Solicitud de Medidas Cautelares: Suspensión Exploración de Hidrocarburos en Territorios del Pueblo Indígena Cacataibo

The request argues that 2D seismic exploration by Petroleum del Perú S.A.C. in Lot 107 poses an imminent threat of irreparable harm to the life, health, and integrity of isolated Cacataibo groups. The document highlights that the exploration area overlaps significantly with proposed Cacataibo territorial reserves and that the use of explosives and the influx of workers increase the risk of forced contact, which historically leads to mass death from disease and violence. It further claims that the Peruvian state approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) without proper consultation with settled Cacataibo communities and that the EIA's safety measures are insufficient to prevent forced contact or environmental contamination.

• The hydrocarbon exploration concession for Lot 107, granted to Petroleum del Perú S.A.C., overlaps significantly with the traditional territories of isolated Cacataibo people, specifically covering nearly 60% of the proposed Northern Zone reserve and approximately 20% of the Southern Zone reserve.
• The 2D seismic exploration project involves the detonation of explosives—approximately 4 to 7 kilograms of bentonite every 50 meters—across 390 kilometers of lines within Cacataibo territory, which creates a high risk of forced contact.
• Forced contact with isolated indigenous communities in the Amazon historically results in catastrophic population declines due to introduced diseases and violence, sometimes leading to the total extinction of the group.
• The Peruvian government approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the 2D seismic project in August 2007, despite the fact that the company had not resolved 65 observations previously raised by INRENA in January 2007.
• The EIA is deemed insufficient because it lacks adequate plans to prevent the entry of illegal loggers and settlers, fails to protect water sources from contamination by explosives or fluids, and proposes ineffective measures to avoid forced contact, such as sending settled community members ahead of work crews.
• The threat is considered imminent because Petroleum del Perú S.A.C. had already begun placing explosives in the Palcazo river sub-basin and announced that seismic exploration activities would start in January 2008.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2007). Solicitud de Medidas Cautelares: Suspensión Exploración de Hidrocarburos en Territorios del Pueblo Indígena Cacataibo. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MC_Cacataibo_19Dec07.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Solicitud de Medidas Cautelares: Suspensión Exploración de Hidrocarburos en Territorios del Pueblo Indígena Cacataibo. 2007. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MC_Cacataibo_19Dec07.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Solicitud de Medidas Cautelares: Suspensión Exploración de Hidrocarburos en Territorios del Pueblo Indígena Cacataibo |date=December 2007 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MC_Cacataibo_19Dec07.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2007solicitud, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Solicitud de Medidas Cautelares: Suspensión Exploración de Hidrocarburos en Territorios del Pueblo Indígena Cacataibo}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2007}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MC_Cacataibo_19Dec07.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }