Please note, the following article was translated from Spanish to English by Center Staff
This is important progress to guarantee the legal security of indigenous communities.
This [past] Tuesday, May 21, in an atmosphere full of excitement and anticipation, 20 native communities in the Loreto region received their land titles in a ceremony held in the Centro Arenal native community, located in the province of Maynas.
Early in the day, the delegations of community leaders, indigenous leaders from the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon (AIDESEP) and the Regional Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the East (ORPIO), as well as officials of the Regional Management of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (GERDAGRI) from Loreto travelled to the Native Community of Centro Arenal to participate in a special ceremony led by the Regional Government of Loreto.
The president of AIDESEP, Apu Jorge Pérez, participated in this important event, and praised the coordinated work [AIDESEP] carried out together with GERDAGRI and allies to guarantee the legal security of the communities of Loreto. In addition to this, he pointed out that, in many cases, despite having their titles, the communities continue to face great threats and pressures, as is in the case of Centro Arenal.
The regional manager of Agrarian Development and Irrigation of Loreto, Sergio Donayre; the leaders from ORPIO, Miguel Manihuari and Walter López; as well as representatives from Rainforest Foundation US, Indian Law Resource Center, and PROFONANPE also participated.
The communities that received their land titles [can be seen in the image below, listed by Native Community, district, province, basin, and federation]
It is important to mention that the titling of these communities was possible thanks to the work [AIDESEP] has been carrying out with the Center for Information and Territorial Planning (CIPTA), with the support of allies and in coordination with GERDAGRI, to guarantee the territorial legal security of our lands.
To read the original article in Spanish by Stephany Cadenillas, National Coordinator of Communications of AIDESEP, please visit: https://aidesep.org.pe/noticias/loreto-comunidades-nativas-recibieron-sus-titulos-de-propiedad/#.
Photo by: Stephany Cadenillas