This document outlines a sustainability project in the San Martin Region of Peru. The project aims to promote sustainable agriculture, forest conservation, and rural education through community-based tourism, permaculture techniques, and educational experiences for travelers. Some key challenges in the region include deforestation and lack of access to clean water and education. The project works with local grassroots organizations to develop small businesses in food, handicrafts, and ecotourism to support conservation of protected forest areas and empower rural communities.

1. Peruvian Rural Sustainability
Permaculture & Educational Travel
Upper Amazon Basin
San Martin
Perú
Sept. 2012

2. Main Challenges:
130,000 acres deforested per year
San Martin Region Drinkable water: 32% of population
Main Reasons:
Regional
National Protected
Unsustainable agriculture (slash & burn) Forest Alto Mayo
Conservancy
Lack of options and low educational levels Area Cordillera
Escalera
Lamas
Tarapoto
National Park
Rio Abiseo
National Park
Cordillera Azul

3. Social Entrepreneurship Goals
 Vision:
 To create life changing cross-cultural experiences for travelers that empower forest &
headwaters conservation and rural sustainability in communities located in the
sorroundings of Natural Protected Areas.
 To increase and provide experience to a critical mass of local, national & international
youth and motivate them towards new approaches for sustainable development.
 To participate inter-actively with other movements and projects pointing towards a
globe of friendly pluri-cultural self sufficient & sustainable ecovillages or ecocities.
 Mission:
 Our educational travels provide an academic framework, interaction with local
community and ecotourism activities. We hire services from community based
tourism ventures in an early stage and empower them.
 We support local grassroots organizations sustainable projects (organic coffee &
cacao, ecotourism, natural medicine, arts & culture, edible gardening, among others).
 Our three main focus areas to empower in Amazonian rural villages are: forest
conservancy (biodiversity and water), ecologycal agriculture and rural education.

4. Vision for Peruvian Rural Sustainability:
Fruits:
- Ecotourism
- Eco-organic agriculture
- Protected forests & water
Trunk:
- Tangible Investments: lodges, We focus in the roots!
roads, infrastructure, (done by
governments, non-profits and
International Agencies -AID).
Roots:
-Local grassroots organizations
(Committees of mothers,
farmers, youth, local schools, Nutrients in the soil:
local & regional governments). - Natural resources and human capital
Require leadership: NON TANGIBLE! - Traditional knowledge and local culture

5. Development Model & Outcomes
 Rural Sustainability Model:
Training & Cross Cultural Eco-Technologies
Education Experiences & Permaculture
support to projects encourage local groups new tools and skills for
undertaken by local to undertake sustainable local groups & visitors
groups development.
 Expected Outcomes:
Short Term Medium Term Long Run
Local motivation – integration Community based tourism expertise Protected forests & headwaters
Local skills & technologies Empowered local projects & groups Local development management
Amazed visitors New approach for rural sustainability Lead from various areas

6. Committed Local Groups…
Training & Education

7. …building with new friends…
Cross Cultural Experiences

8. … our global sustainable future!
Eco-Technologies & Permaculture Water treatment system & eco-toilet
Rainwater harvesting system for human consumption

9. The Secret Ingredient:
Atitude to Participate, Inspire & Motivate!

10. Social & Environmental Goals
Main Purpose: to encourage Amazon rural grassroots organizations to participate
in their own sustainable development. We provide them with tools, technical
advisory and eco-friendly market acces. For December 2015 we expect:
Local Groups of: To develop their small business of:
• Mothers & women Food and handycrafts, among other options
• Youth Tour guides or environmental-related jobs
• Farmers Organic farming and nature conservancy
• Local talents Artists, hosts and technicians
Local Groups of: Empower themselves into:
• Children School environmental brigrade
• Grassroots organizations Skilled sustainability groups
• Local security groups Local forest guards
Community Service Learning is key to achieve these medium term goals and expand our
project efforts in Cumbaza river’s basin to other Andean-Amazonian rural villages.

