The E-LAW Network: International Cooperation at its Best
In a world marked by sharp divisions, violence, threats, and distrust, E-LAW stands as a shining example of what is possible. Through the E-LAW network, people of different nations, races, religions, and cultures set aside their differences and work together to build a just and sustainable future.
 Patricio Martin, Mexico; James Njelwa, Tanzania |
 Rodrigo Polanco, Chile; Karen Balcazar, Bolivia |
E-LAW advocates are working towards a world where nations are brought together by their shared interests, rather than driven apart by their differences, where justice triumphs over violence, and where we all recognize that we share a single planet and must work together to protect it.
Many efforts at international collaboration fail. What makes the E-LAW network succeed? The following are key ingredients of more than a decade of successful collaboration between hundreds of grassroots advocates in 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific:
Participants in the network share common goals. With few exceptions, the E-LAW network is comprised of practicing lawyers working to protect the environment through law, and scientists supporting those lawyers. All participants are "public interest" environmental lawyers, so they are truly allies rather than just colleagues. By limiting the alliance to people working to protect the environment, E-LAW ensures that all people in the network share common interests and goals.
Participants share ownership of the network. E-LAW is not a U.S. organization operating overseas. E-LAW was co-founded by lawyers from 10 countries and operates horizontally. It does not have a home office or headquarters. At the request of the network, E-LAW U.S. serves as Secretariat. This does not confer special powers on E-LAW U.S. The horizontal structure shares ownership and makes the alliance successful.
The network uses effective communication tools. Electronic communications are at the heart of the E-LAW network`s success. E-LAW advocates are communicating, collaborating, and obtaining legal and scientific resources quickly and cost effectively through an electronic conference maintained at E-LAW U.S. The conference brings lawyers together in an on-going "virtual workshop," so lawyers from several countries can collaborate on their local efforts to protect the environment. The conference structure fosters genuine networking, rather than the isolation of point-to-point mail or a mailing list. When a lawyer requests assistance, roughly 300 colleagues can receive that request simultaneously. Everyone follows the responses and benefits from watching the exchange.
Advocates maintain local autonomy. E-LAW advocates ask the network for the information they need. This demand-driven model ensures that local advocates participating in the network retain strategic control of their work. These advocates know best how to protect the local environment through law, and this model respects their expertise and autonomy.
Privacy and security. E-LAW`s electronic network is private and E-LAW strives to keep communications secure. To participate in the E-LAW network, a lawyer must be nominated by someone in the network and be approved by the network.
 Martin Garo, Papua New Guinea |
Continuous, instant assistance. The E-LAW network operates 24 hours a day and help is immediate. Because postings to the electronic conference are not screened and there is no moderator, advocates around the world make postings on their own, at all hours. Thus, with time differences, an advocate may receive assistance before he or she even requested it!
A Network of People. Despite E-LAW`s focus on work and reliance on electronic communications, it is ultimately a network of people who care about each other. Advocates celebrate when a colleague has a baby and mourn when the network loses a friend. E-LAW`s annual meetings bring people together from throughout the network to forge and renew the friendships that make the network strong. This human element is the key to E-LAW`s success.
To build the ties that make the E-LAW network strong, E-LAW advocates meet face-to-face at annual meetings, regional workshops, and through the E-LAW U.S. Working Exchange Program
Our world is growing smaller and environmental challenges are truly worldwide. Now more than ever, we must build bridges across borders. The E-LAW network is doing its part by enabling hundreds of grassroots advocates in 60 countries to collaborate, share resources, and build a sustainable future.
Victories & Steps Along the Way: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Iran, Kenya, Brazil and Pakistan
Addressing Mercury Waste in India
 Nityanand Jayaraman, India |
E-LAW advocates in southern India (Nityanand Jayaraman, T. Mohan, and S. Devika) report a breakthrough that will defuse an environmental time bomb. Until recently, Hindustan Lever Ltd., a subsidiary of Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever, operated a mercury thermometer factory in the town of Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. Tons of mercury waste from broken thermometers found its way to a dirt lot in a neighborhood near the factory.
