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| Movimiento por el Agua y los Territorios | |
|---|---|
| Name | Movimiento por el Agua y los Territorios |
| Native name | Movimiento por el Agua y los Territorios |
| Abbreviation | MAT |
| Formation | 2011 |
| Type | Social movement |
| Headquarters | Puno |
| Region | Peru |
| Language | Spanish |
Movimiento por el Agua y los Territorios is a grassroots indigenous and environmental coalition formed in the 2010s in Peru that mobilizes around water rights, territorial sovereignty, and anti-extractivist resistance. The movement has engaged with regional governments, international advocacy networks, and intergovernmental forums to contest mining concessions, hydropower projects, and agribusiness expansion in the Andean and Amazonian Puno, Cusco, Apurímac and Loreto areas. It connects local communities with transnational actors and draws on indigenous legal frameworks such as consultative processes established under national and international law.
The formation of the movement followed mass mobilizations against mining and hydrocarbon projects that echoed the trajectories of earlier struggles like the Bagua conflict and protests around the Conga mine and Las Bambas operations, with roots in mobilizations associated with the Aymara people and Quechua people. Early campaigns invoked instruments from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and legal precedents shaped by rulings from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and decisions in cases involving Amazon Watch partners. Key moments included blockades near Espinar and coordinated actions during regional elections involving actors from Movimiento Sin Miedo and community federations akin to the Rondas Campesinas. International attention increased through solidarity from NGOs such as Greenpeace and coalitions connected to Friends of the Earth and International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.
Organizationally, the movement is a federation of local committees, community councils, and peasant syndicates modeled on traditional authorities like the ayllu and municipal organizations similar to the Federación Departamental de Campesinos. Leadership combines elected spokespeople, assembly councils, and rotating coordinators drawn from indigenous federations comparable to FENAMAD and regional indigenous federations that have negotiated with ministries such as the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Energy and Mines. Prominent figures have included indigenous leaders who also participated in forums organized by UN General Assembly side-events and engaged legal teams with ties to the Peruvian Ombudsman's Office.
The movement grounds its claims in indigenous rights instruments like the ILO Convention 169 and international environmental norms promoted by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Agreement. Core objectives include the protection of water sources such as the headwaters of the Amazon River and Andean glaciers near Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Vilcanota, the withdrawal of extractive permits granted to companies like MMG, Glencore and subsidiaries similar to Southern Copper Corporation, and the promotion of community-led land-use plans consistent with models advanced by Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in the Amazon Basin networks. The movement advances local autonomy mechanisms comparable to the autonomy debates in Ecuador and constitutional processes invoked in regional consultations.
Campaigns have included mass road blockades, legal injunctions, assembly resolutions, and international advocacy reminiscent of tactics used in protests at Bagua and campaigns against projects like Conga and Tía María. Direct actions targeted proposed projects by corporations linked to the mining industry such as contested operations near Chumbivilcas and campaigns to protect wetlands like Huascarán National Park adjacent lagoons. The movement has organized participatory mapping exercises with organizations such as Conservation International and submitted petitions to bodies including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights while coordinating protests synchronous with events like the UNFCCC COP summits and solidarity delegations from groups like Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador.
Social impacts include strengthened indigenous governance similar to initiatives by COICA and heightened public debate in media outlets such as El Comercio and Diario Correo about extractivism and water security. Environmental outcomes include delays or modifications to projects affecting glacial melt zones and headwaters connected to the Amazon Basin and biodiversity corridors within ranges like the Andes. The movement's mobilizations have influenced environmental impact assessments overseen by the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP) and prompted comparative policy reviews by the World Bank and regional development banks such as the Inter-American Development Bank.
Interactions with state actors have ranged from negotiated accords with regional governors and ministries to contentious confrontations with security forces aligned with policies of administrations comparable to those of past presidents who prioritized extractive investment. The movement collaborates with civil society groups such as Oxfam and legal clinics at universities like the National University of San Marcos and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and it participates in international networks including Global Witness and academic partnerships with research centers akin to Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.
Criticisms have come from private sector actors, regional political parties, and some local stakeholders who argue that prolonged blockades harm investment climates and public services, invoking debates similar to those surrounding resource nationalism and controversies seen in disputes over Las Bambas. Human rights organizations have scrutinized responses by police units and security policies comparable to actions by the Peruvian National Police during past protests. Internal critiques concern representation and decision-making procedures, echoing tensions documented in federations such as Confederación Campesina del Perú and debates about alliances with international NGOs and parties aligned with broader social movements in Latin America.
Category:Social movements in Peru