 Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP)
Land Ecosystems Program CIJH Jenaro Herrera Research Center Mission Statement: "To help improve the socioeconomic conditions of the inhabitants, by conducting research for sustainable development and the care of the natural resources of the Amazon Region." |
The Jenaro Herrera Research Center (CIJH), a field station of the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP), has the mission of supporting economic and human development through the generation and dissemination of knowledege and appropriate technologies for sustainable management of lowland tropical rain forest. 
Strategic Objectives of CIJH 
 To create innovative tehcnologies that will give added value to forest products and forest environmental services
To develop new markets for the better utilization of biodiversity and forest ecosystems
To add to and improve knowledge of forest species and ecosystems to ensure better management
To diversify technologies and management systems of natural and planted forest ecosystems
To develop a "forest culture" conducive to a more harmonious relationship between humankind and nature
To provide training in sustainable forest development and related fields
 Peru in relationship to South America. |
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Location and Surroundings
The CIJH (73°45'W 4°55'S) is located 3 km from the town of Jenaro Herrera, on the right bank of the Ucayali River, 200 km from the City of Iquitos, in the State of Loreto, in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle. Jenaro Herrera is situated 125 meters above sea level, and has a mean annual temperature of 26.5°C, with a maximum of 37.6°C and a minimum of 11.4°C in June. Mean annual rainfall is 2,521 mm. Two predominant forest landscapes are found in the Center's are of research, the seaonsally flood plain and the interfluvial plain, which is not influnced by the flood flows of the Ucayali River. This latter has three physical units; low terrace, high terrace and low hill. The CIJH center itself has 2,567.5 hectacres of high terrace and 739.3 hectacres of flood plain. 
Minutes away from the Pacaya-Samira National Reserve Only 10 minutes by river from the town of Jenaro Herrera is the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. More than two million hectacres of forests and water ecosystems (the second largest in Perú), which is home to a large diversity of flora and fauna and a wealth of aquatic life, 449 species of bird, 102 species of mammals, 69 species of reptiles, 58 species of amphibians, 267 species of fish and 1,024 wild and cultivated plant species. The high value of this reserve in terms of protecting biological diversity becomes apparent when one considers the extensive areas of flooded primary forest and the many species of threatened or endangered fauna, such as the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis), South American River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa), Spider Monkey (Ateles sp.) Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), Pink River Dolphin (Inia geofrensis), Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), and the impressive Paiche (Arapaima gigas), the largest freshwater fish in the world, among other important species. |
How to get to Jenaro Herrera The journey to the CIJH center from the City of Iquitos (ninety minutes flight from Lima), takes approximately four hours in a riverboat. Passengers can enjoy the majestic scenery, especially the awe-inspiring point where the Marañón River and the Ucayali River meet to form the Mighty Amazon River. Several native communities can also be observed both along the riverbanks and on some of the larger islands. Once in Jenaro Herrera you can visit picturesque oxbow lakes such as Laguna Supay, surrounded by forest of camu-camu, the fruit with the highest vitamin C content in the world, and the beautiful Laguna Vainilla, where sport fishing for the Sábalo is practiced. Hike the many trails through different types of forest and visit the wildlife salt licks. This is the ideal location for those who wish to do research or just enjoy your visit to the Amazon. An alternative route from Iquitos is to take the Iquitos-Nauta Highway to the city of Nauta (approx. 2 1/2 hrs). Along this route yu can visit attractive farming villages, craftsmen's communities, tourist recreational centers and the Allpahuayo-Mishana Reserve Zone, with it's great biodiverity and different types of forest, including the remarkable white sand forests or varillales (where slender tress grow on white sands), rich in specialized flora and fauna. Once in Nauta you board a motor boat for a 2 1/2 hr trip to Jenaro Herrera. As the former capital of Loreto, Nauta has several points of interest, for example the old mint, dating from the heady days of the rubber boom. |
 As such, it constitutes an exceptional "natural research laboratory" for work in the varied fields of ecology, physiology, taxonomy, the study of local fauna, selection of forestry species, management and silviculture of tropical forest and forest dynamics among others.
Major research achievements at the CIJH include the discovery of six new tree species and the recording of 39 taxa not previously found in Perú. In silviculture, from among more than 113 species, ten species were selected for their potential use in forestry plantations in the humid tropics. In the field of ecology, the phenology of 108 tree species has been described, as have the ecological value, structure, successional processes and flora of several types of natural forests found in Jenaro-Herrera. Major Advances have also been made in research on palm species, many of which play an important role in local livelihoods.  The distribution, ecology and population dynamics of Mauritia flexuosa - "Aguaje" or Mauritius Palm, Oenocarpus bataua - "Ungurahui", Euterpe precatoria - "Huasai", and Elasi oleifera - South American Oil Palm were determined. The leaf anatomy and morphometric characteristics of species of the Astrocaryum "Chambira" genus were elucidated and ethnobotanical information hs been compiled for the palm trees occurring in 11 communities in and around Jenaro-Herrera. Vital basic work on taxonomy and management of two "Tamshi" species fibre plants of great potential for handicrafts, furniture and construction work has also been carried out.
Studies have been made of the bioecology of animals of commercial value, such as Melanosuchus niger the Black Caiman, Tayassu tajacu Collared Peccary, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris Capybara, Geochelone denticulata Yellow-Foot Tortoise and Agouti paca, "Majaz". Bat species previously unknown in Loreto and Perú have also been discovered. The scientific production of CIJH totals 157 scientific articles and publications world wide, and more than 50 thesis written for bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. |
Priority lines of research at CIJH are:
Biology,ecology and wood properties of species
Composition, dynamics and functioning of the forest ecosystem
Forestry and agroforestry plantation systems
Technologies for the management and cultivation of non-timber forest species
Evaluation of the forest environmental services
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The 14 rustic houses, which can accomodate 40 individuals at a time, are of teo types: those constructed with materials typical of the region, e.g. palm-leaf roofs, and those made with cinventinal building materials. Both are equipped with mosquito netting. The CIJH provides restaurant service, a mini-soccer pitch, an auditorium to seat 40 and a specialized library with more than a thousand titles available. The center's herbarium houses 3,029 classified botanical specimens corresponding to 1,543 species, 343 genera and 97 families and a valuable collection of more than 1,000 specimens of fruits preseved in alcohol. 
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"The authenticity of a development model at the human scale is measured by the participation of the subjects themselves, both at the stage of creative imagination and in the design and execution of the model. Our vision, therefore, becomes an ideal expression of our deepest aspirations and a balancing of the man-environment equation." (IIAP 1997) |
E-mail: cijh@iiap.org.pe dirpet@iiap.org.pe Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia Peruana www.iiap.org.pe Av. Aberlardo Quiñones Km. 2.5 Phones: 051-065-265515/265516 - Extension 121 or 123 FAX: 051-065-265527 Iquitos, Perú |
Webmaster: Lalo Calderon |