Shampuyacu

The value ofa standing
forestINDEXPRESENTATION

3INTRODUCTION

4TIMELINE OF THE COMMUNITY

5

CHAPTER ISUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES: HAND IN HAND WITH ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE

6

9Margarita Cumbia Sawau • Nuwa’s Forest

27

There is no integral development without happiness.

32

Edward Isla Ramirez • Conservation International Peru

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND THEIR CULTURE

33

Medicinal plants: From Mothers to Daughters

37

I feel economically free40

Revalue ourselves to empower ourselves

43

Julia Sekejam Wajajai • Nuwa’s Forest

Uziela Achayap Sejekam • Nuwa’s Forest

CHAPTER II

THE SHAMPUYACU NATIVE COMMUNITYOUR FOREST, OUR PEOPLE: STRENGTHENING A FULFILLING LIFE

CHAPTER VI

Claudio Schneider • Senior Technical Director at Conservation International Peru

We want the world to know about us.

CHAPTER V

10

Nancy Fernández Bacón • Nuwa’s Forest
CHAPTER III

ENVISIONING THE FUTURE: CREATING COMMUNITY AREAS FOR CONSERVATION
Back to the Forest

16

Warren Wajajai Rojas • Andean Ecosystems

44

THE LESSONS LEARNED50

Melinda Macleod • Program Director - Environmental Resilience
Program BHP Foundation

CHAPTER IV

Sustainable Production Center

IMPACTS AND EXPECTATIONS

19

Wagner Achayap Sekejam • Andean Ecosystems

A MATTER OF TRUST: THE CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS

CHAPTER VII

20

26

PRESENTATIONF

or more than a decade, Conservation

When only 10% of the Shampuyacu native

International has been working tocommunity’s forests were still standing andreduce deforestation in the Alto Mayoproviding food for their families became a dailybasin, San Martín. We seek to promote sus-

struggle, we identified opportunities to con-tainable agriculture and economic development

serve their forests, transforming their fruits intothat guarantees the protection of natural capital

marketable products and experiences: medici-and gives value to ecosystem services such as

nal plants, cacao, seeds, vanilla. This is how wethe provision of water, food, and clean air, im-started a revaluation process of their forest andproving the quality of life of all its people.

their customs. We began an effort to develop a
more sustainable management of their territory,

This complex landscape of fertile lands, scenic

providing support and enabling together theirbeauty, and vast natural and cultural biodiversity

most basic needs using their natural resources.

changed with the construction of the Fernando
Belaúnde Terry highway, a project that triggered

The experience of the native community ofthe migration of farmers from the Andes to

Shampuyacu with Conservation International

the region of San Martín in the Amazon. In thisand its partners is absolutely encouraging.

quest for progress, the Awajún communities ofWitnessing a process in which the communi-

Alto Mayo thought they would achieve their own

ty members begin to look at their trees withimprovement by leasing their lands to thesedifferent eyes and see them as an essential

migrants, without foreseeing that their forests

part of their personal and spiritual devel-

would soon be reduced. The leasing income

opment is really heartening. We have seen

also brought monocultures, the degradation ofchanges in the community that emerged fromtheir lands and the reduction of the biodiversity

their own initiative and motivation, generating

reserves that sustain their life and culture.

more benefits than initially expected, which

Witnessing aprocess in which
the community
members begin
to look at theirtrees withdifferent eyesand see them as
an essential partof their personaland spiritualdevelopment
is really
heartening.

today has become an reference for many othercommunities in San Martín and throughout the
Peruvian Amazon.
The Awajún women, determined to transformtheir future, prompted our organization tochange our approach, rethinking equal opportunities and reducing deforestation, based on thetransformation of lifestyles, work practices andthe value of their culture, so intrinsically connected to their forest. This experience has beenvery valuable for us and one we wish to share.
This compilation brings together the experiences of the native community of Shampuyacu,
Conservation International and its partners
with the objective of preserving this amazing
path of mutual learning. The land became
greener, shame turned into pride, hunger into
food security, and invisibility to leadership. We
hope to sow that inspiration the people from
Shampuyacu get from nature to the entire Alto
Mayo landscape.

Luis Espinel
Vice president ofConservation International PeruINTRODUCTIONIn November 2012, the National Protected Areas Service(SERNANP), an entity of the Ministry of the Environment ofPeru, signed an Administration Contract with Conservation
International Peru, to conserve of the Alto Mayo Protected
Forest, in the region of San Martín, for a period of five years.
This consolidated the participation of the private sector in the
management of Protected Natural Areas.

Conservation International Peru wascommitted to promote research and implement conservation agreements withpeople within and around the Natural
Protected Area, which included communities located in the buffer zone of theAlto Mayo Protected Forest, such as the
Shampuyacu Native Community.
As stated in the agreements of the communal
assemblies since 2011, the community had
become aware of their natural resources’ precarious state, therefore, prior to Conservation

International Peru’s participation in the community, they had already agreed on the needto protect the remaining areas of forest, designate community members for their surveillance and prohibit the lease of further lands
for the cultivation of coffee within these areas.
At the end of 2013, Conservation
International Peru began its work in thecommunity applying and improving restoration practices, alongside the community’sriverbanks, involving traditional knowledge
and scientific methods while improving thegovernance of the community’s water resources. It is through this project that the relationship between the team of Conservation
International Peru and the community originated, and the trust necessary to fulfill theactivities and objectives starts to grow.
The transformation of the community
member from a “spectator tenant” to a“manager of the territory” is possible,
they are motivated, but the process islong. We learn the cultivation techniques, and they feel capable of carryingout the activities themselves, however,their short-term interests such as foodsecurity and complementary productive
economic activities must continue too.
The establishment of an intercultural participatory process, the strengthening of capacities and the awareness of the community’s
state of its resources, prior to the implementation of activities in which both men andwomen participate, helped the community
realize and value the importance of being
part of all the process.

TIMELINE OF THE COMMUNITY

Creation of acommittee of cacao
producers with 39
community members

2011-2021
Creation of the
2015-2019

Life Plan

Creation andregistration of the
Nuwa’s Forest
Association in publicrecords and establishmentof a board of directors

Work with Takiwasi
Laboratory to selectRecognition of thecreation, delimitationand demarcation of
the Reserve Forest
and forest relicts

Training of young
indigenous leaders to
reduce deforestation,
strengthening theparticipation of civil society

JUN

NOV

medicinal plants that canbe marketed as
infusions begins

The commercializationof Nuwa infusions
begins at national level

March 15, 2015

Community Leaders declarethe creation of the

532
2011

Conservation
International andShampuyacu sign a

Restoring ofvegetation along thecommunity’s riverside

Community’s Reserve
Forest covering

Registration in
public records of thecommunity’s morethan 120 titles ofknowledge and ancestralconservationagreement toto prevent erosion

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

JUL

Presentation of the
Nuwa’s Forest at the
XI National Meeting ofCommunity-based
Tourism in Arequipa

knowledge, registered andgranted by the National
Institute for Protection ofIntellectual Property(INDECOPI)

reduce deforestation

ha

DEC

2018

2019

Nuwa’s Forest
receives Safe Travel
certification and canresume tourism
activities

Recognition of the women of
the Nuwa’s Forest as“women of the bicentennial”
by the Regional Governmentof San Martin

2020

2021

CHAPTER ISUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES:HAND IN HAND

WITH ANCESTRALKNOWLEDGEClaudio Schneider

Since 2008, Conservation International
Peru has been promoting the sustainable
landscapes approach in the upper Mayo Riverbasin, with the main objective of building amodel in which nature conservation is the
key element to guarantee the sustainable
development of a territory.
We seek to work with native communities toavoid deforestation and implement sustainable economic alternatives that are in linewith the context of the Awajún communities
and the diverse populations that live in them.
In 2013, Conservation International Peru began working with the Shampuyacu native community. There we were already working on a
project financed by Norwegian cooperation to
support the San Martin region to reduce deforestation by strengthening the participationof civil society. One of the components of thatproject was the training of young indigenous
leaders. In these sessions, while looking forways to integrate traditional knowledge andstrengthen all these skills to confront the major threats of deforestation, we met Awajún
leaders who invited us to support them intheir communities. That is when we began to
identify where we could focus our work.

The leader of the Shampuyacu native community requested our support in the recovery of
their forests. We started with a participatory
mapping technique to identify their resources,
as well as the community’s problems. We choseto restore the riverbanks, as there was a lot oferosion due to deforestation, rice cultivation,and by neighbo ring municipalities that wereentering the river to extract stones as quarries
for construction. All these impacts were causing
the land of the community to erode.

2013

Conservation International
Peru starts working with thenative community Shampuyacu.

Senior Technical Director at Conservation International Peru

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST

6

Having identified the resources and problems, we
worked with them to develop a system to strengthen
the riverbanks with different techniques, in which weincorporated plants and trees that are important to the
Awajún for food and other uses. In this way we wereable to recover many kilometers of land alongside theriver, preventing it from continuing to erode agricultural land.
It was during this work that the women became interested, and we organized mingas (communal work) sothat the entire community could participate collectively
in reforestation. This is how the motivation arose towork on the protection of 600 hectares of forest andto give the women an opportunity to recover and preserve their ancestral practices. They created nurseries
and we built a facility where they could share theirknowledge and generate their own resources. These
actions resulted in the creation of the Nuwa’s Forest,
which means “women’s forest”.
Nuwa’s Forest is an important milestone for us in ourwork with the Awajún people because it is where they
have begun to organize more consolidated communal
conservation initiatives. This work has allowed us tobuild a relationship of trust with them, and to expand
activities to other communities.
For us, the Awajún are among the main actors in the
Alto Mayo landscape. We don’t only work in theirterritories but also in the protected area (Alto Mayo
Protected Forest), and where coffee and other agricultural products are grown to achieve the sustainabilityof the Alto Mayo landscape, by integrating conservation
with the appropriate use of resources as a model forthe development of the Amazon.

