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

This document is a request for urgent precautionary measures submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and other organizations. It seeks the immediate suspension of hydrocarbon exploration activities in the traditional territories of the isolated Cacataibo indigenous people in Peru, arguing that seismic exploration poses an imminent threat of forced contact, disease, and death.

• The hydrocarbon exploration concession known as Lote 107, granted by the Peruvian State to Petroleum del Perú S.A.C., significantly overlaps with the traditional territories of isolated Cacataibo indigenous people. Specifically, it overlaps nearly 60% of the proposed Northern Zone Cacataibo territorial reserve and approximately 20% of the Southern Zone reserve.
• The 2D Seismic Exploration project involves the layout and detonation of explosives across approximately 390 kilometers of lines within Cacataibo territory. Each line is 1.5 meters wide and involves detonating 4 to 7 kilograms of bentonite every 50 meters, which risks forcing contact with isolated groups.
• The Peruvian State approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the 2D Seismic Exploration project in August 2007, despite the fact that the National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA) had previously raised 65 observations that the company had not fully addressed.
• The EIA for Lote 107 is criticized for lacking adequate security measures to prevent forced contact, failing to provide a plan to control invasions by illegal loggers and settlers, and lacking measures to prevent the contamination of aquifers and 'chorros' (water points) used by indigenous populations.
• The document asserts that the Peruvian government failed to conduct prior, free, and informed consultation with the settled Cacataibo communities before delimiting Lote 107, signing the license contract with Petroleum del Perú S.A.C., or approving the EIA.
• Historical evidence from the Amazon indicates that forced contact with isolated indigenous groups often leads to catastrophic population declines due to violent clashes and the introduction of diseases for which they have no biological defenses.
• The request highlights specific historical examples of forced contact impacts, such as the Tagaeri-Taromenane in Ecuador, the Xavante in Brazil, and the Yora de Kugapakori in Peru, where respiratory diseases and violence caused significant mortality.
• The document argues that the threat to the isolated Cacataibo is imminent because Petroleum del Perú S.A.C. has already begun placing explosives for the seismic lines in Lote 107 and announced that seismic 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} }