Peru amazon ecovillages compressed

Permaculture & Educational Travel

Upper Amazon Basin

San Martin

Perú

Peruvian Rural Sustainability

Sept. 2012

Regional

Conservancy

Area Cordillera

Escalera

Tarapoto

Lamas

National Protected

Forest Alto Mayo

National Park

Rio Abiseo

National Park

Cordillera Azul

San Martin Region

Main Challenges:

130,000 acres deforested per year

Drinkable water: 32% of population

Main Reasons:

Unsustainable agriculture (slash & burn)

Lack of options and low educational levels

Vision:

To create life changing cross-cultural experiences for travelers that empower forest &

headwaters conservation and rural sustainability in communities located in the

sorroundings of Natural Protected Areas.

To increase and provide experience to a critical mass of local, national & international

youth and motivate them towards new approaches for sustainable development.

To participate inter-actively with other movements and projects pointing towards a

globe of friendly pluri-cultural self sufficient & sustainable ecovillages or ecocities.

Mission:

Our educational travels provide an academic framework, interaction with local

community and ecotourism activities. We hire services from community based

tourism ventures in an early stage and empower them.

We support local grassroots organizations sustainable projects (organic coffee &

cacao, ecotourism, natural medicine, arts & culture, edible gardening, among others).

Our three main focus areas to empower in Amazonian rural villages are: forest

conservancy (biodiversity and water), ecologycal agriculture and rural education.

Social Entrepreneurship Goals

Fruits:

- Ecotourism

- Eco-organic agriculture

- Protected forests & water

Trunk:

- Tangible Investments: lodges,

roads, infrastructure, (done by

governments, non-profits and

International Agencies -AID).

Roots:

-Local grassroots organizations

(Committees of mothers,

farmers, youth, local schools, Nutrients in the soil:

local & regional governments). - Natural resources and human capital

Require leadership: NON TANGIBLE! - Traditional knowledge and local culture

Vision for Peruvian Rural Sustainability:

We focus in the roots!

Rural Sustainability Model:

Training &

Education

support to projects

undertaken by local

groups

Cross Cultural

Experiences

encourage local groups

to undertake sustainable

development.

Eco-Technologies

& Permaculture

new tools and skills for

local groups & visitors

Expected Outcomes:

Short Term Medium Term Long Run

Local motivation – integration Community based tourism expertise Protected forests & headwaters

Local skills & technologies Empowered local projects & groups Local development management

Amazed visitors New approach for rural sustainability Lead from various areas

Development Model & Outcomes

Training & Education

Committed Local Groups…

Cross Cultural Experiences

…building with new friends…

Eco-Technologies & Permaculture

Rainwater harvesting system for human consumption

Water treatment system & eco-toilet

… our global sustainable future!

Atitude to Participate, Inspire & Motivate!

The Secret Ingredient:

Main Purpose: to encourage Amazon rural grassroots organizations to participate

in their own sustainable development. We provide them with tools, technical

advisory and eco-friendly market acces. For December 2015 we expect:

Local Groups of: To develop their small business of:

• Mothers & women Food and handycrafts, among other options

• Youth Tour guides or environmental-related jobs

• Farmers Organic farming and nature conservancy

• Local talents Artists, hosts and technicians

Local Groups of: Empower themselves into:

• Children School environmental brigrade

• Grassroots organizations Skilled sustainability groups

• Local security groups Local forest guards

Community Service Learning is key to achieve these medium term goals and expand our

project efforts in Cumbaza river’s basin to other Andean-Amazonian rural villages.

Social & Environmental Goals

In our first rural village: San Roque de Cumbaza

• Increased number of members in the Community Based Tourism Committee of

San Roque de Cumbaza: 12 members in 2007 vs. 80 members in 2011 (plus local

school: 150 students + teachers).

• Fourth place for the Community Based Tourism Venture of San Roque de Cumbaza

in the community based projects contest Selva Ganadora 2011, sponsored by USAID.

