy Laifungbam, Executive Director, CORE Centre for Organisation Research & Education, [Indigenous Peoples’ Centre for Policy and Human Rights in India’s Eastern Himalayan Territories], NGO in Special Consultative Relationship with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
Dr. Mohd. Abdul Matin, Coordinator, Jatyo Nadi Raksha Andolon(National River Saving Movement)
INDONESIA
Anung Karyadi, The Water for Life Major Group
ITALY
Antonio Tricario, Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale
JAPAN
Masahito Ujiiie, Yasuo Endo and Teruyuki Shimazu, Suigen-ren (National Dam Opposition Network)
MEXICO
Francisco Valdés-Perezgasga, Prodefensa del Nazas, A.C., Comarca Lagunera, Durango – Coahuila
Julio César Ramírez, Afectados por el Sistema de Presas de la Región Lagunera
Miguel Pickard, CIEPAC, A.C., Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Políticas de Acción Comunitaria, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
Katie Kolhstedt, Programa de las Américas, Center for International Policy, México DF
Nithia Castorena Sáenz, Grupo en Defensa del Agua, Chihuahua
MOZAMBIQUE
Anabela Lemos, Daniel Ribeiro, JA!Justica Ambiental, Maputo
NEPAL
Chandra Mani Adhikari, Allied Law Services, Putali Sadak, Kathmandu
Binod Khadka, Green Nepal Party member, Kathmandu
NETHERLANDS
Sophie Pritchard, Valerie Doshier, Ann Doherty, Eric Reed, Friends of the Earth International
Johan Frijns, Bank Track
Magali Llatas, BothENDS
NIGERIA
Bread of Life Foundation, Lagos
Hope Ogbeide, Director, SWAPHEP
PARAGUAY
Oscar Rivas, Coordinador General, SOBREVIVENCIA, Amigos de la Tierra Paraguay
PERU
César Chía Dávila, Presidente del Consejo Ambiental Regional Madre de Dios (CAR
MDD)
Alfredo García Altamirano, Presidente de TReeS Perú
Víctor Zambrano Gonzáles, Presidente del Comité de Gestión de la Reserva Nacional Tambopata
Vidal Salazar Fernandez, Presidente de la Federación Agraria Departamental de Madre de Dios
Cesar Ascorra, Coordinador de Proyectos en Madre de Dios, Caritas del Perú
Felix Alvarez Velarde, Presidente, Asociación Civil Labor, Amigos de la Tierra – Peru
Asociacion Conservación Agroambiental Andes Tropicales, Puno
Richard Korswgen, Director, and Eric Cosio, Waltraud Kofer, Patricia Gonzales, Eliana Esparza, Instituto de Estudios Ambientales de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Juan Carlos Flores, Director Sede Madre de Dios, Asociación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica
Ernesto F. Ráez Luna, Investigador Asociado, Centro para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental – Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Coordinador General, Grupo de Trabajo de la Sociedad Civil para la Interoceánica Sur
Alberto Barandiarán, Presidente, Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Fátima García F., Oficina Puerto Maldonado, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental
PHILIPPINES
Joan Carling, Cordillera Peoples´ Alliance
Dr. Michael A. Bengwayan, Director, INE TREE/Igorot Tribal Assistance Group (ITAG)
Antonio M. Claparols, President, Ecological Society of the Philippines, IUCN-Member
Jo Villanueva, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Friends of the Earth Philippines
SENEGAL
Aboubacry Mbodji, Executive Director of CODESEN, Dakar
SLOVAKIA
Ivan Lesay, Roman Havlicek, Stefan Janco, Priatelia Zeme, Friends of the Earth Slovakia
SOUTH AFRICA
Bobby Peek, GroundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa
SOUTH KOREA
Yong-un Ma, Korean Federation for Environment Movement, Friends of the Earth Korea
SPAIN
Xarxa, l’Observatori del Deute en la Globalització, Catalonia
Liliane Spendeler, Friends of the Earth Spain
SWAZILAND
Natacha Terrot, Yonge Nawe, Friends of the Earth Swaziland
SWITZERLAND
Berne Declaration, Zurich
UNITED KINGDOM
Nicholas Hildyard, Sarah Sexton and Larry Lohmann The Corner House
UNITED STATES
