Read about the latest developments with indigenous peoples' struggles in the Amazon to protect their cultures and environments. This Blog is to be educational, to keep Village Earth's supporters informed of developments in the Peruvian Amazon, and to serve as a vehicle for the promotion of the Shipibo peoples' projects.
Oil exploration in the Amazon jungle. Photo: Andina/Internet.
Lima, Feb. 27 (ANDINA).- Compania Espanola de Petroleos (Cepsa), Spain's second-largest oil company, bought stakes in two oil and gas exploration blocks from Irish Pan Andean Resources in the Ucayali BAsin south of Pucallpa, in the Peruvian jungle.
Cepsa will eventually assume operatorship of the Blocks and acquire a 60 percent working interest in Block 114 and a 70 percent working interest in Block 131, once it has obtained the required regulatory approvals from Perupetro (the Peruvian government agency responsible for promoting private investment in the hydrocarbons sector).
Activity during the exploration period on Blocks 114 and 131, measuring 7,200 km2 and 10,000 km2, respectively, will include, during the initial phases, the performance of 2D seismic acquisition to identify possible structures existing in the subsoil, and subsequently the drilling of exploration wells.
Cepsa embarked on its exploration activity in Peru last year when it signed an agreement with ConocoPhillips to acquire a 35 percent stake in Block 104 in the Maranon Basin.
Afterwards, the company entered into a farm-in deal with the Canadian firm Loon Energy to acquire a 80 percent working interest in Block 127 in the same basin.
As a result of these last two agreements signed with Pan Andean, Cepsa will expand its upstream portfolio and enhance its presence in Peru.
These new Blocks, which will be operated by Cepsa, are located in Peru's central Amazonian region, an area of considerable ecological value.
The Spanish company holds interests in other acreages with similar features and, in an effort to ensure environmentally-sound and responsible operations, has put into effect in each of them a broad program of measures in conjunction with local authorities and indigenous populations , chiefly targeted at avoiding any adverse impacts on the environment and, consequently, its biodiversity.
As part of its environmental strategy in ecologically-sensitive areas, Cepsa consistently identifies and evaluates the possible effects associated with its activities.
Derrame de petróleo el 31 de diciembre de 2007 Foto: FECONACO
La Federación de Comunidades Nativas del río Corrientes (FECONACO) denunció un nuevo derrame de petróleo ocurrido el 31 de diciembre de 2007 el cual contaminó seis kilómetros de la quebrada de Timu Entsu, utilizada por los pobladores para labores de pesca y caza.
La denuncia fue presentada ante la Unidad de Exploración y Explotación del Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión Privada en Energía y Minería (OSINERMING).
La responsable de dicha acción delictiva es la empresa argentina Pluspetrol, responsable de explotar los lotes petroleros 1AB y 8, en la cuenca del río Corrientes, región Loreto.
La denuncia ha sido acompañada de fotos y videos tomados por los monitores ambientales de la mencionada organización indígena responsables desde el 2005 de monitorear y vigilar la calidad ambiental de su territorio.
FECONACO solicita investigar este nuevo derrame de petróleo que afecta no sólo el medio ambiente de los achuar, sino pone en riesgo la salud de los pobladores de las comunidades indígenas próximas a la zona del derrame.
Durante el año 2007 FECONACO denunció a Pluspetrol por los derrames de petróleo ocurridos en las siguientes fechas:
4 y 24 de abril : pozos Shiviyacu 12 y Shiviyacu 16 – 17.
17 de octubre: derrame en poza de seguridad Lote 1AB.
23 de octubre: fuga de petróleo de tubería de diesel.
24 de octubre: derrame de petróleo en el Lote 1AB.
29 de octubre: derrame de petróleo contaminó la quebrada Tseku Entsa.
Para mayor información comunicarse con FECONACO: +511 065-600454 ó +511 065-600455 Jorge Jordán : +511 254-2490 ó +511 952-36701
Thank you to all who supported this important campaign!
National and international allies staged an important protest outside the Houston Petroleum Club, while the vice president of AIDESEP (the Inter-ethnic Development Association of the Peruvian Amazon), Robert Guimaraes, took the opportunity to speak to potential investors and let them know the risks of investing in oil development in the Amazon.
Unfortunately, two of the three Shipibo delegates were not able to make the trip because their visas were denied by the US government. In many respects, this symbolizes the obstacles that indigenous people face in participating in global dialogue that are crucial in exercising the right to determine their own "development" path.
The good news is that Robert Guimaraes was able to deliver a powerful message to potential investors and to Perupetro, Peru's hydrocarbon licensing agency. Quoting Robert Guimaraes, "We request that you exclude those blocks that overlap communal indigenous territories. More that 80% of the population in Corrientes river, mostly children, have cadmium and lead in their blood. Just as for you there are things that cannot be negotiated, for us some things, like indigenous land, cannot be negotiated." The cadmium and lead that Robert refers to is the result of over 30 years of Oxy Petroleum operations in Northern Perú, where the Achuar people have been severely affected.
