Too much Wounaan territory has been deforested and degraded by agriculture and illegal logging. The natural resources Wounaan have relied on for generations are severely depleted: the palms for their baskets, the hardwoods they use for constructing their homes and the sacred rosewood (Dalbergia retusa) they carve for ceremonial and commercial purposes are all but extirpated in some communities. 

This year of the pandemic, Native Future and Wounaan technicians are developing alternative, digital ways to support community forest monitoring and conservation while decreasing the risk of contracting COVID-19.  With your support, we are: 

• Developing digital maps that will remotely alert Wounaan and Panamanian authorities of the deforestation and fires that threaten their land.
• Supporting Wounaan forest monitoring technicians to collect evidence of deforestation and present criminal complaints to Panamanian authorities, and
• Providing digital training materials and resources to communities to plant thousands of trees and restore natural resources that have been depleted.

This year, donations to Native Stewardship will be matched up to $6,000, thanks to the support of a generous donor. Every dollar of your donation counts twice, and helps Wounaan of Panama protect and restore the natural resources they depend on.  

Thank you!

Native Future, 34 Taylor Street, Portland ME 04102