Local environmental authorities ordered the company to collect and dispose of the waste, but the proposed cleanup plan, which E-LAW U.S. evaluated at the request of its partners, contained numerous flaws and lacked important environmental safeguards.
In late March 2003, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board ordered the company to ship the mercury-laden waste back to the United States for proper disposal. Under close supervision, the waste was packed into containers and brought to a port in Tamil Nadu for loading onto a ship bound for the U.S.
Our partners in India thanked E-LAW U.S. for "the bedrock of scientific support, critiquing the preliminary clean up protocol, and providing the requisite information at ridiculously short notice."
Challenging Tannery Pollution in Bangladesh
 Rizwana Hasan, Bangladesh |
The Winter 2003 E-LAW Advocate featured a photo of children in Dhaka, Bangladesh, standing next to ponds polluted with tannery effluent. Rizwana Hasan at the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) is happy to announce that BELA obtained a court order that could bring relief to densely populated neighborhoods near the polluted canals and Buriganga River.
In February 2003, BELA attorneys filed a High Court petition against government officials and industry representatives, seeking compliance with the law and abatement of tannery pollution. E-LAW U.S. Staff Scientist Mark Chernaik had provided BELA with comprehensive technical support on controlling toxic wastes from tanneries.
In March 2003, the High Court division of the Supreme Court ordered the government and the tanneries to move forward on a plan to relocate. As a result of this order, the tanneries may be forced to move within 18 months to a location separate from residential areas where they can build an effluent treatment plant.
Commenting on the court order, editors at The Daily Star in Bangladesh stated: "We welcome the directives by the High Court...People have already paid too high a price for no fault of theirs. It is time for the government to translate extant decisions into action. Any further delay in moving the tanneries to an exclusive zone will put the river and the people around in a grave environmental jeopardy."
Protecting Forests in Nepal
 Kabita Pandey, Nepal |
Nepal`s significant forest cover is due in large part to a progressive forest management law that promotes community-based management. Despite the success of this law, Nepal`s Ministry of Forests sought to impose regulations preventing communities in northern Nepal from gaining authority to manage their forests while imposing a 40% tax on income derived by communities that currently manage their forests.
Grassroots advocates at Nepal`s leading public interest environmental law organization, Pro Public, worked with the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal to file a Supreme Court petition to nullify the stifling regulations. In April 2003, the Supreme Court handed proponents of community-based forestry management an important victory-nullifying the onerous tax on community-based forest product income, and directing the Government of Nepal to allow legally qualified communities to gain authority to manage their forests, regardless of their location. Congratulations to Prakash Mani Sharma and Kabita Pandey of Pro Public for their good work!
Safeguarding Citizens in Iran
 Victoria Jamali, Iran |
In April 2003, a truck swerved off the road near Sanandaj, Iran, spilling a toxic fuel additive (MTBE) into Lake Gheshalgh. A local citizen group called on Victoria Jamali, a pioneer in Iran`s environ-mental law movement, for help. The group told Victoria that the government had assured residents that their water was drinkable and there was no reason for alarm. The group asked Victoria to confirm these findings and get information about the problem and how to address it. Victoria forwarded the call for help to E-LAW U.S.
E-LAW U.S. Staff Scientist Mark Chernaik responded immediately. He sent Victoria information about MTBE, standards used by the California Department of Health Services to measure MTBE, and best practice treatments for removing MTBE from water.
Iran faces many of the same environmental challenges that E-LAW advocates face around the world. Victoria was introduced to E-LAW U.S. in 1999. Since then, she has tapped E-LAW`s resources to clean up Tehran`s air, protect the Caspian Sea, and advise residents in Sanandaj about managing the MTBE spill.
Protecting Forests in Kenya
 Maurice Odhiambo Makoloo, Kenya |
E-LAW advocates at the Institute for Law and Environmental Governance (ILEG) in Nairobi, Kenya, successfully delayed government`s plans to remove protection for 10% of Kenya`s remaining forests. The Government of Kenya planned to excise and "degazette" 167,000 acres of forest. The proposed deforestation would have devastating effects on ecosystems throughout the country and region. Kenya`s forests provide habitat for many species including the black and white colobus monkey, a threatened species on the 2000 Red List issued by The World Conservation Union (IUCN).
Maurice Odhiambo Makoloo reports that ILEG, working with other lawyers and representing many citizens and organizations, filed a precedent-setting case in the High Court of Kenya in Nairobi and obtained a temporary injunction halting plans to cut the forests.
E-LAW U.S. and partners in Zambia, Tanzania, the U.K., and Sri Lanka provided ILEG with legal and scientific information to support the case. The case alleged that the Kenyan government took these actions without following proper procedures. The case has delayed the forest excision for many months and now a new more environmentally friendly government is reconsidering the plan. A hearing scheduled for May 2003 was postponed but the injunction still stands.
Gaining Access to Information in Brazil
 Rachael Biderman, Brazil |
To participate in decisions about the environment, citizens need information. They need to know about projects that are proposed for their communities, so they can speak up before local eco-systems are destroyed, and air and waterways are polluted.
In April 2003, Rachel Biderman Furriela, an E-LAW advocate at Instituto Pro-Sustentabilidade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, sent thrilling news. She wrote:
"I am getting in touch because I have exciting news from Brazil. The Brazilian Congress has just approved and the Brazilian President has sanctioned its Access to Environmental Information Law, a bill presented to Congress by deputy Fabio Feldmann back in 1998...This was only possible thanks to the help of E-LAW."
Rachel`s hand in the Brazil victory illustrates the power of the E-LAW network. E-LAW gave Rachel the legal tools she needed to help craft Brazil`s first Access to Environmental Information Law. Now, communities in Brazil are empowered to get the information they need to chart a sustainable future.
Managing Urban Waste in Pakistan
In Lahore, Pakistan, Mansoor Ali Shah and Hassaan Ghazali, environmental attorneys, are challenging a local government plan to locate a landfill on top of an existing garbage dump near the Ravi River, which would risk serious contamination of groundwater and surface water resources. E-LAW U.S. provided Mansoor and Hassaan with legal and scientific resources from the U.S., India and the Philippines. The lawyers incorporated this support into a brief they submitted to the court in February 2003. At a subsequent hearing, court expressed gratitude for E-LAW`s assistance, suspended the government`s plan, and appointed a committee to advise the court about environmentally-sound ways to manage Lahore`s urban wastes.
Travel Notes: Mexico, Brazil, Belize and Ghana
Tourism Gone Bad: Cancun Spreads South
Trip Report
Lori Maddox in Mexico
 More piers in Cancun mean less habitat |
At first glance, Cancun is a model success story. The Mexican government and private investors took an expensive risk 40 years ago and turned this quiet strip of beach into a leading tourist destination.
But Cancun`s success may be its biggest enemy. Cancun draws hundreds of thousands of tourists from the U.S. and Europe, and these visitors threaten to kill the very resource that draws them. Already, Cancun has exceeded its carrying capacity, the lagoon is polluted, and dune and mangrove ecosystems are in serious jeopardy.
High density hotel development in Cancun has diminished the environmental quality of the area, and hence the quality of the tourist experience. In May 2000, The Diario of Yucatan reported: "Cancun is changing the direction of its efforts and although it concerns many people, it has ceased being a selective tourist center and has become a playground for the masses."
Developers are now looking south for unspoiled areas, and the stakes are high. Mexico`s federal laws, state laws, and regional development plans aim to limit density and manage growth. But these regulations are being ignored and circumvented.
 Patricio Martin, CEMDA  |
In an effort to address these environmental threats, the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) opened an office in Cancun in the fall of 2001. Patricio Martin is the only staff attorney and he has no shortage of work. He says: "I apply constant pressure by filing court actions to force the government and developers to follow the law."
