YACUTAYTA
What We Do
“In 1993 Cocha El Dorado was still an isolated place, abundant with the flora and fauna that had so impressed the first European explorers”. The extraction of rubber, the selling of the animal skins, and careless fishing practices accelerated the extinction of many species of animals and plants in the region.
As previously mentioned, fishery is the most important economic activity and source of alimentation for the families of Manco Cápac. For this reason, Manco Cápac, along with other communities along the Amazon, have exerted pressure on the Peruvian government to provide protection of the fishing resources in La Cocha El Dorado and its surrounding regions, in order to prevent rapid destruction of the fish population.
The following excerpt from an article by José Álvaro Alonzo illustrates the incredible carelessness and wastefulness that has occurred in the Peruvian Amazon, with disastrous results for animal populations:
“ Between 1965-1976 5,500,000 animal skins were exported from the Peruvian
Amazon […] it has been calculated that double this amount of animals
were killed, many injured and some of the skins actually never even
arrived to the market due to their bad conditions so they were thrown away.
Additionally many animals were captured and used as bait in order to capture other animals.
Between 1965 and 1973, only animals from Iquitos were exported as pets, this being an amount of 1, 958,000, the majority of them being wild monkeys.”
(José Álvaro Alonzo, Mi Tierra Amazónica, March 21, 2006)
With the support of the NGO Pro-Naturaleza and the PSNR Headquarters, a group of fishermen from Manco Cápac and other nearby communities, have joined together to take charge of the management of La Cocha El Dorado. The group began a surveillance program in order to protect the animals in La Cocha, including the “charapa and taricaya” (water turtles), and the fish species, the “gamitana” (Colossoma macropomum), the “boquichico” (Procilodus nigricans), and the “carachama” (Lyposarcus pardalis). They also wanted to manage and protect the fry of the “arahuana” populations (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) as well as the gigantic food fish, the “paiche” (Arapaima gigas).
The first attempt at surveillance had limited success.
Another quote from José Álvaro Alonzo explains:
“In the long-run, the ten years of vigilance was not sufficient. There were only 14
Fishermen watching over 600 hectares of are, which caused the same troubles as had happened before, centuries back.”
(José Álvaro Alonzo, Mi Tierra Amazónica, March 21, 2006)
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