Greenpeace protests against the contribution of the World Bank to the shrimp aquaculture industry at the COP8 conference in Valencia
Greenpeace protested today against the contribution of the World
Bank and other lending institutions to the shrimp aquaculture
industry at the 8th Conference of the Parties (COP 8) of the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands (1). The shrimp aquaculture industry is
believed to be the primary cause of mangrove and wetland
destruction throughout the tropical coastal regions of the
world.
Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner at the Science Museum,
which is hosting the COP 8, that read "WORLD BANK: STOP MANGROVE
DESTRUCTION". The banner also depicted a large human skull exuding
dollars near a map of Latin America.
"World Bank loans for new shrimp farms , as revealed by several
recent case studies carried out in Latin America, caused massive
mangrove destruction, and social disruption", stated Eva Hernandez,
of Greenpeace. "Some clear examples are the providing of recent
funding to industrial shrimp aquaculture expansion in Belize and
Honduras-including Ramsar Sites-affecting mangroves and other
tropical coastal ecosystems." Mangroves stand out among the coastal
wetlands of international importance, and are vital for sustaining
local communities in developing countries.
Greenpeace was joined by Red Manglar (Mangrove Network),
Mangrove Action Project, PREPARE and other visiting NGOs at today's
protest where groups denounced the non-compliance of the Resolution
1989, Article 4 of the Human Rights Commission to the United
Nations, which states that the payment of the external debt by
developing countries should not jeopardise human rights and
environment On the contrary, this resolution is often violated by
current World Bank lending policies.
"Conservation efforts are being thwarted by these violations of
Ramsar resolutions meant to conserve wetlands of international
importance; Too many wetlands are being lost to this ongoing
disregard by both the World Bank and the shrimp aquaculture
industry for Ramsar´s stated objectives," said Lider Gongora of Red
Manglar.
Gongora also highlighted the perversity of systems imposed by
World Bank and other international financial institutions such as
the Inter-American Development Bank for countries in debt: public
money for private appropriation, and harmful to environment and
people thus violating UN resolutions.
In a statement read to plenary at CoP 8, Greenpeace, Red
Manglar, MAP, PREPARE, other NGOs urged Ramsar to carry out a study
on the ecological and socio-economic impacts of unsustainable
shrimp aquaculture impacting Ramsar Sites, and other wetlands and
the extent to which Resolution VII.21 paragraph 15 has been
implemented and to demand the World Bank and other multilateral
financial institutions to stop the financing and/or promotion of
industrial shrimp aquaculture.
Greenpeace will sponsor this afternoon a side event on the COP
8, to present a report on the Role of International Financial
Institutions in the destruction of Mangroves in Latin America.
Notes: (1)The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 133 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1229 wetland sites, totaling 105.9 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance