Members from a Peruvian Amazon nation visited Wales this week to discuss the Wampís’ vital work to protect the Amazon rainforest and how Welsh Government funding is helping to support them move to renewable energy.
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs - Huw Irranca-Davies, Counsel General Designate and Minister for Delivery - Julie James, with Teófilo Kukush Pati, President of the Wampís Nation, and Tsanim Wajai Asamat, a young Wampís leader.
Organised by Size of Wales as part of Wales Climate Week, Teófilo Kukush Pati, President of the Wampís Nation - an Indigenous nation from the Peruvian Amazon – and Tsanim Wajai Asamat, a young Wampís leader enjoyed a week in Wales attending events in the Senedd and Youth COP Cymru events in Cardiff and Wrexham.
They have a population of just 15,000 but their territory covers 1.3 million hectares of tropical forest and is extremely biodiverse, 98% of the forest remains intact, despite pressures from illegal logging, gold mining and oil exploration.
A study estimated that their forests can store 145 million tonnes of carbon and Size of Wales has been supporting the Wampís Nation since 2016.
Julie James, the then Minister for Climate Change, met representatives from the Wampís Nation at COP27 in Glasgow in 2021 and again at Biodiversity COP in Montreal in 2022.
As a result of these meetings, the Welsh Government - through Size of Wales - provided funding to the Wampís to support their goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy and paying for the construction of a ten-seater solar powered boat – the first of its kind in Peru.
The boat is already providing an invaluable service to the Wampís nation by helping community members visit health centres, go to school, transport harvest, carry out other daily activities and patrol the river.
This includes vital services such as taking pregnant mothers from local communities to the local health post to attend pregnancy check-ups, as well as taking children to monthly health check-ups.
During their visit to Wales, the Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies committed an additional £50,000 to help fund smaller boats to further support their transport system.
Barbara Davies-Quy, Deputy Director of Size of Wales said:
This is a powerful moment for Wales, welcoming Indigenous leaders who have travelled from the heart of the Amazon to share their knowledge and experience in environmental stewardship.
Their courage and dedication in protecting their territory are inspirational, and their experiences are a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when we stand together across nations.
