As the Covid-19 pandemic spread throughout Peru, one community was particularly hard hit by the disease, Indigenous peoples in the Amazon. Deborah Delgado Pugley and Dámaris Herrera Salazar, through their SSRC-funded research, examine how the Indigenous communities in Ucayali Region addressed the lack of government support. However, they argue to be wary of resiliency narratives that can be employed to justify state neglect and a slow response.
Dámaris Herrera Salazar
Dámaris Herrera Salazar is a research assistant of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (PUCP) and consultant at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) based in Peru. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from PUCP. Herrera-Salazar has research and project management experience on the sustainable livelihoods of rural and vulnerable populations in Peru. Her research interests center around rural women, Indigenous peoples, resilient food systems, environmental governance, and development. She is currently participating in an international research project with the University of Melbourne, “Scaling-up the Impact of Voluntary Sustainability Standards: From Niche Labels to Catalysts for Systemic Change.” Herrera-Salazar is also a member of the Global Environment Network (GEN) and the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD-Peru).