VISION & MISSION
VISION & MISSION
The Vision
The vision for Kapawi Eco-lodge is to fulfill an ancient Achuar prophecy that envisions global unity & collaboration for the survival of all people.
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Kapawi Eco-lodge is one of the most unique places for profound connections between two worlds, the Indigenous & the modern, that empowers the sharing of knowledge, wisdom and collaborative leadership for environmental challenges.
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From the earliest days of Kapawi Eco-lodge, the vision for this eco-tourism project has been shaped in collaboration between The Achuar & the travelers who are welcomed here– beginning with the very first group of travelers in 1995 who's trip resulted in the formation of the Pachamama Alliance.
"The world is as you dream it. Your people dreamed of huge factories, tall buildings, as many cars as there are raindrops in this river. Now you begin to see that your dream is a nightmare. All you have to do is change the dream of your people.”
- Numi, a shaman of the Shuar territory.
The Mission
Our mission is to empower indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest to preserve their lands and culture. This mission has 2 primary goals. The first is to maintain high sustainability & conservation standards for the Amazon rainforest and the second is to further economic development for the Achuar Indigenous Nation.
SUSTAINABILITY & CONSERVATION MISSION​
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Kapawi Ecolodge was built following ecotourism principles, inspired by the “natural history of the area, including its indigenous cultures, whose areas have been adapted for this activity in a spirit of appreciation, participation, and responsibility”.
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When it opened in 1996, Kapawi Ecolodge set the standards for community ecotourism in Ecuador, promoting practices that protected wildlife, respected Achuar culture, generated local employment and empowered local communities. Kapawi Ecolodge was built using Achuar construction styles and building materials from the forest. Energy is generated 100% from solar photovoltaic panels, while local building materials are still used to preserve the Achuar style.
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These standards apply today and our mission is to empower the Achuar to continue to withhold the highest standards of sustainability & conservation of their land and culture.
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There have been many lessons learned since 1996, including the development of community enterprises to ensure that local materials, like leaves for the roofs, are farmed in the local communities to reduce the pressure on natural resources from the forest.
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Over its history, Kapawi Ecolodge has won several awards including; Ecotourism Excellence 2000 by Conservation International, Skal International´s Ecotourism Award 2002, National Geographic´s Top 50 Ecolodges (2009), UNDP´s Ecuador Award (2010), Rainforest Alliance´s Award for Ecotourism Standards in 2013.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ACHUAR INDIGENOUS NATION
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Kapawi Ecolodge was the Achuar’s first major project to foster self-determination and to provide a source of income for NAE, the Achuar’s governing federation. 23 years later tourism has become a critical source of both political and local economic development for the Achuar that is key to sustaining their way of life for generations to come.
Sustaining Kapawi eco-lodge is a critical initiative for the Achuar to turn the Amazon rainforest from an extraction economy to a prevention economy through the economic development and job opportunities at Kapawi Eco-lodge.
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As stewards of the rainforest, the Achuar have a deep spiritual devotion to a way of life that practices reciprocity & care for their land. The Achuar believe that tourism is a great opportunity to welcome collaboration & knowledge exchange with the modern world.
Our mission at the lodge is to welcome guests into the Achuar's pristine rainforest so that they can contribute to the local economy that the Achuar are building and in exchange learn from the Achuar's wisdom and visions for a thriving, just, and sustainable future for our world.
UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THAT WE TARGET
The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. Kapawi targets and aligns our mission, vision, and operations to the following 9 UN SDG's. Learn more about the UN SDG's
