Pictures: 1- (c) Julio Corcuera demonstrating his land titles to Cachil Forest to mine company manager2- Cachil residents demonstarting the mining activity being carried out.
In July of 2008 The Company Jesus 2008 was formed in Contumaza, Peru with the stated intention to explore mining in various regions throughout Contumaza and Cascas. In late July land titles to the Cachil Forest, Palo Seco (another forest near Cachil) and much of the upper areas of the Cachil valley were filed in Contumaza with the mining company stated as the owner. In the beginning of August residents began to and increase in activity in the valley: along the border of the forest and even inside it holes appeared, minerals extracted, makeshift houses constructed and traffic along the highway increased substantially. These activities are obvious precursors to mining activity. However there is a serious problem to this seemingly routine start up mine: the land titles filed in Contumaza were falsified. The true owners have never sold their land, never entered talks to sell and in fact only became aware of the situation when local villagers alerted Puentes to the activity in September of 2008.
Illegal appropriation of land is all too common in Peru. Like in many regions of the Andes the true owners of the land do not live in the Cachil Valley but in the city of Trujillo, five hours away and Cascas, two hours away. The owners hold the titles as a remnant of the hacienda culture of generations ago. As the moderately wealthy family is no longer living on their land it appears to the uninformed observer that the land is abandoned. As is normally the case local residents live and work on the land typically with the blessing of the land owner. Residents are often too poor and too isolated to change the ownership status. In addition owners rarely wish to sell.
However a quick revision of public records in Peru willtell any interested party who truly owns the land. The mining company, or whoever illegally “sold” the lands, did no such revision. In the case of Cachil the forest is actually owned by the family of Marco Antonio Corcuera, one of the most famous poets of Peru. As Corcuera is elderly his sons, Julio and Marco Corcuera, are in charge of the family assets. Julio in particular has taken a great interest in the preservation of the forest. However to completely protect the forest would require investment of up to a million dollars and as such he can do little from his home in Trujillo except visit the forest on a monthly basis to ensure that everything is well.
As the Corcuera family cannot outlaw the immense investment needed to preserve the forest numerous threats have surfaced in the past few years chief among them being increased tourism and illegal logging. These threats had still been reversible and manageable but had not grown yet to significantly damge irreparably the forest. In order to avoid irreversible damage to the forest Puentes offered help to the Corcuera family in September of 2007. We based our decision on the forest’s one of a kind properties, the unique divcersity of plants and animals (some endemic) and perhaps most importantly to preserve the water supply that the entire Cachil Valley and the town of Cascas (pop. 20,000) relies on. Our plan of action has always been to aid in the protection of the forest by improving the quality of life of the surrounding resident and empowering them to protect the natural richness that they have. Our logic has always been that since these residents live in the region they are the only ones capable of taking on the task of conservation. In addition many of the residents are actively participating in the logging however they do so out of their need. Only by giving them alternative means of earning a living can the cease this activity.
As stated in this newsletters opening letter we have secured financing to significantly advance our work in Cachil. Our excitement about this was short lived. Three days later news reached our offices about the mining activity.
The mine will divert all the water in the region. As this is a relatively small mine the company does not have the assets to ensure that the cyanide used to extract gold will not go to the water supply. In addition there is no active police force in the region and no one will be able to enforce water protection codes or for that matter the illegal appropriation. The water that flows from Cachil is a necessary component for our project and the town of Cascas of which 80% of the population (or 12,000 people) depend on the river for their water supply. Finally the mass amount of lumber needed to operate a mine would have ended the forest in a matter of months.
Puentes alerted Julio to the mining activity and Julio and Puentes director Enrique Plasencia immediately launched a counter attack. In the month since the discovery of the mine the issue has galvanized the cities of Trujillo, Cascas and Contumaza and has become of national interest. In addition Corcuera is preparing a lawsuit in Lima against the usurping company and supposed owners of the land. On September 28th a group of local authorities including congressmen, mayors, police; Julio Corcuera, Plasencia, press, residents of Trujillo and Cascas and local Cachil villagers confronted the miners and successfully expelled them from the property. The confrontation was not acrimonious. Most importantly the overwhelming show of concern against the mine marks perhaps the only time these group banded together to achieve a common goal. Yet no one believes that this problem is solved: in fact, far from it. The company or another will probably return within a few months believing that no one is interested. In the short term Puentes and the Corcuera family must define an institution to protect the forest as a natural reserve. In addition we must block private roads however do so with great care as local farmers need portions to effective transport crops and animals. Finally local leaders must be hired on by the Corcuera family, Puentes, and potential tourists (and as there has been much press about Cachil we suspect that tourism will rise more than ever) to protect the forest.
