The interaction between Indigenous Culture and environmental conservation in the Amazon
BIODIVERSITY
The term biodiversity symbolically refers to a sustainable site, both in terms of flora and fauna. For this reason, when mentioning a specific place, we are going to focus this time on the Amazon, also known for having a tropical ecosystem and being the “great lung” of Ecuador. However, for this privileged place to generate attraction without altering its ecosystem, the connection between the indigenous communities contacted together with the people or visitors is pertinent. Under this context, Napo Wild Life Center was born, a luxury lodge created by the Kichwa Añangu Community in order to generate good sustainable practices and resilience within local development. In this way, the lodge offers cultural and ecotourism experiences, which are part of the environmental and social development within the Amazon.
CULTURE AND TOURISM
Ecuador is known for being a multicultural and multiethnic country. It encompasses 14 nationalities and approximately 13 peoples; one of them is the Kichwa Añangu Community, which, as mentioned previously, is the owner of the NWC and the 21,465.38 hectares within the Ecuadorian jungle. This lodge can be visited through Responsible Travel.
Now, the “traditional” economic activities of this community are based on fishing, hunting, and agriculture. To strengthen these actions, the NWC opens its doors to tourists in order to boost its economy and strengthen its local identity. The NWC offers activities within its programs that range from 4 to 8 days. In each of them, you can carry out different activities. This case will focus on the cultural issue and its connection to tourism. The experiential experiences offered by the community are varied, since since ancient times, the Kichwas sought the balance of nature, promoting sustainability for the future.
Within the Añangu community, tourists will be able to experience various cultural activities ranging from ancestral rituals (purification), purchasing and making handicrafts, gastronomy (preparation and tasting of traditional food based on native products), and cultural walks, which provide a perspective on the projects carried out and those in the medium-long term.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
On the other hand, nature is part of a priority structure for the community as well as for the NWC. For this reason, the activities carried out by the lodge community safeguard the Amazon biosphere through sustainable projects such as solar panels, hunting bans, and waste improvement, but, above all, the biggest problem it faces is logging. and oil exploitation. Given this, the NWC has proposed several alternatives that range from creating environmental awareness through ecotourism and the help of organizations, which join together to protect the flora and fauna that this biosphere houses.
CONSERVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The symbiosis between humans and nature strengthens the link between conservation in the Amazon and technology. The NWC clearly demonstrates how the community can preserve nature through tourism.
The continuous management of tourism unites the community, generating empowerment and strengthening both the tangible and intangible culture within the Amazon. This approach diversifies products and protects environmental development for the future.
