SAYING NO TO THE REDUCTION OF PROTECTED AREAS – CERROS DE AMOTAPE NATIONAL PARK. LET US BE A MODEL HOST COUNTRY FOR THE COP 20

The civil society organizations signing this petition are concerned about the conservation of our natural heritage and would like to express our profound opposition to the Bill 3940/2014-PE “Law for the Implementation of Bi-national Agreements between Peru and Ecuador and th Execution of the Bi-national Project Puyango-Tumbes”, presented on November 5 , 2014, by the Executive Branch and countersigned by all its ministers. This law seeks to modify the boundaries and reduce the surface of the Cerros de Amotape National Park, to allow the construction of the Matapalo dam and reservoir, violating the intangibility of this protected area, which incidentally has the strictest protection category. This law is therefore a harmful precedent for the remaining Protected Areas in Peru. The Cerros de Amotape National Park (PNCA) is located in the regions of Tumbes and Piura. It was created in 1975 and, subsequently expanded with the approval from the Council of Ministers in 2006; it includes part of the Tumbes Reserved Zone, previously known as Tumbes th National Forest, created through Supreme Decree 007-57 on July 8 1957, prior to the “Agreement for the Use of the Bi-National Hydrographic Basins Puyango – Tumbes and Catamayo – Chira” of 1971. The PNCA, together with the Tumbes National Reserve and El Angolo Coto de Caza (Hunting Reserve), make up the Biosphere Reserve of the Northwest, a geographical area which is representative of the planet’s habitat diversity, recognized by st UNESCO on March 1 , 1977, with the PNCA as the Core Zone of this reserve. Regarding this initiative of the Government of Peru, which threatens the natural heritage of all Peruvians and their children, we would like to note the following: 1.

We reject our current Government's continuing actions against environmental legislation and institutions, both of which have thus been weakened during 2013 and 2014. These decisions undermine the rights of all Peruvians, and have a direct impact on vulnerable populations, as is the case of indigenous peoples, whose collective rights are being threatened (e.g. Law 30230 and related legislation).

2.

Bill 3940/2014-PE contradicts article 68 of the Political Constitution which notes that the State is under the obligation to promote the conservation of biological diversity and protected areas, and is therefore a constitutional right. Moreover, the Agreement of Biological Diversity, undersigned by Peru through Legislative Resolution 261181 on April th 30 , 1993, thus a regulation with constitutional rank, and Law 26834, Law for Protected Areas and its Regulation, take into account that as a National Park the PNCA is an intangible natural area. Concern arises from the fact that the aforementioned bill proposes this particular project without properly considering or analyzing the direct and indirect impacts of the reduction of the protected area.

3.

Although the Bill specifies that the reduction is “an exceptional, extraordinary action which will not generate precedence”, we find that the reduction of an intangible Protected Area, such as a National Park, is indeed a nefarious antecedent, which in the future, could allow for the reduction of other national parks (Manu National Park, Bahuaja Sonene National Park, Cordillera Azul National Park, among others) under a socalled “national interest”.

4.

Furthermore, we would like to express our concern as the aforementioned project would approve a Reserved Zone (“Naciente del Amazonas – Mismi”) through a Law. However, according to current legislation protected areas should be created through a Supreme Decree. This implies further weakening of an already weakened legislation.

5.

We firmly believe in the need of international agreements to promote the country’s economic development; however, these agreements should not pose a threat to our national parks. This is especially pertinent given the recent corruption scandal denounced by the mass media regarding the so-called Orellana Network, which implied the irregular sale of land, including large areas inside the PNCA.

6.

We request from the Government to strengthen key State institutions in environmental topics, such as the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM), the Organism for Environmental Evaluation and Supervision (OEFA), the National Water Authority (ANA), and the National Service for Protected Areas (SERNANP), with the purpose of ensuring the right to a healthy and adequate environment, as well as the compliance of our environmental legislation.

7.

Finally, it is surprising that the main argument for the reduction of the PNCA is the existence of previous binational commitments assumed for the construction of the “BiNational Puyango Tumbes Project”, considering that the Ministry of Agriculture created the PNCA in 1975 and approved it extension in 2006, thus agreeing to the intangibility of the area; and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINRREE) and the Council of Ministers gave their vote of approval for the category of the Tumbes Reserved Zone and the expansion of the PNCA.

At this time, when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature - IUCN’s World Parks th th Congress is taking place between November 12 through 19 , and a few weeks before the COP 20 takes place in Lima, we would like to call upon the Executive Branch and the Congress of Peru to repeal the Bill 3940/2014-PE and not allow the modification and reduction of the Cerros de Amotape National Park. th

Lima, November 13 , 2014

Institutional Signatories Alternativa – Centro de Investigación Social y Educación Popular Amazónicos por la Amazonía – AMPA Articulación Regional Amazónica - ARA Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad – AAS (Colombia) Asociación ANDES Asociación Nacional de Centros – ANC Asociación Paz y Esperanza Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza – APECO Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos – APRODEH. Centro Amazónico de Antropología y Aplicación Práctica – CAAAP. Centro para el Desarrollo del Indígena Amazónico – CEDIA Centro para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental de la Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia – CSA UPCH

Colegio de Biólogos del Perú Colegio Médico Veterinario del Perú Confederación Nacional Agraria – CNA Conferencia Nacional sobre Desarrollo Social – CONADES Consejo Machiguenga del Río Urubamba – COMARU (Presidente del Comité de Gestión Unificado del Santuario Nacional Megantoni y la Reserva Comunal Machiguenga) Conservación Amazónica - ACCA CooperAcción - Acción Solidaria para el Desarrollo Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos – CNDDHH Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales – DAR Foro Ecológico del Perú ILLA Centro de Educación y Comunicación Instituto de Defensa Legal del Ambiente y el Desarrollo Sostenible - IDLADS PERÚ Instituto del Bien Común – IBC International Rivers Movimiento Ciudadano frente al Cambio Climático – MOCICC Organización Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas Andinas y Amazónicas del Perú – ONAMIAP Oxfam Pacto de Unidad de Organizaciones Indígenas del Perú – Pacto de Unidad Red Agua, Desarrollo y Democracia – REDAD Red Muqui – Red de Acción y Propuesta Red Peruana por una Globalización con Equidad – RedGe Servicios Ecosistémicos Perú Servicios Educativos Rurales – SER Servicios en Comunicación Intercultural – SERVINDI Sociedad Zoológica de Fráncfort – SZF Personal Signatories Aldo Soto. Alfredo Novoa. Andrés Dulanto Tello. Carlos Llerena. Cesar Ascorra Guanira Cesar Augusto Ipenza Peralta. Claudia Vega Meza. Enrique Ortiz Tejada. Ernesto Francisco Ráez Luna. Jaime Joseph Argus Javier Jahncke Benavente. Jorge Meza Andamayo. Juan Ramón Rivero Mejía Julia Urrunaga. Loyola Lucía Escamilo Boggio. Lupo Canterac Troya. Marc J. Dourojeanni. Mario Panduro Rosas. Martin Scurrah C. Mercedes Lu de Lama. Micaela Venancio Gratton. Miguel Angel Alor Flores. Miriam Cerdán Quiliano Rosa Sueiro Cabredo. Sonia Espinosa Quilla.