Stefan Jirka, Blue Moon Fund
Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch
Glenn Switkes, International Rivers Network
Elizabeth Bast, Friends of the Earth US
Isabel de la Torre, Earth Economics, Tacoma
Stephan Schwartzman, Director, International Program, Environmental Defense
Lene Ostergaard, Executive Director, Rainforest Foundation US
Ari Hershowitz, Director, BioGems Project, Latin America, Natural Resources Defense Council
Leila Salazar-Lopez, Agribusiness Campaign Director, Rainforest Action Network
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
Saghir A Shaikh, World Sindhi Congress, Inc., San Diego
Molly Clinehens, International Accountability Project
Nadananda, Executive Director, Friends of the Eel River
Emily Carpenter, US-El Salvador Sister Cities
Nadia Martinez, Institute for Policy Studies
Randy Hayes, Founder, Rainforest Action Network, International Forum on Globalization
Alberto Saldamando, General Counsel, International Indian Treaty Council, San Francisco
Vince McElhenny, Bank Information Center, Washington DC
VENEZUELA
Sociedad de Amigos en defensa de la Gran Sabana
Red Alerta Petrolera -Orinoco-Oilwatch
And the following individual signers:
Ing. Federico Ponce de León, Asesor Ambiental, Subsecretaría de Puertos y Vìas Navegables, Argentina
César Francisco Flores Negrón, Investigador Asociado Herbario Forestal, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Peru
Stephen K. Hamilton, Professor Kellogg Biological Station and Dept. of Zoology, Michigan State University, USA
Margi Moss, Brasília
Gary R. Krieger MD, MPH, DABT, DTM&H, Denver, USA
Marcia Castro, Harvard University, USA
Claudia Colomo, Bolivia
Peter Jowers, Senior Lecturer, School of Politics, UWE, Bristol, United Kingdom
Lucigleide Nery Nascimento, Ph.D. Candidate/Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, USA
Renata Leite Pitman, Duke University Center for Tropical Conservation Oxford University – Unidad de Investigacion y Conservacion de la Vida Silvestre Instituto Pro carnivoros IUCN – Grupo de Especialistas en Canido
Frank D. McCann, Professor of Brazilian History, University of New Hampshire, USA
Burton Singer, Charles & Marie Robertson Professor of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University, USA
F.N. Scatena, Professor and Chair, Department of Earth & Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Abby Rubinson, Lawyer and Author of “Regional Projects Require Regional Planning,” University of Michigan, USA
Robert Lewis & Associates (Currently Consulting to Lesotho Commission of Water on promoting Integrated Water Management Systems), Johannesburg, South Africa
Jessica Hughes, Maloti Drakensberg Ecology Consultants, Capetown, South Africa
Zachary Hurwitz, Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas, Austin, USA
Sabrina McCormick, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Jorge Molina Carpio, Bolivia
Denise Margaret S. Matias, SolarGeneration Pilipinas, Philippines
Fronika de Wit, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands
Silvana Moellerhenn, University of Potsdam, Germany
Lugard Kaunda Ogaro, Grad. Student, University of Nairobi, Civil Engineering Dept, Kenya
Pete Richardson, Exeter, New Hampshire, USA
Marco Fuentes Peducassé, La Paz, Bolivia
Edson Benigno da Motta Barros, Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro
Kristel Verhoef, Radboud University Nijmegen, Den Haag, Netherlands
Clarissa Presotti, Universidade de Brasília
Steve Nicol, Victoria, Australia
Angela O’Neill, Markham, Ontario, Canada
Lani and Michael, North Nowra, NSW, Australia
Stephanie Grunwalder, Gladbeck, Germany
César A. Ipenza Peralta, Lima, Perú
Eve Biskup, Markup, Ontario, Canada
Rolando Valdivia P., Bolivia
Dominic Kiddell, Herbwize
Pedro Cortegoso
Julia Treu-Fowler, USA
Lily Montemarano, New York University, USA
Kathleen Morris, Australia
Glyn Daniels, IBM Ltd.
