Empresa de Turismo Indígena Wanamei policy
Aims
- To share our culture and heritage knowledge about caring the rainforest with people around the world.
- To preserve the forest and use the natural resources in a sustainable way.
- To insert the eight native communities in the tourism business in a decent way.
- To generate economic and entrepreneurial opportunities for them.
- To protect our land from the external threats (gold, wood and oil exploitation).
- To show the identity of the Amazonian indigenous with pride and respect.
- The enterprise is owned 100% by the indigenous, so the profits are destined exclusively to improving the living conditions of the indigenous communities.
- It’s encouraged the entrepreneurism among the indigenous of the communities they are trained and guided through the implementation of small business such as craft sells, typical food, natural medicine, cooking and dancing lessons and alike.
- Wanamei has been developed with qualification and training of the indigenous shareholders of Wanamei, the General Manager, Fermin Chimatani, is an indigenous with university studies in Management of tourism. He has received the trust of the rest of shareholders, even of the older ones, who are aware now of the importance of given education to the Youth. There is a group of ten indigenous members of the enterprise who are received specific training in management and account topics.
- It’s promoted the establishment of strategic alliances with the local governments in order to carry on together projects to improve the infrastructure of the communities, for instance, improvement of ways, and water management.
- There is a system of accountability and transparency available to all the members of the communities. Each two months, the General Manager gives Information to the communities’ partners about the economic statement of account and periodic reports of the state of the company to that refers.
- During its regular sessions, the planning committee decides on the uses to which profits gained are to be put. It examines the accounting done by WANAMEI and comes itself under the scrutiny of a Fenamad (river of Madre de Dios Federation Native) representative. Members of the communities can take part in the sessions, which guarantees a high level of transparency.
- The guides and others Wanamei’s staff are from local, Wanamei mainly buy natural products produced in the local community for example manioc, fruits etc according to the necessities and preferences of the visitors
- Wanamei uses local services that are previously checked to confirm its optimus conditions. For example, it uses sometimes the accommodation services of some members of the communities, to tourist who prefers interact further with the natives, Wanamei use the food and housekeeping services of some members of the communities.
- Recycled paper is used only when it is absolutely necessary. Printing paper is avoided. Wanamei prefers to send virtual promotional brochures to their partners.
- The rest of the papers are donated to the local schools with teach about recycling to the children.
- The electrical energy is reduced, the lodges do not have electrical energy, there are tendencies of use of solar panel, the water use is controlled, the served waters flow to a septic tank, the inorganic garbage is given back to the origin of such and the organic garbage one controls and treats in the zone (compost). There is program of environmental education with Communal Reserve Amarakaeri’s staff (guard forest) and the Park National Manu.
- Wanamei encourage de research of the natural resources and cultural wealth in the Communal reserve Amarakaeri. Wanamei has specific packages to do services to researchers and the members of the Communal Reserve Amarakaeri are willing to receive researchers to help them in the worldwide recognition of the Reserve.
- Wanamei support the reforestation in the surrounded areas of the communal areas in alliance with universities and volunteers. Wanamei motivates the replacement of the trees harvested for different communal uses Wanamei. At the moment we have strategic alliance with the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, with students of post-grado de ecoturismo. This year the students are making their activities of environmental management in the community
- The food for the indigenous and the visitors is made with local ingredients that were obtained in a sustainable way. The local ingredients for the food are obtained from sustainable way, for example “Aguaje” (Mauritia flexuosa) and Brazil nuts are not due to cut down, if not to extract of suitable way. Diversify the use of the natural resources.
- Wanamei avoid to estress to the animals; therefore, the excursions have eight members at most regarding a better time and an adequate distance from the animals. Othe common practices are the following: Necessary narrow trails for the group and not very wide as there is in other parts, to avoid permanent income in periods of rains, to keep silence in the forest, to avoid animal capture to show the visitors mainly when one is animals in extinction.
- Wanamei pass on the environmental message to the staff in work meetings or to make participate in related events to the environment subject. To the guests by free workshops all the evenings after the dinners where members of the staff tell the history and actual projects of Wanamei to preserve the forest then, is promoting the debate and the reflecting in the environmental protection. After the departure of the visitors, Wanamei keeps the contact informing regularly about the efforts and improvements in the protection of the environment.
- The cultural interchange allow to the indigenous to strength their pride and to preserve their cultural heritage.
- The tourists have the opportunity to have a more active role with the indigenous and to know about the indigenous’ efforts to protect their land, culture and traditions.
- Part of the revenues and the volunteers’ support contribute to the execution of social projects such as child education and building of small medical centers, and schools. After an investment phase, the profit made by Wanamei will be split on a 70:30 ratio. It has been agreed that 30 per cent of Wanamei net profit will go into the management of the reserve, to be spent on such tasks as are decided by the planning committee. The remaining 70 per cent of the net profit is to be distributed among the communities in the form of a development fund, the size of which depends on the number of families inhabiting a given community. In one way or another, all members of the communities will thus have a share in this project.
- There is a talking about the customs of the local people with the visitors. They are also provided with an electronic manual for knowing about the local context and suggestions for avoiding cultural misunderstandings before the travel.