TReeS News of the Las Piedras and Purus rivers, to the north of The Tambopata Reserve Society the Manu Biosphere Reserve. This area, almost certainly, contains unconlacted groups of Mashco- Newsletter, No.28 Piro or Yura, or both. Mondina have stated that October 1994 guides speaking both languages will be employed, advance parties sent out and no firearms will be Mobil Exploration in Madre de Dios Oil taken into the area, In the most sensitive meas, - the lalest developments. along the Las Piedras and Purus rivers, the WARP Mobil have appointed 2 sub-contractors to under- rnethod of seismic testing will be employed. The take seismic surveys in Madre de Dios. Mondina traditional method is to cut lines, about 2m S.A. propose to cut seismic lines to the nodh of the wide,straight through the forest along which seis- , however, after consulting mic charges ale set off at regular intervals. With with INRENA (National Parks Authority) decided WARP lines existing trails and rivers will be used not to proceed with the extension of one of the to access the area and short trails rnade from them lines to the south of the river across the to the test sites. Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone (TCRZ) and In the opinion of INRENA, FADEMAD and into the Pampas del Heath National Sarrctuary several other local organisations, MONDINA have (PHNS) because the latter is a fully protected area. so far acted in a responsible mamer. However, Mondina also asked Centro EORI, an institute serious reservations remain with respect to the providing suppofi to the native people of Madre de possibility of contact being made with uncontacted dios, to prepare an Environmental Impact Assess- native groups. In all recent examples of such ment (EIA) for their survey area. occurr€nces, in Madre de Dios and Brazil, intro- Concern has been expressed about the lines that duced diseases have led to many deaths in newly will run across northern Madre de Dios, in the zuea contacted communities. proposed In the Upper Seismic Program Tambopata region Foreland (a00 km) lnternational boundaries the sub-contractor is Gema S.A. They Proposed Oil exploration blocks W.A.R.P, Program (500 propose cutting Foreland {dd!'ffioo'rtffi Seismic lines lines across the - W.A.R.P. seismic lines Guacamayo and q Candamo river {i,,,,:,,,:,,i:i i i i,i,i I,l basins. This region q i:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::l Proteeted/Semi -protected o rliij:!:.r.:ij- areas was considered to *40 be an area of excep- % q tional biodiversity Brazil by both the Conser- Sb tb qh vation Intelnational q. RAP team and the *** TReeS expedition ,4 44 w %q* n 1992, and is one qry of the core areas of the proposed Bahuaja-Sonene 48 National Pmk. Gema have made minirnal contact 46 47 with local organis- Puerto ations and plan to Maldonado a use traditional sur- Hio Heath rnethods. National vey Sanctuary INRENA made stroog representa- tions to Mobil about GEMA's pro- subse- Proposed posal and, Seismic Progr6m (360 km) quently, Mobil's Thrust Play requested an EIA Proposed for the area from M.T. Survey Area (100 km) Centro EORI. Their report drew heavily on the report of the TReeS meantime, no signilicant funding is being provided 1992 expedition. to FENAMAD other than to cover the costs of the News is currently awaited from Peru as to the Health Secretary and the Centre caretakers. TReeS outcofire of Mobil's meeting with the Peruvian will consider part-funding a new Health pro- govemment which would determine whether they gramme subsequent to the election of a new will be permitted to fully undefiake the proposals. Secretary and the development of an appropriate Given the country's recent economic history the plan. Peruvian government is keen to exploit significant However, discussion regarding the future of Centro deposits of natural resources to finance economic Nape (the fonner AMETRA 2001 centre), in the grotth. Consequently, Mobil is likely to be granted native community of Infiemo, are proceeding in permission to undertake all,or nearly all, of its conjunction with CESVI - an Italian NGO. CESVI intended explorations. As a result the Bahuaja- have substantial Italian govemment funding to Sonene National Park proposal, currently being work in the three Ese'eja communities adjoining processed by the Ministry of Agriculture, is likely the TCRZ - Infierno, Sonene and Palma Real. to be put on hold until Mobil has determined its However, subsequent to securing the funding they exploitation options. have reviewed their proposal and are now conduct- In the light of the above, TReeS and the Royal ing surveys in each community to