Right - protected, left - unprotected - Giles Crosse

Some hours outside the Fauna Forever base in Puerto Maldonado, the extent of deforestation, primarily caused by goldmining in the area, becomes apparent.

Paradoxically, the forest on one side of the road sits within the reserve, whilst the forest on the other side of the road is ravaged by pollution, mining, toxic chemicals and human impacts.

It’s a stunning illustration of the occasionally ill advised nature of environmental law. What makes forest on opposing sides of road more or less vulnerable to destruction comes down to a piece of paper and a strip of tarmac.

Equally, there are no patrols, no towers, literally no form of intervention, control or governmental presence here to ensure that the protected forest remains so. It is protected solely in name, not in action.

This begs the question of how long miners and other individuals seeking a more profitable form of existence will respect rules without any concrete form of enforcement. Insiders tell me this lack of enforcement comes down not to a lack of centralised cash, but a lack of governmental will.

Deforestation in the unprotected Peruvian Amazon - Giles Crosse

The extent of the destruction and our ability to mine the heart from the earth are truly shocking when witnessed at first hand. This is not to deny that enormous swathes of Peruvian rainforest remain intact and unspoiled, but to act as a warning to their potential future.

The answers to these questions remain complex. Why does a government whose resources and profitable future exists in the rainforest allow such ill advised practices to take place? For how long can it waste the heritage it is denying future Peruvians?

These questions are not for external NGOs to answer, but for internal policy makers to face up to.

Along which road does Peru's future lie? Giles Crosse

The answers to the dilemma will define work patterns, standard of life, global climate change and the lives of millions of human beings. They are crucial, tangible and undeniable. Yet they must be made internally, not internationally, in order for the most meaningful decisions.

Will tomorrow's rainforest look like this?

Or like this?

Will skeletons line tomorrow's roads?

Or bountiful resources for future generations?

Whilst these issues may seem vexed and challenging, in reality they really on intelligent, resourceful decisions, which create the right opportunities for rainforest to be protected.

The actual protection may stem from private businesses, NGOs, government, or, most meaningfully, from ordinary Peruvians.

These are the people whose land this is. These are the people whose incomes and livelihoods depend on this land. These are the people who deserve a stake in the future of this most bountiful of environments.

Let us hope tomorrow’s futures can be bright.

‘Exactly how scientists came to espouse ideas about animal minds that were so at odds with what non scientists would call common sense is fascinating and instructive.

It bears exploring because it tells us a lot about ourselves as a species. Humans have always tried to make sense of the world and their place in it. Foraging people, living in close harmony with nature and her rythmns, see themselves as closely connected to other living things in their worlds.

They see themselves as an integral part of the whole of nature. We see this expressed in the mythologies and folk tales of Australian Aborigines and Native Americans, for instance….

Aristotle, in the fourth century B.C.E, constructed a view of the natural world that is, in its essence, still with us. He ordered all living and non living things on a ladder of perceived importance based on mind.

Humans were at the top, below the gods, a place earned by our great intellect. On lower and lower rungs were the lesser creatures, and finally the plants; lowest of all was the mineral world.

The Judeo-Christian tradition enthusiastically adopted Aristotle’s blueprint, in which humans were given dominion over all living things and the earth. This description of nature became known as the Great Chain of Being. Humans were not only different from all of God’s other creatures, but also distinctly superior.

The most important lesson that Alex taught us concerns the place of Homo Sapiens in nature. The revolution in animal cognition of which Alex was an important part teaches us that humans are not unique, as we long believed.

We are not superior to all other beings in nature. The idea of humans’ separateness from the rest of nature is no longer tenable. Alex taught us that we are a part of nature, not apart from nature.

That ‘separateness’ notion was a dangerous illusion that gave us permission to exploit every aspect of the natural world – animal, plant, mineral – without consequences. We are now facing those consequences: poverty, starvation, and climate change for example.

My philosophy of life is based in an appreciation of the holistic nature of the world. Who knows what other amazing things we might have seen through our window into Alex’s mind had he stayed?

