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mapping project - background information
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Background Information
Since the entrance of Mitsui Mining and Smelting for exploration at the Palca site in 1995 there has been a rapidly growing interest in conservation of the Cordillera Huayhuash. This interest is at a local, national, and international level and is still gaining momentum. In the late ninties the Mountain Institute carried out a sustainable tourism study and the preliminary study for protection of the area. In 1999 there was an outbreak of violence surrounding a mining accident at the Palca site. In late 2001 the Peruvian Congress designated the area as a Zona Reservada (reserved zone – a transitory protected status) within SINANPE. Each of these events have been motivating factors within the communities generating demand for greater awareness and action regarding the issues surrounding conservation.
Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash
The formation of the Huayhuash Development Center, already mentioned, took place in late 2002. The Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash is now a legally constituted non-profit civil association within Peruvian law (Partida No 11022225 - 28 of November 2003 - Registros Publicos in Huaraz) with the following written general objective: To support regional development and community participation in the process of adequate management of the resources within the Cordillera Huayhuash and the surrounding area at a local, national, and international level. Secondary objectives include: for each community to make a map (an inventory) of the natural, socio-economic, and cultural resources in the area and use this mapping effort to lay a foundation for the management of resources in the region in a sound and sustainable manner. More specifically their goals include (from various meetings in December and January 2002-2003):
To make a map (an inventory) of the natural, socio-economic, and cultural resources in the area
To carry out environmental monitoring of watersheds with and without mining activity
Carry out a socio-economic study (questionnaires and analysis) of the residents of the region.
Develop a database of cultural resources including folklore, celebrations, local foods, legends and myths, local dress, and natural medicines.
Lay a foundation for the development of resources in the region in a sound and sustainable manner
Of the nine communities pertaining to the Cordillera Huayhuash, seven communities are represented in the organization. The organization now has a four year history, with over two years registered as a legal non-profit organization. Sr. Amado Huaranga Cano is currently the president of this organization (Sr. Huaranga is also the President of the community Llamac). The full current board of directors follows:
| Community (Department) | Representative | Level of Participation |
| Llamac (Ancash) | Sr. Amado Huaranga Cano | Presidente |
| Jesus (Huanuco) | Sr. Ethel Alvarado | Vice Presidente |
| Urumaza (Lima) | Sr. Luis Vizarra | Secretary |
| Queropalca (Huanuco) | Sr. Renato Santillan | Treasurer |
| Pacllon (Ancash) | Sra. Prospera Mendoza | Statesman |
| Urumaza (Lima) | Sr. Asiz Roque | Controller |
| Mahuay (Ancash) | Sr. Sabino Obregon | Representative to outlying communities in Ancash |
| Cajatambo (Lima) | Sra. Nelly Teresa Quinteros | Representative to outlying communities in Lima |
| San Miguel de Cauri (Huanuco) | Sr. Timoteo Echebarrea | Representative to outlying communities in Ancash |
With the complexity of the situation in mind, the strategy taken to realize the objectives of the Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash over the last two years has been to build a foundation from which to continue the work in the future. In this sense we have been successful in reaching some landmark achievements largely thanks to a donation from Global Greengrants Fund that the Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash received at the end of 2004.
Our most recent achievement took place on the 22nd of January 2006 when a new Junta Directiva (board of directors) was elected to continue with the objectives of the Centro. Our organization has grown from a few interested individuals (mostly local farmers) from the department of Ancash in 2003 to a group of able persons coming from all three political departments. The new Junta consists of three representatives of each department broken down as follows: three presidents of participating communities (Llamac of Ancash, Queropalca and San Miguel de Cauri of Huánuco), a member of the regional government in Huánuco, the sub-prefecto of Cajatambo (Lima), two ex-authorities from participating communities (Pacllon of Ancash and Urumaza of Lima), and two individuals (Lima and Ancash) of which one was the former secretary of the Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash.
Upon achieving this regional integration, we feel confident that the institutional growth and future work will continue in a sound manner. The greatest aspect of this achievement is that the Centro now has a strong network across the three departments through which coordination for future work can take place.
