Religious leaders, Indigenous Peoples representatives, and social organizations came together in Iquitos to launch the “Sin bosques, no hay vida” (“Without Forests, There Is No Life”) campaign — a call to action against deforestation and illegal mining threatening the Peruvian Amazon.
The event united Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, Bahá’í, and Jewish communities with local Indigenous organizations in a shared message: protecting forests means protecting life.
“In the Nanay River, we have been denouncing illegal dredging for years. When there were 10 dredges, no one acted — now there are 70, and soon there will be hundreds. Enough is enough!” said José Manuyama, President of the Iquitos Water Defense Committee.
Biologist José Álvarez, biodiversity advisor to the Amanatari Association, warned that deforestation condemns entire communities:
“We are destroying these forests for fleeting profit. Illegal mining leaves scars that no one can heal.”
“For Us, All Our Land Is Sacred”
During the campaign launch, María de Jesús Gatica, a young Indigenous leader from the Murui Bue people (Loreto region), delivered one of the most powerful reflections of the event, a testimony that embodies the deep spiritual link between people and forest.
“In my community, Centro Arenal, which spans 1,973 hectares, there is no single sacred place — because the entire territory is sacred. Every step holds stories of struggle, of war, of tears. The very act of walking, even lightly, means stepping on sacred ground. For us, Indigenous Peoples, all our land is sacred.”
Her words reminded participants that protecting the Amazon is not only about biodiversity — it is about honoring memory, spirit, and survival.
🎥 Watch María’s full reflection (Facebook)
About the Campaign “No Forests, No Life”
On August 20, IRI Peru officially launched the campaign in Lima’s Parque Voces por el Clima, with participation from Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, Bahá’í, Jewish, Buddhist, Catholic, and Latter-day Saints communities.
National media and radio stations covered the event, helping spread its message across Peru. The initiative will expand to Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado, and Pucallpa, coordinated with ExpoAmazónica organizer Fabiola Muñoz, and is seeking support from Peru’s major football club Alianza Lima to broaden outreach.
“Forests sustain life and spirit. Losing them means losing ourselves,” emphasized IRI Peru Advisor Pedro Solano in a live interview on Radio Madre de Dios.