Patricio is challenging the construction of a pier for ferries moving between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. Another pier, operating at only 40% of its capacity, already serves Cozumel from a point 200 meters to the south. It appears from this and other projects in the area that Cancun`s high density hotel development will soon arrive in Playa del Carmen.
Patricio`s case against the permitting authority brought everyone to the negotiating table. Patricio and the citizens he represents were able to ensure that no boats originating from the new pier would pass over, or within 40 meters of the offshore reef. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, extending from Isla de Contoy in Mexico through Belize and east along the coast of Honduras, is the largest coral reef ecosystem in the Atlantic Ocean.
E-LAW U.S. staff attorneys and scientists will continue working with Patricio and CEMDA to challenge projects which would damage the Mesoamerican Reef and other ecosystems in Mexico.
With support from the Summit Foundation, Lori Maddox, E-LAW U.S. Associate Director, and Vicky Cajiao, E-LAW U.S. Central America Coordinator, traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize in May 2003 to work with advocates who are protecting the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.
Protecting Marine Environments in Brazil
E-LAW U.S. has many partners in Latin America working to protect marine ecosystems. In Brazil, E-LAW U.S. is working with advocates at APRENDER (Acoes para Preservacao dos Recursos Naturais e Desenvolvimento Econmico Racional), an organization in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina. E-LAW U.S. and APRENDER co-hosted a workshop in Florianopolis in May 2003 to educate citizens about Brazil`s environmental law and decisionmaking. APRENDER manages the Arvoredo Marine Reserve off Florianopolis and regards environmental education as an integral part of its management responsibilities. Support from the Ford Foundation made the May workshop possible.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
Trip Report
Candy Gonzalez in Belize
Exploring the Maya cave Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulcher) is a worthwhile challenge. I joined members of the Cayo Tour Guide Association who had never been there. For starters, there is a two-meter deep pool in the entrance. We began the journey by swimming into the cave. The ascension upwards is beautifully set to the music of underground springs. It was dark and we each had a helmet and headlight. When we reached level ground, we took off our shoes so as not to disturb the Maya artifacts that were all around us. The cave is a 60 minute drive from San Ignacio, then a 45 minute walk with three river crossings.
 Thomas Caratela, member of "We Belizians Against the Dam" or WeBAD. (photo: Candy Gonzales) |
Archeology magazine 
writes:
"[Actun Tunichil Muknal] was named after the sacrificial chamber within the cave where the remains of a young woman were found. Fourteen burials have been found in Actun Tunichil Muknal. The cave also contains two slate stelae in front of which Maya elites cut themselves with obsidian blades to collect their blood and offer it to the gods. A stream flows out of this cave, providing the main water supply for the camp. Actun Tunichil Muknal also contains large broken pottery. Calcite from dripwater has encased many of these finds over the centuries."
A Canadian power company`s proposal to dam a branch of the Macal River in Belize has unleashed a barrage of criticism from environmentalists. Although the proposed Chalillo Dam would not affect this cave directly, a dam at Vaca, which is proposed to follow the Chalillo Dam, is in the watershed that feeds this cave and other caves, including those in Mountain Pine Ridge, the Rio On pools, and more.
"You don`t know what you`ve lost until it`s gone," is great incentive for us as we continue our struggle to stop the construction of the Chalillo Dam, which would only provide 7.3 megawatts (at most) and bolster electricity from the already failing Mollejon Dam (if we can believe the project proponents). The dam would flood 2,800 acres of pristine tropical forest, home to scarlet macaws, jaguars, Baird`s tapirs, ocelots, spider monkeys and many other irreplaceable species. To top it off, many unexplored archaeological sites would be drowned.
E-LAW U.S. staff attorneys and scientists have provided considerable legal and scientific support to advocates in Belize challenging the proposed Chalillo Dam project. In May 2000, the Belize government put the project on hold, pending new information. Outside magazine reports on the continuing struggle to stop the Chalillo Dam ("Last Flight Out," May 2003) and National Geographic Adventure magazine reports on Actun Tunichil Muknal and other ancient sacred caverns of the Belize jungle. ("Exploring the Place of Fright," July/August 2001).
