Project Selva
Supporting Communities and Rainforest Conservation in the Peruvian Amazon
Protecting wildlife often starts with protecting the places animals call home. It also means working alongside the people who live in and care for those habitats every day. Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo is proud to participate in Project Selva, a conservation-focused co-op that supports Indigenous artists and communities in the upper Amazon Basin of Peru. Through the sale of handmade arts and crafts, Project Selva helps create a more stable source of income for participating artists and communities. This community-centered approach encourages the protection of rainforest habitats and the remarkable biodiversity found within them.
Learn How You Can Support Project Selva
What Is Project Selva?
Project Selva is a co-op created to support Indigenous artists and communities living in the Peruvian Amazon. The program was developed through conversations with local communities and decades of relationship-building during biological surveys in the region. Indigenous leaders helped identify an important challenge: access to reliable income can be limited, especially when families need cash for necessities such as medicine and medical care. When communities have few ways to generate income, they may face pressure to allow logging, oil extraction, or mineral extraction on traditional lands. These activities can remove rainforest habitats or permanently alter them.
Project Selva helps support another option.The co-op purchases select handmade arts and crafts from local artists and communities. These items are then offered for sale through participating organizations and other approved outlets. Funds raised through the program help maintain the co-op and allow it to continue purchasing artwork from local communities.
Why Community-Centered Conservation Matters
Rainforest conservation is closely connected to the people who live in these habitats. Project Selva is built around the idea that conservation programs are stronger when local communities are included in the process. Rather than approaching rainforest protection only from the outside, the co-op focuses on opportunities shaped by the needs and knowledge of the people living in the region.
The goal is not to claim that one program can solve deforestation. Instead, Project Selva provides a practical way to support participating artists and communities while encouraging the retention of rainforest habitats.
By creating additional sources of income, the program helps communities explore alternatives to activities that can damage forests and the wildlife that depend on them.
A Rainforest Filled With Biodiversity
The Amazon rainforest is home to an extraordinary variety of plants and animals. These forests support countless species, including animals that scientists are still learning more about today. Healthy rainforest habitats also play an important role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems throughout the region. Project Selva connects community support with habitat protection. By helping artists and communities build a more stable revenue stream, the co-op encourages the continued protection of lands that support an incredible range of wildlife.
Handmade Art With a Story
Project Selva works with artists and communities to purchase select locally made arts and crafts.
Available items may include:
- Traditional bracelets
- Necklaces
- Carvings
- Bark paintings
- Handcrafted artwork
- Gyotaku-inspired fish prints
- Other artisan pieces
The co-op does not purchase items made with feathers, teeth, or other animal and plant materials prohibited for export. Each item reflects the creativity of the artists involved in the program while helping support a broader conservation goal.
The Story Behind the Gyotaku Fish Prints
One of the most distinctive parts of Project Selva is its collection of gyotaku-inspired fish prints. The Amazon Basin is known for its remarkable diversity of freshwater fish.
Fish are also an important part of daily life for many communities in the region. Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese fish-printing technique. The process involves applying non-toxic dyes to a fish, carefully placing rice paper over the fish, and creating a detailed print. Artists can then hand-paint the finished piece.
To create new opportunities for Peruvian artists, Project Selva arranged hands-on gyotaku training in the city of Iquitos. The artists learned the technique and began adapting it in their own ways, creating artwork with a style connected to the biodiversity and culture of the Amazon Basin.
How Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo Participates
Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo is proud to be part of the Project Selva co-op. Our participation reflects our commitment to helping guests build a deeper appreciation for wildlife and the habitats animals depend on. Project Selva gives us an opportunity to share a conservation story that reaches beyond the zoo and highlights the connection between people, wildlife, and healthy ecosystems.
How You Can Support Project Selva
Learning about Project Selva is the first step toward supporting its work.
Guests can help by:
- Learning more about the artists, communities, and habitats connected to the program
- Sharing the story of Project Selva with friends and family
- Looking for future Project Selva updates from Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo
- Supporting Project Selva through
- Exploring available Project Selva artwork through
Support Project Selva
Conservation Through Connection
Project Selva is a reminder that conservation is about more than one animal or one habitat. Wildlife, ecosystems, and communities are closely connected. At Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo, we believe that learning about animals helps people care more deeply about the natural world. By sharing the story of Project Selva, we hope to encourage curiosity, appreciation, and respect for the people and wildlife of the Amazon rainforest.
Plan Your Visit