Spanish Version
Signatories

We, the representatives of NGOs, local communities and indigenous peoples, gathered in San Jose, Costa Rica for the COP7 of the RAMSAR Convention, from May 10 to May 18, 1999, under the title "People and Wetlands: A Vital Link", express the following:

1. Our deep concern before the increasing destruction of wetlands around the world from dam construction and the serious impact dams have on the communities that depend on the resources wetlands provide. Dam construction is affecting not only local communities but also larger populations that depend on wetland resources for water, food, diverse materials and services. This uncontrolled expansion of the hydroelectric dams represents the interests of the economically powerful sectors of society but does not respond to the real needs of the grand majority. These powerful sectors reflect the vision of economic growth without limits or restraints based on uncontrolled production and consumption models that do not take into account the natural limits of the ecosystems and the associated social impacts.

2. Our support of the "Fifteen Proposals for Our Planet", the result of the pre-conference entitled "World Meeting of NGOs, Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples on Wetlands" held on May 7-9, 1999 in San Jose, Costa Rica with the participation of 110 delegates representing 21 countries and more that 500 local, national and international organizations and coalitions. We particularly support Point 3 of the document that demands for a moratorium on the construction of new hydroelectric dams, channelizations, dredging, reclamation and waterways that affect wetlands and the people whose survival depends upon them. This moratorium must be considered as a pre-condition to the formulation of a sustainable energy policy and should be defined through a participatory and democratic process that includes local communities, indigenous peoples and non-governmental organizations.

3. Our support of the Curitiba Declaration developed at the First International Meeting of People Affected by Dams in March 1997 that declares "the 14th of March as the International Day of Action against Dams for Rivers, Water and Life." We support the document's affirmation that "in all parts of the world dams are displacing people from their home lands, inundating fertile lands and forests, destroying fisheries and clean water sources, and producing cultural disintegration and the impoverishment of local communities. In all parts of the world there is an enormous gap between the social and economic benefits promised by dam builders and the reality once they are finished ... It is necessary to develop alternative energy sources and to manage water resources in a participatory and sustainable way."

4. Our objection to the idea that dams are sources of "clean energy." For this reason, we also reject the false argument from some governments that they are the alternative to mitigate global climate change as it was demonstrated at the COP4 of the Convention on Climate Change held in November of last year in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

5. Our commitment to continue working in favor of the conservation and rational use of wetlands in defense of the local communities living from them. Our commitment to stop new dam projects, such as the mega-projects planned for the Parana River and its fluvial wetlands and the dam proposed on the Tong River and its wetlands in Korea that promise flood control and clean water, or the clusters of small but destructive dams as the 80 proposed in Costa Rica. We express our strong intent to form a permanent working group on wetlands and dams that unites the NGOs of the five continents that carry out campaigns against dams and are represented here. We invite organizations and communities from all over the world to join this declaration which in the spirit of Curitiba says "Waters for Life, Not for Death!"

San Jose, Costa Rica, 17 de mayo 1999

• Jang Ji-Young, Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, Korea
• Jorge Cappato, Fundacion Proteger-Rios Vivos, Argentina
• Melissa Marin, Amigos de la Tierra-Costa Rica
• Minoru Kashiwagi, Japan Wetlands Action Network, Japan
• Carmen Tome, Amigos de la Tierra Internacional, Spain
• Hernan Rojas, Red de Apoyo a los Pueblos Indigenas, Norweig
• Angela Brady, Australian Wetlands Alliance, Australia

*****************************
Fundacion PROTEGER
Balcarce 1450 3000 Santa Fe - Argentina Nuevo
Tel: 54-342-4558520
: rios.proteger@arnet.com.ar
*****************************