The Mushullakta community is one of 17 Kichwa communities in the ancestral territory of Rukullakta. Located in the Upper Amazon, Rukullakta has 100,000 acres of tropical forest and is adjacent to the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park's 500,000 acres of protected flora and fauna, for which they are ancestral protectors. Mushullakta is restoring 370 acres of previously deforested land and protecting an additional 740 acres of primary forest, home to endangered species like monkeys, harpy eagles and jaguars. Over 40 individuals benefit socio-economically through this program. Expansion plans will extend restoration efforts in Mushullakta by bringing in more participating families and eventually across the 17 Rukullakta communities, impacting up to 2,000 people.

The Pintag Amaru collective is a group of Indigenous educators and leaders in the Andes that is focused on restoring their native Andean forests and re-storying their Kichwa Kitu Kara identity. They combat the legacy of toxic agriculture and cattle ranching through reforestation and water conservation projects, focusing on the protection of streams and rivers that come from nearby mountains. With over eight years of community education experience, they are now training families from around the greater Pintag area on sustainable agriculture, regenerative water systems and bioconstruction. Expansion plans will integrate neighboring communities, particularly those with significant paramo ecosystems, crucial for carbon sequestration and water production, impacting thousands of residents.

Children of the Living Forest School. In Mushullakta, middle and high school students who want to continue their education must leave their community and live in nearby cities to attend school. Our model provides them an opportunity to remain with their families. 15 students are part of a community-based schooling program focused on forest conservation, sustainable practices, and cultural survival. They learn Kichwa, Spanish, and English, and engage in excursions to historical and biodiverse sites. The curriculum includes math, entrepreneurship, bioconstruction, regenerative agriculture, ancestral knowledge, music, dance and art. Expansion plans include sharing this model with other communities. Eventually we hope the Forest School will set a trend across the Amazon, fostering a new generation of forest protectors.

Over a period of 40 years, Omar Tello and his family turned 17 acres of pasture land into native tropical forest, creating a giant botanical garden with a comprehensive collection of important Amazonian species. The garden doubles as a site for educating local communities and growing trees to reforest the region. Omar and his family travel around the Amazon Rainforest and collect seeds, store them in a climate-controlled seed bank, and propagate them to support indigenous reforestation efforts. Currently, they supply seedlings to over 10 communities. Expansion plans will increase seed collection from thousands to millions annually, boosting the survival chances for numerous species, and by multiplying seedling production, we can at least duplicate the number of beneficiary communities.

Restorers Lexie and Luis have restored nearly 25 acres of native forest ecosystem and learned how to process medicinal extracts from native plants, trees and mushrooms. They are now leading the way to create environmentally and ancestrally sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous peoples in the Sucumbios province of Ecuador. Their educational program links forest conservation and restoration with income generation by focusing on the sustainable harvesting and processing of forest products like natural body lotions, medicinal (essential) oils and mushroom extracts. Expansion plans include bringing their education program to more communities and eventually developing a commercial network for sustainably harvested forest products.