INDÍGENAS CACATAIBO EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO AMENAZADOS POR EXPLORACIÓN PETROLERA

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) details the threats posed to the Cacataibo indigenous people in voluntary isolation in the Peruvian Amazon due to the approval of oil exploration in Lote 107. It highlights the failure of the Peruvian state to establish proposed territorial reserves and the risks associated with seismic exploration using dynamite.

• In August 2007, the Peruvian state approved oil exploration in the traditional territories of the Cacataibo people without their prior informed consent. This includes groups in voluntary isolation, known as "Camanos," located in the Cordillera Azul and the headwaters of the Aguaytía, San Alejandro, and Zungaruyacu rivers.
• Efforts to create territorial reserves for the isolated Cacataibo have been stalled for nearly a decade. Proposals include a 110,690-hectare reserve requested in 1999, a 221,131-hectare strict protection area within the Cordillera Azul National Park proposed in 2004, and two specific reserves requested in 2005 and 2006: the Reserva Territorial Cacataibo Norte (81,866 hectares) and the Reserva Territorial Cacataibo Sur (62,919 hectares).
• The Lote 107 hydrocarbon exploration contract, signed on September 1, 2005, with the Canadian company Petrolífera Petroleum Del Peru S.A.C., overlaps with 50% of the proposed territorial reserves. The contract is valid for 30 years for oil and 40 years for gas.
• The approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the 2D Seismic Project in Lote 107 involves 38 seismic lines totaling 1,380.9 km, where dynamite charges of 4 to 7 kilos are detonated every 50 meters. This activity threatens the life and physical integrity of isolated Cacataibo by risking forced contact, which historically leads to severe illness and death.
• The approval process for the EIA was marked by irregularities: the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) approved it in August 2007 despite the fact that INRENA had previously raised 65 observations that the company had not fully addressed. Furthermore, public hearings in March 2007 were deemed inadequate as they relied on technical electronic presentations without printed maps.
• FENACOCA, in collaboration with IBC and CIEL, has resolved to seek precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to prevent violations of the right to life and physical integrity of the isolated Cacataibo.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2007). INDÍGENAS CACATAIBO EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO AMENAZADOS POR EXPLORACIÓN PETROLERA. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Catataibo_2.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. INDÍGENAS CACATAIBO EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO AMENAZADOS POR EXPLORACIÓN PETROLERA. 2007. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Catataibo_2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=INDÍGENAS CACATAIBO EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO AMENAZADOS POR EXPLORACIÓN PETROLERA |date=September 2007 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Catataibo_2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2007indgenas, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{INDÍGENAS CACATAIBO EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO AMENAZADOS POR EXPLORACIÓN PETROLERA}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2007}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Catataibo_2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }