U4C Center Impact Program
Amazon Coalition for Biodiversity (CAB) Madre de Dios, Perú
- Peru
In Madre de Dios, Peru, Indigenous communities led by women are protecting one of the best preserved rainforests in the Amazon and the livelihoods it sustains. Since 2023, U4C, SIMBIO, the CAB Association, and local communities have united to monitor the forest together, share knowledge, and build sustainable income through ecotourism, fair trade, and forest production, all rooted in gender equity and regenerative practices. When women manage their territories, ecosystems regenerate, and the forest that sustains tens of thousands of people keeps standing.
The Challenge
Madre de Dios has historically preserved over 80% of its rainforest, making it one of Peru’s most ecologically valuable regions — and 67% of the regional economy relies on collecting Amazonian rainforest nuts, a livelihood involving 20,000 to 30,000 people. Growing threats from illegal and informal gold mining and narco-trafficking now endanger both biodiversity and community safety.
Women bear a disproportionate burden of these intersecting threats, even as these pressures undermine their traditional roles as custodians of land, culture, and community resilience. The degradation of the rainforest directly reduces women’s access to a sustainable future for themselves and their families.
The Innovation
By uniting the strengths of local community members, the coalition fosters the exchange of knowledge, technology, and funding for long-term conservation and sustainable development. It equips local and Indigenous women and families to regenerate ecosystems and build resilient green economies, around four core components:
- Collaboration for sustainability
- Amazon forest conservation
- Empowerment of local communities
- Generation of sustainable livelihoods
By integrating local knowledge with global resources and co-creating a robust coalition of organizations and communities, the program enables communities to protect biodiversity while generating income from sustainable land use.
Looking Ahead
In 2026, we are strengthening the institutional capacity of the CAB Association as the coalition’s coordinating body, reinforcing governance structures, deepening alliances with CAB members locally and internationally, and mobilizing resources and fundraising for projects that benefit communities and ecosystems across the Amazon region.
