This Solutionscape covers a large area of the Peruvian Amazon in Tambopata Province, Madre de Dios. A region of extraordinary biodiversity and cultural richness, Madre de Dios faces the ongoing challenge of balancing economic development with environmental conservation. Since the inauguration of the Interoceanic Highway in 2011, the region has experienced uneven growth, with prosperity concentrated in urban centers and unsustainable extractive industries. Despite increased income levels, multidimensional poverty persists, fueling widespread deforestation due to agricultural expansion, illegal logging, and mining. These pressures have led to habitat loss, disrupted hydrological systems, mercury pollution, and deepening social inequality—issues further exacerbated by enhanced migration and illicit activities.

To address these interconnected challenges, the Wyss Academy’s work in Tambopata focuses on five strategic fronts that operate together within its Solutionscape approach:

1. Generating strategic knowledge and monitoring territorial change to inform conservation and decision-making through geospatial, socio-ecological and economic data.
2. Strengthening territorial governance and enabling conditions for change, supporting local institutions, multi-stakeholder platforms and policy implementation.
3. Fostering innovation and sustainable enterprises, helping nature-based businesses and entrepreneurial solutions grow and access investment.
4. Strengthening forest-based value chains, including non-timber forest products such as Brazil nuts, agroforestry systems and nature-based tourism.
5. Restoring degraded landscapes through regenerative production systems, demonstrating how restoration can generate both ecological recovery and sustainable livelihoods.

In Tambopata, the Wyss Academy’s Solutionscape brings these pieces together to test new pathways where forests remain standing while people thrive.