Andalusia -The lynx is being saved! Now it’s the wolf and the bear’s turn – English/Español

by Ecologistas En Accion/ thefreeonline on 29th June 2024 ( see also- The Free on Telegram: t.me/thefreeonline )

Iberian Lynx

The recovery of a species that was on the brink of extinction is very good news, but these measures and efforts should have been applied to other species, such as the wolf, and this was not done. This is why it became extinct only a decade ago in Andalucia. In other parts of Spain wolves are making a comeback and soon they may return to the south.

Ecologistas en Acción publicly shows its satisfaction with the increase in lynx populations that has led to their transition from endangered to vulnerable, although trhis should not lead to triumphalism that coukld relax protection measures.

Now it is the turn of the wolf, the great predator of the Mediterranean forest that became extinct in Andalusia just a decade ago

The Iberian lynx has gone from less than 100 individuals at the beginning of the century to more than 2,000 this year. The success of the species conservation program is good news, the result of cooperation between public administrations, research centers and environmental associations.

Citizens have become more aware of the importance of conserving our biodiversity and the lynx has been a symbol.

But not all is rosy in the recovery of lynx populations.

There are shadows that should not be ignored if we want greater success and for the lynx to once again be present throughout Andalusia, fulfilling its important ecological function: balancing ecosystems, keeping other generalist predators such as the fox at bay, and controlling the number of rabbits where they can pose a problem due to overabundance.

One of the weaknesses of the lynx recovery program is its excessive dependence on captive breeding to compensate for deaths from unnatural causes, such as run-overs on trails and roads which is the main cause of death, and deaths from gunshots.

Another weakness is the lack of rabbits in the spaces where the habitat is most conducive to the conservation of the species. The rabbits are still decimated by involuntarily introduced diseases, which is why supplementary feeding is required to conserve lynx populations.

Paradoxically, the Andalusian Government continues to approve hunting emergency orders due to the abundance of rabbits in many agricultural regions, allowing rabbit hunting during the closed season due to alleged damage to agriculture.

The future of the lynx will not be guaranteed until its dependence on these policies is broken. To do this, it is necessary to expand the habitats in which the species can thrive, including agroforestry spaces such as riverbanks and livestock trails in agricultural environments, where lynxes have guaranteed food.

To do this, these public domain spaces must be renaturalized in their entirety, and thus provide refuge and reproduction areas for the species.

The recovery of a species that was on the brink of extinction is very good news, but these measures and efforts should have been applied to other species, such as the wolf, and this was not done, which is why it became extinct only a decade ago in Andalucia.

The recovery of predators in the Mediterranean forest must be a priority objective in Andalusia, as it will allow the ecosystems to be rebalanced, control the populations of wild boars and feral pigs, reduce the expansion of epizootics and even carry out positive selection of their prey, as opposed to the selection by hunting activity.

The Iberian wolf population has increased in Spain by 26% since 2014, although made extinct in Andalucia.

The Pyrenean bear population is consolidated with 83 specimens… Apr 4, 2024

The Pyrenean bear population continues to consolidate with a total of 83 specimens detected in the mountain range in 2023, four more than the previous year.

According to provisional figures, 16 cubs have been born to a minimum of 11 bears, the highest number of litters since the reinforcement began..

Some ‘Farmers’ oppose protection of fauna despite compensations

Demonstration AGAINST PROTECTION OF WOLVES AND BEARS Manifestación: Cientos de ganaderos claman contra el lobo en MadrId

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El lince se está salvando. Ahora le toca al lobo

22/06/2024 | Andalucía, Federación, portada, Lince ibérico, Lobo ibérico

“La recuperación de una especie que estuvo al borde de la extinción es una muy buena noticia, pero estas medidas y esfuerzos se deberían haber aplicado a otras especies, como el lobo, y no se hizo, por lo que hace tan sólo una década se extinguió en Andalucía.

Ecologistas en Acción muestra públicamente su satisfacción por el aumento de las poblaciones de linces que ha motivado su paso de peligro de extinción a vulnerable, lo que no debe llevar a triunfalismos que relajen las medidas de protección.
Ahora le toca el turno al lobo, el gran depredador del bosque mediterráneo que se extinguió en Andalucía hace tan sólo una década.

El lince ibérico ha pasado de menos de 100 ejemplares a principios de siglo a superar los 2.000 este año. El éxito del programa de conservación de la especie es una buena noticia, fruto de la cooperación entre las administraciones públicas, centros de investigación y asociaciones ecologistas. La ciudadanía ha tomado conciencia de la importancia de la conservación de nuestra biodiversidad y el lince ha sido un símbolo.