In any case, he did leave me this great gift of what was once known and embraced but was lost: the oneness of nature and our part in it.’

Giles Crosse

There is here in Peru, and in many developing countries, a strong tendency to burn things. When that comes to rubbish in the streets or toxic chemicals that is a bad thing.

Then again, in the EU incineration of rubbish is one of the largest forms of waste disposal. This of course does not make it right or necessarily good, but it does illustrate that these approaches are not confined to shanty towns or barrios. They are also used, invested in and supported by some of the richest governments in the West.

Of course, burning in agriculture to clear land is also a widely used and debated approach.

There is perhaps insufficient space in these pages to enter into the scientific and environmental arguments behind these points. They are complex and even experts in the subject fail to reach consensus.

More interesting is the ethos behind burning things.

Without using scientific arguments, it seems plain that allowing a field to lie fallow ought to enable a greater quantity of goodness to return to the soil than rushing to send the vast majority of this into the heavens in smoke and fumes.

Equally, if we create something so virulent that we need to burn it to find a way to get rid of it, then perhaps it might have been wiser, certainly in terms of waste disposal, to have opted for a less harmful product in the first place.

But burning can also cleanse and destroy viruses. Viewed without emotion, it is little more than a process which converts one form of energy and material into another.

I do not condone incineration of rubbish nor the destruction of vast swathes of rainforest through burning. Yet perhaps even more worrying is the mindset that burning belies. It speaks of a short termism, a lack of vision and a desire to sweep our mistakes under the carpet. It is often a violent, destructive process.

Maybe burning things isn’t the problem, it’s why we allow ourselves to do it in the first place.

Giles Crosse

Might Caiman inhabit these waters?

Patrick Champagne, a Fauna Forever researcher, is set to carry out a groundbreaking study into population densities of Paleosuchus trigonatus, a widely distributed species of caiman found in South America.

“Unlike other crocodilians there have been insufficient resources applied to the study of this species. Most of the literature on this species derives from studies conducted by William Magnusson during the eighties and nineties.” he explains.

Pat’s research project will estimate the density of caiman at a selected site using passive integrated transponders (Pit-Tags) to mark and identify recaptured individuals over the period of eight months.

“If the population density is studied at a site with minimal anthropological disturbance, the results may be used in future studies to estimate the anthropological impact on this species.” he comments.

During the day, the study area will be searched for presence of caiman, building a knowledge of the site’s nature. Animals will be located by sampling the streams after dark on a five-day basis. In order to reduce disturbance and influence, any portion of the study site that was surveyed during the day will not be surveyed that night and portions of the study site will never be surveyed on consecutive nights.

“Animals will be captured and handled humanely to minimize the stress of the animal and the handler.” Pat reveals.

“A catch and release pole will be required to restrain individuals. Under no circumstances will the safety of the animal or the handler be sacrificed. Once captured, each animal will have its jaw secured using a rope or electrical tape. I have used electrical tape and noted that it does not adhere to the surface of the snout, and can be used to restrain the mouths of smaller individuals.”

With the support of Association Fauna Forever Tambopata and a funding grant from a generous donor, Pat will add to the knowledge we have of a species that is an integral part of South American biodiversity.

I began my journey in Moncton, New Brunswick, a city 30 minutes from my hometown of Sackville. As I hauled my hockey bag-suitcase out of the van I began regretting the five pieces of luggage I required for my eight-month stay in Peru. With all this luggage, I appeared awkward and cumbersome compared to Sam, a student from Moncton that would be accompanying me on the long series of flights from eastern Canada to eastern Peru, and who had but a small carry on and an impressive looking backpack.

Me before flight

We took off from Moncton at 5:30am, it was odd to see the familiar boreal landscape and salt water tidal rivers disappear from beneath me, knowing that soon the similar, yet alien amazon rainforest, with its muddy colored rivers would be appearing from below as I land in Puerto Maldonado. This flight to Toronto, although short, seemed long because any conversation was drowned out by the low and incessant hum of the small airplane’s engine and the flight itself was to short for a nap or to watch a movie.

