The Interoceanic Highway is currently under construction in South America. It is predicted to result in unprecedented destruction of the Amazon - the largest tropical forest in the world. In southern Peru the highway will slice through the Andes-Amazon region, critical habitat for the survival of uncontacted groups officially designated as 'Indigenous Forest People in Voluntary Isolation', as well as of the highly threatened Andean Bear, jaguars, giant otters, and more than 1,200 other species of mammals and birds. Once the highway is complete, this habitat will be forever cut in two, separated by a growing corridor of deforestation along the highway.
Elevating critical portions of the Interoceanic Highway, turning it into a toll-pay scenic road, will help the conservation of the Andes-Amazon region and at the same time will catalyze the long-term economic stability of local people through ecotourism. Limiting economic activities around the highway only to special exits can be a great opportunity for regional economic growth. Doing so will reduce habitat destruction by restricting uncontrolled development of land away from the specified exits. At the same time it will be possible to offer tourists a variety of needs at one stop, including hotels, restaurants and field guides ready to show tourists the unique regional fauna and flora that should be regarded with pride and protected accordingly.
Construction of the highway has already begun and will soon reach this critical area. Now, in 2007, we still have time to ACT, or we will never recover what we are about to lose! We can change the future!
To view this petition in Spanish: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/carretera-arriba
To view this petition in Portuguese: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/estrada-pra-cima
Dear Drs. Garcia Pérez, Ángeles Lazo and Zavala Lombardi,
We the undersigned understand that you have influence over the Interoceanic Highwaw's future. A portion of this road will cross a region that holds the richest biodiversity in the world, from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. This biodiversity is a national treasure and should be protected; no other country possesses a resource of similar global significance. Building this road without proper structures for wildlife crossing will have a catastrophic effect on one of Peru's most valuable resources.
We are writing this letter to request that you rethink the proposed design of the highway. If an accessible infrastructure that helped display this biodiversity were incorporated into the plans, it could potentially be the greatest tourist attraction in the entire Amazon. Moreover, it would target tourists that seek easy and fast access to the jungle, an innovative idea for tourism in tropical South America. By elevating critical portions of this highway so that it runs above, rather than through, the forest, you can create a toll-pay scenic road that will help conserve the Andes-Amazon region and facilitate long-term economic stability for local people through ecotourism. Designating special exits with organized economic activities can be a solution to uncontrolled development. This design would offer tourists a variety of needs at one stop, such as hotels, restaurants, and pharmacies, increasing local economic gain.
Please consider this proposal to elevate portions of the Interoceanic Highway. Building this road without proper environmental planning will have grave repercussions. Elevating parts of the road will help to preserve the priceless natural resources of the area, allowing for the future potential of economic gains through ecotourism at specified exits all the while preserving your national heritage. Thank your for taking your time to read this letter.
Sincerely,
