Bustillos, Edwin

▪ 1997

      In 1996 human rights activist and environmentalist Edwin Bustillos continued his campaign to save Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range from loggers and drug traffickers. Though his work resulted in five attempts on his life and daily death threats, Bustillos remained committed to the cause that made him as endangered as the land and people he sought to protect.

      The Sierra Madre Occidental, located in northern Mexico, extends over 1,100 km (700 mi) of mountains and canyons. Considered North America's most diverse ecosystem, it is home to endangered species, such as the jaguar and Mexican gray wolf, and to the world's most varied forest of pine, oak, and cedar. In addition, four native human cultures have lived in the region for over 2,000 years. By 1996, however, loggers and drug traffickers were threatening the Sierra Madre. Lumber companies, which had begun logging in the late 1800s, had destroyed 98% of the area's original forest growth. Moreover, in recent years the area's isolation had attracted drug traffickers, who forced the Indians to grow marijuana and opium poppies; refusal often led to death or removal from the land. The region consequently became one of the largest producers of drug crops in the world.

      Part Tarahumara, Bustillos was born in the Sierra Madre on May 16, 1964. It was while working for a timber company that he became aware of the problems in the region. In 1992 he founded Consejor Asesor de la Sierra Madre, A.C. (CASMAC; "Advisory Council of the Sierra Madre"), an organization that, while addressing environmental issues, concentrated on securing rights for the indigenous people. Operating with a staff of only three and on an annual budget of $80,000, Bustillos successfully lobbied for a new constitution for the state of Chihuahua that included unprecedented protection of the rights and lands of the native cultures; he also helped eradicate more than 100 ha (250 ac) of drug crops. CASMAC's goal was the creation of a two million-hectare (five million-acre) biosphere comprising community reserves, protected areas used for traditional purposes such as grazing and plant gathering.

      The challenges Bustillos faced were numerous. His work angered loggers and drug traffickers, who vowed to kill him. He also had to contend with bribed officials and a Mexican government that ignored the problem or offered ineffective solutions. The few arrests were often of Tarahumara, who cultivated drug crops, and the spraying of herbicide to destroy the illicit crops damaged plants and the water supply that the Indians relied upon for survival. In 1996 Bustillos received the Goldman Environmental Prize and the Condé Nast Environmental Award. (AMY TIKKANEN)

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