The Peruvian government's latest efforts to place the Amazon region in the hands of oil developers puts the entire Amazon at risk, especially indigenous people in voluntary isolation, and clearly violates international rights benchmarks such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent, contained in the recently approved UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (of which Peru is a signatory). It is precisely the Peruvian government's rather shameful attempt to manipulate, distort, and even suppress indigenous opposition to oil development that makes it so important to support indigenous leaders efforts to make their voices heard at international venues such as Perúpetro's Houston road-show. Otherwise, potential investors not only get a distorted view of indigenous opinion, but local indigenous people are excluded the global decision-making process that directly affect their lives.
Given that two of the delegates weren't able to come to Houston, we would like to continue with our efforts to support these types of crucial interventions. Perupetro is planning another event in August, again designed to divvy up the Amazon for even more oil development. With your continued support, we would like to help these delegates make their presence at this event as well. And hopefully the impact will be even greater.
Letter from AIDESEP to Peruvian Government Officials
Lima, 08 de Febrero de 2008.
Señores: Alan García Pérez Presidente Constitucional
Juan Valdivia Romero Ministro de Energía y Minas
Daniel Saba de Andrea Presidente PERUPETRO S.A.
Presente.-
Las comunidades indígenas de la amazonia peruana a través de nuestras organizaciones representativas, en múltiples oportunidades hemos manifestado nuestra firme posición de rechazar el ingreso de las compañías petroleras en nuestros territorios comunales, por que no queremos contaminar nuestros recursos naturales tales como bosques, ríos, quebradas, biodiversidad; en ella se desarrolla nuestras vidas, es nuestro espacio cultural y espiritual y de las futuras generaciones, queremos conservarla frente a los graves consecuencias tales como el calentamiento global y sus efectos los cambios climáticos.
Recientemente, el congreso ha aprobado la Ley Nº 28736, Según el artículo 4° deben respetar la vida y salud de los pueblos en situación de aislamiento voluntario por encontrarse en situación de alta vulnerabilidad, motivo por el cual se prohíben actividades de aprovechamiento de recursos, como son las actividades hidrocarburíferas, nada esto se está respetando en estos procesos de licitaciones, mal informando a los inversionistas, negando nuestras existencias. Los pueblos indígenas consideramos que la actividad petrolera no es la única fuente de ingresos para el país, queremos conservar nuestros recursos, comos lo hemos conservado con sabiduría, hoy vemos como se destruyen fácilmente.
Basta ya Señor Alan García, usted no puede calificar a los ciudadanos que los eligieron de “Perros del Hortelano” Somos pueblos con derechos, dignos de ser respetados y escuchados.
Peruvian Amazonian Leaders to Warn Oil Companies: “Don’t Trespass on Our Lands!”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 7, 2008
Peruvian Government Breaks Promises, International Laws with Plans to Sell Oil Concessions Overlapping Indigenous Reserves
See below for photo op. and media briefing details. Interviews, photos and B-Roll footage from Amazon available on request.
Houston – Indigenous leaders from the Peruvian Amazon will this Friday personally deliver a message to oil companies gathered at a concession road-show organized in Houston by Perupetro, Peru’s hydrocarbon licensing agency: “Don’t trespass on our lands!”
Robert Guimaraes, Vice-President of AIDESEP, Peru’s national federation of native Amazonians, will also be demanding an explanation from Perupetro and the Peruvian government why clear promises to avoid indigenous lands have been broken. The Perupetro road-show is part of the 2008 North American Prospect Expo (NAPE).
The concessions include four highly controversial concessions, 132, 133, 136 and 139, which have each failed to win any bidders in the past as the oil industry became aware that local indigenous communities would oppose any operations there.
The concessions would also violate international indigenous rights laws as well as the international human rights benchmark of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, contained in the recently approved UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In particular some of the last communities living in voluntary isolation anywhere in the Amazon, inside dedicated Territorial Reserves declared to protect them from contact with outsiders, are highly vulnerable due to their lack of imde munity to diseases.
Of the Amazonian blocks now being offered by Perupetro:
Four overlap titled indigenous lands;
Three intrude on Territorial Reserves for indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation;
Two overlap proposed Territorial Reserves for indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation;
One overlaps a Natural Protected Area.
Mr. Guimaraes said: “Our message to interested companies and their investors could not be clearer; you are not welcome here. We will do everything we can to stop you drilling on our territories and devastating our lands, communities and health. Please, for the good of your own companies, stay away.”