Alisa Self, Minds for Change
Laura Allen, educator and writer, Oakland USA
Malena Karlsson, Sweden
Patricio Lincoln Cribb, Rosário, Argentina
Leonardo Angeles, Argentina
Maria Cristina Artico, Argentina
Maria Rosa Marcos, Argentina
Catherine Graham, Australia
David Lee, Australia
David McKay, Australia
Leonard Freja, Australia
Graham Bond, Australia
Isabel Dallas, Australia
Jameson Wright, Australia
Jill Bannan, Australia
John Finch, Australia
John Tomlinson, Australia
Karen Jones, Australia
Katrina Pethers, Australia
Luke David Digance, Australia
Rachael Mead, Australia
Reuben van Bemmel, Australia
Robert Hill, Australia
Sophie Green, Australia
Erich Capka, Austia
Gerda Dauz, Austria
Verena Kovar, Austria
Bernard Van Nuffel, Belgium
Claude Lefort, Belgium
Francesca Gater, Belgium
Gabrielle Vogt, Belgium
Kris Vanslambrouck, Belgium
Michael Cocquyt, Belgium
Pascal Gistelinck, Belgium
Claudio Serverius, Belgium
Walter Vermander, Belgium
Beatriz Castro, Brazil
Edgard Schaffer, Brazil
Ilona Filet, Brazil
Ulisses Franz Bremer, Brazil
Beverly Birkman-McKendy, Canada
Deborah Lysenko, Canada
Michael Suchocki, Canada
Roderick Taylor, Canada
Samia Lalani, Canada
Stacy Era Bergot Campbell, Canada
Stephanie Cordeau, Canada
Ruth Latimer, Canada-Québec
Stuart Graham, Canada-Québec
Christel Bibi Brandtberg, Denmark
Helene Storgaard Mikkelsen, Denmark
Michael Poulsen, Denmark
Randi Nielsen, Denmark
Aet Annist, Estonia
Annika Vaksmaa, Estonia
Hembo Pagi, Estonia
Kadri Siller, Estonia
Kati Roostar, Estonia
Katre Luhamaa, Estonia
Maris Aleksashin, Estonia
Marit Võsaste, Estonia
Marko Tikas, Estonia
Monika Tomingas, Estonia
Raino Saksing, Estonia
Taavi Nuum, Estonia
Uno Kirsimagi, Estonia
Kari Jarvinen, Finland
Toni Tammi, Finland
Fred Brochier, France
Hervé Roset, France
Michel H. Martin, France
Olivier Godinot, France
Cerstin Bohnert, Germany
Doris Biesenbach, Germany
Frank Herms, Germany
Marc-Andre Allers, Germany
Silke Helfrich, Germany
Thomas Ungricht, Germany
Donald Latter, Hong Kong
Teodora Donsz, Hungary
Petur Thorleifsson, Iceland
Ashok Kumar Dash Tukuna, India
Longgena Ginting, Indonesia
Wahyu Nugroho, Indonesia
Francis Corrigan, Ireland
Alissa Bem-Ari, Israel
Gabriel Bar Giora, Israel
Nidal Masalha, Israel
Alessandro De Marinis, Italy
Gianni Girotto, Italy
Marco Simoncini, Italy
Marion Riolo, Italy
Matthew Coplan, Italy
Nada Omeira, Lebanon
Marc Kaufmann, Luxembourg
Ian Hall, Malaysia
Dion Borg, Malta
Hicham Filali, Morocco
Laxman Belbase, Nepal
Cornelus Johannes van der Sande, Netherlands
Debra Broughton, Netherlands
Helen Olney, Netherlands
Hella De Boo, Netherlands
Isabella Ivory, Netherlands
Nina Rodriguez Dubsky, Netherlands
Oscar Reyes, Netherlands
Pete Wilkins, Netherlands
Sander van Riel, Netherlands
Simone Nutt, Netherlands
Sophie Pritchard, Netherlands
Stef te Winkel, Netherlands
Tomas Pollard, Netherlands
Wieke Wagenaar, Netherlands
Gabriella Turek, New Zealand
N Vickerman, New Zealand
Piet Nieuwland, New Zealand
Eke Uguru, Nigeria
Vidar Haugen, Norway
Wajid Rashid Swati, Pakistan
Javier M. Claparols, Philippines
Mae Ocampo, Philippines