© Katie Bryden

Aerial view of a part of the Nuwa's Forest where
we see three traditional buildings (malocas)
where they work with meliponiculture, prepare
their food and receive tourists.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST

7

It is a big challenge because native communities in Peru have mostly been neglectedby the State; they have many needs andscarcities. Conservation International Peru
helps by advocating with the governments
and supporting the community in preparing
documentation and connecting them withthe government when they need to resolve
the lack of access to a public service, such as
water or electricity. But there is still a lot to bedone, and if these needs are not addressed,
it is very difficult to initiate others, because
these are a priority.
Our strategy is to link projects or try to continue the work with different funds. We havereached this progress in a certain way, up to
the point of achieving a large project that we
now have with the BHP1 Foundation, which

Our strategy is tolink projects andcontinue the workwith different funds.
We have been doing
so until we secured
funding for a muchlarger project we
now have with
BHP* Foundationis committed to the Awajún communities.
Together we are creating a fund to generate
economic opportunities (cacao, medicinal
plants, infusions, cassava rescue, etc.) andsupport the communities so that they canprosper and establish partnerships withcompanies, developing other economic alternatives that will allow them to improve theirliving conditions.
It is possible to have business and cooperation models that respect rights and ancestral knowledge and can benefit everyone.
Governments benefit because good policies
of nature conservation and sustainable agricultural development are applied; the community benefits economically and recovers
ancestral knowledge; and the company getsthe opportunity to do responsible business.

© Marlon del ÁguilaThis is the model we want to promote, a newform of cooperation and work with communities where, logically, there is a commitment
from the the company to bring the technology, commitment from the community toprovide their territories and their knowledge,
and the government’s commitment to support this process with the necessary policies
for its development. We need to strengthen
the business and administrative part of thecommunities to achieve this development,
continue to work hard with young people
and try to help them find opportunities intheir communities.

* BHP is a leading global natural resources company. Its purpose is tocreate long-term value for shareholders through the discovery, acquisition, development, and commercialization of natural resources.

© Marlon del Águila

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST

8

Margarita Cumbia Sawau
Nuwa’s Forest

We want the world
to know about us
Shampuyacu women’s work
has been strengthened with theincorporation and guidance ofConservation International Peru
in the creation of Nuwa’s Forest(women’s forest). We have now
established our organization and we
make medicinal plants, necklaces,
pottery, etc. People come from far
away to discover our work. We canmake our own medicine to cure ourselves without buying medication in
drugstores. We have several varietiesof medicinal plants in Shampuyacu,
such as ginger, toe, piripiri, annatto,
clavo huasca, oregano, basil, etc.

We want to be recognized, to raisethe visibility of the work that we
as women have been doing to sell
our products, so that the peopleof the city can appreciate our heritage, and the world can discover
our achievements in the forest withhandicrafts, experiential tourism,and medicinal plants.

We have also improved our diet, as
we recovered many varieties of cassava that we were losing due to ignorance. I feel very proud of my ancestral roots, and I have learned thisfrom my mother since I was a child.
But we were losing our identity, so
we focused on a small project toteach young girls and children how
to prepare masato. I am teaching

I feel very proud of myancestral roots, and I havelearned this from mymother since I was a child.

girls from 6 years old and up how
to combine cassava with sachapapa, squash and pituca. We are wise
women, and we have the responsibility to teach them so that they canteach their children in the future.
I will continue working despite myadvanced age, I have strength and I
must continue teaching our culture
for the good of my community.

CHAPTER IITHE
SHAMPUYACUNATIVECOMMUNITY© Conservation International/photo by Freddy GuillenSince the 20th century, the Awajun poeple
have faced several threats (oil exploration,
border conflicts, military presence, land
occupation from Andean farmers, highway
expansion) that intensified their migratory
movements in the Northern Amazon.
These pushed clan families into the
Alto Mayo basin. Their permanence in thearea was possible because of their organizational skills, as well as a deep knowledgeof access to forest resources such as meatand fruit harvesting.
Shampuyacu is located in the district of
Awajún, province of Rioja, San Martín region,and belongs to the Jíbaro family and theAguaruna ethnolinguistic group.
The native community has a titled land
surface of 4,913.9 ha distributed as follows: 4,381.93 ha for agricultural use and531.97 ha for the Community’s Reserve
Forest. According to the 2014 Communal
Census, there are 591 inhabitants living in themain community of Shampuyacu and its twoannexes Kunchum and Bajo Túmbaro.
In Shampuyacu, Awajún is the mother tongue, but young people also speak
Spanish, a language that is less spoken by
the elders. Men represent the highest percentage of bilingual speakers, while women are least likely to understand Spanish.
Traditionally, the role of men has been the
preparation of the land for farming andhunting to support their families. On theother hand, women are responsible forcultivating the fields, preparing meals, keeping their families healthy, doing householdchores, and eventually creating handicrafts.

RIOJA

Shampuyacu

SANMARTÍN591

people living in the maincommunity of Shampuyacu

and its two annexes, Kunchum
and Bajo Túmbaro.

In Shampuyacu,
Awajún is themother tongue,
but youngpeople also
speak Spanish,a language lessspoken by theelders.

The community has a communal administration center where personnel and administrative records are made. It maintains acceptable access roads within the territory, andhas the proximity to the Fernando Belaúnde
highway which connects it with the non-indigenous towns.
The educational system comprises preschooland elementary school. The nearest highschool does not have a bilingual system,
which means that the education is poor.
Water service for human consumption is intermittent and unreliable, people cook using
firewood and gas, and toilets are basic latrines, so hygiene is a daily struggle. This situation should improve in the short term withSHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST

11

the implementation (in progress) of the project “Improvement and expansion of drinking
water service and installation of sanitation
service in the community of Shampuyacu” aspart of the National Rural Sanitation Program.
Health care is restricted, because they do nothave health centers and they usually use natural medicine, which is very important to them.
The household diet includes unconventional products such as chicken and, in asmaller quantity, bushmeat (wild animals).
Vegetables are not part of their daily diet.
The nutritional needs of the population arehigh and there is dependence on few commercial crops, losing the habit of consuming
ancestral products, or they have no knowledge of diversified preparation.

ORGANIZATION
Shampuyacu is one of the 14 Awajún communities affiliated with the Awajún Regional
Indigenous Federation from Alto Mayo
(FERIAAM), an organization that brings together the communities of the Alto Mayo basin andmaintains close coordination for the implementation of activities in these communities.

The relationship of indigenous peoples with
their territory has changed over time, showing a flexibility that allows them to respond to
every historical context they have had to face.
Some components of this relationship haveworn out, others remain or transform, andsome new ones are incorporated. The main
events that have generated these changes
are the delimitation of the community, themigrations of farmers from the Andes, andthe integration into agricultural markets.

The whole community is represented by the
Pamuk (chief) and the Community Leaders,elected by secret ballot in the Community
Assembly for a three-year term.

PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIESSocial relations within the native community
are weak due to population distribution
between the central community of
Shampuyacu and the annexes Kunchum andBajo Túmbaro, which weakens the efforts.
This condition individualizes interests, affecting communal development and integral
management activities.

The main agricultural crops in the community
are coffee, corn, tubers, bananas, peanuts,
fruits, and vegetables. The community members sow according to their empirical or ancestral knowledge passed down from generation to generation. However, traditionally, theAwajún indigenous peoples are not farmers
but hunters and harvesters.

VALUE OF THE TERRITORY, FORESTS, AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Overall, agriculture is the most important with
41% of the population engaged in it, followed
closely by forestry with 39%. Although only
20% of the population leases their land, thisactivity is detrimental to land and resourcesmanagement, including forestry.

process but rather the development of certain capacities to reproduce, in a new territory, a certain social and productive structurethat would allow the coexistence and reproduction of the families.

PROCESSES THAT AFFECTED THE SOCIAL AND
PRODUCTIVE ORDERS
During the 1960s and 1970s, three statepolicies influenced the transformation of thesociocultural, institutional, economic, andenvironmental landscape of the region of San
Martin in the Amazon. Such policies were: thetitling of native community lands, the construction of the highway and the creation ofnatural protected areas.

The first Awajún families arrived in the
Shampuyacu territory in the 1950s, looking
for productive lands without slopes near rivers so they could have access to the diversityof fish in the Amazon. There was a family
relationship, since they were brothers, firstcousins or brothers-in-law. In those years, theelection of leaders did not involve a voting

The creation of the native community
brought new elements whose impact would
be felt in the following years. The first was thelimitation of a territory that was thought to beabundant, a land belonging to a population© Fábrica de Ideas / Augusto Chávez

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 12

Mayo RiverPERÚ

that was constantly moving in searchof new spaces. The counterpart to thisloss was to obtain a title that granted
them the right to a land and ensured theexistence and physical reproduction of
the land. The second was the existenceof a State and its institutional apparatus
that people had to communicate with toaccess services that would allow them toenter the new scenario.
Highway construction in the northern
Amazon began in the 1960s. Towards
the end of the decade, the region became a major migration destination forfarmer populations. This process was
further promoted during the 1980s andoccupation along its entire extension
took place, releasing economic and social tensions in northern high Andean
areas. In the countryside alone, the population grew each year nearly 25%, while
the rate in the cities was 11%.
The creation of natural protected areasin the region and in the country began
in the early 1960s, but the incorporation of issues related to the role of biodiversity and ecosystems in sustainable
development into public policies has
been quite slow.
These three processes changed the dynamics of the Shampuyacu community’sorganization of its social and productive
life. (Insert MAP!!)

Tomás Communal
Forest Reserve

Clove
vine

SOME OF THE PLANTSOBTAINED IN THE
NUWA'S FOREST

Viña Los Alpes

Santa Rosadel Mayo

GingerLa Primavera
Port
La Primavera

VanillaA LT O M A Y O

SANMARTÍN

NUWA'S FOREST
Communal Reserve Forest
Lado Shampuyacu-Kunchum

DORADO
Nuwa'sMuseumNuwas
Nursery

Shampuyacu

Bajo
Túmbaro

RIOJA

Túmbaro River

COMMUNITYFARM PRODUCE

Port
SapoteBajo Túmbaro
Nursery

Estenio Vela
Nursery
Kunchum
Nursery

Kunchum
Nursery

KunchumCorn

El Éxito

TúmbaroNaranjillo RiverEl Platanal

BananaBAJO
NARANJILLO

Cacao

Shanpuyacu
CoffeeA LT ONARANJILLO
Yucca

Naranjillo

Localities

Nursery

Paths

IIRSA
Norte

RiversNative community
Shampuyacu

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 13

© Marlon del Águila

THE IMPACT OF
LEASING ON PEOPLE
AND THE FOREST
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Awajúnfamilies mainly cultivated half or one hectare to support their own consumption.
Some families saw how the migrant farmers
produced and sold the coffee. In their own
way, they tried to do the same and cultivate
the plants without fertilizers or pesticides.
But entering the market would not be immediate. It was not easy for them to findbuyers, and they had difficulty understanding this income-generating system basedon land cultivation, with certain technology
and productive cycles, as well as entering
local markets.

