They write: Candy Vilela and Dani Rivera
On November 7, 2015, the President of the Republic of that time, visited the Nuevo Saposoa Native Community to sign, in the presence of the representatives of the indigenous peoples and peasants who had requested it, the Supreme Decree of Creation of the Park National Sierra del Divisor (DS N ° 014-2015-MINAM). While we were all extremely excited celebrating, we knew it was the first step in a hard work that had just begun. Two years have passed since the establishment of the Sierra del Divisor National Park (PNSD) and, in this time, extraordinary achievements have been made in terms of management.
A clear example has been the approval of its first Master Plan, exactly one year after it was established. This was practically a record for an area of this size and complexity, an achievement that has been possible thanks to the exhaustive work and commitment of the team of the National Service of Protected Areas by the State (SERNANP), with the technical and financial support of the Center for Development of the Amazonian Indigenous (CEDIA) within the framework of the Participatory Conservation Project financed by the Rainforest Trust. This Master Plan was the result of twelve participatory and decentralized meetings that had more than two hundred representatives of native and peasant communities, public and private institutions, companies and representatives of civil society.
The second year of management was devoted to the formation of the Management Committee (CoG), a space for participation for the co-management of the ANP. In August of this year, the PNSD CoG was recognized by SERNANP. CEDIA currently holds the position of President for the next two years. Among the most important functions of the CoG is to monitor the activities of the Master Plan, through its executive committee and representatives of stakeholders.
When, just over two years ago, the native communities were in Lima demanding that the Peruvian State establish the PNSD; We had before us a clear example of the level of involvement that local communities currently have with Protected Natural Areas. This is a relationship that CEDIA has tried to promote during the technical support to the 9 ANPs that it has helped establish and / or manage.
The establishment of the area has allowed 7 native communities and 2 peasant communities, adjacent to the area, to obtain their property titles during these two years. Three more peasant communities are in process. The constant work of strengthening with the communities is also reflected in the strengthening of their organizations as in the case of the “5 Unidos” Association and in the recognition of the importance of conservation by the surrounding communities, who have reflected this concern. , in your life plans.
In addition to being a priority area for conservation, capable of providing invaluable environmental services to local communities and surrounding cities, the PNSD has a cultural value that is reflected not only in the communities that surround it but also in the indigenous peoples in isolation. found within the area. We refer to the Isconahua Indigenous Reserve located in the extreme south of the area and the proposed Indigenous Reserves “Sierra del Divisor Occidental” and “Yavarí - Tapiche” located in the extreme west and north respectively. The presence of these towns is undoubtedly a reflection of its good state of conservation, but above all a challenge for the management of the Park.
At this specific point, we must highlight the efforts that have been made from SERNANP to achieve the participation of the competent sector in matters of isolated peoples, that is, the Directorate of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact of the Ministry of Culture in the participatory processes of elaboration. of the Master Plan. The preparation of the respective contingency plans and other specific instruments that take into account the presence of uncontacted indigenous peoples and their care has been contemplated.
It should be noted that the benefits of this ANP have not been only in the hands of SERNANP, since the proposal of the Regional Government of Loreto for the establishment of the Regional Conservation Area "Aguas Calientes", proposed for the small section that until now remains as a Zone Reserved, it has the full support of the population of Contamana and other nearby towns.
Generating spaces for articulation and coordination among decision-makers, making the reality of indigenous peoples visible, is a great achievement for institutions like CEDIA, especially when it comes to generating safeguards for the protection of indigenous peoples and their territories. As presidents of the PNSD Management Committee, CEDIA remains committed to strengthening the participatory management of this ANP, for its conservation, the protection of the isolated peoples that inhabit it, and the benefit of the neighboring populations.
Likewise, it is expected that said ANP will have all the tools and resources to face the dangers that threaten its borders: from "traditional" logging and illegal mining, to crops destined for drug trafficking and legal activities with a view to development [no so] sustainable.