determine best Botanical gardens at Kew have written to President how to utilize the funding! The options for Centro Fujimori. The letter asks the Peruvian govemment Nape are based on the responsibility for it being to create the National Park as soon as possible. It handed over by FENAMAD to Infiemo. The acknowledges the recent economic problems faced concept of a Centre in a rntive community is alien by Peru and that the government wishes to use to native culture and it is by no means certain that resource exploitation to stimulate economic the native people can formulate a progmmme that growth. However, it requests that permission is will prove workable. It is important that the future withheld from Gema to proceed with seismic of the Centre is based on self-funding in the long- testing in the highly environmentally sensitive term and not continued donations. However, Upper Tambopata region. Furthermore, it suggests Infiemo is a split community with colonists settled that Mobil rnust establish a model of sound along the westem bank of the river, while the environmental practice for their operations, which Ese'eja live along the eastern bank, the bank on can be applied to future explomtions in such meas, which the Centre stands. It is known that the colon- as a condition of their contract. ists are keen to establish new 'chacras' on the land The dark shadow hanging over the proposal is the surrounding the Centre. history of oil extraction in the Oriente of neigh- TReeS now arvaits further comments from CESVI bouring Ecuador. There, nrinimal govefllment with a view to the joint funding of a proposal, controls on oil companies have led to severe should one materialise. The current ideas of native environmental and cultural degradation. However, members of Infiemo which could be developed one optimistic pointer within Peru is the banning of i-trclude the snrall-scale commercialization of plant oil companies from the Pacaya-Samiri National rerledies, the treatment of patients from the local Park, near Iquitos. I'he Peruvian government community, a model 'chacra' to enable the Centre originally gave permission for oil exploration to be partially self-sufficient, tourist visits to the within the Pmk but withdraw it in the face of strong medicinal plant garden and courses for native opposition to the plan. people to pass on knowledge about the production TReeS will continue to monitor the situation and, of traditional health practices and artesania. in conjunction with other organisations, will raise Another new development along the Tambopata awareness accordingly. river is the establishment of a Scientific Research Centrc half an hour up-river from the Explorer's FENAMAD News Lur by Newton College, of Lima. They have In the last FENAMAD Congress in August 1993 applied for custodianship over 1000 hecs of forest disagreernents between the representatives of the rrrnning back hom the river to include all of Lake Harakmbut communities of central Madre de Dios Sachavacayoc. The Centre will be used by Newton and those from the lower Madre de Dios led to the College's pupils, plus pnpils from other private meeting ending without the election of new Secre- colleges in Peru and the Americas as a rainforest taries, and agreements on new policies and classroorn. Newton College has also made contact programmes. Several FENAMAD progratlmes are with the Ese'eja comrnunities: handing out virtually suspended until a new Congress can be medecines and school materials to them. held. This is now planned for October/November in With both CESVI and Newton College, TReeS has the Harakmbut community of Santa Rosa de tried to encourage them to refer to previous work Huacaria, in the Alto Madre de Dios. TReeS has undertaken in the area, to consult with Centro Eori offered some funding, if required so that the Con- and other people with gxperience of working in the gress can be held as soon as possible. In the area. Furthermore to establish projects which relate ru-

