Deforestation in the Andes and the Amazon is a huge issue, and Andean Trails is helping to tackle the problem head on.
We’ve provided 3,500 native polylepis trees to the Cuncani community. Organisers and volunteers there headed to the mountains and planted the trees on the slopes.
This brought great benefits to the community as the project is run locally by ECOAN (Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos), with all the money staying in the local economy as well as helping to reforest the area.
In 2018, ECOAN and GFC (Global Forest Generation) came together to found Acción Andina, which since its inception has facilitated the establishment of 22 initiatives, involving 25,000 individuals in the rehabilitation of approximately 5,000 hectares of Andean woodlands and safeguarding over 11,250 hectares of already-existing forests.
Over 200 nearby communities have benefited from improved economic prospects due to activities such as reforestation and forest preservation, establishment of new micro-businesses, access to healthcare, installation of water collection systems, adoption of clean-burning clay stoves, deployment of solar panels, and attainment of formal land titles.
In 2023, Acción Andina was awarded the prestigious Earthshot Prize. This award, initiated by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, recognises their efforts in addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Background information
In Peru, deforestation of the Andes and the Amazon and the loss of most of the major glaciers pose a risk of a serious shortage of water.
By working to reforest areas, Andean Trails and ECOAN hope to be able to be part of a sustainable tourism movement.
Hopefully, this will show that tourism in Peru can be run in as sustainable a way possible to ensure the amazing places we travel through can be enjoyed for many generations to come.
As important is that the local communities genuinely get to benefit from our travelling through their backyards.
Please contact us if you would like more information about how to get involved.
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+44 (0)131 378 5593
+44 (0)131 554 6025
info@andeantrails.co.uk
We had a great time. All arrangements were smooth and the guides all great - Jorge in Quito, Gabriel in Mindo and Sebastian for our hiking week. We had walks on the Cotopaxi paramo, and great lunches! And we had another great walk around Quilotoa crater. Our week cruising on Tip Top II in the Galapagos was everything we could have asked for, a fantastic time. Thanks again for organising this trip.
We had a fabulous time in Peru, we really loved the hotel in Cusco and Cusco itself, plus of course Machu Picchu. The guides and hotel staff were great too! We also had a lovely time in Ecuador! We enjoyed Quito more than we thought we would, thanks to our guide and we have absolutely loved the Cloud Forest - not least of all because we saw three bears. All the staff here at Maquipucuna have been amazing! We had an amazing time in the Galápagos. We were so lucky to see so much wildlife all roaming freely. It’s such a special place & not one we will forget. Thank you so much for all the planning you did for us to ensure that all our time away has gone smoothly.
