Our friends over at the ERI (Ecuadorian River Institute) are putting together once again a great event, The Napo River Festival. The festival will take place from January 16th through January 18th 2009 in Misahualli, Tena (Ecuador). A big part of the proceedings goes to raising awareness of the issues that the Amazon basin is facing and to doing community outreach and education to jungle citizens. You can donate to this great sustainability effort in their website or by calling 1-888-353-9849 in the United States.

Here is a description of this wonderful event from their website:

The Napo River Festival is a special annual event organized by the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute to raise awareness of the Napo watershed and its importance to everyone. This unique gathering seeks to educate the public about watershed issues, preserve cultural traditions, and promote sustainable forms of development and resource management.

The spirit of the Napo River Festival is about sharing between people and cultures towards the common thread of water and life.

The Napo River is important because it is the last major tributary of the Amazon River in Ecuador which remains free-flowing and has minimal development and contamination in its headwaters. This watershed hosts some of the greatest levels of biodiversity found on the planet. Indigenous Kichwa Indians depend on the rivers for important sources of food, water, and transportation. The rivers and creeks in the Napo watershed are world-class paddle sports destinations. Altogether, rafting, kayaking, birdwatching and jungle tours in the Napo watershed form a sustainable and significant local economy.

Attention is desperately needed to ensure that the Napo watershed receives appropriate recognition and management. Transcontinental water diversion projects, oil and mining development, road construction, deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, uncontrolled growth, and improper waste management systems all threaten the future integrity of the Napo watershed.

You can help raise awareness of these issues by supporting this event.

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