The Legacy of the Taitas

The Legacy of the Taitas

“With the 20th anniversary of Alto Fragua Indi Wasi, the legacy of the Inga taitas, who dreamed of this territory, is fulfilled.” This was the reflection of Liliana Madrigal, who in an interview with ACT’s Northwest Amazon program delved deeper into the importance of this Colombian national park, which turns 20 years old on February…

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Standing at the Crossroads: Partnering with the Waurá of Ulupuene

Standing at the Crossroads: Partnering with the Waurá of Ulupuene

The Waurá, our indigenous partners in Brazil, asked for our support to protect the Kamukuaká Cave. This cave is profoundly sacred to the Waurá. For thousands – yes, thousands – of years, they have traveled to the cave to partake in deep ceremonies that connect them to their ancestors, their spirits, the natural world, and…

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How protecting the Jaguar is essential to conserving the Amazon

How protecting the Jaguar is essential to conserving the Amazon

The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) and Colombia’s Universidad de la Amazonía continue their project “Live and Coexist”, through which they seek to defend carnivorous animals in Caquetá.

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Going at Nature’s Pace: The Story of ASOMI

Going at Nature’s Pace: The Story of ASOMI

With the occasion of ACT’s 25th anniversary, Maria del Rosario Chicunque—Charito, the formidable leader that some of you have met—and I want to share the wonderful, glorious, painful, and ultimately extraordinary path that led to the creation of ASOMI, the Association of Indigenous Women, and their private reserve in Colombia. ASOMI’s headquarters is aptly called La Chagra de la Vida, or the Garden of Life. As with all gardens, it nourishes us with blessings of food, beauty, and joy, but it needs proactive tending and weeding in return—never-ending tasks that can give us scrapes, blisters, and scars.

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Cómo proteger al Jaguar es fundamental para cuidar la Amazonía

Cómo proteger al Jaguar es fundamental para cuidar la Amazonía

Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), junto con la Universidad del Amazonía, continúan en su proyecto “Vive y convive”, en el que buscan defender a los animales carnívoros en el departamento del Caquetá, en Colombia, que tiene la mayor tasa de deforestación del país. Esta iniciativa busca busca vincular a las comunidades campesinas de la zona en la defensa, no sólo del jaguar, sino de cientos de especies de fauna y flora que habitan este departamento, que es la puerta a la Amazonía colombiana.

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The Shamans and Apprentices Program: A Promise to Kwamalasamutu

The Shamans and Apprentices Program: A Promise to Kwamalasamutu

The success of the Shamans and Apprentices program was just the beginning of the pioneering biocultural conservation work that ACT has gone on to do. In the spirit of supporting communities in their own efforts — as opposed to implementing foreign, top-down initiatives — ACT sought to secure culturally appropriate means for human and environmental wellbeing, and increase recognition of indigenous culture and self-determination. In this way, we were able to merge the strengths and tools of the Western world in a way that complements but doesn’t dominate the ideals and goals of the local community.

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Baby turtles in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica_Tortugas Preciosas_Costa Rica

TORTUGAS PRECIOSAS DE OSA

TORTUGAS PRECIOSAS DE OSA

Tortugas Preciosas de Osa has released 32,219 baby turtles of three different species, reduced predation and nest theft by 60%, and established a baseline of the biology and ecology of these species in danger of extinction in one of the most biodiverse places in the world. As if that were not enough, during this time we have discovered that this location is one of the most important for hawksbill turtle nesting in the Pacific region of Central America.

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Baby turtles in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica_Tortugas Preciosas_Costa Rica

Tortugas Preciosas de Osa: Saving the Sea Turtles of the Osa Peninsula

Tortugas Preciosas de Osa: Saving the Sea Turtles of the Osa Peninsula

Tortugas Preciosas de Osa has released 32,219 baby turtles of three different species, reduced predation and nest theft by 60%, and established a baseline of the biology and ecology of these species in danger of extinction in one of the most biodiverse places in the world. As if that were not enough, during this time we have discovered that this location is one of the most important for hawksbill turtle nesting in the Pacific region of Central America.

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Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento o Estado Natural en Colombia: Una historia reciente de los retos para su protección

Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento o Estado Natural en Colombia: Una historia reciente de los retos para su protección

Since the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, there were rumors from rubber and animal skin traders about the presence of peoples who took shelter deep in the adjoining forests. These are peoples who avoid all forms of contact with the surrounding society.

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Indigenous Peoples in Isolation in Colombia: A recent history of the challenges involved in their protection

Indigenous Peoples in Isolation in Colombia: A recent history of the challenges involved in their protection

Since the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, there were rumors from rubber and animal skin traders about the presence of peoples who took shelter deep in the adjoining forests. These are peoples who avoid all forms of contact with the surrounding society.

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