ACEER Foundation

Have you checked out Studio Verde yet? @studio_verde_air Studio Verde is an Artist Residency Program in Italy, founded by ACEER Conservation Fellow Maisie McNeice @maisiemcneice! Maisie is an Artist who has worked in Peru and Africa and has always had a fascination for the intersection of Art and Science. She moved to Umbria last year, and inspired by the land has set up an Artist in Residence program Studio Verde aiming to integrate Art and Ecology by including specialists ...in the field of botany, entomology and conservation. ACEER Conservation Fellow, Riccardo Mattea, is one of the specialists involved in the program. Maisie met Riccardo in 2019 when visiting Finca Las Piedras research and education centre in the Peruvian Amazon. Riccardo was the academics programs coordinator; he took care of the internship program, he gave workshops, guiding students through the forest, training in GPS use, GIS mapping, R statistics and biological monitoring and birding. In Studio Verde he will be taking residents out into the field introducing them to local history, sustainable agroforestry and traditional olive and chestnut harvesting. He will run workshops on animal monitoring and the local fauna. The first Art & Ecology program is currently underway. Check out the Studio Verde Instagram page to see more. If you are interested in applying for the second program in October, please head over to the Studio Verde website (link in bio) for more details on how to apply. Additionally, check out Maisie's blog on our website at the link in our bio. Maisie is one of two ARTivists generously funded by Amazon Aid! @amazonaid

ACEER Conservation Fellow Marcos Carello is currently in the rainforest of the Las Piedras river in Peru, busy working on his research project on frogs. As the rainy season arrives, an important part of Marcos's reseach will begin ... "The vast majority of anuran species take advantage of this season for reproduction. In the Amazon rainforest, the wet season means breeding season for the vast majority of anuran species. Fascinated by this phenomenon, I spent hours every night... in search of breeding ponds, ephemeral ponds created by seasonal rains and used by frogs and toads as the perfect reproduction site while I spent the day reviewing the available relevant literature. I came to realise that information and literature related to the ecology of anurans is lacking in this region. Without collecting baseline data on the ecology and behaviour of species we will fail to design and implement effective conservation strategies. Additionally, basic ecological information would contribute to the efficacy of future project design." Read more from Marcos in his latest blog "The Frogject" by following this link https://aceer.org/the-frogject/

Por décadas, las voces de las mujeres no han sido tomadas en cuenta en las decisiones sobre los recursos de la biodiversidad, la gestión del territorio e incluso sus propios proyectos de vida. Es así que estas valientes Mujeres Amazónicas comprenden a la selva como un ser vivo, reconociendo que todos los habitantes, humanos y no humanos, son parte de un gran ecosistema que tiene su propio ritmo, energía y sincronía. Para estas lideresas, un elemento esencial en su lucha es de...jar de tener vergüenza de ser Indígenas. Los pueblos Indígenas han sido sometidos a diferentes mecanismos de dominación, opresión y discriminación, por lo que aseguran que una forma de romper con esto, es dejar la vergüenza y alzar la voz para que la casa de sus abuelos, la selva, permaneza saludable, las comunidades tengan una vida digna, y ellas vivan libres sin violencia. Extracto del blog "Dejar de tener vergüenza: Mujeres defensoras de la Selva Viviente" escrito por Maria Ines Rivadeneira. Lea el blog completo en el enlace de nuestra biografía o en nuestro sitio web aquí: https://aceer.org/dejar-de-tener-verguenza-mujeres-defenso/

We are very proud of our team and affiliates in Peru who today had an article published in Mongabay! The article highlights the negative impacts of illegal gold mining on the indigenous Harakbut community of San José de Karene. The community, situated close to the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, lost almost 30% of it's land (over 6000 hectares) to illegal mining between 2010 and 2020. The article gives an in-depth account of the complexities surrounding gold mining in the commun...ity, including personal testimonies from Harakbut community members. ACEER's Therany Gonzales recently visited the community of San José de Karene with Jerica Ommia, an indigenous student from the community. Therany is supervising Jerica's undergraduate thesis which looks at the impacts of gold mining in four streams. She uses leaf packs filled with Inga edulis leaves to capture aquatic invertebrates. The results between two streams impacted by mining and two streams not impacted by mining are then compared. You can read more about leaf packs on our website or at the link in bio. Please read the full Mongabay article at the link in our bio, or by following this link: https://es.mongabay.com//san-jose-de-karene-mineria-ilega/ The article is in Spanish but you can use the Google Translate extension for Chrome, or copy and paste the text into Google translate. Trust us, it's worth the effort! Photo of the gold mining along the Wepabendwe stream by ACEER Conservation Fellow Vico Mendez. Amazon Aid Foundation Nature explorers TReeS - Tambopata Reserve Society

