ASHA’s Bioregional Plan has pathways towards achieving the wellbeing of Amazonian communities across a range of areas: health, education, livelihoods, transportation, governance and rights, energy, transportation, connectivity and housing. Each area has clear strategies for achieving goals and targets with specific actions and associated costs. We currently have several projects in Ecuador and Peru focused on reforestation and developing a forest bio-economy. Our efforts also focus on supporting Indigenous member organizations across many areas that ultimately improve people’s lives. ASHA is also currently developing a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system to track the environmental and social impact of our work.

RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY, AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

External challenges: Financial pressures on debt-ridden Ecuador and Peru and the threat of international debt defaults force the government to resort to business-as-usual scenarios of drilling and mining their way out of debt. Mitigated by: Engage champions within the local and national government in scenario planning involving innovative concepts and thought leadership from our global commission of experts on a 'roadmap' for social-ecological transition which positions these countries in leadership not only among the Amazon countries, but also globally (another Costa Rica or Bhutan); Facilitate a national level conversation about Ecological Transition Green New Deal and Indigenous concepts of Buen Vivir with the latest thinking in regenerative economics and bioregional planning. Continue to explore financial incentives such as debt relief and voluntary carbon markets and financial contributions that Ecuador and Peru could receive.

REDUCED INEQUALITIES

The long term beneficiaries of this Alliance are an estimated 600,000 Indigenous peoples from 30 Indigenous nationalities and peoples that inhabit the Sacred Headwaters region as well as an additional 2.3 million non-indigenous residents who also depend on the Amazon rainforest for their wellbeing. The bioregional plan spells out solution pathways that improve livelihoods, uphold collective / land rights, improve ecological resilience, address education, health and transportation, food sovereignty, energy access all within an ecological framework. Indigenous communities on the ground are leading the process of understanding and shaping the implementation of the Bioregional plan to deliver a just transition to a well-being bio-circular economy. This Alliance builds local capacity, participatory governance and ensures the sustainability of efforts to implement the plan, and learnings from each period helps to reshape the next phase accordingly. Also significant, ASHA is an Indigenous led organization. This means Indigenous people are themselves taking a lead in proposing an innovative transition towards a post-carbon economy based on their world view and their vision of Buen Vivir or living well.

GENDER EQUALITY

ASHA has a central focus on issues of gender and youth. Many in leadership positions at ASHA are women and youth and we support their roles as leaders in their territories and in global arenas as representatives and spokespeople for ASHA. Some other concrete recent examples: ASHA delegation to Pan-Amazon Social Forum (FOSPA), Belem, Brazil included Gianella Sanchez, youth representative from AIDESEP (Peru) as spokesperson of the ASHA Governing Council. ASHA youth leaders are often in such positions and roles and given the institutional support to act in this role in many local, regional and international forums.