Conservation International Releases Findings of Independent Review

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 1, 2024) – Conservation International today released the following statement and key findings from an independent review commissioned in response to alleged human rights violations in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest:

"Conservation International is committed to protecting human rights across all aspects of our work. In alignment with these principles and recognizing the challenging remote places we operate in around the world, we sought an independent and impartial review of our organization's connection, if any, to the actions, and to gain insights on how to continue improving our programs. The findings affirm that Conservation International was not involved in nor responsible for the alleged violations.

"Supporting and recognizing the rights of local communities is central to Conservation International's founding principles. Our mission to protect nature for the benefit of people means we work in some of the world's most complex and often contested regions. Despite these challenges, we are committed to leading by example in supporting conservation that safeguards local communities. 

"We have a long history of collaborating with Alto Mayo's local communities and the government of Peru to support sustainable development, conservation and human rights in the region. We will work with all stakeholders to push for the resolution of the issues that undermine peace in the region, including land trafficking and illegal activities."

Key Findings and Recommendations of the Independent Review: 

• The 2021 dismantling of structures in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest was conducted to recover state-owned property, as Peruvian law mandates. The actions were carried out by national security forces.
  
• Conservation International was not involved in nor responsible for these actions. 
• The dismantling of structures took place in the northern region of the Protected Area, where Conservation International does not currently operate, and which is also the site of frequent illegal activities, including land trafficking, logging and unsanctioned land clearing. 
• The impacts of deforestation in the protected area are significant and directly affect a vital watershed that supplies fresh water to hundreds of thousands of people.
  
• The review found that Conservation International has developed and applied a series of institutional policies to support vulnerable populations and, therefore, has a vital role in ensuring that local communities' rights are respected and at the forefront of conservation efforts in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest. 
• It recommends that Conservation International continues to work with the government to ensure local communities' rights are respected across its conservation efforts, and Conservation International is committed to continually doing so.
  
• It further advises the organization to continue leveraging its access and relationships with governmental authorities and community members to advocate for reconciliation and an end to the land use conflicts, and Conservation International is committed to doing so.  

Conservation International is committed to funding and implementing programs that improve people's lives. To that end, the organization uses a rights-based approach to conservation. In 2010, Conservation International co-founded the Conservation Initiative on Human Rights, a consortium of international NGOs that works to improve conservation policy and practice by integrating rights-based approaches. 

Conservation International has continued to formalize and codify its rights-based approach. As of 2023, all the organization's projects analyze and mitigate any potential adverse impacts on people or the environment through our Environmental and Social Safeguard System (CISS), which provides staff and partners with the policies, standards, procedures and guidance to ensure projects are effective, efficient and equitable. To promote human rights, the CISS works to reduce equity gaps, promote gender equality and improve social sustainability.

About the review:

Conservation International commissioned the review to assess the organization's role, if any, in connection with the allegations published by The Guardian in January 2023. The review was conducted over July and August 2023 by an independent human rights expert. It encompassed a review of the actions undertaken to recover state-owned land, desk-side research and in-person interviews with community members living in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest and its buffer zones, members of Peruvian civil society organizations, government officials and Conservation International staff. All interviews with non-Conservation International staff were conducted privately, without the presence of Conservation International staff members, to protect the confidentiality and independence of the review processes. Conservation International did not request and was not given access to interview content. 

For more information about Conservation International’s work in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest:

• A Peruvian Forest Was Vanishing. Coffee and Community Trust Saved It
• As Pandemic Pounded Peru, One Region Thrived on Coffee, Carbon
• The Alto Mayo Carbon Project: Supporting Forests and People in Peru