Two and a half acres of the rainforest outside of Iquitos may contain up to 300 distinct kinds of tree—more than the total number of tree species in all of Europe. A single tree-crown in the Peruvian Amazon can host about as many ant species as are found in the entire British Isles. The rainforest around Iquitos abounds with birds, reptiles, amphibians and (in places free from over-hunting) mammals from tiny pygmy marmosets to huge tapirs. Taken as a region the Peruvian Amazon, including the Iquitos area, is one of the most biologically diverse rainforests in the world. It has been classified by scientists as a biodiversity ¨hotspot¨: an area urgently in need of new measures to safeguard native plant and animal species. The chance to glimpse Peru´s biological riches is what draws many foreigners to Iquitos, and a large number of these visitors are rightly concerned about the many threats facing biodiversity in the area. Unfortunately, however, myths abound when it comes to the real roots of deforestation and conservation in the tropics. In this article, I hope to clear up some of these misconceptions. For years visitors to the tropics, as well as concerned citizens in the US and other industrialized countries, have been fed the same basic story about deforestation and environmental destruction in the tropics: deforestation, we´ve been told, is a function of population growth. Rainforests, according to this outdated view, are coming down mainly because of high birth rates in developing countries, which lead expanding families to clear ever-larger areas of forest to make way for crops. To be sure, population growth is occurring in many tropical areas, including the Amazon region, and an increased population does result in environmental problems. But to say that population growth in Peruvian villages is the primary force behind deforestation would be inaccurate. The single largest threat to Peru´s forest is not population growth, but oil and gas exploration; over half of the country´s forested region is already under concession to oil companies, and oil and gas development threatens not only Peru´s incredible biodiversity, but also dozens of indigenous and traditional villages. This brings me to my next point: that the biggest problem with the old view of deforestation caused by local people is that it pits traditional communities against conservation efforts, whereas in reality the fates of both biodiversity and local people in the Amazon are inextricably intertwined. The truth is that the best way to protect natural ecosystems is often to empower local people to take care of their own land and keep the oil, timber, and other industries out. Contrary to the mistaken view that traditional agriculture obliterates biodiversity, traditional plantations in local villages—managed without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or industrial methods—can support a level of biodiversity comparable to that of undisturbed forest. Walking through a traditional plantation is like visiting a dream world; as you pass through the shade of banana trees, brightly colored butterflies flit across the path, and emerald-green grasshoppers perch on the leaves of bushes. Parakeets call from the crowns of native trees, and lizards scurry for a hiding place as you approach. To be sure, these plantations are very different from untouched primary forest; the species most impacted by traditional agriculture are the larger mammals and reptiles, which are often scarce around local villages. But in terms of plant and insect life, which make up the vast majority of the forest´s biodiversity, traditional plantations can be a reasonable substitute for undisturbed forest. In contrast, the toxic wasteland of an oil field in the tropics obliterates life from insects to jaguars.  The startling implication of all this is that if we´re serious about conserving Peru´s spectacularly rich biodiversity, ensuring that traditional farmers continue their old way of life, rather than taking up industrial agriculture, is actually more important than preventing traditional farmer s from clearing more forest. Industrial activity in the Amazon is a double-barreled gun which threatens the area´s ecosystems and biodiversity. First of all, industrial activity itself obliterates vast swaths of forest, often contaminating huge areas with toxic waste that will remain in the soil and water for years. Second, industrial practices displace traditional villages, and especially indigenous peoples, who are among the most politically disempowered populations in Peru. The result is that traditional farmers give up a way of life that is relatively sustainable. They may go to work for large companies like the ones that displaced them, or they may move to the outskirts of Iquitos where expanding slum-like communities, filling up fast with former residents of forest villages, are encroaching steadily on the rainforest. Peru´s native biodiversity will not be saved so long as we consider local people and traditional villages to be the main force behind deforestation. The first step to conserve this country´s natural wealth must be to limit the expansion of industrial activity in rainforest areas. Second, traditional villages and indigenous populations must be protected, and given full title to the land they have long inhabited. Empowerment of local people is beyond doubt the best, and possibly the only, way to truly ensure a future for Peru´s plant and animal life. 
Finally, what can the visitor to Peru, concerned about biodiversity preservation, do to help? Travelers returning to their home countries have a unique chance to educate friends, family , and others about the true root causes of deforestation and associated loss of biodiversity in the tropics. Realize that many of the market forces which drive industrial activity in the Amazon region originate in the United States, Europe, and other industrialized regions, and that political involvement back home can have positive effects extending all the way to the forests around Iquitos. Contact your elected officials, and encourage them to vote for policies that limit oil consumption and screen illegally harvested timber from your country´s import market. Buy only from companies with proven records in social and environmental responsibility. And while in Peru, consider visiting a traditional village, learning about agricultural practices, and letting local farmers know that you value their work. The thousands of visitors who flock to the Iquitos area to experience its biological riches and glimpse native plant and animal life can play a vital role in shifting the global market forces that threaten Peru´s biodiversity. What´s even better news is that halting deforestation will not mean limiting the rights of local people. Rather, visiting tourists and local people can work together for a future in which local villages are assured of the right to their own land, and the innumerable non-human species in Peru´s rainforest persist into the indefinite future. |