Peru: The Environmental Risk of the Request for Legislative Powers

José Luis Capella, director of the Forests and Ecosystem Services Program of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA), warned about the environmental risks posed by the request for legislative powers submitted by the Executive, which so far has been rejected by seven committees of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Republic.

On the media outlet Radio Programs of Peru (RPP), Capella stated that “we have areas that are very important, such as parks and sanctuaries, where activities such as mineral or hydrocarbon exploitation are preferably not carried out. That rule, according to the request for powers and, above all, the statement of reasons, is being sought to be altered to promote investment, especially in hydrocarbons”.

Regarding Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI), whose governing law is Law 28736, he indicated that it “has been in force for 20 years and has remained in place through so many governments; it is intended to be modified so that the conditions can be changed and it becomes possible to enter and exploit, especially hydrocarbons, within the territories.

For its part, the National Coordinator for Human Rights (CNDDHH) and the Episcopal Commission for Social Action highlighted that, in environmental matters, the request for legislative powers “should keep us vigilant” since these put our Protected Natural Areas (ANP) at risk (threatening biodiversity and ecological balance), the management of our territories, and the rights of local communities.

“Important matters always require State action, and it is not that the State can take all the time it wants. Sensitive matters, such as human rights, the environment, and biodiversity, always require the State to speak out, so that there is no silence. If we appeal to the idea that the response is silence, we are overlooking how important a technical decision, even one involving participation, can be, in order to allow for “your 30 days have passed, and that’s it”. In other words, the State’s ineffectiveness can become something that violates people’s human rights and the country’s biodiversity, and that seems risky to us” concluded Director Capella.

Redacción Perú