Macaws of the Peruvian Amazon

  Peru

• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Puerto Maldonado

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: 2007: Dec 11 - Dec 22. 2008: Jan 11 - Jan 22, Feb 5 - Feb 16

Description: Research Mission
Examine the effects of ecotourism and poaching on these brilliantly-colored endangered birds.

Situation Report
Tambopata Research Center, Madre de Dos, Peru - Macaws, the brilliant, long-tailed parrots of neotropical forests, are seriously threatened both by forest clearing and by poaching for the pet trade. Young macaws fetch thousands of dollars, if they survive. To catch them, poachers cut down their nesting trees for chicks and lurk at clay licks, where macaws and parrots congregate by the hundreds. Although increased ecotourism focused on watching macaws has helped reduce poaching, it may be causing its own problems by disturbing the birds that require century-old trees for nesting and have a slow reproductive rate. Peruvian researcher Daphne Matsufuji, under the direction of Dr. Donald Brightsmith, is collecting data that will help these magnificent birds from being loved to extinction.

Meals and Accommodations
On this expedition, you'll stay at three different places: Posada Amazonas, which Audubon magazine ranks as one of the ten best jungle lodges in the world, the more basic but comfortable Tambopata Research Center, and the Refugio Amazonas. All have shared rooms, flush toilets, and unheated showers. Professional cooks will prepare three buffet meals a day. Tambopata is one of the richest rainforests in the world, with more than 500 recorded species of birds.

Highlights: On the Expedition
With experienced field team leader Matsufuji, you'll hike in a tropical rainforest, with towering, 50-meter-tall trees, lianas, and epiphytes. To get to some research sites, you will travel by riverboat. At the sites, you will observe scarlet, blue and gold, and red and green macaws at clay licks, and record their daily behavior and reactions to visiting tourists. You will also observe macaw nesting sites to record data on when the parents are present, what kind of foods they bring their chicks, and activity in the nests. The information you collect will help Matsufuji mitigate the impacts of ecotourism and ensure the long-term conservation of macaws and their habitats. In your free time, there's great birdwatching to be had or you can enjoy the monkeys and other large mammals that frequent the research area.

Qualifications: Earthwatch volunteers are enthusiastic to learn about the research topic and are willing to contribute their time and energy to support leading scientists in conducting field research. Volunteers will be trained upon arrival at the research site. Teams have a minimum age of 18, unless accompanied by parent or legal guardian, in which case the minimum age is 16.

Cost in US$: 2,746

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Earthwatch expeditions appeal to a variety of people: educators gain new knowledge and develop exciting lesson plans; students explore career options and build research skills; writers, photographers and artists contribute their skills and share their experiences through a variety of media; businessmen and women, doctors and nurses, engineers, homemakers, retirees . . . people from all walks of life choose to volunteer on research expeditions each year. Volunteers are actively engaged on a daily basis with the research project, develop global perspectives, and explore new cultures and environments.

Age Range: 18 - 90

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Peru Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 8-16

Scholarships are Available. - Fellowships may be available, mainly for high-school students and educators. Visit our website for more information.

Application Process Involves:

• Other
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Earthwatch Institute's Mission Statement: Earthwatch Institute engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Through a unique method of funding, the volunteers Share of Cost contributes directly to the support of the research projects. Earthwatch enables scientists to pursue research goals and members of the public to gain hands-on experience with science. Each year, over 4,000 people from 46 countries directly contribute to scientific research by working alongside scientists, local community members and other volunteers. Earthwatch volunteers can track sea turtles; join archaeological digs; observe animal behavior; collect rare plants, study dolphin behavior and more. Hundreds of expedition teams can use your help in 48 countries and 16 U.S. states this year.

Year Founded: 1971