Peru: Zelin Shen (Learning on Excursions)

Program: SFS Biodiversity & Development in the Andes-Amazon, Spring

For the past week, I had the privilege to go on an excursion into the heart of the Amazon rainforest near Iquitos, to study and participate in a boat-based biological station floating on the Amazon River. The boat, which had been built more than 100 years ago, is named “Rio Amazonas,” which literally translates to “Amazon River”. Our group had the opportunity to participate in multiple field surveys alongside local scientists working at the station, targeting various key-stone species within the region. These included day surveys of lizards, animals, shorebirds, and parrots, as well as night surveys of bats, frogs, and caimans.

The data is then used to observe/analyze long-term trends of biodiversity in the area across seasons, changes in the environment, and human impacts on the forest, ultimately facilitating the decision-making process of conservation practices. These transacts that we participated in not only allowed us to observe the local biodiversity but also highlighted the reliance and hard work of the on-station scientists. When many of us were already exhausted, thirsty, and mentally drained, the local researchers not only maintained composure but also were able to take care of us, while almost always being the first to spot nearby wildlife.

This experience is deeply connected to my course in tropical ecology and conservation science. We had the opportunity to explore some of the most representative ecosystems of the Amazon, understand how the ecology of species can be used to make decisions in conservational practices, apply monitoring techniques for aquatic and terrestrial animals, and learn how to use them to test sustainable use, climate change, and conservation efforts.

One night, I had an extremely lucky encounter with the peanut-headed lanternfly, a relatively abundant species of insect from Central to South America, but due to their preference of high canopy, are very hard to come across. I was lucky that it was attracted to the lights on the boat, and as an entomology major, seeing a holy grail species like this in person was truly a dream come true.