Letter to the President of Perú Ollanta Humala Tasso

“Please cancel plans for road through Alto Purus and save uncontacted tribes and their rainforest habitats”

Dear President Ollanta Humala,

A road through a national forest will open the door to illegal activities, pollution, and devastation of an area which has somewhat managed to remain ecologically rich.

People of all nations seem bent on destroying what can never be replaced. Shame on all of us. Your government has only been in office a short time, yet already you are doing tremendous harm to your great nation’s rainforests and indigenous peoples. The latest insult to basic human rights are plans to build a highway through Alto Purus – Peru’s largest national park – comprised of vital intact Amazonian rainforest ecosystems and inhabited by at least two ‘uncontacted’ indigenous tribes. I demand that this road be cancelled immediately, never to be re-considered.

Further, your government must cease state violence against indigenous and other local communities resisting mining and roads, and closely follow their desires regarding protecting standing rainforests and their land from all usurpers.

The highway would put isolated populations – including the Mashco-Piro – in grave danger of being decimated by confrontation with loggers, hunters and illegal miners. The highway would violate a new law passed last year by Peru’s government guaranteeing indigenous people the right to be consulted about and in agreement with any project affecting them. Your government has failed to understand legitimate community grievances regarding the Conga mine as well, and has reacted violently with a state of emergency against those trying – quite reasonably, for those that thirst – to protect their water from foreign mining.

Mr. Humala, your government is utterly failing to react to reasonable environmental concerns and protect the rights of local communities from ecocide and genocide. The history of European colonialism makes clear that the worst thing you can do to the Amazon and the people who live there, particularly if they are uncontacted, is build a road through their territory. Every time this happens, the result is the same: lots of people die, and standing rainforests that could provide local and global benefits forever are destroyed.

You are not helping the poor by stealing their lands and pushing through ‘development’ which kills them. Your actions against your nation’s indigenous peoples are nothing short of neo-colonialism, worthy of past violent and ruthless European colonialists who devastated your native peoples for hundreds of years. Is that the legacy which your “leftist” party wants to continue? I and the world community demand that you end the genocide, end the ecocide, and leave rainforests and their traditional peoples alone. Earth Revolution is in the air around the world and in Peru, and if you keep ruthlessly exploiting your indigenous peoples, your government will fall.

With grave concern,

1,661 signatories and counting….

cc:
Partido Nacionalista Peruano, Ministery of Justice,
Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of
Transportation, State Ombudsman, Congressman Carlos Tubino
Arias Schreiber, Father Miguel Piovesan, Peru Embassies
worldwide, Peru media

How can travel agents promote responsible travel?

Traveling with a purpose

by Shelley Seale

One of the biggest trends these days is “going green” – that is, living in a way that lessens impact on the planet and moves from a mentality of consumerism to that of sustainability. And the greening of America presents both a debate and a huge opportunity in the travel industry.

According to The International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is growing at three times the rate of traditional vacationing, increasing annually up to 30 percent. Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel – in other words, leaving a smaller footprint in the places we travel, both on nature and the people who live there. Travelers are growing increasingly interested in more sustainable experiences, and not only out of a sense of guilt or responsibility.

Traveling in a way that respects the environment; gives something back to the indigenous communities rather than merely taking away or, even worse, exploiting. Responsible travel immerses the traveler in the local culture creates deeper, far more enriching experiences.

There is a vast difference between a trip in which you dutifully leave your chain hotel, follow the tour guide to the “must-see” sites which are seen through the viewfinder of the camera, and watch local life pass by outside the windows of the tour bus; and a trip to the same destination where you stay in a locally-run inn, meet people who actually live there and ask them where to eat or shop, and explore leisurely – perhaps even being willing to get lost. As Henry Miller wrote, “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

The benefits of traveling in such a way long outlast the trip itself; the traveler is left with far more than just the photographs, and this is highly appealing to a growing number of people. Itineraries that include homestays, language lessons, visits to local artisan villages, cooking or surfing classes, and volunteering abound.

How can travel agents and tour operators take advantage of this trend to grow their business, and fulfill customers’ needs, while making sure their own practices are truly responsible and sustainable?

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) provides the following guidelines for those who wish to implement and participate in ecotourism activities:
• minimize impact
• build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
• provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
• provide direct financial benefits for conservation
• provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people
• raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate

It is clear that consumer interest in sustainable travel is high, but for many in the industry the question remains: Is it feasible? Kelly Bricker, Executive Director of TIES, emphatically believes it is. “Ecotourism has proven its place in the world, that if done well and with principles in place, it is one of many solutions to biodiversity conservation and wise use of resources around the globe,” says Bricker. “I think we all hope that when we leave, some place, community, or person, is a little bit better off because of efforts we achieved together and ideas we implemented to make things work in a sustainable way.”

Tourism businesses, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by meeting the standards for social and environmental practices that have been created by leading certification programs such as those offered by TIES or another similar group, Sustainable Travel International (STI). Both are non-profit organizations that provide education and resources for travel providers, and develop sustainable tourism standards. Worldwide, there are more than fifty such certification programs for ecotourism, and more are being created every year.

The Sustainable Tourism Conference, initiated by Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Foundation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization, launched the Sustainable Tourism Criteria in October 2008. These criteria will serve as the minimum standard that any tourism business should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for poverty alleviation. TIES is planning to launch its first workshop on implementing the GSTC at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2009 to be held in Portland, Oregon.

Shelley Seale is a freelance writer based out of Seattle and Austin, but she vagabonds in any part of the world whenever possible. Her forthcoming book, The Weight of Silence, follows her journeys into the orphanages, streets and slums of India where millions of children live without families. Her mantra is “travel with a purpose.” You can reach her at www.shelleyseale.com