Peru--Occidental Petroleum Corporation Invades Candoshi Homeland
8/17/95
OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE
Rainforest Action Network reports in their August action alert
that Occidental Petroleum has invaded and started drilling in 2.2
million acres of the territory of the Candoshi people, located in
northeastern Peru. The Candoshi number some 2,000 persons and
live in river basins of the Peruvian Amazon. The Candoshi are
isolated from the outside world, continuing to depend on their
rainforests for "economic livelihood, social identity, and
spiritual grounding." This biologically rich habitat contains many
threatened and endangered species--such as the giant river otter,
jaguar, and giant anteater. This appeal for letters was taken
from RAN's web site < http://www.ran.org/ran/ >.
g.b.
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Rainforest Action Network
Action Alert 111 - August, 1995
Oxy invades Candoshi homeland in Peru
Occidental Petroleum Corporation has invaded the territory of the
Candoshi people in northeastern Peru. Oxy drilled its first
exploratory oil well June 25, in spite of the group's rejection of
oil-development activities on its land. Oxy continues to move
forward with exploration, even though the Candoshi have voiced
their formal objection to the project, are the traditional and
legal landholders, and will be the population most directly
impacted by Oxy's activities.
The Candoshi number some 2,000 persons and live in the Morona and
Tigre river basins of the Peruvian Amazon, holding title to only
part of the 4,000 square miles of their traditional territory. The
Candoshi have lived in relative isolation from the outside world
and maintain a rich and traditional culture, depending on their
rainforest home for their economic livelihood, social identity,
and spiritual grounding. This fragile and biologically rich region
is also habitat to many threatened and endangered species--such as
the giant river otter, jaguar, and giant anteater--and contains
over forty lakes, including the largest in the Peruvian Amazon,
Lago Rimachi.
Oxy did seismic prospecting in late 1993 to determine the
potential of the 2.2-million-acre "Block 4," an oil concession
seven times the size of Los Angeles. Large parts of Block 4 lie
within Candoshi land, and Candoshi communities and Oxy management
agreed at that time on specific environmental measures to minimize
any negative impacts on local populations. Candoshi leaders say
Oxy did not fulfill these commitments.
In August 1994, Oxy notified the Candoshi that it would resume
exploration activities on their land. The affected communities
quickly organized a meeting, at which they unanimously voted to
reject Oxy's return to the region.
They said neither their communities nor the environment they
depend on could afford Oxy's presence, citing these critical
reasons: the company's poor credibility, the region's ecological
fragility, and the communities' dependence on river eco-systems
which would inevitably be polluted with hydrocarbons and other
toxic chemicals.
The Candoshi representative organization has denounced Oxy's plans
as a direct violation of International Labor Organization
Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in
Independent Countries. Peru is a signatory of the Convention,
whose Article 15 declares:
In cases in which the State retains the ownership of mineral or
sub-surface resources pertaining to lands, governments shall ...
consult these peoples ... before undertaking or permitting any
programs for the exploration or exploitation of such resources
pertaining to their lands.
The Peruvian government did not consult the Candoshi about oil
development on their territory before Oxy's previous prospecting
activities, nor has it consulted them about current exploration
plans.
The Candoshi are demanding negotiation on the social and
environmental terms of operations in Block 4. The international
community must take urgent action to help the Candoshi defend
their rights and resources before it is too late.
Juan Chavez Munoz--president of AIDESEP, the national indigenous
confederation--warns: "Oil companies have already been conceded 17
million acres of indigenous lands in the Peruvian Amazon. We can
not allow indigenous peoples' voices to be quieted on this subject
again."
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is one of the world's largest oil
companies, producing oil and gas in 12 countries and exploring in
23. Corporate assets total nearly $18 billion, with 1994 revenues
reaching over $9 billion. Peru is Oxy's largest foreign oil
operation. Another Oxy concession in northeastern Peru produces
60,500 barrels of oil a day.
What you can do
It's up to us to make Oxy's future in Peru depend on its
responsiveness to the Candoshi! A victory for Candoshi human
rights will strengthen the cause of other indigenous peoples in
Peru who are confronting corporate activities on their land.
Write to OXY, and urge it to respect the Candoshi's right to
self-determination! Sample letter:
Dr. Ray R. Irani
Chairman, President, and CEO
Occidental Petroleum Corporation
10889 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90024-4201
Fax (310) 443-6922
Dear Dr. Irani:
I am writing to express my deep concern over Occidental's
unwillingness to negotiate and reach an agreement with the
Candoshi people, on whose land your Block 4 concession in Peru is
located.
The Candoshi have lived and depended on this land for centuries,
and Occidental's operations pose a serious threat to their
economic, cultural, and physical well-being. Like all peoples, the
Candoshi have the right to decide upon the future of their
territory, resources and culture - rather than have those
decisions made for them.
I respectfully urge you to respond to the Candoshi people's
demands before advancing further on the Block 4 oil project.
Sincerely,