Have ‘life plans’ delivered on their transformative aspirations for Indigenous empowerment through conservation? Evidence from four watersheds in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

This paper presents among the first comparative empirical studies on the implementation of “life plans” in the Amazon region. Life plans are tools aimed at advancing Indigenous empowerment, conservation efforts, and rural development objectives. Rooted in the transformative planning traditions originating in the 1970s, Indigenous organizations and conservation non-profits have championed life plans as alternatives to conventional development strategies that can promote ecosystem health and human well-being rather than narrowly emphasizing incomes and economic growth. Focusing on the Peruvian Amazon, this study explores how life plans have worked in practice. Despite the substantial impact of these plans on the globally significant ecosystems of the region, their effects have not been subjected to rigorous study until now. Drawing on data from 120 semi-structured interviews and 285 focus group participants across twelve Indigenous communities spanning four diverse watersheds, this paper investigates the extent to which life plans have facilitated transformative changes. We show that connections to broader social movements are vital in ensuring that life plans do not inadvertently reinforce existing political and economic structures. The exploratory study reveals that while life plans have enhanced collaborative conservation efforts in pre-established co-management structures, they have not fundamentally transformed historically strained relationships between communities and environmental agencies. Moreover, our results indicate that communities struggle to leverage state resources through life plans without robust advocacy institutions. Despite not directly altering rural power dynamics, life plans have, in certain instances, enabled communities to articulate visions of a future that are less extractive and more ecologically sustainable. We urge international climate justice movements, political ecologists including degrowth scholars, and planners to study and critically support life plans and Indigenous institutions advocating for them.