Amazon Conservation Efforts

As people and businesses have encroached into what was once virgin wilderness, wildlife and local people have suffered. So several amazon conservation initiatives have been developed to try to slow down the loss of wildlife and the suffering of the indigenous population. 

In Ecuador, my friend Raul Garcia has been working to help. He has started projects to help the local communities and to get them involved in helping the wildlife, as you can learn in this video.

Raul's organization says it is their mission preserve wildlife that has been threatened by human activity through the implementation of sustainable projects involving local communities and conservation entities. Capi's Amazon River Station project combines conservation and travel. Their goal is not just to bring together international societies, scientists and volunteers but also, and more importantly, people living in nearby settlements who are willing to get involved.

The Ecuadorian government has told the indigenous people that they will offer their lands to the oil companies if they don't do something profitable with the land, so the villagers have built lodges and started other projects to make their land commercially viable. Raul's company pays the communities a fee for each tourist that visits one of the community projects when they are doing a cruise on the Anakonda or the Manatee Amazon Explorer. Not only do the tourists get to help in the conservation projects for turtles, dolphins and manatees, as is mentioned in the video, but they also get to learn how the people live in conditions much different than what the tourists are familiar with back home. I think it is especially beneficial for children to see how the local people live.

Charapas or yellow spotted sideneck turtle eggs are illegally harvested for human consumption and can be bought in local markets. This practice has put the survival of this species in danger. According to the IUCN Red list, these unusual turtles fall under a “vulnerable” classification. 

Pink River Dolphins are top predators which means that they have a strong  influence on their habitat. If their population declines, a cascading environmental effect will occur. The pollution of the Amazon basin river waters, in addition to the degradation of the rainforest surroundings and illegal hunting, have compromised the survival of these animals. Raul'g organization decided to set up a research station for Amazon River Dolphins that will facilitate the monitoring and observation of this unique species.   

Since ancient times indigenous hunters have hunted manatees in order to get meat for their consumption whereas in recent times, they have supported an active market for their leather, meat and oil. The annual reproductive rate of the manatee population fluctuates around 5%. This percentage, added to the survival rate of manatee’s calves becomes a huge obstacle to natural population recovery.
Slow reproduction rates, combined with deforestation and illegal hunting, indicates that the Amazon Manatee’s population is likely to continue its decrease.

 The giant river otter (called "river wolf") has also been facing significant threats within recent decades. Poaching, along with degradation of the ecosystem have definitely altered their numbers. Thus, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora changed their status from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ in 1999. When you decide to take one of the cruises to adventure into the tropical rainforest, you can easily have the wonderful opportunity to spot these unique yet interesting otters.