The Andes to Amazon: Biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability in Peru
Day 0
So uh… Is this what it’s like to have a hangover? Good god, my head and stomach are not in the best of states. Sleeping was a hassle and a half with how bad my headache was. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to relax now.
Long story short, I was not prepared for the altitude sickness. Cusco being at 3,399m, or 11,152 ft, having come from basically sea level the effects are at their worst. Dehydration is a major issue that I’ve been trying to counteract, but seeing as the only water I can really consume coming from bottled water that has been difficult to tackle. Coca tea has been working wonders though, as it can be found at the entrance of my hotel, and rightfully so.
Day 1/2
Lots of preparations and discussion regarding essential info does and don’ts, the first day of the trip has finally begun. The first task that we had as a group was to go out to the local market and go obtain a list of native produce. This ranged from avocados to cocoa, to a variety to potatoes and starches we simply do not see in NA. The variety of foods found at the market are significantly higher as well that that of which you would see in an NA supermarket. A quick note that I could take away from this is that the diversity in food alone within Peru goes to show how streamlined, and kind of stale the foods we have in the north have. The ones my group specifically looked at are the Papa, Palta, and Olluco. The Papa is a type of potato within the family of Solanaceae. The Olluco was a root that would be diced into pieces and often used in soups, and the Palta was well an avocado.
Day 3
5:15am… ya not sure why I thought that would be a good time to wake up but I did. 6:30am was the departure time and in short, I was not aware of exactly what I was getting into. The entire day consisted of a bus ride where we started on the west side of the Andes and began working out way towards the Amazon. Starting the trip the temperature was roughly 60F, most of the greenery is shrubbery and quite dry. Not much different from where we had resided these past two days.
Climbing to 4000m, the plant life began to change a little. The plants grew a bit greener, and the trees were much smaller in size. Ursula mentioned how farming has changed, as in the past the Inca empire created terraces to reduce erosion. This is not as practiced anymore due to how long terraces take to make.
Stepping out of the bus as we reached the highest we would be at 4600m, Ursula guides us up to see some of the vegetation. There we saw how vastly different the land was from the East and West side of the mountain. On the West lay drier shrubbery and plants, while in the East lay an ocean of greenery. There were also various plants in this area that are endangered due to being over-harvested over the years. This is where a discussion about reforestation was hosted, as it was brought to our attention that through reforestation acts, many trees are replanted, however, in doing so we also limit biodiversity. The reason why this plant remains endangered after so many restoration actions is due to these actions always planting a type of tree that grows fast, so that it may eventually get cut down again. Not all these acts as such as meant to restore a forest, but rather for commercial use.
The moss that resides on the nearby trees was also mentioned in terms of evolution. The white moss in comparison to the dark moss. While the specific reasons were not disclosed, suggestions were for visibility to predators, the ability to absorb radiation or moisture, and so on. The evolution of plants was to meet the requirements in life, and it’s quite fascinating how such adjustments are made over generations in order to find the perfect balance.
Day 4/5
River observations:
-Still some mountains around for the first few hours
-Many ferns, tropical plants some with bananas on them
-Rapids are everywhere, signifying a change of elevation
-tall trees with high canopy
-Herons (Cocoy)
-Shores are rocky on one side, sandy on the other
-Red clay cliffs signifying high iron concentrate
-Rive runs in a curvy manner
Day 6
We’ve finally made it to Cosha Cashu! It’s a lot nicer than I anticipated. I have just come back from my first hike around the area, specifically trail 6 where we were able to see various plant life such as buttress trees, various fungi, bamboo (which is native to the Amazon), and a variety of vines. The forest is much denser than I ever could have imagined, as looking in a direction you can only see so far before being cut off by a plethora of plants and trees. The first thing that caught me off guard was how there was actually a lack of mosquitoes around the area. While I hoped this would lead to fewer bites, a variety of bugs still remained in the area. Also, the food is ridiculously good for being a biological station, or at least I think so.
Trail 6 started and ended really with just plants and only plants. Well, we had a miniature monkey mixed in as well. You immediately begin to note how plants have had to adapt to their surroundings, as you find trees with roots that stick a meter off the ground, trees with spikes all over them, and very specific shapes of leaves. With the lack of nutrients in the soil, the result is many trees and plants have to tap into the fungi system or retain/gather nutrients in different ways.
Day 8
We’re moving through the program fast, as we’re an entire day ahead of schedule! Our research projects have also begun, myself being part of the 3 person group known as “plants’ ‘. We’ve decided upon our project being comparing soil samples underneath a plant known as the “heliconia” located in soils of varying age. We plan to head out for the first few days of our stay at Cosha Cashu and scout out where these plants may reside. From our studies, they have shown to be plentiful and easy to find. This theory will be tested in the following days.
I’ve never had a 3-hour lecture go by as fast as they did during the plant workshop today as well. While a good amount of the beginning was heading out to the forest and gathering various plant types, the following lecture was heavily engaging in discussing the various shapes and types of plants. The reasons for why such transformations have taken place were discussed as well, such as their evolutionary purposes and why such a kind of leaf may be favored for a plant.
Day 9
Today’s the day we find out soil plots for our plant’s project. Our path will be going along the southeastern cashew bank and to the Manu River. The final goal is to take soil from old and new soil deposits and compare the two.
So… The entire bank of the Manu River is a heliconia forest. The plant is superabundant in that area, however, we have encountered a problem. Unfortunately, we met what we’re pretty sure was a Jaguar. Our group was not too far away from a deep growl that sounded from the greenery. The animal’s growl was probably the deepest sound I have ever heard from an animal, and while not clear, an orangish color was visible off the trail. Determining it was a jaguar was a process of elimination. First, it was not the crocodiles as were inland, and the growling did not match the deep growling of a monkey in the area. Also, there have been reports of a mother jaguar being located near the riverside along with a cub.
Needless to say, we were scared and full of adrenaline at this point. One mistake we made was turning around and leaving, however due to walking away rather than running we avoided any sort of pursuit. While we’d love to take soil samples near the southeastern section of the Cosha Cashu area, we’d rather also avoid getting eaten. I don’t think our soil samples will come from this area.
Harris Nakajima, Early Fall 2019
