The Project for the Reconstruction of the Ese Eja Ancestral Territory (Proyecto de Reconstrucción del Territorio Ancestral Ese Eja) was developed by the regional indigenous federation of Madre de Dios, Peru (FENAMAD, Federación Nativa del Madre de Dios) in order to help the Ese Eja document their history within their ancestral lands- most of which now fall under three natural protected areas in Peru (Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene, Reserva Nacional Tambopata-Candamo) and Bolivia (Parque Nacional Madidi).  Using a wide range of approaches, including social cartography and community video, the project seeks to actively engage Ese Eja from different generations and communities in processes of recovery, dialogue and exchange, both internally and with environmental managers and external agents linked to the national parks and to Ese Eja ancestral lands.   

Over the past year, PPI activities have developed capacities among the Ese Eja and their representative organization in Peru, FENAMAD, to produce and edit their own video materials, and to edit two DVDs on the Ese Eja ancestral landscape, one intended for distribution among Ese Eja communities in Peru and Bolivia and another one for public distribution in Peru. Both of these are in the final stages of production and will be distributed shortly as part of a resource pack, which will include the maps and a booklet.  A shorter abridged version with English subtitles is included with this report.  These materials have had significant impacts, not only in terms of their dissemination and what they communicate among the Esa Eja and to others, but also in terms of the social processes generated through their production.  

Maps are another powerful tool for communication, both providing a new mechanism for transmission of knowledge and for re-affirmation of social and territorial identity. Two sets of maps are being produced, again one for internal distribution (in Ese Eja) and one for inclusion in a policy brief and for outside distribution.  The availability and low-cost of map production and printing technology means that updated and improved maps will be produced as maps are updated. A recent version of one of the Esa Eja maps accompanies this report.

A workshop, held in Cobija (Bolivia), brought together Ese Eja delegates from Peru and Bolivia to discuss issues relating to their ancestral territory  and to exchange experiences in community video and mapping of cultural landscapes.  As part of this process an international initiative has been launched.  This process involves Ese Eja and their indigenous organizations in Peru and Bolivia in a land claim on the international border between Peru and Bolivia, with the goal of creating a bi-national indigenous territory adjacent to the aforementioned national parks.