Catacumbo is considered the ancestral territory of 23 Motilno Bari indigenous communities. They live in the forests on the border with Venezuela, an area rich in biodiversity and characterized by the presence of minerals, oil, wood and water resources. Their population, after suffering dramatic drops, started to increase again and attained up to 3.000 peoples, living in the two reserves demarcated in 1981 and 1988. The repeated attempts to exploit their resources continually exposed the Motilon Bari people to incursions by multinational corporations, especially in the municipalities of Tibu and Tarra, rendering vulnerable their territory and livelihoods. Local residents opposed these incursions, demanding respect for their individual and collective rights and the conservation of their land. In the 1900s, oil companies such as COLPET (Colombia Petroleum Company) and SAGOC (South American Gulf Oil Company) entered the region, followed by Ecopetrol in recent times. In 2014, the area delineated by the three rivers Catatumbo, Oro and Martillo have been granted seven concessions for the exploitation of coal mines. 270 million barrels of crude are also planned to be extracted. |
The abundance of natural resources on the Motilon Bari peoples' territory and the intentions from multinationals and from the Colombian national government to exploit them makes impossible for the Bari to prevent these outsiders' ravages.
| Name of conflict: | Oil and coal Extraction in the Indigenous Motilon Bari Territory, Colombia |
| Country: | Colombia |
| State or province: | North Santander |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Project details: | |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Start of the conflict: | 2002 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Ecopetrol Corporate Group from Colombia Colombia Petroleum Company (COLPET) from Colombia South American Gulf Oil Company (SAGOC) from Colombia Colpet from United States of America - Exploited in the 1930s the concession Barco Petrotesting Colombia S.A. from Colombia |
| Relevant government actors: | Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH) - Colombia, National Authority of Indigenous Governments (ONIC), Ministry for the Environment , Ministry of Justice and Internal Affairs |
| International and Finance Institutions | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | ONIC - Colombia, ASOBAR - Colombia, ASCAMAT - Colombia, CISCA - Colombia |
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities Industrial workers Informal workers International ejos Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Trade unions Women |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Objections to the EIA Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Referendum other local consultations Street protest/marches |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Waste overflow, Oil spills, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality Potential: Air pollution, Global warming, Noise pollution, Soil erosion, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Malnutrition, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide, Violence related health impacts (homicides, rape, etc..), Deaths |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Violations of human rights Potential: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Social problems (alcoholism, prostitution, etc..) |
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Institutional changes Court decision (victory for environmental justice) Negotiated alternative solution New legislation Strengthening of participation Technical solutions to improve resource supply/quality/distribution Under negotiation Project cancelled |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Yes |
| Briefly explain: | In 2006 the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the indigenous communities, forcing Ecopetrol to suspend oil exploration on Bari territory. |
| Related laws and legislations - Juridical texts related to the conflict |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Links to general newspaper articles, blogs or other websites |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Contributor: | Lucie Greyl |
| Last update | 16/02/2016 |