 Left to right: Jefferson Kamugisha (Uganda), Emmanuel Mutundu (Congo Brazzaville), Simon Amaduobogha (Nigeria) |
Advocates Meet in Ghana to Discuss Climate Change
In May 2003, Jennifer Gleason, E-LAW U.S. Staff Attorney, traveled to Ghana to meet with African advocates and explore the role of law in protecting vulnerable African countries from the adverse effects of climate change. This work is generously supported by the Oak Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Inside E-LAW: Francisco Ferrada, Carolyn Sykora, Nancy Hughes, 2003 Annual Meeting
Working Exchange Fellow
Francisco Ferrada, Santiago, Chile
 Rafting the McKenzie River, Oregon. Left to right: Francisco Ferrada, Nora Rosati, Jennifer Gleason, Matthew Mixer |
Francisco Ferrada traveled to Eugene for a Working Exchange Fellowship this spring. He is a lawyer at Fiscalia del Medio Ambiente (FIMA), a pioneering public interest law firm in Chile. He was joined by his wife, Nora Rosati, an appellate court judge.
Francisco is leading FIMA`s efforts to protect and compensate a community contaminated by lead- and arsenic-laced mining wastes brought from Sweden to the northern city of Arica near Chile`s border with Peru.
While in Eugene, Francisco worked on the Arica case, learned about U.S. environ-mental law and environmental non-profit organizations, and studied English at the University of Oregon`s American English Institute. Francisco`s Fellowship was made possible by generous support from the Homeland Foundation.
2003 E-LAW Annual International Meeting
 Steve Johnson, Fisheries Biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, speaks with E-LAW advocates about efforts to rehabilitate the Ten-Mile Creek watershed in Yachats, Oregon. |
In March, E-LAW U.S. hosted 66 public interest environmental attorneys from 34 countries for the E-LAW Annual International Meeting. Many advocates commented that this was the most valuable meeting ever.
On her return home, Eva Kovacechova wrote: "This past week was just another wonderful, inspiring, powerful and empowering event which gives me an energy for literally next six months at least. I feel much stronger and encouraged, after stories from all of you, finished by M.C. Mehta`s key note speech. I feel I can change the world now!" Eva is a staff attorney at the Center for Environmental Public Advocacy, home of E-LAW Slovakia.
Many grassroots advocates work in isolation, without access to the legal, scientific, and communications tools they need. E-LAW annual meetings break this isolation by bringing together environmental advocates from around the world for face-to-face training and collaboration. The 2002 meeting was hosted by E-LAW partners in Guadalajara, Mexico.
This year`s meeting welcomed advocates from Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the U.S.
Thanks to the following companies for their generous donations: Bridgeport Brewing Company, Chateau Lorane, Emerald Valley Kitchen, Hinman Vineyards, King Estate Winery, Oregon Chai, New Belgium Brewing Company, Rogue Ale, Secret House Vineyards, Trader Joe`s.
 Nancy Hughes |
Nancy Hughes, E-LAW volunteer
Many E-LAW U.S. supporters are familiar with Nancy Hughes. Nancy generously offers her time, energy, and support to E-LAW U.S. She opens her home for E-LAW visitors and functions, and recently traveled with Lori Maddox to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala to work with advocates who are protecting the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Nancy is the founder of Stove Team International, a non profit organization working to solve medical and environmental problems by bringing fuel-efficient stoves to the people of the world.
Welcome Back!
Carolyn Sykora has joined the U.S. office of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (E-LAW U.S.) as Education Coordinator. She will coordinate fellowships for international visitors and help visiting fellows connect with schools and community groups. She will also work with interns and volunteers who are helping E-LAW U.S. protect the global environment through law. Carolyn served as E-LAW U.S.
Development Director from 1992 to 2001.