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FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY

Natives Block Illegal Loggers in Peru

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August 6, 2002

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Forests.org

The obscene oppression waged upon indigenous cultures by centuries of

Western colonialism is usually discussed in the past tense –

something that is regretted, but a thing of the past.  The truth is

that the World’s remaining non-western cultures are being pillaged

and plundered to this day by industrial resource marauders.  The

logging, petroleum and mining mafia routinely violate indigenous

lands under the guise of “development”.  The specifics are sketchy,

but uncontacted indigenous tribes in Peru are protecting their land

from interlopers.  The rights of people to think and live

differently, and to pursue ecologically sustainable traditional

lifestyles on their lands, are basic human rights.  Peru must

guarantee the territorial integrity of these traditional lands, and

end the illegal mahogany logging now.  Countries that tolerate

illegal invasion of indigenous lands - or condone the actions of

their country’s companies elsewhere, such as Malaysian loggers and

U.S. petroleum companies - are complicit in genocide and ecocide.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

ITEM #1

Title:  'Naked' natives block illegal loggers in Peru

Source:  Reuters, http://www.planetark.org/dailynewshome.cfm

Date:  August 5, 2002

Byline:  Jude Webber

LIMA, Peru - Hundreds of members of some of the world's last

indigenous tribes still living cut off from the outside world have

emerged from their isolation to confront illegal mahogany loggers in

Peru's southeastern jungle that are invading their land, activists

and officials said on Saturday.

Four loggers have already been reported injured by arrows in the

tense stand-off, which began a few days ago on a river deep in the

Peruvian Amazon near the border with Brazil.

The head of a native peoples' federation in the region told Reuters

he feared "genocide" could ensue after his group intercepted radio

communications in which the loggers were appealing for reinforcements

and weapons to return attacks.

The Native Federation of Madre de Dios River and Tributaries said it

had received reports from loggers returning from the area to the town

of Puerto Maldonado that around 400 native people were massed on the

banks of the Piedras river, a route used by loggers. Lily La Torre, a

federation official, said one logger had reported the natives were

"naked" but had no other information on what they looked like. At

this time of year, the indigenous people head to the river banks to

collect the eggs of the caricaya turtles, considered a great

delicacy, she said. "If the state does not send in police in the next

few days, there could be deaths," the federation's president, Victor

Pesha, told Reuters. "Our fear is that genocide could happen."

About a tenth of the 80,000 residents of the Madre de Dios department

are Amazonian Indians. Experts say the uncontacted peoples live in

voluntary isolation in small groups, supporting themselves as hunter-

gatherers and from fishing. Peru established a reserve in Madre de

Dios for uncontacted peoples in April, which should be off-limits to

the loggers.

But activists say hundreds of loggers are in the area near the

reserve, working on commission for big timber companies, at least one

of which they say in based in the United States. The area is the

largest remaining mahogany stand in Peru and it is illegal to cut

down mahogany there. The hard, reddish-brown wood is highly prized

and fetches big prices on international markets. Nature groups say

more than 4 million cubic feet (120,000 cubic metres) of mahogany

from Latin America reach global markets every year, mostly from

Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, and that much of that is illegal logged.

TRIBES SLING VINES ACROSS RIVER

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said he had no immediate

information on how many police could be sent in to eject the illegal

loggers from the area, or when, but Interior Minister Gino Costa said

earlier in the week the government would set up two police posts, one

on the Piedras river.

La Torre said the federation had heard the loggers' radio

conversations via its own broad-band radio, which it uses to contact

its officials. According to their reports, she said, the native

people had strung vines along the river to prevent the passage of

loggers upstream. Clashes between loggers and uncontacted tribes are

not new - Pesha said around 20 people had been killed in

confrontations in recent months and some native people have

reportedly been shot dead in some clashes.

But La Torre said there had never been reports of so many uncontacted

tribes-people emerging to challenge the loggers.

She said the four injured loggers had reportedly been treated at a

medical post in a small Indian community, but she had no details of

their condition. The reports could not be independently confirmed.

ITEM #2

Title:  Isolated Tribes Confront Illegal Loggers in Jungle

Source:  LA Times

Date:  August 4, 2002

Byline:  From Times Wire Reports

Hundreds of members of some of the world's last indigenous tribes

still living cut off from the outside world have emerged from

isolation to confront illegal mahogany loggers in Peru's southeastern

jungle, activists said.

Four loggers have been reported injured by arrows in the standoff in

the Madre de Dios River region near the border with Brazil.

In April, Peru set up a reserve in the area for uncontacted peoples,

which should be off limits to the loggers. But activists say hundreds

of loggers are in the area, working on commission for big timber

companies, even though it is illegal to cut down mahogany there.

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