Leading up to this integration were a series of smaller achievements of which one was a successful “Private Conservation” workshop held in October of 2005. The Centro organized an event for all interested communities with presentations by the Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA), a delegation from the existing ACP Chaparri, and a delegation from the existing ACP Cañoncillo. This event helped ‘sensiblize’ the local population regarding what “Private Conservation” actually means within Peru's legal framework. At the end of the workshop all participants asked for similar workshops in the future.
Prior to this event we had undertaken an effort to inform all interested communities of the work of the Centro and current issues regarding conservation in the area. With the support of the SPDA and Global Greengrants we sent books regarding private conservation as well as a series of informational packets to all interested communities. Informal and formal visits were also made to a number of communities. During these efforts we organized the legal integration of all the communities into the Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash. At this date we have five official ‘Cartas de Integración’ and three spoken agreements from eight of the nine communities in the area and a further three 'Cartas de Integracion' from outlying communities (in the ‘Buffer Zone’).
Other minor victories include two signed community declarations (Queropalca and Mahuay) in which the communities express the desire that no mining activities take place in their territories (preventing under the table deals between a mine and community authorities). We have also strengthened our relations with INRENA, two local organizations: APPU Huayhuash (a NGO based in Pacllon) and ONG Huayhuash (an NGO based in Huánuco), the SPDA, Antamina, the Association Ancash, the UN Small Grants Program, and Conservation International.
All participants in the work over the last two years are happy with the achievements of the Centro and momentum to continue the work is high. The strategy up to the re-election of the board of directors has been strictly organizational and foundation building. With the success that we have had, we are now shifting our strategy to the immediate task of assisting and uniting the private conservations efforts in the area through the mapping effort.
To reach this objective we are programming a series of three workshops (one in each department) to which all interested actors will be invited. The focus of these workshops will be Private Conservation within the Cordillera Huayhuash with a mapping component included. The expected outcome of these workshops is that all of the communities will have started, and some perhaps completed, the organizational effort necessary for private conservation. Any donations that are received within the next months will be dedicated to this effort.
During the time necessary for the successful completion of the workshops we also plan to initiate a coordinated effort to assist all of the participating communities in their execution of their individual ‘Master Plans’ for private conservation. This component will primarily consist of furthering current conversations with Conservation International (polylepis reforestation), the United Nations Small Grants Program (support for the general administration and execution of the ‘Master Plans’), Association Ancash, and the SPDA. A secondary priority will be to identify and initiate conversations with other interested organizations to further the same objective.
We expect to spend between $7,000 and $8,000 on the series of workshops and perhaps $1,000 more for the network building necessary to reach the secondary goal mentioned immediately above. An additional $3,000 would strengthen the results. With this strategy the institutional growth of the Centro and it’s dedication to the written objectives will be healthy and sustainable. In turn, the success of the Centro will help with the success of the continuing community conservation efforts in the Cordillera Huayhuash.
INRENA
In late 2001 the Peruvian Congress passed a law to allocate resources to the creation of a National Protected Area (ANP) in the Huayhuash. According to the law INRENA would 'categorize' the Cordillera Huayhuash as a National Protected Area by the end of 2003. With this law in place INRENA was obliged to complete a two step process to create the protected area; first 'Categorize' or classify the area, and then create an operational 'Master Plan'. Furthermore, through a generous donation from KFW managed by PROFONANPE, there would be resources available for this work. Still, there were a number of obstacles to overcome before they could complete the goal, and in fact, in December of 2005, INRENA has officially declared that this effort is not worth the investment and is officially withdrawing from the region as an active conservation advocate.
This failure, as perceived by many, is multi faceted. In 2002, Daniel Valle of INRENA entered into the Huayhuash and compiled a technical report on the specific resource values (natural and cultural) in the region. Due to a new legal framework for the creation of protected areas in Peru, Valle needed 100% community approval of the study in order to continue with the creation of the park. Although his study was well done (and stands as a useful reference), he could not gain the communities trust in the short time programmed for the work.
Lack of trust coming from the communities' perspective regarding the central Lima government has a long history. To understand the depth of this problem we must study the story of the neighboring Parque Nacional Huascaran (PNH), the recent (and not so recent) political and cultural events in Peru, and the actual mountain culture that exists in the Huayhuash. In any case, the trust factor, or lack thereof, has played a large role in conservation activities in the Huayhuash.