Piotr Dynowski, Poland
Veronika Vysna, Slovakia
Petra Sajn, Slovenia
Melanie Diesel, South Africa
Dale Marie, Spain
Dámaso Isidoro Terceño, Spain
Ioseba Amatiain Losa, Spain
Patrick O. Serrano, Spain
Devika de Silva, Sri Lanka
Peter Tegstad, Sweden
Silvia Ranestal, Sweden
Christina Fadler, Switzerland
Cristina Silvano, Switzerland
Hans-Christian Koenig, Switzerland
James Rudolf, Switzerland
Dogan Ozkan, Turkey
James Alden, UK-England
Matthew Sutcliffe, UK-England
Valerie Tomlinson, UK-England
Derek Stockdale, UK-Northern Ireland
Adam Jenner, UK
Almuth Ernsting, UK
Ann Godden, UK
Anthony Jackson, UK
Bem Miller, UK
Calvin Jones, UK
Chetna Pittea, UK
Chris van den Bos, UK
Dr Isabel Phillips, UK
George Marshall, UK
Gerald Anthony Cooper, UK
Hannah Wylie, UK
Harriet Wood, UK
Herschel Chawdhry, UK
Jane Affonso, UK
Janet Jackson, UK
Jennifer Agricola, UK
Jon Skoyles, UK
Joseph Nicholas, UK
Julie Usher, UK
Kathy White, UK
Kevin Anderson, UK
Kieron Whitehouse, UK
Lawrence Owens, UK
Liz Young, UK
Lloyd Austin, UK
Mari Shackell, UK
Marika Rose, UK
Mark Corfield, UK
Mark Oswin, UK
Michael Andrews, UK
Neill Talbot, UK
Paul Marchant, UK
Paul Anthony Dominiak, UK
Phillip Richard Oliver, UK
Polly Cadman, UK
Robert Palgrave,UK
Rosemary Lovegrove, UK
Sam Tarrant, UK
Stephan Groves, UK
Terry Charles, UK
Thomas Corbishley, UK
Timothy Pollington, UK
Tina Drakou, UK
William Ellens, UK
Adriana Faria, USA
Alissa Katz, USA
Amanda Michels, USA
Bijou Galletti, USA
Billee Sharp, USA
Bob and Donna Janusko, USA
Brendan Dooley, USA
Brian K. Sutton, USA
Cameron Brilla, USA
Candy Bowman, USA
Cate Kyne, USA
Charmaine Bailey, USA
Christina Fermin, USA
Cynthia Norris, USA
Danny DeTora, USA
Darryl Cox, USA
David Bruker, USA
Debra Broughton, USA
Dee Schiavone, USA
Donna Lewis, USA
Edith Reed, USA
Elizabeth Brensinger, USA
Elizabeth Dodd, USA
Ellen White, USA
Eric Schmidt, USA
Frances Tan, USA
Frances Hillyard, USA
Francis Mastri, USA
Fred Welty, USA
Gregory Esteve, USA
Heather Quick, USA
Hety Brost, USA
Jacqueline Gomez, USA
Jessica Travis, USA
Joan Breiding, USA
John Jarrott, USA
John Weatherman, USA
Jon Hager, USA
Judith Girard, USA
Judy Schriebman, USA
June Muller, USA
Kathryn Gallagher, USA
Keith Varady, USA
Kelly Marcu, USA
Kieran Conroy, USA
Kim Bauer, USA
Lawrence Toush, USA
Leila Merl, USA
Leslie Lutz, USA
Liette Pedraza-Tucker, USA
Lisa Gosnell, USA
Luther Quinn, USA
Mailie La Zarr, USA
Marc Bayram, USA
Mario Rivera, USA
Mark Cosgriff, USA
Marla Bottesch, USA
Mary Clausing, USA
Matthew Gordon, USA
Michael Stypa, USA
Michael J Murray III, USA
Monte Greene, USA
Morgane Le Morzellec, USA
Natalie Sanchez, USA
Patricia George, USA
Paul Moss, USA
Rachael Neile-McGrew, USA
Robert D´Amato, USA
Robert Rutkowsky, USA
Robert Eckmann, USA
S.E. Hardy, USA
Sammantha Lyle, USA
Sandra Branch, USA
Sharon Bahus, USA
Sharon Buazard, USA
Sheri Gibbs, USA
Sherry Mitchell-Bruker, USA
Simone Snyder, USA
Summer Swallow, USA
Suzanna Wellington, USA
Tim Duda, USA
Wendy Oser, USA
William McMullin, USA
Betty Lo, USA
Bruno Gagliardi, Uruguay
José Miguel Elosegui Alzugaray, Uruguay