Perupetro’s roadshow comes as international investors grow increasingly concerned about the risks associated with oil extraction in remote areas of the Amazon.Last year, oil major ConocoPhilips voluntarily gave up part of an oil concession in the northern Peruvian Amazon because of unified opposition from the indigenous Achuar people.
Photo op. and media briefing
Featuring Mr. Guimaraes in traditional attire, outside the Petroleum Club, 800 Bell Street, downtown Houston, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm CST, Friday February 8.
Background
The latest sell-off comes despite assurances from Perupetro and the Peruvian government that it would respect indigenous rights and lands. In February 2007, the Peruvian government formally agreed that Perupetro would redraw its proposed oil concessions to avoid official territorial reserves. In April, according to AIDESEP, Perupetro also agreed to inform bidders that the Peruvian state would create the “necessary mechanisms” to ensure that the winning companies would not intrude onto the proposed reserves, until Peru’s indigenous agency INDEPA had completed an evaluation.
Friday’s roadshow is the latest chapter in the Peruvian government’s scramble to concession off the nation’s highly biodiverse Amazonian rainforests, roughly twice the size of California, to the oil industry. In roughly two years, the proportion of the Peruvian Amazon zoned into hydrocarbon blocks has risen from 13 percent to roughly 70 percent, despite the widespread toxic contamination and negative social impacts left by previous oil companies, such as Occidental Petroleum, Hunt Oil and Pluspetrol in Peru’s rainforests. For background on the campaign to protect the human rights and collective territories of the Peruvian Amazon’s indigenous peoples, visit www.amazonwatch.org.
RISK PROFILE: Oil Concessions in the Peruvian Amazon February 6, 2008 Perupetro
Overview This year the Perupetro will attempt to auction the 6 remaining oil and gas concessions in the Amazon region, all of which they were not able auction last January. All of these blocks in the Amazon overlap indigenous reserves, legally titled indigenous lands, naturally protected areas, or lands that have special status. The Peruvian government has consistently failed to consult indigenous communities prior to establishing concessions, as required by Peruvian and International Law. Indigenous communities throughout Peru are calling for a suspension of the current concessioning round and vow to oppose new oil projects. To demonstrate concern, some have shutdown oil operations, such as the recent two-week shutdown of Pluspetrol’s operations in the northern Peruvian Amazon. Oil majors like Occidental Petroleum recently announced withdrawal from Peru after thirty years – citing indigenous opposition as one reason.
Unstable institutional framework for investment Recent controversies between key state institutions regarding the entire process of defining oil and gas blocks suggest that the institutional and constitutional framework of the entire process is unclear. For example, the National Ombudsman Office issued a report questioning the government’s oil and gas development policy and highlighting the controversy surrounding the legal framework that regulates the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in naturally protected areas. The report also spells out how investors might be awarded blocks that are located in legally protected areas, complicating operational procedures for years to come.
Financing Risks Many projects have difficulty breaking ground, given a growing number of private and public sector lenders have adopted strong policies (e.g. Equator Principles adopted by Banks making up over 90 percent of the project finance market) to finance controversial concessions. It may be far more difficult for project sponsors to attract co-sponsors or to secure financing for new projects that are opposed by their host communities or that are located in ecologically sensitive regions. Investors and financiers may delay their involvement, require more lucrative terms as mitigation for the additional risk or may simply decline to participate at all. For example, in 2005 Manhattan Minerals was forced to abandon its plans for a mine in Tambogrande, Peru after intense community opposition prevented the company from bringing a major partner to the venture.
Operational Risks Determined, local communities often have the power to slow down projects and, in some cases, even shut them down. Through blockades, protests, work stoppages and litigation, community opposition can raise production costs and impede the projects ability to bring product to market. Similarly, complying with national and international safeguards for operating in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon involve a series of logistical and engineering challenges that if not met, can result in a variety of collateral risks. For example, the Camisea gas pipeline had five ruptures in the first 18 months of operation, resulting in negative public opinion.
Community Opposition The case for heeding community opposition is compelling. Gaining community consent for a project involves the internationally-accepted principle of free, prior, informed consent (FPIC). Peruvian law and international conventions mandate that communities be consulted, prior to the creation of oil concessions as well as during the Environmental Impact Assessment process. Yet mere engagement or consultation will not always be sufficient to fully address risks. Consultations that do not resolve a community’s reasons for opposition nor achieve consent will provide little assurance against potentially costly and disruptive conflict. Increasingly, major institutional investors, such as the New York City and New York State pension funs and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, are voicing grave concerns about the financial risks and poor returns from projects that move ahead on indigenous lands without their prior consent.
