A project for a new highway to be built around the Ucayali region in the Peruvian Amazonia threatens the lives of isolated Indigenous peoples. The project has been promoted by the Peruvian Congress and backed by several illegal groups operating in the area.
Researchers and specialists confirm now that along the initial tracts of the proposed highway—whose final destination will be located near the Murunahua Indigenous Reserve—deforestation and coca crops are expanding.
The Peruvian Congress is promoting the bill to pave this road without consulting any of the Indigenous communities that inhabit the area, while the Ministry of Culture remains silent on the issue, only saying that it has not received any complaints regarding coca cultivation in the area.
This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network. It was first published in Servindi on July 1, 2024. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Banner image: A view of malocas / Credit: Government of Peru via Servindi.
Renzo Jesús Anselmo Villanueva