• Almost 1300 acres of communitary and private forest reserves in process of

stablishment in native and mestizo farmers’ lands, in Cumbaza river’s headwaters.

Achievements since 2008:

YEAH, WE CAN MAKE IT!!!

End of day, after building together a Tree Nursery!

About Our Partners Rural Grassroots Organizations (Service Providers & Projects’ Beneficiaries)

• Community Based Tourism Association of San Roque de Cumbaza:

2 Committees of Local Mothers (Women)

Local Youth Association “Los Triunfadores” (Youth)

Food & Beverages Committee (Women)

Environmental Awareness Committee (Male Farmers)

Local School (children, youth and teachers)

“Kechwa-Lamas” Native Community of Chirikyacu

“Kechwa-Lamas” Native Community of Alto Shamboyacu

• Community Based Tourism Association of Chazuta Rural District - Forthcoming

• Ecotourism Development Association of Sauce Rural District – Forthcoming

• Ecotourism Development Association of Tingana Monkey Forests - Forthcoming

Government Agencies (We help public institutions to reach their development goals)

•Local Governments, Regional Government Environmental & Tourism Departments

Regional Universities, Institutes & Tour Guides Association (3 in total – we

need to provide new alternatives, lessons and onsite learning experiences to our youth)

2013 Volunteer & Travel Options We are preparing the next activities: Short Term Impact:

• Classes for local children, youth & school Improved skills in English,

mathematics, environmental

sciences, art &culture.

• Community edible gardens Food security

With local mothers Reduced cost of food

Access to healthy food

Future income generation

Native & medicinal plants recovery

• Bio-Building & Sustainable Water Management Improved skills for rainwater

With local youth, farmers & regional harvesting, wastewater treatment

institutes & universities and natural building designs.

Access to clean water, clean rivers,

low cost houses & irrigation. *Spanish classes available!

Long Term Impact

Important:

• Cross Cultural & Community Learning Services Experiences have a strong impact

in motivating local groups towards their sustainable development.

• These experiences are complemented with participatory development of eco-

friendly products and services for local, regional & national markets.

• These processes take years as local educational levels hardly reach high-school as

well as IT & online media have being left aside in these areas.

• Through their experiences here we encourage visitors-students to insight new ways

that can enrich their career goals. Many of these challenges are also happening in

most the rural areas in the third world.

• Mainstream policies hardly achieve lasting impacts here without local participation.

This is a challenge for all of us and an opportunity to create innovative projects that

weave proper relationships between human beings and with nature.

The Social Entrepreneur

Rodrigo Ponce

• MSc Ecotourism & Bachelor degree in Economics

(Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina & Universidad del Pacífico, both in Lima-Peru)

• Empiric & Certified Permaculture Designer

(Instituto Permacultura e Ecovilas do Cerrado – Ecocentro IPEC, Goiás – Brazil)

• Consultant for International Developmet Agencies & Non-Profits and background

as Business Executive in multinational banks in Lima, Peru.

• But mainly: last six years living onsite in Amazonian Rural Villages, participating in

communal work, assemblies, cleanups, workshops ran by different stakeholders,

researching sustainable alternatives, leading environmental activities, understanding

the local natural medicine & tales, gardening, reforesting and developing a learning by

doing mutual process with locals that now is able to share with you!

[email protected]

Technical & Environmental Details

Sites to Travel & Visit

Pictures

Additional Project Info

About Our First Project in Cumbaza River

In 2004 the first Regional Conservation Area was created in Peru: Cordillera Escalera:

370,000 acres of Tropical Mountain Rainforest, producing a monthly average of 20

m3/s of water. Its Conservancy Goals are: water, salt sources, forests (of clouds,

hills and foothills), Phragmipedin orchid, spectacled bear and hunting animals (deer,

collared peccary, crax, and tapir). This area also has cats like the jaguar and puma.

