Trueque Amazónico: Lessons in Community-based Ecotourism

This 170-page report explores Trueque Amazónico, which sought to capture lessons learned from 3 community-based ecotourism lodges in the Amazon: Kapawi Ecolodge in Ecuador, Chalalan Ecolodge in Bolivia, and Posada Amazonas in Peru. Leaders from these lodges came together in 2003 to share experiences and lessons learned. The Trueque brought them together in a series of three 5-day workshops that took place on location, in each of their respective ecolodges.

Participants were people from some of the most remote regions of the Tropical Andes seeking to share their experiences, knowledge, ideas, and concerns with each other and with other people in the region who are striving to make ecotourism an effective tool for conservation and development. They included former hunters who now lead tourists as birding and wildlife guides, small farmers and artisans who now sell handicrafts to tourists, fishermen who now supplement their incomes by driving tour boats, local leaders who now manage their own tour companies, and others who have forged new paths in ecotourism.

As indicated in the report, "[w]hen they gathered to compare notes, many things began happening on various levels. As flipcharts were filled, discussions bridged rivers and regions, and ideas spanned perspectives, backgrounds, and disciplines. Participants learned directly from each other, but they also began generating new ideas and building new alliances. They reached consensus on various points related to how to divide benefits from tourism, how to manage resources for tourism, and how to plan wisely for tourism in their communities. The process itself became a lesson. Throughout the workshops, participants often sat back in quiet surprise as it became apparent just how much they had to share, the extent to which they knew what they knew, and how far they had come, metaphorically and otherwise. So many times they laughed and nodded with recognition while listening to stories of how people had managed conflict, overcome disastrous first tries, and dealt with disappointing failures - just as they themselves had. The conversations buzzed throughout the meeting, but never let up, even at mealtimes, on the boats, walking the trails, and waiting in airports. There simply were endless stories and ideas to share, questions to ask, and points to compare. As they talked during three workshops, over the course of three months in three countries, the trust grew, the dialogue became more pointed, the probing and critique of each other more forthright, and the learning deeper. The learning and comparison took place not just in the workshops, but also in preparation for the workshops. Coordinators and community leaders from the three countries worked in close collaboration to develop the themes, methodologies, and activities for each workshop. The process for building the Trueque mirrored the participatory nature of each of the lodges. Community leaders participated in the Trueque, and community leaders planned the Trueque."

The purpose of this document is to capture the process that was followed and share the lessons learned. It is divided into 3 sections and 8 chapters. Section I covers the rationale behind the Trueque Amazonico, the participants, and the methodology. It includes a set of recommendations for future exchanges between communities, either to discuss ecotourism or other grassroots efforts. Section II summarises in 7 sections the themes of discussion among the Trueque participants in the workshops. It is accompanied by comparative, descriptive analysis of ecotourism in the 3 sites, gathered through ethnography. Section III provides a summary of lessons learned and consensus reached on strategies and tools for linking ecotourism with conservation and community development.

The document includes lessons learned, some of which reveal the importance of community engagement and partnership, as illustrated in the elaboration of the first theme, below:

• Theme 1: Creating Ecotourism Partnerships: The ideal partnership model for community-based ecotourism is one that includes a local community, a private company, and a non-governmental-organisation (NGO). In a true strategic alliance between a community, company, and/or NGO, all partners should share not only the benefits but also the responsibilities. Even the most harmonious strategic alliance can benefit from having a person or organization serving as a neutral intermediary to communicate between the community and company and/or NGO. Any ecotourism project can be strengthened economically, socially, and strategically with the involvement of different cultural groups, broadly speaking, of partners involved, including community members, scientists, administrators, guides, etc.
• Theme 2: Creating the Ecotourism Product
• Theme 3: Sharing Economic Resources
• Theme 4: Building Local Capacity (for Transfer or Continued Partnership)
• Theme 5: Theme 5: Managing Cultural and Natural Resources
• Theme 6: Tracking Changes in the Community
• Theme 7: Monitoring Impacts

One communication-related conclusion to emerge from the process: "The long-term sustainability of this project will depend on the extent to which community representatives who participated in each of the workshops incorporate what they have learned into their own projects and also share their experiences with others. Following each of the workshops, the project team returned to each site to facilitate the sharing information from the workshops and discussion of key concerns and questions in community settings."