Original Petition Text

AIM: Stop the Bill to reduce the size of Bahuaja-Sonene National Park META: No a la ley que modifica la delimitacion del Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene This petition will be presented to the congress members involved in approving the bill. SUMMARY: (Sumiso en castellano viene pronto) A consortium of oil companies have been behind a new bill put in front of the Peruvian government. This bill aims to reduce the area of Bahuaja-Sonene National Park by 19.22%. Not just any 20%, but the very heart of one of Peru's most imporant National Parks, an area known as Candamo. You can view the bill here. This region lies between the Amazon Lowland Rainforests of south eastern Peru and the Andes. The scope of natural habitats contained within this area result in spectacular biodiversity, the like of which are not to be seen anywhere else on earth. It forms the centre of Conservation International's Vilcabamba-Amboró corridor. The area is home to the Spectacled bear, a close relative of the emblematic Panda. The area boasts a species list of around 1000 birds and is one of the last strongholds of the Military Macaw, Blue-headed Macaw, and Amazonian Parakeet, all listed on the IUCN Red list as endangered or vulnerable species. Any one location within this area will contain up to 600 different species of bird. The site is especially sensitive as it is the headwaters to an area where the livelihood of people is to a large degree dependent on a growing ecotourism industry. Thousands of ecotourists visit Madre-de-Dios every year to visit the incredible spectacles of hundreds of parrots and macaws at clay licks. This is also one of the last strong holds of the world's largest otter - the Giant otter, and jaguars and other large wildlife are also abundant in the area. The Oil companies have to date acted in the area with impunity, to the point of denying the existence of indigenous groups in targeted areas (http://www.amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1419 ). Recently, Emma Hume of the Piedras Biodiversity Research Station, complained of helicopters disturbing macaws feeding at her clay lick. In addition, transects and exploration have been conducted across her ecotourism concession without her permission, and reports by hunting and other associated disturbance have been reported. Colonisation, logging and hunting are all consequences of putting roads through areas, with devastating consequences for wildlife. The beauty of the National Parks of Peru is that they are areas designated to be free of human disturbance. Not even tourism is permitted, and scientific research only takes place with special permission. These areas are sacred sanctuaries for the wildlife of the area, and a source of pride for the Peruvian people. However, this also means these areas are disenfranchised when it comes to providing a voice for their own protection as there are few active stakeholders to protest against legislation that directly threatens this status. This bill was put to the government without consultation with any representatives from the departments to be affected. It is likely that with the government reeling with the devastating consequences of the recent earthquake, that this issue will not be given the careful consideration it is due. As such, the oil and gas companies are capitalizing on the country's misfortunes to push through what would have been an unpopular proposal under normal circumstances. But a big issue is at stake here. If we cannot stop oil companies operating in a part of the world with incomparable levels of biodiversity, then what of other protected areas in the world. Does our quest for oil and gas really override the importance of our natural heritage? By passing this Bill the Peruvian government will be putting the nail in the coffin of thousands of animals, and hasten many on their way to extinction. In the Bill the proponents outline how successful the Camisea project has been and that similar natural gas reserves exist in the protected area. Included is a map showing how they wish the new borders of the national park to be drawn up following old exploration "Lotes" or concessions. This give the remains of the park a jagged, unnatural boundary. They state that exploration can be done without harming the environment, however, there exists no documentation to support this view and if this proposal is accepted it gives licence to oil companies to redraw protected areas as they wish. No consideration has been given to alternative extraction techniques. E.g. Extraction could be done at an angle to the north of the park. However, this would be more expensive to the oil companies and it is easier for them to simply redraw the borders of the national park. However, most of the Peruvian Amazon is already zoned into oil and gas exploration Blocks (http://mirror.perupetro.com.pe/exploracion01-e.asp ), so there really is no need for encroaching on the national park. The following is an article from a leading Peruvian newspaper, El comercio. A rough translation of the pertinent part of the article is as follows: On Tuesday 25th September the bill was presented to Luis Alfaro Lozano, the then head of Areas Naturales Protegidas del Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales (Inrena %u2013 Protected Natural Areas of the National Institute for Natural Resources), through the minister for agriculture%u2019s Legal Consultancy Office (Oficina de Asesoria Juridica). In agreement with Alfaro, he spoke out against the project, reasoning that %u201Cthis is not about any 209 000 hectares, but about the heart of Bahuaja Sonene, the most important national park in Peru%u201D. After expressing his concern about this initiative, Alfaro resigned his position on Wednesday 26th September. (source: El Comercio, 28th September 2007) On a personal note, I am horrified at this action. My own project looking at the impact of clay licks on parrot abundance depends on a healthy ecotourism industry (www.geocities.com/macawmonitoring). Ecotourism companies have offered me and my research assistants free or subsidised room and board for several years now. At this stage I can only speculate as to how helicopter and other oil related traffic is going to disturb the ambience of one of the most beautiful parts of the world that I have ever had the pleasure to work in. In 2003 the National Geographic published an article entitled Peru's Highway of Dreams. This highway that has now connected Brazil to the coast of Peru has provided the infrastructure to make exploration and extraction in the region viable for oil companies, and for any one interested in wildlife this has now become the Highway of Nightmares.