Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NATIONAL PARKS
Peru's vast wealth of wildlife is protected by a system of national parks and reserves with
60 areas covering almost 15% of the country. The newest is the Sierra del Divisor Reserve
Zone, created in 2006 to protect 1.5 million hectares of rainforest on the Brazilian border.
All of these protected areas are administered by the
Instituto Nacional de Recursos Na-
cionales
(Inrena;
www.inrena.gob.pe
)
, a division of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Unfortunately, resources are lacking to conserve protected areas, which are subject to il-
legal hunting, fishing, logging and mining. The government simply doesn't have the funds
to hire enough rangers and provide them with the equipment necessary to patrol the parks.
That said, a number of international agencies and not-for-profit organizations contribute
money, staff and resources to help with conservation and education projects.
COCA CULTIVATION PAST & PRESENT
Cultivation of the coca plant dates back at least 5000 years and its traditional uses have always included the practic-
al and the divine. In pre-Hispanic times, chewing coca was a traditional treatment for everything from a simple
toothache to exhaustion. It has also long been used in religious rituals as a sacred offering. When the Spaniards ar-
rived in the 15th century, they attempted to outlaw the 'heathen' practice of cultivating this 'diabolical' plant.
However, with coca-chewing an essential part of life for the colony's indigenous labor pool (it is a mild appetite
suppressant and stimulant - on par with coffee), the Spanish ultimately reversed their policies.
Today, there continues to be a struggle surrounding coca, but it has to do with its derivative product, cocaine (in
which a paste derived from coca leaves is treated with kerosene and refined into a powder). In an attempt to stem
the flow of this narcotic, the US has led eradication programs of coca plants in Peru. These programs appear to
have done little to curb coca's cultivation (or the cocaine trade), but the herbicides employed have damaged some
agricultural lands in indigenous communities. Critics of the US-sponsored programs - including Peruvian
cocaleros
(coca growers' associations) and President Evo Morales of Bolivia - have called for regulation of eradication. The
issue, however, remains far from resolved.
A Neotropical Companion,
by John Kricher,
provides an introduction to the wildlife and ecosys-
tems of the New World tropics, including coastal
and highland regions.
