Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a project is underway to protect both the rainforest and the livelihoods of Indigenous families — through wild cacao. NGO MAMANO AMAZONIA has launched a donation campaign to raise US$1,235 by December 2026 to see this project through.
What is happening in the Amazon right now
MAMANO AMAZONIA is currently running a wild cacao exploration project, selected for a grant by the Japan Fund for Global Environment and supported by LOS ALIADOS in Ecuador.
What is the Japan Fund for Global Environment?A grant program run by Japan’s Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency (ERCA) that supports the environmental-conservation work of NGOs and NPOs. Official site →
What is LOS ALIADOS?A local partner organization in Ecuador working with communities and associations to support regenerative agriculture, forest conservation, and community-based bio-businesses. Official site →
From April 2027, we plan to go further: in old-growth forest in Napo Province, surrounded by national parks, we will help Indigenous families earn income from wild white cacao — a rare genetic resource. By top-grafting this native cacao onto common cacao varieties, the same number of trees can generate more income while conserving the genetic heritage. The cacao of this region may have formed its own distinct lineage over centuries, even millennia; just a short distance from the communities, no DNA of modern varieties can be detected at all.
Protecting the forest is how we push back against illegal gold mining
This region is a biodiversity hotspot — and yet illegal gold mining can be seen everywhere. Our Kichwa friends do not want to cut the mountains or destroy the forest. But the reality is that financial hardship sometimes pushes them into mining work.
We believe that increasing income while keeping the rainforest standing is one of the most powerful ways to counter illegal mining.
Why grants alone are not enough
Our projects are funded by grants — last year the Green Fund, this year the Japan Fund for Global Environment. But there are essential costs on the ground that grants cannot cover.
The clearest example is the “minga.” In these communities, decisions are made by the whole village sharing a meal and talking things through. Without a minga, no project moves forward — ever. Fifty or sixty people come from the village, from children to dogs. Yet food costs are generally not covered by grants. The same goes for communication: some villages have no internet, so reaching them means a full day’s travel each time.
Nearly 100% of your donation goes directly to the project. This is the only project MAMANO AMAZONIA is currently running, and all board members are unpaid volunteers.
How your donation will be used
The first US$1,235 (by December 2026)
- Exploration of wild cacao
- In-depth interviews with Indigenous communities
- Building consensus for harvest and collection
Anything beyond US$1,235 (from April 2027)
- Funds the tree-planting and grafting project
- The more we raise, the more we can do: community training, more trees planted and grafted
From 2027, we are planning activities at the following scale:
About US$6 covers planting one tree, plus monitoring and pruning. In five years, a single tree bears dozens of cacao pods, raising a family’s income by tens of dollars every year. In a region where cash income is said to be less than one-tenth of urban levels, that is an enormous impact.
*These are estimates; actual figures vary by region and activity.
Our track record
- 2025–2026 | Rainforest conservation and expansion through replanting of wild cacao and native trees (National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization, Green Fund)Planted 3,000 wild cacao trees and 3,000 native trees in old-growth forest plots.
Read the reports (Japanese) → - 2026–2027 | Improving Indigenous farmers’ livelihoods and conserving rainforest through wild white cacao in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Japan Fund for Global Environment)
Read the reports (Japanese) →