The Peru Amazon Rainforest Project Project Vision
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Welcome to the Peru Amazon Rainforest Project The Peru Amazon Rainforest Project works with carefully selected partners to actively help protect the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon rainforest, which is the biggest and most diverse rainforest in the world, covers more than half of Peru and is home to thousands of unique and endangered animals, plants and ecosystems. You will be based with our local project partner Crees (www.crees-manu.org) – a Peruvian based non-profit founded in 2002 to support a sustainable Amazon through better understanding of the value of the rainforest, and by helping local people to access its resources in ways that are both profitable and that will preserve the forest for the future. Crees stands for conservation, research and environmental education towards sustainability and sets to prove that ethical and sustainable practices can produce and create an improved future. Crees is now the leading conservation and sustainable development non-profit organisation working in the Manu Biosphere Reserve. The work that is being done by the project – with the support of volunteers – is vital for the welfare of the Amazon not just in Manu, but all throughout Peru and South America. Project vision Crees’ vision is to create a sustainable Amazon where humankind and nature can support one another through balance, respect and innovation. They aim to achieve this through: • striving not only for conservation of the rainforest, but also for economic, social and environmental harmony. • developing strategic, proactive and ecologically sound programmes, by managing and developing sustainable eco-friendly facilities and by being leaders in logistics and operations of educational programmes. • helping humankind and nature support one another through balance, respect and innovation. Daily activities overview Volunteers work six days a week for around 6-8 hours a day. Daily activities can include (depending on the time of year, and the length of your placement): • conducting early morning transects along the reserve to track bird types and numbers • recording the number and activity of parrots and macaws, and any observed tourist impacts, at the nearby clay lick • conducting pitfall surveys for amphibians and reptiles • setting up butterfly nets and identifying and recording butterfly species • early morning transects for mammals • assisting in setting up camera traps • collecting rainforest litter (leaves, seeds and sticks) to track regeneration and carbon levels • helping create and support bio-gardens at the research centre and in the local community • helping to plant agroforestry plants with local farmers • holding language exchanges with local staff members • assisting with local school visits to the research centre. About Manu National Park A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important areas of biodiversity globally, the Manu Biosphere Reserve is home to part of the last intact forest in Peru. Its multiple fragile ecosystems (the Andean Purma, Cloud Forest and Lowland rainforest) are home not only to an amazing array of fauna and flora but also to indigenous people and an ever increasing community of immigrant settlers who are struggling to live sustainably and in harmony. Manú National Park is located in Madre de Dios and Paucartambo, Cusco. Before becoming an area protected by the Peruvian government, the Manú National Park was conserved thanks to its inaccessibility. The park remains fairly inaccessible by road to this day. In 1977, UNESCO recognised it as a Biosphere Reserve and in 1987, it was pronounced a World Heritage Site. It is the largest National Park in Peru, covering an area of 15,328 km². The Biosphere Reserve includes an additional 2,570 km², and a further 914 km² are included in a Cultural Zone (which also is afforded a level of protection), bringing the total area up to 18,811 km². The park protects several ecological zones ranging from as low as 150 meters above sea level in parts of the Southwest Amazon moist forests to Peruvian Yungas at middle elevations to Central Andean wet puna at altitudes of 4200 meters. Because of this topographical range, it has one of highest levels of biodiversity of any park in the world. Overall, more than 15,000 species of plants are found in Manú, and up to 250 varieties of trees have been found in a single hectare. Manu currently supports four native ethnic groups: the Machiguenga, the Mascho-Piro, the Yaminahua, and the Amahuaca. These peoples are considered part of the park’s natural system, and are left to use the park as they please while their lifestyle does not threaten the park’s objectives. With deforestation and unsustainable exploitation of the natural resources (such as gold mining, illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture and cattle ranching) on the increase, Manu faces a complex