CONSERVATION AT ARCC
The Amazon Rainforest Conservation Centre is a focal point for conservation on the Las Piedras river. The rainforest here is not covered by the protective status of a national park or reserve; its protection from encroaching threats such as logging, clearing and hunting depends on private enterprises. The pioneering work of Las Piedras Amazon Tours is directly protecting the forest in the vicinity of its eco-lodges, and helping the local people to find alternative, non-destructive sources of income.
The centre is a model of how eco-tourism can protect the rainforest; by participating in one of our tours, you are directly contributing to the protection of this beautiful forest- and if you take part in the mahogany reforestation project, your involvement becomes really ‘hands on’, a unique experience in your tour.
When you plant a mahogany tree in the ARCC’s forestry project, your involvement doesn’t stop there- your tree is identified by a tape bearing your name, and a progress report can be mailed to you so that you can see how the project is progressing.
The principle conservation aims at the ARCC are to:
- Protect the outstandingly rich area of rainforest surrounding Lake Soledad, protecting populations of endangered species such as the giant river otters and black-spider monkeys, guaranteeing their future and an opportunity for future studies of a complete ecosystem.
- Study areas impacted by selective logging up river from the ARCC, measuring regeneration and re-colonisation dynamics, and studying the feasibility of hardwood reforestation programs.
- Promote a variety of sustainable resource projects for local people, such as sustainable fast-growth wood production.
- Promote eenvironmental education programs focusing on local schools and Universities.
- Offer the ARCC as a field study base for local student projects and educational visits.
- Provide facilities for national and international research projects related to ecology, biology, forestry and practical conservation programs.
- Serve as a model for what real eco-tourism is capable of, for local people, conservation organisations and the tourism industry in general.