We are implementing sustainable projects at our center which is located in Oxapampa, Peru. It is surrounded by 12.5 ha of rain forest, two streams, riparian forest, a reforested area, and cultivation areas with local fruit crops and shaded coffee.

Our center is located in the buffer zone of the Yanachaga Chemillen National Park, which covers approximately 120.000 ha. Since 2010 the province of Oxapampa contains the Biosphere Reserve Oxapampa, Ashaninka, Yanesha.

In the center, we will provide training for local communities, students and interested people and demostrate various sustainable activities that can be easily replicated.

For the past 50 years, lumber production, in response to expanding national demand, has been centered in Oxapampa and its eight districts. This has provoked massive deforestation, as well as put pressure on the remaining forests, especially in areas with water basins. A large part of the buffer zone is used for granadilla (local variation of passion fruit) and rocoto (hot pepper used in many Peruvian dishes) cultivation, where agrochemicals and pesticides are applied without regulation.

Fire is used to reduce manual labor, burning parts of the forest to advance the agricultural border. As a result, forest fires are very common in the buffer zone and this endangers the protected areas of the forest (more than 300 ha were burned in 2010 alone).

The reduction of forest biomass is greatly diminishing the populations of native fauna, like the oso de anteojos (Spectacled Bear -Tremarctos ornatus) and the venado colorado (Red Brocket deer - Mazama americana). Losses of forest biomass, and the resulting species and ecological interactions, poses serious threats to the biodiversity and water resources in the area.

Our center intends to confront these threats, generating processes of sustainable resource management to ensure the conservation of the cloud forest, and the environmental services and biodiversity it harbors. By living and producing food sustainably at our center, as well as spreading the word through demonstrations and workshops, we hope to serve as a model to show that things can be done in a better way.

Our goals through training to local communities

- Reduce forest fires in the area by spreading awareness of alternative agricultural practices

- Promote sustainable living and thinking by providing a model which others can replicate

- Establish a baseline for forest and water quality and continue to monitor changing conditions through data collected by volunteers

- Produce organic, native crops to create a market for these products and encourage local farmers to do the same

- Link the gap between economically viable and environmentally conscious practices through example

- Join forces with the next generation of global leaders in the field of ecologically sustainable human progress.

Our pilot Projects

Organic Garden

Greenhouse and plants for the crops and the reforestation projects

Shade Coffee plantation

Local forest fruits

The pilot projects organized in the center will serve as examples for the local community and the center will provide assistance to spread these practices.

Projects for volunteers

Project 1: The Chacra, compost area and tree greenhouse

Work with shade grown coffee and native fruits and vegetables in our organic chacra. Learn how to produce compost and apply organic fertilizer and maintain the crops to ensure a successful harvest. Assist in the preparation of tree seedlings for reforestation of riparian areas.

-Project 2: The Huerta, Compost, Greenhouse

Work in our organic garden, maintaining the vegetables and herbs. Learn about permaculture and work on new and innovative designs to maximize space and production. Learn how to maintain a compost system that can sustain the land's fertilizer needs as well as minimize trash generation. Work in the greenhouse, preparing the seeds for transplantation in the garden, as well as selecting new seeds for cultivation.

-Project 3: Water Collection and Irrigation Design

Work on designing and constructing a waste water system, filtering the grey water from the showers into wetlands on the property to avoid contamination of the river. Work on improving the irrigation of the garden, creating systems to maximize efficient water use.

-Project 4: Trail Maintenance and Reforestation

Work on maintaining, planning, constructing the trails on the property. Design signs and label important flora and fauna that can be seen from the trail. Participate in reforestation of native trees in the property, such as the ulcumano (Podocarpus spp.).

-Project 5: Monitoring of the property using various bio-indicators

Learn from experts how to collect data and monitor water quality and forest quality using bio-indicators like macroinvertebrates, insects, lichens, plants and others.

-Project 6: Exotic and invasive species management

Control and eradication of invasive plant species at the rainforest. Learn different techniques to control and manage invasive species.

Research projects

-Monitoring of stream water quality using macroinvertebrates

-Inventory of plants (ferns, palms, orchids, and other groups)

-Inventory of insects (moths, buterflies, ants, and others)

Facilities at the Center

Currently we can offer an elevated camping site for the students, volunteers and interns.

We have a generator for electricity from 6 to 10 PM.

We have potable water for drinking and water 24 hs a day.

We have implemented dry toilets for the visitors and hot showers using decomposition to generate the hit.

We have a place for presentacions and talks with/without a slideshow.

We offer the food service with 3 meals per day. All food is local and free of pesticides. Specific requirements are possible to offer too.

View of Oxapampa from the property

Several views of the property

Ecosystems and environments you will see on your way to Oxapampa

Coastal Desert

Mountain range and high Lands

Highland at the Amazon Basin

Getting closer to the rainforest

Waterfall and Rainforest at Oxapampa