Global Mobilization for Indigenous Peoples: the story from Peru
Posted by annied in rainforests on 12. Oct, 2009 | 1 Comment
Most people in the West would be horrified by what is going on in the name of ‘national development’ in Latin America: in Peru, the violence last week in Ecuador against the Shuar protestors, massacres of Awa communities in Colombia, and the very worrying situation in Paraguay where the Ayoreo people are living in voluntary isolation due to a cattle ranching land dispute. There is huge risk in terms of carbon trading offset schemes and avoided deforestation schemes. These may seem like a very important step on the way to tackling climate change, but it is important to remember that unless indigenous land rights are secured, there is very little to indicate that such projects, saturated as they will no doubt become with billions and billions of dollars, will be any different to other mega-projects occurring on indigenous lands.