In San Cristóbal de las Casas on 23-25 October, there was held the international seminar, the Open Veins of Contemporary Chiapas: socio-environmental dialogue among actors, from the local to the global.
The organization of the seminar, which was made up of different Mexican civil organizations, posed as its objective to “provide a space for discussion of dialogue among academics, non-governmental groups, and communal organizations regarding the political ecology and ecological economics of contemporary Chiapas, presenting and discussing the socio-environmental, political, and economic dynamics derived from the appropriation of natural resources within a context which links the local to the global.”
During the seminar itself, in which participated academics and representatives of civil and social organizations from Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia, different questions were addressed, including mining, wind-energy, dams, agrofuels, transgenics, and protected natural areas, among other things.
Those affected by extractive and exploitative policies presented the experiences which they have had in their communities, and they indicated different strategies and alternatives for the defense of their lands and territories.
Similarly, within the context of the seminar, there were three academic presentations made by Daniel Villafuerte (CESMECA-UNICACH, MDRR-Chapingo), Joan Martínez Alier (ICTA-UAB, Barcelona, Spain), and Gustavo Esteva (Unitierra Oaxaca).
For more information (in Spanish):
Manifiestan inconformidad en Chiapas por explotación minera (La Jornada, 26 de octubre de 2013)
Rechazan comunidades de Montes Azules el REDD+ (El Heraldo de Chiapas, 26 de octubre de 2013)
Seminario Internacional las Venas Abiertas del Chiapas Contemporáneo: Diálogos socio-ambientales entre actores, de lo local a lo global (Octubre de 2013)
Audios del evento (Koman Ilel, octubre de 2013)
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