Riccardo Liguori Some images show the Mashco Piro a few kilometers from some logging concessions. The NGO Survival International, which denounces the risk caused by diseases brought by loggers, asks the government to revoke the concessions and protect the tribe's territory
The Mashco Piro, the world’s largest uncontacted tribe with over 750 members, face a dire threat.
According to the indigenous rights organization Survival International, this tribe is at grave risk of genocide due to diseases that could be introduced by nearby loggers. Yesterday, the NGO released photos and videos showing more than 50 Mashco Piro just a few miles from logging concessions in southeastern Peru.
The Mashco Piro’s history has been marred by massacres and slavery during the 19th-century rubber boom. Today, their survival is once again in jeopardy.
Images reveal the proximity of the Mashco Piro to logging sites
The photos and videos shared by the NGO depict the indigenous people near the Yine villages of Monte Salvado and Puerto Nuevo. The settled Yine community, related to the Mashco Piro, reported that the Mashco Piro are angrily protesting the presence of loggers on their land.
Illegal logging companies operate in indigenous territory
Several companies have obtained concessions to log within indigenous territory, the closest being just a few miles from where the Mashco Piro were filmed. Canales Tahuamanu, one such company, has constructed over 124 miles of roads to extract timber, even though the Peruvian government acknowledged eight years ago that the company operates illegally on the tribe’s land.
Survival International is urging the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an NGO that certifies products made from responsibly managed forests, to revoke Canales Tahuamanu’s sustainability certification.
Alfredo Vargas Pio, president of the local indigenous organization FENAMAD, stated: “These images are undeniable proof of the presence of many Mashco Piro in the area, which the government has not only failed to protect but has even sold off to logging companies. The loggers could introduce new diseases that would decimate the Mashco Piro.”
Caroline Pearce, General Director of Survival International, added: “These incredible images show that a large number of uncontacted Mashco Piro live just a few miles from where loggers are about to begin operations. This is a humanitarian disaster in the making. It’s absolutely crucial that the loggers are expelled and the Mashco Piro territory is finally protected permanently.”
Survival international calls for Peruvian government intervention
In 2002, the Peruvian government established the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to protect the Mashco Piro forest, but it covers only a third of the originally proposed area. Large parts of the tribe’s territory remain unprotected and have been granted to logging companies.
Survival International is calling for urgent government action to revoke the concessions, protect the territory, and ensure the tribe’s survival. The organization also urges consumers to boycott products from these areas and pressure companies to respect indigenous rights.
