The Amazonian communities of El Cenepa and their battle against illegal mining and environmental contamination: A proposal for intervention with a focus on dialogue and conflict transformation

Abstract

The illegal mining is a frequent extractive activity in the Peruvian territory; however, due to its irresponsible development, it is directly associated with deforestation, environmental pollution and the poisoning of rivers and their affluents with cyanide and mercury, which, through the natural flow of the trophic food chain, even reaches the bodies of the people living in the surrounding areas. The Amazonian communities of El Cenepa, as direct victims of the ravages of environmental pollution caused by the proliferation of illegal mining activities, have undertaken a series of actions to combat this enemy of their lives and habitat. They have launched a series of actions to combat this enemy of their lives and habitat. This article presents a reflection on the problem of illegal mining. It succinctly describes the motivations for the conflict, analyzes the problem, the actors involved, and proposes a dialogue approach as an intervention to transform the conflict into an opportunity to manage harmonious and sustained coexistence.