A recent change to Peru's law about forests and animals is making environmental and local groups very angry because they say it could cause more trees to be cut down in the Amazon.

The new rule means people do not need the state's permission to change forests into other land. Some people say this could make illegal tree cutting in the past seem okay.

Alvaro Masquez Salvador, who is a lawyer, said they are very worried about this.

Masquez said the change is bad because it makes land private that belongs to the country. He added, "Forests belong to the country, not to people."

People who support the change, which started in March, say it will help farming in Peru stay strong and give farmers clearer rules.

The Associated Press asked some people in Peru's farming business and politician Maria Zeta Chunga for their opinion. Only one person from the farming business answered, but they said they did not want to talk about it.

Peru has the second biggest part of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil. It has over 70 million hectares, which is about 60% of Peru. This area has many different kinds of plants and animals. It is also home to more than 50 groups of Indigenous people. Some of these people live alone, away from others. These groups are important protectors of nature and the forests. The forests help the world's climate because they take in a lot of carbon dioxide. This is a gas that causes climate change.

A law from 2011 said you needed permission from the government to change how forest land was used. But now, changes to the law mean people can change the land without asking first, and even make past changes legal.

In Peru, the court said the new law was okay after some lawyers asked questions about it. The court changed some parts but kept the last part. This last part says that illegal changes to land use in the past are now legal. People who know about the law think this is the most dangerous part.

The court said that Indigenous groups should have been asked about changes to the law. It also agreed that the Environment Ministry is important for deciding where forests can be.

Environmental lawyer César Ipenza said: "The court agrees the law was against the rights of Indigenous people, and they should have been asked. But the court still supports the worst part."

This change is like what happened in Brazil with the old president, Jair Bolsonaro. In Brazil, groups worked together to make environmental rules weaker to help farmers. In Peru, the groups are not as organized, but they are still strong.

In Peru, different groups support this. These include big farming companies, people who take land illegally, and people connected to illegal mining and selling drugs. Also, small and medium farmers who worry about keeping their land are helping.

Vladimir Pinto from Amazon Watch said, "Legal and illegal groups are starting to work together."

Julia Urrunaga, who works for an environmental group in Peru, said the government is wrongly saying these changes are needed for EU rules. Soon, companies in the EU that buy things like soy and beef must show that these products did not come from land where trees were cut down illegally.

She said that if products from illegal tree cutting are allowed to be sold later, it will make rules like the EU's not work as well.

Urrunaga said this is a bad sign for global trade, and it makes it harder to stop cutting down trees by controlling trade.

Olivier Coupleux, who works for the EU in Peru, said that recent changes to the law are not connected to the EU's rule about stopping deforestation.

Coupleux spoke to the news in Peru. He said the new rule wants to stop people from buying things that make forests disappear. He explained that they do not need new laws. Businesses just need to show where products like coffee, cocoa, and wood come from and that they are made in a good way.

Because they cannot go to court in their own country, groups are getting ready to take the case to international courts. They say this decision is bad for other countries that try to avoid environmental rules by calling it "reform."

Many Indigenous leaders think this law is bad for their land, their communities, and how they live.

Julio Cusurichi said this change will make it easier for people to take land and harder to protect nature in places that are already in danger.

Cusurichi said, 'Our communities have always protected our lands and the Earth.'