Paraguay: Protect forests, safeguard Indigenous culture!

To: the Congress and government of Paraguay

“We urge the adoption of the legislative proposal to protect the natural, cultural and linguistic heritage of the Nivaĉle, Manjui, and Maká peoples of Pilcomayo.”

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We want our traditional living space to be respected. This is why we created a legislative proposal to protect the waters, fish, plants and animals of the Pilcomayo.

–statement by a Nivaĉle leader from the Pilcomayo region

For the three Mataguayo Indigenous peoples – the Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká del Pilcomayo – protection must be achieved through a ban on deforestation of remaining forests and reforestation in areas already cleared. Additionally, conditions must be established to allow Indigenous peoples to freely pursue their cultural practices such as fishing, hunting, gathering, farming and animal husbandry while maintaining their dietary habits. To achieve this, the Mataguayo peoples need unrestricted access to natural resources.

Regarding Indigenous languages such as Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká, they must be systematically included in school curricula so they can continue to be spoken alongside predominant languages such as Guaraní and Spanish.

A brief history

In the South American Gran Chaco region – spanning parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay – a genocide has been unfolding since the “Desert Campaign” conducted by the Argentine military between 1879 and 1885. This campaign forcibly expelled Indigenous peoples from areas in present-day Argentina. It was followed by the “Chaco War” between Bolivia and Paraguay from 1932 to 1935, during which attempts were made by the Bolivian army to exterminate Indigenous peoples. Ethnic cleansing continues today through expropriation of traditional Indigenous villages and privatization of their land by the Paraguayan state.

The Mataguayo peoples of Pilcomayo were among those decimated during successive waves of ethnic cleansing. The Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká are survivors of colonization-driven dispossession in the lower Pilcomayo basin. This destruction was fueled by settler occupation and ongoing ecological devastation (ecocide).

Over the past two decades, land-use changes have led to dramatic losses in biological as well as cultural and ethnic diversity. The Paraguayan Chaco is particularly affected, especially in Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Presidente Hayes departments. Protecting the Pilcomayo basin – home to vital wetlands, dry forests and savannas – is critically important due to its ecosystem services for the region.

Since 2012, Boquerón has experienced the highest deforestation rate in Gran Chaco due to meat production, soy farming and illegal charcoal production. The destruction of Pilcomayo ecosystems threatens biological richness along with territorial, ecological, socio-cultural and linguistic practices of the Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká peoples. This violates their rights on multiple levels. Urgent measures are needed to safeguard these ecosystems.

Against this backdrop, an Indigenous initiative drafted a legislative proposal aimed at protecting the natural, cultural and linguistic heritage of Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká peoples in Pilcomayo. This law would contribute significantly to preserving South America’s second-largest ecosystem – currently under severe threat – while ensuring the survival of Indigenous communities.

To: the Congress and government of Paraguay

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The ecosystem of the Pilcomayo River Basin – and, consequently, the habitat of the Mataguayo peoples of Pilcomayo – is under severe threat. As the water flow of the Pilcomayo decreases, wetlands along its banks are drying up. The ongoing deforestation of the Chaco is destroying biodiversity and jeopardizing the livelihoods of the Indigenous Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká peoples. This constitutes a significant violation of their rights.

With this letter, I express my full support for the Indigenous proposal for a law to protect the natural, cultural and linguistic heritage of the Nivaĉle, Manjui and Maká peoples of Pilcomayo. This proposal was drafted by their coordinating organizations. This law is both urgent and essential for ensuring the survival of these communities.

I would like to remind you that the Paraguayan state is responsible for guaranteeing the rights of these populations, to whom it owes an immense historical debt. I therefore urge you to adopt this legislative proposal without delay, thereby fulfilling your national and international obligations regarding Paraguay’s territorial, environmental, cultural and linguistic norms.

Yours faithfully,

The issue – our appetite for meat

Most people in rich countries consider meat to be essential to a good meal. That holds especially true for Americans, who each consumed 90 kilograms of meat in 2014 – in the same year, the global average was 34 kilograms. There are 19 billion chickens, 1.4 billion cows, 1 billion pigs and 1 billion sheep on the planet at any given time – that’s three head of livestock for every person.

Maintaining such a huge livestock population has a very high price: 26 percent of the world’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing and 33 percent of the world’s cropland is dedicated to growing livestock feed. Instead of feeding humans, a significant share of the world’s wheat, corn, barley and soybeans is thus used to raise livestock. Soybean meal is the largest source of protein animal feed in the world, and the areas needed for its production are expanding into fragile ecosystems such as the Brazilian Cerrado and the Amazon.

The impact – deforestation, monocultures, climate change

Landscapes once covered by rainforest and savannah are now marked by endless industrial agriculture spaces. More than 75 million hectares are devoted to growing soy – an area three times the size of the United Kingdom. Indigenous people are frequently displaced when their forests are bulldozed or torched, and those that remain are often in grave danger due to pesticide exposure: Roundup-Ready Monsanto GMO soybean plants are grown on 31 to 38 percent of the total planted area in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, an herbicide that is suspected of causing cancer and damaging human DNA.

Producing meat has a profound impact on the climate: with methane from bovine stomachs, carbon released by deforestation and fossil-fueled machinery, and nitrous oxide released by synthetic fertilizer, animal agriculture accounts for 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The solution – plant power and planned indulgences

Our food choices have a direct impact on the future of the rainforests: the animal products we eat account for 72 percent of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions. Their production also requires many times more farmland than plant products for human consumption.

Here is how you can help protect your health, the environment and the climate:

1. Eat alternatives to meat and dairy products: Seitan steaks, lupin spreads, soy milk and other tasty and nutritious alternatives to animal products can be found in virtually any supermarket.
2. If you must eat meat, make it an occasional treat: If you are not ready to give up meat entirely, reduce your consumption as much as possible and make meat a planned indulgence. Choosing organic meat can help further reduce the environmental impact of your diet.
3. Say yes to soy products: Only about two percent of the world's soy crop is processed into tofu, soy yogurt and similar products. Soy for human consumption is mostly grown in Europe and does not drive deforestation.
4. Stop food waste: Consumers in North America and Europe each waste between 95 and 110 kg of food a year – much of it meat. Planning your grocery shopping with care can literally save lives.
5. Speak out: Tens of thousands have taken part in street protests such as the March Against Monsanto to pressure policymakers and advocate forms of agriculture that take human health, animal welfare and climate protection into account. Taking part in online petitions and writing to your elected representatives can also make a real difference.