Indigenous-led forest monitoring initiative leads to powerful action against illegal miners in Peru

20 September 2024

A two-year Indigenous-led forest monitoring initiative in Peru's Madre de Dios region has yielded remarkable results, leading to unprecedented legal action against illegal mining operations. This project confirms once again the power of combining community-led monitoring with state-of-the-art technologies to protect climate critical forests.

Faced with many different challenges, including Peru's political crisis and increased threats to environmental and human rights defenders, the project strengthened collaboration with other NGOs and government agencies to support the essential work of FENAMAD's Forest Observatories. By combining traditional knowledge with RFUK’s ForestLink real-time forest monitoring technology, this initiative protected vast areas of one of the Amazon’s most biodiverse regions.

The project successfully supported legal efforts against deforestation in Madre de Dios with evidence gathered from ForestLink alerts. Over the last two years, community forest monitors submitted 115 alerts, of which 29 were serious forest disturbances, including illegal logging, mining and crop cultivation linked to international organised crime. Due to the diligent work of FENAMAD’s legal department, 8 of these alerts led to official reports being filed with the authorities, of which 5 resulted in responses from the criminal justice system, leading to the destruction of thousands of dollars of illicit equipment.

Many of the remaining alerts highlighted other critical issues, including wildfires, informal infrastructure development and evidence of Indigenous people living in isolation and initial contact (PIACI in Spanish) that required different types of follow-up actions. Some of these actions include deploying an emergency team to the area to coordinate an action plan with nearby communities, raising the issue during periodic roundtables that involve both government authorities and civil society representatives or engaging with journalists to amplify the impact and strengthen advocacy efforts.

The data visualisation below shows the total number of alerts sent, their location in the Madre de Dios region and the results of our efforts prompting authorities to react to environmental crime.

datavis alerts and impact (1)

This data visualization was created by desarro.io.

We have forest observatories in 18 native communities; this covers more than half of the region's territory. Thanks to ForestLink, FENAMAD has reached the point where it is now, and we have to show that. That is to say, we have to show the community, both in technical and social meetings, how data and technology can be valuable tools. That's why it's crucial to work effectively and gather accurate data, as it plays a key role in the fight against environmental crimes in Madre de Dios’, said Pepe Torres Mayorga, Lead at the Forest Observatories of RFUK partner FENAMAD.

A summary of project successes

Major accomplishments ForestLink and monitoring Legal support and enforcement
  • The ForestLink system proved effective in allowing Indigenous Peoples’ access to justice.
  • The first-ever apprehension of illegal miners in Madre de Dios.
  • FENAMAD’s participation in governmental roundtables, providing valuable insights into forest disturbances.
  • 115 total alerts transmitted via ForestLink
    (71 in 2022, 15 in 2023, 29 in 2024 so far).
  • 41 red alerts (high-priority incidents) and 3 orange alerts reported.
  • Continuous training of forest monitors
    (28 in 2022, 54 in 2023, 42 in 2024 so far).
  • Unprecedented collaboration between the Forest Observatories and legal department of FENAMAD.
  • Partnership with the Environmental Prosecutor's Office led to effective actions against illegal mining.
  • 4 successful operations against illegal mining operations, resulting in destruction of equipment valued at over US 25,000 dollars.
  • 2 individuals involved in illegal mining were placed in pre-trial detention in Madre de Dios, and their case is progressing through the criminal court system.

Challenges and areas for improvement 
The provision of security training for forest monitors and communities needs to be expanded and strengthened given the increased risks to EHRDs, highlighting a gap in capacity-building efforts. Additionally, gender issues could have received more attention, suggesting a need for more inclusive approaches in future initiatives. There is also an ongoing need for legal support to confront the judicial harassment of Indigenous leaders, emphasising the importance of strengthening legal frameworks and advocacy to protect their rights.

New developments 
A significant new development is the introduction of ForestEye, a web app designed by RFUK to complement ground-level monitoring with satellite imagery, enhancing the capacity for forest surveillance and conservation. Additionally, there has been an increase in funding from various sources to support FENAMAD's land tenure and ethnic initiatives over the next three years, strengthening efforts to secure Indigenous rights and territories.

The success of this project reinforces a powerful model for community-based conservation efforts worldwide, demonstrating that local communities are often the best stewards of their environments when given the right digital tools and support. This conclusion is further supported by a report published by RFUK in December 2023 titled 'Forest Observatories for the Defence of Indigenous Territories and the Conservation of Nature in the Peruvian Amazon', which highlighted the critical role of Indigenous-led forest monitoring in climate action. The report focused on FENAMAD's successful use of RFUK's ForestLink system for community-based forest monitoring, arguing that this replicable and scalable model should be central to protecting at risk forests.

Click here to find out more about the ForestLink system in Peru.

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