2.2.10 The Problems with National Parks and Conservation

In Peru, certain environmental NGOs are developing a penetration strategy in their territories through the weakening of indigenous organizations (17). Or it can also happen from hiring ex-representatives to work as “facilitators” for the strengthening of intermediate organizations, where they have “obtained the support” of some of their representatives, guaranteeing their plans, to confront national organizations. We must be able to have the capacity to study their “modus operandi”, shorten their provision supplies and strengthen the communication at all levels of Amazon organization as well as with the nations with their intermediate and local organizations.

One of the most severe cases is that known as the “Vilcabamba Conservation Runner- Amboró”. Its surface approximately covers 30 millions hectares, from the Vilcambamba Mountain Range until the Amboró National Park in Bolivia, forming a chain in the nuclei zone of 19 protected areas. In the mid term, other areas of the central jungle of Peru until the northern corridor will be included as protected areas. This program is lead by the NGO Conservation International, with the support of States involved, but without any type of previous consultation to our organizations within these countries.

The relationship with the NGOs must be developed under the premise that the development of programs and the management of resources, both belong to our organizations. There must be an effective transference of technology towards our organizational staff and professionals and that the work done must have an effective use value. That we are not either alibis to obtain funds, nor a lucrative source of employment in the name of development. It will be easy to differ from those that truly want to help us from those who have that that we call the “entomologist syndrome”, that is, “those intellectuals that talk about us as the entomologist speaks of ants. What it states in its analysis can be true and they can even have “affection” for us, but that doesn’t mean that they consider us as equal, people, and full subjects. However, of course, it is profitable for them that we become their research topic. Many time we confuse that with some type of commitments with us, when in reality, in some occasions, their materials, with so little usage value for us, are very useful for corporations and to the United States government to understand better our lifestyles, our organizational progresses and with this information, they plan their strategies to eliminate the “obstacles of development and of democracy”.