The Crees Foundation
Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peruvian Amazon
The crees foundation is a conservation and sustainable development organisation that has worked for over a decade to promote sustainable resource management in the Manu Biosphere Reserve.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important areas of biodiversity globally, the Manu Biosphere Reserve is home to part of the last intact forest in Peru. Its multiple fragile ecosystems (the Andean Purma, Cloud Forest & Lowland rainforest) are home not only to an amazing array of fauna and flora but also to indigenous people and an ever increasing community of immigrant settlers who are struggling to live sustainably and in harmony.
With deforestation and unsustainable exploitation of the natural resources (such as gold mining, illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture and cattle ranching) on the increase, Manu faces a complex and daily struggle to survive not just today but for future generations to benefit from. The foundation has developed three core programme to foster a considered development approach in the Manu region; research, enterprise and education programmes.
We use responsible tourism to help fund our projects in the form of internship, volunteer and tour programmes. All of which provide our visitors with a deeper understanding of this complex biosphere and give them unique access to both the conservation research and sustainable community development projects.