The indigenous Kichwa communities around Tena have been running community-managed tourism programs for decades, and several of them are genuinely worthwhile. Guided forest walks focus on medicinal plants and traditional ecological knowledge rather than big-game spotting. Overnight stays in community guesthouses put money directly into the communities rather than into lodge owners' pockets. Ask at the FICSH office in Tena (the federation of Shuar and Kichwa communities) or at your guesthouse for recommended contacts — some programs are better organized than others, and word of mouth is the most reliable filter.
Expect basic but comfortable accommodation — hammocks or wooden beds in community-built structures, shared bathrooms, home-cooked meals. The experience is lower-key than a lodge but more authentic. You will learn more about daily Amazonian life in a day here than in a week at a conventional eco-lodge.