Our quality-of-life programs in Cordillera Azul's buffer zone begin to yield results

We are into the second year of our MacArthur-funded project to strengthen indigenous federations and communities they represent in the eastern buffer zone of Cordillera Azul National Park, Peru. Communities are working to improve their quality of life by selecting alternatives to extractive activities such as illegal logging, which overexploit their resources. As an experiment with its local partner CIMA, ECCo organized a handcraft project for three Shipibo communities. The Field Museum store agreed to buy woven shoulder bags with traditional Shipibo designs. Five hundred bags made by 92 women will soon be available for sale at The Field Museum store. Income generated through this and other projects promote the community’s objective to deepen cultural values and manage natural resources sustainably.