From opportunities to enabling conditions for nature-positive enterprises

In 2025, partners across different spaces supported by the Wyss Academy assembled the conditions needed to move nature-positive enterprises from ideas to uptake. The regional innovation ecosystem (DER) secured public funds to launch a Bioeconomy Hub in Tambopata. The Amazonia 5.0 Award: Businesses Transforming the Industry was launched under the leadership of Marca Madre de Dios and Fab Lab, selecting five organizations now implementing more resilient and regenerative industrial models. A business development program with Swisscontact began strengthening the management capacity of small nature-positive enterprises in Tambopata, while partnership with Amazonia Impact Venture positioned a pipeline for impact finance.

Partnerships with GRADE and FENAMAD further strengthened knowledge production and territorial leadership. In partnership with CITE Productivo, AIDER, UNAMAD, and EcoDely, we advanced agroforestry systems designed to scale nature-positive farming. By replacing conventional agrochemicals with local bio-inputs based on local microorganisms, we demonstrated that ecological restoration and economic viability are mutually reinforcing. The research also confirms that these systems serve as vital habitats for biodiversity by mimicking forest conditions. These results provide a robust, data-driven foundation that translates agroforestry practice into actionable evidence for regional planning, sustainable investment, and public policy.

From individual operators to a unified, trustbased tourism corridor

In 2025, a sustained process of facilitation and technical support by Swisscontact and the Wyss Academy, in close collaboration with public and private actors in the territory, yielded tangible results. Local tourism entrepreneurs strengthened their internal governance, advanced formalization efforts, and built shared decision-making spaces, giving rise to the Bajo Madre de Dios Tourism Association, now a key actor in destination-level governance.

With this governance in place, the Association helped protect more than 18,000 hectares of Amazon forest, supported livelihoods for approximately 350 local families, and generated 162 business-to-business meetings in a single destination-wide encounter, consolidating a previously fragmented tourism landscape into a coordinated, trust-based tourism corridor.

Through voluntary agreements and the use of camera traps and AudioMoths, the Association now monitors Amazon forest ecosystems, safeguarding biodiversity and the region's attractiveness for nature-based tourism. Acoustic monitoring has recorded 267 species, while camera traps have documented 26 mammal species, demonstrating that when tourism is organized and locally led, it can actively contribute to keeping forests standing while generating long-term value for people and nature.

PERUMIN: From silence to constructive dialogues on small-scale gold mining

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Madre de Dios is one of the most fundamental challenges for both nature and people. Past responses that criminalized miners, excluded them from decision-making, or failed to engage with ASGM's underlying drivers have not produced lasting change. Leaving ASGM unaddressed does not make the problem disappear—pressures and risks continue to grow.

This year, in partnership with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss Embassy in Peru, we brought an evidence-based perspective to PERUMIN, one of the region's most important mining conventions. As part of the Technical Group on ASGM, together with Pure Earth, CINCIA, Solidaridad, and the Women ASGM Network of Madre de Dios, we highlighted the dynamics and opportunities of colluvial ASGM.

At the Swiss Pavilion, we created an immersive space using videos, miners' testimonies, and printed materials to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the people and challenges shaping ASGM. The stand sparked discussions with representatives from the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society. In a context traditionally dominated by large-scale mining, we elevated the work of women miners and local leaders, shifting attention toward locally grounded, practical options.

The Wyss Academy also contributed to the TIS Forum, one of PERUMIN's key platforms, bringing together more than 100 participants for a discussion on practical steps toward more regulated and responsible ASGM.