Recent examples of community opposition include: o In June of 2007, indigenous communities categorically rejected the entrance of the Colombian Oil company Hocol to carryout exploration and exploitation activities in block 116, even offering their lives: “ the Wampis People express our opposition to fight with our lives to defend our territories and natural resources which are mediums of life to present and future generations…..”. It is worth noting that while a contract was signed almost two years ago, operations have yet to proceed. • October 2006 Achuar two-week blockade of Pluspetrol’s installations – resulting in a multi-million dollar agreement and costing $2.4 million/day of lost revenue. • January 2005 Machiguenga protest of the Camisea gas project – resulting in a four-month delay and an 18-month delay in the InterAmerican Development Bank’s loan disbursement to the project.
Before investing in the Amazon, consider these downside risks due to community opposition: • Increased costs and delays in project construction and operation; • Difficulty in securing favorable financing or long term contracts; • Increased costs in mitigating environmental and social impacts.
Civil Society Opposition Opposition to oil development in Peru is not limited to indigenous communities as many civil society organizations have also publicly denounced the Garcia administration’s policies. In January of 2007, for example, 40 civil society organizations signed a public statement that expressed concern over government policy regarding the process of awarding of contracts for oil and gas exploration and exploitation specifically on those blocks that overlap territorial reserves for indigenous people in isolation and naturally protected areas. These organizations will continue to support the campaign to prevent oil development in these areas.
Isolated or “Uncontacted” Indigenous Peoples These impacts include: threat of contact between isolated peoples and oil workers - which could include forced contact (as was the case with Peru's Camisea gas project) or even violent confrontations (as has been the case in Ecuador's Yasuni Park); threat to the life and health of isolated peoples because, for example, they lack the immune defenses to confront illnesses introduced by outsiders - leading to possible death; and impacts to the fragile rainforest environment on which they depend.
Prepared by: Amazon Alliance, Amazon Watch and Save America’s Forests For more information, email investors@amazonwatch.org
In front of the Houston Petroleum Club in 2007, from left, Robert Guimaraes, Washington Bolivar, Maria Ramos of Amazon Watch, an advocacy group based in the United States. (Photo: Bryan Parras) Photo Credit: Environment News Service (http://www.ens-newswire.com/)
A note from Robert Guimaraes Vasquez, vice president of AIDESEP (the Inter- Ethnic Development Association for the Peruvian Jungle) see http://www.aidesep.org.pe/ (Translated by George Stetson)
Dear Village Earth supporters,
I am writing to ask for your support to help fund a trip to Houston, Texas on Feb. 8th. As you might know the current President of Peru, Alan Garcia, is intent on selling off the entire Amazon region to multinational oil and gas companies as fast as he can. Currently, more than 70% of the Amazon is in the hands of multinationals. We are trying desperately to stop this, but our opponents are well funded, so it is a difficult struggle.
On February 8th, at the Petroleum Club in downtown Houston, the Peruvian government will try and concession-off the remaining oil blocks, almost all of which are located on indigenous territory, territorial reserves for indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, or environmentally protected areas. The indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon clearly reject oil development on our territories. Our plan is to make our voices heard on Feb 8th, where we will have the opportunity to share with investors our position. In a recent indigenous congress,120 traditional leaders selected a delegation of two members to travel to Houston, which was considered critical, unfortunately, because our legitimate indigenous organizations were not invited to the meeting.
I apologize for the urgency of this request, but AIDESEP just learned about meeting and we have had little time and resources to prepare. We would greatly appreciate any contribution that might be possible, as we are trying to secure funding for one more plane ticket. The history of oil development for indigenous peoples in Peru has been devastating: environmental destruction, severe health consequences (i.e. high incidences of cancer), and even unwanted contact between oil workers and indigenous peoples. We feel strongly that we have the right to present our position at this meeting. Thanks for any support you can offer.
NUEVO JERUSALEM, Peru -- Tomás Maynas Carijano strolled through his tiny jungle farm, pinching leaves, shaking his head. The rain forest spread lushly in all directions -- covering what oil maps call Block 1AB.
