As a novice conservation ecologist I had the adventurous task of monitoring wildlife populations in the Peruvian Amazon. My perspiring students and I would walk in a straight line through pristine rainforest, holding a GPS, binoculars and a datasheet, to record any monkey, jaguar or rat that we encountered. We had research permits to do … Read more
The morning light is dimmed by the rainforest canopy as I scramble up the bank of the Sucusari River from our wooden boat. The rustling of my steps startles a collared peccary and her young – they bolt through the understory. Victorino, a Maijuna guide, deftly scales the bank and expertly tracks their flight below rustling … Read more
Collapsing to the floor and rattling the earth, an ancient, 50-meter tree now lays on its side below the intense tropical sun. The residual hole in the canopy instantly exposes the once-shaded understory, and the race is on. A seed from the massive kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) germinates almost immediately and springs into action, shooting … Read more
