Amazon Expedition 1992

1
Amazon Adventures
2
Peru

• The trip started at Iquitos, Peru
• Traveled by river boat up the Napo to Napo Camp
• Traveled back along the Amazon River

3
Amazon Diversity

• Over 90,000 species of plants have been
  identified
• New plants are discovered every day
• Almost 1/3 of the worlds 8,700 species of birds
  are found in the Amazon Basin
• The Peruvian Amazon possesses the richest
  butterfly fauna in the world with over 4,000
  species described
• Estimates of fish in the Amazon river approximate
  3,000 species - more than in the entire Atlantic
  Ocean

4
The River Barge

• No Roads or cars
• Travel was done by river boat

5
The Napo Camp

• One large building covered by thatch roof
• No walls
• No private rooms
• We washed in a bucket on the edge of the floor

6
ACEER

• Amazon Center for Environmental Education
  Research
• Canopy Walkway was built in 1991
• Multilevel walkway that is 1/4 mile long
• Very primitive at the time of our visit - much
  more advanced now

7
Canopy Walk

• First year of canopy walk
• extends 85 feet above the forest floor
• This person was being very brave because she is
  afraid of heights
• Research platforms for study of canopy organisms

8

• A tropical forest is characterized by
  broad-leafed evergreen trees that form a
  continuous canopy.
• These forests receive at least 100 inches of
  annual rainfall.
• These forests occupy less than 7 of the worlds
  land area, they are home to more than half of the
  worlds plant and animal species.

9
Some of the Plants and Animals
Bufo frog
10
Just a sample of butterflies
11
Amazon Bats

• This bat is an Artebius
• Large insect-eating bat
• It was captured over water

12
Rare Sucker-footed Bat

• These bats hang upright on the underside of leaves

13
Kissing Macaws
Snacking on Bananas
14
White-eyed Parrot
15
Elusive Hoatzen
16
Caiman
17
Nellie the tapir

• Tapirs are the largest members of the pig family
• Nellie lived at the camp and could easily be fed
  by hand

18
Three-foot earthworm

• This 3 foot earthworm was captured during a rainy
  evening
• Natives eat these worms

19
Poison Dart frog

• The skin of these tiny frogs secrets a strong
  poison
• Natives tip their darts with this poison to stun
  prey

20
Piranhas
21
What a Piranha bitecan do
22
Canduru

• The canduru is a tiny catfish found in the Amazon
  River
• It is attracted to urine and will follow a trail
  to the source
• These catfish get lodged in the urethra and can
  only be removed by surgery
• We were instructed not to urinate in the water!

23
People of the Amazon Basin
24
At a Village

• Orejones (?) Indians
• This boy was learning to juggle from one of the
  people on the trip

25
A typical home
26
Typical Amazon Kitchen
27
The School

• Schools about every 20 miles along river
• Teacher has a college degree
• 44 students - grades 1-6

28
The Yagua Indians
29
Tasting Musato

• Musato is the local liquor
• Manioc is chewed and mixed with saliva
• Allowed to ferment for a few weeks
• Drink up!

30
Amazon Expedition 1991
31
Amazon Expedition 1992
32
Why care about Rain forests?

• The rainforests produce 20 of our atmospheric
  oxygen
• 25 of all prescription drugs in the U.S. are
  derived from rainforest plants -examples quinine
  for malaria, curare for anesthesia during
  surgery, secretions from an Amazonian frog to
  treat strokes, seizures, and Alzheimers disease,
  The Rosy Periwinkle used to treat lymphocytic
  leukemia - gives a 99 remission rate.
• More than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants are
  thought to be potential cures for cancer

33

• Common products that come from the rainforest
  Bananas, avocados, pineapples, peppers, peanuts,
  oranges, papaya, lemon, pepper (the spice),
  coconut, sugarcane, cassava and cacao (chocolate
  is made from this). Cashew, brazilnuts, coffee
  beans all originated in the tropics. Chicle
  which is used in chewing gum comes from a tree in
  the tropics.
• Oil from the cacao seed is used in cosmetics and
  soaps. The kapok tree produces a silky, water
  resistant fiber used in life preservers, pillows,
  upholstery, and insulation. Latex, made from
  rubber trees is used in making tires.

34

• The rain forests moderate global climate.
• Chopping and burning of rain forests releases
  significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
• Approximately 25 of the Earths species will be
  extinct by the middle of the 21st century if the
  destruction of rain forests is not slowed
• The loss of diversity resulting from rain forest
  destruction may be the worst ecological disaster
  of the millennium. Loss of potential foods,
  medicines, and genetic material to rejuvenate
  existing plants is irreversible.

35
Deforestation
36
Rainforest Destruction

• Every day over 214,000 acres of rain forest are
  destroyed
• Scientists estimate that one rain forest species
  becomes extinct every 15 minutes due to loss of
  its habitat
• Almost 65 of Central America has been cleared to
  create pastureland for grazing animals
• Rainforest land cleared for pasture or farming
  quickly degrades and must be abandoned
• Costa Rica loses 2.5 tons of topsoil to erosion
  for every kilo of meat exported, a farmer can
  make 86 times as much money per acre with coffee
  and 284 times as much with bananas as with beef.