16.09.2019 Waldbrände im Amazonasgebiet - Stellungnahme der IUAES und WCAA zur Verantwortung der Regierung Bolsonaro

Die International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) und das World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA) betonen in einem unten stehenden Brief an den Internationalen Strafgerichtshof die Verantwortung der Regierung und Politik Bolsonaros für die Waldbrände im Amazonasgebiet und werfen ihr einen Ökozid vor. Das Fachgebiet Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie teilt diese Position.

Denouncement of the Brazilian government for ecocide by World Anthropological Association (IUAES; WCAA; ABA)

August 30, 2019,

IUAES 2019 Inter-Congress ”World Solidarities”

To the International Criminal Court

To UN Secretary-General

Denouncement of the Brazilian government for ecocide: crime against humanity
and the planet by deliberate destruction of the rainforest ecosystem,
causing loss of biodiversity and genocide of indigenous peoples and other
traditional communities

The International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences and the
World Council of Anthropological Associations are extremely concerned by the
fires destroying the Amazon rainforest area. At a crucial moment of
struggling against climate change and loss of biodiversity, several
wildfires are raging around the planet. It is outrageous that rainforests,
that do not naturally burn, have been set on fire on purpose in Brazil. The
rainforest burns in unprecedented scale, threathening the whole planets
oxygen production and global cycles of sweet water. We denounce the
Brazilian government for the ecocide occurring in the Brazilian Amazonia.

Ecocide refers to the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of
ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other
causes, to such extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that
territory has been or will be severy damaged (Polly Higgins: Eradicating
Ecocide, London 2010). The Bolsonaro government has been deliberately
promoting the destruction of the Amazon rainforest biosphere, and thus also
the local knowledge, cultural heritage and complete sphere of life of the
peoples of the rainforest. In addition to 197 indigenous peoples (IBGE
2010), the rainforest is home to hundreds of other traditional communities
such as afrodescendant quilombolas and traditional extractivists, who in
their territories protect the biodiversity crucial for sustaining life on
earth.

Since Bolsonaro government took office in January 2019, monitoring
environmental institutions and federal agencies of environmental protection
have been neglected and their funds severely cut. Warnings on deforestation
fires by INPE (National Institute of Space Research) have been
systematically neglected. Indigenous territories have been attacked and
illegal deforestation has been encouraged by systematical nonpunishment. The
government has failed to protect indigenous territories of illegal abuse of
land. The unprecedented burning of the Amazon rainforest was promoted and
initiated by landowners in an illegally planned series of attacks named ”Day
of Fire” (Dia do Fogo) on August 10, 2019. The Public Prosecutor (Ministério
Público) warned the Environmental Ministry and IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of
the Environment) days before, but no measures whatsoever where taken to
protect the forest and its inhabitants.

Genocide of indigenous peoples is one feature of the occurring ecocide in
Brazil. Once the forest is burned, it cannot grow back due to loss of the
rain cycles. With the forest, the planets richest reserve of biodiversity,
local knowledge on sustainable techniques of living, and entire cultures,
languages and ethnicities are offended, threatened and lost. What is needed
is more sustainable research on the forest and not more destruction. As
scientists of accumulated knowledge on the human kind, we denounce and
condemn the burning of the Amazonia rainforest as ecocide committed by the
Brazilian government. We demand immediate measures of prevention of further
fires and the restoration of the areas affected, with compensation to the
peoples of the rainforest.

Undersigned:

International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES);

World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA),

World Anthropological Union (WAU),

Brazilian Association of Anthropology (ABA),

the General Assembly of IUAES 2019 Inter-Congress