Javier Balderas and Claudia Vera with representatives of the community authorities from San Mateo del Mar and PBI. Photo: PBI
The Tehuantepec Isthmus in Oaxaca is one of the regions included in Plan Puebla Panama, also known as the Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project, a development plan designed to promote the development and economic integration of Mexico with Central America. The geographic characteristics of the region, as well as the wealth of natural resources and biodiversity have opened the region to various economic development projects (also known as mega-projects since they are part of a large-scale development plan) that are now underway in this region, including the construction of wind farms such as Venta II, IV and La Ventosa. The affected communities demand that their right to information and consultation be respected on these projects – projects that often make promises for development that are not always fulfilled, or that do not satisfy the expressed needs of the communities they intend to serve.
The case of San Mateo del Mar, a community affected by the construction of a wind farm, is a vivid example of the agrarian conflicts and demands for legal recognition of agrarian rights that continue to be problematic in many indigenous communities. PBI interviewed Javier Balderas, Director of the Tepeyac Human Rights Center, in February 2009 in Tehuantepec. Tepeyac accompanies representatives of the community authorities in San Mateo del Mar, and PBI also had the opportunity to meet with them.