Amazon tribe: Uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe seen close to Peru village; logging project sparks alarm

An Indigenous tribe that usually avoids outsiders was seen close to a village in Peru’s Amazon rainforest, sparking concern among activists who warn that the group may be under pressure from nearby logging projects.

The Mashco Piro , regarded as one of the largest uncontacted tribes in the world, were recently sighted near the Yine village of Nueva Oceania. Survival International , which campaigns for Indigenous rights, says the presence of the group coincides with the construction of a bridge by a logging company, giving outsiders easier access to their territory and raising the risk of both disease and violent clashes.

“It is very worrying; they are in danger,” said Enrique Anez, president of the neighbouring Yine community, in a statement on Tuesday. He said heavy machinery had already begun clearing paths across rivers and jungle near Nueva Oceania, a key entry point to Mashco Piro land.

The Mashco Piro live in isolation to safeguard their health and culture, but even mild illnesses can be deadly as they lack immunity. Past incursions by loggers have ended in fatal confrontations.

Photos released last year by Survival International showed groups of Mashco Piro close to logging zones. That same year, two loggers were killed in bow-and-arrow attacks after entering their territory.

“Exactly one year after the encounters and the deaths, nothing has changed in terms of land protection and the Yine are now reporting to have seen both the Mashco Piro and the loggers exactly in the same space almost at the same time,” said Teresa Mayo, a researcher at Survival International. “The clash could be imminent.”

The Forest Stewardship Council has suspended certification of the company, Maderera Canales Tahuamanu, until November. However, Survival International says evidence of machinery and bridge building shows that logging is still taking place.

The firm’s concessions border the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve and overlap recognised Mashco Piro land. AP contacted Maderera Canales Tahuamanu but received no response.

Government reviewing report
Peru’s Culture Ministry, which is responsible for Indigenous affairs, told AP it is reviewing the Survival International findings. It said it has already created eight reserves for uncontacted peoples, has five more in progress, and operates 19 control posts staffed by 59 protection agents. The ministry added that more than 440 patrols have been carried out this year, with funding for protection of isolated communities more than doubling in 2025.

Logging access heightens threat
The Tahuamanu River acts as a key transport route in this part of the Amazon. Campaigners warn that a permanent bridge could bring year-round truck traffic, driving deforestation further into the forest and forcing Indigenous groups into contact.

“These Indigenous peoples are exposed and vulnerable to any type of contact or disease, yet extractive activities continue despite all the evidence of the problems they cause in the territory,” said Cesar Ipenza, a Peruvian environmental lawyer.

He noted that the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve, set up in 2002 to protect uncontacted and recently contacted groups, has not prevented clashes because “they do not necessarily know its boundaries.”

Madre de Dios, which borders Brazil and Bolivia, is a remote and biodiverse region but also a hub for logging, illegal gold mining and other extractive industries that regularly draw outsiders into Indigenous lands.

“The growing presence of forestry operations will almost certainly lead to renewed contact with isolated Indigenous peoples, creating a violent situation that endangers them as well as the workers in the area,” Ipenza said.