Outrage grows over new law that opens door to widespread destruction of country's natural lands: 'This is gravely concerning'
Conservationists fear that a change to Peruvian law will cause irreparable damage to the country's rainforests.
Peru's Forestry and Wildlife Law, enacted in 2011, required environmental studies and governmental approval before any change to forest land, as The Associated Press reported.
That law has been weakened in recent years, according to the news service. An amendment passed in March now allows landowners and companies to bypass such approval and even makes past deforestation retroactively legal.
Supporters say the change will give Peru's farmers and agricultural businesses more economic opportunities. Critics believe it will effectively privatize the Amazon rainforest — which the constitution says is public, national land — giving carte blanche for deforestation.
"To us, this is gravely concerning," Alvaro Masquez Salvador, a lawyer with Peru's Legal Defense Institute, told the AP.
More than 60% of Peru's land is covered by tropical forests, nearly all of which is the Amazon rainforest, according to the Rainforest Foundation US. It has the fourth-largest amount of rainforest of any country, and only Brazil has more Amazonian territory.
First, the Amazon and other rainforests are crucial to Indigenous people for their communities and ways of life, as the AP noted.
Rainforests also play a vital role in our environment, as trees absorb heat-trapping gases, release oxygen, and help keep the planet cool.
The Amazon, in particular, is home to 10% of the world's known species. But experts say that deforestation, such as what is now permitted under Peruvian law, has led to "a tipping point."
Lawyers have already filed challenges to this amendment. Peru's Constitutional Court said Indigenous communities should have been consulted before the law was changed but still upheld most of the amendment, per the AP. Notably, it upheld the portion that retroactively declares legal past deforestation efforts.
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"The court admits the law violated Indigenous rights and [tribes] should have been consulted but it still endorses the most harmful part," environmental lawyer César Ipenza told the news service.
International court challenges are expected to come next in a last-ditch effort to protect not just the Amazon but also the Indigenous people who call it home.
As for actions individuals can take, we can stay informed about issues involving the Amazon — and speak up where we see a need.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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