Rainforest Rivers - Peru Expedition

The Manu Biosphere Reserve is one of the world's most biodiverse places on the planet. A UNESCO World Heritage site covering 18,000 km² of the Amazon Basin, the Manu Biosphere Reserve is the largest rainforest reserve in the world. Its altitude ranges from 3,800 m at the top of Apu Kañahuay down to 300 m, where the Manu River converges with the Alto Madre de Dios.

Home to over 3,000 plant species,1,000 vertebrate species, 1000 species of birds and at least 200 species of mammals - this tropical oasis is a treasure trove of nature. Recorded mammals include the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator), brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus), 13 different species of primates and eight felids, including the jaguar (Panthera onca), cougar (Puma concolor), and the elusive and endangered Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita).

In 2014, I was lucky enough to be part of an 8-person expedition with the University of Glasgow, with a goal to carry out scientific research on animal diversity in the Peruvian Amazon and help on projects conducted by the CREES Foundation.

Our research goal was to survey and map three small Amazonian rainforest rivers and record the biodiversity using them. Smaller rivers in the Amazon are largely unmapped yet are important for sustaining biodiversity aiding ecosystem recovery and carbon dynamics. Unfortunately, these river networks can also be access routes for human disturbance, such as illegal logging.

Our methods of collecting data for mammals and birds included:

1. Day and night transect surveys along each river and in adjacent forest

2. Camera traps

3. Mammal track signs

4. Audio and visual recordings

We also recorded amphibian and butterfly species, carbon debris (using a leaf and branches caught in nets), river discharge with a flow meter, and gathered water samples.

It was evident that Mother Nature has an amazing ability to prevail IF we allow it. The tertiary rainforest that had been cut down but allowed to regenerate did have amazing levels of biodiversity however there were unique and special species that could only be found in the untouched Primary rainforest.

As well as researching biodiversity in the reserve, I had the pleasure of working with local communities and CREES organisation to build research infrastructure, as well as create and teach sustainability programmes. It felt amazing to be inspiring others about the wonders of biodiversity whilst at the same time being so inspired myself. I will cherish the memories I made with the incredible researchers and community members; swimming and washing in the rivers, inventing cocktails with Juvenal the chef, getting cosy with hot chocolate and watching the hummingbirds during el friaje (cold spells) or regular biblical rains, and braiding bracelets with women with neither of speaking each others language but still laughing and somehow able to exchange stories together. To name but a few...

Learn more about the increible work of CREES and support them here: https://www.crees-manu.org/