In the year 2003, a system of Protected Natural Areas was formed in the
Peruvian Amazon (ANP) constituted by the National Park Otishi and the Indigenous
Communal Reserves of two ethnic groups, Asháninka and Matsiguenga. The beginning
of this system had the purpose of conserving the diversity of flora and fauna species, as
well as the conservation of the living cultural patrimony in the area of Vilcabamba
Mountain. The Asháninka group was selected for this study belonging to the Preandino
Arawak etnolinguistic family. The land of this group is situated in the low region of the
Mountain forming the buffer zone of ANP; consequently the exploitation of resources in
these areas will have direct effect on the high lands of the Mountain. As a result of ANP
formation, the Indigenous Communities have now the influence of a variety of factors
that generate impacts that can be considered positive or negative. The first chapter
describes the participation level of the Indigenous people in the ANP management,
trying to check if there is an involvement of the representative authorities of the
communities. As an indicator of cultural impacts that occur in the core of the productive
unit, it was used the characterization of the variations in the handcrafts from the new
processes that come from the contact with the market. In the second chapter describes
deeply in the techniques of exploitation and the traditional handling of the forest species,
Trichilia pallida and its changes preceding the contact with multiple exogenous factors
from Asháninka culture. The main characteristics of the species are presented here,
from secondary data as well as information from the Camantavishi Community. This
chapter also presents results from the qualitative survey with techniques of participatory
observation and partially structured interviews done with 30 women and 11 men who
live in the nucleus of Camantavishi Community and 13 women and 13 men of the Shima
center.
