In this ground-breaking initiative, Acaté is teaming with Matsés elders to help preserve and transmit their knowledge of medicinal plants from the rainforest. Their knowledge is being compiled from several Matsés villages into a cohesive volume written in their own language. This unique approach tangibly preserves their wisdom meanwhile protecting it from unscrupulous bioprospectors. Already, well over a hundred plants have been documented!
Donate today to continue our Amazon conservation efforts!
These efforts have real impact but require your support. Acaté is an on-the-ground conservation organization that operates with a daily presence in the field. The Matsés live in remote forests that costly to access. Every dollar donated goes directly towards our field work.
Donate $100 towards Amazon conservation and we’ll send you a Acaté t-shirt!
We’ve still got a few American Apparel 100% Made and Printed in the USA t-shirts available for donations of $100 or more. Please make a contribution today to help move our projects forward in supporting the Matsés people to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Acaté Amazon Conservation is a non-profit conservation organization based in the United States and Perú that is an extraordinary partnership of the Matsés indigenous people and dedicated conservationists with decades of experience. The Matsés indigenous people live along the tributaries of the upper Javari River, in the heart of the Amazon Basin of what is now the present day border between northeastern Peru and Brazil. The Matsés are famed as fierce warriors due to their defeat of the rubber tappers who invaded their territory early in the 20th century and their long conflict against frontier colonizers backed by the Peruvian military. Peaceful contact with the outside world began in 1969 when they accepted a meeting with missionaries. Today, the Matsés still live by hunting, fishing and farming but in family homes in permanent villages instead of in communal longhouses in temporary villages.
The Matsés safeguard a vast and biodiverse corridor of intact primary rainforest as well as shield some of the last remaining uncontacted tribal groups in isolation from unwanted encroachment from the outside world.
All of Acaté’s projects are developed in a close partnership with, led, and implemented by the Matsés indigenous people. We operate through implementing strategic programs and real-on-the-ground initiatives that help them protect their chosen way of life, traditions, their ancestral lands and ecology. The on-the-ground conservation initiatives are capacity-building and designed to support their self-sufficiency and independence. Acaté operates with unparalleled integrity and transparency in its operations, partnerships, and reporting.
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Please consider donating today to support our work. The Matsés and other indigenous peoples in the Amazon struggle with the most limited external resources to protect the future of their people, culture, and their rainforests. Each donation will be applied where it will have the highest impact and with full transparency and accountability. Acaté does not exist for the sake of sitting on the sidelines. We are here to make a true impact and we welcome your support!
