保有地球少數僅存最原始風貌及生物多樣性的秘魯亞馬遜河雨林,目前正受一波前所未有的石油及天然氣開發新計劃的窺覬。「拯救美洲雨林」(Save America's Rainforest)生態學家芬納博士(Dr. Matt Finer)指出,「石油及天然氣開採的活動佔遍了約5,400萬英畝秘魯偏遠原始的雨林地」,「幾乎是秘魯亞馬遜河流域總面積的25%」。
油礦採探活動曾在秘魯沈寂了幾十年,然秘魯政府2003年調降開採稅,這項措施重新點燃了跨國石油公司對秘魯礦藏的興趣。2003年以前,秘魯亞馬遜河雨林境內只有7家石油和天然氣集團在運作,2003年之後,則激增了15家外國油氣公司,包括2005年新增的9家,除此之外,市場上尚有七家新的集團有意願投資油氣開採計劃。
這類特許開採權由9家國外的石油公司所把持著,包括美國的西方油業(Occidental)及杭特石油(Hunt Oil)、西班牙的力豹仕油業(Repsol)及阿根廷的Pluspetrol油業,而且這些公司的作業區塊都有好幾處。
目前秘魯西北及東南方的亞馬遜河雨林區域已是集團急欲染指進行油氣開採的所在,而西北區更是幾乎已被相互毗鄰的9家油氣集團所佔滿。
欲瞭解秘魯油氣採探區域的分布圖,可到下列網址瀏覽http://mirror.perupetro.com.pe/exploracion01-e.asp
The Peruvian Amazon, a region that still holds some of the most pristine biodiverse rainforests on Earth, is facing an unprecedented wave of new oil and gas exploration. "Around 54 million acres of remote and intact rainforest is now zoned for oil and gas activities in Peru," said Dr. Matt Finer, staff ecologist at Save America's Forest. "This amounts to more than 25 percent of the entire Peruvian Amazon."
After Peru had not had any new major oil discoveries in decades, the government lowered royalties on exploration in 2003. This move sparked a resurgence of interest in Peru among foreign oil companies. Before 2003, there were seven active oil and gas blocks in the Peruvian Amazon being operated by foreign oil companies. Since 2003, fifteen blocks have been leased to foreign oil companies, including nine in 2005. In addition, seven new blocks were created and placed on the market in 2005.
These concessions are operated by a total of nine foreign oil companies, with Occidental (U.S.), Hunt Oil (U.S.) Repsol (Spain), and Pluspetrol (Argentina) all operating multiple blocks.
The northwest and southern Peruvian Amazon are the target of intense oil and gas exploration, and the northwest region is almost entirely covered by a contiguous mass of nine oil blocks.
To view a map showing the oil and gas zones in Peru, visit: http://mirror.perupetro.com.pe/exploracion01-e.asp