UJ #9 - Adventure in Peru

INTERVIEW
"THE AREA IN QUESTION
IS PART OF THE FUTURE
VILCABAMBA-AMBORO
BIOLOGY CORRIDOR.
IT IS LOCATED ON THE
EASTERN FOOTHILLS OF
THE URUBAMBA RANGE,
IN THE AUSANGATE
SECTOR"
Left: The grey-breasted
mountain toucan (Andigena
hypoglauca), one of the 680
species of birds identified in
the zone.
Right: View of the River
Madre de Dios, Manu
National Park.
small section of a Pre-Inca road between the villages
of Coporaque and Yanque. Thanks to this project, it
is now possible to walk a segment of this road in two
hours, and it links two archaeological sites and their
respective villages”.
Now you are living in Cusco. What new projects
are you working on there?
A short while ago I was working with the owner of a
farm between Puno and Cusco, evaluating the possibility
of including his property into the tourist route.
The farm is called Queque Norte and is in Kunurana
alto, Puno, at 4,000 m.a.s.l. Five rooms in a beautiful
country house; an excellent alternative for lunch on
the route, and to stay the night, with a visit to the farm.
The most impressive thing is how they have achieved
high dairy production at such an altitude. The owner
is known as one of the best highland cattle ranchers
in the world.
Forty years have passed since you organised
the first expeditions to Manu National Park, and
now you’re exploring another little-known zone
with great potential: Quincemil in the district of
Camanti.
Yes, my partner Alfredo Ferreyros G. and I are trying
to obtain a concession for conservation there. We
have asked for about 50,000 hectares between 750
and 4,000 m.a.s.l., including a wide range of ecosystems
and diverse flora and fauna, probably among
the highest on the planet, as well as being beautiful
and easy to get to. The area in question is part of the
future Vilcabamba-Amboro biology corridor. It is located
on the eastern foothills of the Urubamba range,
in the Ausangate sector, where the Andes fall most
steeply towards the tropical forest.
“We have carried out several studies to evaluate its
potential. One, on adventure activities in the zone,
which is perfect for rafting, mountain biking, rock
climbing, canyoning and fishing. Another on the tourism
potential for those interested in natural history.
Another study, carried out by scientists, demonstrates
the zone’s impressive diversity. For example, 360
species of butterflies alone were identified in just two
months, together with 680 species of birds and 199
species of orchids. In this project we are aided by
the Association for the Conservation of the Amazon
Basin (ACCA)”.