Women's Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Resilience in Amazonian Ecuador

Funded by a SSHRC Partnership Engage grant, Drs. Patrick Wilson and Andrea Cuéllar’s project supports the Quijos Nation’s creation of the Mama Chakra, a women-led forest garden in the Ecuadorian Amazon that will serve as a centre for teaching, research, and the intergenerational transmission of women’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge, together with the Muyuguna Wasi seed house as a living repository of biodiverse seeds. Working in partnership with Sacha Awana (Quijos Nation) and Api’soomaahka (William Singer III) of Naapi’s Garden and Katoyiss Seed Bank, the project will strengthen Quijos research sovereignty while advancing forest restoration, biodiversity conservation, food and seed sovereignty, and climate change adaptation.