CCPR/C/95/D/1457/2006 page 10 7.2 The Committee recalls its general comment No. 23, according to which article 27 establishes and recognizes a right which is conferred on individuals belonging to minority groups and which is distinct from, and additional to, the other rights which all persons are entitled to enjoy under the Covenant. Certain of the aspects of the rights of individuals protected under that article - for example, to enjoy a particular culture - may consist in a way of life which is closely associated with territory and use of its resources. This might particularly apply in the case of the members of indigenous communities which constitute a minority. This general comment also points out, with regard to the exercise of the cultural rights protected under article 27, that culture manifests itself in many forms, including a particular way of life associated with the use of land resources, especially in the case of indigenous peoples. That right may include such traditional activities as fishing or hunting and the right to live in reserves protected by law. The enjoyment of those rights may require positive legal measures of protection and measures to ensure the effective participation of members of minority communities in decisions which affect them. The protection of these rights is directed to ensure the survival and continued development of cultural identity, thus enriching the fabric of society as a whole. 7.3 In previous cases, the Committee has recognized that the rights protected by article 27 include the right of persons, in community with others, to engage in economic and social activities which are part of the culture of the community to which they belong.4 In the present case, it is undisputed that the author is a member of an ethnic minority and that raising llamas is an essential element of the culture of the Aymara community, since it is a form of subsistence and an ancestral tradition handed down from parent to child. The author herself is engaged in this activity. 7.4 The Committee recognizes that a State may legitimately take steps to promote its economic development. Nevertheless, it recalls that economic development may not undermine the rights protected by article 27. Thus the leeway the State has in this area should be commensurate with the obligations it must assume under article 27. The Committee also points out that measures whose impact amounts to a denial of the right of a community to enjoy its own culture are incompatible with article 27, whereas measures with only a limited impact on the way of life and livelihood of persons belonging to that community would not necessarily amount to a denial of the rights under article 27.5 7.5 In the present case, the question is whether the consequences of the water diversion authorized by the State party as far as llama-raising is concerned are such as to have a substantive negative impact on the author’s enjoyment of her right to enjoy the cultural life of the community to which she belongs. In this connection the Committee takes note of the author’s allegations that thousands of head of livestock died because of the degradation of 10,000 hectares of Aymara pasture land - degradation caused as a direct result of the 4 5 Lubicon Lake Band v. Canada, op. cit., para. 32.2. Communications Nos. 511/1992 and 1023/2001, Länsman v. Finland, Views adopted on 26 October 1994 and 15 April 2005 respectively.