How do we inspire a community to restore its territory?

26 August 2026

Talking about community participation often makes us think of communal meetings, planting days or field restoration activities. However, participation begins long before the first shovel touches the ground or the first tree is planted. It starts when people understand why restoring an ecosystem is worthwhile and manage to recognize themselves as part of it.

That first bond can arise in very simple ways: when a girl crafts a cardboard queñual tree from recycled materials and discovers why this species is so important for water and biodiversity; when a group of schoolchildren paints the faces of the birds that inhabit the Andean forests and understands that protecting a tree also means protecting the home of many other species; or when a conversation between generations makes it possible to remember what the landscapes were like decades ago and to reflect on how we want to leave them to those who will come after.

Figure 1. A ceremony prior to the 2026 irrigation ditch cleaning day – Huaripampa populated center. Credits: Lizet Mejía

At Qinti Perú and Trenzando MinkAyni, we have learned that restoration begins with awakening curiosity, generating learning spaces and strengthening the bond between people and the territory they inhabit. It is in those first encounters that girls, boys, young people and adults discover the value of the queñual forests, the biodiversity they harbor, and the fundamental role they play in the conservation of water and life in the Andes.

For this reason, we promote participatory activities that bring these topics to the community in a close, creative and experiential way. We believe that environmental education is not solely about transmitting information but about generating experiences that spark questions, emotions and a sense of belonging. The girls and boys become messengers of knowledge within their homes; young people find opportunities to lead conservation actions; and families begin to recognize that restoring an ecosystem also means protecting their identity, their culture and their future.

Figure 2. Workshop on making queñual trees from recycled material. Credits: Lizet Mejía

One of these spaces was the workshop on making queñual trees from recycled materials, developed together with girls and boys from the Llupa educational institution, a community located in the buffer zone of Huascarán National Park. More than an artistic activity, this workshop became an opportunity to discover the importance of queñual forests as refuges for biodiversity, water regulators and fundamental ecosystems for the well-being of Andean communities.

While building their own trees with reused materials, the students shared what they knew about their environment, asked questions and reflected on the role they can play in its conservation. Through a simple and creative activity, concepts such as restoration, biodiversity and water care ceased to be abstract ideas and became meaningful experiences.

Figure 3. Participants making recycled queñual trees. Credits: Lizet Mejía

Another meaningful experience was the bird mask workshops held in Huaraz. Through art, the girls and boys learned about the species that inhabit the Andean forests and understood that protecting a tree also means protecting the home of hundreds of birds, insects and other species. Art made it possible to transform scientific concepts into close, tangible experiences, awakening curiosity, creativity and a sense of belonging.

Figure 4. Workshop on masks of birds from Huascarán National Park and Huascarán Biosphere Reserve. Credits: Lizet Mejía

Figure 5. Girls and boys showing off their masks. Credits: Lizet Mejía

Although restoration is often measured by the number of trees planted or the hectares recovered, it is also measured by its impact on people. Every educational activity, conversation and shared space strengthens relationships of trust and creates new opportunities for the community to actively participate in caring for the territory. Community participation is not limited to attending an activity; it implies generating processes where people understand why restoration matters and find a purpose for getting involved.

Restoration not only transforms landscapes; it also transforms the way people relate to them. Each workshop, each educational activity and each meeting space represents an opportunity to strengthen the sense of belonging, recover knowledge and build a shared vision of the future. It is those small moments that, over time, become collective actions capable of sustaining restoration beyond a single project or a source of funding.

Together we have learned that restoring a queñual forest also means sowing trust, strengthening capacities and creating new generations of guardians of the territory. Because true restoration is not measured solely by the number of trees planted, but by the number of people who decide to care for, defend and keep alive the place they call home.