Pero no todos son luces en la recuperación de las poblaciones de linces. Perviven sombras que no se deberían obviar si se quiere que el éxito sea mayor y que el lince vuelva a estar presente en toda Andalucía, cumpliendo su importante función ecológica: equilibrar los ecosistemas, manteniendo a raya a otros depredadores generalistas como el zorro, y controlando el número de conejos donde puedan suponer un problema por sobreabundancia.

Una de las debilidades del programa de recuperación del lince es su excesiva dependencia de la cría en cautividad para compensar las muertes por causas no naturales, como los atropellos en pistas y carreteras, su principal causa de muerte, y las muertes por disparos.

Otra debilidad es la falta de conejos en los espacios en los que el hábitat es más propicio para la conservación de la especie, diezmados por las enfermedades introducidas de manera involuntaria, por lo que se precisa alimentación suplementaria para conservar las poblaciones de linces. Paradójicamente, la Junta de Andalucía sigue aprobando órdenes de emergencia cinegética por abundancia de conejos en muchas comarcas agrícolas, permitiendo la caza de conejos en periodo de veda por supuestos daños a la agricultura.

El futuro del lince no estará garantizado hasta que no se rompa su dependencia de estos artificios. Para ello se precisa ampliar los hábitats en los que la especie puede prosperar, entre ellos los espacios agroforestales como son las riberas y las vías pecuarias en entornos agrícolas, en los que los linces tienen comida garantizada. Para ello hay que renaturalizar estos espacios de dominio público en su integridad, y así facilitar zonas de refugio y reproducción a la especie.

La recuperación de una especie que estuvo al borde de la extinción es una muy buena noticia, pero estas medidas y esfuerzos se deberían haber aplicado a otras especies, como el lobo, y no se hizo, por lo que hace tan sólo una década se extinguió en Andalucía.

La recuperación de los depredadores del bosque mediterráneo debe ser un objetivo prioritario en Andalucía, pues permitirá volver a equilibrar los ecosistemas, controlar las poblaciones de jabalíes y cerdos asilvestrados, reducir la expansión de epizootias e, incluso, realizar una selección positiva de sus presas en contra de la negativa que realiza la actividad cinegética.

La población de lobo ibérico aumenta en España un 26% desde el 2014

La población de osos del Pirineo se consolida con 83 ejemplares y …

Apr 4, 2024 La población de osos del Pirineo sigue consolidándose con un total de 83 ejemplares detectados en la cordillera en 2023, cuatro más que el año anterior. Según las cifras provisionales, han nacido 16 crías de un mínimo de 11 osas, el mayor número de camadas desde que comenzó el refuerzo

Mutual Aid against Capitalist Vultures in Brazilian Climate Chaos megaflooding – Crimethinc

Anarchists in Southern Brazil on the Floods of May 2024 – The rich stand by while people save each other – 171 deaths – 614,000 made homeless, …

from thefreeonline on 29th June 2024 by Anarchist News From CrimethInc. (see The Free on Telegram: t.me/thefreeonline)

The Disaster is Already Here

Anarchists in Southern Brazil on the Floods of May 2024

In the first days of May 2024, the territory known as Rio Grande do Sul in so-called Brazil suffered the biggest climate catastrophe in its history.

More than a week of intense rain caused several rivers to overflow, wrecking dozens of cities and destroying everything in their path, before flowing into the Guaíba River, causing the biggest flood ever recorded in the Greater Porto Alegre region.

By June, 171 deaths had been confirmed. Thousands of people lost everything; 614,000 were rendered homeless; over two million were impacted. The force of the waters erased entire cities from the map. More than 90% of the industry of the state of Rio Grande do Sul was flooded.

This is the greatest economic and structural damage a climate event has ever caused in Brazil. Reckoning by the number of people affected and the material damage, the tragedy already surpasses the destruction that Hurricane Katrina inflicted on New Orleans in 2005.

https://kolektiva.media/videos/embed/498f73ad-4a7c-48db-a159-b210fb5af403

A video about the flood by the Antimídia collective.

https://kolektiva.media/videos/embed/498f73ad-4a7c-48db-a159-b210fb5af403

The state and the capitalist mode of production are directly responsible for the devastation of the planet. They have cut down forests to make way for cattle, monoculture, and mining, degrading the soil with urban expansion. They are producing more and more catastrophes like the one that struck Rio Grande do Sul. Amid all the horror, we see the complete failure of the ruling class to care for our lives and our environment.

