CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y CAPACITACIÓN RÍO LOS AMIGOS (CICRA)
Figure by ACCA
CICRA is a state-of-the-art biological field station located on the banks of the Rio Madre de Dios in southeastern Peru. ACCA, the Amazonian Conservation Association, runs two such stations, CICRA and Wayquecha, in Peru.
The Los Amigos River is a tributary of the Madre de Dios, which in empties into the Rio Madeira and eventually into the Amazon River. Roughly at the confluence of Rio Madre de Dios and Rio Los Amigos lies the Los Amigos Conservation Concession - 360,000 ha of pristine rainforest.
Facilities:
Number of researcher/student beds at CICRA: 61Number of tent spaces at CM2: 10
Length of trails at CICRA: 61.4 km
Number of permanent staff at CICRA: 13
Travel time in outboard canoe from CICRA to Boca Amigos, a small village with some basic supplies: 5 minutes
Things to know about CICRA:
The Madre de Dios Department follows US Eastern Standard Time but without observing daylight savingsAverage annual rainfall at Los Amigos since 2000: 2,684 mm
Number of steps from the CICRA dock to the terrace: 251
Record number of times someone has gone down and come up the stairs in 30 min.: 8
The famous field station in Manu National Park, Cocha Cashu, is about two days upriver from CICRA.
Friajes, or cold-fronts that come off the slopes of the Andes take everyone by surprise. You will actually need winter clothing at CICRA
Air distances1
CICRA to Puerto Maldonado, the closest large town: 100 kmCICRA to Cusco, closest point to Machu Picchu: 231 km
CICRA to closest point of the Brazilian border: 168 km
CICRA to closest point of the Bolivian border: 138 km
CICRA to Wayqecha Biological Station: 176 km
CICRA to Cocha Cashu Biological Station: 162 km
CICRA to Tambopata Research Center: 83 km
Temperature1
Average annual temperature in the Los Amigos clearing since 2004: 24.2°C (75.6°F)Highest temperature recorded in the Los Amigos forest since 2000: 39.0° C (102.2°F)
Lowest temperature recorded in the Los Amigos forest since 2000: 9°C (48.2°F)
Biology1
Number of species officially recorded in Los Amigos: 4,304
Number of globally threatened plant and animal species at Los Amigos: 15
Number of globally near-threatened plant and animal species at Los Amigos: 12
Number of taxonomic groups inventoried:
Primates at CICRA
Photographed by Mrinalini Watsa
Callimico goeldii (Goeldii's monkey)
Photographed by Mrinalini Watsa
1 Pitman, N. C. A. 2008. An overview of the Los Amigos watershed, Madre de Dios, southeastern Peru.
