09/08/2019
Since its conception in 1975, Inkaterra has long been a pioneer of eco-tourism, conservation and research. In addition to its collection of five luxury properties, visitors can also book a stay at Inkaterra Guides Field Station, located in the Tambopata National Reserve. The Inkaterra Guides Field Station is home to nature lovers, researchers, students, volunteers and eco-conscious travellers wishing to explore, and learn more about the region, whilst also offering visitors the chance to engage a hands-on experience with the research projects run by Inkaterra Asociación (ITA).
A non-profit organisation committed to scientific research, ITA believes conservation is achieved through the sustainable use of natural resources, as well as through education and biodiversity monitoring.
With plans for new initiatives constantly being developed, Inkaterra Asociación’s most recent eco-tourism project focuses on the ocean, desert and dry forest of the small fishing town of Cabo Blanco in Northern Peru. A model that can be replicated in other coastal communities, the ‘Ocean and Forest’ initiative aims to both restore and conserve the Peruvian Tropical Sea whilst also contributing to the social and economic development of Cabo Blanco.
In addition to ITA projects already in place in the area, the latest initiatives take guests from the seas to the skies of Peru. Starting in the ocean with the aim of protecting the endangered green turtles, and determining their causes of death, ITA and the Waitt Foundation have joined efforts to conserve the species, as despite international regulations forbidding its exploitation, the creature remains seriously threatened. The Project was made possible thanks to a subvention granted by Waitt Foundation.
Through daily monitoring as well as the implementation of an awareness campaign and the education of fishermen, local authorities and tourist boards, the project aims to have a positive ecological impact on the turtles that have been seriously threatened by poaching, pollution and trawling.
Moving into the area’s shallower waters, ITA have teamed up with the National Fishing and Aquaculture Innovation Program, AGROMAR, and the Cabo Blanco Artisanal Fishing Association, in order to promote responsible methods of pearl harvesting from the rainbow-lipped pearl oyster.
With the potential for creating sustainable jewellery, as well as launching an ecotourism experience, the programme trains the area’s artisanal fishing community through workshops, which in turn will increase marine diversity through the abolition of illegal fishing.
The last of the new additions to the Inkaterra Asociación line-up is the bird banding project. A useful scientific tool that is based on the catching, marking and releasing of bird species in a given area over a predetermined time frame, the programme allows researchers to discover valuable data for various species. This includes information on everything from gender and age, to demographics and migratory patterns.
To learn more about Inkaterra Asociación’s projects, please click here.