After Valle's failure, INRENA decided to approach the trust problem by opening the 'Categorization' of the Huayhuash to the public through a contract bid process in 2004 in which anyone could participate. The bid process would also relieve INRENA from the possibility of a second failure. The Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash, through Tim Norris, put in a bid, won on technical merit, but never reached the final contract negotiations. It is hard to say exactly what happened to this bid process and the lack of negotiations, but suffice to say that it was declared 'deserted' (defunct) in early 2005 and the 'Categorization' task fell back into INRENA's hands. Also during this time, the communities of Pacllon and Huayllapa decided to start the process to create Private Conservation Areas on their lands.
In 2005, under the direction of Ing. Adda Castillo and Ing. Lorenzo Beck of INRENA, a second attempt to categorize the area was undertaken. Both Castillo and Beck understood the difficulty of their task and adopted the strategy of simply writing the Huayhuash out of the National System of Protected Areas (SINANPE). In this sense they succeeded and the Huayhuash is no longer is prioritized for conservation in a National framework within Peru.
Although the direct participation of INRENA in the region is no longer a priority, due to the communities' interest in Private Conservation, INRENA will still play a role in any efforts in the region. According to Peruvian legislation, INRENA is responsible to authorize and oversee any Private Conservation efforts. To a degree, their strategy of withdrawing and thereby permitting the community based efforts to advance may be a positive turn in the overall conservation efforts in the area.
Private Conservation
By 1992 a good base for conservation in Peru had been established through the historical creation of a good number of National parks and protected areas and the creation of INRENA. Peru still had (has) a weakness in its ability to design and implement management plans for the protected areas. This inadequacy is mostly based on lack of financial and human resources dedicated to the development of conservation. Following this line of thought, the Peruvian government created the Fund for Natural Protected Areas of the State [of Peru] (FONANPE) as a mechanism to allow foreign donations destined for conservation to be accessible to INRENA for use in the development of State run Protected Areas.
As a further attempt to strengthen the conservation movement, an incredible flurry of legislative activity started in 1997 and continues to the current day. Ley No 26834 ‘Ley de Areas Naturales Protegidas’ was published 4th of June 1997 with modifications in 1999 and 2001. This new legislation is in part an attempt to solve the historical lack of community participation in management of protected areas, and at the same time has opened many doors for experimentation with private investment in and private management of protected areas in Peru.
In this context, Private Conservation is the hot topic in the Cordillera Huayhuash. This is to be taken in a literal sense; in 2003 the two communities of Pacllon and Huayllapa started the process with INRENA to create Private Conservation Areas on their lands. Since these two communities have started their efforts, two other communities, Queropalca and Llamac, have also begun the paperwork to gain recognition as Private Conservation Areas. Much like the creation of a National Protected Area, there is a two step process to create a Private Conservation Area; first do an initial study of current resources and use, and then create an operational Master Plan. To pass either of these steps in the creation process, the communities must receive the approval of INRENA.
The interest on the part of the local population implicitly includes the fact that the communities want to be involved directly with the management of their lands – the Cordillera Huayhuash. They have seen the disastrous history in the neighboring Parque Nacional Huascaran; in the last years there have been growing conflicts between local individuals regarding the management of tourism; and there are the obvious problems that the mine site at Pallca has brought to the region.
In December of 2005 Pacllon and Huayllapa received approval on their initial studies and have started the second step of designing a master plan. The Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash is offering services (through Tim Norris as a volunteer) to Pacllon in the form of map making (very basic) and project design; these services will also be extended to the other participating communities when they reach a similar stage. Huayllapa is continuing to create a very separate and individual project plan.
To clarify: the efforts of Pacllon, Huayllapa, Llamac, and Queropalca are being financed by the communities themselves. For the most part these resources are coming from entrance fees that the communities charge for a tourist to camp on their lands. With the exception of Queropalca, the financial process has been somewhat questionable (overspending on studies and poor information flow into the communities). Although the initiative shown by the communities to start Private Conservation efforts is commendable, they have encountered a series of obstacles, mostly relating to trust issues, that are very similar to the problems that INRENA encountered in the efforts to protect the area.