"Like the trunk of that papaya, the cassava and bananas are also dying," said the spiritual leader of this remote Achuar Indian settlement in Peru's northern Amazon region. "Before Oxy came, the fruits and the plants grew well." Oxy is Occidental Petroleum, the California-based company that pulled a fortune from this rain forest from 1972 to 2000. It is also the company that Maynas and other Achuar leaders now blame for wreaking environmental havoc -- and leaving many of the people here ill. Last spring, U.S. lawyers representing Maynas and 24 other indigenous Peruvians sued Occidental in a Los Angeles court, alleging that, among other offenses, the firm violated industry standards and Peruvian law by dumping toxic wastewater directly into rivers and streams. The company denies liability in the case. For indigenous groups, the Occidental lawsuit is emblematic of a new era. The Amazon region was once even more isolated than it is today, its people largely cut off from environmental defenders in Washington and other world capitals who might have protected their interests. Now, Indians have gained access to tools that level the playing field -- from multinational lawsuits to mapping technologies such as Google Earth. Oil companies that once traded money and development for Indians' blessings are increasingly finding outsiders getting involved. "History has shown that oil companies will cut corners if someone isn't watching," said Gregor MacLennan of Shinai, an internationally funded civic group in Peru. "We try to get to local communities first to help them make informed decisions about oil companies and the changes they bring." Lured by global energy prices, Peru is placing record bets on Amazon energy lodes: Last year the country's concessions agency, PeruPetro, signed a record 24 hydrocarbon contracts with international oil companies. EarthRights International, a nonprofit group that is helping represent the plaintiffs in the Achuar case, says half of Peru's biologically diverse Amazon region has been added to oil maps in the last three years. Occidental pumped 26 percent of Peru's historic oil production from Block 1AB before selling the declining field to Argentina's Pluspetrol in 2000. "We are aware of no credible data of negative community health impacts resulting from Occidental's operations in Peru," Richard Kline, a company spokesman, said in an e-mail statement. Kline said that Occidental has not had operations in Block 1AB in nearly a decade and that Pluspetrol has assumed responsibility for it. Occidental made "extensive efforts" to work with community groups and has a "long-standing commitment and policy to protect the environment and the health and safety of people," he said. The California-based group Amazon Watch has joined the suit as a plaintiff, and the case is now inching through U.S. courts. In a federal hearing scheduled for Feb. 11, company lawyers will ask a judge to send the case to Peru, where Indians say corruption and a case backlog will hurt their chance of winning. Learning Their Rights The primitive trumpet -- a hollowed cow's horn -- brayed over this gritty river community at sundown. Residents of Nuevo Jerusalem, the Achuar settlement on the Macusari River, trudged up a path, toting shotguns and fishing nets. Some stepped down from palm huts, walking to the meeting in twos and threes. Soon, Lily La Torre was on stage. "I've come to give you news of the Oxy suit," said La Torre, a Peruvian lawyer and activist working with Maynas's legal team. Barefoot women in dirty skirts circled the room, serving bowls of homemade cassava beer.
The Peruvian government, recently, has been involved in an intense campaign to exploit oil and gas resources in the Peruvian Amazon: as of 2007, more than 70% of the Amazon region has been marked for oil and gas development. This number has increased drastically, given that in 2004 only 13% of the area was in the hands of oil and gas companies. Given the ugly history of oil development in the region, indigenous people who make their home in the Amazon are extremely worried about the potential environmental, social, economic, and cultural consequences of such a massive influx of oil and gas exploitation. Moreover, the imposition of oil and gas development in the region without indigenous consent represents a violation of indigenous rights (national and international) to determine their own development path (e.g. International Labour Organization 169).
Given the power of the Peruvian state and transnational oil companies to control and manipulate the process of oil development, AIDESEP (the Interethnic Development Association for the Peruvian Jungle) and FECONAU (Federation of Native Communities from the Ucayali Region of the Amazon) have asked for our assistance in making indigenous voices (protest) heard at the highest levels. On February 8th, 2008, in Houston, TX, Perupetro is sponsoring an event that is primarily designed to convince potential investors of the benefits of oil development in Peru. Contrary to Peruvian State's pro-development discourse, leaders of AIDESEP and FECONAU want to manifest their opposition to oil and gas development in Peru and to firmly reject the entrance of petroleum companies on their communal territories. This decision was made on the 22nd of January in a FECONAU conference, with the presence of 120 indigenous leaders, where three (3) delegates were elected unanimously to send a message of protest at the Houston meeting.
What they are asking for:
One plane ticket from Lima to Houston. Logistical support for food and hotel for a contingency of 4 people. Transportation (car rental).
WE NEED YOUR HELP! (You can make a donation with your credit card by clicking PayPal on the upper right corner of this blog or by phone 970-491-5754.)
All donations are 100% tax-deductible and any amount is greatly appreciated!
As you know, Village Earth has been in alliance with Shipibo leaders and indigenous organizations in the Amazon working for their rights to self-determination for over three years now. They are relying on us and our network of supporters to let their voice be heard. This is a seminal moment in protecting both the Amazon rainforest and indigenous livelihoods - WE HAVE TO ACT FAST and WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
"During the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down - more than in all the previous 450 years since European colonization began."*
Yet, the Shipibo have sustainably managed their forests for many generations. However, an aggressive program of Amazonian "development" has been promoted during the past 50 years, which has fragmented Shipibo territory by the incursion of non-indigenous colonists, government "development" projects, and foreign corporations exploiting the land by logging, hydrocarbon extraction, and industrial-scale agriculture. However, protecting indigenous land rights has come to the forefront in their struggles for self-determination as the Peruvian government continues to open up the farthest reaches of the Amazon basin for oil exploration and other extractive enterprises.
