One
of the most wonderful places on earth |
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Madre de Dios still encompasses large areas of pristine
lowland rainforest of exceptional biodiversity, including
one of Earths largest (1.881 mio hectares) protected
sites, the World Heritage Site Manu
Biosphere Reserve. It is home to more than 1230
butterfly species, approximately 7% of the world's bird
species (~600), and up to 4% of the world's mammal species
(~160). Many of which are highly endangered, e.g. giant
river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) and jaguar (Panthera
onca). The World Conservation Union declared Madre de
Dios as a World Centre for Plant Diversity.
The
last un-contacted Indians are threatened by
illegal loggers |
With 18 different ethnic groups of Amazon Indians,
Madre de Dios is one of the cultural capitals of the
World. It is one of the last places where Indian tribes
still exist without any contact with modern civilisation.
However, disease, slavery and murder have decimated
their numbers since the start of the rubber boom in
the 1890s. An estimated 10,000 Indians have found
their last refuge in Las Piedras but are now threatened
by illegal loggers who are invading their territory
in search of mahogany. A brief contact without any
consequence for the logger, except for a good story,
might kill the Indian. Diseases common to modern civilisation,
such as flu viruses, are unknown by the Indians’
immune system and are therefore a lethal threat.More
detailed information. In order to protect these
peoples and thus avert their extinction a series of
Reserves were established in the Las Piedras area
as recently as 2002. Despite all the effort, we documented
the illegal intrusion of loggers into these areas,
fearing the worst (read
our report).
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