The Environmental Governance and Global Development Research Team at the Wyss Academy for Nature (WA), along with the WA Hub South America, led the study of the social network analysis of environment-related stakeholders in the Tambopata province in Madre de Dios, Peru. 

The report draws on data from 49 semi-structured interviews conducted between November 2024 and February 2025 with representatives of 18 distinct stakeholder groups, including farmers, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), traders, government, and service providers, among others. 

The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential social network analysis techniques. We find, for example, that while NGOs, tourism, and finance-related stakeholders became central stakeholder groups in the Tambopata network, loggers, traders, and gold miners remain weakly connected to central stakeholders - even though they interact closely with different land covers and exert high environmental impact. 

The findings point to opportunities to strengthen connectivity between certain stakeholder groups in the network, as well as support for more inclusive and reciprocal stakeholder engagement. The report improves our understanding of the relationships between diverse stakeholder groups and the environment in Tambopata, helping to identify entry points for more effective and inclusive governance interventions that promote co-benefits for nature and people.

In the two photos below you can see the copmparison of the Tambopata social network in 2023 and 2025 by stakeholdergroup. Node colors represent the stakeholder groups. Nodes are sized by number ofedges received. Edges are sized by the (normalized) frequency of their interactions.