MISSION
Water Sources and Biodiversity Restoration and Food Security of Amazonian foothills communities.
Reciprocity for indigenous wisdom and medicines.
SUMMARY
The Amazonian foothills of Sibundoy, Colombia is a highly biodiverse Andean valley¹, home to the Putumayo River and the indigenous Kamëntsá people, who've stewarded 350+ native plant medicines over 3,000 years, including yagé (Ayahuasca)—which is increasingly studied and used in today’s global psychedelic movement.²
Only 3% of Sibundoy’s native ecosystem remains (forests, wetlands, semi-natural areas), most turned over to monoculture and livestock farming.³ Construction of an IIRSA international highway proposes clearing 12,000 hectares of forest, further threatening biodiversity and social structures of Amazon communities, living in constant danger of flooding and landslides. 79% of the local population live in poverty, burdened by the costs of synthetic industrial agriculture and the lack of education on indigenous food systems.⁴
OIOC (Organization for Indigenous Outreach & Conservation) is an indigenous-led non-profit in Sibundoy. On resguardos (Indigenous protected lands), we regenerate native species through ancestral and modern methods, preserve and cultivate native foods and natural medicines, and propose income-generating projects aligned with biocultural health.
After completing a smaller reforestation effort of 700 trees, repairing homes for families in need, and building a community temple, we're raising funds to scale our reforestation, ethnobotanical conservation, and sustainable livelihood projects for the next five years.
Our Indigenous-led conservation and ecosystem restoration efforts address climate change, rejuvenate natural habitats, and support our community's holistic health.
Unified and timely action is essential to reinforce cultural and environmental resilience in alignment with global commitments. Guided by international frameworks like the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, our restoration projects—sustained through contributions and regenerative partnerships—are helping to preserve biodiversity while supporting the health, prosperity, and cultural sovereignty of Indigenous communities.
Biocultural Green Rebirth
Kamentsa Indigenous People
5-Year Proposal to Restore Biodiversity in the Amazon foothills and Essential Food Needs in the Kamëntsá Indigenous Community
IMPACT
Environmental & social well-being
Biodiversity
Restauration
1700 Plants Planted Y1 Restoration of biodiversity, food and over 100 native medicinal plants of the Kamentsa Indigenous Reservation.
Water & Climate Security
Implementing the restoration of water sources. Regulating carbon and hydrological cycles, and maintains aquifers for human, animal, and plant activities.
Support
Indigenous Families
Directly benefitting through community workshops (cultural heritage, language, ecology), housing restauration for families in need.
4
Income Sources
Agroforestry and greenhouse products, carbon credits, and ethnobotanical extracts—aligned with ecology and culture, all accessible to the community.
SPONSORS OF PAST PROJECTS
