CONAPAC, the Civil Association for Conservation of the Peruvian Amazon Environment, is an NGO formed in July of 1990, in Iquitos, Peru, by a group of Teachers, Forestry Engineers, and Employees of the Travel Agency Exploraciones Amazonicas S.A. -Explorama Lodges. The purpose of the organization, as stated in the bylaws registered with the Peruvian government, is the conservation of the Peruvian Amazon Primary Rainforest for the following:

1.- Scientific Investigations and Studies To Learn About The Tropical Rainforest

2.- Education for the Purpose of Conservation and Defense of the Amazon Rainforest Environment and Ecology.

In connection with these aims, CONAPAC has as its expressed purpose, the sponsorship of the following activities:a.- Rainforest Workshops for adults and children to teach the importance of the Tropical Rainforest to interested persons both locally and from other areas of the worldb.- Rainforest Conservation Education in local river villages and the training of Teachers in Rural River Communitiesc.-Yearly organization of the "Adopt -A- School" program which in 2003 provided school supplies for over 3,700 Rainforest Students and their teachersd.- Acquisition and protection of Primary Rainforest Landse.- Construction and maintenance of the Amazon Canopy Walkway and the ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Medicinal Plant Garden for use in scientific field studies and in educational programsf.- Sponsorship of scientific investigations to be conducted by professional research teams within the areas of Primary Rainforest protected by CONAPAC.
One of the most interesting aspects of CONAPAC is that although it is strictly a non-profit organization, it is directly funded by visitors of a for-profit company, Explorama Lodges, rather than through solicitation of funds from the public in general or from other companies. Every guest visiting one of Explorama's privately owned and protected Primary Rainforest Reserves has a portion of their tour program costs donated directly by Explorama Lodges to CONAPAC.Overhead costs of CONAPAC, such as boats and their related expenses and the majority of personnel, office staff and office expenses are contributed by Explorama Lodges so that donations can be used exclusively for conservation purposes and projects. CONAPAC also works in cooperation and collaboration with several governmental and non-governmental organizations, such as the local Peruvian Public Amazonian University "UNAP", the local Peruvian Government-sponsored scientific Investigative Institute. ' IIAP", the Regional Board of Education, "DREL" and Office of Rural Education Loreto, “OER/L”.CONAPAC is especially proud of its construction of the AMAZON CANOPY WALKWAY, the longest such Walkway of its type, with access towers and multilevel platforms for observation of the flora and fauna at different levels and habitats. The walkway is 500 meters long, and reaches 36 meters above the forest floor. It passes through many of the highest trees of this area, and has several spans which are suspended in emergent trees, above the canopy. CONAPAC workers designed and constructed the walkway based on a Malaysian prototype and are responsible for its daily maintenance. The Amazon Canopy Walkway has made available a portion of the Amazon Rainforest, which is rarely seen and infrequently studied, easily accessible for scientists and layman alike.

CONAPAC has also made possible advanced degree studies by students from the local University on rainforest topics by providing scholarships including all transport, meals, lodging and access to protected primary Rainforest in which to study. Some of the work included in these studies are the complete ecological study of a lake where a larger biodiversity of invertebrates has been found than in any of the surrounding areas, a study of the 13 local vegetative species consumed by manatee and a project for the reintroduction of the manatee in an area where they are no longer found, as well as population studies of ornamental and marketable fish.

 

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