Good News from the Amazon - Pandemic Updates

We want to let you know we haven’t stopped in our efforts to take care of our jungle, and the plants & people who we work with. Although we have had very few visitors this year, 2020 has been busy for us – and for sure almost everyone we know!

To each and every one of you impacted at this time: we wish you peace, patience and wisdom. And to every one of you who took this time to shift your lives and priorities, we wish you luck, grace and vision. We hope to hear from you. Please reach out to us by email. Also, we are selling medicinal herbs that we have wild-harvested from the jungle. You can support us and our projects directly through our online store. We sell bobinsana, cat's claw, and many other herbs.

Now, a few thoughts and highlights from us detailing what we have been up to since January.

Maura and Merino work on finishing touches to Chambira fibre shoulder bags they made when visiting Novalis in May 2020.

Good News and Updates from 2020.

It is still too early to understand the balance and impact that the pandemic has had on our ecosystem. Here at Novalis if we can say anything worthwhile about this defining event for humanity, it is that our collective search for harmony and co-existence of humans and nature is now more urgent than ever.

It is well known that the Amazon continues to be one of the areas most affected by the pandemic in terms of health care access, the harmful direct effects of collapsing economies, and people’s abrupt shift and loss of livelihood putting pressure on the forest. We believe that the jungle is a vital part of the Earth, and we recognize ourselves as part of her. We allow ourselves react, and to face the challenges that still surrounds us.

So, we want to share with you the actions we took during the beginning of this pandemic, and especially during the most critical stages in our region of Tambopata.

Thanks to the help of many of our supporters, we have been able to work with three communities directly during this time;

We were able to help the only Machiguenga family here in the region, composed of 14 people, located on the banks of the Madre de Dios River. This settlement is headed by the great and wise healer Merino, the same one who right now, requires more support for health issues. We have been buying medication for him in the last two weeks and buying his family's handi-crafts. If you want to help support Merino's family by buying their crafts, please check-out our online store on our website.

We also joined forces with Indigenous community organizers to give our aid directly through donations of cash, food, medicine and clothing in the Indigenous communities of Boca Pariamanu, belonging to the Amahuaca ethnic group; and La Victoria indigenous community, belonging to the Yine ethnic group and the Bajo Piedras community.

As Peru was gravely affected by the pandemic, many other charities and organizations working with conservation were intensely affected, too – in our region especially animal rehabilitation centers were economically decimated because they had no visitor income. We offered financial support to Amazon Shelter, whose work is to rescue and safeguard wild animals. Our donation went towards food for their animals.

Finally, as you know, one of our main missions at Novalis is the preservation of forests. We want to let you know that our campaign to safeguard the Shihuahuaco trees - those majestic and gentle giants whose existence is threatened by logging - continues to bear fruit. During the pandemic with your donations, we were able to save two precious specimens of approximately 600 and 400 years-old. In addition, we managed to postpone the felling of 48 individuals, at least for one year more. We hope in the next year, we will be able to rescue more of them.

We want to express our gratitude to all of you! As you see we were able to help at least 200 people in our region, an animal rescue center and you helped us stop the felling of 50 shihuahuaco trees.