Weekly web roundup: Battle for the Amazon
by Toby, Survival
On Friday, Brazzil magazine published a piece about the Brazilian court judgement on the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous lands, due this week. Under threat from rice farmers, the Indians of Raposa-Serra do Sol have suffered violent attacks such as the one in this video. On Thursday 27 August, Brazil’s Supreme Court will decide whether the demarcation of the indigenous area stands, in a ruling that could affect tribal lands throughout the Amazon. The Guardian (UK) also reported on the pending court ruling.
The BBC’s Crossing Continents reported on Mayan protests over Canadian mining giant Goldcorp’s planned mine in Guatemala.
“After I spoke at [Goldcorp's annual shareholder's meeting],” Mayan activist Mario Tema says, “a shareholder approached me and he told me ‘I don’t care about your cause, all I care about is the money in my pocket.’”
Last week, The Scotsman revealed that Edinburgh-based investment company Martin Currie has sold its shares in London-based mining company Vedanta Resources after concern about its plans to mine the Dongria Kondh’s sacred Niyamgiri mountain in India. The paper then asked ‘So, what misery does your pension pay for?’ Unsurprisingly, the Dongria Kondh got another mention.
Indyblogs’ Andrew Buncombe covered the ongoing struggle against Vedanta and says:
It’s heartening to know that the people who promised to continue their campaign whatever the Supreme Court ruled were not making empty promises.
And finally… we heard that this year’s Fell Edge Fest, an ‘end of summer celebration combining workshops of all shapes and sizes and an eclectic mix of bands and DJs to party the night away’ will be held in aid of Survival. It’s to be held somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales, 12-14 September. More via Facebook or on the Fell Edge Fest site.