The Municipality of Lajeado after the waters of the flood receded.

At the center of this tragedy, anarchists, Indigenous communities, quilombos, and social movements have been organizing solidarity efforts as they try to rebuild their lives and their territories—soliciting and distributing donations, calling for joint efforts for cleaning and reoccupying affected properties, and organizing new occupations of empty buildings to house those who lost their homes.

Here, we explore how capitalists and the state have taken advantage of the catastrophe and how grassroots movements have responded to it, and present an interview with anarchists impacted by the flooding.

If you are dismayed or inspired by what you read here, please considering supporting anarchists in southern Brazil here as they address the ongoing impact of the floods.

The State

Whenever a “natural” disaster strikes, we see once again that the priority of the state has never been to protect our lives. For decades, the Brazilian government ignored warnings about the dangers of environmental destruction and climate change and failed to take effective measures to prevent catastrophes like this. On the contrary, it played an active role in the destruction—sometimes at a slower pace, sometimes devouring the land voraciously.

This contempt for life and hatred of nature was blatant in Bolsonaro’s neo-fascist government. But even social democratic regimes, including progressive governments involving parties like the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers Party, or PT), contributed heavily to global warming, relying on the automotive industry, oil extraction, and other energy sources with a high environmental impact to boost economic growth.

In 2015, during the tenure of the PT’s Dilma Rousseff, scientific reports warning that climate change would cause floods were shelved as “too alarmist.”

At the state and municipal levels, the government’s continuous negligence has an immediate impact on our lives. Despite threats from one weather system after another, the governor and mayor did not develop adequate evacuation plans or warnings.

They did not even invest in the most minimal steps to protect the population. The current governor, Eduardo Leite (from the right-wing Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, Brazilian Social Democracy Party, or PSDB), shredded the state’s environmental legislation in order to favor businesspeople and reduced investments in Civil Defense during his government.

Confronted by journalists, Leite tried to justify this by claiming that “There are these studies that, in some way, warn, but the government also has other agendas.”

In Porto Alegre, the dam floodgates that protect the city failed due to lack of maintenance and closing errors. This became even more serious because the last administrations of Porto Alegre city hall had scrapped the DEP (Department of Storm Sewage), the body responsible for the system of dikes, floodgates and pumping stations that protect the capital of Rio Grande do Sul against floods, which imposed further demands on the DMAE (Municipal Department of Water and Sewage). According to experts, the city would not have flooded if the system had been properly maintained and managed.

Making matters worse, the mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo, only decreed water rationing after 85% of the city was already without access to drinking water.

The populations of some neighborhoods were only notified that the pumps that prevented the flooding of their homes had been turned off after the fact, giving them no time to evacuate.

The Impact of Capitalism

The capitalist mode of production is the cause of climate shifts that threaten all life on earth. At the same time, the corporations and executives that profit from it are doing very little to mitigate the suffering of the population. In this case, if anything, they have made the situation even worse.

The capitalists failed to keep the supermarkets that were still operating stocked. Since they were interested in making a quick profit on people’s despair, they allowed those with money to buy up all the available water and supplies.

At the same time, dozens of stores were flooded while they were still filled with food, water bottles, and other essential items for the population, which had been locked inside under the protection of police and security guards armed with rifles—who had formed paramilitary groups to prevent hungry people from accessing food or other resources destined to rot in water.

The corporations and the state were more interested in protecting these goods than saving the lives of those who needed them, even if the items were bound to be discarded and compensated for by insurance companies.

flooded prison… Imagem do Complexo Penal de Charqueadas inundado em 4 de maio de 2024 | Foto: Divulgação/Susepe

A civil police officer shoots in the direction of a person suspected of looting a supermarket in Porto Alegre.

A History of Class-Struggle Anarchism – Zoe Baker

‘The libertarian socialists came to be called “anarchists” because that’s what they were called by their enemies’.

June 2024 by Z Network by Tom Wetzel at Anarchist News. 36 comments from thefreeonline on Telegram here: t.me/thefreeonline

Zoe Baker’s book and videos Means and Ends are a comprehensive look at the revolutionary class-struggle anarchist movement as it existed and developed in the period from the International Workingmen’s Association of 1864-78 to the defeat of the anarchist and syndicalist-inspired revolution in Spain in 1939.

Although the book is not about the writings of famous anarchist authors, she often uses quotes from people like Emma Goldman, Peter Kropotkin and Errico Malatesta to illustrate points. The author concedes that she only knows English and thus could not consult writings that have not yet been translated into English.

