Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS), NE Peru
HEIGHT:
115 ft (tower)
LENGTH:
1/3 mile
BUILT:
1994
ENGINEERING FIRM:
Illar Muul
▸ COMPLETED: ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUIRED
THREAT/OPPORTUNITY
- Approximately 50,000 square miles of tropical forest, primarily in the Amazon, is lost per year.
- Explorama Ecotourist Lodges (EEL), local environmentalists and scientists wanted to increase ecotourism numbers to prevent further deforestation, give the indigenous population employment opportunities, and protect endangered species like the harpy eagle, scarlet macaws, and jaguars.
SOLUTION
- Approximately $500,000 was earmarked from tourism revenues.
- Illar Muul, a medical ecologist, rain forest advocate and engineer, and local
construction supervisor Don Antonio hired a team of indigenous people to construct 11
platforms linked by rope and wood-slot walkways: First platform took 3 months to build; the next 10 platforms took only 3 months more – thanks to the purchase of a battery-operated drill!
RESULTS
- Initial 3.9 square miles of protected land has grown to 3,900 square miles as local politicians, businesses, and population realized the sustainable income provided by increased ecotourism.
- Over 120 indigenous families employed to drive boats, maintain walkway, act as chefs, guides, cashiers, and guards.
- In 1999, virtual fieldtrips were broadcast from the walkway to over 3 million schoolchildren, in over 20 countries, by
The Jason Project. - Numerous scientists have published research from the walkway: plant surveys by Al Gentry, herbivory by Lowman, katydids by Dave Nichols.
- Walkway has made NE Peru a prime tropical rain forest ecotourism destination.
BROADER IMPACT/NEXT STEPS:
- Amazon Peru Walkway now recognized as “gateway” to world’s highest biodiversity site.
- EEL has embraced the walkway as a mission vs. a business: establishing an NGO and Board of Advisors to consult on
permit issues, maintenance, research protocols, and education/advocacy for local people. - Plan for 2022: Hire Pamela Montero – the fifth grader who was school liaison for the Jason Project in 1999 and went on to earn scholarships and her PhD in Conservation and Ecotourism at University of Florida under Lowman’s guidance – as Scientist/Educator in Residence to develop canopy curriculum and train local educators.
Amazonian Peru: a Biodiversity "Hot Spot"
The Peruvian Amazon jungle comprises 60% of Peru, which represents the second-largest portion of the Amazon rainforest after the Brazilian Amazon. This jungle is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. Peru has the largest number of bird species in the world and the third-largest number of mammal species. Peru also has a very high number of species of butterflies, orchids, and other organisms.
