Help Monte Carmelo conserve Indigenous knowledge

The Monte Carmelo Environmental Conservation and Education Centre, is housed in a previously abandoned communal building. Once fully operational, the Centre will function as:

• A Bio-Cultural Interpretation Centre, safeguarding and sharing local ecological knowledge

• A learning and research space for community members, neighbouring communities, students, and visitors

• A base of operations for conservation and education activities linked to the project

During 2025, the building was cleaned, painted, and rehabilitated, including repairs to windows, gutters, and walls. All work was carried out with active participation from community members, reinforcing local ownership of the space. Funds raised through GlobalGiving’s Giving Tuesday campaign enabled the purchase of some basic furniture and utensils.

The next phase will focus on equipping the Centre with educational materials, storage systems, and research tools, transforming it into a fully functioning hub for learning, conservation, and knowledge exchange.

Adjacent to the Centre, the Monte Carmelo Botanical Garden was established on one hectare of land generously donated by one of the community Elders. The Garden is being developed as a living classroom, conservation area, and sanctuary for native Amazonian flora and fauna.

Managed jointly by community members and A Rocha Peru, the Garden plays a crucial role in:

• Preserving native plant species
• Revitalising Traditional Ecological Knowledge (for instance on medicinal plants)
• Providing hands-on environmental education for children and adults

In 2025, initial work focused on clearing and marking walking paths, installing plant and route signalling, and removing invasive or undesired weeds. With support from the primary school's Ecoclub and other community members, we began documenting existing plant species. Samples were collected, pressed, dried, and catalogued, each labelled with:

• Local and scientific names

• Morphological descriptions

• Traditional and potential uses

• Location within the Botanical Garden

These specimens are stored at the Conservation and Education Centre and shared with the Herbarium of the National University of Cusco, making local biodiversity knowledge accessible to researchers, students, and visitors. Over time, this methodology will be expanded to document the flora of the entire Monte Carmelo community forest.