How did the tree planting trip to Peru come about?
JK: We went there because the Amazon rainforest is
the largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world
and houses at least 10% of the world's known biodi-
versity. In Peru, the rainforest is home to many proud
indigenous peoples who live along the edges of the
Amazon River and its tributaries. The historical forces
of colonization and the Amazon Rubber Boom (most
feverous from 1879 to 1912) had an astounding/dev-
astating effect, with many of these folks changing the
way they had sustainably lived for thousands of years.
We have all heard about the logging of large trees for
timber and the clear-cutting of the land for raising
cattle. The riparian corridor there has been highly
disturbed, with consequences very similar for a cattle
pasture 100 feet (30.5 m) from the Amazon River as
they are for an empty lot in Brooklyn. In both cases,
it's disturbed land that needs repair so it can provide
maximum benefits to people. The soil along the
Amazon River is predominantly high in clay, which
is why the River is brown—because of all the sedi-
ment washing into it from what used to be forest.
Currently in Peru, the folks who live in the Amazon
rainforest are among the poorest in the country.
Where they live is only accessible by boat, and they
mostly practice subsistence living. They fish in the
river water polluted by mineral extraction, they
hunt wildlife for food and money, and they raise
cattle and harvest timber to support their families.
Organizations like FTPF help communities move
towards a more sustainable way to make a living that
also restores ecological function to critical rainforest
land. Fortunately, communities in the region we went
to have built a trusting relationship with CONAPAC, so
it was natural for FTPF to partner with CONAPAC. >
www.urban-forestry.com 31
Deforested land and herds of cattle are a familiar scene along the Amazon River.
