Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Diana P. Olano

Peru's rainforest residents are not happy. Leaders from the regions of Ucayali, Loreto and San Martín will meet mid-February to decide their official stand on and when to protest a new law President Garcia has cooked up. If approved by congress, Law Nº 840/2006-PE, also known as "La Ley de la Selva" (The Law of the Rainforest), would supposedly guarantee jobs for those living in the area, but in turn, rob them of their right of possession of land.

The Minister of Agriculture reports that as of December of 2007, there are 9.5 million acres of deforested land in Peru's Amazon. With "The Law of the Rainforest", the President of the Republic hopes to sell that land to national and foreign private investors. The issue here is that there is no possible way of knowing who that 9.5 million acres of land belongs to without a proper investigation taking place. Residents of the area have a right to be alarmed, what with congress debating today, January 30th, as to whether or not the law will pass. Should it pass, how exactly will the acres be distributed if no actual land registry exists?

President Garcia was in Spain last week and spoke with local Spanish daily "ABC" about his ideas for implementing The Law of the Rainforest, assuring Peruvians that the act would create jobs, while taking advantage of the country's natural resources by allowing for reforestation. José Luis Capella, coordinator of the Forest Program of the Peruvian Society of Environmental Rights (SPDA) begs to differ. Capella told La Republic that without a land registry and an organization looking after the orderly conduct of the distribution of deforested land, talks about selling said land should be forgotten. He cites the country's investment in mining as an example to follow in this situation. "The state invested a lot of money in creating the Ministry of Energy and Mines and came up with a mine registry that featured all the necessary information investors needed to know."

Leslie Rivera, director of the Center for Development of the Indigenous Amazon (CEDIA) agrees with Capella, telling La Republica that the registry to be used if the law goes into affect will be "improvised and irresponsible". Rivera also mentioned that the state would need at least six years to conduct a thorough inquisition of land ownership in the Amazon, stating that even the Special Project for Land Title Deeds (PETT) failed in registering Amazon territory, only logging 20% of it in 15 years.

Ucayali's Secretary General of the Head of Defense, Rómulo Coronado, announced yesterday the February meeting to be held by the Amazonian leaders in opposition to the law, declaring that they would "make the government stop thinking the Amazon is the backside of the country." However, other Amazon leaders want to make it clear that they're not against private investors entering the rainforest, but would rather work side by side with them. Pedro Tello Arroyo, Head of Defense and Development of the Province of Loreto told La Republica, "we ask that they not exclude the farmer from their projects and instead let them be a partner."

So what does the state have to say about all of this? Apparently, since Minister of Agriculture Ismael Benavides came to office May of last year, a land registry investigation had begun. However, it won't ready until the end of this year.

President Garcia, who has a 17% approval rating in the Amazon, will be hoping for the best today when Congress puts The Law of the Rainforest back on the table for discussion. How do you think things will fair out? How do you think things should fair out?

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THIS IS ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO SELL OF THE HERITAGE AND LAND OF PERU, FOR PENNIES 0N THE DOLLAR, OR JUST OUT RIGHT THEFT OF IT. TO BE CERTAIN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WILL FLOW INTO POLITICIANS OVERSEAS BANK ACCOUNTS, WHO PUSH THIS NEW LAW THROUGH.  ONCE THE LEGAL STRUCTURE IS IN PLACE, INVESTORS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WILL BUY UP THIS VAST TRACK OF LAND, THEN PUSH ANY PERUVIAN LIVING THERE, OFF THEIR OWN LAND.  THEN THEY CAN SET UP SUCH INDUSTRIAL FARMING PROJECTS, SUCH AS SOY BEAN FARMS, TO FEED OTHER COUNTRIES DEMAND FOR SUCH PRODUCTS. ONCE THE LAND IS DELETED, THEY WILL MOVE ON TO SOME WERE ELSE, LEAVING AN EVEN MORE IMPROVISED PEOPLE BEHIND. IT APPEARS MR. GARCIA IS ONE AND THE SAME AS PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, BELIEVERS IN THE "OWNERSHIP SOCIETY".  WERE A FEW OWN EVERYTHING, AND THE REST OF HUMANITY ARE SLAVES TO THEM.  GARCIA EVEN WANTS TO SELL OFF MACHU PICHHU TO PRIVATE INVESTORS. THEN THEY WONDER WHY THE LOCAL FOLKS GET A LITTLE UPSET.  SUCH IS THE WORLD OF GREED AND STUPIDITY WE LIVE IN.

Yeah, I really hope this law isn't passed in it's current form.  They need to spend a lot more time and money investigating who owns what pieces of land and provide property deeds to locals before selling off land to outsiders.

