Benefits of the Yine Project

While surviving in the rainforest has always been difficult and challenging, the declining numbers of animals and lack of edible vegetation mean that the Yine have reached a turning point in their history.

In the 1950s, missionaries to placed a great deal of importance on the village school, which resulted in a more sedentary lifestyle among the Yine - farming instead of hunting. But agriculture and cattle have proved to be bad alternatives, in part because of the poor soil and very low annual production. In addition, this new lifestyle is turning once lush and green rainforest to barren, eroded desert.

Coupled with the fact that the Yine had been alloted a stretch of land by the Peruvian government and were obliged to over-hunt as a result, this forced them to look for other means of survival.

Eco-tourism may be the best option open to the Yine today. Involvement in eco-tourism also means conservation of the Yine culture, as their traditions and lifestyles will be an important part of what they will offer tourists. In addition, the will offer their visitors a chance to stay in relatively intact rainforest in a purpose-built lodge, with expert guides. And most importantly the Yine lodge will provide the Yine with a guaranteed economy - and the chance to live the life they want.

For people to have reached a stage in their history where they must change their traditional lifestyle at high speed - within one or two generations - Pantiacolla and the Yine knew it was key for the Yine to maintain a feeling of pride in their own culture. Eco-tourism and this project help them to do so.

In the past, many indigenous peoples all over the world have turned to alcohol and drug abuse. They have lost their sense of identity, of who they were, or where they belonged.

Conserving and making a living out of their cultural knowedge can only enhance the pride of the Yine people. It also has the add-on effect of contributing to the conservation of the Manu rainforest in two ways:

(a) Although westerners like to think humans are on top ecologically, when you see daily life of the Yine you cannot help but see that they are intrinsically linked to the land and all that lives on it. They have developed long-term ecological relations with Manu's flora and fauna. Disappearance of the Yine culture would lead to dramatic and drastic changes within the animal and plant kingdoms.

(b) The Yine have a wealth of knowledge, developed over centuries, of certain medicinal and food plants that they cultivate themselves. Disappearance of the Yine would mean the loss of these plants, that is a reduction in the rainforest's biodiversity.

The Yine legally own a big piece of Manu rainforest. All of which could be designated for conservation in the future, provided they can make a living out of showing it to tourists as an intact ecosystem.

And as the Yine Project develops, it could serve as an example to others living in the rainforest - indiginous peoples as well as colonists. And if they follow in the Yine footsteps to conserve their land, whole stretches of protected rainforest could be formed.

Pantiacolla's long-term mission includes taking the idea of the Yine Project to other native and colonial communities of the Madre de Dios.

The Yine Foundation has been set up to handle donations to the Yine Project. To find out how you or your company can contribute email pantiac@terra.com.pe.