CARE – or Central Ashaninka of the River Ene – is the Ashaninka’s representative body, working to find practical ways to help the 10,000 strong community protect the rainforest and ensure they have a voice in the outside world.

With our support CARE have been able to grow their team from four to ten people and have relocated to a better equipped office space, with room for training and meetings. Ruth Buendia Metsoquiari, the President of CARE, tells us: “The Yorkshire Rainforest Project will really help the Ashaninka people. It’s the first time that CARE have received such large funding directly and the communities located in the Rio Ene Valley will benefit greatly.”

The Rainforest Foundation and CARE are working to listen and collaborate with the Ashaninka community right from the start.

Developing a Management Plan for the Ashaninka Communal Reserve
The Ashaninka Communal Reserve, covering 184,468 hectares of pristine rainforest, is recognised by law. As a ‘communal reserve’ the Ashaninka have the right to use the area’s natural resources for subsistence – and they’re also responsible for its protection and future management. Thanks to the Yorkshire Rainforest Project, CARE are working with the community to develop a ‘Management Plan’ which will be recognised at a national level, and which incorporates the Ashaninka’s viewpoints and cultural beliefs.

This is the first time that an indigenous people have been involved in developing a management plan for their own reserve – and it will act as a model for other areas.

Forestry, Fit for the Future
The Ashaninka use the money made from planned logging for community purposes such as education and healthcare. However it’s vital that trees are felled in limited quantities and that the Ashaninka aren’t exploited by logging companies. So training workshops have been set up to help the Ashaninka monitor and control logging and to understand the impact it has on the environment. One participant in the forest management course said:  “This course has given us the tools to control the work with logging, and make sure we can at the same time get more income for our community and protect the forest by limiting the destructive impacts of logging”.

Access to Livelihoods
As an alternative means for Ashaninka families and communities to raise funds, CARE’s experts have looked at the sustainable livelihoods that can be established from small scale crops. CARE have been working with Ashaninka farmers who grow coffee and cocoa plants amongst the trees but have not used plants to their full potential in the past. Thanks to the Yorkshire Rainforest Project, the farmers are receiving the training they need to improve the quality and quantity of their crops so that they can make a living from them and pass down their skills to the next generation.