Support Indigenous Medicinal Gardens in the Amazon

Once more, we had a productive working session! In December, we went to Paoyhan for three working days in which we successfully achieved our objectives. We were accompanied by four volunteers (three German and one Peruvian), which helped us to carry out our work successfully.

On Wednesday we split up into two groups. The first group departed from Paoyhan at 5:30 a.m. in order to paddle to the project site and carry out a preliminary inventory of the fauna. The second group left at 8 a.m., accompanied by a group of tourists. At the project site, the first group helped to continue demarcating the  pathways, while the second group supported the tour guide with his presentation in English.

On Thursday, the entire group went to the project site in order to continue with the medicinal plant inventory – this marks our third inventory session of the year. This session was extremely productive as we inventoried approximately 100 medicinal plants. We are now counting 3.5 hectares demarcated and approximately 400 medicinal plants inventoried!

On our last day, we carried out a workshop on sustainable tourism and the responsibilities of a tourist guide. In this workshop, we addressed the committee’s principal needs (as previously defined with them). We also addressed the sustainability of the project in terms of the effects on the community, the environment and the local economy. We were pleased to see the youth participating in the workshop even though this workshop was not specifically targeted at them. After all, the youth will be the ones responsible for administering the project in a few years.

We are very pleased by the progress made this year and are looking forward to the coming year! We are still seeking funds in order to implement the infrastructure required for this project to be self-sufficient. Thank you for your help!