Below: This map, originally created by the Instituto del Bien Comun and given to a Village Earth representative by AIDESEP, shows indigenous communities, protected areas, and oil concessions in Peru.
Protection and defense of indigenous territory was decided as the most important focus area out of their plan for self-determination of the region's indigenous inhabitants from the last Village Earth-Shipibo regional workshop.
To aid the Shipibo in the protection and defense of their territory, Village Earth created map books of the region using GIS layers of the native titled communities (as provided by the Sistema de Informacion sobre Comunidades Nativas de la Amazonia Peruana [SICNA] of the Instituto del Bien Comun [IBC]) and colonist settlements overlaid onto satellite images. Satellite images are an interesting mapping medium because they show vegetation cover, as well as land degradation based on the light reflected from different vegetation or soil types.
Below: A Village Earth program coordinator conducting a mapping workshop in one Shipibo community in Masisea district.
As well, Village Earth held a Geographic Positioning System (GPS) workshop and gave hand held GPS units to Shipibo leaders so they can continue to use the technology to protect their lands.
After the Village Earth mapping workshops, two Shipibo communities have begun the process of increasing their legally-titled land in order to protect more forest from outside exploitation, as well as remove illegally settled non-indigenous colonists using their new map books and GPS points. Shipibo jefes (chiefs) even asked a Village Earth representative to attend meetings with them at the local AIDESEP and Defensoria del Pueblooffices in Pucallpa - local NGOs that work to protect and defend indigenous rights in Peru. We, accompanied by reps from Defensoria del Pueblo, then attended meetings with the local Ministry of Agriculture in Pucallpa, the branch of government that deals with indigenous land titling.
As well, these Village Earth initiatives have increased intercommunity cooperation and participants in the workshops now have a greater consciousness of their geography.
Empowering indigenous peoples by providing the training and materials to use geographic technology, in turn, allows for self-determination of their way of life - since their land and resources are inextricably linked with their culture, economy, and physical health.
Issues of land and territory will be a hot topic throughout the Indigenous Tribunal being held in June of this year. This will be a seminal event in mobilizing and organizing their communities to better protect their land and resources. The outcome of this Indigenous Tribunal will be to form a grassroots, indigenous organization in the region to direct their own path to self-determination which includes forming an indigenous working group on environmental conservation.
Thousands of hectares of highly biodiverse forest and the accompanying watershed have the potential to be protected the indigenous inhabitants taking a stand against the market forces of globalization.
*Wallace, Scott. "Last of the Amazon" in National Geographic. January 2007.
Above: This map shows the different exploration and exploitation blocks leased out by the Peruvian government to the oil companies.
Below: A view of the proposed drilling area as seen from satellite images.
The Shipibo expressed their grave concern about the exploitation of Block 114 which is home to dozens of Shipibo and other indigenous communities. Not only are the communities living within the confines of Block 114 worried, but also those downstream because of the expected water contamination from the oil sites.
PanAndean Resources has purchased the rights to Block 114 and is expected to begin drilling in 2008.
Pan Andean Resources is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Here is an excerpt from their website:
"Block 114 located in Central Peru: 1.85 million acres; At least 10 anticline structures identified in Block: Estimated oil resources in block: 400 millions Barrels; API of oil: 30 – 35°; Easy river access to refineries. Exploration commenced Q3 2006. First phase involves reprocessing and interpretation of 500 kilometres of seismic followed by 150 kilometres of new seismic and one well. Technical and environmental work in progress on Rio Caco structure. Drilling up to 3 wells on Rio Caco to be completed by April 2008. Block 114, located in the Ucayali Sub Andean Basin, north of the world-class Camisea gas-condensate field, with proven and probable reserves in the range of 15 TCF of natural gas and 600 million barrels of condensate. Block 114 is located to the south of important oil and gas fields such as Maquia, Aguas Calientes and Aguaytia. The immediate focus will be on confirmation and production drilling of the Rio Caco Structure. Potential recoverable reserves are in the range of 90 million barrels. Production would reach 30,000 barrels per day in 2012. The Work Plan will be to carry out the required Environmental Impact and Technical Evaluation work, in order to be drilling the Rio Caco confirmation well beginning in August-September 2007. Should that well be successful, three additional wells would be drilled as soon as practical and production would be flowing beginning in March-April 2008."
There is no mention of the thousands of indigenous people that inhabit the region, nor the possible consequences to the health of the world's largest remaining tropical forest, nor to the world's largest watershed.
According to Peruvian Law: "The Organic Law for Hydrocarbons, Law N° 26221, was enacted on August 19, 1993, coming into effect on November 18, 1993. Such norm was modified by Law No. 26734 as of December 30 1996, No. 26817 as of June 23, 1997, and Law No. 27343 as of September 01, 2000, No. 27377 as of December 06, and Law No. 27391 as of December 29, 2000. This norm, which is intended to foster the investments in fuel resource exploration and exploitation activities, created PERUPETRO S.A. as a Private Law State Company of the Energy and Mining Sector.
