Liz Chicaje Churay

Bora leader

Liz Chicaje Churay is an indigenous leader of the Bora People (Loreto) committed to defending indigenous rights and the environment, who constantly works for the good governance of a large indigenous territory between the Napo, Putumayo and Amazon rivers bordering Colombia and Brazil.

Liz Chicaje was born in 1982 into the indigenous community of Boras de Pucaurquillo in the Pebas District of Peru's Loreto Region. She belongs to the Newat (sparrowhawk) clan. When she was a child, she was brought up in the forest where she learnt to appreciate the importance of nature and the wild animals.

As she grew older, the native communities living in the area were increasingly threatened by illegal logging and mining. After deciding to take on the task of fighting for the well-being of these communities, she developed her leadership skills and in 2013 sought to become mayor of the Pebas district. Although she did not win, she became more familiar with the problems of the people in the district.

Thanks to her work, in 2014 she was elected president of FECONA, a federation of native Ampiyacu communities, providing an opportunity for collaboration with other native federations in the area. She worked towards the preservation of the area surrounded by the Napo, Putumayo and Amazon rivers neighbouring Colombia and Brazil. As a member of the Committee for the Categorization of the Yaguas Reserved Zone, she worked towards the development of the Yaguas National Park in which the native communities could be integrated and protected.

In 2017, the Ministry of Environment of Peru invited her to participate in the work of the COP 23. She presented her proposals on the Yaguas National Park at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

Video made by the Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru; Meet Liz Chicaje, Bora leader (Spanish)

Franco-German prize

The Franco-German Human Rights and the Rule of Law Prize, created in 2016, is awarded every year to human rights defenders around the world, but also to lawyers who represent the human rights defenders and journalists who work to make the truth known.

In January 2019 in Lima, Liz Chicaje was awarded the Franco-German prize for human rights by the French and German ambassadors.

Video of her award (Spanish)

Yaguas National Park

Her work has contributed significantly to the protection of rainforests and rivers in the Loreto area of northeastern Peru, safeguarding the rights of the Yagua people. Thanks to her efforts, the Yaguas National Park was established in 2018.

Yaguas National Park was created on January 11, 2018 and is located in the Loreto Region of Peru near the border with Colombia. It covers an area of 8,689 km² (2,147,100 acres) of tropical forest. Along with Río Puré, Cahuinarí and Amacayacu National Park in Colombia, as well as the Regional Conservation Areas Maijuna Kichwa and Ampiyacu Apayacu in Peru, it constitutes a huge biological corridor.

Land:

Her strength, knowledge and commitment to the Bora, Huitoto, Okaina and Yagua indigenous communities of Ampiyacu, have allowed her to obtain the titling of 100,000 hectares in favor of 13 indigenous communities.