Objective
CEDIA aims to strengthen the institutions of indigenous peoples, build local capacity for the sustainable management of their territories and natural resources, promote conservation and co-management of protected areas, and provide access to the fundamental rights of Amazonian populations.
Our interventions are oriented into five lines of action:
- Land property legalization: All of our interventions start by guarantying land rights to local indigenous communities over their ancestral territory as the basis of any conservation initiative. This responds to the revindication of their land rights, but also because in our experience, indigenous people are excellent administrators of their land and resources.
- Strengthening of the organization of communities and representative organizations: We aim to improve organization skills in local communities though proper training, empowerment of leaders and the proper use of management tools, as statutes and life plans.
- Sustainable management of natural resources: We promote green economies in local communities, through the development of management plans for the recovery of natural stock and the sustainable use of natural resources.
- Support to Natural Protected Areas: We support the process for declaration of new protected areas, but also the improvement of their management, especially in the elaboration and implementation of their management plans.
- Protection of isolated indigenous people: We work, together with indigenous representative organizations and the Peruvian government in order to provide proper protection to this vulnerable group of people. This is made by the execution of recognition studies, declaration od indigenous reserves, strengthening of their protection (hiring rangers, but also building and maintaining surveillance posts), and through awareness of neighboring communities in order to prevent the risk of accidental contact.
Our story
CEDIA initiated its work supporting the Machiguenga people of the Urubamba river in their defense of their ancestral territory for the colonization in early 1980s. During that decade CEDIA supported tens of communities in the Urubamba river basin to obtain their land titles and together for the COMARU, their first representative organization their used as the right platform to defend their rights and fight for the conservation of their mountains and sacred places.
Almost four decades later, CEDIA is now present several regions of Peru, including Loreto, Ucayali, Cusco, Madre de Dios, Apurimac and Pasco. Supporting indigenous organizations and in close coordination with local and regional authorities in the frame of cooperation agreements for the benefit of local indigenous communities. Our work, organized in the five lines of action previously described, have had a great impact in the life of thousands of families and the protection of more than eight million acres.
With 38 years of successful work, CEDIA is leader in the strengthening of capacities of Amazonian populations, promoting the sustainable management of their heritage and supporting them in the places where the state fails.
Our team
Our staff is now integrated by around 40 people, committed with participatory conservation and sustainable development of the Amazon and indigenous people. Our team is integrated by anthropologists, biologists, forest engineers, administrative personnel, field technicians and local promoters; distributed in the regions of Loreto, Ucayali, Cusco and Lima.
Lelis Rivera
President
Lelis is an anthropologist, with more than 40 years of experience working with Amazon Indigenous communities, performing as a civil servant and from the private sector as director of several NGO projects. Lelis, that is also one of the founders of CEDIA, is an international consultant in land tenure and territorial planning, and a national authorized voice in the protection of indigenous people in isolation.
Alberto Romero
Vice-president
Alberto is an anthropologist with more than 40 years of experience implementing development projects. Alberto initiated his career in the public sector and implementing poverty relieve projects in several regions in Peru. For the last 30 years, his work is focused in the defense of Amazon Indigenous people rights, especially land rights and the improvement of their organization.
Ricardo Risco
Ricardo is an agricultural engineer, with more than 30 years of experience in capacity building for adults in rural environments. During this time, most of his work has been focused in the design an implementation of education contents for community organization and territorial management for Amazon indigenous people.
Our Achievements
- CEDIA has provided instrumental support for the land titling of more than 350 indigenous and rural communities, which represents more than five million acres of land under indigenous administration.
- CEDIA has supported
- CEDIA has supported the creation of two Indigenous Reserves that represent the protection of hundreds of isolated indigenous people and more that 3 million acres of protected land.
- CEDIA has provided instrumental support for the declaration of nine natural protected areas in Peru, adding more than eight million acres of protected lands.