The relationship between Awajún and migrantfamilies with greater confidence was the main
factor of change in the productive system of
the community. In the middle of the construction of roads and trails, relationships wereforged among workers, farmers and natives
that were strengthened with the growth of
populated centers and the settlement of manyother families along the highway.
The farmers continued to settle along the
highway and began discussions to lease thecommunity lands.
When the new productive order was established, great changes occurred in the native
people’s livelihoods; rotating agriculture
for self-consumption, hunting, fishing, andharvesting. In the case of agriculture, mostfamilies leased all their plots, separating, inthe best cases, 1 or 2 hectares to ensure

the cultivation for self-consumption. The
few Awajún families that had land available
started growing coffee, but due to its annual nature, they alos grew papaya, banana,pineapple, beans, corn or other short-term
crops. In this way they ensured income inthe short and medium term. The commercial
cultivation and trading houses of agricultural
products also influenced the purchase andapplication of agrochemicals on the plots.
The crops of the farmers had a direct impact
on the quality of the land, because of the intensive use of agrochemicals, as well as thetime they didn’t leave the land to recover.

entire plot. Families that kept 1 or 2 hectares
to ensure their own food crops were better
off, but only accessed cassava-type crops.

Unfortunately, the implementation of commercial agriculture by leasing land has notbeen able to generate the economic resources to supply for the daily diet that native families were accustomed to. The situation worsened for those families that had leased their

The vulnerability of traditionally collective
activities such as fishing and hunting, due
to the damage to the forest, has also influenced close relationships of collaboration,exchange, and mutual help, giving way to individual family relationships.

To include protein in their diet, fishing is carried out by families or groups. The damage
to this resource with the use of dynamite,lack of waste management, pollution from
agrochemicals and riverbank cultivation has
sharply decreased its quantity and diversity.
Similarly, hunting and fruit harvesting havebeen dramatically reduced because of timber
extraction and the expansion of agriculture.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 14

On the other side of
the Tumbaro River, in
the Nuwa's Forest, arethe nurseries where
they rescue their
medicinal plants.

© Marlon del ÁguilaCHAPTER III
In 2003, the leasing of land to foreign
populations began and became themain cause of deforestation in thecommunity, which has lost around
90% of its natural forest to date.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE:

CREATINGCOMMUNITY AREAS
FOR CONSERVATION© Marlon del Águila

Since leasing provides the highest economic income to the population, it isdifficult to uproot it. This leasing process
has undermined the community’s own cultural identity.
The remnants of the Community Reserve
Forest are at risk due to unauthorized timber
and animal extraction. By 2013, there had
been 37,75 ha deforested within this conservation area. But this trend stopped since
Conservation International began its work in
the community and the reserve forest area
was delimited and demarcated. For this purpose, there is also a Community VigilanceCommittee made up of young indigenous
people who are in charge of patrolling theirforests and alerting the community and authorities about deforestation, illegal logging
and hunting, among other threats to theirterritory. Although this is a real committee, it
has been difficult to effectively carry out thework, since going out on patrols means “losing” days of work, food, water, and so on, because it is not a paid job, and their members

still lack the appropriate equipment to patrol
the area.
Erosion and landslide problems exist in thecommunal territory along the riverbanks due todeforestation and the intensive use of land bordering the riverbanks for agricultural purposes.
As a result, erosion reduces productive areas
and generates economic loss.
Crop management (mainly coffee) is scarce orlimited, and plots have low productivity, earning
little income from their commercialization. At
the same time, the community practices conventional agriculture and uses many agrochemicals that affect land quality. There are not any
productive facilities in the community and mostof the products are sold to intermediaries.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 16

In response to these shortcomings, the community decided to create the Community
Reserve Forest and the Nuwa’s Forest, covering a total of 517 ha designated for the conservation of forest areas. The Nuwa’s Forest,
which has an area of 10 ha, has an association registered in public records and a Boardof Directors that are in charge of coordinating actions with Conservation International.
The Community Reserve Forest is managed
by the community.

The Nuwa's Forest
covers an areaof 10 ha and has
an association
registered inpublic records
and a Board of
Directors thatcoordinates
actions with
Conservation
International.

THE COMMUNITY’SRESERVE FOREST
The creation of the Community Reserve
Forest took place in the midst of a change
in land use due to the leasing of land to migrant farmers. To obtain the Assembly’s approval, it was necessary that it was createdin order to ensure future generations would
know and learn about their forests, its animals, and plants; and secondly that the area
would belong to the community and not justto one person.

THE NUWA’S FOREST
The Nuwa’s Forest is an initiative that has
emerged as a consequence of enabling
Awajún women within their communities. It
is strategically located in a very productive
portion of the forest where a great variety ofplants and medicinal herbs flourish. There
are more than one hundred varieties of traditional plants, which have been catalogued by
the nuwas. Here, each woman has a plot of
land with her own name to cultivate her medicinal plants.

Awajún pride and culture is transmitted
through the wise mena dn women of thecommunity to younger generations.
© Marlon del Águila

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST

17

The Nuwa's
Forest is an
initiative thathas emerged
to support
Awajún women
within theircommunities.

Sed este re nest imodis dolor si ommoluptiur abo. Cepudant.
Pictior ecepel excest
aut volesti onsequedolore verferunt earchic aboritaturi© Marlon del ÁguilaWagner Achayap Sekejam
Andean Ecosystems

Back tothe forest
The concern of the community of
Shampuyacu comes when resources start to become scarce,
after having lost 90% of ourforest, which was our market,
our pharmacy, our tools. Personally, I had the opportunity to receive
training with ECOAN and Conservation International Peru and to travel
to learn about other experiences. I
was encouraged by the interest ofreconnecting with the forest andrecovering plots to work on, because
we had leased our land and, without other economic resources foreducation and other services, wewere still dependent on that income.
But in 2013, we decided to reforest,
work the land, recover our medicinal
plants such as cassava, and return toour customs and traditions. The ideathat inspired us was to provide technical support and training to produce
cacao, coffee, banana, vanilla, medic-

inal plants, and dragon fruit. We haveentered an organic and sustainable
scheme, under agroforestry systems,with trees such as tornillo, capirona,moena, and cinnamon, in order toobtain short and long-term fruits. I
have my own productive plot which
produces cacao, vanilla, dragon fruit,under the agroforestry system. I’mvery happy to be part of this journey
because it’s a way to protect the environment and conserve our forest.

In 2013 we decided
to reforest, workon the land,
recover our
medicinal plants
such as cassava,and return toour customs andtraditions.

CHAPTER IV
Conservation agreements are instrumentsthat seek to encourage communities
towards conservation in exchange forbenefits. Conservation agreements can help
conserve and restore forests, which areessential for the well-being of everyone.

A MATTER

OF TRUST:THE CONSERVATIONAGREEMENTS© Melinda Macleod

These agreements are implemented in
geographic areas where a natural resource, ecosystem, or ecosystem service
of interest is threatened. The idea is tocreate connections between people and theforest for the benefit of both, for example: toreverse the trend of deforestation by compensating those who choose to change theirrelationship and production practices andadopt new ones, whilst revaluing their ancestral knowledge in the process. The task is noteasy; both institutions and people who will
have to work hard to: (a) build, maintain andrespect a new framework of relationships and(b) ensure advantages of this new scheme tofulfill family aspirations in comparison to theprevious statis quo.
The Shampuyacu community is one of thenative Awajún communities in the San Martín
region that has lost most of its forest in
the last 20 years. The conservation initiatives it has been participating together with

Conservation International Peru and partners
such as Takiwasi1and ECOAN2 have helped reduce deforestation by 90% from 2010 to 2020.
Conservation International Peru signed theConservation Agreement with the Shampuyacu
Native Community in September 2017 and simultaneously with the creation of a Communal
Association for the commercial developmentof its products, whose benefits will be used
to improve the living conditions of the community members. As a result, Conservation

1. Takiwasi or “the house that sings” in Quechua language is a
non-profit civil association (NGO), located in the city of Tarapotoin the Peruvian Upper-Amazon. It was founded in 1992 as a resultof a research work started in 1986 on the millenary practices of
traditional Amazonian medicine, in one of the regions of Peru withthe greatest wealth in terms of ancestral knowledge related to theuse of medicinal and sacred plants that contribute to the physical,
mental and spiritual healing of people.
2. ECOAN is a non-profit organization committed to the conservation of endangered species and threatened Andean ecosystems,
which works in partnership with local communities to protect
the habitat of these species, improve the use and exploitation ofnatural resources and restore degraded areas. Originally from
Cusco, it currently directs conservation and development projects
in other regions of Peru, and coordinates initiatives to protect highAndean forests in 6 South American countries.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 20

International Peru has worked together
with the Shampuyacu Native Community on
techniques that improve productivity while
taking care of the environment. Likewise,
through its partner ECOAN, they havesought to sign conservation agreementsthat included an environmental care commitment from the community.

THE APPROACH

During 2014, baseline studies were conducted, and the Feasibility Analysis served
to identify deforestation agents, alternative
activities to deforestation and the feasibilityof implementing conservation agreements as
benefit-sharing mechanisms.
That same year the trust between the implementer and the community was strengthened, and around fifty community members
signed up to carry out such activities. The
most important were:Identification of sustainable business opportunities in the communities, including the interests of men
and women.
Participatory development of thecommunity’s “Life Plan” instrument
to determine the problems and seek
solutions related to their livelihoods inthe medium and long term.

Participative delimitation andgeoreferencing of the Community’s
Reserve Forest, the forest remnants,
and the Nuwa’s Forest. The cadastre
served to quantify the exact area ofthe community members and plan theintervention area.
In 2015, we worked with ProNaturaleza
to train community members in order toensure implementation of the following
field activities:
Building two new communal
nurseries and the capacity of thenursery that had been built in 2013
was expanded to produce forest seedlings that were used in the riparian
restoration of the Naranjillo River, as
well as in the conversion of pure coffee
plantations to agroforestry systems.
Intercommunal workshops were held tolearn the techniques.
In 2015, the georeferencing of the
Nuwa’s Forest showed it covered atotal area of 3 ha. However, after several community meetings, it was decided
to increase it to 8.90 ha as requestedby the women, and it is currently managed entirely by them. The constructionof a medicinal plant nursery, and later
the subdivision of plots to be assigned
to each woman who took responsibility
for its care. The women are organized
to ensure an adequate management of
their forest.