and daily struggle to survive not just today but for future generations to benefit from. Project location The main project site is at the Manu Learning Centre (MLC), an Amazonian research and learning centre within the Manu Biosphere Reserve and around eight hours drive from Cusco. The starting and ending point of your placement is in Cusco. You will be taken to and from the project in private transport, which will also include one night’s stay in a nearby cloud forest on the way to the project to experience the other local ecosystems in the area. The area is situated within the Amazon River basin and protects almost the entire watershed of River Manu and most of the tributaries of the Alto Madre de Dios River. The project is in an ideal location for conservation research, as due to the differing altitudinal gradients, many species overlap and therefore bring a crossover of higher altitudinal species and lowland species. Volunteering Itinerary Arrival the small port town of Atalaya you will then take a When you arrive in Cusco a Globalteer member of boat 45 minutes downstream to the MLC. A short staff will be there to collect you from the airport. hike up from the river takes you to the centre itself. Day 1 is treated as an arrivals day, so you’ll be By the time you make it the short distance to your briefed on the schedule for the next few days and accommodation you will no doubt have already dropped off at your accommodation with an seen and heard an abundance of wildlife and be information pack. eager to start exploring! On Day 2 you will meet the rest of your volunteer Sample Itinerary team and Crees staff for an introduction and orientation. This will be followed by a short tour of Day 1 Airport collection Cusco, and a delicious lunch. From around 3pm Day 2 Briefing and orientation onwards you will have the afternoon to yourself. Day 3-4 Travel to project location (one night in cloud forest) On Day 3 you will be collected bright and early from Day 5-6 Project induction & training your accommodation, and begin your journey into Day 7 Day trip to hot springs the Amazon. The first few hours of the journey Day 8-9 Further Training consist of a drive through the Andean Mountains, Day 10-31 Project work (except Sundays) eventually descending through to the cloud forests, Day 32 Travel to Cusco where you spend the night. Day 33 Sign out, airport drop- off The next day you continue downwards and finally emerging in the rainforest valley of Kosñipata. From Training Your first week will consist of a training and induction programme designed to maximise your experience by ensuring you are properly trained in how to live in the jungle and effectively work on our projects. Please note that 2-week volunteers will receive a shortened training programme to maximise their time in the forest. Sample Volunteer Training Week Schedule Day 1 - Programme Arrival Day: Cusco • Airport or local hotel pickup and transfer to accommodation. • Participants can use this day to explore and acclimatise in Cusco. Day 2 - Programme Introduction: Cusco • Crees has a formal briefing in the early evening to meet fellow participants and learn more about the programme. It is essential that everyone must attend the briefing. • After registration, participants explore the ancient Inca capital experiencing Andean culture and its ever-changing environment, beginning to understand its role in shaping the Amazon’s future. • Participants also use the day to ensure they have all the right equipment and supplies before heading off to the rainforest the following day. Day 3 - Journey to Cloud Forest • Leaving the Inca Capital at first light, participants begin the day and a half journey over the Andes, through cloud forest into lowland Amazon. This a spectacular route along dirt roads, cutting through incredible mountain terrain before reaching the start of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO world heritage site and most biodiverse place on the planet. • The journey connects with local towns and people and explores how locals live in such a harsh yet stunning environment. • Participants will learn about the impact of climate change on ecosystems and the specific relevance of cloud forests, getting the opportunity to walk through the forest and potentially meet Peru’s iconic national bird, the Cock of the Rock. • Participants can head out to explore the cloud forest at night on an optional night walk or rest up at the lodge. • Meet a local farmer who produces the sacred coca leaf and other medicinal plants and learn about their properties and what they are used for. Day 4 - Arrival in lowland Amazon • Descending a further 3 hours through the foothills of the Andes to the lowland Amazon port of Atalaya, en route participants get a taste of rainforest climate and life. • The final spectacular stage of the journey is a 45-minute boat ride to the Manu Learning Centre, Crees’ Research hub, on the meandering Amazonas river, the Alto Madre de Dios.