On methodology

Recognizing territory on paper is only the beginning.

For Julio, the protection of PIACI communities centers on territory. Without a guaranteed territorial space, free from external threats, no other protection measure is meaningful. "We cannot talk about the right to life, about the rights of an Indigenous people, when there is no territory,” he says. “For Indigenous peoples, territory is the fundamental basis of our existence and our future."

The principle of non-contact is equally foundational, not only as a matter of Peruvian law and UN guidelines, but as a practical imperative given the extreme epidemiological vulnerability of isolated communities to outside disease.

In 2002, after a sustained campaign, FENAMAD and other Indigenous organizations secured the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to prevent the Peruvian government from granting logging concessions across the entire Madre de Dios region, where the Mashco Piro people live in isolation. The reserve's creation was an important milestone, but Julio emphasizes that recognition on paper is only the first step. Key factors in effective implementation include establishing monitoring and surveillance systems in strategic locations that protect PIACI communities while avoiding any approach or contact.

On government accountability

The contradiction between climate commitments and extractive policy cannot be ignored.

Julio describes a disconnect between what governments say in international climate forums and what they actually do at home. Peru's Ministry of the Environment receives international climate funding while failing to create the territorial reserves that would protect PIACI peoples and conserve the Amazon. Meanwhile, the Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Defense, and Interior ministries actively vote against the creation of these reserves, prioritizing extractive interests over the rights and lives of isolated communities.

On the intersection of climate and PIACI rights

Climate frameworks are an opportunity for PIACI rights, but only if governments are held to their commitments.

Julio sees genuine potential in linking territorial protection for PIACI communities to international climate and biodiversity commitments. These territories are among the most biodiverse and intact in the Amazon, and their protection contributes directly to conservation goals. But he says that this connection has not yet translated into meaningful domestic action. Governments make commitments at major international events like the COP, but those commitments do not flow back into policies that favor PIACI peoples' territories. For Julio, this contradiction needs to be confronted, particularly with funders who are channeling climate resources to governments that are simultaneously working against territorial recognition.

On moving PIACI beyond a regional issue

International advocacy is often the most effective lever available.

Julio noted that domestic advocacy in Peru has yielded almost nothing, while international advocacy has produced real results. When AIDESEP brings its work on forest monitoring programs, early warning systems, and community internet access to international forums, governments take notice in ways they do not domestically. For Julio, this is not a strategic preference but a practical reality: the international arena is where leverage exists, and building presence and credibility there is essential. "We've had almost no response from our government,” he says. “But we do get help when Indigenous organizations make proposals at a much more international or global level."

On building effective alliances

Shared language and continuity matter more than any single meeting.

Julio participated in an exchange with organizations working on indigenous people’s rights in Indonesia in early 2026 and he draws a pragmatic lesson from it: one meeting is not enough, and the goal should be building a common framework and shared vocabulary across very different contexts. He acknowledges the resource asymmetry that complicates genuine exchange: South American organizations have more field experience in PIACI protection, but lack the resources to meaningfully support their counterparts in Indonesia.