The Pachamama Alliance

• Protecting the Amazon rainforest and its biodiversity through community-led initiatives.
• Providing educational resources to indigenous communities to strengthen their rights and cultural heritage.
• Inspiring global awareness and action towards sustainability through workshops and outreach programs.

The Sacred Headwaters of the Amazon River start deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. This beautiful region is protected by the the Achuar Indigenous Nation and is home to Kapawi Ecolodge , an Achuar owned and operated award winning eco lodge and nature preserve. Since 1996, ecotourism doubles as a source of sustainable income and a tool of ecological and cultural preservation for the Achuar Indigenous Nation. Travelers from around the world seek Kapawi Ecolodge to experience this unique natural and cultural sanctuary nestled in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.


Kapawi Ecolodge halted operations as a result of COVID-19 and, with it, several communities within the Achuar Indigenous Nation lost their only source of income.


The recent development of two roads entering into the Achuar territory allows for trees to go out and unfortunately has also brought COVID-19
in. Desperate to support the health and basic needs of their people as COVID continues to spread, several Achuar communities have started deforesting some peripheral areas of their territory, threatening one of the few protected Balsa tree populations in the Amazon. When given the option to choose a sustainable source of income, the Achuar people choose conservation, sustainable development, local production, and ecotourism, but that is not an option for all at the moment. The demand for balsa wood has had a direct impact on the Achuar territory, providing quick cash to the detriment of Amazon conservation and future community sustainability.


We are working with many communities to conserve the large region of the Headwaters of the Amazon Region is equivalent to the sequestration of 4 billion metric tons of carbon. This equals the amount of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas released to power 200 million US homes for 10 years. Covid has brought increased threats in many areas of the Amazon. In the case of the Achuar, now that they are threatened by deforestation, the extractive development patterns common in other areas of the Amazon could continue unless we act urgently to protect the Achuar. Once balsa trees disappear from the forest, other tree species will follow, and with them the emblematic wildlife of the Amazon Rainforest. This can quickly have a devastating impact on biodiversity, and poses a threat to the sustainability of local communities, as well as to the ecotourism region where Kapawi Ecolodge is located, only a few hours by boat from the current balsa deforestation area.


Kapawi’s ecotourism project contributes roughly $10,000 to the local Achuar economy a month (pre-Covid). Covid has forced this steady source of income to stop. In an effort to support the Achuar’s work to protect the forest and provide for their basic needs, the communities that own Kapawi Ecolodge (Kapawi, Kusutkau, and Suwa) have decided to set up a conservation fund.

Our goal is to raise $40,000 to help support the Achuar’s health, education, and community needs in 6 communities (roughly 700 people) for 6 months while we are working with different partners to provide other long-term solutions that will guarantee indigenous community resiliency when faced with external and global threats. You can help directly by supporting the Achuar families of the Kapawi Ecolodge region in this devastating time. Your donation will help the Achuar families navigate through these complicated times, while supporting their dream of ecotourism, and their life’s work of conserving the forest and preventing the presence of extractive industries in the Amazon.