To address Peru’s limited environmental controls and the growth of extractive industries in the country, SPDA created an online news agency and resource hub. The hub provided daily media coverage on environmental news and included unheard voices from impacted communities. The success of this program raised the profile of SPDA, leading to its participation in conversations with extractive industries and government agencies.
Challenge
A very high rate of investment, coupled with limited controls and safeguards are eroding Peru's ecosystem and endangering the livelihood of indigenous Peruvians. Natural resources are often extracted from the Andean and Amazon regions with very little regulation, and are therefore having a negative impact on indigenous, peasant communities. Often, these extraction activities disregard the legal frameworks and international treaties that are designed to protect these groups.
Program Summary
To address these issues, The Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) established an environmental agency called "Agencia Peruana de Información Ambiental-APIA" (Peruvian Agency of Environmental Information). The APIA hosted roundtables for journalists, policymakers, and civil society leaders, as a way to spotlight environmental issues and share best practices. The agency also provided valuable resource for journalists, including daily report publications, audiovisual products, and current news and summaries of daily environmental news from the media in Peru.
Impact
As a result of the project, the media has begun to place a greater emphasis on reporting environmental news. The SPDA successfully engaged indigenous leaders, environmental lawyers, scientists, climate change and conservation experts in roundtable events designed to create solutions for some of Peru’s most persistent environmental problems. Policymakers now look to SPDA as a valuable source of information with which to inform their decisions on environmental regulation.
Partners
SPDA partnered with numerous journalists to produce its weekly reports.