from Mongabay
Logged wood off the Ucayali River in Peru. Photo by Toby Smith/EIA.
Four Ashaninka were killed last week by illegal loggers in the Peruvian Amazon, reports El Comercio.
One of those killed was Edwin Chota, the leader of the Alto Tamaya-Saweto indigenous community who won fame for fighting illegal loggers. As such, Chota was a top target for assassination, according to a conservationist familiar with the situation.
Details about the other victims weren’t immediately available.
The murders occurred on September 1, but the remoteness of the area delayed the news, which was first reported by Reyder Sebastián Quinticuari, the president of Aconamac or La Asociación de Comunidades Nativas Asháninkas de Masisea y Callería.
“Our people have always defended our resources and have faced illegal loggers who see our reserves as a place to exploit,” El Comercio quoted Sebastián as saying.
Conflicts between loggers and indigenous communities are common in Peru. Loggers often operate illegally within indigenous territories and launder the wood through legal concessions. A report published in 2012 by the Environmental Investigative Agency found forestry fraud widespread in Peru with large volumes of contraband timber making it to the U.S. market as “legally-sourced” timber.
With a population estimated at 25,000-45,000, the Ashaninka are the largest tribe in the Peruvian Amazon. Small groups of Ashaninka also live in Acre, Brazil.
