Bruce Farnsworth Photography,Conservation photography,Rainforest animals, Rainforest photos, Tours 

Amazon Headwaters

Comunidad Capirona: Leaders in Rainforest Management

Aerial view of the village plaza of Capirona, now an active community-based ecotourism operation situated in primary rainforest. Where these men now play volleyball, elders once prevented the invasion of oil company helicopters by placing lighted torches all around.

Capirona elders decided that tourism should be limited to a supplementary income source to protect their culture from the lure of money and over-visitation. Like other lowland Quichua communities of the region, the residents subsist on hunting, fishing, and farming for such cash crops as coffee, cacao (cocoa), rice and maize as well as fruits and nuts harvested from the rainforest.

Capirona has enjoyed collaboration with several organizations in the area of tourism development and small scale agroforestry. Capirona is a model for sustatinable rainforest management in the 21st century.