Projects
Our mission is to partner with people who live in and around tropical rainforests to develop environmentally sustainable economies to protect and regenerate their forests.
How We Work
Our model is collaborative, bottom-up, and results-driven. We work with communities that want an alternative to deforestation. By creating a global network—linking people to people, community to community—we create long-term economic and environmental sustainability.
Summary of Successes to Date
• Preserved 9,000 acres of rainforest in Peru
• Helped 40 women create a sustainable income source in Ecuador and Peru
• Created a community-owned business for 40 families in Peru
Current Partner Communities and Projects
Sustainable Harvesting of Piassaba Palm Fiber (Chipaota, Peru)
We helped create a management plan to counter unsustainable harvesting practices that had resulted in the local disappearance of piassaba palm. The community is also producing brooms, a value-added product, from the This project allows the community to sustainably—both ecologically and economically—harvest this while protecting their forest for the future. Read More...
Pictured right: Broom-making facility, community members and RP Team, August 2010
Handicraft Project (Chipaota, Peru)
Our team in Peru is working with the women of Chipaota to create handicrafts and utensils from nontimber products using indigenous methods. Their products are being connected to local and national markets while basic marketing and accounting skills are developed within the artisan group. Read More...
Pictured left: Artisan weaving Paucar bird nest, March 2010
Kichwa Handicrafts Project (Sani Isla, Ecuador)
We have partnered with the Ecuadorian Conservación y Desarrollo, on a project in the Amazon. Our team works with women to create and market handicrafts using seeds and other forest products. This alternative income stream promotes the recovery of native species in the forest. Read More...
Pictured right: Artisan studios completed July 2010, five months ahead of schedule
Infrastructure for Ecotourism (Colibri Cloudforest, Peru)
We are helping the communities of Colibri Cloudforest develop an infrastructure to support and market ecotourism. This project builds diverse and sustainable income sources, and protects this beautiful and biodiverse cloudforest from unsustainable agricultural and ranching practices. Read More...
Pictured left: Hostel in Calabaza, September 2010
