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Features / Archive
8 January, 2007 16:07:09 | in environment
Puerto Maldonado, Peru: past, present and ... future?
Text: Elise van der Heijden - Photos: Helard Aguilar Centeno, Antitesis
The Amazon! The lungs of the world, with its seemingly endless supply of trees, filtering the carbon dioxide that we are massively projecting into the atmosphere.
I’ve had the pleasure of living in a part of this astonishing bio-mechanism for 5 months, in the southern Peruvian part of the Amazon, in a small city called Puerto Maldonado.
In this article I highlight my impressions of this area, how it has developed, and where its future lies.
History
Puerto Maldonado is the capital of Peru's Madre de Dios region, named after its most important river on whose banks the city itself is located. It was founded in 1902 during the rubber boom, but after the interest in rubber faded, the town’s growth slowed down, only attracting colonists interested in its tropical wood, Brazil nuts or the gold on its riverbanks.
Not very surprising when you consider that in those days the town was only accessible by river, a long and treacherous journey down from other settlements on the river system.
A new day breaks over Puerto Maldonado in Peru's Amazon jungle |
I’ve had the pleasure of living in a part of this astonishing bio-mechanism for 5 months, in the southern Peruvian part of the Amazon, in a small city called Puerto Maldonado.
In this article I highlight my impressions of this area, how it has developed, and where its future lies.
History
Puerto Maldonado is the capital of Peru's Madre de Dios region, named after its most important river on whose banks the city itself is located. It was founded in 1902 during the rubber boom, but after the interest in rubber faded, the town’s growth slowed down, only attracting colonists interested in its tropical wood, Brazil nuts or the gold on its riverbanks.
Not very surprising when you consider that in those days the town was only accessible by river, a long and treacherous journey down from other settlements on the river system.
Tourism really began exploding during the last 20 years, after biologists discovered the extraordinary biodiversity of animals and plants in the region, motivating investors to open up lodges to share the flora and fauna with visitors. The city is now being dubbed “World capital of biodiversity”.
Tourism today
This brings us up to today, when the tourism industry is booming. The city and its surrounding river house around 35 different tourist lodges, most offering guided tours from 2 days up to a week in length. Their guides will take you around the regular tourist attractions such as; the beautiful Lake Sandoval, home of the giant river otter, Monkey Island, canopy walkways, and caimans spotting along the riverbanks. I worked on tours with 2 different lodges, which gave me a peek inside the inner workings of these lodges that receive an astonishing amount of visitors each year.
I could see that visitors were having a wonderful time getting to know the flora and fauna of the region a little bit, but more imposing than anything they could learn or see is to have them experience the jungle. The humidity, the heat, the animals, the sounds, the smells; all of your senses are experiencing the mighty rainforest at all times, and this leaves an impression that you will never forget.
Impact of tourism
But it’s not all just a romantic jungle story when we consider what the growing interest in Puerto Maldonado has done for the region and its people. In terms of the tourism industry, most lodges want their customers all for themselves after they arrived at the airport, hopped on a bus, embarked and disembarked the boat, seemingly embarrassed to show the city itself, and not giving businesses in town a chance to directly interact with the visitors.
The lodges do provide a great amount of employment for the locals, but many owners, who obviously take in the larger part of the earnings, are foreigners.
An alternative strand of tourism, however, is doing at least a few locals a lot of good: those cashing in on the interest in Ayahuasca, a cleansing medicinal plant drink. Shamans are charging tourists from $30 upwards for a guided session of the medicine, a unique concoction of two rare plants that grow only in the Amazon of Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The medicine is mind-blowing and you can not put a price on its benefits, but it feels like some shamans are taking advantage of its healing properties cramming too many people into one session or simply lacking an honest interest to guide visitors through their journey.
Natural resources – where is the limit?
Other industries taking from the area are those exporting tropical wood and the extraction of gold. The biological effects on these areas are serious: deforestation, although luckily not on the same scale as is happening in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, but nevertheless adding to the negative effects of global warming, and the pollution from mercury that gold miners use in their process to extract gold from the riverbanks.
To protect the astonishing biodiversity, two large areas have been declared as protected areas, the Tambopata Candamo and the Bahuaja Sonene National Park, together measuring an area of 1,365,836 hectares.
Aside from this, in a country that has always relied heavily on its raw materials for its income, it remains difficult to stem the flow of companies extracting these riches for export. The town is now waiting with bated breath for the completion of the Interoceanic Highway whose asphalt will be crossing the town, hopefully bringing with it a new wave of revenue from an increasing movement, but I fear it will also bring a new wave of profiteers with their mouths watering over the possibilities in the area, and deciding to exploit it, without giving back to nature.
Good intentions
Even those coming with perfectly good intentions haven’t always left a clean trail. There are now many NGOs operating in the area, some focusing on biological research and preservation, others concentrating on helping the natives of the area. Here’s an interesting story I picked up during my stay which shows how some NGOs are getting it wrong because of a lack of understanding of indigenous culture.
