How Buying Brazil Nuts Helps Protect One of Peru’s Last Uncontacted Tribes
PublishedRecent photos show The Mashco Piro tribe, one of the last uncontacted groups in the Peruvian Amazon, forced to the edge of their forest home due to logging. Learn more about how buying Brazil nuts and supporting conservation efforts can help protect their land and way of life.
The Current Situation in Peru
Introduction to The Mashco Piro Tribe
The Mashco Piro tribe is one of the last remaining uncontacted indigenous groups in the Peruvian Amazon. They are a nomadic hunter-gatherer people, relying on the dense rainforest for their food and shelter.
Pictured: Young indigenous community tribe member. Photo courtesy: Paul Rosolie.
The tribe is known for their deep knowledge of the forest and its resources, using traditional methods to hunt, fish, and gather wild fruits and plants. Living in voluntary isolation, the Mashco Piro have had almost no contact with the outside world, this physical separation helps preserve their culture heritage and way of life while insulating them from the diseases of the modern world.
The Current Threat: Logging
Recent photos and videos of the Mashco Piro tribe have surfaced, showing members of the group at the edges of their forest home. These rare images highlight the dire situation the tribe is facing: logging.
Logging is devastating for several reasons: it destroys the tribe’s habitat, reduces their access to essential resources like food and medicinal plants, and disrupts the delicate balance of the rainforest ecosystem. The noise and pollution from logging operations also drive away wildlife, which the Mashco Piro depend on for subsistence hunting.
Photo Courtesy: Junglekeepers
Additionally, increased contact with outsiders poses a significant health risk, as the tribe lacks immunity to common diseases. Unfortunately, the logging company who has forced them off of their ancestral lands has already built more than 200km of new roads since 2016.
How to Make an Impact
1. Buy Brazil Nuts
What are Brazil Nuts?
Brazil nuts are found deep in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. Brazil nut trees reach up to 200 feet and live for over 500 years, producing more than 250 pounds of nuts annually. In comparison, an almond tree yields only 20-30 pounds per year. The nuts grow inside grapefruit-sized pods, each weighing up to five pounds and containing around two dozen seeds.
Pictured: Brazil Nut Trees
Harvesting Brazil nuts is demanding work. Collectors cut open the pods with machetes and transport them on foot through the thick jungle. Thousands of families in the Amazon rely on this income for survival, earning over half their yearly income from Brazil nut harvesting. These nuts grow in remote forests, navigable only by local people. Without their efforts, we wouldn’t have access to this jungle delicacy.
The Impact of Buying Brazil Nuts
When communities engage in Brazil nut harvesting, they earn income from the sale of the nuts rather than from logging, which can lead to government incentives and revenue generation for rainforest conservation. This economic model demonstrates to governments and stakeholders that protecting the rainforest can be financially beneficial. By showing that Brazil nut harvesting is more profitable and sustainable than logging, it encourages policies that support conservation efforts.
Moreover, the revenue generated from Brazil nut exports contributes to local economies, supporting schools, healthcare, and other community services. This creates a positive feedback loop: as communities earn more from harvesting Brazil nuts, they have more reasons to protect the rainforest, thus reducing the pressure to clear land for logging.
2. Donate to Junglekeepers
Who is Junglekeepers?
Junglekeepers is a dedicated organization focused on protecting the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous communities. Their mission is to combat deforestation by preventing illegal logging, restoring degraded lands, and promoting sustainable practices like Brazil nut harvesting. They are purchasing large swaths of rainforest- currently they own 77,000 acres, and protecting it from threats of deforestation. It is central to the Junglekeepers ethos to employ and train local and indigenous community members in the active protection of land that is ultimately theirs.
Pictured: Junglekeepers installing a wildlife camera
Forest Rangers monitor their concessions, maintain trails and report any illegal activity occurring on the land being monitored. Rangers also track wildlife to contribute to broader scientific datasets in the region. Within the current boundaries of the reserve they have seen incidents of illegal logging drop by over 90% and incidents of illegal land acquisition drop to almost zero. Their rangers patrol hundreds of kilometers per year. Within the Junglekeepers protected land, the animals are safe, the ancient trees are safe, and the forest is free to function as it has for millions of years.
Junglekeepers x Red River foods
Red River Foods began partnering with Junglekeepers in 2021. Through our partnership, the Junglekeepers collect Brazil nuts from Peru, and we purchase them for processing and distribution in the US market. We also support their Ranger program by funding two rangers each year. This collaboration incentivizes local communities to preserve the rainforest and utilize its resources instead of resorting to deforestation for short-term gains.
The Impact of Donating
Based in Peru’s Madre de Dios region, the Junglekeepers use donations to directly support their mission of preserving the Amazon and protecting local tribes. Currently, the Mashco Piro tribe resides in the surrounding area that the Junglekeepers work in.
Already protecting more than 77,000 acres of land, your donation will be allocated to purchasing more land from loggers. This will effectively create a protected area where indigenous communities, including Mashco Piro, can live safely and maintain their traditional lifestyle. Additionally, donations help support vital conservation projects, such as reforestation and sustainable land management, which benefit the broader ecosystem.
Join the Fight
The fight to protect the Mashco Piro tribe and the Amazon rainforest is urgent and vital. Together, we can make a significant impact on protecting the tribe’s homeland and ensuring the survival of one of the world’s most important natural resources. Your involvement is crucial in this global effort to safeguard our planet for future generations.
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