A Regenerative Economy Through Community Tourism in the Mataven Jungle

Location: Mataven Jungle, Cumaribo, Vichada, Colombia

Grantee: The Colombia Project

Nominated by: Adventure Travel Trade Association

Year: 2023

Grant: $15,000

Goal

Strengthen the nature tourism and cultural immersion products offered by this indigenous group, motivating the development of an economic alternative that supports processes of conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage. Through a process of many years that has involved efforts from 3 different organizations (Etnollano NGO, Mataven Deiyu Indigenous Association, and tourism operator The Colombian Project) we have been able to start working on the creation of nature and culture-based tourism product for 3 Piaroa communities on the Mataven River basin one of the most diverse regions of Colombia and part of the Inírida Fluvial Star (RAMSAR), with the idea of making of nature tourism a productive alternative to economic activities that affect the environment - such as deforestation - and allows them to have economic income through an activity consistent with their vision of the territory: "The conservation of biodiversity and the reactivation of forests, for the concentration of animal communities and species in their natural habitat, promoting human action in a controllable manner for the active protection of biodiversity".

Project Summary

Strengthen the nature tourism and cultural immersion products offered by this indigenous group, motivating the development of an economic alternative that supports processes of conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage. Through a process of many years that has involved efforts from 3 different organizations (Etnollano NGO, Mataven Deiyu Indigenous Association, and tourism operator The Colombian Project) we have been able to start working on the creation of nature and culture-based tourism product for 3 Piaroa communities on the Mataven River basin one of the most diverse regions of Colombia and part of the Inírida Fluvial Star (RAMSAR), with the idea of making of nature tourism a productive alternative to economic activities that affect the environment - such as deforestation - and allows them to have economic income through an activity consistent with their vision of the territory: "The conservation of biodiversity and the reactivation of forests, for the concentration of animal communities and species in their natural habitat, promoting human action in a controllable manner for the active protection of biodiversity".

Thanks to this grant were able to start working in the creation of a nature and culture-based tourism product for 3 Piaroa communities on the Mataven River basin, with the idea of making of nature tourism a productive alternative to economic activities that affect the environment - such as deforestation - and allows them to have economic income through an activity consistent with their vision of the territory: "The conservation of biodiversity and the reactivation of forests, for the concentration of animal communities and species in their natural habitat, promoting human action in a controllable manner for the active protection of biodiversity".

The 3 organizations formed a very solid alliance in which the whole local community contributed with all their knowledge, their work, their territory and their culture, Etnollano, NGO, which has been working uninterruptedly in this territory since the 80's in processes centered in creating solid welfare conditions undertaking projects aimed at improving health conditions, education, gender equality, child nutrition, governance, etc, creating a very solid base that allows today to be thinking about productive and development alternatives such as tourism. And The Colombian Project, who oversaw all the product development, capacity building, promotion, and commercialization processes

The project finished in June 2022, but the alliance continues, and we remain committed to supporting these communities. The destination has begun its commercialization path, and although it has been positive, there is still a need to improve comfort, accommodation and service conditions, strengthen commercialization processes to continue making of tourism an agent of change for the conservation and improvement of the quality of life of the communities in Colombia.

How will this project support the community, culture, and landscape?

We have carried out environmental carrying capacity studies and community agreements to develop rules to avoid mass tourism that negatively affects the local community and direct tourism towards the strengthening of the community wellbeing.

What are the impacts you hope to see as a result of this project?

Improvement of the quality of life and well-being of the community through the addition of a new economic activity that is aligned with the Piaroa worldview.
Increase the number of young people integrated into the tourism activity and recover their cultural heritage represented in music, gastronomy, storytelling, art, use of medicinal plants, etc.
Creation of conservation agreements
Increase the number of research studies on the flora and fauna of the region that can be integrated into tourism and give a better understanding of the importance of this ecosystem.
Increase the number of local and international operators commercializing the destination
Sales growth

How will this project combat climate change?

By protecting the Matavén Jungle in Colombia, conserving its biodiversity, and improving the quality of life of its 16,000 indigenous people, we prevent the emission of an average of 3,622,352 tons of CO2 per year into the atmosphere. Although this project covers only a small sector of the great reservation, it does its share by protecting around 10,000 hectares of forests and floodplains in the transition area between the Amazon and the Orinoco basin region.

This will be achieved by:

Conservation of one of the last refuges of the transition forest between the Colombian Amazon and Orinoquía region
Conservation of biodiversity in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world and part of the fluvial star of Inírida a RAMSAR area for its importance for being a biodiversity corridor between the Orinoco and Amazon basins.
Conservation of a unique and very important ecosystem that drains the Orinoco basin during the rainy season avoiding floods and natural disasters.

What does final success look like?

An empowered community, operating its own destination and developing products around the strengthening of its cultural and natural heritage.

Get to know the Matavén Jungle community

What makes this community unique?

The Matavén Jungle is the fourth largest Indigenous Reservation in the country, with an extension of 1,849,613 hectares and located in the north-eastern area of the department of Vichada, between the Vichada rivers to the north, Orinoco to the east, Guaviare to the south and the Chupave canal to the west. Today it constitutes one of the last refuges of the transition forest between the Colombian Amazon and Orinoquía region. This territory has a great diversity of landscapes and different habitats such as floodplains, large stone hills of the Guyanese shield, or open savannah areas in the middle of its jungles. Its name is due to the Matavén river, which crosses this extensive region in a west-east direction.

Approximately 10,500 indigenous people live in the Matavén Jungle, distributed among the Sikuani, Piapoco, Piaroa, Pinave, Curripaco, and Cubeo tribes. This characteristic of multiculturalism that exists in the reservation makes this region a space of great importance for the conservation of the existing natural and cultural heritage.

Conservation challenges

Create economic alternatives to deforestation due to extractive industries such as logging, cattle raising, mining, etc.

Does the Matavén Jungle rely on a protected area to attract visitors?

Yes, Indigenous Reservations in Colombia are a figure of conservation.

How will this project support the communities impacted by tourism?

The initiative for this project was born from the community, seeing the need to diversify their economic activities, find alternatives to the threats of extractive economies, preserve their territory, and strengthen their cultural heritage.

We have seen how young people begin to be interested in the stories of their elders, to learn traditional craft techniques and processes, food preparation, how they begin to value their language, learn about birds and different animals, the uses of plants, the importance of ecosystems and knowing its territory in depth to be able to explain it to a visitor with pride and security.

Tourism comes to continue diversifying the income of this community, without becoming dependent on this activity. According to Piaroas words, tourism must contribute to the strengthening of culture, its traditional activities and its territory.

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More about the Colombian Project

The Colombian Project was an idea to bring our passion, love, and knowledge of Colombia to the world. After 4 years of investigation and development, The Colombian Project was born back in July 2013. With over twenty years of combined travel experience in Colombia, our growth since then has been nothing short of remarkable.

For them, Colombia has always come first. Their company was founded not only to show Colombia to the world and give people life-changing experiences during their visit but also to help in whatever way they can to aid a country that has been through so much and yet has so much to look forward to. That’s why they value their local partners as friends, fostering strong and lasting relationships built on trust, respect, and integrity. They want to ensure that their operation brings as much positive local impact as possible, whilst minimizing their own travel footprint, following international sustainable tourism principles.

A REGENERATIVE ECONOMY THROUGH COMMUNITY TOURISM IN THE MATAVEN JUNGLE