Amazon 2005 p9

All text copyright © 2003-2014 by Eitan Grunwald. All photographs copyright © 2003-2014 Eitan and Ron Grunwald (except photographs by others copyright per photo credits). All rights reserved.

AMAZON

May 2005

9 of 11

AMAZON

May 2005

9 of 11

Project Amazonas, an independent nonprofit founded and supported by Margarita Tours, believes that rainforest preservation depends upon the involvement of people who live there, and that conservation and eco- tourism must benefit local communities. The organization’s research and environmental projects are tied into programs that also deliver medical and educational services to remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon, and the operation of field stations creates employment and other economic opportunities. Another one of those field stations is Paucarillo, about an hour farther up the Rio Oroso from Madre Selva. We pack the boat for an overnight exploration and speed along the river till we pull up beside some dugout canoes and a dock of floating logs. Paucarillo is on tribal lands and was established with the cooperation of the native community. An extended family of Yagua Indians lives there as caretakers, giving us a glimpse into their daily lives. In the morning the nets are pulled in and the catch is cleaned. This unusual fish, the tambaqui, eats fruit that drops from trees into the river, so its teeth have evolved into flat “bicuspids” for crushing hard shells and pits. The piranha, on the other hand . . . well, you know. The hilly forest of Paucarillo is steeper and drier than the area around Madre Selva. Found only a few herps during our brief stay. This is the largest Treefrog I’ve ever seen.