Swathes of forest will be cleared and explosives set off regularly in an area of Peruvian rainforest if oil exploration plans are accepted by the country’s Energy Ministry.

Seismic Lines

Repsol YPF, a Spanish-Argentine oil company, plans to cut 454 kilometres (282 miles) of seismic lines and construct 152 heliports in a territory of the Peruvian rainforest known to be home to uncontacted indigenous peoples.

Troubled History

Anglo-French company Perencho has already discovered oil deposits in this area – which is known as Lot 39 – and has submitted plans to build a pipeline in the area, while Peruvian indigenous rights group, AIDESEP, has previously sued companies working in this area.

A Common Problem

Indigenous tribes that have had little or no contact with the outside world are especially vulnerable to disease, since they have not developed immunity to a variety of even common illnesses.

“What would the uncontacted Indians in this region make of seismic lines and heliports? They’re likely to respond in one of two ways—either by fleeing, or by attacking people they will view as hostile invaders. Either way, the consequences will be profoundly damaging. Repsol and the Peruvian authorities should know by now that you simply can’t look for oil in rainforest belonging to uncontacted Indians in a safe manner,” says Stephen Corry, director of Survival International

Unspoilt

As well as uncontacted tribes, Lot 39 was shown in a recent study as being one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Unspoilt areas of rainforest such as this are becoming rarer, and small even small concessions to development often have a much larger impact with one ruling by a regional government often triggering others to follow suit. This decision could therefore prove crucial for the protection of our remaining pristine areas of biodiversity.