The Amazon region of South America is home to the world's largest river, tropical forest, and concentration of plant and animal species. Appreciation for this area's ecology and diverse human societies is growing, but the extent of Amazon forest burning and degradation is still very high. The causes and effects of Amazon deforestation are found both in and outside the region. Addressing these problems will, therefore, require inspiration and creative action by people in the Amazon and beyond.

The mission of the Center for Amazon Community Ecology is to promote the understanding, conservation and sustainable development of human and other biological communities in the Amazon region. Our three strategies are research, community support and education. One of our main goals is to study the ecology and develop the sustainable harvest and marketing of non-timber forest products such as fruits, fibers, resins, and oils. We also work with indigenous and other forest peoples to sustain local resources and support their communities. See More

CACE has begun a partnership with the locally owned pet supply store Wiscoy for Animals to offer the first models of the Amazon dog collars and leashes at their store at 424 West Aaron Drive in State College, PA. These products are made by native artisans from the Bora native village of Brillo Nuevo in the Ampiyacu River region of the Peruvian Amazon. Each item has been woven with the strong natural chambira palm fiber with eight designs of jungle snakes - most with all natural plant dyes. Wiscoy owner Wanda Crosby welcomed the Center to its Ice Cream social in September to see how the models looked on a wide range of sizes and types of dogs. Visit the CACE page on Facebook to see photos of the Amazon dog collars, Amazon dog leashes and both products being modeled by friendly dogs.

The collars are available in three widths (narrow - 1/2 inch, medium - 3/4 inch, wide - 1 inch) in two lengths. Leashes are available in the same three widths, and all are five foot long. In addition to Wiscoy, some models may also be purchased at upcoming craft fairs and from the Center.

The Center is making progress in our copal resin research at the Jenaro Herrera research station operated by the Institute for Investigation of the Peruvian Amazon (IIAP) on the Ucayali River. In March, we finished a two year study on the manual harvest of resin from three species of copal trees in a plantaion and section of natural forest. Resin yield from this method (photo on left) was lower than hoped, so we are continuing to study how to sustainably harvest resin lumps formed by a group of bark-boring weevils. One key to this is monitoring trees that were harvested in 2007. Project manager Angel Raygada is analyzing several thousand digital photos of resin lumps at different stages of growth to estimate how long these weevils take to mature and how many years it will take for the amount of resin on the trees to recover. Thanks to collaboration with Dr. Paul Fine the University of California at Berkeley, DNA testing indicates there are at least six species of weevils that stimulate resin flow from copal trees just in this region of Peru. We hope to expand our work with Fine's lab to analyze the chemical components in the resin from various copal species to learn more about the evolutionary and ecological relationships between these weevils and their tree hosts. We have just started a small-scale experiment in a copal plantation to see if a young weevil larva in a lump can be successfully transplanted (see photo on right). These tests will help us understand why weevils only attack some copal trees and may give us a tool to increase the amount of resin in a forest that can be harvested by people.

See updated versions with extra photos on the new Center for Amazon Community Ecology Blog

- New markets, opportunities for copal and crafts (updated version): Natalya Stanko and Campbell Plowden present highlights of the Center's research on copal resin and making a fragrant essential oil, developing innovative handicrafts with Bora natives and exploring connections with Maijuna communities in Peru, and Plowden's return visit to Ka'apor and Tembé Indian villages ten years after working with them in Brazil. See updated version with extra photos on the CACE Blog.
- Artisan Spotlight (updated version): Meet two of the Center's artisan partners - Monica Chichico from the Bora native community of Brillo Nuevo and Romelia Huanaquiri from the Huacamayo Handicraft Committee in Chino.
- Connections Profile (updated version): Dr. Dennis del Castillo - from son of slash and burn farmer to top investigator with the Institute for Investigation of the Peruvian Amazon (IIAP). He know seeks solutions to conserve the Amazon's threatened biodiversity and support its rural people
- Gilmore: Connecting plants and people (updated version): Ethnobotanist Michael Gilmore discusses the challenges being faced by the Maijuna native people in Peru and some things he has learned working with them for eleven years
- Amazon Field Volunteer in Action (updated version): Natalya Stanko spent six weeks in Peru with the Center and interviewed many of its artisan partners. She wrote about her experiences in many formats and wrote most of the articles for this issue of Amazon Connections. Read her fully illustrated version of "What makes a journalist?" and her recent story Amazon Trip in Greeniaks.com.
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Students from Penn State University are helping the Center with their skills and time with photography, video, graphic design, marketing, writing and research. See Profiles of Current and Past Interns and Key Volunteers