Members from a Peruvian Amazon nation visited Wales this week to
discuss the Wampís' vital work to protect the Amazon rainforest
and how Welsh Government funding is helping to support them move
to renewable energy.
Organised by Size of Wales as part of Wales Climate Week, Teófilo
Kukush Pati, President of the Wampís Nation - an Indigenous
nation from the Peruvian Amazon – and Tsanim Wajai Asamat, a
young Wampís leader enjoyed a week in Wales attending events in
the Senedd and Youth COP Cymru events in Cardiff and Wrexham.
They have a population of just 15,000 but their territory covers
1.3 million hectares of tropical forest and is extremely
biodiverse, 98% of the forest remains intact, despite pressures
from illegal logging, gold mining and oil exploration.
A study estimated that their forests can store 145 million tonnes
of carbon and Size of Wales has been supporting the Wampís Nation
since 2016.
, the then Minister for Climate
Change, met representatives from the Wampís Nation at COP27 in
Glasgow in 2021 and again at Biodiversity COP in Montreal in
2022.
As a result of these meetings, the Welsh Government - through
Size of Wales - provided funding to the Wampís to support their
goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy and paying for the
construction of a ten-seater solar powered boat – the first of
its kind in Peru.
The boat is already providing an invaluable service to the Wampís
nation by helping community members visit health centres, go to
school, transport harvest, carry out other daily activities and
patrol the river.
This includes vital services such as taking pregnant mothers from
local communities to the local health post to attend pregnancy
check-ups, as well as taking children to monthly health
check-ups.
During their visit to Wales, the Deputy First Minister, committed an additional £50,000 to help fund
smaller boats to further support their transport system.
Barbara Davies-Quy, Deputy Director of Size of Wales said: “This
is a powerful moment for Wales, welcoming Indigenous leaders who
have travelled from the heart of the Amazon to share their
knowledge and experience in environmental stewardship.
“Their courage and dedication in protecting their territory are
inspirational, and their experiences are a powerful reminder of
what can be achieved when we stand together across nations.”
