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Peru: Women’s Leadership in Protecting the Environment in Communities Impacted by Mining

By Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

Huarmey, Department of Ancash, PERU

Participatory Environmental Monitoring (PEM) of mining activities is an exercise of citizenship and leadership that transforms territories. By enabling communities impacted by mining to collect information on the environmental problems and concerns that affect them, PEM can help strengthen environmental and human rights protection in mining contexts.

According to the latest Regional Human Development Report, extractive activities continue to represent a threat that depletes natural capital and endangers the rights of indigenous, traditional and farming communities that occupy ancestral lands.

Community-based protection and surveillance of the territories has existed for a long time in Peru and has been adapted to support the monitoring of environmental impacts caused by mining and other extractive industries, such as the exploration of oil and gas. Peruvian PEM committees, traditionally led by men, are now embracing new cadres of determined and impetuous women, including elders, adults, young women, indigenous peoples, and small-scale farmers.

“As environmental monitors, we are trained to explain to the community the factual information about the analysis of environmental contamination caused by extractive industries.”

Betty Chávez. Photo credits: UNDP Peru/Susan Bernuy & Bruno Cámara Rojo.

Betty Chávez works with other monitors empowering their communities while preserving their customs: “We still maintain our ancestral practices in harmony with the environment because I can't imagine my town turned into a desert” emphasises Ms Chávez. She is confident that she can help improve dialogue with the company and the State.

“We women are looking for the opportunity to grow and share our knowledge. I dream of a better world, and I act towards it.” - Natividad Taco, environmental monitor from Orcopampa-Chilcaymarca, Arequipa.

“The community chose me as an environmental monitor because they saw me as an active citizen. We are also working with the State and the companies to train us in textile production and get decent jobs.” - Yrma Requelme, monitor from Michiquillay, Cajamarca.

Natividad Taco. Photo credits: UNDP Peru/Susan Bernuy & Bruno Cámara Rojo.

Irma Requelme. Photo credits: UNDP Peru/Susan Bernuy & Bruno Cámara Rojo.

In February 2021, environmental monitors from the Departments of Cajamarca, Arequipa and Ancash met in the city of Huarmey, as part of a training programme to strengthen their capacities in human rights, gender, and citizen participation. The workshops brought togetherwomen who are protagonists in activating the participation of other women in PEM efforts. The workshops were organized by UNDP Peru under the joint Swedish Environmental Protection Agency – UNDP Environmental Governance Programme (EGP).

An uphill trail

According to Peruvian Ombudsman's Office, only 17.3% of the participants of community-based dialogues are women, which highlights the urgent need for more equitable and inclusive spaces for citizen participation in environmental monitoring of mining activities.

The monitors explain that the challenges they face are multiple. “The biggest challenge is the male chauvinism that predominates in rural communities. There is discrimination for being a woman; they used to tell us that we cannot work up in the mountains”, says Yrma Requelme. Seeking to reverse this, Ms Requelme joined other colleagues in an awareness-raising process with her male colleagues, focusing on the value and key roles played by women in the monitoring committee.

However, gender inequality has multiple effects on society, including the overload of care and household work that falls on women. Many of the monitors need to maintain balance in time spent guarding their territories without neglecting their families. “I have raised my daughter despite all obstacles. I congratulate and recognize all the mothers who are heads of households, and have greater family burden”, highlights Navidad Taco, who has been an environmental monitor since 2012.

Difficulties not only occur at the family level but also the community level. The overall poor management of mining-related social conflicts generates mistrust, with some stakeholders challenging the objectivity of the oversight conducted by PEM committees. “It is a challenge to dialogue with those who don’t trust the studies and analyzes that we carry out, but I have to speak about the factual information and results”, says Ms Chávez. She also underscores the importance of training opportunities, including how to communicate data and evidence better.

New generations of monitors

Thanks to the environmental leaders with greater experience and the growing international and NGO support towards PEM, it has been possible for young women to join and actively integrate several monitoring committees, including indigenous peoples, and members of traditional farming communities.

“I think that the population needs to better understand environmental issues and we must start with the children”, says Sayuri Gaspar, who at 22 is the youngest member of the Huarmey PEM committee. The young monitor is supported by Fryda Bojorquez, a long-standing member of the same committee.

“We used to limit ourselves to giving talks about caring for the environment, but younger women suggested that we take advantage of green spaces in schools and create vegetable gardens, composting and other hands-on activities to bring young people together.” - Fryda Bojorquez.

A future with the participation of young women is also being sown in Arequipa, where environmental monitoring Navidad Taco takes the lead in incorporating the youth and children into her committee. “We want the school municipalities to get involved; it is important to coordinate ourselves to boost the impact of our actions”.

Female monitors can be key decision-makers in their communities and leaders with the capacity to coordinate PEM actions with the State, companies, and civil society. In 2021, the EGP supported UNDP Peru’s efforts and partnerships on PEM, focusing on the Departments of Ancash and Loreto. The programme also supported the procurement of monitoring equipment for four indigenous federations, including mobile equipment and hard drives to improve the recording of their monitoring work in the Amazon rainforest and delivered technical assistance for the reactivation of the network of PEM committees of Ancash, which brings together 7 committees and approximately 30 environmental monitors.

Sayuri Gaspar with a group of environmental monitors played "Bingoteando" a teaching tool designed by UNDP Peru to reinforce learning on human rights, citizen participation and gender equality.

Photo Gallery: PEM in Huarmey, Deparment of Ancash

“We recognize the immense contributions by the women taking part in PEM initiatives across Peru. Such active citizenship can be a determinant factor towards a healthier environment for present and future generations.” – Doris Huando, EGP Focal Point in UNDP Peru.

Peru: Women’s Leadership in Protecting the Environment in Communities Impacted by Mining

Learn more:

Visit the EGP Peru Website
Read the EGP-CIRDI Report on PEM Committees in Latin America and the Caribbean

The original story by UNDP Peru is available in Spanish here.

Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

The EGP is a global programme jointly implemented by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and UNDP since 2014. The EGP supports resource-rich countries in integrating environment and human rights into the governance of the mining sector. Programme countries include Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mongolia, Namibia, Peru, and Zambia.

The EGP is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

EMAIL: CONTACT.EGP@UNDP.ORG

WEB: WWW.ENVIRONMENTALGOVERNANCEPROGRAMME.ORG

Footnotes

Cover photo: PEM in Huarmey, Department of Ancash, Peru. Photo credits: UNDP Peru/Susan Bernuy and Bruno Cámara Rojo.

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FootNotes

Cover photo: PEM in Huarmey, Department of Ancash, Peru. Photo credits: UNDP Peru/Susan Bernuy and Bruno Cámara Rojo.

EGP Newsletter

Peru: Women’s Leadership in Protecting the Environment in Communities Impacted by Mining

FootNotes

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October 27^th, 2025

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FootNotes

A newsletter about responsible mining from the Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

February 11th, 2026

February 10th, 2026

A newsletter about responsible mining from the Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

October 27th, 2025

Learn about all countries that have been a part of EGP

February 11^th, 2026

February 10^th, 2026

October 27^th, 2025