The Regional Counsel of the Regional Government of Loreto officially created the Ampiyacu - Apayacu Regional Conservation Area (ACRAA) on December 9, 2008, in the native community of Nueva Esperanza, Loreto. This new conservation area is 433,100 hectares of Amazon rain forests between the Ampiyacu and Apayacu river basins.
The recognition of this area has been requested by the 3,000 residents of five native communities for over twenty years. One of the purposes of the declaration was to guarantee their access to the ancient territories and to the natural resources of the area.
The conservation area protects the Apayacu and Ampiyacu rivers, on which the ethnic groups of Bora, Huitoto, Ocaina, Palm, and Quechua that inhabit the zone in 16 native communities, depend for their subsistence and cultural continuity.
Likewise, upon protecting the headwaters and courses of the rivers Ampiyacu, Apayacu, Yaguasyacu and Zumún, the ACRAA represents an important opportunity for the clean water sources conservation that is indispensable to maintain the quality of life of the native populations along the banks of these basins, as well as for the city of Pebas.
At the approval ceremony were several representatives from native communities in the area including the Confederacy of Native Communities of the River, Apayacu (FECONA), the Palm Towns Confederacy of the Rivers Orosa and Apayacu (FEPYROA), and the Native Community of New Hope located on the banks of the Ampiyacu River. Members of the technical support team, which included the Institute of Common Good (IBC) and the Program of Use, Management and Conservation of the Natural Resources of the Loreto Region (PROCREL), were also present and were honored for their effective guidance. Funding for PROCREL is provided by Nature and Culture International.
Also at the ceremony, there was a table of honor for president of the Regional Government of Loreto, Yván Vásquez, local and regional authorities and delegations of 18 native communities of the rivers Ampiyacu, Apayacu and from the city of Pebas. The extraordinary session was accompanied and enlivened by traditional dances of the Ocaina, Huitoto, Palm and Bora groups, and typical forest foods of these four native towns were served.
The president of the Regional Government, Yván Vásquez, argued for his adminstration's regional policy promoting sustainable development alternatives, such as the Conservation Area, that stimulates sustainable regional development to provide for a better life for local people and alleviate poverty. He compared this to policies focused primarily on short term exploitation of natural resources leading to their depletion, which does not lead to steady local employment and results in abject poverty.