© Adrián Portugal

Due to the threatof deforestationin the few
remaining forests,a Community
Vigilance
Committee wascreated to monitor
and oversee theremaining forest.

The project promoted the creation of a Community VigilanceCommittee to monitor and supervise
the remaining communal forest due
to threats of deforestation; however,a communal discussion is necessary
to identify the funds needed to put it
into practice given that it involved vert
time-consuming activities that should
be compensated.
The project conducted constanttraining on topics related to theimplementation of conservationagreements, climate change, and thebenefits of REDD + activities to ensure
greater community awareness.
Carlos Bustamante, conservation agreements
coordinator for Conservation International
Peru, highlights the women’s participation as
a fundamental value:
In Shampuyacu there are 125 families that participate directly in the conservation agreement
activities. Women were the main participants.
Men initially said they wanted to work, butthen became discouraged., whereas thewomen, on the other hand, complained that they
had not been invited. Because of their interest,
little by little, small projects were implemented
to consolidate the work with the women of thecommunity, and the men, once they saw the
women participating, were able to recognize
the value of the conservation agreements The
most popular activities are the productive ones:
cacao, medicinal plants, and the Nuwa’s Forest,© Adrián Portugal

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 22

© Conservation International

125

families from Shampuyacu
participate directly inthe activities of theConservation Agreements.

© Conservation International

as an initiative of inclusion and empowermentof Awajún women, especially regarding cultural
rescue. All these activities are based on trust andcommitment and can only be achieved by creating productive activities that are attractive. Oneof them is the management of cacao, learning
how to manage and market their production,with the support and technical assistance ofConservation International Peru, and our partner ECOAN. The idea is to develop complementary activities that they are interested in, without
imposing anything.

HUMAN RESOURCES:A CULTURAL EXCHANGE
The team in the field has been key in ensuring trust between the organization and thecommunity. This has allowed us to work together in building a management philosophy
for a conservation project that responds tothe context and its challenges.
An important factor for the success of theconservation agreements has been theconstant support of the technical team andthe fluency in strengthening skills throughworkshops and field schools.
The use of the native language and understanding of the culture and traditions has
been key. The workshops on governance,
climate change training and REDD+ were carried out with Awajún translation , which facilitated communication.
The community members have many needs andmanaging expectations is an important factor toconsider, as the beneficiaries’ demands increase.

The use of
the native
language andunderstandingof the culture
and traditions
has been key.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 23

2020

Thanks to the support of ourpartner ECOAN, native vanillasuch as the 'pompona' is growing
again within tehc ommunity.

© Maria Luisa del Río

AGROFORESTRYSYSTEMSbut seeing that they were paid as ordinarycacao producers, the members decided tolook for other opportunities to commercialize
it. The goal is to export their organic cacao.

Organic cacao

Today, the agroforestry systems inlcude
bananas, dragon fruit, vanilla, and native
crops such as peanuts and wild potatoes.
The members of the cacao association arethinking about the future, providing better
nutrition for their children, and recovering
the forest.

First, we started reforesting along the sidesof the river, building defenses and planting
trees in plots that had been completely deforested, then we started working with cacao.
At the beginning there were 39 community
members participating in 58,5 hectares but
making the change was not easy, some ofthem became discouraged and today there
are 32 who want to make the change for theirfamilies and the forest.
The work was mostly done in mingas (communal work), and those involved received
training in mother plants development, grafts,
organic fertilizer, agroforestry pruning, maintenance of cover crops, phytosanitary control,
diversification with other alternative crops. In
total there are 46 hectares, 30 already harvested and 16 currently growing. The members have formed an association of organic
cacao producers and they are in the processof registering it so they can enter the market.
Between 2020 and 2021 they had a local
buyer who bought all their organic cacao pulp

VanillaWork with vanilla began in 2020 with an
initiative of ECOAN, that buys native vanilla,such as pompona, which has always grownin the forest and is now being regenerated.
A market for vanilla has been identified in
Moyobamba, where there is a buyer. The
Shampuyacu community currently sells it
to neighboring communities for its medicinal and aromatic properties: it is analgesic
and antiseptic, and also used in the pastby women as a perfume. The price of fresh
vanilla in the market is US$70 per kilo.
According to Warren Wajajai, reforestation
promoter of ECOAN, the price of vanilla in
the Brasilian market ascends to US$250 to
US$300 per kilo.

© Marlon del Águila

Both organic cocoa and vanilla are
two species grown in the Shampuyacu
community. Given their different properties,
these products can obtain excellent value
in local and international markets.

The partners have formed an
association of organic cocoa
producers that are registering theirassociation to access the market.

© Marlon del Águila

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 25

Warren Wajayay Rojas
Andean Ecosystems

Plant nursery, sustainableproduction center
The plant nursery was built to
produce trees for agroforestry
systems. There is a productionof tornillo, mahogany, cedar,
mashona, lagarto caspi, cinnamon, moena, and fruit trees suchas oranges and aguaje. They also
make the organic fertilizer calledbokashi with coffee pulp and cassava
and banana peelings, which eachmember brings from their homes,
alongside other organic material.
Bokashi is used to fertilize the cacao,bananas, coffee, vanilla, and dragon
fruit crops. It is also used for thenursery module and non-fertile land.
In addition, it is useful to recover theland degraded by chemical fertilizers. In 2020, they produced 100 tonsof bokashi that were transported to
70 hectares of coffee, cacao, banana,and dragon fruit.
The nursery’s mission is to produce
trees and plant them to capture
more air and water from the environment. Moreover, this production
provides food security and health tothe beneficiaries, as the trees provide oxygen and medicinal plants.
We even benefit economically because, if we plant a thousand trees,
once they grow, we can cut down
three or four and sell them, always
keeping in mind that it is better
not to cut them down. In addition,
when we recover trees, we also recover animals. We also know that,

The nursery's
production
provides foodsecurity andhealth to thebeneficiaries.

with reforestation, we are reducing
the impact of climate change. In
the past, we didn’t feel the heat asmuch as we do now. The trees growaround 10 and 30 years, and during
all those years the tree accumulates
water in its roots. This gives the land
more humidity, cools the air and purifies it.

Now I am very happy because since2013, in Shampuyacu, we have planted trees in about 80 hectares of forest from this nursery. For example,
we have already sent about three
thousand seedlings to the Nuwa’s
Forest. In the future, this work will
benefit the families, the community,
and the whole planet.

CHAPTER V

STRENGTHENINGA FULFILLING

LIFE© Freddy Guillen

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 27

LIFE PLAN

highlight the value of the ancestral knowledge
each community.

The native community of Shampuyacu
approved its 2015-2020 Life Plan, which
is currently being updated for the period2021-2025.

The main function of a life plan is to strengthen the internal planning and management
skills of the communities. Working on a life
plan allows them to develop their 5 to 10year vision of the future based on their wayof seeing the world and adjust it with othervisions that may exist within the territory.
Hence, based on the priorities set out intheir plan, community leaders can engage ina horizontal dialogue with the authorities of
their regions; for instance, requesting specificsupport that is a priority for their entire community and not something that benefits only
the community leader. On the other hand,the process of developing a life plan helps
to change the perception of the indigenous
community as poor or weak and recognizes
the value of its culture and own resources.
Thus, by highlighting the strengths of each
community, its relationship with the outside
world is also benefited.

A life plan is a community planning documentthat is developed with the entire populationand enables them to organize themselves
for a better quality of life. According to theindigenous vision, everything must always bein balance, that is why, the life plan explores
and seeks harmony between these five aspects: the economy, the social and cultural
aspects, the natural world, and politics. These
plans always start from a reflecting on their
history, and based on this process, they plan
their future. Unlike Western planning, whichtends to be linear, the process is circular forindigenous peoples. They do not see their future without looking at their past; their history is the reference point to think about their
future, and for that reason, it is important to

The main functionof a life plan is tostrengthen thecommunities'
internal planning andmanagement capacities.

One of the most important achievementsof the process of creating the Life Plan in
the Shampuyacu community was the discussion among the community members
about the concept of tajimar (organizing tomove forward). It was also possible to initiate
a process in which male and female community members have equal opportunities
in community planning and participation.
Progress has been made in strengthening
traditional community governance, which
has made it possible to initiate a dialogue on
the role that the authorities must fulfill and© Freddy Guillen© FReddy Guillen

their rights and duties as well as those of thecommunity members, and to clarify the rolesof the different levels of governance. In thisregard, the participation of all community
members, including those living in the annexes, was important.
Thanks to the work carried out with
Conservation International through the Life
Plan, Shampuyacu has a medium-term planning instrument that prioritizes activities withthe conservation agreements internally aswell as with public and private actors. The
Nuwa’s Forest future plans must also respondto a communal goal or vision. This document
is fundamentally important for the entire
community, since it provides a route for theparticipation with and coordination at thefederal, regional, and national levels (regional
federations and national organizations).