The Amazon rainforest is masterful at recycling plant nutrients. It has to be. Soils in Amazonia are notoriously poor in nutrients with the vast majority within the biomass of the forest itself. It is incumbent on the forest to vigorously recycle nutrients. Elsewhere, though, even if soils are rich in nutrients, recycling them is valuable to maintaining or restoring functioning landscapeslike food gardens. With the growing season winding down in temperate climates and gar...dens being cleaned and rested for the next growing season composting is a valuable tool for the leftover waste, not to mention a way to recycle food scraps throughout the year. Are you interested in learning more about composting? Head over to our website to read the latest blog from regular contributer Denise. She will take you through all the steps in "In The Garden Of Deeden: Composting" . https://aceer.org/in-the-garden-of-deeden-composting/

Subscribe to our newsletter today! Our team are busy working on their newsletter contributions this week in preparation for our Fall newsletter. We can't wait to let you know what we've been up to recently! We'll have updates from our partners in Peru including weekly lectures that have been taking place at the ACEER Interpretative Centre in Puerto Maldonado organised by Nature Explorers. We'll recap the DTI summer institute, announce a film screening, introduce you to our n...ew interns, update you on the Conservation Fellows, and tell you more about an exciting new partnership and grant award! Sign up today! https://aceer.org/getinvolved/ #TheTributary #ACEER #ACEERFoundation

[English below] Cada 27 de septiembre celebramos en Madre de Dios la celebración del Sine Do End Dari que significa Fiesta de mi Tierra en Harakbut. Este festival para dar a conocer la gastronomía, cultura, folklore y otras tradiciones de las comunidades que tenemos en el departamento. ACEER Conservation Fellow Roy Riquelme hizo una presentación del trabajo que realiza sobre cocina con las comunidades Palma Real e Infierno, con su organizaion "Cocinando y Conservando". ... ACEER Conservation Fellow Rut Mottoccanchi fue con IPeru para apoyarlos con actividades de información turística. Roy y Rut se conocieron en la mesa de una familia Harakbut que también presentó sus platos típicos. ¡Gracias a Rut para compartir los fotos de este historia y celebración! ------------------------------------------------------- Every September 27 we celebrate in Madre de Dios the celebration of the Sine Do End Dari, which means Feast of my Land in Harakbut. This festival to publicize the gastronomy, culture, folklore and other traditions of the communities that we have in the department. ACEER Conservation Fellow Roy Riquelme made a presentation of the work he does on cooking with the Palma Real and Infierno communities, with his organization "Cocinando y Conservando". ACEER Conservation Fellow Rut Mottoccanchi went with IPeru to support them with tourist information activities. Roy and Ruth met at the table of a Harakbut family who also presented their typical dishes. Thanks to Ruth for sharing this story and celebration! Great work both!

En estos últimos 10 años estuve viajando por diferentes afluentes de la Amazonía Peruana en Madre de Dios. En uno de estos viajes tuve la oportunidad de conocer el río Malinowski, un lugar donde los mineros de oro estaban destruyendo la belleza de esta selva y todo lo que estaba a la vista. Donde antes era un hábitat de peces, caimanes, anacondas y aves, las prácticas mineras se han destruido. Descubrí que la falta de oportunidades laborales era la razón de la minería. Los mi...neros lo llaman tolba. Sobre esta mesa colocan alfombra y material de arena con los restos de oro. Luego, se agrega mercurio y se mezcla para obtener oro puro. Este proceso produce contaminación ambiental y también es tóxico para los trabajadores. Extracto del blog "Oro Verde de Malinowski" escrito por ACEER Conservation Fellow Roy Riquelme @royriquelme Lea el blog completo en el enlace de nuestra biografía, o aquí https://aceer.org/oro-verde-del-malinowski/ Foto por Roy Riquelme. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// In these last 10 years I have been traveling through different tributaries of the Peruvian Amazon in Madre de Dios. On one of these trips I had the opportunity to see the Malinowski River, a place where gold miners were destroying the beauty of this jungle and everything in sight. Where once a habitat for fish, alligators, anacondas and birds, mining practices have been destroyed. I discovered that the lack of job opportunities was the reason for mining. The miners call it tolba. On this table they place carpet and sand material with the remains of gold. Then mercury is added and mixed to obtain pure gold. This process produces environmental pollution and is also toxic to workers. Excerpt from the blog "Oro Verde de Malinowski" written by ACEER Conservation Fellow Roy Riquelme @royriquelmer Read the full blog at our bio link, or here https://aceer.org/oro-verde-del-malinowski/ Photo by Roy.

