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Wayfinders Circle Wampis Nation

  • Geographic Location Peru
    (Peruvian Amazon border region with Ecuador)
  • Size of Territory ~1,327,760 Hectares
  • Communities 22 titled communities
    (as well as others that are not titled)
  • Population ~15,300
  • Language(s)|t Wampis

The Wampis territory is located in the Amazon headwaters near the Andes. It is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, spanning from the Santiago and Morona rivers, and includes the Kampankis mountain range. The territory includes swamps, lakes, waterfalls, and caves.

The Wampis Nation is governed by the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation, created to defend their ways of life and defend against pressures from extractive industries. Their governance regulations are laid out in the Statute of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation, which clarifies the Wampis vision for their future in all areas of life, including religion, spirituality, education, language, and the recovery of ancestral place names. The Statute is built strictly on the obligations of the Peruvian State to respect the rights and autonomy of Indigenous Peoples and nations. Amongst other principles, the Statute requires that any activity that could affect the Wampis territory must have the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of the Wampis Nation. The Wampis Nation is also governed by a Socio-Political Pact that includes agreements and obligations for the conservation of living beings of the Wampis territory.

In October 2021, the Wampis released a technical study showing that tropical forests protected by the Wampis territorial governance capture approximately 57 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

In 2011, the Field Museum of Chicago carried out a rapid biological assessment in the Kampankis mountains and recorded over 1,700 species of plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including 25 species that appear to be new to science.

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