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| Yora woman, Peru.
© Shinai |
An increasing number of loggers are now encroaching on the land of
uncontacted Indians in south-east Peru. FENAMAD, the regional Indian
organisation, has issued an urgent alert about this. The land the loggers are
entering, home to groups of the Yora, Amahuaca and Piro tribes, is one of three
reserves for isolated Indians in south-east Peru, and is therefore meant to be
protected by law. But no official action has yet been taken to remove the
invaders.
Now is the beginning of the dry season, the time of year when it is easiest
to enter the forest and when loggers usually go furthest into it. If the loggers
continue into the forest unchecked, there is a strong risk of dangerous contact.
They may provoke violent clashes with the Indians – who have suffered terribly
in previous encounters with outsiders on their land – as well as bring in fatal
diseases. The Peruvian government must act immediately to remove the loggers
from Indian land, and so avert these threats.
See How you can Help the Yora.
