Tambopata River, photo credit: Rainforest Expeditions |
In the era of the environmental crusader you may
be surprised to read about the threatening predicament faced by
the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park, a sacred mega-diverse national
reserve of lowland Amazonian rainforest and cloudforest in Peru.
Set against the background the new Trade Promotion Agreement between
the USA and Peru, an agreement Peruvian President Garcia termed
'a new deal' for global trade - a bill was proposed in September
to reduce the size of this protected rainforest by an astonishing
209,000 hectares. Why? To give the oil and gas companies (namely
Mobil) free reign to start exploration.
Understandably, a local and international outcry followed given
the move which US Member of Congress Earl Blumenauer deemed as
being, "... contrary to the spirit of this 'new deal',"
and an "... inappropriate exchange of trade and investment
by weakening and reducing the protections afforded in Peru's environmental
laws."
Happily, the furore has apparently halted the Bill's progress,
and even sparked a denial of its very existence by the Vice Minister
of Energy, Pedro Gamio!
To see this natural phenomenon yourself, you can travel with
Aracari to neighbouring Tambopata, a pristine area of Amazonian
rainforest and cloudforest, a 25 minute flight from Cuzco. Over
the past 20 years, researchers have recorded more species of birds,
butterflies and other species than any other area of comparable
size in the world. It is also home to the largest macaw claylick
in the world, where you can witness the incomparable sight of
hundreds of macaws gathering to ingest the minerals that are essential
for their diet. Click here
to see some rainforest itineraries, or contact
us for more information.
| Photo credit: Rainforest Expeditions. |
To find out more about the Bahuaja-Sonene developments
or to sign the petition, see www.salvemoscandamo.com
and click on the For Foreign Voters link.
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