Árbol y Vida seeks to improve the quality and quantity of native forests in Jujuy, Argentina. It is composed of teachers, students and other volunteers who are highly motivated to care for the natural environment. In partnership with Acción Andina, Árbol y Vida is committed to ensuring the sustainability of Jujuy’s natural resources. It is equally committed to improving local livelihoods through effective conservation stewardship so that people live in equality, dignity and in harmony with nature.
Árbol y Vida was inspired by the doctoral thesis of Agricultural Engineer David Ezequiel Medina, who in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, reforested 2,100 Polylepis trees. Árbol y Vida’s mission is to mitigate the ecological imbalances caused by deforestation by conducting reforestation activities in the Yala, Ornaditas, Santa Catalina, Tumbayá, Maimara and Tilcara localities. It also seeks to conserve the biological diversity and richness of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a semi-desert ecosystem in the high Andes containing endangered relict (remnant) forests, such as the Jujuy Yungas.