The natives of the area, Machiguengas, Ese' Eja, have originally been hunters and fishermen, eating wild animals of the region such as peccaries, even snakes and monkeys, and varying their diet slightly with tropical fruits and yucca which is abundant in the forest. They do not build communities and settle down, they simply stay in an area within the protected park until the nearby fruits and wild animals run out, and then move on to a different part.
They do not practice farming nor herd animals, they are completely foreign to the notion of planning for the future. Considering that they might not always be able to live like this, one NGO decided to educate the natives in cultivation and breeding chickens, so they would have a steady food supply. For three months they lived with the natives, educated them how to breed animals and cultivate the land. Then they left them with a full chicken pen and various planted vegetable seeds.
Another three months later they went back to see how the tribe was doing with their new way of living, only to find that they´d eaten all the chickens, left the crops to rot on the fields, and had gone back to their familiar hunting habits exactly as they did before. Do you think the NGO reported this result back to those who donated in order to provide the financing for this project? Just wondering…
Visitor advice
For those who wish to get a feel for the jungle around Puerto Maldonado, my advice is: definitely go, but think about where you book your tour according to the type of experience you want to have. You will see much more wildlife if you go camping, or book a tour with a lodge that is located deeper inside the forest, further away from civilization.
Another option, if you have more time on your hand or don't want to follow a tour with 20 others, is to hire a private guide in the city. There are plenty of good ones, with good English skills.
Finally, anything I have tried to put in words will not equal the experience you'll have if you decide to check it out for yourself: it has left me with a much better understanding of and a very deep respect for Mother Nature; her strength and the stunning beauties she harnesses. Enough understanding and respect to convince George W. Bush and the U.S. government to reconsider their stand on the Kyoto treaty? Visit the area yourself and let me know what the chances are!
A lizard hunting for bugs |
This brings us up to today, when the tourism industry is booming. The city and its surrounding river house around 35 different tourist lodges, most offering guided tours from 2 days up to a week in length. Their guides will take you around the regular tourist attractions such as; the beautiful Lake Sandoval, home of the giant river otter, Monkey Island, canopy walkways, and caimans spotting along the riverbanks. I worked on tours with 2 different lodges, which gave me a peek inside the inner workings of these lodges that receive an astonishing amount of visitors each year.
I could see that visitors were having a wonderful time getting to know the flora and fauna of the region a little bit, but more imposing than anything they could learn or see is to have them experience the jungle. The humidity, the heat, the animals, the sounds, the smells; all of your senses are experiencing the mighty rainforest at all times, and this leaves an impression that you will never forget.
Impact of tourism
But it’s not all just a romantic jungle story when we consider what the growing interest in Puerto Maldonado has done for the region and its people. In terms of the tourism industry, most lodges want their customers all for themselves after they arrived at the airport, hopped on a bus, embarked and disembarked the boat, seemingly embarrassed to show the city itself, and not giving businesses in town a chance to directly interact with the visitors.
Jungle cabins in Puerto Maldonado |
An alternative strand of tourism, however, is doing at least a few locals a lot of good: those cashing in on the interest in Ayahuasca, a cleansing medicinal plant drink. Shamans are charging tourists from $30 upwards for a guided session of the medicine, a unique concoction of two rare plants that grow only in the Amazon of Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The medicine is mind-blowing and you can not put a price on its benefits, but it feels like some shamans are taking advantage of its healing properties cramming too many people into one session or simply lacking an honest interest to guide visitors through their journey.
Natural resources – where is the limit?
Other industries taking from the area are those exporting tropical wood and the extraction of gold. The biological effects on these areas are serious: deforestation, although luckily not on the same scale as is happening in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, but nevertheless adding to the negative effects of global warming, and the pollution from mercury that gold miners use in their process to extract gold from the riverbanks.
Frequent house guests: spiders |
Aside from this, in a country that has always relied heavily on its raw materials for its income, it remains difficult to stem the flow of companies extracting these riches for export. The town is now waiting with bated breath for the completion of the Interoceanic Highway whose asphalt will be crossing the town, hopefully bringing with it a new wave of revenue from an increasing movement, but I fear it will also bring a new wave of profiteers with their mouths watering over the possibilities in the area, and deciding to exploit it, without giving back to nature.
Good intentions
Even those coming with perfectly good intentions haven’t always left a clean trail. There are now many NGOs operating in the area, some focusing on biological research and preservation, others concentrating on helping the natives of the area. Here’s an interesting story I picked up during my stay which shows how some NGOs are getting it wrong because of a lack of understanding of indigenous culture.
The natives of the area, Machiguengas, Ese' Eja, have originally been hunters and fishermen, eating wild animals of the region such as peccaries, even snakes and monkeys, and varying their diet slightly with tropical fruits and yucca which is abundant in the forest. They do not build communities and settle down, they simply stay in an area within the protected park until the nearby fruits and wild animals run out, and then move on to a different part.
