20 years
Protecting the Heart of the Amazon
For 20 years, Upper Amazon Conservancy (UAC) has worked alongside Indigenous peoples to protect forests, strengthen territorial rights, and advance community-led conservation across the Peruvian Amazon.
Working in the headwaters of the Purús, Yurúa, Inuya, and Alto Tamaya rivers, we support Indigenous territorial governance, forest protection, and sustainable livelihoods. These two decades reflect the trust, shared knowledge, and collective commitment of the communities who continue to defend their territories and protect the Amazon. We celebrate what we have achieved together and renew our commitment to the future of the Amazon and its peoples.
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Indigenous Territories, Rights, and Self-Determination
Over the past 20 years, we have supported Indigenous peoples in Ucayali in their efforts to secure legal recognition, land titles, and territorial planning. From the historic Alto Tamaya–Saweto process to the titling of communities in the Yurúa region, our work has helped strengthen legal security and communities’ ability to make decisions about their territories.
We have also supported the development of Planes de Vida (Life Plans), community-led tools that help Indigenous peoples define their own development priorities, strengthen their organizations, and protect their knowledge, cultures, and ways of life.
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Indigenous Community-Led Forest Conservation
We have advanced conservation models that recognize Indigenous communities as leaders in protecting their territories and natural resources. A key milestone is the Yurúa Communal Conservation Concession, managed by the Yurúa Communal Conservation Association (ACC-Yurúa), which brings together nine Indigenous communities and protects approximately 45,669 hectares of Amazon rainforest.
This work is complemented by conservation agreements with five communities in the Yurúa region, establishing commitments to protect more than 54,228 additional hectares. Through community-led actions and sustainable livelihood initiatives, these agreements strengthen stewardship and support the long-term conservation of forests.
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Indigenous Monitoring and Defense of Amazonian Territories
We have contributed to strengthening Indigenous-led territorial surveillance and monitoring systems by promoting the participation of forest guardians and the use of technological tools to identify threats and protect forests.
This work brings together communities across the Alto Tamaya, Yurúa, Inuya, and Sepahua river basins, strengthening their capacities to respond to illegal logging, deforestation, and other activities that threaten their territories. We also promote coordination among Indigenous organizations in Peru and Brazil through initiatives such as the Cross-Border Commission, fostering joint responses to threats affecting border territories and Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI).
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Biodiversity and Sustainable Livelihoods
We work alongside communities to conserve Amazonian biodiversity and promote economic alternatives that contribute to family well-being without compromising natural resources.
We support initiatives focused on the sustainable management of fishery resources, species conservation, community-based production, and the responsible use of forest resources. Key achievements include the approval of the first fisheries management programs in the district of Yurúa, in the community of Dulce Gloria, as well as community-led efforts to conserve aquatic turtles in the Yurúa and Huacapishtea rivers.