Author: Minam
More than 30 years ago, the taricaya, an emblematic species of the Amazon, was on the verge of extinction, but thanks to the commitment and coordinated work between the State and native communities, they now live in adequate conservation conditions and are part of the attractions of experiential tourism in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, in Loreto.
Thanks to the conservation efforts of the communities settled in this area of the country, the population of this variety of turtle has recovered by nearly 3000 percent; this as part of the Sustainable Management Program of Taricaya implemented by the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (Sernanp), an agency attached to the Ministry of the Environment (Minam).
The role of these native communities is decisive and leading, so much so that currently the management of taricaya is one of the main economic activities for the 492 families organized and formalized in 43 management groups recognized by Sernanp, generating income of approximately S/ 3.5 million per year.
Thanks to this, more than 600,000 taricaya turtles are released into their natural habitat each year in the rivers and lakes of the aforementioned reserve, thus contributing to their recovery not only within this protected natural area but also throughout the Peruvian Amazon.
Sponsor a taricaya turtle, conserve Pacaya
Now, we can all be part of a great crusade for the conservation of this species of our fauna, through the initiative "Adopt a taricaya, conserve Pacaya", led by Sernanp.
This action aims to provide an opportunity for everyone to contribute to this taricaya conservation initiative and support the families who, through a sustainable and responsible activity, are the main managers of its recovery.
Due to the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 72 families have been affected in their conservation activities due to the closure of exports to the Asian market, which has put their investment capital for the management of this species at risk; this also puts at risk the conservation program that has been successfully carried out in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
The initiative “Sponsor a taricaya, conserve Pacaya” seeks to help these families and achieve the release of 43,000 taricayas into their natural habitat.
How can you help?
The initiative involves sponsoring a taricaya turtle by donating S/. 4.00 per turtle through Profonanpe's accounts. All participants will receive a digital certificate acknowledging their support for this environmental action. This certificate will recognize their contribution and grant them access to the live stream of the taricaya turtle release at the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve on January 30th of this year.
The accounts of Profonanpe, the entity that will collect the donations, are as follows:
– BCP savings account in dollars
Profonanpe-Taricaya
Account: 191 01576579 1 02
CCI: 002 191 101576579102 52
– BCP savings account in soles
Profonanpe-Taricaya
Account: 191 01576556 0 79
CCI: 002 191 101576556079 59
