| Saving the Amazon As we continue in our efforts to effect systemic change through the use of our Congregational Corporate Voice, our attention focused on the region of the Amazon. Our Sisters in Brazil presented information from their lived reality concerning, the abuse and destruction of both the human and natural resources of this large and important area. Our Brazilian Sisters live in five (5) Provinces, Porto Alegre, Caxais, Lagoa Vermelha, Parana, Sao Paulo, and the Region of the North/North East, They also are located in Bolivia where they experience first hand the reality of the poor and the destruction of the natural resources of the Amazon region. The Amazon is part of South America. It is more than 6.5 million square kilometers, or more than 2.5 million square miles, or a little less than 1.2 billion acres. Comprised of nine (9) countries: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Suriname, Guiana, and French Guiana, about 85% of the Amazon region is in Brazil. To give us some perspective of this area, consider the following: the Amazon is seven (7) times larger than France, or approximately the size of 32 countries of Western Europe. It contains one-third of the tropical forest of the world, and despite the enormous size of the Amazon, it is actually in danger of eventually becoming a desert! The Amazon is “home” to almost 20 million people of unequaled multicultural diversity, and it is in the people that the true wealth of the Amazon exists. There are more than 180 indigenous tribes, all with there own culture, language, traditions and stories. There are also Quilombola communities, the people descendents of the fugitive slaves that lived in the region. A third group of inhabitants of the Amazon are river dwellers. The river dwellers reside, cultivate and live on the riverbanks in harmony with nature. A fourth group are the migrants, those who have moved within Brazil, as well as from other countries. Amazingly, though diverse, the people of the Amazon have managed to live in harmony with one another, and with respect for their environment. However, the lives and cultures of these peoples are being threatened by economic “progress.” As Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates, we could not remain silent once alerted to the destruction our earth and the abusive treatment of her dwellers in the Amazon region. In October, at our Extended Council meeting in the United States (a meeting of all provincials/regional coordinators of the Congregation world-wide), we issued a Corporate Statement denouncing the abuse of the people and the destruction of the land. Our General Council and each Provincial signed that Statement. The Statement was sent to the political leaders and ministers of the nine (9) Brazilian States (Acre, Amazonia, Amapa, Para, Rondonia, Roraima, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, and part of Maranhao), and the nine (9) countries (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Suriname, Guiana and French Guiana) that make up the Amazon. In addition to this action, each provincial returned to her province with the Statement to be signed by Sisters and Associates and sent to the leaders and ministers sited above. Vigilance regarding this issue is needed, and our sisters in Brazil have promised to keep us updated regarding the situation.
For more information on the Amazon, we suggest the following websites: http://rainforest.mongabay.com/amazon/ - The Amazon: The World’s Largest Rainforest http://www.pbs.org/journeyintoamazonia/ - Journey Into Amazonia http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/ - Amazon-Rainforest.org April 2008
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