Wieder einmal: In Vertretung. Oder: Das Kind im Regenwald

Wieder einmal muss ich als der "Babba" Lydias Funktionen als BlogPoster wahrnehmen, denn das "Kind" kommt vor lauter Reiseaktivitäten gar nicht dazu, ihr Webtagebuch auf dem aktuellen Stand zu halten. Also: Lydia flog am vergangenen Sonntag, 11:00 Ortszeit (Hier: 17:00) von Cusco nach Puerto Maldonado, um von dort aus dann mit dem Boot nach Taricaya zu gelangen, wo das Conservation Project stationiert ist, an dem sie für die nächsten 4 Wochen teilnehmen wird. Dieses Projekt befasst sich, um es mal zusammenzufassen, mit dem Schutz des Regenwaldes, insbesondere des (Tier)artenschutzes. Lydia sucht einfach die Veränderung, um ihren ohnehin schon weit gedehnten Horizont um noch mehr Erfahrungen zu erweitern.
Uns liegen übrigens mittlerweile Informationen vor, dass zumindest die Reise bis Puerto geklappt hat; dort verliert sich dann aber (planmäßig) die Kommunikationsspur, da weder Mobilfunk-, Fest- oder Internetze bisher den Regenwald durchdrungen haben. Geplant ist, dass man sich an den Wochenenden in Puerto aufhält, wo dann (wieder) Kommunikation möglich ist.
Der Assistent Manager des Projektes, Richard Munday, hat Lydia vorab per Mail das Projekt vorgestellt und sie auf das Leben im Dschungel eingestimmt. Durch sie autorisiert und beauftragt stelle ich hier den Inhalt der Mails sowie des Anhangs der einen Mail ins Blog, allerdings in Englisch. Lydia meinte, ich solle mir die Arbeit der Übersetzung nicht erst machen (ein Problem wäre es nicht, wohl aber eine Frage des zeitlichen Aufwandes!). Aus Gründen des Schutzes der Persönlichkeitsrechte habe ich die Beschreibungen der Projektverantwortlichen, die im Mailanhang stehen, entfernt. Ebenso wurden Telefonnummern und andere Kontaktdaten unkenntlich gemacht bzw. ganz entfernt. Viel Spaß beim Lesen / Übersetzen wünscht allen:
Lydias "Babba"

Mail von Richard vom 21.12.2007

Richard Munday
Alumni and Desk Officer
Reserva Ecologica Taricaya
Puerto Maldonado
Projects Abroad
Peru

Dear Lydia
My name is Richard Munday, Assistant manager at Reserva Ecologica Taricaya. Firstly I would like to welcome you to our project; we hope that you are looking forward to your stay with us as much as we are looking forward to having you here to help with our work. I would also like to let you know that if you have any questions or queries about your stay with us at Taricaya, what you will be doing, questions about what to bring, medical questions ECT then to please get in touch with me directly.
There are many ways we can communicate, via email, Phone or MSN, depending on what would be most comfortable for you. If you want to communicate via Phone then please let me know a good time to call you or if you would to call me (0051 82 xxxxxxx / 0051 82 xxxxxxx), then please bear in mind the time difference and the costs that are involved in phoning foreign countries. Emails will be answered ASAP, but please bear in mind that I spend 1 week at Taricaya lodge and cannot check my emails (From Sunday afternoon until the following Saturday afternoon I will be out of contact. This happens twice a month) – If you would like to communicate Via MSN Messenger, then please feel free to add me with a note letting me know that you are joining our project, just so I can accept you with confidence. – Please also now find your Myprojectsabroad page updated with your accommodation details. If you are happy about the information you have at this time and have no questions, then I shall be in touch again soon to make sure you are prepared and have no new questions. Please remember that at any time you can email me at this address or phone me on 0051 82 xxxxxxx / 0051 82 xxxxxxx (On alternate weeks this number is shared with Stuart Timson the conservation manager who will also be able to answer your questions. Please also make a note of these numbers for when you are traveling to the Project. We are the best people to get in touch with first if you are delayed) or use MSN Messenger to live chat with me.
So please don’t worry about asking any questions you may have no matter how small, we are here to make your stay as comfortable as possible and it makes both our lives easier if you ask these questions as soon as you think of them
Lastly we thank you for joining our project, we at Taricaya and Projects Abroad hope you have an amazing time with us.

Yours
Richard Munday
Alumni And Desk Officer
Projects Abroad Peru
Reserva Ecologica Taricaya
Puerto Maldonado Office
Perú

Mail von Richard vom 31.12.2007

Hi Lydia, Thanks for your email, im glad to here that you are excited about coming to see us.In regards to your questions - You will of course have a bed, with toilet and shower close by. You will not have Blankets, these must be provided by you, this can be bought in Puerto or Cusco if you wish.We do not have warm water but we do indeed have electricity from 6-9pm.Your 12 malarone pills should be sufficient in case you get Malaria, the chances of this happening are very slim however.There will be someone at the airport to pick you up, it will either be myself or Fernando the lodge the manager.Please find attached to this email a list of projects that will be running in January - There will be additions for February. But yes there will be chances to go caiman hunting and there is the possibility to go Mist-netting where we capture birds for identification purposes, this is closest you will get to catching a hummingbird.There is not really any essential items you need, you should be fine with the basic stuff you use in the sacred valley - Its a faily similar situation although it may not seem it now!You will not need to impregnate your clothes with repellent, having it on your skin will be enough.Water - The water we drink at Taricaya does NOT contain Parasites, many people drink this water with no problems what so ever, if however you go eating food which is not of a clean and high standard you will get Parasites, which is probably what happened to Mallory. If however you do not wish to drink the water we have, you can treat it with Purifying tablets or just boiling it will work. This does depend on you. Hope that helps you out, and i also hope that you have a nice time traveling. Look forward to seeing you soon, Richard

Anhang zu dieser Mail; enthält Projektdarstellungen

Dear Projects Abroad Volunteer

You will be shortly arriving at Reserva Ecologica Taricaya, to make your arrival more
comfortable I would like to take a moment to introduce you to the staff you will be
working with during your stay and to let you know in more detail about some of the
projects you will be helping us with.

(Persönliche Daten der Projektverantwortlichen wurden entfernt)

Here are some of the ongoing projects outlined below:

WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS
Projects Abroad was officially awarded a 476-hectare reserve at the end of 2004
(Reserva Ecologicà Taricaya) and now we have to produce a technical report every
year to justify our work in the area. The data from daily observations is necessary for
these reports to demonstrate that the area is recovering from previous disturbances
and that our endeavours are having a positive impact on the ecosystem in the newly
created reserve. The information from the canopy, platforms, blinds and walks is
crucial for these reports to satisfy the relevant authorities and hence maintain the
concession that was given to us for forty years.

ANIMAL RELEASE PROJECT
The animal release project is something we have been running for 3 years now, you
will be helping us with this project by feeding, monitoring and maintaining the
animals during your stay.

PILOT FARM
The concept of the pilot farm is to help the locals manage their land efficiently and
hence reduce their impact on the surrounding forest. Hunting, fishing, timber
extraction, charcoal burning and palm leaf collection are time-consuming and labour
intensive activities, which they would gladly rescind, given the opportunity. We, at
Taricaya, are fortunate enough to be able to perform various experiments with crops
and productivity on our land that local farmers do not have the luxury of testing. We
are now in a position at Taricaya whereby we have created a self-sufficient module
for local families to replicate with your help. Of course this work never stops, as there
are many different crops to test.

TRAIL MAINTENANCE
Due to the hard work of the 600+ volunteers that have visited us over the past five
years, we have a trail network of over 50 kilometres. The patrolling of our reserve is
crucial to the resident fauna as poachers have been known to enter illegally to hunt
and a constant monitoring of the area has become a necessary chore. Tropical storms
are violent by nature and tree-falls are common so constant monitoring of our trails
becomes an unavoidable task to permit access to all corners of the protected area.

TURTLE PROJECT
2005 saw a breakthrough after several years with our turtle project. The side-necked
turtle (Podocnemsis unifilis) has suffered for decades due to the commercial value of
its eggs. Last year, in conjunction with the local community, we successfully raised
and released over 500 young turtles back into the wild. We engraved the young turtles
with a code on their shells and this means that future recapture will associate the
individuals with our project at Taricaya. This project is temporal between the months
of July and August with hatching occurring around November and the eventual
release in January.

REPTILE PROJECT
Over the course of the last 5 years we have been doing several projects designed to
increase the accuracy and size of our confirmed species lists. For a species to be
confirmed in the reserve we need photographic evidence of either the animal or proof
of the animal’s passage. From the beginning of 2007 Daniel Neira, a herpetologist
from Arequipa, will running and developing our project aimed at increasing the reptile
list’s of Taricaya. This includes – Snakes, Frogs, Lizards and Turtles.

LECTURES BY STUART TIMSON
During your stay Stuart Timson, the Conservation Manager, will be giving lectures on
several different subjects. Stuart is a biology graduate from Oxford University,
England and has been living and working in the jungles of Peru for 8 years. During
the last 5 years at Taricaya he has been giving lectures to volunteers on Ants, Frogs,
Caiman and Bats.

CAIMAN HUNTING
This is a fun evening out on the river, combined with Stuart’s lecture on Caimans you
will have the chance to go with Stuart and another member of staff on to the river by
boat looking for Caiman along the river bank, Stuart will then attempt (and most of
the time succeed) to catch at least one Caiman for you to hold, feel, have photos taken
with etc.

RADIO TRACKING
At the end of February 2007 we released a young, female Ocelot back into the forest.
Before she was released we attached a radio transmitter to her to study her release and
adaption back into the wild. During the course of your stay you will have the chance
to help us find this animal and observe her routine. This information is vital to us in
many ways as it will show us if we our current release technique is effective.

BUTTERFLY PROJECT
This is yet another project designed to increase the accuracy of our confirmed species
lists, the capture and identification of as many butterfly’s as possible within the
reserve. You will be helping with this project by helping us check the butterfly traps,
identify the species, recording the data and releasing them back into the wild.

AUTOMATIC CAMERA SYSTEM
Over the last 5 years we have been focusing on bird species inside the reserve, mainly
because we have found that studying the mammal species inside the reserve is very
difficult and requires a lot of patience. The automatic camera system will mean that
we will now be able to set up the 9 cameras around the reserve at different locations
and check them every 5 days, moving them to a new location. The photos need to be
studied to identify the species, which then need to be filed and comparisons between
individuals made.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Bow and Arrow making - One of the farmers we have been working with over the last
few years is called Enrique, who used to belong to a native tribe called the Ese’eja.
Since he left this community 3 years ago, we have been working with him on ideas
and projects that are aimed at keeping the original Ese’eja culture alive; one such
project is the bow and arrow making. Enrique will come to our reserve and spend the
day teaching and helping those who wish to make them, all we ask is that you pay a
small price of 25 soles, which will go directly to Enrique and his family.

FIELD TRIPS
During your stay you will have the option to go on a few field trips to other areas of
the Peruvian Amazon; Lake Sandoval is the most popular and frequent trip we make.
At this national reserve you will have the chance to visit a beautiful oxbow lake for
the day, sleeping over at a local lodge, and again seeing the lake the next day in the
morning. At this lake we have seen Giant Otters, Howler Monkey’s, Adult Black
Caiman and many other near extinct animals to this region. As with most field trips,
there is a fee and for lake Sandoval this fee is $25 US.
We also do field trips to Lake Valencia (Free) and the Tambopata Macaw Clay Lick
($80).

All the activities that I have just spoken about will be available to you during your
stay, and more information about everything that you will be doing whilst you are
here will be given to you when you arrive and are working on the projects.
As with everything in life the more work you put in to this, the more knowledge,
experience and skills you will take away from your time at Taricaya, so please come
to us with enthusiasm and willingness to get your hands dirty, and don’t be afraid to
offer up your personal opinions on anything that you are asked to do whilst you are
with us.

We look forward to seeing you soon.
Yours
Richard Munday
Assistant Manager
Reserva Ecologica Taricaya
Projects Abroad
Peru

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@Amazonas-Schlyd:
Isses recht so, wie ich's gemacht hab? Ja oder ja?

Halt die Ohren steif!