INDIGENOUS
GOVERNANCE
Conservation International Peru aims toensure good indigenous governance in the
Shampuyacu community, characterized byparticipation, transparency, responsibility,and effectiveness together with a fair andequitable redistribution of resources
and benefits.
Conservation International’s strategy was
to strengthen partnerships with indigenous
peoples and support the full and effective
participation of their members. On the other
hand, it also sought to ensure the tenure ofland management and strengthen conflict
resolution abilities.
In order to achieve these objectives,
Conservation International Peru facilitatedand supported the participation of womenfrom the Shampuyacu community in workshops related to gender and empowerment
issues. In addition, they supported the
FERIAAM to hold meetings with the leaders of
its community bases. As part of this initiative,a manual was prepared for local leaders to
reinforce their political advocacy actions andto achieve greater organization to achieve
their objectives. They also provided support

The future of the
Nuwa’s Forest
must respond tothe community’s
objective or vision.

to FERIAAM in the elaboration of its Strategic
Plan for the years 2019-2023, drafted in aparticipatory manner with the intervention ofleaders of the Awajún communities.
Prior to Conservation International’s support,
the efforts had mainly focused on technical issues rather than on governance. Thissituation required the adoption of a real
alternative, generating a transition between
the monetarist model in which the community was immersed with land leasing, andconsidering that money is necessary, but at
the same time considering necessary theautonomy as community members and as
human beings. Conservation International isa conservation organization that understands
that there is an ancient wisdom that can help
restore some social processes that can allow
them to achieve conservation goals.
Braulio Andrade, Project Director ofConservation International Peru highlights
governance as a strategy:

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 29

In 2013 we saw the importance of working
on indigenous governance with very punctual projects with small funding, before going
into conservation issues. By the time we got
to interact with the population, they werealready at the breaking point because of
the negative impacts generated by leasing
and other decisions. What they could obtain
economically from the lease had generated
internal divisions, loss of communal practices and a total alteration of their vision
as an Awajún community. Since money was
not a lack, as they could obtain large sums
from the rent, we began to work on issues ofidentity, self-esteem and motivation. I reallyappreciate having started a ver solid processof revaluing their ancestral knowledge.
The success of the projects relies heavily,
almost entirely, on the colleagues who havebeen leading these processes, whose humanquality is unmatched. That human quality
has been the key to really adapt the projectwith criteria of governance, social aspects,
community impact, rather than productivity
issues or more conservation aspects. Our
logic is that if we work with the populationand generate this change in behavior, theother indicators will respond in the medium
term. We are confident that we are generating processes that will take time, but that will
be sustainable.
Norith López, Community Development
Coordinator of Conservation International Peru
considers that collective work is the greatest
strength of the Shampuyacu community:

I believe that the native community shouldtake advantage of its organization, the knowhow of its inhabitants. They have learned
from their ancestors that individual work
does not generate as much benefit as collective group work, where everyone helps
each other to generate a little more wealthand accelerate the result of activities such as
planting, harvesting. And we as an organization also have a lot to learn, there are manythings to value: they keep their knowledge,
and it is from this knowledge that we will beable to develop, improve and technify all thewealth they have.
© Conservation International / Jimmy Pinedo

COMMUNITY POLICE
AND PATROLThe community police
consists of young
indigenous people
who are in chargeof patrolling theirforests and alertingthe community andauthorities about
deforestation, logging
and illegal hunting.

The community police consists of young
indigenous people who are in charge of patrolling their forests and alerting the community and authorities about deforestation, logging and illegal hunting, among other threats
to their territory.
Conservation International Peru trained community police officers in the use of new technologies for remote sensing, drones, GPS,and mapping. Consequently, the community
police included the use of drones in their patrols to locate those areas where forests arebeing lost. The advantage of this equipment
is the time efficiency in patrols, because in© © Conservation International / Jimmy Pinedo

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 30

one day it is possible to travel six kilometers,
while with the drone this same distance ismonitored in just 20 minutes.
Community police officers trained in georeferencing have helped the Shampuyacu community and other Awajún communities withthe delimitation of plots. This has made it
possible to reduce internal conflicts between
their landowners and tenants. In addition,
the trained police officers have provided
theoretical and practical training to a groupof Nuwas in the use of GPS, so that they can

In 2019, a teamof five young
people from theCommunity Police
were trained in theuse of camera traps.
They placed eachof these devices
in the forest andprogrammed thecameras.

collect spatial information about the 10 plotsof medicinal plants that some of the beneficiaries have in their homes. An unexpected
result has been the young community policemen, who have become expert advisors ingeoreferencing as a result of the GPS training.
Thanks to this, three young members from
Shampuyacu have provided georeferencing
services to other Awajún communities.
© Conservation International

CAMERA TRAPSIn 2019, there was a team of five young people from the Community Police, who weretrained in the use of camera traps. They
placed each of these devices in the forestand programmed the cameras. Out of the 24
cameras assigned, six were placed to monitor
prohibited activities, while the other 18 wereused to register the diversity of the fauna. As
a result of this activity, 25 different species
of mammals and four species of birds weretracked. It was also possible to track people
who entered their Community’s Reserve
Forest with weapons and axes to hunt andcut down trees.
It was possible to monitor the entire forest of
the Shampuyacu community and to learn which
sectors have a greater diversity of fauna, information that will serve to improve surveillance.

© Conservation International

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 31

Edward Isla Ramirez
Conservation International Peru

There is no integral
development withouthappiness
The purpose of the conservation agreements is to diversify
the economic activities in thecommunity, in such a way thatthey do not depend on just one
product: cacao, medicinal plants,
cassava, tourism, and handicrafts, so that when the prices
of any product fall, that does notaffect them economically.

In the Nuwa’s Forest initiative, there
are 70 women now, but sometimes
there are 80, according to the dynamism of the activity. Before thepandemic there were 80 because
they had tourist visits and had established a rotation system. The Nuwa’s

Forest, with community tourism, hasprovided income in the short term.
In addition, it is an opportunity forthem not only to manage their own
income but to ensure the permanent conservation of this forest
through the activities that they carryout; receiving tourists, rescuing theirplants, and offering handicrafts. This
allows them to connect the economic income they receive from theforest with the benefits of well-being,
and the preservation of their culture
by conserving the forest.
Cacao represents a long-term business. We are starting the production and in 2020 we had our firstincome of over $USD 13,400 for all
partners. This year (2021) it should
triple because we are beginning tocommercialize it. However, measuring success only from a monetaryor economic point of view is biased.
For instance, cassava provides foodsecurity and has been a key factor
during the pandemic, as income
dropped significantly. That was
one of the objectives when promoting cassava: conservation of
traditional knowledge, food security,

conservation of local germplasm andincome generation.

germplasm and we have identified
38 varieties.

I previously worked in Condorcanqui(Alto Marañón, Amazonas) and I remember that we identified up to 60
varieties of cassava, I had studied six
or seven at university. When I cameto work here, I saw that they hardly
used the crop, only by older women
who knew 18 to 20 varieties, while
the young women knew four or five.
We did a little work to rescue local

In native communities, women play afundamental role and must be considered from the beginning as a determining factor in the development process. The issue of social violence is still
very serious. Development is not integral if you do not achieve happinesswithin the family. It is not sustainable
to generate income if this does notharmonize relationships but reinforces unequal power structures. For thisreason, in recent years we have also
focused our actions to promote gender issues. As an organization, this experience has helped us to consolidate
and validate intervention strategies innative communities. The Shampuyacu
community has begun to revalue its
culture and knowledge.

The Shampuyacu
community has begun
to revalue its culture
and knowledge.

CHAPTER VI

THE CREATION OF THE
NUWA’S FORESTEMPOWERMENT OFWOMEN AND

The community members of Shampuyacu
decided to create a communal reserve forest in order to safeguard the remaining
forest in their territory. This was agreed by
the General Assembly, establishing an areaof 531.97​​
ha. Subsequently, after working
together with the community, we identified
the needs and priorities of the women, andthey proposed to the Assembly that 8.9 haof land should be used for activities related
to forest enrichment, conservation and therecovery and production of traditional plants(each woman received a plot). They organized
themselves into four groups to distribute thework (nursery, wood collection, trail cleaning
and lot cleaning) and focused on recovering
the ancestral value of the forest and becoming an example for other communities.

Since its early days, one of the key aspects ofthe project was to guarantee the participationof the community and its annexes, so theirneeds were attended too. We worked continuously with a rights-based approach, in a participatory manner. Together, their interestsand priorities were identified, as well as theirroles, and everyone could share their pointsof view regarding the future development of
their community.
In 2015, after georeferencing the community’s
territory, the Nuwa’s Forest was three hectares.
After several meetings, the community members decided to increase the area to 8.9 ha due
to a request presented by the women.
Nowadays, this forest is managed entirely bythem and led by a working committee chosen
by them, which represents them The project
supported the construction of a traditional plant
nursery and, subsequently, the subdivision of
10 m x 50 m plots assigned to each participating

THEIR CULTURE© Marlon del Águila

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 33

community member, who is responsible for
their care. Among other initiatives, the plots
are used for activities such as the recovery of
cassava varieties, seed collection, cultivationof plants for infusions, sampling, rescue andplanting of traditional species, reforestation
and, since 2018, it has been recognized as a
tourism entrepreneurship by the Ministry ofForeign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR).

Conservation
International
closed 2020
committed towork on changing
harmful gendernorms and beliefs
about the role ofwomen and men
in society.

PREVENTION ANDRESPONSE TO GENDERBASED VIOLENCE IN THE
NUWA’S FOREST
Conservation International Peru closed the year
2020 with a commitment to work on changing
harmful gender norms and beliefs about therole of women and men in society, and community processes to confront violence.
Environmental degradation, loss of ecosystem benefits and unsustainable resource
use are creating complex crises around theworld. As billions of people depend on thesenatural resources and ecosystems for theirlivelihoods, the impact it has on people has
disproportionate effects on both womenand girls.
In some contexts, gender-based violenceand environmental issues create feedback
loops in which gender-based violence, harassment and discrimination exacerbate
the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem resources. This environmental degradation
triggers new and more damaging forms ofviolence. In other contexts, preventing andresponding to gender-based violence creates opportunities to improve environmental action, as well as the empowerment of
women and the community.

© Marlon del ÁguilaAgainst this backdrop, USAID’s Office of Gender
Equality and Women’s Empowerment designed the
RISE Challenge to support the innovative application ofhigh-potential interventions to address gender-based
violence in environmental programs.
Conservation International Peru presented one of thefour winning projects of the Rise Challenge. With USAID
funding, we will work with PROMSEX on a project toaddress this issue and begin the process of generatingsocial norm change in the Nuwa’s Forest.

After having consulted, discussed, and understood thesituation of violence in the communities, it was concluded that the women needed to count on people
they trusted within the community to provide themwith the necessary support. In this sense, eight nuwas
have been trained so that they have all the necessary
tools that will allow them to assist other women. The
purpose is to change harmful gender norms and beliefs about the role of women and men in society, thesanctioning of violence, and community processes toaddress violence in the Nuwa’s Forest, tackling the factors that promote gender-based violence.
In addition, Conservation International Peru and its
partners will provide training to 70 women involvedin the management of the Nuwa’s Forest on their legal
rights and the prevention of sexual violence. They will
also help the community develop informal support
systems for survivors of gender-based violence. Work
with men and boys in the community to explore concepts of masculinity and change attitudes that promote
gender-based violence will also take place. Additionally,
it is intended to bring the government’s gender-based
violence support services into the community and tostrengthen the abilities of staff, partners, and the local
indigenous federation to respond appropriately to incidents of gender-based violence.

