Associação Sociocultural Yawanawá (ASCYAWANAWA, Sociocultural Association of Yawanawá) is a representative body of the Yawanawá indigenous people of Acre state, northern Brazil. The group works to create income generating opportunities for its members through the conservation of the community's indigenous territory and the promotion of Yawanawá culture. Through the sustainable extraction of native agricultural products such as urucum (a local plant that produces a red dye) and a partnership with an international cosmetics firm, the initiative has been able to generate revenue for investing in local infrastructure developments.

The community secured the revision of the boundaries of the Yawanawá's indigenous land, extending their legal control over 187,400 hectares of the Amazon forest. This achievement, coupled with the initiative's innovative use of their traditional culture – for instance, through their Yawanawá clothing brand – has made the group a model for indigenous sustainable forest management in Brazil.

 

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2008

Founded: 1977

Location: Acre state, Brazil

Beneficiaries: Six villages, 750 people

Biodiversity: 187,400 hectares of Amazonian forest

 

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