Local wisdom, for global impact
In 2023, El Puente launched four pilot projects in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, in the urban area of Rio Branco (capital of Acre State), threatened forested area around Rio Branco and with at-risk, marginalised IPLC along the Purus and Mapiá Rivers (Amazonas State).
Realeza Ethnobotanical Reserve
The Realeza Ethnobotanical Reserve, located in the Purus National Forest, is envisioned to be a site for the preservation of local ethnoecological knowledge, an educational and research centre on the sustainable use of the forest, and a destination for local, national and international visitors. Together with local communities connected to the Santo Daime tradition, the project comprises an agroforestry garden with key medicinal and teacher plants, the sustainable management of forest products such as Brazil Nut, and infrastructure to host educational programs.
Sustainable Ethnobotanical Research Program (SERP)
Based upon the convergence of ancestral wisdom with the most recent scientific knowledge, the Sustainable Ethnobotanical Research Program (SERP) seeks to support IPLC in the sustainable production of key medicinal plants upon agroforestry standards , and in the conduction of phytochemical analysis and ethnopharmacological prospection. The initial phase is being carried out at the Colônia Cinco Mil Santo Daime community in Rio Branco, Acre State, with the plantation of medicinal gardens, improvement of communal facilities and the establishment of partnerships in between traditional communities and avant-garde academics.
House of Cultures
(Casa das Culturas)
Located in Rio Branco, the capital of Acre and a historic port city that serves as a gateway to the Amazon bioregion, the House of Cultures (Casa das Culturas) is a sanctuary for Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities (IPLC), and urban youth. It offers educational intercultural programs, and a space to celebrate and preserve their heritage. This centre will host workshops on traditional arts, music, healing practices, rituals, orientation support, and environmental stewardship. It aims to become a creative hub and a point of entry and exit for local and international visitors to and from the Amazon Rainforest.
Huwa Karu Yuxibu
Intercultural Reserve
In partnership with the local Huni Kuin indigenous-owned Association Centro Huwa Karu Yuxibu, El Puente has supported the purchase of 2,400 hectares of land along the San Francisco River, mostly covered by preserved Amazon forest. The proposal, led by the local leader Mapu Huni Kuin and his community, includes an agroforestry, permaculture plantation and eco-development project, replanting ancestral forests, foods and medicines, restoring a watershed, developing educational programs for indigenous ethnobotanical initiatives, and producing sustainable products like cacao, ecological meat, palm fruits and herbal bath products.
