Brought to you by Conservation International
What if you didn’t have to choose between green and growth? In Peru’s Alto Mayo Protected Forest, local communities are finding that the two concepts go hand in hand.
The Alto Mayo Protected Forest is located in the San Martín region of northern Peru and spans 182,000 hectares (450,000 acres) — an area twice the size of New York City.
Despite its protected status, the forest has experienced some of the country’s highest deforestation rates. Contributing factors included lack of enforcement of the protected area, a national highway built through the forest, an influx of people settling in the region and unsustainable farming practices. As a result of depleted soil, farmers cut down more trees in order to maintain production levels.
To help halt this cycle, Conservation International began working with partners — including local communities, corporations and Peru’s government — to protect the Alto Mayo forest.
Field trip participants will visit numerous project sites which showcase best practice in the sustainable, organic and ethical production of coffee, cocoa, dragon fruit, honey, medicinal plants. Speaking with local farming cooperatives and community leaders, participants will learn how local conservation agreements and a co-management model of the protected area have contributed to a drastic reduction in deforestation.
Highlights include a visit to the village of Nueva Zelandia located inside the Alto Mayo Protected Forest where participants will be greeted by the Shampuyacu native community. For coffee lovers, there is a whole morning dedicated to tasting and learning about Peru’s rise in the international specialty coffee market.
Itinerary
Where: Alto Mayo, Peru
When: May 18 to 20th – directly after the Good Growth Conference
Registration Deadline: April 14th – contact Braulio Andrade – bandrade@conservation.org
Expenses: USD 500
DAY 1, Saturday MAY 18
- Morning 4×4 departure from Tarapoto to Moyobamba for check-in
- Travel to Conservation International (CI) field office in Rioja
- Field visit and introduction to CI Peru’s landscape approach
- Return to Moyobamba for dinner
DAY 2, Sunday MAY 19
- Travel to Shampuyacu to meet the Awajun community and learn about the success of communal conservation agreements
- Travel to Alto Mayo Protected Area
- Share lunch with COOPBAM (Conservation Agreements Cooperative)
- Learn about the co-management model of Protected Area of the Alto Mayo Protected Forest
DAY 3, Monday May 20
- Travel to the CI coffee lab at the Rioja Office
- Learn about the production of high quality coffee and Peru’s linage to specialty international markets
- Drive back to Tarapoto
