Regional Coordinator for Indigenous Peoples Empowers Communities to Respond to Oil Spills
Peru is home to the largest river basin on the planet, the Amazon basin, which accounts for one-fifth of the world’s liquid freshwater (UNESCO, 2024). Bearing in mind that 70% of the planet’s surface is water, but only 2.5% is fresh water and less than 1% is available for human consumption (Peruvian Geophysical Institute 2020). In this context, the Peruvian Amazon represents a vital source for life and global environmental balance.
However, it faces threats that jeopardise the quality and quantity of its water. According to the latest report, *The Shadows of Hydrocarbons*, between 1997 and 2003, 831 oil spills were recorded in the Peruvian jungle. These environmental emergencies not only damage ecosystems but also directly affect the health, food supply and livelihoods of the indigenous communities living in the area.
“Oil spills are devastating. Communities lose their source of water, food and livelihoods. Many of our people are unaware of the consequences for human health; they consume contaminated fish and water and become seriously ill,” says Elaine Shajian Shawit, president of the Regional Coordination of Indigenous Peoples (CORPI SL).
© Brent Stirton / Getty Images / WWF
Elaine also notes that emergency response must be immediate; communities must be made aware of the risks and know how to act. To achieve this, CORPI SL developed the communication campaign “Living after a spill: Voices and care from the territories”, with the aim of strengthening community capacities to deal with oil spills, prioritising prevention, self-care and community organisation, and amplifying the voices of those affected.
The first implementation took place in Datem del Marañón, in the district of Manseriche, within the Chapis Indigenous Community. This area has been the scene of environmental emergencies linked to the North Peruvian Pipeline, including a spill reported in 2019 that led to a state of emergency being declared in Santa Rosa and Chapis, and another incident investigated by the OEFA in 2025.
Thirty-three young people took part in this campaign, which addressed issues such as the response to past spills, health impacts and the social context. Furthermore, it succeeded in reflecting a comprehensive view of this threat. The Chapis Indigenous Community now has better tools to protect the health of its members in the face of this emergency, identify risks, organise information, gather evidence and communicate what has happened in a timely manner to their indigenous organisations and the relevant authorities.
© CORPI SL
“The experience in Chapis demonstrated that communication can become a powerful tool for strengthening indigenous governance from within the classroom. The young people learnt to communicate with purpose, to view their surroundings critically, and to recognise themselves as part of a community that defends its way of life and its territory,” says Shia Inguil, communications coordinator at CORPI SL.
CORPI SL plans to replicate this experience in different communities, with the aim of running at least one workshop per indigenous community represented – eight communities in total – and subsequently one per grassroots federation (31 federations). Each new training session will be an opportunity to strengthen the communities’ identity, collective voice and territorial action.
Furthermore, this experience demonstrates that community communication not only serves an informative function, but also becomes a tool for care, prevention, territorial defence and the protection of rights, particularly in the face of spills that affect the water, food, health and livelihoods of indigenous communities.
© CORPI SL
Strengthening communication at CORPI SL
CORPI SL has established communication as a strategic tool for the defence of the lives, territories and identities of Amazonian indigenous peoples. To advance this objective, a communication strategy has been developed and has been implemented since 2025, with the support of WWF and AIDESEP within the framework of the BLF Andes Amazon project, led by Practical Action and funded by UK International Development through the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund.
This strategy aims to strengthen the visibility and positioning of the indigenous organisation, raise awareness of the challenges and aspirations of Amazonian peoples, reinforce the link between CORPI SL and its grassroots federations, and promote advocacy actions with state authorities and key stakeholders.
