Indigenous communities play a vital role in protecting forests and biodiversity. However, their territories are often affected by illegal activities such as logging, which threaten their livelihoods and way of life. To protect these territories in the long term, it is essential to strengthen local governance and ensure communities can participate in environmental management.

Loreto is Peru’s largest region and contains a significant proportion of the country’s Amazon rainforest. Within the Ampiyacu Regional Conservation Area, 14 Indigenous communities are organised under the Federation of Indigenous Communities of the Ampiyacu River (FECONA). Together, they work to defend their rights, protect their territories and improve community well-being.

Our Subnational Public Finance Management programme (Programa GFP), funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), supports 13 regional and local governments across Peru to manage public resources more transparently and effectively while improving public services and governance.

Drawing on its complementary expertise in public financial management and environmental governance, the Subnational Public Finance Management programme worked with FECONA and the Regional Government of Loreto to strengthen community participation in managing the Ampiyacu Regional Conservation Area.

Working with FECONA, which represents 14 Indigenous communities, the programme focused on three connected areas:

1. Strengthening community surveillance of environmental crime Community members received training in map reading, environmental crime reporting and the use of specialised software to document incidents during patrols inside the Regional Conservation Area.
2. Supporting sustainable economic opportunities At the same time, the programme supported business plans linked to huasaí and medicinal plants to help communities develop sustainable income sources aligned with conservation goals.
3. Reinforcing local governance The programme is also helping strengthen FECONA’s organisational capacity so it can play a greater role in managing the conservation area in the future.

Strengthened community monitoring: Community members now have the knowledge and tools to identify, document and report environmental crimes, which improves their ability to support local authorities in protecting the conservation area.

Supported sustainable livelihoods: Business plans are helping communities develop income opportunities.

Built stronger governance: FECONA is strengthening its organisational capacity to take a more active role in the long-term management of the conservation area.

According to the president of FECONA president, Deyser Royer Quevare García:

We want to defend our land and its resources. It is becoming increasingly difficult, but thanks to [the Basel Institute] we have new tools that can help us in our mission and in the preservation of our culture.

By linking public financial management with environmental governance, the programme demonstrates how stronger local institutions can contribute to conservation while supporting Indigenous communities.