Alto Esperanza, the first Amahuaca PICI community titled in Peru, enters the final registration phase

Members of the Amahuaca community of Alto Esperanza, an Indigenous people in initial contact, gathered on their ancestral land.

The Amahuaca Indigenous community of Alto Esperanza, located along the Inuya River in one of the most remote regions of the Peruvian Amazon, has reached a historic milestone in the defense of its territorial rights: the official titling of its communal land. After years of struggle, this community now holds the property title issued by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Ucayali (DRAU) and is in the final phase of its process: the definitive registration with the National Superintendency of Public Registries (SUNARP), which depends on the resizing of the Permanent Production Forest (BPP), a category of conservation in Peru, by the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).

Throughout 2024, DRAU consolidated this process through the issuance of various administrative acts. In July, it approved the plan and technical data determining the land's capacity for use. In September, it ratified this progress by declaring its firmness. Finally, in December, the procedure for territorial demarcation was approved, along with the decision to grant the property title and initiate its registration with SUNARP.

In January of this year, DRAU officially issued the property title in favor of the community, and in February, the file was submitted to SUNARP for registration, marking a before and after in Alto Esperanza's struggle for territorial rights.

A collective effort for territorial justice

This achievement is the result of the joint work of the Amahuaca community of Alto Esperanza, supported by Indigenous organizations such as the Alto Río Inuya-Mapuya Indigenous Federation (FIARIM), the Regional Organization AIDESEP Ucayali (ORAU), and the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP). It also counted on the active participation of state entities, such as the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Ucayali (DRAU) and the Ministry of Culture (MINCUL), along with the ongoing technical and legal support from Upper Amazon Conservancy (UAC).

Pending challenges and a call to authorities

Although the issuance of the property title represents a significant step forward, the process is not yet complete. To ensure full legal security for the Alto Esperanza territory, it is essential to resolve two critical issues: the exclusion of timber forest concessions that overlap with the communal territory and the resizing of the Permanent Production Forest (BPP). These actions fall under the responsibility of the Regional Forestry and Wildlife Management Office (GERFFS) and SERFOR, respectively.

From Alto Esperanza and its allies, we make an urgent call to these institutions to resolve these matters swiftly, considering an intercultural approach that protects the vulnerability of this Indigenous people in initial contact and ensures justice is served.

Beyond titling

The titling of Alto Esperanza sets a historic precedent: it is the first Indigenous Amahuaca population in initial contact (PICI) in Peru to obtain property rights over its land. This achievement will not only allow them to face external threats but also integrate them into a vast 22-million-acre conservation corridor in the Peruvian Amazon, vital for the preservation of global biodiversity and the fight against climate change.