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Deforestation for illegal drug production is on the rise in and around Otishi National Park, Asháninka Communal Reserve and Machiguenga Communal Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon.
Via helicopter, Mongabay Latam reporters observed an immense mosaic of trees, pastures and agriculture, but crops couldn’t be identified from the air. Operated by the Peruvian Armed Forces, the helicopter began its flight at the southern ends of the reserves before following coordinates to several areas identified by Peru’s National Service of Natural Protected Areas as showing signs of deforestation.
A Mongabay Latam analysis of satellite imagery captured by Planet Lab found evidence of deforestation for both agriculture and unauthorized airstrips in the reserve. This evaluation was the starting point for Mongabay Latam, Global Conservation and the Special Command of the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro River Valley to conduct the flyover.
“The mafias plan their routes. Some enter the natural protected areas because there, almost nobody bothers them there, and because they have a greater chance of bringing drugs through the city,” said a leader of the Asháninka Communal Reserve, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. “As an institution, we are not prepared to intervene in the control of these activities. This is a high-risk issue,” they added.Of the 95,008 hectares of coca crops in Peru, 38 percent are within the VRAEM, according to the latest report by the National Commission for Development and Life Without Drugs . This trend increases every year: between 2018 and 2022, the region saw an increase of 11,597 hectares of coca.
From the edge of the dirt road that runs through Marontoari, the community’s former leader, Julián Tivito, pointed to some walnut and cedar forests in the distance, forming a green blanket near the Asháninka Communal Reserve. Tivito said that, so far, they have seen no indications of drug trafficking, but they are remaining vigilant given what is happening in other Asháninka communities.
The community members of Marontoari will be the first to be trained by Global Conservation to monitor their forests and nearby natural areas. Image by Max Cabello.
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