The flourishing of Yanapay forest tells a story of hope:

It proves that reversing the destruction of forests is not only possible, but profoundly simple in its complexity.

The association: Imaymana

Person observing an insect, a spectacular dead leaf looking praying mantis

Focus

As a non-profit organization, Imaymana has three main focal areas: Cultural, educational, and scientific. Through our work we aim to promote knowledge, respect, and appreciation of the ancestral culture of indigenous peoples, as well as the special relationship of these peoples with the environment and natural resources that belong to their entire territory.

Additionally, we promote research and scientific studies related to the environment and biological diversity, as a cultural manifestation of indigenous peoples, with the aim of identifying their ancestral collective knowledge of biodiversity conservation, as well as ensuring its continued dissemination.

Two individuals wading through a muddy river, with one person carrying a black bag on their head and the other carrying scientific research equipment, surrounded by dense green vegetation that they are surveying.
Three people standing on a rocky ledge with trees and bushes around, looking out over a foggy or cloudy landscape where to walk next to establish the next forest ecologiy inventory.

Values

We believe that dealing with the deforestation and desertification of ecosystems is a collective responsibility – hence we see it as a moral duty to take action in whatever way we can. In this spirit, we dedicate a fragment of our lives to a fragment of the Amazon. However, rather than a sacrifice we see this act as a given – a return of all the favours given to us by this infinately generous Earth.

We also believe that together, we are stronger. Hence, we aim for Imaymana to be a collaborative and co-creative project where hearts and minds unite to act on solutions to the crises we are facing as a global collective. We trust there are a multitude of people who want to contribute with a flap of their wings.

“Jungle” House

All facilities used by Imaymana are built using traditional material, such as bamboo, clay, canes, and wood. In the ‘jungle’ house (located in the Yanapay forest) there is a main house with a kitchen, one bathroom, and three rooms which are all equipped with mosquito nets. In each room there is a mezzanine bed, as well as a hammock. In addition, there is a yoga cabin on the premises.

The river is only a few steps away from the house – meaning you can have the luxury of swimming and bathing in fresh water every day. It's an ideal refuge for finding peace; an perfect place of meditation, creativity, recovery, inspiration, and deep connection with self/nature. No roads come near, so you don't hear the sound of engines, except occasionally the small farmers' boats going to their land. To get there, you either have to walk 45 minutes from the nearest road, or take a boat from the port or Tahuisco, Moyobamba.

The sounds we hear are those of forest animals and insects. The solar panel and battery will allow to charge laptops and phones, and the 4G network (just) reaches the house, so it is always possible to connect to the internet. The house is large, equipped with everything you need to live comfortably (gas stove, two water tanks with water collected from the river, tools, etc.).

Looking forward, we aim to expand our facilities in a variety of ways – such as constructing a rainwater collection system, building more houses etc. – stay updated via our newsletter!

“City” House

Imaymana’s office is located in Moyobamba, and although the villa is in the city, it feels like being in the forest. It is a unique traditional building but with a modern look. It’s ideal to receive groups, organise retreats or have a base to visits the area. You'll meet at least 2 species of monkeys, over 30 species of birds including toucans and hummingbirds.

All interior spaces are protected by glass or mosquitos’ nets, and there is a 4000sqm of garden with a stunning view over the valley, especially for sunrise. The house comprises 3 private rooms with their own key, and a large open area including kitchen, lounge, dining area, and conference room. On the front view, you'll also have access to an independent bungalow with 2 rooms and 1 bathroom.

Beware that neighbours like to put music during the day, so you will probably hear cumbia and salsa. Bear in mind that your room doesn’ have a private bathroom, so you will use the house bathroom, located just outside of the house.


If you are interested to come stay in our facilities, please get in touch via email at contact@imaymana.org, or send a message via our contact form.

Action

A traditional belief in the region, is that wildfires will bring rain. Thereby large areas are constantly burned by humans. However, burning large forest areas causes fragmentation, which is known to reduce biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

One of the main objectives at Imaymana is to strategically replant the forested area, developing methods to counter the impacts of these fires by using native species to increase the forested area. These newly reclaimed areas create habitat for a diversity of animals. We are monitoring this work as part of scientific research on forest resilience; sharing our knowledge of the ecological importance of native flora and fauna with local people would improve the habitat quality.

Any explanation for the traditional belief about fires and rain? There is no scientific evidence that fire brings rain, there is a hypotesis: When practicing the slash and burn agriculture, the wise farmers always burned their land before it rain so it would reduce the likelyness of fires to spread beyond the area they wanted to clear for cultivation. Supersticious people observed the fact that fires would nearly always start before rain, and began to believe that fires were causing the rain to fall. If you think a little more, in fact, it’s the opposite in this theory: it’s rain that causes farmer to light a fire, not the other way around.

