Water sustains the river and lake peoples of the Ecuadorean Amazon.  It is the primary source of the local economy and the heart of their culture.

Wooden canoes, while a practical necessity and ancient custom of the Amazon people, contribute to rainforest destruction. A large canopy tree sacrifices its life for each wooden canoe that is built, and good canoe trees, which harbor myriad flora and fauna species, are suffering from increased human pressures.

In the humid tropics, wooden canoes last at most five years. High demand for replacement boats reduces the number of forest trees and erodes the entire rainforest ecology. In turn, the loss of trees impacts canoe construction and, thus, threatens their livelihood and traditional customs.

As a solution for protecting trees, forest ecology, economy and custom, CCBD offers fiberglass as an alternative to wooden canoe construction. Fiberglass canoes are light, durable and easy to build and repair. Because they last for generations, fiberglass canoes also reduce pressure on native trees.

Contact us for more information, or click our Pay Pal button to donate funds.

Amazonian river and lake dwellers rely on canoes for transportation, fishing and other daily activities. The trees they cut down to make their canoes are growing more scarce, along with the rainforest that hosts them.

CCBD needs funds to teach Secoya natives how to make fiberglass canoes as a means for protecting old growth rainforest.