in the area' FENAMAI) of the torest to the overall social programmes of to match tne and are not developed independently Peru News of the NGO' and econ- interests Peru has become much more politically projected stable during 7gg4' inflation is RESIDENT NATURALIST NEWS from ;;it-U" #f", 2090 and GDP 790 ' As a result tourism the ExPlorer's Inn i. L. ."rou"r.d drarnatically with 250'000+ visitors Climate year end. In his Independence Day Rainfall HurniditY by flre Temperature ""p".t"dPresideni Fujimori stated that his aim was mm' DaYs .peectr Mon Av.Mx. Av.Mn. 500,000 in 1995' The next Presidential 15 94'670 ti attract April 28.0"C 21.8"C 256 be held in April 1995 and 929Vo are due to 26.3"C 21.8'C 25O 14 de fufry "i"",ion,currently Fujimori is the clear polt leader' Perez June* 25.7"C 19.0'C 94 13 92'97o cuellar, the iormer UN Secretary General' is likely * data missing for4 daYs. to be the main opposition candidate' Recent Sightings' The actions of Sendero Luminoso have diminished Some very exciting sightings over the last couple markedly though they blew up the northern oi1 of months. A Jagum was seen on the trail across the pipeline in May. However, groups of bandits La Torre river and another was encountered inside ioUUing buses at night, principally in the central a tree hollow close to Katicocha. A Puma was also remain a tlueat to travellers. sighted, at 4000rn on Tapir trail, while a Short- , central and northern jungle regions the eared dog ran along Main trail, in front of rur RN, at In tlre 'Una de Gato' has been making the 300m. RN's have been able to make regular trips to extraction of vine, the bark of which it is claimed the Colpa, accompanying tourists and sightings en headlines. A become route have included Tapir and Black Spider rnay hold the cure to cancer and AIDS has that up to 3,000 people monkeys. big business. It is reported per week Current and Recent RN's and visitors to the may be collecting around 30kgs each just Explorer's Inn include - from the forest for which they can obtain $1/ A.Wilson - re-organising display materials. 2kgs. O.Gonzales - aquatic biJd distribution study. Madre de Dios the RN library. - A.Frizzell - re-organising capital of Peru' T.Roulston - undertaking a bee pollination study. 'Biological S-A.Hopwood - trail re-cutting, re-rnarking and re- Goverrunent law No.26311 (21.5'94) declared the measuring. department of Madre de Dios 'Peru's capital of D.Brown & K.Oram * renewing and expandiltg the biodiversity'. The Puerlo Maldonado town council reptile photo guide. had already declared the town 'the biological Oliver Philips is spending tme at both Cuzco capital of the world' following a TReeSflilanamey Amazonicus and Explorer's Inn to reassess the tree (a local conservation group) initiative 4 years ago. plots. S.Maser of the University of Calitbrnia spent some time collecting data for a publication about TReeS Meeting 'Fruits, Seeds and Flowe.rs of Neotropical Flora'. In Aadrew Gray, the antlropologist, gave a fasciuat- Septernber a Conserv'ation and Tourism Forurn tbr ing tatk to the TReeS meeting held at Green Peruvian students was lrcld at the lodge with about College, Oxford, about the history of the native 30 participants. people of Madre de Dios. The following is based, Due to a variety of reasons several RN's were in part, on his talk:- unable to complete their intended projects due to There are 60 ethnic groups in Peru and 17 of them guiding requirements. Two of the bungalows have are found in Madre de Dios but little was known been rebuilt and the capacity of the Explorer's Inn about them until the C20th. The Inkas and is once again 56 pax. At'ter many years as lodge Spaniards traded with them but never attempted to manager Marcia Morrow, well-known to many conquer the region. As a result the location of the former RN's and tourists to the EI. has lett the ethnic groups remained stable for many centuries. lodge and is temporarily looking after nntters in In the late C19th, however, the lives of native PM. Responsibility for the lodge operation is now people in Madre de Dios changed dramatically with in the hands of Mrs Gunther until a nerv manager is the arival of the rubber boom. Fitzcarrald, a Per- appointed. uvian of Irish descent, controlled the rubber trade TReeS has supplied a small quantity of rnaterials to on the Ucayali and Urubarnba valleys while the library at Tambopata JLrngle Lodge. Several Suruez, a Bolivian, operated along the Madeira British students acted as guides at the lodge over river. The shipment of rubber from Madre de Dios the Summer and the lodge is keen to fully establish down the Madeira to Manaus was lengthy and its RN progranune. In our view the rnore research costly until, in 1894, Fitzcarrald realised that two being undertaken along the river Tambopata the tributaries of the Urubamba and Manu rivers came better the long-term prospects lbr the conservatiorr to within 500m of each other. He then proceeded to planning to visit the London library haul a steamer - the remains of which can still be If you are please first (071.258 .1823). seen in the jungle just outside P.Maldonado - over ring about to be deposited in the the land isthmus dividing the two river basins and Documents recently or recent trip thereby gained control over the rubber