Peru: indigenous leaders murdered for protecting their forests
Peru: indigenous leaders murdered for protecting their forests
The Ecologist
18th November 2014
As Peru prepares to host UN climate talks, Global Witness exposes the murder of Peruvian eco-defenders - 57 killed since 2002, including indigenous leaders protecting their forests from illegal logging ignored by police and Government.
A new report by Global Witness sheds light on what's driving the high number of killings of environmental defenders in Peru, less than a month before the country hosts the UN climate talks in Lima.
Peru's Deadly Environment calls into question the commitments of Peru to protect its carbon-rich forests and the people who live in them, in light of unfettered illegal logging, disregard for indigenous land claims, and new laws that favour industrial exploitation over environmental protection.
The report comes on the heels of the killings of four indigenous leaders in Ucayali in September, including prominent anti-logging activist Edwin Chota and three of his fellow Ashéninka leaders from the Peruvian Amazon.
"The murders of Edwin Chota and his colleagues are tragic reminders of a paradox at work in the climate negotiations", said Patrick Alley, Co-Founder of Global Witness. "While Peru's government chairs negotiations on how to solve our climate crisis, it is failing to protect the people on the frontline of environmental protection.
Environmental defenders embody the resolve we need to halt global warming. The message is clear, if you want to save the environment, then stop people killing environmental defenders."
More:
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2639050/peru_indigenous_leaders_murdered_for_protecting_their_forests.html
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It's difficult to comment on an article like this.
There are many very courageous people defending what's left of the natural environment, who literally put their own lives in danger.