I think for such law to be entertained, a thorough search of titles should be done.  In addition, a research on consequential advantages and disadvantages is a must before allowing the law to go into effect.  I want to see Peru prosper and I feel that foreign investment can be good for the country.  However, one should approach at it with an analytical mind.  While Foreign investors want to gain a profit, Peru should also "gaing a profit," as well.   

I agree with the previous comments that this law should not be rushed into without proper land ownership search and titles, and also researching advantages and disadvantages for the local people and the environment. I have no doubt that there are a lot of politicians' interests riding on this law being passed so irresponsibly and we should all join the residents of this region of Peru in letting government know we won't have it.

I agree with  R E McLean: Don't let modern dictatorship become a destruction of  Enviromental issues and Peruvian Indigenous Rights.    Protect and Preserve all of your Countries Natural Resourses. Take it from me: once changes to the natural Enviroment occur, never will it ever be the same and all will be lost.  Trust me.

One more thing i have to mention to all  Peruvian s and any other Indegenous Culture Worldwide, that on a Global Enviromental prospective, you are not alone in this kind thing happening; so just remember,you  have Global Support from all over World, inrespects to  the Protection and Preservation of  any developement formed to create  destruction of  Enviromental Natural Resourse and Nature.
As i mentioned in my prior statement, money will replace what is lost and what was yours,will never be again.

To the Peruvian People: You have my support to protect and preserve the  Amazon

my [correction]   money will not replace, what is Lost

I'm a peruvian , and i feel very very upset and ungry at the same time for what our  government attempts to do. selling the land of the amazon rainforest which signifies for me selling part of the lungs of the world? i would like to know, apart from destroying and the possibilitty of the overexplotation of the region, what other "benefits" do the original land owners(native indigenous peruvians,specially) will have.
Garcia's AKA "caballo loco" (crazy horse)government think that by selling land in the amazon jungle they are going to create jobs for us. well  for what i 've been told and tought, we are going to end up explotaited. in instead of sellingpart of the land of the jungle amazon, why dont they sell part of our precious dessert,  isnt it reforestation the reason of this new "law" ?
i wish i could do more than writting this comment, i can  but it means that i 'd be labelled as a "terrorist".
only  the international pressure will do more than us the normal peruvians.

My heart is with the native Peruvians in their struggle. A lot of the other South American countries are going through this as well, as the Guardian mentioned; you are not alone. The government has no right to steal your land, no matter what they claim they're going to give you. I think the song "Yashingu" by the group Sarayacu really puts it well when it says (rough translation from Spanish): "What they will give you (although they don't tell) are scraps from their feast, dead rivers and misery, contaminated air; total destruction."

Kausaita jarkashunchi!

Whilst I can understand the drive for the development of a nations wealth in regards to it's natural resources is may appear as vital to ant nation that development must be balanced against the the loss of traditional environmental habitat of native people that live in the areas where the resources are extracted. The arguement of multinational companies that tear the natural heart out a developing country to access the timber and minerals without any intention to correct the devastaton caused by their operations must not be accepted by governments.
I read of the plan to sell off 9.5 million acres ( that is 14,843.75 square miles)of land that was stripped bare of the natural vegetation by logging and mining.I would pose the following question to the governments of developing countries.What happens to the people of such a region when the enironment and eco system that sustained their traditional way of life is taken away?
What time is required to regenerate the eco system that took thousands of years to establish.
I am an engineer that is heavily involved in infrastructure development and funding of such projects.My partners and I are constantly approached with proposals from Asian countries for project funding.
I recall one where I was requested to fund a project in North Sumatra.
The applicant claimed to have the concession over 170 square kilometres of pristine old growth rain forest. When asked what his operation was to be he replied "LOGGING, I can get US $ 140 per cubic metre for all timbers". I enquired as to what area he held this concession and as to the types of animals that were known to inhabit the area. Monkeys Elephant and Tiger came his reply.
My suggestion was to establish eco tourism through the area.
Operations of this kind not only preserve the natural heritage of vast areas but also allow the people that are indiginous to those areas the opportunity to act as forest guides to those tourists that will certainly use this style of tourist development.
I would also pose this question. How many times can a tree be sold?
Where logging is concerned that answer can only be ONCE.
With eco tourism that tree has a cash value for as long as it lives.
I would therefore urge the government to rather than sell of tha 9.5 million acres establish a reaforestation program to encompass the area. This will not only display a genuine attempt to correct the effects of previous administrations but also provide sustaainable long term employment for the traditonal indiginous people after all the well being of all of Peruvians is the responsibility of their government.