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Giles Crosse

An hour or two upriver from the Lucerna port, the protected reserve in the Las Piedras region of this part of the Amazon comes into force.

It’s a remote, isolated, largely untouched and largely unspoiled wilderness, where man’s influence has been limited and nature still reigns in the jungle light.

Unsurpassing beauty and calm are at work here. But human encroachments have occurred, as a road enables illegal logging to take place. Empty shotgun shells have been found here by the Fauna Forever team, evidencing the brutality and the cheapness of life that belies this form of existence.

As yet, government officials have taken little or no action to protect the reserve in the form of guard posts or in the form of watch towers or communications. Laws at this stage have no concrete affirmation beyond cabinet rooms or red tape.

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Lucerna - Giles Crosse

Often the most interesting days are the least expected. Arriving by boat at Lucerna, to unload and return to FF headquarters in Puerto Maldonado via car, it transpired storms had flooded out part of the road, leaving our return route to humanity impassable.

Strict rules are meant to prevent vehicles using the carreteras that link Lucerna and the main highway during bad weather, as the road becomes yet more damaged and dangerous when heavy trucks pass over the waterlogged ground.

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Perhaps there is a simple answer to why man and nature seem increasingly divorced in modern times.

Giles Crosse

Countless millions are donated, pledged, fundraised and created to enable the work of global NGOs, constantly seeking to improve and deliver a more rational approach to the planet and our place on it.

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The ARCC ecotourist and research facility is located some three to six hours upriver from Puerto Maldonado. After a 5AM boat departure, a visit to the centre offers some of the richest rewards available in this part of the Amazon Basin.

Meandering along these tranquil waters is a moving experience. Breathing, flowing rivers drift through beachheads and shorelines rich with tropical trees, majestic with age, and simple, dignified beauty.

Huascar sun from below - Giles Crosse

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ARCC - Giles Crosse

Flowing waters guide healing; a lifetime’s emotion framed in a moment
Angels flit softly; to sunscapes and palm light surrender your soul
Under shadows and skylarks the truth bids you nearer, the silence most welcome, cathartic and clear
Nature’s epiphany constant as starlight, the tiniest creature, the world as a sphere
Ask not for distractions, crave not mirrored lies

For futures are present, reliant, come freely, both trustworthy, blameless and shown in these skies
Orphaned by sadness, seek not redemption
Rejoice in translucence, let clarity calm
Evermore freely step back from your chaos,while
Vistas of solitude soothe and disarm
Even when gifted these strange constellations, that wander and watch and perceive from above
Remember your world lives, remember your choices, be guided by mindfulness, presence and love

Huesca river - Giles Crosse

FAUNA FOREVER – experience the magic

Viejo - Giles Crosse

I’m often intrigued by how certain individuals maintain a sense of calm and dignity amid the most challenging circumstances, whilst others become crushed and diminished by similar challenges.

Might this have something to do with how we live and work? Is it any coincidence that the boatyard in Puerto Viejo emits a calm sense of purposefulness and meaning? Yet a London stock exchange, outlined in stark strip lighting, shares none of this empathy or sense of space.

Maybe this is because boatyard workers in Viejo use natural materials, work in sunlight, alongside a flowing river. Perhaps it is because their daily tasks involve building transportation, to help educate, encourage and improve.

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Puerto Maldonado sunset - Giles Crosse

Fifteen minutes walk into town from Fauna Forever HQ is the Obelisk. This tall, brutish building offers some of the best views across the city and out into the rainforest.

It also offers some serious food for thought regarding sustainable consumption, future cities, pollution and the hub of many arguments here in the Amazon.

The latest trend in Western societies is for futurism in cities. Smart grids, that link in automatically and charge appliances overnight when power is cheaper and less damaging. That detect when you are coming home from work and prime up low level light and heating systems. Even communal washpoints that save on water and electricity are all likely to spring up in the sustainable metropolis of the future.