This mammoth palm tree, Mauritia flexuosa, or the aguaje palm, is one of the climax species of the Amazon, forming monocultures for acres in flooded areas. As I can attest, it’s a delicious fruit that’s a prized commodity for millions of people in the Amazon. Each tree can grow hundreds of the fruit yearly; to cut them down for their desirable produce is a profitable business venture. Unfortunately, the aguaje palm is dioecious: the trees are distinctly male or female. Only ...the females produce fruit, so they are the trees that are chopped down. The remaining female trees’ fruit will be consumed by large primates, tapirs, and other mammals, the seeds dispersed. The seedlings that sprout will be 50% female and 50% male, by chance. Over generations, the ratio of females to males slowly shrinks, and stands become dominated entirely by male trees. When those trees dieunable to reproduce or provide food for the mammalsthe entire ecosystem is lost. Read more about the aguaje palm in the latest blog "The Plight Of The Aguaje" from ACEER Executive Director Brian Griffiths. Link in bio. https://aceer.org/the-plight-of-the-aguaje/ #palm #palmtree #aguaje #monocultures #fruit #treefruit #dioecious #seeddispersal #fruitharvest #harvest #sustainable #tree #trees

This Week! Amazon Aid Foundation’s Cleaner Gold Network Host's Its Summit this Wednesday, September 29th. ACEER President Jon Cox will be speaking on a panel, as will our board member Thomas Lovejoy! The Sept 29th event is a powerful, 90-minute, exchange of ideas in three super-charged conversations focused on the intersection of science and policy, vital work being done to protect human rights, and the role of artists to connect to the hearts and minds of the consumer.... Confirmed panelists include: Tipping Point: International Policy & Amazon Protection Panel Guest Speakers: - Thomas Lovejoy, Professor, Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University @georgemasonu; Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation @unfoundation - Marcelo Furtado, Visiting Scholar at Columbia University Moderator: - Sarah duPont, Founder, Amazon Aid @amazonaid On the Ground with NGOs Panel Guest Speakers: - Deborah Goldemberg, Conservation Specialist (Amazon) | WWF - Luiz Henrique Reggi Pecora, Instituto Socioambiental Moderator: - Charlie Lyons, Producer + Journalist Artists as Changemakers Panel Guest Speakers: - Jon Cox, ACEER Foundation @aceerfoundation President; Assistant Professor of Art and Design, University of Delaware - Emir Cerman & Jason Park, Founders, ROTU Entertainment Moderator: - Corinne Weber, Producer, Carpe Omnia Productions Please join us! Amazon Aid Foundation Register here: http://ow.ly/JzUS50GhONt

Did you know that there are rabbits in the Amazon rainforest?! ACEER Director of Research Holly O'Donnell describes them as "probably the most out-of-place looking animal in the Amazon, alongside the little red crabs that you find kilometres from the river". Holly O'Donnell Life in the Amazon Previously known as Sylvilagus brasiliensis, the species is currently undergoing taxonomic review. Common names include the common tapeti, the Brazilian cottontail and, locally in Span...ish, conejo. This camera trap video is from the Las Piedras Amazon Center - LPAC Big thank you to Carter Payne for taking the time to share this video with us. You can view more of his camera trap videos of mammals found in the Peruvian Amazon over on his Instagram profile at @carterjamespayne Carter Payne

Conservation Fellow Liselot Lange has written the second part of her blog series. In "A Spider Monkey Tale, part 2" Liselot returns to South America from the Netherlands, this time to the Peruvian Amazon, where she learns to navigate the rainforest and encounters an array of wildlife at the famous Explorer's Inn in Tambopata. Visit our website to read Liselot's full blog: https://aceer.org/a-spider-monkey-tale-part-2/ Liselot Lange Photography

ACEER Conservation Fellow Maisie McNeice @maisiemcneice has created an Artist Residency Program in Italy. Studio Verde aims to integrate Art and Ecology by including specialists in the field of botany, entomology and conservation. @studio_verde_air Studio Verde AIR will be running its first Art & Ecology program in September over a period of three weeks. The mission is to provide artists an environment where they can work on their own projects inspired by the land, while also... being guided and taught by experts enabling the possibility to spark new ideas. Applications are currently being accepted for the second program in October. Visit the studio verde Instagram page for more details on how to apply! Additionally, check out Maisie's blog on our website https://aceer.org/studio-verde/ Maisie is one of two ARTivists generously funded by Amazon Aid! @amazonaid

A pair of beautiful Red and Green Macaws (Ara chloropterus) in a repost from 2020 ACEER Conservation Fellow Rut Mottoccanchi. English translation further below. Se cree que los guacamayos tienen una pareja de por vida, dando origen a un ritual que consiste en liberar guacamayos en matrimonios locales para que sean duraderos.... Cuando estaba en la universidad, se corrio el rumor de que un reciente estudio de campo, habia arrojado el dato de que a un guacamayo registrado con su pareja, se lo volvio a identificar con otra. Soliamos hacer bromas al respecto, posiblemente habria aprendido las malas manas de los guias. En fin, hay mucho que profundizar sobre el comportamiento de los guacamayos, mientras tanto a seguir disfrutando de sus colores en el cielo. Estos dos son guacamayos aliverdes (Ara chloropterus). Macaws are believed to have a partner for life, giving rise to a ritual that involves releasing macaws into local marriages to make them last. When I was in college, a rumor spread that a recent field study had yielded the information that a macaw registered with his partner was identified again with another. We used to joke about it, possibly he would have learned the bad tricks of the guides. In short, there is much to deepen on the behavior of macaws, meanwhile continuing to enjoy their colors in the sky. These two are green-winged macaws (Ara chloropterus).

