AID grant no. 527-0341-G-00-1323-00 to the Nature Conservancy for a program seeking to balance employment needs and natural resource sustainability

The project, which will be implemented in conjunction with the Peruvian Foundation for the Conservation of Nature, will include studies, training, TA, and construction of community centers and conservation posts. Project studies will include an initial environmental assessment, followed by a variety of economic, ecological, and socioeconomic studies. Training and TA will be offered to leaders of income-generating activities from the 18 participating communities, 6 community extensionists, 25 Reserve conservationists, and project leadership staff. Key topics will include natural resources management (e.g., reserve management, sustained yield practices); park design and management; community organization and institutional development; community business organization and operations; and small-scale production, marketing, and business operations. Construction within the Reserve will include up to four Conservation Control Posts and administrative facilities. Construction and commodities outside the Reserve will include up to six community centers to be used for both conservation and income-generating activities, e.g., piers, fishing equipment, and packing sheds. The primary project beneficiaries will be 5,000 workers in and near the Reserve, who will increase their incomes from fishing, extractive industries, and agroforestry by 10-20%.