The book does not talk about all the various political tendencies that have used the “anarchist” label but mostly focuses on the main class-struggle oriented tendency which she calls “mass anarchism.”

Because the retreat from class is a common feature in the writing of various anarchists since World War 2 — from George Woodcock to Murray Bookchin and contemporary post-modernist anarchists — I have chosen to use “class-struggle anarchism” to refer to the political tendency this book is about.

People in that movement did not use the term mass anarchism which was first coined by Michael Schmidt and Lucien van der Walt in Black Flame. This term makes a certain sense, though, because of the orientation of that movement to mass struggle and building and participating in formally organized, democratic mass organizations such as worker unions, tenant unions, and independent women’s groups.

Origin

Zoe Baker starts out by honing in on the very specific anarchist tendency that her book is about. This political tendency first emerged as an organized political force within the framework of the International Workingmen’s Association (“First International”).

At a congress of the International in 1869, the majority of the delegates voted in favor of ownership of land by the whole society. This viewpoint was called “collectivism.” Among this collectivist majority, a tendency emerged who opposed a strategy oriented to the politics of parliamentary elections and parties and opposed the goal of gaining state power. This tendency often referred to itself by labels such as “federalist” and “revolutionary socialist.” The word libertarian was first used as another name for anarchism by Joseph Dejacque in 1857.

Thus “libertarian socialist” or “libertarian communist” were also labels used by this tendency.(p. 24) Many did not call themselves “anarchists” initially because anarchism was identified with Proudhon at that time. This emerging federalist, libertarian socialist tendency had significant disagreements with Proudhon.

From the 1840s on, Proudhon had advocated a strategy called mutualism. This was a gradualist strategy of social change through the building of worker cooperatives, with the aid of loans from a “people’s bank.” Proudhon thought the cooperatives could grow to eventually take over more social functions.

Proudhon opposed social ownership of the land, advocating private ownership by those who work the land, such as a peasant farmer. The federalist libertarian socialists did not support Proudhon’s mutualism but “advocated revolutionary…unionism and the simultaneous abolition of capitalism and the state through an armed insurrection, which would forcefully expropriate the capitalist class.” (p. 24)

As Baker points out, the opposition to Proudhon is an example of why the emergent class struggle-oriented federalist socialist or anarchist tendency cannot be defined simply by their proposal for abolition of the state as other socialists also advocated this.

Baker uses the term collectivist in two different ways. She initially defines it as proposing social ownership of the land. Later she talks about an internal disagreement among the class-struggle oriented anarchists between “anarchist collectivists” and “anarchist communists.” Here she is using a distinction explained by Kropotkin in The Conquest of Bread. In Kropotkin’s terminology, “collectivists” were people such as James Quillaume. Nestor Makhno or Ricardo Mella who advocated remuneration for work effort in a libertarian socialist society (p. 90).

Workers would be given certificates based on hours worked which they could use to obtain consumer goods. This is similar to Marx’s proposal in A Critique of the Gotha Program. Kropotkin, on the other hand, advocated a proposal of free-to-user provision for all needs — in keeping with the principle, “From each according to ability, to each according to need.”

Kropotkin explicitly opposed remuneration for work effort. People advocating Kropotkin’s view were called “communists.” But according to the original definition of “collectivist,” “communists” would also be “collectivists” since they advocated social ownership of the land. In reality, the principle of remuneration for work effort and the principle of free-to-user pubic goods and services are compatible. Indeed, the Spanish CNT “libertarian communist” program of 1936 advocated both.

War on Citizens: How the junta’s VPN ban is strangling communication in Myanmar

The measure exposes some desperation bythe military regime

from thefreeonline 28 June 2024 by The Irrawaddy ….. (NEW- The Free is now on Telegram: https://t.me/thefreeonline)

This article by Mi Ei Thinzar Myint was originally published in The Irrawaddy, an independent news website in Myanmar. This edited version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement.

Myanmar’s military regime blocked Facebook and other messaging apps following the 2021 coup in a bid to restrict freedom of expression and communication that it believes threatens its rule.

The people of Myanmar were using virtual private networks (VPNs), either paid or free versions, to bypass the restrictions.

However, the regime recently banned the use of VPN services in the country, and residents are now reporting difficulties accessing Facebook and other social media platforms.

Ma Wai Phyo Myint, Asia Pacific Policy Analyst at Access Now, which promotes digital rights around the world, recently talked to The Irrawaddy about how the VPN ban will affect people’s access to information and the ability of resistance groups to coordinate their efforts.

