Project Selva Turns Traditional Art Into a Tool for Amazon Conservation

By supporting indigenous communities, Project Selva hopes to empower stewardship and safeguard the Amazon’s biodiversity.

Project Selva is a collaborative project that aims to protect a vital ecosystem, the Amazon rainforest, while also supporting the indigenous communities that live there. This is done by helping to conserve their land through sustainable income generation, in this case, by providing tools and support for their artwork.

Project Selva has empowered these native artists to create and sell their traditional crafts. It has also provided training to artists in Iquitos by teaching gyotaku, a Japanese fish printing technique on rice paper. Artists have adapted this technique to celebrate Amazon’s rich aquatic diversity by showcasing the many species that live there.

The artworks created by the indigenous artists are not just beautiful, they are also a lifeline for the communities in the upper Amazon region of Peru. The sales of these artworks, exported to zoos and sold in gift shops, provide the communities with much-needed resources such as clean water and medicine. This direct support helps prevent the sale of rainforests to logging and mining interests, ensuring the sustainability of the project and the communities it serves.

Roger Williams Park Zoo is Rhode Island’s number one outdoor family and tourist attraction, and a leader in conservation efforts undertaken by a zoo of its size. As leaders in conservation and animal care – we create engaging experiences that empower guests to join us in conserving wildlife and wild places. The Rhode Island Zoological Society operates and funds Roger Williams Park Zoo as a partner of the City of Providence, which provides ongoing support. The Zoo is one of many features in historic Roger Williams Park.

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