Tag Archives: environmental crisis

TIPNIS Post on TerraNullius

Posted on February 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

Stop by TN for my latest thoughts on the TIPNIS conflict, including a discussion of the government’s plan for a consultation with park residents.  Here’s a snippet:

On October 24, 2011, Bolivians breathed a collective sigh of relief.  After a two-month struggle, culminating in massive protests in front of the Presidential Palace in La Paz, Evo Morales signed a bill declaring the Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro-Secure (TIPNIS) “untouchable.”

The controversial road connecting Villa Tunari with San Ignacio de Moxos would not pass through the national park and protected indigenous territory.  The peoples’ cry to defend TIPNIS had been heard; “Evo Pueblo” had lived up to his moniker, even if only under extreme pressure, and had listened to his constituents.  He even said so himself:  “The TIPNIS issue is resolved,” he declared. “This is governing by obeying the people.”

Or so we thought.  Though many were probably skeptical from the start, many others—myself included—thought the case was closed.  The government would still likely construct a road between Villa Tunari and San Ignacio de Moxos, but the new law dictated that it would skirt the park.  That, not prohibition of a road altogether, had always been the goal.

As the last few weeks have shown, however, the victory dance was premature.  On February 10, 2012, President Morales signed a new law bringing back from the dead the possibility a road through TIPNIS.  Three-and-a-half months after declaring the park “untouchable,” Morales signed a law calling for a “prior consultation” to determine whether the road should go forward as originally planned. How did this happen, and how can we make sense of it?

Read the rest here.  Thanks again to TN’s Rhodri C. Williams for the opportunity to post on his great site.

-NF

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Posted in Bolivia, Brasil, South American Environment

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On the Brink? TIPNIS Law to be Revisted by Bolivian Legislature

Posted on January 18, 2012 | 1 Comment

Though it’s probably difficult for outside observers to imagine–and even tough for many of us here in Bolivia–there is a chance that the gains of October could be reversed.  Dario Kenner of Bolivia Diary reports as follows:

The Plurinational Assembly (Congress and Senate) approved Law 180 on 24 October. A few days ago it was formally introduced for further discussion on the parliament´s agenda. The intention is to  modify the law to build the road through the TIPNIS. It is unclear how long this process will take but it could happen soon.

Modifying the law is a very real possibility because since the 2009 general election the governing Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party has enjoyed a two thirds majority in the Plurinational Assembly (Congress and Senate) and controls the executive branch. However, it might not be quite so straightforward because several indigenous MAS represenatives in the Congress have said they will no longer vote with the MAS.

It is no coincidence the Morales government is now attempting to reverse Law 180. A march led by indigenous communities in the south of the TIPNIS represented by CONISUR (Indigenous Council of the South) is expected to arrive in La Paz very soon. Around a thousand have marched since 20 December 2011 from the edge of the national park to demand the reversal of Law 180 and for the road to be built through the TIPNIS (for more information see Bolivia Diary article on the CONISUR march and interview with expert on TIPNIS Sarela Paz).

For the full story by Dario, click here.

 

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Posted in Bolivia, South American Environment

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Here We Go Again? TIPNIS March, Part 2 — This Time in Favor of the Road

Posted on December 27, 2011 | 1 Comment

As I stated in my piece in Foreign Affairs, the Morales administration antagonized much of its political base when it tried to force the construction of a road through a national park and protected indigenous territory (known as TIPNIS).  In protest, residents of the park launched a grueling march, taking them hundreds of miles from the lowlands of the Amazon basin to the cold heights of La Paz.  For every step they took, popular support for their position kept pace, building in magnitude as the marchers approached their destination.

Still, the movement wasn’t a full-on crisis for the government until September 25, when someone from La Paz–exactly who remains a debate–ordered a crackdown. Scores of marchers were arrested, and acts of police brutality were caught on tape.  The crackdown solidified opposition to the TIPNIS freeway and the Morales government in general.  Three weeks later, widespread pressure forced the government to scrap the plan to build through TIPNIS.  A few days after that, Morales signed a law proclaiming TIPNIS “untouchable.”  The marchers had won.

Or had they?  The decision to scrap the road was never accepted by the cocaleros and many other important sectors of Bolivian society.  When I traveled to Villa Tunari a few weeks ago, cocaleros had blocked the road to Santa Cruz.  Hundreds of trucks were backed up for two days.  The cocaleros and their allies wanted the road through TIPNIS, and they were willing to go to the mat for it.

