Peru native groups use new legal strategy to push back on oil, mining plans

Indigenous groups in Peru are turning to the courts with a new legal strategy for keeping mining and oil projects off their land, racking up victories that could make it harder for companies to secure permits in the major minerals producer.

Native communities from the Peruvian Amazon and the Andes have filed at least eight lawsuits against the government since passage of the so-called "prior consultation" law in 2011, which gives them the right to weigh in on official decisions that could affect them, according to judicial documents.