Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Flamingoes, grebes, blue herons and ospreys are some of the 94 bird species that live either year-round or on a temporary basis in this important marine eco-system along the Peruvian coast, just 70 km from Lima.

The beaches of Cañete, blessed with sands and rolling waves, have become the favorite destination of thousands of city dwellers who take the coastline by storm every summer. Enthusiastic holidaymakers pack the South Pan-American Highway in long lines of cars in search of sun and sea and special sunsets.

But rarely does this crowd of beach-goers, wearing sandals and clutching towels spot from the roads that lead down to the beach this marvelous sight that Nature has endowed this part of the coastline south of Lima. These are the wetlands of Puerto Viejo, one of the most important eco-systems along the Peruvian coast, a fragile area which abounds in plant and animal species.

From April onwards, the marshes, located along Kilometers 70 to 73 of the South Pan-American Highway in the districts of San Antonio and Chilca, see their underground water reserves replenished, giving life to the meadows and sandy soil. The water bubbles up from the Mala River watershed and the irrigation canals of San Andrés, forming surface pools of water and wetlands, giving rise to numerous and beautiful life forms.

Amidst the tough climactic conditions that predominate this coastal area, this oasis periodically repeats its water cycles. The surface waters are a breeding ground for vast quantities of micro-organisms, larvae and crustaceans, which are food for the local and migratory bird species.

From June to November, when the area tends to flood, hundreds and thousands of birdfeet plough through the pools while countless sharp, curved beaks dig into the mud. It is the season when the area is visited by migratory birds from the Andes and all over South America.

The water level tends to dip from December to March, which is the dry season. At this time of the year, the wetlands are visited by other migratory bird species from North America such as the osprey and the whimbrel, the elegant tern and other seaside birds that stop off to rest at Puerto Viejo along their migration down to Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia.

Natural sanctuary

The Puerto Viejo marsh grounds, together with the Pantanos de Villa wetlands, the Paracas reserve, the Albuferas de Huacho wetlands and the Tumbes mangroves, among other natural species, form part of the biological corridor of the South American Pacific coast.

Centuries ago, the area was used by pre-Colombian settlers in the Chilca valley as fishing grounds, thanks to the rich variety of species to be found in the estuary, which is regularly lapped by the sea. The tiny lagoons that are home to birds and totora reeds were served as fishing grounds at low tide.

Over the course of time, the site has changed its morphology, however. The wetlands today form several pools of water, some permanent and others merely seasonal, while there are several different ecological zones that are habitats for typical flora and fauna.

The constant evaluation and monitoring done by the Yanavico environmental institute has discovered that the eco-system has been doted with a bewildering diversity of wildlife: to date, 94 bird species have been registered at the wetlands, whether native birds or migratory species from North and South America and the Peruvian Andes, some of them in danger of extinction, such as the flamingo and the Inca tern. The study has not included birds that live out at sea.

Faced with the threat of damage to the eco-system, Yanavico and real estate firm Lorena SA have started working on the Puerto Viejo Environmental Management Program. The venture aims to prevent Man from altering the rich biological diversity of the area. The idea is to use the wetlands as a site for environmental education to provide urban dwellers with the chance to make contact with their surrounding Nature.

The Puerto Viejo wetlands are part of a chain of aquatic phenomena which crop up along the Peruvian coastline and which today need environmental planning and extra knowledge. This task needs to involve different sectors of society to be able to conserve its wildlife and become potential locomotives for local development