The Information System on Native Communities in the Peruvian Amazon (Sistema de Información sobre Comunidades Nativas de la Amazonía Peruana, SICNA) is a georeferenced database that contains geographic and tabular information on native communities. The use and dissemination of the SICNA promotes territorial ordering and the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples, allowing for community territories to be titled and protecting indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation.

SICNA was created as a response to the lack of territorial maps and precise information on native communities in the Peruvian Amazon.

SICNA is important and necessary because the Peruvian state has not given sufficient attention or time to titling native communities while allowing farming, forestry, hydrocarbon and mining interests to continue expanding in these areas. This situation is complicated by the lack of a state registry of native communities and a policy of awarding titles or concessions to third parties often without onsite verification, which has led to activities being superimposed

SICNA contained, as of December 2007, georeferenced GPS information on 80 percent of the native communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Based on SICNA information, the IBC estimates that there are 1,380 native communities. Information has been gathered on jungle regions in the departments of Junín, Pasco, Huánuco, Ayacucho and Cajamarca, in the department of Amazonas, in the eastern region of Loreto and in the departments of San Martín and Madre de Dios. Information has not yet been gathered in Loreto’s western region, including the Pastaza, Morona and Huallaga river valleys, and the Yurúa River valley in Ucayali. SICNA includes information on communities with titles and those without them, as well as riverine settlements and villages formed by settlers that neighbor indigenous communities. In addition, it contains information on territorial reserves that have been created or proposed for indigenous peoples living in isolation.

SICNA also includes information on native communities that have been georeferenced by CEDIA (communities along the Apurímac River), ACPC (communities along the Tambo River) and the PETT Loreto (communities titled using GPS in 2003 and 2004. The area where field information is still lacking does include maps of communities that were digitalized in 1996 and 1997 as part of the GEF/UNDP/UNOPS projects. The IBC hopes in the medium-term to be able to georeference these communities in the field, which would allow for more precise locations of settlements and borders.

As a first step, and before any field work is done, the IBC reaches agreements with local and regional indigenous organizations concerning the processes for gathering and using the information. Once agreements are signed, an IBC specialist, together with a representative of the local indigenous organization, visits each of the communities to explain in a community assembly to purpose of the work. A survey is later applied to gather socioeconomic, demographic and political data from the community. The final step is using GPS to georeference known and accessible landmarks. An IBC staff then processes the data gathered with the help of the Geographic Information System (GIS). Printed maps and database information are provided to the indigenous two months after the original information was gathered. The indigenous organizations are also given information that can be used with the Geographic Information System.

SICNA makes available to the public through its Website a database with 65 fields for each community, including information on the federation or ethnic group to which the community belongs, number of residents, geographic and departmental location, administrative and local situation, state of communal property, existence of health and education services, as well as the source of the information and year it was produced. Maps prepared by SICNA are also accessible.

The IBC’s policy is to distribute as widely as possible SICNA’s contents. Without counting web searches, through December 2007 the institution filled 6,000 requests for information from approximately 700 organizations, including native communities, indigenous organizations, public and private institutions and universities. In February 2005, the IBC published the Atlas of Native Communities of the Central Jungle, which is available through the IBC and local bookstores. The IBC promotes the use of the maps by the communities where information is gathered. The maps are analyzed and validated with community leaders and residents in community assemblies, works and advisory meetings.
d with the Geographic Information System.