Rainy season skies in the Peruvian Amazon. Repost from 2020 ACEER Conservation Fellow Rut Mottoccanchi. Iniciar el ano viajando a la selva, significa estar dispuesto a broncearse, mojarse y asustarse con los relampagos.... Las predicciones del clima en el movil son inciertas, el dia puede ponerse un poco crazy con sol y lluvia. Si eres amante de la aventura y las sorpresas, esta es la mejor temporada para que visites la Amazonia. En mi primer viaje del ano, sali con una manana soleada, despues de algunas actividades oscureció el cielo, rompio a llover y volvió a salir el sol, nada que pueda detenernos. Espere mas de un ano para volver a caminar con ropa mojada. Starting the year by traveling to the jungle means being willing to tan, get wet, and be scared by lightning. Weather predictions on mobile phones are uncertain, the day can get a bit crazy with sun and rain. If you are a lover of adventure and surprises, this is the best season for you to visit the Amazon. On my first trip of the year, I went out with a sunny morning, after some activities the sky darkened, it started to rain and the sun came out again, nothing that can stop us. I waited more than a year to walk again in wet clothes.

It's Brazil nut season! Check out this post from 2020 ACEER Emergying Conservation Fellow @adelaindriago to learn more about how Brazil nuts reach your supermarkets from the Amazon rainforest. English below. La cosecha y venta de productos de castaña (BrazilNut) es una de las actividades económicas más importantes en Madre de Dios. El éxito de la producción recae en los polinizadores y dispersadores de semillas, estos últimos son los Aguti y las ardillas los cuales con m...ucha paciencia roen la dura corteza del coco de la castaña para acceder a las semillas, las cuales se comen y esconden. La cosecha de la castaña no interrumpe el ciclo natural de dispersión de semillas, ya que estos animales siempre llegan primero a la falda del árbol y hacen su trabajo, dejando a varios individuos jóvenes de castaña creciendo dispersos en el bosque Pueden apoyar a la económica local comprando productos de castaña en los mercados populares, directamente al responsable de la cosecha y preparación. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The harvesting and sale of Brazil Nut products is one of the most important economic activities in Madre de Dios. The success of the production falls to the pollinators and seed dispersers, the latter being the Agouti and the squirrels which with great patience gnaw the hard bark of the Brazil nut shell to access the seeds, which they eat and hide. The Brazil nut harvest does not interrupt the natural cycle of seed dispersal, since these animals always reach the base of the tree first and do their work, leaving several young Brazil Nut individuals growing scattered in the forest You can support the local economy by buying Brazil Nut products in popular markets, directly from the person responsible for harvesting and preparation.

LECTURE 6pm TONIGHT! Signup now. THE ANCIENT CULTURE AND WISDOM OF THE LENNI-LENAPE PEOPLE. TUESDAY, February 23 6:007:30PM ET FREE -please register here: ... https://udel.zoom.us//register/tJcucumhqDMpHdX9RLDqPvoDaF_ THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE is a new book about the Lenni-Lenape people and their way of life 500 years ago before Europeans arrived on this continent. The book was co-authored by Chief Quiet Thunder and Greg Vizzi over a 15-year period. It covers some of Chief Quiet Thunder’s personal history growing up in Woodbury, NJ, right after the Great Depression, and his career as an acclaimed cultural educator, GREG VIZZI is a naturalist, nature photographer, and permaculture designer based in Sweetwater, NJ and a close friend of Chief Quiet Thunder for over 25 years. Sponsored by the University of Delaware Anti-Racism Initiative #aceerfoundation #universityofdelaware University of Delaware #lennilenape #nativeamerican #firstnations #indigenous #indigenousamerican #indigenousculture #firstnationsart #firstnationspeople #indigenoushistory #indigenousland #nativewisdom #antiracism #antiracismeducation

A Band Tailed Manakin to brighten up your Monday! Did you know that there are over 1800 species of bird in Peru?! Photo by 2020 ACEER Conservation Fellow @adelaindriago who captioned her photo with "Miren la cosa bonita que me encontré hoy! Estas aves son lo máximo."... "Look at the pretty thing I found today! These birds are the best."