11. Achievements since 2008:
In our first rural village: San Roque de Cumbaza
• Increased number of members in the Community Based Tourism Committee of
San Roque de Cumbaza: 12 members in 2007 vs. 80 members in 2011 (plus local
school: 150 students + teachers).
• Fourth place for the Community Based Tourism Venture of San Roque de Cumbaza
in the community based projects contest Selva Ganadora 2011, sponsored by USAID.
• Almost 1300 acres of communitary and private forest reserves in process of
stablishment in native and mestizo farmers’ lands, in Cumbaza river’s headwaters.

12. YEAH, WE CAN MAKE IT!!!
End of day, after building together a Tree Nursery!

13. About Our Partners
Rural Grassroots Organizations (Service Providers & Projects’ Beneficiaries)
• Community Based Tourism Association of San Roque de Cumbaza:
 2 Committees of Local Mothers (Women)
 Local Youth Association “Los Triunfadores” (Youth)
 Food & Beverages Committee (Women)
 Environmental Awareness Committee (Male Farmers)
 Local School (children, youth and teachers)
 “Kechwa-Lamas” Native Community of Chirikyacu
 “Kechwa-Lamas” Native Community of Alto Shamboyacu
• Community Based Tourism Association of Chazuta Rural District - Forthcoming
• Ecotourism Development Association of Sauce Rural District – Forthcoming
• Ecotourism Development Association of Tingana Monkey Forests - Forthcoming
Government Agencies (We help public institutions to reach their development goals)
•Local Governments, Regional Government Environmental & Tourism Departments
Regional Universities, Institutes & Tour Guides Association (3 in total – we
need to provide new alternatives, lessons and onsite learning experiences to our youth)

14. 2013 Volunteer & Travel Options
We are preparing the next activities: Short Term Impact:
• Classes for local children, youth & school Improved skills in English,
mathematics, environmental
sciences, art &culture.
• Community edible gardens Food security
With local mothers Reduced cost of food
Access to healthy food
Future income generation
Native & medicinal plants recovery
• Bio-Building & Sustainable Water Management Improved skills for rainwater
With local youth, farmers & regional harvesting, wastewater treatment
institutes & universities and natural building designs.
Access to clean water, clean rivers,
low cost houses & irrigation.
*Spanish classes available!

15. Long Term Impact
Important:
• Cross Cultural & Community Learning Services Experiences have a strong impact
in motivating local groups towards their sustainable development.
• These experiences are complemented with participatory development of eco-
friendly products and services for local, regional & national markets.
• These processes take years as local educational levels hardly reach high-school as
well as IT & online media have being left aside in these areas.
• Through their experiences here we encourage visitors-students to insight new ways
that can enrich their career goals. Many of these challenges are also happening in
most the rural areas in the third world.
• Mainstream policies hardly achieve lasting impacts here without local participation.
This is a challenge for all of us and an opportunity to create innovative projects that
weave proper relationships between human beings and with nature.

16. The Social Entrepreneur
Rodrigo Ponce
• MSc Ecotourism & Bachelor degree in Economics
(Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina & Universidad del Pacífico, both in Lima-Peru)
• Empiric & Certified Permaculture Designer
(Instituto Permacultura e Ecovilas do Cerrado – Ecocentro IPEC, Goiás – Brazil)
• Consultant for International Developmet Agencies & Non-Profits and background
as Business Executive in multinational banks in Lima, Peru.
• But mainly: last six years living onsite in Amazonian Rural Villages, participating in
communal work, assemblies, cleanups, workshops ran by different stakeholders,
researching sustainable alternatives, leading environmental activities, understanding
the local natural medicine & tales, gardening, reforesting and developing a learning by
doing mutual process with locals that now is able to share with you!
rodrigoponceotoya@gmail.com

