Workshop participants receive their certificates (Moyobamba, Peru – August 2026)
In August, Community Conservation’s Executive Director, Dr. Teri Allendorf traveled to Peru to co-host two workshops with our partners at Neotropical Primate Conservation. The workshops brought together people already doing this work and created space to exchange ideas, learn from other communities, and plan what comes next.
These workshops show what becomes possible when communities share their knowledge, experiences, and commitment to the places they call home.
What exactly does conservation look like when the people who live alongside a forest help lead the work to protect it? In Peru, it looks like farmers organizing to safeguard their land, neighbors working together to protect water, and community leaders finding new ways to connect their efforts across a region.
In Juningue, protecting the forest means protecting water and livelihoods
In the community of Juningue, near Moyobamba in the San MartÃn region of Peru, Teri met with members of a local association of farmers and coffee growers who have secured a conservation concession. The members of Juningue invited leaders and members of a women’s association from nearby communities to share their conservation experiences. At many of our project sites, conservation spreads from one community to another, a process our founder called, “conservation contagion.”
The conversation connected experiences from Peru with community conservation efforts elsewhere in the world. For Teri, that exchange goes both ways: she brings stories from other communities to Peru, then carries what she learns in Peru to people working on similar challenges around the world. It is a reminder that local conservation leaders are part of something larger.
The participants shared their reasons for conserving forests and about encouraging others to think of the future their children will inherit. One participant described the importance of learning, training, and gaining the tools to protect the area. Participants also discussed the need to support women leaders so more women can take part in conservation. And the video highlights local work linking forest protection with sustainable production and crafts such as embroidery and weaving.
You can learn more by watching this short YouTube video:
Watch the 3-min video above to hear directly from people in Juningue protecting their forest and water.
In Bagua Grande, building connections across Amazonas
The second workshop took place in Bagua Grande, in Peru’s Amazonas region. The workshop brought together community representatives, community organizations, local authorities, conservation professionals, and institutions involved in protecting the region’s biodiversity.
Teri shared examples of community conservation from other parts of the world, including Nepal and Namibia, along with practical ways to think about participation and support conservation action. In the afternoon, participants worked together to identify opportunities for stronger networks and future collaboration across Amazonas.
Their perspectives make clear why those connections matter. Community representatives described protecting rivers, forests, and the resources their families depend on. A representative of the rondas campesinas, or community patrol groups, spoke about the ongoing work local people do to care for the environment, as well as the challenges they face when their decisions about their territories are not respected. Another participant described forest control posts as one way to respond to illegal logging and deforestation.
You can learn more by watching this short YouTube video:
Watch the 3-min video above to meet some of the people in Bagua Grande
working to strengthen conservation across Amazonas.
Learning from one another, acting together
These workshops were an opportunity to recognize and build on work already underway. In Juningue, local associations are protecting forests and water and trying to expand their impact by sharing their experiences with other communities. In Bagua Grande, community leaders, community associations, and local authorities are finding ways to coordinate effectively across a wider landscape.
We are grateful to Neotropical Primate Conservation and everyone who shared their time, knowledge, and experience. Their work shows that lasting conservation grows from local commitment and grows stronger when people have the tools and relationships to act together.
Dr. Allendorf takes in the view on the trip to Bagua Grande, Peru