Serfor Promotes Sustainable Use of Amazon Chestnuts in Madre de Dios

Between December and March, the Puerto Arturo community in the Madre de Dios region becomes the scene of an ancestral activity that protects the forest and sustains the local economy: the collection of Amazon Brazil nuts. This tradition, passed down from generation to generation, is a living example of how the sustainable use of non-timber forest resources can go hand in hand with environmental conservation. "More than 30 community members participate in Brazil nut collection. I learned this activity from my parents, and thanks to it, we have been able to educate our children, feed our families, and build our homes," says Lita Canelos Canelos, president of the Brazil Nut Partners Association of Puerto Arturo. The National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor), from the Ministry of Agrarian and Rural Development (Midagri), plays a key role in this process, providing technical assistance and promoting sustainable forest management models. An example is its articulated work with the ...