Peru - School Expeditions

Peru schools booklet 2011

Structure of the expedition

During the two weeks of the expedition the students will be based on research ships in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, which is the largest protected area in Peru, spanning over 20,000 km² of tropical rainforest.  There are two main objectives of the research programme:

·        to collect data on the sustainability of forest resource use by the Cocama Indians within the Reserve.

·        to provide information on the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic disturbance in the Amazon. The second objective is made possible by long-term datasets that are gathered using standardised methods and effort. Flooded forests are more sensitive to climate change than non-flooded forests, so the Samiria is a perfect site to study the impacts of both climate change and exploitation on wildlife and overall biodiversity.

Dolphins are being used as indicators of the aquatic hydroscape, macaws as indicators of the terrestrial landscape, fish as indicators of the impact of fisheries management, primates and other terrestrial wildlife as indicators of wildlife management of bushmeat, caimans as indicators of the recovery of species after excessive overhunting, and turtles as indicators of intensive restocking management. Expeditions from late June until August are in the middle of the low water season.  In this season, surveys of three sites will be completed on the Samiria River – the mouth, Tacshcocha and Huisto.  During their two weeks in the Amazon, the students will be undertaking three main tasks: helping with the biodiversity surveys, completing an Amazonian Wildlife and Conservation course and completing research to make a presentation on one of a series of Amazonian related research topics.

Accommodation will be on the Rio Amazonas research ship where students are in shared cabins with fans. There are flush toilet and shower facilities on board and electricity for charging computers and other items for part of the day.  Living on a research ship in the heart of the biodiverse rich Amazon is a memorable experience.

Biodiversity monitoring

Students will be split into groups of 6-10 people and will have the opportunity to take part in the following research projects over the two weeks.  Each student will be expected to join one of the morning and one of the afternoon activities and to participate in data entry.  

·   Primate, large mammals and bird transects: 7am-11am and 2pm-6pm, depending on the team size. Census trails between 2‐5 km in length are surveyed repeatedly at each of the three sites. Information registered on a census includes: day, site, species, number of individuals, and perpendicular distance from the individual to the transect line, habitat, time, distance travelled and weather conditions. The method and theories behind distance sampling will be explained to students and they will be taught how to recognise different species and the main identification features.

·      Macaw surveys: 5:30am-9am and 4pm-7pm. Point counts are used to monitor macaws. Eight or nine sample points have been identified at each site separated by 500m. Fifteen minutes will be spent at each point with censuses carried out twice a day. Within the 15 minute counts, all macaw species either perched or flying are noted and the time of observation and distances of the birds from the observer estimated.

·   River dolphin transects (includes turtles when appropriate river levels): 9:30am-12:30pm and 2pm-6pm, depending on the team size. Five kilometre transects at each site are travelled twice daily along the centre of the river using a boat. Information collected includes: species, group size, group composition, behaviour (travelling, fishing, playing), time, and any additional observations. During these surveys students will be taught how to record the distribution and behaviour of both pink and grey river dolphins. The turtle monitoring method consists of travelling with the current of the river on a boat and registering the number of individuals sighted, either sunbathing or swimming. Students will be taught how to differentiate between the two turtle species found in the reserve.

·       Fish surveys: 9:30am-12:30pm and 3pm-6pm, depending on the team size. Students will be able to witness and learn how gill-net surveys are implemented. They will also take part in surveys using fishing lines. All fish caught are measured, weighed and identified.

·      Night time caiman surveys: 8pm-11pm. This practical involves spotlight surveys of the river after dark to locate and identify caiman species in order to estimate population size and distributions. Noosing is used to capture caiman to obtain data on morphological measurements, sex and age.

Amazonian Wildlife and Conservation course

 The Amazonian Wildlife and Conservation course comprises lectures and related activities/discussions on Amazon geography and biodiversity (definition of biodiversity, formation of the Amazon, white and black water rivers),  flooded forest and upland forest ecology (terrestrial, arboreal and aquatic wildlife of upland and flooded forests), conservation strategies in the Amazon (protected areas, community based conservation, certification strategies), survey methods (theory of survey techniques and how the data are used), Pacaya Samiria birds (macaws, trogons and kingfishers, toucans, sexual selection in birds), mammals of Pacaya Samiria (anteaters, sloths, cats, dolphins and manatees), Amazonian fish (species richness, piranha, electric eels, arapaima), amphibians and reptiles (poison dart frogs, dangerous snakes, caiman, turtles), wildlife monitoring and conservation of Amazonian forests (summary of best practice examples). During the course, the students will also get the opportunity to visit a Cocama Indian community. 

Expedition research questions for IB, EPQ or CoPE
Each of the students will also be asked to complete the background research on one of a series of research questions and, on the return journey at the end of the expedition, will be asked to give a short presentation to the others on the boat.  Time is available between practicals and in the evening to complete the background research on these questions and prepare the presentations.  The presentations can be done in small groups or individually.  Example questions are:

Can ecotourism provide a viable alternative income for Indian communities in the Amazon?

Describe the social structure of one of the primate species in Pacaya Samiria.

How can camera traps be used to monitor large cat populations?

How do caiman species separate their niches?

What is community based conservation and is it effective?

What is the impact of the bushmeat trade on mammal and ground birds in Pacaya Samiria?