Meet the impacters
Get to know the people and organizations we support with the Tomorrow Tree Fund.
Meet ARBIO Peru
ARBIO Peru is one of the organizations we support through the Tomorrow Tree Fund, powered by Milkywire. With each PANGAIA product you buy, we plant, protect or restore a tree with the Tomorrow Tree Fund. This means that part of the proceeds go directly to various organizations working in tree planting and conservation, including ARBIO Peru.
How are their initiatives helping the planet?
ARBIO Peru’s mission is to combat the constant threat of deforestation and protect the Amazon Rainforest. They actively protect 916 hectares of Amazon Rainforest from illegal logging. The area in question is home to several ancient “mother trees” (Shihuahuaco trees), a hard wood species that is cut down and prized for expensive floors. These trees are rare and grow very slowly with 85% of Peru’s Shihuahuaco wood exports logged in the Madre de Dios region, as all other regions in the country have already been decimated. These trees are extremely important for the balance of the ecosystem and health of the entire forest.
Meet Tatiana Espinosa, forestry engineer, CEO and founder of ARBIO Peru.
Where in the world are you based?
In Peru, Madre de Dios region southeast of the country.
What made you want to make a change?
Witnessing the destruction of large trees and areas of primary forest, which are home to thousands of species—a vital ecosystem for the planet.
What does a day in your life tree planting look like?
Full of activity and unpredictable. Living in the jungle that is facing the permanent changes of our climate, means nothing is still and there is much to do on all fronts. This includes basic research (fauna and flora, camera traps), field operations, equipment maintenance, relationships with allies and communities, as well as public advocacy and procedures with the government. I drive a motorcycle to transport me in the city and we have a canoe (12 meters long) to navigate the river for 5 hours, to get to the forest.
If you could tell the PANGAIA community one thing, what would it be?
Protecting the Amazon is vital for the planet and for human survival. We can all be a direct part of the conservation of the Amazon. Without forests there is no future.