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It’s an unfortunate truth there aren’t that many goods we can make without using harmful chemicals, that leach into the atmosphere and ultimately back into our bodies and cells.

Computers and monitoring equipment in hospitals rely on printed circuit boards, gold, nickel or silver. Chemicals and metals in capacitors and plastics surrounding electric cabling fill every home, surgery, neonatal ward and living room.

There are obviously safer ways we can make these things. Tomorrow‘s laptops can be built from bamboo not plastic, changing our usual manufacturing patterns and potentially ushering in a new age of sustainable production.

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I’ve always been fascinated by how opposing viewpoints and visions can offer us a very different perspective on the world and our role in it.

Ant's eye view - Giles Crosse

When we look at things from a viewpoint that’s beyond the norm, we can often perceive new ideas, thoughts and concepts. A lot of the best ideas on ways to meaningfully live, think, evolve and contribute can stem from very simple ways of stepping outside our routine normality.

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Spotted a beautiful fly in my room at FF headquarters…

Giles Crosse

A tiny thing, but all of us share the will with which we cling on to life…

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Now, I don’t really know who this is for, and what you’re expecting. But here for your delight is day 40 of my 9 month stay with Fauna Forever. The 14th of November 2012. I was always going to be on the herpetology team, or the herpies as THEY call us, the birders that is.

What boy doesn’t love snakes? By day 40 I was calling things their Latin names and generally feeling pretty pleased with myself when it came to slithery slimy vertebrates. For this particular phase at ARCC (a favourite lodge of Fauna Forever) Brian my Lord, mentor and general know all of Jungle life was being treated for Leishmaniasis leaving me coordinatorless and beyond inconsolable. In his place I had been given two others: Irbin a knowledgeable but desperately lacking in English, Peruvian chap, and Patrick Campbell, a Florida born herp enthusiast who proved vital in translating the mighty Irbin.

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Story courtesy of Mongabay.com

Watching a new video by Amazon explorer, Paul Rosolie, one feels transported into a hidden world of stalking jaguars, heavyweight tapirs, and daylight-wandering giant armadillos. This is the Amazon as one imagines it as a child: still full of wild things. In just four weeks at a single colpa (or clay lick where mammals and birds gather) on the lower Las Piedras River, Rosolie and his team captured 30 Amazonian species on video, including seven imperiled species. However, the very spot Rosolie and his team filmed is under threat: the lower Las Piedras River is being infiltrated by loggers, miners, and farmers following the construction of the Trans-Amazon highway.

“Most people think of the rainforest and they picture animals everywhere, but in reality, even in healthy forest, you could walk all day and see nothing,” Rosolie told mongabay.com in a recent interview. “But the camera traps show a different view. The footage not only allows us to better understand what species visit the colpa and when, but it allows us to observe natural behavior: tapir and deer visiting with their young, birds and deer sharing the copla, the ocelot tracking an agouti.”

But Rosolie says the number of species captured at this colpa surprised even him.”Seeing such incredible abundance and diversity at a single location in the forest, in so short a time, is something we have never seen before.”

Using editing and narration, Rosolie then turned his 2,000 plus camera trap videos into a short film that tells a story of this still abundant place. While camera trap videos are often presented with little-to-know context about the wildlife on screen, Rosolie says this is a “missed opportunity” to reach out to the larger public.

“For people who might not be so familiar with the animals of a given ecosystem, or know what challenges they face or what makes them unique—you have to give some context and presentation—make it possible for them to join in too,” he says.

But his wild place is under threat. Although the headwaters of the Las Piedras River are protected, the lower Piedras remains neglected, and the controversial Trans-Amazon highway has brought “a massive influx of logging, hunting, gold mining, and drug,” according to Rosolie.

“In the last month there was one jaguar shot and another hit by a car, plus a guy on my team saw loggers kill a macaw—it’s bad. People don’t realize how delicate wildlife is,” Rosolie says, adding that “for the wildlife on the Las Piedras, the subject of the videos, the situation is urgent.”

