In March 2017 an idea grew stronger that had been lightly discussed in a couple of occasions between a colleague, presently working as a field specialist in the south-eastern parts of Peru, and myself now settled in Sweden. As soon as more carefully considered I knew that this was something that would take a lot of my future time, effort, and devotion because I feel very strongly and personal for
this culturally, environmentally and on many other terms historically threatened inhabitants and part of the world. As a younger girl I once travelled to South America with the main destination Peru and main goal to discover the tropical Amazon rainforest and the extraordinary geographical setting and Tambopata national reserve in the south Peruvian region 'Madre de Diós'. By the end of on three-day excursion with a five-man team of wildlife enthusiasts we (the adventure guide and I) stumbled upon a young man returning with his collected larvae harvest he had brought to his small family. I could not communicate with the native-born man when he happily invited us to share the freshly picked harvest for dinner but the overall experience from the visit, with one fo the word´s most incredible flora and fauna and the hospitable expression of this man had already left me with such impression I by then unconsciously had decided that my future aim of any kind of academical studies would be to to return to Peru and help working for this place and its struggle for environmental protection. By now, the tourism has probably mulitiplied since this visit in the early 2000's. There are plenty of Eco-friendly initatives and sustainability oriented businesses funded by large European Funds, development banks and Northamerican firms. There are self-sustained farmhouses where you can go and live as a self-sustaining tropical farmer and many of the indigenous communities residing in the region are either engaged in or an attraction for these adventure companies or eco-tourist industries. The native Amazon peoples are more commonly receiving most part of their living from this growing demand. But there seldom a growth somewhere which not corresponds to a loss of something else...
As history shows, there is never such thing as a total control or simple moderation when you look at political regulations and use of resources in resource-rich biodiversities. It is hard to supervise an area so full of economically profitable and high-value natural treasures with so many and colliding interests and players in the field. The deforestation and illegal activities (such as the current illegal mining in Madre de Diós) of resources can be seen as both a reflection and a consequence of the economic situation in a country and levels of eco-social protection and marginalization. Currently there are many interests competing for gains in the zone of Bahuaja-Sonene and Tambopata national reserve where the focus of this project is.
