Global Justice Ecology Project(GJEP) has released a short documentary, which sheds light on the ongoing struggles of Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities in Brazil against the harmful effects of monoculture tree plantations through their own stories and voices.
The film, based on an international delegation of the STOP GE Tree Campaign to Brazil in May of 2023, features interviews with members of the Quilombola communities, the Ofaye people, and members of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), providing a comprehensive view of the fight for land sovereignty and against the ecological and social impacts of eucalyptus plantations.
The documentary exposes the dark side of the pulp industry in Brazil and its massive-scale eucalyptus plantations on local communities and biodiversity. Eucalyptus plantations, spanning regions in South America, southern Africa, southern Europe, and Australia, have been linked to water shortages, pollution from agrochemicals, and a total loss of biodiversity.
Brazil, as the world’s largest eucalyptus producer, plays a significant role in this destructive industry. With approximately 7.6 million hectares of eucalyptus plantations, Brazil accounts for 30 percent of the world’s total. The states of Bahía and Espírito Santo have witnessed the replacement of the diverse Atlantic Forest ecosystem with eucalyptus plantations, covering nearly three-quarters of some municipalities’ land area. Corporations such as Suzano export eucalyptus as pulp for various products, including toilet paper.
The introduction of genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus varieties approved in Brazil threatens to further exacerbate the ecological and social destruction caused by the industry. These GE trees, resistant to pesticides, are likely to increase the use of toxic chemicals such as Roundup, the glyphosate-based weedkiller. Additionally, engineered traits including insect-resistance and increased growth rates, pose a greater threat to the environment while benefiting the pulp and paper industry.
The film also documents the delegation’s meetings with representatives of various Brazilian Ministries in Brasilia. In one meeting, Moisés Savian, secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Agrarian Development, identified corporate interests as driving the push for GE eucalyptus. “It makes no sense in my vision to have a transgenic [eucalyptus] associated with glyphosate,” stated Savian. His comments highlighted the increasingly ubiquitous and probable cancer-causing herbicide Roundup. “It is much more linked to market interests of the corporations that want to sell herbicide,” the secretary noted.
Another motivation behind the push for GE eucalyptus is the incentive of receiving carbon credits for planting trees. Corporations like Suzano—which has been called the “world’s largest pulp exporter“—can be rewarded for planting enormous industrial tree monocultures—since they are technically planting trees, they are eligible for carbon credits—even though these plantations displace carbon-dense native forests, which store far more carbon than short-lived industrial eucalyptus monocultures.
The pulp industry in Brazil has already accelerated the growth rate of eucalyptus trees. This is increasing the enormous demands on water. So problematic is the expansion of eucalyptus monocultures on the hydrology and biodiversity of regions that they are often called “green deserts”.
Steve Taylor, Communications Director at GJEP, emphasized the documentary’s focus on frontline community members currently fighting against monoculture eucalyptus plantations. “The film is focused on telling the story of the impacts of monoculture eucalyptus plantations on Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities, by focusing on statements and interviews made by the frontline community members currently struggling against them,” Taylor said.
A story syndicated by Independent Media Institute also details the delegation’s trip to Brazil.
For more information, please contact Steve Taylor at +1 314 210 1322.
