Building the Resilience of Wetlands in the Province of Datem del Marañón, Peru

The project in Peru's Loreto region and implemented by Profonanpe, ran from 2017 to 2024 and aimed to strengthen the resilience of indigenous communities by promoting sustainable practices and conservation efforts. The project targeted 120 indigenous communities and aimed to directly benefit over 20,000 people, ultimately achieving a reduction of 1.31 million tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions through various interventions.

In terms of overall achievement, the project enhanced climate resilience through the establishment of three Municipal Environmental Conservation Areas (ACAs) contributing to biodiversity conservation, implementation of 63 solar-powered bio-businesses, involving 131 indigenous communities (15,720 families) with active participation from women, who represented 47% of those involved in business initiatives, and establishing 410,366 hectares of conservation areas. Eight photovoltaic plants were installed promoting clean energy solutions and five water treatment facilities, while 23 community forest monitoring committees were supported. The integration of gender-sensitive approaches from inception led to many women assuming leadership roles in managing productive systems.

Key lessons learned include the importance of: (i) an intercultural and participatory approach in implementing solutions in indigenous contexts; (ii) Success required engaging local actors and adapting training to local knowledge systems and languages. Institutional engagement with subnational governments and indigenous organizations proved essential for social acceptance and sustainability; (iii) and maintaining operational flexibility and climate-related challenges specific to the Amazon region.

The comprehensive exit strategy focused on building local technical capacities, and establishing preventive maintenance mechanisms for equipment used in bio-businesses. To ensure sustainability, partnerships with local suppliers and the delivery of technical manuals to community members were emphasized. This intervention significantly contributes to GCF objectives by demonstrating how decentralized renewable energy solutions can be successfully implemented and promoting equitable access in climate vulnerable regions while respecting indigenous knowledge systems. The lessons learned can inform future interventions promoting community resilience for replication in similar contexts.