From Yorkshire to Peru
For the first part of our Yorkshire Rainforest Project we are helping to save an area of rainforest larger than the Yorkshire Dales by supporting the Rainforest Foundation UK’s work with the Ashaninka community in Peru. Based in the Amazon Rainforest, the 10,000-strong Ashaninka community are at the front line of an environmental conflict that is relevant to the entire globe.

The threat to the Amazon
The Ashaninka have lived in harmony with their environment for generations, relying on the rainforest for their food, shelter, fuel, livelihoods and medicines. But now, because of illegal loggers and those keen to exploit the forest’s rich resources, that balance is under threat. Since 1990 Peru has lost nearly 2 million hectares of primary forest.

Guardians of the rainforest
The Ashaninka have already gained the legal title to their land, but that’s only the start. Now, with our support, the Rainforest Foundation will help the community gain the skills and confidence to protect their rights and manage their forest land; and will help families make a living by developing small scale sustainable livelihoods. All this will mean that the Ashaninka can continue to act as ‘guardians of the rainforest’, just as they have done for centuries.