THE AMAZONIAN OIL WARS by Gina Hamilton 1150 word article for Australian publications

A new phase of devastation has taken hold in the depths of the Amazon, as oil exploration increasingly reaches it's slimy hands into one of the world's highest biodiversity hotspots.
Despite strong local and international opposition, a new oil pipeline running through northern Ecuador is just about finished.

Ecuador's external debt is at record levels, the highest of any country in South America. Whilst oil production doubles, the debt doesn't lessen - the people's quality of life worsens, their environment destroyed.

The OCP (Heavy Crude Pipeline) consortium consists of 7 multinational oil companies led by Canada's Encana (31.4%), and is financed by a syndicate of several banks in many countries, led by Germanys Westdeutsche Landesbank (WestLB) and Citibank.

NGO's in several countries including Canada, Spain, USA, Italy, Germany, and in Ecuador itself have campaigned against the construction of the pipeline. In Ecuador, activists last year held up work for months with the first tree-sit blockade in S American history. In Germany, Greenpeace and other activists protesting the financing of OCP by WestLB have done many protests resulting in parliamentary hearings.

So far they have failed to prevent the pipeline's completion, but have succeeded in raising awareness around the world about the impact of oil on the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Over the last 30 years the existing SOTE pipeline has ruptured many times, causing 16.8 million gallons of oil to pour into river systems and local communities. The latest spill was in early April this year, spilling 8-10 000 barrels of oil into the Papallacta Lagoon, the capital city of Quito's water supply. PetroEcuador blame OCP construction machinery.

According to a report by Robert Goodland (who worked in the World Bank environmental department for 25 years) OCP have failed to comply with the World Bank social and environmental standards in regards to construction, environmental assessment and compensation.

The pipeline traverses ridge tops along steep mountain terrain, amongst active volcanoes and through lush, unique forest eco-systems, threatening many water ways, the lives of indigenous peoples and numerous endangered species.

Pollution caused by oil spills over the years remains, money for clean ups (when responsibility is admitted) disappears, as corruption rules and the threat of violence looms large over protests.

As the OCP pipeline is 90% complete, it may not be possible to stop it, though valiant efforts continue. However, the oil companies are hoping to drill new wells in Yasuni and Cuyabeno National Parks and many other reserves and indigenous areas in the Amazon headwaters - this we certainly can prevent.

Australian volunteers from the Lismore-based Rainforest Information Centre (RIC) have been working in these areas since the late '80's and were funded by the Australian government aid agency AusAID to help protect them. In particular, RIC's efforts were instrumental in the reservation of the 56,000 Ha Panacocha Reserve with it's 9 species of monkeys, pink Amazon River dolphins, Jaguars and Ocelots. Now seismic lines snake through the reserve and Occidental Petroleum prepares to drill wells there.

Australian volunteers from the Lismore-based Rainforest Information Centre (RIC) have been working in these areas since the late '80's and were funded by the Australian government aid agency AusAID to help protect them. In particular, RIC's efforts were instrumental in the reservation of the 56,000 Ha Panacocha Reserve with it's 9 species of monkeys, pink Amazon River dolphins, Jaguars and Ocelots. Now seismic lines snake through the reserve and Occidental Petroleum prepares to drill wells there.

All around the world people are rallying to support the Shuar, and Achuar, Huaorani, Quichua, Shiwiar and Zapara indigenous communities, and the pristine forests of Ecuador's southern Amazon region. These peoples have seen the last round of oil exploitation devastate their health and their culture and want no more of it

WHAT YOU CAN DO

· Juan Pablo Barragan, a brilliant Ecuadorian film-maker/activist has just
completed a 35-minute campaign video about the issue. "Amazon Oil Pipeline: Pollution, Corruption and Poverty" has been produced in 6 languages in order to educate activists and enable them to confront the companies in their home countries. Please order a copy of this video to screen at the university or elsewhere followed by email/letter-writing sessions to the oil companies, banks and the IMF.

* Contact the Rainforest Information Centre (RIC), www.rainforestinfo.org.au johnseed1@ozemail.com.au 02 66213294 and they will send you updates and Urgent Action Alerts about the issue.

· In the '80's a lot of the best work in international rainforest conservation was done by Rainforest Action Groups (RAGs) around the world. Why not start a cyber RAG? Contact Rainforest Information Centre for details.

* Please write emails, faxes and letters of protest about OCP.

It doesn't matter how short your letters are, they are counted. If enough of us make ourselves heard, things will change.

1. Please write to the US office of German Bank WestLB asking them to pull out of the OCP project and demand that OCP immediately repay the 900 million dollars they have loaned to OCP. One of the contractual conditions for this loan was that OCP adhere to World Bank standards for protection of nature and of indigenous communities. OCP has blatantly and continuously breached this contract (see www.rainforestinfo.org.au/ocp/goodland.htm)

West LB, Regional Head of Structured Finance Americas, Mr. Manfred Knoll, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, USA
Ph: +1 212 852 6250
Fax: +1 212 852 6232
manfred_knoll@westlb.com, rod_fraser@westlb.com, presse@westlb.de, poststelle@stk.nrw.de2.

Please write EnCana, the Canadian oil company that leads the consortium with 34% - the biggest stake in OCP:
Gwyn Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, EnCana Corporation, PO Box 2850, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2S5, Canada
Phone: +1 403 645 2000
Fax: +1 403 645 3400
gwyn.morgan@encana.com, andy.patterson@encana.com, dick.wilson@encana.com

* Please write to the President of Ecuador, with a copy to Accion Ecologica, demanding:

- the cancellation of the contract between the Ecuadorian government and the OCP because of human rights violations ,environmental impacts and breach of contract (world bank guidelines not followed).

- That Ecuador declare a moratorium on new oil and gas concessions in the Amazon, in particular those on indigenous territories and protected areas.

Presidente Lucio Gutiérrez,
Despacho Presidencial,
Calle García Moreno y Chile,
Quito, Ecuador
Ph: +593 22 580833
Fax: +593 22 580748
karina.giler@presidencia.gov.ec

Accion Ecologica: natwe@uio.satnet.net

* Please contact the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and tell them you want them to cancel Ecuador's debt in exchange for Ecuador protecting the Amazon forests and indigenous people.

International Monetary Fund, Attn. Horst Koehler, Managing Director,
700 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20431, USA
Ph: +1 202 623 7300
Fax: +1 202 623 6278
Emails: hkoehler@imf.org
publicaffairs@imf.org

Anoop Singh, Director of the Western Hemisphere Department, IMF
Ph: +1 202 623 6222
Fax: +1 202 623 7499
Email: asingh@imf.org

Michael J. Callaghan
Australia's Executive Director for the IMF
700 19th St, NW
Washington, DC 20431
USA
fax: 00111 (202) 623-4661
tel: 00111 (202-623-7000)
mcallaghan@imf.org, GFrancis@imf.org