Dear Jack

Wow! When Indigenous friends in Peru sent us new photos of uncontacted Mashco Piro people on an Amazonian river bank, even those of us who’ve worked on this issue for a long time were amazed.

Partly it was the numbers – 53 men and older boys were seen at one point, and as the women and children were thought to be nearby, our Indigenous colleagues estimated that around 150 Mashco Piro people were present just in this area alone.

But partly it was what the pictures didn’t show – that just a few miles away, loggers are poised to enter this area, with potentially devastating consequences for the Indigenous people. Because everyone can now see this isn’t empty rainforest – it’s the Mashco Piro’s home.

One company, called Canales Tahuamanu, is already working in the Mashco Piro territory. It’s built more than 120 miles of roads, which pose a massive threat to the Indigenous people, as these roads provide an easy way in for colonization and further destruction.

We released these images to the world’s media a few days ago, and the story’s captured headlines around the world. Now it’s time for the government to act.

It must revoke the logging concessions, and protect this area for the Mashco Piro. If it doesn’t, this invasion of their territory could spark a humanitarian catastrophe such as a deadly epidemic of common diseases to which the Mashco Piro have no immunity, or even a massacre.

Please write urgently to the authorities in Peru, urging them to protect the Mashco Piro’s lands now.