WATCHING WILDLIFE AT CRISTALINO: A BRAZILIAN AMAZON EXAMPLE
Vitoria Da Riva Carvalho Owner/ Director Cristalino Jungle Lodge Vitoria@cristalinolodge.com.br
Abstract: At present much of the world, in particular the commercial sector, understand or care little about the value and benefits in preserving natural habitats and ecosystems. They are usually seen as something to be exploited. (This is particularly true of forests) Faced with this issue we need to find alternative ways to conserve natural assets. We cannot continue always to rely on government funding and donations but must try to find sustainable ways to create value in these natural assets. A market in carbon sequestration may help in the future but we need something for the present. Wildlife watching, as a key element of ecotourism, if operated with a philosophy of preservation as well as commercial return currently offers the best hope for the future.
WATCHING WILDLIFE AT CRISTALINO – A BRAZILIAN AMAZON EXAMPLE
Many scientists believe that the continuing degradation of the planet’s natural resources may be reaching a tipping point from which there may be no return. The ongoing conflict between the need to protect the remaining ecosystems and the pressures of “development” continues to be an unresolved and entrenched debate between conservationists and developers who see little or no value in the forests apart from timber extraction and transformation into agriculture fields. But there is an urgent need to recognize and create value in the forests as they stand. At present the world seems blind to the innate value of ecosystem services (carbon fixing, climate management, watershed management etc) that support much of our life. Current economic systems provide no pricing mechanism to recognize this value and so, up to now, ecotourism is the most successful tool we have to create large scale commercial value within the natural world. In the ecotourism industry, wildlife watching is one of the most important attractions that brings people to natural areas: bird and butterfly watching, mammals, reptiles & amphibians, fish, insects, not to mention the flora, are some examples. But how can wildlife watching help conserve the site? This question has two angles: 1) conservation of the local wildlife: 2) conservation of the broad landscape where the project is located. Regarding the first point, this question can be answered positively if wildlife watching is managed sustainably. However a private ecotourism project must have the will to protect the environment where it is located, together with the need to deliver a positive financial result. This balance is sometimes forgotten when the ecotourism destination rapidly becomes a success. There are several examples in Brazil and abroad where stakeholders did not follow this basic principle and as a consequence are destroying the
very source of their success, sometimes forever. It is a question of limit. Another problem is related to the public parks where the lack of management will or skill can lead to unsustainable practices or the “paper parks” that are either abandoned or where people abuse its natural resources without constraint. However although it offers the best hope yet, the wildlife is part of a fragile ecosystem of living beings and human interference to observe it must be carefully conducted. There are several examples of how wildlife watching can be managed based upon the principle of minimal human impact into the natural world. The use of towers nestled inside the forests, canopy walkways, platforms and tree houses are some examples, together with carefully managed walking trails and river routes accessed by canoes. The number of visitors as opposed to the capacity of the place, is an important issue to be addressed and measured. Regarding second point above, we can attest that an ecotourism project can play a very important role in the conservation of the broad landscape around the area where the project is located. The most recent example we have is the Cristalino State Park, in Mato Grosso State where the State Deputies brought forward proposals to reduce the park by 27,000 hectares. Only because of the existence and awareness of Cristalino Jungle Lodge a massive campaign was immediately launched led by the Cristalino Ecological Foundation, Instituto Centro de Vida and several national and international NGOs. Through their concerted action, worldwide opinion was mobilized and more than 160.000 e:mails were sent to the State Governor Blairo Maggi and the deputies. As a result the illegal proposals of the deputies where blocked and are now under investigation by the independent “Ministério Público”. The success of this campaign was only possible due to the existence of a pioneer ecotourism project in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso Amazonia, developed by Cristalino Jungle Lodge.
The preservation of this forest is very important because scientific studies have shown that the Cristalino private reserve and Cristalino Park has the highest alpha biodiversity in the whole of the Brazilian Amazonia. The diversity of vegetation and habitats and the high level of endemism is explained by its geographic location between the transition zone of the Brazilian savannah (“cerrado”) and the Amazon rainforest. It is also explained by the barrier effect of rivers like the Madeira, Xingu and Teles Pires which inhibit the dispersal of some species, creating a high incidence of endemism.
Differing soil types within the drainages of the "White water" (Teles Pires river) and the "Black water" (Cristalino river) enhance the overall diversity of fauna and flora. Alta Floresta and Cristalino region is considered by the leading ornithologists to be the most important bird watching site in the Brazilian Amazonia. With a bird list of 570+ species and new species found every year, the region has been visited by ornithologists of international renown, bird tour operators and independent birders from all over the world. First visited by Theodore A. Parker III and Morton and Phyllis Isler in 1989, the region has attracted visits from acknowledged world experts such as Yürgen Haffer, Robert Ridgley, Guy Tudor, Kevin Zimmer and Bret Whitney to mention a few. The area is also one of the few places on Earth where animals such as the whitewhiskered spider monkey (Ateles marginatus) can be found.
New species continuing to be described here such as the poison arrow frog (Dendrobates sp) and the Cryptic Forest Falcon (Micrastur mintoni).
The Fundação Ecológica Cristalino (FEC), together with the Environmental Agency of Mato Grosso, local and international NGOs are now working to finalize the management plan of the Cristalino Park to implement the philosophies described above and to ensure that the economic benefits of such a place are distributed as widely as possible throughout the community. The awareness raised by Cristalino Jungle Lodge is also helping the initiative of local, national and international NGOs in the creation of a wider corridor of protected areas: the Teles Pires/ Tapajós Corridor which we are confident will be implemented by the
Ministério do Meio Ambiente - MMA- (Federal Environmental Agency) with approximately 30 million hectares as part of Brazil’s commitment to extend the protected corridors in accord with the Convention of Biological Diversity (COP7). Given that Cristalino Park has the highest alpha biodiversity in the whole of the Brazilian Amazonia the proposed reduction, were it to take place, it would send a terrible message about future management of these special places. By showing our example we can attest that wildlife watching, when it is well managed, can bring attraction to a certain region, protect the environment where it is located and even protect a wider landscape as the Teles Pires/ Tapajós Corridor.
"Cristalino Jungle Lodge is simply one of the best places in all of Amazonia to immerse your self in the forest and the greatest avifauna on earth." Bret Whitney - Field Guides Web related pages: www.cristalinolodge.com.br www.fundacaocristalino.org.br http://www.fauna-flora.org/americas/cristalino.html Sources: 2004. IUCN The World Conservation Union - Seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP7). Recommendations. Element Programme Element 1, Goal 1.3. Page 3. 2007. Sustainable Use of Biodiversity Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines. Convention on Biological Diversity – CBD. Full text 10 pages. Available in: http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/socio-eco/use/addis-principiples.asp Access in: 17/04/2007