Isolated Amazon tribe seen near Logging Bridge website, Orcarling Rights Group

Bogota, Colombia (AP) – Members of an indigenous tribe who live deep in the Amazon rainforest of Peru and avoid contact with outsiders have been reported to enter a neighboring village in what activists consider a disturbing sign that the group is under tension. The observations of members of Mashco Piro tribe come as a logging business to build a bridge that can easily give outsiders access to the tribe’s area, a step that can increase the risk of illness and conflict, according to Survival International, which can give proponents of indigenous rights. The Mashco Piro is one of the largest groups not contacted, without regular interaction with outside society to protect their culture and health. Even a simple cold can be deadly to the group because it does not have immunity to common diseases. Loggers who have entered the lands of the tribe have previously died. Enrique Añez, president of the nearby Yine community, another indigenous group, said in a statement on Tuesday that Mashco Piro members were seen around the Yine town of Nueva Oceania. “It’s very worrying; They are in danger, ‘Añez said. Añez said heavy machinery near Nueva Oceania cuts paths through the jungle and across rivers to Mashco Piro area. The town sits on a key access point to the Mashco Piro’s area, making it one of the few places where members of the tribe are sometimes seen. Survival International released photos last year with dozens of Mashco Piro near active logging zones. The group warns that contact with outsiders can spread diseases or lead to violent conflict – risks that have previously wiped out other isolated groups in the Amazon. Last year, two woodcutters died in the bow-and-arrow attacks after entering Mashco Piro area. “Exactly a year after the encounters and the deaths, nothing has changed in terms of land protection, and the Yine now reports that both Mashco Piro and the woodcutters almost saw exactly in the same space at the same time,” says Teresa Mayo, a researcher at Survival International. “The collision may be threatening.” Mayo said the logging business near the indigenous group started the operations as normal. “They still have the government’s license, and that’s how they support their activities, even if they know that they are jeopardizing both Mashco Piro and their workers’ lives,” she said. The Forest Stewardship Council – an international body that certifies sustainable wooden products – has suspended its approval of the logging business, Madera Canales Tahuamanu, until November. However, Survival International said the bridge and heavy machinery footprints are proof that logging is still taking place. The company’s concessions, or licensed logging areas, borders on the Madre de Dios -territorial reserve and overlap recognized Mashco Piro land proposed by indigenous organizations for new protection. The Associated Press came out to Madera Canales Tahuamanu, but did not get an immediate response. Peru’s cultural ministry – which is the task of promoting cultural identity and overseeing indigenous rights – told AP that he was reviewing the report of Survival International. When asked about what measures the government is taking to protect groups such as the Mashco Piro, it noted that it created eight reserves for indigenous peoples in isolation, he still has five pending and has 19 control posts with 59 protection agents. It is said that more than 440 patrols were carried out this year and that the budget for the protection of isolated communities in 2025 more than doubled. The Tahuamanu River is an important transport route in this part of the Amazon. A permanent bridge will allow access to trucks throughout the year, which according to environmentalists can accelerate the logging and deforestation deeper in the forest. Law advocates say notes push the Mashco Piro to nearby towns and make encounters more likely. César Ipenza, a Peruvian environmental lawyer after the issue, told AP: “This indigenous population is exposed and vulnerable to any kind of contact or illness, but extraction drivers continue despite all the evidence of the problems they cause in the area.” He noted that the Madre de Dios territorial reserve – created by the Peruvian government in 2002 to protect the countries of uncreated and recently contacted indigenous population – did not prevent conflict because “they do not necessarily know its boundaries.” Madre de Dios is a remote Southeastern Amazon region bordering Brazil and Bolivia. It is one of Peru’s most biodiverse areas, but it was also a warm place for illegal gold mining, wooden hood and other withdrawal industries that brings outsiders into contact with isolated tribes. “The growing presence of forestry activities will certainly lead to renewed contact with isolated indigenous peoples, creating a violent situation that puts them at risk, as well as the workers in the area,” Ipenza said. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental cover receives financial support from various private foundations. AP is exclusively responsible for all content. Search AP’s standards for collaboration with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at ap.org.