© Conservation International Peru

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 35

© Marlon del Águila

29

nuwas got together
to rescue different
cassava varieties.

RESCUING CASSAVA,
THE AWAJÚN’S
MOTHER PLANT

That same year, an analysis of the situation of
the Awajún women of Shampuyacu revealed
that, to ensure food security, it was necessary
to rescue the cassava varieties that had beenforgotten due to the loss of culture and theincrease in climate change and pests.

In May 2015, after a hard work in the communal nursery, located along the banks of
the Naranjillo River in the community of
Shampuyacu, the leader at the time, Cristobal
Wajajai Ampam, said “my mother in her aja(farm) had 25 varieties of mama (cassava),
each of them for different uses”.

The Awajún women knew that in the pasttheir grandmothers used to manage up to
60 varieties of cassava, but they were only
managing six with great difficulty, they did
not know how to control the number of pests
and some of the younger mothers had nevercultivated it, or they no longer knew how tomanage their aja (integral farm with morethan 26 products of subsistence agriculture).
In fact, a group of 29 nuwas came together to rescue their cassava varieties. Duringthat year, they gathered information for theelaboration of the tajimat pujut (Life Plan),
after the community requested Conservation
International Peru’s support for the development of social and conservation projects that
could bring welfare to the community.
During this process, it was possible to identify the potential and importance of cassava
for the Awajún of Shampuyacu. Thus, thecommunity decided to prioritize within its
Tajimat Pujut or Life Plan, the rescue of cassava varieties.
During the meetings with the community members, cassava varieties that the
Awajún had inherited from their ancestors
were presented and the elder nuwas of thecommunity who provided valuable information. They shared their testimonies andknowledge about the use and propertiesof each variety.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 36

Julia Sekejam Wajajai
Nuwa’s Forest

Medicinal plants: frommothers to daughters
Having received ancestralknowledge since I was a childhas changed my life. I am very
grateful to my mother because
she taught me to sow, cultivate and all the knowledgeof plants, and the purpose ofeach one. My mother taught me
how to classify ginger for the flu or
to make a child walk. It has beena process of effort, not easy as I
have had to work hard over theyears. Now my job is to teach mydaughter, the same way I learned
from my mother.

We, the nuwas, have grouped and organized ourselves to produce ginger,
our work is based on the conservation of the forest, because if it degrades then where are we going to
live? For the nuwas, it is very important to conserve the forest for future
generations. Our strategic partner is
Takiwasi, and their support has beenvery beneficial for our plots, because
we received economic income forour household.
We have come together to reach an
agreement to conserve the forest,

sow medicinal plants and understand the importance of living in harmony between people and nature.
We work together, plant and sellwhat we produce in order to support
our children’s education. Keeping in
mind that we need to sell our products to help our children, we asked
the Pamuk to provide us with a plotof land. After he gave us the land, we
have been working very hard with a
lot of responsibility and not only inthe plants but also in the care of theanimals and fish so that they do not
become extinct.

We nuwashave groupedand organizedourselves to
produce ginger,
our work isbased on theconservation of
the forest.

DEVELOPMENT
OF INFUSIONS
The alliance between Conservation
Interntaional and the Takiwasi Center for thedevelopment of a line of infusions based on
medicinal aromatic plants harvested from theforest is one of the most successful projectsof the work with Shampuyacu women.

© Marlon del ÁguilaNuwa Infusions highlight the value of the Awajún ancestral knowledge led by the women of the community in order to provide greater
value to the forest and diversify their sources of income.

Takiwasi develops natural products and hasa line of extracts, oils, infusions and collaborates with native communities which aresuppliers of raw materials. Understanding thisdynamic, in 2016, Conservation International
Peru invited Takiwasi to become its partner inthe project with the nuwas, to add value to the
medicinal plants of the Awajún people for thetransformation of infusions. The project wasdeveloped in stages.
The first stage consisted of mapping the people with the greatest wisdom, who are called
the “muntas”, elder men and women. The
proposal was to work with them and createa product, highlighting their knowledge of
medicinal plants. As a result, many discussions were held with the community andconlcuded that they could make herbal teasor infusions. The first achievement was theregistration at INDECOPI, or National Institutefor the Defense of Free Competition andProtection of Intellectual Property, to safeguard the knowledge. The medicinal plants
and their uses were registered, an importantwork done by Takiwasi in coordination with
Conservation International Peru.

Then they selected the aromatic plants to
be used in the infusions, chosing ginger andhuasca cloves, which are considered the“mother plants” by the women of the community. They merged them with other aromaticplants to create a blend suitable for the market, for good taste, flavor and pleasure, yet
not for medicinal use, despite the fact that
the Awajun women use them to relieve someailments. Testing sessions took place and agourmet chef was hired to fuse the secondary ingredients and create two types of teas.

Ginger was fused with vanilla and cacao husk;
and huasca clove, well-known in the region as
an aphrodisiac, with dried golden berry andnative cinnamon. This mixture also involved aselection process of testing and tasting, participating in regional and national fairs.
There was a concern about whether the raw
material would make it to a commercial level or not. At the beginning, the tests for theelaboration of infusions were carried out inan experimental plot that Takiwasi has in Bajo

2016

Conservation International Peru
summoned Takiwasi to become its
ally in the project of infusions with
the nuwas.

© Marlon del Águila

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 38

Currently 10 nuwas
have establishedtheir own medicinal
plant gardens tostart producing
tawaip or clove vine,
and ajeg or ginger.
Túmbaro. Little by little the nuwas began to
get more involved, so an experimental plot
was installed in their forest. With their work,
vanilla was also included in the infusions,an expensive product on the world market,
which can cost up to 1,000 soles per kilo
when dehydrated.
In 2019, once the product was ready and the
Nuwa brand had been registered, a new production systems was created; adapting family
gardens, agroforestry systems and enriching
the Nuwa’s Forest.
Today 10 Nuwas have established their own
medicinal plant gardens in their backyards
to start producing tawaip or huasca cloves(tynanthus panurensis) and ajeg or ginger(zingiber officinale), the basic ingredients of
their herbal teas, traditionally used to relieve body aches and flu symptoms. Now,
with these plots much closer to their homes,
they can begin to put into practice what they

have learned: the planting, maintenance,
harvesting and post-harvesting of their medicinal plants.
They also receive training in the same community, and although they know how to manage their plants, they have included otherexotic species such as stevia, which they did
not know, or golden berry. For infusions they
are using Andean golden berry, but they are
already testing the Amazonian golden berry.
Currently, this activity generates income
for the Nuwas. This initiative builds on theirskills and confidence, while developing other entrepreneurial, management and financial skills.
Takiwasi Laboratory continues to be a key
partner in this process. It has been involvedin the product’s development, and has been
key in supporting the Nuwas, who have recognized the importance of traditional knowledge to earn income, conserve their forestsand improve their livelihoods.
An important link between the forest's recovery and the Awajún women derives frommedicinal plants, as women treasure theirancestral practices and transfer that knowledge to their daughters. Moreover, theirknowledge has been enhanced as a measne
to generate an income in harmony with nature that helps conserve their forests. For thisreason they have been entitled as the forests’guardians. In addition, thanks to the technicaland commercial support of Takiwasi, Nuwa
infusions are now for sale in a dozen stores in
San Martín and Lima.

© Marlon del ÁguilaUziela Achayap Sejekam
Nuwa’s Forest

I feeleconomically free
The wise Nuwas and muntas(older men), who knew about
specific drawings, customs, stories and myths, met in working
groups to develop the packaging
design of the infusions, where
each group captured what they
imagined. One group drew the
tawas (a crown worn by men), thecolorful feather necklace, traditional
costumes, plants such as toe, ginger, and achiote that they used in
the past to draw. Then, a designer
from the Fibra agency was hired
to improve the designs and create
combinations with the medicinal
plants. Conservation International
Peru and Takiwasi were the partners
that helped us with the designs,
and afterwards, to enter a designcontest, the Latin American DesignAwards, where we won third place in
Latin America, competing with other countries such as Mexico, Brazil,
Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay,
and Colombia. I had the opportunity to travel to Lima on behalf of the
Nuwa’s Forest with Ana, who worked
in Takiwasi. I felt very proud, I loved it.
The green tin contains native cinnamon, golden berry and clavo
huasca, which are harvested fromthe Nuwa’s Forest and relieve inflammation. The brown tin contains
cacao shell, stevia, vanilla, and ginger, which relieves flu symptoms,
headache, muscle pain, or fever. In
the Shampuyacu community, there
are varieties of ginger to relieve
stomach aches, flu, etc., used by
our ancestors.

I knew almost nothing about medicinal plants until Takiwasi invited us toa training session. After that, I began
to study and my interest in whatmothers practiced and rescued wasaroused. Thanks to the older women, we learned part of our customs,
something that young women mostly
ignore. So, I took the opportunity torescue what the elders know andsee what exists within our community, dedicating time and effort.
Sometimes women are discriminated. I have suffered violence,
because there are men who aresexist and do not allow us to havethe experience of creating a business or receive training to move
forward and plan a better future forourselves. Thanks to the guidanceof Conservation International and
Takiwasi, we have advanced and
now we have this product.

I must teach other women what
I know so that they can be in
the same place where I am, aplace where they also should be.
Although it is not easy to get here
since every day is a struggle that I
have had to fight. It is not like thesettlers who went to the city andworked easily. Now we are starting with the sales. There are somemothers who have joined, so thateach one can have an income and,in this way, support their families.
This is important for them because
they have never had the opportunity to have an economic stimulus,
as well as having economic support

for their children. For this reason, I
am going to learn how the products
are made since I feel economically
free thanks to the products, andthanks also to the teaching that our
grandparents and grandmothers
gave us. We must keep going byfocusing on working, learning, andteaching our children and future Se
ha dado realce al conocimiento quetienen para generar una alternativa
económica, economía solidaria con
su medio ambiente, al conservar
sus bosques y darles el título deguardianas de sus bosques, estáncolaborando con la conservación.
Gracias al apoyo técnico y comercial
de Takiwasi, las infusiones Nuwa ya
stán a la venta en unadecena delocales comerciales de San Martín yLima.grandchildren.