But all that was probably to be expected.  Though the reasons are manifold, instability is undeniably a fixture of Bolivian politics.  The latest turn of events, however, has even the old-timers scratching their heads.  Another indigenous group–not from TIPNIS, but from the southeastern part of the country–has launched a march of its own.  Its goal:  the repeal of the law officially cancelling construction through TIPNIS.  These marchers, some 1,000 strong, are also aiming for La Paz, and they are expected to arrive in Cochabamba this coming Wednesday.  If I can, I’ll try to capture some images.

What to make of all this?  What, if anything, does it say about the stability of law in Bolivia?  Even if the government holds firm, many seem to have the perception (and perhaps they are right) that laws in Bolivia are easily changed.  Is this perception by itself dangerous to a democratic society?  Is it beneficial?

-NF

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Posted in Bolivia, South American Environment

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Morales Signs Law Prohibiting Construction of Freeway through TIPNIS

Posted on October 26, 2011 | 1 Comment

It’s official — the road will not go through TIPNIS.  After announcing the decision over the weekend, President Morales signed the bill on Monday, memorializing the about-face as an act of law.  Dario Kenner of Bolivia Diary has the full story here.  As Dario notes, there are still many unresolved issues, including the investigation of police repression and curbing coca cultivation and illegal forestry in the park.  Still, the government’s move resolves the immediate crisis, as evidenced by the TIPNIS marchers’ decision to leave La Paz and return to the lowlands.

-NF

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Posted in Bolivia, South American Environment

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The Show Ain’t Over, Folks — TIPNIS Marchers Arrive in La Paz, Police Resort to Tear Gas

Posted on October 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

I’m a little short on details at the moment–I’ve been watching the action from Philadelphia as I get ready to board a plan back to Bolivia this evening–but things are looking dicey in La Paz.  The TIPNIS marchers arrived in La Paz yesterday and crowded the plaza outside the Presidential Palace.  The government had promised a dialogue with TIPNIS representatives but then infuriated the crowd by announcing that the meeting would not take place in the Presidential Palace.  The government finally caved on that, but only after raising the peoples’ anger by denying various people entrance to the plaza (crowd control).  It’s not clear to me when the gas was launched or how many were affected.  I’ll post more as information becomes available.  In the meantime, I direct my readers to Bolivia Diary for play-by-play coverage.

-NF

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Posted in Bolivia

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The TIPNIS Poster

Posted on September 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

The TIPNIS poster by proyecto mARTadero

This poster, courtesy of proyecto mARTadero, is making its way around Cochabamba.  It features the image of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and reads “La Verdad Nos Hara TIPNIS” (“The Truth Will Make Us TIPNIS”), along with an apocalyptic interpretation of the Bolivian national crest.  I find it very visually striking, even if a bit hyperbolic.

-NF


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Posted in Bolivia, Brasil

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The TIPNIS Saga

Posted on September 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

You can’t make this stuff up.  As I mentioned before, the big environmental issue in Bolivia is the proposed construction of a freeway through the heart of a national park and protected indigenous territory known as TIPNIS (Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure).

After earning the admiration of environmentalists and indigenous-rights advocates worldwide for his leadership during 2006-2010, President Evo Morales is now quickly earning their scorn.  Even if the freeway does comply with all substantive and procedural laws–a big “if,” from what I hear–the administration has to understand that it completely undermines the goodwill it has earned with the environmentalists and indigenous communities over the years.

To make matters worse, the Morales administration has accused NGOs of fomenting dissent and has  launched formal investigations of certain organizations.  The administration has also accused the U.S. of lending support to the protests, using the matter as an excuse to support the opposition and sap the strength of the “socialist” government in La Paz.

This last accusation is vexing.  On the one hand, history contains plenty of examples of U.S. interference in Latin America, such that it can’t be dismissed as entirely ludicrous.  But on the other hand, where’s the evidence?  This is a serious accusation that needs to be backed up with facts.  To my knowledge, nothing in the way of proof has been offered.

I guess my final take is this:  If this is all legal and justifiable, why not defend the project on that basis?   I applaud Mr. Morales for many of his efforts, but he’s really dropping the ball on this one.

-NF

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Posted in Bolivia, South American Environment, U.S. South American Policy

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