17. Additional Project Info
Technical & Environmental Details
Sites to Travel & Visit
Pictures

18. About Our First Project in Cumbaza River
 In 2004 the first Regional Conservation Area was created in Peru: Cordillera Escalera:
370,000 acres of Tropical Mountain Rainforest, producing a monthly average of 20
m3/s of water. Its Conservancy Goals are: water, salt sources, forests (of clouds,
hills and foothills), Phragmipedin orchid, spectacled bear and hunting animals (deer,
collared peccary, crax, and tapir). This area also has cats like the jaguar and puma.
 The Cumbaza River Represents 13% of the water of Cordillera Escalera. Its watershed
consists of 57,000 has. and 200,000 inhabitants. Its primary forest has been reduced
from 20,000 has. (1977), to 8,500 has. (2005). Between 1977 and 1985 the
minimum average water flow was: 6.5 m3/s and maximum: 13.5 m3/s. Between
1995 and 2007 these rates fell down to 2.33 m3/s and 8 m3/s, respectively. It
supplies water to the cities of Tarapoto and Lamas.
 San Roque de Cumbaza is the rural district where this watershed begins. Consists of
2000 inhabitants distributed among a Central Mestizo Town, Quechua-Lamas Native
Communities, and Highland Migratory Committees.

19. Cordillera Escalera Views

20. Cordillera Escalera Birds

21. Cordillera Escalera Fauna
Photographs by Javier Quintana B.

22. Cumbaza River Watershed Project
San Roque de Cumbaza is located in the buffer zone of Cordillera Escalera. Buffer
villagers are principal users and/or guards of protected areas. Migratory
unsustainable agriculture is the principal cause of deforestation, but sustainable
agriculture and inclusive businesses (i.e. ecotourism) are main sources of change.
Quechua native communities of Alto Shamboyacu and Chirikyacu, and the central
mestizo village called San Roque already started a medium term project including:
• Creating communal reserves to protect primary forests and headwaters while
developing skills in nature conservancy, sustainable agriculture and ecotourism.
• Learning complementary environmental techniques for waste & effluents bio-
treatment, rainwater harvesting, bio-building, renewable energies, natural
medicine, community building, artcrafts, and Permaculture in general.
• Sharing specific activities within this overall process with visitors in a
“learning by doing” & intercultural exchange experience.

24. Cumbaza River Watershed Project
Alto Shamboyacu
Quechua-Lamas Community
Fair Trade Coffee coop members
(Headwaters of Cumbaza River)

25. Cumbaza River Watershed Project
Alto Shamboyacu
Small archeological
ruins of Pamashto

26. Cumbaza River Watershed Project
Chirikyacu (Headwaters of Cumbaza River)
Quechua-Lamas Community
University of Valencia (Spain) sponsored
a lodge to promote ecotourism development…

27. Cumbaza River Watershed Project
…and thus, protect it’s natural resources in a sustainable way!

28. Cumbaza River Watershed Project
San Roque
Mestizo
Center
(Headwaters of Cumbaza River)

29. Sorrounding sites for Adventure & Excurions
• Lamas Indigenous & Native Town
• Blue Lagoon – Rural District of Sauce

30. Sorrounding sites for Adventure & Excurions
• Handicrafts, Hot Springs,
Chocolate & Trekking in Chazuta
Village of Shamans and Traditions

31. Sorrounding sites for Adventure & Excurions
• Hot Springs, Orchids
and Protected Monkey
Forests – Moyombamba

32. Northern Peruvian Upper Amazon Highlights
• Chachapoyas City (Incas where not able to conquer the “Chachapoyas”).
Kuelap Fortress
Gocta 700m. Waterfalls
Leymebamba Museum & Mummies

33. Northern Peruvian Coast: Ancient Cultures
Mochica & Chimú
• Chiclayo City:
Tumbas Reales Museum, Tucume & Huaca Rajada Ruins, Pomac
Forest, Pimentel Beach, food: ceviche, duck, goatling, others.
• Trujillo City: Ruins of Chan Chan (city of sand), Temples of the Moon & the Sun,
Capital of Marinera dance, Huanchaco & Chicama Beaches, Pacasmayo Surf Lessons.

34. Northern Peruvian Andes: Ancient Cultures
Chavín & Huari
•Huaraz City: Capital of “Andinism” (Trekking, Mountain Climbing & Adventure
Sports among White Peaks and Andean features), Ancient Ruins & Artistry.
All these ancient cultures were the real keepers of tradition, knowledge and ancient wisdom. The
Incas conquered them all developing an Empire that didn’t last long.

35. Thanks for Co-Creating Change with us…
… & PREPARE TO DANCE!

36. SEE YOU SOON!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nLlUik7c0Y Photographs by Javier Quintana B.