COMMUNITY-BASEDTOURISM IN THE
NUWA’S FOREST
The daily life of the Awajún women of
Shampuyacu has changed since the Nuwa’s
Forest was installed in their territory as a tourist entrepreneurship. This community-based
tourist initiative renews them, strengthens
them, and reinforces the character that theymust assume as women. Through this initiative, they can reclaim the equality conditionsin the face of male supremacy to which they
were relegated for many years.
For the first time, many women have received an economic incentive because of
their work receiving visitor. This generates a
substantial change in their daily lives, sincefor the first time they have money to buy
something for themselves and improve theirchildren’s nutrition. At the beginning, thissituation was difficult to understand by themen of the community, but then they realized that it was an opportunity for women to
get involved in economic activities, and contribute to the household.
The women of Shampuyacu are aware of theenvironmental urgencies that their community presents. The area where they currently receive visitors is preserved in its entirety, since
the felling of any trees in this forest is not allowed. They recognize that their community is© Marlon del Águila

one of the most deforested in the San Martín
region. Currently, they only maintain 10% of
their primary forest. For this reason, their rolein the community is vital for the conservationof the forest.
The nuwas are visited by tourists, researchers and anyone interested in learning about
the Awajún culture; having contact with thecommunity and the nature that surrounds it,
discovering their stories and appreciating theeffort they make to conserve their forest.
Initially, the tours to the forest took placewith the participation of Conservation
International’s team, who promoted the creation of this initiative together with the women. Currently, only the women coordinate
visits with tour operators or with the tourists
themselves through WhatsApp and social

Initially, the tours to
the forest took placewith the participationof Conservation
International’s
technical team, who
promoted the creation ofthis initiative together
with the women.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 41

© Marlon del Águila2020

One more step towards
formalization; the Nuwa's
Forest association was
registered in publicrecords.

© Marlon del Águila

networks. Nuwas recognize the importance of
tourists in their community and strive to provide the best services.
The 70 Nuwas, who participate in the project,
have been divided into seven groups of 10
women and a coordinator so that the work
benefits are equally distributed. The groups
take turns in receiving tourists in the Nuwa’s
Forest, and the profits are distributed amongthe 11 Nuwas who lead the visit.
In February 2020, Nancy Fernández, who is abeneficiary of the Nuwa’s Forest, participatedin the XI Community Tourism Encounter held
in Arequipa, South of Peru. She faithfully presented the work that she and her partners
carry out in the community. After that, she

was surprised not only by the people’s reaction, but because she noticed the great effort
that she and her partners are making, which
was not evident to her on a daily basis.
In November 2020, Nuwa’s Forest formallyregistered their association in the public records. The association’s board consists of six
women: the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and two spokespersons. The
registration and formalization have allowed
the nuwas to have a bank account in order tomake all the transactions transparent.
Yet, the tourism endeavor was paralyzed dueto the COVID-19 pandemic and the drastic
reduction of visits and activities. A year later, with the advanced vaccination process in

Peru and the world, the Nuwas have managed
to reopen their forest to tourism, implementing biosafety protocols (masks, face shield,
alcohol gel, social distance, temperature meters, disinfection of shoes, etc.). In June 2021,
this implementation made them worthy of
the Safe Travel certification by the regional
government of San Martín, consolidating thefuture of the tourism entrepreneurship, readyto reactivate and open to the world again.

Handicrafts

The beauty of the Awajún culture is reflectedin the colors and ornaments that accompany
their clothing and accessories, mixing seeds,
beads, or feathers. Each handicraft has a history and a meaning, but above all a powerful
message of conservation and nature. The

Nuwa’s Forest has allowed the community torevalue the use of natural seeds for necklaces,
bracelets, and decorative objects that Awajún
women offer to tourists who visit them. This
activity has allowed the Nuwas to reconnect
with their roots and rescue an important partof their culture, since the handicrafts represent their identity, and the ancient belief thatthe ancestors’ spirits are shielded in seeds,
beads, vanilla pieces, birds’ feathers, or bones
painted in reds, yellow, and oranges, or hidden in the chambira fibers.
The Nuwas received two training sessions
in bio-jewelry to reinforce their knowledge,
perfect their finishes and designs, as well as
in administrating and managing the income
from their sales.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 42

Nancy Fernández Bacón
Nuwa’s Forest

Revalualing ourselvesto feel powerful
We have this forest, where our
grandparents and our parents
ate from the flora and fauna formany years. This was very helpful for us because we found edible
fruits, medicines, and animals. In thepast, we hunted everything, we killed
everything without realizing thatwith time we were going to harm
ourselves. Now with so much training, we have learned, and we havea hunting and fishing control. We
were taught in which month we canhunt or fish, to allow these animals
to continue to reproduce, because
there is a time when they are in full
breed, and if they are hunted, they
will not grow in numbers. Now wehave changed our method.

We have experienced a great crisisin the community. There are women
who become very young mothers,
at 14 and 15 they already have twoto three children, and when theyreach 25, they have seven children.
It is sad because childhood is interrupted. In addition, since our parents began to lease their farms, theyoung people became very lazy. But
it has been almost ten years thatthese customs have practically beenleft behind and we have begun tohave a different lifestyle.
With tourism we saw the need torescue a large part of the seeds forhandicrafts from the forests andwe stopped cutting down trees

We areconfident in
our ability
to work as ateam, always
taking into
account
our social
and naturalenvironment.

whose seeds we used for handicrafts. Instead we had to buy theseeds from other places. With
Conservation International we began to revalue our resources andour art, and we found a market tosell them.
In 2020 I participated in the XICommunity Tourism Encounter thatwas organized in Arequipa, andI presented the work we carriedout in the community. There wereparticipants from all over the country, all those who have their own
entrepreneurship, it was a nice experience. Apart from the workshop,
we visited the Colca Valley and thefarmers guided us on how to start,

and what things you can do to attract the attention of tourists. We
are motivated to continue growing.
The road is not easy, especially ina pandemic, but we are confident
in our ability to work as a team,always considering our social andnatural environment.

CHAPTER VII

THE HARVESTED FRUITSIMPACTS AND
EXPECTATIONS© Marlon del Águila

The work in Shampuyacu has generally hadvery positive results. At the time of implementing the action plans, emphasis has beenplaced on the cultural issues to achieve thegreatest possible collaboration from the community. On the other hand, there has been
great progress to incorporate the active roleof women within the community, and not only
nuwa groups, also young and adult Awajún
who have recovered the sense that theircommunity is their territory. This has helped
them to build upon their identity, which has
been a trigger for this process.
For the beneficiaries, reforestation has been
the activity with the greatest impact, which
includes activities in the Nuwa’s Forest, using
the seeds and medicinal plants. In second
place of importance are the activities derived
from cacao cultivation, which include thetechniques learned in the field schools, andmainly the production of organic fertilizer.

ECOAN emphasizes the activities carried out
with Conservation International Peru in thereintroduction of cassava cultivation. The issue
of food security was discussed by the women’sgroup. The recovery of the aja (farm), as wellas doing training in Condorcanqui to bring germplasm and begin to recover the varieties of
cassava and medicinal plants.
We have been able to evaluate some technologies to recover germplasm in ajas and cassava,
including the processing of plantain and mass
production of bokashi.
The Awajún are now familiar with sustainablecultivation, environmental care, and reforestation techniques. Among the techniques transmitted by the technicians to the producers are
pruning management, use of grafting, shadetree management, preparation of organic biols,
identification of cacao varieties with greater
possibilities of adaptation, nursery management, filling seedlings, among others. All these
activities have increased the productivity andquality of the crops.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 44

The development of governance workshops for indigenous leaders and thetechnical support provided through conservation agreements has strengthened
community organization.
The land registru and inventories have contributed to the initial territorial organizationand the identification of their own livelihoods;
they now know how much and what is insidetheir plots and, therefore, they are less likely
to be deceived by tenants. They also begin
to quantify and materialize their field needs,
recognizing that the community reserve forest and the Nuwa’s Forest provide them withnatural inputs that they must look after.
Reforestation has also had an impact on land
recovery and reduced the risk of erosion,
especially in plots near rivers. In June 2021,
there was 39 Awajún cacao farmers was 39,
while there were 26 Awajún coffee farmers,covering a total area of approximately 115
hectares. Meanwhile, the andean farmers
manage 36.8 hectares, with three cacao farmers and twelve coffee farmers.
So far, more than 50,000 plants have beensown in Shampuyacu and 21 hectares havebeen planted with 38 varieties of cassava.
A nursery and a drying module have also
been installed, where the community is being
trained in the production of cassava flour,
which is expected to be commercialized in
the near future.

It is still too early to predict success, as manyof the activities are long-term, such as reforestation. What can be considered an achievement is the transition of a cultural change fromdeforestation and land leasing to a communal
agroforestry mentality and conservation of theremaining forest, although this still needs to beconsolidated. Whereas before the community
only wanted to take advantage of the naturalforest to gain more plots and lease to outsiders, now they want to be part of the activities,
mainly because, little by little, they are learning
the cultivation techniques and believe they can
do it themselves.

THE ACHIEVEMENTS
OF THE NUWA’S
FOREST PROJECTIMPLEMENTATION:
The Nuwas have highlighted theimportance of the forest, not only for
habitat purposes, but also because itis their main source of livelihood. On
the one hand, considering the food thatthey can collect, and on the other hand,the seeds, and other things that they
can take to make handicrafts. They havestated on several occasions that thanks toConservation International Peru’s support
they have been motivated and encouraged to work, conserve and rescue partsof the forest.

© Maria Luisa del Río

Reforestation has also had an
impact on land recovery andreduced the risk of erosion,
especially in plots near rivers.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 45

One of the most outstandingachievements is the beginning of aprocess in which male and female
community members participate
with equal opportunities in community planning and management.
It was possible to identify the needs
and interests of the community members, recognizing the specific role ofwomen in the management of thecommunity forest with a strong participation of the nuwas.
The progress of recent times has
been so significant that womenpoint out that they are now able torun for positions within the community’s organizations. This was unthinkable just a few years ago, but it is asign of the paradigm shift that is slowly
taking place within the community. In
addition, their increased participation indifferent activities of economic life has
given them a higher level of self-confidence and motivated them to get more
involved in the social and political life of
their community. The first activity is related to the improvement and revitalization of their natural environment, where
they feel spiritually connected, and theneed to focus on the conservation of
their ancestral knowledge. The second

is linked to the improvement of theireconomic income, trade and culturaltransformation with the agriculture thatsustains and brings them closer to thesurrounding urban environment.
The creation of a trusted andexclusive space for women, suchas the Nuwa’s Forest, as well as the
successes they have gradually achieved,
has led the Nuwas to begin to question
the normalization of gender-based
violence of which many are victims, andtheir role in Awajún society.
The intergenerational communication of traditional knowledge waspromoted, as women participatedwith their children. Men are also
encouraged to participate in activities
such maintaining the forest, and clearing of undergrowth.

