Displaced
Fascinating footage shows members of one of the world’s most isolated indigenous tribes leaving the rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon, just a few kilometers from where logging companies were recently allowed to cut down trees.
As Washington Post The Mashco Piro tribe is reportedly still one of the largest communities living incommunicado, but now that loggers are encroaching on their homes, the tribe is increasingly turning to the nearby Las Piedras River, footage from human rights group Survival International shows.
It is a sad reality that highlights humanity’s relentless greed and the extent of deforestation of one of the largest and most biodiverse land areas in the world.
https://twitter.com/Survival/status/1813263339553964485
Humanitarian catastrophe
Local representatives of the indigenous movement are appalled.
“This is irrefutable proof that many Mashco Piro live in this area that the government has not only failed to protect but has even sold to logging companies,” said the president of the local indigenous organization FENAMAD, Alfredo Vargas Pio, in a statement.
“The loggers could introduce new diseases that would lead to the extinction of the Mashco Piro. There is also a risk of violence on both sides. That is why it is very important that the land rights of the Mashco Piro are recognized and protected by law,” he added.
The Mashco Piro inhabit an area between two nature reserves in Madre de Pios, a southeastern region of the Peruvian Amazon basin. Another local community called Yine, who speak a related language, reported that the Mashco Piro were angry about the loggers’ presence, according to Survival International.
According to government estimates, there are about 750 Mashco Piro living in the area. They are one of up to 20 isolated tribes in Peru, according to WaPo.
Meanwhile, a local logging company has built over 200 kilometers of roads for trucks. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has approved its project because the company considers its practices to be sustainable and ethical.
Deforestation, both legal and illegal, remains a massive environmental problem. According to the Amazon Conservation Association, the rainforest is approaching a “tipping point” where it can no longer produce enough rainfall to sustain its ecosystems due to deforestation.
“This is a humanitarian disaster in the making. It is absolutely essential that the loggers are evicted and the Mashco Piro territory is finally properly protected,” added Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International. “The Forest Stewardship Council must immediately revoke Canales Tahuamanu’s certification. Otherwise, the entire certification system will become a farce.”
More about the Amazon: Scientists find ruins of ancient cities in the Amazon jungle