Considering such law, the Government promotes the development of Fuel Resource activities based on the free competition and access to the economic activity, guaranteeing the juridical stability of the contracts according to provisions set forth in article 62° of the Constitution of Peru.Likewise, it guarantees the Contractors the stability of the taxation and foreign exchange regimes in force to the date of the signing of the contract.
Law No. 26221 sets that Fuel Resources exploration and exploitation activities will be carried out under the form of License Contracts as well as Service Agreements or other contract modalities authorized by the Ministry of Energy and Mining, and governed by the Private Law, and which after being approved and signed, may only be modified according to a written agreement signed by both parties. Likewise, any modification must be approved by Supreme Decree." (Source: PeruPetro.com)
However, also according to Article 89 of the Peruvian Constitution:
"Rural and Native Communities are legally recognized and enjoy legal status. They are autonomous in terms of their organization, communal working, use and free disposal of their land, as well as economically and administratively within the framework established by law. Ownership of their land is imprescriptible except in the case of abandonment described in the preceding article. The government respects the cultural identity of the Rural and Native Communities."
Although indigenous communities are given the legal titles to their land, their is little protection afforded to these communities under Peruvian law against foreign companies contaminating their watersheds and destroying their forests.
According to the International Labour Organization's Convention (No. 169) concerning Indigenous and Tribal peoples in Independent Countries:
Article 15
1. The rights of the peoples concerned to the natural resources pertaining to their lands shall be specially safeguarded. These rights include the right of these peoples to participate in the use, management and conservation of these resources.
2. In cases in which the State retains the ownership of mineral or sub-surface resources or rights to other resources pertaining to lands, governments shall establish or maintain procedures through which they shall consult these peoples, with a view to ascertaining whether and to what degree their interests would be prejudiced, before undertaking or permitting any programmes for the exploration or exploitation of such resources pertaining to their lands. The peoples concerned shall wherever possible participate in the benefits of such activities, and shall receive fair compensation for any damages which they may sustain as a result of such activities.
For more information about the destruction caused to the environment and indigenous communities by oil companies, check out Amazon Watch and Oilwatch. There are hundreds of resources available on the internet documenting the destruction to the world's indigenous and other marginalized communities and their environments around the world by oil companies.
No matter how environmentally-friendly these oil companies claim to be, it is impossible to extract oil in such a fragile environment without damaging the ecological integrity of the region.
The Shipibo depend upon their rivers and forests for their subsistence and livelihoods. Their economy, culture, and health depend upon their access to healthy ecosystems.
Village Earth is working with communities to help them protect and defend their territories and environments.
What can you do to help?
You can donate to Village Earth's efforts to help protect indigenous land in the Peruvian Amazon.
Lessen your dependence on oil and oil-based products. In the global market economy, only when demand for oil drops will drilling cease. Therefore, the future lies in YOUR hands.
Write to these companies and let them know that you disapprove of drilling for oil on or near indigenous lands in the ecologically-fragile Amazon region:
Dr. John Teeling Pan Andean Resources 162, Clontarf Road Dublin 3 Ireland
Below: The indigenous people of Masisea are learning to use GPS through a Village Earth initiative, so that they can monitor their lands and borders.
ENCUENTRO DE LA TRIFRONTERA - COLOMBIA - ECUADOR - PERU (Lago Agrio, Ecuador, 13 al 16 de agosto del 2006)
Sobre la triple frontera de Ecuador, Colombia y Perú se cierne una amenaza sobre el territorio, vida y cultura de nuestros pueblos por la apertura de nuevas fronteras petroleras.
La actividad petrolera, una de las más destructivas del planeta, viene acompañadas con contaminación, violencia, enfermedad, muerte y atentados al derecho de la autodeterminación y bien vivir de nuestros pueblos, en aquellos lugares en donde ya opera.
Nuestros territorios son las zonas más ricas del mundo en diversidad natural y cultural y somos nosotros quienes las hemos cultivado y conservado desde nuestros corazones, abuelos y abuelas.
Por la existencia de convenios internacionales y leyes nacionales, amparados por la Ley de Origen, por ser pueblos milenarios inmemoriales que anteceden a los Estados actuales.
En honor a la memoria, en respeto a nuestros sabios y por el clamor de las montañas, los ríos, los árboles e iluminados por la sabiduría del DISPONEMOS
fuego y las serpientes. Mandato uno. Porque nuestros territorios son sagrados, protegemos la biodiversidad, el agua, el aire, la territorialidad y nuestra cultura y resolvemos desterrar toda actividad destructiva.
