"Let's Heal the Forest" - Celebrating Alto Mayo Indigenous Forest Conservation
There are around 476 million indigenous people living in 90 countries. In Peru, 56 indigenous peoples belong to the Amazon and play a crucial role in the conservation of nature, and Conservation International shared with us some of their celebrations.
The inaugural edition of the "Ikam Etsagagmi - Let's Heal the Forest" festival, organized by the Regional Awajún Federation of Alto Mayo (FERIAAM) in collaboration with Conservation International and its partners, was recently held in Huascayacu, a native community within the Alto Mayo landscape.
This momentous event gathered over 200 members of the Awajún community with the goal of raising awareness of forest preservation, deforestation education, and advocacy for reestablishing symbiotic relationship between Awajún communities and their forest.
According to Fernández Sejekam, FERIAAM's representative, this festival serves as a platform to enlighten individuals about their capacity to restore their forests, improve essential aspects of their lives, contribute for a greener and healthier place for future generations.
‘Let’s Heal the Forest’ celebration included handicraft workshops, children’s reading sessions, eye-catching photo exhibition illustrating nature's beauty and fragility, as well as contests promoting sustainable initiatives. Additionally showcased were initiatives centred around vanilla utilization and cocoa management techniques that highlight sustainable practices.
Children’s reading sessions
Handicraft workshops
Through these efforts rooted in knowledge sharing and cultural appreciation, participants were able to enhance their understanding of how they could actively contribute towards conserving their rich natural heritage. This groundbreaking event successfully united communities under one common cause: safeguarding precious ecosystems through collective action fuelled by empathy for nature's wonders.
Read more:
- Watch the 'Ikam Etsagagmi - Let's heal the forest' video' (Spanish)
- Read the 'Ikam Etsagagmi - Let's heal the forest' article (Spanish)
- Watch a video celebrating the graduation of CI's school of governance, "Why is it important to strengthen the leadership of indigenous communities for forest protection?" (Spanish)