In this brilliant essay the renowned conservationist Marc Dourojeanni uncovers the weaknesses and background of a monumental work which, unfortunately, was conceived by politicians and not engineers.

Text: Marc Dourojeanni

The Initiative for Integration and Infrastructure of South America, launched in 2000 by the governments of 12 of the region's countries with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Andean Fomentation Corporation (CAF), includes the promotion of 10 integration axes that bring together 335 projects with a combined value of 37.5 billion dollars. These projects are principally concerned with transport, but they also include energy and communications initiatives, one of which is the Inter-Oceanic Highway between Brazil and Peru. 

The project, in Peruvian territory, consists of asphalting or improving 2,586 kilometres of highway, from the small city of Iñapari (Madre de Dios) - on the Brazilian frontier - to the ports of Moquegua, Arequipa and Ica at a cost of US$ 892 million. The Amazon section of the project, the subject of this study, crosses the Amazon regions of Madre de Dios, Cusco and Puno, between 200 and 4000 metres above sea level. This part of the project will be executed and subsequently administered in concession by two companies, known as BOT (build, operate and transfer). The work was studied, offered in tender, awarded, partially financed and initiated between 2003 and March of 2006. Part of the financing came from the CAF, with a guarantee by the Republic of Peru. The highway in Peru is linked with the Brazilian road system, allowing road traffic by asphalted road between the seaports of the Atlantic and the Pacific. 

The Amazon region through which the road will pass is the most pristine area of Peruvian forest and one of the greatest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet (including a high number of endemic species), due to its good state of general conservation and the enormous variety of ecosystems. It is also the refuge of a number of indigenous groups that live in voluntary isolation. Therefore, the improvement of this road is extremely significant in terms of the risks for the worldwide efforts to conserve biodiversity and also the rights of the last human populations that live without (or, at least, with very little) contact with modern society. 

Social and Environmental Impacts
A recent study by the author for the NGO Bank Information Center confirms that in the region there exists a passive environmental and social significance that comes from the impacts produced gradually and cumulatively by the construction, in the 1940s and 50s, of penetration roads in the Amazon region from Cusco and Puno and, particularly, by the first track suitable for vehicles between Puerto Maldonado and the Brazilian frontier built in the 1980s. Also, the study demonstrates the risk of the social and environmental impacts worsening greatly. The most probable environmental impacts, seen over a ten year period, include increased deforestation, degrading of forests, the invasion of protected areas, a greater incidence of forest fires, the expansion of illegal crops, the anarchic exploitation of gold, degradation of the urban environment, loss of biodiversity, increased hunting and fishing, a reduction in the amplitude and quality of environmental services (particularly increased problems in terms of water resources, such as flooding, landslides and a decrease in water quality for use by humans). The worst social impacts would be related to the indigenous groups in voluntary isolation, increased migration from the Andes, invasion of tribal lands, conflict for land and for its regularisation, increased urban poverty, a lack of public services in marginalised neighbourhoods, increased illegal activities and a fall in standards of public safety and, of course, the dilution and loss of traditional cultural values. 

Public opinion at local, regional and national levels, traditionally in favour of the construction and improvement of roads and strongly influenced by intense government propaganda, believes almost unanimously that the project will bring great economic benefits and is not particularly concerned about the environmental and social impacts which, anyway, have been understated by officials. The government has told the public that negative impact will be minimal, for the road is not new, and that they are taking all the necessary environmental and social precautions. Only a very small segment of civil society has raised objections, pointing to the absence of a programme to limit the possible damage and enable the population to take advantage of the economic opportunities that the improvement of the road will bring.

But, when the population that will be directly affected is consulted, despite general enthusiasm, countless doubts emerge regarding the outcome. These doubts are on a personal, family, district and regional level. Unresolved concerns include the family economy, conflicts over property along the highway, family and livestock security, toll costs, land invasion, employment during construction, costs of land titles, accident risk, increase in land prices, modifications in urban transport, etc. Clearly, many local people are satisfied, particularly those who extract resources from the forest, agricultural entrepreneurs, miners and the conventional tourism sector. But everyone has voiced their discontent in the face of the lack of information regarding the project and the absence of a consultation process with the public. 

Precautions Taken by the Government 
Analysis of the behaviour of the Peruvian government and the CAF with regard to the road project reveals that neither has paid much attention to the principles and norms which, officially, govern approval of this type of project. The main omission has been in the approval, financing and initiation of the project without prior evaluation of its social and environmental impact. There exists a long environment chapter in the feasibility study and in partisan environmental impact studies with reference to the stretches where the road was started. But these studies essentially refer to the direct impact of construction, without a good analysis and without the indispensable complement of public information and consultation. The idea that environmental impact studies for stretches of the road are equivalent to a complete environmental evaluation is technically unacceptable and, anyway, approval of the findings of the studies would come too late for the suggested measures to be applied. Much of the problem lies in the weakness of Peruvian legislation on environmental issues, leaving the decisions to the very sector which is promoting the work being evaluated and the increasingly ineffective public environmental institutions. 

The CAF is aware of the problem created by the unusual speed with which the government approved the project and, for that reason, it proposed palliative measures such as the improvement of the environmental evaluation capacity of the Ministry of Transport and Communication, the financing of consultation with civil society and, particularly, pressure on the government to accept a programme for the environmental and social management of the affected region. This programme (a US$ 10 million loan from the CAF and US$ 7 million from its local counterparts) is being initiated and covers many of the problems that the road will aggravate. But the funds destined for this study and its timeframe for execution are clearly insufficient to resolve the problem. 

The government argues that the issue of occupation of land in Madre de Dios is dealt with by the prior existence of extensive protected areas, titled indigenous lands and a system of forest concessions (of several types). In reality, it has been demonstrated that the supposedly stable occupation of land is very fragile, principally because there exists no way of preventing land invasion and because the concessions, in common with the programme for land titling, instead of avoiding conflicts has in fact exacerbated them. Also, the likelihood of the development plans being prepared actually being implemented is highly remote, due to the high cost and the ineffectiveness of the government in the region, at its three levels. 

The Real Problem
In conclusion, the main objection to the project is not the project itself, directly, but rather to the lack of public mechanisms needed to avoid the worst environmental and social impacts predicted and, also, to promote sustainable development, thereby exploiting the new opportunities presented by the project. That is why the first and most important recommendation of the study is the elaboration, financing and execution of a regional development programme that will cover the entire spectrum of issues that will only be superficially addressed by the modest programme already approved. It is estimated that the cost of a programme of this type would be between US$ 100 and 150 million dollars. But, if a project like this is to be a success in the affected region it is essential that the government establish clear authority over itself and the sectors that will execute the project. The current main difficulty for civil society with respect to the Inter-Oceanic Highway is the lack of a valid interlocutor on behalf of the government. Another condition for success is the establishment of mechanisms for information and effective participation prior to legislation, and the mechanisms necessary for carrying out the programme. 

The study presents many other recommendations, some of them urgent, such as the establishment of monitoring mechanisms, independent evaluation of the highway, mechanisms for conflict resolution along stretches of the road and ensuring that the environmental impact studies lacking so far be of the highest quality when they are initiated. In addition, the recommendations made highlight the need for structural changes in environmental legislation. 

In conclusion, this is a project that should be closely followed by us all, especially civil society. Highways are indispensable elements of development, but it doesn't cost much to do them properly, thereby reducing risks and making them much more beneficial. All that is needed is the goodwill of those who make decisions in the name of the people.

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