It is the hope of the Centro Desarrollo Huayhuash that a regional resource mapping project would resolve trust issues and bring the communities together to form a regional 'Master Plan'. The communities of the Cordillera Huayhaush are in a position to set an example for the world on how to create and manage a private conservation area.
NOTE: Although the process to create a Private Conservation Area is similar to the process for a National Protected Area is similar there is one important difference. The National Area is created through a 'Decreto Supremo' that is approved by the Peruvian Congress; the Private Area is created through a 'Resolucion Ministerial' approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. Within the framework of Peruvian Law the Decreto Supremo is a stronger legislation regarding protection against the entrance of extractive industries. With a resolution from Ministry of Agriculture, a mine can appeal to the Ministry of Energy and Mines and reverse the protection provided by the Private Conservation Area.
It would follow that the communities would then elect to have a National Area with greater protection, but the downside is that the National Area would be administrated through Lima. Due to the trust issues between the communities and the central government, the communities have decided that the Private Conservation Areas are the best choice.
Mitsui Mining and Smelting Ltd.
In 1995 Mitsui Mining and Smelting LTD entered the Llamac River valley to do exploration and viability studies regarding it's suitability to place a zinc, lead, and silver mining operation to be located at Pallca. The Pallca Site is situated less than five miles from Yerupaja – the second highest peak in Perú – and is literally one watershed away from the glaciers that descend from Yerupaja. In 2005 the mine started their extraction phase and will continue to operate for some 20 years.
In order to gain access to the Pallca site the mine must first buy a concession for sub-surface mineral rights from the Ministry of Energy and mines. Once they have the concession they must then approach the owners of the surface land, in this case the community of Llamac, and come to an agreement regarding access rights and use of the land (for facilities). In the case of Pallca, the mine paid a few people within the community of Llamac and received the permission they needed very quickly. Needless to say, since about 2002, Llamac has been expressing much regret regarding this transaction.
The entrance of Mitsui's exploration phase marked some dramatic changes in the Llamac River valley. Mitsui has destroyed some quenal (Polylepis spp.) forest (something they promised would not happen) within the watershed at the base of Yerupaja. In 1999 there was an accident involving uncontrolled discharges caused by the perforation of an underground aquifier. Between 1999 and 2003, there were no trout in the Llamac River Valley due to the discharge. This accident was also the cause of an outbreak of violence between the community of Llamac and the mine during which three peasants were wounded, one seriously. Furthermore the Pallca site is situated less than a days walk towards the mountains from the main trail head for tourists to enter the Cordillera Huayhuash. Most importantly, community members have lost a source of food (fish) and are complaining of health problems within their livestock populations. The communities are very concerned about possible further environmental impacts, either due to more accidents or poorly managed mining practices.
In 2002 the mine needed to receive approval from the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) in order to start their extraction phase. The mine was required to submit an Environmental Impact Report for this process. The Environmental Impact Report submitted by Mitsui did not mention any discrepancy from accepted levels of pollutants in the water. The report also did not mention the damage to the forest. Neither did it attempt to explain the disappearance of the fish. There was much opposition to the report (from community leaders, interested nationals, and interested foreigners) yet at the end of 2005 the mine entered extractive operations.
Conclusions
The situation in the Cordillera Huayhuash is complex. The Cordillera Huayhuash is located in three separate political Departments in Perú (Lima, Ancash, and Huánuco). The geography of the region includes Perú’s second highest mountain (Yerupajá - 6634m) and the chain of secondary peaks form a physical division within the human population in the region. In the last ten years there has been a dramatic growth in national and international interest in the conservation and extraction of the natural resources existing in the region. Due to this growth in external interest, the local population has taken a strong interest in participating in conserving and protecting their titled lands.
With this rapid convergence of outside pressures the communities are being placed in a position to take action or be taken of the map. In the words of the late Dr. Bernard Nietschmann, they are in a position ‘to map or be mapped’. It is for this reason that local organizational efforts have been started and there is strong hope that with a regional mapping effort, the communities can gain a voice in the development process that is inevitable in the Cordillera Huayhuash.
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