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What It Is All About - An introduction to the Yine Project The Yine Project marks the start of Pantiacolla's wish to fulfull one of the key parts in the definition of 'eco-tourism'....to help indigenous peoples benefit economically. Pantiacolla is the first and only tour operator in the Manu Biosphere Reserve to do so through a project of their own. Pantiacolla's working definition of ecotourism is: "Travel to destinations specifically to admire, enjoy, and learn about wildlife and (relatively) undisturbed natural areas, as well as indigenous cultures. The eco-tour should at the same time help to conserve the very place the travelers visit, with local people benefitting economically". While Pantiacolla has always promoted and taught about the Manu rainforest without disturbaing the local peoples, the owners felt the time was right to fulfill the last, yet integral part of true eco-tourism. The Yine Project developed as a result. At it's core, the project works to economically benefit Manu's local peoples.
For the last five years, Pantiacolla has been working with the Yine indians of the Diamante Native Community, who live just outside the Manu Biosphere Reserve on the banks of the Alto Madre de Dios River. Until recently, Pantiacolla operated the Diamante landingsstrip and airport. This landingsstrip, on Diamante territorial land, is used by all tourists flying in and out of Manu. The unexpected smoothfulness of this cooperation - unexpected because the Yine have had many bad experiences with other entities in the past - gave the local people enough confidence to ask Pantiacolla to help get them directly involved in Manu's eco-tourism. Pantiacolla's original suggestion was for a jointly-owned eco-lodge, with educational programmes to train the Yine people to work there. This idea was developed into today's project, where the lodge will be donated to the Yine in ten years time for the community to run and benefit from, exclusively. The lodge is currently under construction, built with 100% Pantiacolla capital, which covers paid labour (provided by the Yine) and materials. The Yine Lodge will be owned and operated by Pantiacolla for the coming ten years. After this period, the lodge will be handed over to the Yine indians. The restaurant was finished for Christmas 2001, offering typical local food as well as western alternatives. The bungalows were finished in the Spring of 2002. Over the coming years, numerous educational projects will be developed that:- These programmes are being funded jointly by Pantiacolla and by the Yine Foundation, which was formed to provide education sponsorship for the Yine to study in Peru and overseas, and fund volunteers. The educational programmes began early in 2001, with volunteers currently funded by Pantiacolla training the Yine in a variety of subjects: english, medicine (focussing on the consequences of alcohol abuse), music (focussing on their traditional heritage), bartending, waiting tables, and restaurant cooking. Other volunteers have started recording the peoples' knowledge of herbal medicine, rainforest ecology, handicraft, traditional music, etc. through informal interviews. These educational programmes will continue to be organized by Pantiacolla over the next few years. The aim, though, is for the Yine to take these over, organising finance through the Yine Foundation at about the same time that they will take over the lodge administration. Despite encountering challenges, everyone involved from the Yine community and Pantiacolla agree that the results far exceed expectations. As one of the Pantiacolla owners said: "It is as if we have all been waiting to start a project like this, and even though it has been difficult at times, and no doubt will be in the future, everyone is committed to seeing the Yine eco-lodge succeed." |
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The Yine Project has two
key goals:
to build and operate
an eco-lodge of the highest quality
1) prepare the village in general to be part of eco-tourism in Manu