This issue is still very pressing. Please do consider supporting us to offset the costs. This is a dire situation that could destroy the Cachil Forest, the water supply, the agricultural reality and the well being of thousands of people. Only with widespread international support can we protect the forest and continue to improve the quality of life of Cachil Residents. Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Illegal appropriation of land is all too common in Peru. Like in many regions of the Andes the true owners of the land do not live in the Cachil Valley but in the city of Trujillo, five hours away and Cascas, two hours away. The owners hold the titles as a remnant of the hacienda culture of generations ago. As the moderately wealthy family is no longer living on their land it appears to the uninformed observer that the land is abandoned. As is normally the case local residents live and work on the land typically with the blessing of the land owner. Residents are often too poor and too isolated to change the ownership status. In addition owners rarely wish to sell.
However a quick revision of public records in Peru willtell any interested party who truly owns the land. The mining company, or whoever illegally “sold” the lands, did no such revision. In the case of Cachil the forest is actually owned by the family of Marco Antonio Corcuera, one of the most famous poets of Peru. As Corcuera is elderly his sons, Julio and Marco Corcuera, are in charge of the family assets. Julio in particular has taken a great interest in the preservation of the forest. However to completely protect the forest would require investment of up to a million dollars and as such he can do little from his home in Trujillo except visit the forest on a monthly basis to ensure that everything is well.
As the Corcuera family cannot outlaw the immense investment needed to preserve the forest numerous threats have surfaced in the past few years chief among them being increased tourism and illegal logging. These threats had still been reversible and manageable but had not grown yet to significantly damge irreparably the forest. In order to avoid irreversible damage to the forest Puentes offered help to the Corcuera family in September of 2007. We based our decision on the forest’s one of a kind properties, the unique divcersity of plants and animals (some endemic) and perhaps most importantly to preserve the water supply that the entire Cachil Valley and the town of Cascas (pop. 20,000) relies on. Our plan of action has always been to aid in the protection of the forest by improving the quality of life of the surrounding resident and empowering them to protect the natural richness that they have. Our logic has always been that since these residents live in the region they are the only ones capable of taking on the task of conservation. In addition many of the residents are actively participating in the logging however they do so out of their need. Only by giving them alternative means of earning a living can the cease this activity.
As stated in this newsletters opening letter we have secured financing to significantly advance our work in Cachil. Our excitement about this was short lived. Three days later news reached our offices about the mining activity.
The mine will divert all the water in the region. As this is a relatively small mine the company does not have the assets to ensure that the cyanide used to extract gold will not go to the water supply. In addition there is no active police force in the region and no one will be able to enforce water protection codes or for that matter the illegal appropriation. The water that flows from Cachil is a necessary component for our project and the town of Cascas of which 80% of the population (or 12,000 people) depend on the river for their water supply. Finally the mass amount of lumber needed to operate a mine would have ended the forest in a matter of months.
Puentes alerted Julio to the mining activity and Julio and Puentes director Enrique Plasencia immediately launched a counter attack. In the month since the discovery of the mine the issue has galvanized the cities of Trujillo, Cascas and Contumaza and has become of national interest. In addition Corcuera is preparing a lawsuit in Lima against the usurping company and supposed owners of the land. On September 28th a group of local authorities including congressmen, mayors, police; Julio Corcuera, Plasencia, press, residents of Trujillo and Cascas and local Cachil villagers confronted the miners and successfully expelled them from the property. The confrontation was not acrimonious. Most importantly the overwhelming show of concern against the mine marks perhaps the only time these group banded together to achieve a common goal. Yet no one believes that this problem is solved: in fact, far from it. The company or another will probably return within a few months believing that no one is interested. In the short term Puentes and the Corcuera family must define an institution to protect the forest as a natural reserve. In addition we must block private roads however do so with great care as local farmers need portions to effective transport crops and animals. Finally local leaders must be hired on by the Corcuera family, Puentes, and potential tourists (and as there has been much press about Cachil we suspect that tourism will rise more than ever) to protect the forest.
This issue is still very pressing. Please do consider supporting us to offset the costs. This is a dire situation that could destroy the Cachil Forest, the water supply, the agricultural reality and the well being of thousands of people. Only with widespread international support can we protect the forest and continue to improve the quality of life of Cachil Residents. Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Pictures: 1- minerals being mined at entrance of Cachil Forest
2- (c) Julio Corcuera demonstrating his land titles to Cachil Forest to mine company manager
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