Amazon Adventures

Peru Tours and Travel

The Tahuayo River Amazon Research Center, Peru

In 2007, a new lodge was started - the Tahuayo River Amazon Research Center (TRARC), a long-term conservation initiative undertaken in consultation with government offices in Iquitos (Loreto, Peru) and in collaboration with Chicago’s Rainforest Conservation Fund (RCF;
www.rainforestconservation.org), Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Tahuayo River villages’ Comite de Gestion approved the TRARC undertaking at its March 2007 meeting in return for the facility’s sharing of project findings with the region’s indigenous villages.

The TRARC initiative is being developed to promote new collaborative projects in conservation biology, environmental studies, cultural anthropology, and more at the Area de Conservacion Regional Comunal de Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo (ACRCTT). Auxiliary support is provided by TRARC projects that bear particular promise toward helping promote sustainable developments among ribereños culture in this large and precious portion of western Amazonia. Work with TRARC scientific board members, for example, will augment villagers’ knowledge of their rainforest plants, while progressively illuminating the spectacularly diverse plant communities of ACRCTT for modern science. Simultaneously, TRARC’s major collaborator, RCF, has launched new work with Planned Parenthood South America along the Tahuayo while continuing to grow ongoing programs in agroforestry, environmental education, and more along the Tahuayo.

Current director of the TRARC is noted primatologist Dr. Michael E. Pereira. Pereira’s expertise in research on primates is helping to safeguard Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo’s spectacular primate fauna: 16 species representing every South American primate family and spanning the continent’s range of body size. Recent observations suggest that the new approaches to conservation at ACRCTT will be important for area primates. Reserve-wide primate census was initiated in 2007. Students and tourists can choose to assist in the habituation for eventual study particular social groups of each of six large-bodied species of monkeys: Cebus apella, C. albifrons, Saimiri sciureus, Lagothrix lagothricha, Alouatta seniculus, and Cacajao calvus. This work is occuring on a research trail grid located behind the TRARC. During all-day follows of particular social groups, volunteers’ work will grow to include progressively more systematic and detailed records of data for contribution to cumulative TRARC databases.

The trail grid behind the research center lodge covers 52 miles spread over 1000 acres. It is the largest trail system offered in the Amazon. It is the best hike known in the Amazon for viewing primates in their natural environment. Twelve species of primates have significant populations on the grid:
95 squirrel monkeys
170 tamarins (2 species)
90 titi monkeys (2 species)
25 brown capuchins
15 white-fronted capuchins
25 pygmy marmosets
25 night monkeys (2 species)
35 saki monkeys (2 species)
Other mammals living on the grid include: coati, tamandua, giant anteater, tapir, peccary (2 species), deer (2 species), ocelot, jaguar, paca, agouti, agouchi, armadillo, pygmy tree squirrel, Amazon tree squirrel, opossum (many species), rat (many species), sloth (2 species), kinkajou, tayra, and bat (approx 70 species).

Guests of the Amazonia Lodge are encouraged to also spend time at the Research Center as there are more chances to see wildlife and more opportunities to hike. It is also very peaceful because it is farther away from communities, so it gets very little boat traffic coming by. It is a smaller lodge with shared bathrooms, excellent food, a relaxing hammock room close to the forest and internet access.

Following are the studies planned for 2010:

John Koprowski, Ph.D. of the University of Arizona and his students will be continuing their studies focusing on the conservation and behavioral ecology of rare Amazonian tree squirrels. Squirrels are considered to be important indicators of forest health world-wide.

Janice Chism, Ph.D.of Winthrop University plans to continue her studies on our saki monkeys. Dr. Chism has determined that the sakis living on the trail grid are neither Monk Sakis nor Equatorial Sakis, but are in fact a new species of saki monkey not yet described by science. New species of large primates are rarely discovered, so this find is of major importance.

Our staff biologist Alfredo Dosantos will be continuing his work with Randall Myster, Ph.D. of Central Oklahoma University and the Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies on seed dispersal in Amazonian ecosystems. Dr. Myster is writing the definitive text on defining the different types of Amazon forest ecosystems.

Graduate student Rose Hores of Southern Illinois University will start her doctoral thesis research on the rare Bald Red-faced Uakari Monkey. This endangered species of monkey lives only in the ACRCTT and is sometimes found on our trail grid behind the Research Center.

In February Tim Faasen of the Netherlands will be continuing his study of damselfly diversity. Tim found two species new to science in 2009.

Head birding guide Josias Huanacari will be continuing his work with ornithologist Carol Foss, Ph.D. on field studies of tropical bird ecology and behavior.