The biggest threat to the Amazon Rainforest at the moment is excessive deforestation by both settlers and natives who clear big areas of land for grazing cattle, farming crop products or construction as they see this as the only form of livelihood for their families. The problem is that these activities generate land degradation and is not sustainable for the flora and fauna of the area. Native animals are forced to travel ever further to find shelter and food due to the destruction of their natural habitat.
This is the case in and around Cotundo in the Napo province, where large areas of forest have been lost to pasture for cattle. The reforestation project in this area attemps to reclaim the vegetation cover and expand the forest zone. By reconstituting the vegetation cover the idea is to prevent erosion whilst improving the quality of the soil in a natural way.
The project is run from an Amazon lodge built to attract tourists to the area of Cotundo whilst also looking for a sustainable form of income that helps and benefits the local area. The objectives are to reforest 20 hectares of land around the lodge with native trees and medicinal plants and to eventually expand to other areas.Already the area has experienced success with occasional sightings of monkeys having returned to the area after a long time of nobody seeing any mammals in the area.
The project also includes a nursery for plants that are harvested from the nearby forest and then planted in the cleared areas and also a botanical garden established in conjunction with surrounding communities to preserve and maintain all local trees and medicinal plants. Having a variety of local plants to incentive younger generations to be aware of the resources they have and try to stop deforestation in this Amazon region.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
The work is divided into three main areas:
- Nursery and compost: Here volunteers collect seeds from the forest, fill bags with dirt, clean and maintain the nursery area, construct new areas, help in the compost and recycling area
- Planting: Here volunteers transplant trees from the nursery to the project area, help clear new land to be forested, prepare area for replanting
- Maintenance: caring of the trees and plants in the previously reforested areas is extremely important and is a year-round task, clean and maintain trails in and around the reforestation area, construction work or any other work a volunteer sees as necessary.
WORK SCHEDULE
There is daily program from Monday till Friday. On Friday you have the chance to travel and the program will only last until noon.
Breakfast 7.00 – 8.00
Work 8.00 – 12.00
Lunch 12.00 – 13.00
Work 13:00 – 17.00
Breaks: 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon
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