They do not practice farming nor herd animals, they are completely foreign to the notion of planning for the future. Considering that they might not always be able to live like this, one NGO decided to educate the natives in cultivation and breeding chickens, so they would have a steady food supply. For three months they lived with the natives, educated them how to breed animals and cultivate the land. Then they left them with a full chicken pen and various planted vegetable seeds.
Another three months later they went back to see how the tribe was doing with their new way of living, only to find that they´d eaten all the chickens, left the crops to rot on the fields, and had gone back to their familiar hunting habits exactly as they did before. Do you think the NGO reported this result back to those who donated in order to provide the financing for this project? Just wondering…
Visitor advice
Sunset over Madre de Dios |
Another option, if you have more time on your hand or don't want to follow a tour with 20 others, is to hire a private guide in the city. There are plenty of good ones, with good English skills.
Finally, anything I have tried to put in words will not equal the experience you'll have if you decide to check it out for yourself: it has left me with a much better understanding of and a very deep respect for Mother Nature; her strength and the stunning beauties she harnesses. Enough understanding and respect to convince George W. Bush and the U.S. government to reconsider their stand on the Kyoto treaty? Visit the area yourself and let me know what the chances are!
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5 Comments
# Veronica says :
10 January, 2007 [ 11:33 ]
22 June, 2008 [ 09:02 ]
10 July, 2008 [ 11:05 ]
10 July, 2008 [ 11:10 ]
29 March, 2009 [ 02:29 ]
# Veronica says :
10 January, 2007 [ 11:33 ]
# nikki talley says :I have been in Puerto Maldonado too
It's really a nice and quiet place. The last time I was there, I was making a trip to Bolivia and Brazil so I stayed there for some days before cross the border.
In the city you can visit the butterfly house (near the airport),rent a motorcycle and drive around the city, eat a typical dish and drink a tropical beverage. I enjoyed being there.
by the way, I pretty sure Yucca and Yuca are different and I think you mean Yuca.There's a drink from the jungle (Masato) made of Yuca.
22 June, 2008 [ 09:02 ]
i visited peru three years ago making all the necessary stops (M.P., aguas calientes, cuzco, etc) but found our party (of three) 'stuck' in puerto maldonado for a few extra days after the local airline closed and we had to switch flights (along w/ hundreds of other tourists!)....stuck in a jungle paradise...could be worse right?# carlos says :
luckily i had my brother as a tour guide while we were there...he had been living in peru for about a year and he has ALWAYS done stuff off the beaten path...he camped in the reserve near lago sandoval (w/ my mom! both adventurous!) so he knew right where to take us...we also stayed in a hostel a few nights and went a few local restuarants/bars (often the only gringos in the room which made us realize we were in the RIGHT place!)...we also hired a local guy w/ a motor boat to take us three to the beginning of the trail that leads to tambopata reserve & lake sandoval....
we had our packs on hiking down the trail when the most disgusting site i had EVER imagined to see in the jungle, pass us: a rickshaw being pulled my a local man w. two fat white people in it and they were SMOKING CIGARETTES!!!!! it was the most distateful smell in a place so amazingly lush....gross gross....another thing i found disgusting was the sound of generators that were powering these "rustic" lodges....
i understand the tourism industry must compete w/ 'modern' standards in order to make good money and probably wouldn't have guests in these lodges had there been no power or ice for their drinks...i too was also curious about the future of peru....are children going to grow up to sell post cards & coca candy for a quick buck and NOT learn farming & other skills that will endure generations beyond?
while i did see pondering things, the power of the jungle had still overcome the negative aspects....the jungle is SO beautiful and it was there when i truly realized mother nature is still a force to be reckoned with...amazing....
i truly enjoyed the article above and the insight....te amo peru....xo -nikki in north carolina
10 July, 2008 [ 11:05 ]
# miguel-17g@hotmail.com says :hola a mi cuidad de puerto maldonado esta mas linda que nunca no dejare que pase nada malo ami departamento de madre de dios peru me gustaron la aventura que pase en puerto maldonado tiene un potencial fuerte de turismo internacial con acre en brasil y cobija en bolivia pero mas me gusta la bellesa de madre de dios peru
10 July, 2008 [ 11:10 ]
el turismo en madre de dios puerto maldonado me gustaron mucho apesar que no soy de ayi bale la pena visitar el departamento desconosido por el peru que los peruanos no conosen nuestra tierra de madre de dios que sera si los bolivianos nos quitan madre de dis ni en lima se enterasian y eso que estamos serca a cusco puno ellos no saben donde es madre de dios muchas grasias que dios les bendiga soy carlos de iberia tahuamanu peru madre de dios beyy para cualquier consulta de madre de dios mi correo es miguel-17g@hotmail.com# Javier Soyer Olivera says :
29 March, 2009 [ 02:29 ]
Write your concerts in English Please. LiP staff
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