The Norwegian Ministry for the Climate and the Environment and US Agency for International Development (USAID) have agreed to join forces to reduce forestry crime in the Peruvian Amazon by together funding the Prevenir project which aims to strengthen the management capacities of various national and regional authorities.

This measure is intended to protect the natural environment in the rainforest as well as environmental and human rights defenders who have been threatened and killed by illegal loggers, miners and land and drug traffickers. Participation and monitoring of state actions by civil society actors, including indigenous people, will be strengthened and, in cooperation with the private sector, an innovation fund will be established to prevent and reduce environmental criminality.

This announcement follows the creation on 10 March of the Environmental Crimes Functional Unit (UNIDA) by the Ministry for the Environment (Minam) to link up the actions of the entities that make up the national environmental and justice systems in preventing and monitoring such environmental crimes as illegal logging, illegal mining and wildlife trafficking.

In the words of the Minister for the Environment, Gabriel Quijandría, “UNIDA will promote the coordination of state actions to prevent or respond to illegal activities that affect the environment and, above all, protect the integrity of environmental defenders.”

The aim is to coordinate the efforts of the national forests and wildlife service (Serfor), the forestry and wildlife supervisory authority (Osinfor) and the national parks and protected areas authority (Sernamp) with the authorities responsible for the administration of justice, such as the judiciary and the attorney general’s office.

The US$3.4 million to be provided by the Norwegian Development Cooperation Agency (NORAD) will add to the US$20.5 million committed by USAID for 2020-2022 and will enable actions to be undertaken in the Loreto, Ucayali and Madre de Dios regions. This cooperation agreement falls within the existing tripartite agreement between the Norwegian, German and Peruvian governments (the Joint Declaration of Intention) which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by deforestation and degeneration of the forests in Peru.

Despite Peru’s international commitments gradually to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon as its main contribution to preventing global climate change, the reverse in fact has been happening as deforestation has continued to increase. This has been partly due to the increase in criminal activities and the violation of human and environmental rights, and filling the vacuum created by the weak or non-existent state presence combined with rampant corruption.

This intergovernmental agreement is a result of the belated recognition that strengthening state governance and control over illegal activities is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of policies aimed at reducing deforestation and defending human and environmental rights in general.