El Sira Communal Reserve has approximately 400 native communities within its area of influence, with an estimated population of 25,000-30,000 inhabitants. Of these communities, 63 are neighboring villages, with an approximate population of 5-7,000 inhabitants. The Shipibo-Conibo people, who belong to the Pano language group, have settled the lower reaches of the Ucayali River. The Ashaninka and the Asheninka people (of the Arahuaca language group) have settled the upper reaches of the Ucayali River, in the southern stretch of the area in the sector of El Gran Pajonal and parts of the Pichis River watershed in the southwestern stretch of the area. The Yanesha, also of the Arahuaca language group, inhabit the western stretch of the area. There are also settlements of migrants throughout the territory.
These groups usually take to the mountains to extract natural resources, such as timber, fruit, fibers, medicinal plants, materials for arts and crafts, as well as hunting and fishing. The natives and migrants differ substantially in how they make use of their natural resources. In general, the natives are settled in native communities and make traditional use of their natural resources based on small-scale agriculture, hunting, fishing and gathering, while the migrant settlers farm on a larger scale, raise livestock, extract wood and fish on a commercial scale.
Local Organization
The 400 native communities located around El Sira Communal Reserve, both within and outside the buffer zone, belong to various grass-roots organizations that represent them on regional and nationwide levels. This is the case of the Asheninka Organization of El Gran Pajonal (OAGP), the Indigenous Organization of the Atalaya Region (OIRA), the Organization of Development of Native Communities of the District of Tahuanía (ORDECONADIT), the Federation of Native Communities of the District of Iparía (FECONADIP), the Organization of the District of Masisea (ORDIM), the Federation of Native Communities of Ucayali (FECONAU), the Federation of Native Communities of Puerto Inca (FECONAPIA), the Union of Yanesha Nationalities (UNAY), the Association de Ashaninka Nationality of Pichis (ANAP), based in Puerto Bermúdez, the Central Office of Native Communities Central Jungle (CECONSEC), the Federation of Native Communities of Bajo Perené (FECONABAP), both based in Satipo. At the same time, there are other social organizations with less influence, such as the Organization of Indigenous Women of El Gran Pajonal (OMIAG).
All these grass-roots organizations have been invited to the consultation workshops, and are to some degree involved in the management process of the communal reserve. In general terms, the nearby population has heard about the communal reserve, above all the area of the Pichis River, but is unaware of the details. Along the Ucayali and Pachitea Rivers, the population is less informed, mostly due to the lack of communication from their organizations. The large number of neighboring communities and representative organizations poses a challenge for the participatory management process of the communal reserve.
Access
The Communal reserve is reached by land, river or air.
The main river access is down the Ucayali River, from the main port in the city of Pucallpa, down to where the Tambo and Urubamba Rivers flow together, near the provincial capital of Atalaya. Air travel is possible to areas with an airstrip: Atalaya has a runway nearly 1,000 meters long, where commercial aircraft as large as Fokkers can land. Other airstrips include Oventeni, Tornavista, Puerto Inca and Puerto Bermúdez, and airfields in some native communities. There is a road network used by the natives that leads to the protected area. One can get to the Jungle Marginal Highway overland.
