Indigenous Landscapes | ICAA: Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon Quarterly Report (July, 2013)

The project is being implemented by a consortium of organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Instituto del Bien Común, Fundación para la Sobrevivencia del Pueblo Cofan, Federación Indígena de la Nacionalidad Cofan del Ecuador, Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica, and Conservation Strategy Fund. The project's overall objective is to conserve critical biodiversity found on indigenous lands and in surrounding areas that are also vital to ensure ecosystem functioning and continuity, as well as the sustainability of indigenous livelihoods. The project is being implemented in Peru in the North Central Selva and in Ecuador in Sucumbíos. The consortium is working with indigenous federations in these regions to strengthen their capacity for territorial and natural resource management and governance. In Peru, Instituto del Bien Común has been working with FECONAPIA to strengthen the capacity of FENOCAPIA's member communities for territorial and natural resource management and governance in the El Sira Communal Reserve. The consortium has also been working with FENACOCA and its grassroots communities in Cordillera Azul National Park to provide technical assistance for the resolution of conflicts over settler encroachment. In Ecuador, Fundación Sobrevivencia Cofán has continued protecting over 1 million acres of forest through the Cofan Ranger Program. The program involves regular meetings with Cofan rangers to discuss threats in Cofan territories and actions taken against these threats. USAID funds have covered mobilization, food, materials, and other support for these meetings as well as for the time rangers are in the field. The consortium is also working to renew the agreement concerning Cofan management of Zábalo in the Cuyabeno Reserve, which depends on the creation of a new boundary trail that would add approximately 15,000-20,000 hectares to the present area managed by the Cofan. The project's strategy involves three specific objectives: 1) strengthening Andean Amazon indigenous organizations in areas which they themselves have identified as strategically vital; 2) reducing priority threats to indigenous lands and important biodiversity areas by ensuring the organizations' capacity to effectively manage their lands and by engaging other stakeholders to contribute to this management; and 3) establishing sustainability mechanisms to give continuity to natural resource management and conservation actions. The project's overall vision is that by 2020, indigenous partner organizations in Peru and Ecuador will have the capacity to influence decisions about investments that affect their lands and surrounding areas, to support natural resource management in their communities, and to address threats that affect their livelihoods, thus contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation, livelihood diversity, and sustainable development in the landscapes. The project's geographic focus is on the Andean Amazon region, specifically in Peru in the North Central Selva and in Ecuador in Sucumbíos. The project's timeframes are from 2011 to 2016, with a focus on the period from April to June 2013. The project's implementation details involve a consortium of organizations working together to achieve the project's objectives, including institutional strengthening, securing indigenous lands and conservation areas, and establishing sustainability mechanisms. The project's recommendations involve continued support for indigenous organizations and communities, as well as engagement with other stakeholders to contribute to natural resource management and conservation actions.