Public
FTAA.soc/w/156
October 24, 2000
Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat
FTAA -
COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF
CIVIL SOCIETY
CONTRIBUTION IN RESPONSE TO THE OPEN INVITATION
Name |
Patricia Vera Osses |
Organization (s)
(if applicable): |
Defensores del Bosque Chileno |
Country /
Region (s) |
Chile |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYDefensores del Bosque Chileno is a
non–profit citizen’s organization, founded in 1994, whose objectives are
to promote the protection of native forests, to inform and advise Chileans
on the ecosystems which form their national forest heritage and to develop
among Chileans an environmental awareness.
This organization has been supported from the beginning by thousands of
individuals, becoming a credible advocate with the decision-makers,
including business people who exploit the forest in a totally
non-sustainable way.
To help the FTAA promote the sustainable development of natural resources,
the protection of the environment and the protection of the biodiversity,
we recommend:
1) To impose trade sanctions in cases of standard reduction and
non-compliance with established standards. The low level of the Chilean
standards and the short-sightedness of Chilean legislation give logging
companies a competitive advantage. If this situation continues within the
FTAA, it should be considered eco-dumping and be subjected to
countervailing duties or to trade sanctions as in the case of commercial
dumping.
2) To eliminate logging activities which do not take into consideration
environmental costs and to require environmentally-sound technologies and
sustainable practices. Subsidies should be given to small farmers who use
sustainable agricultural practices and to owners of native forests for a
sustainable management of their resources. (Important part of the Bill on
native forests).
3) To incorporate measures for the conservation of natural resources and
the protection of the environment. Trade control measures for the
exportation and importation of natural resources should be specified to
accelerate environmental sustainability and environmental protection.
Trade restrictions, based on the standards governing the management of
natural resources, should particularly be considered acceptable. Trade
liberalization should not lead to an increase in non-sustainable
development of natural resources
4) To tax transactions of natural resources. The “polluter-pays principle”
is an internationally-recognized standard. A tax on multilateral trade
transactions of natural resources would compensate for the environmental
costs related to the intensification of forest development resulting from
the FTAA. The funds would serve to raise the level of compliance of
legislation on environment and natural resources and to protect
biodiversity. Without such a joint tax on natural resources, many
countries would oppose a green tax because they would find themselves at a
competitive disadvantage and, at the same time, they would lose another
economic tool to protect the environment.
5) To make sustainable development of natural resources a priority within
the FTAA. The attention given to natural resources is one of the mainstays
of the concept of “sustainable development”. To prevent negative effects
of the FTAA on both forest and natural resources , it shall include
provisions that: 1) require the tightening of legislation on the
sustainable management of natural resources and 2) create an assistance
program for the protection and restoration of natural resources, a program
that would include scientists who could identify priority problem areas in
Chile and that would provide the funds and technical assistance necessary
for the study, protection and restoration of soils and fields among other
things.
6) To make sure all control measures meet the criteria and indicators of
the Agreement on the Montreal Process for the conservation and sustainable
management of boreal and temperate forests. In 1995, Chile, along with ten
other countries, ratified the Montreal Process. The agreement, also called
the Santiago Declaration, identified 67 indicators for the conservation
and sustainable management of forests. The seven criteria are:
conservation of the biological diversity, maintenance of productive
capacity of forest ecosystems, maintenance of forest ecosystem health and
vitality, conservation and maintenance of soil and water resources,
maintenance of forest contribution to global carbon cycles, maintenance
and enhancement of longterm multiple socioeconomic benefits to meet the
needs of societies and legal, institutional and economic framework for
forest conservation and sustainable management. |