Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR)

Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR), translated and also known as Law, Environment and Natural Resources, is a Peruvian organization that engages in legal advocacy on environmental governance, natural-resource policy, and indigenous rights in the Amazon Basin. The organization focuses on extractive industries, land-use decisions, and transparency in resource management and has participated in regional and international forums, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Organization, Other
Issue Areas: Environmental Policy, Identity Politics (for race-based policy/activism), Energy Policy
Website: dar.org.pe
Location:

Lima, Peru

Formation:

2004

CEO:

Hugo Che Piu

Contents

    DAR has received multiple grants from U.S.-based left-of-center philanthropic institutions, including the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. 2  3

    Leadership

    Lawyer Hugo Che Piu founded Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales in 2004 and was its chief executive as of 2025. At that time, he was also a member of Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), a U.S.-based public interest, nonprofit, environmentalist organization that helps communities protect the environment and public health through law. He is also a member of the Latin American Network of Environmental Forestry Law (RELADEFA), which is a multidisciplinary network dedicated to studying and promoting the application of environmental forestry law in Latin America. 4

    Former DAR executive director Cesar Gamboa, who was a senior advisor for the group as of 2025, holds a Ph.D. in law and political science. He sits on the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the Inter-American Development Bank’s Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism, and Peru’s Profonanpe conservation fund. Gamboa has collaborated with ELAW for nearly two decades, providing legal and technical support for communities affected by extractive projects. 5  6  7

    DAR’s advisory council is comprised of professionals with academic, conservation, and policy backgrounds. As of 2025, it included Debra Moskovits (former head of the Field Museum’s conservation programs), Denise Humphreys (Clark University, international development and environmental policy), Marc Jean Dourojeanni (agronomy and forestry, former vice president for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature), Manuel Glave (sustainable rural development), and Vince McElhinny (Conservation International). Many advisory members are connected to international conservation, human rights, and policy institutions. 8

    Activities

    Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales works on legal, environmental, and human-rights issues across the Amazon Basin, with a focus on the effects of extractive industries and infrastructure development on local and indigenous communities. The organization conducts research on public policy, monitors government decision-making, and advocates for transparency and community participation in environmental licensing and resource management.  1

    In 2017, DAR testified before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding alleged barriers to public access to environmental information in the context of mining projects in Central America, highlighting gaps in transparency and consultation processes.  9

    Program Areas

    DAR structures its work through thematic programs, including an Amazon Program focused on ecosystem governance, a Climate Change and Forests Program addressing mitigation and adaptation policy, and an Environmental Rights and Justice Program centered on access to information and community participation. The organization reports that its activities include technical research, legal analysis, community support, and policy advocacy within national and regional environmental frameworks. 10

    Coalition Participation

    DAR is a part of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, a coalition of over 100 organizations that support activists and protesters opposing public development projects that they claim negatively affect marginalized communities and the environment. It is financed by large left-of-center philanthropies. 11 The organization also collaborates with Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, which has provided legal and scientific support to DAR concerning environmental cases in South America for nearly two decades. 12  13

    Financials

    As a Peruvian civil association, Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales does not file U.S. tax returns. Publicly available financial information comes from donor reports and DAR’s institutional documents. In 2021, DAR reported expenditures totaling 13,714,647 Peruvian soles (approximately $4 million USD), including personnel and program costs. 10

    The Ford Foundation, a U.S.-based grantmaking foundation, has awarded at least ten grants to DAR since 2006, including $1,250,000 in 2024 for general operating and climate-governance support. 14  2 The MacArthur Foundation, which frequently funds environmental governance projects, provided $300,000 in 2012 and $240,000 in 2008. 3

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    References

    1. Who Are We?” Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://dar.org.pe/who-are-we/.
    2. “Law, Environment and Natural Resources Archives.” Ford Foundation. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grantee/law-environment-and-natural-resources/
    3. “Derecho Ambiente y Recursos Naturales.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/derecho-ambiente-y-recursos-naturales-41485/.
    4. “Hugo Che Piu.” Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://dar.org.pe/hugo-che-piu/.
    5. “César Gamboa.” Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://dar.org.pe/cesar-gamboa-3/.
    6. “César Gamboa.” EITI.org. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://eiti.org/2023-eiti-global-conference/people/cesar-gamboa.
    7. “Meet ELAW Fellow Cesar Gamboa.” ELAW. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://elaw.org/meet-elaw-fellow-cesar-gamboa.
    8. “Advisory Council.” Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://dar.org.pe/consejo-consultivo/.
    9. “2017 IACHR Hearing on Access to Public Information relating to Extractive Projects.” The Legal Cultures of the Subsoil. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://legalculturessubsoil.ilcs.sas.ac.uk/legal-actions/2017-iachr-hearing-on-access-to-public-information-relating-to-extractive-projects/
    10. “Institutional Transparency: Institutional Report 2021.” Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://dar.org.pe/transparencia-institucional/.
    11. “Financial Information.” Coalition for Human Rights in Development – About. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://rightsindevelopment.org/about/.
    12. “Bienvenido Hugo Che Piu.” ELAW. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://elaw.org/es/welcome-hugo-che-piu.
    13. “Derecho, Ambiente Y Recursos Naturales (DAR).” Coalition For Human Rights In Development. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://rightsindevelopment.org/member/derecho-ambiente-y-recursos-naturales-dar/
    14. “146446 – Law, Environment and Natural Resources.” Ford Foundation. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/derecho-ambiente-y-recursos-naturales-dar-146446/.