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Candamo - An Ambitious Project

Three organizations are committed to protecting the Candamo, Guacamayo, Távara, and Tambopata river basins and the forests that surround them.

The sky turns ochre and gold over the peaceful jungle as another day comes to an end in Candamo. © Walter Wust
The Pro-Endangered Animals Backus Foundation was established in July 1995. Its mission is to protect and preserve wild animals and their habitat, particularly endangered plants and animals. The Foundation’s mission is also to protect the environment in general and promote sustainable development.

The main activities carried out to date by the foundation have been an agreement with the Cracidea Foundation (for the protection and breeding in captivity of the white-winged peacock) and studies on breeding leopards and wild boars in captivity (which include the work being carried out by zoologists at the Unión de Cervecerías Backus & Johnston brewery in Ate and at the Cervecerías San Juan brewery in Pucallpa).

The Foundation also intends to finance a scientific research station in the Candamo River Basin in the jungle region of Puno. The station will provide support and facilities to researchers and others committed to protecting this ecological sanctuary and its unique features.

Playful by nature, these giant river otters seem to symbolise the forest's vitality. © Walter WustThe efforts of Backus & Johnston are part of a larger project involving the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and America Television, Peru's main television network. The project is aimed at preserving the environmental integrity of the area, promoting research and study, and disseminating its environmental value. It is worth noting that these three organizations have demonstrated their determination to work in strict compliance with Peruvian laws and in unison with all people and institutions seriously interested in nature conservation.

Under the project the WCS has undertaken to direct technical procedures for creating, equipping and operating the station in a way that complies with the above objectives and that efficiently serves the scientific community in Peru and the rest of the world. America Television is committed to promoting Candamo's value as an environmental resource by providing coverage and helping the public to learn about the research, discoveries and other interesting facts unearthed by the new scientific station.

Thanks to this agreement, which was signed in October 1998, in January and February this year, America Television released a three-part documentary produced by Daniel Winitzky called "Candamo: The Last Uninhabited Jungle." 

By Walter Wust
Volume /Issue 15, Page 18
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