Inkaterra La Casona

Inkaterra Sustainability Policy is based on:

• Defining and respecting authentic cultural, social and environmental values
• Creating opportunities for professional development
• Encouraging the recruitment and training of local staff
• Developing an ideal working environment that provides better living conditions
• Developing activities in accordance with current legislation
• Development of contingency plans for natural, social or financial disasters
• Raising awareness among partners, travelers and locals about environmental conservation
• Use of environmentally friendly products, maintenance and good communication with suppliers
• Efficient use of energy and water and proper waste management
• Developing continuous improvement in our management and process controls by minimizing negative impacts
• Identify the positive and negative impacts of human activities
• Offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the organization’s operations to achieve carbon neutrality.
• Be a replicable business model with low initial costs and high positive impact on local communities
• Believe that conservation is achieved through the sustainable use of natural resources
• Developing strategies to protect and restore ecosystems
• Promoting the development of local communities

ITA is a non-profit organization that began research in 1978 to promote the conservation of Peru’s biodiversity and cultural resources.

• Committed to sustainable development
• ITA’s core objectives are to support scientific research and promote responsible business models that benefit local communities.
• ITA has protected more than 15,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest in the lowlands of the Madre de Dios River (sequestering 3,400,000 tons of carbon emissions), as well as ecosystems in the cloud forests of Cuzco.
• These activities are supported by partnerships with the National Geographic Society, the United Nations Global Environment Facility, Conservation International, the World Bank, the International Game Fish Association, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and other influential organizations.
• ITA’s research program is self-funded through its ecotourism activities, which have resulted in the discovery of 21 new species, including orchids, amphibians, insects, and lianas.
• A conservation program for the bears of Machu Picchu, bird and orchid studies, and a marine reserve in Cabo Blanco (northern Peru) are among ITA’s current projects.
• ITA’s mission is to conserve nature and biodiversity for the benefit of the environment, local communities and future generations.
• ITA’s vision is to strengthen research, restoration and conservation of biodiversity through sustainable development.

ITA’S VALUES

1. A passion for conservation.
2. Commitment to sustainability to ensure resources for future generations.
3. Continuous innovation towards sustainable development.
4. Supporting scientific research and awareness among local communities, as well as promoting the training of future professionals, allowing the application of innovative methods in scientific projects.
5. Applying research to restoration and conservation, creating lasting value for biodiversity.
6. Free dissemination of the information generated by ITA, as the understanding of nature is a universal right.
7. Sharing experiences through training, environmental education and participatory, multidisciplinary activities.
8. Development of replicable, low-cost production models that promote sustainable activities with high impact.
9. Integral support for the benefit of ecotourism.
10. Promote strategic partnerships with organizations and associations with similar objectives as ITA.

Conservation of natural resources, ecosystems and the environment is a subject that needs to be taught to communities. Especially to school children, so that sustainable development becomes part of the educational process.

• Inkaterra Asociacion (ITA), dedicated to educating the future guardians of nature, has developed educational workshops on conservation for school children.
• The workshops combine knowledge and fun, through games, exhibitions, crafts and experiments, so that children have fun learning and discovering different topics related to environmental protection and biodiversity.
• ITA has established partnerships with prestigious institutions such as Markham College, with whom it develops programs to improve schools, such as helping to paint and furnish the indigenous community of Ese’eja Palma Real.
• ITA currently organizes an annual conservation education course in the district of Machu Picchu.

ITA develops research and conservation activities, constantly creating new ecotourism products as the most effective strategy to protect the environment and economically develop local communities.

• Through training courses, it shares knowledge with (mainly young) professionals to specialize them in environmental interpretation, ecotourism, agroforestry, good practices, etc.
• This contributes to the development of a responsible and sustainable activity focused on the conservation of Peru’s most important ecosystems.

Training courses scheduled for the first quarter of 2014 are:

Tambopata
◦ “III Bird Banding Course”
◦ “IV Environment Interpretation Course for Ecotourism Guides”
◦ “Tropical Dendrology”

Machu Picchu
◦ “Introduction to Birdwatching Workshop” (Jan. 2014)
◦ “Birdwatching Techniques Workshop” (Feb. 2014)
◦ “Orchid Conservation at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Course”
◦ “Andean Bear Conservation Course”
◦ “Apiculture Course”
◦ “Bio Garden Development Workshop”

Cabo Blanco
◦ “Implementation of Good Practices in Touristic Activities” (Jan. 2014)
◦ “Customer Service” (Jan. 2014)
◦ “Implementation of Sport Fishing Sustainable Techniques” (Jan. 2014)
◦ “Best Practices on Artisanal Fishing” (February 2014)

• Initiated in 1989 by the University of Leeds and the Rainforest, the Carbon Monitoring Program is based on the installation of four permanent plots of one hectare each, located at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica.
• Carbon fixation in the soil and vegetation is monitored using a variety of methods.
• A new permanent plot has also been established by the Faculty of Forest Sciences of the Universidad Agraria La Molina (Lima).
• The studies carried out by Oliver Phillips and Tim Baker have shown that after completing all the steps to calculate the amount of carbon per hectare, the average carbon sequestered per hectare is 200 Tn/ha.
• This result is calculated without adding 25 tons of necromass, 70 tons of biomass found in roots, and 25 tons sequestered by small trees and lianas.
• The strategic alliance with global academic institutions and organizations is of great benefit to ITA. Every three years, the University of Leeds research team conducts carbon monitoring in the Amazon rainforest, and it is an opportunity to capacitate ITA’s professionals in this activity.
• According to these calculations, ITA has sequestered 3,000,000 tons of carbon in the forests it protects, which means that Inkaterra’s tourism activities are carbon neutral.

• Starting in 2011, a scholarship program for scientific research has been created.
• The program has been developed without relying on external funding, only with its own efforts and the support of Inkaterra Peru S.A.C..
• As ITA finds other sources of funding, the number of students who will benefit from this program will increase.
• Research takes place at the Casa ITA field station (Tambopata), located 17 km from Puerto Maldonado on the left bank of the Madre de Dios lowland river.
• A bi-annual scholarship has been established for subjects such as biology, forestry and environmental engineering, ecotourism, and other related professions according to the call.
• The scholarship consists of financing the scholar’s stay at Casa ITA for the period determined by his or her activity plan, with a maximum duration of 24 months.
• Two scholarships have been awarded so far
• The call for the next scholarship will be published on the ITA webs

• Volunteering is an alternative way of traveling that gives you a deeper experience of the local culture and environment.
• ITA offers the opportunity to participate in activities that help counteract aggression against nature by contributing to conservation, research, social development and education.
• Volunteering also helps fund ITA’s projects.
• The list of activities for volunteers is carried out in the biological station Casa ITA, located in the Amazon rainforest in Madre de Dios.
• Since 2004, Casa ITA has been a place of learning for professionals and young people interested in conservation, research and ecotourism.

ITA offers an intense and total immersion experience in the Amazon forest that is as educational as it is fun. This is achieved through a carefully prepared program and interaction with technical teams, as well as working with researchers who offer lectures and demonstrations of the work being done.