Sacha Hambi

The etnobotanical garden

In Sacha Hambi you will find a treasure trove of Amazonian flora on an area of one hectare. Discover medicinal, useful and ornamental plants that are used in traditional medicine and in everyday life. Our guides share their knowledge of the flora, its traditional uses and conservation initiatives.

Edison Canelos

History

Edison Canelos, a friend and long-time employee of amaZOOnico, started growing rare plants on his land on Isla Anaconda seven years ago together with his family. In the beginning there were only a few plants. Together with his parents and grandparents and other people from his community, who still know a lot about traditional medicine and cultivation methods, he collected more and more shrubs, trees, lianas, rare flowers and medicinal plants and nurtured and cared for them to pass on his knowledge.

Why?

The greatest threats in this area are: Hunting, wildlife trade, deforestation, i.e. the loss of biodiversity in the ecosystems due to the lack of socio-economic alternatives and the loss of ancestral and cultural knowledge. For this reason, the area has recently come to rely on ecotourism as an alternative for conservation and resource extraction, as the communities used to live mainly from hunting, fishing and agriculture. However, due to the loss of ecosystems, they have had to expand their activities outside of Anaconda Island.

Background

Some people living in the area presented in this short introduction present alternatives for the conservation and management of resources in order to be able to make a living in the future and preserve their ancestral knowledge. They know that the Kichwa knowledge of ethnomedicine and livelihood on the island of Anaconda is very rich and diverse, so that the plants used by the Canelos family can be used to prevent and treat around 43 diseases, improving their way of life and that of the community.

where?

The island consists of small remnants of native vegetation and agricultural crops consisting mainly of cacao, avocado, cassava, plantain, Chinese potato, maize and other important crops, as well as wild fruits: Achotillo, guava, wild grapes, white cacao, chonta and others; in addition, there is a preliminary documentation of 56 different species used for local medicine, including herbs, shrubs, trees and lianas. In terms of fauna, based on data from the province of Napo, about 126 species of amphibians have been recorded, of which 22 are endemic; 119 species of reptiles have also been reported, of which 4 are endemic; among mammals, 50 species are native to the area, of which 4 are endemic. In addition to this information, data on about 500 bird species are known.

Visit

In Sacha Hambi you will find a treasure trove of Amazonian flora on an area of one hectare. Discover medicinal, useful and ornamental plants that are used in traditional medicine and in everyday life. Our guides share their knowledge of the flora, its traditional uses and conservation initiatives.

Volunteering

Conditions

- Age 18-40 years
- Basic knowledge of Spanish required
- Minimum 15 days/ maximum 3 months
- Board and lodging monthly 240$

Occupation

- Working in the garden
- Care and maintenance of the plants
- General activities around the house
- Accompanying the tours and translating for tourists if necessary

Accommodation

During the volunteer programme, you live in the family home on Isla Anaconda.

On the spot

You can find us here

Isla Anconda
Puerto Barantilla
Tena, Napo, Ecuador

Contact us