USAID/Peru Madre de Dios Presentation
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SOUTHERN INTEROCEANIC HIGHWAY: CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY AND CONFLICT Andrew Herscowitz Acting Director, USAID/Perú Social and Environmental Impacts of Southern Interoceanic Highway in Peru Prepared by USAID/Peru
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From March 27-29, 2010, an interdisciplinary team from the U.S. Agency for International Development in Lima, Peru traveled from the mountains in Cusco to the Peruvian Amazon (Puerto Maldonado) on the Interoceanic Highway that will link Brazilian and Peruvian coasts. The team assessed potential benefits and negative impacts that this historic, transcontinental link will bring to the Amazon Basin. We spoke with Andean villagers who will have better access to markets to sell products, such as guinea pigs and alpaca garments, and with merchants and workers along the highway who mine and trade the gold that is bringing massive immigration and significant environmental damage to the Amazon. Finally, the team entered the famous Tambopata Reserve and saw the rich habitat, as well as environmental threats posed by agriculture and illegal logging. Throughout the trip, the team met with Peruvian officials to discuss how the U.S. government can better collaborate with the Peruvian government to assist with Peruvian efforts to manage the environmental and social impacts of the new highway.
Transcript of USAID/Peru Madre de Dios Presentation
SOUTHERN INTEROCEANIC HIGHWAY: CLIMATE CHANGE,
BIODIVERSITY AND CONFLICT
Andrew Herscowitz
Acting Director, USAID/Perú
Social and Environmental Impacts of
Southern Interoceanic Highway in Peru
Prepared by USAID/Peru
Benefits of Road:• Road Worker earns: S/.900 ($320)/month• Minimum Wage: S/.600 ($213)/month• Freight from Brazil gets to China two weeks faster than shipping via Panama Canal•The Garcia Administration estimates the three interoceanic roads should add at least 1.8% annually to GDP.
Threats:• Destruction of Amazon and Biodiversity (mining, illegal logging, agriculture, dam, cattle)• Mercury poisoning (human, animal, and environmental impact)• Organized Crime (narcotrafficking, money laundering, human trafficking)• Social Conflict
Gold sluices which are used to separate gold from the alluvial soil.
Imported Mercury
Mercury vapor enters next room
Artisanal retort (retorta) used to burn off mercury from the gold.
Mercury vapor condenser designed by EPA $650 Recovers up to 92% of mercury
The lowest paid worker in an informal mine earns $700/month.
Local agricultural wages average $100-150/month.
Annual gold production in Madre de Dios estimated at
25 metric tons (880,000 ounces)
This equals:
$990,000,000 annual sales$30,000,000 unpaid canon (taxes)
50 tons of mercury released into soil and rivers30,000 direct and indirect jobs
Google Earth image of contaminated Huaypetue and Puquiri Rivers. Inambari River shows normal
sedimentation.
Route of Interoceanic Highway. Note deforestation due to mining (white) in this area is as great as that due to deforestation due to agriculture (light green).
Collaboration with National and Regional Governments Essential to Address Threats:
»Compliance Incentives for Good Forestry and Mining Practices
»Enforcement of Forestry Law and Land Use Zoning
»Conflict Prevention»Readiness for Carbon Initiatives
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