PERU ADVENTURE

Deep in the remote upper reaches of the Peruvian Amazon, indigenous communities are partnering with the government to protect, sustain and manage lands whose great natural wealth is under threat. The region known as the Alto Purús in southeastern Peru has a history of resource extraction and exploitation, starting with the rubber boom of the 19th century, that has brought death and displacement to its indigenous communities, including “uncontacted” groups living in voluntary isolation from modern society. Today, the extraction of “red gold”—the highly valuable bigleaf mahogany tree—is imperiling the region’s ecosystem, impacting the culture and way of life of its indigenous communities, and even threatening the survival of uncontacted groups. In 2004 the Peruvian government placed part of this region under formal protection with the creation of the Alto Purús National Park and the Purús Communal Reserve, which it co-manages with indigenous communities. This model of participatory conservation aims to use the skills and knowledge of those who have the highest stake in the land’s preservation to provide effective stewardship while at the same time ceding political power to the indigenous communities. “We are very happy about the establishment of the park [and] communal reserve … because it will let our communities better manage territories in a way that respects the traditions of our ancestors,” Freddy Lopez Tranbeca, community chief for a village of the Sharanahua people in Alto Purús, told the global conservation organization WWF in 2005.

Peru is one of the eight South American nations that share the Amazon, the earth’s largest and most diverse tropical rainforest ecosystem, often called the “lungs of the planet.” The Alto Purús region is named for the Purús River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. Located in far southeastern Peru, it is bound on one side by Brazil’s 2,600-square-mile Chandless State Park. It is a remote and sparsely populated region, accessible only by boat or airplane, with an abundant forest and aquatic ecosystem characterized by lowland tropical forests, bamboo forests and flat, palm-tree studded savannas. The Purús and other rivers meander through the forests and plains, flooding in the wet season and slowing to a nearly impassible flow in the dry season. Approximately 30 percent of the known vertebrate species in the Amazon are found here, including the jaguar, giant river otter and the black spider monkey. There are 510 documented bird species living in the Alto Purús, such as the harpy eagle and the scarlet macaw. The region is also home to the bigleaf mahogany tree (Sweitenia macrophylla), a tropical hardwood species found only in South America that is used to produce valuable and expensive furniture, lumber and musical instruments.
While the jungles and forests of this region have likely been inhabited for thousands of years, the population remained relatively undisturbed by outside influences until the rubber boom of the mid-19th century brought deadly diseases, enslavement and displacement. Many of the indigenous inhabitants of the Alto Purús today are descendants of the few survivors of the rubber boom. As recently as 50 years ago, the majority of the indigenous groups of the region lived in voluntary isolation, most likely to ensure their survival after the trauma of the rubber boom.
Today two such “uncontacted” groups are known to exist. One group is the Mashco-Piro, who have indicated their desire to remain undisturbed through both defensive and evasive behavior. Little is known about this community, whose population is estimated to range from 200 to 800; they are a migratory people who camp along the river banks in the dry season to collect turtle eggs and return to the forests in the wet season. Another, much smaller indigenous group known as the Curanjeños also lives here in voluntary isolation.
There are eight linguistically and culturally distinct indigenous groups that have left the forests and established permanent villages on titled lands located north of the Purús Communal Reserve: the Cashinahuas, Amahuacas, Sharanahuas, Chaninahuas, Mastinahuas, Yine, Ashaninkas and Culinas. These groups account for approximately 2,800 people living in 42 small villages clustered along the Purús and Curanja rivers. These communities subsist primarily on small-scale agriculture, hunting, fishing and artisan activities.
The groups living in the Peruvian Amazon are small in population, but they are part of one of the most culturally diverse regions in Peru.  While their traditions differ, these indigenous tribes share a common heritage of animism that mingles with the Christian belief systems most have adopted. This spiritual heritage is one of interconnectedness and interdependence on the Amazon forests, its animals, waterways and invisible spirits. This heritage also includes an oral tradition of knowledge about medicinal plants and local ecology. The indigenous identity is inextricably linked to the Amazon and this translates into a custodial relationship to the land and its resources.