CLACS Event at Columbia University

Columbia University will host Bolivian leaders on Thursday, 15 December, talking
about environmental and indigenous politics. Complete info below:

Político Medioambiental y Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonia Boliviana
Fernando Vargas Mosua, Sergio Paita Siles
document.write(FullDate(15,12,2011));
Thursday, December 15th, 2011, 2:00 p.m.
Location: Room 802 of the International Affairs Building, Columbia University, 420 West 118th St, New York NY 10027 (map)
On the 15th August 2011 the “Great Indigenous March for the Defense of the Isiboro Secure Indigenous Territory and Dignity of Indigenous People in Amazonia, Chaco and the Eastern Lowlands” left Trinidad, Bolivia. After 65 days and more than 600 kilometers a group of 2,000 indigenous men, women and children arrived to the Bolivian seat of government, La Paz. The clarity, legitimacy and legality of their demands for respect for their territories, and their rights to previous and informed consultation regarding large development projects leveraged massive support from the general population. Additionally, the peaceful movement sensibilized the citizens of La Paz and half a million people received them as heroes. One of the central debates of conservation is the impact of protected areas on local livelihoods. However, indigenous people in Bolivia have promoted a model of co management which recognizes their territorial righst and establishes a constituency for conservation and indigenous rights. This experience shows that protected areas in Bolivia are highly valued by indigenous populations that are generally excluded from the benefits of development projects, in particular large ones.
TIPNIS (Isiboro Secure Indigenous Territory and Protected Area) is the collective land of 64 indigenous Chimane, Yuracare and Mojeño people. Their movement looks to avoid the destruction of 611,000 hectares as a result of induced development resulting from a road project which would cut in half an area of global biodiversity importance in the montane tropical forests of Bolivia.
Fernando and Sergio will talk about the values of TIPNIS for the indigenous population and the conflict with the road proposal. They will present the development of the march and the alliances which led to it. Finally they will present the results of this mobilization and remaining challenges.
Fernando Vargas Mosua is Mojeño indigenous leader of the Isiboro Secure Indigenous Territory and Protected Area. As a child he was only able to finish primary school but as a 38-year-old he had the opportunity to finish secondary school and then obtained a scholarship to obtain a technical diploma on Indigenous Rights and Hydrocarbons from the prestigious Social Sciences Faculty of Latin America (FLACSO). In the past decade he has supported indigenous rights and conservation from a diversity of positions ranging from technical advisor to the local municipal government, coordinator of socio-environmental mitigation programs linked to gas pipelines, implementing information programs on land titling and hydrocarbon activities in indigenous territories and implementing information programs on developing mechanisms for indigenous people in timber management projects. More recently he has been advisor to the executive direction of the Bolivian Protected Area Service (SERNAP) and since the 1st August 2011 president of the Isiboro Secure indigenous organization.
Sergio Paita Siles, lawyer from Cochabamba Bolivia with a Masters in Environmental Law and over 20 years profesional experience. He is of indigenous Quecha origin and his areas of expertise are planning and implementation of conservation and indigenous development plans including the development of community regulations. He has also worked for a decade in the Bolivian Protected Area Service (SERNAP) leading land-titling projects, reviewing relevant legislation projects, establishing conflict management platforms and developing alliances with social organizations in support of the consolidation of protected areas and indigenous territorial rights.