How do we value the ecosystems that sustain us? In the socially and ecologically rich landscape of Tambopata Province in Madre de Dios, Peru, the answer depends entirely on who you ask.

To build more inclusive territorial governance, the Wyss Academy for Nature’s South America Hub conducted a comprehensive two-parts baseline study (2025–2026) called Mapping Perceptions of Nature's Contributions to People in the Tambopata Solutionscape.

Using the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) framework, researchers mapped how local actors—ranging from Amazon nut harvesters, artisanal miners, and farmers to Indigenous communities and youth—perceive, value, and depend on their environment.

The study revealed that while local communities recognize all 17 applicable natural contributions, they primarily talk about nature through the lens of livelihoods, personal well-being, and cultural identity. Crucially, participants do not view these benefits in isolation; they recognize a deeply interconnected system where critical habitats like aguajales (palm swamps) simultaneously regulate the climate, provide food, and anchor cultural heritage

Three Coexisting Worldviews

Through Q-sort methodology, the research identified three distinct perspectives on nature coexisting in Tambopata:

1. Spiritual Interconnectedness: Prominent among Amazon nut harvesters, artisanal miners, fisherfolk, and women, this view holds nature as a divinely ordered, delicate system where regulating functions are the sacred foundation of life.

2. Nature as Livelihood: Primarily held by the timber and artisanal mining sectors, this is a pragmatic, resource-grounded perspective focused on materials, food, and economic survival.

3. Territory as Home and Future: More strongly championed by the younger generation (ages 18–30), this view blends deep territorial pride and cultural roots with forward-looking economic aspirations.

A Shared Path Forward

Despite these differing worldviews, the study found vital common ground: across all sectors, there is a shared understanding that safeguarding ecological foundations—like climate regulation, water quantity, and pollination—is non-negotiable. Without these regulatory functions, all other material and non-material contributions cease to exist.

A new phase of the research will be focused on Values & Stewardship from mid-2026 onward, these insights will directly guide the Wyss Academy’s local incubators in agroforestry, restoration, and non-timber forest products. By aligning territorial governance strategies with the authentic, plural values of the people of Tambopata, we hope to foster equitable, community-led stewardship for generations to come.

This study was led by Liselot Lange , with co-authors Gabriela Wiederkehr-Guerra, Rocío López de la Lama and Armando Valdés-Velásquez.

Text: Claudia Lucero