Mandato dos. Porque somos pueblos milenarios y es parte de nuestras tradiciones, invocamos a nuestros sabios y sabias, al espiritu de nuestros mayores, a las montañas, a la selva, para que se unan a la lucha y se levanten junto con sus pueblos.
Mandato tres. Por las petroleras que amenazan nuestros territorios y la extinción de nuestros pueblos, resolvemos: prohibir el ingreso de empresas transnacionales y nacionales petroleras, madereras y mineras y a todos aquellos que pretendan comercializar con la vida, a nuestros territorios, incluyendo sus investigadores, funcionarios y relacionadores comunitarios.
Mandato cuatro. Porque nos sentimos agredidos por la violencia, resolvemos: condenar la relación de los militares con las empresas transnacionales y rechazamos la presencia de grupos paramilitares y ejercitos mercenarios.
Mandato cinco. Porque el Estado tiene una visión de corto plazo, exigimos al Estado el cese de políticas de extracción intensiva de recursos naturales.
Mandato seis. Porque compartimos fronteras, pueblos e identidades, exigimos a los gobiernos de los tres países el cumplimiento de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, afroamericanos y campesinos.
Mandato siete. Porque nos une la historia y el vínculo con el territorio, resolvemos: fortalecer el hermanamiento entre pueblos, países y comunidades y articular nuestras luchas.
Mandato ocho. Porque creemos en el ejercicio de nuestra autodeterminación, resolvemos: fortalecer las organizaciones comunales de cada uno de los pueblos y nacionalidades de los tres países, en función de nuestro derecho al autogobierno y a decidir sobre nuestro destino común.
El presente mandato es declarado en el corazón de la selva de la Amazonía por nuestros Pueblos y Nacionalidades Indígenas Amazónicos, Andinos y Afroamericanos de Ecuador, Colombia y Perú, reunidos en Lago Agrio. Tienen el carácter de cumplimiento inmediato y obligatorio y serán vigilados por los pueblos que lo declaran.
En caso de incumplimiento aplicaremos nuestras propias leyes y correctivos.
En Lago Agrio, a 16 de agosto del 2006.
Por los pueblos:
ECUADOR - Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador (CONAIE) - Red de Líderes Comunitarios Ángel Shingre (RLCAS) - Organización de Pueblos Indígenas de Pastaza (OPIP) - COMICH - Movimiento Indígena del Chimborazo (MICH) - Federación de Comunidades Awá del Ecuador (FCAE) - Movimiento Indígena de los Pueblos Manta Wancavilca y Puná (MIPMAWPU) - Comunidad Sarayaku-OPIP. - Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas Curarai-ACIC. - OPIP-Pacayaku.
PERÚ - Confederación Nacional de Comunidades del Perú Afectados por la Minería(CONACAMI-Perú) - Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana(AIDESEP) - Organización Regional AIDESEP Iquitos(ORAI) - Organización Kichwaruna Wuangurina del Alto Napo (ORKIWAN) - Federación de Comunidades Nativas Fronterizas del Putumayo (FECONAFROPU) - Organización Indígena Secoyas del Perú (OISPE) - Federación Indígena Kichwa del Alto Putumayo Intiruna(FIKAPIR)
COLOMBIA - Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca(ACIN) - Asociación de Cabildos del Pueblo Nasa del Putumayo (ASONE’HWESX) - Mesa Permanente del Pueblo Cofán (Colombia) - Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN) - Asociación Comunidad Motilón-Barí (ASOCBARÍ)
Organizaciones que apoyan y se solidarizan con el mandato: -Acción Ecológica -Censat Agua Viva -Acción Creativa -Oilwatch -Oficinas de Derechos Humanos de Coca y Shushufindi -Escritor Aymara, Pablo Mamani
As Peru opens up a large swath of Amazon rain forest to oil and gas drilling, a church official has expressed concern over its consequences on indigenous communities and the environment.
“It’s going to have a tremendous impact on the Amazon and on the cultural life of indigenous communities,” said Adda Chuecas, director of the Amazon Center for Anthropology and Practical Application, an organisation founded in 1974 by the bishops of Peru’s Amazon dioceses to defend the rights of indigenous peoples. “One of the strongest impacts is the destruction of natural resources” on which indigenous communities depend for sustenance.“This will result in greater exclusion of these people,” Chuecas said.
Much of Peru’s Amazon rain forest is believed to lie above oil and gas deposits.More than a dozen companies are already drilling for hydrocarbons, and the Peruvian government is offering 12 new concessions in the Amazon, with bids to open in July.Environmentalists are concerned because some of the concessions overlap protected areas, while indigenous leaders worry about lots that include areas inhabited by nomadic peoples, who live much as their ancestors did and shun contact with the outside world.
Oil exploration in the Amazon jungle.
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