reserves libraries include the report on J.Forrest's proposal, Centro along the Madre de Dios river. There were many to Peru, Mobil's oil exploration impact assessment for the skirmishes with native people - most tragically at EORI's environmental behalf of Mobil, etc. the cliffs of 'El Gran Mirador' where it is said that Upper Tambopata region on died. Much of the killing was done by 2,000 Toyeri Anglo-Peruvian SocietY Raffle other native people enslaved by Fitzcarrald in his in aid of Peru's Rainforest People. more northerly operations. Small communities of - has made several Shipibo, descended from the much larger grouping The Anglo-Peruvian Society past and we hope to in central Peru, remain to this day scattered across donations to TReeS in the the future. Madre de Dios and have only recently begun to apply to them for further donations in tickets with this News- recognise their native roots. We enclose a book of raffle members and their Fitzcanald made an agreement with Suarez to carry letter and we hope TReeS part. Please all his rubber via Iquitos but in 1897 Fitzcarrald friends will be interested in taking Society if it and Vaquadiez, the third baron, drowned in an return the book to the Anglo-Peruvian accident at the Sepa rapids, on the Urubamba river. is notofinterest. As a result Suarez was left in control of the whole TReeS Merchandise region and the real genocide of native people began. The Toyeri, who were said to number Goods and Prices as per the last Newsletter. ** ** 20,000 at the turn of the century now number just Correction by ONE. 'Bird Songs and Calls of SE Peru' recorded In 1902 missionary groups, principally Domini- the late Ben Coffey in the mid-1980's. We now €7.50 and not 010 cans, first entered the mea. San Luis de Manu was have a few copies in stock. Price established in 1907 focusing on the Matsigenka and each as stated in the last Newsletter' San Jacinto de focused on the Forthcoming Events/Publications Ese'eja and Toyeri. Ethnic group rivalries were played on to gain new recruits - in 1936 Ese'eja BBC Wildlife Magazine, Vo1.12, No'10, October along the Madre de Dios advised the missionaries 1994. A photo feature by F.L,anting on the Tambo- of a small group of Toyeri living far up the river pata Colpa (macaw salt-lick). Palma Real Grande. They were brought down to Anglo-Peruvian Society Expeditions Evening in the mission to be 'conquered, clothed and conjunction with TReeS - civilised'. Tuesday 8th November, 6.30pm, Canning Ho.' In the 1950's church and goYemment officials - Belgrave Square, London SWI. The Speakers will until the 1970's Madre de Dios was the departrnent talk about: the TReeS expedition in 1992 to the to which renegade and corrupt officials were sent - Upper TCRZ, a stay in the native community of forced the Ese'eja living up the Tambopata river to Huacalia, a scientific expedition to the Manu give up their semi-nomadic life. They were settled Biosphere Reserve and a traditional medicine close to P.Maldonado in a community named project in the Andes. Tickets (f6) must be bought Infiemo ('Hell'!). Since then the Summer Institute in advance from - G.Marshall, The Secretary, of Linguistics and many other religious groups 'Anglo-Peruvian Socief,' 20 Coppefields' Bea- have continued to try to have a major impact on consfield. Bucks HP9 2NT. native culture, though the former have been banned Nature v Development in the Rainforests of SE ffom working in Peru. Peru, a talk by J.Forrest to the Hampstead Scienti- In the pre-1890's there were said to be 30,000+ fic Society, 19th January 1995, Spm, at Burgh Ho., Harakmbut people and 120,000 native people New End Square, London NW3 (5 mins Hamp- between the 4 main linguistic native groups, in stead Tube). Free. Madre de Dios. Today 1,200 Harakmbut remain; Third World Fayre, Conway Hall, Red Lion about 95Vo of the native people of Madre de Dios Square, London, WCI (2 mins Holbom Tube) 9th have been wiped out. The population of Madre de (4-8pm) & 10th (11-5pm) December. A huge Dios is now 50,000, swelling to 90,000 in the gold- number of stalls selling Third World crafts. TReeS mining season and consists primarily of colonists hopes to be there. forced down from the Andes by the lack of land reforms and opportunities there.

TReeS Libraries New Addresses The worli of TReeS is endorsed/supported by Helpage, - OXFAM, Anglo-Peruvian Society, the Body Shop Intema- The TReeS Oxford library has now been moved to tional PLC, several FoE groups and schools, the Plant Sciences Library, Oxford University, and various srnall trusts and charities. South Pmks Road, Oxford (Tel; 0865.275082). Patlon - Nomlan Myers,