Conservation in the Amazon Rainforest

Location -
The project is situated within the Manu Biosphere Reserve at the furthest tip of the Upper Amazon River, in the remote south-eastern region of Peru. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest tropical rainforest biosphere reserve on earth, protecting 4,646,564 acres (1,881,200 hectares) of land; an area almost half the size of Switzerland.

The area is situated within the Amazon River basin and protects almost the entire watershed of the River Manu and most of the tributaries of the River Alto Madre de Dios. The Manu Learning Centre is situated within regenerating secondary forest, ideally placed for studies of regeneration of habitats after disturbance

Flora & Fauna -
The Manu Biosphere Reserve’s biological diversity is one of the greatest on Earth. A total of more than 800 bird species and 200 species of mammals have been identified. The Puna grassland is home to tassel-eared llamas and alpacas; the cloud forests are inhabited by brilliant-red Cock of the Rocks, Spectacled Bears and scores of dripping tree ferns; and the lowland rainforest is inhabited by the giant Black Caiman, Giant Otter, 13 species of monkeys and over 1000 species of birds.

Whilst the flora of Manu is vastly under-researched, in the last 10 years 1,147 plant species have been identified in the park within quite a small area and it is likely that the number of species to be found within the park is well over this figure.

Cultural Environment -
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.

Monitoring -
Monitoring and registering forest biodiversity in Manu National Park (e.g. jaguars, tapirs, pumas, birds, monkeys, amphibians, reptiles and butterflies, etc.) So far 37 large mammal species including 13 individual jaguars have been recorded!

Data Collecting -
Collect data from the clay lick, primarily focusing on species behaviour and wildlife distribution.

Night-time surveys -
Volunteers carry out transect surveys by walking slowly along a 100m trail and looking for amphibians and reptiles. Any that are seen are caught, brought to the camp to be weighed and measured and then released.

Data processing -
Processing and uploading data that supports international conservation projects and informs wider conservation strategies.

Plantation -
Volunteers will help plant seedlings in bio gardens and check on growth rates, soil acidity and composting in existing bio gardens.

Reforestation -
Help to create, plant, monitor and map reforestation plots. Volunteers have helped turn 17 hectares of degraded land into agroforestry plots which has enabled the planting of 10,000 plantains and 3,000 trees which has created the first program in Peru to ever commercialize carbon credits on behalf of a local community.

Project tasks -
All volunteers will partake in conservation-research, animal-tracking, tree-planting and garden-maintenance.

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