Rosolie says that if protected, the lower Las Piedras River would be “the final piece of the puzzle” in what would arguably be the greatest network of protected areas in the world, connecting Manu National Park and Alto Purus National Park to Bahuaja-Sonene National Park and Madidi National Park in Bolivia.

“Contained in these parks is the greatest biodiversity on Earth (including world records in birds, butterflies, and dragonfly species),” explains Rosolie, who has also video taped one of the Amazon’s least-known mammals, the short-eared dog (see video below).

But getting the area protected will require a large-scale coalition, including the Peruvian government, locals, and NGOs.

“Right now we need public support, and for that, there needs to be a way for people to learn about this river, and support the process of protecting it,” says Rosolie who is currently writing a book about the region (due out next year). “These camera trap videos are just another small part of the first step in the process of broadening the exposure for the Piedras, and ensuring that this river survives.”

Rosolie sees his effort in the Amazon as instrumental for ensuring that wild nature—and animals like jaguars, giant anteaters, and tapirs—are preserved in a world where the human footprint seems ever-expanding.

“Our generation has the chance to do something unique in history: preventative conservation—ensuring that places that are untouched remain so—as well as helping human inhabited areas to maintain viable on an ecosystem level,” Rosolie says. “In another fifty or a hundred years, that opportunity will be long gone.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the Las Piedras River or supporting conservation efforts there can contact Paul Rosolie: Adventure@tamanduajungle.com or David Johnston: info@faunaforever.org

Paul Rosolie checking the camera trap videos on a laptop in the Amazon. Photo by: Mohsin Kazmi.

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Phase 1

Freddie and Matt

First of all I’ll explain the phases.  We are spending most of our time in the field in ARCC (Amazon Research and Conservation Centre).  It’s currently a tourist lodge based along the Las Piedras River in Madre de Dios.  To get there from The Fauna Forever house based in Puerto Maldonado it takes between 5 and 10 hours first travelling by car and then by boat up the river.  This is all weather-dependant so if it has rained a lot then the roads are closed and we have to take a longer boat ride which increases the overall travelling time.

This long travelling time means it makes sense to stay in the jungle for phases of about a month before coming back to town to restock on snacks, toiletries and use the internet.  Whilst in the field there is currently no internet access and the only contact to the outside world is either by radio or sending an old fashioned letter down with one of the supply boats.  This seclusion is amazing and when I first woke up to the sounds and sights of the jungle (having arrived in the night so not really seeing anything) it was a surreal experience.  Being away from the girlfriend, friends and family does wear on you after a while but there are always things to keep you busy in the jungle.

During the first 10 days I pretty much felt like a kid in a candy store (excuse the American-ness).  There was so much to explore and learn, and learn I did.

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Some say it´s a myth, born from rubber barons in the early 1990´s, claiming it was spread by ¨savage natives¨ who would shoot any intruder with a poison dart, rendering them insane for the duration of their stay in the jungle. However modern day explorers know this is not the case. Jungle madness, as the name suggests, is acquired from extended periods of living in the jungle. It is also contagious, being passed on from those more affected to newer recruits. Some people are more resistant than others, yet everyone succumbs in the end.

The Puerto Maldonado Dictionary of Common Jungle Terms describes jungle madness as: alternating between mental states of normality and delirium, whereby a person will laugh either for no particular reason or at situations he/she would normally find very frustrating, and/or making strange noises as a way of communicating between individuals. Jungle madness grows stronger by the day, I´ve only been here a week, this is my story.

Arriving at the bustling metropolis that is Puerto Maldonado International Airport, the heat and humidity hits you like a ton of bricks. I collect my luggage from the carousel, wellingtons strapped to the side of my backpack, ready for action. As I exit the airport, Sofi is waiting for me with a big smile. Sofi is the head intern, this is her third year with Fauna Forever, I don´t know it yet, but will soon realize that a large component of my jungle madness will be contracted from her…

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