Mega-dam in Peruvian rainforest halted by indigenous peoples’ opposition

01/12/2011 15:23:29

Company withdraws to ‘respect the opinion of local populations'

December 2011: In what is being internationally heralded as a victory for the world's indigenous peoples, Brazilian construction company, Odebrecht, has announced its withdrawal from a proposed hydroelectric dam in the Peruvian Amazon.

DAM SITE: The proposed site for the hydroelectric dam in the Peruvian rainforest

Plans for Tambo-40 Hydroelectric Dam on the Tambo River in the Peruvian Amazon prompted strong opposition by those indigenous communities who would have been affected by its construction.

14,000 local people opposed the dams
In a letter to the Peruvian government, Odebrecht has said that having completed preliminary studies, the company was going to withdraw from the project to ‘respect the opinion of local populations'.

This refers directly to the 14,000 indigenous peoples of the Ashaninka communities who have opposed the dams on the Ene and Tambo Rivers, fearing the loss of the 73,000 hectares of forest and farmland would have been destroyed.

However the struggle for the Ashaninka communities continues, as another dam on the Tambo River, the ‘Tambo-60', is still being planned by Brazilian electric utility company Electrobrás, one of the key designers in the original agreement, under which Peru would supply electrical power to Brazil.

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has recently recommitted his government to forging ahead with these plans, originally tabled by his predecessor, President Alan García.

PROTECTION: It was the Ashaninka peoples' objections that convinced the developers to pull out of the project

Environmental protection is best in the hands of locals
Ruth Buendia Mestoquiari, the resident of Centro Ashaninka del Rio Ene, CARE, which represents the Ashaninka community, said: ‘It is very important that Odebrecht have respected the desire of our communities to live in peace in the territory where we have always lived. Decisions like this show that companies are willing to pass up projects with large impacts to local populations and avoid unnecessary socio-environmental problems.

‘We ask the Peruvian Government to stop granting concessions in our territory. We hope that the Ministry of Energy and Mines removes this project from its portfolio once and for all.'

Simon Counsell, the executive director of the Rainforest Foundation, which has worked with the Ashaninka community for the past ten years, said: ‘This important victory for Peru's indigenous people shows that environmental protection can often best be achieved by securing and strengthening the rights of local communities.

‘While the Government of Peru has taken the important step of ratifying an international convention on indigenous peoples' rights, there are many cases in the country where indigenous communities still face threats to their lands, resources and livelihoods.'