A threatening instance of poor practice appears to be occurring in Loreto. Representatives of the Wampi nation are complaining vigorously that the oil company Geopark, the proposed partner for Petroperú in Lote 64, has been working in two of their communities, Arutam and Mayauriaga, to create a commission that purports to be the voice of the communities. This group will travel to Lima to express ‘the popular will’, but paid for by the company.

This, say the leaders, bypasses and ignores the existence of a valid larger organisation which represents not just the Wampis but also the Kanus and Kankaim. This would appear to be a disturbing development and one threatening to fragile social organisation at the local level in the Amazon region.