Title:
OCP Crude Oil Pipeline in Ecuador
Proposed by: Liz Hosken
Seconded by:
Million
Belay
WHEREAS,
The Amazon headwaters in Ecuador are an incomparable biological
treasure house and home to unique indigenous communities;
The biggest threat to this area is the ecological and social destruction
accompanying the oil extraction industry;
The proposed OCP crude oil pipeline would double the mount of oil
extracted from the area and destroy large tracts of wild nature including
"protected areas" such as the Yasuni National Park, the Cuyabeno National
Park, the Panacocha Reserve, and others' plus the traditional lands of
Huaorani, Quichua, Cofan, Secoya and Siona peoples;
As it traverses the Andes, the pipeline will of necessity pass through
geologically unstable areas prone to earthquakes and landslides, following
a route similar to the existing pipeline which has burst 48 times, spilled
75 million litres of oil, killed 30 people and polluted forests, rivers
and farms;
In late October 2001, local grassroots conservation groups blockaded the
start of pipeline construction and appealed to the world conservation
community for support;
All attempts to influence the oil companies and the Ecuadorian government
have failed;
The main source of funding for the OCP project is WestLB, the largest
publicly owned German bank;
This project would never be allowed to proceed in Germany or anywhere else
in the developed world;
There is already considerable opposition to this project within WestLB
itself
The German people have consistently shown a strong commitment to ecology
in general and to rainforest conservation in particular.
THEREFORE,
the 7th World Wilderness Congress
RESOLVES, that
The Ecuadoran government withdraw its plan for this pipeline, and observe
ecological and cultural needs in any new plan;
No foreign donor agency or bank, including WestLB, provide financing for
the OCP pipeline project; and
German citizens actively and directly protest to WestLB, using a customer
boycott if necessary.
Proposed by:
Liz Hosken
Gaia Foundation
18 Well Walk,
London NW3 1ld UK
+44 207 4355000
liz@gaianet.org
Seconded by:
Million Belay
P.O. Box 20345 Code 1000
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
+251 1 524446
millionbelay@yahoo.com
