HOUSTON, Jan. 31 — Indigenous leaders from the Peruvian Amazon, environmentalists and human rights groups today called on the Peruvian government to suspend its tendering of oil concessions that threaten to devastate a vast swath of pristine tropical rainforest and the native communities that live there.
They arrived in Houston today to speak out as Perupetro, Peru’s state- owned oil company, launched its 2007 roadshow in Houston timed to coincide with the NAPE Expo, the oil prospecting industry’s semi-annual trade show. Perupetro plans to tender 11 Amazonian blocks, covering approximately 22 million acres of intact primary tropical rainforest.
Three of those blocks intrude upon official reserves set up to protect some of the last native peoples still living in isolation anywhere in the Amazon. Three overlap protected areas and nine intrude upon titled indigenous lands.
In none of the blocks has Perupetro obtained Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), an internationally recognized human rights benchmark intended to protect the rights of indigenous communities whose lives and lands stand to be affected by extractive mega-projects such as oil drilling.
The new blocks mean that approximately 70 percent of the Peruvian Amazon, one of the largest areas of tropical rainforest anywhere in the world, will be carved into oil concessions.
Huge areas of Peru’s rainforest have already suffered severe impacts as a result of drilling for oil and gas. So far, the Peruvian state has shown little sign of learning from these disasters.
Today’s call for suspension of the auction was led by AIDESEP, an umbrella group representing Peru’s many indigenous Amazonian communities. Perupetro’s roadshow comes as investors grow increasingly concerned about the high risks of hydrocarbon activities in remote areas of the Amazon. Occidental Petroleum recently pulled out of Peru and ConocoPhillips says its investments are “under review.”
AIDESEP, AMAZON ALLIANCE, AMAZON WATCH, DERECHOS AMBIENTE Y RECURSOS,ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE, OXFAM AMERICA, RACIMOS DE UNGURAHUI, SAVE AMERICA’S FORESTS
Amazon Watch
(source)
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here’s a follow-up:
Peruvian Government to Exclude Isolated Indigenous Peoples Reserves From Amazon Oil Concessions, Amazon Watch Says
Tuesday February 6, 4:33 pm
Peru’s Human Rights Ombudsman Launches Investigation as Indigenous Leaders, Environmentalists Welcome News
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ — The Peruvian government’s announcement that it is revising three rainforest oil concessions to exclude official reserves intended to protect some of the last native Amazonian populations still living in isolation received a warm welcome from indigenous and environmental organizations today.
Meanwhile, Peru’s human rights ombudsman has publicly launched an independent investigation of all 11 new Amazonian oil concessions being auctioned by Perupetro, Peru’s state-owned oil company, to ascertain whether they infringe the rights of indigenous communities and violate national laws.
Both measures follow heavy pressure from Peruvian indigenous leaders as well as environmental and human rights groups, who attended Perupetro’s presentation to US investors in Houston last week.
AIDESEP, an umbrella group representing indigenous communities from the Peruvian Amazon, has repeatedly warned that contact with outsiders could cause epidemics and psychological trauma. The organization greeted the government’s announcement positively but warned that another four concessions still intrude on proposed reserves for indigenous communities living in isolation.
The three concessions that will be redrawn are Blocks 132 and 138, both in the central Ucayali region of Peru’s vast tropical rainforest territories, and Block 133 in the southern Madre de Dios region. Those three concessions intrude on the State Reserves of Murunahua, Isconahua and Madre de Dios respectively.
Separately, the Peruvian government will allow a commission, from INDEPA, a government agency established to promote the culturally-appropriate development of indigenous Peruvians and Afro-Peruvians, 30 days to present a report on whether isolated native communities live in areas covered by four other concessions.
Lily la Torre, a leading Peruvian indigenous rights lawyer, said: “This is a positive development from the Peruvian government. Nevertheless, this decision simply demonstrates respect for human rights, legal norms and the constitution of our country, which all Peruvians and investors should already expect the government to uphold.”
In total, Perupetro is tendering 11 Amazonian blocks, covering approximately 22 million acres of highly biodiverse, intact primary tropical rainforest. In none of the blocks has Perupetro obtained Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), an internationally-recognized human rights benchmark intended to protect the rights of indigenous communities.
For background on the struggle of indigenous peoples in the Amazon, visit http://www.amazonwatch.org