The presence of heavy metals in water bodies is a worldwide environmental and health problem, particularly affecting the vulnerable Amazon Region. In Ecuador, 35% of water resources contain dangerous levels of contaminants, posing an imminent threat to local communities. In this study, bacterial cellulose films were obtained using a substrate based on an ancestral plant called guayusa (Ilex guayusa) as an efficient and promising alternative for production in the region. Membranes with different percentages of iron (Fe) were developed for the removal of cadmium ions (Cd2+) from aqueous solutions. Characterization results revealed that bacterial cellulose samples exhibited consistent FTIR spectra, with slight variations in the fingerprint region and in the 700-450 cm-1 region corresponding to the presence of Fe-O groups. In addition, SEM-EDS images confirmed the uniform presence of iron particles in the bacterial cellulose structure, with diameters ranging from 2 µm to 2.5 µm on the surface. Atomic absorption spectrometry results indicate that membranes with different percentages of iron (1%, 3%, and 5%) exhibit improved adsorption properties compared to the control. In particular, cellulose with 3% iron demonstrated the best performance across all evaluated Cd2+ doses (1 ppm, 1.5 ppm, 2.5 ppm, 3.5 ppm, 5 ppm, and 7.5 ppm), achieving removal percentages of up to 70% of the ions with an adsorption capacity of 2.6175 mg/g at higher concentrations. Consequently, bacterial cellulose membranes with 3% of iron particles constitute and alternative adsorption materials for the efficient removal of cadmium ions in metal-contaminated aqueous media. This study offers an innovative, sustainable, and efficient alternative for the remediation of contaminated waters in a region where mining, extraction, and other human activities have had a significant environmental impact.