Last Updated on May 18, 2019
In the territory of the Shipibo people of the Peruvian Amazon, the indigenous community of Santa Clara de Uchunya is facing the devastation of their ancestral forests and rivers. This is due to the aggressive expansion of a palm oil plantation operated by Plantaciones de Pucallpa S.A.C., a member of a group of companies controlled by businessman Dennis Melka.
This video, based on community testimonies, shows the impacts the community are suffering as a result of this appropriation of their traditional lands and the fight to defend their territorial and cultural rights.
The community’s efforts to gain recognition of their rights over their territory span more than 30 years and have now reached a critical point. The ongoing legal case of Santa Clara de Uchunya is emblematic, in that its outcome will have far-reaching consequences for the future of the Peruvian Amazon and its indigenous peoples.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
