What we're doing wrong
Assault on the Amazon
23rd August 2008
More than 180 oil and gas “blocks” have been zoned for hydrocarbon exploration in the western part of the Amazon - and Canadian companies are involved in some of the most controversial blocks
Dendrobates azureus, in an "ark" of protection at the London Zoo.
The world’s largest and most diverse rain forest is being slated for oil and gas extraction – and Canadian companies are playing a big part.
A new study in the August issue of the journal PLoS ONE documents that more than 180 oil and gas “blocks” have been zoned for hydrocarbon exploration in the western part of the Amazon, covering an area the size of Alberta across Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. The study, based on government data, “is to our knowledge the first time somebody has put information together from these different countries for a look at the entire Amazon,” says co-author Matt Finer of Save America’s Forests.
Moreover, these blocks overlap with the most biodiverse areas of the Amazon and the territories of indigenous groups who have never had outside contact. With the encroachment of roads and the ensuing deforestation, both the forests and the people will be at risk – typically up to half a population will die from newly introduced diseases once contact with the outside world is made.
The most dramatic changes will take place in Peru, where the number of blocks to be explored has risen from 8 in 2003 to 64 today, covering 72 per cent of the Peruvian Amazon; 58 of the blocks are home to indigenous tribes.
The development has already led to conflict: The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency on Monday after spear-wielding protesters from 65 different tribes occupied a hydroelectric plant and oil pipelines and clashed with police.
“It was surprising to see how many Canadian companies are involved in Peru, and how many are involved in the most controversial blocks,” says Dr. Finer. Of the 48 blocks that have already been contracted to private companies, 12 covering more than 100,000 square kilometres have been licensed to Canadian companies, such as Talisman Energy, Petrolifera, and Pacific Stratus Energy.
In March this year, Talisman’s CEO declared the company would not operate without the consent of the local people, after a delegation from the Achuar people gate crashed its annual general meeting in Calgary.
Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail
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