"Peruvian logger loses FSC label after latest clash with isolated Mashco Piro", 04 September 2024

....The Forest Stewardship Council has suspended its certification of a controversial logging company in the Peruvian Amazon accused of encroaching on the traditional territory of the Mashco Piro, an Indigenous group that lives in voluntary isolation.

The move on Aug. 30 by the FSC, the world’s leading certifier of sustainable forestry products, followed reports indicating that at least two loggers were shot dead with arrows, one injured and several others missing following a confrontation with the Mashco Piro on Aug. 29. The incident was reported by FENAMAD, a local Indigenous federation that represents 39 communities in Peru’s Cusco and Madre de Dios regions.

Peru’s Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Sept. 2 that it was investigating the reports and coordinating with the local prosecutors’ office and police to deploy a helicopter to the area where the incident took place on the Pariamanu River. There’s no official confirmation yet of whether the killed and missing loggers worked for the logging company, or if Mashco Piro members were responsible.

The FSC has suspended for eight months its certification for Maderera Canales Tahuamanu (MCT)...It said the certification would be suspended from Sept. 13 while it investigates the case and meets with Peruvian authorities to “understand the land classification issues.” The FSC added that it had imposed the suspension in “response to concerns about the MCT’s forest management concession’s location relative to the territory of the Mashco Piro.”

It added: “Recent developments have heightened concerns regarding the potential risks to the Mashco Piro’s safety and well-being”...