A second operation, also based on the information from the Peruvian Air Force, took place on Aug. 14 along the Malinowski River near the indigenous community of Kotsimba. The area lies in the buffer zone of Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. Garay, who also participated in this, said the Peruvian Navy requested the inspection in this area. When the images from the first operation were collected, it was decided that the second operation would follow.

According to the Public Ministry of Peru, the equipment destroyed in the second operation included two backhoes, six motors, a set of generators, and nearly 3,000 liters (600 gallons) of fuel.

Vigilance in the Amazon

What is revolutionary about Operation Harpía is that the monitoring points were defined in such a collaborative way. Davis said it was important to talk with people who have spent years studying environmental impacts in the Peruvian Amazon. For this reason, the operation was put together based on requests from several indigenous and civil organizations, along with some other public institutions.

“The important thing has been the coordination with civil society allies in order to combine our abilities. They have certain requirements for information, and we have satisfactorily completed that need,” Davis said.

The work was completed in collaboration with the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and its Tributaries (FENAMAD), the Amazonian Conservation Association (ACCA), the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Emergency Operations Center (COER), the Peruvian Coast Guard, and lawyers specializing in environmental matters.