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Peruvian Conservation 2008
Vernon McGeoch
Last summer I went on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest and was lucky enough to receive a grant from the RGSPA, for which I thank them. I went with Teaching and Projects Abroad, a company that has ecological, teaching and cultural interests in many countries around the globe.
I went to their ecological project in Peru, called Taricaya. It lies in the rainforest of South Western Peru on the Madre de Dios River. To get there was a bit of a chore, 22 hours of flying, on three flights with 14 hours of stopovers, and then a three hour speedboat ride down river form Puerto Maldonado. The town is very isolated with only one road leading out of the jungle.
The aims of the project are to protect an area of rainforest, to conserve the species in the area, to rehabilitate and release animals from captivity, to document as many of the species in the area as possible and to educate the people of the area how to sustainably farm the patches of land they have been granted by the government.
To protect the area from harm the Reserva was created by the government, thus ensuring protection from deforestation and also the safety of the species within. However due to the efforts of the staff and volunteers conservation doesn’t happen just inside the reserve.
To reintroduce animals into the area, they have to be quarantined for at least a month in the enclosures of the lodge; this is to ensure that they are healthy and also able to live in the wild. Therefore, there are many cages for the various animals. Unfortunately some can never be released, like the Jaguar pictured belowdue to the danger they would cause to people living in the area. Despite these few disappointments there are many success stories, for instance, the reintroduction of Spider Monkeys where they had, many years previously, been hunted to extinction.
The documentation of animals is mainly done by morning and afternoon observations, either on hikes through the forest or at one of the three observation posts. The three observation posts overlooked; the canopy, the swamp or the river bank; consequently many different species can be spotted. This area is especially diverse as it is between the lowland forests of the Amazon and the Andes, meaning it is frequented by species from both areas. Confirmation of a species is also achieved using motion stimulated cameras; these are in the areas that are difficult to reach.
To teach people in the area the value of sustainable and conscientious farming, there is a Pilot farm. It shows that in half the land of an average grant, a family can easily make a living by combining different animals and crops. For example you can rear about 10 goats in the area needed for one cow and they area lot more productive in the long run.
There are many activities and projects at the lodge and these are just some of the ones I took part in.
There were talks by the conservation manager every weekend on many varied topics, including the types of caiman in the area and the different types of ants, which combined take up about 70% of the animal biomass in the rainforest.
My first activity after arrival was Dawn observations on the Canopy Walk Way. This is an observation platform 42m up a huge tree combined with a raised walkway system (it is one of the highest platforms in South America). While at the platform I was privileged enough to see a troupe of Squirrel monkeys go by and also numerous rare birds. Getting to the platform on the unstable ramp is a bit nerve-racking at first but definitely worth it, as the view and the dawn chorus combined is absolutely breathtaking.
Lodge maintenance may sound a bit tedious but in reality it is one of the best things to do, for as well as cleaning the place you get to feed the animals and clean their cages.
While I was at the lodge I was chosen to assist in the deparasitisation of animals at the lodge and at the small zoo in Puerto Maldonando. I got to hold the animals ranging from the agouti to the small caiman. However for the big caiman I was happy enough just to chuck in the medicine laced meat!
The volunteers also help out at the Pilot farm, feeding the goats, guinea pigs and donkeys as well as clearing weeds from around the crops.
The turtle project is one of the main projects at Taricaya. Its aim is to greatly increase the number of river turtles in the area to their previous state. This is because the locals see turtle eggs as a culinary delicacy. I did see one at Turtle beach; however, being one in the morning I had of course left my previously inseparable camera in my tent. To carry out the restoration of the population a number of volunteers sleep over at turtle beach, which is where the turtles lay their eggs, every night from early July to September as this is the laying season. During the night the volunteers walk around the island collecting all the eggs that can be found. They are then brought back to the artificial beach where they are then hatched before being released after a week in the artificial pool. At least I had the opportunity to see a fabuluous sunset.
During my time at the lodge we also went on an excursion to Lake Valencia, a large oxbow lake a couple of kilometres from Bolivia. It was four hours there and six back, but definitely worth it as the water was cool and clean. We also saw a few caiman in the lake and then went swimming, as you do.
While having a great time I also managed to accomplish the aims I set myself before the trip: I met people from all over the world, who combined spoke about seven different languages, and have kept in touch with the majority. My Spanish improved greatly as I was one of the few who could speak it, and so acted as translator on numerous occasions. I also helped the area by assisting in as much as possible and so earning an invite back.
I also like to think I have become more tolerant after drinking just river water and having only three hours of electricity a day. Indeed, after sharing my room with tarantulas, cockroaches and a parrot, A levels don’t seem all that bad.
www.projects-abroad.co.uk
Sponsorship & Grants ›› Peru 2008