In 2006, ten indigenous communities in the Amarakaeri, seeking to protect their ancestral rainforest, came together with government authorities to form El Ejecutor del Contrato de Administración de la Reserva Comunal Amarakaeri (ECA-Amarakaeri).  

The group has worked hand-in-hand with Peru’s National Service of Protected Areas to mitigate climate change through the sustainable management of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve – a primary forest covering 402,335 hectares, threatened by gold mining and logging.  

The main economic activity supported by the project is sustainable Brazil nut production, but it also promotes cacao production, sustainable tourism, fish farming and poultry breeding.  

There are over 100 people from four native communities in Amarakaeri cultivating the Brazil nut.  From 2016 to 2022, these four communities sold over 3,000 barrels of the nut.  

The project gives communities the skills to carry out Brazil nut production and ensures women and young people take part in the harvesting and marketing processes. Women occupy key leadership positions in the project.