November 30, 2011
Rainforest in Peru.
The report, authored by three Peruvian indigenous organizations — AIDESEP, FENAMAD and CARE — and the Forest Peoples Programme, says that several REDD pilot projects "are already undermining the rights of indigenous peoples, and are leading to carbon piracy and conflicts over land and resources" in Peru.
A statement from the Forest Peoples Programme explains:
Project developers are roaming the jungle attempting to convince indigenous peoples and local communities to enter in to REDD deals with promises of millions of dollars in return for signing away their rights to control their land and forest carbon to third parties. Many deals are being conducted using strict confidentiality clauses and with no independent oversight or legal support for vulnerable communities. Some of these peoples are not yet fully literate in Spanish, but are being asked to sign complex commercial contracts in English that are subject to English law. Many communities have already come to regret some early deals made with carbon traders and NGOs, and are now attempting to extricate themselves.
While the report expresses alarm about how REDD is progressing in Peru, it proposes another alternative: use REDD funds to secure indigenous peoples' territories and support community-based efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"These community and rights-based approaches are cost-effective and proven to protect forests," said a statement issued by AIDESEP.
"Only in this way can REDD truly become an opportunity for indigenous peoples instead of a threat," added Alberto Pizango Chota, President of AIDESEP.
The reality of REDD+ in Peru: Between Theory and Practice: Indigenous Amazonian Peoples' analyses and alternatives.