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Our Mission

The Tree Monkey Project is dedicated to protection of forests and their sensitive habitats and to improving lives through the strategic use of tree climbing skills and equipment.

 

The Vision

Through Tree Monkey Project efforts, forests and sensitive wildlife habitats around the world will be protected from illegal logging, mining and other destructive activities; communities in tropical forests will have greater economic, ecological and cultural stability; and people will enjoy greater self-esteem and respect for trees.

 

Combining Forces

As part of its mission, Tree Monkey Project works with Indigenous nations, non-profits and researchers that have like-minded goals and ideals. There are many more organizations that would greatly benefit from the skills and knowledge that can come through Tree Monkey trainings. Our organizational goal is to create local trainers who will sustain tree climbing workshops in their area. 

 

How We Do It

We provide forest-dwelling communities with the training and equipment they need to harvest fruits, herbs and wood from the forest and canopy effectively and sustainably.

 

We are training tree climbing skills with two Ecuadorian communities - the Mamallactas family of the Kichwa, and the Secoya tribe. We look forward to returning  in 2022.  Much of the fruit and leaf harvesting now involves free climbing the trees without safety gear and then cutting the limbs off so that people on the ground can do the harvest. Of course, this results in dead or severely damaged trees, and it also results in way too many life-threatening injuries and deaths.

 

Professional tree workers in the U.S. enjoy a level of safety and skill required here.   In poor countries, tree climbing is not considered a skill and people risk their lives, literally for the fruits of their labor, and often to provide us in the Western world with our teas, medicines and fruit that we easily purchase and consume in our daily lives.

 

Tree Monkey project is dedicated to giving these communities better safety and skills to uplift their lives and maintain a healthy relationship with their environment.  We hope you agree and will join us.

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Continuation and Longevity of the Project

Learning these skills takes continual practice and updating of methods and equipment. Our Project works in 3 phases of training:

1.  Teaching basic tree climbing skills

2. Teaching advanced skills to facilitate others into the trees

3. Instructor trainings so they can teach each other these skills

 

Each phase requires additional gear and practice time between visits.  Tree Monkey Project returns to these communities to help perpetuate good safety habits, donate additional gear and nurture relationships with the people.  By donating, or volunteering you can be a part of an extraordinary experience happening in the jungles and forests around the world.

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