The struggle over human rights and environmental legislation continues this month in Peru” as AIDESEP” a national level indigenous organization” decried the most recent amendment in a law that has drawn intense criticism from indigenous leaders. 

The debate began over a Forest and Fauna Law passed in 2008 by the executive branch under special authority from congress to harmonize national laws with the new Free Trade Agreement with the United States. In September of 2008″ AIDESEP issued a statement denouncing the law as a violation of human rights agreements” undermining collective indigenous rights” excluding civil society voices” and endangering the sustainable management of forests.  

In response to criticism” law 2958 has been proposed to amend the initial legislation. Yet AIDESEP maintains that the new legislation is deeply flawed. In a letter to the government this week” the group cites several shortcomings in the new law” including measures that would allow forest lands to be converted to industrial agriculture; a centralization of government that reduces local voice and state accountability; weakened legal protection against private interests; and the failure to institutionalize community forestry. 

A detailed review of the impact of recent legislation on the indigenous peoples of Peru has been produced by a Peruvian governmental commission and is available in Spanish here.