VANDANA SHIVA

The Non-Sustainability of Monocultures And

From Bio-Imperialism to Bio-Diversity

Monocultures

In forests and in agriculture Not tolerant of other systems Do not grow sustainably Local knowledge vs. scientific knowledge Ecologically based vs. economically

based

Effects of Centralized Market and Industry

Decides what a “normal forest” should look like Non-marketable components of a forest are

seen as abnormal and destroyed in favor of marketable components

Ignores the food, fodder and water production capacities of the forest

Uniform Forests

Allows sun to heat the soil of the forest More erosion Less humidity Fire Flooding and drought

PICOP

Formed in 1952 between the American firm, International Paper Company and the world’s largest paper producer, AndreSoriano Corporation.

Sustainable yields-purely economic term Short term

First run Takes 10% of the wood from per acre Allowed to take trees with a diameter of 32 in. or more Gets about 73 cubic yards

Second run Allowed to take trees with a diameter of 24 in. or more Get about 32 cubic yards from same acre

This is supposed to be a sustainable system. But here, although they use the term selective logging, there is only one harvest. A big one. After that, no more. Angel Ancala, Biology Professor, Siliman

University, Philippines

Some Stats.

14% of logging area cleared for roads 27% cleared for skid loaders In an acre averaging 58 trees, 10 will be

taken. However, 13 more trees will be damaged in the process

Other studies suggest that these averages are very conservative

Case Study:Brazil

Facility of Forestry Science funded project Greater knowledge of modern science and

economics led decisions Biodiversity replaced by monoculture People working with trees replaced by

machines 20 years later

Afforestation has dropped from 40% to 8% Population gone

Eucalyptus Protests

People began to protest the planting of eucalyptus due to its destruction of water, soil and habitat

1983- peasants in Karnataka Took out seedlings and replanted mango and

tamarind trees 1988- peasants in Thailand

Burned down the plantation

Destruction of Variety in Agriculture

Introduction of “miracle seeds” during the Green Revolution

Aren’t adapted to local habitat Not resistant to pests leads to more pesticides Takes nurturance from the soil Demands intensive irrigation, which leads to

desertification Nurturance cycle of soil turned into a linear

line, fueled by chemical factories Nitrogen based fertilizers lead to nitrous oxide

to be released into the atmosphere

Crisis of Dominant Knowledge

Inherently fragmented and colonizing Wedded to the economy Political implications that ruin local

communities Exclusively for a few elite It is the monoculture of the mind

Democratizing of Knowledge

Precondition for human liberalization Shift from global knowledge to local

From Bio-Imperialism to Bio-Democracy

To conserve biodiversity, we need to stop and reverse its primary threats Stop aid and incentives for large scale

destruction Therefore, stop funding on a global level, such

as international aid and financing Stop the dominant pattern of development

that has no regard for nature

Value of Biodiversity

All forms of life have an intrinsic right to live

Cultural value Recognize that money has a very limited

scope and value Farmer and indigenous knowledge of

biodiversity should be highly valued, not seen as primitive

What Drives our Actions?

Currently, economics drives our decisions A framework of biodiversity needs to

drive our economic thinking, not the other way around

Only consider economic outputs

Ecology, Equity and Efficiency

These three qualities meet in biodiversity and cannot be found in monocultures

Diversity ensures ecological stability, multi-dimensional efficiency, multiple livelihoods, social justice, and efficiency

Biodiversity system ½ calorie produces 1 calorie

Industrial monoculture 10 calories produce 1 calorie

Uniformity

Ecological instability External control leads to displacement of

livelihoods Efficiency on a one dimensional scale

instead of multi-dimensional

Who Controls Biodiversity?

Historically, local communities maintained biodiversity

Now, the Global North patents, repackages and sells biodiversity that once belonged communally to the Global South

This system is perpetuated by GATT, The World Bank and US Trade Act

Biodemocracy

This bio-imperialism needs to be replaced by biodemocracy

Recognizes the inherent right of all living things to live

Recognizes rights of local communities to the biodiversity they have evolved with

Entails that nation states have a duty to protect these rights from corporations and globalization

The Global South can only be strong if it supports the democratic rights of its biodiversity and the diverse cultures that co-exist with them.