08 Nov
2006 - Lima, Peru – Agreements between the government
of Peru, the Achuar indigenous people and Argentinean
oil company Pluspetrol will see, among other benefits,
contaminated wetlands in the Amazon cleaned up
after decades of pollution.
According to the agreements,
all production waters generated during petroleum
extraction operations in the Abanico de Pastaza
wetlands in northern Peru are to be re-injected
into the subsoil by July 2008. In addition, a
US$13 million integrated health fund is to be
created by Pluspetrol for local indigenous groups
that have been ill affected by 30 years of contamination.
The oil company will also provide training to
communities to monitor and guarantee a fresh water
supply.
“This is a unique achievement,”
said Fred Prins, WWF Peru’s Country Representative.
“The agreement will allow the three parties to
work together towards a solution to clean up the
environment.”
According to WWF, Pluspetrol
has been dragging its feet for several years to
re-inject 1.1 million barrels of production water
contaminated with heavy metals (mainly lead and
cadmium) and hydrocarbons, and has continued to
dump its waste into rivers without any treatment.
Recent studies by WWF and the
International University of Florida have provided
proof of severe water pollution in the Corrientes
river basin, where the wetlands are located. Blood
testing by Peruvian health authorities have shown
that local populations, especially children, have
lead and cadmium concentration at levels above
the current guidelines of the World Health Organization.
WWF has also facilitated studies
to demonstrate the technical and financial feasibility
of a plan that allows safe underground disposal
of the production water.
Since 1999, WWF has worked with
local indigenous groups in Peru’s Abanico de Pastaza
wetlands area to assist in building legal and
environmental capacities. The global conservation
organization has also helped start an oil contamination
monitoring programme and supported several studies
that helped Achuar reach an agreement with the
Peruvian government and the oil company.
“We will continue working with
local communities of the Corrientes river basin
to ensure the fulfillment of the agreement, which
should bring about a healthier environment for
the people living here,” added Michael Valqui,
WWF Peru’s Freshwater Programme Manager.
END NOTES:
• WWF led the process that helped
create the 4 million-hectare Abanico del Rio Pastaza
wetland complex, the second largest Ramsar site
of international importance. The site contains
an extraordinary diversity of both permanent and
seasonal wetland types, with abundant lakes and
remnant islands. The Pastaza supports a large
population of the palm trees seen only in a few
places in Peru, and nearly 300 fish species have
been recorded.
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
— signed in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran —
is an intergovernmental treaty which provides
the framework for national action and international
cooperation for the conservation and wise use
of wetlands and their resources. There are currently
153 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with
1,629 wetland sites, totalling over 145.6 million
hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar
List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Monica Echeverria, Senior Communications
Officer
WWF-US
Sebastian Suito, Communications Officer
WWF-Peru