The Land: Yanapay Forest

Location

The upper Mayo Valley is embedded between two ridges of mountains on the eastern slopes of Peruvian Andes, at an altitude of approximately 850 m, and temperatures average 25°C. the range bordering the eastern side of this valley is the last one before the begining of the low land Amazon that extends all the way to the Atlantic ocean. Comprising 60 hectares, Most of the land is forested and some areas of pasture remain due to the constant perpetuation of criminal fires that hampered the natural return of the tree species that would otherwise have returned. Although this land is less than an hour from Moyobamba, it is a refuge shielded by nature.

Landscape

 The landscape is sumptuous, composed of a mosaic of secondary forest. Imaymana has been running a regeneration study project in the Yanapay Forest since 2014, which has notably determined the rate of biomass accumulation and the return of biodiversity. Today, at least 140 woody plant and an undeterminded diversity of species reside here creating functional habitats that maintain unvaluable ecosystem services. Seasonaly dry, humid, and seasonaly flooded forest fragments host a diversity of soils and species, sprinkled with fruit trees, vestiges of past agricultural activities, assessed as part of an ecological study to understand the natural resilience of its forests.

Legacy

Yanapay Forest has been a conserved area since 1997 thanks to the work of the NGO Ikama Peru who previously used this land to save monkeys that had been help captive illegaly. However, when Imaymana purchased the land in 2015, it was under threat of urbanization – as it is the case for most lands in the Upper Mayo Valley coveted by developers seeing an opportunity to make profit at the expense of the ecosystems services provided. Hence, by protection of the land and the planting of indigenous trees to reinforce forest resilience at the border of the land, the legacy of the forest is being maintained.

Mountain Morro de Calzada, surrounded my the Alto Mayo valley composed of a mosaic of agricultural fields, with lush green forest, City of Moyobamba, and a layered sky of clouds, some white and fluffy, sky blue background.
A small, yellow and green tree frog with large eyes sitting on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves.
A person's hand holding two small birds with green and yellow feathers, set against a garden background with grass, plants, and a red tiled surface in the city of Moyobamba.
A man, Loïc Cecilio, standing in the city garden of the office base of the association Imaymana, holding a large palm frond, with banana plants and mountains in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Two people in a dense jungle, one hanging from a branch and the other reaching up towards them, celebrating the end of a prolific ecological field work day.
A young man, Agapito, working on botanical displays with leaves and newspapers in a room of the office base of the association Imaymana, with large windows showing green foliage outside.

The Facilities

Imaymana forest house, in the Yanapay conservation area: Porch area with hanging hammocks, a dining table, chairs, and large glass windows overlooking a green outdoor area, with a bamboo ceiling and a yellow wall on the left.
Kitchen for the volunteers at Imaymana's forest facility, viewed through an archway with orange walls, a hanging bunch of bananas, a water container, and hanging dried herbs or plants.
In the city house facility, A rustic outdoor hut with a thatched roof, featuring a blue hammock and wooden furniture overlooking a lush, green landscape with rolling hills and mountains in the distance, souround ing the upper Mayo valley.
Wooden porch with table and chairs, overlooking lush green banana plants and tropical foliage.
A man walking in a rural landscape with rolling hills, trees, and mountains in the background, cloudy sky, and a bird flying in the sky.
Alto Mayo river flowing through the lush, green rainforest of Yanapay, with trees on both banks and mountains in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
View of a large, Ficus, localy called "Oje", pioneer and resident of old growth forests, its sprawling branches and dense green foliage give him a magestic presence that imposes respect.
A shirtless man with dark hair and a mustache sitting at a black table inside a lush, tropical screened porch, reading a book. The table has a bottle, a mug, some leaves, and small red fruits. The porch is decorated with various large green plants, has a bamboo ceiling with skylights, and an orange wall with windows and a door leads to a grassy outdoor area.
A lush green backyard with trees, plants, and fallen logs, featuring the Yanapay's house, surrounded by tropical vegetation.
Sunlit room with brick floor, hanging hammocks, large windows showing greenery outside, and a desk with a chair and books.
A rustic wooden structure with a corrugated metal roof in a lush tropical garden surrounded by green plants and pink flowers.
Inside a cozy room with bamboo walls, wooden furniture, a bed with a blue cover, and informational posters on nature and landscapes on the wall.

The Founder: Loïc Cecilio Rebola

“Of the thousands of trees I planted on this land, many did not survive, but some are already large and vigorous. They will be the guardians of the future forest.”

Loïc is an early career researcher in tropical forest resilience. He has worked as project manager, field botanist, ecologist, modeler, in studies related to biodiversity and/or secondary forest resilience. He collected chronosequence data from the Peruvian Amazon integrated in 2ndFOR and is intending to bring propositions and implement collaborative work.

Botanist measuring a hollow tree trunk with a DBH tape in a dense forest as part of an ecological study.
A man smiling while riding a horse in a grassy field with a rocky mountain in the background under partly cloudy skies.