© Marlon del ÁguilaMore and more women participate
in different activities in the social,political and economic life of the
Shampuyacu community.

Ancestral knowledge and knowhow were recovered, revaluing
traditional knowledge and the role thatwomen play in its preservation.
Finally, the primary forest has
been conserved and biodiversity
and forest cover are expected toincrease in the coming years.

© Freddy Guillén

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 46

POSITIVE IMPACTS IN SHAMPUYACU
Training ofcommunity
police ofﬁcers

Delimitation andzoning of theCommunity’s
Reserve Forest

Conservationof criticalecosystems

22

speciensity’s

the Commu
identiﬁed in st
Reserve Fore

ENVIRONMENTAL
Implementationof agroforestry
systems115
hectaresunderagroforestry systems

57

Ecotourism,
infusions,medicinal plants,
cassava, and cacao

resnhecetd aby womemanag

Diversiﬁcationof incomesources

Women’s
success

ECONOMIC

SOCIAL
Culturalrevaluation

Improved income
from crop
diversiﬁcation

65

farmers

70 women associated withregistration in SUNARP

trained in sustai
nable
management of
coﬀee
and cacao

90

Introduction ofvanilla, cassava,and native bees.

0+t1ho0usand%

reduction in deforestationdngs installedlicassava see

12

women
tra

ined in Georeference
Information Systems

Food
Security

43 varieties ofcavassa rescued
110 medicinal plants
identiﬁed and registered+16

thogsuofsmaednicindal species
seedlinTHE OPPORTUNITIESSAFE TRAVEL stamp for the tourist
attraction: the Nuwa’s Forest
The Nuwa’s Forest obtained the Safe Travel
stamp on June 9, 2021, after complying withall biosafety protocols, a tool and strategy
to promote competitiveness to restore theconfidence and safety of travelers to the San
Martin region. This certification comes after
more than a year without receiving tourists
in the forest, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
that in Peru has already reached more than
200 thousand deaths.

According to the World Travel and Tourism
Council, WTTC, the “Safe Travel” is the world’s
first global health and safety stamp to
COVID-19, which certifies that international
hygiene and biosafety standards are met. The

WTTC endorses at least nine tourism-relatedindustries, such as aviation, cruises, tour operators, convention centers, outdoor retail,etc., with the international certification of theTravel Safety Stamp.
The Safe Travels stamp is a set of protocols
designed under the guidelines of the World
Health Organization (WHO) to create a general health policy for the tourism industry
and provide clear guidelines for the return of
tourism activity at a global level. The goal is
to align the private sector with common standards that ensure the safety of its workforce
and travelers as each country or region joins
the “new normal”.

© Maria Luisa del Río

2021

Promotion of the harvesting of
non-timber forest products

In December 2020, the first guideline wasapproved to promote non-timber forest

Nuwa's Forest, locatedin San Martín region,
obtained the Safe
Travels stamp.

"Safe Travels" is a set of protocols
designed with guidelines by the
WHO to create a general healthpolicy in the tourism industry.

© Maria Luisa del Río

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 48

products in the San Martin region. These
products are an opportunity because of theirdiverse uses and properties, and with proper
management, they can be harvested without endangering resources. Management
Resolution No. 007-2020-GRSM/ARA,“Directive for the Granting of Permits andAuthorizations of Forest Products Other
than Timber in Areas of Native Communities,
Private and Public Lands’’ is especially important because it is the first initiative at thenational level that establishes a regulatory
framework for granting permits and authorizations to forest users who want to commercialize non-timber forest products.
This initiative provides an opportunity forindigenous communities and other users
in the region to formalize their products,
guaranteeing traceability and sustainable
harvesting. In this way, the promotion of newvalue chains for products that have not beenprioritized for a long time can be guaranteed,allowing forest users to access responsible
markets willing to buy their products at a fair
price. The regulations promote and guarantee forest-friendly activities and at the sametime generate development opportunities
that allow the various users to improve theirliving conditions.

Economic opportunities for
Awajún women

Conservation International Peru is working ona policy initiative for economic opportunities
for Awajún women. Works are being carriedout for the development of a technical report on the approval of an ordinance that
promotes, values, and prioritizes the participation of indigenous women in productive
initiatives of entrepreneurship and commercial exchanges. To date there are no regional
policies with this approach and even less withintercultural relevance, an important topic forindigenous women, as they face the greatest
obstacles in reaching power spaces and being able to express themselves.

2020

the first directive that
focuses on non-timber forest
products in the San Martín
region was approved.

© Freddy Guillén

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 49

THE LESSONSLEARNEDT

he cultural factor is very importantthe participation of both men and women throughRegarding land leasing, although Conservation

when working with indigenous com-the implementation of training workshops on

International Peru as an organization may havemunities. Ignoring this aspect may

equal opportunities for all, the evaluation of poli-

the intention to denounce irregularities in theconstitute a barrier, potentially limiting thecies for men and women, and the incorporation ofcontracts (abuses of power, swindles, inequal-

scope of the initiatives. To obtain successful

this approach in all their efforts.

ities), the consequences can be negative. It is

results, it is necessary to build trust so that theynecessary to have very well-structured social

work and collaborate with the team technicians.

Working with technical staff and consultants

safeguards so that the social platform that is go-

It is important to respect their internal organi-from the San Martin rergion, who are familiar

ing to be discovered can manage all the conflictzation, the way in which they elect their leaders,with the cultural reality and idiosyncrasies of thethat this generates. On that matter, Conservation

work with them, support them, and strengthen

local people, has been essential to the successInternational Peru has responded, but it has tak-these instances.

of the project.

en eight years to establish structures and safeguards that work, and with the pandemic they
became outdated and must be readapted.

Language is also an important aspect. We haveTo achieve reforestation and subsequent con-tried to work with technicians and collaborators

servation of recovered forests, it is imperative to

who can communicate in their own language.

generate economic incentives that reward thoseDuring all these years, the Nuwa’s Forest projectThis has made it possible to generate stronger

who apply these type of practices.

has received support as the needs have aris-ties and work better together.

en, and this has been generating results, but
It is also important to bear in mind that mostthere has not been a work plan or a concrete

Conservation International Peru’s work has al-communities do not necessarily have adequate

strategic plan that allows us to see the horizon.

lowed us to learn that conservation projects

financial education, so when working with them,

According to the circumstances, the needs haveinfluence women and men differently, based on

the parties have recommended that rewards or

been addressed on an ongoing basis. Currently,

their respective roles and responsibilities, andincentives for work well done should be in kindConservation International Peru is in the processthat this has a direct impact on the long-term sus-

rather than in cash. In this way, misallocation ofof organizing its participation, so that it can mea-

tainability of conservation efforts. In this regard,

resources or diversion to undesirable activities

sure its strengths, its limits, and finally, it is theConservation International Peru has encouraged

was avoided.

nuwas themselves who take the baton and decide

Our work has
allowed us tounderstand thatconservation
projects influence
women and men
differently, basedon their respectiveroles and
responsibilities,
and that this has
a direct impact onsustainability.

where they want to drive their association.

SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 50

PUTTING INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES AT THE HEART OF
CONSERVATION

streams from produce and tourists; health benefits and food security; and the intercultural andintergenerational sharing of knowledge.
Returning in 2018, the example of the Nuwa’s
Forest helped inform an idea for a project that

Entering the Nuwa’s Forest for the first time

Conservation International was discussing withjust after the 2017 wet season, I could hear thethe BHP Foundation. How could Awajun com-tinkling of seeds, soft voices and musical laugh-munities be supported to develop a compre-

ter, before I could see anyone. It was a fittingly

hensive Life Plan, incorporating multiple new

beautiful introduction to this special place inincome opportunities that enhance biocultural

the Shampuyacu community. We were all in-knowledge and contribute to long-term sus-

troduced, politely shaking hands, and learned

tainable conservation? We were fortunate to beabout the medicinal plants from the Nuwas. We

invited to visit the community again on this oc-

enjoyed a feast of forest foods, trying fruits we’dcasion, and we heard about all the progress, in-never seen before, in the newly built Awajun

cluding a new idea to develop a herbal tea – an

Wisdom Rescue Centre.

enterprise that might just start to bring all those© Conservation International Peru

strands together. We also saw many different
Each of the elements of that day were signifi-

types of yuca now recovered and grown andthe entrance. We hugged like old friends andit to the shelves in shops across the country andcant – it was a valuable demonstration of theheard about ideas to develop vanilla and cacao.

the forest foods feast was as familiar and com-vanilla might be next. Yuca and cacao are grow-forting as a dinner at grandma’s house. Our

ing strongly and are important for the future of

critical importance of putting people at theheart of all conservation actions, which is aWith a partnership in place, and an idea

visit ended with us all dancing together in thecommunities. Conservation International has

simultaneously simple idea that is complex toof how the BHP Foundation could support

grounds of the Awajun Wisdom Rescue Centre.

assisted the BHP Foundation to learn and un-

implement well. To name a few: that the women

Conservation International to coordinate many

chose to ask for an area for replanting import-

activities in the Awajun communities and in

The memories of that visit have sustained theIndigenous peoples to be stewards of their own

ant plants and crops; that this was granted by

the Alto Mayo landscape, we visited again inlink for the BHP Foundation and our under-

lands, contributing to sustainability and con-the community; the rekindling of traditional

2019. This time we jumped out of the cars thatstanding of the importance of the leadershipservation for the benefit of all people. We lookknowledge from spending time together in thisbrought us through the fields to the Nuwa’s

that’s demonstrated by the Shampuyacu com-

forward to working together and learning fromarea; the opportunity to create new income

Forest, and almost ran to the stairs that formed

munity. Nuwa Infusiones Amazónicas has madeyou, for years to come.

derstand the layers that are required to support

Melinda Macleod
Program Director – Environmental Resilience
BHP Foundation
October 25, 2021
SHAMPUYACU THE VALUE OF A STANDING FOREST 51