Eco-Tibet- A new Friends of the Earth working group

The Environment of Tibet

Tibet is home to the highest mountains and plateaus in the world with a breathtaking diversity of alpine plants and precious animals such as the rare snow leopard and the wild yak. The rivers which start in Tibet flow across the Asian continent and include the mighty Yangtze, Brahmaputra, and Mekong. Tibetan culture is rich in traditional knowledge about sustainable ways of living in this unique environment and Tibetans have a strong spiritual connection to the land.

The Chinese military occupation of Tibet from 1949 and still continuing today has put this precious environment under threat from deforestation, natural gas, oil and gold mining, hydro-dams and other inappropriate development. This continuing political oppression means that Tibetans are unable to speak up for the protection of their environment for fear of prison or even death.

Despite this, the Tibetans in exile, have been working hard to raise the awareness of the Tibetan environment and they need our support. Tibetans were not able to represent themselves at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg due to the interventions of China.

Objectives of the group
The overarching objective of the group is to influence actual outcomes in Tibet.To raise awareness of environmental issues facing Tibet including:

• Mining of gold, uranium, other minerals and natural gas
• Rivers and lakes
• Deforestation
• Grasslands conservation
• Biodiversity
• Population pressures
• Urban pollution
• Inappropriate development such as roads, rail, dams and gas pipelines which don't have genuine Tibetan participation.
• Tibetan cultural heritage including traditional ways of living in the land of Tibet.

2. To support the international campaigns on the protection of Tibet's environment.

3. To influence and persuade companies and governments to foster sustainable development and cease investing in environmentally destructive activities in Tibet.

Strategies/Priorities

• Improving our own knowledge of Tibetan geography, culture, history and environmental issues and then raising the awareness of others.
• Developing the group decision-making, fundraising, and campaigning skills of the active group. ·
• Fundraising for running the group, producing information material and for campaigning as well as to support future projects on conservation of Tibet's environment. ·
• Produce and distribute information about Tibetan environment issues through Buddhist and environment media, websites, publications etc. ·
• Support the campaign against mining in Tibet by drawing on the experience of the environment movement in campaigning against Australian based mining companies ·
• Keeping a watch on emerging environmental issues including inappropriate development and raising these concerns for public debate.

Working in partnership with other groups:

In these activities we will work with other environment and Tibet support groups who share an interest in Tibetan environment issues such as the Environment and Development Desk of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Australia Tibet Council, Tibet Welfare Group, The Wilderness Society, and other Friends of the Earth groups in Australia and internationally.

The EcoTibet working group will also keep in regular contact with the Tibetan people inside Tibet and in exile to ensure that our campaign priorities reflect those of the Tibetan people.

A Message from the IVXth Dalai Lama
For a long time I have advocated the need for ethics or spiritual values in the worlds of politics and commerce. In order to make this world a better, more humane and safer place, we need to realize how interdependent we all are and therefore how we should take responsibility for one another.

I believe this applies at all levels of society to individuals, communities, governments and business enterprises. Therefore, I have been encouraged in recent years to see the world's business community discuss and develop an approach they are calling corporate social responsibility.

As companies seek to be guided by more socially and environmentally responsible values we need to ask what corporate responsibility means. This is an especially challenging question for the increasing number of foreign companies working in or looking at working in Chinese-ruled Tibet. This commercial and corporate interest comes at a time in Tibet's history when ordinary Tibetans have no real say in their country's development.

Tibetans should be participating, directing and benefiting from this development especially when it concerns the exploitation of Tibet's non-renewable resources such as gold.

Therefore, I appeal to all foreign mining companies, and their shareholders, who are thinking about working in Tibet to consider carefully about the ethical values when embarking on such a venture. The Dalai Lama April 16, 2003

How to find out more:

We welcome you to get involved by coming to a meeting and you can show your support by becoming a member of Friends of the Earth.

Meetings are usually around the last Thursday of the month (email below to confirm)

Friends of the Earth Melbourne 312 Smith Street Collingwood (meeting room upstairs at back).

Contact the EcoTibet coordinator for more info: Kate 0422 543 533 or email ecotibet@foe.org.au

Post: EcoTibet Working Group Friends of the Earth Melbourne PO BOX 222 FITZROY VIC 3065

Submission

Submission to the China Task Force on the feasibility study regarding an Australia- China Free Trade Agreement