The Tropical Forests competitive fund announced the 19 winning initiatives of the 2025-1 call, presented by native communities, associations, cooperatives, women's organizations, local NGOs and small enterprises in the Southern Amazon located in Madre de Dios, Satipo (Junín), Atalaya and Purús (Ucayali), Carabaya and Sandia (Puno), Cusco and Apurímac. One aspect [...]
A key aspect of this call for proposals is that the funding comes from a financial mechanism called Debt-for-nature swap. This mechanism, through an agreement between countries, makes it possible to exchange existing foreign debt for nature conservation actions. In this specific case, the resources are earmarked for the conservation of the tropical forests of the Peruvian Amazon, within the framework of the Coral Reef and Forest Conservation Law (TFCCA), approved by the U.S. government. Of a total fund of US$20 million to be channeled over the next ten to twelve years, S/. 10.7 million in non-reimbursable funds will be allocated in this first call for proposals to the 19 winning initiatives.
One of the winning projects in Madre de Dios is «The chestnut route: a sustainable economic alternative that makes conservation profitable by revaluing the chestnut culture and its protagonists (the chestnut growers of the Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja Sonene Park)» by Shiwi
The relevance of this mechanism also lies in its governance. An Oversight Committee oversees the correct implementation of the resources and is made up of the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment, the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP), the United States Government and international organizations such as Conservation International (CI), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC); and has Profonanpe as a member. administrator of the counter-value fund and subsidies.
This year the strong participation of women stands out, who lead or drive about 50% of the selected initiatives. Many of them lead Brazil nut, coffee and innovative projects, demonstrating their central role in the local economy and in the care of the territories.
In this first edition, Madre de Dios stood out with 9 of the 19 initiatives selected, most of them focused on activities such as Brazil nuts, cocoa, experiential tourism and other forest products that generate income in a responsible manner. This result reaffirms the dynamism of the region and its commitment to the sustainable use of its resources.
The San Juan Palm Growers Association will implement the project «Implementation of green technology with an intelligent monorail system to improve the collection and sustainable use of palm fruits» in Madre de Dios.
Overall, the winning proposals show that the communities are betting on economic alternatives that take care of the forest and, at the same time, strengthen the economy of the families. Most of these initiatives are aimed at strengthening sustainable enterprises, including Brazil nut processing, coffee production, new bio-businesses, tourism and other activities that allow people to make a living from the forest without damaging it.
In addition, five of the winning projects belong to indigenous peoples, reaffirming the value of ancestral knowledge and community organization in forest protection. Among these cases, two initiatives from Ucayali stand out, led by the Inkare Native Community and CORPIAA, which have a long history of responsible management of their territories.
The results of the 2025-1 call show that the Southern Amazon continues to advance with projects that combine community effort, women's leadership, indigenous work and new economic opportunities that depend directly on the good health of the forest. Each initiative is a concrete demonstration that it is possible to conserve nature while improving the quality of life of Amazonian families.
The Bosques Tropicales competitive fund thus reaffirms its commitment to the protection of Amazonian ecosystems, gender equity and the strengthening of local communities.