The Irrawaddy (TI): People are reporting difficulties using VPNs. What is happening?

Ma Wai Phyo Myint (MWPM): The regime blocked access to websites, Facebook, WhatsApp and other messaging platforms in 2021 and 2022. They used blacklisting and whitelisting, handing lists of websites that they wanted blocked to telecom operators and internet service providers. This time is different. They have bypassed telecom operators and internet service providers and are directly controlling [the internet] from [the capital] Naypyitaw. We are waiting to see if they will deploy firewalls like China.

TI: People say they can’t use certain VPNs. Which ones?

MWPM: Local organizations are checking. Some VPNs can still be used. Local organizations say the regime listed VPN servers in late 2023 and early 2024. It has blocked access to widely used VPNs including Psiphon. This includes the paid version [as well as the free version]. The point of using a VPN is to make your browsing history and location untraceable by military and government organizations. Your data are not safe unless you use a secure VPN. So, why haven’t they blocked access to widely available VPNs yet? Perhaps they want to keep monitoring, which is a cause for concern.

TI: People in China can still access banned sites despite the VPN ban? Is there any way to bypass the restrictions in Myanmar?

MWPM: This is a technical issue and we are still trying to figure out what exactly the regime is doing. Then, we will talk with VPN service providers about how they can help to restore VPN access in Myanmar. Neither local organizations nor VPN service providers can explain the details now.

TI: Why is the junta banning VPNs?

TI: Are there other ways people can use to share information?

MWPM: We heard that Facebook use has significantly declined due to the VPN problem.

Thanks to technological advances, even China’s government can’t completely ban VPNs. People can switch to other VPNs, and the regime won’t be able to block all the new technologies. There will be impacts, but people will be able to find ways [to evade the VPN ban] over time.

It is very costly to build firewalls. The regime doesn’t have sufficient resources to deploy firewalls in the long run. People should not underestimate what the regime is doing. Yet at the same time, they should not succumb to unwarranted fear. The regime can’t control everything.

Anti-regime forces are trying to use internet service providers that are not controlled by or tied to the regime. They are trying to get satellite phones and satellite internet, which have become accessible both technically and financially. The regime can’t shut down all the channels.

TI: The junta has been promoting a social media app called MySpace. How far can it go?

Gaza: People Endure ‘Subhuman Conditions’ amid Ongoing Genocide

Earlier on Wednesday, at least 15 people have been killed in Beit Lahia after the bombardment of the Abu Awad family home sheltering about 40 people,

from thefreeonline on 27/6/24 by SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM at Uprooted Palestinians – ( See on Telegram t.me/thefreeonline)

Desperate search for clean water amid war and blistering heat in Gaza

The Gaza Strip remains at high risk of famine as the Israeli war on the besieged enclave persists and access to aid is restricted, with international organizations warning that the Gazans endure subhuman conditions.

More than 495,000 people across the besieged Palestinian territory are facing “catastrophic food insecurity,” according to the United Nation’s hunger monitoring system, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

That is down from a forecast of 1.1 million in the previous update three months ago, but is still more than one-fifth of Gaza’s population, the IPC said on Tuesday.

Households suffer an extreme lack of food, leading to acute malnutrition in young children, an imminent risk of starvation, and deaths, it reported.

More than 20 percent of people reported going entire days and nights without eating. Overall, about 96 percent of the population will continue to face high levels of acute food insecurity until September.

Citing the IPC’s report, the Mercy Corps aid group said that people in Gaza are “enduring subhuman conditions” with a third of the population picking through trash to survive in the oppressive summer heat.

Two more victims were just pulled out from the rubble of the Abu Awwad family home in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, which was levelled to the ground by an Israeli airstrike last night. pic.twitter.com/E9GdhVrNvO
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 26, 2024

“The fact that the entire population of Gaza is at emergency levels of hunger with nearly 500,000 people starving should come as no surprise, as the world has been watching Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsen for nine months,” Mercy Corps’ Vice President of Global Policy and Advocacy, Kate Phillips-Barrasso, said.

“People are enduring subhuman conditions, resorting to desperate measures like boiling weeds, eating animal feed, and exchanging clothes for money to stave off hunger and keep their children alive,” Barrasso added.

Today, the Israeli occupation allowed a fraction of Gaza's cancer patients to travel to Egypt for treatment but did not permit mothers to accompany their sick children. pic.twitter.com/HAbxPVzdbN
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 27, 2024