Scots campaigners have told of a shocking journey to the most dangerous place on Earth for eco activists.
The Atrato River basin in Colombia, in South America, is blighted by para-military gangs, guerrilla warfare and environmental devastation due to illegal gold mining.
Scots Catholic aid charity SCIAF has worked with local campaigners since 2006 to defend the way of life of communities – who are mainly Afro-Colombian and indigenous peoples – who depend on the river.
They told of the astonishing heroism of appointed River Guardians facing up to the constant threat from lawless gangs as they fight to save their fragile eco-system. James Cave, a filmmaker for SCIAF, said: “We took about an hour’s journey along this river and it started with beautiful virgin rainforest.
“But then, after 20 minutes, I have never seen anything like it. The environmental destruction was colossal. It would go from the huge 60ft trees to piles of rocks where trees should have been. There’s horrible stagnant pools of water which were like yellow and turquoise.
“And then you whiz past these huge machines that had a sort of big nose stuck into the bottom of the riverbed like something out of Mad Max – terrifying machines with flapping jaws at the front, separating the sediment.
“Loads of blokes patrol these areas. That’s the illegal gold mining. When you think of illegal activities in the UK, you imagine they’re in the shadows and not visible.
“But there, the illegal gold mining is 20 minutes away on a boat and it’s incredibly conspicuous, taking place in front of communities. When you see that image, it’s that horrible clash between poverty and exploitation. It was one of the most shocking journeys I’ve ever been on.”
A local environmental lawyer, Rodrigo, who represents the River Guardians, visited Scotland in October, telling the Record of the risks posed to community activists.
During the 2000s there was a bloody guerrilla war to control key parts of the territory between rival gangs, with the Atrato a strategic point for drug trafficking as well as gold and wood.
Rodrigo said: “Colombia is infamous as the most dangerous place for environmental defenders in the world – and Choco especially.
“The Guardians of the Atrato are representatives of communities whose main task is to preserve the rights of the river and bring strong public policy to the territory. One of the 14 Guardians is called Bernardino Mosqueda – he has had constant threats by, we suspect, the armed groups in alliance with these illegal miners.
“Somebody left a bullet in the front door of his house –that was the direct result of him speaking out against illegal mining.”
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