AAF Hosts Annual Workshop in Peru

AAF recently hosted its annual grantee workshop, gathering its partners from across Peru for the two day event this June. The seminar was held in Pachacamac to the southeast of Lima and included a series of presentations and activities aimed to do the following:

• Strengthen knowledge of legal and technical procedures related to protected area creation

• Learn from the experiences of other NGOs in the country

• Discuss recent achievements and challenges within the field

• Review mechanisms for financial sustainability of protected areas

Presentations were given by both AAF staff and individuals from Peruvian government institutions, including the National Protected Area Service (SERNANP), the Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), and the Ministry of Environment. In addition to other important topics, grantees learned more about the process of establishing Regional Conservation Areas and Private Conservation Areas, how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for a protected area proposal, and the new process for forestry zoning.

Grantees also presented information about the goals, work, and impact of their organizations. This provided them with the opportunity to learn more about each other’s projects and encouraged future collaboration between NGOs. 

Grantee organizations in attendance included Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (APECO), Asociación para La Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica (ACCA), Amazónicos por la Amazonía (AMPA), Centro para el Desarrollo del Indígena Amazónico (CEDIA), Centro de Conservación, Investigación, y Manejo de Áreas Naturales (CIMA), Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF), Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), Instituto del Bien Común (IBC), Mongabay-Latam, Nature and Culture International (NCI), Propurús, and Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental (SPDA).