With the aim of generating spaces for exchange, reflection and dialogue that make visible the importance of the territory from the perspective of different indigenous peoples and the associated problems, the Forum “Amazonian Ancestral Knowledge: A New Vision of the Future” was held in the city where high-level panelists participated such as Jorge Pérez, president of AIDESEP of the Murui people, Jamner Manihuari, vice-coordinator of COICA of the Kukama Kukamiria people, Jamer López - President of ORAU of the Shipibo Konibo people, Wrays Pérez, leader of the Wampis Nation, Never Tuesta, coordinator of FORMABIAP of the Awajún people, Liz Chicaje, Bora leader and 2021 Goldman environmental prize winner, and Betty Rubio, leader of the Kichwa people; In addition to Víctor Zambrano, environmental defender and president of the Management Committee of the Tambopata National Reserve in the Madre de Dios region, who reflected on the ancestral knowledge of the Amazonian peoples related to their territories.

Representing the State were representatives from the Prior Consultation Directorate of the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Government of Loreto and the Regional Environmental Management, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), the Decentralized Provías (Provías), and the Superior Court of Justice of Loreto, whose mission is to guarantee the territorial rights of Indigenous peoples and their associated knowledge.

During the Forum, Indigenous leaders expressed that many of their territories, and with them their ancestral and existing knowledge, are threatened by various infrastructure projects that the State is promoting without initiating dialogue with the peoples and understanding their views.

The event concluded with an open letter signed by attendees, officially requesting the MTC and relevant bodies to establish and install, as soon as possible, a permanent, multi-sector technical panel on Ancestral Knowledge, Territory, and Connectivity in Loreto, as a space to promote the participation of Indigenous peoples in decision-making and monitoring of infrastructure projects that may affect their collective rights and the integrity of their ancestral territories.

See Open Letter from Indigenous scholars and leaders of the Forum "Amazonian Ancestral Knowledge: A New Vision of the Future."

This event was held in partnership with the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Loreto, the Federation of Maijuna Native Communities (FECONAMAI), OnePlanet, the Peruvian Society for Environmental Development (SPDA), and Law, Resources and Environment (DAR). It was part of the IV Meeting of Amazonian Ancestral Knowledge, which this year was attended by 15 wise men and women from the Maijuna, Kichwa, Murui, Bora, and Ikitu peoples. The main theme of the event was the importance of the territory for the indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon.