People with special knowledge in the field of Biology could help us by observing and documenting different species in this rural area of biodiversity. The idea of this project is to be able to document all kinds of possible biodiversity through photos and videos in order to develop different types of teaching materials to share with the community and different Peruvian and international schools.
El Sira Communal Reserve
WILD LIFE
One of the places in Peru that biologists, birdwatchers and explorers cannot miss
is, El Sira Communal Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Comunal El Sira).
This is a protected area in Peru created on 23 June 2001 and located in three
regions: the Huánuco Region (Puerto Inca Province), the Pasco Region (Oxapampa
Province) and the Ucayali Region (Atalaya Province and Coronel Portillo
Province).
The whole area is extremely rich in birds including many localized lowland and foothill birds such as Blue-headed Macaw, Curl-crested Aracari, Sulphury Flycatcher, Black-capped and White-bellied Parrots, Wing-banded Wren, Crested and Band-bellied Owls, Solitary Eagle, Koepcke's Hermit, Black-streaked Puffbird, Creamy-bellied Antwren, Peruvian Tyrannulet, Cerulean-capped and Jet Manakins, Fiery-throated and Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater, Olivaceous Piha and Rufous-brown Solitaire.
Of the mammals in the El Sira Communal Reserve, 54 species are of special importance due to a threat category, such as: giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), pacarana (Dinomys branickii), river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), tapir (Tapirus terrestris), Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), manatee (Trichechus inunguis), bush dog (Speothus venaticus), spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth), jaguar (Panthera onca) and otter (Lontra longicaudis).
In addition, 203 species of BIRDS
have been registered, especially the Passeriformes with 63 species. The Sira is
one of the greatest areas of bird endemism of the planet (Peruvian East Andean
Foothills). Among the most representative endemic species of birds is the
Paujil del Sira or Piurí (Pauxi
unicornis koepckeae), a subspecies of horned curassow that lives only in
the El Sira mountain range.
The Sira curassow, a large bird in
the Cracidae family is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Also endemic are the Sira tanager
(Tangara phillipsi) and the Sira
hummingbird (Paethornis koepckeae).
Picture yourself walking among the ear-deafening noise of hundreds of
parrots and macaws, an unforgettable cacophonic experience as you explore the
Amazon jungle. Imagine having a close encounter with a beautiful male toucan,
with his powerful and long beak, or seeing the colorful macaws as they soar
above the trees. Experience the overwhelming image of a Marvelous Spatuletail
(Loddigesia mirabilis) hauling his coin-sized tail discs or moving through the
bushes at 14,000 feet.
There is also a large possibility of future scientific discoveries of species
and subspecies of birds in areas of the reserve that are relatively
inaccessible and that, as a consequence of their remoteness, may add new
records of species not previously encountered.
In addition, some 105 species of reptiles have been reported, of the families of the Amphisbaenidae, saurians and especially snakes. Also 68 species of amphibians, mostly toads and frogs of the families Hylidae and Leptodactylidae, are known from the reserve. Finally, 111 species of bony fish have been reported, the most diverse being Characiformes.
FLORA
Some 190 species have been collected, including 8 endangered species, such as
tall or red cedar (Cedrela odorata), mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), quinilla
(Manilkara bidentata), ceiba (Ceiba pentandra), ishpingo (Amburana cearensis)
and palo rosa (Aniba rosaeodora). In the high parts the vegetation consists of
trees with thin stems and small crowns, with a high presence of epiphytes:
Bromeliads, orchids, ferns, Piperaceae, lichens, Sellaginaceae and mosses;
while in the lower part there are taller and more vigorous trees with diameters
exceeding 1.5m, in whose branches there is a varied plant community, composed
of bromeliads, ferns, orchids and anthuriums, among others. There are 44
registered orchid species.
We will spend 10 days in the Amazon Jungle with a experienced guide who have worked with different
international expeditions. The Expedition includes porters to transport our gear,
enabling us to focus exclusively on looking for biodiversity and increasing the
chances of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We will use camera traps to capture as much wildlife as possible.
The
following activities for volunteers are included:
-Hiking at the Amazon rainforest - Swimming at local streams and rivers -Visit local plantations -Trek to local caves
-Salsa lessons (1 day, 1.5 hours) - Camping in the rainforest, 10 days (fishing, bonfire, exploring, documenting, etc.) - Fishing at local stream with local fisherman using a net.
Volunteers can also do the following activities during their free time:
-Explore the Amazon rainforest - Play sports with locals such as soccer or volleyball - Yoga with our deputy manager, Anne Poenisch -Ayahuasca Ceremony with local shaman - Fruit picking around the village - Bonfire around the Pachitea riverside - Fishing -Swimming - Birdwatching - Visit indigenous communities (with previous permission) -Visit the Boiling River - Visit Austro-German Community - Boat trips and more...
By volunteering with us, you get a unique chance to experience the stunning natural diversity and experience the beautiful local culture beyond a busy tourist industry. At the same time, you will help us to achieve our goal in giving back to our local community. We co-operate with a range of local people. Therefore, all booking fees go either straight to people in our community such as, farmers, taxi and tuc tuc drivers, hostels, restaurants, groceries, boat and tour guides, artisans, etc. You will also help to cover the expenses of our project.
Transportation is included from Pucallpa´s airport or bus station to Puerto Inca. The taxi colectivo drivers will wait at the airport/bus station with a poster with the name of the volunteers so, the volunteers can recognize them. The ride from the city of Pucallpa to Puerto Inca takes about 2.5 hours.
Transportation expenses during our excursions are also included
Volunteers can either take a bus or flight from the city of Lima to the city of Pucallpa. Buses take about 20 hours long and flights take 1 hour to get to Pucallpa. (Not Included)
Accommodation is included for all our programs. Volunteers stay in a family hostel. Two same gender volunteers share a bedroom. All bedrooms have proper bathrooms and beds. Working with local families is part of our project to boost the local economy.
Food and Drink are included for all our programs. We provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Monday through Friday. For breakfast, we provide coffee or tea, bread, eggs, fruit juice, butter, jam, fruit salad. For Lunch and dinner, we provide Peruvian dishes, (starter + main dish + juice) with chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc. We also provide vegetarian and vegan meals with previous requirement. Volunteer will eat at local restaurants as part of our project to boost the local economy.
The village of Puerto Inca has no running water. People use water wells to get water. Former volunteers and us have drunk this water without problems. However, we recommend volunteers to bring a portable water filter to make sure they are drinking good water at any time like in our trips to the jungle.
At the moment we are on standby due to the Covid19 pandemic. We will restart our project by May 1, 2021. After we restart our activities, volunteers can arrive any day of the year.
Biodiversity Research In The Amazon Rainforest
El Sira Communal Reserve is home to at least 300 bird species, 124 mammals and 140 reptiles identified to date, although the real numbers are believed to be higher.
$1078/week
You requested a page that doesn't exist on this site any more. This could be caused by a link you followed that was out of date, by a typing in the wrong address in the address bar, or simply because the post has been deleted.