After several months of articulated and sustained work in the Datem del Marañón Province, new perspectives are beginning to emerge that inspire confidence and motivate communities and organizations committed to the sustainability of life to continue on the conservation path that they began to travel quite some time ago. On February 15, the Datem del Marañón Provincial Municipality issued Municipal Ordinance No. 004-2021-A-MPDM, which declares of necessity and interest the Territorial Zoning and Land Use Planning of the province. The objective of this management document is the planning and integral management of the territory, which in the future will allow for the sustainable development of indigenous peoples and the entire population living in this province.
The benefits for the communities are innumerable, since the zoning document specifies the alternatives for the use and exploitation of natural resources, such as the aguaje. Based on this document, we are only a few steps away from the regional ordinance for aguaje management being declared of interest. As a result, Profonanpe is working in coordination with the Forestry and Wildlife Management-GERFOR to develop a Regional Ordinance that guarantees the sustainable use of Mauritia flexuosa (“aguaje”) fruits as an emblematic resource of the Loreto region. This would prevent the communities from continuing to pay high taxes for the use of the resource, which would be a great incentive for them, since they invest considerably in the production and logistics processes, so their profit margin is not much. For their part, the communities agree to comply with the environmental commitments and not to cut down the aguaje palm tree –but rather to climb it– in order to make sustainable use of their resources.
The Territorial Zoning process is being promoted in a coordinated manner by public, private and academic institutions, civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations, together with the Datem de Marañón Provincial Municipality, which is also committed to lead the Local Technical Commission, also stipulated in the Municipal Ordinance. It is expected that on May 4 and 5, when the methodological guide will be presented, it will finally be approved and can begin to be applied. The guide ensures that the sustainable use of the territories and their resources is formalized and guaranteed in a strategic and orderly manner, as well as a reduction of processes that complicate production processes. One of the great challenges that have now been proposed is the continuity in the elaboration and implementation of instruments from the indigenous peoples’ cosmovision, for the sustainable management of resources.
Profonanpe, through the Datem Wetlands Project team, has played a key role in the construction process of the Territorial Zoning and is directing its efforts to ensure that government agencies approve the methodological guide. After being discussed at the municipal level, it will be transferred to the regional government and then to the national government for approval by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Culture and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. The participation of the indigenous communities, largely through the Regional Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Peoples – CORPI, has been essential to strengthen their role in the mechanisms for promotion, consultation and citizen participation, as well as in the dissemination and technical training processes.
There is still much work to be done to strengthen bio-businesses and the sustainable growth of indigenous communities that ensure the conservation of ecosystems, so we are optimistic about the final approval of this regional ordinance that, through Territorial Zoning, will benefit all Peruvian men and women.