The Cumbaza River Represents 13% of the water of Cordillera Escalera. Its watershed

consists of 57,000 has. and 200,000 inhabitants. Its primary forest has been reduced

from 20,000 has. (1977), to 8,500 has. (2005). Between 1977 and 1985 the

minimum average water flow was: 6.5 m3/s and maximum: 13.5 m3/s. Between

1995 and 2007 these rates fell down to 2.33 m3/s and 8 m3/s, respectively. It

supplies water to the cities of Tarapoto and Lamas.

San Roque de Cumbaza is the rural district where this watershed begins. Consists of

2000 inhabitants distributed among a Central Mestizo Town, Quechua-Lamas Native

Communities, and Highland Migratory Committees.

Cordillera Escalera Views

Cordillera Escalera Birds

Cordillera Escalera Fauna

Photographs by Javier Quintana B.

San Roque de Cumbaza is located in the buffer zone of Cordillera Escalera. Buffer

villagers are principal users and/or guards of protected areas. Migratory

unsustainable agriculture is the principal cause of deforestation, but sustainable

agriculture and inclusive businesses (i.e. ecotourism) are main sources of change.

Quechua native communities of Alto Shamboyacu and Chirikyacu, and the central

mestizo village called San Roque already started a medium term project including:

• Creating communal reserves to protect primary forests and headwaters while

developing skills in nature conservancy, sustainable agriculture and ecotourism.

• Learning complementary environmental techniques for waste & effluents bio-

treatment, rainwater harvesting, bio-building, renewable energies, natural

medicine, community building, artcrafts, and Permaculture in general.

• Sharing specific activities within this overall process with visitors in a

“learning by doing” & intercultural exchange experience.

Cumbaza River Watershed Project

Alto Shamboyacu

Quechua-Lamas Community

Fair Trade Coffee coop members

(Headwaters of Cumbaza River)


Alto Shamboyacu

Small archeological

ruins of Pamashto



Chirikyacu (Headwaters of Cumbaza River)

Quechua-Lamas Community

University of Valencia (Spain) sponsored

a lodge to promote ecotourism development…


…and thus, protect it’s natural resources in a sustainable way!

San Roque

Mestizo

Center (Headwaters of Cumbaza River)


• Lamas Indigenous & Native Town

• Blue Lagoon – Rural District of Sauce

Sorrounding sites for Adventure & Excurions

• Handicrafts, Hot Springs,

Chocolate & Trekking in Chazuta

Village of Shamans and Traditions


• Hot Springs, Orchids

and Protected Monkey

Forests – Moyombamba


• Chachapoyas City (Incas where not able to conquer the “Chachapoyas”).

Kuelap Fortress

Gocta 700m. Waterfalls

Leymebamba Museum & Mummies

Northern Peruvian Upper Amazon Highlights

• Chiclayo City:

Tumbas Reales Museum, Tucume & Huaca Rajada Ruins, Pomac

Forest, Pimentel Beach, food: ceviche, duck, goatling, others.

• Trujillo City: Ruins of Chan Chan (city of sand), Temples of the Moon & the Sun,

Capital of Marinera dance, Huanchaco & Chicama Beaches, Pacasmayo Surf Lessons.

Northern Peruvian Coast: Ancient Cultures

Mochica & Chimú

•Huaraz City: Capital of “Andinism” (Trekking, Mountain Climbing & Adventure

Sports among White Peaks and Andean features), Ancient Ruins & Artistry.

All these ancient cultures were the real keepers of tradition, knowledge and ancient wisdom. The

Incas conquered them all developing an Empire that didn’t last long.

Northern Peruvian Andes: Ancient Cultures

Chavín & Huari

… & PREPARE TO DANCE!

Thanks for Co-Creating Change with us…

SEE YOU SOON!!!

Photographs by Javier Quintana B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nLlUik7c0Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nLlUik7c0Y

Technology

Peru amazon ecovillages compressed