In August 2009 we set up a system to accept contributions towards bolstering research and rainforest conservation efforts in the Peruvian Amazon. We set our goal at $5000, hardly believing that we would be able to reach enough people to raise this money. Today in October, we are overwhelmed by the response we have received. Over 80 individuals have contributed towards our efforts (honoured here) and we want to THANK YOU for helping us reach this goal. With these contributions, we can support the field site for 9 months for our project. In addition, 5 students are joining us as field assistants who will also bring income to the field station. This brings CICRA 18 months of stay (us) and a total of 27 months of stay from our field assistants in a time when research ventures are desperately needed for the preservation of this pristine tract of rainforest.
This is terrific news and a great step forward in only 2 months. We want to assure you that any additional funds contributed to this cause will only serve to further our conservation efforts in Peru. We can a) prolong our stay, and thus financial support, at CICRA; b) expand the breadth of this project, ensuring the sustenance of research at this fieldsite over the coming years. All these factors are directly linked to the well-being and preservation of the Los Amigos Conservation Concession.
Without research, there's no understanding. Without understanding, there's no value. Without value, there's no need for conservation. And without conservation, there will be no rainforest left - and this can, and will, happen within our lifetimes if we don't ACT.
Thank you for making a tangible difference to this cause. See below for our appeal letter.
*To donate online use the Paypal button at the top, right-hand side of the page. Enter the amount, click "Donate," and you will be redirected to a Paypal page which accepts most credit cards. You will receive immediate confirmation of your donation via email once you complete the online transaction.*
**Donations by mail should be made out to Gideon Erkenswick and addressed to 1515C Monroe Street, Evanston, IL 60202.**
We initiated PrimatesPeru in 2008 to conduct research on primate genetics and behavior with a focus on wildlife and rainforest conservation. Stemming from Mini’s anthropology dissertation at Washington University in St. Louis, PrimatesPeru has grown into a collaborative endeavor of anthropologists and wildlife biologists from 5 countries. Our work will be undertaken at CICRA, a biological field station in the Peruvian Los Amigos Conservation Concession, part of the world’s largest tract of primary rainforest. The habitat surrounding the field station is routinely threatened by timber and mining operations, which in turn attract migrant workers who support themselves on the surrounding wildlife. As such, the research fees supplied by PrimatesPeru to CICRA play an important role in safeguarding over 360,000 acres of tropical rainforest. We hope you will help us raise the funds required to facilitate this effort.
Beginning later this year, the PrimatesPeru team aims to spend 9 months in the rainforest. While our stay centers on scientific fieldwork in primatology, it also plays an important role in providing CICRA with the financial ability to protect the Concession. CICRA fights habitat loss with two powerful tools – manpower and science. The Concession’s fees fund park rangers that prevent poachers and miners from hunting the animals for meat, hides, and traditional medicine. In addition, a portion of the fees provides young scientists with scholarships to conduct research within the Concession. Therefore the fees are not only essential to rainforest conservation but to ongoing research.
Over the past year, we have received contributions from organizations such as the International Primatological Society, the Lambda Alpha National Honors Society in Anthropology, the Animal Behaviour Society, the American Society of Mammalogists, IdeaWILD and our academic sponsor, Washington University in Saint Louis. Nevertheless, we must raise more funds to pay the Concession fees for 9 months. This is where we seek your support! Please explore the website to read about the project and make an online donation. Sign up for our e-newsletter and we will stay in touch! This cannot happen without you.
Sincerely,
The PrimatesPeru team
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