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Highlighting the enormous biodiversity of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (ACR) and the critical role this protected area plays in the conservation of Madre de Dios, in southeastern Peru, Amarakaeri: Connecting Biodiversity offers readers a glimpse into the extensive research conducted by scholars from the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and their Peruvian counterparts. For three years, scientists and local experts had the extraordinary opportunity to collect data to determine potential impacts on selected animal and plant groups in the areas surrounding an exploratory gas platform in the premontane forests of the ACR. Amarakaeri portrays the main threats to the ACR and presents a vision for the region's future.
Through more than 1,000 vivid and compelling photographs, Amarakaeri presents an overview of Madre de Dios, the ACR, and the ecosystem services provided by Amazonian tropical forests, followed by diversity chapters covering a sample of the unique birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, arthropods, and plants that make the ACR their home. The book highlights the critical role the ACR plays in the conservation of the Madre de Dios landscape and its importance as a keystone to ensure connectivity throughout the Vilcabamba-Amboro Conservation Corridor of South America.
Francisco Dallmeier is director of the Center for Conservation and Sustainability of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. He holds a PhD and an MS in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and a BS in Biology from the Central University of Venezuela. His areas of expertise include conservation and planning of sustainable infrastructures, protected-area management, and best practices for impact mitigation of development projects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Francisco has more than thirty years of global experience with a focus in Latin America and Africa and has been an advisor for international organizations, governments, NGOs and financial organizations, among others.
Adriana Bravo is a Peruvian biologist interested in tropical ecology, conservation biology, and education. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from Louisiana State University and a BS in Sciences from the University Agraria La Molina in Peru. She has worked for the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica, the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Peru, where she was the managing director for the Amarakaeri biodiversity project in Madre de Dios, Peru. Adriana has conducted extensive field research in the tropics, including the study of mineral lick visitation by frugivorous bats in the Peruvian Amazon and the biogeography of sodium in wild figs.
Michael Tweddle is a wildlife and conservation photographer. He studied Audiovisual Communications in Lima, Peru. In his work, he uses his creativity to combine commercial images with his passion for nature, culture, and action sports. He has explored remote areas throughout Peru and around the world. His work has been published worldwide and recognized with awards in exhibitions and art fairs. His work was part of the Peruvian Postal Service commemorative to the Primates of Peru and was featured in National Geographic Channel's Wild Case Files.
