“We have to protect these natural areas. We must defend our territories,” states Deyanira Mishari, Ashaninka woman and Head of the San Matias – San Carlos Protection Forest: a protected area spanning over 145 thousand hectares in the heart of Palcazu Valley, Peru’s central rainforest. It’s not a coincidence that this area is part of the Oxapampa – Ashaninka – Yanesha Biosphere Reserve: a vast territory protecting 1 800 000 hectares in the Pasco region, where both indigenous peoples coexist.

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