Wired Amazon allows travelers to contribute to science and better understand the ecosystems of the Peruvian rainforest.
Seven hours by boat from Puerto Maldonado, located deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, is the Tambopata Research Center, the most remote lodge in the Amazon. Because there is such a small human presence in this area, sightings of monkeys, macaws and other large species, such as jaguars, are more frequent, making this the perfect base for studying the huge number of species that call the jungle home. The Tambopata Research Center is owned by Rainforest Expeditions, a Peruvian ecotourism company that has been in operation since 1989.
In 2015, Rainforest Expeditions launched Wired Amazon at the Tambopata Research Center and Refugio Amazonas. Wired Amazon is an initiative that aims to engage visitors on a new level and provide them with an experience that can’t be found anywhere else. Working together with Zooniverse.org, Wired Amazon is a collection of citizen science projects that invite citizen scientists from all around the world to help the lodge researchers identify flora and fauna and from the comfort of their computer at home. The more work citizen scientists perform, the more travel credits they can earn to be used against a stay at one of Rainforest Expeditions’ properties each year during the month of March, also known as Science Season.
There are currently two excellent projects that citizen scientists can participate in via Zooniverse. The first is “Aerobotany,” in which volunteers examine high-resolution aerial images of the Amazon rainforest and record observations of flowering crowns, leafless crowns and other distinct tree crowns.
The second project is the “AmazonCam Tambopata,” in which over 100 remote cameras have been set up to monitor the Amazon forest area surrounding the Tambopata Research Center. Citizen Scientists are able to view the videos from these cameras and identify and study the populations of large mammals like jaguars, spider monkeys, tapir and peccaries.
When guests visit the Tambopata Research Center or Refugio Amazonas, they are invited to take part in other Wired Amazon citizen science projects. One of the most popular projects is “Discover a New Species.” As part of this activity, insects are drawn to a light trap at night and guests are given the opportunity to collect the ones that interest them. Species can also be collected when guests participate in collection walks with scientists. Later, the species are analyzed for their appearance, life stage, sex, sexual reproduction and other characteristics. If the specimen is thought to be a new species, it is submitted to the International Barcode of Life (IBoL), an initiative that is currently building a DNA barcode library of all the living organisms on earth. If IBoL finds that one of the submitted specimens is a new species, guests are given the opportunity to name that species.
On average, Wired Amazon discovers one new species a month. In 2016, eight new species were identified, some by guests. Discover a New Species is one of the most popular Wired Amazon projects because of the excitement that you may have the opportunity to contribute your name to science. However, the other projects have yielded incredible findings as well, including rare images of a short-eared jungle dog carrying her pups, a jaguarondi with cubs and a dwarf porcupine – something that was not known to be present around Tambopata.
Since Wired Amazon is still a very young initiative, the current goal for the project is to make it sustainable for the long-term. That means attracting and engaging more citizen scientists to participate either online or at the lodges.
The Tambopata Research Center is Rainforest Expedition’s iconic facility and a treasured gem in the Peruvian Amazon. To increase comfort for both researchers and guests, the lodge has recently undergone renovations which include upgrades of several rooms and important improvements to certain areas of the lodge.
The Tambopata Research Center was built using low-impact native architecture and materials that help to enhance the jungle experience without compromising the integrity of research center as an eco-lodge. All bedrooms open out to the surrounding rainforests and include eco-friendly toiletries, a hammock, electricity, hot showers, mosquito netting and WiFi. So when guests aren’t participating in Wired Amazon projects, they are provided with all the necessary comforts to relax and enjoy the diverse jungle ecosystem.
For those who want to truly immerse themselves in the jungle and be a part of something greater than just tourism, a stay at the Tambopata Research Center or Refugio Amazonas is the way to go. With access to the Amazon Wired projects, Macaw clay licks, 30-meter canopy tower, five distinct habitats and more, Rainforest Expeditions and Wired Amazon aim to educate travelers and properly introduce them to the wonders of the jungle.
